Friendly Happ-"BY" Names

There are a few names ending in BY that I quite like, so I thought I'd make a list of them. I found there's actually quite a few more names ending in BY than I realised! And I also found that they seem to fall mainly into one of two different categories.

There are those that I consider to be "Quirky Vintage". Think Bartleby, Gatsby, Maeby, Quimby, Willoughby and the likes. They tend to feel like (and often are) literary gems, and have a classic charm that is quite appealing.

The names I had in mind though tend to be more of the "Friendly and Perky" variety. Also very charming and appealing, they sound like they belong to people who are open and approachable. People you could easily become good friends with.

Maybe it's because a number of them are nicknames, and hence designed to be more familiar and friendly from the get go.

Personally though I think it's the "bee" sound itself. It brings to mind a little bumblebee, happily buzzing around flowers on a warm sunny day. You can't help but smile with that image in your mind (unless you're allergic to bees. In which case you might be filled with anxious dread instead). Some people even prefer to change the BY to a BEE or BIE spelling instead to enhance this happy friendly feeling, and add a hint of youthfulness to the name.

I don't think it's necessary though - the names below are all likable enough already.

Abby - Name your daughter Abby and chances are she'll forever be asked if it's short for Abigail. Abigail may be a very popular name in most Western countries, but Abby is a lovable name in it's own right. She's a top 500 name in the U.S and appears on many of our favourite on screen characters. My personal pick - the effervescent Abby Cadabby, the magical fairy Muppet of "Sesame Street" fame.

Alby - Archie is gaining steam in Australia, and Alfie is receiving lots of love in the U.K. Could these be leading the way for Alby? Quite possibly, as Albert is also on the rise. Alby also makes an appearance in "The Maze Runner" as the leader of the Gladers, showing that this name may sound light but has plenty of substance.

Ashby - With hints of Ashley and Aubrey, Ashby is definitely my pick for the next big "Ash" name. But probably not for another 20 years or so, making it a solid ahead-of-the trend pick. With nickname options of Ash for boys and Bea for girls, what's not to love about Ashby.

Bobby Brady

Bobby - Ahhh Bobby. Am I the only one who immediately thinks "The Brady Bunch" when I hear this? Bobby may have started as a nickname for Robert, but this name is quite the powerhouse and has been in the U.S. top 1000 for about 100 years now. He feels like a great Americana choice for a boy, but would be a refreshing (and rare!) choice for a girl.

Coby - It's a sound we're not unfamiliar with, thanks to basketballer Kobe Bryant and "How I Met Your Mother" actress Cobie Smulders (which in her case is short for Jacoba!). Yet this spelling is not very popular at all, perhaps lacking the energetic vibe of Kobe.

Colby - It may be a type of cheese, but it's not a cheesy name. Ever since season two of "Survivor" I've been a fan of Colby. I suspect I'm not the only one. On a boy it has cowboy swagger. On a girl it's cute and tomboyish (and rare!).

Darby - I had a Great Uncle Darby (Darb) so to me this name is straight from the era that we are borrowing so heavily from at the moment. In the U.S it was used fairly evenly for boys and girls until a Julia Roberts played Darby Shaw in the 1994 movie "The Pelican Brief". It's a great gender neutral pick, and currently largely undiscovered as it is no where near cracking the top 1000.

Debby - Before the popularity of Jennifer and her nicknames Jenny and Jen in the 70's, there was Deborah and her nicknames Debby/Debbie and Deb in the 50's. Deborah has never left the top 1000 in the U.S, but Debby was not the most well-liked of her nicknames and currently feels very unfashionable.

Digby - I really 'dig' this name! And another pun - I think it's very 'dig'nified ☺ This is actually true though. Digby is just the right combination of stylish and Old English sounding, yet down-to-earth and approachable. It's super rare currently but definitely deserves more love.

Gabby - As a child I had a book about a little creature named Gabby because they talked too much
and needed to learn how to listen. If you don't mind the association with being overly talkative, this cute little nickname for Gabrielle/Gabriella would be very sweet for a girl.

Kirby - Confession time - I've had a soft spot for the name Kirby ever since seeing the 1985 movie "St Elmo's Fire". That particular Kirby was male, but it was TV sensation "Dynasty" that put Kirby on the map for girls in the 80's. These both make Kirby feel like an 80's pick, but in an offbeat cool and retro way.

Korby - This name will be long tainted in Australia due to the Shapelle Corby drug smuggling associations. But I feel that the Korby spelling is a lot funkier, despite looking like it has been hijacked by the Kardashians. Almost no one is using this name right now, making Korby a great different-bot-not-too-different choice.

Libby - She may not be the trendiest or most popular nickname for the classic Elizabeth, but Libby has a that undeniable girl-next-door vibe. Whether that girl is sweet, quiet, outgoing, popular, mischievous or tomboyish doesn't matter - Libby feels like she could be any or all of these.

Rigby - Beatles tune "Eleanor Rigby" makes this one a great choice for lovers of their music. It only made it onto the radar in the U.S in the past decade and so far seems to belong to the boys, but I could see this going either way. One of the two main characters in the cartoon "Regular Show" is a raccoon named Rigby, and I have a feeling that this name will be very popular when viewers start having children.

Robby - For most of the 1900's Robert was a top 10 name in the U.S (and is still a top 100 name), and he spawned many nicknames. Robby is one of the more popular ones. I'm torn on Robby - on one hand he feels like a high school sweetheart, but on the other hand I recently saw "Dirty Dancing" again so he currently seems like a villain. Either way, when I think of Robby I picture a child or teenager rather than a mature adult, which is probably why Robert is far more popular as it gives the wearer the freedom of choice as they age.

Ruby - Ruby may feel like a vintage rarity, but she's actually very popular in many parts of the world. She's been a top 10 staple in Australia for a while now, top 20 in the UK and recently moved into the U.S top 100. Ruby has a winning combination of the "oo" sound that's trending right now, plus the friendly "bee", and she's a precious jewel to boot. What's not to love?

Shelby Eatenton Latcherie

Shelby - It may be a go-to name for turtles, tortoises and snails, but I can't help but love the preppy and perky Shelby. Shelby has a longer history of use as a boys name, but rocketed to popularity as a girls name in 1936 after Barbara Stanwick played a Shelby in the movie "The Woman in Red". Another onscreen Shelby - Julia Roberts (again!) in "Steel Magnolias" in 1989 - helped push Shelby to a top 100 girls name in the 1990's. Most people now consider it to be "a girls name".

Tibby - In 2005 Amber Tamblyn introduced many of us to the name Tibby in the movie adaptation of 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'. For her character it was a nickname for Tabitha, and she managed to make a name that possibly seemed overly cutesy feel cool and spunky.

Toby - Interestingly, the longer Tobias is currently far more popular than Toby in the U.S, but here in Australia (and the U.K and New Zealand) Toby is a top 100 name. I have a real soft spot for Toby. Toby feels like your best friend, and a fun, cheeky one at that. Call me crazy but I also think it's super cute on a girl.

Zibby - Looking for a truly unusual nickname for Elizabeth? Try Zibby. She's cute, unusual and rare. Great if you have a family full of Elizabeths and want a distinctive version with loads of personality.

Zindzi

Zindzi with Little Ted on the set of Play School

I came across Zindzi when watching an episode of Play School. Play School is an institution here in Australia - it's a kids television program that has been on air five days a week since 1966! (I've mentioned it previously as one of their most famous toys is named Jemima). Each episode features a couple of presenters singing songs, doing dances, telling stories and making crafts that kids can join in with. When I was watching this as a child in the 80's it feels there were far fewer presenters, but the favourites became household names. Everyone knew who Benita was (and still do!).

Zindzi (rhymes with Lindsay) Okenyo is one of the current presenters. She is also an actor and musician, so like many of the shows' other presenters is multi talented.

There's not a lot of information available about the name Zindzi. It seems it is actually short for the name Zindziswa, an African (Zulu) name which is also sometimes shortened to Zindi. One famous bearer of this name is Zindziswa "Zindzi" Mandela-Hlongwane, daughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela. I'm not sure how popular it is in Africa (Okenyo herself is part Kenyan), but it has never charted in the US and is rarely heard in the Western world, making it a somewhat exotic rarity for most of us.

Zindzi (well, technically Zindziswa) means 'the stable one, well settled' or alternatively 'stable and anchored in life'. This is a beautiful sentiment, and makes it a pleasantly surprising virtue name.

I must say that I really love the look and sound of Zindzi - it's just so much fun to say! The double Z makes it feel snappy and cool, and I could definitely see this name getting more popular as today's children grow and start naming their own children.

Cheesy Baby Names

Like Penryn, another building that I pass everyday on the way to work is named Monterey. It's such a lovely sounding word, one that would probably work well as a persons name. And why not? Back in the 80's, I was a big fan of a cartoon called 'Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers'. The show featured the existing chipmunk characters of Chip and Dale, plus their new friends Gadget Hackwrench, a young female mouse and the team's pilot, mechanic and inventor, and little housefly and sidekick, Zipper. But my favourite was the burly adventuring Australian mouse named Monterey Jack – Monty to his friends, and Cheeser to his mum.

So I find it easy to see Monterey as a name. Cheeser or Cheese not so much. And apparently most people have similar feelings. Headlines were made late 2013 when BabyCenter released results of a survey of half a million American parents that revealed that three of those parents named their child Cheese in 2013. Three is not enough children to show up on the official SSA lists, so we can't really verify if that is true or not. We can only hope that those three responded incorrectly as a joke.

Although Cheese as a given name leaves a child open to ridicule, there are plenty of other ways to subtly honour your love of (or obsessive cravings for) cheese with your choice of name for your child. And it's been a while since I did a “just-for-the-fun-of-it” list, so here goes!

Abertam		Caravene		Lairobell		Rubens
Airedale		Carlow		Leafield		Rushan
Alverca		Colby		Leyden		Sakura
Ambert		Crescenza		Malvern		Samso
Ambrosiana		Croghan		Margotin		Sardo
Ameribella		Crowley		Maribo		Siraz
Anari		Crozier		Minas		Sirene
Aura		Derby		Montasio		Stilton
Azeitao		Dunlop		Mycella		Tala
Balaton		Emlett		Myzithra		Teifi
Banon		Esrom		Niolo		Telemea
Beaufort		Filetta		Nis		Toma
Berkswell		Finn		Orda		Tometta
Bosworth		Friesla		Orla		Tommes
Braudostur		Gowrie		Parenica		Ulloa
Brick		Graviera		Parrano		Vacherin
Brie		Kenafa		Penbryn		Wellington
Brin		Kernhem		Piora		Wensleydale
Bryndza		Kiri		Rodoric		Winnimere
Capretta		Kishta		Roncal		Zamorano
Capriola		Korall		Roquefort		Zimbro

Thanks to Cheese.Com and Wikipedia for the great ideas ☺

What do you think – would you consider using any of these? Or is the idea just too “cheesy” for you?

Questionable Girls' Word Names

Original Photo Courtesy of
Mali Workman Photography

I came across a BuzzFeed post today that I thought would be a fun one to share. It's a list titled '127 Questionable Words That Would Actually Be Nice Names For Girls'.

It's a sentiment that can cause many creative namers to stumble. It feels like I've often seen people on forums say that they've fallen in love with AnnaLee, or Annaleigh, or maybe even Auralee (OK, that was my own one-time musing), only to despair that they could never use it when they realise how it sounds when said out loud.

But not all people feel the same - or maybe they just don't realise the association. So here are the names from the BuzzFeed list that have all charted at least once in the U.S. for girls (plus a few thoughts for fun).


5. Anally - demonstrating the importance of Googling something before you use it as a name.
17. Envy (charted for both) - not one of the more flattering or inspirational "virtue" words.
20. Vanity - ditto for this one.
24. Deny (but for boys only) - maybe these were meant to be little Denny's?
36. Acura - I had to Google this one - it would probably be just fine in countries outside the U.S. Even if it does sound as if you are searching for a medical miracle.
37. Shandy (both) - well, if Brandy and Candy are OK.....
44. Anime - for real fans.
48. Every - longer than Ever, less frilly than Everly, and a twist on Emery.
52. Flavia - this probably shouldn't have made the list as it actually IS an Ancient Roman name.
55. Surely - is this a question? At least it's more assertive than #86 on this list.
56. Mania - this is just crazy.
64. Quora - because your daughter is the answer to your questions.
65. Marijuana - were you high?
66. Coma (both) - some very suggestive jokes spring to mind, mainly about slipping into one.
74. Any - did you mean Amy?
76. Epiphany - this is actually quite pretty.
79. Australia (both) - as an Australian, this is flattering. But a little strange.
81. Veranda - a cross between Veronica and Miranda leaves you with a porch.
86. Kinda - can't help but think her sister is named Maeby.
87. Haiti - personally I prefer Heidi, but then it wouldn't be a place name.
91. Millennia - one guess as to which years this name charted.
93. Chutney - and Relish. Yum, but no thanks.
109. Shady (both) - Eminem fans? Or maybe a sister to Veranda. Or a misspelled Shandy.
112. Margarine - no, it's not a pretty twist on Marjorie. And too many possible jokes about spreading.
113. Aetna - a little sickly sounding.
116. Daily (both) - you're having a child, not a newspaper.
123. Vanilla - so sweet! So very sugary sweet.
125. Dairy - I don't want to know what her middle name is, but it better not be cow.

Naming By Popular Vote?

Photo Courtesy of
Andrea Green Photography

How about a new way of naming? I was watching television this morning when they reported on a man who had started a website inviting people to help name his daughter. Stories such as this occasionally pop up, with people sometimes turning to social media or the internet. It's almost understandable - the choices can sometimes seem endless and deciding on just one (or two or three names depending on middles) can seem a daunting task.

But if approached with an open mind, it could open your eyes to a lot of new possibilities. Certainly it gives you an idea of how people will react to certain names.

Containing a disclaimer to say that they will make the final decision, this site - www.namemydaughter.com - seems to be a bit of tongue in cheek fun, and maybe even a way to share with the world how excited he is about the impending birth of his daughter. You can vote for your favourite first name and a middle name, or even suggest one if you can't see your picks listed. As of a few minutes ago the front runners were the pretty combination Amelia Mae. Hopefully the end result is just as pretty, as there are some shockers in contention - Pancake, Cthulu, Streetlamp and All-Spark are currently ranked pretty high! You can also add comments to champion your favourites.

It seems to all be a bit of fun, and is worth checking out and adding your advice, or even just to see what outlandish names people have suggested (which I am sure won't make the final cut!).

Ten Musician Stage Names: Avicii to Katy Perry

Performers often adopt a stage name – something that is memorable and conveys a particular image, their public persona. This seems to be particularly noticeable with music artists. An actor can hide behind the characters they portray, but a music artist is much more exposed. They are their music, and their public persona can help sell their music and sell tickets to concerts and gigs. And the name they choose to go by can be an important tool to build this persona.

But how do music artists choose a stage name? Here are some examples of current music artists who have chosen their public name, and what made them gravitate towards it.

Gotye

Starting with a local artist, Gotye hails from Melbourne Australia and had a huge hit with 'Somebody That I Used to Know'. A Belgian Australian, he was born Wouter De Backer and went by the English version of his name – Walter – when at school in Australia. To his friends he's known as Wally, but chose to go by Gotye when creating his first solo tracks. Pronounced GAW-tee-ay, it's a pronunciation re-spelling of Gauthier, the French equivalent of Wouter (which is Flemish) that his mother used to call him as a pet name.

P!nk

From an international cultural inspiration to a pop culture one. Born Alecia Beth Moore, P!nk (yes, with an exclamation mark) adopted her stage name in her teens, which reportedly started as mean nickname she was given. There are several versions of how she got the nickname though, which range from her bearing a resemblance to Mr Pink, a character played by Steve Buscemi in the 1992 Tarantino movie 'Reservoir Dogs', to her turning pink when she blushed, to showing her “pink parts” to a male friend. Whatever the cause, it's just like this feisty pop star to take something intended to hurt her and turn it into something empowering.

Eminem

These days rappers with a pseudonym are definitely in the majority. Like P!nk, his stage name originated in his teens. Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, as a teenager he rapped with the name M&M, which soon morphed into Eminem. Which would have helped prevent possible confusion with the candy. He's also gone by the alter ego Slim Shady, said to be a reflection of the rage and resentment that he was feeling at the time.

Jay Z

Another well recognised rapper with a memorable stage name is Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter. When younger his friends called him Jazzy, and he later changed this to Jay-Z out of respect to his mentor, rapper and producer Jaz-O. It's also a nod to the J/Z subway services that have a stop in his home neighbourhood of Brooklyn. He dropped the hyphen in July 2013.

Miley Cyrus

Miley started life as Destiny Hope Cyrus, so named because her parents thought she would achieve great things. She was given the nickname Smiley as an infant because she smiled so much, and this was later shortened to Miley. When cast in dual roles Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart on the Disney Channel show 'Hannah Montana', the Miley character was originally meant to be Chloe Stewart, but was changed when Miley was given the job. In 2008 she officially changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus. Miley's clean cut Disney image inspired thousands of parents to use her name, and Miley leapt from position #5056 in 2005 before 'Hannah Montana' started to #128 in 2008. Miley's questionable behaviour in 2013 may have some people regretting that choice now, although the sentiment and meaning behind the name is very sweet.

Katy Perry

Katy's story is a little more straightforward. Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, she was always known as Katy, and recorded her first album under the name Katy Hudson. It was a self titled gospel rock album, released in 2001, but wasn't very successful. While working on her songwriting in 2003, Katy dropped Hudson in favour of her mother's maiden name – Perry – to avoid being confused with popular actress Kate Hudson.

Avicii

Unlike the previous people on this list, Swedish DJ Avicii (pronounced uh-vee-chee) deliberately chose his name, rather than it evolving more naturally from a nickname or family name. Real name Tim Bergling, he needed a stage name when he was starting out as a DJ and setting up a MySpace page to expand his fan base. He remembered hearing the word Avici – a Buddhist term meaning the lowest level of hell – and thought it sounded cool. The extra “i” was added as the name Avici was already taken on MySpace.

Drake

Another cool customer is rapper Drake. Drake is actually his middle name, his full name being Aubrey Drake Graham. When acting on TV teen drama 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' he went by Aubrey Graham, but records under the mononym Drake. Already ranked at #231 on the SSA lists in 2012, this is a name to watch. Drake was one of the most Googled people of 2013, and his 2014 is off to a big start as he is currently appearing in 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' and is hosting 'Saturday Night Live' on January 18^th. He's also a great example of why a funky unexpected middle can be an asset – it's like an inbuilt stage name.

Lady Gaga

It's easy to tell that this pseudonym was not Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta's middle name. It's thought that her name was purely marketing, in which case they invented a great back story to go with it. True or not, the tale is that Gaga was already on the search for a stage name to reinvent herself with when she was working with producer Rob Fusari. Upon hearing her done a particular song he exclaimed that her voice reminded him of Freddie Mercury, and in particular the Queen song 'Radio GaGa'. It became an in-joke that he would sing her the song when she entered the studio. Then one day a text message mistake changed Radio to Lady and something clicked. Gaga loved the combined imagery of refinery and properness with craziness, saying it perfectly captured her journey from a private school girl to her life in a “trash glitter environment”.

Lorde

And lastly, a girl who has been described as the anti-Lady Gaga. She's 17 year old New Zealand musician Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor, whose debut album 'Pure Heroine' has garnered her four Grammy nominations. Her stage name is exactly that – a character that she considers to be separate from her own persona. She has confessed that ever since she was young(er) she was fascinated by royals and aristocracy (hence the sing 'Royals'), and wanted a stage name that reflected that. She was particularly drawn to the look and sound of the title Lord, but felt it was too masculine so added the “e” to make it more feminine aesthetically.

Whether it be inspired by a middle name, nickname, pronunciation quirk, something the artist finds inspiring or simply a way to distinguish themselves, there is something that these stage names have in common. They are all recognisable as theirs. How would you create a stage name if you needed one?

Jemima

Actress Jemima Rooper

I was watching an episode of 'Atlantis' today, which features actress Jemima Rooper. I really like Jemima Rooper. I first saw her in the supernaturally themed series 'Hex', but if you're a Jane Austen fan you must check out a mini series called 'Lost in Austen', where she plays a current day avid Jane Austen reader who gets transported into a Jane Austen novel. Seeing her in 'Atlantis' today reminded me just how much I like the name Jemima.

Jemima - pronounced jeh-MYE-mah - is one of those underused names that most people recognise but few people know one. She's a biblical name, the eldest daughter of Job, sister to Keziah and Keren, and considered to be very beautiful. Jemima (or Jemimah) is a Hebrew name meaning 'dove'. I've read online that it technically means warm or affectionate and also accepted to mean dove because the Hebrew word for dove comes from the same origins, but as I'm not Hebrew myself I can't honestly say just how accurate that is.

It is however a very pretty sounding name, with a dash little "olde worlde" charm and a certain warmth to it. It also fits into a nice middle ground between vintage and current - nickname possibilities such as Jem, Jemma, Mima or Mimi certainly help to give it a fun and popular feel. I can't help but feel that she would be a great sister to a Tess, Arabella, Bethany or Abigail; Max, Wesley, Charles or Thaddeus.

Unfortunately though many people consider the name unusable. It's rarely heard here in Australia and languishes at the lower end of the SSA charts in the US, positioned at #3850 in 2012. It fares much better in England, where it rose to position #196 last year. It seems to depend heavily on the most common pop culture association each country has with Jemima:

• In Australia, Jemima is entrenched in many people's hearts as a rag doll from children's TV show 'Play School', which has been essential viewing for Australian children since 1966. When I Googled Jemima, she was the number one result I received. She's beloved, yes, but it's kind of like naming your child Elmo. 
• In the U.S. the immediate association is with Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup. The products debuted in 1889 and the trademark character derives from a stereotypical African American character that was often used in minstrel shows at the time, usually portrayed by black face performers. It's synonymous with Mammy type characters and considered to be a racist, derogatory and therefore offensive character. Hence why parents aren't flocking towards using it.
• In England, Jemima was popular during the Puritan era (16th and 17th century). They favoured biblical and virtuous names, and Jemima with her biblical connections and symbolical meaning of 'dove' fit the bill well. Since then the best known Jemima is arguably Beatrix Potter's Jemima Puddle-Duck. While a Puddle-Duck may not be considered an exciting image to be associated with, it's not as immediately off-putting and in many ways is an endearing image. 

If after knowing about these you're still keen, keep in mind that there are also positive associations with this name. Besides the beautiful biblical Jemima, there are the real life examples of the before mentioned Jemima Rooper, writer and campaigner Jemima Khan and HBO's 'Girls' star Jemima Kirke, all London born. She's an innocent kitten character in the musical 'Cats' (interesting fact - the character was renamed Syllabub when the show went from London the Broadway to avoid the Aunt Jemima association) and a sweetly innocent Victorian era girl in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'. Authors such as Dickens, Trollope and Thackeray have all used the name for characters, giving it some literary cred, too. It's generally considered to be a more upper-class name.

Like many names, Jemima has it's positive and negative connotations. It's just a shame that the one negative one is so strong that it makes it unusable for a large portion of people. Jemima is a gem (pardon the pun) that deserves to be rescued, but I can understand why parents would be reluctant to try that with their child. Otherwise it's a pretty, charming name with a great balance of fun and elegance.

Mockingbird

Charity Wakefield, Eddie Izzard, Mason Cook, Portia de Rossi and Jerry O'Connell star in 'Mockingbird Lane'

I thought I'd round out this year's Halloween names with another fanciful, fun name - Mockingbird. Fans of the classic 60's television show 'The Munsters' may immediately recognise Mockingbird as a reference to the home of the Munster family, who lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in Mockingbird Heights. 'Mockingbird Lane' is also the title of the new version of 'The Munsters' that aired on NBC 4 days ago.

The new 'Mockingbird Lane' follows a similar formula to the original, and contains the original characters of Grandpa, Herman, Lily, Marilyn and Eddie. For those unfamiliar with the original series, each of the characters is based on a character from a classic Monster movie, except Marilyn who is a "normal" teenage girl and therefore considered the "strange" one in the family. The Munsters were far from horrible though, leading a fairly typical family life similar to other television families at the time, such as the Cleavers.

As many bird names have been popping up in birth announcements lately (think Wren, Lark, Dove, Sparrow) it's not a huge leap to think that Mockingbird could also rise with them. I think Mockingbird could be a really cool middle name for a child - boy or girl - especially if you are looking for something a little more whimsical to balance out a sturdy, more traditional first name. Personally I probably wouldn't use it as a first name. It's a very literal interpretation of a bird name since it actually has the word bird in it. Plus mock is not necessarily seen as a positive word. Then there are those fun songs with the same name (Mock, yea-ah!, Ing, yea-ah!, Bird, yea-ah!).

But it's not totally unusable, otherwise I wouldn't have featured it today. The mockingbird also features in one of the most famous lullaby lines ever - "Hush little baby, don't say a word, papa's going to buy you a mockingbird". This gives it a much sweeter image. It's the state bird of Texas, said to have the prettiest song of any bird. There is a Marvel female superhero called Mockingbird. And of course there's that story called 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. In this story, the Mockingbird is said to symbolise innocence, a beautiful image for a child. If you're a fan, Mockingbird could also be a way to differentiate yourself from those using Atticus, Harper or Scout to honour the book.

And if your literary tastes tend more towards 'The Hunger Games' than 'To Kill A Mockingbird' you could always take it that extra step and go with Mockingjay instead :) Either one would be incredibly unique.

Boo!

Kaitlyn Jenkins plays "Boo" on Bunheads

Boo would be such a fun Halloween name! It's what ghosts (supposedly) say to scare people, and what kids - and some adults - yell out to surprise people when they jump out from behind a corner.

But surely no one would actually give their child the name Boo, I hear you say. Not so. There are a few examples, such as Boo Cook, a (male) British comic artist. But perhaps more famously known is the example of Jamie and Jools Oliver's second daughter, Daisy Boo. Jools Oliver supports creative naming, so would probably love to hear that one New York couple loved the nickname they gave their growing baby so much that it stuck. Yes, they called their child Boo! - exclamation point and all! Boo! was due on Halloween, and they left the exclamation point because they wanted people to know that the reference to Halloween was fully intentional. Brave or silly? You be the judge.

Clearly these parents are in the minority. Most people see Boo as really cute - for a nickname. The cute factor is probably helped a lot by the small girl character Boo from 'Monsters Inc', or Yogi Bears sidekick Boo Boo, or even Boo the maniacally giggling ghost in the 'Mario Brothers' video games. Plus peek-a-boo is a cutesy game played with young children. And of course there is the fact that Boo is commonly used as a term of endearment.

Funnily enough, famous people with the nickname Boo tend to be male. I say funnily enough because my first instinct is that it would be more of a girl's name. However, famous male Boo's include:

• Character Arthur "Boo" Radley from the book "To Kill A Mockingbird";
• American professional golfer Thomas Brent "Boo" Weekley;
• American football player Kevin "Boo" McLee Jr; and
• English singer-songwriter Mark "Boo" Hewerdine.

Perhaps the reason I see Boo as more of a girl's nickname is because I've recently seen Boo pop up as a nickname for the character Bettina in the ABC family TV show 'Bunheads'. A lovely, vintage revival given name with a cute as a button nickname. This show has helped to bring both Bettina and Boo back onto the radar for a lot of baby name lovers.

And then there is that other TV show - the steam train that is the reality show 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'. Honey Boo Boo's real name is Alana. She is currently the talk of America, although not necessarily for good reasons. But even if her show is controversial, her cute nickname is well suited to her extremely bubbly personality.

What do you think? Would you use Boo as a name? Would you use it as a nickname? As we can see from the above examples, Boo could be a nickname for pretty much any name under the sun. For parents who love Halloween but want a to use a birth name that won't hamper a possible future professional career , Boo as a nickname or second name could be a nod to one of their favourite times of the year.