FabNames Pair of the Week - Oliver & Graham

Oliver is originally thought to be a French name and is often associated with the olive tree. It hovers just around #100 for popularity (in 2009), so it is used often but not extremely common. Graham has English, Scottish, and Celtic origins, and usually ranks around #250+ (2009).

All around, we think these two names are familiar, though not extremely common. And two little boys with these names would be pretty darn cute.

Spotlight - Place Names

Our recent post about India/Indie got us thinking about the wonderful naming inspiration found on a map. Here are some place-names we like. I'm sure we've missed many, but here's what stands out to us when perusing the map.

Female:

• Alexandria
• Aurora
• Berlin
• Bristol
• Brooklyn
• Charlotte
• Geneva
• Georgia
• London
• Milan
• Savannah
• Sydney

Male:

• Boston
• Cruz
• Dallas
• Diego
• Finn
• Jackson
• Logan
• Mason
• Penn
• Roman

Fab Names Combinations of the Week - Chef Names

Do you ever think about chef & cook names when watching the FoodNetwork or flipping through cookbooks? Recently we've been thinking about the unique and classy names of some of our favorite foodie chefs. Perhaps there are others we've missed?

Female:

• Claire
• Ellie
• Giada
• Ina
• Julia
  
• Martha
  
• Nigella

Male:

• Alton
• George
• Jacques
  
• (Jamie) Oliver
  

Names of the Times - Colors

Recently we've noticed a lot of babies and tots with names derived from the color-wheel. Here are some we like, by gender:

Boys:

• Grey
• Jett (black)
• Hunter (green)
• Sterling

Girls:

• Hazel
• Goldie
• Maude
• Olive
• Ruby
• Sienna
• Scarlett/Scarlet
• Sage
• Violet

Letters we Love - B

{After a long break, we are back. We will be updating often now with names we love, so keep checking FabNames for names you may like. Email us with any questions or name inspiration for upcoming babies.}

B - A strong letter for any boy’s name. Here are some B names that we love:

• Bennett
• Benton
• Bentley
• Beckham
• Benson
• Brendan
• Brandt
• Brennan
• Branson
• Bryson
• Berkeley
• Bryant
• Braden

In the News: Jackson

Though the media has already bombarded you enough with Michael Jackson stories this week, we feel that the last name Jackson is noteworthy not only because of the King of Pop, but also its recent popularity for boys.

Jackson is a great boys name for several reasons:

1. It can be shortened instantly to a classic: Jack
2. It is a last-name-turned-first-name (which we love)
3. Historical significance to our country: Andrew Jackson
4. Easy to spell, say
5. Unique but common at the same time
   

On the downside, it has become much more popular in the past 10 years (moved from #183 in 1998 to #32 in 2008). On the plus side, we think it is classic enough to stick around for a while.

FabNames Spotlight - Sawyer

Because of the television show Lost, perhaps we should be filing this name under "In the News"?

However, we wanted to spotlight this former surname turned contemporary modern first name for boys. Sawyer is an English occupational surname for someone who made a living from sawing wood, but more recently it has roots in modern literature (Tom Sawyer) as well as modern music (Sawyer Brown). The name has a modern, yet rugged feel.

FabNames Spotlight - Clark

Not only is this a traditional first name, but a traditional surname as well - causing it to fall into two of our categories:

1. Traditional Namer
2. Classic Unique

While you've heard of this name, no doubt many times, it isn't extremely common - last year it was only ranked #698; much lower than we would have thought! It has English, Scottish, and Latin roots, from the Latin clericus meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar, referring to someone who was educated. It works great as a first, middle, or last name.

We love it. Simple and classy.

FabNames: Names of the Times - Male Suffix Trends

Our "Names of the Times" category reflects names that are trends of a certain generation. If you think back to your generation, you may notice common names (i.e. there are a set of girls' names that were common in the 1960s including: Nancy, Sandy, Kathy, Susan, Cindy, and more. Or when you think of the 1980s you might remember: Jennifer, Tiffany, Amber, Megan, Jessica, or Heather).

What are the names of our times?? While we don't have all the names of our times listed here, we have posted a few common Male trends seen over the past several years.

-"son" suffix:

• Hudson
• Jameson
  
• Grayson
• Bryson
• Harrison
• Mason
• Cason
• Anderson
• Benson
• Carson
• Dawson
• Jackson
• Tyson
  

-"den" suffix:

• Aiden
• Caden
• Braden / Brayden
  
• Haden / Hayden
  
• Carden
  
• Jaden / Jayden
  

In the News: Hudson - "Miracle on the Hudson"

Airline Captain Chesley Sullenberger recently made a crash-landing in New York's Hudson River, after both his plane's engines were disabled by a flock of birds; Captain "Sully" has been hailed a hero after all 155 passengers and crew were rescued.

We felt this miracle landing was inspiration for news-worthy coverage of this hero, as well as coverage of a boy's name we love: Hudson.

Hudson is traditionally an English name, typically a surname. Famous surname Hudsons include Kate (actress), Tim (baseball player), Troy (basketball player), Thomas (British painter), and more. Using Hudson as a first name mixes up it's traditional usage as a surname, resulting in an original first name with roots. We love it's classic yet unique feel.

FabNames Spotlight: William

William is no doubt one of the strongest and most traditional names in history. It has historical ties to Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Cameroon and more. The name is strong, dignified, and meaningful. We love the name in full or also its shortened version: Will.