By Linda Rosenkrantz 　　The Roman Empire reigned for more than five hundred years, led by 140 different emperors. In modern times, though, with a couple of exceptions, the names of these august figures were considered far too august and imposing for a twentieth/twenty-first century kid. But the times they are...

　　By Aimee Tafreshi 　　There is nothing more interesting to a baby-name enthusiast than digging through the massive pile of names given to baby boys in the U.S. that did not reach the popularity of the top 1000 names. I always thought the girls had bragging rights when it came to...

　　Asher and Declan retained their Number 1 and 2 spots at the top of Nameberry’s most popular list of boys’ names for 2014. 　　The big news with boys’ names focuses on the new names moving up the ladder.  Four names are new to the Top 10 this year: Silas, Jasper,...

　　By Nick Turner 　　It’s the holiday season, which means eggnog, carols, twinkling lights and — for millions of American parents — remembering to move that damn elf around the house every night. 　　Yes, I’m talking about Elf on the Shelf, the Christmas tradition that feels like it’s been going on...

　　By Abby Sandel, Appellation Mountain 　　Girls have been borrowing from boys’ names for generations. Shirley and Ashley were once more common for men. Ditto Madison, Avery, and Harper. 　　It’s easy to fume about name theft. After all, conventional wisdom is that once a name is widely used for our daughters,...

　　The way we name boys is changing, and that’s a good thing. 　　For years, parents played it safe when naming their sons.  We were more likely to pass down family names, and less likely to choose something really different or novel. 　　Why? Maybe we worried that boys were more likely...

　　Last week we asked you to name your favorite classic name for girls; now it’s the boys’ turn. 　　What’s your favorite classic boys’ name?  Do you prefer one of the classic classics such as James or William or a fashionable classic such as Henry or (thanks to England‘s young prince)...

　　By Nick Turner 　　Back before the World Series in October, I did a post on the elements of a classic baseball name. The upshot: The sport favors colorful nicknames (Scooter, Bullet, Coco Crisp), and players frequently go by their initials (there were eight AJs on active Major League rosters last...

　　By Brooke Cussans, at Baby Name Pondering 　　Now it’s the boys’ turn. 　　Just starting your name search or stuck in a rut? Not sure where to start, or just need some fresh inspiration? Then how about one for every day of the week! Here are seven names containing the PER...

　　By Kara Cavazos, The Art of Naming 　　Let’s take another look at the past! The year 1950 was smack dab in the middle of the century. Babies born that year will celebrate their 65th birthday this year. Many of them are grandparents now and may even be lending their own...

　　By Linda Rosenkrantz 　　There are several girls’ names—Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth, Katherine—that have spawned copious numbers of female variations and nicknames, as have boys like John and William, but there is one name whose progeny has embraced both genders, and that name is Alexander. 　　In 2013, there were 19 forms of...

　　Welcome to Nameberry’s newest column, The Name Sage. Every week, I’ll answer one reader’s questions about naming a baby-on-the-way, or general baby name angst. And here’s the best part: we’d love it if you would add your thoughtful suggestions and comments to help expectant parents decide. The world needs more...

　　By Abby Sandel 　　Here’s something we hear again and again: naming a boy is hard! 　　Parents tend to play it safe – or at least safer – when it’s time to name a son. The reasons are many: a tendency to hand down family names, fewer possible variations of popular...