How absolutely fitting is it that my 100th article will be one whose fate is primarily determined by my readers and published on New Years, although I haven’t decided if I’m going to go for the last minute of 2020 or the first minute of 2021 quite yet. Anyway, I’m so happy and proud of the little Name Warehouse we’ve been able to grow together, and the wide variety of naming styles and preferences expressed in our reader’s favorite names. It’s because of all of you that I’ve been able to produce the content I do. If you contributed, thank you so much for your involvement! I really appreciate all of the feedback I received, 87 names in total, since some people only included one name or no names at all for one gender. Because of all of the names included, and I want to include everyone who took the time to send in some names, this is a monster of an article. I’ve been excited to redo my past series like this, and today’s the day! So let’s take a look at the data I’ve amassed, shall we?
The Top Three Names
Although for the most part the names that were selected by you were very distinct from one another, there were a few rare repeats that form the Name Warehouse Top Three Names. As expected, there were more boy repeats than girl repeats, since boy names flow in and out of style at a much slower pace than their feminine counterparts. However, when looking at the names themselves, they do all seem to be names very reflective of the current naming atmosphere, and a wonderful picture of what many parents are looking for in names today. Other repeats for girls include Brynlee, which occurred twice, and Ronald, which also appeared two times.
James- James is perfectly classic, an evergreen name that slides into place perfectly with any different sort of sibset. There were a whopping 3 different occurrences of James within the Name Warehouse reader’s favorites, each reader who submitted it with a clearly distinct style, which just proves how beautifully versatile James is. One reader who chose James had their other names as everyday biblical favorites like Liam, while another positioned James with some names that hit their high in the 80s such as Michael, while yet another added James to a collection of other traditional and classic boy names like Benjamin. Anyway, James’s popularity at #6 for the US mirrors his popularity among Name Warehouse fans as well.
Jackson- Jackson ties James for first place with another three repeats, proving just how strong our adoration for J boy names still is. Jackson is a glorious blend of contemporary surname style and a solid John derivative, plucky and masculine Jack. At #17, Jackson doesn’t quite approach the popularity of the Top Ten US, but he still is a very stylish and cool choice. And because he shares the modern classic vibes of Jack but with the modern -son ending, he slides into a wide variety of sibsets, whether it’s with equally classic Tom, like one reader suggested, another boy name that shares the contemporary classic feel such as Maxwell or Noah, as a couple other readers mentioned.
Liam- Good ol’ Liam. The top dog at #1 in the US, it’s not a surprise that readers of the Name Warehouse are also keen on this Irish name. He’s short and sweet, boyish and masculine, youthful but with the ability to grow on a little boy. Liam checks many boxes, and the readers definitely agree. Whether coupled with the classic James or in vogue Jackson, Liam bridges traditional and contemporary with his rugged appeal and modern classic status. While obviously a very popular choice, there’s a great reason to use Liam, especially if you’re attempting to join a mismatched modern-vintage sibset with something more neutral or are searching for a name that honors your Irish heritage without the burden of spelling difficulties.
Lily- Delicate and sweet, Lily is feminine and adorable. Liquid sounds and a stunning flower combine to make Lily a smashing success at #34. All of the girl names had 2 repeats, as girl names are much more varied than boys names, so each of these are equally beloved among the Name Warehouse readers. In some cases, lilting Lily was put alongside British literary modern classic Emma, while in others, paired with the equally delicate, but with a more sophisticated and grown-up twist, Grace. Although Lily is one her way down after peaking at #15 in 2011, she’s still a beautiful and flowing girl name to consider.
Adeline- Madeline was once the name to be. I actually received one Madeline and one Maddy, her endearing and beloved nickname, in response to my earlier post asking for answers. However, Adeline is the name with two repeats, and quite appropriately so. Everyone is going bonkers for sweetly vintage and playful Addie, and with the Addison phase sort of dissipating alongside Madison, Adeline is stepping up to the plate with the potential to be trendy-cool (Add-uh-lin), a vintage favorite (Add-uh-line), or a slightly British treasure (Add-uh-leen). Whether you pair Adeline with sweet offbeat classics like Annalise or more spunky names like Sadie, Adeline won’t disappoint.
Emma- After just falling from the #1 spot a couple months ago when the 2019 data was released, it’s not surprising that Emma lovers still love this #2 girl name. With a tweak of British literary magic and some influential Friends glimmer, Emma has been a favorite for a very long while. In this case, Emma was often paired with modern classics like Grace that share her simple and feminine charm, or trending girl names with their roots in tradition, like Brynlee. Although she appears to be on her way down, there’s no reason not to adore this lovely name.
Sweet Sibsets
While some people’s favorites featured wildly different styles, there were also a couple who blended beautifully or shared the same style in a way that was very impressive who I’d like to mention as well. If yours doesn’t appear here, don’t worry! I’m mostly using the remaining names that I haven’t mentioned above, though if yours really catches me by surprise, it might sneak in as well. Sibsets are one of my favorite aspects of choosing and playing with different names and combos, so this is definitely a category I’m eager to do.
Atlas and Clay- Both rugged and completely contemporary, Atlas and Clay feel completely connected. Yet they’re actually quite different. While Atlas is a very trendy and popular Greek Mythological name, Clay is a more dated word name. However, their artsy and handsome vibes and sharing of word name status to some degree with clay being soil-like material and an atlas being a collection of a wide variety of maps make them coexist perfectly together, despite the unlikeliness of their pairing at first glance. Atlas and Clay actually are my favorite of all of these sibsets, simply because of how they somehow work perfectly together without sharing a certain style or first initial.
Grant, Graham, and Lincoln- With presidential surname ties between Grant, as in Ulysses S. Grant, and Lincoln, as in Abraham Lincoln, there’s an immediate connection between two of these names. Add in Graham, and the surname style comes full circle, feeling thoroughly modern and very current yet without the use of made up names or obvious links like using the same letter throughout the names or identical endings within the names. I think that this group of names does a brilliant job of incorporating names of the same style together to create a fitting but not predictable match.
Tess, Helen, and Miriam- I love this one so much. Tailored and often overlooked classic girl names, one of my personal favorite categories, are definitely the stars of this sibset. With classic Tess leading the pack, joined by the tailored and vintage Helen (possibly nicknamed Nellie? I hope!), and concluded with the equally trim and refined Miriam, there is no end to the delight with this one. They each also feel perfectly at home in a kindergarten class, nursing home, or accounting form, ensuring that each of your children have a name that ages wonderfully.
Again, I am so incredibly grateful for all of the responses and the love for the first 100 articles, and I hope you’ll all stick around for many more.
Sincerely,
~Delphina Moon