Top 10 Summer Baby Names

It's the height of summer. The peak. The hottest of the hot. If you're about to deliver a baby, it's even hotter. But these summery baby names are perfect for babies born in the middle of July. Maybe kids with summery baby names will keep their cheery dispositions all year long (well, we can dream, can't we?)

1. America

2. August

3. Bay

4. Coral

5. Julian

6. Liberty

7. River

8. Ruby

9. Sky

10. Summer

Star Trek Baby Names

Are you a true trekkie? You want to name your baby after a Star Trek character. It's possible to do this without consigning your child to a life of teasing. For instance, you shouldn't name him Spock. But I have found quite a few names from Star Trek Into Darkness that make pretty fantastic baby names. Take a look.

Girls

Zoe
Dominican Zoe Saldana plays Uhura in Star Trek Into Darkness. She's not a big Trekkie herself, having never seen Star Trek before she auditioned for the role, but she must might be forever linked with the series now.

Carol
Caroline has been a popular name for a decade or so. Maybe it's time to bring back the more simple "Carol." Carol is a Star Trek character played by Bibi Besch in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and it's played by Alice Eve in the new film.

Alice
Speaking of Alice, this baby name is experiencing a serious revival. It's light, pretty, and vintage-y. Alice Eve, who plays Carol in Star Trek Into Darkness, is from London, England but spent part of her childhood in Los Angeles.

Boys

Kirk

How can you have a list of Star Trek baby names without Kirk. Sure, it's not used as much as it was a generation ago, but Kirk is a good, solid name, maybe even a hero name. Chris Pine plays Kirk in Star Trek Into the Darkness, and I bet he enjoyed being called "Kirk" for a while.

Zachary

I told you before, it's not a good idea to name your baby Spock. That's a surefire way to get him to hate Star Trek. But you could name him Zachary after Zachary Quinto who plays Spock in the latest movie. Zachary Quinto survived a serious car accident at age 16, and since then he's made quite a film career for himself.

Chekov

Yes, it's a Russian surname, but wouldn't it make a great and original baby name? Played by Anton Yelchin in Into Darkness, Chekov is a Cold War character that has lasted into the new milennium. If you're a literature fan, it could crossover into Anton Chekhov, giving the name added depth.

What other Star Trek names would make good baby names?

Do you love Jane Austen, Mad Men, and The Hunger Games? This baby name is for you!

If you enjoy Jane Austen, but you wish the characters could wear fashions more appropriate to the Mad Men era, you would love Honey for Tea by Elizabeth Cadell. And if you're pregnant with a baby girl (I know I'm significantly narrowing the field here), you might find a charming baby name within the pages of this book. And if, by fateful chance, you also like The Hunger Games, well, brace yourself for the baby name of a lifetime:

Jendiss

You read that right: Jendiss. Sort of like Katniss but with a more genteel, less violent flavor. Jendiss Marsh is a well-bred British girl who has been in love with Allen as long as she can remember. But Allen has been in love with Jendy's (notice the cute nickname) older, gorgeous sister Nancy for the same amount of time.

Four weeks before the wedding, Nancy calls off the wedding. Jendy is shocked and disappointed in her sister, but really, does this sound like a bad development? No, of course not.

But before I get carried away by this story, which I'm very much enjoying if you can't tell, let's talk about the possibilities of this baby name.

It sounds like a made-up name, which I am firmly against, as you know. So I googled "Jendiss" and came up with one person in the United States named "Jendiss Frizzell," which sounds like a Dickens character. In Elizabeth Cadell's novel, Jendiss is a family name traced back to 1583. That's pretty presumptuous of her, to take a name like "Jendiss" and give it a long and illustrious pedigree. I love presumption in novelists, don't you?

Anyway, I think Jendiss is a great baby girl name. It has a youthful nickname, a feminine sound, a literary bent, and a place all its own on the kindergarten roll.

Your Baby's Name: An Original? Or Everybody's Taste?

This book is out of print, and I haven't yet found a copy of it anywhere, but I plan to. A Matter of Taste by Stanley Lieberson won the 2001 Book Award given by the Culture Section of the American Sociological Association, and it sounds intriguing. Here's the premise: Harvard University Professor Stanley Lieberson studied children's first names to develop an original theory of fashion. He felt that children's names could provide an opportunity to see the pure mechanisms of fashion in action. People don't have to have a lot of money to name a baby the way they have to have a lot of money to buy diamond earrings at Tiffany's, so baby naming is a chance to show your style without buying anything (well, you still have to pay that outrageous hospital bill).

Using his research techniques, Lieberson examines why the names of certain important and attractive biblical characters are rarely chose, what the influence of movie stars and film characters is in baby naming, and how different ethnic groups exhibit their assimilation into broader populations by the names they choose.

I've wondered about these issues myself. Why are there little Aidens (Aydens, Aadens, Adens) running around everywhere and there's nary a George to be found? And how did that Irish name gain such popularity anyway?

If you find a copy of this book, let me know where you found it. I'm dying to read it.

Baby Names from the 2013 Oscars

If you're looking for a glamorous baby name, the 85th Academy Awards have some great ones to choose from. Remember, though, that celebrity-inspired baby names tend to trend, meaning there might be three kids your child's kindergarten class with her very same name. But maybe not, especially if you name her Quvenzhane'.

Boy Names
Grant (Heslov)
Ben (Affleck)
George (Clooney)
Bradley (Cooper)
Daniel (Day-Lewis)
Hugh (Jackman)
Joaquin (Phoenix)
Denzel (Washington)
Christoph (Waltz)
Alan (Arkin)
Robert (De Niro)
Philip (Seymour Hoffman)

Girl Names
Anne (Hathaway)
Amy (Adams)
Sally (Field)
Helen (Hunt)
Jacki (Weaver)
Jennifer (Lawrence)
Jessica (Chastain)
Emmanuelle (Riva)
Quvenzhane' (Wallis)
Naomi (Watts)
Lucy (Alibar)
Adele (Adkins)

Also, check out this article full of iconic Hollywood baby names for more ideas.

Baby Names from Downton Abbey

Photo Source

You love their clothes, but do you love any of their names enough to bestow one on your newborn? Between the characters' names and the actors who play them, there are plenty of baby name possibilities coming from everyone's favorite Masterpiece Theater. Here are a few:

Boys

• Hugh (as in Hugh Bonneville who plays Earl of Grantham)
• Charles (Carson, that is)
• Thomas (I know, he's a bad guy--sometimes, but Thomas is a good, solid name. It's also the actor's name who plays William, if that makes you feel any better)
• Matthew (Crawley, of course)
• Brendan (as in Brendan Coyle who plays Bates)

Girls

• Anna (such a likeable character)
• Mary (played by Michelle Dockery)
• Phyllis (the actress who plays Mrs. Hughes. This name is set for a comeback, I'm telling you)
• Maggie (the beloved Maggie Smith)
• Sophie (as in the adorable Sophie McShera who plays Daisy)

Who did I miss?

Gisele Bundchen's Baby Girl

Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady finally showed off their beautiful baby girl, Vivian Lake. She's a pretty little thing, isn't she? She may just be as pretty as her mom.

As a baby name, Vivian has had a healthy revival, and there are plenty of different spellings for everyone's taste: Vivienne, Vivien, Vivian.

Here'a a picture of a Vivien you probably recognize: Vivien Leigh of Gone With the Wind fame.

Romantic Baby Girl Names for Valentine's Day

Sometimes it's meaningful to give a baby a name that hints at her birthday. For instance, my December-born sister's middle name is Noel. What are some lovely seasonal names for little girls born in February?

Here are a few to think about:

Names That Mean "Love"
Carys (Welsh)
Mina (German)
Mindy (German)
Prema (Sanskrit)
Tivona (Hebrew)
Cheryl (Welsh)
Grace (Irish)

Flower Names
Rose
Calla
Holly
Fern
Danica
Ivy
Jasmine
Lily
Leilani
Violet
Zahra

Feminine-sounding Names
Angelina
Magdelena
Genevieve
Serena
Adelaide
Valentina
Anastasia
Evangeline
Juliette
Annabelle

7 Baby Names for Spring

If the weather has been as gray and dreary in your neck of the woods as it has been here, you're probably craving spring. That's what inspired these baby names for spring. Whether it feels like it or not, spring is right around the corner, and if your baby is set to arrive in the next few months, consider one of these spring-inspired names.

Girls
Mae: French name meaning "goddess of spring growth"
Rose
Ivy
Primrose (newly famous, thanks to The Hunger Games)

Boys
Kelby: Gaelic name meaning "place by the fountain or spring"
Maxwell: Scottish name meaning "Magnus' spring"
Denver: English name meaning "green valley"

Baby Name of the Day: Conrad

This handsome young man is Conrad Aiken, and he was a poet. From his calm demeanor and nicely combed hair, you might think his life was predictable and comfortable. Well, it started out that way. His parents were wealthy, socially prominent New Englanders who had moved to Savannah, Georgia. His dad was a respected brain surgeon. But then something happened to his father, and no one could ever find out exactly why. The father's behavior became increasingly erratic and violent until early one February morning, he murdered his wife and killed himself. Young Conrad was only eleven years old at the time, but he was the one to hear the gunshots and discover the bodies.

He seems to have recovered. He went to Harvard where he worked on editing with T.S. Eliot, and by 1930 (at the age of 41) he had won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. During his long life, he wrote or edited more than 51 books. He was also largely responsible for establishing Emily Dickinson's reputation as a major American poet.

Conrad's a good solid name for a little boy. I know a young Conrad myself, and he's always the only Conrad in his class. It's charming, a little vintage, and definitely strong.

Baby Name of the Day: Beatrix

When you think of the name Beatrix, you probably first think of Beatrix Potter, the Victorian author of the much-loved Peter Rabbit stories. Not only did she write those charming stories, but she also drew the illustrations. In fact, as a fourteen-year-old, she was awarded an Art Student's Certificate for model drawing and freehand. She employed her art skills to drawing scientific nature drawings and presented a scientific paper to the Linnean Society. A recent Hollywood film starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor focuses on Beatrix Potter's relationship with Norman Warne.

But Miss Potter isn't the only well-known Beatrix out there. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (pictured above) has been in the news lately because she has announced that she will be abdicating the throne in favor of her son Prince Willem-Alexander. She's approaching her 75th birthday, and I imagine she would like to slow down and take up a hobby or two. After all, she's been the queen for 33 years.

One of the wonderful things about this baby name is that it has such charming potential nicknames: Bea and Trixie. It's old-fashioned and lovely, but it has a kick with that "x" at the end.

Baby Name of the Day: Alden

You may be hearing this lyrical boys' name a little more later on this month when you can see Alden Ehrenreich in Beautiful Creatures.

As "Aiden" grows old and weary as a baby name, Alden becomes a nice alternative. It's an Old English name that means "old friend." Originally, it was a surname, but it's a somewhat popular first name as well. It seems to have hit its peak in popularity around World War I, so it's ripe for a comeback.

Notable Aldens include:

Alden Ehrenrich, actor
Alden Carter, author
Alden Dow, architect
Alden Jenks, composer
Alden Barber, chief executive of the Boy Scouts of America

Baby Name of the Day: Sylvie

Here's an up-and-coming name that has elements of current trends (retro and the letter "V") and a uniqueness all its own. It's a variant of Sylvia, which means "woods" or "forest."

One of the best things about this baby name is that it's very uncommon and yet it's easy to spell. It didn't show up in the top 1000 baby names in the 2010 census, but it's easily recognizable because of its similarity to Sylvia.

Cultural References

• Sylvie is the name of a Canadian indie rock music group that was nominated at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2003.
• Silvie is a novella by French Romanticist Gerard de Nerval. It was first published in 1853; Harold Bloom included it in The Western Canon in 1994.
• Silvie van der Vaart is a Dutch television personality and model. She recently split from husband Rafael van der Vaart, German football star.
• The Sylvie Bridal Collection is an extension of Spectrum Diamonds, a South African jewelry company. The bridal jewelry can be customized and is available at fine jewelers nationwide.
• Sylvie and Bruno is the last novel Lewis Carroll published in his lifetime. Similar to his Alice in Wonderland, the story crosses between Victorian England and a fantasy world.

Would you use this charming name for your own baby girl?

2 Free Baby Name Books for your Kindle

1. Baby Names to Live By (Tabitha Klein). This unique baby name book offers short biographies of people who are admirable in many ways and also have names that are timely, interesting, and full of potential.

2. Top 8 Baby Names for Boys and Girls (TobBabyNames). This very short book gives you information about the top 8 baby names.

Get them while they're free this weekend and find your perfect baby name.

Baby Names to Live By: Free at Amazon This Weekend!

Baby Names to Live By is free this weekend at Amazon! Download it for your Kindle, and enjoy reading the mini biographies of people worthy of being namesakes for your baby.

Older names are currently in vogue, and it makes sense to look to the past for your little one's name. While the sounds and popularity of a name are important, it's also wise to think about the connotations the name carries. Because of the good and noble acts of people in the past, some names have been enriched with additional meaning, which can become a touchstone for your child.

Here are just a few of the names you'll learn about in Baby Names to Live By:

Nora
Myles
Samantha
Sebastian
Vera
Leo

Read a short, interesting story about each name in the book. It's perfect for reading in short stints, like when you're waiting at the doctor's office.

Download your copy today, and let me know what you think! Please review it on Amazon!

5 Teacher-Inspired Baby Girl Names

Grace Abbott

If you're looking for baby name inspiration, why not look to famous teachers? Teachers have certainly shaped you and helped you become the competent, creative, talented woman you are today. Pass along a little of that teacher-inspired wisdom by considering one of these baby names:

Maya: Maya Angelou became voluntarily at age 8 when she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. She didn't speak again until she was 13 years old after a dedicated teacher introduced her to classic authors like Poe, Dickens, and Shakespeare. She repaid her gratitude by becoming a teacher herself. Today, she teaches at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

Madeleine: Better known for her role a the first female Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright teaches international relations at Georgetown University.

Grace: Grace Abbott was a social worker, public administrator, educator, and reformer. Born in the 1870s, she was concerned that children spent too much time working for a living and not enough time at school. She became very influential in the field of child-labor legislation.

Nadia: Fortunate Nadia Boulanger grew up among the musicians of the Paris Conservatory where her father taught voice lessons. In 1937, she was the first woman to conduct the Royal Philharmonic. She also taught an entire generation of composers, including American Aaron Copland.

Lucy: The daughter of former slaves, Lucy Craft Laney opened her own school in 1883. By the end of the second year, she had more than 200 African American students enrolled. She also opened a training center that taught nursing skills to black women.

Baby Girl Names, Brought to You by the Letter V

The "V" sound has been very popular for about a decade now. My little girl has friends named Eva, Ava, Vivian, Olivia, and Avae. The letter "V" still has staying power, but it would be wise for expectant parents to shake things up just a bit because elementary school roll call has become a veritable, vicious "V" tongue twister.

Here are some female V-names that don't sound quite so much like the above-mentioned V-names:

Valerie
Valley
Valora
Vanna
Valencia
Valkyrie
Valene
Evelyn
Savannah
Geneva
Ivy
Yvette
Devon
Maeve
Minverva
Olive
Yvonne

Baby girl names containing the letter "V" are still hot. Try jumping on the bandwagon but not standing right in the middle of that wagon. See if you can just hang onto the edge.

Adele's Baby's Name

Adele sure knows how to keep a secret. There she was, all ecstatic about winning Best Original Song at the Golden Globes on Sunday night, and she still hasn't spilled the beans about her baby son's name.

In an interview afterward, she said it was her first night out since the baby was born. Wow! The Golden Globes! I think I went to Taco Bell for my first night out after the baby was born.

Here's what she said about her baby boy's name: "I am not sharing his name at the moment. It is very personal to me and I just want to enjoy him at the moment." I have to say that I think she is very wise. New moms only get to be new moms for a very short time, and her personal life is often overshadowed by the press and the noise of her fans.

The very best to you, Adele, and your sweet little boy, whom we shall call Fred until you let us know what his real name is.

Scandinavian Baby Names

There's a trend blowing this way, and it's coming in a Viking longship. Scandinavian baby names are making an appearance in 2013, and maybe you'll want to consider one of them. Although pronunciation can be tricky with some Scandinavian names, the following ones are probably safe from all but the most ruthless substitute teachers.

Girls
Anneke
Dagmar
Agnetha
Britta
Dagny (with an Atlas Shrugged connection!)
Elin (of Tiger Woods fame)
Astrid
Brigit
Elsa
Freya
Erika
Halle (Berry)
Inga
Kerstin
Ingrid
Kirsi
Jetta
Katinka
Lovisa
Maren
Liv
Marja
Svana
Stina
Odina
Thora
Valkyrie

Boys
Alrik
Boden
Dane
Axel
Bjorn
Elof
Eric
Eskil
Halden
Ensio
Hannes
Havard
Jens
Kirk
Knute
Henrik
Jorn
Krister
Leif
Mikko
Langer
Nils
Olin
Ragnar
Rasmus
Soren
Tove
Yorick
Viggo
Torvald