Spring is fast approaching, and with this comes new life (in the animal and plant world anyway), so what better season than spring to launch our fantastic new Baby Name Generator! Our generator has been specially designed to help you choose the perfect name for your future baby, boy or girl, hypothetical or about to be born. It is always fun and interesting to predict a baby’s name, and our handy tool is free and easy to use. You can even share your results on Facebook and Twitter!
With material taken from the revised and updated A-Z of Baby Names, which has over 2,500 first names with their meaning and origins, our Baby Name Generator takes a wide range of information into consideration, and offers a result specific to you and the answers you provide. All of the names are individually selected from this most authoritative compendium of baby names, and if you’re not happy of your result, just have another go!
If you’re not expecting a child, why not have a go on someone else’s behalf? What, for instance, will the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge name their future child? A-Z of Baby Names spans traditional names, from Anne and Albert to Victoria and William, to more modern names from Azalea and Bryn to Brooklyn and Zanna, and every name in between – and the Baby Name Generator reflects this variety. What are you waiting for? Find out what you should name your baby – and what your friends should name theirs!
Your son’s name is likely to be influenced by popular culture
Chandler
Think you might have a little comedian? Your answers point towards the name Chandler, made famous by the comedic character of Chandler in the US sitcom Friends. Chandler is a transferred use of the surname, which originated as a name for someone who sold candles.
Harry
You like to keep up with the trend-setters, so why not name your son the most popular boys’ name in recent years: Harry? Once simply a pet form of Henry, it is now often a name in its own right. The 1984 birth of Prince Harry, the younger son of the Prince of Wales, no doubt contributed to the name’s recent dramatic rise in popularity. The rapid ascent in fame of the boy-band One Direction, and its posterboy Harry Styles, may also have a role to play , not to mention a certain young wizard, Harry Potter.
Oscar
A star is born, and Oscar is his name! Associated with the American Academy awards for achievement in the film industry, Oscar is an ancient Irish name, now characteristically Scandinavian, after Oscar Bernadotte, godson of Napoleon and King Oscar I of Sweden.
Calvin
Hoping for a fashion-forward or music-making son? Calvin could be the name for your baby boy. From the French surname, meaning ‘little bald one’, its surprising etymology is overshadowed by its popularity. Notable bearers include fashion mogul Calvin Klein, and Scottish DJ, singer, songwriter, and record producer Calvin Harris.
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Your son’s name is likely to be influenced by classical history & legends
Hector
Hoping your son will be a legend? Then Hector is a great choice of name. Borne in classical legend by the Trojan champion, his name is probably from a Greek word meaning ‘restrainer’. It is also a Scottish surname, from the Gaelic personal name Eachdonn, meaning ‘brown horse’.
Leander
The Latin form of Greek name Leandros, which derives from the words for ‘lion’ and ‘man’. In Greek legend, Leander swam across Hellespont every night to visit his beloved Hero, and back again every morning.
Nicholas
Your classic tastes, and strong values, point towards the name of Nicholas -the English form of the post-classical Greek personal name Nikolaos, derived from nike, for ‘victory’ and laos, for ‘people’. St Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop of Myria in Lycia, about whom virtually nothing factual is known, although in one of the many legends surrounding him, he is the bringer of Christmas presents, in the guise of ‘Santa Claus’.
Valentine
You’re a hopeless romantic, harking back to the classic era, and as such Valentine is the perfect name for your baby boy. Valentine is the English form of the Latin name Valentinus, a derivative of valens, meaning ‘healthy’ and ‘strong’. It was the name of a Roman martyr of the 3rd century, whose feast is celebrated on 14 February.
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Your son’s name is likely to be influenced by tradition & history
Edgar
Edgar is the name of someone sure to succeed, and therefore it is perfect for your son. From an Old English personal name derived from ead ‘prosperity’, ‘riches’ and gar meaning ‘spear’,this was the name of English King and Saint, Edgar the Peaceful (d. 975).
Griffith
You’re hoping for a little prince, which suggests Griffith may be the name for your little boy. Griffith is the anglicized form of Gruffudd or Griffudd, and old Welsh Grip(p)iud. While the first element of the name is of uncertain origin, the second element means ‘lord’ or ‘prince’. Guffydd ap Llewellyn (d. 1063) was one of the most able rulers of Wales in the Middle Ages.
Harold
Your son will be a king – even if only in your eyes – so Harold seems like a good name for him. Harold is from an Old English personal name derived from here for ‘army’ and weald for ‘ruler’. This was reinforced by the Scandinavian cognate Haraldr, introduced by Norse settlers.
Jonah
Is your baby a miracle-child? If so, Jonah is the perfect name for him. A biblical name, meaning ‘dove’ in Hebrew, it was borne by the prophet Jonah. God orders him to preach in Nineveh, but when Jonah disobeys, God causes a storm to erupt, and Jonah is swallowed by a ‘great fish’ which delivers him to the coasts of Nineveh.
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Your son’s name is likely to be influenced by literature
Byron
You’re a serious literary buff – so Byron is the only name for your son. Transferred use of the surname, it was first bestowed as a given name in honour of the poet Lord Byron (1784-1824). The surname is a locative name derived from the Old English for ‘at the byres’, which means ‘at the cattlesheds’.
Dylan
You appreciate poetry, and so can appreciate the name of Dylan. The name is Welsh: of uncertain origin, but probably connected with a Celtic word meaning ‘sea’. Since the second half of the 20th century, the name has become popular outside Wales, as a result of the fame of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-53), and the American singer Bob Dylan (b. 1941), who changed his surname from Zimmerman as a tribute to the poet.
Jude
Your son was born to be a protagonist, and so Jude is the name for him. The short form of Judas, itself a Greek form of the biblical name Judah,it is famously the name of the central character in Thomas Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure (1895).
Uriah
You’re hoping for a bookworm, who can appreciate their name’s literary past. Uriah is the perfect name for your son. A biblical name (from Hebrew, meaning ‘God is light’),the name became popular in the 19th century possibly through association with the character of obsequious Uriah Heep in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield (1850).
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Find out which female name might suit your baby
1. Which of these men do you think is the most inspirational?
2. Which of these could you not live without?
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
3. Which of these sporting activities would you like him to take up?
Rambling… whilst pondering the poems of William Wordsworth
4. What do you hope will be your child’s favourite choice of reading material?
A non-fiction book on war strategy
The latest music magazines – Kerrang, NME etc.
5. Which TV programme do you hope your son will watch with you?
6. Which of these films would you take him to see?
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7. Which of these professions would you want for your future child?
Professional football player
8. Which of these qualities would you most value in your future child?
Your daughter’s name is likely to be influenced by popular culture
Amelia
You like to stay on trend, so why not name your daughter one of the most on-trend names in recent years: Amelia? A blend of two medieval names: Emilia and Amalia. Notable bearers include Amelia Bloomer (1818-94), US women’s rights campaigner and creater of the ‘loose bloomer’, and Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), US aviator.
Brooke
Your daughter will be a performer, therefore Brooke is the perfect choice. A name held by many well-known actresses, including Brooke Adams (b. 1949) and Brooke Shields (b. 1965), it is transferred from the surname, which was originally a name for someone who lived near a brook.
Mara
Your answers suggest that your daughter may be a mini-fashionista. Used by the MaxMara Italian fashion house, Mara is actually of biblical origin. ‘Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me’ (Ruth 1:20), said Naomi on her return to Bethlehem from the famine in the land of Moab.
Sybil
It sounds like you know your TV, and therefore you may like to name your child Sybil, of 1970s UK sitcom Fawlty Towers and (more recently) UK drama Downton Abbey fame. Sybil is from the Greek name Sybilla meaning a class of ancient prophetesses inspired by Apollo.
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Your daughter’s name is likely to be influenced by classical history & legends
Ariadne
Your daughter will be intelligent and cunning, just like Ariadne, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos in classical mythology. She gave the Athenian hero Theseus a ball of wool to enable him to find his way out of the Labyrinth after killing the Minotaur.
Daphne
You like your classic mythology, so why not name your daughter after a nymph? The name Daphne was borne by a nymph in Greek mythology who was changed into a laurel by her father, a river god, so that she could escape the attentions of Apollo. The name means ‘laurel’ in Greek.
Fabiola
The name Fabiola suits your classic, yet progressive, tastes. It’s a late Latin feminine diminutive form of the old Roman family name Fabius (said to be a derivative of faba for ‘bean’). St Fabiola (d. c400) was a Roman widow who founded the first Western hospital, in which she tended the sick as well as accommodating the healthy.
Penelope
Patience is a virtue, so the name Penelope must surely be the most virtuous of them all! Borne in Greek mythology by the wife of Odysseus, Penelope sat patiently awaiting his return for twenty years while, as a supposed widow, fending off a pressing horde of suitors. Her name would seem to derive from Greek penelops for ‘duck’.
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Your daughter’s name is likely to be influenced by tradition & history
Blanche
Tradition is important to you, and the name Blanche goes hand in hand with that. Originally a nickname for ‘blonde’, from blanche (the feminine form of the Old French blanc for ‘white’), it came to be associated with the notion of whiteness as indicating purity, and was introduced to England as a given name by the Normans.
Ida
You work hard, and therefore so will your daughter! Ida is a Norman name derived from the ancient Germanic word id, meaning ‘work’. This was introduced to Britain in the 11th century but faded away until it was revived by Tennyson for the central character in his poem ‘The Princess’ (1847), who devotes herself to the cause of women’s rights and education.
Raine
Royalty or not, you’re a very important person. Raine is the perfect name for your daughter. It ispossibly a respelling of the French word reine meaning ‘queen’, or a transferred use of the surname Raine or Rayne. The surname derives from a medieval given name, derived from ra(g)in, meaning ‘advice’, or ‘decision’.
Una
You’re a traditional parent, with traditional hopes for your little lamb, Una, which is the anglicized form of Irish Úna, a traditional name of uncertain derivation. It is identical in form with the word úna, meaning ‘hunger’ and ‘famine’, but is more likely to be derived from uan, meaning ‘lamb’.
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Your daughter’s name is likely to be influenced by literature
Alice
You look to the fantastic for inspiration, so Alice could be the perfect name for your little girl. Originally a variant of Adelaide, being the Old French form of the Germanic name Adalheidis,it was revived by Lewis Carroll for the child heroine of his books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking glass (1872).
Ophelia
You’re hoping for a beautiful bookworm – just like Ophelia. The beautiful daughter of Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, she loves Hamlet and eventually goes mad and drowns herself. Ophelia was first used by Italian pastoral poet Jacopo Sannazzaro (1458-1530), who presumably intended it as a feminine form of the Greek name Ophelos, for ‘help’.
Rosalind
Your little girl is going to be a heroine, just like those named Rosalind have been throughout literary history. Rosalind is from an Old French personal name of Germanic origin, from hros for ‘horse’ and lind for ‘weak’, ‘tender’, and ‘soft’. Its popularity as a given name owes much to its use by Edmund Spenser for the character of a shepherdess in his pastoral poetry. Another Rosalind famously appears in Shakespeare’s As You Like It (1599).
Wendy
You love a fairy tale, so what better name for your daughter than Wendy? This name received a huge boost when J. M. Barrie used it for the ‘little mother’ in his play Peter Pan (1904). He took it from the nickname Fwendy-Wendy (i.e. friend) used for him by a child aquaintance, Margaret Henley.
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1. Which of these women do you think is the most inspirational?
2. Which of these could you not live without?
The poems of Sylvia Plath, obviously
3. Which of these professions would you want for your daughter?
4. What do you hope will be your child’s favourite choice of reading material?
Catching up on the latest celebrity gossip with a pile of magazines
Fact-finding with a historical biography
5. Which TV programme do you hope your daughter will watch with you?
Who Do You Think You Are?
Gods and Monsters: Homer’s Odyssey
The latest adaption of Pride and Prejudice
Which of these productions would you take her to see?
Richard III by William Shakespeare
7. Where would you most like to take your future daughter on holiday?
Angkor Wat – the largest religious monument in the world
Dorchester, UK – to the humble setting of Thomas Hardy’s poetry
Olympia, Greece – the birthplace of the Olympic Games
Las Vegas, USA – the location of Celine Dion’s residency
8. Which of these qualities would you most value in your future child?
Posted on: March 1 2013 | Categories: English in use, Interactive features | Tags: A-Z of Baby Names, Baby name generator, baby names
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