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Names Inspired by Wyatt

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As with many masculine surname-names, Wyatt has plenty of history, associating itself with outlaw Earp and ranking in the charts almost every year since 1880. However, it was never popular until the last few decades; Wyatt has only been a top 100 staple since 2004. Wyatt Earp gave his name a rustic cowboy charm as well as reminding parents of its history. Alongside being a modern traditional, Wyatt has a distinctive sound with one dominant spelling. Finally, despite its roots as a surname, Wyatt feels more like a first name and is almost fully masculine in usage.  Parents who find Wyatt too popular, or those searching for brother names or simply more names to love, will find this list useful. Here are multiple names below the top 100 inspired by Wyatt: Atticus Famously connected to Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird , this name hails to Alabama. Nothing rhymes or sounds like Atticus, either, and it has a bit of history despite being more popular today (but still below the top 2...
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Genevieve

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Around the start of the Middle Ages, Paris had a female savior who kept Attila the Hun away. She served as the ultimate namesake for several women in France (and beyond) throughout the ages.  The story of St. Genevieve may be clear, but the name's origin is not so. It either hails from Germanic or Gaulish (Celtic) roots; in Germanic, the name means "women's clan" and, in Gaulish, "worthy clan." Either way, Genevieve entered common usage in medieval France. There was also Genevieve of Brabant of medieval legend, who got falsely accused for infidelity and exiled to a cave with her son only to be saved by her husband; that could have helped the name's ongoing popularity.  In the English-speaking world, Genevieve first experienced occasional use in Britain between the 1100s and 1300s, often shortened to Geva. It did not enter regular usage again until the eighteenth century. Genevieve became more common during the Victorian era, but it was never overly commo...
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The Age of Entertainment Names

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In the past, names have been borrowed from family members, friends, politicians, and literature; for instance, Queen Victoria's use of the name Alice for her daughter popularized the name in England and Charlotte Brontë's Shirley shifted the titular name from masculine to feminine usage. In today's world, names are often borrowed from celebrities alongside television and film characters. As film and television became more prominent in the United States and elsewhere in the English world, parents began to look to the media for name inspiration. Entertainment names are mostly twenty-first century phenomenons that haven't seen heavy usage until recently.  CELEBRITY NAMES: Cash was the surname of Johnny Cash that rose beyond his era; after his death in 2003, it reentered the top 1000 and has ranked in the 200s since 2008. Florence has started its American revival in the late 2010s, but it made a rapid rise from the 900s to the 700s in 2020, the year after actor Florence Pug...
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Names Inspired by Luna

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Before Luna Lovegood debuted in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , nobody thought this celestial, mythological name would ever become popular. It became a top 1000 name in 2003, the year the second Harry Potter film came out, and rose into the top 100 in 2016 under the influence of Lovegood. Luna has even been a top 10 name since 2022. How did a name that once sounded so unique become overly popular? Luna has an indirect but clear nature association (in this case, being the night sky) that ties into Roman mythology (she was the moon goddess). Its connections to the moon and the Harry Potter  series also give Luna a dark fantasy vibe. It spans international usage and has a smooth and sweet sound as well.  This list of alternatives, all outside the top 100, will especially appeal to parents who find Luna too popular. However, those seeking sibling names or casual name nerds will also enjoy this.  Here are some names that capture parts of Luna's appeal: Aura Like lo...
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Names Inspired by Everly

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Everly sounds old, rhyming with vintage Beverly and borrowing sounds from classic Eve and Emily. Yet, it was hardly a name until the past decade. Since entering the charts in 2012, Everly has risen dramatically to hit the top 100 in 2017 and rank within the top 50 between 2019 and 2021. Not only is Everly overly popular for some parents, but its rapid rise makes it extremely like to date to this era; this gives extra demand for Everly alternatives. Alongside being fresh for this generation despite having the sounds of classic names, Everly is feminine and tailored when most girls' surname-names lean unisex. It also has some artistic heritage via the Everly Brothers rock duo. Finally, Everly rolls off the tongue; it is fun to say.  For parents seeking alternatives (or name enthusiasts seeking more names to love), here are some names that capture Everly's style: Abilene Abilene is a place name mixing the sounds of Abigail and Irene, hence sounding old-fashioned. However, it has o...
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Phoebe

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In one of his Biblical letters, St. Paul referred to a female deacon, or church officer. The same name belonged to an epithet to the Greek moon goddess Artemis. That name is Phoebe. Phoebe, meaning "bright, pure" in Greek, has seen usage among English-speakers from the sixteenth century, before Shakespeare used it in As You Like It . It became established in Britain by the late seventeenth century and was a Victorian top 100 pick there before falling in the early twentieth century. As an American name, Phoebe (spelled Phebe in records) was fairly common as early as 1800 and peaked with 125 girls between 1841-1850 according to the 1850 census. However, that number dropped to 80 in the 1880 census. Hence, Phoebe was clearly declining when it first ranked in the 200s in 1880. It left the top 1000 in the early 1960s. Phoebe ranked again in 1966-67 and 1977 before officially returning to the charts in 1989. The name has risen ever since. From the mid 2000s through the 2010s, Phoeb...
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The Deal with Popular Names

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Popularity, as with durability, is a dividing issue in the realm of first names. There are plenty of articles advising against using popular names, but there are also sources that discourage abandoning a name just because it's "too popular." Too Popular? Popularity is a subjective matter regarding names; what's "too popular" for one person might not be so for others. Some parents only seek to avoid the top 10 while for others, it's the top 20, 50, or 100. There are even those who want to escape the top 500 or 1000, or perhaps use a fully unused name. What parents view as "too popular" is often influenced by their own experiences. For example, those who grew up with popular names tend to prefer more unique choices (especially if they grew up around multiple same-name people). Yet, there are also parents who didn't mind having a common name and those with unique names who want to pass down their experience.  At Patches of Names, I mark the to...
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