Patches of Names

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

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