What’s your favorite style of names? Classic, vintage, word, contemporary, unisex, hipster, occupation, or names that end in “en”? Have you always loved that style? Or did you used to love different kinds of names? Tell us about it…
I’ve always loved the names from the 20’s. Those [name]Jazzy[/name] babes! I could happily name from the top 20 of 1921! I like the solid feel of them and the flirty nicknames too.
For girls, I like old-fashioned Southern names, the kind that belong to sweet white-haired ladies who wear polka dot cotton dresses: [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Louise[/name], [name]Evelyn[/name], [name]India[/name], [name]Lucille[/name], [name]Corinne[/name], [name]Edith[/name]. (I didn’t even realize it until I put them together here, but all of these names belong to my great aunts. Whoa!)
For boys, I like strong names with a poetic feel and (I’ve just now realized) literary connections: [name]Atticus[/name], [name]Dashiell[/name], [name]Zane[/name], [name]Warren[/name], [name]Auden[/name], [name]Truman[/name].
I’ve always loved classic names. Always. My fist memorable dolls were [name]Anne[/name] and [name]Katherine[/name], and I was only three when I named them!
I have absolutely no idea why classic names (for me, classic included vintage and Biblical) appeal to me so much, but I was born with an aversion to trendy names.
My favorites include:
[name]Annabelle[/name] (and [name]Anne[/name])- I love [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables, and this name has the [name]Anne[/name], with the “able” sound reminding me of “Gables”
[name]Sophie[/name]- My great-aunt’s name, and I’d like to use the name in her memory
[name]Emmeline[/name]- A character in [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables
[name]Genevieve[/name]- I first heard it when I was little and watching “Who’s the [name]Boss[/name]?” A guest character was named [name]Genevieve[/name], and I loved the name
[name]Charlotte[/name]-My best friend’s name, and a name I’ve always loved
[name]Julia[/name]-My name is derived from [name]Julia[/name], and I’ve always loved [name]Julia[/name]
[name]Celia[/name]- Was my great-aunt’s name
[name]Grace[/name]- I’ve always loved this name
[name]Josephine[/name]- I first heard it in [name]Little[/name] Women, and thought it was beautiful
[name]Louisa[/name]- I grew up with a [name]Louisa[/name], and loved her name
[name]Lydia[/name]- My preschool teacher’s name, and I remember I thought it was the coolest name in the world!
[name]Rose[/name]- My favorite name
[name]Tess[/name]- I loved [name]Melanie[/name] [name]Griffith[/name]'s character in Working Girl
[name]Eliza[/name]- From My Fair Lady, I associate it with [name]Audrey[/name] Hepburn
[name]Vivienne[/name]- [name]Angelina[/name] stole it from my list! 
[name]Edward[/name]- A family name
[name]Henry[/name]- After my grandfather
[name]Oliver[/name]- I just love it!
[name]Nathaniel[/name]- Family name
[name]Harrison[/name]- Grew up with a really cool [name]Harrison[/name]
[name]Gideon[/name]- [name]Love[/name] it for a middle name
[name]Benjamin[/name]- Family name
[name]Charles[/name]- Loved [name]Charles[/name] Ingalls on [name]Little[/name] House
[name]William[/name]- I’ve always loved this name
[name]August[/name]- I actually started loving this last week
[name]Ezra[/name]- [name]Love[/name] this for a middle name
[name]Theodore[/name]- [name]Love[/name] it for no reason!
I’m like [name]Jill[/name]-I love classic names. When I used to play Barbies with my sister, I would often call my doll [name]Sally[/name]. There are some trendy names I really like, but not for my children. I do love vintage names and also unusual saints’ names. Of course many of the saints’ names are classic. A couple of unusual saints’ names I love are [name]Genevieve[/name] and [name]Sebastian[/name]. I love [name]Vincent[/name], but would probably never use it. I enjoy helping someone who has completely different name taste than me to think of names. It makes me feel empathetic with them and stretches my brain. Kind of like doing a crossword puzzle.
Classic is definitely my style. But I have many others, so I’ll list some a favorite from each category & why I like it.
BOYS
[name]ADAM[/name]- I like this one mainly because it is an [name]Ad[/name]- name. Also it’s a biblical name. Big plus.
[name]LEVI[/name]- I love two-syllable boy’s names. Another biblical name!
[name]JAMES[/name]- family name, ends in S. Also classic with nickname [name]JAY[/name].
[name]MILES[/name]- family name, ends in S. Semi-classic (it wasn’t that popular) with nickname [name]MILO[/name].
[name]FRED[/name]- I don’t know why I love [name]Fred[/name] so much! Look at the letters that make it up on your keyboard- they are in order, counter-clockwise, in a neat little square. Luckily for me, not many will bring it back yet, so popularity is not an issue (as it is with [name]James[/name] and [name]Adam[/name]). [name]Frederick[/name] takes most of the fun out of it.
GIRLS
[name]CECILY[/name]- Dainty, sweet, and has an [name]Oscar[/name] Wilde pedigree!
[name]JANE[/name]- One of those ‘feminized’ names that I love, as in [name]Cecily[/name]. I also love [name]JOSEPHINE[/name].
[name]ADELINE[/name]- family name, begins with ‘[name]Ad[/name]’. It rolls off your tongue so easily! And it has the nickname [name]Addie[/name]. [name]How[/name] can I not like [name]Madeline[/name] but love [name]Adeline[/name]?
I gave one of my daughters the name [name]Emily[/name]–in 1975, long before it was popular. My other daughter is [name]Jennifer[/name]. I liked the name but so did half of the population in 1975! lol Other names I like–
For girls:
[name]Ilse[/name] (spelled “[name]Ilsa[/name]” as the character in “Casablanca”)
[name]Lisette[/name]
[name]Lenore[/name] ([name]Edgar[/name] [name]Allan[/name] [name]Poe[/name] poem title)
[name]Madeleine[/name]
[name]Cecily[/name]
For boys:
[name]Michael[/name]
[name]Gregory[/name]
[name]Daniel[/name]
[name]James[/name]
[name]Charles[/name]
From the looks of it I seem to like classic. Or vintage.
I love nature/outdoorsy names. To me they feel breezy, fresh, and environmentally friendly
For boys I love: [name]River[/name], [name]Finn[/name], [name]West[/name], and [name]Kai[/name]
For girls I love: (I can’t help but love the flowers!) [name]Violet[/name], [name]Daisy[/name], [name]Magnolia[/name], and [name]Zinnia[/name]. [name]Aquinnah[/name], [name]Juniper[/name], [name]Ivy[/name], and [name]Marina[/name] are really cool too!
I honor of [name]Valentine[/name]'s day: I love Romantic Names. They’re best when they conjure up beauty, nights, and haunted love stories.
For girls I love: [name]Anastasia[/name], [name]Angelica[/name], [name]Cecilia[/name], [name]Estella[/name], [name]Francesca[/name], [name]Rose[/name], [name]Scarlett[/name], [name]Juliet[/name] and even [name]Sonnet[/name].
For boys I love: [name]Asher[/name], [name]Edward[/name], [name]Henry[/name], [name]Roman[/name], [name]Sebastian[/name] and why not…[name]Romeo[/name]!
names for boys: [name_m]Chester[/name_m], [name_m]Newell[/name_m], [name_m]Archie[/name_m], [name_m]Clyde[/name_m], [name_m]Gordon[/name_m], [name_m]Robert[/name_m].
Pretty and strong names for girls: [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], [name_f]Araminta[/name_f], [name_f]Helen[/name_f], [name_f]Ghislaine[/name_f], [name_f]Desdemona[/name_f].