Girls' Name - Mia

Mia is a new entry into the top 10 in England and Wales this year at number 7. Mia is a simple but sweet name which can stand alone or work equally well as nickname for number 1 girls' choice, Amelia. Mia has a popular sound which is shared with other popular names such as Leah, Nia and Tia.
Mia is a Scandinavian, German and Dutch diminutive of Maria. It is also the Italian term for 'mine' which adds a cute twist to an already very sweet name.
Mia is well known as the protagonist in Meg Cabot's popular Princess Diaries book series, whose full name was Amelia. Mia was also the name of the beautiful Nina Dobrev's character in the High School drama Degrassi. Actresses Mia Farrow and Mia Wasikowska are famous bearers of this name.

Boys' Name - Riley

Super stylish boys' name Riley is the newest entry to the England and Wales top 10. It rose 5 places last year to sit at number 9. It is even more popular in Scotland, at number 3. Riley's popularity certainly doesn't come as a shock to me at all, I seem to have been hearing it all over the place recently.

Riley is a surname name which comes from Old English, meaning 'rye clearing'. It could also be considered a variant of the Irish Reilly whose meaning is unknown.

In North America Riley is more popular for girls but in the UK it is firmly the property of the boys. As I may have mentioned before I love surname names and think they have a very cool feel to them. I also tend to think of most surname names as feeling strongly masculine, but this is just personal preference as the majority of English surnames are gender neutral.

Riley is a fresh and modern sounding name that is backed up by history, meaning and substance -  an excellent combination!

Girls' Name - Eleanor

Eleanor is a sweet, classic girls' name with a slight vintage feel. The most popular short form, the cute, spunky Ellie, will be a selling point for many people. However, since Ellie (at number 34) is a lot more popular than the more formal form (at number 63), many Eleanors will probably rather go by their full name or choose a less common nickname like Lenny, Nora or even Noor. A good thing about Eleanor is that it comes with lots of options.
Eleanor is a name with royal connections. There were three English Queens named Eleanor in the 12th and 13th centuries and there have also been French, Portuguese and Swedish Queens named Eleanor. Elinor Dashwood is a character  in Jane Austen's novel 'Sense and Sensibility' and 'Eleanor Rigby' is the name of a popular song by the Beatles.

Boys Name - Dexter

Dexter is a name that's been getting a lot of attention lately due to the lead character in the popular book and film 'One Day' and the TV series 'Dexter'. Dexter has also had popularity among celebrities, both Elvis Costello and Charlotte Church have sons named Dexter.
The fact that Dexter reached number 70 in England and Wales last year is evidence of its growing popularity, in fact it climbed 8 places in the past year. 
Dexter fits in with the two popular trends for surname names and occupation names, it comes from and Old English surname meaning 'one who dyes', it is also the Latin word for 'right-handed'. The stylish 'r' ending and the quirky nickname Dex are also big plus points for this name.

Girls' Name - Amy

Amy has enjoyed a long reign of popularity but seems to be falling having only made it to number 62 in England and Wales this year. Despite this Amy is a sweet, simple name that still has a lot of appeal. 
Amy is the English form of the French name Aimee which bares the wonderful meaning of 'beloved'. Although it is probably most popular in it's own right it can also be used as a nickname for the now highly popular Amelia. 
There are many famous bearers of this name including tragic Rn'B singer Amy Winehouse. Amy was the name of one Dr Who's more recent companions whose full name was Amelia Pond.

Boys' Name - Harrsion

Harrison is a cool surname name that will remind most people of action hero film star, Harrison Ford. This name seems to following in the wake of number 1 boys' name, Harry and made it to number 35 in England and Wales this year. Harrison could be an alternative route to the popular Harry if you'd like a more formal full name with more options. Sonny is another nickname name which is rising in popularity and could also be a nickname possibility for Harrison.
Harrison means, quite obviously, son of Harry so would be a good way to honour a father or grandfather named Harry or even Harold or Henry.  

Boys Name - Theo

The name Theo comes from the Greek term 'theos' which means God. It stands strongly as a name in it's own right but has often been used in the past as a short form of names such as Theodore and Theobald. Theodore seems to be following in Theo's wake as it also made it onto the English and Welsh top 100 in 2012, sneaking in at number 97. Theo, however, is still the much more popular for making it into the top 50 at number 44.
The name Theo has a very cool image, helped along by its stylish 'o' ending. Although the usual pronunciation in English speaking countries is (THEE-oh) the pronunciation (TAY-oh) is often used in other countries.
One notable barer of this name is the English footballer Theo Walcott.

Girl's name - Katie

Katie was number 66 in England and Wales last year and while it was originally a diminutive of Catherine it is now more popular than its original or any of it's variations. Neither Catherine, Katherine nor Kathryn appeared on the top 100 this year.
Katie is a cute and spunky name with a sweet, slightly vintage, charm. This is the sort of name that I can see fitting just about anybody. It works equally well on a girly girl or a tomboy. 
There are many Katies in pop culture that could influence the popularity of this name including actresses Katie Holmes, Katie Leclerc and Katie Leung, and singers Katie Melua and Katie Perry. Perhaps the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, is also having an effect on the popularity of this version of her name.

Boys name - Luca

This stylish Italian boys' name has been popular in the UK for some time now and this year it rose 3 places to number 61 in England and Wales. While Luca is rising in popularity it still seems more stylish and exotic than its brothers Luke and Lucas. 

I usually feel that Italian boys' names don't seem to fit on non-italian boys but Luca seems to be an exception to this and while some people may thing that its 'ah' ending makes it seem girly, I think that it has a sleek, masculine strength.

Lucca (spelled with two Cs) is the name of a beautiful Tuscan city. I think this variation could also work very well as a first name, in fitting with the trend for place names.

Another spelling variation is Luka which was worn by a popular character on the TV drama E.R.

 

Girls' Name - Heidi

Heidi was the 83rd most popular girls' name in England and Wales last year. It is a cute and spunky name with an exotic yet familiar style. 

This German name is a diminutive of Adelheid, a form of Adelaide which means 'noble kind'.

Heidi is probably most commonly known as the eponymous heroine of Joanna Spyri's famous novel which is still a favourite with many children. As it was a huge favourite of mine, I always get excited when I meet a Heidi. 

Another possible source of Heidi's growing popularity is its association with the very beautiful German supermodel, Heidi Klum. 

Boys' Name - Rory

Rory was a new entry to the English and Welsh top 100 this year, climbing 11 places to number 99. 

Rory is an anglicised form of the Scottish name Ruairidh, meaning 'Red King' and is definitely the most popular form outside of Scotland. I have occasionally heard of Rory being used for girls as a nickname for Aurora but (certainly in the UK) it remains mostly masculine. 

Rory is one of many names in the top 100 ending in the trendy 'ee' sound is which gaining almost as much popularity for boys as it is for girls. Rory seems to be heading for success, following similar name Riley, which entered the top 10 in England and Wales this year.

Notable bearers of this name include: Rory Bremner, the Scottish comedian; Rory Lamont, the (very good-looking) Scottish rugby player and Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy.   

Girls' Name - Lola

Sorry for the long absence - I promise to be more committed from now on.

To make it up to you - I'm going to do two names a day this week. I'm going to take all this week's names from the top 100 from England and Wales for 2012.

Anyway today's name is Lola!
Lola was number 34 for girls in England and Wales in 2012. This cute, spunky nickname is a diminutive of the much grander, Dolores.

Lola is the name of a song by the Kinks, Buggs Bunny's girl friend and a character in the children's TV programme 'Charlie and Lola'. 

Lola is a name that manages to sound cute, spunky and exotic all in one go. It will fit in well with the current trend for double L names such as Lily and Layla.

Boys' Name - George

Hey guys! Sorry about there being no post yesterday - I had some technical difficulties. To make up for it I'm going to do two posts today instead.

So today's first name is George. With the new Royal Baby due to be born any day now bets are being taken on everything from gender to hair colour and of course the baby's name and George is one of the front runners in the boys' name department.

It's easy to see why people might expect the Royal Couple to pick George as a name for their baby. It's strong and classic and is most definitely a royal name. There have been 6 kings named George, the most recent of whom was our current Queen's father King George VI. Saint George is also the patron saint of England.

George is the sort of slightly old fashioned sounding classic that is catching people's attention these days and it has risen in popularity in the UK over recent years. The nickname Georgie is cute but with this becoming a popular name for girls many parents will just want to stick with the original.

Girls' Name - Summer

In honour of the beautiful weather we are enjoying in Scotland at the moment today's name is Summer. Summer is the most popular of the season names and probably the most usable (closely followed by Autumn). It would be a great name for a summer baby but I also don't think it would seem out of place on a baby born at any time of year.

If you are looking for a name with good connotations, Summer has bag loads. It makes you think of holidays, warm weather, sunshine, beaches and any number of other wonderful summery things.

There are several pop culture references which have helped Summer to grow in popularity. The most obvious of these is probably Rachel Bilson's character in the O.C., Summer Roberts. There is the American actress Summer Glau who played River Tam in the T.V. series Firefly and the British actress Summer Strallen who, among other things, played the popular character of Summer Shaw in Hollyoaks. There are also characters named Summer in the films Napoleon Dynamite, Definitely Maybe and, of course, (500) Days of Summer. 

Boys Name - Murray

It seemed like the whole world was watching the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final on Sunday and in honour of Andy Murray's brilliant success I've decided to make Murray my fist Daily Name!

Murray is a Scottish surname name which comes from the region of Moray in the North of Scotland.

At the present moment Murray is probably best known as the surname of British tennis player Andy Murray. It is also the name of several towns in the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Murray is a classic boys' name that still manages to have a fresh and interesting feel. Surname names are enjoying a lot of popularity at the moment and Murray will fit right in.

Welcome to Names Daily!

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to my new blog. It does exactly what is says on the tin, each day I'll put up a post about a different name. I'll try to alternate between boy names and girl names for the most part but this may change on special occasions.

So say tuned for lots and lots of lovely daily name goodness and feel free to suggest any names you want me to mention!!

xxx

chellemma