Here's a rare name I expect to hear more of in the future: Graden.
Certainly, it has a fashionable sound -- another in the vast rhyming family that includes Aidan, Hayden, Caden and Braeden. But there's more to it than that. Graden sounds like a formal version of a popular formal name that sounds like a nickname. Hmm, was that gibberish? Let me give it another shot.
Classic multisyllabic men's names -- Thomas, Edward -- generally come with two standard nickname options. There's a one-syllable basic (Tom, Ed) and a two-syllable diminutive (Tommy, Eddie). That's sensible enough. After all, the two main functions of nicknames are to shorten and to soften.
Today, though, the standard nicknames are decidedly out of fashion. So far out of fashion that some parents are getting skittish about names that even resemble the form of a traditional nickname. So more and more, you see parents tacking extra endings onto short boys' names, creating a new "formal" version for something that was never a nickname to begin with.
It's not a totally new phenomenon; Rexford is one example from past generations. But the practice is growing. And forget old add-ons like -ford, -burn and -wood. Today there's just one way to extend a name: with the all-powerful letter -n.
For a case study, consider Colton. Colton is a popular contemporary name, currently ranked #117 among American boys' names. It was a surname before it became a baby name, but that doesn't tell the real story. As a surname Colton isn't common at all, ranking behind the likes of Stumpf and Fortenberry in frequency. Nor are there prominent Coltons to raise the name's profile. The key to understanding the name Colton is that it made its debut as a popular baby name in 1982. That's the same debut year as Colt -- which is to say, the first full season of "The Fall Guy," a tv series starring Lee Majors as stuntman/bounty hunter Colt Seavers. At first, Colton was just a quiet shadow of the hardy young cowboy Colt. But by the '90s, the more "formal" Colton was the clear leader of the pack.
Some more popular -n extensions:
Brycen
Daxton
Trenton
Treyton
All of them, notably, also have rhyming names in the top 1000. Which brings us back to Graden. So you like Grady, but perhaps find it a little boyish? A mere flick of the -n gives you Graden. You can still call him Grady if you like, and the full name blends right in with the current name landscape. It's a nifty 2-for-1...as long as "blending in" is what you're after. If you're customizing the name to make in more distinctive, though, keep in mind that uncommon and distinctive aren't always the same thing. In an age where a third of all boys born get an -n name, Colt and Grady may end up standing out a lot more than Colton and Graden.
Instant name: just add N
08/07/2008, 11:51AM
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Annabelle is a perennial British name, and a nice change from all the Isabelles and Gabrielles around. I've seen it spelt Annabel as well, but never with one n. So spelling might be a consideration. I think it's really pretty.
This last year I taught a Grady who is 13 years old. Only one I've met IRL.
Love Atticus! I heard a parent discussing his son Atticus at the Farmers Market on Sunday. I would love to have known of any sibling names.
I think Owen is clearly part of the whole "n" trend and the HUGE current spike on voyageur seems to confirm it. Calvin doesn't have the spike yet but maybe it will next year. A co-worker of mine just named her baby Calvin and with all the talk here about the name it must be an up and comer (maybe too strong of a religious connotation to be ever get really big)
In fact, it would be hard to convince me that any ending in "n" name is not part of the trend with the possible exception being Jonathan. As a Jennifer born in the 1970s it cracks me up when people say "I really like this name ending with an 'n' and i don't want to be/think it is part of the trend." That's what a trend is, after all, lots of people really liking the same thing. When I ask my mom why she picked Jennifer she says "I just really liked it and we were looking for a J name."
ending in "n" names in my son's 2-year old "class"
Jaylen
Dylan
Greyson
Jordan
Lincoln
all different in tone, all part of the trend.
Someone else mentioned this way upthread, but Graydon Carter is an editor and writer in his 50's, I would guess. I assumed it was a family name because he seems rather old money. And yes, Cian(pron. Key-an) is quite popular in Ireland as the updated (more authentic) translation of Sean from Irish-Gaelic.I just got back from Ireland and was listening hard for all of the "new" old names. I met a baby named Aoife(pron.Eva) and heard a child called Saorise(pron.Shercha). A fellow who gave me a ride was named Ronan-pretty common there, but I like it.I think Annabel and Gavin are lovely names and , certainly, both have been climbing the charts.And belated Congratulations to Beckett's Mom..My son tells me that that is the name he would have chosen for a boy. Very strong and handsome and historical.
Also love Atticus.
I think - maybe wrong - that the -n thing is American and hasn't made it here to the UK yet. We're knee deep in boys called Alfie, Luca and Milo.
The exception would be names like Nathan and Aaron which are quite downmarket now.
I should say Alfie etc are North London names!
I bet we might be able to see Scotten -> Scott. Cotton?
I wonder how long it will take me to feel like the bananafanafofaidens are 'normal' names. My mom is a Darlene and I have friends with moms named Charlene, Marlene... To me these sound normal, but if i was alive in the 50s I'd probably think they were godawful tryndee monstrosities.
Can anyone give me info on the meaning and origin of Gilead?
Gilead is a hilly region in the Holy Land, east of the Jordan River (now located in the HLawsonashemite Kingdom of Jordan). It is famous for the balm of Gilead, some sort of resinous plant used to make a medicinal ointment. Gilead is also the home of the Prophet Elijah. The name seems to mean something like hilly or rugged.
Sorry. Somehow the capcha (Lawson) got incorporated into the word Hashemite. Blasted capchas!
I know a Salome who is about my mom's age (60-ish) and think it's a really pretty name. It comes from the same root as shalom and salaam (peace).
As a non-Christian, it seems like a really nice name to me, but I can see how it would sound pretty weird to others.
Kate-We don't give him a nickname and, luckily so far, no one calls him Atty. I *really* don't like Atty, and I'm hoping that when he gets older he won't go by Atty. But even if he does, I'll always call him Atticus!
Our younger son's name is Avner. It's the Jewish form of Abner. Another name that wasn't on our radar until another friend suggested it. Apparently it is popular in Israel. We're not Jewish, but we thought the name was great and suited him.
Just in case this is of any help, other names on our boy shortlist were: Arlo, Theodore, Solomon, Leif, Rupert, Ezra, Howard and Magnus (although we knew we couldn't have two boys with the -us ending--we just really like that name). Girl shortlist was Adelaide, Clementine, Violet, Hazel, Ivy, Iris, Eleanor and Harriet. As you can see, we definitely had a type of girl's name, but were all over the place for boys!
Well, the class I teach at the mother's day out had five boys, three with endings of -n:
Owen
Preston
Jonathan (goes by Nate)
I also feel that Owen fits in with the current trend of -n names.
Comments on the above:
Holden reminds me of Hayden. Very gender neutral IMO.
Know a Landon in my dd's preschool. I think this definitely fits with the "n" trend. I think most names in the "-aiden" category and others with a "made-up" feel should be included. I do not agree that Calvin, Owen, Jonathan should be included. I think Jackson was the fore-runner to this trend.
Other ideas not mentioned for the trend include:
Brenton, Keegan, Garrison(eventhough its a surname), Thornton(same), Princeton, Brighton, Paxton.
Sibs for Porter-First thought for G was Emerson-don't know why, guess it has same feel for me.
Maybe for B Grady, Maxwell, Finley, Samuel, or Stephen. I think Avery works great for G. Other G names: Madeline, Beatrice, Caroline, Gwendolyn.
Eila seems a much better sp and easier to get pronunciation correct than Isla which no matter how many times I'm told will always be IS-la rather than EYE-la.
Miriam: Does it have any history as a boys name? Wikipedia had some about it but I am never sure how far to trust the info there. They also had a differetn meaning than you listed.
Did anyone here read the latest Real Simple magazine?
There was a page dedicated to different moms with various questions.
Well...One mom had a son named DRY. DRY??
Has anyone else every heard that name? Is it REALLY a name? I can't believe it?
Jessica--
As far as I know, Gilad is used in Israel as a male name--after Mt. Gilead (I think). This is a modern Hebrew name, not a traditional one. The trend in Israel has been away from the traditional Hebrew biblical names and toward names derived from nouns referring to concepts, emotions, and features of nature. Gilad would fit the more current Israeli naming patterns.
I am not aware of Gilead being used in the US. although certainly it is possible that religiously inclined parents might use it. As far as I know, the only biblical place names in common use as personal names are Bethany and the various forms of Magdalene/Madeleine. There might be a Jericho or two running around here and there. I have never heard of anyone named Galilee, for example. Zion and Ben-Zion, not exactly toponyms, do show up occasionally.
Just plain Gil (joy) is a very popular modern Israeli boys' name.
Tricia-- Thanks for your invaluable comment on the discussion. You are right, traditional names which end in "N", may fit with some transitory popular taste because of the ending, but they stand outside of that, and will weather trends handily. Your example of classic "John" makes the case!
I wonder if there's something about that "nnn" sound that is inherently pleasing, at some obscure level? Isn't that a sort of cooing baby sound-- "nnnnn", maybe to self-comfort?
Decades ago, I suddenly realized that my mother, father and I all had names ending in the "n" sound, and thought that was a neat connection.
Beth, your humor is priceless. Bring on the "Soddens"!
Apropos of "N", this time at the beginning of a name-- just heard that Helena Bonham Carter named her baby "Nell", one of my all-time favorites. Golly, I hope the celeb set hasn't taken that one up with a vengeance, only to "ruin" it. But Helena Bonham Carter did say it was to honor all the "Helens" in her (admittedly illustrious and rarefied) family, so maybe it's still somewhat safe, and not an actressy predilection? I'm a bit worried now that "Honor" has been taken up...
Miriam, am I right in thinking that "Sharon" was originally a place name in the Bible, then taken up as a girl's name? Or was it just a word meaning "a plain" and not a specific place?
"Eden" is a gorgeous Biblical place name I've always liked-- and there's that "n" sound...
Eo--
Sharon is the heavily populated central part of the Israeli coastal plain. As a girl's name Sharon is twentieth century, but I don't know whether it was derived directly from the biblical place name or from the rose of Sharon plant.
Although Sharon is a plain, oddly the cemetery in which much of my family (both sides) is buried is called Mt. Sharon.
I completely agree with this.
I speant the whole of yesterday trying to come up with baby boys I knew with -n names and the only ones I could come up with were Morgan, Bryn, Owen and Dylan which don't count as I live in Wales and people are always going to give their children Welsh names.
I do actually know one Logan, and I know the name is getting popular here. To my huge annoyance because I liked that name fo years whilst it was all unknown (over here anyway). And TBF this Logan is a brother to a Morgan so that might class as a -n family.
Apart from that off the top of my head I know:
Thomas
Noah
Kai
Liam
Charlie
Harry
Kai - I keep on coming across this name for boys.Seem to be up and coming in London. I know one family with sons Jay and Kai.
Sharon - I know an Israeli man with this name, don't know if it's more common as a man's name in ISrael. Sadly for him he now lives in London! He pronounces it Shar-ON.
Im sorry by this I meant Keren.
Sorry about that.
My husband's name is Gilead (yes, he is Israeli). It's pronounced gi-LOD, so a better spelling in the US might be Gilad (otherwise you'll get a lot of GIL-ee-od attempts, or more often, blank stares).
Actually to be nitpicky, the pronunciation is somewhere between guh-LOD and gee-LOD. Think of it as a very quick long-E sound.
I have another -n name to throw out:
Maven (MAY-ven)
I like that it comes from the Hebrew word "understand" and in English it means "expert". It could work for a girl or a boy, but maybe better for a girl since it rhymes with Raven, and there would be the cute nns Mava and May. Just another -n name...
It's so annoying. I don't have kids yet but the names I like are suddenly very popular (Lilah, Ronen). Grr!
My son's second-grade class had a Braxton, a Braden, and a Bryston...all with parents who thought they were giving their sons names that would stand out and not be one of many in their classrooms. Their teacher calls them "The Killer B's" because she is forever getting them mixed up. LOL
My trainer named her son Kai last year. She liked that it was both Welsh and Hawaiian and had multiple meanings. It suits the adorable and incredibly active little boy very well (he's already standing at 7 months).
In -aden news, the Jaydens are crossing over. My husband just made contact on Facebook with an old high school friend and found that she has a daughter named Jayden. I know people on this board generally look askance at giving boy's names to girls. But Jayden's not a hot property around these parts. And it's a boy's name of very recent origin. So what's the feeling about it becoming a name for girls? It's similar in sound to Jade, which could make it seem a sensible choice.
I know two girl Jadens, elementary age.
The little Atticus I know has an older sister Violet.
I'd avoid naming a kid Gilead, though I can see the Biblical/geographical appeal, because for me it only conjures the dystopian state of Gilead in Margaret Atwood's _The Handmaid's Tale_. Shudder.
Hey, I knew Helena Bonham Carter and I had more in common than our lovely porcelain skin (ha!)--now we both have daughters named Nell. Sweet, thanks for that news bulletin.
I was just thinking today about if there were any girls with -aiden names. And how Jaden would work well being simular to Jade.
So that answers that question anyway.
Thanks Yet Another Guest! A lot of the names on your lists are ones I like too ... and I'm a writer! Great minds think alike! :)
Re: Jaden/Jayden being used for girls, my cousin recently named her daughter Jamison ... it's the first time I'd heard it used for a girl -- has anyone else?
Kate,
I know a girl toddler named James, I believe after the model. She's got a model theme going since older sis is Elle.
Maybe Dry is a nickname for Dryden!
Re: Owen- while I agree that it's "outside the trends" in Wales, it's absolutely part of the trends where I am in Ontario. I work in a infants/kids clothing shop, and Lily and Owen are our (unofficial) top names- at least one of each every day.
There was a Graydon Richard in today's Globe and Mail- brother to Cameron and Mason- and born in California
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Births.20080809.93164097/BD...
US swimmers:
Brendan Hansen
Larsen Jensen
how law firm-y
Jaden/Jayden is crossing over. I received a baby announcement today for Emily Jaden. Yes, it is very unoriginal.
I know two Kians, both about a year old. Rhymes with Ryan right? At least that's the case for the two I know. Actually though, last year I was introduced to one of them as Kian (rhymes with Ryan) and this year I heard him called Kee-an so... not sure about that.
Three recent births to friends:
Hazel, sister to Charlie
Gisele, sister to Isabella (Bella)
Leonardo David (Leo)
All quite sweet, I think. Will try to find out middle names of girls....
Birth announcement:
People on my genealogy group have announced grandchildren born-
Phoenix Trinity
Maximillian Wilhelm
Don't know any stories behind the names but thought you all would want to know.
lizpenn -- You mentioned Hazen as a possibility for boys, and I actually met a Hazen recently. Not sure how he spelled it, though. He would be in his late 30s/early 40s so certainly not part of the current ends-in-n trend for boys' names.
Erin -- I think Anabelle and Gavin would be great choices to complement Porter. The only Anabelle I know IRL uses this spelling (and, apropos of the ends-in-n discussion, her twin brother is Calvin. They'll be 8 this fall.)
Re: Cullen, I instantly thought of Callum, too, and much prefer that one.
Re: Holden, I don't really care for this name, partly because it's too verb-y to me (holding). I dislike Graden for this reason, too.
And as for names like Gavin, Owen, and Calvin, while they share an ending that is very popular today, they are light years away in style from many of our -aidens.
Just was listening to radio (oldies) and heard the song 50 Ways to leave your Lover. You remember..slip out the back Jack, make a new plan Stan,,,etc.
So it got me thinking..in today's society with the trends we are discussing here, what rhymes with all the -aiden names? Or even Gavin for that matter? I did come up with some rather rude comments for guys like-You're a jerk Dirk. (My apologies to all Dirks-don't actually know one IRL). But anyway, I just don't think you could do a song like that with today's names. Thoughts??
Not that it matters, but I was wrong about the Anabelle and Calvin I know. They'll be 9 in the fall.
I know a preschool-age Atticus. He's sometimes called Atty. Sister is Eloise.
Glad to see someone else likes the name Magnus!
From the 50's to the 80's, there was a Canadian politician (CCF and later Liberal)named Hazen Argue. I always thought it was a great name, especially for a politician! Maybe it was a family name.
Coll and Karen re: Kai - I know two boys with different spelling - one is Ky (about 20) and one called Kye Kelsey now age 25.
I don't think rhyming these names for songwriting purposes is difficult at all....
Jaiden, maiden, laden, fadin', tradin', paradin', badin', paid in, played in, fade in, trade in, laid in...
Ryden/Raiden, tied in, sidin', glidin', slidin', tighten, lighten, frighten, fightin'
See?
The reason most of the names in "50 Ways" are so easy is that they're one-syllable names--not so much in fashion now. But songwriters will manage.
Re: Kai, I know a Dante Kai born earlier this year to an Anglo dad and a Japanese mom. I think they call him Kai.
just saw a girl Jadyn, 4, on the cover on some mail advertising
Eo, you're welcome. Thank you. I certainly do not agree that all boys' names ending in -n are part of any trend. They are two entirely different branches of the naming tree. Names that have been popular for 100 years or much more, and remain popular today (top 200 or so) are definitely not trendy in any way. John, Steven, Sebastian, Calvin, others - part of the trend that Laura discussed here?, no way! Not with the history they have in the US and other countries. Just doesn't fit.
Re: the person who knows a boy named Dry, I can only imagine the fun they'll have with that name during potty training.
Do you have any suggestions for sibling names for Grady? Heavily pregnant, babe's gender unknown, and still no names selected - please help!
Boys:
Owen, Rowan, Gavin, and Brennan all have the same Celtic feel to them. And ironically are all -n names.
Oliver, Miles, Jack, and Reuben have a similar feel to them in terms of age. In my opinion anyway.
Girls:
Ellery
Elise
Felicity
Gemma
Charlotte
A bit more random but they seem to fit.
I may be way off from your personal style though.
I've thought a lot about whether established -n names are "part of the trend" or not (Tricia's the most recent one to mention it).
I think in a way they are: it's a way for parents who don't want the Aiden, etc. names to fit into the contemporary sound. Plus a lot of those names don't really have a history of popularity. I looked up some names I would think of as NOT part of the trend, and many have only recently started climbing:
Mason, Sebastian, Owen, Holden, Maximillian, Lucian, Ethan, Gavin, Gideon, Simon, Julian
Except for Simon, they all have almost identical curves: almost flat until the 1990s, then a fairly rapid rise over the last 17 years. So they're clearly part of SOME trend, whether it's the -n name thing, or the general interest in distinguished-sounding vaguely old-fashioned names, or a combination.
Interestingly, there are a lot of -n names that are on their way down (or are there already). These include:
Stephen, Jason, Reuben, Nelson, Wilson, Clifton, Aaron, Brendan, Colin, Dylan, Gordon, Kevin, Martin, Warren
In these cases, it seemed either that they had been steadily declining throughout the century (like Clifton and Reuben) or had an earlier spike in popularity and then dropped back down (Jason). So what's wrong with these names? Why haven't they been adopted by parents looking for -n names?
Maybe they sound like old men (and not imaginary old distinguished British men like Sebastian, but real, grumpy old men next door like Nelson), or older brothers (my brother b. 1973 is named Jason--along with half his high school class), or kids with parents who are behind the times (don't they know Brendan is on its way out?!). In any case, there's something going on here, and I'm not sure if it's connected to the -n issue or something else. Just thought I'd share.
Reuben seems to be on the up in the UK. Have cme across quite a few, all trendy families.
Someone upthread mentioned that they thought that the name Hazel is a fast-rising up-and-comer. Is this the general consensus? I'm asking because it is our absolute top choice girl name for a soon-to-arrive baby (we don't know yet whether the baby is a girl or a boy). I don't know a single Hazel under the age of 30 and if anything I thought some people might look a little askance at our name choice because it may still be considered an "old lady" name.
Do you think that Hazel is likely to become trendy, or only within certain circles?
Thought I should throw out that I know a Hazen and he is in his 80's. I haven't done my research so don't know the names' history but it's definitely not new. It just might become popular though? Once we tire of x we might move on to z.
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