I've never been to England, Scotland, Ireland, or Wales. But I desperately want to visit. Maybe it's the McBurney in me, or my great-great-grandmother who came from Ireland's County Clare, but whatever the reason, I just really like British things. Music, (Led Zeppelin is my favorite band of all time); T.V. shows (Downton Abbey, anyone?); literature (Wuthering Heights); and, of course, the Brits' naming style. One of my favorite hobbies is surfing the London Telegraph's birth announcements section, because the names are just so quirky/vintage/sophisticated/unexpected/ awesome. Just to prove my point, here's a sampling of names for girls and boys born in the past two weeks:
Boys:
Caspar Richard
Theodore David
Oliver John Gareth
Robin Willoughby
Otto Frederick Thomas
Orlando Hugh
Digby George Francis
Girls:
Evelyn Patricia Rosalind
Marni Sky Lucia
Poppy Jane Audrey
Bay Diana Dorothy
Angelina Astara
Rosie Antonia
Sophie Kitty Freya
While some Brits will tell you that the names published in the London Telegraph aren't exactly the norm (most are children of upper-class families); they're still cool, and quintessentially British. Multiple middle names, a general disregard for syllable flow, vintage paired with nouveau...and I love it.
Some of the more popular British names that are not as far out there as, say, Digby or Bay, are just dying to be used by Americans, however--and I'm so surprised they haven't caught on here yet. I compiled a list of ten girls' names and ten boys' names in the British Top 100, and compared their popularity in the U.K. to their popularity here in the United States. The first set of parentheses is the British rank; second is the United States' rank:
Girls:
Imogen (26); (unranked)
Freya (19); (unranked)
Phoebe (28); (310)
Florence (54); (unranked)
Amelie (55); (695)
Esme (74); (981)
Niamh (78); (unranked)
Eliza (93); (255)
Matilda (53); (769)
Georgia (56); (305)
Boys:
Alfie (4); (unranked)
Oscar (19); (162)
Archie (24); (unranked)
Lewis (27); (633)
Callum (40); (847)
Harvey (47); (862)
Rhys (65); (486)
Reuben (71); (942)
Stanley (88); (674)
Kieran (89); (475)
Maybe it's just my style preference (I tend to like the vintage feel), but I feel like these names should definitely be ranked far higher here in the United States than they currently are. We've got some overlooked gems in our midst, here, guys! Use Matilda instead of Madison! Reuben instead of Aiden! Freya instead of Sophia; Harvey or Stanley instead of Anthony...you get my point. Take a style note from those Brits and be bold. :)
Because, frankly, I'm sick of meeting new little girls named Neveah and Mikayluh and little boys named Aidan or Jayden. Let's vary it up, people.
