Hi guys! Oh I miss you all! I haven't filmed in forever, I have been so busy this summer. I love how busy summer is, it's when I feel I see all my friends and family the most. It's a wonderful time of year to grill out, have a couple of cold drinks, and watch the kids romp in the yard.
Anyway...I love learning/discovering things about myself as I get older and I think that the more I learn about myself the more I like to dive into my passions. One of them is baby names. I mean, names in general really intrigue me. I honestly think it's a lot to do with my background in psychology and how we envision and relate to names. As you know, my name is Kyle and for the beginning half of my life I HATED my name. I hated that people thought I was a boy, I hated that people asked me do you spell it K-Y-L-E...yeah duh, I mean how else would you spell it? And I hated correcting people after they would call me Kylie, that I would just let them call me that. Now, I don't think I could love my name anymore than I do! I love that I am the only female Kyle I know of (besides that famous lady from Real Housewives...I don't watch the show, but I know of her from a friend who does). I love that my name is unique for a female, but it's not an uncommon name. I love that it's unisex, and I'm partial to unisex names...like if I ever meet a little girl named Alex or Frankie, or a little boy named Morgan or Ashley I am in awe from the start! I just think it adds a lot of character, more so than very common names. Everyone loves/dislikes names for different reasons and that's the fun of it all. Some people LOVE very common names and that's cool too! Whatever floats your boat :)
I wanted to put up a few posts of names and I hope you find these posts interesting and fun! But before I started putting up baby name posts I wanted to do this little background of reasoning so that you're not like "Wtf? Where did this come from?"
So to begin this little name game shenanigan's I wanted to start off with something close to home, which is Unisex Names. Here is some unisex names that I adore, their meaning, and where they came from. I'll do one for each letter of the alphabet. And I'll add the connotations that float through my head when I hear these names:
Aspen: This name is Old English and it's meaning is "tree". I think Aspen is such a strong name when I relate it to a male, but when I relate it to a female I think it sounds soft and very feminine. It's such a unique name for either gender and I love that. I love that it conjures the thought of Aspen, Colorado which is such a beautiful place.
Blake: This name is Scottish and it means dark or dark-haired or it could also mean the reverse, pale or fair. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of "Blake" is Blake Lively, which come on...is the most gorgeous human being to ever grace this planet...am I right? Total girl crush. This name ages well on boys and girls and I when I think of young boy named Blake I think of a very sporty individual that is a natural athlete.
Charlie: It's an English name that is diminutive of Charles, which I found has a ton of meanings such as "free man," "army," and "warrior". The meaning of the name is pretty masculine, but Charlie envokes the image of a lively little girl with platinum blonde hair who loves animals and dance parties! When I think of a little boy named Charlie, I think of gigglebox, someone who is a natural comedian and loves to make others laugh.
Embry: This name is English meaning "work rule"...I have no idea what that means LOL. I love this name on both genders and when I think of the name Embry on a boy I think of a real lover of wilderness, like someone who loves camping and outdoor activities. When I think of a girl named Embry I think of a beautiful, tall, hippy-ish type of person who lives for art and music.
Dylan: This name is Welsh and it means "wave" or "born by the sea". I think Dylan is more of male name than female, but when I picture it used on a female I love the uniqueness of it. I love that the nickname is "Dill"...it's just cute!
Finley: Finley is Scottish and means "fair warrior". I don't think this name ages that well, it's totally cute on kids, but I have a hard time picturing an adult or elderly person named Finley. Especially an elderly female. However, that might change as times change. When I think of a little boy named Finley I think of a little sailor, a kid that loves the beach. When I think of it on a little girl, I think of a cute little tomboy who loves cars and motorcycles and could hang with guys.
Gray: This is an English name it's simply means the color gray. This name ages well on both male and female and I LOVE this name for a girl. It's sounds more feminine and soft sounding to me. When I picture a girl named Gray I totally see her being a bookworm and loving school. When I think of a guy named Gray I think of a sensitive yet serious man who has a love for anything classic, like classic black and white movies, and classic music, and old classic cars.
Hollis: I was going to choose the name Holland because I love that too, but Hollis drew me in. It's different and I like the unique "s" sound in the ending of this name. This name could be used on any age. It's an English name that means "near the holly"...when I think of "holly" I think of Christmas so this could be a unique choice of name if your child was born in December. I love it for either gender and when I picture it on a male or female, I envision a total hipster, an effortless kind of cool, just for being different.
I....I couldn't think of any names that I truly loved for either gender that started with an I. Even when I dove into my baby name books, nothing stood out to me that I really liked for both genders so instead of faking it, this is my honest opinion.
James: This name is Hebrew and it means "supplanter"...and if you don't know, the definition of supplanter is to trip up or overthrow. To be honest, I don't love the meaning, it kind of sounds a bit negative. However, the name James, on a girl...is just WOW, to me. It's something you wouldn't forget. I see a female named James to be an overachiever, someone who works their way to the top. On a boy, this name is a classic and I don't think will ever get old. Plus, I really do like the nickname Jimmy for a girl or boy, I think it's super cute. And when I picture a little dude named Jimmy I picture him rosy cheeked and the star of the tee-ball team. A little girl nick named Jimmy or Jimmie would be adorbs!
Kyle: I'm using my name in this blogpost because, why not? It's Scottish and it means "narrow". I obviously like this name for boy or girl and it does age well b/c of it's commonality, but more so for a male. Either way if I picture a boy or girl named Kyle I picture a blonde, because honestly, every single Kyle I ever met (including me) has been blonde! When I picture a boy named Kyle I picture a very relaxed chill type of person. When I picture a girl named Kyle, I think of...well...me! LOL
Lee: It's a surname derived from Old English (Leah) meaning "clearing". I also really like the spelling "Leigh" for a girl or boy. I think it's short and sweet and when I think of a little girl named Leigh I think a petite blonde hair and blue eyed sweet as pie, very girly girl. When I think of a little boy named Lee I think of a little country boy that loves water, dirt, and very giggly. I think this name ages well too (meaning it would work for any age)
Murphy: It's also a surname, and derived from Ireland (it was Anglicized from the surname O'Murchadh). Ugh, is this not the custest name for a little boy?! I could totally see a little boy with a curly mop of hair on top of his head with big brown eyes named Murphy. When I think of this name used on a little girl, I see long dark hair and fair skin with blue eyes. I don't think this name ages as well as Lee does, I see it more on little kids more than I can adults, but I think it would be a kick ass name into adulthood. When I think about an adult male I could see Murphy as a professional sports figure and when I think of an adult female named Murphy I see her being really into books in a very smart and serious profession, like a doctor of some sort.
Navy: I had a hard time finding anything about this name. So I'll just give you my straight up thoughts. Navy, to me, ages well. It also works for both genders incredibly well. It conjures two thoughts for me almost simultaneously. One would be the actual Navy that one would join, while the other is "navy blue" the color, which happens to be my favorite color. That's probably why I'm quite partial to it. In fact, when AOL started, my very first aol screen name was Navy18.
Oakley: It's Old English and means "meadow of oak trees". I love this for either gender (why do I keep saying that, of course I do). I think for a male child or adult, it's it a strong and sturdy name. For a female kid or adult I think that it's very beachy. I just picture a girl who worships the sun. Maybe because it reminds me of "Oakley's" the sunglasses brand? Either way, I think it's totally cute, and this name is one of my favorites.
Page: Another English name and it means "attendant". I am not really sure why but for either gender I see a total rock-n-roll persona with this name but on the contrary I could also see a very quiet individual that is very introverted with this name. I also think it makes an incredible middle name either gender. It ages well too.
Quinn: This names is from Ireland and it's from the surname "Conn", meaning "counsel". I love the one syllable sound of this name. That also makes it great for a middle name for either gender as well. When I picture a female named Quinn I picture her to be very beautiful, total model material. When I picture a guy named Quinn I could totally see him working on the ski-resort giving snowboarding lessons.
Roux: This name is French and means Red or in English, Rue, means herb. This name is so sweet. I just love the short sound it makes when rolling off the tongue. I honestly think of the baby kangaroo from Winnie the Pooh when I hear this name. I love either form of the spelling Roux or Rue but if it were for a female I would most likely use Rue. Another phenomenal middle name in my opinion as well for either gender.
Sloan: This name's origin is Irish and it means "expedition". This name definitely ages well and I can totally see it on a young child and adult. It conjures up thoughts of a very serious student to me. I see it as a name on a very successful person in the professional business world.
Taylor: This is a more common unisex name. It's origin is English it simply means "the one who tailors clothing". What I like most about this name the nick name Tay. Super cute! I could easily see this on a little girl or boy and the name definitely ages well. Because of the commonality of this name, it doesn't really envoke any images for me. I know a bunch of Taylor's, male and female and they are all so different.
U - Again, I couldn't think of a name starting with a U that I loved for both genders.
Waverly: I honestly don't even know what it is about this name that I love SO much. Maybe because it could be shortened to "Wave" which is such a cool name. And that obviously conjures thoughts of the beach. And who doesn't love the beach?! This name is English and it means "from the brushwood field". It's a unique name so I have a hard time picturing the name on an elderly person, but I could totally see it on a little surfer dude or dudette!
X - Again, I couldn't think of a name starting with an X that I loved for both genders.
Yardley: What a cute name! The origin of Yardley is English, meaning "of the yard" or I also found that means "from the wood were spars were got". I totally see this name on younger kids than I do adults, but I think if I was introduced to a Yardley as an adult it would be a name I'd be hard-pressed to forget. It definitely stands out and I love that. When I think of a little boy named Yardley I think of a very outgoing character that loves people. When I think of a little girl named Yardley I think of another kid that loves people and loves to talk!
Zale: Zale is Polish name and it's meaning is unknown. The sound of this name is just cool. I love that and I think it ages well, but it's very trendy. It's not something I would consider to be a "classic" name. I see this name to be more masculine then feminine. And when I picture this name on an adult, I see a very macho type of man that's into fitness. When I think of it on a adult female, I see someone that's really into fashion, a clothes designer perhaps?
I hope you found this post to be fun and interesting as well! Can't wait for my next names post!
