MIDDLE MYSTERY: What is Rihanna's middle name?

 🤔📛❓: "📛Rihanna is singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty's middle name."  

When Rihanna was first on the 🎵music scene, I assumed like most, her first name was Rihanna. ✔ Wrong.🚫 📛Robyn 🐦is her first name and although cute (too, the name of 🎤Robyn the Swedish singer), it was a great choice 👍🏾👍🏾 to go by her middle name professionally. Rihanna is a distinct, gorgeous, one-of-a-kind 🦄 name (meaning "basil" in Arabic, derived from 📛Rayhana). My only gripes with it are: sometimes I write it mistakenly as 📛Rhianna (which is an alt spelled version of 📛Rihanna) 🤦🏾‍♀️ or I think of the similar yet unrelated Welsh name 📛Rhiannon (I'm not a big fan of it 🤷🏾‍♀️). Also the pronunciation is tricky: I see Ree-hanna but say Ree-ona. 😬 Rihanna herself says: @:15🔊"It is Ree-anna." 👌🏾

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Rihanna: 👍 OR 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓/10

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Robyn: 👍 OR 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓/10

〰

☔📛

SPECIAL SPELLING of: Melissa ➡✨Milissa✨

The name 📛Milissa is just the pretty popular (at #378 📈 as of 2024 for baby girls to be named➡) 📛Melissa spelled differently. 

Melissa "derives from the Greek word mélissa, meaning 🐝"bee," which was taken from the word for 🍯honey, meli. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who nursed the infant god Zeus with honey," 📛Nameberry🍒explains. 📛NB🍒 says on Milissa: "The spelling variation with an "i" instead of an "e" emerged as parents sought to personalize traditional names while maintaining their essential sound and meaning. Milissa saw modest popularity in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s, though it never achieved the widespread usage of its more traditional counterpart. The name carries a gentle, melodic quality with its soft consonants and flowing syllables, making it appealing to parents seeking a name that sounds both familiar and slightly distinctive. The meaning "honeybee" — this sweet connection — gives the name associations with industriousness, community, and natural sweetness."

I only recently came across this "new" (to me🙋🏾‍♀️) spelling of 📛Melissa as 📛Milissa. I like it a little  more than the original. The 'i' instead of the usual 'e' (✍🏾writing it feels "wrong") gives the normally classic, kinda basic 🥱 name — a more modern look 👌🏾 and some pizzazz. 💥

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Milissa: 👍 OR 💓💓💓💓💓💓/10

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Melissa: 👍/👎 OR 💓💓💓💓💓/10  

NAME OF THE DAY: Daniel

Today is the 🎂birthday of my favorite 🎥actor (who portrayed one of my favorite film characters: 0️⃣0️⃣7️⃣ aka James Bond) Daniel Craig 😍 — therefore I will discuss one of my 🤗 favorite 📛names of all time 🏆 for men/boys💙: 📛Daniel 

Daniel is from the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge", from the roots דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament — he lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams  — and presenting Daniel's four visions of the end of the world. 

Behind the Name says, due to the popularity of the biblical character Daniel, "the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation."

📛Nameberry🍒 raves that, "Daniel is a perennial favorite, in the 🔝Top 15 names for boys every year since 1972. Daniel ranks first among all baby names starting with D. Daniel is one of only a handful of male names that sounds both classic and modern, strong yet approachable, and popular but not cliched. It also has a solid Old Testament pedigree. Daniel 🦁 was the name of one of the greatest biblical heroes. Yet Daniel does not seem as solemn and weighty a name as other Old Testament names like Abraham and Ezekiel. The only real downside: There are about 10,000 Daniels named each year, making it a less than distinctive choice." Daniel is the 16th most popular boy's name as of 2024 in the U.S. In the U.K. however, Daniel is the 59th most (I thought it would be much higher... 🤔) popular name for British boys in 2024.

📛Nameberry🍒 points out Daniel's international appeal, "from Ireland to Israel (Daniel is a Top 100 name for girls in Israel, pronounced as above. However, there were 11 baby girls named Daniel in the US last year, so its use is not unheard of beyond Israel.), Finland to Chile." In the United States, 📍California and 📍Illinois are the places where the most Daniels live. 📛Nameberry🍒 is a fan of Daniel's nicknames: "📛Danny and 📛Dan — make it sound even friendlier, though, as with other classics, many modern parents are opting to use the name in full." 

I went to high school🏫 with a 📛Danny (🧠brainy yet brawny, a 🏈football player & my h.s. crush😊) and briefly met a 📛Dan as an adult. I love 🥰 the name Danny (especially if it's a nickname for Daniel) but I do not like the nickname or name 🙅🏾‍♀️Dan. Danny has an adorable ring to it while Dan just sounds so serious. But of the three names, I 💓 adore 📛Daniel the most. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I think it's a 💪strong, 💞handsome name and the 📖Biblical backstory behind it makes it even greater. It's applause 👏🏾 worthy how 📛Daniel has been in the 🔝Top 15 baby names for boys 💙 for over 50 years. 🤯 But I would really love to see 📛Daniel make the 🔝Top 10 baby boy 💙 names too — and make it one day... just maybe... to the 🥇#1 baby boy 💙 name. 🤞🏾

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛DANIELS:

📛Daniel Radcliffe 🤓🎥 (actor) 

📛Daniel Day-Lewis 🎩🎥 (actor)

📛Daniel "Danny" Michael DeVito 😂🎥 (actor)

📛Daniel "Danny" Lebern Glover 💥🔫🎥 (actor)

📛Daniel Kaluuya 😱🎥 (actor)

📛Daniel King 🎼🎚📺 (character on tv show Insecure)

📛Daniel Dae Kim 📺 (actor)  

📛Daniel Bruhl 🎥 (actor) 

📛Daniel Bedingfield 🎤 (singer and brother of singer Natasha Bedingfield)

📛Daniel "Dan" Rather 📰📺 (news anchor)

📛Daniel "Dan" Gerhard Brown 📚 (author)

📛Daniel Defoe ✍ (writer)

📛Daniel Boone 🧭 (explorer)

📛Daniel Webster  (politician)

📛Daniel Bernoulli 🔢 (mathematician)

♀️Female Version of 📛DANIEL:

📛Daniela / 📛Daniella / 📛Danielle 

💭I love💗 all the feminine versions of Daniel. They're all very pretty names 👌🏾 and although the 'a' at the end of Daniela & Daniella make them more girly looking/sounding — I like Danielle over them both just a bit  more.

   

 📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Daniel:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/D/DA/DANIEL/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Daniel: 👍 OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10

NAME OF THE DAY: Ebony

To end ✊🏾Black History Month, I wanted to discuss the divisive name: 📛🖤Ebony —  and how despite how bold the name is and how controversial (being called "an ebony" because of one's skin tone 🤦🏾‍♀️ not because it's your name 😬)  it can be — it still has been a popular first name choice for Black 👶🏿 baby girls 💗 since the 1970s. ⏪

Ebony is a color 🖤 name and is described by 🌈Color Psychology🧠 as: "a dark, rich color that represents depth, elegance, and sophistication. It’s a shade that is often associated with luxury, power, and mystery. The hex code for Ebony is #555D50, and its RGB values are (85, 93, 80), symbolizing a hue that is deep and grounding."

Ebony as a word via Dictionary.com:

Ebony is also a nature name, being it is a tree 🌳: "The black ebony tree (Diospyros ebenum), native to Southeast Asia and parts of Africa, is one of the rarest and most valuable hardwood species in the world. Black ebony wood is prized for its deep, jet-black color, fine texture, and exceptional density —this wood is ideal for musical 🎹 instruments, luxury furniture, and fine carvings." 

Ebony the word is from the Egyptian word hbnj.

Nameberry🍒 points out that Ebony has "historically been particularly popular in the African-American community" and compliments Ebony as an "attractive and now underused" name. "Ebony joined the most popular girl names list in the US in the early 1970s, peaked 📈 in 1982 at #132, and dropped back below 📉 the Top 1000 in 2006. The name Ebony 📈peaked for boys 💙 at #1658 in 1982." As of current, Ebony is #960 on US ⬆Top 📊1000.  

The 📍District of Columbia and 📍New Jersey are the states where the most women named Ebony live. I knew a girl named Ebony (who was as popular as her name) in middle 🏫school [📍NYC], right around the time when 📛Ebony was regaining traction on the name charts 📈 in the 1980s. 

I like the name 📛Ebony. 👌🏾 I really love color names and 📛Ebony can be a 🖤 beautiful, powerful 💪🏿 name to have if you're an African American woman (btw, there can be / are non-Black women named Ebony 🙃 click here & click here 😮). I don't like 📛Ebony for a 💙 boy's name 😕 however (I'd recommend these cool 😎 names that are the equivalence of "black": 📛Jet, 📛Obsidian, 📛Onyx, 📛Midnight or 📛Raven even). 

Variants for 📛Ebony include: 📛Eboni 📛Ebonie and 📛Ebonee. I find all of these more playful  and cuter 🥰 than the more ✔strong, ✔sleek and ✔original 📛Ebony.

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛🖤EBONYS:

📛Venus 🖤Ebony Starr Williams 🎾(tennis player)

📛🖤Ebony Williams 🏀 (former WNBA basketball player) 

📛🖤Ebony Haith 👠 (former contestant on reality show America's Next Top Model) 

📛🖤Ebony Jones-Avery 📺 (former reality star on VH1's Real Chance of Love)

📛🖤Ebony Obsidian 📺 (actress)

📛🖤Ebony P. Jones 📺 (t.v. producer)

📛🖤Ebony Bones [born 🖤Ebony Thomas] 🎤 (singer)

📛🖤Ebony Riley 🎤 (singer) 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛🖤Ebony:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/E/EB/EBONY/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛🖤Ebony: 👍 OR 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤/10

NAME OF THE DAY: Snow

With a historic nor'easter  in the 🗽New York Metropolitan tri-state area causing a snow ⛄ day, I decided to talk about the fitting name: 📛Snow 

Everyone surely knows the 🧚‍♀️fairytale character Snow White.🤍 With how popular the Brothers Grimm story 📖 is you would think there would a lot of little girls named Snow but the icy name ranks📉#3625 in 2024 on the US Top 1000 popular 📛names chart.📊 Once upon a time, Snow once peaked high on the Top 1k chart at 📈#1469 in 1894. ⏪ However, Snow ranks right above 1k at #728 on Nameberry's🍒 Top 1000 list. 📃  

Snow is from the English word, derived from Old English snāw. Snow is also a surname. 📛

The most Snows live in 📍Vermont 🥶 and 📍North Carolina. 

Nameberry🍒 describes Snow as: "brisk, fresh, pure, evocative -- and magical. A haunting middle name choice."

Behind the Name comments on the super rare, dainty name Snow are divided 🤔:

I'm a 🧚‍♀️fairy tale fan 🙋🏾‍♀️ so I love 💗 the name 📛Snow. I think it's really darling 🥰 and 🦄different.  End of story. 📕

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛SNOWS:

📛Snow Lopes (adopted daughter of late singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes)

📛Jagger Snow Ross (daughter Evan Ross (son of Diana Ross) and of singer Ashlee Simpson)

📛 "Snow Tha Product" [born Claudia Meza] 🎤 (rapper)

📛 "Snow" [Darrin O'Brien] 🎤 (rapper)

📛 Snow Kong [born Kong Xueer] 🎤/🎥(singer & actress)

📛 "Snow" [born Snejana Urbin] 💃 (dancer) 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Snow:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/S/SN/SNOW/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Snow: 👍 OR 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍/10

NAME OF THE DAY: Surya

Former figure ⛸ skater Surya Bonaly is back in the news again, being applauded as the first 🥇Olympic skater to land a backflip on one blade (aka the "Bonaly flip") in the 1998 Winter Olympics (whilst Ilia Malinin is being praised for performing the same backflips in the 2026 Winter Olympics) — so I will be discussing her first name: 📛Surya

Surya is surprisingly a masculine name, "occasionally used for boys in 2024" 📛Nameberry🍒 says, describing it as a "graceful Indian choice that may 🔊sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god." Surya means "sun"  in Sanskrit and is the name of the Vedic Hindu god of the sun who rides a chariot across the sky.

Surya however, "peaked for girls at #4822" in 1994  — interestingly before Bonaly's rise in '98.

Bonaly was born in France, but in America, Surya is popular ("used as a boy's name 74% of the time" though) in 📍Delaware & 📍California.

I like the name 📛Surya — but when used for a 💗girl's name more because it does look and sound (I can't stop pronouncing it as: Su-rye-ah 🤷🏾‍♀️) fit for a female.

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Surya:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/S/SU/SURYA/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Surya: 👍 OR 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗/10

NAME OF THE DAY: Ilia

With male figure ⛸ skater "Quad God" aka Ilia Malinin causing a stir at the 2026 ❄ Winter Olympics🏅 — I will be talking about his first name: 📛Ilia 

Ilia is the Georgian form of 📛Elijah (from the Hebrew name אֱלִיָּהוּ (ʾEliyyahu) meaning: "my God is Yahweh"). It is also an alternate transcription of Russian Илья or Belarusian Ілья (see 📛Ilya) or Bulgarian Илия (see 📛Iliya). 

📛Nameberry🍒 describes Ilia as the "international variation of the popular Elijah" and notes it is "currently a unisex option in the US." It is also put upon their 🏅Olympic 👶Baby 📛Names 📃list.

The most Ilias live in 📍Alaska 🥶 yet 📍Florida supposedly has over 200 babies with the name. My Name Stats points out, "The SSA data also shows that Ilia is used as a girl's name 90% of the time."

I'm torn on whether I like or dislike the name 📛Ilia... 🤔 The name Ilia is a completely, refreshing new 😃 name to me so it gets points ✔ for that. When I first saw it, I actually got the pronunciation 🔊Ilia (pro. Ill-lia) correct! 👏🏾 But then finding out it's a variation of Elijah, I say it too: Ill-ly-a. 🙋🏾‍♀️

The thing about Ilia that irks me is, it's tricky 😵‍💫 looking. The 'I' and 'l' look "wrong" 🤨 next to each other... I'd also prefer 📛Ilia more so used for a 💗girl's name because it sounds like a girl's name and looks like one... 🤷🏾‍♀️

Nevertheless, 📛Ilia is an interesting (looking 🧐) name. I'm sure it will have a short-lived growth spurt rising 📈 on the 📛name charts 📊 with skater Ilia Malinin making waves and bringing the name into popular culture. 

♀️Female Version of 📛ILIA:

📛ILIANA

💭I like the feminine version better because it sounds prettier and more girly with 'Ana' added. 👌🏾 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Ilia:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/I/IL/ILIA/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Ilia: 👍/👎  OR 💙💙💙💙💙/10

What name have the most U.S. Presidents had?

Today is Presidents Day and curiosity had me 💭wondering:

Which 📛name has been most 📈 popular amongst the Presidents?

🥁...

There are six Presidents named 📛James:

📛James Madison, 📛James Monroe, 📛James Polk

📛James Buchanan, 📛James Garfield, 📛James Carter

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛James 👍  OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10

The runner up most popular name is...

There are four Presidents named 📛John

📛John Adams, 📛John Tyler, 📛John Coolidge, 📛John Kennedy

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛John 👍  OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10

John however, is tied at the fourth most popular President's name with...

📛William Harrison, 📛William McKinley, 📛William Taft, 📛William Clinton

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛William 👍  OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10

And the last, first name that is most popular with the Presidents is...

🥁...

📛George Washington, 📛George Bush, 📛George Bush Jr. 

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛George: 👍  OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10

〰

☔📛

MIDDLE MYSTERY: Who gave Moon to Meghan Trainor's daughter Mikey?

 🤔📛❓: "Riley and Barry [brothers] have been so excited, they even got to choose her middle name. We are over the moon in love with this precious girl," Trainor said an Instagram post.

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Moon: 👍 OR 🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝/10  

  

NAME OF THE DAY: Venus

Happy 💌Valentine's Day Today is the holiday of 💞love so I will be discussing the name of a goddess who represents love: 📛💘Venus 

💘Venus in Roman mythology (in Greek mythology she is known as 💘Aphrodite) is the goddess of love, beauty and desire. 💘Venus 🔈we.nusmeans "love, sexual desire" in Latin—  and the second planet from the sun  is named after her.

📛Nameberry🍒 deems 💘Venus an "intimidating no-no" name until 🎾tennis player 💘Venus Williams popularized it, putting "an athletic, modern spin" on the lovely name. 💘Venus currently ranks #956 in the US Top 1000. 

📍California  is fittingly the state where the most women named 💘Venus reside. 

I love 😍 the name 📛💘Venus and I've actually known a 💘Venus (a beautiful friend 🥰 inside & out 👌🏾) since kindergarten. I'm surprised 💘Venus isn't more of a 📈 rising name 📛 — at least in recent years. Hopefully 💘Venus starts to somehow ⬆ chart again on the 📛 name 📊 charts. As classic  and stunning 💖 of a name 💘Venus is — I feel it's only a matter of time ⌛ before more new parents fall in love 🥰 with it to 📛name their 💗daughter. 

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛💘VENUSES:

📛💘Venus DeMilo Thomas 🎥 (director)

📛💘Venus Terzo 🎥 (actress)

📛💘Venus 🗯 (Marvel comic book character)

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛💘Venus:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/V/VE/VENUS/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛💘Venus: 👍  OR 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘/10