NAME OF THE DAY: Tilly

Like AI artist Xania Monet, Tilly Norwood is going viral for being an AI actress. So today I will talk about the titillating name 📛Tilly.

Tilly is a diminutive of the name 📛Matilda: "from the Germanic name Mahthilt meaning "strength in battle", from the elements maht "might, strength" and hilt "battle"." Variants of Tilly include: 📛Tillie and 📛Tilda.

Nameberry says, "As a stand alone name, Tilly is cutesy but not flimsy, a favorite in England and Wales where nicknames as given names are very much the norm. Tilly has the potential to catch on in the US, given its similarity to the popular Lily and Ellie and the rising stars Millie, Billie, Kallie, and Nellie." Tilly was #165 on England's most Popular Baby Names list for girls in 2024. Meanwhile in the US, Tilly was #953 on the most Popular Baby Names list for girls in 2024. Nameberry notes Tilly has been "racing up the US charts." Tilly is also a surname 📛 a la actress sisters Jennifer and Meg Tilly.

The most Tillys live in 📍California fittingly followed by 📍Rhode Island surprisingly.

I am undecided about the name 📛Tilly... 🤔 I don't hate the name but I don't like it as in I'm not crazy about it. 😖 It does have a flirty 😘 vibe to it that I do like... I am a bit taken aback 😦 Tilly is in the top 1000 most popular baby names for girls in the United States actually. I really did not know Tilly was such a popular name. 🤷🏾‍♀️ 📛Matilda, the name Tilly originates from, is #410 on the most Popular Baby Names list in 2024. And that makes sense. It is pretty cool the original name and nickname made it to ⬆top of the 📛name charts 📈 together.

To me, 📛Tilly sounds just like an old-fashioned name an old-school 🎥 movie star ⭐would have, therefore I think it's an unconvincing name choice for the new AI actress in Hollywood — Tilly Norwood — to have. 😒

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛TILLYS:

📛Tilly Bagshawe 📚 (author)

📛Tilly Ramsay 👩‍🍳(chef and daughter of Gordan Ramsay)

📛Tilly Keeper 📺 (actress)

📛Tilly Edinger 🦴 (paleontologist who founded paleoneurology)

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Tilly:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/T/TI/TILLY/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Tilly: 👎/👍 OR 💗💗💗💗💗/ 10 

NAME OF THE DAY: Penny

With news of the production of the US penny not being made anymore, I will discuss the antiquated name: 📛Penny

Behind the Name notes on Penny as a first name: "Diminutive of Penelope. It can also be given in reference to the copper coin (a British pound or an American dollar are worth 100 of them), derived from Old English penning."

Nameberry on Penny: "Like Peggy and Patsy, the kind of zesty moniker young Judy Garland would sport in her early let's-put-on-a-show flicks. A Top 200 choice in England and Wales, Penny could be considered a word name, as in the copper coin used in England and the US, and as a musical choice, thanks to The Beatles song, Penny Lane."

Penny is a pretty popular name for girls and women in the states of 📍Maine and 📍California. 

Name nerds' comments on Penny on Behind the Name include: "classic" "youthful" and "simple."

Penny was #747 on the most Popular Baby Names in 2024 for girls. Nameberry is hopeful for a resurgence of the old-fashioned name: "It fell out of favor (and the Top 1000) for a while, but has recently rebounded by reentering the charts in 2013. Expect it to continue gaining traction on the heels of Penelope."

I disagree with Nameberry that 📛Penny will rise in popularity. 📈 I think it'll stay where it's at on the name charts or drop in popularity. 📉 Penny is a cute enough (though plain), unproblematic name (although... why name a kid a name that means one cent? 🤦🏾‍♀️There's plenty more worthy 💰money names📛 like: 💵Cash/Kash, 💵Wealth, and even 💵Million (mainly boy names but could be for a girl too) ) but I don't think it cuts it in 2025 or beyond — to dramatically become more used as a first name (in the US at least), and go above #747. 

Penny for your thoughts💭: 🤔Perhaps 📛Penny is a bit too simple for modern parents to embrace and give the passé name to their child... and that's perfectly okay. 👌🏾 

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛PENNYS

📛Penny Pritzker  (former US Secretary of Commerce)

📛"Penny" Fuller [born Penelope Fuller] 🎭 (Broadway actress)

📛"Penny" Jordan [born Penelope Halsall] 💘📕 (romance author)

📛"Penny" [aka Penelope Hofstadter] 📺 (tv character from The Big Bang Theory)

📛Pennywise [aka Robert "Bob" Gray] 🤡🎈 (clown character from Stephen King's book It)

📛Penny Tration [born Tony Cody] 📺 (personality from RuPaul's reality show Drag Race)

📛"Penny" Hardaway [born Anfernee Hardaway] 🏀 (ex-basketball player)

📛"Penny" Rimbaud [born Jeremy Ratter] 🎨 (artist) 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Penny:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/P/PE/PENNY/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Penny: 👍 OR 🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎/ 10  

NAME OF THE DAY: Harvest

The name 📛Harvest is from the word 'harvest' meaning: "the gathering of crops" —  "from Old English hærfest" —  and is transferred use of the surname Harvester📛.

Harvest has been used as a first name since the 18th century and started off as a unisex name, Nameberry explains, "in the US data for last year was starting to lean more female, given to 29 girls and 11 boys." Behind the Name however states, "SSA data also shows that Harvest is used as a boy's name 53% of the time." 🤔 The states where there are the most Harvests are in 📍California and 📍D.C.

I love the name 📛Harvest. 🥰 I think it's a gorgeous name and I never knew it is used for a first name until recently. 😮 I prefer Harvest 💗more for a girl's name but I see why Harvest 💙 can be unisex and for a boy — because it looks/sounds similar to the name 📛Harvey. 

📛Harvest made Nameberry's 🍂Autumn Names📛 📃list of and is described as: "pleasantly archaic, rich and ripe." ⌛👌🍇

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛HARVESTS:

📛Harvest Prude 📰 (journalist)

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Harvest:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/H/HA/HARVEST/index.html

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

Why Ariana Grande Goes by Her Full Name: Ariana Grande-Butera in Wicked: For Good Film Credits

"Technically, it's my little-girl name. It’s technically little Ari’s name. I just feel like this experience was such a homecoming for me. I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned from Glinda, from Elphaba. That was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old, and it felt like a really lovely way of honoring that. It felt really full-circle, and it just felt like something I wanted to do," Ariana Grande explains in a PEOPLE article.

I'll be honest, I thought 📛Grande was Ariana's stage name. 🤦🏾‍♀️ But Grande is the 🎤singer's mother's last name and 📛Butera is her father's. 

📛Ariana is of Italian origin meaning 'most holy.' Behind the Name says it a form of the Greek name 📛Ariadne and "this name [Ariana] steadily grew in popularity in America in the last few decades of the 20th century." 

Ariana is almost in the top 100 most Popular Baby Names for girls in 2024, it is #103. I didn't realize Ariana was so sought of as a name. 🤔 

I'm ambivalent about the name 📛Ariana. 🤷🏾‍♀️ It is a pretty sounding name (Nameberry describes Ariana as "smooth and attractive") on one hand... but on the other hand, it's not jaw-droppingly beautiful or super unique — nor is it boring. 🥱 Nameberry proclaims 📛Ariana is "on the rise." 📈 I don't doubt that. I'm sure it will make it into the top 100 baby names at some point, especially with Ariana Grande's star rising even more with Wicked. ✨ 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Ariana:

 https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/A/AR/ARIANA/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Ariana: 👍/👎 OR 💗💗💗💗💗/10

 

How to pronounce Cynthia Erivo's full name: Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo

Acclaimed actress of Wicked, Cynthia Erivo's entire name is an astounding seven names! 🤯

Erivo's first name 📛Cynthia is of Greek origin meaning: "moon goddess or woman from Kynthos" and Nameberry proclaims it "an attractive name." A tidbit to consider: "Cynthia always qualifies as a nature name. Two-flowered cynthia is a yellow wildflower in the aster family."

Behind the Name says, "Cynthia was not used as a given name until the Renaissance, and it did not become common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century. It reached a peak of popularity in the United States in 1957 and has declined steadily since then." 📉 In 2024, Cynthia was #826 on the most Popular Baby Names for girls. 📍California and 📍South Carolina have the most women named  Cynthia.

The rest of Erivo's six names are Nigerian. She shares the meaning of her names in a recent interview [▶0:50]: 

Zach Sang: "Your real name is seven names altogether. It's beautiful."

Cynthia Erivo: "Thank you very much."

ZS: "I don't want to butcher... Please..."

CE: "I'll say it. So it's Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo. But there's a confirmation name Perpetua in there as well."

ZS: "Can you explain the origin of that and the history it's tied to?"

CE: "They're all Igbo Nigerian names. I really only know the translation for like two of them. Because maybe my memory is the worst. My mother gave me Chinasaokwu, it's God is always watching, as in taking care. And Onyedinmanasu is hard to translate exactly but it's like, you look forward, it doesn't matter what people are saying behind you cause you can't see it if you look forward that's the thing that matters."

You know your full name is a mouthful and truly something to behold when you don't even know all the meanings of them! 😅 Cynthia Erivo's names are all wonderful 👌🏾 (my favorite is 📛Perpetua) and it's great she's so proud of them all. 

I like the name 📛Cynthia — even though it's a bit of a boring name (also the name of an old best friend of mine growing up and the name of an ex's mother once upon a time) honestly... but something about it makes it 🔊sound pretty to say (I like the 'Cyn' part of it best). 🤔

📛Cynthia can be considered a classic name for as long as it's been around (the 19th century) and it's still on the name charts (just under the top 1k names) so it has longevity. I disagree with Nameberry that its popularity has peaked. 👎🏾 In time, especially with Erivo's popularity peaking, I don't doubt that 📛Cynthia will be cemented on the name charts in the top 📈 500 popular baby girl names. ✨

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Cynthia:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/C/CY/CYNTHIA/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Cynthia: 👍 OR 💚💚💚💚💚💚/10 

TV CHARACTER NAME OF INTEREST: Monet

📛Monet is the hip, chic name played by 🎤Mary J. Blige — as a ruthless 👑queen pin — on the 📺 tv show Power Book II: Ghost. 👻

Monet is of French origin according to Nameberry and is a "favorite of the Bohemian set." Behind the Name says Monet is: "from a French surname that was derived from either Hamon or Edmond. This was the surname of the French impressionist painter Claude Monet."

The most Monets live in 📍California and 📍District of Columbia. 

Monet reminds me of the name Monroe, being it is a last name that doubles as a first name too and 🔊sounds similar. And just like with Monroe, I like Monet more so for a girl over a boy (it is #1131 on The Bump 👶 Boy 💙 📛Names list 📃) being named. 👌🏾

I really love the name 📛Monet. It's a pretty name but also a bougie name. 👃🏾💁🏾‍♀️ It really does have an 'upper class' 💭 feel to it as pointed out on Behind the Name in the comments. With how fashionable Monet is, I'm very surprised 🤨 it's not on the most Popular Baby Names list via SSA as of recent (although it is in Nameberry's Top 1000 chart 📊). 

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛MONETS:

📛Monet Mazur 🎥 (actress)

📛Monet Bell 📺 (reality tv show from Married at First Sight)

📛Monet Lerner aka 📛Monet Monico 🎤/ 📺 (singer & actress)

📛Monet Tumusiime 📺 (tv show character on American Horror Story)

📛Victoria Monet 🎤 (singer)

📛Xania Monet 💻🎤 (AI singer)

📛M aka Monet St. Croix  🗯❌ (comic book character in the X-Men)

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Monet:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/M/MO/MONET/index.html

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

NAME OF THE DAY: Xania

With AI music artist Xania Monet going viral, today I will discuss the extremely interesting 'X' name: 📛Xania

Namedary describes Xania as: " a feminine name with Greek origins. It is considered a very rare name that has not gained much attention in popularity recently." (⬅needs to be updated!)

Name Discoveries says on the name Xania: "is of Greek origin and is derived from the name "Xanthe," which means "golden" or "yellow-haired." Xania is a variant spelling of Xanthe and carries the same meaning. It is a feminine name that symbolizes brightness, warmth, and radiance, often associated with the color gold."

📍California is the state where most Xanias reside, according My Name Stats. 

I'm not a big fan of the name 📛Xania (🔊pro. Za-nigh-uh for Xania Monet. I see it as Za-knee-uh because of the 'Nia' 🤦🏾‍♀️). 🤷🏾‍♀️ The only thing I like about it is that it's an 'X' name (yet usually pronounced as a 'Z' name) because I think X names look really futuristic (an 'X' name is definitely the perfect choice for AI artist Xania). 🌌 The downside of X names however is that they remind me of names of 💊 drugs / medicine (i.e. Xanax, Xiidra). 😬

📛Nameberry🍒 has a 📃list: ❌Factor Baby Names stating: "The letter X seems to all by itself create cool baby names."

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Xania:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/X/XA/XANIA/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Xania: 👎/👍 OR 💗💗💗💗💗/ 10 

NAME OF THE DAY: Birgundi

Color first names are always really fun and cool. 😎 Nameberry has a lot to say on colorful names: "Color names for babies have been around for a while, with Amber, Violet, and Rose the longest-standing members of the genre. Today, though, there are a 🌈rainbow of color names for both girls and boys, many of them gender-neutral names. Color names for babies range from the obvious -- Blue and Scarlett -- to the most exotic, from Azure to Zinc. The top color names for babies are mostly for girls, with Ruby, Scarlett, Hazel, and Violet all popular in the US. Unique color names for babies that strike the right tone include Amethyst, Blue, Clover, Gray, Indigo, Lavender, Lilac and Steel."

Speaking of unique color names that can also be a first name, is the deep, wine 🍷 color: 📛Burgundy. Better yet, the name 📛Birgundi. Birgundi is a real name (Birgundi Baker is an actress, singer and dancer who wears this beautiful name) — a variation of the color/place (France ) /name 📛Burgundy. 📍Louisiana and surprisingly 📍Hawaii are the states where the most Burgundys live. 

I love the name 📛Birgundi (or the original 📛Burgundy) — the 'i's' (📛Burgundi with one 'i' is another variation) in it gives it a more playful feel. 🤗 Birgundi really is a one-of-a-kind name 👌🏾 and I'm sure Baker's 📛name story 📕 is a truly rich one.

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Birgundi: 👍 OR 🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎/10 

You have such a wonderful name.

I wanted to share a 😁 nice 📛name compliment I received recently. 🥰

I wonder however, how the agent would have 🔊pronounced 📛Sidra... 🤔

Daughter changes her controversial name: Dixie – due to bullying at school

Danielle Remp, the mother of 16 year old 📛Dixie says on her daughter's divisive name that has seemed to divide the internet, “She gets made fun of for it." In a TODAY interview with Danielle and her daughter, she shares she had been the target of taunting: “They call me things like ‘Dixie Dust,’ or ‘Dixie Normous.’” From Tennessee, Danielle said some of her daughter’s classmates have accused her of racism because of the term’s association with the Civil War-era South. 

Nameberry's extensive commentary on Dixie: "The name Dixie is of Latin origin meaning "I have spoken; tenth". A sassy, spunky, punchy kind of name, Dixie can also be considered a place name, one that has become problematic because of its association with the antebellum South. The Dixie Chicks recently dropped Dixie from their band name because of its association with slavery and white privilege. The name originated from the ten-dollar bills used in French-speaking New Orleans, which came to be called dixies, or else from the Mason-Dixon line. Dixie, which had been as high as Number 167 in the late 1930s, jumped back onto the popularity list in 2007 and has been on and off the bottom of the Top 1000, though we expect the negative associations to take it out of consideration as a baby name."

A shift manager at Burger King, Danielle is saving up the $200 to cover the legal name change for her daughter. “I said yes no questions asked,” she explains when her daughter asked to change her name. “She’s a good kid. She’s doing great in school, she doesn’t give me trouble. So if changing her name makes her feel better about herself, why would I say no?”

Danielle's message to her daughter's online haters of her original name or the name change greenlight:

The new name former Dixie goes by now is: 📛Skye. Skye says contently on her name change, “My mom was going to name me Skye when I was born, but my dad chose Dixie instead. Skye feels like me. It’s who I am, and it makes me feel happy to go by that name.”

Of course the internet has a lot to say about a parent giving a child the word Dixie as a name to begin with to allowing them to then change their name:

• “What no. Teach your child resilience . If you let her change her name what else will she want to change about herself?”
• “I’m Dixie! I got bullied but now I love my name. It’s different and you don’t hear it often. More importantly I’m named after my grandma who helped raise me.”
• "My name is Dixie and I think it’s great that you’ll support her in changing her name! growing up with the name Dixie was really embarrassing for me as a kid for 2 reasons. 1. it’s an extremely common dog name and 2, there’s lots of inappropriate jokes that can be made about the name.”

• "Everyone should get one free name change. Not just at marriage."

☝🏾 I agree 100% with the comment how everyone should be able to change their name once, without question or hiccups because: what if you hate your name or your name gets hate? Like in the above case of the girl formerly known as Dixie.

I think 🤔 Dixie would actually be a cute name (a la 📛Pixie) if not for the unpleasant history behind the name. I love her new name — Skye — it's pretty popular (#480 on the Most Popular Baby Names of 2024 for girls) and plain ol' pretty. The name 📛Skye is not the limit  —  it's really great former Dixie will soon, legally have the first name she wants, as well as the name her mother originally wanted to name her. 

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Dixie: 👎 OR 💗/ 10 

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

NAME OF THE DAY: Jaafar

With Jaafar Jackson, the nephew of the late, great 👑Michael Jackson —  being in the spotlight with the release of the film 🎥 trailer for Michael, in which he portrays his uncle — I will discuss the jarring name: 📛Jaafar!

The name Jaafar means 'stream' and is used "dominantly in Gujarati, Arabic, Kannada, Marathi and Hindi." Jaafar is a variant of the name 📛Jafar. Jafar is "most commonly associated with the Disney villain from Aladdin," Nameberry points out. 

In the United States, the places where the most Jaafars live include: 📍Michigan and 📍Vermont. In 📍Iraq, Jaafar is a popular baby boy name where "every 1 in 600 have the name as well as in, Syria, Malaysia, Morocco, Jordan and Nigeria."

I like the name 📛Jaafar (although I prefer it with one 'a') despite that it's quite a dark name being associated with Aladdin's nefarious nemesis. 😅 I think Jaafar (or Jafar) is a 😎 cool 📛name. Jaafar may be rare and uncommonly used as a boy's name in the U.S. but perhaps with Jaafar Jackson's ⭐star rising, 📛Jaafar will rise on the name 📈charts as well. 

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛JAAFARS

📛Jaafar Al-Masri 🎥 (character in the movie The Disappearance of Jaafar Al-Masri)

📛Jaafar Mohammed Saad  (former governor of the city Aden in Yemen)

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Jaafar:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/J/JA/JAAFAR/index.html

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

TV CHARACTER NAME OF INTEREST: Allura

📛Allura is the 👄alluring name, played alluringly by Kim Kardashian on the ⚖ legal 📺tv show All's (get it?) Fair.

Behind the Name says Allura is based on the English word 'allure' which means: something that has appeal (i.e. sex appeal). 

Nameberry says Allura is of French origin that means "to entice, attract." The name site's commentary of Allura is: "sounds like a princess or an enticingly evil witch in a fairytale." 👑Allura is in fact a princess, from the 🖋animation Voltron: Legendary Defender. Alluras are mostly found living on Earth, in 📍Oregon or 📍Montana however. 

Other forms of Allura include: 📛Alura, 📛Allora, 📛Alora, 📛Alaura and 📛Allaura. 

At first I thought Allura was a made up name because I never heard of it before. 🤔 I have heard of the word 'Allora 'which is a variation of Allura and actually is an  Italian word (and my favorite word 🤓 in Italian actually). 

So in other words, I love the name 📛Allura! 😍 I think it's so pretty, I love its meaning – how it looks and 🔊sounds. I'm surprised Allura isn't currently on any 📈 rising / 🦄 unique 📛 name 📊 charts in popularity – but with it being introduced into pop culture with All's Fair perhaps that will change. 🤞🏾 

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

NAME OF THE DAY: Candy

Today is National 🍭Candy Day, so I will talk about the cute name: 📛🍬Candy!

The name 🍬Candy is a "Diminutive of Candace. It is also influenced by the English word candy," Behind the Name explains. Variants include: 📛Candie 📛Candee 📛Candi 📛Kandi 📛Kandee and 📛Kandy. 🍬Candy is also a surname.

Nameberry says 🍬Candy's origin means: "white, pure, sincere" and that is is "too sugary sweet and inconsequential for a modern girl." 

📍California, 📍Maine and 📍Texas are the states where the most girls and women named 🍬Candy reside. 

Interestingly, I can see a little girl easily having the innocent name 🍬Candy. 👧 But for a woman, I would assume it's a nickname or alias... 😉 (📛🍬Candy made #8 on a 📃list of 'Most Popular Stripper 💃 Names')

Nevertheless, I like the name 📛🍬Candy — what else can be said but that it's truly a very sweet name. 🥰 

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛🍬CANDYS:

📛🍬Candy Spelling (mother of t.v. actress Tori Spelling)

📛🍬"Candy" Carson [born Lacena] (wife of ex politician Ben Carson)

📛🍬"Candy" Clark [born Candace] 🎥 (actress) 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛🍬Candy:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/C/CA/CANDY/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛🍬Candy: 👍 OR 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗/10