Just recently I received such a lovely lovely email from a blog follower named Lisa.  This is what she wrote

"Subject: Old Norse Name inspired
Message: Hi Tara,
Originally inspired by your post about Old Norse names, we've decided to named our son Rune Vincent (Vincent is my father's name). Runes are also magical and to us our son is a most magical gift. You see, we tried unsuccessfully for a baby for over 10 years before deciding to adopt. We are expecting our little boy to arrive home to America from Korea in just a few weeks.

Thank you for the initial inspiration!

Lisa"

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Lisa,

I just wanted to openly thank you for this beautiful email.  I am so very happy that your family has been blessed with a beautiful little son from Korea.  10 years of waiting for your beautiful son must have been full of really difficult times, and his arrival must be the most splendidly overwhelming experience.  I wish you three all the joy and happiness that any family could hope for.

I am honoured that my thoughts about Norse names was the inspiration for such a wonderful name.  Rune Vincent is a very special choice.

Lots of love

Tara

Isn't she sweet?  ... Miette. I haven't ever met a little Miette, but I just know I will one day, surely a parent is going to be attracted to this adorable bubbly little French name.  Anyway, I know what she looks like this little Miette, she just has to have large brown eyes with wild curly hair and a big pink bow.  Don't you agree?

Miette means 'small; sweet', apparently just like a little pastry crumb.  It is possibly a short version of Mariette.  I think it is very small and sweet indeed. 

I am not usually a fan of 'ette' names, I think this is because they were so popular in the 70's they seem kind of retro daggy.  But I think Miette has the same feeling as Amelie and Chloe which are uber popular at the moment.

Tara

Hi there. I like this blog heaps but am unsure if its still running? Sorry if im being a bit inconvient, your probably really busy. Thanks Rory

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Sorry Rory, I just get overwhelmed with all my commitments sometimes and can't keep up with Blogging!  I promise that I will get back to this soon.   I love your name by the way!

Anyone have a particular name that they are particularly fond of and would like to see as 'name of the month'?

I am actually thinking of doing a little giveaway soon, I have a belly band and a BNWT pregnancy top to send to a lucky expectant mum.  So stay tuned while I take pics and get the competition ready. :)

Tara

I am 21wks pregnant and we are looking for a cool, somewhat unusual boys name.

My 5yo boy is called Dain Jensen Mil****vic(Jensen my maiden name and Dain to represent my Danish ancestory...and conceived in the Daintree forest!!, surname comes from my loving husband of course who is half yugoslav).

My 2.5yo boy is named Jai River (Jai pronounced "Jie",and River because he was a waterbirth). So looking for cool boys names that are relatively short, to go with that long surname!! We had in mind Bodhi Jem (Jem is hubby's mum's initials) or Zac or Ethan, which are more common and not quite "there" for us, but other than that not many ideas. We would LOVE to hear what you have to suggest!! Thanks so much for your time and ingenuity,
Best wishes,
Shona

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Hi Shona,

Thanks for asking for some suggestions for names.  I love the vibe of your boys names, they have a real free spirit and energy.  They remind me of boys surfing waves on a beach or diving into waterfalls at Kakadu. 

I found it quite fun to think of cool, edgy short names with a similar unusual but not crazy vibe.  And I have come up with a whole stack, some of these names are personal loves.  I wanted to cut the list down but I couldn't. :)

• Taj -  An Indian name that means 'crown', I love this name for boys. It is strong, powerful and symbolic.
• Ra - The Sun God.  An ancient Egyptian god often symbolised with the head of a falcon.  I have seen this name spelt Rah.
• Leo - The Lion. A very powerful name.  I like it with Dain and Jai.  It seems to be a balancing name for those two.
• Micah - A prophet, this is a gorgeous slightly soft name with integrity.
• Bede - An obscure saint. St Bede was a Benedictine Monk and a famous author and scholar from the 7th century.
• Griffin - This Welsh name is also the name of a mythological creature with the head of and eagle and the body of a lion. 
• Zeke- A short form of Ezekial.
• Thor - Norse god of Thunder.  A very powerful Nordic name.  Thor carries a hammer with which he makes lightning.  Thursday, in English, is derived from "Thor's Day or Thunder's Day".  In Danish it is Torsdag.

Hope you are inspired by this list, I had fun coming up with it.

Hi Tara
Its been a while since I stalked your blog and to be honest can't even remember if I have logged a request for names in the past!

We are 27 weeks pregnant with our third and are after a bit of inspiration. We have some ideas but would love to know what you would suggest. Needs to go with Ashleigh Jade and Gabriella Paige ;)

Thanks
Love Raelene

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Hi Raelene,

Sorry it has taken me so long to make a suggestion!  Now I know you are nearly settled on a boys name so I will stick to girls suggestions today.

Gabriella and Ashleigh are names with such completely different backgrounds and influences it is hard to know what to suggest.  But I think I can understand the connection between the two.  Both have a light, lifted, spirit.  To me they bounce and spring, they are happy, cheerful names. 

Interestingly they are both names that have a basis in male names.  Gabriella the feminine form of the French name Gabriel (an Archangel). Ashleigh a feminine spelling of the traditionally English male name Ashley, a last name that has become standard as a first name.

Some names that come to mind as having the same spirit as Ashleigh and Gabriella are:

• Imogen - a beautiful, classy, Shakespearean name. I think it is a perfect match.
• Madeleine - a little Maddy is a happy name.
• Lorelei - ok, very Gilmore Girls but still sooo cheerful and elegant at the same time.
• Juliet - I wish SOMEONE would choose this name.  So elegant, so beautiful, so pretty. Perfect.
• Alexis - A funky name that is a feminine form of Alexander.
• Sophia - not Sophie, but Sophia.  Soft, pretty, sweet. Lovely.

Anything interesting there?

A long time ago when I first started this blog, Skye of Skylark and Son, a fabulous style blog, told me about an incredible website called HEL LOOKS.  This Finnish site is one of the most interesting fashion blogs I have ever seen.  I love it and think everyone will find it fascinating.  The journalistic style photography is fantastic.  Those kooky Finns have some of The. Best. 'Eurovision feel' style.  Just brilliant.

(Although the fascination with skinny jeans reminds me too much of the eighties for me to be entirely comfortable).

Anyway, Skye pointed out to me that Finnish names are just as cool as Finnish style.  And she is right.  These Finnish names are totally quirky and fantastic.  If you are in Australia and looking to really push the boundaries of unique then check out some of these fantastic names. All the 'extra' letters are very cool and aren't at all bogan.

Girls

• Sera
• Janne
• Tiia
• Kaisa
• Maija
• Saara
• Riikka
• Aava
• Iida

Boys

• Jaakko
• Artturi
• Masi
• Joona
• Jukka
• Karri
• Teemu
• Antii
• Ville
• Henri
• Aleksi
• Eero

Aren't they just fantastic names?  I love them.  Especially Ville.  I really like that name.

Message: We are having a baby girl at the end of April and we have finally narrowed down our choices to two names... I think :).

The two names we have are Isla and Charlotte.

I would really love some suggestions on some middle names. We were initially thinking Charlotte Ann or Isla Marie. Then my mother asked what names we were thinking of and apparently she knew someone named Isla Mae and hates the name Isla. Which is fine with me she will love it if her granddaughter has the name but Isla Marie is kind of close to Isla Mae... So then I thought Isla Grace. I was trying to keep the middle names in the family (my mother is Ann and my grandmother is Marie) but I am not sure if we will now. If you could give us some suggestions on middle names for both Charlotte and Isla that would be great! Thanks so much!

Liz

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Hi Liz,

Happy to think of some suggestions for you.  I love both names Charlotte and Isla.   You might have seen a blog post I did on the name Isla; I think it is one of the most elegant of all the names. 

Firstly have you considered using both your favourites together?  Isla Charlotte has a wonderful sense of energy and balance combined.

Secondly I don't think annoying horrible 'Isla Mae' random friend of your mother whom you have never met, should put you off using Isla Marie.  Especially as you are honouring your Grandmother with that name.

Thirdly, I love Charlotte Ann, the name Charlotte is very popular lately.  It always makes me think of the Bronte sisters... of course Anne was one of the Bronte sisters too!  Very sweet.

Fourthly, my suggestions for good middle names are the timeless names.  I have done a previous blog entry about suggested middle names for Clarabelle, there I listed my favourite middle names Grace, Rose, Eve and Jane.  But some others that I love are:

• Clare - Charlotte Clare... oh the alliteration is wonderful.  What a gorgeous name.
• Celeste - Isla Celeste... has a level of elegance that overwhelms me. 
• Adeline - Goes well with both Charlotte and Isla... so does Evangeline and Angeline.

Most of all, I always say that you should go with your gut instincts on names, that way you never second guess yourself or regret incorporating other people's ideas into the name of your child.  There is nothing more special than choosing the name of you child. 

Please don't let other people influence you too much, have faith in your ideas they are personal and important to you.