Abbey ♀

Name: Abbey
Sex: Female
Origin: English
Meaning: Nunnery
Pronunciation: Ab-bee
Famous People: Abbey Lincoln
Most Common Age: 11

Abbey is currently ranked at #901 for female baby names in the US. Translated, that's 1 in 6711 babies being named Abbey, or 286 babies a year! It has decreased in popularity since it's high in 1999 at ranking #392.

There's an expected 14,494 people alive today with the name Abbey, or in terms of fractions, 1 in 16,588 people in the US. Overall, it ranks at #1576 for all female names.

With this spelling, a nunnery takes place in my mind (probably because of the meaning). I picture a young nun, who has recently devoted her life to God. If that's hard to picture, think of Maria from "The Sound of Music", only more dedicated.

Most people think of someone traditional with this name. Someone who is conservative, but smart and friendly. I think that's the same view, I have essentially.

Abba ♂

Name: Abba
Sex: Male
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Father
Pronunciation: Ah-bah
Famous People: Abba

Abba sounds exactly like Aba (from an earlier post), yet is from a different origin. Now, I could have copy and pasted from the post "Aba". But, with the double 'b' in Abba, it changes a few things.

First off, I see it more of a Hebrew name, not a Turkish/Romanian/Hungarian name. I see a brown haired boy, wanting to learn, and eager to please.

Myself, I still wouldn't use that name on my son, but it seems to be more acceptable for Caucasians, rather than Aba. Also, my parents were teens in the '70s, which means I listened to a lot of ABBA growing up. Though I love the group, I don't know if I'd risk people thinking I was a fanatic and named my son after them. I mean, come on. Kids are nasty, and it wouldn't take long till he was nicknamed "The Dancing Queen"

Ababuo ♀

Name: Ababuo

Sex: Female

Origin: Ghana (African)

Meaning: Child Keeps Returning

Pronunciation: Ah-bah-boo-oh

The name Ababuo actually confuses me. The meaning "Child Keep Returning" is puzzling. Does it mean that the parents keep having girls, so they finally name her Ababuo, or what? For an African girl, this name could work. However, if I were to be named this, I wouldn't be able to help myself from asking my parents, "Why"? What are your thoughts on Ababuo's meaning? Hmm...

Aba ♂

Name: Aba

Sex: Male

Origin: Turkish

Meaning: Father

Pronunciation: Ah-bah

Famous People: Aba Bayefsky

And here is another unpopular name - Aba. For myself, this name doesn't seem to fit the Caucasian baby list. However, I have eaten my words before. Though I don't particularly like this name, I think it does fit with the Turkish or Hungarian culture. I can picture a boy running down the streets with his friends, and his name being Aba. To be honest, I think it is a strong name, that should definitely be used as a first name, not a middle name.

If you are bold enough to try and use it, then good for you. I think this name though is fit for a dark haired boy from a culture filled place like Romania, Turkey, or Hungary. 

Aaliyah ♀

Name: Aaliyah

Sex: Female

Origin: Arabic

Meaning: High, Sublime

Pronunciation: Uh-lee-uh

Alternate Spellings: Aliyah, Aleeah

Famous People: Aaliyah Dana Haughton

Most Common Age: 8

Until the 1990's, Aaliyah wasn't a name that anyone had heard of before. It quickly rose in popularity though, and is currently at it's highest ranking, #46. That equals to 1 in 378 babies being named Aaliyah, or 5082 people a year in the US.

There are 43,738 people named Aaliyah in the US, making the fraction to be 1 in 5,497 people. Doesn't seem to be very high, though it is above the 1000th rank, sitting at #865.

Aaliyah is a cute little girls name, especially with this unique spelling. It fits with any nationality, making it very versatile. An old classmate of mine had a daughter and named her "Aleeah", an alternate spelling of Aaliyah. Because her daughter is only 2, I do not have any thoughts on what the personality traits could be at this point. If anything, I think of a typical little girl. No more, no less.

What other people thought was a bit more descriptive. They found the name to be very ladylike for a cute and perky girl. 

Aaron ♂

Name: Aaron

Sex: Male

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: Exalted, Strong

Pronunciation: Air-un

Alternate Spellings: Aaren, Arron

Famous People: Aaron

Most Common Age: 21

Aaron, though old, did not become popular until a couple decades ago. It was most popular in 1994 when it ranked #28. It has died down in popularity now, but still ranks at #50 in the US. Another way of looking at it is that 1 in 266 babies will be named Aaron. That's 7555 people a year!

Now, those statistics only talk about the newborns being named Aaron. What about the older folks? There are approximately 494,194 people alive today with the name Aaron, which means that 1 in 486 people alive have that name. For all the names in the world, it is ranked at #95 for all the male names given.

I knew 3 Aaron's growing up, and to be honest, I didn't like any of them. One was a jock; the popular guy all the girls dreamed about going out with. The second one was a loner who ended up getting buff with suspicions of steroids. The last one was a computer nerd, though cute, was nuts. I don't particularly like the name, but it's a definitely doable. 

When others think of the name, they think of a Biblical name (well... it is Hebrew!). They think of a hardworking, decent-looking guy who makes a great leader. The name Aaron does mean strong, so I think this impression on the name is accurate. The 3 Aaron's that I knew were not hardworking to my knowledge, but they were all decent-lookng, and I guess they could have been good leaders in their own area (Sports, Weight Lifting, & Computers).

Aafje ♀

Name: Aafje

Sex: Female

Origin: Dutch

Meaning: One of the Magical Beings

Pronunciation: Af-yuh
Famous People: Aafje Heynis

When I first saw this name I thought, "Ugh - another weird name". However, as I did a bit of research on it, and had to keep pronouncing it, it started to grow on me. I think this name is one of those names that start to grow on. First you'd tell your family your name decision for your daughter, and they'd think you're joking. But soon, they'd see that it actually is a pretty name!

I wouldn't use it on my daughter myself, but perhaps as a middle name, especially if you want to embrace your Dutch heritage. The name has a mystical aura to it, so you really can't go wrong.

Aafje reminds me of the "Little Debbie" on the cake rolls here in the US. She has short blonde curly hair, and chubby little cheeks. I think she'd be sweet and friendly, but curious about life. 

Aali ♂

Name: Aali 

Sex: Male

Origin: Arabic

Meaning: Lofty, Enlightened

Pronunciation: Ah-lee

Aali sounds too feminine to my liking. I mean, calling to your son across the playground "Aali, time to come back!", the person next to you would probably ask which little girl was yours. Now, this name is Arabic, so perhaps in Arabian cultures this would be more acceptable. 

I don't like this name at all, and the meaning doesn't make up for the girly-ness of the name. Sorry folks, I just cannot see how this would be deemed a good name for a boy.

Aadi ♀

Name: Aadi

Sex: Female

Origin: French

Meaning: Beginning

Pronunciation: Addy

When you first look at the name Aadi, the first thing you think of is pronunciation. Is it Ay-dee? Ah-dee? Actually, it's pronounced like the English name Addy. Now don't think that these two names are related; Aadi is actually a name, whereas Addy is a short form of names starting with Ad-. 

I think the name Aadi is pretty, especially with this unique spelling. However, I feel that any child that is named Aadi would face lots of times where people would be pronouncing it wrong. Think about teachers, job employers, etc. I'm not a fan of the sound "Addy", but I do think the spelling of the name is gorgeous.

Providing you like the sound of Aadi, and can get by the misspellings and mispronunciations your the name, then really consider it for at least a middle name. The meaning of "Beginning" is so delicate, yet bold. This is the beginning for your daughters life. She is the beginning of you having either your first child, daughter, or new member of your family. Her name says it all, this is a new start.

Aadi reminds me of a skinny little girl with long blonde hair. She isn't beautiful on the outside, but it is overpowered by the beauty that is within her. I picture her to be very shy.

*For future references, you will see greatly that I take in consideration the meaning of the name. Don't just pick a name because it sounds pretty - choose one that means something to you. Make it a sentiment of sorts!