Not long ago, one of the top trends for baby names here in the States was to give Irish names, both for boys and girls. Irish names were a big development in the US, particularly for boys. It's only been since the 90s that names such as Aidan and Declan have been common amongst American children. One of the reasons might be that the name Sean became mainstream in the 1980's. Parents are now reaching even farther to find Irish names that are unique in the United States.

But beyond Irish influence, American names come from a whole slew of cultural sources. Among these are: English, Egyptian, Czechoslovakian, Gaelic, French, Italian, and Hebrew. America has always been a melting pot of people of different ethnic backgrounds. As such a person's name here doesn't necessarily tie to a particular ethnicity; Indians give their children English names, Italian children are given Irish names like "Sean". And of course popular names are strongly influenced by the popular media- by celebrities and businessmen. Dylan rose as a popular name in the 70s, almost assuredly because of the influence of Bob Dylan the decade before. Here are a few popular or emerging baby names, their meaning or definition, and their ethnic origin:

Baby Boy Names



CHUMA- wealthy; egyptian

CHURCHILL- lives at the church hill; english

CHVAL- flattery; czechoslovakian

CIAN- ancient; gaelic

CIARDUBHAN- little black one; gaelic

CINGESWIELLA- lives at the king's spring; english



Baby Girl Names



CLAIRE- clear; french

CLARA- bright; romanian

CLARESTA- brilliant; english

CLARICE- famous; french

CLARICE- clear; italian



Green Names?

What if you want to give your boy or girl an environmentally-sound name? Perhaps there's some inspiration you can draw from some famous historical figures for this. For baby boys, think Henry David Thoreau. In this case, Henry David would be all that's needed to make the name recognizable. There's also Aldo Leopold, the author of the ecological classic, A Sand County Almanac. Aldo was an American ecologistand is considered a pioneer in environmental ethics and wilderness preservation. Another name that comes to mind is David Brower, an environmentalist activist who founded Friends of the Earth, the League of Conservation Voters, and other environmental organizations. For baby girls, one of the most famous environmentalists of all time was Rachel Carson. An American biologist, conservationist, and nature writer, Carson is helped increase environmental awareness around the world with her book, Silent Spring. The work spurred the banning of the pesticide DDT in the United States and helped spark the modern environmental movement. Also Carson makes a beautiful middle name. Another idea is Jane Goodall, a famous primatologist.



Here are a few more baby boy and baby girl names to consider (along with their meanings)



Baby Boy Names



RAHMAN- compassionate; arabic

RAI- king; chamoru

RAI- trust; japanese

RAIBEART- Gaelic form of Robert; gaelic

RAIDON- thunder god; japanese

RAINART- strong judgment; german

RAINER- counsel; german



Baby Girl Names


RANA- royal; indian

RAND- to gaze; arabic

RANIT- lovely tune; hebrew

RANIYAH- gazing; arabic

RAONAID- ewe; gaelic

RAPHAELLA- healer; hebrew

RAQUEL- innocent; hebrew