What’s in a Name?

If you are like me, you see tons of people that you know either having babies or announcing a pregnancy every other day.  That’s given me some serious baby fever (I’m slowly convincing the husband that we are ‘ready’ to have a baby; hopefully we’ll get some news soon!).  Over the past month or so, I’ve been looking at a lot of baby names.  Luckily, the Social Security Administration released the Top 10 Boys’ & Girls’ Names from 2014 (you can look at that here & here).  Naming a child is not something to be done impulsively – and it really shows you just how many names you can’t use because they belong to someone you aren’t particularly fond of!  So I decided to do a series of posts about baby names.  I’m going to start with Disney baby names!

10 Disney Girl Names

1. Giselle (Enchanted)

To me, Giselle is a very pretty, girly-girl name.  It’s fun and whimsical, just like the character herself!  Giselle is actually a French name meaning ‘pledge’.

2. Anna (from Frozen)

Anna is a very pretty, yet simple name.  It’s also a palindrome.  The character from the movie ‘Frozen’ is a kind, funny, strong-willed, and brave girl. (Hey, it would be rare that someone spelled it wrong!)  Anna is actually a variation on the name Hannah, and means ‘grace’.

3. Ella (from Cinderella)

If you have seen the new Cinderella movie (which was AMAZING, btw), you will know a lot about Cinderella’s backstory.  Her real name is Ella, but her stepmother & sisters rechristened her ‘Cinderella,’ as she spent a lot of time near a fireplace and had cinders on her face, hair, and clothes.  Cinderella is considered one of the ‘classic’ Disney Princesses.  Ella has German origins and means ‘all, completely, or fairy maiden’.

4. Belle (from Beauty and the Beast)

Belle is one of my personal favorite Disney Princesses.  I love to read, and so does Belle, so she was a favorite from the start.  She is smart, kind, but also determined.  Like the movie says, “It’s no wonder that her name means beauty…”  Belle is a French name, which is why there is a widely popular French version of the movie, titled “La Belle et La Bête”.

5. Jasmine (from Aladdin)

Just look at the sass in that picture!  Jasmine is yet another favorite of mine.  She’s so sassy and bold, and has a strong will.  The name Jasmine originates from Persia, and is the name of the jasmine flower.

6. Tiana (from The Princess and the Frog)

I know several girls named Tiana.  I have never actually gotten around to watching The Princess and the Frog (I know, shame on me), but I’ve heard it’s excellent.  The name Tiana actually has Slavic origins, and means ‘fairy queen’.

7. Merida (from Brave)

Merida is very spunky and, as the title of the movie says, brave.  I really enjoyed this particular movie.  (Fun fact: Brave is the only Disney Princess movie in which there are no songs & the Princess does not sing.) The origins of this name are Latin, the name meaning ‘one who has achieved a high place of honor’.

8. Wendy (from Peter Pan)

Wendy is a somewhat old-fashioned name.  I like this name, as I always associate it with wind, and the character has a great sense of child-like wonder.  Surprisingly, the name itself comes from the book ‘Peter Pan’.

9. Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty)

Aurora is one of my best friends’ favorite princesses.  Interestingly enough, Princess Aurora only has 18 minutes of screen time in her own movie, and about half of that she doesn’t speak!  The name Aurora has Latin roots and means ‘dawn’.  If this name doesn’t quite suit your fancy, Aurora’s real name (from the original fairy tale) is Briar Rose.

10. Elinor (from Brave)

Elinor, Eleanor, Eleanore.  This name has several different spellings.  Again, Elinor is an old-fashioned name (those are coming back into style).  More famously, the name name belongs to Eleanor Roosevelt.  The name has French origins, but is a variation of the name Alienor.

 

10 Disney Boys Names

1. Eric (from The Little Mermaid)

Eric can be spelled several ways: Eric, Erick, Erik…  The name Eric has Old Norse origins, and means ‘eternal ruler’.

2. Adam (from Beauty and the Beast)

 

Many people don’t actually know this, but Adam is really the Beast’s name.  The name Adam originates from Hebrew and means ‘son of the red earth’.

3. Christopher (from Winnie the Pooh)

My husband and I really like the name Christopher.  It’s definitely in the running for one of our future sons!  We both like the sound of the nickname Chris, so it’s definitely going to take some thought.  This name has both Greek and Latin roots, and means ‘bearer of Christ’.

4. John (from Pocahontas)

I chose John Smith because he is who most people recognize.  However, in reality, Pocahontas did not marry John Smith.  She married a man named John Rolfe (as is implied by the second Pocahontas movie), converted to Christianity and changed her name to Rebecca, and they had a son named Thomas.  The real John Smith did meet her, though she was no more than 12 when they met.  John has Hebrew origins and means ‘God is gracious’.

5. Peter (from Peter Pan)

Personally, I wouldn’t choose the name Peter for my child, but it’s really because of people I know.  Peter is a Greek name, meaning ‘rock’.

6. Kristoff (from Frozen)

Again, I really like the name Kristoff.  It’s different.  And having Kris as a nickname is pretty cool too.  Kristoff has Slavic origins, is a variation of the name Christopher, and means ‘bearer of Christ’.

7. Flynn (from Tangled)

Even though his real name in the movie is Eugene, Flynn is becoming more popular. (Personally, I like Flynn better too.) Flynn has Irish roots and means ‘son of the red-haired one’.

8. Phillip (from Sleeping Beauty)

Philip is a variation on the name ‘Philip’.  As a nickname, it can be shortened to ‘Phil’.  Queen Elizabeth of England’s husband is Prince Philip.  Phillip has Greek origins and means ‘lover of horses’.

9. Edward (from Enchanted)

If I ever named a child Edward, it would be because of a real life Edward or this movie.  Definitely not to be confused with Twilight’s Edward Cullen.  The name Edward has English roots and means ‘wealthy guardian’.

10. Robert (from Enchanted)

Robert has several cool nicknames: Rob, Robbie, Bob, Bobbie… That’s something to keep in mind when naming a kid.  Robert is originally a German name meaning ‘bright fame’.

 

Did you like these lists?  What other lists would you like to see in the future?  Would you use any of these Disney names for your kids?  What Disney names weren’t listed that you like and would or have used for your own kids?