10 Colorful Baby Names
by Ruth Fitzpatrick
Beyoncé's Blue may have re-launched our fascination for color names, but they're really nothing new! As we saw in a previous post, in 1880, 39 Greens were born! But you don't need to pick quite so bold a choice as Blue or Green (or Yellow, or Orange?!) to give your new bundle a colorful and playful name. Let your precious one's personality shine with one of these choices:
Grayson OK, gray isn't exactly the brightest or most vibrant of colors, but given how incredibly popular this name is right now, we couldn't not include it! It means 'the son of the bailiff', and it looks and sounds handsome and brooding. It's also a bit more modern than Gary or Greg, which have been falling out of favor recently. Its 'son ending gives it quite a masculine look, but it could be modified to Gracyn or Gracen for a more feminine twist.
Scarlett A popular girl's name here in the US which is a captivating and luxurious choice. Scarlett has firmly been designated as a girl's name, and it's unlikely ever to make it big with the boys. Some unisex options are Rory, Ruan, or simply: Red!
Tanner Though currently seeing a decline in use, there's something about Tanner we still love. It's an occupational name, and has the same outdoorsy, rustic charm of similar names like Scout, Walker or Sawyer. It has a softer sound and could be a more fashionable choice to Taylor or Tyler.
Ruby Still popular, but overshadowed in recent years by Scarlett. Still, Ruby sounds rich, confident, fun and is the gemstone for the month of July. In the past it has definitely been a unisex name ' for boys, it's usually been used as the diminutive form of Rueben ' but given how popular it's now for girls, we think it might be best to choose from some of the other red-names for your son!
Slate Cold, dark and brittle: what makes Slate a good name?! Well, we think it sounds pretty cool, modern and a little more suave and persuasive than the two-syllable Slater.
Amber This pretty name has not seen the same level of popularity as Pearl, Ruby or Emerald in the last few years, but continues to have a cultural presence. The fossilized tree resin from where it gets its name has a bit of nerdy paleontology street cred too, which we are all for!
Jett This has a definite action hero ring to it. We think the double-t gives the name a little more substance to it than Jet.
Violet A retro name which is rapidly coming back into fashion as prospective parents look for a vintage fit for their daughters. It's now in the top 50 here in the US, and it looks like it will continue to rise in popularity. Its association with the color and flower give it a soft, gentle feel, but the initial V- makes it sassy and powerful.
Oran This boy's name has two origins and two meanings, but both are associated with brightness or color. From the Aramaic, it means 'light', and from the Irish it means 'pale little green one'. A very sweet and totally underused alternative to Owen, which completely rolls off our tongue and straight into our hearts!
Hazel Just outside the top 50, this girl's name is seeing a rapid growth in use and popularity. It's a vintage chic name with a huge amount of character and class. Of course the name of the nut and tree, many people will associate it with the alluring and captivating brown-green eye color.
Silver Admittedly, we're on the fence about this one. On the one hand, it's full of smoothness, coolness and class that could easily work for either gender. But then on the other, its modern use in the term 'silver fox' might be setting your son up with a lot of expectation and premature graying!
Teal A deep, blue-green color as well as a kind of wild duck! It's an original choice with a pleasantly unusual sound. Its simplicity makes it particularly attractive, and is a 100% unisex name.
