Noun Baby Names: Hot Naming Trend

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Written by Monica Beyer

Noun baby names are the hotttest new naming trend for baby girls and baby boys. Starting long ago with the ancient Greeks and Romans, the use of "regular" words for baby names has a long history and is continuing its popularity in modern times with parents everywhere, from celebrity names to your hometown. Check out our collection of the coolest -- and most quirky -- noun baby names for your girl or boy!

Virtue Baby Names

Virtue names have roots in the ancient Greeks and Romans and are also popularly associated with the Puritans. Choosing a name that is a virtuous word is the defintion of a virtue name -- parents wanted to choose a name that would hopefully influence their child and would help them develop those desirable traits.

Virtue names still in popular use today are Faith, Hope, Joy, Grace and Charity. Jessica Alba chose a virtue name when her daughter, Honor, was born. Other less-used (but no less beautiful) virtue names are Amity, Verity and Patience. If you are noticing that these are all female names, that is because male virtue names don't always catch on. Some, such as Justice, sound wonderful to modern ears, but others, such as Repentance, aren't nearly as likely to be used today. Other examples of the latter (again, these were actually used by parents in Puritan times) are: Fear, Hate-Evil, Pardon and Rejoice.

Other baby names you might like: 150 Old Fashioned Baby Names

Hippie Baby Names

When the hippie subculture took off in America in the early 1960s and subesquently spread around the world, a new generation of baby-naming was born also. Nature names became popular and desirable (such as Sky, Blossom, Sage, Daisy, Topaz and Wind), as were names that reminded us of the tenets of the subculture (such as Freedom, Peace and Love). Today nature names are still wildly popular and the natural world represents a great source of inspiration for parents seeking a unique and meaningful name. Flower names were and are still very popular -- such as Lily, Rose and Violet. Nature names for boys, such as Forest, Flint and River are unique choices as well.

Other great natural or hippie word-names are: Iris, August, Shadow, Heart, Flow, Blue, Dusk, Earth and Mist.

For more ideas, check out: Top 50 Hippie Baby Names

Spiritual and Pretty Baby Names

Some word-names are spiritual in origin -- names such as Heaven (or its backwards equivalent Nevaeh), Angel and Trinity are good examples. If you wanted to be even more exotic, you could choose word-names such as Halo, Harp or even Canon. Other names have different meanings but are just as peaceful and pleasant. A good example is the name of Soleil Moon Frye's daughter -- Poet. Another pretty name is Dream that was chosen by NBA player Allen Iverson. Turning to the arts is a solid option for a beautiful word-name, especially if you are an artist, singer or writer.

Here are more ideas for pleasant-sounding word-names: Muse, Aria, Scribe, Quill, Bard, Imagine, Jazz, Melody and Harmony.

For more ideas, read Top 50 Spiritual Baby Names.

More Word-Names

Perhaps you are inpsired by celebrity naming tactics -- the seemingly random, point-at-a-page-in-the-dictionary name that has become so popular in the last decade or two. Some of the more memorable examples are Jason Lee's son Pilot Inspektor, Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple, Robert Rodriguez's son Rocket and Rachel Griffiths' son Banjo. This naming trend is quite simple to emulate but you must keep in mind that this child will grow up to be in school and then a job-seeking adult, so do choose wisely!

Other real-world examples of any-word-will-do-for-a-name: Peanut, Navy, Million, King, Czar, Knight and Moxie.

Whether you are seeking a name that has its own obvious meaning or one that is a little more random, you can open up any dictionary and find the perfect word-name that you are looking for!

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