The Journal
Stories about names, and the people who choose them.
Where names come from, how they travel, the traditions behind them, and what a century and a half of records can show.
Named for the moment: day names, birth order and the circumstances of birthIn many cultures, the day, the hour or the way a child arrives suggests a name. A tour of some of the world’s most beautiful naming systems.September 28, 2026Honoring someone you loved, without repeating their nameYou don’t have to use a grandparent’s exact name to carry them forward. Families around the world honor relatives through a letter, a sound, a meaning or another language.September 27, 2026Grace, Hope and Mercy: the long life of virtue namesEnglish Puritans named children for the qualities they hoped they’d grow into. Four centuries later, virtue names are still with us, though each has its own story.September 26, 2026When a surname becomes a first nameHarper, Parker, Madison, Mackenzie and Kennedy all began as family names. Here’s how a surname crosses over, and why so many families carry one forward.September 25, 2026One name, many languages: the travels of JohnSeán, Iain, Giovanni, Hans, Jean, Juan, Ivan and Jānis are all, in a sense, the same name. Following John across a continent shows how names carry culture.September 24, 2026Aubrey, Avery, Harper: how names cross overSome of today’s best-loved girls’ names were once given almost entirely to boys. The birth records show exactly when, and how fast, they changed sides.September 23, 2026Back in bloom: the names your great-grandparents lovedHazel, Violet, Eleanor and Theodore spent most of the last century out of favor. Now they’re everywhere. Here’s what the records show about names that skip a few generations.September 22, 2026