Name Your Daughter Mary or Jane or Alice If You Want Her To Stand Out

A list of children's names from artwork on the wall at school:

Maymuna
Raya
Maya
Paige
Jamal
Xavier (twice)
Elzo
Harry
Julian (twice)
Oliver
Jeffrey
Nathaniel
Ashton
Yeng
Alicia
Kendra
Ari
Reid
Amaria
Calder
Kahlia (pronounced Ka-lia.)
Elijiah.
Aidan
Charlotte
Liam
Fred
Tesfaamlak
Joselyn
Noah
Nalyndra
Ruaia
Erishare
Lila
Hanap
Wayan
Flo
Ren
Amaya
Arthur
Morgan
Tyler
Parker
Sawyer

Clearly, Biblical names and Irish names are still big for boys while fancy names win it among the little girls. There are fewer Olivers than I'm used to and Ava seems to have passed its prime, though A is still a favorite first and last letter for little girls' last names. In my youngest's classrooms so far, we have had an Amaria, an Amaya, a Yamayah, an Allondra, an Ahlana, an Alyiah, a Kahlia, and Ana, an Anna, (pronounced Ahna) an Annie, and an Anika. K seems a close second, with lots of Kendras, LaKendras, Kaylees, Kaylahs, that Kahlia, and, of course, Katie-- but no Katherines. Hazel and Flo are starting to turn up. Maizie and Sadie have been around for awhile. There are at least twenty-five Zoes and fifteen Wyatts, as well as a Tyler, a Parker, a Sawyer and a Taylor and a Hunter, though, no Baker, Butcher or candle-stick-maker, i.e. Chandler. (So nobody is going to sail away in a tub.)

I have to admit that my favorite out of the whole lot is Fred, though Tesfaamlak comes in a close second.