If you look at the number 1 name for boys and girls in England and Wales you will find Oliver and Olivia reigning supreme, telling us that O is a very stylish sound for British parents.
Other popular O names include Oscar, Owen, Ollie -- Ottilie is up-and-coming in some parts of the country -- and many have O as the dominant vowel sound, such as Noah, Logan, Joel, Joseph, Chloe, Imogen, Lola, Rose, Rosie, Zoe.
Here are some stylish O options:
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Octavia Odessa Odette Olwen |
Ophelia Opal Orla
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Odin Orson Otto |
Olev Ovid |
We also find this stylish O at the end of many fashionable names. Leo and Theo enjoy top 60 status and are followed by Rio (#157) and Milo (#175). Of course, O-endings are the norm for Spanish and Italian boys -- Leandro, Antonio, Cosmo, Enzo, Matteo -- and many of these names make a stylish choice.
Some intriguing O-endings for boys:
Amadeo - 19th century king of Spain.
Ezio - Italian form of Latin Aetius 'eagle'
Falco- Variant of German Fulco and Italian surname.
Ivo - Germanic name borne by several Saints.
Jago - Cornish form of James.
Risto - Finnish and Macedonian form of Christopher.
Santo - Cornish deminutive of Alexander and Italian word for 'Saint'.
Viggo - Scandanavian name of Mortensen fame.
But what about the girls? When Myleene Klass announced three weeks ago that her second daughter was named Hero Harper it devided opinion. Some people love the Ancient Greek name. A mythological heroine and a Shakespearean character! Others are put off by the fact that it is also a word (mainly associated with men), compounded by that strange O-ending.
Aren't O-endings for boys? Well, yes mostly, as shown above, but look carefully and we can see some interesting O-ending girls names:
Callisto - Kallisto was a greek nymph. Her name means "most beautiful".
Dido - Queen of Carthige in Virgil's epic 'Aeneid'.
Clio - Greek muse of history and poetry. Her name means "glory".
Juno - Roman queen of the gods.
Leto - In Greek mythology she was the mother of Artemis and Apollo
Llio - Welsh diminutive of Gwenllian
Margo - Streamline spelling of the French Margot. Chic variant of Margaret.
Rosario - Spanish name meaning 'rosary'
So watch this space, beause O names are set to run and run.
