BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
Doll Naming Resources
Written on February 18, 2015 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Article
One of the struggles that I have when it comes to getting a new doll is the process of naming the doll. I find that it’s hard for me to develop a personality for them (which comes in handy for photo stories) without a name. As the number of dolls gets higher in my doll family, the harder it is for me to find names that I haven’t already used and like.
Prim and Lily are both wearing dresses by Plastic Fashion.
Here are some of the wonderful resources that I’ve found helpful for naming new Blythes (and other dolls):
- BabyNames.com – very useful as you can search by gender, alphabetically, or by typing in a few letters that you’d like the name to start with.
- USA Social Security – Popular Baby Names By Decade – a great website if you’re into ‘older’ names and want to see what was popular by the decade! This website goes back to the 1880s.
- Baby Center – another good naming resource as you can search by origin too, which is nice if you are looking for names with a specific background. Baby Center also has a UK-centric list as well, organized by year.
- Today’s Parent has a list of the Top 100 Baby Names for Canada in 2014 – a nice list, especially if the other lists aren’t sparking any inspiration in you. I especially like it when the lists include the variations in spelling (e.g. Lea/Leah).
- The Bump has lists of what they call “Unique Baby Names“. I don’t know how unique they are after being published as being unique, but that is another resource for you to consider.
Whatever you do decide to name your dolls, it’s always a good idea to make sure that you’re not doubling up on names (e.g. calling two dolls by the same name). I sort of made that mistake when I decided to name one Kenner “Primrose” and the other “Lillian (Lily) Rose”. However, I did get both of them together and they are true sisters in that they came from the same collection, so I’ve justified the similar naming to myself, especially since they both have flower names anyways.
If you have any fantastic name resources, please share below in the comments!
I always use a site called “Behind The Name”. There I can search names by gender, meaning, country, origin… But there is also another great source of inspiration I regularly use and that is names from TV shows, films, and books. I either pick a name that goes with my doll’s personality or name them in honour of a character I love.
I love the lists at nameberry.com. They have curated lists for just about EVERYTHING- space names, southern names, vintage names, etc. I especially love the “If you like (blank), you’ll love…” lists!
Oh I’m terrible about naming my girls!!! I’ll have to check the sites you mentioned. Thanks!