2014’s Top Baby Names

The name ‘Daenerys’ sound familiar? Well, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, there were nine babies named after the popular Game of Thrones character in 2014.

Still, ‘Oliver’ has once again topped the boy’s chart, whilst ‘Amelia’ has taken the no. one spot for girls (via Guardian).

Trends include names ending in an ‘a’, and more experimental girls’ names.

In the current top 100, ‘Harper’ is the girl’s name that has gained most popularity over the decade, shooting up 3,636 places to No 89. Perhaps something to do with the Beckhams?

Not for the first time, parents are also registering the abbreviated form of a name, for example, Teddy, Freddie, and Joey.

Naming and Blessing by Reverend Andrew Tawn is a collection of personalised name prayers for more than 500 baby names, perfect for christening readings or for parents wanting to pray for their child at any stage in their life.

Below are the top two names in each category, taken from Andrew Tawn’s Naming and Blessing: A Book of Name Prayers.

Amelia derives from the German for ‘labour’.

All the days of your life,

May God bless you,

Encourage and equip you,

Lead and enlighten you,

Instruct and inspire you,

And accompany you always.

Oliver is from the Scandinavian Olaf meaning ‘ancestor’

On all that Oliver is and does,

Lord, grant your love and blessing.

In all the challenges he undertakes

Various gifts bestow upon him.

Everyone he loves and all who love him,

Reach out, Lord, to bless them through him.

Praise for Naming and Blessing:

“A collection of prayers which can be used so very easily and readily by a much wider range of people than simply the committed Christian.”
Bishop David Hope, former Archbishop of York

“Throughout life we receive many gifts but our name is one of the first and most precious gifts we receive… The author uses the ancient device of the acrostic to create unique and thoughtful meditations on the names of the children he has baptised.”
Anthony Russell, former Bishop of Ely

“This is a gift with many layers, unpacking the meaning of individual names and weaving into each prayer a gentle yet profound affirmation of the connection of each unique individual to God.”
Angela Ashwin, author of ‘The Book of a Thousand Prayers’

Naming and Blessing: A Book of Name Prayers by Reverend Andrew Tawn (ISBN: 9780285638921, £15) available to buy here.

Prayers For 2014’s Top Baby Names

So England and Wales’ top baby names for 2014 were revealed this week…

For the second year running, ‘Oliver’ has topped the boy’s chart, whilst ‘Emily’ has taken the number one spot from ‘Olivia’ (from BabyCentre.co.uk).

After reporting that ‘Muhammad’ was the number one boy’s name in the country on Monday, BabyCentre.co.uk confirmed that without its different variations, the name was actually 15^th in the table. Sure enough, if the same was done for ‘Oliver’ (Ollie, Oli), or ‘Harry’ (Henry), then they would place above ‘Muhammad’.

As usual, cultural influences are playing a huge part in parents’ choices. ‘Eric’, the name of Simon Cowell’s son, is up by 284 points whilst ‘Elsa’, from the Disney movie ‘Frozen’ has entered the top 100 for the first time.

Naming and Blessing: A Book of Name Prayers by Reverend Andrew Tawn is a collection of personalised name prayers for more than 500 baby names, perfect for christening readings or for parents wanting to pray for their child at any stage in their life.

In acknowledgement of 2014’s most popular baby names, we’ve posted the top two names in each category below, taken from Andrew Tawn’s Naming and Blessing: A Book of Name Prayers.

Emily (f) comes from the Latin for ‘eager’

Embrace Emily in your love and protection,

Maker, mender and miracle-worker God;

In all her learning, loving, living and giving

Let her be eager to know and do

Your will and your work.

Oliver is from the Scandinavian Olaf meaning ‘ancestor’

On all that Oliver is and does,

Lord, grant your love and blessing.

In all the challenges he undertakes

Various gifts bestow upon him.

Everyone he loves and all who love him,

Reach out, Lord, to bless them through him.

Buy a copy here.

Some reviews for Naming and Blessing: A Book of Name Prayers…

“A collection of prayers which can be used so very easily and readily by a much wider range of people than simply the committed Christian.”
Bishop David Hope, former Archbishop of York

“Throughout life we receive many gifts but our name is one of the first and most precious gifts we receive…The author uses the ancient device of the acrostic to create unique and thoughtful meditations on the names of the children he has baptised.”
Anthony Russell, former Bishop of Ely

“This is a gift with many layers, unpacking the meaning of individual names and weaving into each prayer a gentle yet profound affirmation of the connection of each unique individual to God.”
Angela Ashwin, author of ‘The Book of a Thousand Prayers’

Naming and Blessing: 2013’s top baby names

When the lists of this year’s most popular baby names were released last week, there was perhaps some surprise that Royal names weren’t at the top of the list. After the birth of Prince George in July, George was only number 13 on the top 100 boy’s names this year. Harry was up at number 4, and William was at number 11. Clearly new mums and dads didn’t want to be seen to be copying the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

For boys’ names this year, the most popular choice was Oliver, with this being mirrored in choice of girls’ names, where Olivia was number one on the list.

Naming and Blessing by Reverend Andrew Tawn is a collection of personalised name prayers for more than 500 baby names, perfect for christening readings or for parents wanting to pray for their child at any stage in their life. Below are the name prayers for this year’s most popular baby names, taken from Andrew Tawn’s Naming and Blessing, published by Souvenir Press.

On all that Oliver is and does,
Lord, grant your love and blessing.
In all the challenges he undertakes
Various gifts bestow upon him.
Everyone he loves and all who love him,
Reach out, Lord, to bless them through him.

 

Over your walking and going out
Let God keep watch and guard you.
In your making and your working
Various gifts of God equip you.
In your coming in and resting
All God’s peace and love be with you.

(Name prayers © Andrew Tawn, Naming and Blessing, published by Souvenir Press)

Celebrating the Royal Christening

Ahead of the royal christening today of Prince George of Cambridge, we are sharing a personalised blessing prayer, taken from Reverend Andrew Tawn’s book of name prayers, Naming and Blessing.

This personalised name prayer, like all of the others in the book for more than 500 names, can be used to pray for a child throughout their life, and makes the perfect reading to personalise a christening.

A blessing for Prince George of Cambridge, on the day of his christening:

God of life, sow your blessings in the
Earth of George’s spirit,
Over time may they send down
Roots deep and sustaining,
Growing an abundant harvest of all things
Excellent, true, pure and gracious.

As you turned your Son’s death to new life,
Lord, turn his troubles to blessings,
Endings to beginnings,
eXchange his sorrows for joys.
And as you promised
Never to forsake those who live you,
Defend him against every danger,
Everywhere he goes, go with him,
Remain with him and bless him for ever.

Let God’s blessing be
Over him to guide him,
Under him to carry him,
In him to inspire him,
Surrounding him to shield him.

If you are celebrating the royal christening today, perhaps you will take a moment to share this personalised name prayer, a blessing for the young prince.

For more than 500 other personalised name prayers, Naming and Blessing is available in hardcover with illustrations by Pat Schaverien. It would be the perfect gift for prospective or new parents, to celebrate the birth of a new baby.

Very Royal Congratulations

Souvenir Press would like to join the many thousands of people worldwide who have been offering their congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge following the birth of their first child.

Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, born on Monday, will be the seventh king to bear that name.

Naming and Blessing by Andrew Tawn is a unique baby name book, containing personalised prayers for over 500 names, which can be used as an introduction to the Christian faith and personalise baptisms, confirmations and weddings, as a child moves through the personal landmarks in their life.

“A collection of prayers which can be used so very easily and readily by a much wider range of people than simply the committed Christian.” – Bishop David Hope, former Archbishop of York

“Our name is one of the first and most precious gifts we receive… The author uses the ancient device of the acrostic to create unique and thoughtful meditations on the names.” – Anthony Russell, former Bishop of Ely

“This is not your typical “baby name” book. It’s a book of five hundred names and each one is illustrated by a prayer of blessing for the person, with the first letters of each line making up the name… A lovely book, well illustrated, to use for personal prayer, for naming and blessing ceremonies and for families to share.” – Amazon review

The below prayer for HRH Prince George of Cambridge is taken from Naming and Blessing by Andrew Tawn, published by Souvenir Press.

God of life, sow your blessings in the
Earth of George’s spirit,
Over time may they send down
Roots deep and sustaining,
Growing an abundant harvest of all things
Excellent, true, pure and gracious.

Congratulations once more to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as to all other parents celebrating a new addition to the family.

Baby name trends hark back to Edwardian era

According to a recent article in The Times, the current craze in baby names harks back to the Edwardian era, with names inspired by nature such as Daisy and Ruby popular for girls, and names with historical military significance such as Harold (Harry) and Alfred (Alfie) making a comeback. In the current top 10 most popular baby names for each gender, seven out of the twenty names listed are from this era, showing that while there is a desire for the unique and unusual (like North West) the appeal for the traditional remains.

Naming and Blessing by Andrew Tawn is a baby name book like no other: as well as providing the origins and meaning of over 500 baby names, it also includes for each one a personal and individual name prayer in the acrostic format. It is the ideal book for prospective parents as they choose a name for their son or daughter; these name prayers can be used at christenings as a gentle affirmation of the connection between your new baby and God. These prayers can also be used at confirmations, weddings, and as your child moves through the important stages of their life.

Take a look at the prayers for a few of the Edwardian-inspired current top 10 baby names:

Amelia

All the days of your life,
May God bless you,
Encourage and equip you,
Lead and enlighten you,
Instruct and inspire you,
And accompany you always.

Lily

Lord, grant Lily your love, peace and purity,
In all she thinks and says and does.
Let her remain always in your protection,
Your guidance and your care.

Harry

Heavenly Father,
As you raised your son from death,
Raise Harry from every fall,
Renew in him each day and year
Your Easter life and peace and joy.

Alfie

As high as the highest star you can see,
Longer than the days of your life,
Further than the furthest place you will go,
In depth deeper than the deepest sea,
Even so may God’s love for you be.

Name prayers taken from Naming and Blessing, © Andrew Tawn 2010. Naming and Blessing by Andrew Tawn is published by Souvenir Press.