Is Bailey a Boy? ♀️♂️

It depends which side of the road you drive on.

Baby name books will always have a special place in my heart (and house. Yes, they ALL spark joy).

But I love living in a time when we can learn more about names — and about more names — than any book could contain.

Bang-up-to-date statistics. Names that are too rare and fleeting to make it into a standard name dictionary, but say so much about current culture.

There's plenty of that on the blog this week…

• The hottest Spanish names in the US

• Lost names making a comeback, from Ayo to Zura

• Brainstorming names that work in English and Japanese. And have personal meaning

• Uniquely stylish suggestions for a creative celebrity couple… but can you beat our Name Guru?

More cool stuff

• Ana, Elsa, Larry and Fred: this year's tropical storm names announced.

• I just love these interviews. The latest is a woman whose name inspired her to learn a language and connect to her heritage.

• Great namespotting in the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend. Participants included Jendrik, Stefania, Jeangu and Lesley.

What about Bailey?

If you think Bailey leans male, chances are you’re British. If you know a bunch of girl Baileys, you’re more likely to live in the States.

Check out this fantastic analysis comparing unisex names across the Atlantic, a guest post by reader Liam Rice. It explains why Brits are confused by your niece, Ryan, and your nephew, Angel.

When you ask for someone's old baby name books and they question your motives.