Baby Names Blog: Blog of Baby Name Wizard author Laura Wattenberg | Harlow, Shiloh, Beau and All the Hidden-O Names

Oh, those hidden o’s. They’re the special ingredient in hot names from Margot to Willow to Pharaoh. End a name in the sound “o,” but not the letter o, and you have a recipe for high style.

The final o may be cloaked by a silent letter, as in Harlow and Shiloh, or an alternate spelling may lead to a similar sound, as in Beau. The effect of the spelling is subtle, but it shapes the name’s impact. Think of how different Harlow and Arlo feel, despite being just a breath apart in pronunciation.

I first talked about hidden o’s when they started rising in girls’ names. Parents loved the unconventional sound for girls, and the fact that spelling set them apart from the many boys’ names ending in o. That trend is still growing. Seven different hidden-o names now rank among America’s top-1000 names for girls, vs. zero with the final letter o. But the style is catching on for boys, too. You’ll find it lending an edge to new, adventurous choices like Arrow, and making throwbacks like Roscoe intriguing again.

Even with their rise, the hidden-o names still sound fresh and have plenty of potential ahead. So far, only Willow has broken through to become a major hit name for either sex. See the potential for yourself in these 37 options, from the familiar to the fanciful.

 

Nature Names

Meadow

Rainbow

Sparrow

Snow

Willow

Yarrow

Artistic and Literary Names

Ivanhoe

Marceau

Marlowe

Poe

Thoreau

Winslow

 

Place Names

Juneau

Margaux

Shiloh

 

Familiar and Throwback Names

Beau

Margot

Roscoe

Woodrow

 

Bold Meaning Names

Arrow

Bow

Hallow

Pharaoh

Shadow

 

Surnames

Barlow

Bowe

Briscoe

Crowe

Darrow

Deveraux

Harlow

Pascoe

Rowe

 

Traditional  Surprises

Isabeau

Thibault