Long names aren't all they're cracked up to be. In fact, there's even some research which indicates that people with shorter names might be more approachable. While there is certainly nothing wrong with giving your baby a longer name, it's worth considering a moniker that has just one syllable.
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00:00Long names aren't all they're cracked up to be.
00:02In fact, there's even some research that indicates that people with shorter names
00:06might be more approachable. While there may be nothing technically wrong with
00:09giving your baby a longer name, it's worth considering a moniker with just one syllable.
00:14Reese is probably best known as the name of a delicious chocolate peanut butter treat
00:18and an iconic Oscar-winning actress, so it's got a pretty good track record.
00:23Reese's peanut butter cups are pretty much the most delicious thing ever,
00:26which already makes that reason enough for this name to be beloved.
00:29And for her part, Reese Witherspoon is one of the most admired actresses of her generation.
00:33While Witherspoon might be one of the most famous Reese's, the name is technically masculine,
00:38at least in Wales where it originated. It's an anglicized version of the name Reese,
00:42spelled R-H-Y-S, which means beloved. The name is now often considered gender-neutral,
00:48especially in the United States, where it's far more commonly used for girls than for boys.
00:52The spelling variation of Reese with a C, however, is more commonly associated with boys.
00:56Lance
00:57Anyone who remembers the glorious era of boy bands ruling the radio in the late 90s and early 2000s
01:03will recognize the name Lance. Arguably the best boy band to have ever existed was NSYNC,
01:08and of course one of their members was Lance Bass. While he might not be as famous as his
01:12former bandmate Justin Timberlake, true fans know that Lance was the real heartthrob of the group.
01:17Aliens actor Lance Henriksen is another famous figure who bears this name,
01:20which comes from the Germanic name Lanzo, meaning land. Lance also brings to mind the
01:24days of chivalry, when lances, a type of spear, were commonly used in jousting. The name was
01:29fairly popular in the 60s and 70s, although it's seen a decline in popularity since then.
01:34Maybe it's time for Lance to make a comeback.
01:36Old King Cole was a merry old soul, according to The Nursery Rhyme,
01:40and what better legacy could there be for a name? If that classic poem isn't enough to convince you
01:44that Cole is a great name, consider that it also happens to be the name of one of Hollywood's
01:48hottest young actors, Cole Sprouse. You may recognize Sprouse as Jughead on Riverdale,
01:53or maybe you remember him from his younger Disney days on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
01:57and its sequel series The Suite Life on Deck. He also played Adam Sandler's son in 1999's Big Daddy,
02:03a role he shared with his twin brother Dylan. But his biggest claim to fame,
02:06at least for certain middle-aged parents, is playing Ross' son Ben on Friends.
02:11Cole originally comes from a last name, but it's nonetheless incredibly popular in English-speaking
02:15countries as a first name. It's in the top 100 names for boys in Scotland and Canada,
02:20and in the top 200 in England, Wales, and the United States.
02:24Who can forget Elle Woods, the protagonist of the classic 2001 comedy Legally Blonde?
02:29You got into Harvard Law?
02:32What, like it's hard?
02:33Whether or not your little girl ends up going to Harvard Law School,
02:36she'll be served well by this short but powerful name. If litigation isn't up her alley,
02:40she might be inspired to go into photography, and could even end up working at her namesake,
02:45Elle Magazine. Or maybe she'll wind up a supermodel like Elle McPherson,
02:48or a rock star like Elle King. This adorable one-syllable name got its start as a nickname
02:53for longer names such as Eleanor and Elizabeth. From there, it became a name in its own right,
02:58although Elle is still fairly new on the baby name scene. It started making waves in the early 2000s,
03:03not-so-coincidentally popping up on the charts the year after Legally Blonde was first released,
03:07and it's slowly climbed up the ranks since then. While it isn't mega-popular yet,
03:11it's only a matter of time before Elle tops the charts.
03:14Jude
03:15Whether you're a fan of the Beatles' song,
03:17Hey Jude, or an admirer of Jude Law's acting chops, you really can't go wrong with the name
03:21Jude. Aside from its bona fide pop culture associations, the name has a powerful history.
03:26It has ancient roots, and is a variation of Judas. Jude is a comparatively new version
03:31of the name, only popping up in the English-speaking world around the time of the
03:34Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. While Jude is holding steady in the top 200
03:38names for boys in the United States, it's even more popular in other English-speaking countries.
03:43It's among the top 100 names in England and Wales, and it's climbing up the ranks in Scotland and
03:48Northern Ireland, where it's in the top 50. Jude's long legacy proves that even tiny names
03:53can have a big impact.