Baby Names and Meanings - Discover the Meanings Behind Some of the Most Common Baby Names!

Baby names and meanings are so widely varied, you might get many meanings for a single name. Here, we take a look at some of the most common names out there, and a few of the choices for what they really mean!

Take, for instance, the name Ashley. Ashley is a name for both girls and boys, and it can mean a few different things. Not only does it mean "lives in the ash tree grove", it's also derived from a name that means "ash wood". It was made very popular by the novel Gone with the Wind, and over the years, some women from the South have been known to name their babies after characters in the famous book.

The name Michael can mean "Who is like God?" or "gift from God". It might also come from St. Michael, who was the patron saint of soldiers and the victor over Satan. Some parents have named their children Michael after the name of Michelangelo, who was not only an archangel, but was also a world-famous artist.

The name Abigail means "father rejoiced". It also means "good in discretion and beautiful in form". Finally, in the bible, Abigail was Kind David's third wife. Abigail is often shorted to Abby, or even the spelling of Abbey, which is often seen as being in honor of Westminster Abbey.

Rebecca has some odd meanings when compared to her counterparts. The name means "Captivating" or "knotted cord". Rebecca is a variant of Rebekah, a popular name from the Bible chosen for baby girls.