| SOLUTION NOTES | |
| ACROSS | DOWN |
| 1. Liam became America’s #1 boy’s name in 2017 and repeated in 2018. | 1. Link is the time-traveling protagonist of the Zelda games, and can be short for Lincoln — yes, even when spelled with a k.
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| 3. Maria is the most common formal source of the pet name Mimi. Mimi is also the nickname of singer Mariah Carey, who used it in the title of an album. | 2. Mai, written with either kanji, was a super-popular girls’ name in Japan in the 1980s & ’90s. |
| 5. President Abraham Lincoln is known as “Honest Abe.” | 4. Ivan, a form of John, was the name of several Russian rulers including Czar Ivan IV, famously called “Ivan the Terrible.” |
| 7. Diego is a Spanish classic, as in the name of San Diego, California. | 6. Peter Rabbit author/illustrator Beatrix Potter grounds her ultra-sophisticated name in a timeless sweetness. |
| 9. Kai has separate Nordic and Hawaiian origins. The Hawaiian name means “sea,” the Nordic name is of disputed origin. | 7. Diana was the goddess of the moon and the hunt, and the Princess of Wales. |
| 11. Actor Don Cheadle and tv character Don Draper are both Donalds. For Quixote and Corleone, Don was a title, not a nickname. | 8. Odell Beckham Jr. is a star wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, formerly with the New York Giants. |
| 13. The tv series Supernatural named its angel character Castiel on the model of biblical angels like Gabriel. Castiel has been a top-1000 name for US boys for six years running. | 10. Ace used to be a pure nickname, the kind bestowed on a young man by friends. In the 21st Century it’s a popular given name. |
| 14. Len and Leo can both be nicknames for Leonard or Leonardo. | 12. Ole is a classic nickname for Olaf in Denmark and Norway. It’s pronounced as two syllables. |
| 15. Lee, on the model of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, is a middle name often heard in Southern two-part names. Actor Tommy Lee Jones attended Robert E. Lee High School. | 14. The name Lana still carries the golden glow of actress Lana Turner. I’ll leave the backwards spelling problem for you to contemplate. |
| 17. Ariel occurs in the Bible as both a man’s name and a name for Jerusalem. Disney gave the name to its female Little Mermaid. | 16. Elsa is a short form of Elizabeth (or Elisabeth) in several languages including German and Swedish, as well as Frozen‘s snow queen. |
| 20. The stage name of GNR frontman Axl Rose has ranked in the US top 1000 ever since singer Fergie chose it for her son in 2013. | 18. Rae can be a Southern-style middle name, as in the movie Norma Rae, or the first half of the current hit RaeLynn. |
| 21. The simple classic Anne doesn’t even crack the top 1000 in England today. | 19. Biblical priestly name Eli can also be short for Elijah, Eliezer or (as in the case of quarterback Eli Manning) Elisha. |
| 22. The name Isla, from the Scottish isle of Islay, is pronounced (like isle and Islay) with a silent s. | |
