This literary invention hopped off a New Orleans streetcar and is headed for the US Top 100.

Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Stella as Name of the Day.

Continue reading ‘Name of the Day: Stella’


It’s an authentic Irish appellation boosted by a Dutch-Canadian actress and the Portuguese word for snow.

Thanks to Mercedes for suggesting Niamh as Name of the Day.

Continue reading ‘Name of the Day: Niamh’


I usually don’t pre-post my Sunday Summaries.  (I do schedule my Name of the Day posts, sometimes weeks in advance.)  But a record-setting snow is descending on Metro DC, and as you read this, I may be huddled ’round a Maglite with a 5 y.o. who really wants to watch Team Umizoomi now and doesn’t care about downed power lines.

Let’s hope not.

But just in case it really is the Snowpocalypse, here’s the news through, er, Friday night Saturday morning.

  • Charlotte remains top dog at Nymbler in January, followed by Ava, Ella, Amelia, Audrey, Jack, Benjamin, Finn, Grace and Addison.  Jack and Addison are both making their debuts in the Nymbler Top Ten;
  • The always-more interesting new names include Tenley (Influenced by The Bachelor or nostalgia for Winter Olympics past?), Finnigan, Huck, Ryden, Jovie and Bently.  On MTV reality show Teen Mom, one of the couples named their son Bentley.  Either way, I guess it is slightly more subtle than Lexus;
  • Bewildertrix spotted a Nixon.  Yes, in Australia, so maybe it doesn’t have the same politically charged meaning on the other side of the world.  And he’s a little brother for Reid, Cruz and Rourke, so it seems like the parents were going for an “underused surname” vibe rather than a “disgraced US president” thing;
  • Nancy’s Bad Tattoos and Baby Names should be required reading for all expectant parents considering bestowing a cross-cultural name on their child;
  • Speaking of names from other cultures, have you seen Nameberry’s post on French baby names?  It’s a guest post from Stephanie Rapoport, the founder of  Meilleurs Prenoms.  I love Hugo and find Lilou intriguing.  A few others on her hot list surprised me – the Italian Enzo, the Irish Kylian (it’s Cillian en français) and Louane, which reads 1950s to me, but might be quite charming on a jeune fille;
  • Speaking of Enzo, Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” spotted one in her most recent Ohdeedohkey post.  Plus a Bijou, which yes, is a French word.  But search it on Meilleurs Prenoms and it will tell you: Le prénom bijou n’existe pas;
  • With the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland just weeks away, the Baby Name Wizard wrote Names on the Verge: Alice, asking whether the name really is headed for the top of the charts;
  • Sebastiane covers Agatha at Legitimate Baby Names. That’s one that is really growing on me, and with all the little girls called Abby and Addie, wouldn’t Aggie fit right in?  Elisabeth Shue has kids called Miles, Stella and Agnes, so something tells me we might hear more of both Ag- names.  Sebastiane also covered Disa, which is far more wearable than the related Dis;
  • I need to stay away from Yahoo!Answers, but I followed a thread about the name Madden and stumbled on this quote about the best spelling for Kayden:  “I have always liked that name Caden, but i prefer it spelled Caden with a “C” and with out extra y’s because i think it looks less trashy and made up.”  I don’t get it.  Wait, I do – I understand that Caden looks restrained compared to Kaydyn.  But it still is a name of recent coinage – attractive, maybe, but undeniably trendy.  Spell it as you like, but it still isn’t William;
  • Speaking of names of recent coinage, 4Real spotted a Wolverine Collin Christopher and a Featherlee Blossom.  Words fail me.

It’s been a light starbaby week, but Busy Phillips explained daughter Birdie’s name at Celebrity Baby Blog.  Apparently the actress – born Elizabeth Jean – was intent on choosing a nickname-proof name, because she disliked explaining her name.  Ten bucks says that Birdie calls her kid Margaret.  And so the cycle continues …

The only other celeb birth this week was Brothers & Sisters’ Sarah Jane Morris welcomed a son, Emmett Andrew.

Thanks for reading!  And if you’re also snowed in, I’m sending warm thoughts your way!


In the 1980s, she became less Mrs. Washington and more MTV veejay, thanks to diminutive, bib-overall wearing Martha Quinn.  Today, she could fit right in with Emma and Hannah.  

But after decades in the Top 100, today she’s nowhere to be seen.  She charted at #617 in 2008 and has fallen steadily since the 1960s.

And so I ask – Martha, yea or nay?


As if Chicago’s bad girl Roxie Hart didn’t taint her, the Police’s chart-topping single nearly did her in.  Can she regain her rightful place as a culture-spanning classic?

Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Roxana as Name of the Day.

Continue reading ‘Name of the Day: Roxana’


She’s a foreign import, a nature name and an unexpected way to get to an all-the-rage nickname.

Thanks to Corinne for suggesting Elowen as Name of the Day.

Continue reading ‘Name of the Day: Elowen’


I’m guestblogging at Nameberry today.  If you haven’t already, please check out Oscar Names: Girls’ Edition.  There are some great choices from Old Hollywood.  

Last year’s guest post was the Boys’ Edition.  Your comments sparked a rewrite of Nameberry’s entry on Clark!


The dashing Ralph Fiennes wore this choice to an Oscar nomination in 1996’s The English Patient.

Thanks to Kelleita for suggesting László as Name of the Day.

Continue reading ‘Name of the Day: Laszlo’


Today’s choice is a nature name with a distinctly Irish lilt.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Rowan as Name of the Day.

Continue reading ‘Name of the Day: Rowan’


If Jackson’s popularity spurred the use of Jax, will the fashionable Max encourage parents to consider this one?

Thanks to Mneme for suggesting Macsen as Name of the Day.

Continue reading ‘Name of the Day: Macsen’