Happy Mother’s Day!  A quick trip to Wikipedia reveals that Mother’s Day may have roots in the ancient Roman celebration of Matronalia, honoring – you guessed it – Juno, Queen of the Gods.

More recently, Juno is associated with the quirky and endearing pregnant teenager played by Ellen Page in the 2007 indie darling film of the same name.  Page scored an Oscar nomination for her efforts, and the screenplay took home the statue. 

But would Juno wear well on your dear daughter?

As with most better-known mythological names, there have always been a few girls called Andromeda and Hera, Isis and Juno.  But Juno does not currently rank in the Top 1000 in the Social Security Administration’s list.  

The related June was once a very popular choice for girls, spending 1915 to 1941 in the Top 100.  Pop culture gave us Leave it to Beaver’s homemaker extraordinaire mom, June Cleaver, in the late 1950s.  More recently, one of Disney Channel’s adventure, art and classical-music loving Little Einsteins is named June.

But while June is simple and home-spun, Juno has quite a bit of spark.  Unlike most names ripped from the Pantheon, it’s easy to spell and simple to say.  And the “o” ending is vibrant and interesting for a girl.  While June’s sister is Grace, we imagine that Juno’s big sis is Piper.

Should your little girl arrive in the month of June, it’s as fitting a name as Pearl.

It’s a choice that might raise a few eyebrows today, with comments like “Guess you really liked that movie, hyuck-hyuck?”  But let’s face it – baby name inspiration has always come from the silver screen.  And this is one character who was mature, independent and thoughtful.  (And okay, yes, pregnant at 16.) 

So while you might endure some slings and arrows, we at ApMtn feel this is one baby name that is distinctive, under-used and completely fitting for a modern child.