The lazy, hazy days of summer are just ahead, but if you’re expecting a daughter this Fall, here’s an intriguing one to consider.
Thanks to Sarah for suggesting September as Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: September
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Monthly Archives: May 2009
Name of the Day: Tizoc
This might be a first here at AppMtn – an Aztec appellation!
Thanks to Christina for suggesting Tizoc as Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: Jerusha
Could there really be an unusual Biblical girls’ name that starts with a J that hasn’t been used by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s mega-family?
Indeed there is! Thanks to Christina for suggesting Jerusha as Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 5/17/09
She’s yet to crack the Top 1000, but could she be the next Isabella? Friends of friends recently welcomed their second child – a daughter called Esme, 2008′s most popular search name at AppMtn. What’s more, their firstborn is called Finn, 2008′s second most popular search name for boys here.
In Namespotting News:
- My mother recently dropped me an email about a colleague’s new son. His middle name is Hades. And no, it isn’t a family name that just happens to sound like the dark lord of the underworld. The colleague informed my mother that they chose the middle name because it means dark lord of the underworld. Wonder if they’ll want to reconsider their choice during the terrible twos?
- Photoquilty reports coming across a girl called Asher, another girl called Morrissey and a third named Brennan, plus a boy named Bey.
- The cover story for this issue of Washington Parent is all about baby names, and included an interview with a mom who named her four girls Tse Iris, Sloane Ivy, Blake Ocean and Chase Blossom. I love Sloane Ivy. Chase Blossom sounds like a command. Tse Iris seems unnecessarily complicated – Tse is pronounced “Say” – and yet strangely appealing. The mom goes on to note that “On paper – with the middle initial – my girls can be any American. Their names give them the choice to say if they are female.”
Each snippet is really about the same thing – the urge to give our children distinctive names. It’s obviously something I think about, too, and yet I can’t help but notice that we so fall short – Tse, Blake and Chase, with that “ay” vowel sound – don’t really stand out too far from Grace, Kate and Jayden. Now that Chloe is in the Top Ten, Clio sounds downright ordinary, too.
A few other thoughtful posts:
- Check out Lola’s article on popular names in Massachussetts – Maeve, Tessa and Jacoby all fare far better near Beantown;
- Nameberry dissected which unisex names are trending female and male. A cluster of names is rising for both genders, including Harper, Rory and Micah;
- Laura Wattenberg compiled a list of the names that left the US Top 1000 in 2008 – including surprises like Brad and Carrie.
A few celeb notes:
- Actor James Gaffigan and wife Jeannie welcomed daughter Katie Louise. He’s already the proud papa to son Jack and daughter Marre. Anyone know anything about Marre? It’s an interesting pick – I don’t think I’ve heard it before;
- Comedian Wanda Sykes and her wife Alex welcomed twins Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude;
- I’m fairly certain that I heard an interview with Charlie Sheen about his twin boys, in which he noted that his sons are named Max and Bob – not Maxwell and Robert or Robinson and Maximillian or … you get the idea.
It’s not exactly name news, but I recently spotted an obituary for Venetia Phair – the only woman to ever name a planet. Hearkening back to my earlier mention of Hades, she’s the person who christened Pluto.
Thanks for reading!
Name of the Day: Ashley
On the heels of Rhett comes another Gone with the Wind name for a Southern gentleman.
Thanks to Sarah for suggesting Ashley - for a boy! – as our Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: Amity
She’s a virtue name with a horror movie twist.
Thanks to Sharmila for suggesting Amity as Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: Rhett
He’s a Southern gentleman, and something of a romantic pick for a son.
Thanks to Christina for suggesting Rhett as Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: Elvira
She’s a little bit campy, a whole lot tragic and surprisingly musical.
Thanks to the incomparable Lola for suggesting Elvira as Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: Estelle
She’s a star. But in recent years, this once-popular pick has been eclipsed by similar choices. Can she shine brightly again?
Thanks to Toni for suggesting Estelle as Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 5/10/09
The stats are here! Nameniks rejoiced as the US Social Security Administration unveiled the 2008 name data. Here’s a quick round-up of discussion posts:
- Elisabeth’s Names on the Upswing at You Can’t Call It “It”
- Nameberry’s post, as well as Pam’s Daily Beast article. Her big take-away? Celeb influence is serious;
- The Baby Name Wizard has a series of articles, starting with one on the fastest rising names;
- Even Wired chimed in on the announcement. Greg at Daddy Types mentioned their coverage before I spotted them in my Google Alerts – he was my go-to stroller guru back in the day, and I always enjoy his name-spotting articles.
A few celeb births to report, too:
- Tampa Bay Ray baseball player Gabe Gross welcomed a daughter named Allie Lee. I’m can see the appeal of Allie, but I’m puzzled by that middle pick – isn’t it like naming your kiddo Anna Na? Or David Vid?
- Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough chose a nicely classic appellation for his firstborn – James Hoke Dorough. (Hoke is a family name.) Sounds more poet laureate than boy band, doncha think?
- Broadway actor Jonathan Cake and Law & Order: Criminal Intent’s Julianne Nicholson welcomed a daughter called Phoebe Margaret. Big brother is Ignatius.
- Television’s Julie Bowen had twin sons – Gus and John. I suspect they have more formal names, yet to be revealed, as big brother is Oliver McLanahan.
A few more newsy bits:
- The most recent Toronto Star What’s Your Name article was among the most thought-provoking yet. The parents chose Matheson for their daughter, noting that the name “just didn’t sound like a boy.” To them, anyhow. We’ll have to agree to disagree, and I must say that their daughter’s full name – Matheson Mary Isabel - is lovely, and the nickname Mattie is being worn by little girls called Matilda everywhere. And that’s what really surprised me – the parents landed on Matheson as “something that when she went to kindergarten, the teacher would say her name and five hands wouldn’t pop up.” Hmmm … Matheson, Madison, Madeline, Matilda … if the parents wanted something distinctive, they’d have been better off calling her Mary.
- Over at Nancy’s Baby Names, poll results suggest that the vast majority of parents would stick with a name that is “very significant to you, but could be a burden to your child” versus something more mainstream, but without meaning. She doesn’t break it out by gender, but I wonder if that would a make a difference?
- It’s not exactly name news, but McDonald’s McCafé ad campaign threatens to unleash extraneous diacritical marks on the American public with their claims that one iced mocha from the Golden Arches can transform your daily drive into a commuté and your workspace into a cubiclé. I will be hiding under my dešk, rockiñg baçk and forth untíl someone mâkes it stöp.
Wow – quite a week in baby naming, and that’s without the Jolie-Pitts adding to their brood!
