‘Tis the season for popcorn. I guess you could string it on your tree, but I’m thinking of the buttery kind they sell at the multiplex.
While you’re there, listen for these names:
- We’ve been talking about Tiana, Disney’s newest member of the princess juggernaut, for months. Word is that The Princess and the Frog lives up to the hype;
- SJP plays Meryl, wife of Paul, in Did You Hear About the Morgans?;
- On a screen nearby, you can catch Meryl Streep playing Jane in It’s Complicated. John Krasinski plays her son, Harley. There’s also an Agness (played by Lake Bell) and an Annalise (played by Blanchard Ryan) among the cast;
- Let’s assume that the name Neytiri from Avatar won’t catch on. But there is a Trudy, played by Michelle Rodriguez;
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – Heath Ledger’s last film – features a Valentina;
- Invictus is poised to do well during award season. The biopic could give a boost to Nelson, but what about François?
And check out Nameberry’s post on Best Movie Names of the Year, too.
Elsewhere online:
- Over at Legit Babe Names, Sebastiane covered Seija. Apparently she’s the Finnish equivalent of Linda – both were big in the 1940s. She also covered Teiksma, a Latvian name meaning fable or legend. Of course, in the US these days, you’re more likely to meet a Fable;
- Over at Celebrity Baby Blog, Alyson Hannigan confirmed that Satyana comes from the Sanskrit for truth. She mentioned that they call her Sati for short, which makes me think of Erik Satie;
- For Real Baby Names spotted a boy called Fate Whisper. If girls can be Destiny, Faith and Echo, I suppose a boy could be named Fate or Whisper. But both? Yikes;
- For Real also spotted a Paydyn, officially the strangest respelling of Payton/Peyton yet. And a Danika Skyy. Love Danika. Sky and Skye are one thing, but Skyy? Is vodka;
- Bewildertrix spotted a Tiana. Is it the Frog Effect already? And Oliver Ziggy Bear. Which is just fabulously strange;
- Namberry has ballerina names, just in time for the Nutcracker. If you’re called Ghislaine or Violetta, surely you’ll grow up pencil slim and infinitely graceful;
- This post over at Swistle is fascinating. The mom-to-be has three stepdaughters – Airyn Dakotah, Brylee Brookelyn and Madesyn Tayler - plus three of her own - Frances Rosaline, Russell Stacey and Marjory “Midge” Kate. Needless to say, the couple is stuck trying to compromise on a name that satisfies both of their styles;
- Which brings us to the controversy of the week. If you haven’t read Jill’s guest post at Namberry on Yooneek Names, check it out – and make sure to click on the poll results. With nearly 600 votes, an overwhelming 92% of Namberryites hate, hate, hate ‘em. Jill did a great job with a difficult topic.
Lastly, a few starbabies arrived this past week. Besides Benjamin Brady and Mason Dash Disick, there’s also:
- New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre welcomed a son, Rhys Edward, a little brother for Griffin Thomas. He and wife Barrett have a nice naming style;
- Soap stars Arianne Zucker & Kyle Lowder welcomed daughter Isabella.
Since I’m stuck indoors – when the news showcases the record-setting snow in the nation’s capital, that would be what has us housebound – I’ve started looking at the year-end stats early. It’s an interesting list. With a little bit of luck – or another foot or so of snow – I’ll post it just after Christmas.
That’s all for this week – as always, thanks for reading!
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Oliver Ziggy…. hmmm, food for thought… I really like it actually… (Ziggy Bear is too much like Huggy Bear for me), but just Ziggy is kinda fun and maybe even doable – or am I suffering from some kind of dementia with guests on the way, Christmas, baking, and last minute baby prep?
Dementia for sure. Remember the comic? http://www.gocomics.com/ziggy/
I know of (online) a little kid with Ziggy and a word that means “awe inspiring” in his name. He has another two middles also I believe. It grew on me big time. Being pregnant makes me susceptible to fascination with off the wall names. Must say “NO!” to Ziggy, must. ‘Tis hard.
I glossed over Tiana. Typed on autopilot. I’m so used to see Tiarna, Tianah and Tiarnah. Wow, it’s spelt correctly on an Aussie kid for a change!
I need to prise myself away from here.
Oliver Ziggy Bear is over the top, but I do like Ziggy. I think it’d make a great nickname, I’m just not sure for what.
I feel terrible for the classic namer with the three horribly named step-kids. Yikes. I don’t know what I’d do in her situation. She can’t give in!
Oh, and a boy named Fate Whisper? Wow, I mean, poor kid.
Hmm, I actually dig Satyana, nickname Sati, quite a bit. I think I will have to do a bit of research on her and maybe post about her in the future.
Unforntunately, I can see Neytiri catching on. I won’t be surprised if Tiana becomes a big hit within the next few years.
a) Sati reminds me of a book called Sati by 1980s YA horror writer, Christopher Pike. It was his first foray into Adult fiction.
b) I’ve seen Tiana around for a few years. Tiara, too. I’m not surprised o overwhelmed by Disney’s pick.
c) When it comes to ballets, the name I love (more so, this time of year) is Clara, from the nutcracker.
d) Can anyone be surprised that Nameberry’s readers are not fans of yooneek names? Really?
e) How did I skip Oliver Ziggy Bear?! Well, I really think that if parents want to call their children silly names, they should. AS NICKNAMES. Ethan is often called Smethan (it rhymes) and Smeetharoo, but stick it on his BC permanently? Never.
Tiana was originally Maddy. Laura Wattenberg wrote a thoughtful article on the choice here: BNW blog post on Tiana.
She wrote ” … in their scramble to honor African-American history Disney switched from a historically accurate African-American name to the complete opposite.”
As for the Nameberry poll re: yooneek names, no. No, I’m not surprised that Nameberry readers don’t like them. What did surprise me is how COMPLETELY they were trashed. I assumed some lurkers would hit the “I love ‘em” button. And I figured more readers would neutral. One comment suggested they be made illegal, which, to me, is a little much.)
I just saw Avatar and I sort of like Neytiri *^^*
As mummy (and Daddy) of Ollie Ziggy Bear….. we love it and never a child has been more loved. For those of you who don’t like it that is fine- I can’t stand the names Dylan or Michael but I would never dream of making personal remarks regarding those names being attached to indivdual children or calling them silly. If he doesn’t like it when he is older we will drop it, he just might love being an individual- also, I’m a teacher that has taught so many children in the past I wanted something unique and not attached to any negative memories. Relax people it suits him I can’t imagine him being called anything else…it got you talking and guess what… it’s memorable
Simone, EVERY child is the most loved ever. (And in the rare cases where that’s not true, it’s too sad for words.)
When I saw your comment, I couldn’t recall how Oliver Ziggy Bear fared, but I’d say he got a mostly positive response. (“Fabulously strange” means exactly that – exceptionally unusual, surprising.) AppMtn tends to be a site for those who appreciate unusual names, and that’s why I write.
But it’s also an online place, and there’s freedom to say things that we wouldn’t say to a neighbor or friend. Plenty of my favorites – even names that I’d bestow on my future children – get less-than-favorable responses. (Hester and Huxley come to mind.)
It’s the risk of naming your child an unusual name. Clio – when she isn’t being called Chloe – often earns a raised eyebrow. So please come back, and, when Michael finally becomes the Baby Name of the Day, feel free to give him the thumbs down.
If you’d like to suggest Ziggy, or hey, even Bear, for Baby Name of the Day, write into appmtn (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll be happy to oblige!
Ta for the reply- I actually really like the comment ” fabulously strange” I think that is exactly how to describe his name. I hope you don’t think I am angry about the comments- more interested but mildly annoyed at the capital letters. I guess this is exactly your point in that in whose opinion are names “silly”. I love individual names and can’t see why we don’t broaden the horizons when it comes to the naming departments. I actually wanted Siegfried or Wolfgang but so many people “pooh poohed” it that we changed to what we chose , a kind of modern version. Regarding the “most loved” comment a few people have said “he’s gonna hate you when you’re older” or think we did it to be somehow mean to our bub- not at all we just wanted it to be different …and it really does suit him
Exactly! I was born Amy in 1973. In the US, Amy was the second most popular name for girls born that year, right behind Jennifer. I hated having a common name. You really, really can’t win!