Yesterday morning was The Great Magruder Park Egg Hunt in our town. The kids were there for candy; I was there to listen for names: Jonah, Nora, Dorothy, Caroline, Clara, Seamus, Ellis, a pair of Abigails, Zora, Micah, Carsten, Jackson. There was also a mom toting an Orla Kiely bag, but I seem to recall that her kids’ names aren’t quite as surprising.
Speaking of Orla and surprises, here’s a new one: I wrote about Orla a few days ago. The post felt familiar, but that happens sometimes. This has never happened: I’d actually written an entire Orla post in September 2008. It’s pretty much the same … except not.
In other news:
- We all know about Miley Cyrus’ impact on baby naming, with her nickname-turned-legal-name-turned-name-for-babies-everywhere. But Hannah was already a hit when she took to the small screen. Now she’ll be in theaters as Veronica, called Ronnie in The Last Song. Ronald is in fashion limbo for boys, but maybe we’ll be meeting a whole bunch of little girls named Ronnie, sisters to all those girls named Charlie.
- Right on schedule, Nameberry has a post on boyish nickname names for girls.
- For Real has spotted a Boe Amelia. Is that two syllables, like Zoe and David Bowie? Or a feminine version of Beau/Bo? I find it strangely appealing as a single-syllable name, but I just can’t guess.
- Galaxie Nirvana, on the other hand … let’s just say it seems perfectly reasonable to see it listed by For Real. Ditto Harlaquinn Isabelle.
- Down in North Carolina, there’s a baby boy saddled with the name Laettner Keanu Locklear. Laettner because dad’s a Duke alum and hoops fan; Keanu because mom got to choose the middle. It’s a daffy combination, but not the daffiest.
- Just in time for Easter, babynamelover reports a Pascale Lily Louise.
- Are there more girls out there named Temperance than I would’ve guessed? And is it all abut Bones? I just stumbled across another blog – Brooke is mom to Temperance, with another daughter on the way. Can’t wait to hear what they name her!
- I love it when parents set out to choose an unusual name and manage to actually pull it off, instead of just re-spelling Emily. This week’s Parent Central Canada profile of new baby Idris Eaton, nicknamed Eider, is exactly that – a blend of family names and personal experiences that makes for an intriguing appellation.
- Nancy picked up a great story about a Ghanaian man who immigrated to Italy, had a baby boy and named him Silvio, after the Italian prime minister.
- Far more original than Brooklyn, Nameberry has a list of New York street names, including Crosby, Delancey, Waverly, Hester and Minetta.
- The average Lithuanian baby name might not import to the US very well, but I’m intrigued by this one from Legit Babe Names: Dautara.
- Down in Tuscaloosa, a group of locals put together a book commemorating the now-closed Sarah A. Jarman Memorial Hospital’s maternity ward, including a list of babies born there. This set of triplets from 1936 caught my eye: Lelia Juanita, Loretta May, and Louise Ellen.
In starbaby news, all via Celebrity Baby Blog:
- Did you know that all three of Jamie and Jools Oliver’s flower power daughters have three names apiece? The girls are Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, and Petal Blossom Rainbow. With a fourth on the way, I wonder how they’ll round out their bouquet.
- The Early Show’s Erica Hill welcomed a son, Sawyer Steven, a brother for Weston Robert.
- Oliver Hudson’s son is called Bodhi Hawn, a little brother for Wilder Brooks. Grandma Goldie Hawn (that still sounds weird) had announced his birth, but it took a few days for the name to be released.
Think it is weird to name your kid Kimora? Nancy tells us that back in the 1930s and 40s, at least a few dozen parents named their kids in honor of Kay Kyser, bandleader and radio host. Kyser responded by sending out a commemorative gift. Hmmm … if I named my daughter Orla, would I be able to snag one of those bags?
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading!
I don’t think I’d be that upset to see Veronica make a comeback. There’s something so voluptuous and sultry about the name. I’ve always loved it. Miley, however, can head on down the chart to nowheresville, imo.
I posted a question on Y!A about NY themed names a few months ago, before we’d picked a mn for Sam. I didn’t get anything as appealing as what Nameberry found. I’m glad I didn’t do a NY name, though, because being a former New Yorker, there’s always the chance I’ll live there again someday, and it would just sound weird to call my son Hudson in the city on the Hudson River. My dog is Brooklyn and I always get weird looks when I call her name on the streets of Prospect Heights (my parents’ neighborhood in Brooklyn).
Interesting post, as usual.
first post! it’s interesting to hear about temperance, still seems a little too much for me personally and yes i would automatically think of bones! and i love veronica and seriously hope that it doesn’t go the way of miley, i’m not sure that it would but you just never know
I must be honest, the name Cyrus lately has been intriguing me lately and it wasn’t Miley or her father that did it for me. I was reading my Bible the one day and there was a King Cyrus in it & I found it fascinating. I really do like the sound of Cyrus & it has such an interest history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_%28name%29
I think it might be because I like ‘s’ sounds & the name has it
Dautara sounds so familiar… was that a character in the movie Drive Me Crazy… or maybe it was De Vine’s screen name?
I can’t believe Jamie Oliver’s girls have three names apiece! I love the whimsy of their names, and I think if anyone can pull them off, it’s his kids. I might just be saying that because I love him, though… I’d probably not like the names if I didn’t like him. Anyway, I believe I heard their next baby is a boy… but I’m not sure. I hope it is, I’d love to see what they’d pick for a boy!
Pascale Lily Louis is so pretty. I love how it has an Easter theme without being too obvious. At least in the States, I doubt most American parents would catch on that Pascale means Easter in French.
I too wouldn’t mind to see a Veronica comeback. It makes me think of someone sweet yet sultry, like Veronica Lake.
My guess is that Boe is pronounced Bo.
Perfectly reasonable, huh?
That’s funny about Orla because as I read the post it felt really familiar to me too. I couldn’t figure out why… Now I know!
It happens to the best of us. I mean, the best of us that have blogs about names. Yup.