A violent television series put this gentle nature name on the map.
Thanks to Danielle for suggesting Meadow as Baby Name of the Day.
The world met Meadow Mariangela Soprano in 1999, when she was the teenaged daughter of fictional mobster-in-therapy Tony Soprano. Growing up Soprano was no easy path. Sure, she drove a Lexus. But one of her boyfriends met an untimely end thanks to daddy dearest. Still, Med graduated from Columbia, so as mobster sprog go, she ended pretty well.
There may’ve been 1960s era Meadows at Woodstock with Sunbeam and Maple, but not enough to register in the US Top 1000. Meadow’s debut was in 2001, at #804. She made in into the 760s a few times during The Sopranos’ run, but had fallen to #864 by 2009.
But Meadow ought to fare better in the age of River, Lily and Skye. She’s a bona fide nature name with Old English roots. Mædwe referred to grass-covered land; a prairie. (Speaking of Prairie, a word with the same meaning from the Latin pratum, that’s another nature name that’s even less often heard, except for one minor Muppet and a Thomas Pynchon character.)
One bearer of the name is Meadow Sisto, sister to veteran television actor Jeremy Sisto, of Law and Order and Six Feet Under. I can’t say if their parents were hippies, but multiple biographies tell us that they were farmers.
Meadow does appear sparingly in US Census records, used for both men and women, perhaps because Meadows remains a fairly common surname.
The same parents embracing Harper and Piper for their frills-free, yet feminine, might fall in love with Meadow. And now that Willow, propelled into use by a television witch and Hollywood royalty, has reached #315 and shows no signs of slowing down, Meadow could emerge as an alternative.
Unlike some meteorological nature names – Misty and Stormy spring to mind – there’s nothing lightweight about Meadow. She’s not a classic like Margaret, but she doesn’t seem as outlandish as many an appellation.
Perhaps parents dislike the short form Med, but it is no more of a hazard than Pi or Har. Of course if you really craved a nickname, you might arrive at Maddie or Mimi, though both are a stretch.
Meadow occupies a nice middle ground – like many word names, she’s familiar and easy to spell, but your child will never answer to Meadow G. Her nickname-proof style will appeal to many, as will her crunchy granola vibe.
It is possible, of course, that you’ll be asked if you named her after Tony and Carmela’s kid. But as the series fades into the background, chances of that happening are slim. The only real challenge is that Hollywood might yet embrace Meadow, a sibling for Sparrow and Violet and all of those baby Harpers born of late.
But lightning can strike with any name, so for now, file Meadow with those modern choices that manage to be both distinctive and easy-to-wear.
I have never seen a single episode of The Sopranos. I don’t know why, but I kind of love Meadow.
Forgot to check the notify box. Don’t mind me.
I love Meadow too. I’d never use it, but I think its such a cool name. Despite the Soprano’s association.
I heard somewhere that “The Fast and the Furious” actor Paul Walker named his daughter Meadow… My opinion of his acting aside, at least his daughter has a pretty name.
I do wonder if she took daddy’s surname… hmm…
The Wikipedia article on Paul Walker gives his daughter’s name as Meadow Rain!
That’s bizarre- someone my sister works with has a daughter named Meadow Rain. She also has a son, Oak Oliver (I guess they really like nature)
Funny trivia. The character on the sopranos had a different name until my sister auditioned for it. She didn’t get the part but apparently her name did.
It’s not a bad name and if I can separate the name from it’s hippie vibe, I kind of like the idea of Meadow. However, in my accent it sounds like an acronym for a HMO or a pharmaceutical.
“My Med-O co-pay is outrageous!”
I think it seems pretty fluffy, a better name for a pet rabbit than a person.
I suppose if I was really desperate to pay tribute to my maiden name — a clunky German appellation that my dad says translates to “thick meadow” — I might consider Meadow in a middle spot. However, since I have many wonderful people in my life well-deserving namesakes, I think I’ll give Meadow and her hippie vibes a miss.
I don’t associate it with the Sopranos because I’ve never watched it. I do have a big thing for nature names, and I love the imagery of Meadow. It’s a very appealing name to me and I’ve liked it ever since I first heard it.
Thanks for featuring, by the way! I love learning more about names I like!
Hmmm…my mum always used to refer to cow dung as ‘meadow muffins’…i.e’ “don’t step on any meadow muffins when you go out into the field!”.
So because of that, the name is completely spoiled for me!! I don’t know if that’s a common phrase or just something my mum came up with.
Meadow does remind me of the Sopranos. That was the first time I considered the name. I thought it was clunky. It grew on me a little, but I still don’t love it. Still, the picture in my mind when I hear Meadow is quite lovely. I will throw out a couple alternative nicknames though… Mea (like Mia), Doe, and for those who dig the boy-nn-on-a-girl vibe: Mo and Ed/Eddie.
I so fall under the selected audience. Lily, River, Skye, Piper & Willow are all names that I’d seriously consider . ( If I’ve liked a name a lot for 5 years, I put it on my ‘realistic possibilities’ list and these fulfill the criteria). While I do like the sound and it flows beautifully off the tongue, since it has such a soft and melodic sound/vibe (to my ears), it isn’t for me. Maybe as a middle name? I do like it a lot, but it isn’t for me.It’d be brilliant on someone Else’s kid.
Regarding the Sopranos, I never watched that show and it’s been over for years. By the time I have kids (if I have them when I want to), then that show would be over for probably over a decade. I think for a lot of people, they know OF a show, but they don’t really know the characters. Example, I know of Cheers, but I couldn’t name a character to save my life
I think its two far out from Poppy, Lily, Violet, Willow and the like still. There’s hippyish and then theres la la land over the rainbow
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