Baby Name of the Day: Tracy

Is it a boys’ name appropriated by girls?  A diminutive for the saintly Theresa?  Or a gem from Hollywood’s Golden Age?

Thanks to One Saucy Dish for suggesting the terribly misunderstood Tracy as Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Chester

Has a Cheeto-chomping cheetah claimed this name, or could he be the next big retro revival for boys?

Thanks to Stephanie for suggesting the jazzy Chester as Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Tabitha

She’s a Biblical babe revived by a pint-sized television witch, and more recently, a tough-as-nails hair stylist.

Thanks to Danielle for suggesting the intriguing Tabitha as Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Bridger

If kids can be Brooklyn and River, why not this one?

Thanks to Urban Angel for suggesting Bridger as Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 7/18/10

Unless I’m missing it, there isn’t a big time celeb birth anticipated this summer.  Without choices like Knox and Apple to discuss, a few sites have been focusing on the lame (their word, not mine) baby names some celebs give their kiddos.  Though by lame, they mostly mean kids named after their parents, like little Cristiano Ronaldo, named after his soccer-playing-papa Cristiano Ronaldo.

Here’s an intriguing celeb(ish) sibset: Tucker, Haven, and Clancy – the younger two are girls, the firstborn is a boy.  They’re Lisa Whelchel’s three kids.  Yup, Lisa WhelchelBlair from The Facts of Life, a sitcom I loved so much that I can still sing the theme song.  Whelchel’s long since quit the stage to raise a family and manage a Christian ministry focused on moms.  She mentioned daughter Clancy in an interview for her new book and I was intrigued.   I always find it refreshing to find a former child star who seems truly happy and well-adjusted.

Elsewhere online:

  • I came across a mommy blogger with three boys called Zack, Zander and Zaden.  I’m not linking to her because, well, I suspect you all might find it a bit zany.  Me?  I’ve been wondering what she could call a fourth son;
  • For Real Baby Names spotted a Lestat and a Nikayla in Iowa.  Nikayla feels like an inevitable mash-up of Nicole and Makayla.  And I assume little Lestat is dressing as a vampire for his first Halloween;
  • For Real also found a Bastion Nikolai in Alaska.  Bastion should win some sort of an award.  He bridges the softer sound of Sebastian and the uber-masculine vibe of Cannon and Gunner.  A bastion is a fortification, but with his implications of protection, he’s almost a virtue name, too;
  • And from the Huey, Dewey and Louie school, there’s a Jakely and a Blakely in Oklahoma.  Okay, they’re not related;
  • Here’s another interesting one, this time at Swistle: Aidrick, an alternative to Aidan;
  • Nancy spotted a wild acronym name: Ktyal.  No clue on how they’re pronouncing it.  I keep wanting to say kay tal, but isn’t that awfully close to the Spanish for what’s up? – ¿Qué tal?;
  • Babble’s been running some not-so-nice baby name riffs.  The most recent is on Bryn, as in the name chosen by Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel for her daughter;
  • And lastly, is John gone? A Nameberry post examines the question.

In starbaby news:

On another note, Lurker Week was a smash hit.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a new name for consideration.  I’ve broken my usual rule about how far in advance I’ll calendar requests, so we’ll be hearing suggestions from new voices well into October!

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading!

Reader Baby Name Story: A Botancial, Literary Choice

Today’s story comes to us from Elisabeth.  It’s a great example of how you can know exactly what you want – but it might still take a little work to find it!

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Baby Name of the Day: Valentina

Christina had her moment in the 80s.  Valentine shows up every February 14.  But how ’bout this elegant choice?

Thanks to Mary for suggesting Valentina as Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Rhiannon

She conjures up images of medieval princesses, but today’s choice is really a child of the 70s.

Thanks to Maja for suggesting Rhiannon as Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Winslow

Today’s choice has never made the US Top 1000, but he has an undeniable place in American history.

Thanks to Ashley for suggesting Winslow as Baby Name of the Day.

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Guest Post at Nameberry: Spy Girls

Confession: I love James Bond.  Not the character, exactly – more the universe.  Back in undergrad, I dissed the superspy to a (male) classmate, who insisted I’d never really seen the movies.  He was right.

One Bond marathon later, I was hooked.

So when I researched the Baby Name of the Day post for Vesper, I was impressed that Ian Fleming based Vesper Lynd on real-life spy Krystyna Skarbek.  I’ve been collecting names of female spies ever since, and you can see my collection in a guest post at Nameberry today.

The list could be longer, but for simplicity’s sake, it’s limited to the women of World War II – and I’m sure I’ve missed more than a few.

Thanks to Linda and Pam, as always.  Please stop by and check it out!