He’s a surname choice with playful literary associations, as well as a tie to engineering.
Thanks to Jen for suggesting Kipling as our Baby Name of the Day.
He’s a surname choice with playful literary associations, as well as a tie to engineering.
Thanks to Jen for suggesting Kipling as our Baby Name of the Day.
I was recently trailing a just-pregnant-enough-to-need-maternity-wear friend through the mall when I spotted a baby names book. Moth to a flame, I flipped through the pages.
And I was horrified. The definitions weren’t just wrong – there’s room to quibble about the origins of many names – they were absolutely uninformed. Cleo meant “Egyptian queen” as did Cleopatra. (Wrong.) Julie was listed as an American name, Juliet as Italian, and Juliette as French. One out of three is … pretty pathetic.
I stopped short of telling the clerk they really needed to stock Beyond Ava and Aiden. And I must say, I have a renewed sense of how hard it is for the non-name-obsessed to get good information.
Speaking of which, there was quite a lot of great conversation this week:
If you follow AppMtn on Facebook, you heard me shouting “Noooooo!” when David Schwimmer’s daughter’s name was announced last week. Even more strange? A New Zealand news site said this of Cleo Schwimmer: “After several weeks of bizarre celebrity baby names, it’s refreshing to find someone who has given their newborn the best chance of a normal life.”
H’okay. I’m not saying Cleo is especially weird, but it isn’t exactly Anne.
Speaking of celebrity names, Oprah inspired last week’s post at Nameberry. There’s no post here tomorrow thanks to the Memorial Day holiday, but my list at Nameberry is super-season appropriate and very much fun.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!
Want something more subtle than naming your daughter Diamond, less expected than calling her Claire? Here’s a culture-spanning appellation that might fit the bill.
Thanks to Sarah for suggesting Noor as our Baby Name of the Day.
She skyrocketed from obscurity to the #1 spot in the US.
Thanks to Kelly for this suggestion. With a happy birthday to Nameberry co-founder Linda Rosenkrantz, our baby name of the day is Linda.
He’s a medieval knight and a 21st century sidekick.
Thanks to Shan for suggesting Gareth as our Baby Name of the Day.
His twin brother’s name has been on top since 1999. So why is Esau an also-ran?
Thanks to Christina for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
So this is what it feels like!
David Schwimmer and wife Zoe Buckman have welcomed a daughter named Cleo Buckman Schwimmer. Long-time readers know that I have a daughter called Clio, though she has a longer formal name.
Yes, she’s been called Chloe more times than I can count, but I’ve always been really pleased with her names. When someone suggests Cleo/Clio on message boards, I’m secretly thrilled.
No, it isn’t like Tori Spelling used the name for her third, or the Jolie-Pitts just announced that they’re adopting a surprise seventh kiddo and this is her name. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen David Schwimmer in the media lately, and it has all been about his impending fatherhood.
On the one hand, I don’t think Clio will be asked if she was named after “the daughter of that guy who used to be on Friends.” And yet, I’d rather no starbabies shared my daughter’s name.
I now understand how every parent of a Seraphina, Shiloh, Endellion, Pilot, Bristol, Flynn, Honor or Hayes feels: slightly ahead of the curve, but secretly wishing the rich and famous had looked elsewhere!
She’s a Roman matron with a modern vibe.
Thanks to Casie for suggesting Livia as our Baby Name of the Day.
After the one-two punch of Mariah Carey’s twins and the release of the US Top 1000, May is finally settling down.
There was just the one starbaby birth announcement this week: Marion Cotillard welcomed a son, Marcel. How impeccably French.
Last week’s Nameberry post was a Hollywood-inspired review of Norse mythology names. My new favorite? Definitely Embla. This week’s post is inspired by none other than Oprah Winfrey. You can read it here tomorrow.
That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading and have a great week.
He’s an upbeat surname option with a certain amount of edge.
Thanks to Lemon and Emily for suggesting Rafferty as our Baby Name of the Day.