Baby Name of the Day: Arabella

Arabella Churchill

Arabella Churchill; Image via Wikipedia

Nicole requested this frilly, feminine confection ages ago – and she’s very much in the news this week.

With congratulations to Ivanka and Jared, today’s Baby Name of the Day is Arabella.

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Baby Name of the Day: Bethany

Bethany

Bethany; Image by See The Holy Land via Flickr

She’s a Biblical village, and a reality superstar.

Thanks to Clio for suggesting Bethany as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Jehosaphat

Great Jumpin' Jehosaphat!

Image by tim ellis via Flickr

Elijah and Isaiah are Top 100 choices, and they help make other Old Testament names sound wearable.  But is this name of a King of Judah too much of a leap?

Thanks to Claire for suggesting Jehosaphat as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Merrilees

Coat of arms of Scotland.

Coat of Arms of Scotland; Image via Wikipedia

At first glance, she seems invented – maybe even misspelled.  But she’s actually an obscure Scottish option.

Thanks to EK for suggesting the intriguing Merrilees as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Avery

Murphy Brown

Image via Wikipedia

He’s a famous fictional newscaster’s mother – and son.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Avery as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 7/17/11

Go 17

Image via Wikipedia

What a week!  First there was Harper Seven Beckham, and chatter galore about the name.  (Mainstream sites dismissed Harper as weird, while we name fans more accurately pegged Harper as far more ordinary than her brothers’ names.)  Then Kate Hudson, mom to Ryder Russell Robinson, welcomed a son she’s calling Bing, short for Bingham Hawn Bellamy.  So very exciting, and both sets of parents were kind enough to reveal their thinking, too.

Elsewhere online:

  • Nancy explores baby names inspired by the Spanish-American War.  I know a little Maceo – great name!
  • I’ve come across this sibet before, but if you haven’t, check out Mer de Noms post about the Taylor family – Columbus, Cassius, Eloise, and Estella;
  • ForReal spotted a Syndle.  Is it another spin on the ever-so-rare Cindal?
  • Are you following Nook’s series on Harry Potter names?  She mentioned two minor characters with great names hereOrion and Hesper;
  • Bewitching has been profiling Harry Potter names, too.  Loved this post on Firenze;
  • Mer de Noms also translated some popular nature names into French, with appealing results: Lis, Laurier, Vrai;
  • In her Friday digest, Elea at British Baby Names mentioned the cluster of boys named Doctor in the nineteenth century – and at least one girl named Doctoressa.  Interesting;
  • Nancy’s list of top baby name debuts in fascinating;
  • Niki was kind enough to share this map: Most Popular Names by European Country.  I’m not certain about the data set, but it is worth a look;
  • Big debuts at Nymbler in June were Aleph (no surprise), Tyla, and Suomi.  My head whipped around at that last one.  Suomi is Finnish for Finland – and seems like an implausible baby name, no matter how popular Finn might become.

For last week’s Nameberry post, I wrote about the workaday identities of superheroines.  They’ve worn some great names when they’re not in their capes and tights – Natasha, Kitty, Tandy, Tessa, Selina.  Tomorrow’s post is another one for the girls, but with far more exotic appellations on deck.

Let’s end where we started, with just a few more tidbits from the rich and famous:

  • Maternity concierge and reality TV star Rosie Pope’s boys are called J.R. and Wells, short for James and Wellington.  I’m intrigued by Wells and Wellington – I wonder if Rosie has a story about choosing those names?
  • Have you read this commentary regarding Natalie Portman‘s choice of Aleph for her firstborn?  It’s from Deborah Kolben, editor of Kveller.com, a parenting website and resource for Jewish parents;
  • There was lots of talk about the name Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr chose for their son, Flynn, but Kerr recently revealed that Flynn’s middle is equally meaningful – Christopher, after her high school boyfriend who was killed in a car accident;
  • Jewel and husband Ty Murray welcomed son Kase Townes Murray.  I don’t love Kase, but if your dad is a professional bull rider, it seems appropriate.  And he’s definitely one of those little cowboy names that is quite popular these days.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!

Baby Name of the Day: Lawrie

Cropped screenshot of Peter O'Toole from the t...

Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia; Image via Wikipedia

Boys answer to Jamie and Robbie.  Why not this diminutive form of an enduring classic?

Thanks to Emily for suggesting Lawrie as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Starbaby News: Welcome Bingham!

Cropped screenshot of Bing Crosby from the tra...

Image via Wikipedia

Kate Hudson has settled on a name for baby boy Bellamy!  She and boyfriend Matthew have named their little guy Bingham Hawn Bellamy, and US Magazine reports that they plan to call him Bing.

Bing’s big brother is Ryder Russell Robinson.  Ryder and Bing – they’re a matched pair, both quirky and novel but not completely out there.  Bing makes me think of the search engine, but on a better note, legendary crooner Bing Crosby.  Bingham is also a place name in England, and has inspired plenty of other place names in the US and even a crater on the moon.

My take on Bingham?  I love it for Kate Hudson, but a jazzy name like Bing Bellamy might an awful lot to wear for a non-celeb kid.

Congratulations to Kate and her family!

 

Baby Name of the Day: Citlali

Mask of Tlaloc, nahua god of the rain (Nationa...

Mask of Tlaloc, Nahua God of the Rain; Image via Wikipedia

There’s Luna and Stella.  Skylar and Haley, too.  How would this celestial appellation wear on a child?

Thanks to Claire for suggesting Citlali as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Aveline

Corylus avellana flowers

Corylus avellana flowers; Image via Wikipedia

Depending on your perspective, she’s either a nouveau spin on current favorites, or a medieval rarity prime for a comeback.

Thanks to Kayleigh for suggesting Aveline as our Baby Name of the Day.

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