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A modern-day fairytale about a girl with a pig’s snout seems like strange inspiration for a baby name, but the Christina Ricci film is only one piece of this name’s rise in popularity.
Our Baby Name of the Day is Penelope. Continue reading
With the Academy Awards just two days away, I find myself dreaming of Oscar.
Not the statue. The name, of course.
Between the fuzzy green grouch on Sesame Street and the first name of baloney, you might think that Oscar has fallen far out of vogue. On the contrary, Oscar has never dropped out of the Top 250 names for boys in the US, and is climbing the charts today.
If girls born on December 25 are christened Holly and boys arriving on March 17th known as Patrick, why is that Valentine remains an obscure choice for both genders?
Sure, the name conjures up pink teddy bears and big sales at Victoria’s Secret, heart-shaped chocolates and cupid-themed Pez dispensers.
But it’s also an ancient name, with the appealing meaning “healthy, strong” and a saint who is patron to bee keepers, travelers and young children, as well as those in love.
Today we turn the spotlight on two truly phabulous names: Phoebe and Daphne.
They’ve never gotten their day in the sun. Arguably, the most phamous (okay, I’ll stop) famous Phoebe is the quirky Friend Phoebe Buffay; the best known Daphne may be the pretty Daphne Blake from Scooby Doo. More sidekicks or comic relief than heroines in their own right, these two are poised to step into the spotlight on their own merits.
Ever get the feeling that other parents are chucking their baby names books in favor of the atlas?
You’re not wrong. It’s tough to take an official count – are any of those little girl Madisons, for example, named after the town in Wisconsin? – but places both exotic and familiar are popping up on the charts these days.
So today, we’ll turn the spotlight on two all-American choices: Alabama and Indiana. Continue reading
The German language has given us some rather harsh, if very useful, words and phrases: schadenfreude, gesundheit, zeitgeist. Of course, it’s also given us a lovely and wildly popular name for girls, Emma.
And while Helga isn’t likely to crack the Top 10, there are two appealing German imports that just might race up the popularity charts: Lorelei and Anneliese.
Let’s suppose that you’re expecting a new baby girl in 2008, and you’ve always liked Sophia. But you’ve just learned that Sophia cracked the Top 10 last year, and shows no signs of slowing down. If you call your new little dear by this pretty and meaningful name, she may very well be one of three Sophias in her kindergarten.
What’s an expectant parent to do?
There are several possible alternatives to the graceful, smart Sophia, and today I’d like to suggest that you take a good, hard look at Fiona.
