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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.

2006′s Penelope wasn’t exactly a smash hit for Ricci, rookie producer Reese Witherspoon and leading man James McAvoy, but the film’s otherworldly, fable-in-real-life vibe attracted a following.

The film masqueraded as a love story, but Penelope didn’t just fall for a handsome fella; she went on a voyage of self-discovery: Penelope learns to love her schnoz, and her prince loves her not in spite of the nose, but because of the courage she shows in facing up to her fate.

The original Penelope was the faithful wife of Odysseus.  Despite his twenty years’ globe-spanning adventures, she remained constant – and clever.  When suitors gathered to win her hand, she put them off by claiming she’d wed only when she’d completed a piece of weaving. The trick? Miss P. was unweaving the work completed by day every night.  All ends well – she put off her would-be pursuers until Odysseus could return home and prove his identity.

She’d fallen out of favor, barely appearing in the US Top 1000 in the nineteenth century.  And yet the name has spent much of its long history in obscurity, at least in the US.  In 1880, Penelope ranked just #917. (That makes her as common as the seldom-heard Bulah, Dosha, or Icy.)

The name dipped in and out of the Top 1000 until 1935, when she began a steady climb, peaking at #272 in 1947 – the same year Gail Russel’s Penelope Worth nursed John Wayne’s Quirt Evans back to health – and to the side of goodness and right – in the Western Angel and the Badman.

Other twentieth century Penelopes include:

• In 1909, W. Somerset Maugham’s play Penelope;
• In 1966, Natalie Wood played another big screen Penelope, a banker’s wife who robs banks;
• The nameless cat pursued by Pepe Le Pew in the Looney Tunes cartoons? She’s actually Penelope, too.

There’s also Penelope Pitstop, a member of the Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races gang who went on to get her own show in 1969.  Miss Pitstop was part damsel-in-distress, part-Jane Bond, as she usually did her own rescuing.

Penelope peaked at #267 in 1942, but fell out of favor, leaving the rankings by 1976.  Then came 2001.  Spanish actress Penelope Cruz gained fame stateside around the same year, appearing in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Blow and Vanilla Sky.  Now that’s she won an Academy Award (for her turn in Vicky Cristina Barcelona), the name has true silver screen luster.

Since 2001, the name has leap-frogged up the charts, gaining nearly 500 places to land at #481 in 2006 and reach an all-time high of #252 in 2009.  It’s been a quick climb, reminiscent of Isabella or Madeline.

The name has much to recommend it. It is undeniably classic, with a long history of use. Like Madeline, it is feminine without being frilly. And it shortens to the peppy Penny, or the elegant Nell. You could also derive Polly from Penelope, adding another nickname option to the list.

If you’re looking for a name for your daughter, Penelope is a strong choice. But proceed with caution – it might also be an increasingly popular one.

This post originally ran on March 9, 2008.  A substantial revision was posted in August 2010 as part of rerun week.  A special thanks to Fran for suggesting this one!

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.

We at ApMtn expected different.  When we pulled up the name’s stats, we fully expected Oscar to drop sharply in use around the time Sesame Street debuted.

Not so. In 1969, when the show was first broadcast in a one-week test on Philadelpha’s PBS affiliate, Oscar ranked #229. Five years later, when the show was solidly established, Oscar stood at #190.

Today, Oscar is positively popular at #118. That’s more than 3,500 baby Oscars born in 2006.

Colton, Levi, Brody, Micah, Oliver, Peter, Edward and George are all less frequently used. Perhaps it is time to dust off Oscar for your newest addition.

Besides the processed meat products and the muppet, Oscar has also been worn by:

• Kings of Sweden
• Athletes – think Oscar de la Hoya and early NBA star Oscar Robertson
• Heroes – Remember Schindler’s List? The German industrialist responsible for sheltering more than 1,000 Jews during the Nazi era was born Oskar Schindler. Human rights activist and advocate for the poor, martyred Roman Catholic priest and Archbishop of San Salvador Oscar Romero is another notable bearer of the name.
• Fashionistas – Oscar de la Renta is a legend in design.
• Rebels – Literary giant Oscar Wilde lends the name considerable artistic flair.

But perhaps the best case for Oscar’s continued popularity is the name’s roots in Irish mythology.  A warrior, and son of the fairy Niamh and warrior-poet Oisin, Oscar is a noble figure.

With once-favored Celtic choices like Ryan, Connor and Aiden worn out, Oscar stands as a surprising alternative.

Adding to Oscar’s allure is that great “O” at the top of the name. It’s helped push Olivia to the top of the popularity charts, and gives this name a very current feel.

Sure, when your kid tantrums, you’ll inevitably think of him as green, furry and living out of a garbage can.  But on balance, Oscar is a strong choice for a son – masculine but creative, quirky and classic at the same time.

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.

Valentin is in use in Russian, French and a host of Slavic and Scandinavian countries, and ranked #911 for boys in the US in 2006. The Italian version, Valentino, came in at #967. Valery and Valeri are also popular variants elsewhere on the map, though not in the US.

The related name Valerie was once all the rage, back in the 1950s and 60s. The Monkees had a top ten hit with Valleri in 1968. Today, it is still in steady use, charting at #127. The more dramatic Valeria ranks #90.

The historical Saint Valentine is an obscure figure, and his link to romance is vague at best. Valentine almost certainly lived and was martyred in the third century, but the Feburary 14th holiday is a relatively modern invention. Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with linking the saint with true love, in an era when courtly love was as much an obsession as reality TV is today.

Regardless of the holiday’s origins, it must be said that it falls at a moment in the calendar when many of us could use a little love – the coldest, grayest month of the year.

So if your bundle of joy arrives the same week as a flurry of red foil-wrapped candy and conversation hearts, perhaps Valentine offers an interesting naming choice for a daring parent.

Or, better yet, Valentine makes a great middle name substitute for parents weary of Katherine and Elizabeth, but not bold enough to choose Blue or Romilly.

Now we’re off to open our love letters and do something about those dozens of bouquets piling up in the foyer here at ApMtn. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day!

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.

Phoebe is about as ancient as a name can be. One Phoebe was a Greek Titan; another was a daughter of the sun god. She’s lent her name to a plant and a bird. Shakespeare used Phoebe for a character in As You Like It. There’s a Phoebe in the Bible and a moon called Phoebe orbiting Saturn. And, of course, the actor Phoebe Cates starred in Gremlins.

Better still, the name has never been white hot. In fact, it dropped out of the Top 1000 for most of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

The result is a name that is familiar, but not at all common.  That stands to change, however.  Phoebe ranked #366 in 2006.  It’s still not Madison, but it’s no longer obscure, either.

Daphne has never dropped out of use as completely as Phoebe, but neither is enjoying such a renaissance.

She, too, has roots in Greek mythology.  Remember the story of Apollo being hit by Cupid’s arrow?  Daphne was his object of affection.  (She slipped his grip only by turning into a laurel tree.)  The story is the subject of a Richard Strauss opera.  She’s lent her name to an asteroid and a group of plants.

It’s a musical name, too.  Jazz guitar great Django Reinhardt wrote a spirited little piece of music called Daphne, and the Smashing Pumpkins recorded Daphne Descends on their 1998 album Adore.

And, of course, actor Daphne Zuniga played Jo Reynolds, resident of Melrose Place for four seasons.

If you’re searching for something familiar but obscure, Daphne might just fit the bill. Though the name has been used pretty consistently since the 1880s, the highest it ever ranked was #266, and that was wayback in 1962.  In 2006, a mere 473 girls were named Daphne, ranking it just #606.

So there you have it – two truly phantastic (sorry, couldn’t resist!) choices to consider.

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.Both names have much to recommend them. They’re familiar but not overused, and shorten to the appealing and simple nicknames Indy and Aly, or perhaps, Ana and Bama.

And before you dismiss them as new innovations, baby name guru Laura Wattenberg is quick to point out that back in the Victorian era, the following states’ names were all used for little girls: Tennesse, Florida, Arizona, Missouri and, yes, Indiana. To read more about names from the 1890s, check out the full post on her blog.

Alabama has plenty of starbaby flair. Actor Drea de Matteo and country star Shooter Jennings called their daughter Alabama Gypsyrose; former Miss USA Shanna Moakler and rocker Travis Barker are parents to Alabama Luella.

And before the starbabies made their debuts, Quention Tarantino’s 1993 film True Romance featured a character of the same name. (Patricia Arquette played that particular Alabama, starring opposite Christian Slater as unlikely tough-guy Clarence.)

It’s a state, of course, but the state bears the name of a Native American tribe. In turn, the state has given its name to country music group Alabama. And, of course, the megahit Sweet Home Alabama was recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The result is a name that is sweet and feminine, though perhaps a bit Southern-fried. It could come across as spirited and unusual – a fresher version of Georgia. Yet this choice seems less than sophisticated. It’s not quite calling your child Chardonnay, but it isn’t Elizabeth, either.

While Alabama is quite clearly reserved for girls, Indiana seems to be one of the few truly gender neutral names.

It’s also, of course, the 19th state and the nickname of college professor and adrenaline-junkie archeologist Henry Jones. With the fourth installment in the successful franchise set to hit theaters in May 2008, this name might be poised for a surge.

Indiana is a starbaby choice, too – Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix called their firstborn son Indiana August.  (Summer’s brother, the late River Phoenix, played the young Indiana Jones in the 1989 blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.)

Somehow, Indiana feels like a more substantial choice than Alabama. Perhaps its because of Dr. Jones’ enduring appeal, but there’s also something vaguely international about this Hoosier state appellation.

If we’re looking at a globe, there’s an Indiana in Sao Paulo, Brazil – derived not from the English word for Indian, but from an extinct language once widely spoken in the region.

But the most surprising revelation about Indiana is that it has some serious literary cred. George Sand (born Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin!) wrote a novel in 1831 titled – you guessed it – Indiana.

In the story, Indiana was the heroine and she hailed not from the U.S. of A., but from Reunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. Indiana’s love life is something of a train wreck, but the early use of this moniker for a literary heroine doubtless lends it a bit of cachet.

So if you’re scanning the atlas and want to go farther than Georgia, consider these two place names with more than their share of style:  Indiana and Alabama.

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.

Until recently, Lorelei was seldom heard on these shores. It wasn’t unfamiliar, exactly – the myth of Lorelei appears throughout poetry and music. The stories vary, but the gist is this: disappointed by a faithless lover, Lorelei leaps to her death from a large rock, from which she now lures sailors to their deaths. Lorelei translates to “murmuring rock,” but perhaps – at least in pop culture terms – it has come to mean siren. It was the name chosen for Marilyn Munroe’s femme fatale character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. (Incidentally, in the movie Lorelei married a Gus.)

Then came The Gilmore Girls, back in 2000. The show used the variant spelling Lorelai for not one, but three characters – the mother/daughter duo and a grandmother. The daughter was known as Rory; the matriarch as Trix.

The name failed to crack the Top 1000 during the show’s early years, but it gained momentum. As of 2006, the original version – Lorelei – charted at #784. Lorelai was #989.

Given the enduring popularity of Laura and Lauren, it is safe to say that we’ll hear more of this name in coming years.

With Annabelle gaining in popularity (#206 last year, not counting Annabel and Anabelle), it’s no surprise that Anneliese is attracting attention.  It’s pretty and classic, but not at all expected.

While the three-syllable AH neh LEES is a valid pronunciation, the mellifluous ah neh LEE zuh seems to be the preferred version.  In fact, Annalisa is a Scandinavian variant, and perhaps one that circumvents pronunciation problems.

The name charted at 917 in 2005, but disappeared from the Top 1000 the following year.  However, young actor Anneliese van der Pol of the Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven kept the name in the spotlight.  On a more sinister note, Anneliese Michel is the woman whose real life sufferings inspired the recent film The Exorcism of Emily Rose.  While that may be a troubling connotation, it’s not necessarily death for a baby name.  Regan first appeared in the Top 1000 in 1974 – the year after The Exorcist terrified moviegoers with a similar tale.
Both names remain interesting, underused choices if there’s a new fraulein in your future.

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.

The name conjures up the British Isles.  It’s a Celtic import, thought to mean “fair.”  But the name has pop culture legs.  It’s the given name of songstress Fiona Apple.  She’s a character of divided loyalties in the Lemony Snicket books.  And, of course, Fiona is also the Cameron-Diaz-voiced-princess who falls for Shrek.

If naming your daughter after an ogress gives you pause, I must say that the character of Princess Fiona is thoroughly lovable.  She’s loyal, strong and decisive, and while during the first film she waxes poetic about being rescued, it doesn’t take long before this Princess proves that she’s more than just a pretty face in a tiara.  Yes, she’s pea soup green and bulky … but she’s also a hero in her own right, and there are precious few names for girls that reflect strength and courage.

If there’s any drawback to this playful, feminine name, it’s the lack of any easy nickname.  Fi – usually pronounced “fee” – is a great choice for an older girl, but not the cutesy-coo option many parents imagine for their infant.

And yet, Fiona remains a great alternative for parents who love Sophia, Olivia and other feminine, classic names but would rather not have their daughter be one in a crowd.  It barely cracked the Top 1000 for most of the 1990s.  And while it is gaining in recent years, it remains a familiar, but underused, choice at #333 last year.

All of this makes Fiona one to watch for 2010 – and one to consider if you’re name-shopping.