Happy Sunday! I’m back from England, and almost back in the right time zone. A few, random, post-trip thoughts:
- I was absolutely obsessed with the #shareacoke campaign. You can scroll through the list of names here, or do what I did, and rifle through the beverage case at every Tesco, Boots, and similar that you pass.
- Names that are perfectly ordinary for Englishmen: Nigel, Simon, Barney. Names that would be absolutely surprising on American men: Nigel, Barney. A little bit Simon, though I’m meaning more children with this (great) name.
- Liberty takes on a slightly different feel as a given name once you’ve been to the department store.
- We met the mom of a toddler called Hugo, and a family with a baby Albert, nicknamed Bertie. When I say Bertie it sounds an awful lot like Birdie, but it was absolutely charming to hear his parents say it.
Elsewhere in the world of naming:
- British Baby Names takes to the year 1866, with finds ranging from the lovely (Justina Sophia Adeline) to the astonishing (Admiral Couch, Hopeful Harry, Meditation Matilda).
- No to Acura and Celica, but yes to most of the names on this list of auto-inspired appellations at The Art of Naming. My daughter shares her name with the Renault Clio. And hey, Bentley is still in the US Top 100.
- Duana answers a question about a mom planning to name Nathan’s sister Natalie. I tend to agree – too close! – and yet I do know families who intentionally keep names very similar.
- A really eclectic list of possibilities for Roland’s sister at Swistle.
- A girl named Casper Henrietta! This is the second girl Casper I’ve heard – there’s also Jason Lee’s daughter Casper Alice.
- From Sophie’s list of C names for boys, Chester, Crosby, and Connelly are my favorites.
- More delightful royal names from Bree. I’d love to know what drove their choices – with the repetition of Margherita and Ludovica, it seems like their names must have been dictated by custom. Godparents, maybe?
- A terribly sensitive subject: should you change the names of your adopted children? The only people I’m close to who have gone through this have either adopted newborns, or adopted internationally, and keeping their children’s birth names would have presented significant challenges. It’s interesting to read this mom’s perspective, and it seems like they went to great lengths to tweak the names rather than change them completely.
- I caught the beginning of the new season of The Next Food Network Star, and watched long enough to hear all of the contestants’ names. One stood out: Aryen, pronounced like Orion. She had a fascinating personal story – raised in Italy, but also spending time in Japan and now calling Memphis home. I’m guessing she’s somewhere around 30, so Orion wasn’t really used – though I’d be curious to know if her name was often misread as Erin.
- Speaking of fascinating names, there’s a Bridger in this birth announcement round-up from Montana. I really like that name – rugged, but idealistic, too, a builder of bridges … It’s in the Top 100 for Montana, as well as Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. But I’d be stunned to meet one here in Maryland.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading! Have you spotted any great names lately?
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I read a really interesting interview from NPR with three women who had adopted children from Africa. Two of the women were Caucasian and one was African American. The two Caucasian women changed their African children’s names to very European common names, but the African American woman kept her daughters African name. It made me wonder how often it happens? I wonder if African American parents are more likely to keep their child’s African name and parents of European ancestry are more likely to give their African children “white” names?
Welcome home, Abby! (Hugo is a popular name here, and Albert a rising classic).
Can’t help thinking Casper Henrietta’s parents were influenced by Casper Alice’s …
Oh and I do like Coke’s tactful “You’re super special” if the name doesn’t come up. Much nicer than “You have a weird name”.
The car names made me smile – whenever my dad, who I love but rarely get to see due to geographical issues, wants to be cheerfully unhelpful, he recommends Chevelle and Impala as girls’ names. “Great names. You said you liked *classics.* What’s more *classic* than a Chevelle?”
Probably best saved for rescue greyhounds…? Secretly, though, I don’t hate the sound of Impala.
I have a great aunt Bertie Louise and I also adore the name Birdie for a girl. To me Bertie and Birdie sound the same as well. I would use either one for a girl if I could get my SO on board.
Ooooh! I grew up in Montana and I’m not at all surprised about Bridger. Bridger Bowl is a famous ski area, and it’s also a town and a trail. Bridger is a surname of a settler family, I bet. I like your read on it as a ‘builder of bridges’- never thought of it that way!