Alex playing ice hockeyMy son went off to ice hockey camp last week, and when I picked him up after the first day, another camper said “See ya, George,” as we walked out the door.

My son – whose name is Alex – explained that over lunch they’d talked about whether the other kids thought their names fit, and if not, what their names should be instead.  Instead of Alex – a name that has been the subject of much discussion between my son and I – they dubbed him George.

And he would make a great George!  It’s a family name on my dad’s side, the name of an uncle and my late great-grandfather.  It never quite made our shortlist, and none of my cousins have used family names.

I’d considered Georgia over the years, but seriously considered never George – and I can’t say why.  Could my positive reaction be part of a delayed Prince George effect?

Elsewhere online:

  • Idaho takes their time releasing name stats, but when they do, they also share unusual names registered.  Worth waiting for Theory, Glacier, Dually, Torque, Truce, and Pearadice.  Really – Pearadice!  What does that mean?
  • I like the names Truman and North, but Truman North together?  Can’t decide if that’s a poetic nod to Canada, or an unintentional punchline.
  • Rumor has it that Keisha Castle-Hughes is in talks to join the Games of Thrones cast for the fifth season as Obara, one of Oberyn’s daughters.  Obara – the next Aria?  Maybe not, but I think she’s more wearable than Khaleesi …
  • These 80s throwback posts at British Baby Names completely make my day.  Mary Petronella!  Ferdinand, Basil, and Beau!  Primrose and Pelham!  Aristocratic, daffy, and totally different than what I was hearing in 1989 in the US.  Too exciting.
  • Not to say that American names are boring.  Zeffy’s list of 1790 finds is intriguing.  I know why we’ve stopped calling our kids Masheck and Nimrod, but Dempsey, Orson, and Collier are great.
  • Farewell, Geraldine.  And lots of other names in Ren’s post at Nameberry.  For now …
  • Just noticed: Marjorie re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2013!
  • Best name mentioned in Facebook conversation this week: Zvezda, which the poster said means star in Macedonian – his grandmother’s name.  No clue how to say it, but it’s intriguing, right?
  • As if choosing first names wasn’t tough enough, there’s also plenty of room in 2013 to choose your kiddo’s last name – a thoughtful look at surname choices, here.

Now, on to the exciting news – my birthday is coming up, which means that this upcoming week is packed with names that I’ve chosen – five straight days of crazy, would-you-really-consider-it choices.

As always, thank you for reading, and have a great week!

More names to explore:

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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16 Comments

  1. I too prefer the George names for girls over boys. George always sounded too short to me. Plus, we had 12 years of Georges in the White House.

  2. I named my son London because I just loved every little thing about that city. I get the odd looks when his name is called though…

  3. We once had the friendliest mailman alive, huge grin, beaming face, unflappable in the face of snarling dogs. For years, we called him ‘George’ among ourselves until I finally got up the nerve to ask his name. It is Ken. Which was disappointing… but it did raise the tenor of the moniker ‘Ken’. Love George!

    Happy birthday, Abby!!

  4. Hmm, Alex seems like much more of a hockey player name than George to me, because there are a number of Russian players named Alexei who go by Alex (Ovechkin, Kovalev and Galchenyuk are some that come to mind). There is a little boy on my son’s hockey team called Stanley…I’m guessing he’s named after the Stanley Cup. Hockey fans tend to be a bit rabid around these parts.

    Have a happy birthday week!

  5. Happy birthday week Abby – looking forward to the names!

    Noticed Presley and Cullen on the 1790 American boy’s names – who knew they would turn out to be big? Many of the names look very usable today. Maybe not Brazilla …. it sounds like a bra for Godzilla.

  6. My grandmother is Petronella (she’s Dutch) but has always been known as Nell. If we have a daughter in 20 weeks time she will be Nell 🙂

  7. I know the (I’m assuming only) Truman North in Wyoming! And I adore Basil (and nearly named my son Basil, had the daughter before him not been named Hazel).

    1. Oh my goodness! That’s never happened before … or at least no one has ever commented!

      Basil and Hazel are too close, but love ’em both. 🙂

    2. Haha! That took me longer than it should have to realise why they were so close (apart from the plant connection). Basil and Hazel would be fine together in the UK because they are pronounced differently: BAZ-il and HAY-zel.

      1. I pronounce Basil like BAZ-il too. I know Americans pronounce the herb BAY-zil. Do they pronounce the name that same way too? I guess I imagined they said the name BAZ-il, but I’ve never met an American Basil to know.

  8. Abby, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful name finds! Looking forward to this year’s birthday posts. After all the work you do I’m glad you take a few days and write about the ones YOU want to write about! 😀

  9. That is funny that they renamed your son George! You know that part of your positive reaction is because of how cute my 3 year old George is?! 😉 😛 Did Alex take part in renaming any of the other kids?

    Summer time is a good time for hearing new names. At the pool I overheard a Mom yelling out “Casper!!!! Casper! Cass!” to her preschool son. Another Mom had a preschool Walter – love that one. Spotted an Iven on a nametag for another preschooler. No interesting girls names to report though.

    Collier showed up as a character name on a Netflix show we recently watched – The 4400. It was a last name but used to refer to the character a lot. The character himself doesn’t really inspire a namesake, but the name does make me think of the show now.

    Pearadice is unusual! Makes me think “paradise” and pears and “pair of dice” so gambling.

    Happy early birthday.

    1. I thought of you immediately! And yes, your adorable George definitely sways me pro-George. 🙂

      They threw out tons of names, but the two that stuck were George and Billy. I think Billy’s real name was Zane or Xavier, but get this – Alex wasn’t *positive* exactly which was his real name. Because he’d been calling him Billy. I love 9 year olds …

      1. Yey! 😀

        Billy is another unexpected one. Sounds more middle aged man than the modern Zane or Xavier. Henry keeps calling George “Bob” in a slightly insulting way. I had to explain to him that his own middle name is Robert, which has Bob as a nickname and that he is named after his great grandpa who went by Bob. So it really doesn’t work to call his brother Bob in a mean way. :/

        1. This just made me laugh out Loud, The thought of your older son using the name Bob as an insult to your younger son is just funny to me