First of all, thank you, Anne Heche, for following up Homer with Atlas. She may not be a mega-celeb, but she sure knows how to pick outstanding starbaby names. Is it too soon to call Atlas the new Atticus?

  • Someone reading this post must surely have the chops to win Baby Name Wizard’s 2008 Baby Name Pool. (Or are you too busy filling out your brackets for March Madness? No? Yeah, I’ve got free time, too.) Anyhow, Laura Wattenberg asks readers to choose the three fastest rising and three fastest falling names – of either gender. You have until April 15th to mull it over and vote!
  • Did you know there was a raging debate over hipster baby names? Nameberry’s article on how to De-Hipsterize That Baby Name opened my eyes. I’d always thought that by the time I figured it was a hipster baby name, it was actually a hipster school kid name – the true trend-setters had moved on to something ever more obscure. In other words, should you forgo Ruby for Ruth, you might find that you’ve actually chosen the next fashion-forward choice for your little girl.
  • Octavia is a long-time favorite of mine, so I was thrilled to see Xanthe Linnea’s post on number names. Now I know what to name my sixth child …
  • Gwen Stefani mentioned in an interview that she got the idea for Zuma from fellow No Doubt member Tom Dumont and his wife Mieke, who were also expecting #2 around the same time. Tom and Mieke named their son Rio Atticus; his big brother is Ace Joseph.
  • Given the amount of television I watch, it’s no surprise that I’ve caught TLC’s Toddlers and Tiaras. But Elisabeth at YCCII watched closely enough to note all of the contestants’ names! Apparently Clio can never compete in Little Miss Anything because her name doesn’t end in -eigh.

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading.

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.

You May Also Like:

What do you think?

No Comments

  1. Cleigho – ROFL!

    Lola, I think I’ll take you up on your purple pageant option!

  2. Interesting that de-hipsterizing post, I thought. That’s where I saw my Clementine/Cleo suggested, makes me want to cry. Not that I’m giving up on Clementine any.

    I stink at Baby Name Pool. My antennae are tuned to what I’m hearing less often, what I hear en masse tends to get lost between my ears. So I am always surprised by what wins that thing. Everyone else is better at that than I am! 🙂

    Xanthe Linnea’s numbers post/Octavia was another interesting look at a name I don’t mind on others but don’t like for mine. I’d rather have an Ottilie than an Octavia.

    Funny, Zuma’s still got a feminine feel to me but I don’t mind it on her kid, suits him it looks like. Still like brother Kingston’s name much better.

    Aww, don’t worry about pretty Miss Clio any. She can hang with Miss Josie any day, they’ll have their own “pageant “Who can wear more purple”.

    Nice sum up this week, Verity. I’m having fun revisiting some of these spots!