Here’s my absolute favorite thing to get in my email inbox: birth announcements. There were two last week, complete with pictures! I really, truly appreciate them and won’t pass them on unless you expressly note that I can share them here. Thank you!
Speaking of birth announcements, I was scrolling through a random list and found a bunch of interesting ones: Bellarose, Amelka, Zella, Nico, Jamerson. No, that’s not a typo. (I checked twice!) With ends-in-er names catching on and hoop star Jimmer Fredette inspiring parents, what could catch on next? Brenner, maybe?
In other news:
- Here’s a look ahead at next week’s Names of the Day: Marlon, Circe, Greil, Humphrey, Emrys;
- And a look back, too – in 2009, Barnaby was featured. In 2010, it was Hera;
- Names currently suggested for Alyssa Milano’s son include Destry, Gaston, Kenai, Jax, Darrell, Javier, Kennedy, Vittorio, Emmitt, Maddox, and Colt. My pick for them would be Dante – Italian, to go with Mr. Alyssa Milano’s surname, Bugliari, but still quite current.
- Amethyst: a possible successor to Ruby?
- Loved this post at Nameberry on Israeli Baby Names. I was surprised at the long list of unisex names. The author, Hannah of A Mother in Israel, was kind enough to answer my question. Apparently there’s not any controversy over using a gender neutral name, though “many parents prefer a name associated with one gender.” Interesting;
- Move over Jason and Mason! ForReal spotted a newborn Tason;
- BabyNameWizard asks if Justin will remain forever young;
- Via Nomes e mais nomes post on the Grand Ducal family of Luxembourg: there’s an Imre in this generation, plus one of the princes married a commoner called Tessy. She’s now Princess Tessy;
- Is she a baby or a weather prediction? For Real also spotted a Rainy May.
It was a quiet week for names in the news, but we did welcome Sage Ann and Kellan Clay, twins for news anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts.
Funny, because I’d recently asked on my Facebook page if Sage was more suited for a girl or a boy.
In other celeb baby Wipeout co-host John Henson welcomed a son, Jackson Wright.
Tomorrow at Nameberry: Rock’n’Roll baby names inspired by the recent additions to Rock Hall.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!
Hey, I was going to ask you about Jimmer! (Lifelong BYU fan, so I have a special interest in him. Go Cougars!) Have you actually seen any babies named Jimmer yet? He’s really James, you know, but I can see someone using Jimmer as a stand-alone now.
Tason? That’s atrocious.
I’ve seen a few Kason/Kayson’s around, so I guess it isn’t a wild jump to go there
Oh, wow. The names suggested for Alyssa Milano’s baby boy – Destry, Gaston, Kenai, Jax, Darrell, Javier, Kennedy, Vittorio, Emmitt, Maddox, and Colt – are quite…diverse. Darrell? Really?! Abby, your Dante suggestion is very neat, though. I like. Hm, what would I suggest for Alyssa and David? Honestly, I haven’t got a clue – I’d say Leo if Penelope Cruz hadn’t just used it, because I feel like she’ll go a little bit safer. I do think Brando would be cool, though. Brando Bugliari? Ha.
My name spotting this week found a Mina in a cemetery and a Lenabelle at a retirement community. Those were my faves. Mina’s really growing on me. It’s like a sweeter version of exotic, sensual Mila, right? Plus, your mention of Brenner reminded me of ABC’s Off the Map, which features a Dr. Lily Brenner and a Dr. Mina Minard (yes, I know Mina Minard is slightly hilarious and redundant). Lenabelle is a dressy version of Corabelle, I think, and Lena’s just so lovely. This woman was probably 85, but it could work on a kid, right?
Oh, and I found out that my mom considered naming me Paige. Hm. Nothing bad to say there!
When I read Dracula and then the movie came out (1994-ish) I fell in love with the name Mina. The problem was that it was a nickname. I don’t think I could ever do Wilhelmina to a child. I still love Mina, though. Winona Ryder made it even better with her pixie face, all eyes and long lashes and dark hair.
Some thoughts on the Luxemburg royal family tree:
1. Wow. And I thought a first name with two middle names were unweildy.
2. Some interesting ones amist all the repetition, Imre, Yolanda, Sebastian, Annunciation, Constantine…Wenceslas? Maybe he was born on Christmas.
3. Margarida and Maria Jose have two daughters named Maria Astrid, a son named Leopold, and another son named Leopoldo? Were they just tired?
4. I come from a heavily Catholic background, and I’m still not used to seeing Maria/Marie/Mary as a boy’s name and Jose as a girl’s name.
5. A really big family in which everyone is named after everyone else out of obligation? I think I would feel oddly at home.
Aaaaaaaaaand I’m banned from Luxemburg forever.
😀 I really adore royal names… but I’ve never seen a family with so many repetitions. In Portugal, “Maria Jos