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.

Read More About Me

You May Also Like:

What do you think?

No Comments

  1. Oh, speaking of DC babies, I was on Capitol Hill one weekend and ran into a little Wilson. The father kept yelling, “Wilson! Wilson.” I could not help but giggle and think of Tom Hanks.

    Reply

  2. Cielo is not that unheard of in the Hispanic community, but I have only ever seen it used on a girl.

    Reply

  3. I’ll quit too if Boo, Chryzanthe, Fargo, Mookie and those other names get popular.

    BTW, Marlo is a boy.

    I love the reader baby name stories, I’m always curious to find out how they picked a name. I wish a lot of the ones I find came with a reason why. 🙂

    Thanks for the mention. As always, a great read.

    Sarah

    Reply

  4. I don’t know any kids named Cielo or Annick in our midwest town. Though I did grow up in a tiny town in the UK knowing an Octavia. She must be in her mid-30s now. Her sister is Penelope, but she went by her middle name of Ruth.

    Reply

  5. Dren, from what I read in a review, was named as such because it’s nerd backwards. Clive and Elsa are named for characters in ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’. I don’t know where they come up with Dren in the movie, though.

    Reply

    1. Dren was in an early episode of Happy Days, too. Lovestruck Joanie got a crush on Potsie and left him notes addressed to “Dren.” She later explained that everyone called him a nerd, but she thought the complete opposite, and nerd spelled backward is Dren.

      Not enough to make me put it on a list; I just have too many TV factoids in my brain!

      Speaking of which, isn’t Bree one of the Desperate Housewives? I just hear it as a nn for Sabrina.

      Reply

  6. HIya Abby, thanks for the mention as always!

    A few tidbits:

    *Clothilde is at the top of my list. I could completely see BeBe, Lolly, and Tildy

    *I may live in “The City” but just to give you an idea of where I come from? My grandparents vacationed in Hot Springs frequently. That and Branson. 😀

    * Sneak peek to the next bit of local color: I met a MUNGO at the Children’s Museum today!

    *I might as well take this opportunity (hope you don’t mind) to plug my Utah names post from last week. https://youcantcallitit.com/2010/06/01/state-of-a-nation-a-look-at-baby-names-of-utah/

    Not sure if people are not interested or are afraid to comment, but I spent OODLES of time on it and pathetically feel as if it’s gone to waste. I plan to do this will all the states, or at least the most interesting ones, but if nobody except Patricia cares, I may opt out!

    Reply

    1. Aww, I liked reading it. I just know nothing about Utah to make an interesting comment. Would like to hear about more states.

      Reply

    2. British American’s comment is what I was going to write. I would love to see more.

      Reply

    3. MUNGO! That’s fabulous!

      I’m off to look at the Utah post – the first Mormon couple I ever met included a (female) Mackenzie, born in the 1970s, so I’ve always been fascinated by Utah baby names.

      Which reminds me, check out this site: https://wesclark.com/ubn/

      Reply

      1. Thanks for coming to take a second look you guys! I just needed to hear it. I know it’s a bit childish.

        Abby, that site is linked in the article. You could spend hours pouring over it.

        Reply

    4. I read it too, and loved it! I’m not always the most clever of commenters, so I don’t always post my thoughts. App Mountain and your site are my 2 favorite places to read thoughtful information about names…

      Reply

  7. I was happy to see some of those names slip off the top 1000 because I want to use them! Clarence and Thaddeus are both on my list of top-ten favourite names for boys. I’m not sure a modern boy can pull off Clarence (in the first spot), but Thaddeus is still quite doable in my opinion.

    On a similar note, I can rather understand why Cornelius has fallen, given its clunkiness and close relation to corn. I have a cousin-in-law whose name is Cornelius, as was his father’s before him and so on. However, when he and my cousin had their first child, a son, last year, they named the little tyke Lukas Cornelius. They plan on giving him the option of having his name legally changed to Cornelius Lukas when he gets older.

    I had a childhood friend named Seneca (a girl). She’s of South Indian descent and grew up in Bombay, so the name choice is certainly fascinating. I wish I could ask her parents how they chose her name.

    Reply

    1. I ran into a little boy who was probably 2 year olds named Thaddeus! He was accompanying his newborn brother-Liev at the peditrician’s office.

      I think the nurse was a name nerd–she was the one who asked what his name was, and when he mumbled it, she asked the parents. I was extremely delighted to run into a little Thaddeus, it was one we considered at the end for our son. I hope you are able to use the name–it is fabulous!

      Reply

  8. that nickname post on the stir made me smile, i’ve know lots of people (including my sister and brother) who have only ever gone by their nicknames. in fact i rarely call my older daughters by their full names either. oh and grace avery is beautiful, a bit too popular in itself but lovely nevertheless

    Reply