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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  1. Wow – a fair few bubs this week! Actually, there have been heaps these past couple of months…must’ve been something in the water!

    Just a quick reply before we’re off to the MIL’s-
    Kenzo is a respectable choice – it seems to fit in really well with Ming and Aoki very well indeed! And I definitely agree with Max. In my state he outranked Jake, sitting at #16 last year, whereas Jake sat at #30 for 2008! (Jacob was at #24) I’m fairly certain Maxwell would be up there too, but we don’t go past the Top 100, so I can’t check.

    Kate Victoria and Cassius are fairly awesome 🙂 I agree, the 1-syllable fn + long mn is generally quite endearing! Jane Ophelia Isobel was on my sister’s list for my niece, but they opted for Cecelia Isobel Rose in the end. Cassius is one of my serious favourites, sitting at #3 on my boys list – and he’s DH’s favourite name too! But what’s he doing next to Landon and LaPrincia?! ugh.

    Though I’m impartial, Kelley James is respectable, as are Comb’s other two children, but they are much too rhymey for me.

    In regards to the last point, my sister and I were talking about a similar topic last week – such as what if you and your partner had polar opposite tastes in names? We ended up trying to decided whether we’d rather have a sibset with one awesome name paired with one terrible name, or a sibset with boring names. (I know, we have much too much time on our hands!) We were deciding between something like Brinley MicKayleah & Beatrix Clementine vs. Maddison Rose & Olivia Grace.

    I’m just glad DH’s favourites at the moment are Cassius, Violet and Aurelia!

    1. I’d prefer Brinley MicKayleah and Beatrix Clementine. At least there’s improvement! Two boring names are just that…boring! And Beatrix is gorgeous 😉

      1. Corinne, I know how you feel. But I wonder if Brinley would think her name was too flimsy? Or Beatrix would think she got short-changed – especially when she was younger.

        My (possibly biased) point-of-view is that it is easy to like being a Kaylee or a Jodi when you’re 5 or 12 or even 20 – ages at which Cordelia or Saskia feel like too much name. But that reverses sometime in the adult years. My sister – Teri, and no, it isn’t short for Teresa – seems to dislike her name more as she gets older. (And takes on more and more responsibility, while her name stays frozen in time.)

        I’ve actually thought about passing on Teresa – besides my sib, I took it as my confirmation name, after Teresa of Avila – but Tess Sandel sounds ridiculous.

    2. Cassius, Violet and Aurelia – what a sibset!

      I think the polar opposite thing happens ALL the time. IMHO, the only truly awful compromise is to take turns naming. A friend was telling me about a couple she knows who ended up with a Caroline and a Cameron – both girls! Not the worst names, but I can’t help but feel they don’t sound like sisters. (Like a sister and a brother, maybe.)

      And the rhythm of Jane Ophelia Isobel is enchanting – though Cecelia Isobel Rose is pretty, too. A friend just mentioned that someone else I know now has a Cecelia – and her husband picked it!

  2. I feel compelled to add that when I listed Max as a substitute for Jacob, it was before I read about Lance Armstrong’s newest addition. I hadn’t heard about Gilbert Gottfried’s boy either until I came here. It is (unofficially) the #1 boys’ name in my microcosm, so I can see it appealling to the masses in a similar way. It particularly works well in lieu of Jake. Thanks for the links, Abby. Some of our readers have written in with brilliant suggestions, and I’m definitely curious to see what other alternates people have up their sleeves! Clio very nearly came in as a sub for Chloe, but we’ll keep that one on the D.L. for now. 😉

    Thanks for directing me to Nancy’s recent France list. You know I read that with a fine tooth comb.

    I’m a big fan of Cassius, Kenzo, and he-Kelley. Very cool choices all. I also like that unexpected rhythm of a one syllable first name with a more flamboyant middle for a girl. It’s occurred to me for this one should we have a girl (due ANY day!), but I think I need more to chew on in the first name slot. We’ll see. Still no name yet. As far as whether the name will match? That’s the least of my worries right now!

    Last but not least, I love me my Telegraph listings and am happy to see them get more attention. It was fun to see what names Pam plucked from the birth announcements.

    Always a pleasure.

    1. We know a couple of mini Maxes, too. It’s never made our personal list, but I don’t tire of it. (As it happens, I still like Jake quite a bit, too. There’s just something so open about the sound.)

      I’ve been thinking of you – days now, wow! And Beatrix is a tough act to follow. Name-wise. And probably in every other way, too. 🙂 I don’t know if it always hold true, but they say your first and second tend to be opposites. If you can overlook the passion for ice hockey, Aly is a cooperative, Zen-like little 4 y.o. Clio is a demanding beast! I love them both, but it is amazing to see how very different they are.

      I’m thinking of dispatching Nancy to Buenos Aires, as I’ve heard Argentine names are quite interesting. 😉