Tag Archives: Ace

Fetching Names: Other than Danger

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The middle name is a good place to go a little wild.  With the exception of a passport and possibly a marriage certificate, we’re rarely required to reveal our full name as adults.

So if you give your kiddo the middle name Danger, it is usually up to him to reveal his extreme appellation, or to go through life pretending the D is for David.

Then again, he could grow up to be an X-Games athlete, or maybe an International Man of Mystery.  Austin Powers, after all, claimed Danger as his middle name.  (Though Mike Myers went ahead and called his new son Spike.)  It isn’t just an urban legend – from twins in Australia who both share the menacing middle to Jakob Danger Armstrong, son of Green Day frontman Billie Joe, there are kids who do, indeed, have a built-in laugh line in the middle spot.

So let’s say you respect your partner’s longing for a daring, masculine middle – but want something slightly less cliched?  Here are a few ideas.

Continue reading →

Sunday Summary: 6/26/11

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26

26 by zimpenfish via Flickr

It was apparently word name week last week.  I kicked it off by covering Crew as Baby Name of the Day, followed by:

  • This Nameberry post asking Word Names: Pro or Con?
  • Elisabeth’s list of Uncommon Word Names.  From her list and the comments there are a quite a few that I love: Chapel, Prairie, Harbor, Wreath, Concord, Serenade, Morrow;
  • For Real continues to spot them in use regularly.  She found boys called Cane Allen and Coy Waltan here, Kitty Florence Bayley here, and a Colt Douglas and Gabrielle Spring here;
  • Then there’s this mom, who did not name her daughter Fig after all;
  • Over at the AppMtn Facebook page, Chord was generally given positive reviews;
  • Also on Facebook, Lindsay mentioned a woman named Romance on Say Yes to the Dress – very appropriate! – and Sarah mentioned seeing a Toddlers & Tiaras pageant hopeful named Serenity, only spelled Saryniti, which strikes me as rather chaotic;
  • The Stir’s list of patriotic baby names contains plenty of noun options, from the obvious – Star – to the subtle – Apple, as in the pie;
  • Nancy’s newest eBooks, 1-Syllable Names, isn’t about word names, but the her preview list includes a bunch, like Chase, Hope, and Faith.  Actually, that sounds like a command, too …

Olympic gold medal-winning softball pitcher turned television host and serial reality show contestant Jennie Finch completed the week by welcoming son Diesel Dean, a little brother for Ace Shane.

We still don’t know the name of Natalie Portman’s son, but I managed to write about intriguing Hollywood baby names at Nameberry for tomorrow anyhow.  Rory and Isotta have been rattling around in my head for months, so I’m really glad to have a chance to collect them.  Got the theme yet?  Tune in tomorrow to see if you’re right!

A few more thoughts:

  • Will the ever-so-likeable Tom Hanks as title character in new movie Larry Crowne make us like Larry any better?  Apparently one of the other characters is named B’Ella;
  • I guess we won’t see many kids sharing names with Mr. Popper’s Penguins, but I get a kick out of them anyhow;
  • Could this New York Times article be any more wrong about the nostalgia wave?  Actually, Andrew Gelman misses some big trends in boys’ names, too.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading!

Sunday Summary: 2/20/11

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No 20 - flowery

No 20 - flowery by Kirsty Hall via Flickr

Let’s start with an announcement: every Saturday in March will be March Madness at Appellation Mountain.  Nope, I’m not writing basketball-related posts.  Instead, you’re voting on your favorites from last year’s most popular posts.

It should be fun!

Elsewhere online:

  • I love Lemon’s guest post at Nameberry on word names: Echo, Tansy, Temple.  Ages ago I stumbled across Cascata – the Italian word for waterfall, as in cascade – and I always think of that one when word names are discussed;
  • Speaking of word names, here’s one in the same key from Nancy: Invicta, inspired by a steamroller;
  • ForReal spotted a boy named Ridge. I completely understand why parents would gravitate towards such a rugged, outdoorsy pick, but it seems a little hard to wear for a real kid.  It seems more appropriate for a soap opera character;
  • Is it me, or is Finn making a stealth attack?  This story from the Chicago Tribune about a 61 year old woman who served as surrogate for her daughter mentioned that the baby name’s is Finnean.  Finley, Finnegan, Finbar, Fintan … it seems like every day there’s another way to get to that oh-so-popular nickname;
  • There was a lively conversation about unisex names at Nameberry earlier this week, and so I thought this was timely: from the Quinnipiac Chronicle, a girl named Kyle who loves her name.  However, she would’ve liked to buy pink pencils with her name on them.  No word on how sisters Shawn, Casey, and Riley feel about their names;
  • MTV suggests names for Honor Warren’s little sister or brother.  Somehow I don’t think Jessica and Cash will be using Louboutin or Money, but hey, Sterling has some possibilities;
  • The 30 Rock baby is Elizabeth called Liddy.  Here’s the quote from Alec Baldwin‘s character Jack: “We’re calling her Liddy, as in Liddy Dole, G. Gordon Liddy, and my martial arts instructor, Li-Dee.”
  • From Babynamelover – Braden loses his “r” and becomes Baden.  I wonder if they were thinking of the German resort town?
  • I do truly love the name Evander.

Just a few celebrity birth announcements.  I also post these on Facebook:

  • No Doubt’s Tom Dumont and wife Mieke welcomed a third son, Koa Thomas.  Koa joins Ace Joseph and Rio Atticus at home.  I spotted Koah more than a year ago.  Let’s see if it catches on;
  • Rod Stewart and wife Penny welcomed a son called Aiden.  All those years of naming babies, and I’m not sure Rod has mastered the art.  His older kids are Kimberly, Sean, Ruby, Renee, Liam, and Alastair.

Tomorrow at Nameberry: a list of designer names drawn from Fashion Week 2011, and no, Chanel is not on the list.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading!

Sunday Summary: 1/30/11

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The Number 30

The Number 30 by Herman Turnip via Flickr

It strikes me that I’m now into my fourth year of writing at AppMtn.  My first post was Ava and Harlow, back on January 23, 2008.  I’d learned the mechanics of blogging for work a few years earlier; I now manage yet another blog in Real Life, and it looks like it is about to be joined by another.  Nothing I’ve written professionally has given me anywhere near the joy I’ve gotten out of writing here, and I credit that to you.  (Yup, even you lurkers.  I can’t hear you, but I can see you – and it’s nice to know that you’re here, too.)

On to the news:

Stop by Nameberry tomorrow where I’ll be talking about names I found while culling through the list of Oscar nominees.  (C in DC, thanks for the inspiration!)

Speaking of The Glamorous Life, please welcome the following sure-to-be-paparazzi-stalked tots to the universe:

  • Mike Tyson welcomed a son called Morocco Elijah.  He and wife Lakiha also have a daughter, Milan.  Tyson’s six older children are D’Amato, Mikey, Miguel, Rayna, Amir, and his daughter Exodus, who passed away in 2009;
  • No Doubt’s Tony Kanal is a new dad. He and girlfriend Erin Lokitz welcomed daughter Coco Reese Lakshmi.  The rest of the musical crew’s moppets are Kingston, Zuma, Ace, Rio, and Mason.

Which reminds me, Clio is obsessed with Gwen Stefani and Akon’s single “The Sweet Escape.”  How do you say no to a toddler who asks for “more Woo-hoo song, peeeeez?”

Speaking of requests, I’ll be doing another rerun week in April.  Should you stumble across a post that you think needs some freshening up, feel free to suggest it via email to appmtn (at) gmail (dot) com.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading!

Sunday Summary: 10/11/09

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I can’t tell if you can tell, dear reader, but I’ve been crazed lately.  Because yesterday?  Was the first-ever Benefit Consignment sale for my kids’ school.  Which I chaired.  And which was, if I do say so myself, quite the success.  I’ve been neglecting the housekeeping here at AppMtn, for which you have my sincerest regrets.  (But seriously, I could NOT sell one more candy bar.)  And it’s a great school, so it was worth every minute of sorting gently-worn 2T tees.

The sale did make me think of something – you’d REALLY better like your kids’ names, because at some point, you will almost certainly introduce yourself as “Jackson’s mom, Ellen,” or be greeted as “you must be Ivy’s mom!”  In some small way, your kids’ names become your name, too.

While I was otherwise engaged, it was a weighty week in the Baby Names ‘verse:

 

  • First, check out a few quotes about naming over at Babynamelover’s blog – yes, there’s Shakespeare.  But there’s also Salman Rushdie;
  • Heard the one about Le-a, pronounced Ledasha?  For a look at names, race and culture there’s Laura Wattenberg’s series on all of those urban legends about babies with outlandish monikers;
  • I appreciated Nancy’s comments on the TIME magazine story Adios, Juan and Juanita – Jeffrey Kluger got it wrong, wrong, wrong – Juan and Juanita might be fading, but plenty of other Latino names are on the rise.  He dismissed the rise of Diego as  nothing more than parents inspired by Dora the Explorer’s cousin.  Only trouble?  Go, Diego, Go! debuted in 2005, and Diego’s rise started years earlier.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing was his “Juan and Juanita” construction.  Wonder if he’s aware it is a nod towards the Nameberry duo’s Jennifer and Jason?

On a lighter note:

  • Bewildertrix spotted this sibset: new baby Frankie, a brother for Tiarn, Sam, Sunny, Jet, Elwood and Ace.  That’s two superheroes, a Blues Brother, a hippie chick plus two geezers and an Irishman – what a dinner table!  
  • She also reported a Curtin and a Tasmine.  I love Tamsin, could really do without Jasmine and can’t help think of Tasmania when I see this one. 

Lights, cameras, babies:

 

I’ll be catching up with Names of the Day and all sorts of things in the next week or two – but tune in tomorrow for Zane.  And, as always, thanks for reading!

Sunday Summary: 3/15/09

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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.