G-ca by Too Far North via Flickr
If Cannon and Gunner are hot for boys, why not this surname that feels slightly more academic?
Thanks to Katie for suggesting Gannon as our Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Gannon
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Tag Archives: Aidan
Baby Name of the Day: Nolan
N by takomabibelot via Flickr
He’s a lively Irish surname associated with the most American of pastimes.
Thanks to Carolyn for suggesting one of the options she’s considering for her baby on the way. Our Baby Name of the Day is Nolan.
Baby Name of the Day: Sullivan
Image by J.E.S. via Flickr
There’s something tremendously upbeat about this Irish surname.
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day: Sullivan.
Sunday Summary: 12/19/10
Image by philipbouchard via Flickr
I’m fascinated by names, but equally intrigued by the process we use to arrive at a name. You can find countless real life conversations on message boards, but here are a few I spotted on parents’ personal blogs:
- Aidan at Ivy League Insecurities has a great list going for a third daughter, but my favorite is this quote from the comments: “Naming the baby is the highlight of pregnancy!”
- At Life of a Catholic Librarian, Tiffany has been debating saintly classics like Elizabeth and Peter;
- The Bullards, Collin and Candice, are considering everything from the mainstream Jack and Emma to Asher and Francie;
- And then there’s The Lil Bee, trying to name a second daughter. Her first is Devon Whitney. Here’s what caught my eye about Melissa’s list – she mentioned Cleo. And it got quite a good response.
In other news:
- Speaking of real life baby name choices, Nancy brings us the tale of a 1913 birth of a baby girl in a Pullman Car. The car’s name? Livonia. The baby’s name … Livonia!
- Six days ’til Christmas, and my to-do list seems to be growing. And yet I decided that Priority #1 was figuring out how to create a Master List of every name profiled on the site. I’m only half-way there – I finished the (shorter) boys’ list first;
- I loved Pam and Linda’s slideshow of The Best & Worst Celebrity Baby Names of 2010 at The Daily Beast. Abel and Cosima make the hit list, while Sundance and Kloey get the raspberry;
- PopSugar Australia voted Buddy Bear Maurice – also on Nameberry’s Not Hot list – the Most Memorable Celebrity Baby Name of 2010;
- ForReal Baby Names rounded up some twin names, including a pair called Lula and Stanley – love it!
- I keep hearing reports that the top baby names in Japan for 2010 are Ren and Yua. The source appears to be more like BabyCenter’s data than actual statistical records. Still, I find Ren fascinating – highly cross-cultural;
- Here’s a fabulous family tree: Kate Coil writes in West Virginia’s Bluefield Daily Telegraph about her ancestors, including sisters named Icie, Ocie, and Dicey!
In celeb news:
- While I was at PopSugar Australia, I realized that Jackie O had her baby – she’s a popular radio host in Sydney - Her daughter’s name is Catalina Mae, nickname Kitty. When I stopped by about 62% had given the name a positive review in the poll.
- Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts is a new dad. Daughter Madeline Leigh shares a middle name with her mom, Allison. It’s reported that they’re calling her Maddy;
- Country music artist Josh Turner and wife Jennifer welcomed their third son, Crawford Marion. They’re calling him Marion. He joins brothers Hampton Otis and Colby Lynch at home;
- The musical Hanson clan is one bigger this week. Zac Hanson and wife Kate welcomed daughter Junia Rosa Ruth, a little sister for Shepherd.
I’m announcing more and more celeb births on the AppMtn Facebook page, along with Sunday Summary-esque links and comments.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!
Baby Name of the Day: Leonardo
Image via Wikipedia
He’s the original Renaissance Man, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and one of the leading actors of our generation.
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Leonardo as Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Huxley
He fits in perfectly with current trends. Could Huxley be the next big thing?
Sunday Summary: 7/18/10
Unless I’m missing it, there isn’t a big time celeb birth anticipated this summer. Without choices like Knox and Apple to discuss, a few sites have been focusing on the lame (their word, not mine) baby names some celebs give their kiddos. Though by lame, they mostly mean kids named after their parents, like little Cristiano Ronaldo, named after his soccer-playing-papa Cristiano Ronaldo.
Here’s an intriguing celeb(ish) sibset: Tucker, Haven, and Clancy – the younger two are girls, the firstborn is a boy. They’re Lisa Whelchel’s three kids. Yup, Lisa Whelchel – Blair from The Facts of Life, a sitcom I loved so much that I can still sing the theme song. Whelchel’s long since quit the stage to raise a family and manage a Christian ministry focused on moms. She mentioned daughter Clancy in an interview for her new book and I was intrigued. I always find it refreshing to find a former child star who seems truly happy and well-adjusted.
Elsewhere online:
- I came across a mommy blogger with three boys called Zack, Zander and Zaden. I’m not linking to her because, well, I suspect you all might find it a bit zany. Me? I’ve been wondering what she could call a fourth son;
- For Real Baby Names spotted a Lestat and a Nikayla in Iowa. Nikayla feels like an inevitable mash-up of Nicole and Makayla. And I assume little Lestat is dressing as a vampire for his first Halloween;
- For Real also found a Bastion Nikolai in Alaska. Bastion should win some sort of an award. He bridges the softer sound of Sebastian and the uber-masculine vibe of Cannon and Gunner. A bastion is a fortification, but with his implications of protection, he’s almost a virtue name, too;
- And from the Huey, Dewey and Louie school, there’s a Jakely and a Blakely in Oklahoma. Okay, they’re not related;
- Here’s another interesting one, this time at Swistle: Aidrick, an alternative to Aidan;
- Nancy spotted a wild acronym name: Ktyal. No clue on how they’re pronouncing it. I keep wanting to say kay tal, but isn’t that awfully close to the Spanish for what’s up? – ¿Qué tal?;
- Babble’s been running some not-so-nice baby name riffs. The most recent is on Bryn, as in the name chosen by Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel for her daughter;
- And lastly, is John gone? A Nameberry post examines the question.
In starbaby news:
- Actress Bree Turner of The Ugly Truth, welcomed a daughter, Stella Jean;
- Creed’s Scott Stapp is a dad for the third time, welcoming son Daniel Issam, a baby brother for big sister Milán Hayat and big brother Jagger. The couple’s naming style is certainly eclectic.
On another note, Lurker Week was a smash hit. Thanks to everyone who submitted a new name for consideration. I’ve broken my usual rule about how far in advance I’ll calendar requests, so we’ll be hearing suggestions from new voices well into October!
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading!
Sunday Summary: 7/11/10
Just when you think every name has been imagined, every option exhausted, pop culture surprises us.
First, Cecily von Ziegesar’s novel Cum Laude tackles the lives of privileged college students (as opposed to the privileged high school students in her Gossip Girl franchise.) One of the main characters is a girl called Shipley, and a minor character who answers to Tragedy.
On a similar note, there’s a Disney Channel original movie set to air in August called Den Brother. The characters are the predictable Alex and Emily, but they’re played by child actors Hutch Dano – born Hutchings Royal Dano – and G. Hannelius. Ten year old G. was born Genevieve. Den Brother also includes a girl character called Matisse. It’s not, say, Harry Potter, but I can imagine Hutch catching on.
Elsewhere online:
- Swistle attempts to tell Aidan, Ava and Jasper‘s mom how to avoid choosing a trendy name for her daughter, due later this month. It’s an intriguing question, and the advice is sound, but I’m not sure there lists of names is quite there yet. If you have some spare time, you might want to stop by and make some suggestions;
- Nameberry has published this quarter’s most-searched Baby Names list for Boys and Girls. Could Mary be making a comeback? Will we really be meeting lots of baby boys called Orion? The lists make for fascinating reads, as always;
- Here’s a cute story from La Buena Vida about baby names suggested by siblings-to-be. Tinkerbell, Rainbow Lemonade and Sweetie Pie made the list, but unlike last week’s Lady Gaga story, I don’t believe any of them were seriously under consideration at press time;
- Crazy suggestions from dads, however, are totally fine. I piped up with a pro-Leia comment on this post at You Can’t Call It “It” – a friend of mine actually used Leia for his daughter’s middle name. With Leah and Lily so popular and Lila rocketing up the charts, Leia seems only a tiny bit out there;
- Here’s a wacky name that has caught on: Abcde. Nancy has the rankings from recent years to prove it. On sound alone, I get the appeal. If Abcidy or Absiddy were found in the listings of early Puritan settlers in America, it might catch on;
- Please tell me this is a joke: Did someone really name their kid Vuvuzela?;
- Here’s an appealing, never-heard (at least in the US) choice: the Latvian Everita, featured by Sebastiane at Legitimate Baby Names;
- For Real Baby Names spots a Bette Mabel. How stylish! She also found a Kezlei and a Kaydea. Yawn;
- Did you catch the guest posts on Portuguese names at You Can’t Call It “It”? Check them out there: Part I and Part II. Even the workaday John becomes the zippy João, and Madalena would fit right in in the US;
- Emma was kind enough to send this link, about a British’s family’s set of sextuplets. Parents Vicky and Andy Lamb and firstborn daughter Grace welcomed sextuplets in May: Layla Pauline, Eric Andrew, Pippa Willow, Matthew Dennis, Ellen Diana and Rose Annabel. Sadly, Matthew died shortly after the babies’ birth.
In Hollywood news:
- Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier welcomed a son, Reece Cader. I wonder if Cader is the next Caden;
- Scrubs alum John C. McGinley has welcomed a daughter, Kate Aleena, a little sister for Billie Grace;
- Here’s an intriguing choice: Kick-Ass actor Aaron Johnson is a first-time dad to daughter Wylda Rae. Wylda’s mom is filmmaker Sam Taylor Wood, and she has two older daughters, Angelica and Jessie Phoenix.
Let’s end with what just might be The Best Baby Naming Advice Ever. Nancy’s post on writing out the stories behind each baby name could help you choose between your top options, narrow down a lengthy list to a few finalists, or even get un-stuck and start thinking about your choices in the first place.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading!
Baby Name of the Day: Ryan
He’d fit nearly anyone’s definition of a normal name, but he was actually quite rare until the post-World War II era.
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Ryan as Baby Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 3/7/10
First, thanks to Pam and Linda at Nameberry for running my guest post on Movie Award Names: Looking beyond Oscar. Lilia, Magali, Denholm, Tahar … I could’ve gone on for pages.
Speaking of winners, whilst channel surfing earlier this week, I caught an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras featuring BFFs turned rivals, Jacee and Mayce. I like Macy, but find Jaycee a touch too civic to wear. But here’s the thing – neither of those spellings immediately suggests the correct sound. I think I’d say JAH see and mace, like the weapon, except that I can guess what they’re meant to be. Maycee, sure. Jaycie, okay. But Jacee and Mayce, IMHO, fail some essential test about phonetic transparency.
Not that that’s anything new.
And of course, I watched the two-part special episode of The Office just to hear the baby’s name. Pam and Jim Halpert are now parents to Cecilia Marie. Cecilia ranked #270 in 2008, and seemed to have plateau’d. I suspect she’ll rise in 2010, because even though Nancy’s advice to Turn Off Your TV When Choosing Bad Names is sound, pop culture is powerful.
Elsewhere online:
- Momlogic posted their list of 8 illegal baby names. Most of them are international violations of various codes – I suppose you could name your baby Metallica in the US. Heck, someone probably already has;
- Speaking of illegal names and heavy metal, a bitsy Québécois baby gets to keep her umlaut. New mom Kriystal – not a typo – decided that she wanted to make #19 name Zoé more unique with a gratuitous diacritical mark. So she called her newborn babe Zöé and ran afoul of those crazy Canadian authorities who think that diacritical marks should indicate how to pronounce a name, not simply be strung on like so many Mardi Gras beads. Kriystal won, and can look forward to years of explaining to the insurance company and school registrar precisely how to spell Zöé;
- Also in Canada, parents settled on the name Porsha, but insist it isn’t for the Shakespeare or the car. The spelling Portia was dismissed because “it looked like a witch name.” Here’s hoping Porsha grows up to be a lit major and discovers that Portia is actually the quick-witted woman who saves Antonio’s life when everyone else falls short – and a worthy namesake if ever one was;
- Nancy asks how similar should twin names be? I voted, then visited the Social Security Administration’s Top 100 list of twin names. Most strike me as on the edge of being too close: Jacob and Joshua, the #1 combo, are fine. But #5 pair Taylor and Tyler, #25 pair Christian and Christopher and #75 duo Heaven and Nevaeh all seem much too much. I prefer sets like #33 Benjamin and Samuel or #35 Abigail and Emma - the names have similar styles, but it is clear that each child is an individual, not one half of novelty salt’n'pepper shakers;
- For Real Baby Names spots a lot of interesting names, but here’s one that baffles me: Gossip Anthony. There must be a story there. The girl name Loyalty Justice – also spotted this week – seems tame by comparison;
- If you prefer meaningful names with a more subtle style, Sebastiane brings us the lovely Honorine. Also the Russian Lara;
- Road trippers might appreciate this one – For Real spotted a boy saddled with the name Soul-Ryder Prescott, to be called Ryder, which isn’t so unusual. But his brother’s name? Truck;
- All of a sudden, I love Aidan. At least for this couple. Dad Daniel and mom Ailene settled on Aidan because it combines the first syllables of their names. Clever;
- Nymbler stats are out for February 2010! No surprises in the Top Ten favorite names: Charlotte, Ava, Amelia, Grace, Ella, Audrey, Oliver, Jack, Benjamin and Henry. But the four brand new names quite eye-popping:
- Siri – An intriguing twist on Sigrid and Signe, but where did she come from? I’m missing something!
- Baylor – Are there really that many Bears alumni out there? Or is this a riff on Taylor?
- Emersyn – Okay, this one isn’t a shocker. She fits with Addisyn et. al.;
- Wednesday – As in Addams?
Here’s the starbaby news, via Celebrity Baby Blog:
- Country Music’s Little Big Town Band members Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook are new parents to a son, Elijah Daniel;
- Jenna Elfman welcomed a second son, Easton Quinn Monroe, a little brother for Story Elias;
- Joey Lawrence welcomed new daughter Liberty Grace, a sister for Charleston;
- Keyshia Cole welcomed a son named Daniel Hiram, Jr.;
- Christina Milian and The Dream welcomed their daughter, Violet Madison;
- Jamie Oliver and wife Jools are expecting baby #4. With three daughters called Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo and Petal Blossom Rainbow, well … let’s just say I am eagerly expecting their new arrival!
Drumroll please! It’s time to enter the 5th Annual Baby Name Wizard 2009 Baby Name Pool! Guess three fastest rising and three fastest falling names and win bragging rights. Serious bragging rights. Entries are due April 15.
That’s all for this week – thanks for reading!
