Tag Archives: Alexis

Sunday Summary: 3/13/11

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Billiard

Billiard No. 13 by nemosocke via Flickr

First, an edit.  A few weeks ago, I said something along these lines: “If the kid is good looking a clunky name doesn’t matter.”  What I should have said was “if the person is confident …”  Beauty is a lottery over which we have no control.  (Though Seal and Heidi Klum’s kids are probably set.)  But confidence is something we can influence and develop.

Elsewhere online:

After last week’s trip to the Big Easy to source Mardi Gras names, I’m fishing for something different at Nameberry tomorrow.

It was a quiet week for celeb births.  The big news?  Martha Stewart is a grandmother.  Daughter Alexis welcomed a daughter of her own, named Jude.  The best comment on the Appellation Mountain Facebook page goes to C., who pointed out that Alexis “isn’t exactly a frilly traditional girl’s name, either.”

If you have yet to vote in the March Madness Quarter Finals, Girls and Boys, there’s still time.  Polls will stay open until Friday morning.

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

Sunday Summary: 10/3/10

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The longer I write, the less judgmental I become about names.  Don’t get me wrong – many still astound me.  While researching the upcoming Tate, I stumbled across Tatelyn, a name that seems appropriate only for the firstborn daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

And yet, Charlotte recently mentioned Lecandro – surely the invention of a creative mama – and I found myself liking it quite a bit.

Maybe it is that I’ve found there’s a backstory for nearly any name.  Or possibly I’m far more aware that my own opinions have changed over the years.  Two decades ago, Finn would’ve been a shark reference, destined to hear the low strings of Jaws.  Today he’s among the most fashionable of names, even before Glee ricocheted him to wider notice.

And the name news:

As for the starbaby round up – it’s a girl.  And a girl, and a girl …:

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

Baby Name of the Day: Andrea

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Thanks to a certain Hollywood superstar, Drew is worn by more little girls circa 2010 than ever before.  But what about the original feminine form of modern classic Andrew?

Thanks to JNE for suggesting Andrea as Baby Name of the Day.

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Name of the Day: Sasha

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She’s at home in the White House.  He’s a widely-recognized celebritot.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting the surprisingly gender-neutral Sasha as Name of the Day.

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How Close is Too Close? Ten Factors to Consider

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When we decided to call our daughter Clio, we forever closed the door on another favorite name – Theodore, nickname Theo.

Or did we?

For every family that decides Maya and Milo are too similar, another embraces the sound-alike names.  Or insists that Alicia and Alina are totally different names.  Perhaps it never even occurs to them that Joanna and Jackson are both related to John.  Or maybe the first time you think of the famous actress is when you introduce your daughter Grace, little sister to Kelly and others ask if you’re a fan.

Siblings’ names will be said together countless times.  The names we like often have much in common.  So how can you tell if your choices make for a compatible sibset, or if they’re much too close?  Here are ten factors to consider.

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Sunday Summary: 12/6/2009

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Deck the halls!  

With a mere 19 days ’til Christmas, I finally settled down to watch last season’s romantic-comedy-just-in-time-for-the-holidays, Four Christmases.  Vince Vaughn’s character, Brad, finally takes his girlfriend home and, in the midst of yuletide merriment, she discovers that Brad legally changed his name – from Orlando.  Brothers Denver and Dallas were introduced, and Brad explained that they were all named in a very Brooklyn Beckham-esque way.  You’re forgiven, Brad.  Posh, are you listening?

Speaking of the holidays, on my recent travels I heard tots answering to Lyle, Hugo, Mara and Cecily – or I suppose Sicily, but let’s hope it was the former.

As for movies, I’m dying to see Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie.  While other girls were reading Anne of Green Gables, I was off in Victorian England, solving crimes with Holmes and Watson.  There are already hints of franchise potential, not unlike Pirates of the Caribbean, which got me thinking – if Sparrow could pop as a boy’s name in the wake of Captain Jack, will this film have a similar impact?  Sherlock and Holmes are out, and John is evergreen.  But how ’bout Watson?  I’ll be watching the boards!

Elsewhere in the blogosphere:

  • Sebastiane has been featuring classics with all of their international variations included.  Think Andrew is a bit obvious?  Try Dreves.  Cathy and Cate don’t appeal?  Call your daughter Catherine by the unusual short form Trine – or opt for the variant Cathereau;
  • My new favorite name of the week has to be Lillemor - also from Sebastiane’s site.  I’ve been puzzled by the so-fashionable Moa in Sweden.  Turns out Moa is a nickname for Lillemor, one that has eclipsed the original.  Apparently Lillemor is considered stodgy by modern Swedes, but in the US?  I think she’d offer an unexpected way to get to Lily – and fit just right with names like Eleanor, too;
  • Over at Names from Adam to Eve, Laura wrote of her love for Hester, nn Hettie.  I’m a fan, too, so it is nice to see Hester get some love;
  • Bewildertrix spotted a newborn girl named Montanna Skye.  It was an Aussie birth announcement, so maybe the parents don’t get the joke?  Or did they vacation in Big Sky Country and … cancel that thought;
  • For Real Baby Names spotted a tot christened Basil Leif.  I suspect he’ll be one of those guys who refuses to hand over his driver’s license for fear his friends will discover the L isn’t for Leon or Lawrence;
  • You’ve heard about New York’s just-released baby names of 2008 list, right?And Sophia and Jayden coming out on top?  Check out the Nameberry post for details and discussion;
  • It’s that time again - Nymbler has released November’s Top 10 favorite names.  They’re  the usual suspects: Charlotte, Ava, Ella, Finn, Jack, Amelia, Claire, Henry, Grace and Benjamin.  
  • But then there’s the far more interesting Top 5 Brand New Names: 
    • A twist on Brianna and Riley, Briley;
    • The lovely Cosima;
    • Word name Fable, a choice almost single-handedly launched by blogger Girls Gone Child; 
    • The literary Bronte;
    • Starbaby-inspired Nahla.

Speaking of starbabies, it was a busy week.  Thanks to Celebrity Baby Blog for the heads up on the following:

  • Maya Rudolph welcomed Lucille, a little sister for Pearl - what a great sibset.  Please leave a comment if you hear about the girls’ middle names;
  • Scrubs’ Judy Reyes welcomed Leila Rey.  Leila is the new Hailey – it is impossible to say how many there really are thanks to Layla, Lailah, Leyla, Laila …  But Rey is a clever nod towards mom’s surname;
  • Singer Lisa Loeb welcomed daughter Lyla Rose;
  • Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils welcomed his fifth child – son Maxime Phillipe.  For those of you who don’t follow hockey, it’s mahr TAN.  He’s from Montreal.  Older siblings are Anthony, William, Jeremy and Anabelle Antoinette; 
  • Also in the Wide World of Sports, Chunky soup pitchman/Philadelphia Eagle Donovan McNabb welcomed his fourth child.  Son Devin James joins sisters Alexis and Sariah and brother Donovan;
  • Heavenly Joy!  It’s a girl for music producer Rodney Jenkins and his wife, Joy Enriquez.  It’s not only an exclamation, it’s her name.

That’s all for this week.  Thanks for reading!

Name of the Day: Alina

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Is she a modern coinage?  A traditional diminutive able to stand on her own?  Or something else entirely?

Thanks to Laney McDonald for suggesting the elusive Alina as Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 2/15/09

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Happy Valentine’s weekend.  We’ve had a bumper crop of starbabies this past week:

In other news:

  • If you haven’t already checked it out, go review the Valentine-themed names at Nameberry.  I thought they might be joking when they mentioned Jetadore.
  • Then I checked out Nancy’s Baby Names and her list from Alberta, Canada.  Sure enough, there’s a Jetaime!  Also a (male) Gonzo and a (female) Harloquinn.  Shudder.
  • Speaking of shuddering, the six older Suleman kids names are:  Elijah Makai, Amerah Yasmeen, Joshua Jacob, Aiden, Calyssa Arielle and Caleb Kai.  Elisabeth did a nice job explaining the octuplets’ names, but Bek gets points for being the first to post them in a comment – thank you!  The six boys are Jonah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Makai (or is it McCai?), Isaiah and Noah; the two girls are Nariah and Maliah.  I’m not sure, but the girls’ names might be spelled NaRiah and MaLiah.  (I’ve been squinting at the website.)  Guess we’ll know for sure when they get a book deal;
  • A piece of site news – I’ll continue to post Names of the Day seven days a week through April 30.  After that, I’m cutting back to Monday through Friday.  As the site grows, keeping up with comments and email takes up more and more time – and frankly, it’s the most fun!  I hate looking at comments and realizing that I’ve missed out on great conversations.  :)  Plus, this will give me more space to work on some draft articles that are gathering dust.

Speaking of other articles, visit Nameberry on Friday.  (As if you don’t visit all the time anyhow.)  I’m scheduled to guest blog!

    Substitute: Alexandra

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    You named your first doll Alexandra. When you wrote short stories, the heroine was always called Alexandra. Back in college, when you and your girlfriends imagined you future kids, yours was always called – you guessed it! – Alexandra.

    Now you’re expecting and it’s a girl. Only it feels like every other parent has stolen your top pick, including your old roommate AND your sister-in-law.

    It’s true.  While the name has always been in use, since 1988, it has been in the Top 50 – that’s two solid decades where more than 6,000 newborns were dubbed Alexandra every single year.  Some quick back-of-the-envelope math shows that more than 90,000 Alexandras joined our ranks in that time frame.

    Should you barrel forward and call your daughter Alexandra anyway?  It’s a tough call.

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