Image via Wikipedia

She’s a botanical choice from a few decades back, once so popular that Winona Ryder went to high school with three of them.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Heather as our Baby Name of the Day.

1989′s dark comedy Heathers was an earlier generation’s Mean Girls.  Winona played Veronica Sawyer, the lone member of her uber-popular quartet who didn’t answer to Heather.  Veronica and boyfriend J.D. – Christian Slater – semi-accidentally offed one of the Heathers, followed by a pair of football stars, before V. realized that her new guy was a homicidal maniac.

Heather was a logical choice for the cinematic trio.  The name peaked at #3 in 1975, and remained in the US Top Ten into the 1980s.  Today she’s fading, even dated, a mom name ranking a mere #683 for newborn girls last year.  In the garden of girls, Heather has given way to Lily and Violet.

But Heather is a botanical choice, at least throughout the twentieth century.  The exact origins of her name are debated – some suggest a logical connection to heath; others theorize that she’s Celtic.  In any case, calluna vulgaris is a shrub found throughout Europe and into Asia, but it is Scotland and Northern England known for their fields of wild heather.  Considered something of a weed until fairly recently, heather became stylish in the gardening world a few decades before she emerged as a popular pick for our daughters.

The change in heather’s value is attributable to Queen Victoria.  Following a trip to Scotland early in their marriage, Prince Albert bought land and the couple commissioned a new castle, suitable for their growing family, at Balmoral.  Humble heather, common in the couple’s new getaway, became a royal favorite.

If you wanted your daughter’s name to scream Scottish heritage in the 1970s, you’d probably consider Heather, just the way parents a generation earlier had propelled Bonnie into the Top 100.

By the time parents discovered the name in droves, her career was all-but-over, but English actress Heather Angel probably deserves credit for introducing the name to the US.  Born in 1909 in Oxford – yes, that’s her real name – she graduated from stage to screen in the 1930s.  You can also hear her voice in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.  She made recurring appearances on Peyton Place and Family Affair in the 1960s.

There was also Heather Menzies, the young actress who played von Trapp sister Louisa in 1965′s The Sound of Music, as the name gained in popularity.  The Young and the Restless cast grew by one in 1979 when April gave birth to a daughter named Heather; Highlander used the name for Connor’s first love in 1986.  Most of the notable pop culture uses are actually slightly after the name’s peak.

Heather likely owes some of her success to fellow ends-in-er-name Jennifer’s rise, too.

The list of prominent Heathers is long, but she’s firmly in mom-name territory these days.  (Even perennial TV vixen Heather Locklear appeared on Hannah Montana as the mother of Miley’s BFF, Lilly.)

Still, her sound remains distinctive and she’s a valid nature name choice with ties to Scotland.  Chances are that we’ll all have a bunch of great-granddaughters called Heather.

Image via Wikipedia

Nameberry called her freckle-faced, but she’s picked up an edge in recent years.

Thanks to Claire for suggesting Polly as our Baby Name of the Day.

The precise evolution of Mary into Polly is fuzzy, but let’s say this: even purists who insist a formal name should always go on the birth certificate might find a little Mary called Polly confusing circa 2011.

Regardless, Polly does sound just right on a girl with pigtails, a pinafore, and yes, freckles.  ome of it is her nickname status: she’s one of many short forms that evolved over the many years Mary dominated choices for girls.  But most of it is about all those famous Pollys:

• Nursery rhymes tell Polly to “put the kettle on” for tea;
• Aunt Polly was the good-hearted guardian of Tom Sawyer;
• Eleanor Porter’s 1913 Pollyanna was about a super-optimistic orphan, able to melt the heart of her grim guardian Aunt Polly, while selflessly improving the lives of everyone she meets.  Sequels followed, as did film adaptations.  In 1920, Mary Pickford – then aged 27 – played the twelve year old.  (And you thought the kids on Glee were old!)  Hayley Mills’ 1960 turn as the ever-so-sunny youngster is also famous;
• Shirley Temple sang the children’s song “Polly Wolly Doodle” in 1935′s The Littlest Rebel, after rescuing her father from certain death;
• More recently, girls can play with Polly Pocket, a sort of mini-Barbie.

They’re sweet, even saccharine, but more recent uses are something of a mixed bag.  There’s

• Polly Holliday – you know her as the no-nonsense waitress Flo on 1970s sitcom Alice;
• 1970s Britcom Fawlty Towers included a staff member called Polly;
• 1980s staple thirtysomething included Polly Draper as Ellyn;
• Actress Polly Bergen has had a long career, with recent appearances on The Sopranos and Desperate Housewives.  Bergen was born Nellie Paulina;
• Polly Plummer is a character in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series;
• Meg, the heroine of Margaret L’Engle’s young adult novel A Wrinkle in Time eventually grows up and has a daughter of her own, named Polly – short for Polyhymnia.

Polly was popular in the late nineteenth century, and again in the 1930s.  At first glance, you might attribute her rise to Porter and Pickford, but there’s also Bertolt Brecht’s 1928 The Threepenny Opera, an adaptation of 1728′s The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay.  Polly is the daughter of a criminal mastermind, and she plans to marry Mack the Knife – also a thief.  The cast consists of beggars, prostitutes, and prisoners.  Polly herself is fairly virtuous, though that’s mostly by comparison to the notorious company she keeps.

The Kinks recorded a song called “Polly.”  So did Nirvana.   There’s also independent musician P.J. Harvey, born Polly Jean. The musical connection takes Polly in a different, darker direction.

Polly could’ve made a comeback thanks to the 2004 Jennifer Aniston-Ben Stiller romcom Along Came Polly.  Stiller played a risk-averse guy who has just been jilted when he meets fun-loving free spirit Polly Prince.  Their unlikely relationship takes off, but the film wasn’t enough to make parents reconsider the name.

Perhaps parents might revisit Polly as a short form of another name: Paulina, Penelope, Pomeline, or even Appoline.  Diminutives like Molly and Sadie have graduated to independent status, but Polly is not quite there – yet.  That could make her the perfect choice for parents seeking something different, but still familiar.

Image by always13 via Flickr

Is it me, or was the coverage of Jennifer Connelly’s new daughter rather restrained?  Connelly and husband Paul Bettany welcomed little Agnes Lark earlier this week.  Agnes joins big brothers Stellan and Kai.  Usually headlines like “stars choose bizarre name” or “stars revive classics” are all over my feedreader a day or two after a birth announcement, but this time?  Crickets.

Since we’ve started with celebrities, let me also mention:

• Laila Ali confirmed that her daughter Sydney J got her middle initial from great-grandma Jurldine.  I’m not a huge fan of passing down just an initial, but I can understand why they decided against using the full name;
• Kim Kardashian has yet to say “I do” to boyfriend Kris Humphries, but she’s already reserving baby names that start with K.  Klassy.

I’m writing a celebrity-inspired baby name post for Nameberry tomorrow.  It’s a two-part series.  My favorites from this week’s list are Miro, Ridge, and Asa.  But it’s a game and you can play, too.

Elsewhere online:

• The day before Agnes’ birth announcement, Nameberry posted a Say Yes to S list, about choices from Lotus to Leatrice that could join Alice and Frances among the stylish;
• ForReal spotted a Greta.  She’s climbed modestly since returning to the US Top 1000 in 1999.  (She’d left after 1982.)  I always Greta is one of those short, sweet, complete and completely underrated names.  At #666 in 2010, she’s still far from common;
• Okay, I kind of like Hennessy.  But please don’t name your daughter Chardonnay;
• Millicent: too fusty, or ripe for revival?  British Baby Names makes me think the latter;
• I never liked Sailor or Saylor, but Nancy’s post changed my mind.  All of a sudden, it is less Taylor-goes-to-sea and more quirky gem;
• Are you reading Namestory?  Proof that even the most common names can have fascinating tales to tell;
• Did you see this post at Swistle where the older child has the nickname River from Richard IV?  Tough to explain maybe, but pure genius;
• Elisabeth had some great ideas for Dante Xipil’s little sister.  Ylva is fantastic, and I like Kristen’s suggestion of Kahlo, too.  Kim Kardashian, are you taking notes?  Far more stylish than, say, Kash or Kynlee.

Have too much free time?  I have a Facebook page.

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

Mila Kunis sketch, via Flickr

She’s a globe-spanning short form that stands nicely on her own.

Thanks to Meryl for suggesting her daughter’s name as our Baby Name of the Day: Mila.

Mila appeared in the US Top 1000 once, in 1881, and then disappeared for more than a century.  She wasn’t gone, exactly.  Given her status as an enduring short form for many appellations, she was just hiding.

Then came 2006, and Mila was back – and climbing quickly.  You could attribute Mila’s return to two actresses, both Ukrainian-born:

• Mila Kunis rose to stardom as Jackie on That ’70s Show, which was ending its successful run the same year Mila returned to the rankings.  Kunis had some less-than-successful years after the series closed, her recent turn in Oscar-winning ballet psychodrama The Black Swan might put her career – and her name – on a different trajectory;
• Kiev-born Milla Jovovich was modeling before she qualified for a driver’s license.  Her star turns in two sci-fi successes have helped boost her characters’ names: Jovovich played Leeloo in 1997′s The Fifth Element, sparking a sensation in France, and has starred as Alice in the Resident Evil franchise, since 2002, with another installment planned for 2012.

Both Mila and Milla pronounce their names MEE lah,  rhymes with Sheila.  Milla has never made the US Top 100, and the double-l spelling seems slightly less likely to result in the correct pronunciation, despite Ms. Jovovich’s prominence.

Beyond Hollywood, Mila also succeeds on her sound and a rising preference for mini-names.  Between 2000 and 2009:

• Over 83,000 girls were named Mia, ranked #26 for the decade;
• Almost 40,000 girls were called Maya, #81 for the decade;
• Another 28,000 plus answered to Mya, #114 for the decade.

Of course, Mya leaves you wondering if her pronounce is an “ee” or an “eye” sound.  Message boards voiced the same confusion about Mila.  Meelah is clear, but unattractively phonetic.  Mia suggests the correct pronunciation, but Miley and Miles lead you astray.  Some comments suggesting that Myla might be a better spelling – but wouldn’t Myla rhyme with Kyla and Lila?

Speaking of Lila, the rise of L- names like Leah and Lily also helps Mila feel very current.

Despite all this talk of sound and style, there’s quite a bit of substance to this name, too.  She’s a short form of Slavic staples, including:

• Ludmila;
• Milana;
• Milena – Mila Kunis’ given name;
• Milica – Milla Jovovich’s given name, after her Serbian great-grandmother;
• Miloslvava.

In most cases, mil means gracious.

She’s also found in Spanish, as a short form of names like Emilia and Camila.  A type of cactus native to Peru is also the mila – in this case, it is an anagram of Lima.

Mexican model Elsa Benitez – two-time Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model and host of Mexcio’s Next Top Model – and her former husband, Lebanese basketball player Rony Seikaly, used the name for their daughter.

Factor in that Mila is also popular in Belgium, and she’s quite the international traveler.

Mila could also serve as an unexpected short form of Amelia, or a refresh of antiques like Millicent or Mildred.

A short, sweet, and complete name that can cross cultures and languages is something many parents seek.  That’s Mila’s only short-coming.  She’s so attractive that she’s just not a secret anymore.  Her popularity has spiked in recent years, and she reached #364 in 2010.  It suggests that we when look at the data for the coming decade, Mila might take a deserved place with Mia and Maya as a stylish, very popular appellation indeed.

Image via Wikipedia

He’s a surname choice with playful literary associations, as well as a tie to engineering.

Thanks to Jen for suggesting Kipling as our Baby Name of the Day.

It is almost a rule that any surname will have a few uses in first spot, and it is surprising how many surnames owe their roots to a given name.  In Kipling’s case, there are a handful of men who have worn the name in the twentieth century.  It is impossible to say how many answered to Cybbel, Kipling’s Anglo-Saxon forerunner.

The exact history of Cybbel is difficult to trace, but several sources suggest that it means club or cudgel, and could have been given to someone who made clubs, someone who used clubs, or someone who just happened to have a short, stout, club-like appearance.

Cybbel influenced two place names, both in Yorkshire.  The first became Kiplin, a tiny dot of a place famous because of Kiplin Hall.  The Calvert family built Kiplin Hall in the seventeenth century; you might recognize the name George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, founder of Maryland.

The second is Kiplingcotes, home to England’s oldest horse race, the Kiplingcotes Derby.

The most famous Kipling’s father hails from Yorkshire, but Rudyard Kipling – the Nobel Prize-winning author of enduring favorites like The Jungle Book – was born in distant Bombay.

The year was 1865 and Joseph Rudyard Kipling’s parents, John Lockwood and Alice Macdonald Kipling were recent arrivals in India.  Their son’s unusual name came from Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, where the couple met and fell in love.  I’m not sure why they used the given name Joseph, but John Lockwood also apparently preferred his middle name, so perhaps there was a family custom.

Lockwood Kipling was an artist – a sculptor, arrived in Bombay to teach at a school of arts and industry.  Alice, too, had a reputation as a creative, vivacious woman.  No wonder, then, that Rudyard would be both incredibly popular and artistically successful – a tough combination.

Kipling brings to mind Mowgli dancing with Baloo in the Disney adaptation of his most famous work, or maybe the fearless Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.  But he’s also a poet, conquering more serious issues as in 1892′s Gunga Din.

If you happen to be an engineer, there’s another reference.  Back in 1922, seven past presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada took part in a conference in Montreal.  The assembled felt that their profession required something different – a ceremony to impress upon new members the importance of their craft, and to reinforce their shared responsibilities.  One of the seven past presidents wrote to Rudyard Kipling, and Kipling – who had praised the work of engineers in some of his writings – agreed to write the words of the obligation.  An American equivalent exists, too, and all members may wear an iron ring.

There’s also the luggage, known for the attached monkey charm.  The line is indeed named after Rudyard Kipling; their site affectionately refers to him as Rudy.

Rudyard, then, isn’t such a stretch as a given name.  But what about Kipling?  He seems more sophisticated than many a K-name, and his -ing ending is unusual without being strange.

Kipling conveys a certain adventurous spirit, but he remains surprisingly wearable.  Nickname Kip is friendly and upbeat.  Kipling’s parents may have to explain their choice, but chances are they’ll never regret it.

Image via Wikipedia

I was recently trailing a just-pregnant-enough-to-need-maternity-wear friend through the mall when I spotted a baby names book.  Moth to a flame, I flipped through the pages.

And I was horrified.  The definitions weren’t just wrong – there’s room to quibble about the origins of many names – they were absolutely uninformed.  Cleo meant “Egyptian queen” as did Cleopatra.  (Wrong.)  Julie was listed as an American name, Juliet as Italian, and Juliette as French.  One out of three is … pretty pathetic.

I stopped short of telling the clerk they really needed to stock Beyond Ava and Aiden.  And I must say, I have a renewed sense of how hard it is for the non-name-obsessed to get good information.

Speaking of which, there was quite a lot of great conversation this week:

• All the buzz was about Girl’s Gone Child’s list of names she’s  not using for their twin daughters.  My favorites from her list: Season, Blythe, and Nova;
• Check out Chanara’s list of possible names for Rosy’s little sister or brother.  Alice Cordelia is my favorite, but she’s not made the final cut;
• For Real spotted a Madalina  – pretty, but loses something thanks to all of those little Madelines and Adalyns;
• British Baby Names has a list of families from the Edwardian era that rival the Duggars for matchiness;
• Did you see this list at Nameberry of double names?  I’ve long loved Coco, Gigi, Mimi, and Lulu – and never noticed that they shared a pattern;
• What do you think of Eisley for a girl?  A Swistle reader has it on her short list;
• As if Glee wasn’t enough, Cars 2 features a British secret agent car called Finn McMissile;
• While we’re looking at animated characters, Nickelodeon is about to import an Italian series about fairies at a Hogwarts-esque academy.  The main character of Winx Club  is called Bloom.  I get a very Producers/grocery store vibe from Bloom, but I like it anyhow.

If you follow AppMtn on Facebook, you heard me shouting “Noooooo!” when David Schwimmer’s daughter’s name was announced last week.  Even more strange?  A New Zealand news site said this of Cleo Schwimmer: “After several weeks of bizarre celebrity baby names, it’s refreshing to find someone who has given their newborn the best chance of a normal life.”

H’okay.  I’m not saying Cleo is especially weird, but it isn’t exactly Anne.

Speaking of celebrity names, Oprah inspired last week’s post at Nameberry.  There’s no post here tomorrow thanks to the Memorial Day holiday, but my list at Nameberry is super-season appropriate and very much fun.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!

Glynis Johns; Image by joanna tidball via Flickr

Looking for a modern name that still reads Granny chic?  Hoping for something with an indie edge?  Today’s choice combines all three qualities.

Thanks to Shan for suggesting Glynis as our Baby Name of the Day.

Think hard for a minute, and the most famous Glynis might come to mind.  Born in South Africa of Welsh descent, actress Glynis Johns managed to be incredibly memorable and yet strangely unknown.

On Broadway, Johns nabbed a Tony as Desiree in A Little Night Music.  She sang “Send in the Clowns” in the production – a song that was written specifically for her.  That’s not because she was such a huge star.  On the contrary, they didn’t know Johns could sing when she was cast.

Johns also had a long history of appearances on the small screen, including a short-lived sitcom, the eponymous Glynis.  She played a mystery writer and amateur sleuth – a formula that would eventually prove remarkably successful for Angela Landsbury, but did little for Johns.

Still doesn’t ring a bell?  Remember the crusading suffragette mum in Mary Poppins, the one who didn’t quite keep track of young Jane and Michael Banks?  Yup, that was Glynis Johns, too.

In more recent years, she was Diane‘s mom on Cheers and sweet grandmother Elsie in the Sandra Bullock rom-com While You Were Sleeping.

Glynis sounds like she might be a medieval rarity, but instead she was a fairly recent innovation.  Welsh parents took glyn – valley – and came up with the name.  Or maybe the root was the Welsh word for pure.  Either way, she fits right in with other ends in -s feminine names.  Some, like Dilys, seemed fated to obscurity, while others, like Carys, are catching on.

Back at the heights of Johns’ career, her given name appeared in the US Top 1000 several times, peaking in 1964 at #673.  That’s not much of a high, and the year after was her last in the rankings.

All of this might make her an unlikely candidate for discovery circa 2011, but there’s one other factor.  Back in 1993, the Smashing Pumpkins took the world by storm with Siamese Dream.  They were asked to contribute to the AIDS research benefit album No Alternative, and their song?  A single titled “Glynis.”

They were in good company – the compilation included recordings from Soul Asylum, Sonic Youth, Bob Mould, and other leading indie recording artists.  Smashing Pumpkins’ single was written in tribute to bassist Glynis Johnson, a fellow Chicago-area musician who died of AIDS.

It’s not a well-known single, but it is lovely and haunting.  The first lyric is this:

Here’s a name you cannot forget

Maybe that’s the best way to describe Glynis.  She doesn’t quite fit into any of the obvious categories for fashionable names, but that might be what makes her a stand-out – Alice with an extra-sharp edge.

Image by cod_gabriel via Flickr

She’s a frills-free mythological choice with a certain flair.

Thanks to Taylor for suggesting Calyx as our botanical Baby Name of the Day.

File Calyx with Doris and Clio.  Their roots are Greek, but you probably don’t know much about the original bearer of the name.

There’s more than one Calyx early days, and you might be more familiar with a different version of her name: Kalyke, Calyce, or even the Latinized Calycia.

One of the first figures was mom to Endymion, a handsome mortal.  Depending on the story, he was a prince or a shepherd, possibly the son of Zeus, and in most accounts, father to fifty daughters with Selene, a moon goddess.

There’s also a nymph who helped nurse the young Dionysus.  One more Calyx appears, too – she had an affair with Poseidon, and their son went on to become a king.

Thanks to all of these references, Calyx has been borrowed by astronomers.  Eleven years ago, the name was given to a moon of Jupiter, though they preserved the spelling Kalyke, pronounced kal EH kee.

From the heavens to terra firma, there’s a second reference.  The Greek kalyx became the Latin calyx – a term to describe the husk of a flower bud.  There’s no connection to the first figure; instead, calyx comes from the Greek kylix – drinking cup – as well as kalyptein – to veil.

Whether you’re thinking of the botanical reference or the mythological one, the question is whether it will wear well on a child.

Alexander is a staple for boys.  We all know girls who answer to Alex, and Alix has history as a valid variant of Alice.  Girls’ names like Callie and Calla share her first syllable, as do Calvin and Caleb.

But has anyone ever answered to Calyx?

In 2009, fewer than five boys or five girls received the name, but Calyx does surface in US Census records.  Most of the bearers appear to be male, but I’m at a loss to explain how he came into use.

It’s easy to imagine a parent dreaming it up these days.  In fact, it does surface in news reports – but tied to a grisly murder of a teenager in early 2011.  And you’ll find her on message boards, too.  (My favorite: the question was “What do you think of Calyx?” and the reply was “Try a real name, like Calyce.”)

A calyx is also part of the kidney, and quite the popular name for companies – flowers and jewelry to software and business consulting.  It’s a perfume from Prescriptives, and at Washington and Lee University, Calyx is the name of the yearbook.

All in all, it seems like it would wear well – like Alex, but a little different – and probably seems better suited for a girl, though it is so rare that I wouldn’t quibble with a boy called Calyx.  Actually, given the rise of Felix, maybe Calyx is just right for a son.

The only trouble is that the pronunciation isn’t like Alex with a C in front; apparently it sounds like KAI licks.  I don’t love that sound – and, frankly, I think you’d have to resort to a sci-fiesque spelling like Kylix to ensure that pronunciation.

Calyx is risky, but not completely outlandish.  I’ll be curious to hear if anyone has ever met a Calyx!

A by Too Far North via Flickr

She’s hidden in the history books, but if you look closely, you’ll find this intriguing medieval moniker hiding between the lines.

Thanks to Emily of In the Name for suggesting Aleydis as our Baby Name of the Day.

Aleydis is a form of Adalheidis, from the Germanic elements – adal – noble – and heid – type.  Adelaide was worn by an empress/saint in the 900s.  Thanks to another regal Adelaide from the nineteenth century, it is the most common form today – and quite stylish, too.

A long list of appellations trace their origins to Adalheidis, including:

• Alice
• Alix, easily mistaken for a feminine twist on Alexander but a valid feminine choice in its own right
• Adele
• Adela
• Alicia
• Alina
• Allison

Aleydis belongs on this list, but she’s just barely visible in the historical record and nearly gone from use today.  I’m guessing she’d be pronounced ah LAY dess, or ah lay DESS, but I’m not really sure.

Her evolution went something like this: Adalheidis was Adelheid in German and Dutch.  Aleida would’ve been the diminutive, and Aleidis or Aleydis a Latinised version of the short form.  The name was transformed by those who wrote about the saint, along the lines of Confucius (Kong Qiu until the 1600s, when Jesuits missionaries translated his writings) or Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, born Jeroen – Jerome.

In the first half of the thirteenth century,  a Brussels-born girl entered a convent.  She eventually founded a religious order aimed at instructing poor children.  She contracted leprosy and spent the rest of her life in isolation, slowing becoming blind and paralyzed.  Today she’s know as Saint Alice, patron saint of the blind and paralyzed, but in her lifetime she was called Aleydis.

Other women have worn the name, too:

• There’s a fleeting mention of a Prussian woman named Aleydis from the 1100s;
• Val-Duchesse is a castle owned by the Belgian Royal Trust.  Once the home of Henry III, Duke of Brabant, his widow, Aleydis or Alice, turned it into a priory in the 1200s.  The place owes its name to her – the Valley of the Duchess.  It’s now the site of international conferences;
• A thirteenth century religious movement included a leader called Aleydis, but the only information I can find is that she was executed for heresy in northern France in the 1200s;
• In the 1600s, Dutch painter Vermeer gave the name to one of his daughters;
• As late as the eighteenth century, there’s a prioress of a Cistercian Abbey in Germany answering to Maria Aleydis.

An old thread at Behind the Name suggested a completely separate evolution.  It strikes me as little more than a guess, attempting to connect Aleydis to the goddess Alea, later an epithet of Athena.  The thread also mentions Aleydis was popular in Catalonia, an area known for some truly extraordinary names.  I found one medieval reference to Adalyde in Catalonia, but nothing suggests that it is a separate name.

Parents might hear Aleydis in 2003′s film adaptation of Girl With a Pearl Earring, based on Tracy Chevalier’s carefully researched – but fictional – tale of the inspiration behind one of Vermeer’s most famous works.

Overall, Aleydis strikes a nice balance between names of recent coinage and gentle antiques.  She’s lively but historic, obscure but legit.

23 by cobalt123 via Flickr

Have you ever been someplace where you were supposed to be thinking about something entirely different, but your mind wandered and you found yourself pondering names instead?

Please tell me I’m not the only one.

I was at a memorial service for a lovely man on Saturday, a man whose life was jam-packed with adventure and achievement.  And yet, there was a minute where the afternoon sun caught the stained glass windows, gorgeous pieces dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s, with their benefactors’ names included in their designs.

I redirected my attention to the service, but not before I’d spotted Sidell, Ellis, Alice, and Laura, beloved wife of Alfred.

Back to places where it is okay to look:

• Have you seen the Nameberry message board thread about names that relate to fire?  Suggestions included Phoenix, Blaise, Fiammetta, Ember, and Kindle.  Wait, there are some problems with Kindle;
• From fire to Icie, at Bewitching Names.  Isadora guesses that Icie and company could be related to Isis.  It’s a good guess – Verdi’s Aida was a big deal, so parents embracing Egyptian-ish appellations tracks.  Isadora was also kind enough to mention this post on Icel, from sixth century Mercian ruler.  Isa stands at #12 in the Netherlands.  I also came across Iselin, currently in the Top 100 in Norway, exported with the assistance of a model;
• Speaking of Scandinavia, via Nancy, Sweden has released their Most Popular Names for 2010.  Oscar and Maja top the lists, but I’m intrigued by one of the fast-rising names: Novalie.  Nova has some history, in the US and elsewhere.  Novalee was Natalie Portman’s character in 2000′s Where the Heart Is.  I can’t find an explanation for Novalie’s rise in Sweden – any ideas?
• Swistle tried to help a reader find a formal name for Winnie. The mom suggested Winifred, while the dad was all about Winsome.  I see the appeal of Winsome, but it seems like a tough one to wear in those surly teenage years.  Other suggestions ranged from Gwendolyn to Winslow, Wynne, and Bronwyn;
• For Real spotted a Lexx Steven.  He can hang with Maxx and Jaxx.
• The Globe and Mail reported on the OpenFile app that mapped baby name popularity in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada by postal code. There were some interesting findings, like the popularity of a gender-neutral borrowing from the Dalai Lama, Tenzin, in the Tibetan community of Parkdale.  After clicking around the map, I’m not sure it is all that helpful.  If Emma is #1 here, but only#3 a few blocks over, and just #2 across town, well …  Emma is still a very, very popular name.

Over at the Nameberry blog, I’m presenting my best evidence yet that Americans really are embracing a greater diversity of given names.  (Yes, I’ll be wearing a visor that reads “Master of the Obvious,” too.)

As for new starbabies in the universe this week, here’s a round-up on what I posted on the AppMtn Facebook page this week:

• News that Owen Wilson’s new son’s name is Robert Fordbrought general approval, but we’re still wondering what they will call him – Rob?  Bobby?  Ford?  I’m rooting for the last one;
• Entertainment Tonight’s Samantha Harris welcomed a daughter, Hillary Madison, a little sister for Josselyn Sydney.  I called it refreshingly off-trend.  Others thought it was too close to what you’d call a Cabbage Patch Kid;
• Dutch model Doutzen Kroes and DJ boyfriend Sunnery James welcomed a son named Phyllon.  It is a trio of unexpected appellations, but when you have to tweet the pronunciation with the birth announcement – Fillen, according to James – there could be problems.  Sarah counted five possible pronunciations!
• Emily Procter’s West Wing character launched Ainsley back in 2000/2001.  Her CSI: Miami character wears the trendy respelled name Calleigh.But her firstborn child wears a vaguely English appellation – the quirky Pippa.

That’s all for this week!  As always, thank you for reading, commenting, and sending all of your fabulous suggestions my way.