Image via Wikipedia
How can a Top 100 boys’ name borrowed from a faithful Biblical figure be so very controversial?
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting the surprisingly complex Caleb as our Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Caleb
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Tag Archives: Bear
Baby Name of the Day: Ever
Big "E" by Orin Zebest via Flickr
Milla Jovovich said it was a boy’s name when she used it for her daughter. Alanis Morrisette gave the name to her son without explanation.
Thanks to Pat for suggesting the intriguing Ever as our Baby Name of the Day.
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: Huxley
He fits in perfectly with current trends. Could Huxley be the next big thing?
Sunday Summary: 12/20/09
‘Tis the season for popcorn. I guess you could string it on your tree, but I’m thinking of the buttery kind they sell at the multiplex.
While you’re there, listen for these names:
- We’ve been talking about Tiana, Disney’s newest member of the princess juggernaut, for months. Word is that The Princess and the Frog lives up to the hype;
- SJP plays Meryl, wife of Paul, in Did You Hear About the Morgans?;
- On a screen nearby, you can catch Meryl Streep playing Jane in It’s Complicated. John Krasinski plays her son, Harley. There’s also an Agness (played by Lake Bell) and an Annalise (played by Blanchard Ryan) among the cast;
- Let’s assume that the name Neytiri from Avatar won’t catch on. But there is a Trudy, played by Michelle Rodriguez;
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – Heath Ledger’s last film – features a Valentina;
- Invictus is poised to do well during award season. The biopic could give a boost to Nelson, but what about François?
And check out Nameberry’s post on Best Movie Names of the Year, too.
Elsewhere online:
- Over at Legit Babe Names, Sebastiane covered Seija. Apparently she’s the Finnish equivalent of Linda – both were big in the 1940s. She also covered Teiksma, a Latvian name meaning fable or legend. Of course, in the US these days, you’re more likely to meet a Fable;
- Over at Celebrity Baby Blog, Alyson Hannigan confirmed that Satyana comes from the Sanskrit for truth. She mentioned that they call her Sati for short, which makes me think of Erik Satie;
- For Real Baby Names spotted a boy called Fate Whisper. If girls can be Destiny, Faith and Echo, I suppose a boy could be named Fate or Whisper. But both? Yikes;
- For Real also spotted a Paydyn, officially the strangest respelling of Payton/Peyton yet. And a Danika Skyy. Love Danika. Sky and Skye are one thing, but Skyy? Is vodka;
- Bewildertrix spotted a Tiana. Is it the Frog Effect already? And Oliver Ziggy Bear. Which is just fabulously strange;
- Namberry has ballerina names, just in time for the Nutcracker. If you’re called Ghislaine or Violetta, surely you’ll grow up pencil slim and infinitely graceful;
- This post over at Swistle is fascinating. The mom-to-be has three stepdaughters – Airyn Dakotah, Brylee Brookelyn and Madesyn Tayler - plus three of her own - Frances Rosaline, Russell Stacey and Marjory “Midge” Kate. Needless to say, the couple is stuck trying to compromise on a name that satisfies both of their styles;
- Which brings us to the controversy of the week. If you haven’t read Jill’s guest post at Namberry on Yooneek Names, check it out – and make sure to click on the poll results. With nearly 600 votes, an overwhelming 92% of Namberryites hate, hate, hate ‘em. Jill did a great job with a difficult topic.
Lastly, a few starbabies arrived this past week. Besides Benjamin Brady and Mason Dash Disick, there’s also:
- New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre welcomed a son, Rhys Edward, a little brother for Griffin Thomas. He and wife Barrett have a nice naming style;
- Soap stars Arianne Zucker & Kyle Lowder welcomed daughter Isabella.
Since I’m stuck indoors – when the news showcases the record-setting snow in the nation’s capital, that would be what has us housebound – I’ve started looking at the year-end stats early. It’s an interesting list. With a little bit of luck – or another foot or so of snow – I’ll post it just after Christmas.
That’s all for this week – as always, thanks for reading!
Sunday Summary: 6/28/09
The big news from the week was the birth of the SJP/Matthew Broderick twins. Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” pegged Marion Loretta and Tabitha as Mid-Century Modern – and rightly pointed out that many recent Names of the Day suggested by AppMtn readers are in the same mode. The trends, they are a-changin’ …
Enough about the most recent starbaby arrivals for now – on to news elsewhere in the blogosphere:
- Over at NameCandy, the NameLady has penned an article featuring a few potential breakout names from this summer’s movies. They range from Esther to Ryden – both for girls;
- Please welcome the newest member of the Blogroll, Sebastiane’s Legit Baby Names. A few of her features from the past week include: Shayna, Arolilja, Oceane and Selyf. What will she turn up next?;
- Then there’s Onomastitrix, with her keen eye on birth announcements everywhere. The big a-ha from her most recent post? Esme spelled Esmae. I’ve seen Esmee, too – the Esmae spelling is perhaps an inevitable consequence of the “may” versus “mee” pronunciation debate;
- Another reason to love Onomastitrix? She reminds me that Americans don’t hold the monopoly on super-cutesy names. From her recent posts, find a Saffron Frankie Bear, as well as more than one Bunty and Jinty;
- The Toronto Star’s daffy unusual names column serves up another doozy, though I’ll admit I rather approve of this one: Bazeltine Jones Kirkham McGriskin. The first name is plucked right off the family tree – and it is quite cool, right now to the possible nickname Baz. The last two choices represent both parents’ surnames, which is fine. But Jones? They just tossed in Jones. Which seems like an odd pick, even paired with Bazeltine;
- I spotted a fascinating combo out there on the interwebs: Drayken Giovanni. Mom – a self-described conservative Christian hippie – says that her kid’s name means “Lord of the Dragons” and “God is Gracious.” H’okay. Giovanni honors grandmother Joan Yvonne. I haven’t linked to her site because, well, I’m just blown away by how much I admire and loathe the name all at once;
- Nancy’s Baby Names has a list of Two-Hit Wonders that start with E and F and G, including Echo, Elick, Floretta, Glennis, Gaines and Grayling. There’s gotta be a story behind each one of those;
- Over at Nameberry, there’s a fun post on ten Classic Names You Never Thought Of. Love their picks, though I’d probably call the Faerie Queen’s Amoret and the Irish Lorcan undiscovered gems. In my mind, a classic is more like Elizabeth or David – something in long use. But what a great list anyhow;
- Just for laughs: over at the fabulous DaddyTypes, a post on baby names prompted this riff on the Aiden phenom. The Chinese kid would be Madein; the Hilton kid would be Staydin, the used car salesman’s kid would be Tradein … it goes on and gets snarkier;
- Also funny, only real: welcome August James May, son of comedian Ralphie May and wife Lahna Turner. He joins – wait for it – big sis April June at home. I didn’t think August May was particularly comical, but when April June May grows up to be an accountant? Oy vey;
- The Florida Sun-Sentinel included a list of exotic place names for babies: from the starbaby Java to the please-don’t-do-it Bimini. Then again, I long threatened to use Aruban place name Casibari for a daughter’s middle name. Maybe in my next life …
Speaking of life, a few names from my RL:
- The Greek diner in the college town a mile up the street has been announcing the birth of Athanasis for a few weeks now;
- The newest addition to our neighborhood? Sarah. And I recently learned that one of my colleagues has a fabulous tween daughter called Portia.
From the wayback machine – one year ago, the Name of the Day was Cosmo. And, lastly, if you’re thinking that my calendar has been off slightly? That’s because I completely muffed it up about three weeks ago, whilst attempting to switch from a low tech pencil’n'paper calendar system to an app on my nifty little handheld. Big mistake. Huge. I double-booked names throughout late June/most of July.
I’m back to my low tech system, and have managed to squeeze in every single name – but if you’re thinking that I should’ve written about Iolanthe days ago? Yup. I should’ve. My apologies.
