Image via Wikipedia
She’s a medieval rarity that would be right at home in today’s Top 100.
Thanks to Christina for suggesting Annora as our Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Annora
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Tag Archives: Cash
Baby Name of the Day: Susan
Rudbeckia hirta Black-Eyed Susan by gmayfield10 via Flickr
She was a Top Ten pick for more than two decades. Can she still sound fresh today?
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Susan as our Baby Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 1/9/11
Number 9 by Jon Tin Tin Jordan via Flickr
I had lunch with a mom-to-be friend of mine last week. Dad has already veto’d her #1 pick for a son – Nehemiah – and she’s not on board with any of his ideas. She’s not due for a few more weeks, but her doc is already murmuring things like “measuring big” and the pressure is mounting. I’m going to share this great advice from Swistle with her: it isn’t about finding the perfect name, it is finding the name that most satisfies both parents – almost like averaging the parent’s scores. (You give Nehemiah a 10; he gives it a 4. That makes Nehemiah a 7. The question is whether you can agree on a name that ranks an 8 or higher.)
Elsewhere online:
- Let’s say he’s from India and she’s from Poland. What do they name their three Canadian-born kids? For one family, the answer is Anjali Isabel, Lucas, and Philip;
- Ooh, look – For Real spotted a baby Elowen! And also a little Ezmae, which clears up Esme’s pronunciation, but at a cost;
- Here’s a fun way to slice and dice the US Top 1000: Nameberry published the Top Ten Names for each letter of the alphabet over the last 130 years. Check out the Girls’ List and the Boys’ List. The lists for the lesser-used letters like U and X are especially intriguing;
- Nymbler released their most popular names for November, plus their Top Five New Names: Briseis, Enya, Lumen, Ayelet, and Ashe. Ashe is for a boy, suggesting that parents are over Ashton, but not ready to reclaim Ashley. Asher, too, is rising, so no wonder Ashe is attracting attention. And look at Ayelet, riding the Scarlett, Juliet, Bridget tide!
- Speaking of trends, Nancy suspects that Ruby could be the new top name in Australia;
- Quick, what do Ada, Elle, Emme, Otto, Renner, and Bob have in common? They’re all palindromes! Find more with Baby Name Wizard’s comprehensive list;
- Elisabeth pointed out the new Target Baby promo, featuring birth announcements in Times Square. She spotted some great ones flipping through the photo gallery. To her list, I’ll add Soren, Caeleb, Ned, Paxton, Despina, and Abbey.
Plenty of famous folk announced their good news this week, including the arrivals of:
- Kristoffer Polaha’s sonJude, a little brother for Kristoffer Jr. and Micah. Mom is Julianne Morris;
- Jason Schwartzman and wife Brady Cunningham went for the offbeat, choosing Marlowe Rivers. Note to Natalie Portman and other pregnant celebs – Carlo/Carlow/Carlowe is still available;
- What do a pair of news anchors name their son? Carter Evans and Courtney Friel went with Cash Hudson. To the best of my knowledge, neither covers Wall Street or Metro New York;
- Top Chef alum Nikki Cascone will be pureeing lots of veggies in about six months. She’s a new mom to Jackson Robert. Cascone said that the tot’s name came from Sons of Anarchy. Great show, but I’m partial to the name worn by Jax Teller’s son – Abel;
- And, of course, there’s a new member of the royal family. No official announcement has been made, but prayers were offered for Peter and Autumn Philips and their new daughter Savannah.
Speaking of congratulations, let’s end on a high note: you can now buy the first eBook from Nancy Man, Strong Boy Names. Based on the preview, it isn’t so much a list of Gunnar/Cannon/Slade as much as it analyzes more conventional masculine choices that are rarely borrowed by Team Pink. Actually, this might be the baby shower gift I give to my friend who won’t be naming her son Nehemiah …
That’s all for today. As always, thank you for reading, and have a fabulous week!
Baby Name of the Day: Cashel
The Rock of Cashel; Image via Wikipedia
Dashiell is stylish, and Cash is king. Could this Irish import combine the best of both?
Thanks to Kristin for suggesting Cashel as our Baby Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 11/7/10
I mentioned Katniss in a prior Sunday Summary, but hadn’t gotten around to reading The Hunger Games. Until last weekend, when I picked it up and devoured it in one sitting. I’ve yet to get my hands on book #2 in the trilogy, but found myself thinking that Gale is a handsome name for a boy.
Elsewhere in the world:
- A recent article in Parade mentioned Soledad O’Brien, and the intriguing names of her siblings: Orestes, Estela, Cecilia, Maria, and Tony;
- Photoqulity reported a mistmatched sibset – brothers Jackson and Cash, plus sister Amelie. Emily sagely reminded us that parents often have very different naming styles for sons and daughters. Sisters named Annabelle and Aubrey sound mismatched from a style perspective, but they’re cousins if you focus on their sounds. It’s a good point, and the complexities of style were driven home by this Name Lady post;
- Here’s an intriguing option from a comment on the Facebook page: Could Teal be a nickname for Matilda?
- For Real spotted a few great names in Alaska, including Talitha. Remember supermodel Talisa Soto? I always loved her name. Alaska’s B.A.s also included Daxter and a girl called Carigan, both of which feel inevitable, if a little messy;
- If single-syllable names for boys take off will Kahn/Khan catch on? Yikes!
- I know this happens all the time, but Laura Wattenberg’s post on how names are changed from books to big-screen adaptations was interesting – be sure to check out her comments about the re-named Bennet sisters in a rebooted version of Pride and Prejudice. Braelyn, indeed;
- I’m not crafty, but I follow craft blogs. (Those who can’t … surf?) Anyhow, I spotted this appealing project and couldn’t take my eyes off the name: Ellaria. I can’t decided if I love it or just find it meh, but the project is fantastic;
- This made me laugh out loud: Nancy uncovered a surprisingly large number of girls named Aquanette, and traced it not to the hairspray, but to B-movie actress Burnu Acquanetta;
- Overheard on the Nameberry message boards surfaces again: Jovie, from Elf. One of the Green Baby Blog mamas has a Jovi. (And a Roscoe!) Nameberry points out that while Jovie might pass as a nickname for Jovana, she’s really a modern coinage in the key of Jodi. Still, I think she’s catching on.
Hollywood’s population held steady this week, but The Real World: New Orleans alum Matt Smith welcomed his second daughter when wife Canydce gave birth in their car. Happily, the baby’s name is as attractive, auto-reference-free as big sis Norah Grace. The new baby was named Stella St. Clare.
On another reality show note, American Idol finalist Chris Sligh is a first-time dad to daughter Keira Lennon. And yup, according to the People article, Sligh was able to “negotiate a Beatle” into his firstborn’s name.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading!
Reader Baby Name Story: The Name Felt Right
Cashel Joseph
You’ve waited all summer for the return of the stories. They’re back! Today’s Reader Baby Name Story comes to us courtesy of Kristin.
Our son’s name is Cashel Joseph – he’ll be one this month! I’ve made random lists of baby names for years, so when we finally found out I was pregnant after several years of struggling with infertility, I was so excited to be able to think about it in concrete terms rather than abstract. I immediately pulled out my lists and baby name books and spent a LOT of time looking up names online. My husband wasn’t as interested, but always happy to give me a thumbs up or down, which was pretty much the extent of his involvement the whole time. He endured a lot of random “What about this one?” questions driving in the car, getting ready for bed, or other not-always-convenient times. My mom was also a great sounding-board for me, and pretty much the only one besides my husband that I talked names with in detail.
We definitely had specific criteria: I prefer names that are more unusual (I’m a Kristin born at the height of the name’s popularity) but didn’t want it to be too tough to spell or pronounce, and meaning was important to us. It also needed to go with our last name which starts with a D and has a British heritage. “K” names were out since my husband is a Karl and we didn’t want to do the all-K thing, and “D” names were out because of the last name. We didn’t want a made up name, one with a crazy spelling, or one that was too wacky. We knew we wanted to use Joseph as a middle name in honor of my husband’s father who passed away several years ago. The most surprising factor, I think, was how right or wrong a name felt with this specific little baby I was carrying – I wasn’t expecting it to be so clear to me that he wasn’t a Rainer or Jasper even before he was born!
I think the first time I saw the name Cashel was just before I became pregnant, in reference to a writer’s nephew who was described as a creative, spunky, brave little guy. I loved it right away. It felt strong and fresh; honored my Irish heritage, could give us the cool nickname Cash, and went well with our last name. It’s usually said to mean “fortress,” and we thought that was perfect for a boy, especially combined with Joseph, which means “God will enlarge.” By the time we found out that he was a boy (something I was sure of all along) I knew his name was Cashel. My husband wanted to wait to meet him before it was really official, but I don’t think there was ever a doubt – we didn’t even have a back-up name picked. It just felt like it fit this active, kicking little kiddo I was already so in love with. And although I didn’t realize it until after he was born and I was saying both names together, I also love that Cashel and Karl have similar sounds, without him being a “Jr.” The fact that my mother really loved the name was extra confirmation, since she passed away from cancer three weeks before he was born. It means a lot to me to know that she knew her grandson’s name, even if she didn’t get to meet him.
I don’t have any regrets – I love his name, and I hope he does, too. If he ever wants to be more traditional, he can go by C. Joseph D***worth, or just Joseph, and I can totally see Cash when he’s in high school… as an athletic soccer or lacrosse player? A musician? On the debate team? To me, it works for any type of kid. We have gotten a few problems with pronunciation, since a surprising number of people seem to want to pronounce it cash-ELL rather than CASH-el, but I’ve spent my whole life getting Kristen, Kiersten, Christine, Kris, etc. and spelling my name all the time and it hasn’t scarred me yet, so hopefully he won’t mind either. And if he does, “Cash” is pretty hard to misspell/pronounce! I think one of the things I love most is that since it’s such an unusual name, he’ll have the chance to define the name – for good or bad – for everyone he meets. So, world, here’s Cashel Joseph!
Thanks so much for sharing, Kristin, and congratulations on celebrating Cashel’s first birthday – it’s a milestone for the whole family!
I think you hit on something really important about unusual names – they often do give our kids the chance to define the name themselves, as opposed to “Oh, I knew an Emily.” And Joseph is a great family name to put in the middle spot.
Who’s next? If you’d like to submit a story, email me at appmtn@gmail.com. You can see the “Name Stories” page for inspiration.
Baby Name of the Day: Kingsley
He’s a Harry Potter hero and a literary gem.
Thanks to UrbanAngel for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day: Kingsley.
Sunday Summary: 8/1/10
Clio & Aly at Franklin's
Every once in an odd while, it occurs to me that you might enjoy a glimpse of Aly & Clio. Yup, they’re sitting in a hand chair. Nope, it’s not at our house. It is our fabulous local brew pub/restaurant/general store Franklin’s. Happily, it’s just a few blocks from our house. It was Franklin’s that convinced us to move to this neighborhood, and it was Clio’s first restaurant outing when she was just a few weeks old. Time flies!
But the more things change, the more they stay the same. I still eagerly await each time Heidi Klum declares “This is Project Runway!” Season 8 features some dazzling appellations: Peach, Mondo, Ivy, and Casanova. Really, Casanova. Plus a pair of Michaels and a McKell.
In other news:
- I’m fascinated by this name spotted by For Real Baby Names: Hannilé Anne. There’s also cowgirl Oakley Ann, the intriguing Sarah-Bella smoosh/Isabella variant Sabellah Ann, and an intriguing respelling in the middle spot – Luna Secilia. Or it is an Ancient Roman name I’m missing? And Ann really does go with everything;
- Check out this post on Gypsy at You Can’t Call It “It.” While most comments were against using Gypsy, at least as a given name in the first spot, about one-quarter of the votes were of the “go for it” variety. Me? I suggested reversing the middle and the first to arrive at Anna Gypsy. I also liked Hester’s suggestion of using it as a nickname for Giuseppa;
- Which leads us to Flavorwire’s Rock’n'Roll Baby Name Dictionary. Despite Stevie Nicks’ single “Gypsy,” it’s not a name on their list. Henrietta, yes. Maggie, of course. It’s both helpful and amusing;
- The names on Nameberry’s Rock Star Baby Names list are more adventurous – and organized by band. It’s interesting how many bandmates’ children sound like they could be siblings, not just the offspring of their parents’ co-workers. Coldplay’s Apple and Rex spring to mind;
- Babynamelover spotted a Kashtyn. It’s an inevitable outcome of Ashton/Cash/Dashiell, but it reminds me of the phrase “cashed in,” which is a weird association;
- I’m not sure I really expected the Ellen Page/Drew Barrymore roller girl flick Whip It to inspire parents, but here she is: Bliss Caroline, as spotted by Names 4 Real;
- Nancy finished up the math to tell us exactly how many babies received a name that sounds like -ayden in the US last year. A staggering 2.8% of all babies born, regardless of gender, received one. In recent years, the story has been about a greater range of name options for parents. Seems like most of us are only interested in being a little bit different;
- But the most interesting article of the week is definitely Nameberry’s Pam writing for The Daily Beast on 100 Cool Uncommon Names. She’s got some great picks, but the burning question is whether or not they’ll stay cool and uncommon. Or are Lux, Saskia, Tamsin, Bellamy, and Fleur the next Zoe, Olivia, Madison, Emily and Lily? Is Clancy the next Riley? Will Day, North, and Win replace Cade, Cole, and Will?
In starbaby news:
- Mad Men’s Rich Sommer is about to be a dad again. I noticed the post at People, but what really caught my eye was his daughter’s name: Beatrice. Remember a season or so back when his character, Harry Crane, became a new dad? His fictional daughter was also called Beatrice;
- And, of course, Diablo Cody welcomed a baby boy called Marcello.
Lastly, Reader Baby Name Stories will take a break for the month of August. But please do submit your stories – I’ll be posting another call for them in a few days. They’ve been the most fun to read, and I very much appreciate each and every one!
Sunday Summary: 5/2/10
Congratulations go out to Rocking Fetal. She’s welcomed her new daughter, Willa Florence Mae, a little sister for Lucas and Ezra. What a fabulous sibset!
Also, congrats to one of my oldest friends on the birth of his daughter, Helen Claire. I once described Helen as dusty, and I completely take it back.
In other news:
- I’m completely in love with Basque names, thanks to Sebastiane’s post. They’re familiar and totally unexpected all at once – Elixane, Katerin, Jakes;
- There was an Allison Adair spotted by For Real Baby Names. I’ve long loved Adair as a girl’s name, so I’m truly delighted to see her;
- Also at For Real’s site, Aloha, Hawai’i! What wildly-named children play on your beaches. Boys include Cashez (is that Cassius or a Cash/Cortez mash-up?) and Dezmen (Desmond rebooted or Dezi with an -en tacked on?) and a baby girl called girl Pasefika (Pacifica, or a foreign name I’m not recognizing?) plus a female Kelly Michael and a male Tracey Tamiko. Oh, and a Hazelyn – which is strangely pretty;
- Elisabeth finishes her round-up of French BAs at You Can’t Call It “It” with Les Filles L-Z;
- More proof that Hattie is the new Sadie: the movie Babies profiles Ponijao in Namibia, Mari in Japan, Bayar in Mongolia and Hattie in San Francisco, USA;
- The Stir covers Bellamy, adding to my suspicions that Bellamy is the next Avery;
- Namberry covers names ending in -o, including a certain brand new starbaby …
The big news was, of course, Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock’s solo – and surprisingly secret – adoption of Louis Bardo. Elsewhere among the famous:
- Surnames take center stage for newborn twins Lydon Edward and Hartley Grace, the children of Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath;
- It’s certainly not news, but did you know that Saturday Night Live’s Ana Gasteyer has two kids – daughter Frances Mary and a son, Ulysses? Neat names.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading!
Sunday Summary: 1/17/10
The baby boom continues at AppMtn. Congratulations to Emmy Jo on the birth of her son, Julius!
Have you been reading all of those press releases by this hospital or that about the most popular names of 2009? They haven’t been terribly exciting, but I’m reading them anyhow. This one caught my attention, not because of the Most Popular Names. (Jack and Isabella, yawn.) And not even so much because of the unusual names listed. (Though Leviticus is a bit much and Minuet is lovely.) No, it caught my eye because they listed Stella among the unusual names. Clearly the compiler is not up on baby name trends. Or doesn’t watch Oxygen.
I’ve been neglecting the Toronto Star baby name profiles lately. Let’s check in on Kristin Rushowy’s latest:
- Somewhere between the overexposed Alexander and the up-and-coming Max falls the brief-yet-familiar Lex. As in Luthor. Who has been kinda-sorta redeemed on Smallville, I suppose. The baby’s full name is Lex Noah Atticus, and I’ll admit – super villain or no, I kind of love it;
- There’s also a story about a couple with four kids: sons Hunter and Connor and twin daughters Kerrilyn Lane and Bella Nicole. Kerrilyn honors grandma Kerrin. The mom had this to say: “Nobody – including family – can spell it properly. It’s pronounced Carolyn.” I can see why Kerrilyn seemed like the right choice, but wow – that’s a lifetime of introducing yourself as “Kerrilyn – K-E-R-R …;”
- Let’s leave Canada on a high note with this story of the first baby of the new year, the appropriately named Eva.
From Canada to New Zealand, remember a few days ago when we were all abuzz with the birth announcement for Diammond Sparckle Zedekeyah Lilly Ann? Turns out baby Diammond has ten big brothers and sisters. I couldn’t find a complete list, but this article includes a few of her sibs: Brandi Shyla Molly Robyn, Indego Raindrop Sapphire and the relatively ordinary Cruz Richard. Mom Brinessa says Diammond’s name was inspired by an iPhone app. “We just added a couple of letters to the name so it would be a bit different.” Mission accomplished.
Also in New Zealand, the Bay of Plenty Times reports on a family determined to find a name more interesting than Jack. They came up with Jaksyn. Suddenly, Diammond seems like the more satisfying choice.
Elsewhere online:
- Sebastiane covers international variations of the classics William and Sara/Sarah; plus the Estonian version of Winter, the appealing Talvi;
- Names4Real spotted a boy called Cipher Bash. When he keeps secrets in high school, don’t be surprised. She also found a birth announcement for a girl named Couture Beauty. And I thought that Jolie was a lot to put on a kid;
- Bewildertix spotted a Belladonna. Terribly pretty, and irresistible with all the Isabellas out there. Also the predictable and not-nearly-so-attractive Anastyn, Adelayde and Wyit. I think that’s a respelling of Wyatt, but I can’t fathom why that seemed like the thing to do. Someone please tell me Wyit is a traditional Maori name or maybe a surname worn by a distinguished Aussie statesman;
- Nameberry discusses names popular in 1910 that have yet to return. Abner and Kitty, anyone?;
- Vast Public Indifference tabulated the Hot Baby Names of 1710. Fabulous! Whatever happened to Mehitabel, Jerusha and Bethia, Ephraim and Ebenezer? And while you’re there, take her quiz: 18th Century Connecticutian or Muppet? I bombed, but here’s a hint: Big Bird has cousins;
- The best argument EVER for using a formal name comes to us from Namberry guest blogger Greta Goss. When she outgrew Peggy she simply looked for a more appealing diminutive of her name, Margaret.
Speaking of Margaret, Mark Walherg and Rhea Durham welcomed baby #4, the classically named Grace Margaret. In other starbaby news, via Celebrity Baby Blog:
- HGTV’s Vern Yip has welcomed a son, Gavin Joshua Mannox;
- Flight of the Conchords’ Rhys Darby has welcomed a son Theo, little brother for Finn;
- ‘NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and wife Kelly announced the birth of daughter Kloey Alexandra, a little sister for Briahna. Kloey is a mash-up of her parents’ names – not sure if there is a story behind Briahna’s spelling;
- Yes, Dash and Cash are catching on. But if your last name was Rich would you call your kiddo Cash Rich? Country singer John Rich, half of duo Big & Rich, did just that;
- How many celebs have chosen Rocco for a son in recent years? Add one more to the list. Jillian Barberie Reynolds has welcomed a son, Rocco Rio, a little brother for Ruby Raven;
- Fatboy Slim has apparently been happily married for a decade. He and wife Zoe have a son called Woody and just welcomed a daughter, Nelly May Lois. And ’round the house, Fatboy answers to Norman.
How could I top that? As always, thanks for reading!
