Glance at any newsstand and you’ll spot her, along with Suri and Apple, and a host of other pint-sized celebrities.
Thanks to Urban Angel for suggesting Shiloh as our Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Shiloh
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Tag Archives: Charlotte
Sunday Summary: 5/30/10
For those of you in the US, Happy Memorial Day weekend! There will be no Baby Name of the Day on Monday, May 31.
But never fear! There’s news aplenty to occupy your quiet hours:
- This post at Swistle raises one of my favorite questions: how close is too close? Can you name your daughter Dorothy and your son Theodore? It seems awfully close to me, and it would be nearly impossible to name a third child. But both names are great;
- Speaking of my favorite questions, The Stir raised the question of misspelled baby names. Comments ran the gamut from those who hate, hate, hate them to the mother of four kids named Corynne, Caleb, Caidy and Cayleigh. They raised the question thanks to a rant at CafeMom prompted by a birth announcement spotted for a Madicyn. I think there’s a lot going unsaid in these conversations, but mostly, I find myself leaning more and more towards defending variant spellings;
- Which reminds me – I didn’t realize Cyndi Lauper had kids, much less a tween son called Declyn;
- For Real spotted a birth announcement for Sweden Piper. It’s a far more inventive place name than Brooklyn or Savannah and I guess they can call her Swedie – Sweetie – for short. Whether that makes the name extra fabulous or seriously problematic, I cannot say;
- I stumbled across this post from a mom of ten (soon to be eleven!) who listed all of her kids’ first and middle names. It’s an interesting assortment: Morganne Natalia, Brennan Geoffrey, Lliam Donal, Bonny Dianne, Gavin Xavier, Dierdre Marie, Ronan Wainwright, MacKenna Elyse, Grayse Dawn and Avalon Noelle. I’m particularly impressed by Wainwright – it’s a reboot of the family name Wayne;
- Which reminds me – this is one of my favorite lists of all time is Linda’s Rubes, Hayseed and Bumpkins at Nameberry. The range from nearly mainstream choices like Gus and Jasper to up-next picks like Chester, Rufus and Silas to wow, out there options. I can’t quite picture a baby named Floyd;
- I’m not suggesting you give your child an Inuit name inspired by the beluga whales at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. But it is an interesting list, and if Maya is so popular, maybe Naya could catch on. Just don’t tell your daughter about the connection until she grows up to be a marine biologist;
- I lived in Western Pennsylvania for years, not so very far from the West Virginia border. Laura Wattenberg’s post on the name Dreama struck a chord – I did, indeed, know a Dreama and she was from WV and named after her mother. No idea why, though … I once asked Dreama and she wasn’t sure how her grandmother settled on the name, either;
- ABC Family’s latest show about the secret life of American teenagers is Pretty Little Liars, based on a series of young adult novels. The characters’ names? Hanna, Emily, Aria and Spencer. Spencer is played by an actress called Troian. If the show is successful, it could have an impact on baby names in 2010;
- I’m a huge fan of the name Rebecca L of Girl’s Gone Child chose for her daughter, Fable. Sebastiane gives us the intriguing Estonian equivalent, Valme;
- Sebastiane also rounded up some of the most intriguing names for saints from across the globe. If truly unusual but not invented is your wish, this is the list for you. I can just hear it now: meet my sons Fragan, Malo, Ot and Lot, and their sister Elined;
- In the wake of the rankings announcements, CNN attempts to put a fresh spin on the name conversation by asking Does Your Name Shape Your Destiny? They trotted out some reliable experts and some solid facts, but the important point they missed, I think, is that our perceptions of specific names are not fixed. Barbara and Linda were once the height of fashion, today’s Olivia and Ava. Now they’re your aunt’s names. Someday, they may be back in style right in time for you to do a double-take when your daughter announces her name for a daughter.
In starbaby news:
- The big noise was about Claudia Schiffer’s Cosima Violet, a name that seems to be getting mostly good reviews;
- There’s also Monica Bellucci’s new daughter, Léonie, a little sister for Deva;
- ABC correspondent Andrea Canning also welcomed daughter #2: Charlotte Brewster, a little sister for Anna Katherine;
- And a very, very special thanks to British American for posting the link and excerpt from the Kerri Walsh interview explaining her choice of Sundance’s name – and SarahinJune’s video clip that shows us why we might meet more baby Sundances!
Next Saturday we kick off our Reader Baby Name Stories. I’m SO excited to share what you’ve shared!
Have a great weekend, and see you on Tuesday. Thanks for reading!
Baby Name of the Day: Dylan
An American icon and a 90s heartthrob helped propel this poetic choice into the US Top 50.
Thanks to Urban Angel for suggesting Dylan as Baby Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 5/9/10
Happy Mother’s Day! I spent the morning indulging in an M-Day brunch at Max Brenner and then listening for kids’ names at the Union Square playground near my sister’s new Manhattan apartment. I heard Ezra and Sophie at Ladybird Bakery in Park Slope – near sister #2′s place – the morning before, but mostly the Big Apple was a big letdown in terms of name spotting. I was too busy to really listen. (But, no, dear sisters, that’s not why I come visit you in the Big City.)
As usual, the real Mother’s Day gift comes from Uncle Sam. The Social Security Administration has released the Top 1000 baby names for babes born the year prior. It’s pretty much impossible to collect all of the interesting commentary on the topic, but here are a few highlights:
- Laura Wattenberg’s analysis of the fastest rising and falling names is fascinating. Adios, Miley and Jaslene. Hello, Caylee and Khloe;
- Also from Laura, check out the fascinating case of Maximiliano;
- Nancy spotlights the fast risers and fallers, too, and correctly pins the success of Cullen on the Twilight franchise;
- Nameberry has their comments here – and more to come, I’m sure!
In non-statistical news:
- As someone who grew up with a Philadelphia accent, drinking Flahrida arrange juice for breakfast, I’m sensitive to how very easy it is to butcher a name. Maybe that’s why I’m always amused by posts like this one at the Baby Name Wizard about Sawyer;
- And there’s this mention of Gazelle, pronounced Giselle. Gazelle is a bit much, but it must be really frustrating to have an unusual name with a phonetically baffling pronunciation;
- As a first name, Riches would be surprising, but I’d go searching to see if it were a medieval variant or obscure feminine variant of Richard. But For Real Baby Names reported a baby Riches paired with Dior in the middle spot. It’s probably not a family name;
- The Stir covers Gray as a Baby Name of the Day. So it’s not just me. (And Joy!) I recently met a couple who named their son Graydon because Grayson was too trendy. Methinks all of the Gray names might be white hot;
- More proof that Gray is gaining – Nymbler’s Most Popular Names for April were as follows: Charlotte, Amelia, Oliver, Ava, Benjamin, Grace, Henry, Owen, Ella and Liam. And the Top Five new names? Gracyn, Zaden, Grayer, Clodagh and Ming. Ming? The Merciless? Well, Kimora is in the US Top 1000. And it is a traditional name in Chinese;
- I was delighted by this article from Kenya posted at Nameberry earlier this week;
- And another irresistible tale comes from the parents of Esther Claire. They were behind a pair of little old ladies out shopping and heard one say to the other, “Oh, Esther!” And it stuck! They call her Essie for short.
Our only celeb birth of the week is author Sophie Kinsella, mom to four boys: Freddy, Hugo, Oscar and Rex William.
I’m off to unpack luggage and wrangle overtired into their pajamas. Hope you had a fabulous Mother’s Day and thank you for reading! See you next week.
Baby Name of the Day: Vera
Can an Oscar-nominated actress take this choice from ditzy diner waitress to Hollywood glam?
Thanks to Jackson for suggesting Vera as Baby Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 4/11/10
I’m not a loyal viewer of America’s Next Top Model, but I do check in from time to time to see the contestants’ names. Naduah and Ren are already out, but Alasia and Anslee are still in. Speaking of Anslee, there’s a historic home in Baltimore County, Maryland called Villa Anneslie. I find it a slightly more appealing version of Ainsley, Ansleigh and company, though she would probably be confused with rising favorite Anneliese.
I’ve done a good job staying away from Yahoo! Answers baby name boards, but I got sucked into a vortex when I stumbled across MTV’s Remote Control blog question “Do you have your baby names already picked out?” The responses were predictable: Daylin, Tatyana Vanity, Egypt Kinsley Rain, Xa’Kaevyan Kohelre, Brance, Kendrix Olivia, Jurnee Ella Greer. Here’s hoping that each of the posts was written by someone many years away from parenthood.
And one more from reality TV. Tori Spelling turns her literary attentions from tell-alls to kidlit with children’s book called Presenting Tallulah. Is Tallulah the next Stella?
Elsewhere online:
- By now, you’ve probably seen Lisa Belkin’s article on Baby Name Regret at the New York Times’ Motherlode. It’s an interesting article, but I’m especially fond of the trivia point she mentions early on – Scarlett O’Hara, the intrepid heroine of Gone With the Wind, was initially called Pansy;
- 4real spots a Tidus Jay and a Penelope Thistle;
- Sebastiane covers the intriguing Eglė;
- Nancy brings us the saintly Casilda;
- Linda at Nameberry turned up some fabulous finds from women in aviation history, including Marvel and Bessica;
- And I say again for the 500th time: No, they’re not stealing your baby name. Delilah, Lilah and Lyla are white hot, along with Lily, Lola and lots of other lovely L-intensive names;
- The March stats are out at Nymbler. The Top Ten are Charlotte, Amelia, Ava, Benjamin, Oliver, Grace, Henry, Ella, Jack and Ethan. And the new, never dull names? Calleigh, Kyson, Lillith, Kensington and Petal;
- Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” brings us a list of NYC baby names, including a double dose of Lola. I’m hearing Lola more and more here in DC, too, and Nola appears to be rising fast. Could Zola follow?
In starbaby news:
- Hoop star Lisa Leslie welcomed a son, Michael Joseph II. They’re planning to call him MJ;
- Byron Allen has welcomed a daughter, Olivia Rose. Olivia joins big sis Chloe Ava at home;
- I agree with Celebrity Baby Names Blog on this one: Robin Thicke and Paula Patton have done a great job naming new son Julian Fuego. The first name is a conventional masculine pick circa 2010 and the middle? Is sheer daring.
But let’s face it, most of my energies this week have gone to the Top 100 lists at Nameberry for boys and girls. Which reminds me – Imogen is on their girls’ list, and a friend recently spotted this rarity on his family tree: Imojune.
That’s all for this week. As always, thanks for reading and tune in tomorrow!
Sunday Summary: 3/14/10
First, please join me in wishing a fond au revoir to Bewildertrix! With baby #3 on the way, she has decided to put Onomastitrix on hiatus. (See? That’s me feeling hopeful that she’ll be back someday. Because no one does a round-up of BAs like Bewildertrix.) She promises she’ll be around and will definitely come back and share her good news when baby makes five.
In local news, remember back when I mentioned my friend was in labor? And hadn’t told me the gender or the name? I spoke blogged too soon. A few hours later, she was back at home, still pregnant. More than a week (!) later, her darling daughter Caroline arrived. The baby is beautiful, mom, dad and big brother Zachary are all doing well and Clio has someone to boss around right on her block – someday. And the name! What a great name. (The middle is a distinctive family choice shared with her brother, so I won’t share.)
Elsewhere online:
- Names4Real spotted a boy Addison. Also Beckett, Asa, Atticus, Juno, Thomasina and Merary. I’m guessing Merary is inspired by the Biblical – and masculine - Merari. It all gives me faith that there are some truly fabulous baby-namers out there;
- She also found a Boss William. Makes me wonder about those difficult teenage years. And lastly, a Bleugene Lei;
- Want your niece or nephew to grow up HATING you? Here’s the simple, two-step process:
- Start a Facebook Fan page “MY SISTER SAID IF I GET ONE MILLION FANS SHE WILL NAME HER BABY MEGATRON.”
- Actually get more than a million fans.
- For more sensible inspiration, see Nancy’s post on eighteenth century name phenomenon Hally, from the popular song “Listen to the Mockingbird.” More proof that parents have always been willing to take names from pop culture;
- Speaking of Hally, Sebastiane brings us the Estonian Halliki and possibly related Helliki;
- Nameberry asked What Treasures Are Hiding in Your Family Tree? And I am now very jealous of Lyndsay’s Leocadia and fascinated by Jessica’s Alberta/Alberto/Elberto sibset;
- You know what always surprises me? When one kid is Jayden and the other is Mercy. Or, as in this Swistle post, the parents called their first daughter Cailey Elizabeth and are considering a name like Hazel for their second. It isn’t that one style is better or worse, it’s just that they sound like completely different families;
- Lastly, did you read Katie Allison Granju’s When is a baby name too trendy to use? at Babble – and do you share her fears that your top pick (hers is Georgia) is headed for every playground in your ‘hood?
In starbaby news, via E! Online and Celebrity Baby Blog:
- Her name is Billie Beatrice – yup, the daughter of Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart has a name and it combines the boyish-nickname trend with the antique revival trend for an unexpected, but sweet choice;
- Joseph Fiennes and wife have welcomed a daughter. Everyone is doing well, but as for a name? They’re not telling;
- This popped up at Perez Hilton, but I understand the original poll was on BabyCenter – apparently BC readers voted Sarah Michelle Gellar’s choice for her daughter’s name – Charlotte Grace – the very best of the best, followed by Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s Seraphina.
That’s all for this week. As always, thanks for reading!
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!
Name of the Day: Gertrude
Once worn by queens and saints, today she’s oft-cited as the name you’d never give your girl.
Thanks to Jillian for suggesting Gertrude as Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 2/7/10
I usually don’t pre-post my Sunday Summaries. (I do schedule my Name of the Day posts, sometimes weeks in advance.) But a record-setting snow is descending on Metro DC, and as you read this, I may be huddled ’round a Maglite with a 5 y.o. who really wants to watch Team Umizoomi now and doesn’t care about downed power lines.
Let’s hope not.
But just in case it really is the Snowpocalypse, here’s the news through, er, Friday night Saturday morning.
- Charlotte remains top dog at Nymbler in January, followed by Ava, Ella, Amelia, Audrey, Jack, Benjamin, Finn, Grace and Addison. Jack and Addison are both making their debuts in the Nymbler Top Ten;
- The always-more interesting new names include Tenley (Influenced by The Bachelor or nostalgia for Winter Olympics past?), Finnigan, Huck, Ryden, Jovie and Bently. On MTV reality show Teen Mom, one of the couples named their son Bentley. Either way, I guess it is slightly more subtle than Lexus;
- Bewildertrix spotted a Nixon. Yes, in Australia, so maybe it doesn’t have the same politically charged meaning on the other side of the world. And he’s a little brother for Reid, Cruz and Rourke, so it seems like the parents were going for an “underused surname” vibe rather than a “disgraced US president” thing;
- Nancy’s Bad Tattoos and Baby Names should be required reading for all expectant parents considering bestowing a cross-cultural name on their child;
- Speaking of names from other cultures, have you seen Nameberry’s post on French baby names? It’s a guest post from Stephanie Rapoport, the founder of Meilleurs Prenoms. I love Hugo and find Lilou intriguing. A few others on her hot list surprised me – the Italian Enzo, the Irish Kylian (it’s Cillian en français) and Louane, which reads 1950s to me, but might be quite charming on a jeune fille;
- Speaking of Enzo, Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” spotted one in her most recent Ohdeedohkey post. Plus a Bijou, which yes, is a French word. But search it on Meilleurs Prenoms and it will tell you: Le prénom bijou n’existe pas;
- With the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland just weeks away, the Baby Name Wizard wrote Names on the Verge: Alice, asking whether the name really is headed for the top of the charts;
- Sebastiane covers Agatha at Legitimate Baby Names. That’s one that is really growing on me, and with all the little girls called Abby and Addie, wouldn’t Aggie fit right in? Elisabeth Shue has kids called Miles, Stella and Agnes, so something tells me we might hear more of both Ag- names. Sebastiane also covered Disa, which is far more wearable than the related Dis;
- I need to stay away from Yahoo!Answers, but I followed a thread about the name Madden and stumbled on this quote about the best spelling for Kayden: “I have always liked that name Caden, but i prefer it spelled Caden with a “C” and with out extra y’s because i think it looks less trashy and made up.” I don’t get it. Wait, I do – I understand that Caden looks restrained compared to Kaydyn. But it still is a name of recent coinage – attractive, maybe, but undeniably trendy. Spell it as you like, but it still isn’t William;
- Speaking of names of recent coinage, 4Real spotted a Wolverine Collin Christopher and a Featherlee Blossom. Words fail me.
It’s been a light starbaby week, but Busy Phillips explained daughter Birdie’s name at Celebrity Baby Blog. Apparently the actress – born Elizabeth Jean – was intent on choosing a nickname-proof name, because she disliked explaining her name. Ten bucks says that Birdie calls her kid Margaret. And so the cycle continues …
The only other celeb birth this week was Brothers & Sisters’ Sarah Jane Morris welcomed a son, Emmett Andrew.
Thanks for reading! And if you’re also snowed in, I’m sending warm thoughts your way!
