Baby Name of the Day: Ella

[Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie,...

Ella Fitzgerald; Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Hello, Ella.  Where did you come from?

Thanks to Ivy for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day – the short, sweet Ella.

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Pregnant in Heels: My Reaction

I was half asleep when Pregnant in Heels debuted on Bravo, determined to stay awake long enough to see Elisabeth on television.  Oh, and check if my guess about the baby’s name was right.  I figured odds were 50/50 that I’d be asleep before the opening credits rolled.

About ten minutes in, I was wide awake, sitting in the dark with a pencil, scribbling down notes.  Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen the episode, you may not want to read on.

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Baby Name of the Day: Perdita

Dalmations

Dalmations by Dawn Endico via Flickr

She’s a literary invention famously worn by a noble dog.

Thanks to Fran for suggesting Perdita as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Ileana

Princess Ileana of Romania, born 1907.

Princess Ileana of Romania; Image via Wikipedia

Looking for a Romanian heritage name other than Nadia?  Seeking an intriguing royal choice beyond Mary and Margaret?

Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting one option: our Baby Name of the Day, Ileana.

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Starbaby News: Welcome Benjamin!

This name isn’t a surprise – it was announced a few weeks ago – but I wanted to share the news that John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son Benjamin has arrived!

It is interesting to see how their naming style has changed over the years.  Their firstborn was apparently named after John’s love of aviation, hence Jett.  And daughter Ella Bleu has a name that’s somewhere between traditional and daring.  Both names were ahead of the curve and inspired other parents.  But Benjamin ranked #20 in 2009 – his most popular ever.  No word yet on their name choice – I’ll be curious to hear if they comment on their inspiration.

Congratulations to the family.

Baby Name of the Day: Ellington

Central Avenue Jazz Festival

Image via Wikipedia

He’s a surname worn by a jazz great.  How would he work in the first spot for a child born today?

Thanks to Chantelle for suggesting Ellington as Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Eluned

The flag of Wales

The flag of Wales; Image via Wikipedia

She’s another obscure saint’s name, and an impeccable Welsh heritage choice.  If you’re looking for something less obvious than Gwendolen, here’s one to consider.

Thanks to Charlotte for suggesting Eluned as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 8/16/10

Can the end of summer really be so near?  It feels like just yesterday, Washington DC was digging out of the February snowstorms.

Speaking of the February snowstorms, we were at the city’s summer concert series on Friday night and we’re anticipating A LOT of November babies.  One expectant mom was kind enough to tell me they’re naming their baby-on-the-way Maxwell, but mostly I’m looking forward to a pre-Thanksgiving wave of birth announcements.

Speaking of waves of BAs, there were so many Hollywood births in the past week that I’m putting them first:

Is it me, or are gender-neutral names truly staying neutral?  Conventional wisdom was that once a name had “gone girl” it would never be considered for a boy.  But many of these celeb names are solidly ambiguous – and still used for sons.

Which reminds me:

I dragged a very reluctant Aly to shop for school shoes today and was delighted to overhear a father calling out Hasting.  It was in the Nordstrom’s at the Annapolis Mall – you sort of had the impression the kid might’ve been Something Hasting Something IV.  It’s possible I misheard, and he was Hastings, as in the Battle of, raising the possibility that his parents are experts on the Norman Invasion.

That’s all for this week.  As always, it wouldn’t be worth writing if you weren’t here.  Thank you!

Sunday Summary: 7/25/10

First, Happy Birthday to me.  Well, actually, my birthday is tomorrow.  And so I’ll be doing something I haven’t done since shortly after I started writing Name of the Day posts in May 2008 – I’m choosing the names.  All week.  And I’m starting with my discarded given name tomorrow.

But enough about that.  The big news in baby naming this week was Baby Name Wizard’s report on the fastest rising names of 2010.  As usual, the coverage missed the critical fine print: these are the fastest gaining searched names, not names being inked on birth certificates by parents.  Not everyone searching is expecting a child; not everyone searching and expecting would ever choose a daring name.  And yet, it’s interesting to see the list, and there are definitely trends to be spotting among the fastest rising.

They are as follows, girls first:

1. Tenley
2.
Harper
3. Everleigh
4. Martina
5. Sookie
6. Navi - There’s been plenty of speculation about Avatar’s impact on baby naming.  Combined with actress Navi Rawat, could this be the film’s big contribution?
7. Charlotte
8. Eloise
9.
Lorelai
10. Ursula
11. Briella
12. Kinley

13. Tinsley - The next Kimora?
14. Mhairi – It’s a twist on the Scottish form of Mary, but would probably be pronounced Mary in the US, so is she anything more than an impressively creative spelling?
15. Leighton
16. Maelle
17. Ever
18. Kinsley
19. Lux
20. Everly

There are some interesting picks for boys, too:

1. Castiel
2. Bentley
3. Eoin
4. Easton
5.
Lucian
6. Aarav
7. Zion

8. St. John
9. Kaiden
10.
Sterling
11. Callan
12. Leland
13.
Harper
14. Mikah
15.
Dashiell
16. Eliah
17. Dawson
18. Kayden

19. Lennon
20. Dorian

Other than the rise of the Ever- names, my real take-away is this: I suspect Charlotte is headed for the US Top Ten.  She’s gently French, literary, and feminine without being fussy.  Her nickname options are great.  She’s also climbing rapidly, without any sign of hitting a plateau.

Putting my crystal ball away, here’s the rest of the news:

It was a quiet week for starbabies.  Juan Pablo Montoya – who is racing on our TV as I type this – welcomed a daughter, Manuela. The NASCAR notable is also dad to Sebastian and Paulina.

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