Tag Archives: Fable

Sunday Summary: 5/8/11

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Number 8 camp marker

Image by work the angles via Flickr

What a week!  Mariah’s twins receive a double dose of daffy, starbaby-certified names, and the Social Security Administration releases their 2010 data as their annual Mother’s Day gift to the world.

Speaking of Mother’s Day, I hope it is a happy one!

Elsewhere online:

  • Girls Gone Child is expecting twins, and it looks like they are both girls.  She has yet to share her name list, but I cannot wait!  Her firstborn is son Archer Sage, followed by daughter Fable Luella.  With Fable, she did something absolutely impossible: put a completely new option on the table that sounds like it has always been a name.
  • Waltzing More Than Matilda considers the idea of honoring someone with a name that is only vaguely related to the namesake’s moniker.  Apparently starbaby Flynn was inspired by Orlando Bloom’s grandmother, Evelyn – you can watch a video clip of his explanation in her post.  I’m on board with a stretch to honor a loved one; Waltzing isn’t so sure.
  • Did you take For Real’s gender-bending quiz?  She’s posted the answers.  I scored a mere 4 out of 10, but then, so did pretty much everyone else.  I wonder if the parents considered that issue before naming a daughter Lyric Ryan or a son Winter Lee?
  • I had no idea that some parents still avoid giving daughters middle names, on the assumption that someday she’ll marry and won’t need it anymore.
  • Here’s another question: Nancy asks if more babies are being named Jersey, as in the reality show?  I remember someone from the Yahoo! message boards years ago saying that she had a daughter named Jerzee.  Or was it Jurnee?
  • Haddie was one of the  Top Five brand new names at Nymbler in April.  She’s a logical successor to Maddie and Addie, boosted by a character on Parenthood.  The other four debuts were Raylan and Posey for girls, and Finch and Eisley for boys.

Here’s a quick round-up of some of the early SSA list analysis, with more to follow this week I’m certain!

In starbaby news, the arrival of Moroccan Scott and Monroe Cannon grabbed all the headlines, but we also welcomed:

Last week’s Nameberry post was Bridesmaid Names; tomorrow’s Nameberry post heads to the baby boutique for inspiration.

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

Sunday Summary: 3/13/11

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Billiard

Billiard No. 13 by nemosocke via Flickr

First, an edit.  A few weeks ago, I said something along these lines: “If the kid is good looking a clunky name doesn’t matter.”  What I should have said was “if the person is confident …”  Beauty is a lottery over which we have no control.  (Though Seal and Heidi Klum’s kids are probably set.)  But confidence is something we can influence and develop.

Elsewhere online:

After last week’s trip to the Big Easy to source Mardi Gras names, I’m fishing for something different at Nameberry tomorrow.

It was a quiet week for celeb births.  The big news?  Martha Stewart is a grandmother.  Daughter Alexis welcomed a daughter of her own, named Jude.  The best comment on the Appellation Mountain Facebook page goes to C., who pointed out that Alexis “isn’t exactly a frilly traditional girl’s name, either.”

If you have yet to vote in the March Madness Quarter Finals, Girls and Boys, there’s still time.  Polls will stay open until Friday morning.

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

Sunday Summary: 5/30/10

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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:

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: Sabine

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Sabrina is a poem, but this name refers to a tribe.

Thanks to EK and Photoquilty for suggesting Sabine as Name of the Day.

Continue reading →

Sunday Summary: 12/20/09

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‘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:

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: 12/6/2009

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Deck the halls!  

With a mere 19 days ’til Christmas, I finally settled down to watch last season’s romantic-comedy-just-in-time-for-the-holidays, Four Christmases.  Vince Vaughn’s character, Brad, finally takes his girlfriend home and, in the midst of yuletide merriment, she discovers that Brad legally changed his name – from Orlando.  Brothers Denver and Dallas were introduced, and Brad explained that they were all named in a very Brooklyn Beckham-esque way.  You’re forgiven, Brad.  Posh, are you listening?

Speaking of the holidays, on my recent travels I heard tots answering to Lyle, Hugo, Mara and Cecily – or I suppose Sicily, but let’s hope it was the former.

As for movies, I’m dying to see Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie.  While other girls were reading Anne of Green Gables, I was off in Victorian England, solving crimes with Holmes and Watson.  There are already hints of franchise potential, not unlike Pirates of the Caribbean, which got me thinking – if Sparrow could pop as a boy’s name in the wake of Captain Jack, will this film have a similar impact?  Sherlock and Holmes are out, and John is evergreen.  But how ’bout Watson?  I’ll be watching the boards!

Elsewhere in the blogosphere:

  • Sebastiane has been featuring classics with all of their international variations included.  Think Andrew is a bit obvious?  Try Dreves.  Cathy and Cate don’t appeal?  Call your daughter Catherine by the unusual short form Trine – or opt for the variant Cathereau;
  • My new favorite name of the week has to be Lillemor - also from Sebastiane’s site.  I’ve been puzzled by the so-fashionable Moa in Sweden.  Turns out Moa is a nickname for Lillemor, one that has eclipsed the original.  Apparently Lillemor is considered stodgy by modern Swedes, but in the US?  I think she’d offer an unexpected way to get to Lily – and fit just right with names like Eleanor, too;
  • Over at Names from Adam to Eve, Laura wrote of her love for Hester, nn Hettie.  I’m a fan, too, so it is nice to see Hester get some love;
  • Bewildertrix spotted a newborn girl named Montanna Skye.  It was an Aussie birth announcement, so maybe the parents don’t get the joke?  Or did they vacation in Big Sky Country and … cancel that thought;
  • For Real Baby Names spotted a tot christened Basil Leif.  I suspect he’ll be one of those guys who refuses to hand over his driver’s license for fear his friends will discover the L isn’t for Leon or Lawrence;
  • You’ve heard about New York’s just-released baby names of 2008 list, right?And Sophia and Jayden coming out on top?  Check out the Nameberry post for details and discussion;
  • It’s that time again - Nymbler has released November’s Top 10 favorite names.  They’re  the usual suspects: Charlotte, Ava, Ella, Finn, Jack, Amelia, Claire, Henry, Grace and Benjamin.  
  • But then there’s the far more interesting Top 5 Brand New Names: 
    • A twist on Brianna and Riley, Briley;
    • The lovely Cosima;
    • Word name Fable, a choice almost single-handedly launched by blogger Girls Gone Child; 
    • The literary Bronte;
    • Starbaby-inspired Nahla.

Speaking of starbabies, it was a busy week.  Thanks to Celebrity Baby Blog for the heads up on the following:

  • Maya Rudolph welcomed Lucille, a little sister for Pearl - what a great sibset.  Please leave a comment if you hear about the girls’ middle names;
  • Scrubs’ Judy Reyes welcomed Leila Rey.  Leila is the new Hailey – it is impossible to say how many there really are thanks to Layla, Lailah, Leyla, Laila …  But Rey is a clever nod towards mom’s surname;
  • Singer Lisa Loeb welcomed daughter Lyla Rose;
  • Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils welcomed his fifth child – son Maxime Phillipe.  For those of you who don’t follow hockey, it’s mahr TAN.  He’s from Montreal.  Older siblings are Anthony, William, Jeremy and Anabelle Antoinette; 
  • Also in the Wide World of Sports, Chunky soup pitchman/Philadelphia Eagle Donovan McNabb welcomed his fourth child.  Son Devin James joins sisters Alexis and Sariah and brother Donovan;
  • Heavenly Joy!  It’s a girl for music producer Rodney Jenkins and his wife, Joy Enriquez.  It’s not only an exclamation, it’s her name.

That’s all for this week.  Thanks for reading!

Sunday Summary: 9/20/09

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There’s a theme to this Sunday Summary, methinks:

  • First up, Hope Edelman guested over at Nameberry about seeing a name scrawled on a mailbox late in her pregnancy, and knowing that someone (other than the graffiti artist) was sending her a sign.  Check out the whole story – Maya’s name was truly meant to be;
  • On the small screen, Mad Men’s Betty Draper had a strange hallucinatory dream while in labor and decided to name her baby boy after her dearly departed dad, Eugene.  Don doesn’t seem to be on board – tune in tonight to see what happens.  And thank your lucky stars that you didn’t give birth in the 1950s;
  • In the Names of the Future column, Laura Wattenberg considers Ily - pronounce it like Riley, without the first R.  Don’t get it?  Text ILY to your better half – I Love You.  Get it?  Kind of sweet, if terribly lightweight.  And just one-L short of an espresso maker;
  • Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley put Nancy Leigh on the birth certificate! Schwoo!  And the baby is adorable, so if they want to call her Naleigh?  Oh well.  I understand the urge to honor loved ones while still giving your a child a name of her own.  Plus, Nancy Kelley is deliciously retro – it sounds like she should be solving mysteries in a kilt;
  • In this week’s Toronto Star column, the parents named their daughter London Elizabeth, for a few reasons – including the fun fact that the parents met in London, Ontario.

The theme?  It’s all about how we make our choices.  Often a name that seems atrocious, or just plain blah, seems different when you know the whole story.

In celeb news:

Elsewhere online, Nymbler announced their Top Ten for August. Never any surprises there: Charlotte, Ava, Benjamin, Amelia, Finn, Grace, Jack, Henry, Oliver and Claire occupy the top spots.

New debuts, on the other hand, are endlessly fascinating:

  • Khloe: How, oh how, did Khloe Kardashian konvince parents to spell Chloe with a K?  Sure, it’s defensible.  But it doesn’t seem very sophisticated.
  • Gypsy: A little bit stripper, a little bit Fleetwood Mac, a whole lotta huh? as a given name.
  • Gracen: Is this a girls’ twist on Grace – a sister for Madalyn and Addisyn?  Or an alt spelling for Grayson?
  • Bodhi:  He’s a starbaby choice, and a Sanskrit term for enlightment – could he also be the new Kai?
  • Fable: The fabulous Rebecca Woolf of Girl’s Gone Child named her second child Fable Luella.  It’s the new Story, but more obviously feminine, boosted by her similarity to Hazel and Mabel.

Lastly, please note that Sebastiane – she of the truly unusual, usually international baby names, has moved!  Legit Baby Names can now be found here.  (That’s http://legitbabenames.wordpress.com/ if you prefer to type it into your browser, old school.)  Stop by and bring your box cutter!  I’m sure  it will take some time to transfer all of her fabulous content.

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

Babes in the Blogosphere

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Happy Mother’s Day!

We’ve always celebrated our kids’ rites of passage – first tooth, first step, first-time-she-brings-home-a-completely-unacceptable-boy.  

Add in one more circa 2009:  first time Mommy writes all about you in a blog post.

Yes, our children will probably be terribly, terribly unhappy about some of our overshares in twenty years.  (Or not.  Social media is a strange and fabulous thing.)  But for the moment, I find myself marveling at the many talented writers who also have a knack for choosing baby names.

Read on for some of my favorite Babes in the Blogosphere:

Continue reading →

Sunday Summary: 1/25/09

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It’s Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.  Believe it or not, we spent yesterday afternoon at Monster Jam, watching drivers called Chad Fortune, Pat Summa and Debra Miceli steer mammoth trucks around a course at the Verizon Center.

Alexei loved it; Clio hid from the noise and fumes under my shawl; and I’m glad to be back in front of my laptop.  Okay, fine.  It was more fun than I expected.  :)

Here’s the news for the week:

  • One of my favorite bloggers, Rebecca Woolf, had her darling daughter the same day Clio was born.  Her little one wears the truly imaginative moniker Fable Luella. Follow the link to read her thoughts on choosing the name.
  • Please stop by and visit reader Emmy Jo’s new name blog, Much Ado About Naming.  A link will be up in the blogroll shortly.  Congrats!
  • The movie Coraline opens next week. It’s got that great edgy Goth vibe pioneered by The Nightmare Before Christmas.  The title character is an adventurous 11 y.o. girl.  Wonder how long it will be before her unusual name inspires some parents?
  • Next month, Dollhouse premieres on Fox.  It sounds like Alias with a sci fi twist.  The title character is called Echo.
  • You’re probably already reading Swistle, but I wanted to mention her site.  Parents write in for advice on choosing baby names, and Swistle creates polls to let readers vote.  Parents’ tastes and preferences vary widely, of course, and Swistle welcomes everyone, whether they’re into Aidan or Alberic.
  • I’ve caught new CBS crime drama The Mentalist a few times.  Star Simon Baker’s children wear the names Stella Breeze, Claude Blue and Harry Friday.  It’s an interesting mix of safe first names paired with wild middles.  Oh, and his character on the show?  Patrick Jane, but he’s called Jane.  Is there a future world where Jane is used for boys?  Quick – someone mention Firefly’s Jayne Cobb.
  • Lastly, I’ll repeat Nameberry’s question:  Is V the new Z?  Tavish received a warm welcome this week.  Pam and Linda have a great list of other V names to consider.

That’s all for this Sunday.  Have a great week!