Yesterday marked the first in a series of Reader Baby Name Stories.  Thanks to Sara for kicking things off!  There are plenty more tales of compromise, certainty, great debate and more headed our way – at least through summer’s end.

Once again this week, baby naming made waves in the mainstream media.  The New York Times‘ Social Q’s columnist weighed in on the phenomenon of others claiming baby names. The upshot?  Yes, it is probably crazy to think that you can claim names.  (Though the Nameberry gurus do suggest that there are a handful of exceptions.  The one that I recall is if your brother is Charles III, you ought to assume that he has dibs on Charles, at least in the first spot.)

A few other controversial conversations:

• A distressed mom wrote to the Name Lady fretting that “I Gave My Baby the Wrong Name!” Her worry?  Seven-month old daughter Nevae regularly has her name misspelled, mispronounced and generally misunderstood.  The Name Lady encouraged her to change it, but I can’t help think that a mom who chooses Nevae isn’t going to switch to Mary or Ava.  Correction is the price of having an unusual name.  (Answering to Madison G. is the price paid for a more common moniker.)  I loved this comment by Penni:  “I read in a baby book (I think it was Kaz Cooke’s Up the Duff, which has a different title in the US) that most people love the name they’ve chosen, then think they’ve made a horrible mistake, then love it again.”  Nicely said – plus Penni pens young adult novels, one of which featured a heroine called Undine;
• The Stir posted a potentially controversial post on nicknames, citing celeb offspring like Madonna’s Lourdes/Lola and Katherine Heigl’s Nancy Leigh/Naleigh.  So far it has failed to stir up much chatter;
• Could this statement be any weirder?  “Since we are, harumph, not just the website of record for baby names, but also the trend setter for what’s hot and ultratrendy, we’ve tossed in a couple names that will become popular, just because we say so — check back in 20 years and you’ll see we’re right.”  I can’t say I’ve never tripped over the site before, but honestly?  If Boo, Chryzanthe, Sacagawea and By’yance catch on for girls and Acher, Mookie, Napoleo, Fargo and Pleinair make it big for boys?  I might just quit the dance floor.

In other news, I have a bad habit of choosing date night flicks that make me want to step out and ring the sitter.  Which is just one reason we won’t be seeing Splice, though my inner sci-fi geek is curious about the next generation Doc Frankensteins, known as Clive and Elsa, as well as the creature’s name: Dren, as played by French actress Delphine.  Maybe on Netflix.  (If anyone does see it, please leave a note as to how they arrived at Dren.)

Elsewhere online:

• The Baby Name Wizard bids a fond farewell to names that left the US Top 1000 in 2009. Funny that Kristin is gone, while Andrea lingers.  We also said good-bye to Sheldon, Kathy, Cornelius and a dozen more;
• Even more interesting was Nancy’s post on former one-hit wonders that are now back in the Top 1000. Mila, Beckham and seven more have re-entered the rankings;
• For Real never fails to find interesting picks.  Here’s one that caught my eye: Tavern Donald. Great sound.  But the meaning seems downright   Also, she spotted Marlo on a boy.  Or a girl with the middle name Edwin;
• Speaking of interesting picks, Linelei’s guest post at Namberry had me fascinated.  You know you need to read Sci-Fi Names: Beyond Zorg and Zalga, even if you aren’t about to name your kids Thorby and Luminara.  (Though I do know someone who used Leia for his daughter’s middle name.  And got engaged at a Star Wars event while dressed as a Jedi knight.)
• Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” listed more names heard in her ‘hood in the big city.  She spotted an Octavia!  But it does make me wonder: so much of my perspective is colored by living on the East Coast, in Metro DC – a big city, with a serious international vibe.  Is anyone naming their kids Cielo and Annick in rural Iowa or Hot Springs, Arkansas?
• ParentDish’s How People Reacted to My Baby’s Name fails to shed light on the urban coastal versus heartland issue, but suggests that there are plenty of unusual names out there – and lots of funny stories attached;
• My pick for Nancy’s most interesting name story this week: Boxer Floyd Patterson named his daughter Seneca after a street sign in Brooklyn in 1956;
• Sebastiane brings us Viking Names.  If you’ve never been any closer to Scandinavia than the Norwegian pavilion at Epcot, I’m not sure how Hrafnhildur would wear.  But she’s turned up some perfectly current options.  How cool is Thora?  Sebastiane also featured the lovely Clothilde, one of the reasons I think I could give a dozen children names that start with C;
• If Twilight really is The Leading Influence on Baby Names these days, should we expect Bree to pop in 2010?  She’s the short-lived bloodsucker headlining Stephenie Meyer’s latest work.  ForReal recently spotted a Bree Marley in Connecticut.

There’s been quite a bit of starbaby news this week, and that’s even if we ignore the gossip about the possibly pregnant Mariah Carey:

• Kevin Costner is now dad to seven kids. He and wife Christine welcomed their third together: Grace Avery, a little sister for Cayden Wyatt and Hayes Logan.  Dad’s older four are Annie, Lily, Joe and Liam.  A bit too much -ay, I say, but otherwise, a thoroughly appealing name;
• Sheryl Crow adopted a second son, Levi James, a brother for Wyatt.

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