Tag Archives: Iris

Sunday Summary: 6/19/11

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No 19 - blue paint

No 19 - blue paint by Kirsty Hall via Flickr

Happy Father’s Day!

Thanks to a gap between the end of the school year and the start of summer camp, we headed for Rehoboth Beach (Delaware, on the Atlantic) this past week.  We finally met our friends’ darling daughter Helen Claire, and there were a few interesting name spottings – Allaire, Harlow, Amalia, and a bitsy girl called Birdie.  But mostly I was amazed at how consistently I heard the exact same names, over and over: Emma, Ava, Abby, Noah, Taylor, Alex, Jake, anything that ends in -aden.  Nothing wrong with choosing a popular name, but I found myself thinking about how very refreshing it is to hear something even a little different - Beckett or Abel or Tate, Ivy or Luna or Ruth.

So in the spirit of surfacing options that are just a little bit different:

  • Any name from Waltzing More Than Matilda’s 1930s list would be quite stylish in 2011: Iris, Alma, Josephine;
  • Nymbler’s May 2011 most popular names list included the following five new debuts: Lake, Makai, Maple, Shia, and Reef.  Water names seem especially seasonal, but the inclusion of Maple makes me think that parents are really branching out into ever-more adventurous nature and noun choices;
  • The comments on this NameLady post are fascinating.  Parents expecting twin sons want to give them subtle, baseball-themed names.  Is Ty too obvious?  Are parents really naming twins Clark and Addison after the address of Wrigley Field?  My favorite suggestion: Homer and Fielding – literary and sportif, all at once;
  • Take the names of the reigning Swedish monarch, Carl Gustaf, and his family, translate them into Portugeuse, and you get this list from Nomes e mais nomes: Madalena, Doroteia, Ingride, Bertil;
  • My favorite nymph name has always been Io, but this list from British Baby Names includes more than you can imagine;
  • Could Dax be the next big thing?  For Real just spotted him in Alaska.  He’s part-Dexter, part-Max, but very modern, too;
  • The list of birth announcements at Nameberry was just so much fun.  I spotted Caspian three times!

In celebrity news, both Natalie Portman and Josh Duggar welcomed sons this past week, and both declined to reveal their newborns’ names.  In Natalie’s case, it may be because she and husband Benjamin Millepied are adhering to the Jewish custom of first sharing their child’s name at his bris, eight days after birth.  As for the Duggars?  They’re hoping to lure us in for the big name reveal during tonight’s episode of their reality show.

Speculation about both families’ choices has been nonstop:

  • For young master Millepied, will it be Anakin?  Or maybe Alef?  Elisabeth guesses that it will likely be an A-name, which tracks with Jewish custom – Natalie’s dad is Avner, and while names are rarely repeated, initials often are;
  • On the small screen, Josh and Anna have announced that all of the grandduggars will wear M-names.  Big sis is Mackynize, so options suggested range from Michael to Maddox.  Or Maddyx.

Other notable birth announcements from the week include:

Last week’s Nameberry post was how to name a boy, Pinkett-Smith style; this week, it is the girls’ turn.  One of my favorite categories of names has to be unconventional ways to honor your loved ones, so this was really a thrill to write.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading – and commenting!  The conversations here and on Facebook never fail to surprise and delight.

Baby Name of the Day: Isis

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She’s an exotic goddess name, and since the 1990s, she’s been worn by a growing number of baby girls in the US, too.

Thanks to Meredith for suggesting Isis as our Baby Name of the Day.

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A to Z: Nature Names

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I’ve written about quite a few nature names here – that means that you’ve requested quite a few!  Here’s a quick round-up of some of them.

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In Reserve: Possible Names for a Second Daughter

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I doubt we’ll ever have a third child.  There are dozens of practical reasons.

And one reason that’s trivial for him, dead serious for me: we could never agree on a name.

We do have a few candidates, scraps from the cutting room floor.  I’ve mentioned them in comments from time to time, but I thought a round-up was in order.  

Our girls’ list is first; I’ll post the boys’ list later.

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Name of the Day: Ivo

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If you thought Milo was a bit much, hold on to your hat!

Today’s Name of the Day is Ivo, with a thanks to Dearest for the suggestion.

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Name of the Day: Lark

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There’s Robin, Wren and Dove.  We’ve all heard about a boy called Falcon.  Would this borrowing from the world of birds wear well on a daughter?

With a Happy Birthday to my sister, today’s Name of the Day is Lark.

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Name of the Day: Fern

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She’s a little bit hippie chick, a little bit granny chic.

Thanks to Bek for suggesting Fern as Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 8/2/09

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How can it possibly be August?  Of 2009!?

As I marvel at the date on the calendar, why don’t you hop in the wayback machine to 2008 when August was Name of the Day?  It’s still one of my favorites for a boy.

Here in my RL, I’ve got a few new babies to report:

  • Elizabeth Violet, nn Elle – classic, but not dull;
  • John Paul – not sure if he’s John-Paul or even Jean Paul, but parents definitely use both names together;
  • Did I mention I met a Polly?  IMHO, the world could use a few more Pollys.

Also in RL, but in ones far more glamorous – or at least visible – than mine:

And in the blogosphere:

  • Jill’s post on NameShame?  Rocks.
  • Speaking of naming regrets, the mom blogger at Kicky Boots wrote about deciding to rename their toddler.  Karenna Jolie is, I must say, a lovely choice for their daughter.  Who cares it if it took a few months post-utero to settle on it?
  • During our discussion of Cinderella, Sebastiane mentioned that she’s heard of it on Cajun women.  There is something fascinating happening in Louisiana, isn’t there?  Nancy did a post on Cajun names from the Civil War, including Justilien and Dazincourt;
  • Did you check out the Nameberry Faves post – Beatrix, Penelope and Clementine are their Top Three.  Beatrix is clearly a favorite here, too.  Wonder if we’ll see that reflected in the US rankings in a few years?
  • Xanthe Linnea wrote about Cedric.  Anyone else think that the Harry Potter/Twilight connection might make Cedric an unlikely choice in, say, a decade and a half?  Edward Cedric, anyone?
  • Bewildertrix spotted Asher on a girl; Elisabeth reports a girl called Archer.  Asher doesn’t surprise me, what with Ashley/Ashlyn/Ashtyn.  But Archer?  Knock me over with a feather;
  • I loved Bewildertrix’s post on villain names like Regan, Judas, Iago, Jezebel, Hannibal … whenever I ding Regan, I can expect a few angry comments.  But I’m with her on this one – Regan wasn’t much of a role model to begin with, and the fact that the name caught on post-Exorcist?  Scary.  Even better, her comment on Lucifer – “Sound wise it’s magnificent.  To use it?  Cruel.”
  • A pair of Canadian parents insist they are angst-free over their decision to name their daughters Shade Star Pirate and Styles Knight Mansion.  I respect the amount of thought they put into their choices.  But I can’t help think that somewhere in there, they could’ve given their daughters a less aggressively unusual name, just in case the girls grow up to have interests other than their parents’ professions, Star Wars and attractions at Disney World;
  • Let’s end on a high note – Sebastiane featured a truly classic girls’ name over at Legit Baby Names – Martha, Marta, Marthe.

In semi-name news, I’ve been coveting my neighbors’ gas-sipping, eco-chic SmartCar for months now.  I was charmed to learn that the forerunner of today’s Smart wore the lovely name Isetta.  Hey, if girls can be named Camry.  And Shade …

Thanks for reading!

Sunday Summary: 7/12/09

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I spent Saturday afternoon at a kid-friendly baby shower, trying not to grill the expectant mom about baby names.  (They’re not finding out the gender, and they’re not sharing names in advance.  Torture!)  But among the small guests?  A pint-sized Zora, named after the author.

In other name news:

  • I don’t think the Mostly Cajun blogger and I have anything in common, but I enjoy his lists of some of the least appealing baby names he spots in local birth announcements – as in Bailee, Jazm’yne, Taylior.  If you need a reason to groan and roll your eyes, direct your browser towards Louisiana;
  • With the next installment in the Harry Potter series set to hit the big screen soon, get ready for more articles about JK Rowling-inspired baby names.  This article from the Baltimore Sun pegs the most obvious impact of the series to date – the rise of Luna;
  • How much am I loving Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It”s posts on Newbies?  Culled from online birth announcements, I surrender twenty minutes of my non-existent free time whenever one surfaces in my Google Reader.  There’s a Wren Elise on her most recent list.  And I continue to puzzle over Timberlyn.  Were her eco-chic parents worried she’d be lost among all the Willows?  Or is it a logical name for a logger’s daughter?  Could the parents be superfans of Justin Timberlake?  Timbaland?  Timberland footwear?  The mind reels;
  • Legit Baby Names blogged about Olga recently.  Why aren’t there more Olgas?  Or am I the only one so charmed?;
  • Bewilditrix turned the spotlight on Basil.  Basil Fawlty’s not so well known in the US, and I’ve noticed one or two in the birth announcements.  In fact, here my first Basil thought is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories.  Guess we’ll have to wait and see;
  • The Toronto Star again covers an unusual baby name – but this one is actually rather appealing: Nash Anthony;
  • I’ve neglected to mention Dooce, the mother-of-all-mommy blogger’s second darling daughter, Marlo Iris.  (Big sis is Leta.)  I especially love Iris in the middle spot – wonder if she’ll replace Rose anytime soon;
  • Which reminds me, Babble’s Oz Spies has welcomed a second son, Jonas Eamon, little brother to Axel;
  • Jason Priestly is a dad for the second time, but they’ve yet to announce the name chosen for Ava Veronica‘s little brother;
  • Indy driver Scott Dixon welcomed a daughter named Poppy Davies Dixon – the middle name is mom Emma’s maiden name;
  • Nancy’s post on wild Saints’ Names is fabulous.  I think we can safely say that Waltrude is not primed for a comeback;
  • From the time machine – one year ago today, the Name of the Day was Saskia.

Lastly, a special (and overdue) congratulations to Bek on the birth of Eben Forrest.  (I know she’s already mentioned it in comments from another post, but it is such a fabulous name, it really deserves some more applause!)

Check back next week for Leland, Phaedra, Ferdinand, Marsann and Leora.  Thanks for reading!

Sunday Summary: 5/17/09

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She’s yet to crack the Top 1000, but could she be the next Isabella?  Friends of friends recently welcomed their second child – a daughter called Esme, 2008′s most popular search name at AppMtn.  What’s more, their firstborn is called Finn, 2008′s second most popular search name for boys here.
In Namespotting News:
  • My mother recently dropped me an email about a colleague’s new son.  His middle name is Hades.  And no, it isn’t a family name that just happens to sound like the dark lord of the underworld.  The colleague informed my mother that they chose the middle name because it means dark lord of the underworld.  Wonder if they’ll want to reconsider their choice during the terrible twos?
  • Photoquilty reports coming across a girl called Asher, another girl called Morrissey and a third named Brennan, plus a boy named Bey.
  • The cover story for this issue of Washington Parent is all about baby names, and included an interview with a mom who named her four girls Tse Iris, Sloane Ivy, Blake Ocean and Chase Blossom.  I love Sloane Ivy.  Chase Blossom sounds like a command.  Tse Iris seems unnecessarily complicated – Tse is pronounced “Say” – and yet strangely appealing.  The mom goes on to note that “On paper – with the middle initial – my girls can be any American.  Their names give them the choice to say if they are female.”
Each snippet is really about the same thing – the urge to give our children distinctive names.  It’s obviously something I think about, too, and yet I can’t help but notice that we so fall short – Tse, Blake and Chase, with that “ay” vowel sound – don’t really stand out too far from Grace, Kate and Jayden.  Now that Chloe is in the Top Ten, Clio sounds downright ordinary, too.
A few other thoughtful posts:
A few celeb notes:
  • Actor James Gaffigan and wife Jeannie welcomed daughter Katie Louise.  He’s already the proud papa to son Jack and daughter Marre.  Anyone know anything about Marre?  It’s an interesting pick – I don’t think I’ve heard it before;
  • Comedian Wanda Sykes and her wife Alex welcomed twins Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude; 
  • I’m fairly certain that I heard an interview with Charlie Sheen about his twin boys, in which he noted that his sons are named Max and Bob – not Maxwell and Robert or Robinson and Maximillian or … you get the idea.
It’s not exactly name news, but I recently spotted an obituary for Venetia Phair – the only woman to ever name a planet.  Hearkening back to my earlier mention of Hades, she’s the person who christened Pluto. 
Thanks for reading!