Image by tim ellis via Flickr
Elijah and Isaiah are Top 100 choices, and they help make other Old Testament names sound wearable. But is this name of a King of Judah too much of a leap?
Thanks to Claire for suggesting Jehosaphat as our Baby Name of the Day.
Lilith (1892) by John Collier; Image via Wikipedia
She’s the original first wife scorned, a woman often considered evil – or maybe just too bold for her times.
Thanks to Tara and Heather for suggesting Lilith as our Baby Name of the Day.
He’s quasi-Biblical, sort-of-superheroic and vaguely brainy, too.
Thanks to Fran and Francis for suggesting Tobias as our Baby Name of the Day.
Take Noah and Isaiah, cross them with Zachary and what do you get?
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Ezekiel as Baby Name of the Day.
He’s a noble knight and a lovestruck swain, brought to our attention by the silver screen. Is it any wonder he’s so popular?
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Tristan as Name of the Day.
Nevaeh strikes many as too religious. Ditto old school Biblical picks like Hezekiah or extreme virtue names like Prudence. But this choice is surprisingly mainstream.
Thanks to Shannon for suggesting Christian as Name of the Day.
He’s been worn by a handful of Irish saints, but has never caught on in the US.
Thanks to Corinne for suggesting Abbán as Name of the Day.
Leo is poised to return to the heights of popularity. Alexander is everywhere. So why not this equally ancient appellation that combines the best of both?
Thanks to Bizzy for suggesting Leander as Name of the Day.
How many times have you heard the parent of a small child say something like this: “We didn’t realize Isaiah was getting so popular!”
“I really hope Ruby doesn’t take off! I hated being one of three Jennifers in my class.”
Or even: “I chose Ava for a girl and then my neighbor/co-worker/sister-in-law stole it!”
My theory is this: the more we hear a name, the more likely we are to consider it for our own children. It’s why names like Damien and Regan can pop even after they’re used for children that we hope ours won’t emulate. Ditto name elements – Miley owes some of her success to Billy Ray’s Disney daughter, but more to her similarity to Riley and Kylie.
You and I hear parents’ laments about Ava and Ruby and Isaiah and think: names embraced by celebs/last popular 100 years back/borrowed from the Bible are likely to rise. We’re not surprised. But hey, if you’re here, you’re probably more into names than the average person naming a baby right now.
Which is why I think you’ll be pleased as punch to know that NYU psych professor Todd Gureckis and Indiana U’s psych/brain sciences professor Robert Goldstone have researched this very topic. Their results can be read in the scholarly journalTopics in Cognitive Science.
Read the summary here: Recent ‘momentum’ influences choices of baby names, NYU, Indiana psychology professors find.
I haven’t read the original article – and I’m not sure I have the academic chops to completely digest it – but their finding is this: at least since the 1980s, parents have shown a preference for names that are rising. Therefore, those names rise. And so parents continue to show a preference for the rising names. And so they continue to rise …
It isn’t the whole picture, of course, but it’s an interesting piece.
It’s August 16, and that means Mad Men’s third season debuts tonight. Check out the Mad Men Names list over at Nameberry. Midge might not make a comeback any time soon, but Joan, Peter and Betty all sound fresh to my ear. Bewildertrix has spotted Betty in a few birth announcements recently.
Speaking of television – I never miss 18 Kids and Counting, even though Arthur rolls his eyes/leaves the room/threatens to cancel cable. While it isn’t the life I’d choose, I envy them one thing – they got to name 18 children! In recent episodes, the 20 Duggars (parents Jim Bob and Michelle, plus Josh, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy Anna, Jeremiah, Jedediah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johanna, Jennifer and Jordyn) have been visiting the Bates family.
The Bates have a mere 16 children, with one on the way. I had to go to Google their names, and here they are: Gil and Kelly are parents to Zachary, Michaela, Erin, Lawson, Nathan, Alyssa, Tori, Trace, Carlin, Josie, Katie, Jackson, Warden, Isaiah, Addallee and Ellie. The Addallee spelling is wacky, and Warden? But other than that, nicely normal names.
Then again, they started with a Z. That’s a much tougher letter for naming a big batch o’ babies than J. (And even the Duggars resorted to Jinger.) Speaking of unconventional names:
I mentioned the Duggars earlier. Another first-initial-sharing reality television family is also expecting their first grandchild. Kourtney Kardashian is about to make Kris a grandma, and Kim, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie aunts. (There’s also uncle-to-be Robert, a junior named after Kris’ first husband.) Kourtney has stated that the baby will not have a K-name.
Or any sense of privacy.
Since I’m on a television spree, may I mention my pet peeve? When writers get the names wrong. This usually happens when a writer names a 30-something Addison. Sure, it could happen. But she’s probably Melissa – her daughter is Addison. Anyhow, Drop Dead Diva, a cute little comedy with a twist, named their 20-something aspiring model Debbie. Why not Ashley or Nicole – or if they were going for alliteration overkill, Danielle?
More names coming to the small screen this Fall – hat tip to Parents Magazine’s September 2009 preview:
Not terribly exciting, except for Axel, Brick and Sue. I like Axel, fret about Brick and would be happy to see a revival of Susannah or Susan.
What with all that weirdness and blandness, here’s a link to a list that will lift your spirits – Elisabeth of You Can’t Call It “It” reports on genteel names for the alumnae of two Southern girls’ schools.
A year ago today, I wrote about Aloysius. Little surprise, he remains underused!
That’s all for now – thanks for reading and have a fabulous week.
