Sunday Summary: 7/24/11

Number 24

Image by Thristian via Flickr

We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave, here in Washington DC.  It is my birthday week, which means I’ll exert slightly more influence over the name choices than usual.  Happily, many of you were good enough to request names that I was longing to write about anyhow … definitely, the greatest gift!

On to the name news:

  • I loved this list at Nameberry of clunky cool names: Agatha, Ruth, Otto, Leon.  I’m hearing these in metro Washington DC, and many of you are considering using them.  Something tells me a few of these are ready for their comeback moment;
  • But maybe the best part of the post was a comment from Jenny, borrowing a term from J.K. Rowling to suit our purposes – if we are “name nerds” then surely the rest of the world is made up of “name Muggles” … right?
  • For Real spotted a boy named Kelci.  And a girl called Collins.  Interesting;
  • Waltzing More Than Matilda caught an Australian morning show spot on a family with three daughters: Lily, Scotia, and Sappho.  I’m especially intrigued by Scotia, the Latin name for Scotland;
  • Back to 1840 with British Baby Names!  Elea unearthed a boy called Story, and a girl called Arthurina, plus another girl named Crisany.  Actually, the entire list is just plain fascinating;
  • Swistle asks about the name Cozette, with the possible nickname Cozy.  My take?  I agree with many of the comments.  Cosette is surprising and stylish, no matter what nickname you use.  Cozette is a little much;
  • This list at Daddy Types of kids’ names spotted at the Enterprise, Utah Rodeo has me fascinated.  Want to raise a kiddo who knows his way around a horse, or who takes top honors at the chicken chasing contest?  Kanton, Kelby, Larami, Brek, Tanzee, Ramzi, Macardi, and Carli Jo all seem like safe bets.

Over on my Facebook page, I raised the question of whether there are certain traditional male names that you only like in their full, not-nicknamed forms.  A long list of replies followed.  I was thinking of Douglas, but also Stephen/Steven, a name that appears in my Monday post for Nameberry.

On to news from the famous:

  • Maternity concierge and reality star Rosie Pope dished on her own kids’ names to Name Candy.  I love that both boys’ middles reflect streets where they’ve lived – Roderick and Reade.  Should they have a future child that means that their current address – Madison – is in the running for a middle;
  • Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner welcomed the regally named Arabella Rose;
  • Maya Rudolph welcomed son Jackson Wright, a little brother for Pearl Bailey and Lucille.

One last note for this week: I have a long, long list of unanswered requests for Baby Name of the Day posts.  I’m been looking at my Fall/Winter calendar carefully – the truth is that the number of requests now far exceed the number of days in the year, and at the same time, I have a few different kinds of posts I’d like to add into the rotation.

So … not quite sure how it will all shake out, but I appreciate your patience.

As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!

Baby Name of the Day: Perseus

Perseus by Cellini

Image by mharrsch via Flickr

If you came of age in the 1980s, today’s choice might make you think of Harry Hamlin in sandals.  And, possibly, a mechanical owl.

As suggested by Sadie, our Baby Name of the Day is Perseus.

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Baby Name of the Day: Travis

The famous Alamo

The famous Alamo; Image by soham_pablo via Flickr

He’s an Americana option with an intriguing meaning.

Thanks to Heather for suggesting Travis as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Tennyson

Tennyson statue outside Lincoln Cathedral

Tennyson statue outside Lincoln Cathedral via Flickr

The saintly Dennis had his day, but if you’re looking for a fresh spin on that classic appellation, here’s one option.

Thanks to Amanda for suggesting the poetic Tennyson as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Circe

Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus. Oldham Art...

Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus; Image via Wikipedia

She’s a beguiling sorceress who captivated Odysseus.

Thanks to Heather for suggesting the enchanting Circe as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Marlon

Marlon Brando Streetcar 1948 c

Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire; Image via Wikipedia

He’s a Hollywood legend, but his first name is a little fishy.

Thanks to Jennifer C. for suggesting Marlon as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 3/20/11

shop number 20

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

Here’s my absolute favorite thing to get in my email inbox: birth announcements.  There were two last week, complete with pictures!  I really, truly appreciate them and won’t pass them on unless you expressly note that I can share them here.  Thank you!

Speaking of birth announcements, I was scrolling through a random list and found a bunch of interesting ones: Bellarose, Amelka, Zella, Nico, Jamerson.  No, that’s not a typo.  (I checked twice!)  With ends-in-er names catching on and hoop star Jimmer Fredette inspiring parents, what could catch on next?  Brenner, maybe?

In other news:

  • Here’s a look ahead at next week’s Names of the Day: Marlon, Circe, Greil, Humphrey, Emrys;
  • And a look back, too – in 2009, Barnaby was featured.  In 2010, it was Hera;
  • Names currently suggested for Alyssa Milano’s son include Destry, Gaston, Kenai, Jax, Darrell, Javier, Kennedy, Vittorio, Emmitt, Maddox, and Colt.  My pick for them would be Dante – Italian, to go with Mr. Alyssa Milano’s surname, Bugliari, but still quite current.
  • Amethyst: a possible successor to Ruby?
  • Loved this post at Nameberry on Israeli Baby Names.  I was surprised at the long list of unisex names.  The author, Hannah of A Mother in Israel, was kind enough to answer my question.  Apparently there’s not any controversy over using a gender neutral name, though “many parents prefer a name associated with one gender.”  Interesting;
  • Move over Jason and Mason!  ForReal spotted a newborn Tason;
  • BabyNameWizard asks if Justin will remain forever young;
  • Via Nomes e mais nomes post on the Grand Ducal family of Luxembourg: there’s an Imre in this generation, plus one of the princes married a commoner called Tessy.  She’s now Princess Tessy;
  • Is she a baby or a weather prediction?  For Real also spotted a Rainy May.

It was a quiet week for names in the news, but we did welcome Sage Ann and Kellan Clay, twins for news anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts.

Funny, because I’d recently asked on my Facebook page if Sage was more suited for a girl or a boy.

In other celeb baby Wipeout co-host John Henson welcomed a son, Jackson Wright.

Tomorrow at Nameberry: Rock’n'Roll baby names inspired by the recent additions to Rock Hall.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!

Baby Name of the Day: Rachel

R40

R40 by Too Far North via Flickr

She rocketed into the US Top Ten thanks to a sitcom, but this Biblical choice has far more staying power than many pop culture hits.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Rachel as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 1/9/11

number 9

Number 9 by Jon Tin Tin Jordan via Flickr

I had lunch with a mom-to-be friend of mine last week.  Dad has already veto’d her #1 pick for a son – Nehemiah – and she’s not on board with any of his ideas.  She’s not due for a few more weeks, but her doc is already murmuring things like “measuring big” and the pressure is mounting.  I’m going to share this great advice from Swistle with her: it isn’t about finding the perfect name, it is finding the name that most satisfies both parents – almost like averaging the parent’s scores.  (You give Nehemiah a 10; he gives it a 4.  That makes Nehemiah a 7.  The question is whether you can agree on a name that ranks an 8 or higher.)

Elsewhere online:

Plenty of famous folk announced their good news this week, including the arrivals of:

  • Kristoffer Polaha’s sonJude, a little brother for Kristoffer Jr. and Micah.  Mom is Julianne Morris;
  • Jason Schwartzman and wife Brady Cunningham went for the offbeat, choosing Marlowe Rivers.  Note to Natalie Portman and other pregnant celebs – Carlo/Carlow/Carlowe is still available;
  • What do a pair of news anchors name their son?  Carter Evans and Courtney Friel went with Cash Hudson.  To the best of my knowledge, neither covers Wall Street or Metro New York;
  • Top Chef alum Nikki Cascone will be pureeing lots of veggies in about six months.  She’s a new mom to Jackson Robert.  Cascone said that the tot’s name came from Sons of Anarchy.  Great show, but I’m partial to the name worn by Jax Teller’s son – Abel;
  • And, of course, there’s a new member of the royal family.  No official announcement has been made, but prayers were offered for Peter and Autumn Philips and their new daughter Savannah.

Speaking of congratulations, let’s end on a high note: you can now buy the first eBook from Nancy Man, Strong Boy Names.  Based on the preview, it isn’t so much a list of Gunnar/Cannon/Slade as much as it analyzes more conventional masculine choices that are rarely borrowed by Team Pink.  Actually, this might be the baby shower gift I give to my friend who won’t be naming her son Nehemiah …

That’s all for today.  As always, thank you for reading, and have a fabulous week!

Sunday Summary: 1/2/11

Happy New Year!  The holidays are always a great chance to catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while.  I discovered an old friend is now dad to a daughter called Ada Maple.  And I heard that several friends-of-friends and cousins-twice-removed are expecting.  In every case, I made sure to offer my sincere congratulations before asking if they’d thought about names.

At least, I think I did.

Let’s start with something different: a reader question.  What do you think of the name Ranger?  There are a few possible ways the parents might use it.  Check out the poll below, and feel free to leave a comment.

A few other boy-name thoughts:

  • I’m curious to see The Green Hornet rebooted with Seth Rogen as slacker-turned-hero Britt ReidReed and Reid are both near their all-time highs for use in the US.  If the movie is a hit, betcha we’ll hear them more;
  • I’m also wondering if Britt could catch on for boys.  It was also the name of one of the lead characters on short-lived FX series Terriers.  Conventional wisdom says that Britt is a Scandinavian girls’ name, related to Bridget, as in Swedish actress Britt Ekland.  But he’d fit right in with Gage and Cole;
  • Along those lines, I raised the idea of Hale for a son over on the AppMtn Facebook page.  I was mostly think of Kale/Cale when I asked the question, but Emily G. pointed out that Hale also conjures up Nathan Hale;
  • ForReal unearthed a ton of new surnames and surname sound-alikes being use in the first spot. How ’bout Danner, Corbett, Deagan, or Whitten?

In other news:

A few celebrity babies arrived just in time to be up at midnight on December 31:

That’s al for this week.  As always, thank you for reading, and have a fabulous first week of 2011!