Sunday Summary: 6/5/11

Clock number 5

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

We live in a magical age.  Earlier this week I spotted an unusual name scrolling across Nameberry’s “currently being viewed” ticker, and mentioned it on my Facebook page, with a link to the entry.  Within minutes Elixyvett appeared in their Most Popular Names cloud, and stayed there for a few days, prompting a thread on their message board.  At the same time, Nameberry’s Pam sourced an entire post on Old People Names from a Twitter craze.

Saints and royalty and popular legends and music and novels and television and movies have all put new names on the map.  Surely social media will function in a similar fashion.  But will there be, say, a baby name Elixyvett because a mom-to-be spotted the name when it loomed large in the tag cloud?  Will someone’s Twitter handle inspire a future baby name?

Elsewhere online:

Spotted amongst the glitterati:

  • Pink’s daughter arrived, and she’s named the rather reasonable Willow Sage, a flower child for the tough chick.  My favorite headline has to be this one, from Holy Moly: Pink has baby girl, names her after shrubbery;
  • Actress Dorian Brown welcomed a son, Cayman Tyson Pham.  No word on the parents’ inspiration for the choice.  Brown is set to appear in the American remake of quirky Australian TV series Wilfred.  I’d give Cayman and Wilfred equal odds of catching on;
  • I’m enjoying learning more about Australian celebs thanks to Waltzing – this week alone brought us a baby girl called Allegra Eve and a boy named Lux Edward.  Lux joins a big sister called Autumn Claire.  I came across a boy named Lux years ago and had a hard time thinking of it as masculine, probably thanks to Lux Lisbon in Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides.  But he really could fit right in with Luke, Max, and Gus, couldn’t he?

I’ve gone out on a limb and waded into deep water for this week’s Nameberry post.  I think it is one of my wackier, less wearable lists – but also a trend that seems to be catching on.  Last week’s post was Surfer Names, a list I ended up really loving.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!

Baby Name of the Day: Rafferty

R is for Rasberries

R is for Rasberries by Xurble via Flickr

He’s an upbeat surname option with a certain amount of edge.

Thanks to Lemon and Emily for suggesting Rafferty as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Glynis

Glynis Johns

Glynis Johns; Image by joanna tidball via Flickr

Looking for a modern name that still reads Granny chic?  Hoping for something with an indie edge?  Today’s choice combines all three qualities.

Thanks to Shan for suggesting Glynis as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Eliza

A My Fair Lady movie poster, in which Bell's w...

Image via Wikipedia

She’s the stylish short form of Elizabeth worn by the unforgettable Audrey Hepburn.

Thanks to Lemon for suggesting Eliza as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 4/24/11

Number 24 – Clerkenwell

Image by World of Good via Flickr

Happy Easter!  If you’re celebrating, here’s wishing you all the chocolate bunnies you can decapitate without inviting tooth decay.

  • Let’s start with the inevitable: Nameberry’s Twelve Best Bunny NamesHazel and Niccolo are my favorites;
  • Last week was also Earth Day, and Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” posted some intriguing options.  I’m all about Bay and Delphine;
  • From the Wayback Machine: in 2009, the featured name was Gail.  Last year, it was Temple;
  • For Real is on a roll.  I love this post with Trenna, Wren, Bren, and Nelle.  And Ethan Arlo is a cool combo;
  • Then there’s For Real’s twins post.  A bunch of these were super cringe-worthy: Lexa and Alexa, Noah and Noel, Charlee and Chelsee, Jonah and Josie.  I’m not a twin, and I’ve never named twins, but I can’t help think that names that matchy spell trouble.  Oh – and Luke and Leia.  What to say …
  • Speaking of head-scratchers, Nancy pointed out that The Greg Kihn Band’s single “Jeopardy” inspired parents – at least six pairs of parents – in 1983.  The song has been lodged in my brain ever since;
  • Speaking of games, did you vote in the Baby Name Wizard’s annual contest?  Entries closed mid-April, but T was good enough to share her guesses;
  • This is great advice for choosing a middle name!

Last week’s post for Nameberry was movie marquee names.  Thanks to Nicole for suggesting this week’s idea.  It’s a little bit cineplex, but in a very different way.  It’s one of the lists where I feel like the options for boys and girls are equally appealing.  Check it out on Monday.

There were some great lines about baby names on Thursday’s night double-episode of 30 Rock, but at the risk of revealing more spoilers (sorry, Photoquilty!), I’ll stick with mentioning the celeb birth of the week.  Jane Krakowski welcomed son Bennett Robert.

That’s all for this week.  It’s re-run week here at AppMtn, so while there won’t be new posts, there will still be a daily post telling you which name has been brushed up, 2011-style.  May marks my third year of writing name of the day posts, and it is amazing how many of the golden oldies could use some improvement.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Baby Name of the Day: Janelle

jj

J by TooFarNorth via Flickr

She’s another spin on the stylish Jane, with a fashionable -elle ending, too.

Thanks to Christina for suggesting her (all grown-up) daughter’s name as our Baby Name of the Day: Janelle.

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Baby Name of the Day: Anthea

Flowers 1

Image via Wikipedia

Looking for a floral name that’s more subtle than Lily, rarer than Rose?

Thanks to Fran for suggesting one option: the botanical Anthea.

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Baby Name of the Day: Cashel

The Rock of Cashel in Ireland pictured in the ...

The Rock of Cashel; Image via Wikipedia

Dashiell is stylish, and Cash is king.  Could this Irish import combine the best of both?

Thanks to Kristin for suggesting Cashel as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Harley

Captain America, Harley Davidson Chopper feaut...

Image via Wikipedia

He’s an English surname with a nature vibe, but it’s hard to hear this one and think of anything other than the open road.

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

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Baby Name of the Day: Claudia

Ever wondered about attractive names with negative meanings?

Smismar recently asked about them, and so our Baby Name of the Day is one such appellation: Claudia.

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