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Even if you’re not even a teensy, eensy bit interested in the royal wedding, it would be pretty tough to avoid the topic today.  William and Kate’s wedding is an all-out media frenzy.

Chatter about royal baby names has been non-stop since the engagement was announced, and I’ve very much enjoyed dreaming up possible names for a future heir to the throne.

But here’s the big baby naming question that I’m wondering about: when commoner Kate becomes regal Catherine, will C become the new K?

In 1909, Catherine was slightly more popular than Katherine, but variant spellings muddy the picture:

• Catherine ranked #23, with Catharine at #324 and Cathryn at #719;
• Katherine was a respectable #53, but variants like Kathryn #74, Katharine #296, Katheryn #684, Kathrine #691, and Kathryne #731, probably gave a slight edge to the K spellings;
• Don’t forget Kathleen, at #135.

By 1959, the Ks had it:

• Kathy ranked #15; Kathleen #23; Kathryn #69; and Katherine #79;
• The only C-spelling in the Top 100 was Catherine, at #40.

And by 1989, a host of other Kate-names were in play:

• K outpaced C, with Katherine at #26, Kathryn #58, and Kathleen #90;
• Catherine remained a Top 100 choice at #67;
• Caitlin, the original spelling, was still most popular at #49, but variants Katelyn #76, Kaitlyn #95, and Kaitlin #100 were gaining fast;
• Katie was popular as a stand-alone name, at #45.

That brings us up to the present, our Kardashian-soaked era of kreative naming.  Looking at the 2009 stats:

• The Top 100 includes a host of vaguely Katherine-related names, all starting with K: Kaylee #29, Kayla #35, Kaitlyn #67, and Katelyn #89;
• Then there’s reality TV’s Khloe at #95, one of fastest gainers of 2009, though she still can’t catch Top Ten Chloe.

K’s grip has been strong.  Intriguing word name Cadence inevitably became Kaydence, and choices like Kassidy, Kinley, and Kenzie were big gainers in ’09, too.  But C shows signs of life:

• Caylee appeared at #263, up 250 paces in 2009;
• Classics Claire, Charlotte, and Caroline were all Top 100 gainers;
• Farther beyond the Top 100, vintage gems like Clara, Cecilia, Camille, and Cora all found favor with more parents.

The influences have been many, ranging from the tragic 2008 death of Caylee Anthony to the success enjoyed by actress Cate Blanchett.  The Office baby answers to Cece, and Cora owes a little something to celeb chef Cat Cora and something to the movie Coraline, too.

Factor in the newest member of the royal family, and I wonder: could we see more names creatively spelled – with a C?

Thanks to Fran for suggesting Inara as Baby Name of the Day.

Joss Whedon is an intrepid namer of characters.  He called his vampire slayer Buffy, which didn’t catch on with parents.  But her sidekicks, witch Willow and an ordinary Joe called Xander, are much in fashion a decade after the last vampire bit the dust.  His cowboy western/space odyssey, Firefly, didn’t have as long a run on the small screen, but was adapted as a movie in 2005′s Serenity.  The character names – Mal, Shepherd, River, Simon, Kaylee – haven’t been quite as influential, but they’ve attracted their share of attention.

Morena Baccarin played Inara Serra, a courtesan in an era when being a courtesan was among the highest, most respected professions available.  In the first episode, she’s referred to as “The Ambassador.”

Whedon borrowed the name from an ancient empire.  The Hittites had their day in the sun back in the 1300s BC.  They owed much of their culture and custom to an even older civilization, the Hurrians, who flourished a thousand years before.

In their mythology, Inara was something like the Greek Artemis and Roman Diana.  She was the goddess of wild animals and a clever strategist, too.

Somewhere between ancient history and the twenty-first century, a handful of others adopted the name.  Little Feat founder Lowell George named his daughter Inara Maryland all the way back in 1974, well ahead of the fashion for both goddess names and place names.  She’s a singer, too.

All the way back in the nineteenth century, we can find a handful of women named Inara in the US census records, but never enough to register in the Top 1000.  That’s not necessarily about the goddess, though – there are other names from the era that suggest Inara might be an elaborated form of Ina, or even a riff on Lenora, Nora, and Norma.

So how would an ancient goddess name worn by a fictional starship geisha play on the playgrounds of today?

It’s hard to say.  She’s exotic, but so are plenty of popular picks, from Ayana to Imari.  If parents can take inspiration from Ancient Rome to name little Julius and Aurelia, then why not go even farther back BC?  And while she’s without a convenient nickname – Ari might work – plenty of girls answer to Tabitha and Georgia and Madeline without ever needing a short form.

She’s been much neglected by parents for generations, but if you’re trying to pick out a name with some backstory, but without a lot of baggage, Inara could just be the one for you.

But enough about that.  The big news in baby naming this week was Baby Name Wizard’s report on the fastest rising names of 2010.  As usual, the coverage missed the critical fine print: these are the fastest gaining searched names, not names being inked on birth certificates by parents.  Not everyone searching is expecting a child; not everyone searching and expecting would ever choose a daring name.  And yet, it’s interesting to see the list, and there are definitely trends to be spotting among the fastest rising.

They are as follows, girls first:

1. Tenley
2. Harper
3. Everleigh
4. Martina
5. Sookie
6. Navi - There’s been plenty of speculation about Avatar’s impact on baby naming.  Combined with actress Navi Rawat, could this be the film’s big contribution?
7. Charlotte
8. Eloise
9. Lorelai
10. Ursula
11. Briella
12. Kinley
13. Tinsley - The next Kimora?
14. Mhairi – It’s a twist on the Scottish form of Mary, but would probably be pronounced Mary in the US, so is she anything more than an impressively creative spelling?
15. Leighton
16. Maelle
17. Ever
18. Kinsley
19. Lux
20. Everly

There are some interesting picks for boys, too:

1. Castiel
2. Bentley
3. Eoin
4. Easton
5. Lucian
6. Aarav
7. Zion
8. St. John
9. Kaiden
10. Sterling
11. Callan
12. Leland
13. Harper
14. Mikah
15. Dashiell
16. Eliah
17. Dawson
18. Kayden
19. Lennon
20. Dorian

Other than the rise of the Ever- names, my real take-away is this: I suspect Charlotte is headed for the US Top Ten.  She’s gently French, literary, and feminine without being fussy.  Her nickname options are great.  She’s also climbing rapidly, without any sign of hitting a plateau.

Putting my crystal ball away, here’s the rest of the news:

• Here’s a list that’s subject to the same flaws, yet seems more likely to suggest future US name trends: Luke Eales of babynames.co.uk guest posted at Nameberry, sharing the fastest rising names on his site.  Jude and India, anybody?;
• Nymbler posted their June 2010 update. The Top Ten were the usual snooze of nice-but-oft-heard choices: Charlotte, Ava, Noah, Oliver, Owen, Amelia, Ella, Olivia, Grace, Henry. But the Top Four brand new names?  A delight as always: Saylor, Loki, Zadie and Sookie;
• Speaking of Sookie, anyone want to take the over/under on when we’ll hear of a baby girl named Snooki?  For real, that is … Jersey Shore’s Snooki was born Nicole;
• Forget New Jersey – what’s up with North Carolina?  Check out these names spotted by For Real Baby Names: Fanny Celeste Marin, Jenton Stone, River Cruz, Kwynn Patricia, Mayden Jane. There are some really unexpected combos on that list.  But she also found some lovelies: Ingrid Julieth, Emily Miranda.  If Maylee is the new Kaylee, I guess Mayden might be the next Jaidyn;
• Speaking of -ayden, check out Nancy’s tally of boys receiving -ayden names in 2009. I won’t spoil the grand tally, but there were lots.  No, really.  There are more than you think, including seven Xhaidens and six Sheadons.  All of a sudden, Castiel and Jenton sound as sensible as Joseph and James;
• This one is just for fun: Listicles posted the 12 Worst Name-Generating Websites.  My Sarah Palin baby name is Fire Patriot.  My vampire name?  Mary Maundrell.  What does it say when Twi-fying yourself produces the better result;
• File this under Only Vaguely Related:  Mr. Clean’s first name is Veritably;
• While I’m on a random tangent, here’s another, this time via Fritinancy.  The French word for weasel is belette.  I had no trouble finding Bellette listed on baby name websites;
• Let’s end where we began – remember Lennon from the Baby Name Wizard list?  If you’re a fan of the Fab Four, John, George and Paul are fair game, and Lennon and Harrison, why not?  But Ringo? Names4Real spotted a Ringo Isaac.

It was a quiet week for starbabies.  Juan Pablo Montoya – who is racing on our TV as I type this – welcomed a daughter, Manuela. The NASCAR notable is also dad to Sebastian and Paulina.

That’s all for this week, as always thank you for reading!

Thanks to Urban Angel for suggesting Kelsey as Baby Name of the Day.

If you were watching LA Law in the 80s – and everyone was watching LA Law in the 80s – you’ll probably recall Jill Eikenberry’s character, Ann Kelsey.  Actor Michael Tucker played fellow attorney Stuart Markowitz.  (The television couple was married in real life, too.)  In the third season, Stuart and Ann adopt a baby girl, only to have to return her to her birth mother.

The baby’s given name?  Ann’s surname, Kelsey.

The popularity of the show and the buzz around the story line alone would be enough to launch a name into the rankings.  But Kelsey had debuted in the US Top 1000 way back in 1977, charting at #961 for girls.  Plenty of factors were in her favor:

• Her resemblance to Kelly was a plus.  1977 marked Kelly’s best year – she peaked at #10.  Kelsey was a logical successor choice;
• She also fit with Tracy and Stacy, both Top 50 picks in 1977 before considering variant spellings;
• It was early days for the current wave of surname names on girls.  While Madison and Taylor had yet to appear, Mackenzie was already catching on.

Little wonder, then, that Kelsey climbed long after LA Law left the air, peaking at #23 in 1992.  In 2009, Kelsey still came in at a respectable #210.  She’s falling, but she’s not gone yet.

Some parents probably appreciate Kelsey’s gender-bending vibe.  Like many a surname name, this one has also been worn by men, including the highly visible actor Kelsey Grammer.  For boys, Kelsey appeared in the US Top 1000 from 1970 through 1996, peaking at #633 in 1989.  Grammer’s character, psychologist turned radio personality Frasier Crane, is among the longest running characters ever created on the small screen.  Kelsey’s rise coincides with Grammer’s star turn on Cheers and spin-off Frasier, from 1984 through 2004.

Kelsey’s roots as a surname are clear, and virtually everyone agrees she’s English.  But her exact origins are debated:

• Some cite the elements cēol - ship, as in our word keel – and sige, victory;
• Others link the name to a place name.  In that case, the ending comes from -eg – island, and there’s still some conversation about the first half;
• It could also be an Americanized form of unrelated surnames.

But I suspect that most parents who chose Kelsey just liked her sound, and maybe her K.  Other two-syllable, starts-with-K, ends in -ee names in use in the past four decades include:

• Keri, Kerri, Kerry, Kerrie;
• Keely;
• Kylie, Kylee, Kiley;
  
• Kirby;
• Kali;
• Kaylee, Kaley, Kailey, Kaleigh, Kailee, Kayli, Kayley;
• Kacie, Kacey, Kaci, Kasie, Kacy, Kaycee;
  
• Kassie;
• Kathy;
• Katie, Kati, Katy;
  
• Kami;
• Karly, Karli, Karlie, Karlee, Karley;
  
• Kari, Karrie;
• Kinsey;
• Kinley;
• Kenzie;
• Kenley.

File Kelsey with Kinley and Kirby rather than Kari and Kailee.  While respellings like Kelcie, Kelsea and Kelsi are fleeting, Kelsey remains a valid surname choice.  She can’t be called unexpected, and she feels a smidge dated circa 2010.  But she’ll wear as well as Riley or Bailey.  And especially if she’s a family name, she could still present an appealing option for a daughter.

Thanks to Fran for suggesting Lenora as Baby Name of the Day.

Lenora is a name hugging the edges.  She’s been falling since the late 1800s, when she ranked in the US Top 200.  Her steady decline continued into the 1970s, and she disappeared from the Top 1000 entirely after 1975.

And yet, she’s vaguely familiar, probably because of her similarity to a cluster including other sparingly used names formed with the same elements.  I wrote about Leora a while back, when I dug up the following names that also appeared in the 1920 rankings:

• Leona (#89 in 1920)
• Leola (#226)
• Leota (#355)
• Leone (#488)
• Leatha (#665)
• Leonora (#666)
• Leonor (#882)
• Cleora (#941)

Lenora was #267 in 1920, and other len- names included:

• Lenore (#324)
• Elenora (#687)
• Lennie (#793)
• Elenor (#961)
• Elenore (#992)

It wasn’t just lesser-used names, either.  For boys, Leonard and Leo both charted in the US Top 50.  Eleanor charted at #25.

Dare I say it?  I suspect len- and leo- were the kay- and jay- of their era.  Independently, few of the names seemed especially popular.  But tally them up, and the impression is very different.  A back-of-the-envelope estimate counts around 14,500 girls wearing some variation.  That’s far short of the 70,000-plus newborn girls called Mary in 1920, but depending of how you define related names, you can easily surpass staples like Evelyn, Alice and Irene. If I had included Ellen and Helen in all of their possible spellings, she just might’ve given Mary a run for her money.

Calculations aside, notable Lenoras were not many.

One that stands out was Lenora Mattingly Weber, a mother of six and prolific writer.  Much of her work took the form of wholesome short stories for women’s magazines and The Saturday Evening Post.  From the 1940s into the 60s, she also authored a series of young adult novels about Beany Malone, a teenager growing up in Denver, Colorado, where Mrs. Weber had raised her brood.  The series extends from girlhood into Beany’s married life, and eventually included Beany’s cookbook, too.

If you’re a BBC junkie, you might think of actress Lenora Crichlow.  She’s appeared in Doctor Who and the supernatural Being Human, as well as the all-human Material Girl, where she plays a fashion designer.  And if you follow politics, there’s third-party presidential candidate Lenora Fulani, the first woman and the first African-American to be on the ballot in all fifty states, back in 1988.

There’s also a tiny city in Kansas called Lenora, and a village in the Czech Republic.  Toss in a restaurant, a gracious Southern mansion and a handful of other uses.

Lenora has the feeling of a gentle antique, a logical choice to pair with Clara, Abigail and Violet.  She’s an unexpected formal option for Nora or Lena.  And she’s an elegant way to honor a grandpa Leonard.

Who knows?  Maybe around 2115, Kaylee and Kaylin will be prime candidates for a revival.

Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Grace as Baby Name of the Day.

What’s not to love about Grace?

She was a nineteenth century staple, ranking in the US Top 20 from 1880 until 1908.  This puts her in the company of other vintage picks like Emma and Ella, Clara and Alice.  But she shares her -ay sound with nouveau choices like Jayden and Kaylee.

That’s enough to make Grace a winning compromise choice, but then there’s her meaning.

Let’s start with Greek mythology.  A trio of goddesses responsible for beauty, joy and creativity were referred to the Charites.  They answered to Aglaea, Euphrosyne and Thalia.  Homer cast them as Aphrodite’s BFFs.  Other traditions gave them significant roles in the underworld.  The Romans called them the Gratiae, from the Latin gratia – grace.  Botticelli and Raphael were among the many to paint the three.

Grace has encompassed many a virtue since ancient days, and multiple meanings have evolved since:

• The conventional Christian view ranges from the straightforward grace as a synonym for a simple prayer, usually offered at the dinner table, to a weighty theological matter;
• Perhaps the best known hymn of all time, “Amazing Grace” was written in the eighteenth century;
• We’ve been describing ballerinas – and types of geckos and rats – as graceful in movement since the 1400s;
• You can grace someone with your presence;
• The musical term grace note means an embellishment;
• And, of course, any number of phrases with appealing meanings are attached – from scapegrace to grace under fire,

She can appeal to a devout audience or a secular one.  Her sister is just as likely to be Eleanor or Nevaeh.

Parents who prefer single-syllable names might also like Grace’s flexibility.  She’s as spare as Jane, Brooke, Bryn or June.  But adding an -ie results in the girlie Gracie, a pleasing short form.

And we can’t forget Grace Kelly, a silver screen queen who became real-life royalty in 1956 when she married Monaco’s Prince Rainier III.  Kelly was no mere starlet when she retired from acting to reign in the tiny European nation.  She’d won a Best Actress Oscar in 1954′s The Country Girl.  Other notables include:

• Singer Grace Slick, of 1960s legendary rock group Jefferson Airplane;
• Model/actress/singer/Bond villain Grace Jones;
• Comedienne Gracie Allen, wife and performing partner of George Burns.

Comb through the history books and you’ll find many more.  I’m particularly fond of Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who helped her dad rescued thirteen people from a shipwreck in 1838 at considerable risk to her own life.

The 17th century Puritans get credit for first using Grace as a given name.  She’d fallen out of favor by the 1970s, but re-entered the US Top 100 in 1995 and stood at #17 in 2009 – a few places down from earlier in the decade.

Today parents might also put Gracie (#115 in 2009) on the birth certificate or even the compound Gracelyn (#572 in 2009).  The latter hews slightly close to Elvis’ Memphis estate, but also looks like a cousin for popular respellings à la Madalyn.

With all this going for Grace, why does she make the list of Most Regretted Baby Names?  It’s just a hunch, but I’d bet plenty of parents are disappointed to discover that many other parents have chosen the lovely, classic Grace, too.

If you don’t mind sharing, it’s hard to go wrong with Grace.

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

Once upon a time, Katrina Van Tassel was the fair village maid in Washington Irving’s “The Legendy of Sleepy Hollow.”  Irving published his story in 1820, setting it a few decades earlier in Tarry Town, New York.  The locals were Dutch, and so it was fitting that the heroine of the tale wore the Dutch (and German and Swiss) variant of the classic Katherine.

Katrina wasn’t much used in the US, at least not for American-born girls, though Katherine, Catherine and many other spellings are evergreen.  Was it fear of the Headless Horseman, or simply a preference for Americanizing names?  The Italian Catarina and Gaelic Catriona are also missing from the charts.

Katrina first appeared in US Top 1000 in 1945.  She climbed steadily for a while, before hitting a comfortable plateau right around the 200 mark – not common, not trendy, but perfectly familiar.  For many parents, that’s the sweet spot.  Several factors have influenced her ranking, including:

• Nicknames have helped Katrina.  In the 1950s and 60s affection for Tina pushed parents to choose the name.  Later, Katrina was another way to get to Kate, along with Caitlin and Kaitlyn;
• Born in 1960 Katrina Leskanich was the frontwoman for 1980s pop group Katrina and the Waves.  In 1985, they scored a hit with “Walking on Sunshine.”  Katrina had already been in the US Top 100 at that point, but the single lent the name a sprightly feel;
• In 1999, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow was a box office success, with Johnny Depp playing Ichabod and Christina Ricci as Katrina.  Katrina rose slightly, doubtless inspired by the film;
• Then came Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, devastating the Gulf Coast.  Between the loss of life and massive destruction, it’s hard to hear Katrina and think of anything other than the storm – and the attendant failures of government to plan for such a catastrophe.  You’d expect Katrina to plummet, but she actually rose, from #281 in 2004 to #246 the year Katrina landed.

Chalk it up to babies born while their parents were evacuated from home in the final quarter of the year.

Since then, Katrina has tumbled, landing at #717 in 2008.  It’s consistent with the kind of impact a bad news story can have on an otherwise steady choice.  Still, it’s quite the drop.  Even in the wake of Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial, Monica – the name of the White House intern with whom he’d had an affair – only slid a few dozen places.  1992′s Hurricane Andrew did briefly push the name to the edge of the US Top Ten – only to recover a few seasons later.

It’s hard to say if Katerina will make a comeback.  It’s actually closer to the original Latin version of Katherine.  (Katharina was the spelling adopted to bring the name closer to the Greek katharos – pure.)  Katherine and company have been in use since the 200s, when the future Saint Catherine was martyred on a spiked wheel.  The current US Top 100 includes Katherine (#45), plus four related names: Kayla, Kaylee, Kaitlyn and Katelyn.

It’s easy to imagine parents rediscovering Katrina – but probably not in the near future.

Which reminds me, a new ABC series called Happy Town will premier in late April.  The character list includes a Henley.  I’m not sure about the plot or the character, but I find myself wondering: could -enley be the new -iley?  

In 2008, Project Runway contestant Kenley Collins made it to the finals.  It’s too soon to say if she’ll become a household name in fashion, but her given name debuted at #998 in the US Top 1000 in ’08.  And we just talked about Tenley, she of Olympic figure skating/The Bachelor fame.  The sound is close to gender-spanning Finley, but unlike Riley/Kylee/Mylie/Bryleigh/Skylea, I’m not sure there are as many -enley options.  (Though my husband proposed in Schenley Park …)

If you just can’t get enough reality TV, here’s one more:  Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” tipped me off to my sure-to-be new addiction, 9 By Design, set to debut on Bravo in April.  The family of impossibly stylish NYC house flippers extraordinaire has seven kids, including two sets of twins.  The New Yok Post described the show as Jon & Kate Plus 8 meets Sex and the City.  Sign me up!  Oh, and the names?  Bob and Cortney Novogrtaz are parents to:

• Wolfgang, 12;
• Twins Bellamy and Tallulah, 11; 
• Breaker, 9;
• Twins Five and Holleder, 4;
• Major, 1.

I remember them from an early issue of Cookie Magazine, back pre-baby Major when they were living in a house with a basketball court on the roof.  How many days ’til April 5?

In other news, some of you might recall that I was in the midst of a blizzard last weekend.  A family a few blocks away welcomed a baby at home on the worst day of the record-setting storm. She’s Regina, a little sister for Gregory and Gloria.  The new baby’s name full is Regina Caeli, and that’s not just some nouveau riff on Kaylee.  Regina Caeli – pronounced CHAY lee – translates to Queen of Heaven, and it is a prayer to Mary.  

Since I’ve been talking about reality stars and local celebs, let’s start with the famous folk first:

• Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart are expecting a daughter, but already discussing names for #2.  Read the full interview with Access Hollywood here;
• Speaking of names, Celebrity Baby Blog reports that during her interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Heidi Klum says that her new daughter just “looked like a Lou.”  Klum also said that they went in with four or five names – wouldn’t you love to see their short list;
• Post-Super Bowl, I learned that Drew Brees’ son is called Baylen.  I like Bay just fine, but Baylen feels a little Frankenstein;
• And, of course, Boris Becker is a dad again, welcoming son Amadeus.

Elsewhere online:

• Sebastiane covers the surprisingly international Linda;
• She also covers the February 14-appropriate Amy and, of course, Valentine;
• I wrote about Valentine here;
• Nameberry has an inventive list of less obvious Names that Link to Love, like Branwen, Milena and Caradoc;
• Bewildertrix spotted a Gretel. Hey, if Aurora can be hot for girls, why not the equally fairytale-tastic Gretel?  She also noted a Tayliesin Jaymes Brionee - yes, a girl.  Welsh wizards and British poets aside, I hear Taliesin and think Frank Lloyd Wright;
• For Real Baby Names brought us a Katie Scarlett - wonder if the parents ever read Gone With the Wind?  Plus the latest borrowing from the map, Berlin Louise.  How long it will be ’til we meet a Berlynne?  And a Lake Sawyer, which surely must exist on a map somewhere;
• The latest debate on the name boards: Is the name Win too much pressure?  The resounding reply is pretty much yes;
• Nancy has a list of Names for Shoe Lovers;
• Here’s something that I can’t figure out, no matter how often I hear it: “We like Violet, but it is getting too popular.  How about Amelia?”   That’s (my highly edited excerpt) from a post at Swistle, but the same sentiment is echoed on any forum or real life conversation.  Our perceptions of popularity are highly flawed.

Of all the weird social media phenomena to emerge in recent years, I’ll admit I’m most fascinated by fictional characters with blogs.  Who writes them?  Isn’t it hard to avoid revealing upcoming plot twists, or over-developing the character who blogs?  Anyhow, The Office’s Pam and Jim have a baby blog, with a recent post on baby names.  Someone thinks Michael and Scott would be great names.

I’m off to stop the kids from eating all of the candy out of their chocolate hearts before lunchtime.  Wishing you a sweet day, and thanks for reading!

I’m not necessarily in the majority.  And I’m not necessarily right, either.  Plenty of women named Julie and Jodie have turned out just fine.  And plenty of Sarah/Sadies are irritated at having to constantly explain that yes, Sadie is a nickname for Sarah.

So for your consideration, I’ve pulled together a list of ends-in-ie-names just might stand on their own.

I’m excluding choices like Katie and Maggie -  names easily connected to formal versions, as well as feminizations like Billie and Charlie.  And if it more commonly ends in -y, you won’t find it here – so no Mollie, Lillie or Lucie.

That still leaves bunches of names:

• Arlie – Arline started out as a well-born child kidnapped by gypsies in a nineteenth century opera, but today she’s the outdated Arlene.  Arlie might be a short form, or she may related to a surname.  Either way, she sounds fresher than the -een ending original.
• Birdie – Lady Bird was worn in the White House.  Actress Busy Phillips bestowed this avian appellation on her daughter.  While there are more subtle ways to evoke the finely feathered, Birdie isn’t quite unthinkable.
• Bonnie – Worn by the ill-fated daughter of Rhett and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind – who was actually named Eugenie Victoria.  She means pretty – and she is just that.
• Callie – If Kelly and Kaylee are independent given names for girls, why not Callie?  She’s also a possible nickname for classics like Caroline and Charlotte, as well as the less-expected Calla, Calista or Calliope.
• Dessie – In Ireland, Dessie is a nickname for Desmond – and thus, exclusively masculine.  In the US, it sounds more like a riff on Bessie.
• Dulcie – She’s sweet – literally, from the Latin dulcis.  Longer form Dulcinea conjures up the Judybats, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Don Quixote – though the literary Dulcinea was actually named Aldonza.
• Erie – Eir was a Norse goddess; Éire, a Celtic one – she lent her name to Ireland.  Eiry is a Welsh girl’s name – related names abound, all meaning snow.  Erie may be linked to any or none of the above, and could rhyme with fairy, or have a totally other pronunciation.
• Hattie – You might put Harriet or Henrietta on the birth certificate, but millinery references aside, Hattie has some style.
• Hettie – Another possibility for Henrietta,  as well as Hester or Hestia.
• Lettie – Formal name options include the salad-esque Lettice, or the lacy Letitia.  If Victorian valentine isn’t your style, Lettie might appeal.
• Lindie – Lucky Lindy was aviator Charles Lindbergh’s nickname.  The Lindy Hop was a swing-era dance craze named in his honor.  Linda is a Baby Boomer – as are elaborations like Melinda and Belinda.  But today, Lindie might work as a nickname for hippie chic tree name Linden – or on her own.
• Lottie – Charlotte is in the US Top 100 and rising, but it seems as very few Charlottes are answering to this nickname – so far.
• Maisie – Like Maggie, she could be a diminutive form of Margaret, via the Scottish Mairead.  But if Daisy stands on her own, maybe Maisie does, too.
• Millie – Mildred might be too dowdy to ever make a comeback, but Millie is Thoroughly Modern.  She’s also a spunky nickname for the super-sweet Millicent.
• Minnie – Yes, there’s the mouse.  But there’s also the actress – who was actually born Amelia Fiona Driver.
• Tillie – Matilda is ever so fashion forward.  Short form Tilda brings to mind the actress.  Then there’s Tillie – perhaps a bit too cute, but possibly wearable on her own.
• Trudie – It’s hard to imagine naming a daughter Gertrude.  But Trudie seems like a logical sister for Sadie – spunky, retro and not too flimsy to stand on her own.
• Zadie – If Sadie stands along, why not her zippy cousin?  The z-to-s switch has worked out just fine for novelist Zadie Smith.
• Zelie – There have definitely been women named Zelie, but her exact origins are unclear, though some link her to the French Zéline and she brings to mind the Yiddish Zelig.

I could go on – there’s Winnie and Elsie, Flossie and Roxie.  But I’ll stop here and just ask: would you consider a short, ends-in-ie name for a daughter?  And if so, would you put it on her birth certificate or opt for a more formal version?

Thanks to Kelleita for suggesting the less common and more tailored Isobel as Name of the Day.

It doesn’t get much more classic than Elizabeth.  Elisheba and Elisheva appear in the Bible, and England’s Queen Elizabeth I is among the best-known female monarchs of all time.  Nicknames abound.  You could christen seven daughters Elizabeth and choose a separate diminutive for each.

Go back in time and Elizabeth was not well used.  Most Biblical appellations hibernated up ’til the Reformation – at least among Christian parents.  And while you’ll find Elizabeth (and Elezabeth, Elizibeth, Elspet, Elise and Elizabetha) as well as similar, but unrelated names, like Elisota, in use, cousin Isabel was the big noise.

From the twelfth century on, you could find an aristocratic Isabella or Isabel from England to Armenia, Jerusalem to Valois.  The first Queen Isabella of England was the French-born second wife of King John.  They passed the name onto a daughter.  By marriage, Isabella of England became the Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Sicily.

Isobel is generally considered a Scottish variant, and the twelfth century Isobel of Huntingdon reinforces the image.  The daughter of a Scottish prince, her grandson was King Robert I of Scotland, better known as Robert the Bruce.  His claim to the throne was through grandma Isobel.

Scots or not, few American parents have ever embraced the -o spelling.  In 2008:

• More than 18,000 girls were named Isabella, the #2 name in the US;
• Nearly 12,000 were called Elizabeth, the #9 pick;
• An additional 3500 girls were given #93, Isabelle and nearly as many wear #96, Isabel;
• Also ranked were Elisabeth (#525), Isabela (#533) and Isabell (#790).

Isobel charted in the Top 1000 just a few times between 1903 and 1921 – another time when Isabel was especially fashionable.

It’s something of a puzzle.  Is Isobel just different enough, or more of the same?

Try this:  go to a baby name message board and announce that you’re calling your daughter Kaydee because it is so unique.  Within minutes, someone will point out the obvious – Kaydee might not rank in the Top 1000, but between Kate, Katie, Kaylee, Kaylin and company, she’s not at all unusual.

But let’s suppose you’re not looking for unusual.  Many find Isobel akin to Katharine or Elisabeth – variant spellings, yes, but ones that seem more sophisticated, not less.  Plus, you’re more likely to find an Isobel in the UK – and rightly or not, that lends her an upscale vibe in the US.  (Of course, -a spellings of the name are more popular in Scotland, too.)

Speaking of Katherine, Katherine Heigl’s character on Grey’s Anatomy is Isobel, though she usually answers to Izzie.  Other notable uses of the name include:

• A Björk single – “Isobel” was recorded in 1995;
• The seventeenth century Isobel Gowdie was tried for witchcraft in Scotland;
• Isobel Campbell was a founding member of indie rock darlings Belle & Sebastian.  She’s now a solo artist.

Overall, Isobel is not as dramatic a departure from the evergreen Elizabeth as Liesel, Isabeau or other medieval variants.  (Some are quite tempting to use – Belsante, Isobelot, Sabelina or Ysabelon, anyone?)  In the middle spot, I’d use Isobel without hesitation.

But as a first name?  The wild popularity of Isabella gives me pause.  She’s tailored and storied, but that might not be enough to make up for the constant spelling headaches.