In local news, remember back when I mentioned my friend was in labor?  And hadn’t told me the gender or the name?  I spoke blogged too soon.  A few hours later, she was back at home, still pregnant.  More than a week (!) later, her darling daughter Caroline arrived.  The baby is beautiful, mom, dad and big brother Zachary are all doing well and Clio has someone to boss around right on her block – someday.  And the name!  What a great name.  (The middle is a distinctive family choice shared with her brother, so I won’t share.)

Elsewhere online:

• Names4Real spotted a boy Addison. Also Beckett, Asa, Atticus, Juno, Thomasina and Merary. I’m guessing Merary is inspired by the Biblical – and masculine - Merari. It all gives me faith that there are some truly fabulous baby-namers out there;
• She also found a Boss William. Makes me wonder about those difficult teenage years.  And lastly, a Bleugene Lei;
• Want your niece or nephew to grow up HATING you?  Here’s the simple, two-step process:
  • Start a Facebook Fan page “MY SISTER SAID IF I GET ONE MILLION FANS SHE WILL NAME HER BABY MEGATRON.”
  • Actually get more than a million fans.
• For more sensible inspiration, see Nancy’s post on eighteenth century name phenomenon Hally, from the popular song “Listen to the Mockingbird.”  More proof that parents have always been willing to take names from pop culture;
• Speaking of Hally, Sebastiane brings us the Estonian Halliki and possibly related Helliki;
• Nameberry asked What Treasures Are Hiding in Your Family Tree? And I am now very jealous of Lyndsay’s Leocadia and fascinated by Jessica’s Alberta/Alberto/Elberto sibset;
• You know what always surprises me?  When one kid is Jayden and the other is Mercy.  Or, as in this Swistle post, the parents called their first daughter Cailey Elizabeth and are considering a name like Hazel for their second.  It isn’t that one style is better or worse, it’s just that they sound like completely different families;
• Lastly, did you read Katie Allison Granju’s When is a baby name too trendy to use? at Babble – and do you share her fears that your top pick (hers is Georgia) is headed for every playground in your ‘hood?

In starbaby news, via E! Online and Celebrity Baby Blog:

• Her name is Billie Beatrice – yup, the daughter of Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart has a name and it combines the boyish-nickname trend with the antique revival trend for an unexpected, but sweet choice;
• Joseph Fiennes and wife have welcomed a daughter. Everyone is doing well, but as for a name?  They’re not telling;
• This popped up at Perez Hilton, but I understand the original poll was on BabyCenter – apparently BC readers voted Sarah Michelle Gellar’s choice for her daughter’s name – Charlotte Grace – the very best of the best, followed by Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s Seraphina.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading!

The choices are plentiful for girls, but we’ve discovered a few options for boys, too.  Read on for some names that bring to mind the best of the warm and sunny months.

First off, you might consider the names of the months themselves:

• June:  A simple and sweet name with a long history of use, suitable for a girl.  Juno, the Roman Queen of the Gods, inspired the month’s name; you might also use the mythological moniker for a daughter.
• July: A spunkier and more innovative choice for a daughter, but likely to be misunderstood as Julie.  The month was named after Julius Caesar, making Julia and Julian attractive options.
• August: A great idea for a boy that could leap over the gender barrier and be used for a daughter, too.  Or stick with the traditional Augusta, which has an interesting throwback vibe. 

The gemstones and flowers associated with the summer months offer some possibilities:

• Pearl, Ruby, Peridot: The gems are associated with June, July and August.  While Peridot might go too far, Pearl and Ruby are unassailable names with long histories of use.  The Italian and Spanish Perla is a Top 500 name in the US right now, but beware – La Perla is also a famous Italian lingerie designer.
• Rose, Lily, Poppy:  June’s flower, the rose, is a simple and enduring choice for a daughter. The water lily is associated with July.  And August is the month of the Poppy, a promising botanical option for daughters that we covered a few days ago.  (See Name of the Day: Poppy.)
• Margaret, Margo, Margot, Megan, Greta, Gretchen, Mairead: While it’s a subtle link, the name Margaret – and its infinite variants – all mean “pearl.”

Summer was the 158th most popular given name for girls in 2007, and it seems to us one of the less substantial seasonal monikers.  Instead, you might consider a foreign word spin on the word.  While these options are tremendously appealing, know that it can be tricky to use an exotic name without sharing the heritage:

• Natsu, Natsuki, Natsumi:  Japanese girls’ names that mean summer.  They’re said NAT soo, NAT soo kee and NAT soo mee.
• Seika: Another option from Japan, this time meaning “pure summer.”  It is said SEH ee kah.  Realize that this is quite close to the watchmaker Seiko, and likely to be confused.
• Soleil: The French word for sun makes an interesting name for a summer-born daughter.  Pronounced so LAY, it is not used in France, where all names must come from an approved list.
• Suvi: A Finnish girls’ name meaning summer.  The pronunciation is soo vee.

Finally, the star signs, planets and mythological stories associated with the zodiac offer some ideas:

• Gemma: While the name means jewel, it is similar to Gemini, the sign for children born from May 21 through June 21.
• Artemis, Diana, Luna: Babes born from June 22 to July 22 are ruled by Cancer, the Crab.  We don’t suggest you call your baby Crusty.  But the sign is associated with the moon, so Luna feels like an appropriate choice.  The goddesses Diana (in Roman mythology) and Artemis (from the Greek) are also linked to all things lunar, so their names earn a spot on our list.
• Chandra, Ayla, Selena: This trio of slightly more exotic names all mean moon from Sanskrit, Turkish and Greek, respectively.  
• Leo, Leonardo, Leonidas:  Late July into August is ruled by Leo the Lion and the Leo names make for an appealing choice for a son.  Leo stands alone, or choose an elaboration.
• Leonie, Leodora: If your little cub is a daughter, there are a few Leo choices that work nicely for her, too.  Or take some creative license and choose the classic Leah or the obscure saint Leocadia.
• Persephone: Should your daughter arrive at summer’s end, she’ll be a Virgo (August 23 through September 23).  Persephone signals the change of the seasons, as in her myth she must annually return to the Underworld and bring an end to fruitful summer.

Lastly, you might consider the classic Theresa or Teresa or the diminutive forms Tess and Tessa.  While the name’s origins are debated, the Greek word theros, meaning summer, often prompts baby name guides to list this as yet another summertime name.

So break out the sunscreen, take me out to the ballpark and maybe consider one of these choices for your summer-born child.

At the time, I nodded. I knew what she meant – they weren’t going for anything outlandish, and the name they chose for their son – Matthew – was as straightforward and practical as my friend and her husband.But limiting yourself to the names of Roman Catholic saints is not, well, limiting.

First, a quick note on sainthood, for the non-Catholics among us. For the first thousand years or so, a person became a Saint through local custom. Not so today – Rome has slowly codified the process. The result is over 10,000 saints and beati, some of doubtful historical veracity.

So, yeah, there are gonna be a few humdingers in there.

You can search the index over at www.catholic.org yourself. But you know I’ve already whiled away a few hours musing over some very underused, very interesting saints’ names.

Nestled among the myriad Mary and abundant Annes, here are a few gems:

• Endellion – Like many early female saints, she was a virgin and a recluse. But your Endellion might live up to this Gaelic name’s meaning: fire soul. With the pretty nickname Della or the boyish Lio, it’s an interesting choice.
• Leocadia – I first noticed this name on a painting in the Prado Museum in Madrid. While the woman in the portrait was no saint – she was believed to be Francisco Goya’s lover, and mother of his child – she bears the interesting name of a fifth century Spanish martyr. If Leo is hot for boys, then Leocadia seems like a valid choice for girls. It could also be freshened up as Leocadie or Leacadie. In French, it’s Locaie – perhaps a bit too like “location” to work in English.
• Marina - She’s another virgin, this time from the eighth century. Marina lived near the Black Sea and the name has a wonderful sea-faring quality. Unlike most of these choices, its also somewhat familiar. It was #406 on the 2006 Social Security baby names’ list.
• Aurelia is one of those names that isn’t just old school; it is positively BC. The Roman patrician clan even had a road named after their family – the Via Aurelia. Saint Aurelia was a princess, too, but a tenth-century Austrian one. She earned sainthood as a recluse. The name’s meaning – golden – is quite appealing. This seems like a better choice that modern inventions like Aubrianna and Ariella.
• Everild - If you like the sound of the noun name Ever, this unusual Old English name might appeal. A seventy-century noblewoman and abbess, she is sometimes called Averil, perhaps a less extreme option. It’s one of the few Old English choices that might work in the 21st century – certainly the names of Everild’s companions, Saint Bega and Saint Wulfreda, are best left to obscurity.
• Hermione - It will, of course, bring to mind the clever witch from the Harry Potter series.  but Hermione is an ancient martyr mentioned in the Bible.
• Thais - If you’re looking for a simple name like Brooke or Paige, but want something a little less common, Thais might fit the bill.  The temptation is to say “Tice,” but this is actually two syllables:  TAH ees.  It’s a fourth-century name, but sounds just right in the 21st.

Sunday School dismissed, but check back for the boys’ edition, coming soon.