Tag Archives: LIncoln

Baby Name of the Day: Boston

Posted on
17
Skyline of Boston. Picture was taken from a wh...

Boston Skyline; Image via Wikipedia

Montana, Brooklyn, London.  Is it a kindergarten roster or an atlas?  Oh wait, Atlas is in the class, too …

Thanks to Chantal for suggesting her son’s name as our Baby Name of the Day: Boston.

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Reader Baby Name Story: A Pair of Meaningful Choices

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7
Tempe & Helena

Tempe & Helena

Today’s Reader Baby Name Story comes to us from Kate of My Kids Eat Off the Floor. Beyond her fabulous blog title and adventures in motherhood, it is the home of some great recipes.  I’ve linked to her before when she discussed her perspective on nicknames, so I’m truly delighted that she’s sharing her story here today!

I’d love to share the naming stories for my two daughters, Tempe Joann and Helena Louise! And Baby #3 is due in 10 weeks and I have a fabulous (at least I think it is fabulous) name picked out for her.
Tempe Joann
My husband served a full-time mission for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) when he was 19 years old. He was assigned to serve in Tempe, Arizona, and the surrounding areas for two years. Serving a mission had a big impact on him and we wanted to honor that. Using a name from the father’s mission has also become somewhat of a tradition for his family–his father served in Texas and named one of his sons Austin; my husband’s brother served in Madagascar and named his daughter Maddy. So before I was even pregnant, we thought Tempe would be a great name for a girl.
When I was pregnant, we chose not to find out the baby’s gender and we were absolutely convinced it was a boy.  Because of that, we didn’t even discuss girls names at all. Jason wanted Lincoln; I wanted Jonas; we both felt ok about Asher. We were still discussing (and arguing about) names in the delivery room, and it came as quite a shock when the doctor called out “It’s a girl!” The nurses asked what her name was and we looked at each other and one of us said “Tempe, I guess…” And Tempe it was!
Her middle name was easy. My grandmother’s name is Joanne and Jason’s grandmother’s name is Joan (but pronounced Joanne) so we wanted her middle name to honor both of them. We decided to spell it Joann so that neither grandmother was “honored” more than the other!
People often think Tempe is telling them her name is Debbie, and when I say “No, it’s Tempe,” they often think it must be short for Temperance. I say “No, it’s just Tempe!” and they always say ”Like the city in Arizona?” Our Tempe is named after the city in Arizona, but Tempe is actually a Greek name. The Vail of Tempe was where ancient Greeks gathered laurel for the crowns for their Olympic games. I love this unique bit of history!
I will admit that for a few weeks after she was born, I had a little bit of naming regret. I worried that we had made a bad choice, giving our little baby such an unusual name. That didn’t last long; our little girl is such a Tempe and everyone who meets her is forced to agree!
Helena Louise
Just 10 months after Tempe was born, I found myself pregnant again. This time, I wanted to find out the gender so badly that I told Jason he could name the baby if he was ok with us finding out. He agreed, and I immediately tried to take it back, but he was too smart to relinquish the naming rights I had so foolishly given up!
When we found out we were having another girl, I started making a list of names to “help” him. I suggested everything from Pallas (another Greek name) to Roxanna to Violet. He listened patiently, but wasn’t really thrilled with any of my suggestions.
He wanted something somewhat old-fashioned and kept coming back to Helena (pronounced Hel-AY-na). We had first heard the name around the time we got married–it was the name of a popular song by the band My Chemical Romance. He liked that it had an old-fashioned feel, but wasn’t common at all (it was ranked #609 the year she was born). Jason didn’t want to commit to anything before seeing the baby, so we went to the hospital with four names on his short list: Helena, Stella, Delia, and Eisley. When she was born, he took one look at her and said “Can we name her Helena?”
Helena’s middle name was pretty easy, too. My other grandmother’s middle name is Louise, and my only sister’s middle name is Louise, so we decided Louise would be our baby’s middle name the day we found out she was a girl. I tried to convince Jason to use Louise or Louisa as a first name, but he wasn’t crazy about the nickname Lou.
We’re not really nickname people, but I thought I might want to call her Lainey.  I tested it out while we were still in the hospital. I was holding her in my arms and I whispered “Hi, Lainey!” and almost gagged. Lainey is a perfectly fine name, but it is NOT my baby’s name! She was so obviously not a Lainey. To this day, we call her mostly Helena when talking about her, but call her Lena when we are talking to her. That fits her much better.
Helena is usually mispronounced as Helen-uh, and I’m sure she’ll have to correct people for the rest of her life, but that’s life  :)
What great stories, Kate! Your family tradition of choosing names from significant places in your lives is just such a great idea.  And I love the way you helped your husband.  Didn’t he do a great job choosing her name (mostly) on his own?  Sending you best wishes with baby number three.  I’m sure we would all LOVE to hear the name you’ve chosen for Tempe and Helena’s little sis.

Sunday Summary: 9/18/10

Posted on
18
Castle square with the United Buddy Bears

Image by hansco via Flickr

Let’s begin with a random, rag-tag assortment of thoughts sparked by the arrival of a boy called Buddy Bear Maurice:

  • Bewildertrix listed a bunch of possible names for the littlest Oliver, including Tex.  I was just musing that Tex (and Texas and Texan) don’t seem to pop up much as baby names, despite their -x factor, don’t-mess-with-me rugged appeal, and iconic place name status.  Dixie Chick Emily Robison did give the middle name to her daughter, Julianna Tex, back in 2005.  Nancy tells us that 10 boys were called Tex in 2009, plus another 11 named Texas.  Dallas, on the other hand, has appeared in the Top 1000 every year since 1800;
  • But back to Buddy, the given name of the new arrival.  Yes, we know that the English have been busy naming their kids Alfie and Charlie, and plenty of American parents have embraced the nickname trend, too.  But most famous Buddys were born something else.  Comedian Buddy Hackett was born Leonard.  Rocker Buddy Holly was Charles.  And Buddy Ebsen, who went from The Beverly Hillbilles to Barnaby Jones, was born Christian;
  • Will Farrell’s character in Elf, however, was Buddy.  So was Bill Clinton’s dog while he was in office;
  • And let’s close with the Buddy Bears – peace, love, and understanding through ginormous bear sculptures painted to represent all the countries recognized by the U.N.  They’re on exhibit in Helsinki now, if you’re eager to see them in person.

It’s not as if I expected Jamie and Jools to call their new kiddo Edward, but this one sparked more hmmm … than the usual unusual starbaby name.  At least for me.

Let’s continue with the celebrity news:

Elsewhere online:

  • If you go into labor at a fish and chips joint called Harry Ramsden’s, then naming your son Harrison seems logical, right?
  • I’ve written about the rise of Maylee before, but ForReal spotted a Daylee Katherine. And a Haddilee Rose, which must be a Hadley/Natalie mash-up;
  • I don’t always agree with Swistle, but her analysis of Evelyn and commentary on name popularity is spot on;
  • Sebastiane mentioned Thelma a few days ago. Despite the road-trip-gone-awry-girl-power of blockbuster buddy flick Thelma and Louise, Thelma seems more moldering than antique, but I do think she’s underrated;
  • Kate of My Kids Eat Off the Floor made a very smart comment on nicknames.  She was specifically thinking of the perils of Persephone, but I do think her 1% guideline is a good one for any parent attempting to bestow a longer moniker without using a nickname;
  • New ABC drama No Ordinary Family includes a teenaged daughter called Daphne.  If the show is a fraction as successful as Michael Chiklis’ last venture, this could cement Daphne as the new Zoe;
  • Speaking of television, will the latest version of assassin Nikita’s tale convince parents to adopt it for their daughters?  Despite Nikita’s masculine origins, in English, the name is inevitably viewed as feminine.  Make that in French, too – Luc Besson’s 1990 film kick-started the juvenile delinquent-turned-secret-agent franchise.  Elton John had a hit single about another female Nikita in 1985.  Nicole has been on the decline for years.  Incidentally, Paris Hilton’s little sis Nicky is actually named the even-more masculine Nicholai.

Lastly, I haven’t checked to see if it is on the shelves at my local Target, but I’m wondering if Temple St. Clair’s jewelry collection for the mega-retailer will boost the unusual name’s usage.

That’s all for this week, but as always thank you for reading, commenting, and name-spotting along with me!

Baby Name of the Day: Winslow

Posted on
7

Today’s choice has never made the US Top 1000, but he has an undeniable place in American history.

Thanks to Ashley for suggesting Winslow as Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 9/13/09

Posted on
10

Ah, September.  The leaves change color, apples of every possible variety can be found in stacks at the Farmers’ Market and me?

I’m glued to the television:

  • Okay, not really.  I missed the debut of the rebooted Melrose Place the other night.  (Though I was sorry to miss Bronx‘s mom in action.)  This edition includes an Ella and a Violet, as well as a female Riley.  On the masculine side, there’s Auggie and Jonah;
  • Also on TV, I hear that Glee’s characters include Finn (a boy) and Quinn (a girl). Of course they’re dating;
  • Before there was Twilight, there was The Vampire Diaries.  Now a series on the CW, Elena is torn between blood-sucking centuries-young, suntan-challenged brothers Stefan and Damon;
  • Technically this is big screen news – So You Think You Can Dance alum Kherington Payne has a lead role as Alice in the big screen remake of Fame.  But will Kherington catch on for girls?  Or the Dynasty-esque original, Carrington? 

Also on the big screen, there’s Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.  Stand by for boys called Aldo, after Brad Pitt’s hyper-masculine hero.  (The character was named after a real-life tough guy actor from the 50s and 60s, Aldo Ray.)   There’s also the heart-breaking Jewish-French Shosanna, a name memorably yelled by the creepy Nazi Sicherheitsdienst officer Hans Landa, and her alias Emmanuelle.

Onto starbaby news:

Should you find yourself in a pediatrician’s office this month, pick up the current issue of Parents Magazine – there’s an extensive article on baby naming.  For true name aficionados, it is not exactly news.  (Though the report of one couple’s use of a name consultant was interesting and it was among the better coverage I’ve seen in a mainstream publication.)  But the big takeaway?  Laura Wattenberg contributed her Top Ten picks for the most popular names of 2019:

GIRLS:  Lila, Peyton, Lucy, Violet, Aubrey, Amelia, Piper, Ruby, Juliet and Harper.

BOYS: Miles, Rowan, Lincoln, Eli, Jude, Cooper, Wyatt, Ryder, Lucas and Henry.

I’ll have to do some thinking about her lists – some strike me as spot on, others … maybe not so much.  But seriously, if Laura Wattenberg is touting them as the likely hot names of 2019?  That alone might be enough to make it so.

Thanks for reading!