Tag Archives: Mabel

Baby Name of the Day: Arabella

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Arabella Churchill

Arabella Churchill; Image via Wikipedia

Nicole requested this frilly, feminine confection ages ago – and she’s very much in the news this week.

With congratulations to Ivanka and Jared, today’s Baby Name of the Day is Arabella.

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Reader Baby Name Story: The All-Time Favorite Name

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Juno Kate

Welcome Juno Kate!

Thanks to Kate of My Kids Eat Off the Floor for sharing the joyful sequel to her previous Reader Baby Name Story: A Pair of Meaningful Choices.

As promised, here is the naming story for our third daughter, Juno Kate!
Juno’s name story begins 3 years ago, when I was pregnant with our second daughter, Helena.  Even though I had given my husband naming rights, I spent a lot of time online looking for names to suggest to him.  I came across Juno on a message board and instantly fell in love – and then I started seeing previews for the Ellen Page movie. The movie was released about 3 months before Helena was born, so there was no way Jason would agree to naming her Juno.
When we found out our third child was another girl, I immediately went back to Juno.  After almost three years, it was still at the top of my list. Jason was iffy about it, but finally agreed that this time, I could name the baby if he could have a Wii.  Finally, naming rights!
I still loved Juno, but I wanted to explore my options, so I made a pretty long list of all the girl names that I liked.  Some of the names on the list were Olive, Matilda, Ruby, Georgia, and Mabel.
I hinted on my blog about my “#1 all time favorite name” – and yes, it is Juno. I think of Juno as June with a party on the end of it; it’s a Roman name, which I think fits with my other two Greek names (Tempe and Helena); and it’s spunky like Tempe, but has classic roots like Helena.
As for her middle name, my full name is Kathryn, but I have never identified with Kathryn. I am definitely a Kate (even though I went by Katie for most of my childhood). Jason also has a little sister named Katelyn, who just happens to have a birthday a week earlier than Juno, so Juno Kate was a perfect fit.

I’ve already gotten a lot of “Juno like the movie?” comments.  For the record:  Yes, I liked the movie.  No, she is not named after the movie or the character!

Kate, thank you so much for sharing the story of Juno!  She is absolutely darling.  And I’m glad that you got your pick this time.  :)

Baby Name of the Day: Truman

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With Tru and Truely attracting attention for girls, he sounds like a nouveau coinage.  But this surname has a solid history.

Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Truman as Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Ilo

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letter i

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

There’s been much buzz about the newly coined Ily, but how ’bout this one?

Thanks to Emma for suggesting Ilo as Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 9/5/10

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For those of you in the US, hope you’re having a happy Labor Day weekend!  There won’t be a Name of the Day post tomorrow, but there is something else headed your way.

Fall brings with it the return of network television, which means lots of new character names to consider.  Hellcats – heavily advertised in the Mall at Annapolis – will feature a Marti, plus fellow cheerleaders Dan, Lewis, Savannah, and Alice.  Marti reminds me of Marni, Kristin Bell’s charater in upcoming chick flick You Again.  I wonder if Marti/Marni will catch on, along with Sadie and company?

Speaking of the Mall, in about three weeks the good people at Pottery Barn are going to deliver a piece of furniture to me.  His name is Emmett.  A post I wrote way back in early ’08 was all about the names Pottery Barn gives to their product line. Who names their rugs and desks and bookshelves?  It must be an interesting job, and should there ever be a need, I think we could crowd source names for consoles and side tables right here!

Which brings us to the news of the week:

In starbaby news:

And remember, if you want to submit a Reader Baby Name Story? Now is a great time!

That’s all for now – thanks for reading, and I’ll see you soon!

Sunday Summary: 8/22/10

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Please tell me that I’m not the only person who watched My Fake Fiance, the first pairing of Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence?  It was raining, the baby was fussy … wait, never mind.  Someone else must’ve tuned in – enough of us for ABC Family to greenlight a new original series called Melissa & Joey.  The series premiered this week, and this time I didn’t watch.  But I did Google enough to learn that Joey is a manny to Mel’s orphaned niece and nephew. The boy is called Ryder and the girl?  Her name is Lennox!  The actress playing Lennox is named Taylor, so maybe Lennox isn’t so outrageous.  Plus, there’s the china.  And a very minor Agatha Christie character was a girl called Lenox Tamplin. But if this one starts appearing embroidered in pink, it’ll be a surprise.

Speaking of character names:

  • Jason Bateman plays Wally in The Switch.  The cute kid answers to  Sebastian, but that’s a solid Top 100 pick these days.  Will Bateman breathe new life into Walter and Wallace?
  • The Nanny McPhee sequel gives us kids called Norman, Megsie, Vincent, and their London cousins Cyril and Celia.  The young actors’ names are interesting, too – Asa Butterfield played Norman, and Eros Vlahos played Cyril.  Aggie – the baby from the first Nanny McPhee flick – also features in the plot, though she’s all grown up.  In the 2005 movie, Aggie was played by twins named Hebe and Zinnia.  That’s quite a pair!

While we’re on the subject on sibsets:

Elsewhere online:

And lastly, the name was released for Paz Vega’s third child, son Lenon, a little brother for Orson and Ava.

But here’s the important news: next week is re-run week here at Appellation Mountain.  I periodically try to update posts from 2008 because, you know, time marches on.  But I’ve never done so in a systematic way.  So instead of a new post, look for a week’s worth of revamped, revised, and re-invigorated names.

Things get back to the normal – meaning new posts – on Monday, August 30.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Sunday Summary: 7/11/10

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Just when you think every name has been imagined, every option exhausted, pop culture surprises us.

First, Cecily von Ziegesar’s novel Cum Laude tackles the lives of privileged college students (as opposed to the privileged high school students in her Gossip Girl franchise.)  One of the main characters is a girl called Shipley, and a minor character who answers to Tragedy.

On a similar note, there’s a Disney Channel original movie set to air in August called Den Brother.   The characters are the predictable Alex and Emily, but they’re played by child actors Hutch Dano – born Hutchings Royal Dano – and G. Hannelius.  Ten year old G. was born Genevieve.  Den Brother also includes a girl character called Matisse.  It’s not, say, Harry Potter, but I can imagine Hutch catching on.

Elsewhere online:

  • Swistle attempts to tell Aidan, Ava and Jasper‘s mom how to avoid choosing a trendy name for her daughter, due later this month.  It’s an intriguing question, and the advice is sound, but I’m not sure there lists of names is quite there yet.  If you have some spare time, you might want to stop by and make some suggestions;
  • Nameberry  has published this quarter’s most-searched Baby Names list for Boys and Girls.  Could Mary be making a comeback?  Will we really be meeting lots of baby boys called Orion?  The lists make for fascinating reads, as always;
  • Here’s a cute story from La Buena Vida about baby names suggested by siblings-to-be.  Tinkerbell, Rainbow Lemonade and Sweetie Pie made the list, but unlike last week’s Lady Gaga story, I don’t believe any of them were seriously under consideration at press time;
  • Crazy suggestions from dads, however, are totally fine.  I piped up with a pro-Leia comment on this post at You Can’t Call It “It” – a friend of mine actually used Leia for his daughter’s middle name.  With Leah and Lily so popular and Lila rocketing up the charts, Leia seems only a tiny bit out there;
  • Here’s a wacky name that has caught on: Abcde.  Nancy has the rankings from recent years to prove it.  On sound alone, I get the appeal.  If Abcidy or Absiddy were found in the listings of early Puritan settlers in America, it might catch on;
  • Please tell me this is a joke:  Did someone really name their kid Vuvuzela?;
  • Here’s an appealing, never-heard (at least in the US) choice: the Latvian Everita, featured by Sebastiane at Legitimate Baby Names;
  • For Real Baby Names spots a Bette Mabel. How stylish!  She also found a Kezlei and a Kaydea.  Yawn;
  • Did you catch the guest posts on Portuguese names at You Can’t Call It “It”?  Check them out there: Part I and Part II. Even the workaday John becomes the zippy João, and Madalena would fit right in in the US;
  • Emma was kind enough to send this link, about a British’s family’s set of sextuplets.  Parents Vicky and Andy Lamb and firstborn daughter Grace welcomed sextuplets in May:  Layla Pauline, Eric Andrew, Pippa Willow, Matthew Dennis, Ellen Diana and Rose Annabel.  Sadly, Matthew died shortly after the babies’ birth.

In Hollywood news:

Let’s end with what just might be The Best Baby Naming Advice Ever.  Nancy’s post on writing out the stories behind each baby name could help you choose between your top options, narrow down a lengthy list to a few finalists, or even get un-stuck and start thinking about your choices in the first place.

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

Baby Name of the Day: Mavis

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Now that Olive has gone Hollywood and the hipsters are using Agatha and Sally, what’s a truly daring new parent to do?

Choose the Baby Name of the Day suggested by Elle and Urban Angel: Mavis.

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Sunday Summary: 11/15/09

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Here at AppMtn, it isn’t so very unusual to receive an outraged email or comment after I’ve said something less than flattering about a name.  The longer I write, the more keenly I think about the fact that these names are worn by real human beings.

So it is doubly thrilling when I write something and the parents are happy to discover the post.  Better still, they write about it on their blog.  Which brings us to adorable baby Estelle over at The Emperor’s New Crib.  Thanks to her parents, I now know that frikadelle means meatball in Danish.

A bunch of other random thoughts:

  • I like Anneliese.  I can understand respelling her Annalise or Annalisa.  But Analyse?  Yup, I’ve just spotted a baby Analyse.  I don’t think her parents are psychiatrists;
  • Anyone think True will catch on as a first name?  It’s sort of like a virtue name on steroids – far bolder than the established Grace and Faith, stark compared to the gently old-fashioned Felicity or Amity.  Actor Forest Whitaker has a daughter called True Isabella Summer.  True Jackson, VP is a Nickelodeon show ’bout a super-stylish teen who ends up heading up a line at an honest-to-goodness fashion label.  (And no, her mom’s name isn’t Kimora.)  The show is in season #2 and now airs on Nick UK an Nick Latin America;
  • Nicole Kidman is about to return to the big screen as Claudia in the musical Nine. If it is half the hit of Moulin Rouge, the sadly neglected Claudia could finally get a boost.  After all, the devilish Satine still surfaces on message boards;
  • I keep meaning to mention the compound name of my favorite project runway finalist – Carol Hannah.  I’m not wild about either name, but I find the combination strangely appealing.  Or is it too close to Poltergeist’s tragic Carol Anne?  I also heard a prospective model’s name mentioned during casting for the contestants’ shows – Drielle, which sounds a too much like a French power tool to be pretty;
  • Nancy mentions strangely appropriate names – as in, a retail analyst named Tiffany Co.  I recently met a cantor named Aria and while chasing the kids around the Bass Outdoor Extravaganza Warehouse Winter Wonderland, I heard a camouflage-clad dad call his son Hunter;
  • Bewildertrix spotted a Juno Alexandra Zénaïde, little sister to Hugh.  I agree with her – what a fabulous combo;
  • Digital Spy talked with Emmerdale (it’s a UK soap) star Charlotte Bellamy about the names she and partner Mungo Denison chose for their three kids: sons Sunnie and Herbie and daughter Teddie Boo Florence;
  • She’s not here yet, but Joey Lawrence tells Celebrity Baby Blog that Charleston’s little sister will be called Liberty Grace.

A few noteworthy posts you might’ve missed:

Speaking of one-syllable boys, a year ago I was writing about Rex.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

Sunday Summary: 11/8/09

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So not only did SJP and Matthew Broderick have twins, they’ve generated double the press with their name choices.

First came the announcement that the girls were named Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge.  Which was followed by chatter about how Marion and Tabitha were mismatched, and wasn’t it unfair that poor Tabitha had just two given names?

Now we learn that  SJP and Matthew Broderick call their girls Loretta and Tabitha - and that firstborn James Wilkie was responsible for choosing the name Marion.  And he was wily enough to insist that it be legal, which is why the parents put Marion first, rather than tucking her in the middle.  (Weigh in on Yea or Nay: Loretta here.  So far, opinion is split pretty evenly.)

When I asked Aly what he wanted to name his pterodactyl (no, not a real one.  This isn’t Torchwood), he told me December.  Which I find strangely appealing.  Nonetheless, I’m glad we didn’t let him (seriously) weigh in on his sister’s name.

In other starbaby news:

Elsewhere online:

  • I love the Nymbler stats!  October’s Top Ten is as follows: Charlotte, Ava, Amelia, Benjamin, Ella, Grace, Jack, Finn, Oliver and Abigail.  And the Top Five brand new names?  It’s quite the celeb-driven list: Sparrow, Anniston, Huckleberry, October and Pixie;
  • Remind me to take Nancy along the next time I’m facing a long drive somewhere.  She’s traveling the highways and by-ways of Mississippi while reading the phone book to spot unusual real names!  Her lists are fascinating – check out the sixth in the series here, and follow the links back.  You just know there are stories behind names like Jaston, Tavarius and Hacksaw.  Plus she’s discovered several people with the name Toxie;
  • Wladimir Lyra of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg is pushing to give names to the known exoplanets.  (Hat tip to Language Log.)  Scientists are discovering planets outside of the solar system at a gallop – they’re at 400 and counting.  The sage fonts of wisdom at the International Astronomical Union feel that it would be impractical to name them all.  Instead, they assign strings of numbers and letters.  Too bad – I know we could all put our heads together and name 400 planets in no time – Jaston, Tavarius and Hacksaw are all available;
  • Over at For Real Baby Names, there’s mention of a British Minne Jane Snoo.  Please, please, please let Snoo be a family name and not a clever twist on Boo.  In happier news, her list also includes a Hero Charlotte Moranna and a Flora Isabella Minette;
  • While I’m spotting trends that trouble me, Bewildertrix brings us Xzavia Paul William.  But there’s also a Serena Alice Louisa, little sister to Verity.  And I’ve seen Verity in a few other BAs recently;
  • Lastly, check out Elisabeth’s post on Country baby names over at You Can’t Call It “It”.  While not all of these conjure up haystacks and John Deere for me, maybe that’s because I’m already hearing them on kids inside the DC Beltway – Clio has classmates called Mabel and Ida, and I know fashion-forward urbaniste parents with offspring answering to Polly, Earl and Roscoe;
  • A year ago, I wrote about Matilda and Luke.

That’s all for this week – as always, thanks for reading.