Tag Archives: Mason

Baby Name of the Day: Boston

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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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In Defense of Riley Anne and Evan Marie: Ten Reasons Boys’ Names on Girls Are Not a Sign of End Times

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Boy and girl posed, three-quarter length, stan...

Image via Wikipedia

Feeling feisty?  Head to a message board and announce that you’re naming your daughter Addison.  Or Quinn.  Or Mason.

Then run for cover.

Sure, some people will respond positively.  But depending on the forum, you could also find yourself accused of thievery, trendiness, and general bad taste.

I’m sympathetic to parents who feel they can’t use a name they’d long loved, for fear that their son Delaney will be scarred by sharing his name with girls.  But I’m not sure a girl named Ryan is a sign of the coming apocalypse.

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Baby Name of the Day: Tennyson

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Tennyson statue outside Lincoln Cathedral

Tennyson statue outside Lincoln Cathedral via Flickr

The saintly Dennis had his day, but if you’re looking for a fresh spin on that classic appellation, here’s one option.

Thanks to Amanda for suggesting the poetic Tennyson as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 2/6/11

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number 6

Number 6 by jontintinjordan via Flickr

This is all kinds of intriguing – check out The Board: An Unofficial Guide to The Bump’s baby name forum. First, because there’s great content.  I watched Rant 55: All Your Kids Are Named the Same Thing twice.  And, okay, I’m hugely flattered to be on their Best Blogs list. But it is especially interesting to see the conversations in a well-used discussion board rounded up and expanded.

Elsewhere online:

Which reminds me – stop by Nameberry tomorrow for the girls’ list inspired by Oscar nominees.

Amongst the famous, or at least famous enough to be mentioned in People Magazine over the last week:

Tune in this week for Ziva, Winston, Abilene, Monserrate, Rachel, and a special Saturday post for a reader who is due quite soon.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Sunday Summary: 1/30/11

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The Number 30

The Number 30 by Herman Turnip via Flickr

It strikes me that I’m now into my fourth year of writing at AppMtn.  My first post was Ava and Harlow, back on January 23, 2008.  I’d learned the mechanics of blogging for work a few years earlier; I now manage yet another blog in Real Life, and it looks like it is about to be joined by another.  Nothing I’ve written professionally has given me anywhere near the joy I’ve gotten out of writing here, and I credit that to you.  (Yup, even you lurkers.  I can’t hear you, but I can see you – and it’s nice to know that you’re here, too.)

On to the news:

Stop by Nameberry tomorrow where I’ll be talking about names I found while culling through the list of Oscar nominees.  (C in DC, thanks for the inspiration!)

Speaking of The Glamorous Life, please welcome the following sure-to-be-paparazzi-stalked tots to the universe:

  • Mike Tyson welcomed a son called Morocco Elijah.  He and wife Lakiha also have a daughter, Milan.  Tyson’s six older children are D’Amato, Mikey, Miguel, Rayna, Amir, and his daughter Exodus, who passed away in 2009;
  • No Doubt’s Tony Kanal is a new dad. He and girlfriend Erin Lokitz welcomed daughter Coco Reese Lakshmi.  The rest of the musical crew’s moppets are Kingston, Zuma, Ace, Rio, and Mason.

Which reminds me, Clio is obsessed with Gwen Stefani and Akon’s single “The Sweet Escape.”  How do you say no to a toddler who asks for “more Woo-hoo song, peeeeez?”

Speaking of requests, I’ll be doing another rerun week in April.  Should you stumble across a post that you think needs some freshening up, feel free to suggest it via email to appmtn (at) gmail (dot) com.

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

Sunday Summary: 11/14/10

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I used to spend lots of time at Yahoo! Answers, dismayed at the number of posters planning to name their triplets Maddasynne, Mykailee, and Madduxx.  Or so they said.  Now I try to stay away, but every now and again, I slip.  During my last lurking foray, I found a lengthy list of names one poster had suggested to one of those generic “What are some good baby names?” questions.  (Actually, I think it was more like “Help!!!!! I need som cute behbeh names ‘cuz me & my BF can’t decide?  LOL!”)

Usually the lists are forgettable at best, but these fascinated me.  What do you think of:

  • Yorick
  • Probus
  • Lael
  • Fabian
  • Sorian
  • Jeriel
  • Vilas
  • Dorcas (yup, on the boys’ list)

And for the girls:

  • Mimosa
  • Edna
  • Jonquil
  • Aubretia
  • Zabeth
  • Danessa
  • Ofira

I don’t expect to see any of them in the US Top 100 – or even 1000, really – soon, but it was such an extraordinarily eclectic list, I had to share.

In real life, there’s a new kid in my ‘hood called Zephyr.  Which kicks off a whole week of eclectic, I think:

  • ForReal spotted a baby girl named Fig Ava;
  • Also, in Oklahoma, ForReal found a boy called Tayden, and a girl called Maebry.  I love the sound of Maebry, but the spelling feels forced.  I’m not sure what would improve it – Maybrie?  Maebrie?  Hmmm … maybe Maebry is best;
  • BabyNameWizard posted a long, long list of backwards baby names. Is the world ready for twins named Kavon and Novak?  How ’bout Aric and Cira?
  • Pamela Redmond Satran’s article on Baby Boy Names and gender at The Daily Beast sparked a firestorm of comments.  Even the relatively neutral were highly opinionated: “Children are best named after a beloved relative or friend, or even after a historical figure, biblical character or other admired person. We would do well to lose the baby naming books.”  Really?  Somehow I think this commenter has never named a child.  Which reminds me, my son Aly was at a class with a same-aged girl called Allie on Saturday, and the world did not end;
  • Nameberry’s list of Water Names included Bay, a name that seems to surface more and more often.  Here’s one that is not on their list, possibly because it has never been used as a given name: Cascata.  It’s the Italian equivalent of cascade or waterfall.  Cascade feels a little too brand name (it’s dishwashing detergent in the US) to use for a child, but I’ve always thought Cascata had potential;
  • I finally watched an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  The names aren’t stunningly unusual, though there’s a healthy dose of gender-bending in their choices.  Two of the Housewives are called Kyle and Taylor, Taylor’s daughter is called Kennedy, and Camille has a daughter named Mason.  But Kyle’s four daughters have attractive names: Alexia, Sophia, Portia, and Farrah.  Oh, and I think Lisa has a daughter called Pandora, but I’m not sure if I caught that right;
  • Nancy wrote about babies named Celebrity. No, not babies named Lennon or Lady Gaga, but babies named Celebrity.  It has happened.

Celebrities were also good enough to catch the theme:

  • Vera Farmiga named her daughter Gytta Lubov, a little sister for Fynn.  I’ve yet to hear the name pronounced by the proud parents, so for now, it is all speculation if she was inspired by the Sanskrit name that rhymes with Rita, or the Old Norse Gyda, which sounds more like GUH theh.  We’ll have to wait until
  • Ne-Yo welcomed a daughter named Madilyn Grace. Yes, it is quite the ordinary name.  But when Dad answers to Ne-Yo and mom is Monyetta, there’s a chance the name will be equally outlandish.  Their fairly pedestrian pick is the surprise!

That’s all for this week.  If you’re craving a Sunday Summary-esque fix midweek, find AppMtn on Facebook, too.  Oh, and stand by – Nameberry is releasing their 2010 stats tonight 2011 predictions (oops – thanks for the correction, British American) at midnight!

As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!

Baby Name of the Day: Steinbeck

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He’s a literary legend, but how would his surname wear on a child today?
Thanks to Kate of My Kids Eat Off Floor for suggesting one she’s considering.  Our Baby Name of the Day is Steinbeck.

Baby Name of the Day: Brandon

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He rose to the heights of popularity while his twin’s name faded into obscurity.

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

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Name of the Day: Shepherd

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Trade names are hot, and if boys can be called Mason and Cooper, why not this equally workaday appellation?

Thanks to Corinne for suggesting Shepherd as Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 12/20/09

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‘Tis the season for popcorn.  I guess you could string it on your tree, but I’m thinking of the buttery kind they sell at the multiplex.

While you’re there, listen for these names:

  • We’ve been talking about Tiana, Disney’s newest member of the princess juggernaut, for months.  Word is that The Princess and the Frog lives up to the hype;
  • SJP plays Meryl, wife of Paul, in Did You Hear About the Morgans?;
  • On a screen nearby, you can catch Meryl Streep playing Jane in It’s Complicated.  John Krasinski plays her son, Harley.  There’s also an Agness (played by Lake Bell) and an Annalise (played by Blanchard Ryan) among the cast;
  • Let’s assume that the name Neytiri from Avatar won’t catch on.  But there is a Trudy, played by Michelle Rodriguez;
  • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – Heath Ledger’s last film – features a Valentina;
  • Invictus is poised to do well during award season.  The biopic could give a boost to Nelson, but what about François?

And check out Nameberry’s post on Best Movie Names of the Year, too.

Elsewhere online:

  • Over at Legit Babe Names, Sebastiane covered Seija.  Apparently she’s the Finnish equivalent of Linda – both were big in the 1940s.  She also covered Teiksma, a Latvian name meaning fable or legend.  Of course, in the US these days, you’re more likely to meet a Fable;
  • Over at Celebrity Baby Blog, Alyson Hannigan confirmed that Satyana comes from the Sanskrit for truth.  She mentioned that they call her Sati for short, which makes me think of Erik Satie;
  • For Real Baby Names spotted a boy called Fate Whisper. If girls can be Destiny, Faith and Echo, I suppose a boy could be named Fate or Whisper.  But both?  Yikes;
  • For Real also spotted a Paydyn, officially the strangest respelling of Payton/Peyton yet.  And a Danika Skyy.  Love Danika. Sky and Skye are one thing, but Skyy?  Is vodka;
  • Bewildertrix spotted a Tiana.  Is it the Frog Effect already?  And Oliver Ziggy Bear.  Which is just fabulously strange;
  • Namberry has ballerina names, just in time for the Nutcracker.  If you’re called Ghislaine or Violetta, surely you’ll grow up pencil slim and infinitely graceful;
  • This post over at Swistle is fascinating. The mom-to-be has three stepdaughters – Airyn Dakotah, Brylee Brookelyn and Madesyn Tayler - plus three of her own - Frances Rosaline, Russell Stacey and Marjory “Midge” Kate.  Needless to say, the couple is stuck trying to compromise on a name that satisfies both of their styles;
  • Which brings us to the controversy of the week.  If you haven’t read Jill’s guest post at Namberry on Yooneek Names, check it out – and make sure to click on the poll results.  With nearly 600 votes, an overwhelming 92% of Namberryites hate, hate, hate ‘em.  Jill did a great job with a difficult topic.

Lastly, a few starbabies arrived this past week.  Besides Benjamin Brady and Mason Dash Disick, there’s also:

Since I’m stuck indoors – when the news showcases the record-setting snow in the nation’s capital, that would be what has us housebound – I’ve started looking at the year-end stats early.  It’s an interesting list.  With a little bit of luck – or another foot or so of snow – I’ll post it just after Christmas.

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