Coat of Arms of Scotland; Image via Wikipedia
At first glance, she seems invented – maybe even misspelled. But she’s actually an obscure Scottish option.
Thanks to EK for suggesting the intriguing Merrilees as our Baby Name of the Day.
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.
Screenshot from Broken Lance; Image via Wikipedia
Today’s choice is the given name of a Hollywood titan, and the surname of real life royalty.
He’s also quite the popular pick for a boy. Thanks to Emma for suggesting today’s Baby Name of the Day: Spencer.
Image by Valerie Everett via Flickr
He’s a nineteenth-century rarity, newly returned to the Top 1000 in 2009.
Thanks to Rachel for suggesting Archer as Baby Name of the Day.
Parker has a long history of occasional use as a given name. Originally an occupational surname for a gamekeeper or geographic name for someone who lived near parkland, he’s charted as a boys’ given name in the US most years since 1880. In 2009, he entered the US Top 100 at #96.
Just like Larkin was a medieval diminutive for Lawrence, Parkin was a pet form of Peter. And between Spider-man’s alter ego, Peter Parker, and 90s Fox sitcom Parker Lewis Can’t Loose, lots of parents probably view Parker in a positive light.
He’s a little bit preppy/Southern family surname: “Oh yes, my mother was one of the Providence Parkers” or “Great-great-grandfather Jebediah Parker first came to Atlanta after the War.” But he’s also in step with occupational surnames like Archer that seem so current right now.
But what about Parker for a girl?
Indie darling Parker (Yes, it’s her birth name) Posey was named after supermodel Suzy Parker. As Posey’s star has risen, so has Parker for girls. She first charted at #875 in 1999, and has made a steady ascent to #502 a decade later.
Two small screen uses of Parker keep me thinking of this:
I know many readers feel strongly that boys’ names should never, ever be used for girls, but in an era when the musical Harper and Piper are popular picks for daughters, it is easy to imagine some parents digging Parker’s nature vibe and thinking she’d be pretty in pink.
Readers, thoughts?
Siegfried is best reserved for Las Vegas lion tamers and Wagnerian dragon slayers, but this related surname choice could wear quite well on a boy born in 2010.
Thanks to Karen for suggesting her son’s name as Name of the Day: Seger.
When we decided to call our daughter Clio, we forever closed the door on another favorite name – Theodore, nickname Theo.
Or did we?
For every family that decides Maya and Milo are too similar, another embraces the sound-alike names. Or insists that Alicia and Alina are totally different names. Perhaps it never even occurs to them that Joanna and Jackson are both related to John. Or maybe the first time you think of the famous actress is when you introduce your daughter Grace, little sister to Kelly and others ask if you’re a fan.
Siblings’ names will be said together countless times. The names we like often have much in common. So how can you tell if your choices make for a compatible sibset, or if they’re much too close? Here are ten factors to consider.
To Twitter or not to Twitter? That is the question faced by every Luddite-turned-blogger. (Yes, it’s true. You can be a technophobe and spend much of your leisure time blogging. I can’t be the only one.)
Anyhow, I love the idea of Twitter. So I’m introducing a new series called Yea or Nay, first as blog posts then possibly … maybe … if I feel really brave … I’ll migrate it over to this newfangled thingamajobby later. And then, you know, maybe I’ll get m’self one of them color tee vees.
Anyhow, watch for the inaugural post here later today. In name news:
That’s all for the moment, but check back next week for Leland, Opal, Ferdinand, Marsann and Leora. And stand by for Yea or Nay later today!
