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:

• Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier welcomed a son, Reece Cader. I wonder if Cader is the next Caden;
• Scrubs alum John C. McGinley has welcomed a daughter, Kate Aleena, a little sister for Billie Grace;
• Here’s an intriguing choice: Kick-Ass actor Aaron Johnson is a first-time dad to daughter Wylda Rae. Wylda’s mom is filmmaker Sam Taylor Wood, and she has two older daughters, Angelica and Jessie Phoenix.

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!