Image via Wikipedia
She’s a vibrant name with a legendary literary namesake.
Thanks to Ivy for suggesting Scarlett as our Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Scarlett
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Tag Archives: Ruby
Pregnant in Heels: My Reaction
I was half asleep when Pregnant in Heels debuted on Bravo, determined to stay awake long enough to see Elisabeth on television. Oh, and check if my guess about the baby’s name was right. I figured odds were 50/50 that I’d be asleep before the opening credits rolled.
About ten minutes in, I was wide awake, sitting in the dark with a pencil, scribbling down notes. Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen the episode, you may not want to read on.
Sunday Summary: 3/20/11
Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr
Here’s my absolute favorite thing to get in my email inbox: birth announcements. There were two last week, complete with pictures! I really, truly appreciate them and won’t pass them on unless you expressly note that I can share them here. Thank you!
Speaking of birth announcements, I was scrolling through a random list and found a bunch of interesting ones: Bellarose, Amelka, Zella, Nico, Jamerson. No, that’s not a typo. (I checked twice!) With ends-in-er names catching on and hoop star Jimmer Fredette inspiring parents, what could catch on next? Brenner, maybe?
In other news:
- Here’s a look ahead at next week’s Names of the Day: Marlon, Circe, Greil, Humphrey, Emrys;
- And a look back, too – in 2009, Barnaby was featured. In 2010, it was Hera;
- Names currently suggested for Alyssa Milano’s son include Destry, Gaston, Kenai, Jax, Darrell, Javier, Kennedy, Vittorio, Emmitt, Maddox, and Colt. My pick for them would be Dante – Italian, to go with Mr. Alyssa Milano’s surname, Bugliari, but still quite current.
- Amethyst: a possible successor to Ruby?
- Loved this post at Nameberry on Israeli Baby Names. I was surprised at the long list of unisex names. The author, Hannah of A Mother in Israel, was kind enough to answer my question. Apparently there’s not any controversy over using a gender neutral name, though “many parents prefer a name associated with one gender.” Interesting;
- Move over Jason and Mason! ForReal spotted a newborn Tason;
- BabyNameWizard asks if Justin will remain forever young;
- Via Nomes e mais nomes post on the Grand Ducal family of Luxembourg: there’s an Imre in this generation, plus one of the princes married a commoner called Tessy. She’s now Princess Tessy;
- Is she a baby or a weather prediction? For Real also spotted a Rainy May.
It was a quiet week for names in the news, but we did welcome Sage Ann and Kellan Clay, twins for news anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts.
Funny, because I’d recently asked on my Facebook page if Sage was more suited for a girl or a boy.
In other celeb baby Wipeout co-host John Henson welcomed a son, Jackson Wright.
Tomorrow at Nameberry: Rock’n'Roll baby names inspired by the recent additions to Rock Hall.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!
Sunday Summary: 2/20/11
No 20 - flowery by Kirsty Hall via Flickr
Let’s start with an announcement: every Saturday in March will be March Madness at Appellation Mountain. Nope, I’m not writing basketball-related posts. Instead, you’re voting on your favorites from last year’s most popular posts.
It should be fun!
Elsewhere online:
- I love Lemon’s guest post at Nameberry on word names: Echo, Tansy, Temple. Ages ago I stumbled across Cascata – the Italian word for waterfall, as in cascade – and I always think of that one when word names are discussed;
- Speaking of word names, here’s one in the same key from Nancy: Invicta, inspired by a steamroller;
- ForReal spotted a boy named Ridge. I completely understand why parents would gravitate towards such a rugged, outdoorsy pick, but it seems a little hard to wear for a real kid. It seems more appropriate for a soap opera character;
- Is it me, or is Finn making a stealth attack? This story from the Chicago Tribune about a 61 year old woman who served as surrogate for her daughter mentioned that the baby name’s is Finnean. Finley, Finnegan, Finbar, Fintan … it seems like every day there’s another way to get to that oh-so-popular nickname;
- There was a lively conversation about unisex names at Nameberry earlier this week, and so I thought this was timely: from the Quinnipiac Chronicle, a girl named Kyle who loves her name. However, she would’ve liked to buy pink pencils with her name on them. No word on how sisters Shawn, Casey, and Riley feel about their names;
- MTV suggests names for Honor Warren’s little sister or brother. Somehow I don’t think Jessica and Cash will be using Louboutin or Money, but hey, Sterling has some possibilities;
- The 30 Rock baby is Elizabeth called Liddy. Here’s the quote from Alec Baldwin‘s character Jack: “We’re calling her Liddy, as in Liddy Dole, G. Gordon Liddy, and my martial arts instructor, Li-Dee.”
- From Babynamelover – Braden loses his “r” and becomes Baden. I wonder if they were thinking of the German resort town?
- I do truly love the name Evander.
Just a few celebrity birth announcements. I also post these on Facebook:
- No Doubt’s Tom Dumont and wife Mieke welcomed a third son, Koa Thomas. Koa joins Ace Joseph and Rio Atticus at home. I spotted Koah more than a year ago. Let’s see if it catches on;
- Rod Stewart and wife Penny welcomed a son called Aiden. All those years of naming babies, and I’m not sure Rod has mastered the art. His older kids are Kimberly, Sean, Ruby, Renee, Liam, and Alastair.
Tomorrow at Nameberry: a list of designer names drawn from Fashion Week 2011, and no, Chanel is not on the list.
That’s all for this week. As always, thanks for reading!
Baby Name of the Day: Susan
Rudbeckia hirta Black-Eyed Susan by gmayfield10 via Flickr
She was a Top Ten pick for more than two decades. Can she still sound fresh today?
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Susan as our Baby Name of the Day.
Sunday Summary: 1/9/11
Number 9 by Jon Tin Tin Jordan via Flickr
I had lunch with a mom-to-be friend of mine last week. Dad has already veto’d her #1 pick for a son – Nehemiah – and she’s not on board with any of his ideas. She’s not due for a few more weeks, but her doc is already murmuring things like “measuring big” and the pressure is mounting. I’m going to share this great advice from Swistle with her: it isn’t about finding the perfect name, it is finding the name that most satisfies both parents – almost like averaging the parent’s scores. (You give Nehemiah a 10; he gives it a 4. That makes Nehemiah a 7. The question is whether you can agree on a name that ranks an 8 or higher.)
Elsewhere online:
- Let’s say he’s from India and she’s from Poland. What do they name their three Canadian-born kids? For one family, the answer is Anjali Isabel, Lucas, and Philip;
- Ooh, look – For Real spotted a baby Elowen! And also a little Ezmae, which clears up Esme’s pronunciation, but at a cost;
- Here’s a fun way to slice and dice the US Top 1000: Nameberry published the Top Ten Names for each letter of the alphabet over the last 130 years. Check out the Girls’ List and the Boys’ List. The lists for the lesser-used letters like U and X are especially intriguing;
- Nymbler released their most popular names for November, plus their Top Five New Names: Briseis, Enya, Lumen, Ayelet, and Ashe. Ashe is for a boy, suggesting that parents are over Ashton, but not ready to reclaim Ashley. Asher, too, is rising, so no wonder Ashe is attracting attention. And look at Ayelet, riding the Scarlett, Juliet, Bridget tide!
- Speaking of trends, Nancy suspects that Ruby could be the new top name in Australia;
- Quick, what do Ada, Elle, Emme, Otto, Renner, and Bob have in common? They’re all palindromes! Find more with Baby Name Wizard’s comprehensive list;
- Elisabeth pointed out the new Target Baby promo, featuring birth announcements in Times Square. She spotted some great ones flipping through the photo gallery. To her list, I’ll add Soren, Caeleb, Ned, Paxton, Despina, and Abbey.
Plenty of famous folk announced their good news this week, including the arrivals of:
- Kristoffer Polaha’s sonJude, a little brother for Kristoffer Jr. and Micah. Mom is Julianne Morris;
- Jason Schwartzman and wife Brady Cunningham went for the offbeat, choosing Marlowe Rivers. Note to Natalie Portman and other pregnant celebs – Carlo/Carlow/Carlowe is still available;
- What do a pair of news anchors name their son? Carter Evans and Courtney Friel went with Cash Hudson. To the best of my knowledge, neither covers Wall Street or Metro New York;
- Top Chef alum Nikki Cascone will be pureeing lots of veggies in about six months. She’s a new mom to Jackson Robert. Cascone said that the tot’s name came from Sons of Anarchy. Great show, but I’m partial to the name worn by Jax Teller’s son – Abel;
- And, of course, there’s a new member of the royal family. No official announcement has been made, but prayers were offered for Peter and Autumn Philips and their new daughter Savannah.
Speaking of congratulations, let’s end on a high note: you can now buy the first eBook from Nancy Man, Strong Boy Names. Based on the preview, it isn’t so much a list of Gunnar/Cannon/Slade as much as it analyzes more conventional masculine choices that are rarely borrowed by Team Pink. Actually, this might be the baby shower gift I give to my friend who won’t be naming her son Nehemiah …
That’s all for today. As always, thank you for reading, and have a fabulous week!
Sunday Summary: 12/12/10
Little Red Riding Hood illustration from 1927; Image via Wikipedia
I’m always surprised when I realize that Valerie remains so popular. She ranked #138 in 2009, not too far from her peak of #60 in 1959. Nothing against the name – I know some lovely women who answer to Valerie – but it makes me think of The Monkees. (Though the song title is “Valleri“ – not sure why. Anyone know?) She could be due for another boost in March, when the reboot of Red Riding Hood is released with Amanda Seyfriend donning the iconic red cape. The wolf is a werewolf. Not only does her character have a name – Valerie – but she’s more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than sweet girl en route to grandma’s house.
On to the name news:
- Speaking of werewolves, what’s with the stories about parents naming their kids after werewolves? I suppose it is just another attempt to link baby name stories to Twilight. If Alcide makes the US Top 100, I’ll believe it. Until then … not so much;
- Nancy rounds up the total number of babies named after Aeon Flux, and ThunderCat Cheetara. The answer? More than you’d guess;
- Speaking of strange inspiration, ForReal spots a boy called Kindle Paul;
- You’ve probably already seen this amazing sibset at Nameberry: Tallulah Daisy, Beatrix India, Juniper Bronte, Hawthorne Wilde, and newborn Crewe Lennox but read the thread anyway for some of the best names collected in a single thread – possibly ever;
- The crowd-sourced, chosen-by-Facebook-poll Canadian baby name is Melania. Apparently the parents engaged in a smidge of gamesmanship, encouraging votes for the name.
- I mentioned Luella in a post as one of those names that it takes some courage to use, because it is different from everyone else’s picks. As if on cue, here’s a post at Swistle: “Our first choice is Luella, nickname Lulu, but … I’m worried that there’s something about this name that makes it unpopular that I’m not seeing.”
- The Baby Name Wizard’s Name of the Year is … The Situation. Laura Wattenberg notes that this is NOT a prediction that we’ll be meeting kids called Situation Smith. It’s about handles rather than names; “an emblem … for an age of empty celebrity.” As one commentor wrote: “It’s enough to make me long for the days of Kaydence.”
- As for names parents will actually use, how about Greta? It appears on A Mountain Bride’s short list, along with Hazel, Amelia, Piper, and Cora.
The maternity ward at Hollywood Hospital has been relatively quiet these days, but that hasn’t stopped the star baby name stories:
- Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey continue to generate buzz about their baby-on-the-way. The first rumor was the baby would be a junior; then Cannon mentioned the name Cleophis in an interview;
- If it isn’t werewolves, it’s booze. I’ve been resisting Pink’s comment about the name Jameson. It is pretty clear that Jameson is based on family names, and the whiskey connection is, well, a bonus;
- Mike Dirnt of Green Day welcomed a daughter, Ryan Ruby Mae. Based on the AppMtn Facebook page comments, the reaction is definitely mixed. His other kids are son Brixton and daughter Estelle. Green Day drummer Tré Cool has kids called Ramona and Frankito; Billie Joe Armstrong is dad to Joseph and Jakob.
That’s all for this week. As always, thanks for reading, and have a great week!
Reader Baby Name Story: The All-Time Favorite Name
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: Indigo
Lump of Indian indigo dye; Image via Wikipedia
David Bowie met a girl called Blue Jean back in 1984, but you’re more likely to meet a child wearing this colorful appellation.
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Indigo as Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Virginia
Virginia Colony Plaque; Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr
She’s a literary, regal, place name with an undeniable romance. Yes, Virginia – it is your turn to be featured as Baby Name of the Day.
Thanks to Emily for the suggestion.
