Image by mharrsch via Flickr
If you came of age in the 1980s, today’s choice might make you think of Harry Hamlin in sandals. And, possibly, a mechanical owl.
As suggested by Sadie, our Baby Name of the Day is Perseus.
For those of you in the US, I hope you’re having a lovely, fireworks-filled Independence Day weekend.
First up: a quick users’ guide note: when I write a post, I try to bold any given name the first time I use it. If the name is a (blue) hyperlink, then I’ve written about the name before – and one quick click will take you to that post. I also try to link movies and television shows to the Internet Movie Database.
On to the news:
I wrote about the first generation of eclectic Hollywood baby names for Nameberry last week. In more recent celebrity news:
Tomorrow’s post for Nameberry is the first in another two-parter, and it features one of my favorite names for a boy: Clark.
That’s all for this week. As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!
James Dean; Image via Wikipedia
He’s a rebel, he’s a crooner, he’s an academic.
Thanks to Sarah for suggesting the surprisingly evergreen Dean as our Baby Name of the Day.
U girada by popdeganxet via Flickr
He’s literary, mythological, and figures in American history. He’s also more popular than you might guess.
Thanks to Darja for suggesting a name dear to her heart. Our Baby Name of the Day is Ulysses.
Frank Sinatra; Image via Wikipedia
Zappa. Sinatra. Gehry. Baum. Does this pick guarantee your son will be destined for creative genius?
Thanks to Jane, aka the Foxymoron, for suggesting Frank as our Baby Name of the Day.
Georgia Appalachian Trail Club Marker; Image via Wikipedia
There’s the evergreen Benjamin, Teen Mom‘s luxury brand babe Bentley, and the literary Bennett. Why not this one?
Thanks to Jillian for pointing out not only the name, but his connection to the Appalachian Trail, too! Our Baby Name of the Day is Benton.
Is there a baby names arms race?
I happen to be writing from New York City, just a week after the Health Department released their 2009 stats proclaiming Isabella and Jayden top of the charts. Yawn.
But then the Wall Street Journal’s Metropolis blog interviewed Baby Name Wizard’s Laura Wattenberg on the results. Two things stood out: first, Wattenberg is a master of linguistic analysis. She declares that today’s parents prefer names lacking “two consecutive voiced consonants.” Buh-bye Robert and Alfred, Nancy and Betsy.
But this quote grabbed me: “Individuality has become a prized virtue and there’s a kind of competitive landscape — a baby name arms race — where parents are determined to make their child stand out.”
It is true that even the most common given names are given to fewer children with every passing year, whether that name is Mary or Isabella or Ava, John or Jacob or Jayden. But I’m not sure that we’re intentionally competing for a stand-out name for our kids … more in a future post.
Elsewhere online:
In celeb news, I was so busy speculating about Egypt catching on, and what Beyonce might name her maybe-baby, and how crowd-sourcing works because second-born Bowen Brees has a much better name than elder son Baylen … well, I missed the arrival of Lance Armstrong’s daughter, Olivia Marie, a little sister for Luke, Isabelle, Grace, and Max.
And, of course, Matt Damon and wife Luciana welcomed daughter Stella.
Celine Dion has also welcomed her twins – two boys! – but names have not yet been released. Please leave a comment if you hear anything!
That’s all for this week. As always, thanks for reading!
Happy Mother’s Day! I spent the morning indulging in an M-Day brunch at Max Brenner and then listening for kids’ names at the Union Square playground near my sister’s new Manhattan apartment. I heard Ezra and Sophie at Ladybird Bakery in Park Slope – near sister #2′s place – the morning before, but mostly the Big Apple was a big letdown in terms of name spotting. I was too busy to really listen. (But, no, dear sisters, that’s not why I come visit you in the Big City.)
As usual, the real Mother’s Day gift comes from Uncle Sam. The Social Security Administration has released the Top 1000 baby names for babes born the year prior. It’s pretty much impossible to collect all of the interesting commentary on the topic, but here are a few highlights:
In non-statistical news:
Our only celeb birth of the week is author Sophie Kinsella, mom to four boys: Freddy, Hugo, Oscar and Rex William.
I’m off to unpack luggage and wrangle overtired into their pajamas. Hope you had a fabulous Mother’s Day and thank you for reading! See you next week.
He’s Biblical and classic, literary and cool. No wonder he’s a global sensation and a perennial favorite in the US, too.
Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Samuel as Name of the Day. And congratulations to Photoquilty on the birth of her new son Samuel, too!
She’s a refreshing twist on a tired botanical.
Thanks to Corinne for suggesting Jessamine as Name of the Day.
