Tag Archives: Silas

Baby Name of the Day: Emrys

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A welsh dragon. Found a very similar one on a ...

Welsh dragon; Image via Wikipedia

Emmett is big for boys.  Rhys, Reese, and Reece are on the rise for both genders.

Here’s an obscure option that combines the best of both.  Thanks to Shelby for suggesting Emrys as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 10/31/10

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Happy Halloween!  More proof that I truly have a one-track mind: let’s start with two name-related thoughts, prompted by my kids’ costumes:

  1. There will be more little boys named Anakin in the future.  Nancy tells us there were 117 in 2009 alone. Despite my insistence that Aly is Luke Skywalker, he keeps correcting me – no, Mommy – ANAKIN Skywalker.  “But he’s the bad guy, Aly.”  “No he’s not!”  A younger generation might very well find Anakin as wearable as Julian.
  2. What name do you use to get to Minnie as a nickname?  It’s a great nickname, but much too cutesy to stand on her own – moreso, I think, than Millie or Sadie.  The Shopaholic series has recently given Becky a daughter by the name.  Minnie Driver was born Amelia.  There’s Minerva, too, but that’s a lot of name for a little girl – almost too sharp of a contrast to sweet Minnie.  So what’s left?  Araminta?  Minnesota?  Ideas welcome!

Here’s a question for readers with daughters.  Did American Girl start sending you catalogs, as if they knew you were having a girl before the ultrasound results were in?  My first catalog arrived before Clio could roll over, must less request outrageously expensive doll babies.  Still, I do enjoy the names in the catalogs: Kaya, Felicity, Josefina, Addy, Rebecca, Kit, Molly, and Julie are the main Girls of the moment.  2010 Girl of the Year was called Lanie.  A number of the Girls have friends – Julie’s BFF is Ivy, and there’s also Emily, Ruthie, and Elizabeth.  So much better than Bratz.

And while we’re on pop culture, anyone else notice that the upcoming Nutcracker flick the little girl’s name has reverted to Mary?  The original ETA Hoffman story called her Marie, but she’s been Clara in nearly every adaptation since.

Elsewhere online:

  • What a lovely sibset over at Swistle, and you can help them name another daughter! Their current family consists of Ottilie Fflur, called Tilly; Adalia Seren, called Addie; Cecily Roma; Nolia Betsy; and Violet Lucina;
  • New at Nymbler in September:Brynley, Kiptyn, Snow, Galileo, Irelyn, and Posy. One of the contributors to Celebrity Baby Blog, before it was absorbed by People Magazine, had a son named Galileo, but I think they called him Leo.  About ten years ago, I knew a couple who used Ireland for their daughter’s middle name.  I like it full strength, but find the Irelyn spelling diluted;
  • For Real goes to Texas and you know it is going to be good! She spotted Abel Marcel, Hayes Gentry, Nicholai Luther, Landree Natali, Priscila Bethsabe, and Vierra Nichole. That’s the second time I’ve heard Gentry for a boy this week.  I don’t get it.
  • For Real also hit Tennessee where she found Isavela in the middle spot, plus River Gracily, Consuella Eliesa, Annalinne Rachel, and Atom Leegan. Is Gracily a Grace-Lily smoosh or a just an inventive elaboration?  It is pretty, even dainty;
  • At Nameberry, Pam raves about ends-in-s names for boys.  There are some really great ones.  I’ve known little boys called Magnus and Silas, and they wear well.  Plus, they can be more subtle than some of the ends-in-o options.

There were a number of celebrity births this week, but first, Jeremy Sisto’s 16 month old daughter is named Charlie Ballerina. How did I miss that?

Back to the newborns:

Over on the Facebook page, I think Stanley has officially been declared wearable.

Keep an ear out for interesting names worn by your Trick or Treaters, and have a great week!

Baby Name of the Day: Shoshanna

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If you saw box office smash Inglorious Basterds, you heard fictional Nazi bad guy Hans Landa call out this name in a grisly, memorable opening sequence.

If Stella is a star, why not Shoshanna?  Thanks to Serenity for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 5/30/10

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For those of you in the US, Happy Memorial Day weekend!  There will be no Baby Name of the Day on Monday, May 31.

But never fear!  There’s news aplenty to occupy your quiet hours:

  • This post at Swistle raises one of my favorite questions: how close is too close? Can you name your daughter Dorothy and your son Theodore?  It seems awfully close to me, and it would be nearly impossible to name a third child.  But both names are great;
  • Speaking of my favorite questions, The Stir raised the question of misspelled baby names. Comments ran the gamut from those who hate, hate, hate them to the mother of four kids named Corynne, Caleb, Caidy and Cayleigh.  They raised the question thanks to a rant at CafeMom prompted by a birth announcement spotted for a Madicyn.  I think there’s a lot going unsaid in these conversations, but mostly, I find myself leaning more and more towards defending variant spellings;
  • Which reminds me – I didn’t realize Cyndi Lauper had kids, much less a tween son called Declyn;
  • For Real spotted a birth announcement for Sweden Piper.  It’s a far more inventive place name than Brooklyn or Savannah and I guess they can call her Swedie – Sweetie – for short.  Whether that makes the name extra fabulous or seriously problematic, I cannot say;
  • I stumbled across this post from a mom of ten (soon to be eleven!) who listed all of her kids’ first and middle names.  It’s an interesting assortment:  Morganne Natalia, Brennan Geoffrey, Lliam Donal, Bonny Dianne, Gavin Xavier, Dierdre Marie, Ronan Wainwright, MacKenna Elyse, Grayse Dawn and Avalon Noelle.  I’m particularly impressed by Wainwright – it’s a reboot of the family name Wayne;
  • Which reminds me – this is one of my favorite lists of all time is Linda’s Rubes, Hayseed and Bumpkins at Nameberry.  The range from nearly mainstream choices like Gus and Jasper to up-next picks like Chester, Rufus and Silas to wow, out there options.  I can’t quite picture a baby named Floyd;
  • I’m not suggesting you give your child an Inuit name inspired by the beluga whales at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.  But it is an interesting list, and if Maya is so popular, maybe Naya could catch on.  Just don’t tell your daughter about the connection until she grows up to be a marine biologist;
  • I lived in Western Pennsylvania for years, not so very far from the West Virginia border. Laura Wattenberg’s post on the name Dreama struck a chord – I did, indeed, know a Dreama and she was from WV and named after her mother.  No idea why, though … I once asked Dreama and she wasn’t sure how her grandmother settled on the name, either;
  • ABC Family’s latest show about the secret life of American teenagers is Pretty Little Liars, based on a series of young adult novels.  The characters’ names?  Hanna, Emily, Aria and Spencer.  Spencer is played by an actress called Troian.  If the show is successful, it could have an impact on baby names in 2010;
  • I’m a huge fan of the name Rebecca L of Girl’s Gone Child chose for her daughter, Fable.  Sebastiane gives us the intriguing Estonian equivalent, Valme;
  • Sebastiane also rounded up some of the most intriguing names for saints from across the globe.  If truly unusual but not invented is your wish, this is the list for you.  I can just hear it now: meet my sons Fragan, Malo, Ot and Lot, and their sister Elined;
  • In the wake of the rankings announcements, CNN attempts to put a fresh spin on the name conversation by asking Does Your Name Shape Your Destiny? They trotted out some reliable experts and some solid facts, but the important point they missed, I think, is that our perceptions of specific names are not fixed.  Barbara and Linda were once the height of fashion, today’s Olivia and Ava.  Now they’re your aunt’s names.  Someday, they may be back in style right in time for you to do a double-take when your daughter announces her name for a daughter.

In starbaby news:

Next Saturday we kick off our Reader Baby Name Stories.  I’m SO excited to share what you’ve shared!

Have a great weekend, and see you on Tuesday.  Thanks for reading!

Names Worn By Christina Ricci

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Like Anne Hathaway, the subject of my first As Worn By post, Christina Ricci started out as a child star before taking on roles in everything from edgy indies to big screen blockbusters.

In honor of her February 12 birthday, here’s a look at the names she’s worn.

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Name of the Day: Laszlo

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The dashing Ralph Fiennes wore this choice to an Oscar nomination in 1996′s The English Patient.

Thanks to Kelleita for suggesting László as Name of the Day.

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Name of the Day: Silas

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Between aggressively literary picks like Atticus and undeniably Biblical ones like Nehemiah, there at least one boys’ name that quietly combines both qualities.

Thanks to SG for suggesting Silas as Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: 4/19/09

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It’s springtime, and our family tree is blooming!  My brother-in-law tied the knot last week, meaning that I now have a sister-in-law with the lovely name Solange.  (She’s pretty fabulous, too.)

On the other side of the Atlantic, Alexei’s godmother, Paulina, is now engaged to Bartholomew.  I haven’t met him yet, but I did learn that he has a niece named Ala.  (They’re in Poland, so name trends are more than a little different.)

Now, on to the news!

  • I finally entered the Baby Name Wizard name pool, sliding in just under the deadline.  I’m not sure my picks were terribly inspired, but here they are:  for the three biggest gainers, I chose Emerson (f), Layton (m) and Adelyn (f).  My three biggest losers were Tanner (m), Ashley (f) and Scott (m).  And I guessed Bella as the tie-breaker at #132.  Laura Wattenberg revealed her picks here;
  • Speaking of Ashley, one of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jacqueline, is mom to teenaged Ashley and elementary-schooler CJ – and she’s got one more on the way.  I’m not expecting a particularly exciting name.  Compared to the New York wives, the kids’ names seem to be pretty ordinary;
  • But on the extraordinary side, I just read a story about actress Sarah Clarke - she was on 24 early in the series – is mom to daughter Olwyn Harper.  I had a Great Aunt Olwen, so that caught my eye;
  • The Toronto Star profiled parents who chose the name Sapphire Ann for their new baby girl.  She has big brothers Tyler and Chase.  I go back and forth on Sapphire – I love Ruby, but somehow Sapphire seems outlandish.  And the couple uses the nickname Fire which really puts it over the top.  Or not.  Because I do think lots of gemstone names should be valid choices;
  • Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have welcomed a second son – but haven’t released his name!  Too bad, because William Huckleberry – nicknamed Huck - is one of my favorite boys’ combos of recent years;
  • Singer Kelis (of Milkshake fame.  Sorry  if that’s now lodged in your brain) is expecting a baby boy with Nas.  The proud papa-to-be suggests that he might let the fans pick Junior’s name;
  • I’ll admit I don’t recognize her name, but I like her naming style – Australian presenter Jessica Rowe and husband Peter Overton have welcomed a second daughter.  New baby Giselle Charlotte joins big sis Penelope Allegra;
  • Lastly, two interesting spots at the Box Office – in the Zac Effron vehicle 17 Again, the school bully is named Stan.  The actor who plays Stan wears the much trendier appellation Hunter in real life, and most recently played Silas on Weeds.  Then there’s the animated Monsters vs. Aliens.  Reese Witherspoon gives voice to the animated heroine Susan.  Anyone think Susan could make a comeback, or is still all about Susannah? 

That’s all for this week.  Thanks for reading!

Sunday Summary: 3/22/09

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So M.I.A. was all in a huff when sites reported that her son was named Ickitt, but it turns out that he’s actually named Ikhyd.  Ikhyd Edgar Arular, to be exact.  Which is obviously, clearly, very different from Ickitt.  Ahem.

In other news: 

  • Emmy Jo did a great post on Names That Sound Like No Other;
  • In the new television drama Kings, the monarch is called Silas.  The name has already been on the rise.  Could he be the next Elijah?;
  • I was scanning through the Newsweek photo slideshow on multiple madness about famous sib sets born before the Gosselins.  Check out the first photo – the sextuplets are called Jimme, Martina, Mary, Bernard, Cybil and Rita.  My favorite grouping from the slideshow?  Identical triplets – Dorothy, Iris and Myra – from the 1930s.
  • Fine, yes, I’m still on multiples.  TLC ran a special on the Ferrill Quintuplets – boys Landyn Konner, Layne Mykel and Drayden Karter and girls, Irelyn Kadyn and Kieran Skye.  Quite the set!
  • Nancy’s Baby Names has a link to the Name of the Year contest over at a blog about bizarre, but real, baby names.  It’s an interesting read.
  • Lastly, I spotted (adults) called Hansel at the baby store; Elroy at my garage and Philomene at my local Dunkin’ Donuts.

Have a great week, and thanks for reading!