Remember this scene from Mean Girls?  I think about it often when I’m working on posts.

If you haven’t seen the movie, Gretchen is trying to get “fetch” – meaning cool – to catch on as the new slang.  She’s one of her high school’s very most popular girls, along with reigning queen Regina, air-headed Karen, and, at least for part of the movie, a newcomer played by Lindsay Lohan.

Gretchen’s gambit fails, but it could’ve worked.  Fetching comes from the Old English feccan – to bring.  The word’s meaning has evolved over time, but by the late nineteenth century, fetching was high praise – for example, a fetching bonnet.

The world is filled with attractive names, names that don’t get enough attention – names that never, like Gretchen’s slang – happen.  This series is my attempt to highlight a handful of names that aren’t on everyone’s list but might wear well anyhow.  They’re short lists, but I think there’s great potential in each of the names.

The first list of Fetching Names is inspired by mean girls – or maybe not so mean girls with great names.  We’ve grown up with on the small screen and in movies, too.

Blair – She’s just one sound removed from the fashionable French Claire, plus she’s been worn by two enduring small screen poor little rich girls: The Facts of Life’s blonde shopaholic Blair Warner in the 1980s, and more recently, the scheming, but not irredeemable  brunette Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl fame.  Some might dismiss Blair as borrowed from the boys, but she’s scarcely used by either gender since the start of this century.

Cady – Katie is everywhere – one-part Katharine Hepburn, one-part Kaitlyn short form.  Cady takes her in a different direction, thanks to suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Mean Girl made famous by Lohan in 2004′s hit flick.  She’s novel but not quite nouveau, and despite her current sound, has never really caught on.  Not only is Stanton a worthy role model, but despite Ms. Lohan’s woes, let’s not forget that her character did the right thing by the end of the movie.

Edie – Take Evie, mix with Eden and you’d arrive at this rarity.  Andy Warhol made a 1965 indie movie called Poor Little Rich Girl starring Edie Sedgwick.  Sedgwick was, in real life, a socialite heiress, an early version of Paris Hilton, born Edith Minton Sedgwick.

Veronica – 1989′s dark high school comedy Heathers starred Christian Slater as J.D. and Winona Ryder as Veronica Sawyer.  Veronica was a good girl – a “girl scout cookie” – who grew up to hang with her high school’s most popular, powerful trio – three girls all named Heather.  Despite her vibrant v, Veronica has been falling since the 1970s, but she still sounds surprising.

Other names in this category have made it big in recent years.  There’s Sweet Valley High’s Lila, Disney Channel original series The Suite Life’s London, and Legally Blonde’s Elle, all of which are very much in vogue.

Would you use a fictional character’s name for your child?  Does the character have to be clearly on the side of good, like Luke Skywalker, or are shades of gray okay?

Image via Wikipedia

She’s a botanical choice from a few decades back, once so popular that Winona Ryder went to high school with three of them.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Heather as our Baby Name of the Day.

1989′s dark comedy Heathers was an earlier generation’s Mean Girls.  Winona played Veronica Sawyer, the lone member of her uber-popular quartet who didn’t answer to Heather.  Veronica and boyfriend J.D. – Christian Slater – semi-accidentally offed one of the Heathers, followed by a pair of football stars, before V. realized that her new guy was a homicidal maniac.

Heather was a logical choice for the cinematic trio.  The name peaked at #3 in 1975, and remained in the US Top Ten into the 1980s.  Today she’s fading, even dated, a mom name ranking a mere #683 for newborn girls last year.  In the garden of girls, Heather has given way to Lily and Violet.

But Heather is a botanical choice, at least throughout the twentieth century.  The exact origins of her name are debated – some suggest a logical connection to heath; others theorize that she’s Celtic.  In any case, calluna vulgaris is a shrub found throughout Europe and into Asia, but it is Scotland and Northern England known for their fields of wild heather.  Considered something of a weed until fairly recently, heather became stylish in the gardening world a few decades before she emerged as a popular pick for our daughters.

The change in heather’s value is attributable to Queen Victoria.  Following a trip to Scotland early in their marriage, Prince Albert bought land and the couple commissioned a new castle, suitable for their growing family, at Balmoral.  Humble heather, common in the couple’s new getaway, became a royal favorite.

If you wanted your daughter’s name to scream Scottish heritage in the 1970s, you’d probably consider Heather, just the way parents a generation earlier had propelled Bonnie into the Top 100.

By the time parents discovered the name in droves, her career was all-but-over, but English actress Heather Angel probably deserves credit for introducing the name to the US.  Born in 1909 in Oxford – yes, that’s her real name – she graduated from stage to screen in the 1930s.  You can also hear her voice in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.  She made recurring appearances on Peyton Place and Family Affair in the 1960s.

There was also Heather Menzies, the young actress who played von Trapp sister Louisa in 1965′s The Sound of Music, as the name gained in popularity.  The Young and the Restless cast grew by one in 1979 when April gave birth to a daughter named Heather; Highlander used the name for Connor’s first love in 1986.  Most of the notable pop culture uses are actually slightly after the name’s peak.

Heather likely owes some of her success to fellow ends-in-er-name Jennifer’s rise, too.

The list of prominent Heathers is long, but she’s firmly in mom-name territory these days.  (Even perennial TV vixen Heather Locklear appeared on Hannah Montana as the mother of Miley’s BFF, Lilly.)

Still, her sound remains distinctive and she’s a valid nature name choice with ties to Scotland.  Chances are that we’ll all have a bunch of great-granddaughters called Heather.

Verona by sminky_pinky100 (In and Out) via Flickr

It’s the fair city of Romeo and his Juliet.  How would it wear as a daughter’s name?

Thanks to Fran for suggesting Verona as our Baby Name of the Day.

Before you dismiss Verona as another nouveau place name along the lines of Brooklyn, it is worth a glance at the US Top 1000 circa 1900.  Verona appeared most years from the 1880s into 1930s, peaking around 1905.

Was it a Shakespearean place name craze?  Probably not.  Instead, lots of starts-with-Ver names were in vogue:

• Virginia and Vera appeared in the Top 100;
• Verna, Virgie, and Veronica weren’t too far behind;
• Other Top 1000 choices starting with the same sound include Verda, Vernie, Verdie, Vernice, Vergie, Verlie, Vira, Versie, and Verla;
• Search for -ver in the middle and there are even more: Laverne, Lavera, Elvira and Elvera, Alverta, Alvera, and Beverly.

Virgil and Vernon were correspondingly big for boys.

V is back circa 2011, from super-popular picks like Ava to the traditional Victoria to Hollywood’s batch of lively girls called Vida and Vita.

Parents who chose Verona today are almost certainly thinking of the Italian city made famous by the Bard of Avon in his enduring drama, as well as the comedy Two Gentleman of Verona, usually considered Shakespeare’s very first play.

The origin of the Italian city’s name is open to debate.  In fact, there’s a debate about the origins of the city itself, with several ancient tribes competing for the title of founder.  Verona first appears in the historical record in the sixth century BC, and has been figuring in world events pretty much ever since.

Possible sources of the name include:

• Several sources credit the Etruscans with the name;
• An intriguing possibility is that a Gallic chieftain called the place Vae Roma – accursed Rome – and over the years, it stuck – and became Verona;
• Others link it to the Latin word for spring – ver – but that feels like even more of a stretch than the Gallic theory.

Besides the fictional doomed lovers and the real life genius, Verona was home to the poet Catullus in the first century BC, and to St. Peter Martyr in the 1200s.  Nancy added Verona to a list of place names with saintly ties, along the lines of Avila and Siena. Perhaps the best known resident was Leonardo da Vinci.

There are place names aplenty inspired by the Italian city, but the name hasn’t been much used in recent decades.  I did find:

• A minor German celeb called Verona Pooth, notable mostly for her son’s name – San Diego;
• In 2004′s Van Helsing, the three brides of Dracula are named Marishka, Aleera, and Verona;
• In 2009, indie flick Away We Go featured Maya Rudolph as expectant mom Verona.  (Dad is played by The Office’s John Krasinski.)

It’s a bit of a jumble, and maybe that’s why Verona hasn’t caught on in 2011.  She has all the makings of a stylish name, but she’s still the tiniest bit clunky.  Maybe it is her -ona ending, though Ramona shows signs of making a comeback.

That could make for the ideal opportunity, of course – Verona could be a name that will strike everyone as just a little bit different, the one that they never considered – but can’t imagine why!

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

He’s one of the Biblical boys, an Old Testament figure found on every fashionable playground.

Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Eli as Baby Name of the Day.

Eli is one of those names that seems to have it all – he’s brief, impossible to misspell, and familiar but uncommon.

Or he was familiar but uncommon.

There are plenty of figures in history who answered to Eli.  Or Elijah.  Or Eliezer.  Yale University was named in honor of a fellow called Elihu Yale, who left the Colonies while just a toddler, but kept writing checks from England.  A trio of inventive Elis includes Eli Whitney, who invented the cotton gin, plus Eli Blake, Sr. and Eli Blake, Jr.  And then there’s Eli Lilly, a chemist and entrepreneur who built a pharmaceutical empire.

And there have been men called Eli since then.  The name has never left the US Top 1000, ranking #177 in 1880 and #344 in 1980.  He dropped as low as #704 in 1964, but mostly, Eli has been a steady presence among American baby names.

Some of that doubtless has to do with the original Eli.  The Old Testament figure was a high priest of Israel, and a mentor to Samuel.  The consensus seems to be that he commanded respect in public, but had trouble on the homefront.

There are two possible origins for Eli, both Hebrew – the first links him to a phrase meaning “my God,” like Elizabeth.  I believe this is usually the reference used by modern Israeli parents.  The Biblical figure’s name is linked to a Hebrew word that means ascended or high.  But in English, the two origins are blurred together.

Plenty of girls answer to the similar Ellie, and yet Eli shows signs of becoming this generation’s Ashley.  On the contrary, with figures like NFL quarterback Eli Manning – born Elisha – Eli manages to feel perfectly masculine.  There’s also long-time actor Eli Wallach, known for his roles in classic guy flicks like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and The Magnificent Seven.

Despite the name’s ancient roots, Eli feels surprisingly fresh and modern.  Some of that is his super-mini, 3-letter style.  But the E doesn’t hurt, either.  In an age of email and e-services, well, what’s more natural than sending out an evite to Eli’s first birthday bash?

Television characters have worn the name on Emmerdale, Veronica Mars, Heroes, and Xena, as well as the short-lived Eli Stone, a series about a lawyer who can see the future.

Earlier in 2010, Denzel Washington played a tough guy on a sacred mission in The Book of Eli.  His Eli was charged with delivering the last copy of the Bible to safe keeping, despite an impressive number of bad guys in his path.

All of this makes for a great name for a son.  He’s strong, but not hyper-masculine; modern in style, but not invented.  The only problem is that the secret is out.  Besides Eli at #90 in 2009, there was also Elijah at #21, as well as Elias and Elliot/Elliott, all of which could lead to Eli as a short form.

If your son doesn’t mind sharing, it is still a good option.  But if you’re hoping for something unusual, you might need to look a little more.

In the meantime, a new neighbor has arrived and her kids names?  Be still my heart: Nella and Arlo.  I haven’t actually met them (she joined a listserv for local moms) but I might hug her.

Also in the real world, the incredibly talented Brooke at Dinkypopsnomore is now mom to two!  The incredibly photogenic, more-stylish-at-3-than-I-am-at-37 Temperance is big sister to Verity Blythe.  See the post about her name here.

Elsewhere online:

• Here’s something you don’t know about me: I rarely drive.  I have a license, but we’ve arranged our lives so most of the time, our car stays parked.  And I plain like mass transit.  So Nancy’s recent post about a baby named Queenie after a bus company? That could be me;
• I understand Ever and Everly.  A kid called Eternity would not be a surprise.  But Never?  ForReal spotted one, and it just seems off;
• Did you see the great Nameberry post on TV character names? Ask a parent if she’d be willing to name a child after a TV character and you’ll often get a refusal, maybe a snicker.  But they do filter into wider use.  So get set for birth announcements reading Landry, Horatio, Brick, Remy, Cricket, and Astrid. One not on the list: Dwight, Jason Lee’s character on his new show, Memphis Blue.  Rainn Wilson’s salesman/beet farmer on The Office has put a dent in Dwight – he left the US Top 1000 in 2004 – wonder if Lee can revive him?
• The Globe and Mail has an essay by a parent who really can’t decide what to name son #3.  It’s a common struggle, but what’s particularly interesting is the drama caused by their common surname: Jones.  Nearly any popular choice has a notable bearer: George Jones, Tom Jones, and so on.  After naming firstborn son Jack they learned that Jack Jones sang The Love Boat theme song.  I always thought it was the long, unusual surnames that posed problems, but I guess it goes both ways;
• Here’s a fun list of model names from Babble columnist Ceridwen Morris.  But Nameberry did it first, and even compiled a list of super-stylish names supermodels gave to their offspring (before, we assume, slipping back into some fabulous get-up for a photo shoot with baby on hip like a designer bag.)  Yannick or Mingus, anyone?
• I haven’t checked in with the Toronto Star’s Kristin Rushowy in months.  A few recent posts: a boy called Timo Wolf, a girl named Tanys Aurora Alexandra Piia, and a cautionary tale about pronunciation issues when you name your cute Canadian kid after a Hindu goddess.

In starbaby news:

• Let’s hear it for the double palindrome power of Ava Katherine Otto, a new daughter for country singer James Otto and wife Amy;
• Actor Matt Walton – he plays Eli on One Life To Live – has an Ava, too, plus a brand new son called Greyson James.  Greyson is the new Jayden. Add up all the boys called Greyson and Grayson, plus the girls wearing a variant of sound-alike Gracen, and you have the formula for a gender-neutral, hard-to-gauge usage name that every parent thinks is uncommon.  Too bad, because I do love Gray;
• Army Wives’ Catherine Bell has a new son called Ronan, a little sister for Gemma.  That’s a nice sibset, a pair of names that are underused, but not outlandish;
• And the big news is the birth of Florence Rose Endellion, a daughter for UK Prime Minister David Cameron, his wife Samantha, and three older siblings: the late Ivan, plus Nancy, and Arthur Elwen.  For a humorous and insightful look on place names popping up on birth certificates, there’s this News & Star column. Capri and Dublin, yes.  St. Bees Flimby Pie?  Probably not;
• Lastly, the best use of Twitter for baby naming since Erykah Badu live-tweeted the birth of her third child and claimed she was calling her Twittymilk surely goes to Neil Patrick Harris’ twins teaser. That’s an instant sibset I can’t wait to learn.

As always, thanks for reading!

Speaking of Orla and surprises, here’s a new one: I wrote about Orla a few days ago.  The post felt familiar, but that happens sometimes.  This has never happened: I’d actually written an entire Orla post in September 2008. It’s pretty much the same … except not.

In other news:

• We all know about Miley Cyrus’ impact on baby naming, with her nickname-turned-legal-name-turned-name-for-babies-everywhere.  But Hannah was already a hit when she took to the small screen.  Now she’ll be in theaters as Veronica, called Ronnie in The Last Song.  Ronald is in fashion limbo for boys, but maybe we’ll be meeting a whole bunch of little girls named Ronnie, sisters to all those girls named Charlie.
• Right on schedule, Nameberry has a post on boyish nickname names for girls.
• For Real has spotted a Boe Amelia.  Is that two syllables, like Zoe and David Bowie?  Or a feminine version of Beau/Bo?  I find it strangely appealing as a single-syllable name, but I just can’t guess.
• Galaxie Nirvana, on the other hand … let’s just say it seems perfectly reasonable to see it listed by For Real.  Ditto Harlaquinn Isabelle.
• Down in North Carolina, there’s a baby boy saddled with the name Laettner Keanu Locklear. Laettner because dad’s a Duke alum and hoops fan; Keanu because mom got to choose the middle.  It’s a daffy combination, but not the daffiest.
• Just in time for Easter, babynamelover reports a Pascale Lily Louise.
• Are there more girls out there named Temperance than I would’ve guessed?  And is it all abut Bones?  I just stumbled across another blog – Brooke is mom to Temperance, with another daughter on the way.  Can’t wait to hear what they name her!
• I love it when parents set out to choose an unusual name and manage to actually pull it off, instead of just re-spelling Emily. This week’s Parent Central Canada profile of new baby Idris Eaton, nicknamed Eider, is exactly that – a blend of family names and personal experiences that makes for an intriguing appellation.
• Nancy picked up a great story about a Ghanaian man who immigrated to Italy, had a baby boy and named him Silvio, after the Italian prime minister.
• Far more original than Brooklyn, Nameberry has a list of New York street names, including Crosby, Delancey, Waverly, Hester and Minetta.
• The average Lithuanian baby name might not import to the US very well, but I’m intrigued by this one from Legit Babe Names: Dautara.
• Down in Tuscaloosa, a group of locals put together a book commemorating the now-closed Sarah A. Jarman Memorial Hospital’s maternity ward, including a list of babies born there.  This set of triplets from 1936 caught my eye: Lelia Juanita, Loretta May, and Louise Ellen.

In starbaby news, all via Celebrity Baby Blog:

• Did you know that all three of Jamie and Jools Oliver’s flower power daughters have three names apiece?  The girls are Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, and Petal Blossom Rainbow. With a fourth on the way, I wonder how they’ll round out their bouquet.
• The Early Show’s Erica Hill welcomed a son, Sawyer Steven, a brother for Weston Robert.
• Oliver Hudson’s son is called Bodhi Hawn, a little brother for Wilder Brooks.  Grandma Goldie Hawn (that still sounds weird) had announced his birth, but it took a few days for the name to be released.

Think it is weird to name your kid Kimora?  Nancy tells us that back in the 1930s and 40s, at least a few dozen parents named their kids in honor of Kay Kyser, bandleader and radio host. Kyser responded by sending out a commemorative gift.  Hmmm … if I named my daughter Orla, would I be able to snag one of those bags?

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading!

And one reason that’s trivial for him, dead serious for me: we could never agree on a name.

We do have a few candidates, scraps from the cutting room floor.  I’ve mentioned them in comments from time to time, but I thought a round-up was in order.  

Our girls’ list is first; I’ll post the boys’ list later.

1.  The frontrunner: Rosemary, nicknamed Romy

My grandmother was born Maria Rosa and known as Rose Marie.  I adored my grandmother and miss her constantly.  Rosemary/Romy works with the kids’ names, too – Alexander, Claire Caroline and Rosemary.  Alexei, Clio and Romy.  Aly, Clio and Romy.  Alex, Clio and Romy.

The only trouble?  We’d have named two daughters after my female relatives, while Arthur’s side of the family is out in the cold.

2.  Grace Genevieve, nicknamed Gigi

This was our long-time second name for a daughter.  It mirrors the pattern of Clio’s formal name and honors Arthur’s mother, Grazyna.  (It’s a Polish name that sounds something like this – grah JZIN ah.  My mother still can’t say it.  I’m not sure that I can, either.)

Trouble is?  I don’t much care for Grace.  Neither does my mother-in-law.  When she first came to the US she actively resisted others’ attempts to Anglicize her name as Grace.  I love Gigi, and instantly think of the musical with Maurice Chevalier singing “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.”  But I can see it is the kind of diminutive that you’d want to shed before, say, clerking for a circuit court judge.

I’ve also toyed with Hanae or Hannelore on the theory that they mean grace, but that’s a stretch.

3.  Helena, nicknamed Laney

This is another name plucked from Arthur’s family tree, but this time far enough back that we weren’t even aware of it until Arthur’s mother mentioned the name.  It works nearly just as well as Romy with the other kids’ names – Aly, Clio and Laney.  Alex, Clio and Laney.  Alexander, Claire Caroline and Helena.

4.  Penelope, nicknamed Polly

It’s a name I’ve long loved, and a way to connect to another family name – Paulina, Arthur’s cousin and Aly’s godmother.  But somehow Clio and Polly don’t sound like sisters to me.  There are also two little Pollys in our ‘hood already.

5.  Georgia, Olwen

George is a family name on my dad’s side, as is Olwen.  I’d probably reserve Olwen for the middle spot, and I don’t think Georgia pairs well with Clio.

6.  Margaret, nicknamed Daisy or Marguerite, nicknamed Daisy

Arthur’s aunt is Małgorzata, the Polish form of Margaret.  I like Marguerite much better than Margaret, partially because I had a Great Aunt Griet.  (I assume she, too, was baptized Margaret.)  So yes, I’m using a Polish formal name and a Dutch nickname (that I can’t explain, because no one in my family is Dutch, at all, though there was a pair of wooden shoes in my grandmother’s house) to arrive at a French name.  Which we’d put aside in favor of a botanical nickname anyhow.

8.  Diana, nicknamed Daisy or Anya

My eye-poppingly strange maiden name was Niadna, which can be anagramed to spell Dianna.  Arthur wouldn’t go for a variant spelling, but he likes Diana.  Neither nickname follows naturally, but I think both work well.  Anya also reminds me of my great-grandmother Anna.

9.  Cordelia, nicknamed Delia, Adelaide or Avalon

My nickname for Arthur is Del, and so I’ve long looked for feminine names that incorporate the element.  Adelaide was an early front-runner, but could we really have an Abby and an Addie in the same house?  Plus I’m convinced that Addie is going to supernova by 2012.

Cordelia is another option, one I like quite a bit, especially with the nickname Delia.  Alexander, Claire Caroline and Cordelia.  Aly, Clio and Delia.  Alex, Clio and Delia -  hmmm … it does raise the question of whatever happened to Baby B.

In Arthurian legend, Avalon is paradise.  It’s a subtle connection to Dad’s given name, but one that I quite like, especially in the middle spot.

10.  Isabeau

I’ve long loved this medieval variant of Elizabeth.  My little sister answers to the nickname Bo, so Isabeau seems like a fitting choice.

Once upon a time, I toyed with incorporating Boadicea, the first century warrior queen of the Iceni, in a child’s name for the same reasons.  But the more accurate spelling is probably Boudica, and there’s debate about whether the pronunciation begins with a boo rather than a bo.

11.  Iris

For my grandmother Irene, though it doesn’t sound great with our last name.  Too bad, because Clio and Iris sound like sisters, and I think she works with Aly and Clio nearly as well as Romy.

12.  Ellery

For my stepgrandfather, Irene’s husband, a thoroughly good egg.  I’ve considered it in the middle spot for a daughter or a son.

13.  Noor/Nora/Elinor and Lucy/Lucia/Luca/Lucienne

Claire means light, so names that share a similar meaning have always appealed.

14.  Veronica or Frederica

Do all name aficionados worry about naming twins, up until the ultrasound confirms that there’s only one baby on the way?

Had Alexander had a twin sister, two possible names were Veronica or Frederica, both to honor my dad, Eric, without poaching the name from my brother, Eric Jr.  Erica was also a contender, but seemed a little too close – even though my brother answers to Rohn.

15.  Sofia/Zofia/Sophie

My mother-in-law’s first middle name is Zofia.  In Polish, it gets a two-syllable pronunciation – ZAWF yeh – but I’ve heard Polish-Americans say it more like Sophia with a Z.  Zofia nicknamed Zoe was a contender for a while.

16.  Josephine, Catharine

Both choices from my mother’s family tree – Joseph was her grandfather, Catharine her aunt.  I don’t remember Joseph, but Great Aunt Catharine was one of my favorites.  Because her Manhattan apartment overlooked the Hudson, her grandson nicknamed her Grandma Boat.  Years later, Aly misunderstood Aunt Bo as Aunt Boat, so there’s a story there.

I’m fairly certain Catharine’s spelling is a nod to the Italian Catarina.  In any case, it is my favorite spelling and the only one I would consider.

Both names offer nicknames aplenty, but none of them sing to me.  That’s probably why they’re down here at #16.

17.  Anna/Anya, Anneliese nicknamed Anya

For the great-grandmother mentioned in #8.  But any of the Anna choices would make Clio the only family member without an A- name.  Too bad, because Anneliese Olwen would honor three of my dad’s relatives in one swoop.

18.  Linden and Sarai

For my aunts, Linda and Sarita.  (Sarita was named after her maternal grandmother, my great-grandmother Sara.)  I love both names, but again, there’s something awkward about skipping my husband’s family entirely.

Rosemary Linden Beau was long a favorite combination.  But I’m not wild about Beau on a girl, and two nature names is far too botanical for a family that ventures no closer to camping than shopping REI.

19.  Amalia, Kester

Amalia is from my husband’s family.  It’s a great name, but again, we can’t settle on a nickname and she’d be the fourth A, leaving Clio out in the cold.

Kester is also – in a very roundabout fashion – from my husband.  His mother’s maiden name translates to Christopherson.  My husband’s middle name is Christopher.  I don’t care for any of the feminine variants, though Christabeau is one that I’ve considered.  Kester is a medieval diminutive for Christopher, and reminiscent of my beloved Hester.  Of course, Kester also brings to mind Jester.  So never in the first spot.  But maybe in the middle.

20.  Hermione nicknamed Minna, Octavia nicknamed Tavy, Harriet nicknamed Hattie

Three names we just plain like.

1300 words later, you’re probably thinking what I’m thinking: yes, we could name a daughter, possibly three. 

But there’s an equal chance we’d have a boy, that’s where we are truly at sea.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Veronica as Name of the Day.

A Top 100 choice from 1898 into the 1930s, today Bernice sounds dowdy and dated.  And yet, she and Veronica share roots.

More than 300 years BC, Egyptian royals wore the name Berenike or Pherenike, derived from pherein – to bring and nike - which meant victory centuries before it meant sneaker.  At least five queens answered to the appellation, as did other notables into the early Christian era.

This brings us to the saint.  As Jesus struggled under the weight of his cross, a pious woman lent him her veil.  He wiped the sweat from his brow and returned the fabric – miraculously imprinting his image in the process.

Or so the legend of Veronica’s Veil tells us – it isn’t found in the Bible.  The woman may’ve been real, and her name may’ve been Berenice.   But the Latin phrase vera icon means true image.  So either Berenice was altered to fit the phrase, or a misunderstanding transformed the Latin phrase into the woman’s name.

There’s also the possibility that Veronica is a place name for a woman from the city of Verona.  (Some say that the veil was once kept at Verona.)

A second Saint Veronica lived in Northern Italy in the early 1700s, but she was actually born Ursula.  A very different Veronica lived in Venice in the 1500s – Veronica Franco was a prominent courtesan and poet.

Veronica had a good run in the 20th century.  In 1900, she charted at #213.  In 1950, she ranked #194.  Last year she was #261.  In the late 1970s and early 80s, she reached as high as #68 more than once.

The name conjures up:

• Veronica Lake, she of the peek-a-boo ‘do and film noir fame.  Born Constance Ockelman, she was booted from Catholic school – a Paramount producer chose the saintly appellation.  Lake was huge in the 1940s, and while she died destitute, her image lives on – think Jessica Rabbit and Kim Basinger’s character in LA Confidential, for starters;
• Veronica Lodge, of the Archie comics, was apparently named after Lake and a wealthy Boston family;
• Veronica Mars was a latter-day Nancy Drew on the small screen in recent years;
• Elvis Costello’s 1989 memorable single was about an aging “Veronica”;
• In 1989 Winona Ryder played Veronica Sawyer in the enduring black comedy Heathers, about the perils of popularity in high school.

You’ll also come across Veronica in bullfighting terminology (it’s a pass made by the matador) and botany (it is a type of flowering plant sometimes called speedwell.)

With Ava and Olivia in the US Top Ten, and Victoria, Nevaeh and Avery not far behind, Veronica’s v sounds current – and yet she’s got plenty of history.  She’s a saint and a pin-up, a queen and a teen.  Best of all, she offers up plenty of nicknames, from Vera to Nica to Ronnie to Vee.

If you love Alexandra but fear she’s too popular, perhaps Veronica would make the perfect substitute.  Despite steady use, there’s still something unexpected about her.

Aly at Queen Anne Farm, 2009

But speaking of treats, our new neighbors have a son named Ellis and a daughter named Zora.  Plus, a pint-sized Adelaide came trick-or-treating at our house.

Speaking of the nicely named, Jen of Blissfully Caffeinated has welcomed daughter Lila Genevieve.  If you haven’t read her story, you might want to sit down first.  Mom and baby are doing fine, but her birth experience?  Not what you imagine …

Now, onto the name news:

• After defending variant spellings, I’ve found one I just don’t get: Nicholus, spotted by the hawk-eyed Bewildertrix.  This just a week or two after Greysun.  If u is the new y, expect to meet Peigtun, Jaydun and Londun shortly;
• A mother who gave birth on an AirAsia flight has named her son AirAsia.  I guess Jett was too subtle;
• While we’re flying the friendly skies, I’ve yet to see Amelia, the movie, but I loved Nameberry’s Heroine Names posts – Part I and Part II.
• With a hat tip to Julie – new daddy Colin Farrell is, indeed, set to star in a film called Ondine, about a mermaid.  So perhaps Ondine has a better shot at the mainstream than I initially thought.  (We all know about big screen mermaids.)

Which reminds me … Splash’s Madison chose her name from the street, but I’m always excited to discover a street that just happens to have a familiar name.  Did you know there are streets named after each of the Muses in New Orleans?  I didn’t.  But once I spotted Clio Street from the streetcar, I insisted on backtracking a few blocks until we could snap a picture.

Clio Street, NOLA

We used to live near an Aisbet Street – I always thought it sounded sort of like a Scottish version of Elizabeth.  It isn’t – I’ve never come across the name’s origins – but I still think it sounds like a great choice for the middle.

A handful of famous babies’ arrivals were announced this week:

• Mets alum Mike Piazza and wife Alicia have welcomed a second daughter – Paulina Sophia, little sister to Nicoletta Veronica;
• Former Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller and husband John Falconetti have welcomed a son, John Rocco;
• While we’re talking athletes, the New York Knicks’ Al Harrington and wife Michelle welcomed a daughter, Amaya;
• Colin Farrell and girlfriend Alicja welcomed a son, Henry Tadeusz.  (Pronounced tah DEH oosh – the Polish equivalent of Thaddeus.)  Colin also has an older son, James Padraig.

Nancy posed the question: Should older children help choose a baby name?   I was 11 when my youngest sib was born, and I’m quite certain that my mother wasn’t soliciting our opinions.  (Which is, looking back, a good thing.)  Anyone out there tried this at home?

Lastly, ABC revives V as a television series about benevolent – or not – aliens this week.  I vaguely remember the 1983 mini-series, but found myself wondering what you’d name the Visitors.  Looks like they’re pretty ordinary – the leader is called Anna.

Which reminds me … Clio’s ladybug costume, courtesy of Aunt Solange, looked sort of extraterrestrial, what with the drooping antenna.

Clio the Bug

Thanks to everyone for reading!