Tag Archives: Veronica

Sunday Summary: 7/12/09

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I spent Saturday afternoon at a kid-friendly baby shower, trying not to grill the expectant mom about baby names.  (They’re not finding out the gender, and they’re not sharing names in advance.  Torture!)  But among the small guests?  A pint-sized Zora, named after the author.

In other name news:

  • I don’t think the Mostly Cajun blogger and I have anything in common, but I enjoy his lists of some of the least appealing baby names he spots in local birth announcements – as in Bailee, Jazm’yne, Taylior.  If you need a reason to groan and roll your eyes, direct your browser towards Louisiana;
  • With the next installment in the Harry Potter series set to hit the big screen soon, get ready for more articles about JK Rowling-inspired baby names.  This article from the Baltimore Sun pegs the most obvious impact of the series to date – the rise of Luna;
  • How much am I loving Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It”s posts on Newbies?  Culled from online birth announcements, I surrender twenty minutes of my non-existent free time whenever one surfaces in my Google Reader.  There’s a Wren Elise on her most recent list.  And I continue to puzzle over Timberlyn.  Were her eco-chic parents worried she’d be lost among all the Willows?  Or is it a logical name for a logger’s daughter?  Could the parents be superfans of Justin Timberlake?  Timbaland?  Timberland footwear?  The mind reels;
  • Legit Baby Names blogged about Olga recently.  Why aren’t there more Olgas?  Or am I the only one so charmed?;
  • Bewilditrix turned the spotlight on Basil.  Basil Fawlty’s not so well known in the US, and I’ve noticed one or two in the birth announcements.  In fact, here my first Basil thought is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories.  Guess we’ll have to wait and see;
  • The Toronto Star again covers an unusual baby name – but this one is actually rather appealing: Nash Anthony;
  • I’ve neglected to mention Dooce, the mother-of-all-mommy blogger’s second darling daughter, Marlo Iris.  (Big sis is Leta.)  I especially love Iris in the middle spot – wonder if she’ll replace Rose anytime soon;
  • Which reminds me, Babble’s Oz Spies has welcomed a second son, Jonas Eamon, little brother to Axel;
  • Jason Priestly is a dad for the second time, but they’ve yet to announce the name chosen for Ava Veronica‘s little brother;
  • Indy driver Scott Dixon welcomed a daughter named Poppy Davies Dixon – the middle name is mom Emma’s maiden name;
  • Nancy’s post on wild Saints’ Names is fabulous.  I think we can safely say that Waltrude is not primed for a comeback;
  • From the time machine – one year ago today, the Name of the Day was Saskia.

Lastly, a special (and overdue) congratulations to Bek on the birth of Eben Forrest.  (I know she’s already mentioned it in comments from another post, but it is such a fabulous name, it really deserves some more applause!)

Check back next week for Leland, Phaedra, Ferdinand, Marsann and Leora.  Thanks for reading!

Hurricane Names

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It’s not really baby naming news – it’s meteorological, potentially catastrophic even.

And yet I can’t resist posting the 2009 list of Hurricane Names.

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25 Sensible Names for Girls

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While we’re of the opinion that there is no such thing as a normal name, we do grudgingly admit that there are safe, sensible choices.  These are names that will never prompt a stranger to say, “What an interesting name!”  But neither will they cause someone to do a double take and say, “Umm … how do you spell that?”

This list could include such enduring classics as Elizabeth and Mary.  But we’ve chosen instead to focus on names that have a more current feel.  Many were not in use before the 20th century.  Some may not remain viable options by the time your granddaughters arrive.  But bestow one upon your child circa 2008 and odds are that it will wear well throughout her lifetime.

So if you’re searching for the elusive normal name, we’ve compiled 25 perfectly sensible, inoffensive, well-known names for your consideration.

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Simple, Sweet and Stuck in the Middle

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We’ve written about middle names before.  But today, we’ve decided to offer a fairly simple list for your consideration.

While many of these are gender neutral, this list was compiled with girls in mind.  For decades, parents have stuffed an unimaginative Anne or Lynne between the first and last names.  More recently, Grace and Rose have become the most common answers to the riddle of the middle.

Many fabulous pairings do not require a single-syllable middle name.  We love unexpected combinations like Mary Veronica or Alice Zenobia.  But if you find that keeping it simple is more your style, read on.

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Bookshelf: Bad Baby Names

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Let’s start with an important disclaimer:  Bad Baby Names is not a how-to guide.  While there are a few gems in this volume, for the most part these eye-poppingly odd monikers are best left to history.

History is precisely where co-authors Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback discovered the raw material for their book.  The staff at Ancestry.com couldn’t help but notice that, in the not-so-distant past, Fairy was a common choice.  (Don’t believe me?  Check out the Social Security stats, and you’ll see that it peaked in 1905, when 32 baby girls were named Fairy – as many as Bridget, and more than Diana, Melissa or Annabel.)

Read on for some of my favorites – and some lessons gleaned from this diverting little book.

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Substitute: Ava

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If you love the name Ava, you’re not alone. Nearly than 50,000 parents have chosen Ava for their daughters since 2005.

And what’s not to love? It’s simple, it’s glamorous, it’s feminine without being frilly. Ava pairs well with a variety of last names, too.

But now that it is well installed in the Top Ten, plenty of parents are looking for an alternative to naming their daughter Ava, too. Read on for a few ideas.

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