Golden Globes baby namesThe start of the year brings with it award season, beginning with the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, broadcasting live on Sunday, January 10th.

The Oscars are more famous, and the Grammys often have the more outrageous fashion choices. But the Golden Globes have something that makes them stand out, too: Miss Golden Globe.

Originally imagined as an honor bestowed upon a rising starlet, it quickly became a plum position for the daughter, or sometimes son, of Hollywood royalty. They’re not just pretty faces. The role of Miss and Mr. Golden Globe has been filled by many a celebrity child launching an independent career in Hollywood.

The title is part honorific, but the bearers of the title do help with the presentation of awards during the ceremony.

It only started in the 1960s, but there’s already been one mother-daughter combination: Melanie Griffith, daughter of Peter Griffith and Tippi Hendren, was Miss Golden Globe in 1975. Melanie’s daughter with fellow actor Don Johnson, Dakota Johnson, held the post in 2006.

Half-sisters Kathryn Eastwood and Francesca Eastwood, both daughters of actor-turned-director Clint Eastwood, served as Miss Golden Globe in 2005 and 2013, respectively.

You can read the complete and official list here. It’s an interesting walk through some of the high profile birth announcements from the decades predating Twitter.

Or read on, and I’ll share my favorites – 16 marquee-worthy celebrity baby names that are all grown up in 2016.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Lisabeth

In 1985, William Shatner and Gloria Rand’s middle daughter, Lisabeth Mary, served as Miss Golden Globe. Shatner and Rand are also the parents of Leslie Carol and Melanie Ann.

The name is a variation of Elizabeth heard in northern Europe. Since her sisters have fairly conventional names – both ranked around the US Top 100 at the time of their births – Lisabeth is even more surprising.

But it’s also a lovely name – and one with an edge. That’s because today it brings to mind Stieg Larsson’s character from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, Lisbeth Salander. Lisabeth Shatner’s acting career was brief – much too brief for her unusual given name to catch on. But forms of Elizabeth are always full of potential.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Calista

Calista Miranda Carradine was born into a family of actors. There’s dad, David Carradine, and grandfather John, plus uncles and cousins. It’s a strikingly unusual name, outside of the US Top 1000 when she was born. Her younger sister and brother have even more surprising monikers: son Free and daughter Kansas. Free changed his name to Tom while still a child.

Miss Carradine wore the title in 1986, a decade when two or three dozen girls were given the name every year. A decade later, Calista Flockhart became a star as Ally McBeal, and the name finally cracked the US Top 1000.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Gigi

Was Gigi the given name of Miss Golden Globe 1988? Actually, no – she was born Greta, the daughter of James and Lois Garner, initials G.G.

Gigi’s acting career was brief, but she scored a string of pop hits in Europe in the 1980s.

As a name, Gigi has always been elusive. I’ve heard it used as a nickname for Georgia, Genevieve, and Gabrielle, and I love the idea of Gigi as a nickname for Marguerite, too. But it turns out that it was most popular as a formal given name in the 1960s, around the time Greta Garner was born. Credit to musical movie Gigi, starring Maurice Chevalier, with a young Leslie Caron as Gilberte – nicknamed Gigi.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Katharine

Not every Miss Golden Globe is the daughter of a famous actor. The children of directors and producers are eligible, too. Miss Golden Globe 1990, Katharine Kramer, falls into the latter category. The daughter of Stanley Kramer, his films earned over sixteen Academy Awards, and dozens of nominations. He was known for working on films with a message, like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Inherit the Wind. Now known as Kat Kramer, his daughter followed in his footsteps, working on documentaries.

Katharine is a classic name, but this spelling is especially classic Hollywood. It evokes the legendary Katharine Hepburn – who just happens to be Kat Kramer’s godmother.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Joely

I’m intrigued by the name of Miss Golden Globe 1992: Joely Fisher, daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens. Carrie Fisher is her half-sister, and her family tree is dotted with other notables from the world of show business.

It isn’t clear why Eddie and Connie named their daughter Joely. It seems like a feminine form of Joel, which was popular in the 1960s and 70s. There’s no question that the couple inspired others. The year of her 1967 birth was the first year the name registered in the US Social Security stats, with 20 births total. By 1968, there were 70 newborn Joelys.

The name faded just as quickly, then rose again as Miss Fisher’s acting career took off in the 1990s. Today you’re more likely to meet a baby Jolie, which is both the French equivalent of Belle and the surname of A-lister Angelina Jolie.

Golden Globes Baby Names: John Clark

Our first Mr. Golden Globe is 1995’s John Clark Gable. Born a few months after his father’s death, John Clark’s mom, Kay Williams Gable, didn’t make him a junior for fear it would be too much to live up to.

John Clark has made headlines for all the wrong reasons, but I still like his name. It’s difficult to say how common double names are in American English, since they’re usually recorded as first middle, and aren’t necessarily used consistently through the bearer’s lifetime. But they can be a good approach to reinvent a family name, or to pass down a favorite name while remaking it for a new generation.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Freddie

In 1996, Freddie Prinze, Jr. became Mr. Golden Globe. (Though I tend to think of him as Mr. Sarah Michelle Gellar.)

His dad, Freddie Prinze, Sr. – born Frederick Karl Pruetzel – became a star on 70s sitcom Chico and the Man. The actor and comedian legally changed his name to Freddie James Prinze early in his career. So even though Prinze, Sr. started out as Frederick, his son has always been just Freddie.

While the son isn’t quite as famous as the father, he’s had a successful acting career,

As for his name, it is one that I’m unapologetically rooting for. If Charlie is huge, why not Freddie? Frederick is an enduring classic of a name, and Freddie is a great short form.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Clementine

Lately, edible Clementine has been catching on. Claudia Schiffer chose the name in 2004, and Ethan Hawke in 2008. Clementine returned to the US Top 1000 in 2014, after sixty years’ absence.

But David Ford and Cybill Shepherd were way ahead of the curve – or maybe so quirky they were off the curve. Their Clementine was born way back in 1979, when no one was using the name.

Of course, Shepherd knows a thing or two about having a distinctive name. The unusual spelling of Cybill honors her grandfather Cy and father Bill.

Clementine Ford was Miss Golden Globe 1998.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Lorraine

There have always been French names for girls in the US Top 100, though they’ve changed over the decades. Blanche is a Golden Girl today, while Genevieve is a favorite in 2016.

Lorraine could be huge right about now. It’s not just French; it’s also a place name. Instead, the name was big in the 1920s.

Since then, Lorraine has been in style limbo. It was never such a popular name that it felt overexposed, nor was it so popular that there are tons of grandmothers named Lorraine waiting to be honored. (Though there certainly are some – Lorraine was named after Jack’s aunt.)

Lorraine Nicholson served as Miss Golden Globe 2007, and she’s had a number of roles since then, most notably in 2011’s Soul Surfer.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Rumer

Celebrities have long used names that were ever so slightly different, but in many ways, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore are the godparents of modern celebrity baby naming. Their daughters’ names, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, remain distinctive more than twenty years later.

The eldest Miss Willis was named for writer Rumer Godden – born Margaret Rumer Godden – making this a literary choice. She served as Miss Golden Globe in 2009, and has taken on acting roles since. But she might be best known for winning Dancing With the Stars in 2015.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Mavis

I’ve been watching the return of Mavis, which seems closely tied to animated film Hotel Transylvania and its sequel. Mavis is a young vampiress voiced by rising star Selena Gomez.

Could there be another reason Mavis has made a comeback? In 2010, Miss Golden Globe was Mavis Spencer, daughter of Alfre Woodward and Roderick Spencer. Alfre and Roderick are also parents to son Duncan.

But alas, the lovely Miss Spencer’s only credit to date is Miss Golden Globe. Should she follow in her mother’s footsteps, it could be another reason that Mavis finds favor with a new generation.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Francesca

Signs for the Golden Globe Awards.

I love Francesca for more than one reason. It’s one of the Francis names, a cluster on the upswing. And it’s one of those great longer names for girls that doesn’t automatically require a nickname, along the lines of Isabella or Olivia.

It’s also a bona fide celebrity baby name. Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher used the name for a daughter in 1993. It’s a great play on mom’s name, isn’t it? Since then, Martin Scorsese and Jason Bateman have also given the name to daughters.

Francesca Eastwood was Miss Golden Globe 2013. She was since seen on a reality show about the extended Eastwood family.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Sam

In years when there’s a Mr. Golden Globe, he often has a female counterpart. That was the case in 2013, when Sam Michael Fox and Francesca Eastwood shared duties.

I find Sam an interesting name choice for a few reasons. First, it’s more common than the names Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan chose for their daughters: Aquinnah, Schulyer, and Esme. But secondly – and maybe more interestingly – because it’s just Sam. Not Samuel or Samson or Samwise. (Okay, that last one would be more unusual!) It’s another signal that Pollan and Fox are ahead-of-the-curve namers: they skipped the formal name before it was fashionable to do so.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Sosie

I love the name of Miss Golden Globe 2014: Sosie, daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.

It could be a nickname for Sophia or Josephine or Shoshana or maybe some other names that I’ve yet to consider. But the Sedgwick-Bacon family used just Sosie on their daughter’s birth certificate back in 1992. Her earliest appearances were part of her parents’ various projects, but she’s kept a higher profile that many a Miss Golden Globe.

As celebrity baby names go, Sosie has never caught on. And yet, I think it has potential in our Sadie-Maisie age.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Greer

Greer was just featured as a Baby Name of the Day, and last year’s Miss Golden Globe was Greer Grammar, daughter of Kelsey.

Greer has had more independent success than many a Miss Golden Globe, but the success of her name is due to another actress – Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson.

Like Clementine and Sosie and Sam, Greer was an ahead of the curve pick for Kelsey and Barrie Buckner. It’s actually her middle name – she was born Kandance Greer Grammer.

Golden Globes Baby Names: Corinne

This year’s Miss Golden Globe is Corinne Bishop, daughter of actor Jamie Foxx – born Eric Bishop.

She’s been in the spotlight in recent years as dad’s date to awards shows, and has done some modeling – but so far, Corinne has yet to take on acting roles.

As for her name, it’s one of those nicely off-trend picks. Corinne was born in 1994, when the name was given to around 500 girls. It’s never left the US Top 1000, nor has it cracked the Top 250. This makes Corinne a steady choice, slightly French, and with potential to catch on – but it just plain never has.

Of course, Corinne is also a Cora name – so all it would take is one high-profile Corinne to make parents notice this underused name.

Are there any Miss or Mr. Golden Globe names I’ve neglected? What are your favorites?

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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1 Comment

  1. One you missed that might interest you: Miss Golden Globe 2012 was Andie MacDowell’s daughter Rainey. Her siblings are Sarah Margaret and Justin.