Let’s talk popularity tests. Parents often reject a favorite name because it seems too popular. Or “might be getting” too popular. That’s a pretty squishy statement! So how can you calmly evaluate whether a name might be too popular? The bad news: popularity tests cannot predict the future. While data provides plenty of insight, nothing can […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: Can we use family names from my side only?
Update: After realizing that different forms of Michael appeared in both families, as first and last names, we gave our son the middle name Michael. We intend to use this as the middle name for our future children, too. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the kind of family name we imagined, but it’s a family name […]
READ MORE >>Mailbag: February 2015 Edition
View image | gettyimages.com When we started offering baby name consults back in October, I had a flicker of hesitation. What would happen during a week when no one wanted help? It’s been months now, and happily we’ve had no shortage of requests. But suddenly, during this cold and snowy February, there’s a gap. So […]
READ MORE >>Avoid Family Names: 8 Reasons to Start Fresh
There are so many solid reasons to avoid family names. Make no mistake, choosing a name from your family tree can be great. It simplifies the process of finding the right name, and it will doubtless please the honoree. There’s a built-in story for your child, too, one that connects her to earlier generations. But […]
READ MORE >>The Problem of Native American Baby Names
Kara challenged me to write about Native American baby names. And why not? Couples who honeymoon in Paris return to name their daughter Genevieve, and someone whose great-great-grandmother came from Italy in the late 1800s might decide to name his sons Luca and Matteo. American English is eclectic, and our naming conventions reflect that. We borrow, and we discover and […]
READ MORE >>The Nine Types of Unusual Baby Names
What do you mean by unusual baby names? We throw around the word “unique” an awful lot. (Guilty as charged.) Unique means one of a kind – just one. It is impossible to be “a little bit unique.” You’re either the only one, or you’re not. Most of us aren’t after unique baby names, and […]
READ MORE >>Truly Unusual Names: The Perils of Hester and Habakkuk
It’s no secret that I love unusual names. I’ve written before In Defense of Atlas and Apple: Ten Reasons Unusual Names Aren’t a Problem, and I haven’t changed my mind. But I do have my hesitations, and a recent exchange with the mom of a very unusually named child got me thinking: what are the […]
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