Let me first say this: thank you, Reese and Jim, for sharing your baby name promptly. Congratulations to you and your family! The arrival of baby Tennessee James has prompted a flurry of articles about other celebrities who have used place names for their children. There’s Alicia Keys’ son Egypt, and Mike Tyson’s kids, daughter Milan and son […]
READ MORE >>Pilot: Yea or Nay?
Pilot is among the most maligned celebrity baby names ever, regularly topping the lists of crazy choices, second only to Apple and Dweezil. But is Pilot really such an out-there appellation? We love occupational surnames for boys, from Carter to Mason. And his sound is solidly masculine. Plus Pilot’s parents have a sweet story about […]
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Radley
Remember the Yea or Nay posts?
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Judy
I’m taking the Fourth of July holiday off, but here’s a name that’s been on my mind lately: could Judy make a comeback? Formal version Judith was once a Top Ten choice. Judy reached the Top 20 in the 1940s. Today the animated Judy Jetson makes her a futuristic retro pick, and Dame Judi Dench […]
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Adelie
Anyone else spot this post at Swistle?
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Selma
She’s as Southern as Savannah, worn by actress Selma Blair and possibly related to the masculine – and saintly – name Anselm. Of course, she’s also Norway’s answer to the Loch Ness monster.
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Martha
In the 1980s, she became less Mrs. Washington and more MTV veejay, thanks to diminutive, bib-overall wearing Martha Quinn. Today, she could fit right in with Emma and Hannah. But after decades in the Top 100, today she’s nowhere to be seen. She charted at #617 in 2008 and has fallen steadily since the 1960s. […]
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Vail
At the end of December, cast members of The Young and the Restless welcomed two nicely named babies. (Georgia and Natalia – see the Sunday Summary here.) Anyhow, it sent me scanning through the extended cast member list and I discovered Princeton alum-turned-soap star Vail Bloom. It appears to be her real name. Vail brings […]
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Lorna
She’s a literary invention and a shortbread cookie. Her most popular year was 1941, when names like Barbara and Judith, Shirley and Geraldine were all the rage. She reminds me of names like Norma and Edna, but somehow I find her lighter. Maybe it’s RD Blackmore’s 1869 romance, complete with mistaken identities, a lost heiress, […]
READ MORE >>Yea or Nay: Larkin
Monday’s reaction to Lark for a girl was lukewarm. But Larkin for a boy seemed to attract some interest – and a comment from a mom who had already bestowed the name on her son! It’s a surname choice and an old school diminutive for Laurence. If parents are cautiously reconsidering Robin for their sons, […]
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