Time for the Quarter Finals in the Great Halloween Baby Names contest!
The Opening Round is over, and your votes have narrowed our list of dramatic, romantic Edgar Allan Poe-inspired names from sixteen to just eight.
Let’s look back at last week’s results.
Madeline swept past Ulalume, with almost 68% of the vote. That’s a win, but it’s not exactly a landslide. A number of these haunting choices from Edgar Allan Poe’s works of fiction fared better than you might expect – even if they didn’t advance.
Annabel garnered over 77% of the tally, easily pushing Morella to the side. Okay, then again, there’s Morella. I think it’s name-like enough to be used in a story, but clearly not name-like enough to be used in real life. Plus, Annabel is such a current favorite.
With nearly 81% of the vote, Camille trounced Ligeia. Erm … maybe the Poe-specific names do have a hard time against more broadly popular choices?
In the biggest win for the night, Alessandra took nearly 86% of the total against Lalage. This was a heart-breaker. I was really pulling for Lalage! Still, Alessandra is the kind of name that’s just different enough to have serious appeal, while Lalage would be a nearly unique choice.
Eulalie triumphed over Raven, with almost 57% of the total. Proof that not every mainstream name won out!
By a similar margin, Helen won over Jacinta, with just under 57% of the votes. The contest between these two names was close, but classic Helen ultimately won out.
Lenore defeated Rowena, claiming just under 59% of the take. A few years ago, Rowena was the runner-up to Luna in the Harry Potter edition of this contest, so I thought it might win. But nope. Lenore, a variant of traditional favorite Eleanor, topped the contest.
With over 80% of the votes, Eleonora advances against Berenice. Maybe there’s a theme here? Because another Eleanor cousin, Eleonora, carried the day in our final match-up.
The take-aways?
As is often the case at Appellation Mountain, the most unusual names are voted out early. Not because we don’t love them, but simply because we love other names more. A name’s association with Edgar Allan Poe didn’t helm or harm it, necessarily. After all, Annabel is strongly associated with Poe’s poem, but still triumphed. While Raven, another strongly Poe-centric possibility, couldn’t win.
So once again, it’s time to vote!
Choose the name you love most, either because you might consider it for a child. Or simply because you’d love to hear it more!
GREAT HALLOWEEN BABY NAMES CONTEST 2022: QUARTER FINALS
MADELINE v ELEONORA
ANNABEL v LENORE
