A Turkey.
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There’s no Baby Name of the Day post today, and normally I’d just link up to a bunch of the best holiday-inspired baby name posts in Sunday’s Summary.

But then I spotted Nameberry’s cool Thanksgiving Baby Names post, complete with slideshow.

And I remembered this post, from last year’s holiday.

So I’m asking: if you had to name a baby today, and you absolutely had to incorporate the holiday your child’s name, what would you choose?

Feel free to play along even if you’re not in the US … actually, you’ll probably have more free time.

I’ll choose a handful and run a poll in the Sunday Summary so we can vote for our favorite.  Winner gets bragging rights!

So bring ’em on: girl or boy, what would you name a Thanksgiving-born child?  Mercy?  Myles?  Tom?  I can’t wait to read the comments!

NOTE:  I’ve closed comments, since the polls are already up in this week’s Sunday Summary.  Feel free to leave another idea there – and vote!

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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41 Comments

  1. Autumn Grace for a girl, which may not be hugely imaginative but it’s pretty and I like both halves.

    I’d go the pilgrim route for a boy — Myles Jasper.

  2. If forced, I would go with John Alden or Priscilla Grace, after the first couple married in Plymouth.

  3. Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone!

    My own mother’s name, Teresa, has a lovely Thanksgiving-related meaning: to harvest. For both her and the holiday, I think I would choose Teresa Plum for a little girl. Boys are a bit harder, but I think I like the ring of Peregrine Clove 🙂 I liked the thought of using food-related middles!

  4. Hmmmm…

    Thankful Remember or Remember Thankful for a girl (I really love Remember, and Thankful sounds so Puritan-y)

    Noble William (I really like virtue names, and this one for a boy is wonderful)

    1. Right you are, Emmy Jo! If Arthur would EVER go for it, I’d name a Thanksgiving girl Thursday. It’s a little Jasper Fforde, but I have a real weakness for day names.

      Boys are tougher – maybe William Alden. William Bradford wrote the only surviving account of the journey, and John Alden was one of the crew. But it doesn’t feel like a very zippy name, does it?

      1. It’s not zippy, but it’s handsome.

        And I’m with you on your love for day names. I feel like I really shouldn’t like them, but I do.

  6. Alice Pomona – Alice was on the nameberry list of people on the Mayflower, and Pomona was a goddess associated with the harvest. If I remember correctly, she was the Roman goddess of apples. I love Pomona! She’s just so lively and fun. I pronounce it puh-MOAN-uh, like Ramona put with a P.

    Arthur Peregrine – I just love both names! I couldn’t decide between Arthur or James Peregrine or Isaac Peregrine.

    Other Thanksgiving names I really like but didn’t use are Amity, Verity, Temperance, Susanna, Lydia, Hester, Jasper, Miles, Isaac, and James. I find Remember and Oceanus interesting.

  7. Boy: Ephraim Bennett — Ephraim means “fruitful,” and that seems appropriate for a holiday that takes place at harvest time. Bennett is a medieval form of the name Benedict (“blessed”). Incidentally, Bennett would also honor my father-in-law, Ben. We’re set on using family middles — I’m glad I found a family middle that was Thanksgiving-y. (The runner up for a boys’ name was Jethro, which means “abundance.” I seem to have a thing for uncommon biblical names tonight.)

    Girl: Beatrice Demetra — Beatrice originally meant “voyager, traveler” but over time became associated with the Latin word meaning “blessed.” The name is thus very appropriate for a holiday celebrating the Pilgrims, as they were blessed travelers. Demetra comes from Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. As a bonus, Demetra is a family name on my mother’s side — my husband isn’t too keen on it, but I bet if we were being forced to use a Thanksgiving-y middle name for a child, I’d be able to talk him into Demetra.

    1. I love how you connected the meaning of Beatrice to the pilgrims! That’s genius. 🙂

  8. Peregrine Margaret (today would have been my Great-Grandma Maggie’s 97th Birthday)

  9. I dream of having a child born on or close to a major holiday and have middle names ready and waiting for this to happen!!! I think middle names can be fun, and my Thanksgiving baby would be very fun.. for a girl mn: Cinnamon or Cranberry … yah thats right, laugh it up.. but I am blessed with 2 middle names, so my daughter shall be, so why not have fun with one and a family name for the other. She would be something like Lucy Cranberry Marie or Phoebe Cinnamon Marie. I wouldnt be so daring with the first name, but I think one fun middle name would be spunky.

    2. They sound crazy on their own, but they sound AMAZING in the combos – Phoebe Cinnamon Marie and Lucy Cranberry Marie are both great.

  10. My first thought was Peregrine, which is a name I really like. However, since I’m a vegetarian, maybe Mercy would be the most appropriate choice for a Thanksgiving name!