Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every Saturday, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. (What’s that? It’s Sunday, you say! Well yes. Yes, it is. During March Madness the consults are bumped a day.)
We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight!
Jamie is a self-described rocker chick with “lots of tattoos.”
She’s trying to name her first child – we’re looking for boy and girl names – and isn’t sure where to start, except that she’d like some real rock’n’roll style to her child’s name.
The last name is two syllables and sounds like Jody with a K.
Read on for my response – and please share your thoughtful comments and suggestions below!
Hi Jamie –
Congratulations! I think I know a little bit of what you’re going through. Your first trip into a baby superstore can be sort of shocking – lots of pink, blue, fuzzy yellow ducks. If your life has been more rock’n’roll than rock-a-bye baby, it can leave you wondering where you fit in, and whether you’ve got to trade black leather for pastel pink.
The good news? It’s easier than ever to be true to your personal style while pregnant and parenting. One of my favorite new mom memoirs is Rockabye: From Wild to Child by Rebecca Woolf, the blogger behind Girl’s Gone Child.
It’s especially possible to be true to your style when it comes to baby names.
Rocker style isn’t a lot to go on, but here’s how I’m reading it:
- Probably outside of the mainstream – nothing Top Ten, and probably not a Top 100, even if the name has a cool, edgy style.
- A short, no-nonsense sound. No reason Benvolio can’t be a rocker, but I’m not feeling it.
- Something slightly daring and edgy. Cordelia isn’t in the US Top 1000 at the moment, but that’s a lacy, literary choice – not quite the style I imagine you’d like.
Rocker Names: Boys
There are lots of surname names associated with legends from rock’n’roll. But they might be more mainstream than you’d like – Lennon, Marley – or possibly not your flavor of rock – Crosby, Dylan.
Assuming that you’re looking for something slightly more on the edge:
- Sid – As in Vicious. No, he didn’t have a happy ending. Atallwhatsoever. But his name is retro, edgy, unusual. At the same time, it’s not so out there that it couldn’t be worn in everyday life. Boys are named Max and Gus, so why not Sid? Actor Jason Biggs gave the name to his son last year.
- Strummer – As in Joe, of The Clash. Two positives for Strummer – first, it’s a much less ambiguous musical legacy – no dark endings. Second, Strummer is obviously after Joe, but unlike Lennon, it might not be instantly recognizable as a hero name. If you’re a fan, it’s a name that works.
- Bix – Okay, Bix Beiderbecke was a jazz musician, so we’re in the wrong genre. But Bix is an interesting possibility, isn’t it? Jax (and Jaxon and Jaxson) are all the rage, and Max (and Maxwell) have been huge. Bix is much less expected, but picks up on the same trend. Three others in this camp: Rex, Fox, and Dex.
- Hurley – Hurley is best known for their surf gear, but there’s something about the name that feels carefree and cool. Bob Hurley was the founder of the company, though it’s been owned by Nike for the past few years. Another with a similar feel: Huxley.
- Ivo – Think saints’ names can’t be cool? Nothing could be further from the truth! I’m a big fan of Ivo. The saint was a lawyer who advocated for the poor. He’s also called Yves. Ivo has lots of current sounds – the ‘o’ ending, the middle ‘v’ – but is unexpected. Others in this category: Arlo, Maceo.
Now, for a girl:
- Cleo – My daughter is called Clio, so I’m partial to this name – and really, all ends in ‘o’ names for girls. They’re quirky and unexpected, and definitely cool. Some, like Marlo, feel retro. Cleo actually was fairly common in the early twentieth century, but has faded since then. Others with this feel: Juno, Echo, Marlo.
- Djuna – The D is silent. No, really. It was the name of poet Djuna Barnes, invented by her starving-artist father. It’s an offbeat, bohemian name. Another daring possibility: artist surname name Kahlo.
- Dree – The Hemingways are stand-out namers. Mariel Hemingway – granddaughter of Ernest – named her daughters Dree Louise and Langley Fox. Dree could be a creative spin on Bree, or it could be short for Andrea. Either way, it’s a cool, modern possibility for a girl.
- Leta – Blogger Heather Armstrong’s daughter Leta Elise put this mythological possibility back on the map. It’s usually spelled Leda in Greek myth – either spelling works in American English. Leta/Leda brings to mind Lena, as in Dunham, as in Girls, which has a lot of cool style, too – but is much more common.
- Liv – Tailored, simple, and with a great meaning – life – Liv feels like an edgy name with plenty of substance. There are lots of slim, trim names for girls, and while some might feel too prim for your tastes – I’m not sure Bess is a rocker name – it’s another good place to start.
Readers, what do you think? Are there names that feel edgy and cool that you can suggest to Jamie?
I like Cleo and Liv the best! While I wouldn’t describe myself as “rocker chick” my naming style might be a little. The best that I can think of are Ramona and Samson. Also…
Luella, Zelda, Elowen, Ayla, Sloan, Maxine, Damira, Simone
Jonah, Jasper, Sebastian, Harrison, Nixon, Conrad
I know a rocker chick tattoist – her children are called Bixby (similar to Bix), and Luella.
Fabulous names!
Jet, Jagger, Brix for a boy
Jettie, Hollis, drew, joss, zora for a girl
Silas or Titus say rock to me. Any retro nickname name as well like bobby or johnny could be good. Girls are harder, jo or Peggy perhaps? I agree that a cool person will always make a name look cool.
I’ve always liked Bon, as in AC/DC’s Bon Scott. But I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea 🙂
I agree with Elisabeth – anything too hit-you-over-the-head obvious could come to be cringeworthy, like a tattoo of your favourite band’s logo you got at 18 thinking it was totally badass. To me, a rocker naming her kid after a brand of guitar is like a motorcycle enthusiast naming her kid Harley. Not the worst thing ever, but not especially inspired, either.
I’d stick with names that are distinctive – counter-culture without being outlandish. I agree that many Scandinavian names would fit the bill – Rasmus (also the name of a band), Lars, Magnus, Dagmar, Dagny, Ingrid. I like Cleo, Thora, Nico, Max, Lou (very popular in France for girls), Lee for a girl or a boy and Zara as well. And you can’t go wrong with William or John nicknamed Billy or Johnny.
Keep in mind that most rock legends weren’t born with inherently cool names but made the names cool by being who they are.
Along the lines of Scandinavian names that several people have mentioned I really like Khan for a boy. It’s got a very distinctive and cool sound but it’s still pretty chill. If I was a little more brave it would probably be on my own shortlist!
Love Strummer and Bix for a rocker babe. And from the comments Loretta and Vesper for girls and Bowie, Soren, and Wilder for boys.
Redding, Ronan, Waylon, and Kit come to mind for boys. And Maeve, Saoirse, Charmaine and Dara for girls.
If it’s direct rock and roll namesakes you’re after, I don’t have much to suggest, but I did want to point out that Sid could also be taken as a reference to Syd Barrett. Also not exactly a story that ends super happily, but a worthy namesake nevertheless, I think. I think on the whole the names of blues and jazz musicians (Miles, Thelonius, Etta, etc) seem more rocker than the names of the rocker musicians I can think of, probably because a lot of rock musicians just have commonplace names of their generation that are now a little worn.
For names that just seem stylistically rockerish, there are some Scandinavian names I’ve always thought looked very cool. Rugged and a little bit intimidating. Probably all that metal cred. Examples from my own lists: Anja, Aksel, Birger, Gyda, Helle, Katja, Magnus, Tais, Rasmus, Signe, Søren, Solveig, Thora.
Others from my list that seem a bit rock to me (some of which may also be Scandinavian, but I haven’t noted it): Pandora, Phaedra, Saga, Marit, Thaddeus, Cato, Ozias. Last one even gets you Ozzy, if that’s something you’re into.
I’ve always thought Gibson (like the guitars) was a cool rock n roll name for a boy.
Ooh – brilliant, Loren!
Here’s some of my standouts, since I’d kind of describe myself the same way.
Azure, Coral, Callisto, Delta, Elowen, Florence, Helene, Imogen, Juniper, Jessamine, Leonora, Maxine, Olympia, Quilla, Ramona, Simone, Vesper, Winona, Zelda
Atlas, Basil, Casper, Cedar, Duncan, Emrys, Graham, Kieran, Leif, Omri, Peregrine, Reef, Soren, Wilder
I also thought of Rebecca Woolf of GGC right away, and her naming style. Her choices aren’t obviously connected to rock n’ roll, but they are offbeat, interesting choices with a lot of personal meaning for her. I wonder whether Jamie meant she wanted names with an obvious rock n’ roll association or whether she’s using the term as a shorthand for names that are edgy, cool, offbeat, etc.
Here are some names that came to mind for me:
Bowie
Rigby
Jett
Echo
Lark
Pheonix
Stevie
Davey
Fiona
Roxanne
I’ve always found Dree really appealing. I’m held back from loving it, because something about it seems insubstantial to me. I wish I knew where Hemingway got it from.
It’s dictionary definition is weirdly appealing, too. Archaic Scottish verb meaning “endure (something burdensome or painful).” Could Hemingway have been intending to reference the word? It’s a nice message to send to a kid – endure, even when it’s hard.
Linus was first name that came to mind. I’m drawn to softer sounding names for you that still have a rocker feel. When your cool, your cool, you don’t have to try hard. I like the suggested Fox, Sid, Cleo, Marlo and Liv. Also Silas, Simon, Oliver, Topher, Dean, Jarrett, Elliott, Asher, Dante, Isaac. And for girls: Kit, Sloan, Sasha, Quinn, Blake, Jetta, Nola, Stella, Evie, Noor, Beck.
Girls: Lennox, Thora, Aretha, Turner, Mavis, Loretta, India, Joan/Joni, Zola (but I think the suggestion of Lou is better than all these)
Boys: Griffin, Lars, Beck, Ned, Van, Huck, Len/Leon, Otis, Verne, Angus, Zeke, Boone, Dean, Booker, Ray, Jett, Roy
Adding Vito to the boys list
Director Robert Rodriguez’s kids’ names immediately come to mind for me: Racer, Rocket, Rebel, Rogue, and Rhiannon. Such a fun style! Good luck!
Constantine belongs on this list.
Huxley does sound like a rocker name, I suggest that one.
Astrid for a girl.
I might steer clear of any obvious musician names. No to Bowie, yes to Ivo. Anything too obvious or literal could be eye roll inducing, and impose too much of your own ideas onto your child for life. Though I do really like the idea of Neko for a girl.
What about Vaughn for a boy?
And for a girl, what about Lou? It’s simple, yet beautiful and can be paired easily with short, feminine girl names.
Love Lou for a girl! Brings to mind Lou Reed.
I love Lou on a girl. It makes me think of Jane Birkin’s daughter, Lou Doillon. She seems pretty rock ‘n’ roll in pictures. The Lou Reed connection is nice too.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think Vaughn would be cool for a girl too 🙂
Oh I do like Vaughn for a girl too!
How do you feel about Fender for a boy?
Also: Smith, Bowie, Kurt, Bruce, Elvis, Drummer, Floyd, Jared (for boys)
Piper, Courtney, Patti, Harley, Lucy (for girls)
Hendrix – we have a few around here. Also Axel, Jagger, Van, Cosmo, Vadim, Loki.
For girls Vita, Bridie, Astrid, Gaia, Ginny, Frankie, Ever.