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Name of the Day: Craig

January 19, 2009 By appellationmountain 11 Comments

He’s more likely to be the father – or even grandfather – than the newborn baby boy, but today’s choice might still work for a little one.

Today’s Name of the Day goes out to Skye, in honor of her husband: Craig.

Craig’s origins are straightforward. The Gaelic creag – rock – is usually given as the source. A handful of related words can be found, including the Old Irish crec and Manx creg. And so a fellow dwelling near an impressive boulder could eventually become known by this name. The words crag and craggy survive, too, especially to describe a particularly rugged landscape.

Craig’s heyday was from 1947 to 1988, when he was a Top 100 choice for US-born boys. From 1969-1970, Craig reached as high as #43. That’s why plenty of daddies wear the name these days – nearly 60,000 Craigs were born in the 1970s alone.

Famous Craigs include:

  • Even if you’ve never heard of Craig Newmark, odds are you’ve been to his site – Craigslist.
  • Actor Craig T. Nelson has had a lengthy career, from the dad in Poltergeist to television’s Coach.
  • The late Craig Kelly was an innovative snowboarder, known for turning his back on lucrative endorsement deals.

Clan Craig died out in the 1800s, but the name retains a certain Scottish vibe. You can find places called Craig on the map throughout the UK and the US. It’s worn as a surname with some frequency.

Today, Craig occupies an interesting place. While he was sometimes used in the 19th century, he’s truly a 20th century phenomenon, discovered the last time parents went searching for single syllable names for boys. Some will dismiss him as dated – like Scott, Chad and Todd, Craig may be not-quite-ready for a comeback.

But Craig has one advantage those names lack. His “ay” sound, shared with chart-toppers like Aidan, makes this one slightly fresher than his companions. Plus, with single syllable choices for boys making a comeback, it’s not a stretch to imagine Cade, Cole and Craig playing together in the not-too-distant future.

Still, Craig has fallen fast. As of 2007, he stood at #539 in the US. Less than 500 boys were called Craig that year, compared to nearly 1200 Cades and over 5600 Coles.

If you’re hoping for a fashion-forward choice, Craig comes up short. Innovative parents would probably favor Canyon or Calder. But if you’re considering passing down a family name, Craig might work nicely – familiar, in step with trends and yet shared by few in this generation.

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Comments

  1. Shannon says

    January 21, 2009 at 11:09 PM

    Kind of has a dad image to me (dad of kids today, not my dad), but I don’t mind it at all and wouldn’t surprise me to hear a child called Craig. Good middle name too. I didn’t know anyone pronounced it Crayg.. I thought it was always Creg.

    Reply
  2. Lyndsay Jenness says

    January 21, 2009 at 5:09 AM

    Hmm, where I’m from we say them the same, Crayg and Grayg. I mean, I’ve heard it pronounced Greg, too, but not as often. Neither are names I hear much, though, so it’s not much of an issue.

    Craig is totally unappealing to me… but I also agree with Paige, it’s nice in the middle. Edward Craig sounds pretty sexy! Haha.

    Reply
  3. Lola says

    January 20, 2009 at 6:02 PM

    Funny, Photoquilty, I grew up in an area where the two are pretty interchangable too. I now say Crayg & Greg to differentiate, but back home my siblings still say Creg & Greg.

    Reply
  4. Bek says

    January 20, 2009 at 4:58 PM

    I agree with Paige, that Craig could be an unexpected choice in the middle name spot. Otherwise, it just doesn’t excite me, unlike some other “retro” type names that I find can be kind of cool and quirky these days… like Scott or Todd.

    Reply
  5. Cat says

    January 20, 2009 at 3:24 AM

    Craig doesn’t excite me too much, honestly. I have an Uncle Craig, but I’ve never met him, so I have no real associations. I agree with Paige, though, it can be really interesting in the middle spot.

    Reply
  6. photoquilty says

    January 19, 2009 at 10:23 PM

    Hm. Where I’m from, we don’t say Crayg. We say Creg, as in it rhymes with Greg. I’ve known three – my husband has an uncle Craig, and a cousin (said uncle’s son) Craiggy (Creggy). The uncle is 65 or older, I’d guess, and the cousin is 28 or 29. It’s not a bad name, not an eye-roller type, but it’s not spectacular. I’d be surprised to hear of someone naming a newborn Craig these days, but not dismissive of it.

    Reply
  7. Paige says

    January 19, 2009 at 9:31 PM

    I like Craig- as a middle name. As a first, it seems rather dated, but as a middle I think it packs a reasonable punch. Think about it- there’s nothing eye-popping about Craig Edward, but Edward Craig, to me, is very interesting.
    And the Daniel Craig connection just gives it manliness and a rugged touch ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  8. JNE says

    January 19, 2009 at 8:13 PM

    Craig’s fine. Nothing to get excited about, for me, either way. Like Lola, Craig and Greg are similiar for me… I had a Craig friend when I was younger, his little sister was Jennifer – they’re about the same for me – common names at that time, very neutral. But I agree, it would be absolutely alright to pass the name down – it’s not scary or even so dated that I necessarily think “middle-aged” when I hear it… more like, ‘hmmm, I don’t hear that name so much any more.’ Craig wouldn’t really catch my attention either way.

    Reply
  9. Lola says

    January 19, 2009 at 7:04 PM

    I don’t mind Craig now but as a kid, I constantly mixed up Craig & Greg, saying them, I mean. First thought I had loking at Craig? Daniel Craig. *Swoooon*
    He does feel rather fatherly but that makes him warmer and friendlier than he used to be. A little softer ’round the edges. I think he’d make a pretty spiffy middle for anything polysyllabic.
    Craig’s alright, feels like one of Ken’s buds (actually, he has one, the others are Frank, Scott, Brian & Joe), yeah, definitely middle aged but in a nice way! He gets a :thumbsup: from me. Not enthusiastically, but definitely up. ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      January 21, 2009 at 4:40 PM

      Ah, Daniel Craig! How could I forget? ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Baby Name of the Day: Valerie | Appellation Mountain says:
    June 6, 2011 at 5:35 AM

    […] Bertinelli hit it big on One Day at a Time, married a rock star,and rebooted her career as a Jenny Craig […]

    Reply

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