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Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.
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It’s been a hectic few weeks here. Thanks to everyone who reached out to ask where the weekly installment of news and links has gone. My unplanned break gave me a minute to update the format. (Again! What can I say? It’s not perfect … yet.)
Finds from the last few weeks:
Good news: indecision can make you smarter. We tend to associate decisive, no-regrets choosing with intelligence and strength. But talking with parents who are working through a naming decision, I hear plenty of wisdom from thoughtful, capable people. Science says that’s right. One expert calls such ambivalence “a necessary pause” when making a complex decision. I love this idea!
On the other hand, there’s a time to stand your ground. I’m flummoxed by the idea that grandparents might meet their grandchild and react by suggesting a name change. But it happens with some frequency, at least according to the good people of Reddit. In this case, the new baby is named Wren, and the grandparents are advocating she be named Dorothy instead. Both are great, but … no.
The thing that I doubt the grandparents would believe? Wren is arguably a more established name for a child circa 2024 than Dorothy. Bird names continue to soar, and mighty Wren is at the front of the formation.
It seems kind of weird now, but actually? Fragrances were a surprising source of baby naming inspiration, like this story from Nancy about Ajee.
I’m just starting to Christmas shop. (This is late for me. My goal is typically to finish by November 15th!) One of my favorite places for personalized gifts is Uncommon Goods. I’m looking at books for my niece and nephew, but this caught my eye: How My Dog Saved Christmas. Featuring, of course, your dog’s name and your family, too.
Speaking of Christmas, it’s time to get serious about year-end lists! Scary Mommy recently covered Baby Center’s 2025 trends report. I raise a skeptical eyebrow to most of these. (Justin isn’t falling because of Justin Timberlake’s problems; Milton was toast pre-hurricane; and Nova and Aurora were style stars long before this year’s spectacular Northern Lights were a thing.) But I do think they’re right about the rise of Billie (thanks to Eilish) and agree it might be worth watching Sabrina (Carpenter), too.
Over on AM Baby Names, I’ve updated Isla, Ayrton, Regan, and Valancy … to name just a few. Join us – it’s free!
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
