Table of Contents
Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.
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When it comes to choosing a name, parents have to hear a name to consider it. That seems obvious, but what it means is this: television has always been powerfully influential. Why? It’s the way we hear new names, repeated over time, so can warm up to them.
That’s changing. Television can be more like movies now – an event we binge in a night or three. Instead, the content we consume regularly, over time? It’s often courtesy of influencers.
Spot an interesting name trending lately? There’s an excellent chance that an influencer is behind it. And so I’m curious to watch the inventive names we’re heard in 2023 and 2024: Kelso (from Dude Dad); Poetry and Locket (Francesca Farago); Whimsy (Nara Smith); Sosa (Lala Kent) and so, so many more.
Finds From Last Week
XD, KX, FJ, QD: the power of unexpected letter combinations. Laura found that names like Bixby, Mowgli, and Jaxper aren’t just unusual. They feature letter combinations that are just about brand new to naming in the last century-plus.
Speaking of new, it’s always fun to see what Nameberry adds to their database. Loving Cavidan and Fleury.
Need an easy personalized gift? I’ve ordered Shutterfly luggage tags before, and I’m about to order a few more for this year. The best picture I ever used was a vintage snapshot of my parents on a motorcycle. Ones like these can be really fun for kids’ backpacks, too. Need something smaller? I used a custom key chain on my daughter’s lunchbox for years.
Translating 90s names to 2024. Scary Mommy rates a TikTok listing the 2024 equivalents of 1990s girl names. Yes to Mia = Amy and Harper = Lauren. It doesn’t always work perfectly, but it’s fun. (Years ago, I tried this with 1970s names … time for an update, I think!)
Updating & Thinking About
Ottilie – This name rose in use slightly in 2023, and when I went looking for why? Yup, an influencer gets credit.
Dante – It feels a little dated now, almost in dad name territory. But it’s still one of my favorite Italian heritage picks. With names like Luca and Mateo so huge, I think Dante could be great.
Pax – One of the few times I can say a feminine name became masculine.
The December calendar is open for 45-minute calls, as well as private #namehelp posts.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
