Table of Contents
Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.
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Something that intrigues me: names that are ONLY middle names.
Sometimes it’s a mistake. Marie is the perfect fits-in/stands-out first that no one ever has to share. It’s a great middle, of course – but I get “nobody puts Baby in the corner” vibes when I think about how rarely Marie gets a chance to shine.
But there’s an argument for middles as connective tissue, right? And lately I’ve been thinking about names like Marie, but fresh and modern and just a little bit different. Malu, Miro, Thoreau. Vowel-ending, emphasis on the second syllable. Just like Marie.
But completely fresh and new. And so I’m wondering: do you have names on your list that are only middles?
Finds From Last Week
This week’s Name Connections is here. It looks like you can filter for all the puzzles I’ve created at this link, and even filter for the ones you haven’t yet played.
Hello, Felicia. Apparently there’s a fifth Shrek movie in the works. And Zendaya has been cast as the daughter of Shrek and Fiona. Her name? Felicia. On paper, I really don’t think it will trend. Internet-meme-turned-snarky-send-off Bye, Felicia is still sort of rattling around our collective memory. And yet, Zendaya is a force of nature. If anything can make us re-think a name, it’s this powerhouse of a young actress.
I love it when Nancy shares data sets from smaller places, like this list from Johnston County, North Carolina. It’s a good reminder that smaller sets = more unusual names make this list. But it’s also possible that their top names will be a bellwether for national data. I do think those Westerly names, like Waylon and Lainey, are going to keep on climbing.
Updating & Thinking About
Apparently it was B week at AM Baby Names on Patreon, and I didn’t tell myself. You can read all the featured name posts there by joining as a free member! (Even more good stuff is behind the members’ paywall.)
Bettina is one of my long-time obsessions. It’s delicate but powerful, old school and surprising. I love that strong first syllable: BET with the lacy -ina ending. Also: the story of one of the world’s first supermodels is embedded in this name.
Brio blends a very stylish sound with a great meaning. It’s musical, upbeat, and very uncommon. I’d use it to honor a Brian, or maybe just because. (And maybe I’m crazy, but I think the wooden toy train association is a bonus.)
Bram is less common than Graham or Bryce, with just a hint of literary-dark-Gothic-romance. (Because Bram Stoker, of course.)
That’s all for now. As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
