Table of Contents
Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.
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I get excited about books all the time. What can I say?
But an upcoming release merits an above-the-fold mention here.
Author Florence Knapp’s novel The Names is a what-if story. If this newborn is named after his father, how will his life unfold? What if his mother chooses a different name?
It releases on Tuesday, so I’ve yet to read it. But I cannot wait. After all, this really is the question that keeps us up at night, isn’t it?
Because I do think my life might have been dramatically different if my birth name had been different. And my given name was a direct reaction to how my mom felt about her given name, so … yeah, I think this is the most fascinating what-if/sliding-doors kind of question.
Elsewhere Online
Can we talk about this whole Boom Boom trend? It’s the idea that we’re embracing 80s excess in fashion and style. It’s the opposite of underconsumption core. Boom Boom is flashy and artificial. The Gilded Age, without the patina of a century passing to make it respectable. My ponderment: what would be a Boom Boom baby name? And wait, can I possibly call something a Boom Boom baby name without it being an insult?
Lainey Wilson helped send her name soaring. Is Dasha next? I mean … probably not. But her name is intriguing, and the data suggests that some parents have embraced the country music singer’s name. Google tells me that she was born Anna Dasha Novotny, and I am here for Anna Dasha as a double name, too.
A very different kind of Top Ten: What were the most popular names in Medieval England? I went looking to check if Mary was popular or not; while Mary was absolutely in use, it did not make that particular Top Ten list which is interesting.
Updating & Thinking About
Half of my family is super excited about today’s date, so what can I say? May the Fourth Be With You, and here is my list of Star Wars names if your own little Grogu arrives on such an auspicious date.
I can see that naming a baby Winslet would lead to endless questions about whether you’re a fan, but I think it’s a very on-trend choice with the right mix of substance and whimsy.
If Ruby and Sadie can be Top 100 favorites, Trudy deserves a comeback now.
Some of my favorite posts are ones with lots of comments by readers researching surprising names on their family tree, like this one: Onnolee.
That’s all for today. Thank you for reading and thinking of you!
It’s interesting that apparently the pattern of greater variety in girls’ names than boys’ names goes back at least to medieval times.