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Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.
Last week I mentioned influencer Trisha Paytas and the wild, wait-what, SO out there names she and her husband were considering for their baby, a son to join daughters Malibu Barbie and Elvis. He’s here and he’s named … Aquaman. I don’t get it. Am I getting old? Possibly, but I’ve yet to find anyone who can make the case for this name. (Usually making the case for a really different name comes naturally for me.) Maybe I’m missing something?
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Welcome back to The Art of Naming! She’s coming back strong with a deep dive on reigning #1 names Liam and Olivia.
We were just in Philadelphia, and that got me thinking about swapping the PH for an F. With Sophia/Sofia it’s completely ordinary. Pharrell’s PH spelling makes his name more like Zendaya – all his very own. (For a deep dive on the digraph, this is worth a read.) Years ago, Well-Informed Namer pulled together a long list of oddities like Phaith and Pleur. But 24 hours in the City of Brotherly Love, and words like Phoundry and Phanatic made sense to my eyes, so maybe the ten boys named Phelix last year are all from Philly?
Speaking of place names, apparently no one from California refers to the state as Cali, unless they’re rapping. Which makes me wonder if native Californians name their daughters Cali/Callie as a nod to their state? I’m guessing no, but curious if you’ve heard of such a thing.
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Ozzy because of the late, legendary John Michael Osbourne. I’m old enough to remember him being vaguely scandalous. (Though too young to remember him biting the head off a bat.) Now the name is cozy, throwback, and cool – a rock-and-roll grandpa name.
Amelia because we just celebrated Amelia Earhart Day on July 24th. The night before, my cashier at Trader Joe’s was named Amelia. I shared that fact with her, and she was thrilled – because it turns out her mother named her after the legendary pioneer.
On a similar note, National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day was July 23rd, so obviously, Reese was on my mind.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!
Also, we don’t say Cali when referencing our State regularly but I do know a few little girls named Cali by their Dads after California.
You aren’t old. Aquaman is too much. I heard she was thinking of Moses and it’s his middle which I love with Malibu and Elvis— it connects the two names so well.
Yeah, I want to embrace individualistic names, but Aquaman feels like Batman or Superman… a mask to hide behind so a true identity remains unknown. Does a baby need an alter ego?
I knew twin sisters named Aquamarine and Ultraviolet who ended up in the foster system and as adults chose to become Amy and Ali. They felt that their original names were a burden and craved the comfort of social acceptance.
I wonder if Aquaman will feel the same.
I’m guessing the kid will go by Aqua for short. It isn’t any weirder than Moon Unit.
Oh, I don’t know. They’re outrageous names but I’ve actually encountered some equally weird names on ordinary people. People get used to it and then Aquaman is just his name: the kid who’s carrying out your groceries or taking your daughter to prom. Oldest sister is called Malibu, which is a normal-ish place name for this generation. Elvis is a boy’s name on a girl, also not all that odd. Her mother, whom I’ve never heard of otherwise, was quoted as saying she chose it as a way to defy expectations. Elvis is the only female Elvis (that she knows of) and no one has any expectations of what she’ll do in life. Aqua on its own is actually used as a name. Ten girls were called Aqua in 2023, which likely means a handful of boys got the name too. They don’t report less than five instances. I assume the boy’s name will eventually be shortened to Aqua, which goes nicely with his oldest sister’s name.