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Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.
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The new baby name data for the UK is out!
You can view the official data here. The topline? Not a lot changed from last year to this. Olivia and Muhammad are still the #1 picks.
But there are some interesting choices on the edges. Very British rarities like Cuthbert and Crispin saw some use.
And rising names are always of interest. As Clare points out, Elsie entered the Top Ten, and more E names, including Eden, Eloise, and Elodie, are climbing the charts at a rapid pace. And for all that we share a common language, names don’t always move in tandem. Nathan and Austin are falling in the US, but gaining in the UK.
ELSEWHERE ONLINE
Ooh … love these names together! Daughters Marloe, Sorel, Winslet, and baby Suede. On the one hand, it’s a very specific aesthetic. And yet, I think there’s enough space for the kids to feel like their name are their very own, too.
Speaking of big families, X mentioned Not Enough Nelsons. And I fell down a rabbit hole, because their daughters all have names ending with EE. KennaDee and KassaDee are the oldest, setting the pattern for the girls. The rest of the kids are: Trey (Bruce Edward III), JaineLee/Jaine, Bridger, JourNee, NayVee, LiLee, SaiDee, Luke, PaisLee, PresLee, DelayNee, ElleCee, Beckham, and Ledger. Whoa – that’s some serious commitment to a theme.
On a different note, if you’re anti-word names? It’s worth considering that we’ve always created words out of names and names out of words. Mental Floss has some fascinating backstories, and before you say, “but those are mostly surnames …” True. But not all.
UPDATING & THINKING ABOUT
Lucinda is one of those elaborate, feminine names that is really overlooked, along with Susanna and Cordelia.
Parker feels effortlessly unisex and I like it equally well for a daughter or a son. (This post was so, so old – like fifteen years – and the original hadn’t been updated, ever!)
Wednesday is coming back to Netflix soon and I am waiting for the series to push this day-of-the-week name into the Top 1000.
That’s all for now! As always, thank you for reading + have a great week!
