Names in the News 9.22.24

Welcome to this week’s edition of names in the news 9.22.24!

The Crazy-Making Can’t-Win Conundrum of Naming

How rage-inducing is this?

A mom recently told me that she felt like every name conversation led to one of two reactions:

• Don’t name him something weird. He’ll be teased and hate you forever. What about Liam or Jack?
• You can’t name him Noah! He’ll be one of five in his kindergarten class.

So yeah. There’s a reason why this list of sweet spot names is one of the most-read on the site, year after year. But I think it’s worth noting that there are lots of names that hit that mark. Yes to Hugo and Dean and Silas and Wells. But also yes to Jonathan and Carson and Rhett and Archie. The middle is deep and wide and offers something for everyone.

Though also? Please stop panicking expectant parents. I know AM readers wouldn’t, but whoa … it’s rough out there. And if you do happen to choose a very popular name? That’s going to be okay, too.

For more thoughts on naming, join the AM Baby Names Patreon community.

Favorite Blog Posts & Name Lists

I completely forgot about this 2017 list predicting future Top Ten girl names. Top line: my guesses were better than I would’ve imagined. (Also, it’s time to update this post and gaze into my crystal ball for the year 2029 or so …)

The Name Mentor, Alix Brown, and I had the BEST conversation last month. And now it’s live on her podcast. Please give it a listen! (That’s a link to Apple Podcast; other links here.)

Allegra, Largo, Lento! Nancy covered these real life musical sibling names. I love a good musical word name, but Largo and Lento weren’t at all on my radar … and I can’t decide if they belong on my list or not. I mean … I love Chord, but my brain immediately translates Lento to slow.

I know lots of pets with human names, so I was curious to read this breakdown of human-pet name styles at Nameberry. My sense is that friendly, nickname names trend dog, while old lady names say cat. Except there’s drummer Josh Freese with poodles named Barb, Wanda, Larry, and Judy. Which all sound like my grandma’s neighbors and kind of perfect.

Scary Mommy says these names were ruined by popular shows and movies. It’s not that simple! Damian/Damien rose in use after The Omen terrified us all. And Clarice was already obscure when Anthony Hopkins sent chills down our spines during Silence of the Lambs. (Though maybe it’s hurt the name’s chance of a comeback …) But they’re absolutely dead wrong about the Twilight names, many of which were boosted by the series. (Though Stephenie Meyer has a knack for naming.) I mean … Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie?

Let’s Chat in October

I recently talked to a mom who needed a little bit of advice, but mostly wanted to talk through her favorites names without holding back. It was a chat filled with joy and enthusiasm. She’s got a great short list and can’t go wrong, but wanted to enjoy the process of naming and celebrate this gift she’s giving her child.

Want to talk over a naming decision? Calls are closed now, but will re-open in early October. Whether you’re just looking at a long list of maybes or narrowing down your top picks, we can move closer to clarity together.

Love the #namehelp posts, but don’t want to share your questions publicly? Spots are available in the next few weeks. It’s a great way to get some fresh ideas, match up some first/middle combinations, or even have a neutral outsider rank your favorites.

Featured Names Recently Updated

• I found Meadow fascinating mostly because it seemed like such an off-kilter pick for The Sopranos – in a good way. Now it’s trending based on style and sound.
• Elegant, refined Pearl could be very lady-like … or kind of sparky and rebellious.
• As a proud daughter of Pennsylvania, I totally get the name Penn. And the actor makes me see it as oh-so-wearable, too.

For more updates, join the AM Baby Names Patreon community. (Name of the Day posts are shared to all members, including those who join for free!)

That’s all for this week! As always, thank you for reading and have a great week.