When Courtney Cox mentioned it on Cougar Town, I thought this name must be on the verge. And the Sherlock Holmes reboot put the character’s creator in the spotlight. But I think this makes it official: Selma Blair has welcomed a son called Arthur.
His full name is Arthur Saint Bleick. No word yet on whether Saint is a family name, or if the Blair-Bleicks are following the Beckham family’s lead and choosing stylish-but-safe first names paired with way-out-there middles.
I’m wildly biased in favor of Arthur, of course – it is shared by no fewer than three of my favorite guys, including my dear, departed grandfather. But with ends-in-r names feeling very current these days, Arthur gets extra points.
Congratulations to Selma and Jason! What do you think of their pick?
Love Arthur. Love it. But I’m a fan of all sorts of “old man” names – Stanley, Walter, etc. The world could do with more Arthurs!
I have no idea who Selma Blair is – but Arthur is super cool. I spotted it on one of the name tags on the wall of my daughter’s school and did suggest it to my hubby – but he doesn’t like it.
I didn’t know who she was either.
Selma is an american born actress. Her more notable movies include: Legally Blonde and The Sweetest Thing.
I am pleasantly surprised! I thought Selma would choose a trendy Boho Chic name, not a steadfast classic. My Dad’s family has used Arthur as a middle name for generations and it was also my other Grandpa’s middle name. Arthur doesn’t work well with my surname, but it’s still a middle name possibility.
Saint is an fascinating choice for a Jewish baby — does anyone know what religion Jason Bleick’s is?
Selma has an older sister named Marie, also an odd name for a Jewish child. I have a girlfriend who refused to date anyone not Jewish because she knew she wouldn’t marry a gentile, and yet she named her son Ryan. Sometimes people just pick names they like. 🙂
I really do not like Arthur but I can see why people who like old fashioned names would like it. For me, it’s stuck in “old man’s name” land. Saint is just weird middle name.
I think I would like Arthur more if I personally had someone cool or interesting to associate the name with. Saint is okay as a middle name, but the same could be said for pretty much any name.
BTW, Blair is actually Selma’s middle name, not her last.
Named our son, James Arthur, 8 years ago. People were always taken aback when they heard the “Arthur” part (which we used when he was doing something he shouldn’t . . . which was/is a lot). James Arthur! A rather regal-sounding admonishment, no? It worked (and still does on occasion)!
I also really like Arthur and I don’t have a problem with Saint as a middle, it is definitely tame compared to a lot of starbaby names and I think it has a great sound. Reminds me of the movie Charlie Saint Cloud (though not exactly the same).
My grandfather was Arthur Leroy (and yes, my great-grandmother treated her only boy like a king, according to the family). I think this is one of those retro-cool names on the rise, although I wouldn’t use it. I heard too many stories from my great aunts about “Farty Arty”.
This is such a cool name – this is my favourite American celebrity baby name for 2011, so far.
I adore the name Arthur! Great choice. It’s becoming pretty popular again here in the UK. Strangely enough I found a boy called William Saint yesterday whilst compiling my “Finds from 1841” list.
Have you done Selma as a NotD, btw?
Arthur is my current favorite for a boy. I love Selma’s name choice!
Love, love, love Arthur! Saint as a middle, it’s an interesting choice, I like it; I think it’s perfectly quirky with stuffily charming Arthur. Kudos to them! 😀
I really like Arthur! Arthur, and even Art or Artie, don’t seem so ubiquitous as to sound boring to my ears, a la Michael, James, Robert, etc. Arthur seems like the perfect nerdy-chic old man name for a super cool kid. I’m not sure about Saint in the middle…hope it’s a family name 😉
Arthur Saint!
Cool, underused name with quirky middle. Love it!
I’m all about Arthurina now that you mentioned it last week. I kind of like their choice, but it sounds a little clunky altogether, and it’s hard to know what to make of Saint, although I kind of like it. Not that my opinion matters! Congrats to them.
Arthurina? Please no. I’m excited about Arthur though!
Nononono. No Arthurina, please. 😉
Just the crazy extremity of it — it was on a list of historical names from a post last week. I don’t mean I’d use it! No fear.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned (as JNE) that I really like Arthur – it falls into that pirate “aarrrr” sound that I seem to like so much – and it’s kind of nerdy-cute, which I also clearly like. If Saint is not a family name, then I am not a fan of that one. Arthur is not getting play in the daycares and preschools in NC that I’ve heard as of yet… but I’d be happy to hear of a few.
Love it! My husband had a grandfather named named Arthur. If this pregnancy is a boy and we later have a second boy, I’m thinking Arthur George (after both our grandfathers) would be perfect. Maybe with Selma’s influence people will be less likely to groan.
I asked you to do this NotD THREE YEARS ago, back when I was Another: https://appellationmountain.net/2008/08/04/name-of-the-day-arthur/
I think I’m to blame for its rise in popularity. Ha ha.
BTW, just realized that means you’ve been writing this for at least three years, and I’ve been obsessively checking your blog for as long. Time flies!
I attribute Arthur’s stylishness to you, too!
There are a ton of little Arthurs in my neighbourhood – it’s probably the name I’ve come across most often in the past two years. I like it even if it sounds a little formal – Artie and Art are cute nicknames.
Saint is a little odd.