Image by Jon Ovington via Flickr
Nope, those aren’t surprise triplets.
Instead, three well-known families announced new additions today, and it was all about the boys:
- John Rich of Big & Rich and wife Joan welcomed a son called Colt Daniel, a little brother for Cash. Only in Nashville. And yes, big brother’s name is Cash Rich.
- Which leads us to Donald Trump, now dad to three! He and wife Vanessa were already parents to Donnie – the third in a series – plus daughter Kai Madison. New son Tristan makes them a family of five.
- Jenna Fischer plays Cece’s mom on The Office. In real life, she and husband Lee Kirk are now the proud parents of baby Weston Lee.
Colt, Tristan, and Weston might not be brothers, but they sound like the kind of modern names that appeal to many parents today. Colt ranked #330, while Colton came in at #73; Tristan ranked #84; and Weston was #224. Variant spellings abound, at least for Colton and Tristan.
None of the names would sound out of place on a little cowboy, though Tristan has been spotted on a few girls, and Weston, like Elisabeth Röhm’s Easton, isn’t necessarily exclusive to Team Blue, either.
None of them are truly novel inventions, but all of them have a certain modern, unexpected feel that has become quite common. Weston appeared in the US Top 1000 as early as 1882, but has only ranked consistently since the 1970s. Tristan first charts in 1971, and Colt and Colton both debuted in 1982. Up until recent years, any one of the names would’ve been eye-poppingly unusual. Today, they’re standard on many a playground.
I’ll be curious to hear the parents comment on their choices. Were they looking for something different? Did they realize they were choosing something mainstream by 2011 standards? Or will they have backstories for their choices that have little to do with considerations of style?
Congratulations to all three families!
I watch the rodeo riding from the US on TV, and Colt and Cash sound very mainstream for rodeo riders. I love getting “western” name ideas from the rodeo riding I must say – and sometimes also from the bulls! Crazyblue was one beautifully named bull, I recall. There’s also those times when the bull has a “human” name, like Jasper, and the human has an “animal” name, like Thunder.
HA! And, of course, there’s Munro Leaf’s Ferdinand – one of my all-time favorite children’s books and still a reason I’d short list Ferdinand if my husband were more the daring type. (Ferdinand would definitely get the big ol’ veto.) But with Dando or Ferdie as a short forms? Why not!
Oh I love that book … and that name! 🙂 Yeah would get vetoed here too, most things do!
I like all of these names, particularly Weston. I couldn’t use them because of our ends in -n surname. My nephew in Daniel Holt (Holt’s a family name), so Colt Daniel rings a bell (although, I’d prefer Colton).
I like Weston and love the nickname Wes. To me it’s preppy, but that’s because it reminds me of Weston, Massachusetts… not the wild west.
Colt I dislike. I can’t put my finger on it, but names like Colt, Cash, Chance, Chase and Cale irritate me. Maybe, it’s that they all seem like names for macho jocks?
Tristan is OK, but in that particular sibling group, I wouldn’t guess that Kai was the girl.
I’ll be the voice of dissent 🙂 I said it over on the FB page, but I personally LOVE Colt and Cash for brothers. However, I’m a HUGE country & western/bluegrass fan, and I think Johnny Cash when I hear the name Cash. Yes, Cash Rich sounds quite tasteless, but there have to be some worse ones out there, right? Colt might get confused with Cole but I still like it, especially for them.
Weston – love the cowboy vibe. I’m not generally a fan of the many popular 2-syllable-ends-in-N surnamey names, but Weston Lee is pretty cute.
I like Tristan, but Tristan Trump does not flow well. I think Donnie III got the best name of his siblings.
Tristan is better than expected with a sister named Kai! I kind of like it, and it has a lot of history which is always a plus in my book. Weston, however, is such a disappointment, and not what I would have guessed from Jenna Fischer. Another boring, trendy surname. Oh well, at least it’s not Colt. And Colt and Cash?! Ugh.
Interesting fact: just as Tristan has been spotted on girls, the name similar sounding Kristen has charted for boys in the past. Who would have thought?
Well, Lillian used to chart for boys to. The name Lilian is actually of male origin, and still used a lot in France where it is a top100 boy name. This spelling however has never charted for boys in the US.
Also in France, the Noa spelling is male and it’s very popular too.
In Scandinavian countries Kristen is usually a male name… it’s a short form of Christian. The similar sounding Kristin is a form of Kristina.
Well after gushing over Luca Shai, I cant feel excited about any of these names.
I think I’ve stated my strong dislike of the name Colt on this blog before, I think it’s the typical cowboy uber macho name that parents seem to be loving these days. Same goes for Colton.
Tristan, I do like, but as you said, doesn’t really feel unusual, it’s been around popular for quite some time. Plus Tristan Trump doesn’t flow nicely, right?
Weston is probably my favorite, it seems that and Easton (2nd fastest riser for boys last year I think) are becoming very trendy. I think I prefer Wesley. Or Wylie, which hasn’t appeared in the boys chart for several decades.
Wylie is cool!
I think Colton got a big boost from a soap opera character in the 1980s – General Hospital, maybe? Not a ringing endorsement, and kind of funny that such a tough guy name came out of daytime television … but more than a few have!