About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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    1. That’s a nice point, Anonypilgrim – I don’t think Laura Wattenberg intended her guide to become a set of rules.

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  2. Yikes! That story about the woman who used Baby Name Wizard to choose her kid’s name was kind of scary. What an impersonal way to have your name chosen for you. And speaking of choosing names, I personally think that Allegra is a beautiful name, whether or not it’s a form of allergy medication — seriously, many names have much worse connotations.

    I once knew a baby named Miracles. It was during the brief period of time that I lived in South Africa, and she was seriously one of the cutest little things I’d ever seen. The name suited her as a one-year-old, but I don’t know how it would wear on anyone older.

    I’ve discovered why the little boy named Kalob’s name is spelt that way. Apparently it is a smoosh of the mother’s choice, Jacob, and the father’s choice, Kale. Actually, the kid’s father wanted to name him Famous, thankfully his mother vetoed it, so now it’s one of his middle names. Kalob’s little sister’s name is quite different in style: Evelyn Elizabeth Annette — I think it’s beautiful.

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    1. When you know the story behind a name, and when you like the person who chose it, we often see even the names we find least appealing in a very different light. I just read a heartbreaking story about a woman who is planning to use Nevaeh as a middle name – to honor a daughter who died. It still isn’t my style, but her experience trumps any consideration of style.

      And Kalob? Is heaps better than Famous – yikes! Evelyn Elizabeth Annette is quite lovely.

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  3. I’m not even old enough to actually remember Dexy’s Midnight Runners, but I know who they are! Jeez.

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    1. I just checked with the youngest person I could find – he’s 20-something – and he immediately recognized Dexy’s Midnight Runners … “great bar song,” was his exact comment. Maybe I’m not as ancient as I feared, though I do remember watching the video on MTV, back when we had to get a special converter box because all of our TVs still had those little dials that you clicked from 2 to 13 …

      Maybe I am old. That said, Dexy Adelaide doesn’t trouble me much. It beats Lexie, of which I grow weary.

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      1. Music is not my thing so it’s me, not you. “) I don’t know bands or singers or names of songs very well, but I did know the song when I heard it. I’m more a movie/tv trivia girl than music.

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  4. I’m so glad the medication is marketed as Telfast here. Allegra is perfectly usable in NZ at least.

    An Aussie tv personality used Allegra Penelope on her first child a few years ago. I was impressed and it beats a similar Kiwi tv personality who used Brodie and Cameron on her girls :/

    And Zuma Louis is a little Aussie but regardless, I wasn’t expecting to see it in any “Antipodean” BAs any time soon.

    Dexy is hilarious.

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