Over on Patreon, we’re working through Stealth Trends for 2024. They’re trends that won’t be apparent from the data, but they’re absolutely real – and will impact how we name our children – and how our children wear their names – next year and into the future. I’m excited to share more over the next few weeks. (I’d tell you how many, but every time I think I’ve got them all set, another idea occurs …)
ELSEWHERE ONLINE
I just added more bird names to this list. With a happy birthday to my sister, whose nickname Bird is the reason why my daughter has a bonus middle straight off this list. (Which reminds me of another stealth trend we’ll be talking through soon, one inspired by this list of creative honor names.)
New name find of the week: Breixo. Pronounce it BRAY sho, a Galician (spoken in northwest Spain) form of Veríssimo, which means “very true” from Latin. It’s the name of a fourth century Portuguese martyr, one of the fourth century martyrs of Lisbon. It would be a pronunciation hassle in the US, but it has so much appeal …
American parents really like two-syllable, ends-with-A names for girls, but in Croatia? It’s almost every name. Sure, we have Emma, Ava, Mia, Luna, and so on in our Top Ten. Compare that to their Top 50: Nika, Marta, Rita, Dora, Petra, Iva, Lara, Franka, Una, Vita, Bruna … maybe we should steal a few?
All these Barbie-style personalized name signs et cetera? I know nothing about this company, but I am here for it. (And personalized gear in general, so …)
Random name find: while reading a profile of the New Zealand Jemaine Clement, I realized he has a teenage son named Sophocles. Clement is the voice behind my favorite Disney villain, and it feels like his other projects keep coming up on my what-I-should-watch-next lists. (I’ve never seen What We Do in the Shadows. Somehow I originally thought it was a horror movie?!) It’s a little like Sophia meets Atticus, so … why not? Clement and his partner, Greek-New Zealand playwright and actress Miranda Manasiadis chose it to honor her grandfather. Apparently, they call him Sopho, which might not work as well in the US, but I’m intrigued …
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!
