Happy New Year! The holidays are always a great chance to catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while. I discovered an old friend is now dad to a daughter called Ada Maple. And I heard that several friends-of-friends and cousins-twice-removed are expecting. In every case, I made sure to offer my sincere congratulations before asking if they’d thought about names.
At least, I think I did.
Let’s start with something different: a reader question. What do you think of the name Ranger? There are a few possible ways the parents might use it. Check out the poll below, and feel free to leave a comment.
A few other boy-name thoughts:
- I’m curious to see The Green Hornet rebooted with Seth Rogen as slacker-turned-hero Britt Reid. Reed and Reid are both near their all-time highs for use in the US. If the movie is a hit, betcha we’ll hear them more;
- I’m also wondering if Britt could catch on for boys. It was also the name of one of the lead characters on short-lived FX series Terriers. Conventional wisdom says that Britt is a Scandinavian girls’ name, related to Bridget, as in Swedish actress Britt Ekland. But he’d fit right in with Gage and Cole;
- Along those lines, I raised the idea of Hale for a son over on the AppMtn Facebook page. I was mostly think of Kale/Cale when I asked the question, but Emily G. pointed out that Hale also conjures up Nathan Hale;
- ForReal unearthed a ton of new surnames and surname sound-alikes being use in the first spot. How ’bout Danner, Corbett, Deagan, or Whitten?
In other news:
- The continuing round-up of year-end baby names yielded one truly interesting list. Washington State’s TDN.com reported the top baby names at St. John Medical Center: Kaiden and Addison. Also epidemic in Longview, WA’s nursery schools? Karlee and Brycen;
- Speaking of surprising names, the first baby of 2011 for Florida’s Treasure Coast is a tiny girl with a big name: Le-Royalti Jacqueline Le-Grace. They’re calling her Pinky;
- And the Mitzi goes to … check out Elisabeth’s take on Celeb Baby Names 2010 over at You Can’t Call It “It”. Nameberry also weighed in on Celebrity Baby Names this year;
- I stumbled on this list of Hippie Baby Names. Juniper, Ivy, Sage – I’m on board. But Chai? I’m stuck – is it daring and wonderful or just plain bizarre?
- It’s so nice to hear Stanley get some love, even if it is mostly in the UK – for now;
- Jezebel’s article on gender-neutral naming is a bit off – I’m not sure the Canadian prof quoted everywhere really did his research, or maybe he’s only looking at few decades’ worth of info – but the comments are worth a scan.
A few celebrity babies arrived just in time to be up at midnight on December 31:
- Elton John is a new dad to Zachary Jackson Levon;
- Dierks Bentley welcomed a daughter named Jordan Catherine, a sister for Evalyn Day;
- And, of course, Alanis Morisette is a new mom to a son named Ever Imre.
That’s al for this week. As always, thank you for reading, and have a fabulous first week of 2011!
Regarding the name Ranger, none of the poll choices quite fit my answer. Ranger isn’t my style at all, but I don’t think it’s any stranger a name than Hunter or Cooper or Thatcher (all of which parents are using now). It’s not too much. And if it’s what the parents plan to call him, there’s no point in tucking it in the middle slot. I’ve never understood the reason parents deliberately plan to call a child by his or her middle name (except in those rare instances when family tradition dictates a certain first name must be used or when the parents are trying to avoid a bad set of initials). If the parents are concerned that their son may not like going by Ranger in his professional life, he always has the option of being R. Elliot Judson or whatever, which sounds very distinguished.
I voted for option 1: “Ranger’s great. Use it in the first spot.” I don’t think Ranger is great, but it’s perfectly acceptable if the parents love it.
And I say this as someone who does know a cat called Ranger, but I could still picture it on a little boy.
My parents dog is named Ranger. I think it’s a really good name for a huge brown Chesapeake Bay Retriever, not so much for a human. But then again, our #2 for a boy is Rex, so…
Britt reminds me of Brett from Fight of the Conchords, he was from New Zealand and pronounced his name like Britt.
Ada Maple is beyond cute! Maple is such a great middle name, it almost makes me wish that my husband was from Canada so I’d have a reason to use it!
Isn’t it Britt Hume, the newscaster?
I can stand behind Ranger, with Walker, Tucker, Carter, etc. I also like Hale as a stand-alone name. Hal usually is a nn, I think.
Ranger sounds fine to me and would probably get along great with all the other professions walking around like Tanner, Taylor, Walker, Sawyer, etc. The thing it brings to mind for me is NY hockey and D&D. Though I suppose if someone can name their child “Paladin,” why not “Ranger?” Also Ranger is easier to take seriously than other D&D classes as names (Rogue, Fighter, Sorcerer, Wizard, Bard, Paladin, Monk, Cleric, Psion…) but would definitely work better in the Midwest or the West than here on the East Coast.
i went to grade school with a nice boy named britt bennett. i always thought it was a fun name, kind of happy and nick-namey, and, with the last name, a little alliterative like a comic book sidekick.
it does ring a little feminine to me now because of all the brittany/britney’s i’ve met since then, but my first thought is always that nice sandy-blonde boy from second grade. 🙂
Britt Bennett is a great name – sounds like a good guy in a Nancy Drew novel.
Ranger skews all Ranger Manoso from the Stephanie Plum books (and it’s not trash literature, it’s fun!) which makes it a one person name for me. (Even if he is a total hunk in the books) I like chai lattes, but I wouldn’t name my kid after my favorite hot beverage. I would use Hale (moreso in the middle than in the first) in honor of Nathan Hale, who was a hero. I also like Britt-I used it for a character in one my books (it was short for something much more unwieldy), but it was a girl. I could see it being used on a boy, though. I find myself liking names like Courtney and Ashley for boys for being both soft and strong. I say, bring them on!
Ranger’s not for me. I think “fantasy literature” when I hear it because of Aragorn’s character in Lord of the Rings and also because the warrior-type/knight people in a fantasy series I read when younger (_Tales of the Kingdom_) were also forest rangers.
Britt sounds like an abbreviation of Brittney or like Brit, which is how I sometimes refer to my British friends.
That New Year’s baby name is . . . interesting. I have actually known a few Pinky’s growing up. It’s not uncommon in India where cutesy-sounding nicknames (or even given names), are popular: think Pinky, Twinkle, and Dimple. Actually, apparently Benazir Bhutto’s nickname was Pinky. Then there’s Pinkie Brown, the teen sociopath anti-hero of Graham Greene’s _Brighton Rock_. Richard Attenborough’s portrayal of him in the 1940’s movie version gave me nightmares.
Oh, and chai? It’s tea (literally, as in when I first moved to Canada I thought the phrase “chai tea” was ludicrous because to me it just sounded like people were saying “tea tea”). I wouldn’t name my child Tea, so I wouldn’t name my child Chai.
That’s a nice point, Charlotte. Tea is lovely.
The first baby of 2011 mentioned in my local paper is named Elijah Lee, brother to Kaitlyn, Jasmine and brother Jordan.
The article about Le-Royalty’s birth explains that Royalty is after baby’s daddy LeRoy, Jacqueline and Grace are after both grandmothers and Pinky is after her great-grandmother.
I’m always eager to see the names of ALL babies born on January 1st.
Happy New Year!
OK, I’m going to shamefully admit to one of my trash lit indulgences and say that Ranger makes me think of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. That and Range Rovers. And then maybe Park Rangers and Texas Rangers (after all, I know a Walker)… Ranger is definitely a name I could imagine hearing, but it is not one that would land on my list.
I work with a female Britt. She’s just Britt – it’s not a nn. She made sure to tell me she was NOT a Britney/Brittany. Britt does seem gender-neutral to me. Would never consider this name either – while we stuck to British style names for the kids, Britt seems just too in-your-face, since I sometimes refer to my English husband as a Brit.
Kayden? Well, I need to check on the spelling of the one in my son’s daycare room – I assumed it was Caden or Cayden or Caiden, something with a C – he just joined the daycare, along with a Lacey and a Dash (just Dash, not Dashiell).
I’m probably slightly bonkers, but I kinda like Pinky as a nickname… although it does conjure up Pinky and the Brain, but having such an, um, article-laden name, Pinky seems just plain down-to-earth (the full name makes me think of the Le Car).
Chai=tea. But I could see it gaining some popularity.
Some celeb names of 2010 I compiled (I left out the more talked about ones like Egypt, Billie, Locklyn…)
Oliver Hudson – son Bodhi Hawn
Erica Hill – son Sawyer Steven
Paulina Rubio – son Andrea Nicolas
Xzibit – son Gatlyn
Kaitlin Olson – son Axel Lee
Drew Lachey – son Hudson Nicholas
Brande Roderick – son Keaton Roderick
Luke Bryan – son Tatum Christopher
Robin Thicke – son Julian Fuego
Erica Hill – son Sawyer Steven
Steve Nash – son Matteo Joel
Sean Patrick Thomas – son Luc Laurent
Drew Brees – son Bowen Christopher
Alana de la Garza – son Kieran Thomas
Big Kenny – son Dakota Jefferson Holiday
Jonathan Jackson – son Titus Gabriel
Rebecca Herbst – son Emerson Truett
Matt Walton – son Grayson James
Kevin Frazier – son Reese Cader
Jenna Elfman – son Easton Quinn Monroe
Erin Torpey – son Izaiah Torpey
Karen Fairchild – son Elijah Dylan
Jane Carrey – son Jackson Riley
Albert Pujols – son Ezra
Isabelle Delobel – son Loic
Jillian Reynolds – son Rocco Rio
Sarah Chalke – son Charlie Rhodes
Esai Morales – daughter Mariana
Yul Kwon – daughter Genevie
James Van Der Beek – daughter Olivia
Patrick Fabian – daughter Abby Ray
Mario Lopez – daughter Gia Francesca
Jodie Sweetin – daughter Beatrix Carlin
Georgina Chapman – daughter India Pearl
Tamyra Gray – daughter Sienna Marie
Justin Bruening – daughter Lexington Grace
Juan Pablo Montoya – daughter Manuela
Bree Turner – daughter Stella Jean
Jimmy Johnson – daughter Genevieve Marie
John McGinley – daughter Aleena
Justin Moore – daughter Ella Kole
Neil McDonough – daughter London Jane
Diego Luna – daughter Fiona
Amy Adams – daughter Aviana Olea
Amanda Peet – daughter Molly June
Emily Mortimer – daughter May
Clay Walker – daughter Mary-Elizabeth
Padma Lakshmi – daughter Krishna Thea
Carl Edwards – daughter Anne Edwards
Christina Milian – daughter Violet Madison
Jimmie Johnson – daughter Jessica Lynne
Byron Allen – daughter Olivia Rose
Joey Faton – daughter Kloey Alexandra
Great list! I’d forgotten about Molly June – I love that combo. And Gatlyn should be making more Worst-Of-2010 lists.
So sorry, I didn’t mean to reply to you personally with my lists, lol. Anyway, answering your question: Kaden is more popular than Caden, Kayden is more popular than Cayden, and Kaiden more popular than Caiden. It seems people prefer K’s to C’s.
You know, JNE, you’re right – with that mouthful of a moniker, Pinky DOES feel down-to-earth.
Nice list of Rangers – I don’t think I’ve ever read a Janet Evanovich. This seems like something to correct in 2011!
FWIW – it’s a Caden in Oliver’s daycare. And a new baby, Davis, started today. “One for the Money” is the first in the Plum series… I think they’ll be making a movie of it soon…
There’s a brand new Davis in Clio’s daycare, too – interesting.
Oooo my name was mentioned in your reply haha.
So Kaiden is now the main spelling? I thought Kaden and Kayden were more popular.
Can’t say I’m a fan of Ranger.
I love Kael, Gael and Lael. I know a man named Daley, close.
Skye, Kaden and Kayden are more popular – but not in that particular part of Washington State. Go figure!
LeRoyalti is crazy, and Kaiden, Karlee and Brycen are equally ridiculous. I just roll my eyes at all the made-up names, mash-up names and tryndee spellings. However, I remember that Royal Wilder was a real-life older brother-in-law of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
And re: Ranger, not for me, but would be perfect on a little Texas boy. We love the Texas Rangers here, both the baseball team and the law-enforcement agency. But be prepared to hear the following: “Oh, I used to have a dog named Ranger.”
Happy New Year!
At first look, I saw Ada Maple as Add a Maple, but it’s cute and I love unexpected middle names!
I like Corbett the best out of those. I think its handsome (maybe b/c of John Corbett) 🙂 and I’m from the South so I tend to like (some) last names as first. The others I don’t really care for although I think the nn Witt would be cute on a boy and Whitten is another way to get that than Whitney.
Le-Royalti or Pinky??!!! Umm, No comment.
Chai? It’s definitely interesting, and fits with names like Kai & Skye, but I don’t know if I like it yet. I’ll have to think about it.
Have a good week!
I’ve always liked Britt for a boy/man. [Loved Terriers, RIP. :(] I think it would be cute as a nickname for Britton. Hmmm…another possibility to honor my brother Bret…
Hale is nice, but I’d prefer Gale/Gael.
As for Chai, I just think of the Hebrew word for “life” [chet.yud].
I’ve always secretly liked Stanley.
Still loving Ever Imre.