I’m a television addict under the best of circumstances. But when I’m under the weather? I’m incorrigible. The TV stays on 24/7. I’ve just recovered from the sickest I’ve been in years, and here are my hastily scribbled notes from a few days’ with the remote in one hand and Puffs-plus in the other:
- A sibset from one of those bringing-home-baby shows: Genesis, Marlena, Tina, Justin, and the family’s newest addition: Paris Angelina, because it was a “classy” name. They seemed like a nice couple, but maybe not the most thoughtful of babynamers.
- I watched a healthy chunk of the Haylie & Hilary Duff vehicle Material Girls, where the real-life sisters play characters with a passing resemblance to real-life sisters Paris and Nicky Hilton. Should I admit this? Anyway, their characters were named Ava and Tanzie Marchetta.
- Then there was a predictable-but-sweet Julia Stiles movie, Carolina. Julia plays Carolina, big sis to Georgia and Maine. All three sisters were named after the states where they were born – “postmarks” as Carolina tells it. During the flick, Georgia has a son she names California Theodore;
- At rock bottom, I watched several episodes of Toddlers & Tiaras. A pageant-obsessed mom to an uncooperative 18 month-old said she had considered naming her daughter America, so she’d be Miss America. Instead, they went with Samijo.
Elsewhere online:
- I’m thoroughly enjoying Nancy’s series on Hollywood Baby Names, like her post on Kiefer;
- ForReal spotted a boy named Vale Joseph. I’m very curious about the -ale names. I mentioned Vail here last year, inspired by Young and the Restless actress Vail Bloom. It didn’t get a great response for a girl. Is it any better on a boy?
- This gallery of celebrity-inspired baby names was fun. Bowen and Bardot, anyone?
- Ooh, look … Nameberry mentioned Nona!
- And a Swistle reader named her daughter Cleo Celine, a little sister for Meryl and Quentin;
- Nomes e mais nomes mentioned the lovely Cleodora on a list of mythological names – but it isn’t approved for use in Portugal. Too bad!
- Here’s a story from Texas about a couple with two kids – Evonne, called Evie, and Cohen, plus baby-on-the-way Cate Elizabeth. The names are unsurprising, but it’s that last paragraph that really bugs me: how many parents really “agree on a theme, such as modern or spiritual” then “each make a list of their favorite names, then compare …” Um, okay. If I’d asked my husband to define his baby naming style, I can guarantee I’d have been met with a blank stare. Has that approach worked for anyone?
- By now I’m sure you’ve read reports about babies in frontier states having more unusual names. There’s something to their findings, I suppose, but I’m not sure they’ve got the whole picture. Statistics also show that moms living in the Northeast are, on average, several years older when they have their first child. Experience tells me that older parents tend to choose more conservative names, and they’re far less likely to use off-the-wall spellings. Their findings on names might be correct, but their assumption that frontier states’ individualistic cultures are the reason … not necessarily so.
It was a quiet week in Hollywood, but there was one notable new arrival: E’s Kristin Dos Santos welcomed a son, Matteo Tomaz, a little brother for Luca Alexander. As Pam pointed out, those Mateo and Luca are also the names of Colin Firth’s two sons with Livia Giuggioli.
Tomorrow at Nameberry, I’m bringing you NASCAR-inspired baby names. There are more than you think.
Be sure to visit next Saturday, when we’ll kick off March madness. I’ll have a post up explaining the play-off process later this week.
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Me: What’s your baby name style?
Hubby: Umm, what’s the choices?
Me: There are none.
Hubby: Uhhhhh. No style…What’s your style? Snobbery?
Yeah, that worked! 😉
Glad you’re feeling better now Abby.
Ha! Love that exchange. DH loves to accuse me of being a name snob!
LOL! Love that exchange.
haha! That’s fantastic!
My husband would probably define mine as “obsessed” 😉
Did anyone read Dear Abby today??? She advised an Indian-American reader who was battling her Anglo-American husband about potential baby names, should they have kids. Abby’s answer was a very simplistic compromise.
https://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/
I do think that compromise is the best solution; I mean, who wants to give their kid a name they don’t like? But I’m sick of seeing these suggestions where the “ethnic” name ends up in the middle spot. Besides name nerds, most people do not use their kids full names and most people don’t go by both first and middle names as adults. So I have to disagree with Dear Abby on this one. Plus, if it’s the husband who’s American, then an American first name + American last name just looks American and the Indian heritage gets lost in the (rarely verbalized) middle name.
Oh, that is NOT great advice, Dear Abby! (Here’s the link with the date: https://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20110227
I’d say the right answer is to go through Indian names and find those that would work well in English – Kiran, Priya, Rohan, Jaya. For every clearly Indian choice like Sandeep or Rajiv, there’s an Ajay – a name that American parents would’ve invented if only they’d thought of it first.
They could also agree that their daughters receive Indian names and sons receive more conventionally American ones, but that’s the kind of compromise that tends to be divisive. It wouldn’t have worked for us.
For Abby (and others), I thought I’d mention a joke post at my blog about a (fictitious) daughter of America’s last President with an upcoming (fictitious) birthday:
https://millennialkelly.blogspot.com/2011/02/happy-nonexistent-birthday-ryan-laura.html
Glad you’re feeling better Abby, being sick is the pits. I also admit to watching Toddlers & Tiaras on occasion just for the names and the sparkly outfits. I spotted a Grayce on there the other day. Unless that’s honoring someone named Gray, I really dislike the spelling.
Well, the dreaded and controversial Cohen rears its head, ugh. I would seriously not expect Cohen’s siblings to be Evonne or Cate, though I’m not surprised by the respelling of Yvonne.
I have another birth announcement: Arianna Aisha was born to a Pakistani-American friend of mine and her Anglo hubby. A good friend of mine from Afghanistan named her daughter Ariana just 3 months ago and my niece is Breanna, so I’m kind of on Anna overload here! I personally prefer Ariadne or even Aria.
I know in the case of Ariana her parents came across an Afghan restaurant in NYC called “Ariana Kabob House” and decided that was that, though I’m still scratching my head at how both of these friends decided on an Italian name. I do wonder if all the little Ariana’s nicknamed Ari will move that name to the girl’s side…
I love the new colors! I’ll eventually get used to the column view I have. But Wow, the scrolling I just did! 😀 But nothing will stop me from reading (and posting) here!
I’m no fan of what my folks referred to as ‘the boob tube'(boob being synonymous with ‘idiot’), but again, ‘Wow!’ . I’d go insane watching that much, sick or not. When I’m sick, I med up and sleep it off. If I can’t, Dayquil is my friend. I live on it when ill.
It’s so lovely to see Cleo, but Maine? I did read that properly, right? Since I live within 6 hours of the state now, I’m kinda weirded out by it on a kid. Was it at least a boy?
Looking very forward to March Madness and will check out tomorrow’s Nameberry, as always!
Nope, Maine was a girl!
I laughed out load when I read this, “If I
I actually have tried to get my husband to talk naming styles and the only kind of response I get is that he likes, “epic names”. Um, yeah. He needs to go look up the word epic in a dictionary. Anyway, it usually turns out that the “epic name” of the moment is one that comes from whatever anime or video game he happens to be playing/watching at present. Either that or a ludicrously long and somewhat affected-sounding name from Roman history.
As you can see, our taste in name differs rather dramatically.
Charlotte, my brother wants to name his firstborn Leonidas! I think a lot of men gravitate towards “epic” names. 🙂
I love Baby Dos Santos’ name, honestly – Matteo Tomaz. Perfect with Luca Alexander! Apparently she’s not sure if he’ll be called Matty or Teo yet. But, so hilarious that those are also the names of Colin and Livia’s boys! Somehow, Luca and Matteo Firth don’t sound quite as good as Luca and Matteo Dos Santos, though…
Sounds like you really watched some quality TV, Abby! Ha. I’ll admit to having seen Material Girls, but I must have missed one of the girls being called Tanzie. Tansy I like – hence it being included in my word name blog – but Tanzie really cheapens it, right? Oh, my God – I just Wikipedia’d Hilary Duff and it says that character was really Tanzania “Tanzie” Marchetta. Ah! So funny considering your Julia Stiles movie featured place names, too. Me and my friend Wikipedia are now going to report on some of the notable character names the Duff girls have warn. My favorites from Hil are Wendy, Lila, Greta, Lane, and Shasta – now that’s a flower name you don’t hear too often! And, for Haylie, my picks are Summer, Lucinda, Sylvia, Shangri, and Lee.
And, to finish off my excessively long comment, I met a girl named Wendolyn this week. Not Gwendolyn, just Wendolyn. She goes by Wendy.
Huh. Apparently my Nyquil-fueled channel-surfing haze had a theme … Tanzania, wow!
Shasta – wasn’t there a diet soda called Shasta? Wikipedia says yes, and they made Tiki Punch. I seem to recall downing those at a family event when I was 7 or so. But I love Greta and Lucinda, and Lane is growing on me.
Wendolyn sounds off.
I’m glad you’re feeling better. It’s no fun to be sick, but I’m guilty of watching Toddlers & Tiaras just for their names. 🙂
I like Vale. I think it would make a very handsome middle name.
Have a good week.
Actually my husband does have a naming style, he likes short names… period. Since his surname is 10 letters long, it makes sense, but it’s not much help.
Hubby’s step-uncle and aunt celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary yesterday and I learned her mother’s name was Josile. I’ve never heard of the name before, but I like it.
That’s very pretty, Julie. I usually don’t like Jo- names other than the conventional Josephine, Joanna, etc. But Josile has some serious style!
haha, once again thought I’d popped into the wrong site! I promise I’ll get used to change eventually… someday… haha.
I’m surprised to see Meryl out and about. Although, I have to share that I heard a little Doris a few weeks ago in Target. Nearly floored me!
I’d love to spot a little Doris. That’s my Nanna’s name (in England) and I just can’t imagine using it. Maybe it’ll be cool by the time my children have children.
There’s a Meryl in my daughter’s preschool class. I was surprised with the choice.