Sunday Summary: 2nd of 2016

I was going to start this post by telling you about my recent trip to the American Name Society conference. But it just ended today, and honestly? I need to think about it a little more! There was just so much, from meeting Cleveland Kent Evans – #fangirl! – to hearing researchers from the Holocaust museum talk about how they use their knowledge of personal names to help survivors and their descendants research the fates of their family members.

Instead, let’s talk about something much easier: the devil.

Ahem.

What I mean is this: let’s talk about Lucifer as a baby name. Eleven boys were given the name in 2014, and about 70 over the last dozen years or so.

There’s a lively debate about the name in one of the baby name Facebook groups I follow. The vast majority of the responders say no, don’t do it. But a minority say so what? It’s a gorgeous name. And not everyone is Christian. And people are using Jezebel and lots of other names that were once taboo, so what’s wrong with Lucifer?

I submit that the trouble with Lucifer is this: it’s going to cause pretty much everyone to raise an eyebrow at your child’s name. Or maybe drop their jaw.

And while a great many unusual names mellow over time, I don’t think that’s the case with this one. We get used to kids called Blaze or Pilot or Plum, Sophronia or Vladimir or Fredison. But Lucifer? I think that would surprise every teacher, every Starbucks barista, every TSA screener, from now until the end of time.

Still, I’m going to make it Baby Name of the Day later next month. Because the one thing that would make Lucifer wearable is if so many parents use it that the stigma begins to fade. And while I don’t see that happening, well … it’s not unthinkable, either. Especially not if the new television series set to premiere at the end of this month is a hit.

Now, on to the name news:

• This is brilliant, funny, and apparently a very effective way to name a baby! Even better is Angie’s post to the Appellation Mountain Facebook page, where she so graciously shared all 64 names they started out with in their bracket, which eventually led to Winifred, called Winnie. Swoon.
• Take all of those Sadie-Winne-Hattie names, toss in our tendency to use James as a girl’s name, and the question on my mind: why isn’t Billie making a comeback? Waltzing More than Matilda reports that, at least in Victoria, Billie is on the upswing.
• I love the name Avila! It’s a gorgeous place name possibility, with deep spiritual significance. Sancta Nomina shared a birth announcement for Avila Rose.
• The top Latino baby names aren’t necessarily names that seem Latino, like Emma and Mia, Liam and Benjamin. Something that I’ve been thinking about lately: in order for a name to reach #1 in the US, it must have significant appeal to Spanish-speaking parents.
• Yes to Sybil! And to Duana’s comments about what happens when the rest of the world catches up with your naming style.
• V names at The Art of Naming! I’d say Viveca and Van are my favorites of the moment.
• The Best 100 Baby Names of the Moment. According to … well, really just Pam, Linda, and yours truly. Except we only actually agreed on 99, and asked you for the 100th name. Honestly? I think the comments could be the source of a post called 100 More Best Baby Names.
• Because I finally finished reading the last book in The Lunar Chronicles, and because I’m completely fascinated by the way Marissa Meyer went about renaming our favorite fairytale characters, I’m revisiting this post.
• And because I’m now reading a book about the origins of the Wonder Woman character, let’s take another look at this list of names from the series, in all its various and wonderful forms.

That’s all for this week! As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!