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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What do you think?

14 Comments

  1. I couldn’t help but notice the connection between Marcel and Marion Cotillard’s award winning role in La Vie En Rose. In the film, Marcel is the name of Edith Piaf’s lover who died in a plane crash and also the name of her daughter who died from meningitis before she was famous.

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    1. And I just realized that I just gave away a ton of spoilers, so I’m sorry if you haven’t seen the movie.

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  2. Predictably some of the Beyond the Top 1,000 were just alternate spellings, but I’m actually surprised by a few of them. I’ll bet we’ll see Estelle rising soon. I thought Margot, Louise and Felicia were more popular as well.

    Also, 150 male Joans? Interesting.

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  3. Kari-just use the e-mail address that is on the side and email Abby-she’s great about getting back to you!

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  4. LOVE this blog! I don’t know how to suggest names of the day, but I would like to make a suggestion: Bode

    Thanks for all of the great posts – I look forward to them every day 🙂

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  5. Thank you for sharing my blog post. 🙂 I feel very flattered.

    I love the name Marcel, though I am a bit of a francophile. My husband doesn’t share the love, though!

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  6. Back when Eli was NOTD, I mentioned that I have a female cousin with the nickname Eli (pronounced EE-lee.) With the popularity of Eliana and the rising cult status of the Swedish horror movie “Let the Right on In” I am guessing there will be more girls (nick)named Eli.

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    1. That’s right, Julia – I’d forgotten! Maybe I’m being ridiculous about Eli/Ellie – I’ve known girls called Ali/Alli/Allie and none of them have suffered negative consequences because they’ve had to spell their name.

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  7. Evidence is weird, but considering Essence has charted in the past, I dont see why not.
    Kalel already made the top1000 before, Nixon and Princeton are trendy -n ending names. Peighton burns my eyes.
    Eli sounds way too masculine on a girl, Ellie would be a better nickname. Or why not just Lia?
    Not a huge fan of Arlo, but do like Wylder. Charming name.

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    1. SkyeRhyly, I think you’re exactly right about Evidence – out there, but why not?

      Thanks for the tip on Kalel. It doesn’t look inappropriate, but I see it and think “Man of Steel.”

      As for Wylder – I knew someone with the surname Wylde growing up. Always envied that name. Anything sounds cool if you have a naturally-occurring rock-star-worthy surname. Even Hortense Wylder sounds cool. Or Herman Wylde. Totally different vibe from Hortense Smith or Herman Hechinger.

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  8. A woman on my birthboad planned on giving her daughter one of the many popular Ellie names (I forget which), and wanted to spell the nickname Eli. Sorry, but I can’t help reading Eli as “EE-lie”. I don’t know if she actually went ahead with her plan; I hope she didn’t, but to each their own, I guess.

    Evidence sounds argumentative to me — like the subject of a religious debate. I don’t think I like the idea of the word as a child’s name.

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