So the Glee baby was named Beth. And Nikki Blonsky has a new series on ABC Family called Huge, apparently set at a summer weight-loss camp.

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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17 Comments

  1. Thank you for appreciating the article on Suite101. I am its author. 🙂
    I certainly do my best to research my articles as thoroughly as possible.

    And I am glad Tanaquil is growing on you! 🙂

  2. I actually know 2 baby Majors born last year. One was a family surname, the other was for UT quarterback Major Applewhite. (Wonder if many of the Majors were born to Longhorn fans?)

  3. I love Elora, it just looks gorgeous written out. I’m a big fan of Elo- names like Elowen and, erm… well I can’t think of any more right now but I’m sure there’s some! 🙂

    And since you mentioned the World Cup… COME ON ENGLAND! You wouldn’t believe this country right now; it seems like all public buildings, and many private ones, are covered in St George’s Flags. We’ve definitely got World Cup fever.

  4. Sorry, I had to comment on the vuvuzela — I just found it hilarious to be mentioned 🙂
    As far as I know, they have completely sold out of earplugs in Cape Town (or at least a lot of the pharmacies). On Saturday, I could hear them playing it from about 11 AM to 11 pm and take note that I live in a suburb.

    Will aka Willamina seems completely on trend

  5. I have always been fascinated with ancient Etruscan culture. That is a great article, even if I can’t quite figure out who wrote it.

    Asa and Imogen are an awesome pair!

  6. I wonder how many of the little girl Halos were named because their Dad or Mom likes to play the Halo video game. 😛

    Gibson is my Dad’s middle name – it was a family surname – I don’t think he’s fond of it even in the middle spot though, so it’s funny to see it on the rise.

    I like Juniper. 🙂

    Willamina is easier to remember the spelling of than Wilhelmina…and I do like Willa and Wilhelmina, so Willamina is kinda nice.

    1. It wouldn’t be the most bizarre baby naming inspiration, I guess! But Halo seems like a lot of pressure – more than Genesis, even.

      I first heard Gibson as a first name when Laurie, one of the designers from Trading Spaces’ glory days, introduced her newborn son, Gibson: https://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/tradingspaces/bio/laurie.html

      It’s a valid choice and one that I like style-wise, but I do have “Gibson girl” lodged in my brain, lending the name a strangely feminine undercurrent. Wonder if that’s why your dad dislikes it, without even knowing it?

      And I did think the Willamina spelling was intuitive – I seem to recall triple-checking Wilhelmina’s spelling when I wrote the NotD post.

  7. Hey, thanks for the link! I really appreciate it. It is possible that I change my mind, but right now, Tristan Bellamy is sounding really good. My future husband better like it and I really hope that I have a girl haha.

    1. Finding a husband with the same naming style is a challenge! And it’s something you don’t always talk about whilst you’re dating. 🙂

    2. You’re welcome. Love your shoes! We all wear them – my kids have gone through more than I can count. And they’re not named at all what I thought I would name them at 14 or 16 or 22 or even before I met my husband, but hey … I still love their names! (Um, and my kids, and my husband. Of course. Even if he did once suggest naming our daughter Emily. And veto every other suggestion I had.)

    3. Tristan Bellamy is great !

      I actually know a couple of people who have had the same favourites for AGES …. the one lady I know has had the same top 2 for about 18 yrs (she’s in her 30s), but the thing that catches us all is the spouse! If you’re religious, you can always pray or send up a prayer for your names …… which, I’ve actually done ….. I know, I have a really, really bad case of Name Addiction! 🙂 If it can work for someone to have twins — maybe it works for you 🙂 Either way, you’ve got cool names to suggest to someone one day, even if you don’t use it

      1. I actually managed to have the same boy’s name at the top of my list from my teens until I had a baby in my 30s, and was lucky enough to marry a man who liked it too! We now have a son with that name. But can we agree on a girl’s name? Or another boy’s name? Not a chance!! Oh well, we did well to agree easily on that one name!

        1. Foxymoron, I’m dying to know – what magical name did you agree on?

          And Traylox Pirate! Yeesh!

      2. Abby, we named our son Benjamin 🙂 Yes, I know it is not original or unusual, and these days it is very popular, but I have always loved it and it is my beloved father’s, grandfather’s, and great-great-grandfather’s name. So it had to be done.

        1. Please, I have an Alexander! I know all about the imperative of family names. And I do love it, even if we flubbed his nickname. (Alexei, Alex, Aly … hey, you!)

          And thanks for satisfying my curiosity. 🙂

      3. Haha thanks! I’m actually really worried that I’m just going to have boys and no girls. If that happens I asked my siblings if they would name one of their daughters Tristan Bellamy for me and they both said “not a chance” so… If I want that name to be brought into existence, I have to do it myself.