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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  1. Congrats to Elisabeth!

    I’m surprised I haven’t read more about another celeb birth in the blogosphere on other blogs, but dooce had her baby last week – named her Marlo Iris. Isn’t that a great name?

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  2. Congratulations to Elisabeth on now having TWO beautifully-named daughters!

    And thanks for the mention, Abby. My husband has been very sweet about indulging the naming obsession, even if he is a little reluctant at times. I imagine the naming discussions will get even more serious in August after we find out what gender we’re having. At this point, I think he’s still in the, “Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad,” phase.

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  3. OMG – five girls and still trying for a boy!? That’s dedication!

    My BiL’s family does something similar – they share the same first name, but hand down the mother’s maiden name in the middle spot. It works out fine, because we can always distinguish them by middle initial. (Though we actually refer to the patriarch as Hugh the Elder.) My sister is undecided if they’ll continue passing down Hugh, but she really would rather not use her last name in the middle spot, so we’ll see.

    As for the seventh? We have an old friend who is the 8th! Adam Nathaniel … But he doesn’t plan to have kids of his own, so he’s told his brother that he can have an Adam Nathaniel IX if he is so inclined. After so many passings down, it seems like a shame to discontinue the name – and Peter Vincent *is* a great combo! (Then again, I love their girls’ names, too.)

    Back to Richard – Allison, I always loved the idea of using Hardy as a nickname for Richard, but my husband didn’t care for it. But Rick, Ricky and Rich, Richie just don’t sound current to my ear. And Spencer is a nice choice!

    Elisabeth, it is time for a Lolly icon!

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  4. I have an uncle who’s a seventh. SEVENTH?! So bizarre. And no, we’re not royalty. Thankfully it’s a good name, Peter Vincent (sounds like Stevens) VII.

    They’re really trying for a boy now, to continue the line, but they’ve had five girls and we don’t know how much longer they’re gonna hold out for!

    Their girls are at least well named: Thalia, Melania, Rhea, Gia, and Aurelia. Baby on the way is either going to be Anthea or Peter Vincent. We’ll see 😉

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  5. Warmest congratulations to Elisabeth and her beautifully named daughters! I can’t imagine a more charming, inspired-sounding pair of siblings. “Lolly” is so much fun to say, it should be patented as the cutest nickname ever. Well chosen!

    Interesting note regarding the downtrend in “jr” names; once in a while, I still have a teensy twinge of regret about not naming Spencer after his dad, as he would have been Richard Edward Mac****** III. I think it’s terribly distinguished, but maybe also a little WASPY/pretentious? Anyway, my mother and my aunt both did something I find wierd, naming their sons’ first name for their dads, but with a different middle name. The upshot of that is they get all of the shared-name confusion without the pedigree, for lack of a better word.

    What a Lovely Name is cute, cute! Terrific idea for baby gifts: I can remember I was tickled pink after my kids were born, everytime I saw or heard their names.

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  6. Hahaha! Celeb birth in the blogosphere? Well, thank you. And thank you too Abby for your great work way back when on the name Eulalie. It definitely helped to shore up my love for the name. She really named herself, this little one.

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