Massachusetts Life
Game of Life by mia3mom via Flickr

Happy last day of September!

My favorite namestory of the week is a courtesy of a game of Life with my seven year old.  He landed on the “have a baby girl” square and as he dutifully added the pink peg to his car, I asked what he was going to name her.  After a moment’s hesitation, he announced her name.

Peg.

Elsewhere in the baby naming ‘verse:

  • Oh, how I love Zeffy’s list of antique finds for women: Ankaret, Lilchen, Kythe.  Too clunky to wear, but like Ladusky, sometimes the stories behind them are irresistible.
  • Does Cameron still work for boys?  I think it is a great name.
  • Do you think this poster really has a daughter called Ruby-Blossom?  Must. stop. lurking. on Yahoo! forums …
  • Forget Apple.  Right now, I’m all about Plum.
  • Margosa – an unusual botanical name with a sweet connection.
  • Do you get The Butler Eagle?  Apparently, they’re about to start running unusual baby name stories, just like The Toronto Star.  If you happen to live in the northern ‘burbs of Pittsburgh, please be on the lookout!
  • This question at Swistle has me stumped.  It does seem awkward, but the names are great together …
  • Speaking of complicated … is there really a right answer to this question?
  • A long list of multiples – every name nerd’s dream!  The other day my sister said to me, “What is with you and the idea of twins?”  Guilty as charged.
  • I don’t mind boy names on girls, but the category Laura Wattenburg has dubbed “Andro-Girly” is probably my least favorite category of names.  Ever.  What do you think of Emersyn and Kennedi?
  • Great advice.  Especially the last one – don’t skip the middle!
  • Ever Ilo, Gweneth Hazel, Quinn Keating … great names in this week’s Sunday round-up at For Real Baby Names.  But perhaps it is my childhood spent in Pennsylvania, but I’d choose another middle name for Penn.

That’s all for this week!  Thanks for reading.  And please stop by the Nameberry blog tomorrow to learn the real reason I love Reese and Jim’s pick of Tennessee for their new son.

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?

17 Comments

  1. I met a lady once with four daughters. I loved the first three daughters’ names, one of which included the lovely, underused Glory, but then there fourther daughter was Camryn. To me, it didn’t seem to fit. Of course, I’m horribly prejudiced, not being much of a fan of andro-girly names.

    To each their own, I guess! Wouldn’t it be boring if we were still naming most girls Mary, Ann, and Elizabeth?

    1. Your son’s choice of a name is both cute and appropriate! Lately Roseanna has been telling me that her name is Rosary. Um. . .

  2. Cameron is still totally male, but in my area the Camryn version is more popular and totally female.

    Middle names are my bugaboo. First names were always easy, the right name just always felt right… but the limits I placed on first names fly out the window for middle names. Too many possibilities.

  3. I’ve yet to meet a single female Cameron in person. I like Tennessee, but I get the feeling that like Apple and Pilot, Tennessee will get a lot of heat until people eventually come around to it a few years down the road.

  4. I thought the reply to the person asking about correct pronunciations for Madeline, Madeleine and Emmeline was quite good. As for the woman wondering whether it would be weird to use the same two names as friends of theirs, personally I wouldn’t do it, but if it really is the name they love above all others, then it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I know two different couples who have a Ben and a Sophia, but I think that tends to happen because people who tend to like popular names often wind up choosing the same names as other couples who like popular names.

    I think Tennessee is pretty awful, but I look forward to hearing your take on it.

  5. Speaking of twins, at my church there is a couple who are foster parents and they just got a set of twin girls, recently. I met them today and they’re names are Rose and Olive.

  6. I cannot figure out why people seem to like the name Tennessee. I’m truly stumped by the reaction. I am eager to hear your take!

  7. I think Cameron is boyish enough that it will stay unisex. Emersyn and Kennedi? Blech.

    I loved the name Emmeline when I thought it was pronounced “lyn” but some of the people on the Nameberry forums insisted that the ONLY correct pronunciation was “line” and that made me not want to use it. I thought people would judge me if I used it and pronounced it “lyn.” Now they say the British pronunciation is “leen”? Crazy talk! 🙂

    I think Swistle is right – now that they know the family, it’s just a little too weird. I think Lisette is a nice choice for them.

    I love Tennessee James, I really do. I can’t wait to read what you think!

  8. Cameron has never really crossed over to the girls.

    I think the -ine endings are definitely probematic, especially when you want a specific pronuncation and people keep saying them another way. Personally I prefer the “-ine” spellings, pronounced the “yn” way.

    Emersyn and Kennedi are not my style at all. I don’t like them for girls no matter how you spell them.

    Some fun names on 4Real. Another state and city name, Washington. Definitely more on “trend” than Tennessee, altlhough I prefer the latter.