I stumbled on this little corner of the internet the other day: a website crowdsourcing names for every possible color under the sun.
The most fascinating part, I think, isn’t attempting to name that particular shade of purple-blue. It’s looking at the names others have dreamed up for all sorts of colors. You can vote up (or down) your favorites. And duplicates are flagged.
Some suggestions include personal names: Deep Allison Blue. Isabell Red – not a typo.
But the best ones feel more broadly descriptive. There’s an earthy blue-green submission called Faerie Den. A beige-yellow known as Buttery Pancake. Purple Leisure Suit!
The thing is: when we see a color, we’re describing a known thing. The associations we make with a shade of blue might not be universal, but chances are good that others will get it. I’ve never been to Texas, but “Texas Summer Sky Blue” seems about right.
But we name children who will surprise us, who will change over the course of their lives. They’re sunny sky blue, but also stormy sky and cloudy sky, and every season brings its nuances – just as in life.
A color, of course, cannot grow into its name. It has to fit.
That’s the good news about naming. Rarely do we have only one chance to get it right. Our kids aren’t a single, unvarying hue. Choose a name big enough to capture all the colors, from Tuscan Moss to Pomegranate Winter, Snowy Egret to Whispering Sand.
ELSEWHERE ONLINE
How fun are these? Better still, Eventide Pennant Co has a great Instagram account where they feature names on recent orders. Perry, Zola, Eilee, Hatton … and so. many. more.
Namerology reviews the names that are popular AND still stand out. I have some hesitations about a few of the names, but generally, the idea is sound – and her picks do satisfy!
Idina, Isla, Isobel … is I the new A? The latest edition of British Baby Names birth announcements makes me think maybe so.
What a great list of rare names. Briony and Beacon, Rigby and Dot.
The stories about how people get their names? Unbelievable. And completely reasonable, somehow at the same time.
Can’t get enough name talk? Sign up for the Tuesday newsletter, straight to your inbox, right here:
