Sunday Summary 6.18.17Happy Father’s Day to everyone celebrating!

The world’s most famous father  – at least for 2017 – has to be Jay Z. Last night, People reported that he and Beyonce welcomed their twins in recent days. While there’s no official word on the new arrivals’ genders, speculation continues. The latest? Barack Obama’s remarks at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony suggests that the twins are both girls. Which, of course, reverses previous speculation that the twins are both boys, which was based on Beyonce’s recent wardrobe choices.

We’re a little obsessed, right?

If you need me, I’ll be hitting refresh on Beyonce’s Instagram, hoping for a name announcement, possibly featuring a sweet snap of the proud papa with this three kiddos.

Of course, no guarantee we’ll get the news today, so here are some distractions:

  • On a different celebrity note, The Hills alumni Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are expecting their first child together. When asked about names, Heidi described it as “hard,” noting that “Spencer doesn’t want to have a duplicate name out there.” So many parents feel this way, and yet few parents choose truly rare names. It’s all about how you draw the circle. Does no duplicates mean “no children you personally know and see on a regular basis” duplicates? Or are you ruling out every baby name you’ve ever heard on another human being, real or fictional, in the universe as a whole? It almost has to be the former, which is part of the reason parents choose Top 100 names and still feel like they’re unique.
  • An interesting look at Nola by British Baby Names. Since I’m headed to New Orleans later this year, this one screams Southern charm to me. Fact: I once almost moved to New Orleans, despite it being a Horrible, Poorly Thought-Out Plan. My sister talked me off that ledge, and I’m grateful to her. But some days, usually around Mardi Gras, I do what-if …
  • While we’re hanging out with Elea in England – a baby named Honeysuckle I do love a bold botanical, but this one wasn’t even on my radar.
  • Mermaid baby namesOndine might be my favorite.
  • I’m intrigued by Lala from this Inspiring Mum post – and have you ever heard Bam as a boy’s name in the US? Skateboarder-turned-MTV star Bam Margera was born Brandon. At the height of his fame, a handful of boys received the name – but only a handful.
  • Is it Es MEE or Es MAY? I’ve heard it both ways. The more I learn about names, the more I’m convinced that there are dominant pronunciations, but not necessarily correct ones. If someone tells you that she’s Es MEE, then you should address her as such.
  • THIS series! Kara knocks it out of the park with unusual-but-wearable boy names.
  • Have I been talking about Dutch names a lot lately? It’s one of my favorite onomastic languages lately. With Finn big for boys, I think Fenna should catch on for girls.
  • Wow! It sounds like this grandmother overstepped. I’ve heard pressure to pass on family names plenty of times, but pressure to add a name the mother-in-law just happens to like? That seems bananas. (But then, I’m sure there’s another side to this story.)
  • There’s another Descendants movie coming out, featuring the children of the traditional Disney villains. The sequel to the successful Disney Channel original movie gives us Uma, daughter of Ursula. Could this be the boost that mini-name Uma needs to join names like Ava and Mia near the top of the charts? I think this one could wear well.

That’s all for now! As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!

 

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.

You May Also Like:

What do you think?

3 Comments

  1. Great read, as always.
    I expect Honeysuckle is a bit more familiar in the UK than the US – there’s a fairly well-known British actress called Honeysuckle Weeks.
    The Weeks family have fantastic names: she’s Honeysuckle Hero Susan (Susan is her mother’s name), and her siblings are Perdita Rose Annunziata and Rollo Percival Loring. Her father’s name is Robin, which is less surprising but wonderfully British.

    1. Ah – interesting, onomastodon! Now that you mention it, I think Nameberry had her in a round-up of British actresses with distinctive names a while back. But oh, those family names!

      PS – Love your screen name. 🙂