And that’s it, folks.  In just a few days, we’ll bid farewell to 2014.

I’ve already shared the most popular posts from the past year, handed out Celebrity Baby Name superlatives, reviewed my 2014 predictions and indulged in some crystal ball gazing for 2015.

Nothing left to do but pop the champagne, right?

Not quite!  After all, babies are born every day, and names make headlines at the most unexpected times.  I’ll be watching out for the first babies of 2015, and, of course, high profile parents like Blake Lively, Keira Knightley, Carrie Underwood, and Ashlee Simpson are all due in the new year.  And let’s not forget royal baby #2, sure to have the world’s press focused on London this spring.

So much to look forward to in the new year!

Plus plenty of interesting name notes from last week:

  • Suppose your name is Jack Daniels.  And you and your wife have just welcomed a son.  What do you name him? Why, Jim Beam of course.  May I suggest for his future siblings: Basil Hayden, Booker Noe, Elijah Craig, and Ezra Brooks.  Actually, I kind of love Ezra Brooks …
  • Names from a friend’s family tree, all from Missouri and Tennessee circa 1800-something and maybe a few from the early part of the twentieth century: Myrtle, Leland, Lola, Gladys, Easter, Hasting, Lucrettia Clementine, May Nona, Ed Franklin, Amy Lou, Groover, Sophie, Hasten, Edley, Lavisa, Lucetta, Tennie.
  • Oh, this is frustrating!  Parents chose a relatively uncommon name, only to find that everyone else who chose the name lives in their neighborhood.  Swistle gives sage advice, as usual.  I particularly like this bit: I do think it works fine to openly regret the POPULARITY of her name, without regretting the name itself—and you may find dividing it like that gives you some comfort and helps you resolve some of the mental conflict.Sunday Summary
  • Abundanceofnames says that Teva means nature in Hebrew.  To me, Teva means sandals.  (Though they now make all manner of footwear.)  It’s a fascinating word, but I’m not clear if it is used as a given name in Israel.  In our age of Ava and Eva, it is easy to imagine parents considering Teva – but maybe not if they’ve ever been to REI.
  • Herbert’s daughter wants to hand down his name, but wonders why no one else in her family has embraced it.  I think the NameLady’s advice is quite right: … don’t worry about the naming choices your siblings have made. Follow your own heart as you make your decision, and use your dad’s name with pride.  And yet, I’m also in love with one of the comments, suggesting that she reimagine Herbert for a girl as herb + bright and use something like Lavender Bright in the middle spot.  Not what the original poster asked, but oh – lovely thought!
  • A really thoughtful post from Meagan – a must read!
  • While we’re thinking, is it problematic for non-Hawaiians to choose Hawaiian names?  Nancy points out that early Hollywood star Mary Astor chose a Hawaiian name for her daughter, more than eighty years before Jersey Shore alum Jenni Farley called her daughter Meilani.  It’s a question that comes up with Native American names, and seems just as appropriate to ask in this case.
  • The Art of Naming has a great round-up of names in case you’re expecting a baby right about now.  I’m adding Janviere to my guilty pleasures list.
  • I’m quite fond of this name featured at British Baby Names.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading.  Have a fabulous week – and a happy new year!  

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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3 Comments

  1. I went to high school with a girl with a Hawaiian name. She was half-white, half-Cuban, but her military father was stationed in Hawaii. I thought it was a lovely nod to their adopted home.

  2. I know it wasn’t the point at all, like even slightly, but the blurb about Teva actually made me revisit how much I love Rei as a name for a girl.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rei look at its meanings. It’s fabulous. I heart it.

    So, can I use Rei?

    I feel for the daughter of Herbert completely. I’d like to honour my grandfathers – English first names Harvey and Harold. Nobody else in my family has even contemplated either as far as I know. My sister has unbent far enough to admit she likes Harald (now we’re Danish royalty I guess?), but it’s Harvey I love. Nobody else I know thinks it’s a good idea to try to revive it.

    the Art of Naming’s list is great, my favourites in alphabetical order are:
    Girl:
    Beatrice
    Roxana
    Zara & Zora

    Boy:
    Asher
    Orion
    Thaddeus

    ^And I’d swap January to the boy’s side, and put Felicia/Felicity on the girl’s if Felix counts for boys. January (and December) for boys are, personally, quite solid and appealing to me.

  3. Wow, I know of a baby Fiona in Chicago, too! Her mom used to blog! I think that particular Fiona is a year younger than the LW’s daughter, but I’m not 100% sure about that. I’d be absolutely frustrated if that had happened to me, but it probably will die down as the kids get older and don’t run in as many of the same circles.