I’m watching the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy. I’ll keep this spoiler-free … but all of the kids have both numbers and names. Except for Five, who is always … Five.
If you’ve seen the whole series – or read it in the original comics – don’t tell me why! I’m enjoying the mystery.
- We’ve talked about unisex names an awful lot, and there’s been some really thoughtful analysis of the trends. But here’s what strikes me: we’re used to living in a world where names reveal gender, most of the time. That might not be true for a younger generation. And yet, spelling does tend to give clues. My daughter recently told me she has a new penpal named Kylen, through a program at school. No – wait, it’s Kilyn. The first seems more likely to be a boy; the second, a girl. The data backs that up, too. So are we really embracing unisex names? Or just evolving new rules about what signals gender?
- Brothers Horatio and Caspian! And the double name Anamelia? What an amazing list from British Baby Names.
- I think Aglaia has tons of potential.
- Nope, not every name in the past came from a royal or a saint.
- So they went with a third E name for their newest son.
- If it’s a girl, I hope baby Sussex is named Matilda.
- I think Yarrow is ever so lovely.
- What a fun story about how one couple found their son’s name!
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
There’s actually a mistake in the post about Aglaia! The name is pronounced ah-glah-ee-ah, not eh-glah-ee-ah. It’s actually considered a hillbilly name in Greece but it sounds attractive in English. (In Greek the G would make a W sound)
Thanks, Margie – how interesting that it’s perceived SO differently in Greece today! I find that happens with foreign names all the time. The ones I think are gorgeous and fresh usually end up being the equivalent of, say, Barbara or Deborah. You can see the appeal, but they’re names from a different generation …