A friend of a friend is expecting. Her first child has a classic boys’ name – Top 50, totally expected, goes well with their surname, adorable. But for their second kid? They chose an old-school name, and a really rare one.
The story of his name is familiar: before he was born, people did a double-take. You’re going to name him what? Or, more dramatically, you can’t name him THAT!
But now that he’s here, and a darling little toddler with chubby cheeks and a winning smile?
Everyone loves the name.
No really. It’s the kind of name people stop and say, “How cool!” It sounds smart and edgy, more versatile than you might imagine. It’s not for every family, and yet it seems to appeal to nearly everyone at the same time.
I hear stories like this ALL the time.
When choosing names, it’s worth remembering this: a name floated in your third or eighth month of pregnancy sounds like a rough draft. Something that might require input and revision.
But the actual child, with that name? It’s completely different. All of a sudden you can picture it on a sweet little kiddo, and you can imagine that person growing up and doing all sorts of amazing things – with that very name.
So use the name you love, even when other people raise an eyebrow. Even when your mom says you cannot possibly do that to her grandchild. Even when you worry that you’ve lost your mind, and maybe you really outta play it safe(r).
Elsewhere online:
- Such a fun question: what was your almost name?
- I love this look at Zendaya’s full name and all of its meanings.
- Aunt Posh! Victoria Beckham’s brother welcomed his first daughter, Tabatha.
- Ooh … Wilhelmina! Could this be the next Samantha/Alexandra/Isabella?
- Congrats to Tamron Hall and welcome to the world, Moses! I feel like this is one Biblical name that could catch on, what with that long ‘o’ sound and that great ‘s’ ending.
- Can brothers be named Finn and Sawyer? Duana nails the answer.
- I started reading this column at the Philadelphia Inquirer for the names, but The Parent Trip had me absolutely in tears. Yes, they’re just names. But oh … parenting is a wild and dangerous journey, with heartache and hope and everything in between …
- From the wayback machine: my very most favorite Kardashian baby name, hands down is True, profiled a year ago. (Which reminds me … all the things the famous family gets right about naming their kids.) In 2017, we looked at twelve tailored names for girls. And all the way back in 2014, I wrote this list of formal names for Bo or Beau – for a boy or a girl.
That’s all for this week! As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
I would absolutely make the Mark Twain connection and my children will also because Huckleberry Finn is the greatest American novel ever written. It isn’t like naming your children two characters from some Babysitter’s Club novel. That being said, I certainly don’t mind the connection. I love both names and they make a fun connection between the two boys. I really hope we aren’t at a place in the nation that people wouldn’t put those names together instantly.
What names did your friend decide on?