How are you holding up, friends?
We’re absolutely fine here. Our kids are handling the disruptions as well as can be expected. The eleven year old did start a list of places to go when we can: the library and the thrift store. I really can’t argue with that. She also perfected her copycat vanilla frappuccino, which may or may not be a good thing.
In other words, life continues. As students, we think of history in a grand, dramatic sweep as we memorize key dates in World War II or discuss the impact of the Black Death in Europe. But slowed down to the pace of the living, people ate breakfast and got dressed and took care of their loved ones through all of those moments.
And, of course, babies were born. And named.
Which brings me to the first newsworthy piece for this week:
The smartest thing I’ve read about the impact of the pandemic on naming comes from Laura Wattenberg. Her look at naming in hard times suggests a handful of likely responses. Some have suggested that we’ll see a return to more traditional names, but I like her take: However parents approach crisis naming, they filter it through their generational sense of style. That should hold doubly true today in an era when name fashion reigns absolutely.
This was just plain fun – are you into extravagant, elaborate Grandmillennial names? Grandmillennial style embraces ruffles, floral prints, chintz. It’s the anti-minimalism. If that speaks to you, then maybe names like Barnaby and Philomena belong on your list. Ava to Zeke rounded up a great collection. And I do think this fits with Laura’s take. Because while it can be tough to predict, generation-defining historical events do have an impact on our preferences … even if takes a while for us to realize exactly how that plays out.
Random #namespotting find: Hungarian Olympic sprint canoer turned politician Marton Joob is dad to ten children. Their names? Gréta, Martin, Noel, Kevin, Doroti, Golda, Melodi, Molli, Lotti and Gordon. Plus, he and wife Dora are expecting baby eleven! I don’t know anything about Hungarian baby name trends, so I’m fascinated. Any readers in the know? If so, are these mainstream picks? Vintage? Or something else?
Hope Solo welcomed twins! Their names are wild. She and husband Jerramy Stevens named their son Vittorio Genghis, and their daughter Lozen Orianna Judith. Those are some powerful choices, nods to legendary warriors and rich with meaning. And, again, it suggests that Laura is on to something with her analysis of crisis naming.
Looking for another unexpected category of names? Try Imaginary Place Names. I’m drawn to so many – Arendelle and Gallifrey, Corellia and Rohan. And that’s just the start.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading – and I’ll see you back here soon.
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