I was dazzled by the outpouring of nominations for the official Baby Name Wizard Name of the Year. Thank you all for some outstanding suggestions, including angles I wouldn't have considered on my own. It was a tough year to make a choice as no single name truly dominated the landscape. (That's not necessarily a bad thing; consider Katrina last year.) I weighed a variety of factors including your votes, public awareness of the name phenomenon, a dramatic change in the name's social meaning or identity, and how the name reflected a broader zeitgest.
First, some runners up -- 3 names shaped by television in 2006:
Emmett. Back in August I identified Emmett as a name on the verge, one that parents were talking about a lot but hadn't quite pulled the trigger on. That was before retired football star Emmett Smith took home the top trophy on tv's "Dancing with the Stars." Zeitgeist bonus points: so who cares that you set the all-time NFL rushing record? You're nobody til you're a reality tv star. Points off for: the name is still a stealthy favorite, not really on everyone's lips (as the paucity of Emmetts in the nomination pool demonstrated).
Miley. A strong candidate for the out-of-nowhere role thanks to "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus (given name Destiny). Miley is a natural extension of Riley, Kiley et al. Points off for: Zeitgeist? What Zeitgeist? Besides, most Hannah Montana fans are still in the pre-procreation demographic.
Addison. I was surprised at first to see a flood of nominations for Addison. But the posters built a strong case: 2006 was a breakthrough year for Addisons as a character on "Grey's Anatomy" propelled the name out of Madison's shadow and into the the spotlight. It's clearly one of the hottest names of the year and an example of some of the strongest trends in naming. Androgynous surnames that contract to girlish nicknames are a soaring sub-genre. Even the baby step from Madison to Addison illustrates the constant but cautious hunt for novelty. Points off for: being more evolutionary than revolutionary in 2006. I had cited Addison as a hot example of the the "retractable surname" trend in the opening sections of The Baby Name Wizard.
Which brings us to the official Name of the Year:
Shiloh.
I don't know if you heard, but some couple named Brad and Angie had a baby girl this year and named her Shiloh. Ring any bells?
Yes, it's a celebrity baby name. But before you start yawning let me say that it's not just any name, and not just any celebrity. If there were a baby naming hall of fame Angelina Jolie would be a charter member. She chooses extremely unusual names: Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh. But while other celebrities earn snickers for their unconventional choices, nobody's laughing at the Jolie kids. Angelina is like that friend who shows up for a party wearing colors you never would have imagined putting together and maybe don't even like, but dang she looks good...and makes the rest of us in our basic black feel kind of timid.
When you think of the typical high-profile baby name, it's an island unto itself. Suri, Apple and Audio Science don't really belong to or influence any broader trends. Shiloh, in contrast, makes cultural connections. It's part of the revival of biblical rarities -- Shiloh is a place name from the Bible, adopted for towns in a number of U.S. states. It's also a nostalgic place name of the Savannah/Cheyenne family. By far the best known Shiloh is in Tennessee, where a horrific 1862 battle gave an early glimpse of the bloody years that were to lie ahead in the Civil War. The Battle of Shiloh claimed over 23,000 casualties and dominated the cultural meaning of Shiloh for generations to come.
Shiloh did have a history as a baby name long before Miss Jolie-Pitt hit the scene. You'll find occasional 19th-century Shilohs both before and after the Civil War, most of them male. The name tailed off after the 1880s and started to come back quietly starting in the late 1960s, this time chosen for girls and boys alike. Yet if you asked most Americans in 2005 their first association with Shiloh was surely still the battle, with second place going to the male beagle who headlined the 1992 Newbery-winning children's novel Shiloh.
You want a "change in the name's social meaning"? When I was writing my book I considered including Shiloh but decided that the battlefield associations were too strong. Now can you imagine leaving it out of the next edition -- or calling the name anything but feminine? And as little Shiloh was endlessly discussed in every known medium, the name sent out ripples into the great name landscape. Just as Maddox took the popular surname style and blew the doors off its preppy Payton-Tyler constraints, so Shiloh will make parents take a fresh look at the seemingly familiar realm of Biblical and Old-South place names. (Think Jericho for boys, Shenandoah for girls.) Massive public awareness, sudden change, portents of names to come...there is your Name of the Year.
And with that, I bid you a happy naming year. See you in 2007...and start thinking about your entries for this year's edition of the baby name pool!
Comments
Dogs: Goober, Annachie Gordon
Cats: Buckwheat, Killer, Soren Kierkegaard, Terminator, Linus Pauling, and J'Kailee (a name I made up in the 80's)
As for girls names with Charles and Amelia, I agree with Anneleise. Keep away from Symphony sounds like a phony name to me. ;)
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Our hometown newspaper has a photospread of "Baby's 1st Holiday" (photos were sent in by parents or grandparents so these are by no means all the babys born the last year. The cuties are named:
Alexa Lynn
Grace Aubrey
Emma Marie
Sophia Grace
Thomas Benjamin
Parker Joseph
Alexander James
Olivia Carol
Eva Elizabeth
Joseph Thomas
Sara Jane
Anthony Curtis
James Robert
Fisher (m)
Sean Kristopher
Margaret Christine
Kevin William
Michael James
Sydney E. (f)
Zoe Katharine
Lawson James
Anna Jillian
Myah Jade
Emma
Nash Oliver
Zachary Michael
Murphy Fallon (f)
Allison Jeanne
Dustin
Gia
Owen Daniel
Alayna Marie
Brooke
Adele? That's so grandma-ish to me! Very TV mother-in-law, too, I think.
And I agree about Symphony and Amalia, which is too close to Amelia, anyway, but Christian and Chelsea? I don't see those as odd names whatsoever. I especially think Henry and Christian sound cute together. As for the royal thing - it's not hard to find a prince, etc. named Christian.
Names are all about stereotypes. Everybody hears them differently. I know two women in their 70s at my church named Viola. It kills me to see that name bounced around!
And Amelia has withstood the test of time in my opinion so I don't link it with a specific time period. At least in the U.S. That's why a name such as Laken could go - Amelia can be modern, too.
If Henry is used I think it's nice to play it up with something fresh. Otherwise you get "meet Henry and Adele, no they're not my grandparents, my children." Ha.
I love Caroline, Alice, and Adele! I prefer Anna to Anne, though. That little a makes such a difference in how the name sounds to me. Addie as a nickname for Adele really makes it sound younger and more fresh, imo.
Other suggestions:
Lydia
Clara
Violet
Genevieve (lots of nickname options on this one!)
Gwendolyn
Felicity
Amelia and Henry are both wonderful names. I'm sure whatever you choose will be great too. :)
Shiloh? The child's name is Shiloh Pitt. Piloh Shitt. C'mon, that's horrible.
About Charlie and Amelia:
I looooooove Henry, but Anne is a bit plain for my taste and it kind of gets lost in Amelia's shadow. Caroline, even though it's nice, has very similar roots to Charlie, so I'd stay away from it. Two suggestions others have made, Louisa and Alice, are great. Louisa is adorable and in the same vein as Amelia. Alice is a wonderful A-name alternative to Anne-traditional like Charlie and Amelia,and strong enough to stand up to Amelia. Other ideas: Elise and Eliza.
"Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt" in its entirety could be the name of the year. Laura's reasons are convincing and ture. But also: The name symbolized the cult of celebrity gossip. Many joked that this was the most anticipated birth since the Christ child. Then Brangelina* gave her a suitably Messianic name, with a biblical place name first and "new" (in French) in the middle.
*Another symbol of a trend -- star-couple blending .
I'm so glad that there are still people out in reality land who couldn't care less what 'celebrities' name their poor kids and certainly have more sense than to follow their example (as if naming your child after a celeb means you or your offspring could possibly inherit their 'star' quality?).
Imagine being named the same as a celebrity kid in the same year, or even being given an unusual celebrity name? All your life some dimwit will ask you if you're related or whether 'your' latest film is any good or some other inanity, you'll rarely be seen as the individual you really are, and your age will be fixed in eternal concrete.
My utmost sympathy goes out to the unfortunate Shilohs, Suris and other victims of their parent's celeb-mania.
Whew - I feel better now :-)
Mary Ellen - I second the Emmeline suggestion. I think it goes along with the style of Charlie and Amelia, without being too similar. Good luck!
Ooh, Mary Ellen, thank you for the opportunity to offer suggestions! I love Charlie and Amelia, but would stay away from Anne (I don't care for names with the same first letter, unless it's a theme you're going for) and Caroline (because of its similarity to Charles/Charlie). What do you think of Susanna(h)? It's our pick for a girl, and it has "Ann" in it (we'd use Anna as the nn). I like Henry, too, and Oliver is our top choice for another boy (our two boys are Thomas and Gabriel).
Laura's book has the following as sisters for Amelia:
Cecilia
Sophie
Annabel
Miriam
Lydia
Brothers:
Simon
Max
Edgar
Owen
Pierce
Sisters for Charles:
Mary
Margaret
Dorothy
Sylvia
Frances
Brothers:
William
Richard
George
Edward
James
Sisters for Charlie:
Lucy
Alice
Nora
Susie
Nell
Brothers:
Ray
Archie
Joe
Hal
Harry
I think Annabel, Lydia, Simon, Owen, Pierce, James, Lucy, Nora(h), and Harry would all be smashing. Note also that Alice and Susie (nn for Susanna?) made the lists.
(cont'd)
Oops, sorry, I'd remove "Annabel" from my "smashing" list in my previous post -- like with Anne, I don't like it because you already have an Amelia.
Laura -- I just have to tell you how much I love your book. I'd seen people referring to it over and over again on babycenter.com's name polls, so I requested it from my husband for Christmas ... and I've already broken it in (dogeared pages, spine separation)! I LOVE it! The brother/sister part is my favorite! As a mom of two (Thomas and Gabriel) who is hoping for more, and the wife of a man who considers "Bob" the ultimate male name (no offense to any Bobs!) and hates "weird" (to me "interesting" or "creative" or "unusual") names, your book will get A LOT of use! Thanks!
Okay, this is ot, but a question for Laura and those of the group. Why isn't Millie popular in the US?
Consider:
1.It is number 20 in England.
2. It has similar qualities to Emily, Lily, Molly and the aforementioned Miley.
So why isn't it in the top 1000 names?
The second question is if we started posting it on all the name boards, would it become a popular name?
Millie, to me, is George H.W. Bush's dog. Other Americans may have other reasons.
Millie sounds very old-fashioned to me. I know a girl about 20 yo with the name but she's the ONLY one i've ever heard of.
Maybe it was more common in the past in the U.S. so it's more grandma sounding? Or maybe it has some positive associations in the UK that it doesn't have in the US? It's short for Millicent in both places right?
I'm kind of glad to hear that there was a glue problem with the book and it wasn't just from me being "name obsessed" as my husband says! I do hope that it is corrected for the second edition though!
Millie is my parents' dog's name, too!
I like Anne, actually, and I like Jane, too. I think Janie is a nice twist on Jane. What about Rachel or Maggie?
And Claire is a GREAT suggestion.
I seem to bring it up a lot, just because we almost used it, but how about Adelaide? It goes with Amelia and Charlie. Could be a fresh twist on Adele if you don't want to completely name your daughter after your grandmother (possibly leaving out other relatives!)
Wendy, I think the reason Millie hasn't caught on in the US is that it still sounds like one of those "grandmother names" like Gladys, Gertrude, and Doris that hasn't been "rediscovered" yet. But unlike the other names I mentioned, I think you're right in that Millie's light sound could mean that in a few years it could be poised for a revival.
I'm curious about some of the comments regarding names that "go with" a sibling's names. I understand not wanting to give a series of names that make a "set" (like John, Jason, and Jennifer) or that are so similar as to cause confusion (like Emma and Ella), but who cares if they sound well together in a list, or are a little similar? Most people will never hear the names as a set; most of us probably don't even know the names of our friends' siblings.
Naming children isn't like coordinating fabrics. Anne is a beautiful classic name, and who cares if it "goes with" Charlie and Amelia. No child called Anne will ever regret her name.
i never thought of names going together until coming on this site a few months ago, but i think part of it is that parents who like one name will also like another. you know they have some kind of vibe or sound or whatever.
i sort of agree with you in that concern with names going together is sort of... veering toward the children as accessories thing. when i think of whether certain names go i find myself imagining them going out on christmas cards!
personally though i think i mostly try to avoid rhyming names...
If there were no desire for names which 'go together' where would Laura's book be?
Off topic, I need your opinion.
I am due to have a little girl in April. We have decided on her first name, but the middle name is tricky. I have found one that I really like because of it's meaning. My problem are her initials.
E.Z.A.
I don't want her to be made fun of. What do you think?
Sharon - I see what you mean but the reverse is also true. If someone has a little girl named Susie she would presumably want a similar styled but not identical name for another girl - (unless she's copying George Forman with his multiple sons named George).
I guess it comes down to walking the fine line between belonging to a family through members having a generally similar base of names, and yet retaining each child's individuality. Possibly thats why parents pick names from their common cultural backgrounds and societal group.
I think the siblings name suggestion help a parent discover there naming style.. I agree I usually end up liking one of the suggestions in the siblings category when I find a name that I really like.
Also when I hear the name Millie.. I think Millie Vinelli.. or however you spell that. The band that lip synced all there songs and got caught...
Rebekah: That's a hard one. On one hand, I think kids will find ways to make fun of any name. Oh and also maybe kids won't know her middle name. You know, it seems like most people don't use their middle names. I think that if I were you, I would see if I could come up with something better and if not just go with this one.
The reason why Millie isn't popular here is because most people think of it as short for Millicent which is awful for a little kid.
Oh, and Rebekah, what's wrong with the initials EZA? EZY (easy) might be bad but I can't see what's wrong as it is. My initials before I got married were RAW and my best friend growing up was BEG. Now those are bad!
Millie is also a nickname for Mildred, which is pretty dreadful for a small girl.
I kind of like "Millicent". Makes me think of the girl Bobby Brady had a crush on. "Millie" still seems flimsy to me though.
Sharon - While I don't think that we should treat our children - or even their names - as accesories, I think Laura's book and philosophy does a couple of things. 1. "If you like names in this category, you'll like..." 2. Ideally suggests that you don't name your children Elizabeth, Michael, and Window because you were high on the epidural at the moment you chose a random name for your third kid. However, I don't think that any of us use Laura's suggestions as the final rule for naming our children. For example, we are naming our first son Charles, after his father. I'm not terribly interested in any of the sibling suggestions Laura lists in her book, though I do like classic names. You get the idea.
Rebekah - I don't imagine it would come up very often, and other than Z being an unusual initial, I don't see anything overly amusing about EZA.
About the initials, I guess I am more concerned about the
E. Z. (easy) part.
ya.. I don't think it will matter to much... most people don't know a child's middle name.. I grew up the intials MR.. (I am a woman)... and well I was never made fun of for my intials.. so I doubt it will be a problem.
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this or not yet, but with the popularity of turning surnames into girls names, has anyone considered the possibility of a girl marrying and becoming Ashley Ashley, Taylor Taylor, or Madison Madison etc? One of my sister's high school classmates became Ashley Ashley after she married.
By the way, I know my comment had nothing to do with the string of posts. I just wanted to know if Laura had discussed it yet in a blog, and didn't know another way to bring the subject up to her.
Shiloh was a bloody civil war battle...could you be any more disrespectful to our veterans?
Looks like I'm the third reader who's known a dog named Millie. That's what would stear me away from the name. I always picture a collie when I think of it. Millie the Collie, too cute!
Regarding sibling names starting with the same letter...A lot of the readers here seem to dislike the idea. As a whole, it seems very popular though. Just look at the twin names from the SSA. Most start with the same letter. Are we missing something? Or, are we just following the current fashion trend away from "matchy matchy"?
Surely siblings want to be individual from each other, even if they do share the same parents, house, or even birthday.
I agree it does sound a bit grating if siblings are called Thomas, Sarah and Madison, for example.
I used to think that same letter sibling names - especially twins were practically required. I had whole lists of twin names that were like that. Alexa and Alyssa, McKenna and Michaela, Kirsten and Keira. My husband was the first one to tell me that we didn't have to do that if we had twins. I think they should sound good together, since they will always be said together for the first 18 years at least. But I know some twins named Carin and Elizabeth and while they don't rhyme or start with the same letter, etc. they still sound good together.
I don't think naming a baby Shiloh is disrespectful of the Veterans of that war - I think it's a way to say we will never forget.
Erin - I've thought of that. But they could always keep their maiden name or hypenate or whatever if it bugged them. For that matter, I once knew a Samantha (nn Sam) Sams and my mother went to school with a girl who becmae Jady Pady.
When you name a child you have no idea who they will marry.. or what there last name will become... so I think avoiding a surname as a first name.. so that they won't marry some one with that name is kinda silly... I mean every first name may be some one's last name.. and vice versa.. If they really don't want to become "Ashley Ashley" .. they don't have to marry that person.
I know a woman who became Carol Carroll when she got married. I agree with Melissa -- avoiding a surname as a fn because of who they might marry is kind of silly. Especially since not every woman gets married, and not every woman who gets married changes her name. And some men change their name when they get married! I know a man who did so, and his wife's surname -- the one he took as his own -- is Derrick ... Fortunately, Derek is not his fn, so he didn't have the same issues as Ashley Ashley and Carol Carroll!
I may have just gone to school with a weird group, but in my high school we had an Alexandria Alexander, a Thomas Thomas, a Matthew Matthews, all on purpose. And I swear this, I saw her drivers license, we had a girl named Kim Ber Lee. Her last name was Lee, and her parents were trying to be cute.
So if Ashley goes on to become Ashley Ashley, she's in good company, seems some parents try to give names that end up that way.
I love this site and all the comments...
I need boy name suggestions. My (married) last name is Spanish but the pronunciation has been Anglicized. We're trying to find a name with "pan-European"/non-trendy flair that would go well with our last name no matter the pronunciation but nothing too "out there" Any suggestions?
We love Nina for a girl but are at a loss for boy names and that's what everyone thinks I'm having...the big u/s is in 3 weeks!
I love Nico for a boy but my dh thinks it might be too out there. (He's Italian, Cajun and Mexican, so I think it would work!)
Thanks!!
AG: I love both Nina and Nico! Maybe you could convince your husband that Nico could be Anglicized to Nic if your son chooses it. Or you could go with Nicolas and call him Nico.
Sorry, but I don't have any other suggestions. I don't really get what "pan-European" means. I will blame it on my being American. :P
My name is Chloe. Now it's ubiquitous for little girls, but when I was growing up in the 80s, it was very exotic indeed. Of the many creative mispronunciations, I sometimes heard "Shiloh," inexplicably.
I knew a Shiloh growing up, and like kids are, I assumed it was a perfectly common name even though I never met another one. Poor girl -- she had a cool name in a rural county in the South. We all called her Silo.
AG- I have a friend who is Belgian, married to a guy who is half Swiss-German and half Indian. They called their new son Victor Sebastian, which I think definitely counts as pan-European. Their daughter is Annabelle. I see pan-European as meaning a name which works well in a variety of European languages. OK, that's a fun project! I'll get back to you...
Re: similar first/last names- I was at school with Felixianne Felicien. That was a tough one!
OK, AG, here's what I have for starters:
Raphael/Rafael
Daniel
Gabriel
Simon
David
Leo
Max
Adrian
Alex(ander).
Those are all very classic.
Little bit more 'out there':
Hector
Pascal
Mario/Marius
I realize that I know four culturally mixed European couples who all called their babies... Anna! So I know the pool of names doesn't seem that big.
Thanks for all the suggestions!! I appreciate your support RobynT!!!
Valerie, that is what I mean by pan-euro because my dh is both Italian and Spanish (and has a French Cajun granpa) I want it to kinda flow in any of these languages. (and not be too "white-bread" haha)
Actually We're considering Dominic and then calling the baby Nico. I love Dominic too but my dh thinks that it might be a problem at school if he went by a n/n. Did anybody go by a nickname and have problems with it? You know always correcting people? Because I wouldn't mind if was called Dominic sometimes or if he chose to go by that as an adult. I just don't really like the n/n Dom. And I really want a reason to name him NICO!! :)Which i found in the book...Thanks, Laura!
BTW: I also love Felix but that is waaaay out because of dh's crazy uncle situation..same goes for Pedro and David!
AG - I've known several people that go my the less obvious nn in school - on the first day of class, when the teacher calls roll, the child says "I go by _______" when they call out the full version. Teacher writes it down, and everyone goes along with life. Same goes if you are called by your middle name (which, for the record, I don't suggest). I love the name Dominic, and nn Nico is cute.
That Kim Ber Lee thing is awful. Why do parents do things like that? I knew a Sandra Cheryl Shore - Sandy C. Shore. Terrible,
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