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
>>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.<<
As an Elizabeth, nn Lisa, I agree with Christiana. Teacher called out "Elizabeth ____" and I answered "Here - I go by Lisa" and there's the end of it. (Well, except for my 6th grade math teacher, but he was a jerk in many other ways, too.)
Dominic is a very nice name, and Nico is fun and different (but not weird). Fair warning, though - when little Nico hits adolescence (and especially college), he and his friends may take to using "Dom" or some other nn that may not thrill you. And at that point, you have no say in the matter! ;-)
I love the nn Andy for a girl but don't care for the name Andrea. Is Alexandria with the nn Andy too far of a stretch?
Are there other options?
Tell your husband that Nico is a fine name! I know a little boy named Nico who's dad is Italian, mom is Mexican. It works for him. And Dominic with Nico as a nickname works.
Whatever you call your son, people will follow. I was worried naming my daughter Suzanna that people would call her Suzie which I don't like (I call her Zan or Zanna). Few have tried to call her Suzie, but we tell them she prefers Suzanna and that is that.
You guys are awesome. I really was looking for suggestions, but I appreciate all the support for my true fav, Dominic/Nico!
Good point Wendy about people following your lead.
TC: I love the name Andy for a girl as well, but spelled Andie like McDowell. I had a friend as a young girl named Andie and I think her full name may have been Adrienne. (That's a stretch too, but I think it's a nice alt. to Andrea.)
PS I had posted a reply to TC a minute ago but it didn't show up. I apologize if it suddenly appears and I sound repetitious.
For AG: I know a young Nico and I just love the name. (He does too!) His parents wanted something that would fit with his mother's Chilean heritage, but not be too unusual here in the U.S. The name Dominic is very versatile (later in life he can always go by Nic or Dom if he chooses)and Nico is not as "out there" as you might think.
TC: Andra, Andralynn, Andeana are the suggestions I get from my prefered baby name dictionary site. Ariadne, maybe? I also prefer the -"ie" ending, but it's obviously your choice and that of your daughters when she grows up. Alexandria isn't too much of a stretch to me because it's got the "and" in the middle, though of course the automatic nn will be Alex or Lexie, so if you're the type to get frustrated hearing that, you might want to rethink it. You could also use one of the Ann names - like Annette or Annika and make her middle name a D name so the nn is a combo of An and De or An and D. Just a thought.
TC:
I'm not sure what this website (http://www.tngenweb.org/franklin/frannick.htm) is, but it lists Sandy as a nn for Alexander. Given that, I don't see why Andy couldn't be a nickname for Alexandra. Maybe it could also be a nn for Amanda?
AG -- look at this website for the top names in different countries -- including Spain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_popular_given_names
Consider Marc, Alejandro, Javier
Oh Wendy, what a fantastic website! Thanks for that! I love investigating names which are already classic but not overused, so this is fun.
Looking at the Icelandic names on that website, I noticed how they were all very trad. Maybe that's because of their naming system.
Did you know that in Iceland they still use the ancient system of taking the father's first name and adding -son or -dottir (daughter) in each generation. It's wild. So the family does not all have the same last name and it changes every generation. You can't look up a family by its last name as the mother will have *her* father's name and the father will have *his* father's name and the kids will all have his name.
For example, I would be Valerie Johnsdottir and my husband would be Robert Patricson, and our kids would be Something Robertson or Robertsdottir.
You have to look people up by first name! I wonder if this will affect adopting names from other countries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterparts_of_given_names is also fantastic.
Well, this is my shortlist of babynames for our DD
Olivia Rose (after her grandmother and great-grandmother - i'm serious this is their names). But i'm hesitating b/c of the popularity of Olivia and Rose seems so cliche.
Lily Michelle - Lily b/c its such a soft, pretty name and Michelle after ME...but hesitating b/c Lily is so popular too
Pearl Something (don't know what)...love the name Pearl but hesitating b/c 1/2 the people i know love it but the other 1/2 think its an ugly old lady name like Ethel or Vera. Plus our last name is P so that would make her Pearl P (PP)... too bad b/c i love Pearl and its NOT popular....maybe for good reason???
Any opinions?
Popularity is a double-egde sword imho.
On the one hand it sucks being one of 5 Ava's or Emma's in a class, but on the other hand it also stinks having a name so unpopular that you can't even find a keychain with your name on it.
My parents gave me an unpopular name - CLAUDIA - which means 'lame' which is probably why its so unpopular....
Growing up i hated not being able to find ANYTHING with my name on it (ok, i know its a bit petty but still a big pet peeve when all your friends pick out mugs, pencils, erasers etc. with names on it and you get the blank one :(
i forgot to add:
Forget Pearl - that's Earl with a P and don't forget about the Pearl tampons...
I like Lily or Olivia (Lily is slightly less popular).
In regards to finding "personalized" items with your name on it, nowadays you can custom order ANYTHING with ANY name on it online, so it's no longer an issue like when we were growing up. Even if your name is ZKFJDLKGJD you can get pencils and keychains with ZKFJDLKGJD on it
I KNOW you can custom order things with names on it but a) its a pain, b) it costs more c) some things are not customizable
Like the Christmas ornaments i got this year. I was able to find them off the rack for everyone in my family except ME of course, so i got the blank one and had to "custom" write in my name with white craft paint...pain in the butt and didn't match the others.
Re: Popularity
I don't think popularity should factor into your decision. I was one of 3 Sarahs in my class growing up BUT...the world is a big place. I do not work with any other Sarahs and don't have any friends named sarah. Same thing happened to my husband (David).
Name trends are noticible in classrooms where kids in the same age group are put together. Once they leave and venture into the real world with people of different ages etc. they will realize their name is not that common.
Olivia might be popular 3000/million but that still leaves 997 000 people with a DIFFERENT name, kwim?
TC,
My dear step-grandmother is called "Andy," her real name being Endelecia. Not a common name, but not extremely rare here in the southwest.
Michelle,
I like "Pearl," but it would make me take a quick glance at the mother to see if she had a red "A" pinned to her blouse.
The popularity factor of Olivia is surely offset by the fact it's a genuine family name for you, which gives it Authenticity Points.
Claudia- I commiserate with you on being unable to find those personalized pencils, etc....Although nowdays my name can be found once in a while.
In fact, I noticed that I subjected two of my kids to the same fate. I got some "TYLER" pencils for my older son, but could not find anything for my daughter, Delaney or my younger son, Murphy.
Re: Olivia and Lily. They are beautiful names, but I have the popular name aversion (Grew up as Wendy C and hated it).
IF it bothers you, don't do it because it will bother you more when your daughter is Olivia P or Lily P. (and it will happen since both names are very popular... we know 5 Olivias under the age of 5 and 3 Lilys).
PP is a problem. Won't send her to school with it.
So I have a Suggestion: Lilia. A combination of Olivia and Lily. :)
Val, glad you liked the website. Like the one you found.
Re Angelina Jolie's naming prowess: wasn't Zahara already named Zahara when they adopted her? She was around two years old, so I think they kept her previous name.
Michelle, if you like old-fashioned jewel and flower/plant names, how about Daisy, Pansy, Laurel, Iris, Opal, or Ruby? Rosa is also a nice variant on Rose. And if you like Lily for its soft double-l sound how about Leila, Lila or Lulu? I love Lulu as a nn for Louise.
Mary Ellen:
I love:
Olivia
Violet
Daisy
Beatrix
Michelle:
What about Olivia Pearl?
I personally love Olivia and though it is popular, when she gets to the 'real world' out of the classroom she's going to be working with people 15 years older than her, and not everyone's going to be named Emma, Olivia, and Madison. Pearl sounds a little too old-fashioned-grandma-ish to me to be a first name, but it takes on a more fresh-like vibe when paired with Olivia.
About first name married last name. In my freshmen year of college I had to take introduction to university life (Read plagerism is bad. Don't do it.) I'll never forget the first day in my first college class. My teacher walked in and wrote her name on the board and said my name is Marty Marty, you can call me Marty, or Marty, whichever one you're more comfortable with. It's not a life ruining thing, it can be taken in humor. Also, on a lighter, fictional note, in Meet the Parents: Pamela Martha Focker.
Humorously enough, in grade school (in the 80s!) I knew a Shiloh (boy, one year older than me, so born in 1971) and his sister? Shenandoah, one year younger than me.
My husband and I already have three boys and just found out that we are expecting our fourth boy and we are having a hard time deciding on a name for him. Our sons names are Kaleb Michael, Garrett Logan, and Aiden Matthew and we want something that fits with the first three not to traditional but not to weird.
thanks
melissa
Melissa:
any of these sound good?
Damon
Damien
Ethan
Francis
Wyatt
Dale
Blake
Reese
Brady
Colby
Holden
Oliver
Spencer
A new edition - how exciting. Could I make a plea for "Imogen" to be included? I don't know why but it's racing up the charts here in the UK. From Wikipedia: Imogen was the daughter of King Cymbeline, in Shakespeare's play, Cymbeline. She was a perfect female character, pronounced "the most tender and the most artless of all Shakespeare's women."
I think Imogen goes beautfully with Amelia and Charlie. Or how about Marianne or Maryann?
Wow Robyn T - you hit the nail on the head with your selection of names to go with Melissa's existing three sons. I find doing that so hard - I can see what works when its put in front of me but ask me to contribute in the same way and my mind goes blank. Well done! Melissa should have no problem :-)
Kate M.: I knew a Carol Carroll (sp?) too! I was a little girl living near Charleston, WV about 24 years ago. I wonder if it could be the same Carol?
robyn
Thanks for the great list of names i really like brady and wyatt i'll see what my husband says
thanks again much appreciated
Names should be simple and sweet. i named my grand daughter Ganga.It has got a rhyme and raises a poetic sense for Indians.
I do like Shiloh I think Mrs Jolie-Pitt really knows how to express herself and get her point across. I have started something of a tradition in my family with baby names. Taking a page from my sister, Dee-Dee(all her children's names begin with 'D') I've named my children according to my feelings about them. my oldest, Stephen-Nicholas Antonio is named after his father and my brother. I couldn't decide which name I loved most, I put my indecision to good use, and so began this tradition. we have been blessed with: Sutycha-Andrew Patricio, Suvan- Dante Celestino Wahkan, Beatrice- Jenè Marie, and Leilani Lee Marie; the girl's belong to my brother,Nicholas. My other sister has Faustine Chizuko Okalani and Daryn Chizuko, they're Japanese and Hawaiian. I hope this interests you!
Melissa... what about some of these suggestions:
what about Ethan Jack, William Joseph, Dylan Thomas, Corey Joseph, Cameron Scott
Tristan Blake, Joshua Tyler
The only problem with a lot of the names (like Zahara, Shiloh, or something similarly exotic) is that I can't picture myself calling my children that. It's an awful lot of name for someone under two feet, isn't it?
I nominate Suvan-Dante Celestino Wahkan as the name of 2007... and it's only January 1st.
Mrs. Jones: I'm curious about the cultures behind some of the other names you mention. Also, with the hyphenated first names, do you use both of them when calling the kids?
Re: Zahara, I think I've read interviews where Jolie calls her Z, and refers to Maddox as Mad.
Melissa: Dylan Thomas is a poet. Personally I wouldn't want to name my kid that unless I was a fan.
Back to pan-European names, I suggest Alex, Max, Luca and Oscar. Seem to be popular everywhere.
I love Nico. My husband and I knew a cat called Nico, and we loved the name and had it on every one of our baby-naming lists.
Mary Ellen,
There's a little girl in dd's kdgtn. class. Her last name is also Rowe, her first name is Anna-Sophia. I just looove that name. (She is never called Anna, by the way.) Maybe a possiblility?
I really like the names wyatt and Keegan but now i'm having a hard time finding middle names that fit with either of the two
Here are a few more suggestions Melissa
Trevor Liam Landon Everett
Colin Bradley Carter Ian
Travis Nolan Zachary Cole
Sean Camden Cody William
Devin Owen Mason Paul
Gavin James
also Brody, Connor, Max, Shane, Dalton, and Austin are nice.
Here are a few more suggestions Melissa
Hunter Ryan Riley Noah
Trevor Liam Landon Everett
Colin Bradley Carter Ian
Travis Nolan Zachary Cole
Sean Camden Cody William
Devin Owen Mason Paul
Gavin James
also Brody, Connor, Max, Shane, Dalton, and Austin are nice.
sorry that didn't work... there should be a space after every 2 names...
ex. Hunter Ryan
ex. Riley Noah
Melissa: Hrm... maybe...
Wyatt Joseph
Wyatt Noah
Wyatt James
Wyatt Travis
Wyatt Shane
Keegan Noah
Keegan Bradley
Keegan Cole
Keegan Paul
Keegan Shane
My daughter's name is Annabella Maxine.
Couldn't imagine her name as anything else!
How about Mahogany? Get it? Mahogany Rowe. Just kidding. My new granddaughter is named Eva Elisabeth with an "s"... (the German spelling). It fits her perfectly. And my grandson's name is Shane Joseph. And my other granddaughter is named Paityn Ashley. Just thought maybe you would like one of these.
My son's name is Liam Paul and I think that should be the name of the year in 2006.
What do you think about that name?
My father-in-law's internet connection was down and it killed me to be away from the site for so long! One of the few reasons I'm glad to be back at home. OK, so I just spent 30 minutes reading through this long list of comments.
Melissa, you've got some great suggestions. Good luck!
Re: Millie. I predict the name will be a hit within three years. I heard a mother calling for her daughter Millicent at the park a few months ago and know a family who uses Millie as a nickname for their daughter Amelia.
Re: Pearl. The reactions to this name were so negative that I predict it will reappear on the charts in six or seven years. A name that gets such negative feedback is bound to sound hip to the hipsters before too long!
Happy New Year, ya'll. I've missed you!
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