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
I am not pregnant but I love love love the name Larkin. I think is so cute!
I agree with Elizabeth T. about Pearl. I have the same reaction to it, and to Hazel, which seems to be pretty popular. I know a few girls with that name - and it was Julia Roberts' choice of course.
It was my paternal grandmother's first name. But I like her middle name, Salley, best. (And Salley was HER mother's maiden name, hence the 'e', I suppose.)
random thought (inspired by video game characters):
do you think the names Luca and Lucia are too similar to use in the same family? they have almost the same letters but the sounds are so different...
New to the site, just wanted to say from the names ive been reading up for Robyns 4th son, maybe:
Lucas Jackson
Rudy Alexander
Emerson James
Names to complement Amelia and Charlie - for girls Lydia, Evelina, Cicely, Victoria
for boys Alfie, George and Marcus.
Henry is nice, but Anne is a bit plain for me - I prefer Anna, Anya or Annika.
Let us know what you decide!
Happy New Year, everyone!
Kara, I love your kids names - especially Delaney and Murphy. I must confess that I have a dog named Murphy and I love the name. But he was named after a HUMAN in a book, so it's not all bad. :-) We always name our animals after book characters in our family.
On Dylan Thomas: Yes, he's a poet, but my best friend wanted to use "Thomas" as her sons middle name (family name on both sides) and I suggested Dylan - she loved it, and still has no clue that it's a famous name. Couldn't come up with a "joke name" for middle name Michael (her 2nd son) other than George (which she hates), so no luck on that one. She chose my favorite name - Cameron instead.
Love Keegan to whomever suggested that one.
Also love Anna-Sophia and would probably prefer she be called by the full thing, though I do love Anna on it's own. When you make it a hyphenated name, and use it, it seems to add some originality (without going overboard).
i agree with others who have suggested such names as alice, lydia, lucia, adeline and elise. all very beautiful names and have the sibling like feel! i am not a fan of caroline with charlie though!!
i feel that henry rowe is a fine name, but i also like oliver rowe!
best wishes to your growing family!
I used to work with a James Sok who had a brother Robert... Gym Sock and Bobby Sock!
I have DD Karoline Elizabeth, with a K not to be trendy but because of DH's Danish heritage. Elizabeth is a family name on my side. We don't use a nn, but I had planned to use Carrie before I knew the K spelling. I don't like Kari, and am trying to find an alt. spelling I'm OK with - Karrie?
We are expecting #2 and won't find out the gender. We've agreed on William Phillip for a boy (W is family name on both sides, and Phillip is DH's first name, a tradition in his family). I stessed about the double LLs in both names for a while, but I've gotten over it. Last time the list was Matthew and Thomas.
Undecided for a girl. Since we have a lot of family names I'm leaning that direction so this one doesn't feel left out, but I'm having trouble convincing DH on some of my favorites - Eleanor and Ruth. My grandmother went by Meg (for her initials actually), so I'm really leaning toward Margaret with nn Meg. I love Lillian/Lily, but worry about trendiness. Lila and Lydia are good ones. Family mn with these to fit.
I don't care to much for Anneliese. When searching the name, all that comes up for several web page hits is the woman who was possessed by demons which the Exerocism movies are based off.
I think you should also think about the era of the names you are considering.
Please don't give your child and elder name. Break and try something new. The only Eleanors and Ruths I know are 80 year old woman. My mother in law is a Margaret and she goes by Margo. Please also remember they will call William either Willy or Bill.
About the Olivia suggestions - - I like this name, too, but have another option for those considering it.
I have a friend who studied with me in seminary as an international student from Hungary. Her name is Livia, nn Livi. I have loved the name from the minute I met her!!!! I'm a little weird, though, about using names from a culture that is not directly mine. I wish I would get over this problem because I love the name!!!
I don't think the name Shiloh would go over well here. It too much of a place name and also the name of our museum's river otter. Besides, I would never name my baby after a famous couple's child. Who wants to be named after someone who is likely to grow up to have drug and character problems...
I wouldn't be put off by traditional or "elder" names. My daughter is named Josephine - for her great-great grandmother (who shares her birthday). So far, we've had a lot of positive comments on her name. Plus, she has a more modern nickname - Joey.
Also, William is a traditional name in our family. Again, if we have a boy, we'll give him a more modern nickname to go with the traditional name - Liam.
More and more people are insisting their children go by their formal name, than a nn. Yes, William may get called Willy or Will on occasion, but overall, I think that if you insist on it being William, no one will think about it.
Karrie seems normal enough to me. I like it if you like Carrie for a nn. Also Caro/Karo - although with the K alternative, it reminds me of the syrup, so maybe not. I also have several friends who have C names with K nns and vice versa. They are somewhat interchangeable.
I know several little girls and also several old women named Eleanor/Elinor. Also, anybody ever see 7th Heaven? It's a very popular family drama in it's 11th season. One of the daughters is named Ruthie. Can't get much more pop culture than a show on the WB/CW! I don't think Ruth is that "old" sounding anymore. Pretty mainstream without being "so far in it's out" in popularity. Nice choices.
I don't have huge issues with "elderly" names because someday there are going to be a lot of 80 year old "Candys" running around so that will be the old lady name. Some older names I think are cute on younger children. Eleanor can be Ellie (although that is getting trendy in some areas) or Nora (getting popular). Ruth would probably be a mn if we used it. I'm not too gung-ho on it as a first name, but I do have a good friend who is Ruth (the only one under 80 I know, too), and I'm warming up to it as a first name.
DH is against planning nicknames which is another reason we still call DD by her full name, Karoline. He thinks nns are OK when a person is old enough to choose it for himself or herself, but that they shouldn't be chosen for a person. I don't have that issue and don't mind and even like some short versions, but usually I like them to come naturally - because a young child couldn't fully pronounce a name or something like that. That said, I will definitely lead a William toward Will over the others.
Just read the comment on Livia - I LOVE that name. It was at the top of my list (I adore the nn Livvie) until my DH nixed it because it was Tony Soprano's mother's name and she wasn't a very nice person. So no Livia for me. I actually picked it up from a couple of soap opera characters, so it's been around here for awhile, I guess. I like Olivia as well, but it's just so popular. Of course, i haven't met one around here, but I'm more familiar with the 3 year old crowd than the infants, so who knows? I've got to start looking into the birth announcements more.
Question: If a name is high on the national charts but no where in your circle of friends, is it safe? Am I still going to be dealling with 5 other kids of that name in my child's kindergarten class? Are these names regional to an extreme? I don't know a single Emily under 17... I don't know ANY Emmas. I know 3 named Jacob/Jakob, 2 Caden/Kaden, etc. But Emily and Emma are WAY up there...
The popular names are regional to some extant and on the SSA website you can get a small breakdown by state - - maybe the top 10 or so. I don't remember. I found it when I was pg with #1, and the name we liked best then, Matthew, was high on the national list, but much lower (for a very popular name anyway) on our state's list. That totally made it more appealling to me. Now if you might move someday you might run into more kids with the same name - - if that matters. It does to me. I like familiar names, but not the name everyone else has. I know about 500 Emmas under 5. I wouldn't touch it (but my sister did!).
and the nickname for Livvi is of course Living room. [sigh]
It must be 8 years ago now that (nearly) everyone on a friend of mine's block was pregnant. My friend had a son, Caleb. Three of the four girls born in that baby-rush were named "Emma". The fourth was only NOT named Emma because she was the twin of one of the three Emmas.
Ya I do think it makes a difference as to name popularity based on where you live.. although the top 10 popular names.. are usually quite common everywhere.. so you may want to avoid them.. because chances are there may be a child with that name as well.
im_red: That was a good point about looking up the popularity by your state. I found the link here: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/namesbystate.html
Keren: Thanks for the suggestions. I love Max too but had several dogs named that growing up and think my family would crack up if I went there!
I'll know in 2 weeks if it's a Nina or a Nico..i think i may have my dh convinced by now. I told him of all the support for Nico on this site!
One more thing about how popular a popular name is - - I wish I had the book in front of me because I'm 99% sure I read it there. I'm going to blow the actual statistic, so someone fill in the numbers. I don't remember them, just the gist of the factoid.
Anyway, the names on the top 10 list today are not as popular as the names on the top 10 list earlier in the century. For example, like 80 years ago some high percentage of babies (let's say 65 for argument's sake) had one of the top 10 names, but today maybe only 15% have one of the top 10 names. So, your chances of running into one of those names is still higher than another name, but not as high as running into any other name. In other words, while the majority of babies used to have one of the popular names, today the majority do not. Even though the names are used more frequently than others, they don't make up the majority of the names being used over all.
OK, someone with the real statistics/quote go ahead and correct me!
Michelle, I love both the names Violet and Pearl. Pearl already seems to be making waves, I feel, a natural progression from Ruby. I think it has a lovely 'dark' feel to it, like Violet. Can you explain the red 'A' on the jacket? I'm from the UK so didn't get the reference. I tip Pearl to be a hot name for 2007, along with Violet, at least in the UK. Already heard of a couple of little girls with that name and I predict it will take the place of Rose as a mn as it's short, sweet and offbeat - never mind the dodgy connotations, any name that doesn't have any is probably very dull, in my opinion.
For my next daughter which combos do you prefer?
Violet Penelope, (Penelope is my mother's name)
Violet Emmeline (to remember a relative, Emma)
Violet Elfie ( I love Elfie!)
Violet Emma
Violet Pearl
or
Pearl Emmeline
Pearl Penelope
Pearl Dulcie
Pearl Daisy
our surname begins with F
Any other suggestions for mns with Violet and Pearl?
Just found this article on Yahoo today - about some naming trends in the UK.
http://www.halifaxtoday.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1951232§ionid=700
Definitely Violet Emmeline, that's lovely. Pearl Penelope reminds me of Penelope Pitstop..
Miriam - although I love pansy flowers, unfortunately in the UK a pansy is an effeminate man, so could never call a daughter 'Pansy'
Keren, I agree about the double p - a bit too much! Thanks for the feedback!
Stephanie A: i think nicknames for Karoline could also be Karol or Lina.
Annie: I think Michelle was referring to The Scarlet Letter.
I like almost all your combos. Personally, I'm not crazy about Elfie though. And Pearl Penelope might be too many Ps.
Yes, the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne (mid-19th cent. American classic) is about a woman named Hester Prynne who lives in Puritan New England. She becomes pregnant out of wedlock and refuses to name the father. As a consequence, the community forces her to wear a red letter "A" (for adultry) on her dress. Hester's daughter is named Pearl. Most American high school students have to read this novel at some point, although I have a PhD in literature and forgotten that Hester's daughter is named Pearl, so I doubt the reference will be immediately clear to most people.
So, out of nowhere...what would you think if you saw the name Bede? Would it say boy or girl to you? How would you think it was pronounced? And for part two...picture yourself a kid in a hurry...what sordid nickname would you create for a Schroeder?
Bede - definitely male - and venerable!
Schroeder - schroed or schro??!!
Bede would have to be a male name - pronounced 'bead'. Obvious connections with the Venerable Bede, medieval monk and historian who invented the 'B.C/A.D' system of dating.
"For example, I would be Valerie Johnsdottir and my husband would be Robert Patricson"
In Iceland, the spelling would be 'Patricsson' because it's a pushing together of the two words 'Patric's' and 'son'. I actually mentioned this system in a previous thread and I also recently discovered in a novel by Laxness (the only Icelandic winner of a Nobel Prize (for Literature, obviously) and a writer that I highly reccomend - get 'Independent People') that a child with no known father is given the surname Hansson, traditionally. This literally translates as 'his son'. However, matrynomics are sometimes used.
"Please also remember they will call William either Willy or Bill."
I think actually the most common nickname for modern Williams is 'Will'. Certainly I've never met a Willy or a Bill, but know scores of Wills
I came up with two very unusual girl names because I wanted my princesses to have an unusual but pretty names. I had princes instead, so 13 years later I have yet to hear of anyone using them. My first, Annaleah, spelled, analea, turned into Ben. My second, Scotlyn, turned into Paul Jr.
I hope there's someone out there who likes these names and choses to use one. If anyone does please post it, it would give me great joy.
Angela
I have a mere BA in English, but I do remember Pearl from the "Scarlet Letter", even though my last Hawthorne was in high school which was some time ago. Whether this should be a factor in selecting the name, I have no idea. It might be worth 1/2 a thought if your daughter is apt to be taking American Lit during high school.
I like at the middle name combos for Violet except "Violet Pearl" (hat sounds like a special purple stone offered by the Home Shopping Network). My favorite is Violet Emmaline.
None of the middle names for Pearl grab me. And Pearl Daisy also sounds like jewelry. Maybe a little seed-pearl pin . .
How many syllables does your last name have? Pearl might be better for 'Finlaysen'. Violet would certainly be better for 'French'.
Violet Penelope, (Penelope is my mother's name)
Violet Emmeline (to remember a relative, Emma)
Violet Elfie ( I love Elfie!)
Violet Emma
Violet Pearl
or
Pearl Emmeline
Pearl Penelope
Pearl Dulcie
Pearl Daisy
Shiloh already exists in our family. My cousin's 7 yr. old daughter is Shiloh. Her brothers are Keidron, Jericho and Zion. All bible names.
We like Malachi and Keziah for bible names.
My 8 yr. old daughter's name is Thyra Denali (pronounced Tier-ah). We have met very few other Thyra's, most of which are middle-aged or elderly. I still love her name, althouh the silent 'H' is often a problem for others.
Violet Emmaline is my favorite of them all. It flows. Middle names I think work with both pearl and violet are:
Olivia
Rosalind or Rosaline/Roselynn
Adrienne
also I like:
Pearl Elise
Pearl Addison
Pearl Emmaline
Violet Julianna
Violet Claire
Violet Aurelia
* I think names that end with and yn or n sound the best with pearl.
What about: Violet Pearl?
Angela,
I do actually know an Annaleah. She must be 8 or 9 by now.
Annie--I think Violet and Pearl are lovely names. What about a middle name of Esme? I also like Emmeline, but Esme is more unusual.
Guinevere--I had a professor in college whose first name (by which we called him) was Bede. Since I was pregnant with my first child when I was in his class, we discussed his name. He and all his siblings were named after saints. I think it is a cool name!
I knew someone whose mn or confirmation name was Bede. I think of it as feminine because some people called her by the name.
We're looking for a one syllable name, like Sage, that's less common and NOT of biblical or of an old fashioned nature. We're completely open to using any letter. THANKS for your help.
girl names: Star, Bree, Greer, Skye, Rain, Scout, True
Boys Names: Jett and Tal come to mind
Spike or Paz for a boy,Fern for a girl.
How about Tyr - pronounced like tear contracted into one syllable.
Incidentally, he's a Norse God (of the sky, justice, single combat, amongst other things) - known as the bravest of them all.
Also, for a boy, I've always liked the Celtic name Bran, meaning raven. I know it denotes a cereal grain, but I still like it. It was the name of a character in a book I read when I was little, so it never seemed strange to me.
Hi - i think Violet and Pearl are lovely names too - although Violet is very popular where i am in the UK.
I love Pearl as this is my daughters name - and when she was born the midwife said she was the only little Pearl she had seen! My eldest ddis called Iris.
I liked Violet but didn't want to be too flowery, but it is sucha gorgeous name (my great grandmas), and i LOVE the suggestion of Violet Elfie - very cute!
Also, surely having the same name as a character in a book is entirely insignificant? If I read a novel with someone called Abi in it (which, oddly, I don't think I ever have) I wouldn't think of it as reflecting badly on myself if the character was unpleasant or anything. The majority of literature is fiction, and people know that. People are surely highly unlikely to consider some literary reference when introduced to your child, and far less likely to then judge them because of it.
CCBS here are a few suggestions:
Lark, Storm, Jessa, Brooke, Shaye, Cassia, Lyra, Arlie, Piper, Macy, Aspen, Rhea,Tyne, Sloane & Neve
Ty,Chaz, Chad, Tayte, Fritz,Brock, Luca, Lyles, Lukin, Cortez, Zane,Drake,Rhett, Beau, Burke, Flynn,River, Hart, Vance, Dane, Rex & Nash
CCBS: I read a book recently with a character named Keir (rhymes with Tyr, mentioned by Abi). I also know a Zorn.
Hi! I'm the mother of a 2-year old Millie (in the U.S.). It's short for Camille. I think it suits her perfectly--she's very elfish, sweet, and happy. She can go with Camille when she gets older and wants something more elegant. I do think you're right that it's poised for a revival--it has all the signs--but we're happy that she's the only Millie we know for the moment.
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