The Baby Name Wizard

Eo, maybe another example for you. I know a man named Fred, after his father, but his mom doesn't like the name, so he's always been called Fritz or Fritzie--pretty cute.

We talked about naming a girl after a great grandmother--Rosalind--but DH thinks that's too stuffy, so maybe planning on the nn Rose or Rosie (I happen to like Rosalind, but...).

I think I mentioned before the guy named Ellery, went by nn Elvis--I think he went from good to bad with that nn, but there's no accounting for taste....

I know a Christopher, nn Christo--it fits him.

Any interesting nns for Virginia? That was my grandmother's name, not our style. My gm went by Virg or Virginia--I know Ginny's out there, don't care for that, and I guess you could do Gigi, but that's too cutecute for me. Vira? Vinia? Nia? Niva? Gina? I think any of those might work for a Virginia today.

Oh yeah, I also know a Margaret, nn Muffie (or just Muff). I'd stick with Margaret, personally, but it fits her.

I have a friend from High School whose mother was always just called "Cookie". Honestly I assumed her name was Carolyn or Catherine but as it turns out - when I recieved the wedding invite for her son - her given name is Doris. Go figure. I would go by Cookie too.

I also have friends who are sisters and their pet names for each other are "Ug" and "Kitty". Honestly "Ug" is short for Ugly and it is an ironic name because she is quite beautiful and "Kitty", well I have no idea where that one came from. The gal's names are Meg and Sarah.

wow, I really dislike Muff as a nn... isn't that a slang word for vagina/vulva these days?

for Virginia, I think any of those could work. I like Nia, personally. Other options: Vinnie, Ria, Rina, Neve, Ginevra (discussed a while back on the blog), Geneva, Gen/Jen, Jenny. Obviously the ones you came up with are much closer to the original Virginia, but if you're willing to go a bit further afoot, there's plenty of room for creativity!

Another list for your entertainment, this from the birth announcements in a recent Ivy League alumni magazine:

GIRLS:
Sydney Elspeth
Molly Anne
Giselle Marie
Lisa
Charlotte Coleman
Maggie Joie
Aven Dar
Rayna
Priya
Arielle
Tahlia
Brooke Rachel
Jessica Nicole
Naomi Elise
Sarah Rose
Isabelle

BOYS:
Jonathan "Jack"
Alexander Logan
Samuel Neece
Justin
Jasper Bennett
Jonathan Miles
Alexander Brady
Logan
Xander
Max Isaac
Jacob Benjamin
Nathan Lawrence
Joshua David
Andrew Jorge
Jackson Matthew
Jacob Ryder

Lena, yes on Muff. She got this nn about 60 years ago, and she's always reveled in being a bit crass, which is why I say it fits her... :o)

Yet another list, same source, different Ivy:

GIRLS:
Lillian
Olivia Drew
Keira Tedi
Dahlia
Mia
Meirah
Alice
Julia
Ava
Amanda
Lizzie
Caroline Dana
Anna
Taylor
Caitlin
Cassidy
Claire
Eliza
Emilia
Eva
Grace
Carly
Lara
Isabella
Melanie
Kristiane Elizabeth
Adelia
Charlotte
Ellie
Simone
Rachel Laila
Sabrina Katherine
Adeline Grace
Natalie
Arianna
Georgia
Anna
Marlee
Lindsay
Alexis
Emerson "Emmy" Ji-eun
Brooke Scarlett
Hannah Rebekah

BOYS:
Ryan
Jackson
Ethan
Andrew
Mason
Theo
Spencer
Noah (3)
Nathan Wolfgang
Tyler
Benjamin Shawn
John Anthony
Jack
Gavin Jude
Sebastian
Griffin
Abraham
Joseph "Jake"
Tony
Mason
Aidan
Eli
Julian
Cameron Charles Stephen
Cade
Charlie Jacob
Stephen James
Evan Pierce
Matthew
Brian
Timothy
Felix
Sam
Carter
Isaac
Adam Jesse

Does anyone know what the popular names with yuppies are currently? (And I mean the term in its most generic sense, just young upwardly mobile couples). The kids I know in this set are Lexie (1 yr old), Libby (4), and Miller (3). Is this representative? How close - or far off - from the naming trends of the rich/intellectual groups are the trends in this set? Just curious!

cb, those sound pretty on target to me. Lexie doesn't sounds very yuppie, I think, but Alexis does, and I assume that's a nn. Libby sounds like the old fashioned/geeky redux that's popular, and Miller is the surname/job title trend. Here's a list off the top of my head (I know I'm forgetting lots) from my own yuppie circle (mostly drs, lawyers, engineers, architects, etc.):

Avi
Calla
Christine
Clair
Eva
Lilian
Lila
Natalya
Rose
Violet

Charlie (2)
Henry
Jeremy
Jason
Matthew (2)
Max
Owen
Sam
Soren
William

Amber... have you considered Willa? It's one of my favorites, and it seems like a good alternative to Willow in your case... Willa [Maro] or something like it sounds lovely to me. Also, if you want to use Mary, how about a double name? As long as it's a short combination, I think you can enforce it always being used in combination, particularly w/ Mary. I know that one of Meryl Streep's daughters is named Mary Willa (the actress Mamie Gummer), and although I've never been a fan of Mary, I love the combination! It actually turned me on to Willa in the first place. I dont think it would register with anyone that it's a celebrity name, I only happen to remember it b/c after seeing Mamie Gummer in a movie, I thought she looked eerily like Meryl Streep, so I looked her up on imdb to see about the connection. Would never have known the full name otherwise. I suppose something about Mary Willa Maro might look a little odd (Mary Maro), but it sounds nice with Willa in there & Mary-Willa Maro is a bit better. Good luck!

Hey, quit suggesting Willa--that's mine!!! ;o) But you're right, that does sound better with M__o.

cb: I think my Marin list is basically yuppies (most are families in their early 30s). It is a CA list so it may be distinct from other states/areas (as occurs elsewhere in the media, I am constantly reminded on this site that we are different).

hyz: thanks for the Ivy lists. It's so fun to see what folks are naming elsewhere.

re nn: As I think about the children around here one thing that strikes me is that most names are nn proof in the common sense (I'm sure most of the kids have pet names at home but that is different). The only babies with names like Elizabeth, Margaret, or Catherine have parents with strong associations to the East Coast. I wonder if CA folks prefer names to stand alone? Do any other CA posters have thoughts on this?

Friends of mine who are graduate students have had children with the following names this year:
Elliott
Maccabee (Mac)
Livia
Maayan
Shira
It's interesting to me how religious/biblical some of them sound.

Catherine--I enjoyed your list, made me want to check my own. I do love a good list! :o)

I don't know about East Coast/West Coast and nns, but I'm East, and I like nns ok for others, but for my own kids would generally pick something that would stand alone. My mom did that with me--she hated being called by a nn growing up, so she gave me something that couldn't easily be nicked.

p.s. how do people feel about double names that are not hyphenated but written as "one word" with a capital on the first letter of the second name, i.e. AmyNicole. What are your reactions to AmyNicole, Amy-Nicole, and Amy Nicole, if all were to be used as a double fn? I'm not asking about the names (using my first and middle as an example), just about the format. I've only seen the "one word" format once, but I don't know if it's popular nowadays or what. What is the most popular way of formatting a double? My hunch would be no hyphen, but I really don't have a clue...

hyz, I've been reading the blog on and off for a while, but I didn't realize that you were planning on using Willa! That's on my [very] short list for girls right now. I hope it doesn't become popular/trendy shortly. I don't mind popular names that are classic (Katherine, Elizabeth), but I didn't really want to give my daughter a trendy name, so maybe that's something to consider. You just never know what will happen with the trends later on!

Thanks to those who posted their lists of names used by "yuppies", etc. that they know. I do wish everyone would have also posted what part of the world they live in while doing this, though. I also think if we had enough data we could probably see differences by occupation or field; I suspect that the children of professors in the humanities have somewhat different names than those of professors of business, for instance.

Samantha is interesting because its modern popularity did boom in the UK first, even though its introduction there was by means of the American TV series "Bewitched". Back while that show was on the air, I think Americans tended to name more _cats_ Samantha than kids. It was only when people who watched _Bewitched_ as kids themselves got old enough to be parents that Samantha really took off. So the build up of the name was slower in the USA. Perhaps the association with witchcraft was more "off-putting" in the beginning in the more conventionally religious American culture.

Amy, I have a pretty strong negative reaction to the one word format, whether it has the odd capital letter jutting out in the middle or not. I also don't much care for "real" or commonly recognized compound names like Julianne or Marianne, fwiw. I think Amy Nicole would be the most common and most graceful way to write it.

Amy--it's on my very short list, probably sits at #2 or 3 right now--I love it, though.

Cleveland Kent Evans--well, we unfortunately can't do that for the Ivy lists, as these are people who came to the East Coast from all over the country/world, then promptly spread back out. My personal list is Mid-Atlantic/Northeast/Midwest (all urban), and a mix of science/humanities.

My daughter came across this list where MySpace friends posted their baby names. She’s a midwest college kid and says "thought you'd find it interesting cuz i think most of the parents are like really young ppl so u can see how it compares to the old ppl that post stuff on websites about their baby names. apparently everyone is naming their kids aiden jayden and payton!!! its kind of frightening."

MySpace girls:
Aaliyah AnnaShay, Alexis Mariah, Amber Paige, Annabelle Claire, BreeAnna Lynn, Brianna Ashley, Brooke Nova, Cassidy Rose, Catalina Anna, Chloe Elizabeth, Chylie Mae, Elana, Elizabeth Ann, Ellie Rae, Emilia Taylor, Gabrielle Nicole, Hailey Marie, Hailie Madison, Hallee Miranda, Izabella Maree, Jacqueline Alejandra, Jenessa Faith, Jennah Lynn, Jenova Cordaline, Kassadie Paige, Kassandra Elizabeth , Kayla Jayde , Kayla Mae , Kaylen Danielle, Kayli Grace, Kelsey Dawn, Laci Marie, Layla Isabelle, Lileigh Rose, Mackenzie Alexis, Madiline Nevaeh, Madison Lee, Makaylyn Aliviah, Mariska Faith, Molly Skye, Olivia Caroline, Paityn Autumn, Rae shawn, Reagan Makenna, Skyler Arrianna Marie, Taylor Kaye, Zoie Ernestine

Amy -- the two name/one word format seems bizarre to me.

Re: Willa, I also love it but I think it's going to really take off, if it hasn't already. I think it was the name of the baby who was born at the end of "Six Feet Under." Since then, I've known of two baby Willas, born in 2007.

MySpace boys:
Adrian Xavier, Aidan Gary, Aiden Tom, Alejandro, Andrew Eduarod, Anthony Javier, Asher Lee, Austin Loren, Austin Ryan, Bailey Matthew, Benjamin Scott, Bradyn Ty, Braeden Matthew, Brandon Parker, Chandler Ryan, Christopher Mitchell, Christian Jude, Cody Michael, Connor Maitland Anthony, Dakota James, De'Shawn Lamar, Devin Blake, Devin Charles, Donald Matthew, Ethen Joseph, Garrett Taylor, Jacob Christian, Jaden Michael, Jaiden Micheal, Jaidyn David, Jayden James, Jean'-Paul Edler Marceau, Jordyn Austin, Joshua Ryan, Julian Giovanni , Kaiden Clifton-Robert, Kaleb William,, Klayton Alan, Landen Parker , Landin Alan, Landon Michael, Malin Thomas, Marcus Anthony, Matthew John, Micah Benjamin, Michael James, Peyton Matthew, Peyton Thomas, Reese Evan Christopher, Riley Maxwell, Ryan Andrew, Ryen Wade, Seth Patrick, Steven Alexander, Timothy Scott, Trenton Allen, Tristan Andrew, William Bruce , William Robert, Xavier Joseph , Zackary Joseph

Meegan--that's good to know, thanks. We don't even have cable, never seen Six Feet Under, so I didn't know about that. Blast them!

That MySpace list is pretty unappealing....

What I think is interesting about the MySpace list is that I think of some of the boys' listed names as actually being girls' names more often: Tristan, Reese, Peyton. Is this just me?

Thank you for the link, Laura -- I appreciate it. :)

Thanks for posting those lists, kristi. I'd be curious to know more about how old the parents actually are, where they're from, etc. I have to say, I'm really not a fan of most creative spellings, and seeing so many of them in a block there, I had an unusually strong reaction. I particularly can't stand it when more than one letter has been changed from a standard spelling, and even worse, when letters that have been changed lie next to one another, as in Madacyn. It occurred to me while looking at that list that I was making TONS of assumptions about the parents, which, though it may be unfair, was just my gut reaction. To go back to that question about a name influencing job prospects, I think it's inevitable that people react to names subconsciously, if not consciously. As a stickler for spelling, I'm sure that I'd subconsciously favor a Madison over a Madacyn, and although I could/would intellectually overcome that bias, I don't think I could prevent that initial gut reaction to Madacyn that says "blegh."

Isn't one of Britney Spears's kids named Jayden James? Why would someone name their kid the same thing as Britney did?

I agree about a lot of those boys' names also being given to girls frequently. But, given so many people's propensity towards giving their children surnames as first names (not that I object to this), it seems we will continue to see a ton of that. Can anyone tell anymore if Taylor, Morgan, Bailey, etc. is truly a girls' name or a boys' name?

I also didn't know about Willa being used on Six Feet Under. That's a shame!

Kristi,
Thanks for posting your daughter's introduction to the MySpace list! That cracked me up and reminded me of how difficult it is for me to interpret my niece's email messages. I'm out of it!

Cleveland Kent Evans, here is a selection from NC (Triangle region) baby names (most of the parents did not grow up in NC):

From science professors:
Madeline
Emily
Sejal (girl)
Coby (boy)
Caleb

From humanities professors:
Alex (boy)
Nicholas
Sarah
Peter
Ariana
Alan
Carter (boy)
Caleb
Gabriela

From local doctors:
Felix
Alex (boy)
Ashley
Victor
Samuel
Jonathan
Aidan (2)
Patrick
Thomas
Brendan
Justin
Ellen
Elizabeth
Theodore (Ted)
Benjamin
Ryan
John
Tyler
Colin
Marissa
Gabriella
Amelia (2)

Lili,
I would've assumed all of those were boys' names, especially Tristan. You know girl Tristans!?! Is nothing sacred?! :o) I have a baby cousin called Tristan--I like it, and would even have it on the short(ish) list if it weren't for the meaning (either sadness, or tumult/outcry depending on where you look--neither appeals).

The one on the boy list that surprised me was Malin--I had only ever heard that as a feminine name on a Dutch 20 something woman. I looked it up and see that it is apparently also an honest boys' name, meaning "little warrior". Hm. Learn something new every day....

hyz: The only Tristan I know is a female college freshman. It's the only time I'd heard the name, so I had feminine associations with it.

here's a NC list of lawyers' kids:

Hannah
Addison (f.)
Tate (m.)
Coby
Campbell (f.)
Anna
Claire
Conor
Bishop
Corinna
Reid
Meredith

What great lists, everybody!

A question re nicknames. When does it become hard for a kid to be named the full name but called the nn? I'm thinking of names like Jack/John, Liam/William, and Molly/Mary or Margaret. For a couple of years I assumed all baby Jacks were nns for John or Jackson but I've been wrong every time. Setting aside the debate re nns as given names is there a point in a names evolution where it jumps to being more appropriate as a given name rather than nn?

Oh, and the Lexie was just Lexie (father is high powered banker something, mother is an attorney). Go figure. :)

C&C's mom--I feel bad for little Bishop! :D That's a big title to live up to--at least they didn't name him Cardinal or Pope! ha ha. Actually, I kinda like Cardinal as a color/nature name, but that's a different story....

Catherine, I would assume all of your examples (Liam, Molly, etc.) were given names, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having the full original name and going by the old-fahsioned nn that is now also a common given name. I think it's rather quaint, actually.

I think Bishop is a family last name so the religious connotation is not the first thing that pops into my mind.

hyz, responding to your earlier post about Rosalind. LOVE that name. Even without the Shakespeare association-- which does enhance it-- it is great. And has the advantage of being somewhat undiscovered, like "Augusta". I like your proposed nickname of "Rose", which I also love as a stand alone name.

Of your nicknames for Virginia, I like "Nia" very much. Gives a modern, jazzy touch to a gentle name. Exotic, echoes of Africa.

Personally I think "Ginny" has huge retro appeal. Am reminded of the marvelous "Ginny Gordon" mysteries by Julie Campbell, who also wrote the Trixie Belden series. Very Forties, early Fifties...

In a more "Little House on the Prairie" vein, I also like "Viney" for Virginia, which has a quaint, honest charm. In some Alison Lurie novel (speaking of academic upward strivers) I think there was a professor named Virginia whose nickname was Viney. I think.

Eo,
Little House on the Prairie is right up my alley. I like Viney pretty well--only problem being the whiny/hiney rhyming--but I never thought of Viney. A Little House name I heard and liked again recently in the same vein was Lavinia. My aversion to Ginny is from personal associations--nothing universal.

Glad to hear you like Rosalind, too--thought I was the only one! :o) So, how do *you* pronounce it? I like ROSE-alind, not so much ROZ-alind. I had honestly forgotten the Shakespeare connection--I'm in the old name/nature name theme, so I like that Rosalind has the "Rose" sound/possible "beautiful rose" meaning, but more likely the Old German meaning "gentle horse", since I love horses and like German names. It's just good all around, as far as I'm concerned.

Ok--I take it back--I do like "ROZ-alind" ok, I just really dislike the nn Roz, and wouldn't want to encourage it in any way.

Tristan is tradtionally a male name and became quite popular for boys in the USA after Brad Pitt played a character called Tristan in the film "Legends of the Fall." However, it was on the top 1000 list for girls in the USA(just barely) between 1982 and 1986. This was at the height of popularity of Kristen as a girl's name, and some parents evidently saw Tristan as being suitable for girls because of its similarity in sound to Kristen. Curiously, Kristen jumped back onto the top 1000 list for girls in 1995, just the same time "Legends" was causing its boom for boys. I can only speculate that some parents again heard the name in the film and thought it sounded more "feminine" because of their familiarity with Kristen, and it was only when those young parents realized that most of their contemporaries were using the name for boys that it quickly dropped off the girls' list again.

Gosh, I wish this board let you fix errors after you posted like many others do! I of course meant "Tristan" jumped back onto the top 1000 list for a few years in 1995, not "Kristen", :)

Regarding Rosalind, I love this name and I don't think we're the only ones. I expect Rosalind and other Rose names will soon be as common as Madeleine, Eleanor and Lillian.

Some names of young children I know (I live in the Bay Area)

Maxwell and Sequoia (hippie parents)
Alexander and Mia (father is from Germany)
Shayna and Zola
Taj (father is of Indian descent)
Judah and Aria
Samantha and Ariella
Eva
Jaden (sp?) and ? (another boy)
Lucas (mother is from Germany)
Amanda Lynn (hippie parents, from a song title with a musical reference)
Cassidy and Tatum (hippie parents in Colorado)
David and Jane (twins)
Paul and Rose (Maryland)
Sean (Spokane WA)
Theo and Serafina (Spokane WA)
Ripple and Sabrina (ok, these are the names of our cats)

Re double firstnames: My 2yo DD has a double fn (Mamie Katherine). We opted not to hyphenate so she could break them apart easier if she chooses to go by just one name or the other in the future (although thinking about it now, I'm not sure that actually makes a difference!). Running her particular names together would just look like a typo to me. However, I like the look of GraceAnna, for example. Perhaps it works better with shorter names? Hypenating solves the problem (on paper at least) of people thinking she has two middle names instead of two first names.

Katharine: Gemma! (sigh). That was my favorite name until I realized it was Emma with a G. I'm really surprised it hasn't shown up in the top 1000 in the US yet - you'd think people would be tiring of Emma and looking for something "fresher" (that sounds the exact same, of course).

Regarding Corinna, which seems to have appeared on two lists - I always thought it was pronounced cor - een - ah, but I recently heard someone use cor - inn - ah. What have others heard?

A few babies that I know (southwest, graduate students, professors, or other middle class ):
Roarke (boy)
Amelia
Jane
Nora
Anna
Addison (2)
Adelaide
Roland (nickname Rollie)
Remy (girl)
Sophia
Stella
Lola
Helen
Silas

Sorry if I am repeating as I haven't read through all the posts yet. I'm having trouble keeping up, but just wanted to add my two cents.

Katharine: Children of academics I know are, from youngest (around 2) to oldest (late elem or middle school):
Lily
Madeline
Owen
Henry
Liam
Zoe
Jackson
Megan
Jonas

regarding Demi Moore's nn:

i know a Demetria in her early 20s who goes by Demi, so i don't know if this was under Moore's influence, or a previously "established" nn.

On Corinna: I've heard it pronounced both ways. To me, Corinne or Corinna would be pronounced with the short i because of the double n, while Corine or Corina would be pronounced with the long e sound. I'm not sure if there is a standard pronunciation. The only Corinne I've ever known has pronounced it Ca-RINN. Whoopi Goldberg's character in the movie *Corinna, Corinna* pronounced her name Cor-EE-nah (which seemed counter-intuitive to me, but perhaps that's actually more common?).