Thank you to the readers who submitted hundreds of thought-provoking suggestions for the 2007 Baby Name Wizard Name of the Year. (Read about the NOTY requirements here.) Before I unveil the ultimate selection, a quick note on a name that didn't make the cut. Despite many nominations, Miley was out of the running for 2007...because it was already named a runner up for the 2006 Name of the Year! And now, the honorees.
Second runner up: Delilah
In terms of sheer baby-name viability, Delilah is the year's big story. Back in January I featured it as an example of a name that was rising despite biblical infamy. After a year drenched in the Plain White T's song "Hey There Delilah," this name has officially crossed over from "out there" to just "there." The name Lilah-with-an-h is benefiting equally and should be one of the fastest risers of 2007.
First runner up: Chuck
For name geeks, this name is a fascinating study in the machinations of style. In 2007 all of Hollywood seemed to converge on Chuck as the anti-style name. Producers loved the way Chuck conveys the message that "this character isn't about image." The name tickled them so much, in fact, that they led with it in titles like the tv series "Chuck" and the movies I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Good Luck Chuck.
It's not so much that Chuck is chosen to sound out of style, like Floyd or Wilfred. It sounds immune to style, a steady island of everyman in a river of sophisticates and metrosexuals. It's such a perfect choice than you can take the inverse of Chuck and find the fashion of the moment. Chuck's a nickname, therefore formality must be trendy. Chuck's all hard consonants, so smooth vowel-laden names are all the rage. But the Hollywood scriptwriters who play off of fashions also help create them. Already, their embrace of good old Chuck is taking the edge off the name. Like chunky plastic glasses a decade ago, Chuck is now ready to flip from fashion holdout to geek chic.
And the official 2007 Name of the Year:
This is no political statement, just a statement on names in culture. Senator Barack Hussein Obama is leading American political names into uncharted territory. If he should win the Democratic presidential nomination, his name would be a landmark for a major-party nominee. Already it's starting to create the unprecedented spectacle of first name as campaign issue.
While the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, it's fair to call Barack a "foreign" name. Senator Obama is named for his father Barack Sr., a Kenyan who came to this country to study as a foreign student. The name has almost no usage history in the United States. In 215 years of American electoral history encompassing 105 major nominees, the overwhelming majority of candidates have had traditional English names. In fact, the names George, James, John and William alone account for more than a third of all nominees. Among rarer names, most are based on English surnames such as Rutherford and Winfield. Many of these are taken from the nominee's mother's maiden name, and many were actually given as middle names: Thomas Woodrow Wilson, James Strom Thurmond, Stephen Grover Cleveland.
A few candidate names have had more creative flair, like those of Horatio Seymour and the man who defeated him, Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses). Both names harken back to a 19th-century vogue for classical names which also yielded hits like Rufus and Augustus. They were uncommon but not foreign, and in step with American fashions. The most unconventional name on the list is probably Adlai Stevenson, but even Adlai is a biblical name. It had been used in Stevenson's family for generations, including by a grandfather who served as U.S. Vice President.
No notably foreign names. Nothing remotely like Barack. Because Barack isn't just "un-English," it's very much something else.
Barack Hussein Obama Sr., the senator's father, was by all accounts a non-religious man of Muslim background. The names Hussein and Obama dramatically echo two of the biggest U.S. enemies of recent years, both Muslims: Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. A few political commentators opposed to Senator Obama have already tried to use these facts to plant doubts about the candidate. In particular, they are trying to persuade faith-focused Christian voters that Senator Obama (a member of the United Church of Christ) is actually, secretly, a Muslim...and by extension, a little too close to the likes of Bin Laden. And it all starts with his name.
Many of the comments have focused on the middle name Hussein and the Obama/Osama similarity (see this December '06 column). More recently, the first name Barack has become a focus because it comes from the Arabic root Baraka, "blessing." (Side note: this corresponds to the Hebrew Beracha, "blessing," rather than the Hebrew Barak, "lightning.") One commentator seemed to question Obama's honesty regarding his name, asking "Why has he sometimes said his first name is Arabic, and other times Swahili?" To answer to this question from a pure baby-name perspective, it's much like arguing over whether the name Eduardo comes from Spanish or English. Its a name of Old English origin used in Spanish, so both "origins" are accurate. Swahili incorporates a great deal of Arabic, so Barack is from Swahili with an Arabic root.
As far as I know, it's completely unprecedented to ask a politician to defend the etymology of his first name, or of anything else for that matter. Since etymology isn't a political issue, it's reasonable to assume that the commentators are using it as a proxy for something bigger: that Barack Obama doesn't sound like a guy you should vote for.
On the flip side, Obama himself wears his name proudly as a symbol of his candidacy. It's an instant shorthand for the "freshness" of his multicultural, multiracial heritage...and it's extremely memorable. (Compare to, say, John Edwards. Or to Hillary Clinton, who has to go by her first name to stake out her own territory.)
Whether you take it as a proud point of strength or a weak point to attack, Barack marks a watershed for baby-name diversity in American politics. And with George, James, John and William on the wane, it's surely a harbinger of public name debates to come -- and of a wave of new little Baracks. That makes it your Name of the Year.
Comments
As someone who didn't fully start liking their name until mid twenties, I find the whole baby naming quite fascinating.
Personally, I'll stick to the traditional names when I have children. Particularly as studies have shown that some of these "new" names can be a real handicap to a child's social and professional development.
There may have been a racehorse named Vida Blue, but the name is much better known as belonging to a major-league baseball player, MVP, All-Star, Cy Young-award winning pitcher, who played, (mostly for the Oakland As, I think) in the 70s. His name was pronounced with the same vowel as in light (or I could say it's pronounced as in Vita Herring, but...no, no, no, forget it [lol]!)
The character in "The Thirteenth Tale" chooses the name "Vida Winter"--her birth name is Adeline March, a twin to Emmeline. (This doesn't spoil the story, you learn this much in the first few chapters.) Other character names in the book, since I'm here: Charlie & Isabelle (siblings), Aurelius Ambrose, Hester, John, Dr. & Mrs. Maudsley, Mrs. Dunne, and Margaret Lea.
But the name Vida conjures for me Vida Scudder (1861-1954, an English professor at Wellesley College, and a figure in the Settlement House movement in the US)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vida_Dutton_Scudder
Names that mean "life" have a built-in optimism and sense of joy, I think--so Vida, Vita, Eve, Zoe, Aisha, all work from the angle of meaning, for me.
Vida definitely makes me think of Spanish language/heritage. I like the sound--cute on a kid, spunky on a woman. I could see it being both professional and laid-back. It also reminds me of Veda (sp?) from the movie My Girl with Macauly Culkin that came out in the early '90s. She was a cool character, but I always did wonder about the story behind her name. I know veda is like Hindi holy books or something, but I wonder how the name got to her.
Some name books list Vida as a fem. form of David, which is certainly also possible.
Language buffs could have fun with naming siblings Vida and Liv, which both mean "life" in Sp. and Swed./Norwegian respectively. And you'd get a nice contrast between the Nordic and the Meditteranean in the bargain.
And maybe they could have a brother named Chaim.
I'm more familiar with the Italian "Vita". My husband has not one but two aunts with that name. Both Italian.
A random change of topic- I just found out that I'm having a boy, and I thought this would be a great place to get some name advice. My husband and I like a wide variety of different names, but haven't found anything that we both really like yet. Our list so far: Evan, Noah, Micah, Grant, or Jonah. We would like something that is not extremely popular (as in not in the top 10 at least). We also want something that's fairly simple to pronounce and spell, because we have a difficult last name. Any suggestions/opinions?
TM, Christopher, whatever nickname you choose (except perhaps Topher) is such a gentle, unpretentious, classic name.
I have a cousin who is called Vida, short for Davida.
My friend's daughter goes by Lilah (pronounced LEE-lah), short for Khalilah.
I'm familiar with "chuck" not only as a verb for vomit, but also throw. As in, "He chucked the ball at my head." Or dispose of, as in "If you don't like the coffee, just chuck it."
We named our Rottweiler "Brock" in 1998. My son named him after a character in the Pokemon cartoon.
akm - I like all your suggestions except Grant - that's because it was the name of a thuggish character on the British soap Eastenders! if you want something easy to pronounce then I'd be a bit wary of Micah - much as I like it - but is it Mike-ah or Mee-kah? There's a footballer in England who pronounces it Mike-ah, which I prefer.
I agree with Keren about Micah--the usual pronunciation is, indeed, Mike-uh, and I like the name in the abstract, but... young Micah will likely be in school with Mika, Mischa, Mia, etc., most of them girls; he'll have to distinguish his name from those "Mee-" names. In some places, that's a boy who's going to move to the nickname "Mike" early on.
If you want not-too-common and you're in the US, probably cross off Evan--it's everywhere right now. Alternatives like Ivan, Gavin, Levi, Severin, Victor, or Vaughn might give you the same "v" edge without the soaring popularity.
AKM and Dolley- If you care about popularity, I believe Gavin is #69--and I know 2 new baby Gavins-and 1 toddler-which I find remarkable. I love the name. I think of Garrett as an alternative-but that may be on the upswing,as well. I've known one Micah-a young adult-a good name. He liked it too.
Aren't there any "film noir" nuts on this blog? Wasn't Joan Crawford's daughter in "Mildred Pierce" named "Vida" or "Veeda"? Unfortunately, she was quite nefarious. I seem to remember Joan, glamorously lonely and swathed in mink, bleating "Vida, Vida" as her offspring commited one heinous act after another...
Not meaning to put you off the name, Nothingtodo.... As a diminutive of Davida, I think it has energy. I do rather like "Vita", as in English eccentric Vita Sackville-West... Wasn't that short for "Victoria" in her case?
Apropos of the season, I was reading a list of Christmas-themed names. Apart from the usual Noels, Hollys, etc. they mentioned these:
Bell
Ebenezer
Garland
Gloria
King
Merry
Shepherd
Yule
Some of these I'd never quite considered in this context before, but I like some of them as an evocation of the holiday... I even think "Christmas" could make an interesting first name, not sacreligious at all. Think it might even have been in use as early as the Renaissance, possibly?
Re: Garret, Evan, etc. There's also the Welsh "Geraint", which is I believe pronounced with a hard "G". Yup, not many over hear would at first know how to pronounce. I think it's handsome. Another powerful (rhymes with power, ha) Welsh name I love is "Gower". You won't find that in every pre-school!
Add me to the Micah-admirers. He could be adorably nicknamed "Mitch" in school...
Micah or Jonah! I'd use them myself if I could get my boyfriend to agree to them.
Speaking of holiday names, one of the characters in Avenue Q is named Christmas Eve. I got the feeling it was poking fun at the naming patterns of Asians/Asian Americans cuz it wasn't really discussed in the show as far as I remember.
We are expecting a girl and we think we'd like to name her Zola. To us, it's a pretty name, unusual but not crazy. It means, variously, "piece of earth," "productive," and "tranquil," though we really don't care much about "official" meanings; we just like the way it sounds. Its most famous bearer was author Emile Zola, but we wouldn't be naming her after him. We are just checking with the wider world to see that we aren't completely out of touch with reality on this. Your thoughts? Is it a pretty name? Are we nuts? What are th pros? Cons? Alternatives? Please help. Thanks.
There was a runner called Zola Budd, and also my old boss called is daughter Zola, so it doesn't seem strange to me - a pretty name.The only thing is there was a famous Italian footballer called Zola who played for Chelsea,so in the UK it's still a football-ish name!
"Its most famous bearer was author Emile Zola, but we wouldn't be naming her after him."
Right... but (as with any author's name) be prepared to discuss the author often, because you'll get the "Oh, like Emile Zola?" response enough to require some preparation there. (More in some communities than others, of course.)
Zola herself may be drawn to books by E. Zola, so it'd be a good idea to know what's in them and when it's appropriate for her to explore there. (Saw the Masterpiece Theatre version of "Therese Raquin" much too young, gave me nightmares.)
I think Zola is cute and pretty. Are you putting the stress on the first syllable or second? My first instinct would be the first (like Lola) but I think I've heard Emile Zola pronounced with the stress on the second syllable...
When I hear the name Vida I think of "livin' la vida loca..." (song lyric) :-\ It does have the the 'v' that is so trendy right now and it's easy to read and say though.
Thanks for the comments so far, everyone. Robin, we would pronounce it as you would, rhyming with Lola.
I think Zola pronounced to rhyme with Lola would be less likely to be associated with Emile Zola.
IB-I really hope this doesn't spoil it for you, but my first thought was that it sounds an awful lot like Zoloff (sp?).
Having said that, it has a pretty sound and will be easy to spell and pronounce. I suppose it depends on the circle in which you travel, but I think you'd have to beat the bushes around here to come up with someone who would make the Emile Zola association.
It may be confused from time to time with Zora-a name I like that has come up on this board of late (that may or may not mean it's headed for a comeback).
It's definitely not odd or crazy, though. I'm sure the other moms who post will confirm that just about anything goes these days!
akm-Could I talk you into Jonas? I love it, and I think it fits your criteria. I'm not a fan of Micah personally, but I don't think it would be hard for most folks in the states to pronounce.
How about Seth?
Evan and Noah are both great but very popular out here.
Merry Christmas, all-back to the wrapping!
The Wessex' son has been named James Alexander Philip Theo. Nice.
Hey, all.
Our newspaper does a paid feature for "Baby's First Christmas." Three pages of little cuties were featured, and of course, for a name junkie, it was like an extra present!
I won't bore you with all 152, but here are some highlights.....
A's-Fully 20 of the little girls had names beginning with the letter A!
The "Off with their heads," trend Laura described a while back continues. Girls' names included Bella, Kenzie, and Lexi.
Repeaters-I was deep into page two before I hit a repeater. Names with multiples were Gavin, Joshua, Abigail, Isabella, Cole, Alison, Adidsyn/Addison, Mason, Brayden, Jack, and Kayden/Caden, all of which had two.
There were three Michaels, three Wyatts, three Madelynn/Madilynns (the spelling of this name seems to have officially changed), and in what was the big surprise to me, three girls named Taylor. What's going on with this one?
Personal favorites: Edumund, Helena, Gianna, Aria, Sterling...
More offbeat: Kyson, Delton,a boy Fallon, and a girl named Honesty.
PS-
I just had to add that there were no Emilys, Emmas, Sophies, or Olivias, and there was only one Jacob.
In ref to one of the runner-up names. I once worked in a college bookstore. As a language major, I was given all--well, most--of the for. lang. bookorders to place. But one day I was out and the next day I was back, I got a call from the (native French speaking) distributor about an order placed the day before by "Jacques." Well, we had a lot of people working in the store, but no one named "Jacques." I finally started going through all the names of people--women as well as men--whose first names started with "j." Finally, a light bulb went off when a co-worker casually sauntered by. "Hey, CHUCK," I yelled out, "Did you happen to make a call to the French book distributor yesterday."
He had.
Lee- love that one!
I used to work with a musician named Oliver Gledhill and one day when he turned up for a concert, his name was down on the program as Olaf O'Griddle!
Nothingtodo ... -- Vida isn't a name that I immediately like, but the more I read other people's comments about it, the nicer it seems. And, as is always the case, once you know a great kid with the name, the name itself becomes great.
akm -- I second the suggestion of Jonas. Of the names on your list, I like Grant best, but that's probably because I know a very nice 10-yr-old with the name.
IB -- I think Zola is lovely. I think most people would pronounce it to rhyme with Lola, and while you may get questions about E. Zola, soon enough you'll have a response for that. I agree that you should preview Zola's writing though to see when it would be appropriate for your daughter to read it.
Regarding the name Christopher: I have a 3.5 year old grandson by that name. His mother's first language is Spanish, so she and my son call him "Christo" (pronounced like'KREES-toe')some of the time, although the full Christopher (English pronunciation) is the name they use the most. Christopher's younger brother is Alexander, 10 months, who is called mostly by his full name, although I noticed my DIL wrote "Alex" on their Christmas card. My son had 'tried out' Topher and Xander, but (thankfully) those shortened forms seem to have disappeared.
I had suggested "Cristoph", a German version of the name I came across when doing family genealogy, but Christo (Spanish pronunciation) fits better for this family, where both little boys will be Spanish/English bi-lingual. (Mother from Ecuador; father -- my son -- adopted from Vietnam as a baby.)
I've always loved the name Christopher and was delighted when my son told me their newborn son's name: Christopher Andrew (my son's middle name too).
CC, thanks for letting us know the name of Edward and Sophie's new baby. What a magnificent name: James Alexander Philip Theo.
I have grandsons called James (James David) and Alexander (Alexander Michael)...and Theo was considered for another, who was named William Robert.
I'm reading a book about the sociology of naming which attributes all the new names we're hearing to forsaking "custom" for "fashion". ("A Matter of Taste: How names, fashions, and culture change" by Stanley Lieberson)
I'm glad "the royals' are still going with "custom" -- my family is too. There are so many wonderful traditional names to choose from -- and the 'bonus' is that each comes with many 'stories' of how the names have been used over the centuries and of kings, presidents, saints, and others of note who bore them.
Valerie--
Your Olaf O'Griddle story reminds me of the time my mother placed a phone order with Macy's. The operator asked for the name on the charge account, and my mother said, "O. Kleinman." With a heavy Irish brogue, the operator then asked, "And what would be the first name, Mrs. O'Kleinman?"
Is Theo an independent name? I always thought it was merely a nickname for Theodore.
Tirzah, I noticed that Sophie's great-grandfather is named Theophilius so maybe the Theo is an homage to him. Incidentally, her other grandfather was named Cornelius!
Arlene,loved your story!
Tirzah, I noticed that Sophie's grandfather is named Theophilius so maybe the Theo is an homage to him. Much nicer, IMO. Incidentally, her other grandfather was named Cornelius... which I secretly like ...shhhh....
Arlene,loved your story!
Whoops, disregard first entry. Sorry!
In the UK now it's very popular to use a shortened form as the main name, so Theo very popular, Theodore almost never used. Likewise Alfie, Archie, Charlie, Ellie, Milly etc
Valerie, this is chilling me out! If you'll check my entry, back on December 20, @ 10:10 a.m., I included my wild card guess for Sophie and Eddie's baby-- "Theophilus"!!!! Had no idea it was in her family-- it just popped into my head as one I wished they'd consider, though I was sure they wouldn't! Eeeek.
I'm also quite puffed that on my short list were James, Philip, and Alexander-- but those were easy to figure, as they've been royal staples for time out of mind...
Patricia-- Thank you for that title by Stanley Lieberson. Had never heard it put quite that way-- the divide between "custom" and "fashion" in baby name practices. Like you, I've realized that I do prefer "custom" (and above all, sentiment) to "fashion"...
With all of the craziness with Christmas, I forgot to check back to see people's suggestions for a name! Thanks. It's funny that a couple of you suggested Jonah/Jonas- we had been pretty set on the name Jonah for awhile, but changed our minds because we're kind of afraid we would end up calling him Joe all the time. We're terrible about inadvertently shortening names (for instance, we call all of our pets nicknames), but we know several Joe's and aren't crazy about the nn. But your comments have definitely made me think again about Jonah.
Wow, Eo, that's amazing! Just to be really precise, her grandfather is Theophilius, but what's an i among friends?
When I hear Theophilus, I always think of the Bristish comedian Lenny Henry and his alter ego, Theophilus P. Wildebeest. Couldn't ever take the name seriously after that...
he name Chuck always makes me smile.
AKM: If you are looking for something that's not too popular, cross Noah off the list It's in the top 10 in Canada, Australia...and maybe the UK too (??). Americans usually don't lag too far behind these places (if you're from the US).
IB: Ooooooooh I just love Zola. It's gorgeous. Plus, I was a literature major at Uni so I am impressed with the reference to Emile Zola. Zola manages to somehow be cute and fun while incredibly sophisticated and intelligent all at the same time. Bravo!
WTF to the name of the year. Barack is one person's name. It is not a watershed. He is simply someone famous with an ethnic name.
J&H's mom--
I named my baby Lilah (pronounced Lie-luh) in 2006. I was looking for something feminine, but not prissy. Traditional, but not over-used. Unusual, but not "weird."
Originally I had settled on Violet but when I heard about Violet Affleck, and a few other celebrities choosing that name, I started looking for an alternative.
Lilah was one of the few names that fit the bill but wasn't fast-rising at the time, but I figured it would be too good to last.
I also like that it is both Greek and also Arabic/Hebrew in origin, with pleasant "meaning" associations.
I am hoping that I got it early enough that she'll still be the only Lilah in her class, though it looks like she may have some slightly younger friends with the same name.
to Mama Luxe -
Lilah is a pretty name. It's also the name sung repeatedly in the song "The Night" by Morphine, from the album of that name -- a haunting, beautiful song.
Barack and Obama are probably closely associated with Luo names - an ethnic group in Kenya which Obama's father came from. Male names (like Obama) often start with an O. Barack, in Luo, is actually said with the emphasis on the first syllable. I'm sure a lot of people are claiming Obama as theirs - just returned from Kenya (and am married to a Luo man) and that's the story I get from that region of Kenya.
But he's not Muslim.
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