The Baby Name Wizard

I'm surprised to see Winslow, which I don't think of as a rare name. Not that I can think of anyone with it at the moment.

I met a young boy named Woodfin the other day! An evocative name, indeed.

Marc: The artist Winslow Homer was one. And Homer is Anne Heche's kid's name, so maybe both of his names have current potential.

"Nimrod" became unusable thanks to Bugs Bunny. The biblical Nimrod was "a mighty hunter before the Lord," and the name functioned as a noun with that meaning. In the warner Brothers cartoons, Bugs used it ironically for Elmer Fudd, the incompetent hunter; from there it seems to have acquired its later meaning of an idiot or buffoon.

(The OED gives one use of "nimrod" in this second sense that predates Bugs Bunny; but this seems to be an error, as their example is almost certainly using the word in the "hunter" sense instead.)

What fun mining your lists, Ms. Wattenberg, thanks. I knew a Winslow years ago who was perfectly named. He was wry, intelligent, quirky, with a very Tory sensibility although a New Orleanian! His nickname "Win", very appealing also.

Random thoughts; Do you all think "Perry" will go to the girls' column because of the "y" ending? I'm kind of hoping it won't. Bestowed it as a middle name on my son as it was my mother's maiden name. Also like it as a nickname for "Peregrine"...

Of course, I love the "s" ending names. I like their crisp, "Upstairs/Downstairs" butlerian vibe. "Stokes"-- hmm, I like it!

Speaking of which, Benjamin's preferred nickname "Banks" surprisingly well-received at school. Both adults and kids seem to like to say it. But there will always be holdouts...

But if "Ravenel Boykin Curry V" can be "Rascal" to one and all, then anything goes, I suppose! (I still can't get over that one...)

If I ever have boy-girl twins, I'm definitely calling them Chestina and Derl. "Chestina! Derl! Time to come in for supper!"

Or maybe Girtha and Clabe.

I'm rather partial to Neppie and Thelbert!

I taught a girl named Neely about eight or nine years ago. She'd be in her late twenties now.

Girtha reminds me (visually) of a Geretha (juh-reeth-a) I knew.
Clabe looks liks someone tried to mix up Caleb.
I was just in the hospital and had a nurse whose name was Parry. (50-60)
I know a Collier (55?)
I know a whole family of Colvin's - ln.
I would love to use Evander. I tried this time and it didn't go over. Maybe I should start preparing dh for next time?? :)
..and I wonder how many *Girlsie*s there were?

I know a woman named Peri like Periwinkle. Unfortunatly she is not a very kind person so she kinda ruins it for me.

Chestina is horrible. Almost as bad as Busty as a nn for Buster as mentioned in the last thread. Yipes!

I like Evander--I like lots of -er names probably all surnames at one point or another. Unfortunatly my last name ends in -ers so it would be odd. I do have a friend ln Scott who I am trying to convince that Zander is a strong name for her 1st son. :)

I know an Ara; from what I hear, she was not born with that name but changed it.

Neely sounds like a nn to me, like for... some name that ends with neel. i can only come up with Tenille right now but I feel like there must be others that were more common. I feel like maybe this was done in a book?

Junia to me sounds like a Korean name Junya. I think this is a boys' name; not sure, I just had a client with this name.

I feel like the jumps in names like Adina, Caprice, and Channing would've been because of celebrities with these names (Adina Howard, Stockard Channing, can't remember who Caprice is...)

The Boys' Hardest to Picture list is a hoot!

Fird! Ham! Hosey!

I wonder if some of the girls named Junia had parents trying to find a feminine for "Junior"? It also rhymes with flower names like Petunia... well, just Petunia, I guess.... ;)

I can totally see a sib set named Simona, Griffith, Pryor, and Beatrix--very stylish!

I have a nephew whose middle name is Winfield after a Civil War general--that set of names will always have its fans, I guess.

I'm surprised the parents of Jaxson or Lennon haven't picked up Hendrix yet. Henrick seems to be up and coming for those who like Henry, so as Henry explodes ala Ayden Hendrix will probably be a Name of the Near Future.

Chances Are Mathis will not be picked up on.

Robyn T-the only Caprice that comes to mind is the car. Maybe it's like Lexus, Chanel, that whole naming-your-kid-after-products trend. I could be wrong, though.

I actually have an older cousin named Pinky, and it's her given name. I knew it was weird, but seeing it here made me giggle.

LOL! Love the lists, love the comments!

I find it interesting that I know some kids with these names (a kid at our school is named Hendrix) or someone who named a child one of the names (Shephard nn Shep) and I know a 20ish young man named Winfield (always thought that was really unsusal when he was growing up, but now his parents seem ahead of their time!) but other names just don't seem to pop up again and you just can't picture someone choosing them.

What really differentiates Thelbert from Winslow?

Neely = nn for Cornelia?

Junia is a New Testament name. The original Junia is mentioned in Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 16, Verse 7, as being a relative of Paul who was in prison with him and "prominent among the apostles."

The -s surname used as a first name which intrigues me the most is not a one-hit wonder but the one which was generally well-used. Rogers is on the SSA list for most years between 1883 and 1966. I'm still trying to figure out why parents were so much more attracted to it than any of the other possibilities among the surnames ending in -s.

I think with most research we will find the most of the surnames on the above list do have political, religious or literary connections, many on a more regional level. Certainly Boone, Calhoun, Dabney, Greely, Livingston, Pinckney, and Winslow have particular connections with such figures. Dabney probably became a first name largely in honor of the Southern theologian Robert Lewis Dabney, for example. It's one of the "preppy" Southern names used for both genders.

I have a co-worker whose middle name is Caprice. Tanisha Caprice Ln. Super nice gal. I would never dream of Caprice as a name though.....

What about Talmadge? I know a Man and a girl with this name. Male Talmadge being about 27 and female being around 7. Very Southern.

Interesting to see Genevra on the list for girls, as its in my top three if this baby is a girl. It will be the middle name if I decide to go with one of the other 2 choices, although I can't decide on the spelling--Genevra or Ginevra?

Alissa, may I ask what your other choices are? I haven't heard much about Genevra/Ginevra, and I'm not sure exactly where to place it style-wise. I guess it makes me think of Genevieve and Virginia, but I have trouble thinking of anything else that I'd place with it. My preference is for Genevra - along the lines of Genevieve, Geneva. Ginevra makes me think of gin, virgin, Virginia, and Minerva, none of which are my taste. I guess the Gen spelling seems French-inspired, the Gin spelling, more English. Also, I realize they'd be pronounced the same way, but the Gen spelling leaves "Jen" open as a nn., the Gin spelling leans more towards "Ginny." But I think Ginny could work with either spelling. Perhaps your nn. preference can help you decide on the spelling. I like Eva, myself. Are you pronouncing the e in "evra" long or short? Eva can go either way, but Vera would be nice if you like the long e. I don't think I'd choose the name myself, but it's very elegant, and I love how many nn. options it can have!

Nina: Yes, Neely for Cornelia is exactly what I was thinking of. And for Caprice, apparently there is a model/actress named Caprice Bourret. I have no clue who she is though...

Alissa: I agree with Nora in preferring Genevra.

I actually got the name Ginevra from Harry Potter (Ginny's full name). But with the spelling Genevra, it is an anagram of my grandmother's name. For nn's I was thinking Ginny or maybe Ginger. Never thought of Eva, probably because I've been saying it with a short "e". My other choices for a girl are Margaret and Elizabeth, so style wise I think Genvra isn't really a match. Virginia is also in the running, but lower on the list. My son's name is William Donovan.

Genevra--not Genvra!

Well, I would expect Genevra/Ginevra to pick up over the next several years - it is the character Ginny's full name in the Harry Potter books!

And I love Elon - it has long been a favorite for an eventual boy. It is Hebrew, but not super-popular (more in Israel than America).

My grandma's name was Berdella (like "Birdella" on the list). If I have a girl, one of the names I have picked out is Della in honor of my grandma. My grandma, by the way, was often called "Berdie". I had no idea her name was a "one hit wonder." :)

I like the name Della - I knew a Della in high school, and I liked her a lot. I think it's a great name b/c it's so flexible and can fit into many situations.
I think it's interesting that Elon is on there. Often, I've found it spelled in English as Elan or Ilan, and I wonder how those do for popularity.

Elon is the name of a university in North Carolina. They recently changed their mascot from the Fighting Christians to the Phoenix.

Alissa: i think Margaret and Elizabeth match with Genevra in that they are more on the old-fashioned side. maybe also kind of formal, proper sounding names (as opposed to playful... if that makes sense). M and E are a bit plainer though. Maybe you could spice them up: like Marguerite?

I used to have a friend called Jenevora- a family name and obviously a variant on Genevra/Ginevra.Didn't someone here say it's related to both Jennifer and Guinevere? Hmmm...I think there might even be a connection to Juniper. This from Wikipedia:
"Jenever (also known as genever, jeniever, or in England as Holland gin), is the juniper-flavored and strongly alcoholic traditional liquor of the Netherlands and Flanders, from which gin has evolved."

It's a little amusing that "Beadie" and "Bunk" are both characters on The Wire. (Not that the show's ever been popular enough to bring them back into naming consciousness.)

Fascinating to see the interest in "Ginevra". My only association with it is that I vaguely remember it as the name of one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's sweethearts before he met Zelda. Think it might have been "Ginevra King"? Literary scholars, help! Think she was a beautiful debutante who might have broken his heart? Anyway, the time period would be post-turn of the century up to the Roaring Twenties, since I think he was born around 1899, perhaps?

I'm actually surprised that some of those were only one-hits, particularly Beatrix, Caprice, and Collier.
Hendrix is a cool name, but I really can't imagine it being used by anyone who wasn't a fan of the late artist.
I don't doubt that Henry is due for a boom, but I've still only met one other.I think the next big surname/first name may be Lennox. A friend just used it as her son's mn, and when she announced it, two of the other women in the room said, "Oh, that's my secret favorite name!"
Shepard is actually a name I considered using. It's in our family tree, and I just love the sound of Shep. Pop culture wise, it's the name of one of the Seinfeld children and also the name of the son of the actor who plays Mike on Desperate Housewives (I swear I only read People at the dentist).
The main issue I couldn't get over was the whole "dog name," thing.
Also thought I'd share that there was a very young, hip looking mom at the park today with a son named Dexter.

Oh, and isn't there a character named Neely on ER?

There's a Nealy in my town - nn for Janeal.

O.H., thanks for the info on Nimrod. I have always wondered how a Bible king got changed into a complete idiot. I should have suspected Bugs Bunny.

Believe it or not, I knew a dog breeder whose son was named Shepherd. Her other son was named...Damien. WTH??

I also know a horse trainer with a son named Morgan.

I agree Hendrix would be a cool name, but I'm not entirely surprised it hasn't caught on, considering how Jimi met his end. Yucky!

How about Joplin(lyn), Morrison(syn), Buddyholly, or Lynard Skynard?

Seriously, I have always been amazed Cobain isn't more popular. Cool nn and all you would ever have to outfit he/she in is flannel...

Another set of weird names from my husband's hippie/logger childhood...

Aragorn and Eveningstar (bro and sis)
Damarany and Acelynn (sisters)

And a few I heard in passing...

Lively
Leighton
Havana (all three are young girls)
Racy (believe it or not, this is a middle aged woman)

I used to know someone named Caprice who went by Cappy. Made me think of a capybara, the south american giant rodent. And Capyboppy, a children's book about a pet capybara.

Parminder Nagra's character on ER is Neela.

re: musical artists' names: I've seen a few Marleys in Hawai'i, and I am pretty sure it is after Bob Marley because he's very popular there.

re: Cappy: A couple of my best friends went to school with a Cappuccino nn Cappy. Kinda weird, kinda cute.

RE: ER

That's Neela, and it's an Indian name (as in from India, not Native American).

The one hit names (girls only):
Was Arah ever mentioned in the Off With Their Heads post of about six months ago? I'm thinking (S)Arah in the vein of (B)Aleigh and (T)Anya? Could be popular. Likewise (H)Arley.

Simona doesn't seem that rare to me. Could be because Simone is a fairly popular girls name in Australia, lumped in with French girls of the 80s like Nicole, Danielle and Michelle. I'm guessing Simona is Sim-own-a. Long second syllable making it a female name, like Roberta. Is Junia Jun-ya or Jun-ee-a? I'd guess the latter. Seems more girly.

In the hardest to picture category, I don't see Cleone being that odd at all. Is it just me? It sounds a lot like Cleo/Clio, which is well established.

Also, if you're interested in trendy names, check out www.babble.com. The "hip, urban" parents who write columns regularly on this parenting blog have kids called Archer, Josephine (Josie), Clio, Elsa, Jackson and Elsie

For some reason, Caprice reminds me of capricious, which is just so negative...

I once wanted to have 4 boys named Kiedis, Cobain, Hendrix, and Reznor. The first 3 I could see as names, the last I don't, even if I do love the sound. I'll have to save my favorite musician names for pets.

My list favorites are Tacy, Beckham, Evander, Winslow, Boone, Calhoun. Boone reminds me of LOST. Calhoun sounds nice, but I wouldn't use it because I live in the South, in Calhoun County, named for John C. Calhoun. Winslow reminds me of the Eagles song Take It Easy and Winslow, Arizona, and I love the nickname Win. For another musical connection, see the Arcade Fire's Win Butler. Short for Edwin, I believe, in his case. Despite loving Edward and Edmund both, I don't like Edwin at all, hence the search for a different name to get that Win nickname. My paternal grandfather was a Winfred too, and I plan to name my first son after my other grandfather, so even though I don't want to name a kid directly after him b/c I didn't know him because of a family feud, it would still be a nice way to honor him slightly.

I have considered Junia as a name for a daughter... like the idea of naming her for the only known woman apostle.

I think the name has not been used by Christians due to the tendancy of Bible translators to make it Junias because a woman apostle is unthinkable to some.

Funny about Tacy, I just ordered Betsy-Tacy from the library to read with my daughter and was thinking I could see it become a popular name...

Thanks for the correction on Neela. I quit watching regularly after the George Clooney years.
It's pretty, though.
Is Greely similar to Greenly? Am I imagining that Greenly is a girl's name?
Do Brooks, Anders, and Davis count as surname/first names? They all sound sporty rather than stuffy, imo (and I still love Banks, EO).
Alissa-I don't love Genevra personally (though I like Geneva and Genevive (sp?) quite a bit), but I love the idea of using an anagram of your grandma's name. I think if it's in your top three, that alone should give it the edge.
I've known a couple Caprices-all African American. It takes a certain flair to pull it off, but it's also memorable.

i used to work with a caprice. she would be in her 30s now. i think she was puerto rican, or maybe dominican.
i like beatrix, but my husband thinks it sounds like a prostitute name (turning tricks, etc).
shelvie is my favorite from the hard to picture list. i am a librarian, i am totally going to recommend it to pregnant librarians! ;)

I prefer Ginevra--it seems somehow more elegant. In addition to the Harry Potter connection, it also calls to mind the Leonardo portrait of Ginevra de'Benci, at the National Gallery of Art. See
http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg7/gg7-50442.0-prov.html

I didn't realize Ginevra was the Italian form of Guinevere. (Guinnevere?) Now it's growing on me, since I'm starting to see it more as a name and less as a near-anagram of Minerva and Virgin(ia). At first glance, I liked the i spelling better aesthetically, but I didn't like the associations I made with it. And I prefer Gen&variations to Gin&variations as a nn. But now I'm coming around on Ginevra. Either way it's a beautiful name... and it sounds like you don't like Eva as a nn., but it does work as EH-va with a short e. That's the proper pronunciation in various languages (I believe Polish, for one), and that's what came to mind the first time I heard Ginevra!

I'm not sure about Junia, because with an English accent it sounds like Junior. Has anyone come across the name Juna? I know a family with Casey, Lila and Juna.

My cousin gave her daughter the mn Genevra. I think it may be a family name, although I'm not sure. And I second the suggestion of Marguerite. I know a lovely girl with that name.

Neely reminds me of a boy I knew ln Nealy; Greely reminds me of a girl I know fn Greer.

I'm partial to Tacy, Beatrix (could this name's short-lived popularity be either inspired by or the source of Ms. Potter?), Griffith and Winslow (although I'd worry about him getting tagged as "Slow" - kind of the opposite of the winsome "Win").

Valerie - I've never met anyone named Juna, but it's very pretty. And it goes well with Lila as one letter off the classics June, Lily. Doesn't fit so well with Casey for me, though, which seems too modern.

I met a ten year old Griffith the other day. I thought it sounded a very masculine and strong name. It suited him perfectly; he had a scruffy haircut, freckles on his nose and work boots.

Question unrelated to this post: I was just thinking about how there are variations of J-vowel-N names with every vowel sound except two.

Jan, Jane, John, Joan, Jen, Jean, June, and Gin... all of which can also have an ie or y ending attached.

The only two that don't exist as standard names are Jine and Jun, which also don't seem to start any names a la Jennifer or Jonathan.

When I try to think of other names that are spelled/sound like J-vowel-consonant, all I can think of are the following:

Job, Jim, Jill, Jobe, Joel, Jeff, Jed, Jeb, Jess.

Almost none of the J-blank-consonant names exist with more than one vowel sound in between the J and N. (The only ones I can think of are Joel/Jill and Job/Jobe). I'm sure I'm missing some variations (which?), but I'm curious about this phenomenon. What makes J-blank-N so pleasing to our ears, or why is that the combination that history seems to have given us? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

*in the last paragraph, I meant "between the J and the consonant"

Ooh, I always loved the Betsy-Tacy books and thought Tacy was such a cute name! And Tib, their other friend, was short for Thelma, as I recall.

The only Griffith I know is a girl. She was named for her father (it is his middle name.) Her twin is Courtney (named after her aunt.)

I taught a Brooks two years ago, and know a boy named Davis. I like both of those names, and I can see Anders as a first name (like Anderson better.)

In another last-name pair, my friend named her twins Hogan (boy, her mother's maiden name) and Hayden (girl). I didn't really like Hogan at first b/c of my association with Hulk Hogan/Hogan's Heroes and dislike of Logan as a name, but it's growing on me. I do like Hayden. It's not a family name, though. She picked it b/c it went well with Hogan.

I always thought Harper and Hadley would be a nice literary set as sisters.

Although I wouldn't use a last name as a first name, I do like some of them when other people use them.

Arlene-thanks for the reminder about the painting! For those who suggested Marguerite-I love it. But I think dh will consider it too "exotic". He's pretty Wonder Bread when it comes to names he likes. I'm pretty sure he won't go for Genevra has a fn, which is why I'm pretty sure it'll just be a mn. I think that's why I haven't given nn's for Genevra much of a thought beyond the obvious (oh, and I do like Eva, but feel it may be a little too popular.)

LKB: Jack and Jake! Joss and Josie is close, too.

I was amused to see "Redmond" on the list. When we were trying to think up baby names, 'way back when, we'd go through Seattle neighborhoods and suburbs as possibilities.

Examples for girls: Madrona, Latona, Magnolia, Ravenna
For boys: Redmond, Renton, Fremont, Kent, even Wallingford

Not recommended for anyone: White Center, Puyallup, Squawk

You could probably do the same for where you live.

re: Junia as only female apostle. I think many scholars agree that Priscilla and Aquilla were also apostles, although Junia (sometimes translated as Julia or Junias) was very clearly so.

Ham is a Biblical name, being one of Noah's son's, along with Shem and Japeth.

It's really a shame that one cannot help but think of sandwich meat when one hears the name. It would be quite nice otherwise. Evocative of Sam & Cam but without the androgynous effects of Samantha and Cameron, having the more masculine "flavor" of Harry & Hank. Alas, poor Ham, you could have been a fine name. Although, Hammie is the nick-name for little Hamish in the cartoon Baby Blues, so maybe Ham is not without hope.

Hamish is pronounced HEY-mish right? So Hammie is HEY-mee?

I have met a couple of Hamilitons nn Ham over the years.

As for the "J-vowel-N" missing names, I have had Koren students by the names of Jinny and Jun.

I also can't imagine how annoying in must be to be a Tacy in a world semi-full of Traceys.

All this talk of June Jan Jo Jen reminds me of a name I came across a few years ago: Juno

She was a uber-trendy girl (only 5) from a well to do family, sisters were Mira and Jolie.

I kinda like it.

Thee's a glamour model in the Uk called Caprice, so it feels like a tacky name to me.
Juna - how about Djuna, name of a character in a Woody Alen film . I also knowa (Dutch) Djanu.

Any boy called Beckham would be assumed to be named after David Beckham in England.

As far as I know Nimrod is not unusual in Israel, also Elon and Adina. I have a cousin called Elan.

By the way, a great birth announcement in the Daily Telegraph today. The family is called Gash and the baby is Isadora Kallisto Drinkall gash, sister to Camilla, Phoebe, Oliver, hector, Xanthe, Francesca, Aloysius and Beatrice.

There was also a family called Morgan who'd had Monty Oscar Inigo - a brother for Maximilian and Poppy.

Djuna's not just a character in a Woody Allen film; the name's most famous carrier is Djuna Barnes (1892-1982), an American writer. Fun naming fact: her paternal grandmother's first name was Zadel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djuna_Barnes

Did you hear that Salma Hayek just named her daughter? Valentina Paloma. I love it! I graphed Valentina; it has been on the rise. Looks like it's going to keep rising.

re: Juno: I have a friend with this ln and I was thinking it would be a cool fn too.

There is a local physician whose first name is Bonzo. Even though he's a wonderful man, I have trouble getting past his name. Bonzo didn't even make the list of one-hit wonders!

Oh, hee hee I am home drunk on sugar and red dye #2 from a toddler's birthday party and all I could do when I saw that list was giggle immaturely: Chestina and Hosey! Shelvie and Sank! Loda and Bunk!

I had a great-great aunt Neely, nn'd from Cornelia, for whatever that's worth. And hey, I knew a Claiborne in high school, who was apparently way ahead of/behind his time.

Singleton would be a very odd last-name-turned-first these days. Perhaps a name for a child who miraculously appeared solo despite tons of fertility drugs, like my daughter?

My favorites from the list were Beckham & Channing. But I agree with Keren, Beckham would always be associated with David Beckham. (And I'm not a soccer fan.)

Alissa: I like "Genevra" better, because of the similarity to "Genevieve." "Ge" sounds softer to me than "Gi."

Love Griffith! I knew a Griffith years ago and actually, he was kind of an icky boy but that doesn't ruin the name for me. Griffin, I think, is also cute. Beckham's nice too; I like the name Beck but could only come up with Beckett before, which I'm not too big a fan of.

And to the person way up above looking for 'Win' names, I absolutely recommend Winston. Not too popular, but very nice and masculine.

On the J thing: not on the J-vowel-n thing, but a random comment - why is it that a j in the middle of a name looks odd? Like... well, I can't think of one, but that's kind of my point!

And on Salma Hayek's baby: Valentina Paloma is so cute! A variation on Valentina - Valenzia - was just born to my neighbors. They were thinking of Valentia, but when they tested it out, a lot of people (including me) had trouble with the -tia so they switched to the easier -zia.

What do you think about Everest (pron Ev-rest, like the mountain)? I remember somebody on here saying that they see colors with names. I never do, but for some reason I see dark green with Everest (even though mt everest is white). Maybe it's the evergreen sound association. I was thinking of Everett, but I think I like Everest better.

About no J's in the middle of names: I think it's because the English language doesn't generally put J's in the middle of words. The exceptions are words that got built using prefixes, like "adjudicate," or foreign words, like "pajama."

I am in Australia and went to school with an Adina. I have also come across a female Perry through work (she would be in her 40's).

I love Griffith for a boy but sadly could never use it as our surname ends in 'th' and the poor boy would permanently sound like he has a lisp.
Griffin is in play still but I prefer Griffith. I also love Xanthe for a girl but have the same issue with the 'th'. At least it's not right at the end with Xanthe.

Marjorie?

Is there a way to have both your baby girl's names (first and middle) be feminine and womanly or do you have to "balance" - say if the FN is Hunter the MN has to be Rose or if the FN is Marie the MN has to be Taylor.

JC- If you want your baby girl to have two traditionally feminine names, just give them to her! Semi androgynous names at any point in a girl's name are much rarer than traditionally feminine names. I'd say a more common balancing point is length of names.

And not related to anything but my own curiosity, who can give me an opinion on the most traditional spelling of the name Anneliese? Do I have it right?

(I always think it's funny when I respond to you - looks like you're talking to yourself :)). I had an Anneliese in my class several years ago, spelled that way. She pronounced it ON-uh-leese. Her mother said that was the traditional German spelling. It's pretty, but I had an Annalise as well (ANNA-leese, so it was a bit confusing.

Philippa, I think of Anneliese as the most traditional, which I think is the German/Dutch spelling, but I really have no idea... do they spell it the same way in both Germany and the Netherlands? Anyway, I like Anneliese better than Annalise. I do prefer the ON-uh-leese pronunciation over the AN-uh-leese, but both are pretty.

JC, of course you don't "have" to give your daughter any names that aren't traditionally feminine! I think that Philippa is right, that it is still more common for a girl to have two traditionally feminine names than not. Just give your daughter a name that you love!

For me, balancing traditional fem./masc. names in one person's name isn't generally an issue, but it can become more problematic in sibling name sets. For instance, to choose some random names: a girl named Clark Emiliana would sound fine to me, as would an Isabel Emiliana or a Clark Ryan. I would hesitate about sisters named Clark and Emiliana... not to say I couldn't get past my hesitation.

Yikes not much time to post but I just wanted to say thanks Keren for the Telegraph name update - what a set of names young Isadora has! I mean 'drinkall' - what's all that about?!

Oh and J&H's mum: I have to say (though I surprise myself) that I really like Shepard too! (and I'm just a little bit in love with the idea of Banks on a little boy - sooo cute!)

I know a man in his upper 30s named Shepard who goes by Shep - what's nice is that he can be known on a first-name basis, which is fairly rare these days.

JC: I think people generally worry about balancing androgynous and more feminine names when they want to use an androgynous one but feel they should use a more feminine mn so that the child could use both (professionally, for example) to indicate that she is a she.

I've never done this before, but found some interesting stuff in my hometown birth listings this week:
INDIANNA: mn makes me think this is a girl, wonder if they were trying for the nn Anna, also maybe another case of being able to use a place name if you are far from the place.

EXODUS: wow. very interesting Bible-inspired name.

HOGAN: someone else mentioned hearing this name. think it's back in our heads because of the Hulk Hogan reality show?

JAYVIN: new variation on Jayden is my guess. i kind of like the v sound.

ZIAN: as a mn, for a boy i think.

NIYAH: girl, variant on Nia?

I thought I'd share a list of births at a local hospital. I love reading all of your lists!
Dylan
Emma
Hanna
Maryam
Bryce
Daniel
Kaden
Madeline
Olivia
Jackson
Austin
Ryan
Atlas
Isabel
Izabella
Luke

And an acquaintance of mine just had a baby named Babette Virginia - I thought I'd share, as it fits into both the older names category and the Virginia discussion. In her case, both names are family names - Babette, her grandmother, and Virginia, her mother.

I thought I'd share some more names, too:
Shukiya Lynn
Christina Marie
Savannah Danielle
Benjamin Matthew

It's true that some Bible translations use "Junias" instead of "Junia", but they tend to be either older Roman Catholic translations or newer ultra-conservative Protestant ones. The King James version, often still revered by conservative Protestants, uses Junia.

It's true that many scholars regard Priscilla and Aquila as being apostles or the equivalent, but only Priscilla was a woman. Aquila was a man and Priscilla's husband:

http://www.biblequestions.org/Archives/BQAR387.htm

It's odd that it's Greely that makes the top 1000 list for one year, since this is probably an alternative spelling for Greeley, inspired by the famous editor and politician Horace Greeley. Greeley and Greenlee may sound alike, but they have different origins as surnames, the former mostly from an Old French word meaning "pock-marked" and the latter from a place name. Greenlee is considered a feminine name in the USA today mostly because of a character on the TV soap opera "All My Children."

Lili, in your list of fairly run-of-the-mill names, the name Atlas really stands out! I thought of using the name Atlas, but what if you end up with a skinny kid? A guy named Atlas with a slight build just wouldn't seem right!

It's funny you say that about Atlas - I could see a skinny, sort of intellectually curious Atlas who loved learning about the world.
I decided to put the more "normal" names on there just for context, so we don't think all names are so "out there."

Keren - I came across that Isadora announcement in the Telegraph, too. I actually had to read it several times to soak up all the oddities (and I mean, HOW many kids??). And let me share another tip, I also like to read the death announcements (a bit strange I know). Not only for the sometimes really nice "old/old-fashioned" names of the deceased, but also when the whole family who mourns them is listed - that gives you a nice impression of the names and naming trends for each generation.
Good Lors, I hope I don't sound too weird here, having pleasure in reading the death announcements!

What do people think of Virginia?

I want to honour Southern heritage but am not sure how to do it without people using the "Southern Belle" as a weapon.

JC - there was a big conversation about Virginia recently. I'm blanking on which post it was under, but I'm sure someone else on here will remember. I'd suggest taking a look at it for some thoughts.

JC - I found the Virginia thread, it's under "This Landon's Your Land."

Liston was the young lady teaching my daughter's swim class at the YMCA here in the S.F. Bay Area this past summer.

JC - Georgia is a great Southern name that seems to be currently in vogue. (I think Gigi would be a cute nn). I don't know what part of Southern heritage you would like to honor, so I am not sure if Georgia fits the bill.

Other Southern ideas: a double name, a lesser known place name than Virginia, a name like Scarlett that calls up images of the South (Gone with the Wind) but has other associations as well

Philippa- I'm from Germany, and it's traditionally spelled Anneliese.

I wouldn't use this name, simply because the "e" ending in both "Anne" and in "liese" is impossible for English speakers to say correctly.

And as to the "one-hit-wonder" names mentioned above-- my daughter (1 y.o.) is Simona. It was a name I'd heard on a Romanian gymnast when I was little and have loved it since. And to the person who enquired, we pronounce it "Si-moan-a" in English (and, more-or-less, Zee-mohn-a in German). Avoids the whole "ends in a non-silent e" pronunciation difficulty for Americans that Simone would have presented.

Just to clarify- Not saying anyone else shouldn't use Anneliese- it's beautiful- I just personally wouldn't use it. :-)

LKB - I'm sorry you found Virginia a poor name - I'm glad you respect those who are Christian though. It was a popular name once and arguably still beautifull - but now maybe wouldn't work in a world that is much more secular as you said and also today virginity is no longer seen as the important thing it was in more religious times. I was born and raised in the Buckle of the Bible Belt and many religious values are still with me as a result

C & C's Mom: Georgia could work with the right middle name - same with Caroline/Carolina?

Any more suggestions/help would be good

JC - I do agree that Virginia sounds beautiful, I just don't like the associations I make with it... I also really like Genevra/Ginevra from above, which sounds similar to me. And I think of Genevieve as a similar name, as I mentioned above - very elegant and classically feminine, and sounds a bit southern to me. I second the ideas of Georgia and Caroline/Carolina. To keep going with the place names, how about Augusta, Charlotte, Alexandria, or Savannah? Susannah, Grace, Gloria, Victoria, and Samantha all sound mildly southern to me, and perhaps one of them would complement one of the place names nicely. Also, maybe Adelaide, Nell, Priscille/a, Camille/a, or Felicity? I always throw in Felicity b/c it's one of my favorites, but I don't think I'd ever use it myself. Another one of my favorites: Isannah. I don't know if I'm on the right track here, maybe you can tell us more about your style? I hope some of that was helpful!

"O.H., thanks for the info on Nimrod. I have always wondered how a Bible king got changed into a complete idiot."

If I remember right, Nimrod was kind of a biblical villian no? Built a tower tall enough so he could shoot an arrow at God? I can imagine with that background, it was an insult before Bugs Bunny.

also, on mildly southern names, how about Esme?

Cecelia or Margareta could work as well.

I want feminine and beautifull but classy as well - and i want to respect my heritage in her - too many people associate the South with negativity and i want to fight that.

LKB: I love your name suggestions, all very classy, elegant and feminine, I'm particularly in love with Adelaide, Camilla, Felicity and Cecelia.

It's so funny that Gloria got a mention because I had every intention of asking about that name! Does anyone think this one is set for a bit of a rise? I heard it on a film last night and thought how lovely it sounded...

Robyn T: I laughed when I saw Indianna in you post - only because it reminded me of a girl at school called Indianna Jones (yes really!)

I thought of a few more: Georgiana, Cassandra, Candace.

Young Isadora and her eight siblings are quite the bunch...I noticed she was born in Sri Lanka- parents missionaries? Aid workers? Anyhow, if you keep looking back throught the announcements, there is a baby Myrtle, too!

ClevelandKentEvans - thanks for the clarification!

I heard on the radio today that some Chicago Cubs fans ln Fields named their son Wrigley Fields. They said that when he can talk, he can go by his mn, Alexander, if he wants.

Katharine - I do think Gloria is almost ready for a comeback. It seems to fit in perfectly with a lot of the older names that are coming back in style, even if it is a bit more recent (the 30s-50s), plus it also fits with names like Hope, Faith, etc, b/c of the Glory in it. In fact, I can easily picture sisters named Gloria and Honora! I think the only thing holding it back right now is the Gl sound at the beginning, a consonant cluster that hasn't really come back yet. But maybe that's because it's really only about 60-70 years from it's peak, and since 100 seems to be closer to average for the revival cycles, it probably just needs a bit more time. I think Gloria, Gladys and Glenda will be back before we know it! Irene's Mom, if you're reading, Gloria makes me think of your style. I can easily pictures Gloria as the sister of Irene and Lois.

I heard about baby Wrigley Field too. I wonder if they considered just going with Wrigley. To me that would be just as much of a tribute and a little less... out there, but I guess that's a matter of personal taste.

I think Glory/Gloria are cute!

Peter - I agree Nimrod was not a nice guy, (didn't he build the Tower of Babel??) but we don't go around calling people Pontius Pilate. I'd just always been curious how the name became synonymous with idiocy.

BTW, Nimrod is also the name of an evil robot in X-Men that thinks he's smarter than God, or something like that...

That's so interesting about Wrigley Field - my husband and I were just wondering why more people don't name their children after sports teams. We were thinking Dodger or Yankee as likely suspects.

In this day and age of big corporate-sponsored ballparks, a person would have to be mighty careful what they came up with...Safeco? US Cellular?

I think you're bang on about Gloria and Honora LKB. I can totally see them being part of a new wave of 'natural grace' names.

They may be to 'natural grace' names what Iris, Dahlia and Violet are to flower names - fresh names but ultimately all part of the same trend...

Elly: I saw Myrtle too and at some point last week - Una Cecilia

Louise, I like Juno. My sister's married name is Juno, and mine is Christianson. I tried to get her to agree to use Christianson as a fn for her son and I would use Juno as a fn for my daughter, but no dice. Am I the only one who thinks cousins named Juno Christianson and Christianson Juno would be awesome?

Lili, Atlas also threw me for a loop! I can picture a skinny Atlas (I thought of the 'book of maps' atlas before I thought of the 'holding up the world' Atlas), but I had the same thought about the name Magnus (DH's favorite name) -- I don't think you can be a short, skinny Magnus.

Jill C.: I agree with you about Magnus. Similar to Magnus is Marduk, who was one of the Ancient Near Eastern gods but I've heard is a name now. I don't think you can be a little Magnus or a little Marduk.

To further locate "Gloria" in the twentieth century, my aunt who was probably born around 1910, was "Gloria Audrey". She was familiarly known in the family as "Glor". I also like "Glo" and "Gloss" as nicknames. Associated her name with her sophisticated personality (to me) and throaty voice...

The name has an illustrious, historical feeling, also, because of "Gloriana", the nickname for Queen Elizabeth I.

Jill C: Juno and Christianson are cute! Maybe you could get your sister to agree to Christian?

Gloriana is rather nice. The Gloria topic also brings to mind the term Shekinah glory, heard mostly in Pentecostal circles, I believe. Shekinah seems like a winner for those who still like names in the Shania or Shamira vein.

Anneliese was mentioned somewhere along the way and always reminds me of Angeles, a friend from Puerto Rico. Kind of a sweet name that fits well with the current trends whether you pronounce it like Los Angeles or the traditional Spanish way.

I was interested by "Robley" on the list of surnames used for boys. My grandfather's first name was his mother's maiden name -- Roblee, pronounced ROE-blee, like Robley I'm assuming. Many male members of our family have Roblee as either a first or middle name (including my son).

Cleveland Kent Evans -- are you the same man who Joal Ryan thanked in the intro to her name book "Puffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma"? I love that book (second only to Laura's!), and re-read the intro the other day, and saw your name.

didn't mean to dis Priscilla who I also consider to be among the apostles. I should have said that Junia is the only woman IDENTIFIED as an apostle in the New Testament.

Cleaveland Kent Evans-- thanks for pointing out that the KJV version used Junia -- I was unaware that it was "enlightened." :) And many of the more conservative translations that use Junias have added foot/study notes indicating it could be Junia. It is a fascinating debate not only on a theological level, but also as it discusses naming patterns of Greek in first century.

Been lurking, thought I'd venture a slightly OT post. I love these one hit wonder threads. We've just started ttgp, and I've always loved names. DH and I have settled on a tentative pair of b/g names: Rowan/Ivy.

Criteria: old but uncommon, not too odd, prefer a nature meaning, more formal than cute. Many of my favorites were knocked out by our ln(s), both one syllable starting with S. I loved August, Sage, Forest, and even Hyacinth, but they feel too tongue-twisty to me with the ln. Also old, Beatrix was on my list, but has the same problem. We liked Adele and Adair (mentioned here previously), but think the emphasis on the 2nd syllable is too hard with the last name. I liked Avery, Averil, and Aidan, but all have been dismissed as too trendy.

So, Rowan and Ivy. Comments? Suggestions? Also in the mix, maybe for siblings are: Holly, Lavender, Rosalie, Laurel, Willa, April, Oliver, Linden, Reed, Ellery, Everett.

DH thinks a lot of my names smell like old people--I'm trying to win him over. :o)

hyz- Rowan and Ivy are nice names. I really like Rowan. Of your other options I adore Willa. I also like Ellery and would consider it for my own child but it is super close to Hillary.

Thanks, Hillary! I love Willa too (a good, honest old substitute for the now-trendy Willow, plus it's got good literary cred. with Willa Cather, whom I quite like)--but this is one of the names DH dismisses as "musty". I think Ellery sounds great, pleasant meaning, but most men I've talked to think it's awful. Forgot to mention, Silas is another favorite that got nixed by our last names. Ah well.

hyz - I really loke Rosalie. I've met a little Rosalie some years ago; and though it did take some time getting used to it, it was just such a cute name! I also like Willa, such a strong yet soft sounding name.

hyz: There's a lot of overlap between your name list and mine (I have a Silas Oliver and considered several other names you mention).

If you like Linden, what about Linnea ("lin-NAY-uh")? It's a popular Swedish girls' name and a flower name (for the twinflower, Linnaea borealis).

hyz, I love the names -- Ivy and Holly have personal negative associations for me, so it is difficult to be ojective on those two. My favorites are Willa, Laurel, Lavender and Linden.

My son's name is Oliver, so of course I like that, but that's the one I might knock off the list for being too popular (#173 and climbing). I mean, it's no Aiden, but it's a lot more popular than the other names on your list. Likewise, Linden isn't popular in and of itself, but it has that trendy -en at the end. Does that make it sound a little more generic next to Aiden/Hayden/Jayden/Caden/Ethan/Christian/Dylan? I can't decide.

hyz- My favs from your list are Rowan, Ivy, Oliver and Rosalie. Would you consider Azalea, Olivia or Hazel? How about Adlai as an alternative to Adair?

Just a very, very gentle reminder. You know, we'll all be old one day. Very, very old, if we're lucky!

Even the adorable little scrap of humanity that is a newborn baby.... Like that baby, age can be beautiful, and yes, sweetly fragrant...

And jokes that might be amusing in the privacy of couple-dom, are not so charming in an open forum. I'm the last person to be politically correct, but I'd hate for ANY of our readers to be hurt by careless comments...

I saw a very unique name in the birth announcements yesterday.

KYSTERIA. For some reason, I found that to be-well-kysterical.

Just joking, that was too easy. I just wonder if that will ever be a one hit wonder. And what exactly the thought process behind lets name her hysteria with a "k" is. I wonder if they pronounce it Kis steer ria or kis stair ia.

Hmm....that was is a little different.

Eo, I think your gentle reminder may have been too gentle, because I'm not sure what post you're referring to. the reason I ask, is because I apologize if any of my posts have offended you!

Thanks for the comments, guys! Very helpful.

Glad to see Rosalie has some traction. I wanted Rosalind at first (for a g-grandmother), but DH really hated that one, so Rosalie was a compromise. I also don't want to overdo the plant theme--I don't think I'd want Ivy & Holly, for instance, but Ivy & Rosalie seems ok. Similarly, I think Rowan & Oliver would be a good pair, or even Rowan & Linden, since most people don't know these are trees.

I like the look of Linnea, but am trying to avoid names that Americans won't know how to pronounce. DH is Korean (I'm a euro-mutt--Irish/German/Slovak/English/Swiss), and the current plan is for the kids to have traditional Korean fn(hard for some to pronounce), American mn which they will usually go by, and probably his ln (not spelled like it sounds). Haven't decided on a fn yet, probably something like Young-min Ivy S___, or Joon-sun Rowan S___. So, long story short, trying to keep the "American name" easy. Also, maybe this helps with the picturing--I think Ivy really fits a little girl/woman with dark hair and light complexion, and maybe a serious, thoughtful personality. We're a little worried about pretension (Ivy League) or teasing (Poison Ivy), but I think we're willing to risk it.

Cont'd...

Cont'd…

kristi, thanks for the suggestions. I like Hazel, but it unfortunately has a negative family connotation, and like Olivia, if it weren't so darn popular. I can't get past Adlai Stevenson for Adlai. I had a dog named Ansel, and tired of constantly being asked, "Oh, for Ansel Adams?" Even though I like Ansel Adams, it was tiring, as that was not why I picked the name. Azalea is interesting, similar to Althea and Anthea, which we also considered....

I feel so cheated on Aidan and Averil--these are names I picked out 15-20 years ago as a kid, and are now too "in" to use (Averil is NOT the same as Avril (Levigne), but DH & I don't want to have to constantly explain that). I picked Rowan out a good 10+ years ago, and am happy to see it still relatively unused today (except for Brooke Shields, grumble grumble). It does have that vowel+n ending (like Linden), but oh well, I'm sticking with it! :p

We had a discussion a couple of posts ago about Ivy, though I can't remember which... I don't think you need to worry about Ivy League jokes. I went to one of the ivies for undergrad, and I don't think anyone would have made the connection.

To Kate: Yes, I am the person mentioned in the front of Joal Ryan's book. I didn't even remember I was there until you mentioned it and I just checked it. :)

hyz: i have to chime in because my husband i have similar plans, except with Hawaiian first names. so we also want relatively easy "American" names since that is sort of the point of the American name--in case the child wants to use a name that doesn't have to be explained. names i've considered: taren, colette, darien, ambrose, vera, nora, cora, arlo, marlo, elise, marian, sylvan. also, just out of curiosity, are you planning to call them by their fn or mn? my husband and i plan to use the Hawaiian name and have discussed whether this name should be the fn or mn.

re: Kysteria: Maybe it was meant to be Wisteria with a K? I think this is a better explanation at least... altough then maybe they should've spelled it Kisteria, but maybe they didn't want "Kis(s)." Plus "Y" is "cooler" right?

hyz: i have to chime in because my husband i have similar plans, except with Hawaiian first names. so we also want relatively easy "American" names since that is sort of the point of the American name--in case the child wants to use a name that doesn't have to be explained. names i've considered: taren, colette, darien, ambrose, vera, nora, cora, arlo, marlo, elise, marian, sylvan. also, just out of curiosity, are you planning to call them by their fn or mn? my husband and i plan to use the Hawaiian name and have discussed whether this name should be the fn or mn.

re: Kysteria: Maybe it was meant to be Wisteria with a K? I think this is a better explanation at least... altough then maybe they should've spelled it Kisteria, but maybe they didn't want "Kis(s)." Plus "Y" is "cooler" right?

Mae, thanks for the reference--I found it in the Landon post--very thought-provoking. As with that poster, DH and I are Ivy grads, which was part of my concern, but it's certainly not a big part of our personas, and I'm hoping it wouldn't come across that way--glad to see most didn't think of it. But it drives me nuts to see so many people know Ivys around here--I don't know any!!

The Landon comments reminded me of another favorite--Fern. Our main nix on this is that 1 syl fn + 1 syl ln might be too short/choppy--it's not out of the running, though. I also rather like Sylvan for a boy, but haven't won DH over on it.

I don't tend to like the real flowery botanicals like Dahlia, Iris, Daisy, Lily, etc.--I'm going for something stronger, or maybe just stuffier (I do like Hyacinth and Lavender, after all). :o)

Back to the surnames in this post--I really like Thornton, if it weren't for that uncomfortable glottal stop I give it in the middle. DH wanted Holden (a la Salinger), until he saw its popularity.

Robyn,

we're planning to use the American mn as the name they would go by. We were originally going to make the Korean name the mn, but DH was afraid it would fade into obscurity there, whereas at least this way they would be called that name by grandparents, on the first day of school by new teachers, on official documents, etc. I've dreamed for years of what my kids would be called, though (and of course never had trad. Korean names on my lists), and DH didn't want to take that away from me. :)

I like a lot of your names, too--esp. Cora, Ambrose, and Sylvan. Thora's another one we thought of, since you seem to like the 'oras. ;)

hyz: Be careful with what people will decide to call your child. My husband and I were in a similar situation. He wanted an Italian name for the fn of our son but agreed that he could be called by his American mn. But everyone loved his fn Mateo so it stuck. Fortunately I like it as well and go over not using my grandfather's name (Alexander).

Favorite: Gloria Julienne, Orinthia Faye, or Jean-Marie Alana?

1.Gloria Julienne

Lili-- Thank you for inquiring-- that was nice of you to ask! No, it was nothing you have said. I was referring to another post which made reference to names "that smell like fill-in-the-blank" (it was a type of person). I can't stand for anyone who reads this blog-- and we have readers of EVERY imaginable stripe-- to be hurt by heedless generalizations... That's all.

As someone who has always gone by her middle name, I would also just note that it can be pretty annoying. My parents gave me the name they wanted me to be called as the middle name because it flowed better that way with the family name they wanted to use.

What is means, in practice: In school, every first day of the year, and every time there was a substitute, you go through the "Actually, I go by my middle name" routine. And you feel kind of detached from your official documents, because it doesn't really feel like you. And when you're in labor, the nurses are not calling you by your "real" name because that's not what's on the documentation. And your diplomas and such either have to have a really long name or leave out your "real" name. And when colleges automatically assign email handles based on your first initial and last name, no one can ever figure yours out. And so on!

It isn't the end of the world, but I do wish that my parents had just given me the name that I was to be called as my first name

hyz, I love Rosalie and Linden. Both are underused (Ivies and Olivers everywhere over here), and subtly botannical. Willa is my second favorite. Lavendar is too Harry Potter; Holly and April too 1970s; Laurel too androgynous; Reed, Ellery and Everett feel stuffy to me. Rowan will always be the Archbishop of Canterbury, bushy eyebrows and all, in my mind. Also, I love that you know glottal stop, as I learned all the phonemes and their mouth-positions in college. Labial fricatives, everyone!

Hey, our fish is named Gloria! Does this mean I'm ahead of the curve?

..cont'd

The one upside is that when telemarketers call, it's obvious--they're the only ones who ask for me by my first name!

I just thought I would share the downside of going by your middle name. I personally rather resent my first name because I don't connect to it as my "real" name and it seems to get in the way. But, of course, you have to do what you think best fits your family's needs! I would be interested to hear if there are others who go by their middle names and feel more positive about it.

hyz, just wanted to mention that I know two toddlers with the name Rowan, and they are both girls. Not sure if that is something that would bother you, but based on my completely unrepresentative sample, it seems like this one might be androgynous or moving to the female column. I was surprised because the only Rowan I "knew" was Mr. Bean, and he doesn't seem very feminine! I've heard Ronan for boys among the daring namers set, not sure if that appeals.

I think you can reassure your dh about "musty" smelling names -- they are all the rage lately. The only problem seems to be knowing which ones will suddenly become too popular.

Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with any of your choices. Great names!

Eo, sorry--I thought you were still referring to Hebe, didn't realize I was the reason for your post. I certainly didn't mean to offend. I suppose you're right--what's understood as a joke between a couple doesn't necessarily translate to to the screen. My DH is highly respectful of elders as both a personal and cultural matter, so it's clear when he says it that it's a friendly joke, not an insult. Sorry for any discomfort.

mj (and vanessa)--I was concerned about all the things you're saying, too, and I appreciate your first hand perspective. I brought them up with my DH awhile back, and this was the best we came up with. We have a number of friends who have an Asian fn but go by an American mn, and they've been called both enough that they identify with both. I think, based on your input, that we'll be especially careful to use both fairly regularly, so that they can identify with both names, and don't feel alienated from either.

Beth--and here I was worried about the Rowan Atkinson connection! I think I can deal with the Archbishop of Canterbury. :) Brooke Shields and I also have rather naturally bushy eyebrows, so maybe there's a trend here. And yes, language geeks unite! :)

Ivy and Oliver too popular--ack! Say it isn't so! It was hard enough to get DH to find a couple he would agree to, I don't want to head back to the drawing board....

Cathy, thanks! The unisex quality doesn't bother us much. I wouldn't want to call a boy a really co-opted name, like Courtney or something, but I say Rowan is still masculine enough. The girl's form is Rowena, which I don't love. I do like Ronan, maybe I'll add it to the list.

Hyz, I love your list. I'm crazy about Ivy, Willa, Laurel and Lavender -- very different styles, but all great. If you like non-flowery botanicals, have you thought about Fern?

I don't know where the poster lives who says Ivy is popular, but I live in a very trendy naming neighborhood and I haven't heard it. And Oliver is a name that, whatever its official ranking, will always sound classic. Everett is lovely too.

And to mj: my daughter, who's 1 1/2 now, goes by her middle name, partly because of the flow with the last name and partly because that was just the name that seemed to suit her better after she came home. I hope I haven't saddled her with a life of being annoyed by this choice! But the truth is that I now think of her first name (which I also love) the way most parents must think of middle names: as a kind of fancy flourish for special occasions. I kind of enjoy trotting it out at the passport office or the doctor's but her real name, to me, is the one in the middle.

Beth--and here I was worried about the Rowan Atkinson connection! I think I can deal with the Archbishop of Canterbury. :) Brooke Shields and I also have rather naturally bushy eyebrows, so maybe there's a trend here. And yes, language geeks unite! :)

Ivy and Oliver too popular--ack! Say it isn't so! It was hard enough to get DH to find a couple he would agree to, I don't want to head back to the drawing board....

Cathy, thanks! The unisex quality doesn't bother us much. I wouldn't want to call a boy a really co-opted name, like Courtney or something, but I say Rowan is still masculine enough. The girl's form is Rowena, which I don't love. I do like Ronan, maybe I'll add it to the list.

MJ - I know a number of people who go by their mn's - my brother, my dd, friends' dd, friends where each half of the couple goes by an unusual nn for their mn's. My dd is about to turn 2 so she doesn't yet have an opinion. My brother goes by his mn to distinguish him from our dad - they have the same fn. He has never seemed to mind. My friends with the nn for the mn situation have had a few more issues. The husband in that pair goes by a nn for his mn which does not match his actual initials. His office assigns email based on firstname then last name so it definitely didn't match what most people call him - confusing.

As for my own dd, I just have to remember when we are in the doctor's waiting room and the nurse calls "Molly" she is really talking to us.

OK, I'm such a geek. I got curious about Rowan. In 2006 in the US, it was used for 650 male babies vs. 442 female babies. So boys are still "winning", but I wonder if that will hold? Hard to say.

Interesting that Courtney only entered the top 1000 in 1962 for girls. I didn't realize it was such a recent gender switch. And Taylor only debuted in the top 1000 for girls in 1979 but cracked the top 100 within ten years (peaking at #6 only 15 years after it made the girls list). So things obviously change fast! I wonder how that happens? How do people simultaneously decide that a name has gone girl where others stay male (eg. Kevin, which debuted as a girls name at the same time as Courtney but is still mostly used for boys).

Maybe it's the rank of the male name at the time of the attempted take-over?

From reading Laura's earlier blogs, I believe that even names that are popular, aren't actually that widely used...50 years ago, most boys were named John, James, Robert, etc. while today even the top ten names in the entire country are used by way fewer kids than one might assume. There are just so many more names in common usage now that even the most popular names aren't overused. (Please, someone with more talent, elaborate!!)

Let's not be too afraid of trendy names, because even when the name seems extremely popular, not very many kids have it. My son has a name in the top 100 and we've met three kids that share his name in 16 years. At the same time, his name is commonly recognized and usually spelled correctly. Win-win.

I have never heard either Ivy or Oliver firsthand. I don't think they're overused at all, even though they're more popular than 10 years ago.

hyz - Have you considered spelling Rowan as Rohan? I know it's LoTR, but it seems more masculine.

Long live bushy eyebrows!