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.