The Baby Name Wizard

Kristin Dawn, thanks for your thoughtful response. I'm not really overly concerned with the "7 Jennifers" issue, as I'll call it, but I don't like to dig into the top 10. Most of the time I am leaning towards the classics (Anna, Lucy, Miranda are at the top for a girl). On the one hand, I think the current search for absolute uniqueness in a name is a bit silly. On the other hand, I grew up with a name that was rather unusual (Brett's an alias), and I always liked that little bit of intrigue that my name sparks. Mostly, I like the idea of ownership of a name. I've always felt that my name is very much my own, and I've liked not sharing it with anyone I know. That's not the most important thing to me in a name, but it's something I'm considering. In the end, I just want a name that I love, and although Anna, Lucy, Miranda are close, none of them feel perfect yet, so I'm fielding other options. For boys, Ben is the most likely, but I hear it so often that it's begun to lose flavor for me. continued...

Otis has significance in my family, so that's one that I'm really thinking about, though I'm not sure it's a winner without the personal connection. I'm thinking about using it as a middle and seeing if it sticks, as has been suggested here. I'm also thinking about Sula as a nn. for Lucy, but Lucy is probably my least favorite of the classics I'm considering, so it's a trade-off. Anyway, I'm really very torn between two different naming camps, so the feedback helps a lot! Perhaps I'll repost in the next entry as was suggested. Thanks again!

Brett, from your list I like Eloise, Aurelia, Otis, and Clyde. I also like Anna a lot, and your other "regular" names are nice too (except I don't really care for Miranda, personally). I do think of Clydesdales with Clyde, but they're big, strong, handsome, stately creatures, so I think of that as a good thing.

Kristin Dawn, I think Juniper would be cute on the little girl you describe, especially because June/Junie are sweet available nns. Juniper sounds either soft/quiet OR spunky OR artsy to me, depending on the kid. It does sound like a smart name, though, in any event. I wouldn't feel the need to relegate it to mn.

Oh, and I forgot to ask about Simon. Thoughts?

I also think Juniper can sound soft OR spunky, but for me it's more on the spunky side. June is very sweet, and quieter in my mind. I seem to remember an article in the Times on children's books featuring a character named Junie B. I've never read the books myself, but perhaps the association is one to consider -- It sounds like parents are pretty divided on the books themselves (over the issue of grammar, in particular), so maybe your take on the book would come into play. I don't know how often people would make that association though, so I'm not sure it's a big issue.

I like Simon, too. Could be considered a bit nerdy, but I knew a Simon a couple years younger than me growing up, and he was a really cute, athletic, popular, nerdy kid, if that makes sense--best of all worlds. The kid makes the name.

Juniper was the given name for "Joon" in that delightful, sweetly funny movie, *Benny and Joon* with Mary Stuart Masterson and (sigh) Johnny Depp as her lover, Sam. Of course, Benny was her brother, played by Aidan [there's that name again ;-)] Quinn.

Her name was Juniper Pearl actually.

Brett,

Do you happen to be from Alabama. We here in Alabama would be all for naming a little boy Saban. Ha! Actually I read in Nancy's Names that there have already been a handful of boys named Saban. And Bryant has been a first name here for a while....but I digress.

Of your list, I like Claudia the best for a girl on the less common names. And I just love the name Anna. Think it is gorgeous.

For the boys really the only names you listed are your common names: Ben and Eli. Except I kinda like Saban spelled like this. ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!

Edit above: the only names you listed that I like
And there should be a question mark after the first sentence.

Hey Chel, no, I'm not from Alabama! I just heard the name on a colleague and really liked it.

Anyway, I think the more I say these names "out loud," the more I'm leaning towards the timeless classics. It's been good to hear all of your thoughts, and I think they've just been confirming my gut instincts. Here are my current favorites:

Anna, Miranda (nn. Mira or Mara), Lilah, Kate (Katherine), Eva, Julia, maybe Eli as a nn. for Elizabeth. Lilah feels a little too popular and not quite as timeless as the rest, but I do love it.
Runners up: Sarah, Lucy, Cora, Nora.

Ben(jamin), Eli, Evan, Simon.
Additional middle name choices: Otis, Solomon, Benjamin (if it's not the first name), William, James. I'd want to even out syllables, so Benjamin could go with Otis, Evan, or Simon as middle name, but Eli would go with Solomon or Benjamin, and so on.
Runners up: Luca, Ned (as nn. for Edwin), Clyde, Walter.

From your list of girls I love Anna, have never cared for Miranda or Lilah, think Kate short for Katherine is adorable, don't really like Eva, LOVE Julia and LOVE Elizabeth but not so much the nickname Eli as that seems like a boys name to me. Sarah is such a sweet name, so are Lucy, Cora and Nora

I like all of your top four boys choices. I think Simon is a really cool name.

I think Luca, Ned, Clyde, and Walter are really old fashioned and nerdy-but that's just a difference in preference I suppose.

Good Luck! You have a lot of really good ideas. So many beautiful girls names to choose from!! And your four top contenders for boys are all nice, recognizable, respectable names.

I have known two Asian-American men with the first name "Taft"; one was a Chinese-American who was my landlord, and he would be in his 50's now. The other is one of my doctors, a Thai-American man probably in his early 40's. It strikes me as an odd upper-crusty kind of name, with the only association I can think of is the Taft political family. Any thoughts on this name?

Brett - What about Wallace instead of Walter? Wallace could give you Wally as a nn or Ace as a nn, depending on personality.

Late in the game here: I honestly thought Dagny was a joke; then wondered if it was pronounced "Danny" or "Danye" and was therefore somewhat prettier. Apparently not. Where I live, it would be right up there with Murgatroyd. But Greta is lovely.

Brett, I am sure Eloise is set for a take-off (all those Ellies and Ellas everywhere) but it is really lovely. I quite like Enid/Edie, but the main character in a crossover graphic novel (Ghost World? Can't remember) was an Enid, and it might register with some hipsters. Sula is also beautiful, and a nice literary homage. I wonder if it comes too close to, say, Harper or Holden, which to me say "I stopped reading after high school," but maybe not. Celine is too Dion, but Selene or Selena are very pretty (and do you like Serina, which I think is gorgeous)? Aurelia seems both pretty and cutting-edge without going overboard, as does Saben.

Probably more than you wanted, but there it is...

My great-grandfather's name was Hosey.

Sorry for the late addition but I just wanted to thank you all for clarifying the race/name question. Kristin Dawn--best of luck with everything! I agree with many of the posters above that Juniper could work well for a variety of personalities.

Dagny is pronounced more like "Daney" with a long a sound in some countries where it was/is popular.

I love native american names... or nature names with a unique spin...
alela (ah-lee-lah)
sioux
sierra
river
sienna
stone
luna
also tree and plant names...
joon (june -juniper)
karri
magnolia (maggie for short)
lyndyn (linden)
cypress
willow
dreamy middle names...
flowers
moon
color names like grene (green) or black
cloud
canyon
violet
peace
poppy
rose
one
love
or amber

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Have just stumbled upon this website and thought i would give my views to the name list at the top of the page in which my name is included - pronounced Genevra, but spelt Jenevora, it has been both a help and a hindrance to have an unusual name, especially one with an unusual spelling and therefore difficult pronunciation. To any of you contemplating this name, I would spell it Jenevra or Genevra. I get so many comments asking where my name comes from and what it means – none of which I can answer with any specialist knowledge apart from to say it was used in an Agatha Christie Novel and also in a Susan Howarth book, The Wheel of Fortune. But above all, my name is always a conversation starter when meeting new people and that is always a great ice breaker!

My dad was Ottie Herman and his identical twin was Offie Sherman.

Heh. If I ever have a daughter I would be very likely to name her Junia or Beatrix.

Wasn't Neely a character in Valley of the Dolls?

I have an ancestor's brother who's name was Pink. Not Pinkney or Pinky.

His full name was Pink Toney.

Later on, on some genealogy records, someone suggested that maybe it was for Pinkney & then in later genealogies, it was put down as Pinkney, BUT on the original Census & Tax rolls, it was always Pink.