The Baby Name Wizard

My mother named her little sister in 1960--apparently she was more interested in the name than anyone else, so they let her pick (btw, "Susan" was the winning name).

I love love love Ocean, and all ocean-themed names. Can't miss there.

Tomato is hilarious. But Tornado might be a more likely nickname for a little boy! Tomasso is the Italian version of Thomas, and it sure sounds a lot like tomato...hmmmmmm....

Another ocean-themed name I like is the Greek Pelagia. But a 2yo might have trouble seeing the connection.

Me again - I love the idea of your daughter naming her sibling, but if my 2yo DD were to make a suggestion, it would be something along the lines of Dubba-booba. Or, if I'm really lucky, Pooh Bear.

My daughter's name for her Christmas doll is Pinkie Jump High. Before that Butterfly Rainbow Sparkle-a-lot was the name of choice.

I actually kind of like the name Butterfly for a middle name, a la the tree sitter Julia Butterfly Hill.

Kai is Hawaiian for the sea.

Ossian would be a boy version of Ocean - I knew a little boy Ossian and for ages I tought his parents had named him Ocean.

I know a family where the parents were going to call the baby daughter something - can't remember - but the older brothers told everyone at their school that her name was Sophie before they could announce the name. All the congratulations cards and everything were addressed to Sophie. They called her Sophie!

There must be a new vegetable trend we're not aware of- a friend's toddler wanted to name his new sibling Broccoli!

Keren - Ossian just sounds like Ocean - meaningwise it has nothing to do with the sea, unfortunately.

Maybe there are other ways to honor the sister's naming suggestion without being ridiculous. For example, if you do end up having a boy, you could order a onesie or a bib with a picture of a tomato for the baby (many sites let you do this, eg. cafepress), to acknowledge that you've heard the suggestion without being compelled to take it literally. :)

yay, toddler naming enthusiasts!

Another question to the naming community: regarding number of middle names. Laura brought this up longer ago when writing about the boy with the second middle name Danger, and how second middle names are more or less out of sight forever unless you want to unveil them.

We are contemplating middle names for our baby (overdue by a few days now) and I'd like to hear opinions on the practicality of having 2 middle names. What do you do on digital forms where there's only one slot for a middle initial? Where else does this crop up? Does it even matter? :)

We are an international couple living in the US. Any thoughts and experiences would be much appreciated. :)

I've done a little research. It could have come from a variety of sources. Tamaris and Tanis are both female names that were around at that time. However, with all the male Tammis's that people mention, I'm going to agree that it was likely another variant of Thomas/ Thomasine/ Tamsin. Thomas Hamilton was often called Tam of the Cowgate so Tam was likely a male nickname for Thomas at one point, and Tammis wouldn't be a big stretch from there.

The Letter K-- I'll go again on this one, namely, the ramifications of multiple middle names.

Our boy has three middle names, and it has not been a problem. Pushed to give only one, we do opt for the first middle name. Sometimes we put in all the initials, i.e. Firstname H.P.O. Lastname.

At school, no problem at all, we list all five names.

As I've related before, the Social Security Administration balked at having all his names on his Social Security card, so we opted for just the first middle again. But we have been told that since 9/11 and the spectre of radical Islamic terrorists adopting "cover" names, that the more names a person has, the better, to more specifically identify the individual. So I understand we could now get them all on, should we apply again.

He likes having five names. We like the fact that he has ties to, and an interest in, various interesting family members and ancestors, because of it.

Prairie Dawn-I agree with the others. I think it is great that your dd wants to be a part of the naming process. I think you should let her be a part of the impending birth as much as possible. Let her pick a special toy to give to the baby as a present when it's born or help set up the room or pack your bag or the like. We also had the baby give a present to the big brother as a "thank you/welcome" also. It made the big brother feel some special attention too.

Regarding the actual names she has suggested, I think they are adorable though a bit unusable. I also like Penelope's idea of Tomas being close to Tomato. Ocean is nms, I like Marina better. Keep in mind its the name of the mermaid in one of the Dora videos though. Rowan means red and could be a nice choice also. If she's old enough to articulate WHY she chose those names you could ask her and talk about some alternate choices. I have a feeling though she will just say-"Cause I like them" rather than because of the sound of the name or something. Oh and make sure you write her thoughts in the new babys or even her baby book-because with all that will go on in your life soon you will forget this precious situation.

The Letter K-I've never been a fan of multiple mn's. I've just never seen the need for them in my own life. I do respect those who do though. I'm sure most do it because of the desire to honor family members, but again I'm not sure where you draw the line eventually. That said though, I was just about to ask Uppy Ear if having multiple mn's would work for her. With the dilemna of sound/syllable combinations it might be a good choice for her.
Uppy Ear-thoughts?

The Letter K - Both my sons have 2 middle names. In an astonishing coincidence, both were born on the same birthdays of two of our best friends. So we paid homage to each of them in the second middle name (Thomas and Taylor). The boys are both young (1 and 3) so haven't run across too many forms to fill out yet, but haven't had any troubles. And our friends are thrilled, of course, to have little namesakes.

Prairie Dawn-
I might be the lone dissenter here, but I'm not a big fan of siblings naming siblings. A few reasons why: I think naming is a big decision and could be too big of a responsiblity for a sibling/child. (Ex. "Mom I hate my name so I'm mad at my brother for giving it to me..." etc). Also, I'm very particular in my style and it's a name I want to like. Again, I don't want any hidden resentment towards the sibling. In the same vein, I don't let other family members give opinions. My husband and I decide the name. Finally, it's an intimate thing to give to your new baby. It's like a gift.
I'm not a total scrooge. I think it's wonderful to let siblings participate in other ways. I LOVE the idea of Ocean or Tomato becoming funny, family nicknames and putting it on a onesie. Or letting the child help pick out a nursery theme, clothes, gifts, etc. But I'm keeping the naming rights to myself.

I have to agree with Elaine on this one. As the second of two daughters, I would have felt slighted if my sister chose my name. My parents' opinions and intimate thoughts when in to naming her, and then my name was chosen by the older sibling I grew up always trying to be individual from? Pet names created by siblings are adorable, but I think given names should be (as Elaine said) a gift from parent to beloved child.

Patricia, I think the reference to Tamsin vs Tracey for a man was regarding a man's choice of name for his daughter... There's a book by Russell Hoban, Turtle Diary, in which the male hero mentions the adventurous names men give their eldest daughters - in his case, Ariadne - and when he meets the female hero, Neaera (I think), he immediately says, 'Eldest daughter?' (His younger daughter was Cynthia, which I think matches very well without being quite so adventurous. Well done to Mr Hoban!)

re sibling naming siblings - my godson's cousin's family recently did this, and I think they handled it well: older sister Ellie was given the choice of three, and one of the others became the middle name - Nat4sha Rh1anna. Not too bad for a five year old I think! She apparently had been quite jealous of the pregnancy, and since she got naming rights butter wouldn't melt, or so I'm told.

I also clearly remember a teacher's two year old insisting her new sibling-in-utero be named Meat.... and wasn't Jodie Foster named that by her siblings, when her parents picked Alicia?

Laura, it's always fun to learn about a formerly unknown but interesting name, like Tammis.

It seems to me that there are a lot of names used as the first names of authors, artists, etc., that aren't the original name of the person (sometimes famous), but often do come from the person's middle name. Sometimes these names catch on with parents looking for an unfamiliar name, and sometimes parents choose such a name because it was/is the name of a well-known person.

Thus, it seems to me that when such a name is included in a name book or online name blog, there should be a 'complete disclosure' that while so-and-so is known by that name professionally, that name is not his/her birth name -- not the name he/she was called while growing up and perhaps all of his/her life by family and friends, that the person's birth name was _____ . I've found that often professional forenames come from the person's actual middle name, which was often a surname in his/her family.

In the case of Margaret ("Peg") Thomas Keefe, aka Tammis Keefe, we now know that Tammis was her professional name and not the name her parents named her in 1913, nor the name she was called throughout her life. Because Peg Keefe took the professional name Tammis Keefe, other parents may want to consider that name for a daughter. But because the reference of Tammis as a female name seems to rest solely on this one woman, I think any reference linking Tammis to her should include the designer's full given name.

I find it an interesting story. It's likely that Peg heard the name Tammis as a form of Thomas in her own family. Her father was called Thomas Keefe and his father was born Thomas O'Keefe in Ireland in 1812. Certainly Tammis Keefe sounds more interesting for an artist than Margaret or Peg Keefe, and today's parents may also find the name appealing for a little girl.

Thanks, Laura, for all the interesting name 'stories' you tell. In this case, there was a hidden story in your Christmas post about Tammis.

My suggestion (post #67) that baby name books and name blogs give "full disclosure" when including/recommending the unusual names of famous people came to mind when my nephew and his wife named their son Dashiell. I think they probably did know that the full name of the writer associated with that name -- Dashiell Hammett -- was Samuel Dashiell Hammett, Dashiell being his mother's maiden name. But that doesn't seem to be common knowledge.

I noticed that one popular baby name book does include Dashiell Hammett's full name, but in its recommendation of both Flannery and Harper doesn't mention that those were the pen names -- and middle names -- of Flannery O'Connor and Harper Lee. No mention is made of these writers' birth names (perhaps the names they were called all their lives) - Mary and Nelle. Does it matter? Maybe, if parents perceive mistakenly that Flannery and Harper are vintage names because those authors were born in the 1920s.

Overheard sib names at my local Borders: Lydi@ (about 4 yo) and Lucy (about 12 yo). There was a brother in the middle whose name I didn't catch. I think this family is a little bit ahead of the curve in naming. I also *thought* I overheard the younger girl say she wanted to buy something for Weezie (as in Louise) but maybe I misheard that.

Aybee: About Sonora as a standout in relation to other characters, I was just thinking about this last night, as I read The Golden Compass. The main character is Lyra and all her other peers are Roger, Billy, Lizzie, etc. To be fair, she is supposed to be "special," as in there's a prophecy about her. And also, I think she's from a different class standing from a lot of the other children in the book. But I don't know if this explains it. (I'm only on book one of the trilogy.) I think maybe a lot of times main characters are given special names while others have more standard ones. Oh, I'm also thinking here of Veda in the (also early '90s movie) My Girl.

Prairie Dawn: A story that went around my elementary school was that a little girl was named Kristen after her older brother's Kindergarten crush. I think it would also be cute if your daughter insisted on calling her little brother Tomato regardless of what you and your partner decided on!

Some interesting names in my local listings:
K3on (I'm curious about pronunciation)

J3@nty B3rni (as middles)

@n@t@si (B/c of the middle and surname, I think this is Samoan. I like that it looks like Anastasia. Strikes me as a good bridge name.)

R3lic (as a middle)

J1r1s

Jubil33 (as a middle)

R@md3n (To say nms would be a huge understatement.)

@z@ri@h

Shelby (I feel like this is a name that comes up from time to time. Not--and I don't think will be--the most popular, but recognizable.)

Correction: Thomas Keefe's grandfather (not father) Thomas O'Keefe was born in Ireland in 1812.

Clarification: Mary Flannery O'Connor; Nelle Harper Lee

zoerhenne - Hmmm...as I was reading the posts about multiple mn I was thinking the same as you. I don't know. I'll have to consider it and talk with my husband. Talk about adding more complexity to things, though! More permutations to wade through ;-)

Based on what you've seen of my ideas and likes, do you have any specific recommendations of names with 2 middle name combos? Something with a J as one of the middle names?

Also, Eleanor was my husband's maternal grandmother. Are there any boy names that could be derived from this, either by sound or meaning? I've thought of Elliot and Leonard, both based on sound alone. I haven't actually looked it up yet.

I am so interested in this post as I am planning to bring a Tamsin into the world in a little over a month. I thought I would share that the reaction to this name has been very mixed based on age. People my age (around 30) love the name as cute and original. My parents and others their age hate it because it reminds them of Tammy. And my grandmother and her sister enthusiastically said "And you can call her Tammy for short!"

Prairie Dawn - I suppose siblings naming siblings has more to do with parental attitude than anything. I grew up with a best friend who picked her younger sister's middle name, choosing "Leia" after the princess of Start Wars fame. I am far too uptight on naming to let my son pick (and at 18 mo he'd likely pick broccoli, his favorite word).

The Letter K - our son has two middle names and we haven't had problems. His second is my maiden name, though, and I have no problem with that being cut if needed. My husband has 2 mn, too, and has no issues either. Sometimes he fills in the two initials in the mn box so they are represented, which I think is a nice touch.

I know a family with a Lydia and a Lucy - and a little sister called Amy.

There's a deaf activist in the UK called Tomato Lichy - no idea if this is his given name or a nickname.

Ossian for Ocean - doesn;t mean the same, but if it's a child's suggestion then it would feel more similar than something like Marina.

"I noticed that one popular baby name book does include Dashiell Hammett's full name, but in its recommendation of both Flannery and Harper doesn't mention that those were the pen names -- and middle names -- of Flannery O'Connor and Harper Lee. No mention is made of these writers' birth names (perhaps the names they were called all their lives) - Mary and Nelle. Does it matter? Maybe, if parents perceive mistakenly that Flannery and Harper are vintage names because those authors were born in the 1920s."

Patricia, all of these writers are southerners, and in the south, especially in the upper classes of the lowland south, it is customary to give a child a name like Mary, Elizabeth, Catherine, Thomas, John, George, etc., plus a family surname as a middle name. The child (and later adult) is then ALWAYS called by the family surname middle name. That IS the birth name. The Mary, Elizabeth, Catherine, Thomas, John, George is the baptismal name. Most of the people who use this naming style belong to Protestant denominations that practice infant baptism (e.g., Episcopalian) and therefore need (or needed) a canonical baptismal name. (In New Orleans many are Catholic and thus also needed a canonical baptismal name.) The baptismal names are typically NOT used as the call name. However, it is not unusual for individuals of this class to use a nickname from schooldays (Muffie, Chip, Buzz, Babe, Bud, etc.) as their call name throughout their entire lives.

Today is January 4. Tuesday January 6 is Twelfth Night, the beginning of carnival. If you are interested in southern naming practices, check out the names of the members of the various courts of the carnival krewes as given in the social section of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (www.nola.com). With a little practice by the names alone you will easily be able to tell which are the highly exclusive krewes and which are open to anyone with an interest and the ability to pay the dues. New Orleans, being a port city, has a very diverse population, each group having its own naming patterns. There is a parallel grouping of African-American (mostly creoles of color) krewes, and perusing the names of the those courts will give a sense of what names affluent African-Americans are using. BTW Michelle Obama's new social secretary is Desiree Glapion Rogers who has twice been Queen of Zulu, a very prestigious carnival office. Desiree is a typical creole name for her generation.

Membership and participation in all of the krewes runs from expensive to exceedingly expensive, so all participants will range from financially comfortable to very wealthy indeed.

New Orleans is one of the few American cities with an old-world-style hereditary social structure, and naming practices are one of the ways in which membership in a particular stratum of the social structure is signaled.

Paz: "Thomas Hamilton was often called Tam of the Cowgate so Tam was likely a male nickname for Thomas at one point, and Tammis wouldn't be a big stretch from there."

I promise you that Tam is still alive and kicking in Scotland at the moment. I know loads of men who go by Tam - it's very common, but more for older men that younger boys.

How is Tam pronounced? More like tam or more like Tom? Also, Tamsin: how is the s pronounced? Like z or s?

Regarding two middle names. I have not been a fan of that trend. The struggle that I've had to chose one name for a boy has been hard enough, not to mention the middle name. But perhaps for those of you who are lucky enough to have more that one name that you like, it's a good thing. Plus, that concern about identity is something I hadn't thought of -- more names is safer?

The Tamsin I went to school with pronounced the s like an s.

I just remembered that I went to high school with a Tam also. I think he was Cambodian.

"...all of these writers are southerners, and in the south, especially in the upper classes of the lowland south, it is customary to give a child a name like Mary, Elizabeth, Catherine, Thomas, John, George, etc., plus a family surname as a middle name. The child (and later adult) is then ALWAYS called by the family surname middle name..."

Miriam, apparently this wasn't the case for Nelle Lee, pen name Harper Lee:
"The memorabilia preserved by Jennings Carter includes a dozen handwritten letters... In one, dated July 9, 1959, Capote tells his aunt that Harper Lee -- known to family and friends by her first name, Nelle -- has a novel in the works: "Yes, it is true that Nelle Lee is publishing a book. . . . I liked it very much. She has real talent."
From Alabama Literary Town To Open Capote Exhibit - Related web pages"
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/16/AR2006041600772...

I have the impression that Hammett was also called by his first name, Samuel/Sam, but I'm not sure. (Mary) Flannery O'Connor's name may have followed the southern pattern you described.

I've always heard Tamsin pronounced with a z sound, but the respective owners have been from the UK and Oz. Maybe it's different in the US? I prefer the z, I must say, because otherwise I hear the word 'sin'.

When I think of Tam, I think of the Tam O'Shanter, a kind of Scottish beret.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_o%27shanter_(hat)

The Tamsen I knew (in the US) pronounced the /s/ as an /s/.

Re: the pronunciation for Tam, I'd be inclined to rhyme it with Sam.

Hello all and happy new year. One the topic of wintery names, see question two below.

I could use some assistance refining the names chosen for our upcoming twin girl and boy. With NE input on a prior thread, the names will be Esmé and Enzo. As a reminder, the surname is a four-syllable mouthful, sound like DeCabrini.

1. Esmé and Enzo, versus Esmé and Lorenzo (but using the Enzo nn almost exclusively). Thoughts?

I like the succinctness of Esmé and Enzo, but worry about excessive matchiness. I never intended to have the same first initials for siblings, but like these the best as individual names. Use of Lorenzo gets away from matching initials, and sounds gloriously Renaissance with our surname, but we will use essentially always use Enzo. I am also concerned that use of Lorenzo emphasizes the style differences between the linguistic origins of Lorenzo (Italian) and Esmé (French).

2. Middle names. Esmé will be Esmé Frost. For Enzo/Lorenzo we are considering Enzo/Lorenzo Neige. I am looking for a one-syllable noun with sophisticated wintery nature or artist/writer reference (Frost is partly for Robert Frost). Thoughts?

Thanks!

Thanks for all the input re: siblings naming siblings. And just to clarify, there is no way that my dh and I would leave the naming decision solely in the hands of our 2-year-old! We were just surprised that she had thought of names on her own, and it occurred to us that maybe we should take her suggestions into consideration. Sort of a family effort, I guess. And, for me, the suggestion of Ocean for a girl was interesting because Marina was already on my long list. Hearing my daughter's input made me think that perhaps Marina was a real contender and moved it up a few notches on my list.
Tomato, though, my daughter's suggestion for a boy, is just funny. My dh and I are not fans of novelty naming at all, but we are tickled by our daughter's creativity and sense of humor. Others have mentioned Thomas as an acceptable alternative to Tomato, but neither my husband nor I are crazy about that particular name for our baby. We have started to refer to the baby as our little tomato, though!

Different subject. Another name on my list for girls is Eleanor. I know the common nicknames for Eleanor are Ellie, Elle, Nell, none of which appeal to me. I was thinking more along the lines of Leni as a nn. Thoughts on this? Oh, and back to Marina, what nicknames do you all think would work for that name? (As a family, we all go by our nicknames so this is kind of a big deal in our naming decision.)

Thanks!

Prairie Dawn:
I think letting a sibling help in the naming process is really nice. I once knew a boy who was able to pick his sister's named and he picked Alisa... no one knew where he got it from but I think it was a beautiful choice.

Also I went to college with a girl named Oceane. She pronounced it just like the word Ocean. She was also French. Also knew a girl named Oceania. I think Oceania is really pretty and different.

I agree that Tomato is a bit much though. Maybe you could use Ocean as a middle name if you don't love it.

Also my daughter has 2 middle names.. we decided to go with 2 because we couldn't decide on one middle name and we wanted to honor a family member, and then used the name one of us really loved but had decided not to use as a first name. I think for all our children I use 2 middle names. Plus there are so many names I love... it so hard to just narrow it down to 2 choices.. first and middle.

Wendolyn- I like Esme and Enzo, without the long Lorenzo. Especially since you don't plan on using it. It is matchy, but not overly so. They will be in the same class, as twin, but their names are different sounding enough.

Prairie Dawn, I had suggested Thomas or Tomas. But I don't like either! Just trying to help out with Tomato. I think you're right. It could be a family nickname and that is fine.
Marina is a great name. nn could be: Mare, Ari, Aria, Rina, Ree, Rea, Mari.

RobynT-
Veda always stuck out to me as well. Possibly because it sounded like "Vader" to my young ears. I also remember being really bothered when I learned that the cat (mostly called Binx" in Hocus Pocus did not have the first name Zachary, but Thackery.

Wendolyn- I have your same feeling about Lorenzo accentuating the language-of-origin difference between the two names. I'd go with Esme and Enzo if those are the ones you love. No alternative winter/writer middle names immediately jump to mind. I like the Robert Frost reference, but I wonder if Frost might be a better middle name on a boy? I say this only because I know calling a girl or woman "cold" or "frosty" are not positive things. For some reason, that connotation is not as strong with a boy for me. That said, I think we've discussed a lot on this board how middle names arent always common knowledge-- and especially if Frost has special meaning to you, you shouldn't rule it out. Just my 2cents.

Prairie Dawn-
My favorite Eleanor nickname is Nora. I don't know if you like that one. As for Marina, I knew one Marina who went by her full name. Come to think of it, I also knew a Rina, whose name I always found nice and unique, and I have no idea if it was short for something...

Prairie Dawn - Leni is a cute nn for Eleanor, but I really like Nora as a nn for Eleanor. WDYT?

Wendolyn - I'm a sucker for a longer/formal name and a nn so I would go with Lorenzo, nn Enzo for sure. I think Lorenzo and Esme work just fine together - exotic sounding to me. love Frost as a nn, still thinking about Neige. Esme Snow and Lorenzo Frost? something to go with Fire for the poem Fire and Ice?

I was trying to brainstorm all the winter words I could think of: Solstice, Winter, Snow, Ice, Jack (Frost), White - not too good.

I also thought you could look for poems about winter and take the author's name.

Anyway, good luck.

new baby alert: Henry to be called Hank

On the subject of "disclosing" that famous names were originally middle names...I do talk about that pretty regularly, e.g. in this post from 2006:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2006/8/first-names-that-are-middl...

But practically speaking, I don't think that the fact that, say, Flannery O'Connor was christened Mary Flannery has any real impact on the name Flannery. It's an Irish surname that has come to be used as an American girl's name via a writer called Flannery. That's true regardless of what was printed on Ms. O'Connor's birth certificate.

(By the way, the claim for women named Tammis wasn't based solely on Tammis Keefe. I've looked through a variety of old records and found both men and women with the name. In the end, though, it's hard to pin down because like Tammis Keefe, most folks called Tammis have been "named" something else.)

Wendolyn: I love your name choices! I think I would go with Enzo also--as others have said about sibling names, they'll only be "Esme and Enzo" through childhood. As adults making their own way, their names will stand alone. And I definitely see your point about Lorenzo DeCabrini. For middle names, I love Frost! It seems more special on a girl than on a boy I think. For the boy's MN, Namipedia gave me Thor, Rhett, Bram, Zane, Gray/Grey, Birch, Blake, Noel, Piers, Rhys. That thing is magic! I guess Zane might be too many Zs.

Prairie Dawn: In theory I like Leni for Eleanor. Only problem, as we've discussed before, is Leni Riefenstahl. I would maybe test folks around you to see how many people would make this association.

I vote for Esme Snow and Lorenzo Frost! Fabulous. And I prefer the full Lorenzo, even if he is to be called Enzo. It just gives him more possibilities and I think it's a lovely name.

RobynT and Prairie Dawn-Leni Who?? I love Leni pronounced Len like Len-non or alternately Lee-ni. Nora is nms as I have personal attachments to it. It also reminds me of a fictional mouse character by Rosemary Wells. Marina nn are all the ones Penelope detailed. I have a cousin Marianne who is referred to as Mare (like a horse pronunciation).

Wendolyn-I love Esme and Enzo as they are. I like that they are matchy in a twin way but not in sound. For mn's I think Esme Wynter and Enzo Frost are cool. If I think of others I'll send another post.

Uppy Ear-I was trying to work James into the name most specifically. My brain just kept wrapping around Donovan James ?? W*s as a way to break up your "S" sounds and also the syllabe conflict. I will post tomorrow with a few combos for you.

Re Allegra: We had brought this name up a few posts back and I had posted I went to school with twins Allegra and ?? Well, I finally remembered the other twin: Tanya (pron=NOT rhyming with Can but more with Fawn but not quite).

A sad story about siblings naming siblings: my mother named her youngest sister because her parents wanted a boy. They handed her the new baby and said "It's a girl. You can name it." My ten-year-old mom picked a somewhat dated (now) plain-Jane first name and a lovely family surname for the middle name.

May I offer up a completely different take for Enzo? RobynT mentioned "Blake." I like the sound of "Enzo Blake" and it seems much less matchy than Frost and Snow, and less ethnically jarring than Enzo Neige (which accentuates the difference between Esme and Enzo). Blake is another poet, and Wendolyn had originally asked for writerly names to go with Frost. Blake sounds a wee bit like (snow)flake, but it also reminds me of "bleak," which reminds me of Christina Rossetti's unbelievably gorgeous "In the Bleak Midwinter" which, set to music, is one of the loveliest hymns. Enzo Blake DeCabrini: Italian, Anglo writer, Italian. Esme Frost DeCabrini: French, Anglo writer, Italian. The Anglo middle names offset the differences in the first names.

I realize that this is a convoluted way of justifying a set of sounds I like, so thank you for indulging me.

PS: Another Beth has taken it as a registered user name so I can't post under just "Beth." I'm the old-timer one, the English professor. Shows what I get for not registering!

Sibling naming story: My mother, born Barbara Lee (1946), has NEVER been called Barbara.
My uncle was 4 when his little sister came along, and his favorite thing in the world were cookie's...hence...you guessed it...my mom became Cookie. Even to the point when, during grammer school (in the 50's), a teacher refused to call her Cookie. My grandparents had her switched to another class. Which was kind of amazing, because my Bubbe and Zayde (Yiddish for Grandma & Grandpa) were rather strict, straight laced folks.

I don't really know why the name caught on, no one else in the family ever went by a nn, but my mom totally owns it now. In fact, most people don't know that she has differnt legal name...and no one forgets her. I'm forever referred to as "Cookie's daughter" by acquaintances who don't remember my (normal)name.

Tammis doesn't sound quite right to me, love Tamzin though.

Although of course some names on this list are not heard of i English speaking countries, quite a few names are popular everywhere. This is the list of most popular baby names of the Netherlands in 2008:

Girls:
1 Sophie
2 Julia
3 Lieke
4 Emma
5 Sanne

Boys:
1 Daan
2 Tim
3 Sem
4 Jayden (!!)
5 Thomas

New babies alert: Sh3a Cord3ll (big brother is D3clan)as well as twin girls, Calli3 Gl3nn and V3ronica M1lls.

Just saw a posting of Rebecca Romijn's twin daughters on Yahoo:

Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip were born Dec. 28.

Did we already discuss this? I've been away..

Prairie Dawn: I love Eleanor, but as RobynT mentioned, Leni Riefenstahl ruins "Leni" for me. I would stick with Nora.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Riefenstahl