The Baby Name Wizard

or even Makenlee... lol using the combination of Makenna and Kenley that some one suggested.

Elizabeth T - glad you had a successful surgery! :)

For a while now I've been searching for a female name to honor my father, David. I'm not wild about Davina or Davinia. When I used the advanced search option to search for a name with the DAV combination it yielded (among other names) Daveney. I'm really taken by this name. Does anyone know anything about it? Does anyone actually know someone with this name?

Elizabeth T-- So thrilled to hear it! You are such a presence here, and I've come to look forward to your comments which are often whimsical and unpredictable...

audrie-- I like "Daveney" too. Am assuming it is pronounced DAV-eh-nee"? Rats, when there was a discussion about "Davina" etc., before, someone put forward a variant which I THINK was close to Daveney, but may have been slightly spelled differently? (Davenie?) Anyone?

In style, it reminds me of certain three-syllable names more popular in Britain than here, like the botanical "Bryony"... Very appealing!

I can almost anticipate some of the objections you will hear:

That the spelling is problematic, and will result in mispronunciations.

That it might sound "made-up".

Neither one would bother me. I think it is distinctive and a great tribute to a "David".

Another tribute name for David (not that you'd necessarily be interested in it) is "Dawson", as I believe it derives from David. It is a surname- name currently popular for boys-- one of Banks' little 8 year old chums is named Dawson.

But I think it would be more daring and amusing on a girl... Makes me think of Douglas Brinkley naming his little daughter "Benton".

audrie -- I know a woman named Daveta, which I like fine, but I don't think she's been crazy about her name. There's lots of opportunity for misspelling.

Wow, thanks to everyone who has replied to my post - your input is much appreciated! I will try to reply to everyone... and I definitely have to give the Namipedia a go too!

Elizabeth T, my very best wishes for a complete recovery!

Guest: Rhys is nms really, Nicholas is out otherwise I like it, Thomas, Julian will be added to the list!
Amy3: From your list, I really like Colin, but do you think it would be a bit much having two "in" sounds i.e. Colin Finn (actually same goes for Julian above)
Aybee: Samuel has recently been used by a cousin, otherwise I would like it! Simon will be going on the list, the others are nms really...
Zoerhenne: From your list I like Jacob and I think Dominic could grow on me. I also take your point about the S sound.
RobynT: Alan gives me the impression of a middle-aged balding guy! I can't really imagine a baby with that name :) sounds silly I know - isn't it funny what associations we have with names?
ET: ok Dominic definitely has to go on the list now... Ryan as well. Not a fan of "nicknames as firstnames" generally (Jamie) and James is out unfortunately. Nathan: I could go with that but I know it would be mangled by the European relatives (they can't do the "th" sound!)
Jenny L3igh: Dominic gets another tick (now to get my husband to come round!). Also I could get used to Leopold, maybe using Leo as a nickname, although at first glance it looks really oldfashioned. And Francis/Frances - well, it's one of the names that I am quite happy to use as a middle name, but wouldn't consider for a first name :)
Trish: Eric was actually on my list for one of the boys but I couldn't get my husband to agree - may have to try harder this time!
Melissa C: Out of your list I like the sound of Elliott although it breaks the "no surnames as firstnames rule" :)

Thanks again for all your suggestions!

Just in response to the Jamie as a nicname idea. Does anyone know any James's that get called Jamie? I realise its a logical nicname but all the Jamie's I know are just called Jamie, and none of the James's I know get called Jamie. Off the top of my head I know a Jaff, Jimbo, JC. The majority of the Jamie's I know go as Jay.

ET-I know a James who mostly used to go by Jamie. He is about 15 now and I don't know if he still does or not as I've been out of touch with the family for a few years now. He is named after his father I think but I dont believe he is a JR. His father mostly went by Mac and he by Jamie. It might be James now since he is older.

audrie-How about something like Davia? You could pronounce it like DAY-Vee-ah or Dav(rhymes with have)-EE-ah OR..you could also make the "i" become more of an I sound rather than an E sound such as to rhyme with Shania as in Twain. That would result in Dah-VY-ah or DAY-VY-ah. Maybe its too many variants for you and it might be mispronounced but thought you might like to think about it.

Was curious to find out more about "Daveney" so Googled around a bit:

It's a rare English surname, related to "Dabney" among many others.

It's the name of a town and castle in Flanders.

It has been considered by some as an old variant of the Greek "Daphne", a sort of Anglicization of it.

There is another spelling, "Davenie" which is also a surname. Both are of course pronounced with the short "a" as in "hat".

It can be considered a variant of the Scottish "Davina", which is definitely the feminine of "David".

I'm very partial to David, because of St. David being the patron saint of Wales. For those interested in honoring a "David" relative, there is also the aforementioned "Dawson" and "Davison".

If "Alison" can be for a girl, is "Davison" viable as a female name? I could see it so, with adorable nicknames "Daisy" or "Dacy".

Another way to honor a David would be to give a girl "Daw" (the old English surname corruption of the name "David"), as a middle name. Remember the ancient nursery rhyme, "See saw, Marjorie Daw"?

Finally, the torchy 60's dancer-singer Joey Heatherton (short white-blonde cropped hair, starred with other 60's cult icons like Troy Donahue) was actually named "Davenie Johanna Heatherton".

Oh well. Back to Saturday chores and errands!

There is a Judy Blume book in which the lead character is a girl named Davey, which I think might've been short for Davison. Tiger Eyes it was called.
Also the actress who plays Rhonda in Big Love is called Daveigh Chase.

zoerhenne: Thankyou. Its something I always wonder when I see the Jamie is a nicname-for-first-name statement crop up, as it seems like a nicname, but I'd never personally met anyone where it was.

I knew a yoga instructor several years ago whose name was Deva (pronunciation rhymes with Ava.), which could also be spelled Dava. I always thought she had a name that was pretty, unique, but not weird.

I need to tell you all a story about how I put my name knowledge to work--in a game of Trivial Pursuit (an old set, made in the '70s I think). First question my team got was something along the lines of "Who was known as Good Queen Bess?" I immediately said, Bess was a nn for Elizabeth and then we decided on Elizabeth I over II and won! (I'm still trying to get a sense of how esoteric it is to know that Bess is a nn for Elizabeth.

Another question we got was "What is the most common Russian surname?" We tried thinking of the Russian surnames we knew. I asked if Russian surnames were patronymic, but no one knew and no one seemed interested in this angle. We guessed Chekhov and lost the point. The answer was Ivanov! I was totally on the right track! Grr... at one point, my team even started questioning whether surname really meant family name. *sigh*

audrie: there is also Davida... I also had a student named D@vodt@shi@ (b. 1980s). I think it was pronounced Dah-voh-tah-sha, but she mostly went by D@vod (pron. Dah-vawd). I think it was a combo of her parents' names. Neither of the names are really my style--just brainstorming. I really like the idea of Davie/Davey for a little girl. Oh, I also went to school with a Devi (B. 1970s, pron. DEH-vee). Oh, how about Davis (like Mavis)?

Aslaug: I think Colin Finn and Julian Finn work okay. And I know everybody finds Alan to be an "old" name. I'm so into those names though.. the names my aunties and uncles (b. 1940s) have. Actually I like the spellings Allen and Allyn better though.

Do you all think Leo is a nn? Or can it stand alone?

re: James-->Jamie: I know a couple, both born '70s/'80s. The first one I met, in high school, I thought it was weird--so yeah I think maybe it is rare--at least in some areas. The second one I know goes by Jim professionally, but his family calls him Jamie and I think some friends from when he was younger maybe. He's from Rhode Island.

In my experience Jamie is definitely the default nickname for James; I've known several over the years. I'm surprised to hear that's not true for others. Maybe it's a regional thing. All of the male Jamie-s I knew had the full name James, although I also knew several female Jamie/Jayme-s for whom it was a full name. The only people I know who use Jim are in their 50s or older.

Sarah smile-Maybe it is a regional thing because the Jamie I mentioned was from New England area also. I also remembered a few more Jamie's I knew in HS. I'm not sure if they were "just Jamie" or not as I only knew them as such. But I do remember one of them was SOOO cute and I had a big crush on him!

LOL RobynT-That would've gotten me frustrated too!

Re Leo: I think it can stand alone. The only actual Leo I knew was a child of around 5 back in the early 90's. He was African/American.

I've never liked the Allan spelling of Alan, but my neurosurgeon's name is Allan and it's increased my appreciation of the name! Thanks for all the well wishes.

I have a question for you: What names do you think are "untouchable"? (I define untouchable as a name that is so out of fashion only the most forward-looking hipsters would use it.) Here's a few to get us started:

Girls:
Bertha
Beulah
Edna
Gertrude
Mildred

Boys:
Egbert
Elmer
Floyd

Murgatroyd (I'm not sure if that's a boys' name or a girls' name, but I remember it being mentioned as a girls' name on this blog a few years ago.)

Do any of these names have breakthrough potential? I confess to liking Beulah more and more these days, but Egbert seems beyond the pale.

New baby alert: JOURNEY (female). Father non-immigrant Black American; mother from Hispanic immigrant family. Suburban east coast, USA. Same neighborhood as Alexis, Emma, Lily, Hannah and assorted immigrant names from various countries.

Elizabeth T., last night Cate Blanchett was on Jay Leno saying she loved the name Ethel, and when he teased her about it (comparing it to Bertha), she said she liked Bertha, too!

We've had at least one member each of this board have a Gertrude and a Mildred. I don't think any of the names you mentioned are "out there" at all for the demographic you mentioned. Perhaps Murgatroyd is, but none of the others.

Aslaug--

A few more names that haven't been mentioned yet:
Christopher
Gerard
Sebastian
Ambrose
Alistair

The first three travel well in different languages. The last two I just like a lot. I think all would go well with Max and Lucas as a sibset.

I'm partial to Christopher Finn. I think it has a distinguished sound. There are so many nicknames for Christopher beyond the omnipresent Chris--my uncle went by Kippy/Kip as a child, I had a friend who went by Topher when I was growing up. You could also spell it Kristofer if you wanted a more Scandanavian feel/less common variant. But even Christopher is no longer the juggernaut it once was, and is falling in popularity.

I have to agree with sarah smile, that the nn Jim strikes me as old also. When I was in school, the Jameses were just James, I think.

Elizabeth T: I think Beulah and Edna definitely have potential. I actually had a student named Edna, who is now about 20 yo I think. When you said "untouchable," the first thing I thought of was names like Adolf.

Robyn T. - I think Leo can stand alone. I know a Leo who is in his early 30's. I've got a soft spot for the name, it was the name my grandmother called my grandfather, Leon.

re: Jamie. My sister had a friend named Jamie but that was his full name. I have a friend with a daughter Jaymee, named after her dad whose name is John but whose family calls him Jamie.

Elizabeth T. - congratulations on being rid of "booger". I am impressed by your positive approach.

Auslag - I like Christopher Finn. What about Ethan or Owen?

Celebrity birth--

I don't think anyone has as yet noted the birth of Buster Timothy, son of Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone) and Michele Hicks (Mara on The Shield). Timothy is fine, and at least it's Buster Miller and not Buster Brown.

Also I was dragged to see Four Christmases over Thanksgiving, and noted three characters (brothers) named Denver, Dallas, and Orlando--all conception names....

ElizabethT-I'll play along and add a few:
Vera and Homer. I also agree with RobynT though. You might want to rename your category as "Names I would never use" or "Really Old and maybe even Awful" or something like that. There will always be someone who absolutely loves the ones you don't but much of the population probably isnt looking at Bertha or the others as the "perfect" name this year. How about titling it Very Non-Perfect Names. I think THAT would be the best nomenclature.

I love Vera!

Aslaug -- I actually don't think the /in/ in Colin and Finn is problematic. First, you will rarely (I suspect) call your son by both names, and I think the repetition of the sounds is nice. It provides the name with a certain cadence that is quite good. I also suggested Dominic, though, so add another vote for that one. I like it much more than Colin, in truth.

ET -- I know a James (born in the late 60s) who went by Jamie when he was a kid. In his very small midwestern town there were 3 James Ws in his class (an Ethel Mae postulate of sorts, I guess) so one was James, one was Jim, and one was Jamie (all nns bestowed by their teacher, of all people). Now he is either Jim or James.

Easternbetty -- I think the mom to Mildred has a daughter Gladys rather than Gertrude. Although I'm sure Gladys would fall into the same camp as Gertrude for many.

Elizabeth T -- I'd have to agree with you on Beulah and Bertha. I'd add Earl as name I've just never liked.

Hi there,
I have posted here before, but it's coming down to crunch time for us! I'm at 33w4d now and still no name.

The top contenders are:
Annalise _________
and
Emily Aurora

We would love to have a middle name that reflects our love for nature and the outdoors. Somehow nothing in that category really seems to work well with Annalise. My husband suggests Annalise Lily, but I hesitate a bit with all of those "li" syllables.

I'm also open to any other middle names for the name Annalise, but names relating to nature get bonus points!

Our last name has one syllable, and starts with "B".

BTW, I second the suggestion that the new advanced name finder should have a "nature/outdoors" category.

Thank you so much for any input!
EssBee

EssBee, I'll take a stab at your dilemma (love Annalise and Aurora, btw):

Annalise Magnolia
Annalise Fern
Annalise Coral
Annalise Wren
Annalise Olivia (yeah, I know)
Annalise Sedona (beautiful natural setting)
Annalise Calla
Annalise Acacia
Annalise Briony
Annalise Camellia
Annalise Delphine
Annalise Willow
Annalise Sage
Annalise Monday (moon day)
Annalise Brook(e)
Annalise Hazel
Annalise Bryn
Annalise Roxanna
Annalise Laurel
Annalise Zora
Annalise Arboretum

Okay, the last one was a joke. Hope these were varied enough to be thought-provoking and useful.

For Esbee-

Possible mns for Annalise:

Fleur-means flower
Linnea

Elizabeth T- how about Herbert or Hubert? Euphemia? Wanda? I also think Clothilde is pretty untouchable, although I know someone else mentioned it only a few days ago.

So glad to hear your surgery was a success!

Leo is absolutely a name in its own right. Was quite popular in Britain until Tony and Cherie Blair named their son Leo which seemed to put people off a bit.

How about Annalise Rose, Annalise Holly, Annalise Poppy or Annalise Ivy? I definitely would vote for Annalise over Emily.

Another feminine name like David would be Davinia. Bit frilly for me, but it has a certain style.

I second the suggestions by Coll and B! Here are some more possibilities:

Annalise Rose (as long as your last name isn't Bush!)
Annalise Phoebe
Annalise Iris
Annalise Ivy
Annalise Daphne
Annalise Violet
Annalise Ianthe
Annalise Lark
Annalise Dawn
Annalise Dove
Annalise Paloma
Annalise Heather (heather is a GORGEOUS plant--makes me love the name)
Annalise Pearl

Where's hyz? I know she probably has a whole list!

Esbee: My mn is Lee@, which my parents say is a plant. (My dad majored in botany.) There is also Luna.

EssBee- I'll add my votes for Annalise Wren, Annalise Fern, and Annalise Pearl. I also do like Emily Aurora. I has a certain flow to it. Analise seems to require a short mn because it is so long. Is there a possibility it can be moved to the mn spot? Then you'd have more flexibilty with the fn. Bryony Annalise sounds better than Annalise Bryony for instance. Other mn options not already listed:
Annalise Amber
Annalise Grace
Annalise Skye
Annalise Jade
Annalise Sage
Annalise Ginger
Annalise Maeve
Annalise Lucille
Annalise Corinne
Annalise Brooke
Annalise Celeste
Annalise Myrtle
Annalise Dahlia
Annalise Gabrielle
Annalise Calantha
Annalise Celandine
Annalise Bianca
Annalise Susan
Annalise Paloma

RobynT-Did you mean love as in really like and its NOT going on the list, or yes it really belongs on the list as a not worthy of use name? It was unclear in your post. It was my grandmothers name. I've never really liked it. I have Gertrude in my family tree too and I really don't like that either.

I like Vera as a name and I don't think it is untouchable by any means!

Hi Amy3,

I'm actually thinking of a different poster (her baby was either named Gertrude or very closed to being named so. This was quite a ways back, and she never returned).

Kaitlyn is the mother of Gladys, Prudence, Mildred, and Cecil, if I remember correctly.

I think of Gladys as about a generation after Gertrude. In fact, I find Gladys more surprising than Gertrude because Gertrude seems to fall into that 100-year cycle-pattern (whereas I still know many middle aged Gladyses--late 50s and such. I'm not certain it will come back strong, even amongst hipsters, until these women get into their 70s at least, but that's just my guess).

Murgatroyd is a girl.

Mildred and Gladys were indeed siblings. And the new ones that were coming were named Prudence and Cecil.

Elizabeth T, I think Gertrude and Floyd will take the longest to come back of all on your list.
I would actually use Vera if I had enough kids. ie: it's down the list but still on it.

I think Murgatroyd is the most untouchable name I've ever heard.

I wouldn't say Vera or Mildred are untouchable. I could see "Millie" coming back, rhymes with "Lillie" which is on the rise. Vera would be on my short list if my last name wasn't an adjective.

Now Murgatroyd is out there.

couple of thoughts: I know a little girl named Davis - I like this better than Davison on a girl.

I think Millie could definitely come back, but I think that it would be more apt to come back as a nn for a more current sounding name than Mildred. Something like Camilla, nn Millie. Millie is actually the name that we had chosen for our baby (who turned out to be a boy). It would have been a nn for Miller in our case.

Also, I recently got my alumni magazine and (of course) read the birth announcements. One name that really struck me was Meridi@n Victori@. I never heard Meridian as a name, but I really like the sound of it.
Best wishes, Elizabeth T.

Thanks to all for the many suggestions. I'm printing them out to review with my husband. Thank you thank you!!

I have to laugh a bit about some of the other conversations going on. My grandmothers are/were Mildred Ethel (born ~1924, I think) and Gladys Mae (born 1917). I'm not onsidering any of those names, but I have to say that I prefer the name Gladys to Mildred.

There is a woman on the f0rums.0vus0ft.com website who has a 4 year old daughter named Meridi@an. I do kinda like it.

BTW, did you all agree that Annalise Lily is too many "li" sounds, or do you think it sounds OK?
OK, off to consult with hubby.

EssBee

I think Annalise Lily is pretty but difficult to say.

Love the Annalise Ivy suggestion

Annalise Robin is the only one I can think of that hasn't been mentioned.

What do you think of my great-grandmother's name - Lumina (pronounced Loo Mee Na)?

I can't say that I would use Bertha, Mildred, Gertrude, Vera or Floyd. I can't remember the other names.

Annelise is a little bit of a tongue twister I guess, but I don't think so much that it is a complete deal breaker.

christinepearl: Lumina is cool! Oh, one of the first things that comes up when I google is Chevy Lumina though. But I don't know how many people would think of that in daily life. There is a mixed martial arts fighter from Japan named Rumina Sato. I think it is the same name because when his name is written in Japanese, the script for foreign words are used... so well it could be Lumina or Rumina basically I guess. I assumed this was a stage name rather than his birth name, but not sure...

Here's a head scratcher sib set for you folks. I met the grown children of a couple at church today (the kids are early twenties) named Amanda and Justice.

Essbee:

I just thought of Annalise Raina.

Thought that might be pretty, and nature oriented.

Essbee-I second Annalise Raina! Sounds go very well together. Good luck!

I would not pick Prudence, Cecil, Gladys or Gertrude as names I would choose. I just don't care for those old-fashioned names. To me a girls name must be a lot more frilly than that and it should have been used within the last 50 yrs to be considered worthy as well. To each there own though.

I'm looking for a middle name for a yet-to-be-conceived possible baby boy. I have a girl name I really like (and posted questions here about it earlier...thanks for the helpful comments) -- ANYA PASCALE. The boy first name I really love is SIMON. So far, I'm weighing in heavily on the names, so would like to include my husband a little more (I'm sure that when there's a real impending baby he'll have higher tolerance for these name conversations).

I picked Pascale as the girl's middle name because it's my husband's favorite girl name, and I thought it was a little too snooty for a first name. I'm having a hard time finding something meaningful for a boy's middle name, though. The meanings of names are pretty important to me, so I didn't want to pick something random.

My husband is kind of into using family names, but the ones we have to choose from aren't so great, in my opinion:

Howard
Audley (makes me think of Oddly, which is not ok in my book)
James recurs often in both of our families, but it's soooo mainstream

I suppose Simon Howard isn't awful, but as you can tell from the girl's name, it's not exactly our style (and the last name, as mentioned before, is a kind of flowery french name). Simon James is serviceable, and I guess honors a bunch of people...but it sounds so staid to my ear.

My husband loves the name Camille for a boy (he posted on here earlier about that, too...we needed some impartial opinions). I frankly think it would be a trial for a boy in America to be carrying that name. I'd be more likely to consider it as a middle name, but Simon Camille sounds a little too milktoast to me. Am I nuts? Does it sound better than I think? It would honor a relative my husband is very proud of. It seems like Simon needs a stronger, gruffer middle name to balance out its sweetness. What do you think? Any suggestions?

I wanted to jump in with a James nn Jamie. My cousin, 35, goes by Jamie. His father was James nn Jim, so I suppose they needed to find something to use.

Under names that are less likely, I vote for Mildred and add Phyllis. My maternal gr grandmother was Mildred and my mom is pushing for me to use that. Though I like Millie, I can't get into Mildred. My paternal gr grandma was Phyllis Helen. I adore Helen but my husband isn't loving it if this baby is a girl, and Phyllis seems a few years away from acceptance (sadly).

@Mirnada, how about Auden instead of Audley? Same feel but not a homophone? Also, my DH is loving the name Miranda right now :)

Mirnada-First of all is that a typo, do you mean to be Miranda? Secondly, I believe I commented on this earlier. To me Pascale sounds MALE and Camille sounds FEMALE. So my thoughts would be to switch them around. I think it is a heavy burden to give a girl a boy name and vice versa. It's less so if it's a family name but I still personally wouldn't do it. Why does your dh think Camille is a male name? Can anyone refer me to examples where either of these names is used for the opposite sex? I vote for Anya Camille and Simon Pascale.

For those who like Millie but not Mildred, Millicent is a much prettier softer name.