The Baby Name Wizard

The links aren't working for me on the ballot page so I can't fill it in! Oh nooooo!

the link isn't working for me either... I remember we had problems last year with it not working with certain versions of browsers also....

The link doesn't work in Internet Explorer, but it works in Mozilla Firefox.

Here's the direct link to the form:

http://babynamewizard.com/babynamepool/entryform2007.html

Completely off topic, but I wanted to thank you all for your naming suggestions for my son. Rowan Thomas LN was born on January 30. It's just taken me this long to post anything because I've been so busy ... and I've had to do most of my typing one handed.

Incidentally, the three babies born so far from my Bradley birthing class are

Joshua LN
Fielding Locke LN
Connor Reese LN

Opinions please!

Which name do you think is better for a little girl?

"Eva Louise" (double name)
Genevieve (my personal favorite, but a 92-year-old bearer tells me that it is an awful name and that she has never enjoyed it. She claims it is "too hard to write")
Helen
Mary
Emma Jean (Imogene just looks ugly to me, I don't know why)

anonymous - if that is your real name - If you go with Genevieve, I'd suggest that you consider if you like the most likely nicknames for it - Ginny or Evie. I personally dislike the name Evie (we named our daughter Evangeline last year, and my wife's family insists on calling her Evie), so you'll want to keep that in mind.

Emma has been in the top 5 in popularity in the US for the last few years, so if you go with this name, expect that she'll know a number of other Emmas.

Kimberly, congrats on Baby Rowan!! :)

anonymous, I love Eva and I love Louise (which I know is not a popular opinion around here). But I'm not personally fond of double names, even when they involve some of my favorite names.

Was Emma Jean intended as a double-name as well? I'm even less fond of double names when they "form" something else (seems kre8ive). I like Emma and honestly didn't make the Imogene connection myself, but since you pointed it out I have a hard time ignoring it. All of which is a long way of saying that I don't think I'm opposed to Emma Jean as a first-middle combo rather than a double-name. Emma *is* super-popular, though, so you should keep that in mind if popularity is something that you want to consider.

However, I really like Genevive (and its nicknames) and Helen. I'm not sure how I feel about Mary (I like it in theory more than I actually like it).

Kimberly -- Congratulations on Rowan Thomas! I love it!

anonymous -- I'm also not a fan of double names, and wouldn't instantly have seen the connection b/t Emma Jean and Imogene, but now that you've mentioned it, it's inescapable to me. Emma is a beautiful name, but very popular, if that matters to you. I do like Louise, Helen, and Genevieve. Mary is pretty in a simple, classic way. I'm not sure I've helped here!

anonymous: I would try to get the opinions of other Genevieves if you can. I know one who went mostly by Gen (pron. Jen). I think the double-barreled Eva and Emma are good ideas since these nmes are sort of common. Genevieve seems so different than the other options. The others seem much simpler--with the exception of Eva Louise maybe... what do you like about Genevieve? And what do you like about these others?

Dave: Do you like Vangie as a nn for Evangeline? Or even just Van? Or Lina? Or do you think it is too late to change your in-laws' practice? I knew a teenager whose friends called her Vangie. I think her full name was Vanessa. I thought it was a very creative/hip nn.

Bonus thoughts from me this morning!

Dave: Lina for Evangeline is adorable -- that idea came to me last night as well. Angie is also and option that wasn't listed. I think the suggestion of adopting a nickname you can live with (even if it is rarely used, or only used as a term of endearment or only used by your in-laws) is a good one. Although there are lots of people who accept people going by "whole" names (I know lots of Michaels, Andrews, Roberts etc.), there are people who will insist on nicknaming, but will accept an "official" nickname even if it is unconventional.

anonymous, a name that I thought of for you last night (after I posted, of course; and I know you weren't looking for suggestions, but I wanted to throw this out there) is Evelyn; to me it has a lot of the sounds and the overall feel of many the other names on your list. Plus, it sort of bridges the "style gap" between Genevive and the other, more simple names on your list. And it would be ripe for the nickname Evie if that is one you like. :)

I think the name Emma for a girl will be at the top of the list.

Robyn T-

The name Genevieve is attractive to me because of I think it is very pretty, and I just love my 92-year-old friend so much, I'd like to honor her with it. Problem being, she hates the name so vehemently that she wouldn't consider it an honor. But I just love the name so much, it's so very pretty and has such a great name sake. I think my friend would like her name better if she didn't have such an extremely long last name. That's the problem, it's too much together.

Anon,

Genevieve is such a beautiful name -- and you say you love the name, so use it! I also love Imogene. I don't think either needs a nickname. Both are beautiful.

From my earlier comments, we named my daughter Evangeline and we call her by the full name. We want her to be able to choose a nickname to go by, but we also liked so many of the nicknames that it could be shortened to (Eve, Eva, Angel, Angie, Vangie) that the thought of a nickname that I disliked didn't come to my mind (and if she picked a name that I didn't care for, then that's part of the beauty of her name). I've asked my wife if we should consider calling her Eve around my in-laws, but she's dead set against it.

The good news is that she doesn't respond when refered to as "Evie", so it's definately not too late.

Dave, my Evangeline (age 3) goes by Eva. I wanted Evie (eh-vie) but dh was set against it. I don't care for 'ee-vie'. My folks do call her Evie though (eh-vie) but they are the only ones.

Anonymous - I like Genevieve! It's not any harder than any other long name - Evangeline, Christopher, Christian, Madeleine... My best friend is going to name her baby Genevieve and I know of no other besides that one.

Lastly, a friend mentioned the name of a new baby in her circle - Amron Elizabth. She was named after her grandmother Norma. Seriously. I wonder if Nevaeh set of it an new trend - or reawakened an old one, since Senga (from Agnes) was a name at one time.

Oh, anonymous, don't name her Eva Louise, please--the L latches onto Eva, and it sounds like "Evil".

My personal favorite choice is Mary, with Emma Jean as a close second. I agree that Imogene does not look as pretty. I like the un-kRee8yve respelling!

Amron? Sounds waaay too corporate. Like Enron--and we all know how Enron turned out...

I don't think I'll wade into the naming pool. I'm terrible at predicting trends--although I'm not bad at making fun of them once they've happened.

A generation or so ago, who would believed an "old lady" name like Emma would become so huge? Well, I guess if you were a student of naming trends, you might have. Also, you might have picked up on "vibes" coming mainly out of (then trendy) Olde England. Diana Rigg's character Emma Peel on THE AVENGERS might have been a clue, no blue haired, tea sipper she.

Also Julie Andrews (a little square, but still trendily English) had given her daughter the name Emma Kate. I'm sure there were more, but I guess my point is that Emma had a certain veddy English cachet. Tie all that in with the Jane Austen craze three decades later and you've got the groundwork for a real hit.

(For American influences, I guess you can't discount TERMS OF ENDEARMENT.)

Emma Jean sounds very melodious. The two strike me differently, Emma sounding very sophisticated and Jean less so, but that's not really a plus or a minus for the combo as a whole.

Any opinions on Daveigh as a girl's name? How would you pronounce it? I've only seen it used once on film credits and I wonder if it's an original creation or a more common name, and what meanings it might have.

Anonymous - I have a two-year-old Genevieve (nn Evie) so obviously I'm a fan. I also know a Genevieve who is ninety-ish and says she's always liked her name. She used the full name until college and then people started calling her Gen (which she also likes).

It sounds like you already love the name so I'll refrain from listing its selling points. Here are a couple of potentially negative things to consider though:

- In my experience people do tend to need help spelling this name, but I think that's fairly common now given the increased usage of uncommon names and alternative spellings.

- I'm occasionally asked if we use the French pronunciation (Zhan-vee-ev) or the American one (Jen-uh-veev). Some people see the latter as "incorrect." I think it's interesting that some names seem to elicit this criticism more than others. Clearly many names used in the U.S. are not pronounced as they would be in the languages in which they originated, yet most are not considered mispronunciations. Maybe I'm missing something. Anyway, this issue doesn't detract from my liking of the name, but I can see how it would bother some people.

Anonymous:

On Genevieve - why don't you ask your friend Genevieve to name the baby, if you wish to honor her and she would prefer for the child not to be named after her? It means less fun for all of us, of course, but I know a few people who have had the honor of naming children and they took the responsibility very seriously.

Kimberly--congratulations on your little Rowan! I'm sure he's as handsome as his name! :) And thanks for sharing the other names, as well--I'm a bit intrigued by Fielding Locke. Assuming Fielding and Locke aren't family names, it does come off as a bit literary pretentious to me, but I have to say I really like the combination of the words themselves, independent of their historical connections. Interesting choice!

Anonymous--I'd vote Genevieve, Helen, and Mary in that order, and strongly second the comment about "Evil Louise". I'm not much of a fan of double names, so Emma Jean doesn't do anything for me. As to 92 year old Genevieve hating her name (and my late 40s friend Helen hating her name)--I think all of that is so dependent on the time in which you grew up. Today, they both sound like really lovely names to me, very graceful and quaint. Maybe ask your friend Genevieve what she'd rather have been named--my Helen would've liked Patty or Kathy. Genevieve may say Mary and Helen, which were numbers 1 and 2 in popularity in the year of her birth, or she may surprise you with something like Mildred (#6), Edna (#20), Martha (#22), or Gladys (#23). Times change, and I'd at least want to find that out before giving so much weight to her hating her name. Of course, if it's meant solely as an honor, and she wouldn't take it that way, then maybe it's still the wrong choice.

On Genevieve, I have to admit it has been one of the names that I have found harder to spell. I' just not enough of a "namie" to have it down. I don't think that it is enough to invlidate the choice, however. I know my husband was named after his grandfathers. It was going to be Preston James but the one grandfather hated his name so much that it was switched to James Preston. Maybe you could consider a compromise like that if honoring your friend is the primary reason for choosing the name. If, however, honoring her is a secondary reason for picking that name, you probably should just pick the name. I think that it is a pretty name and that you could probably find some easy nicknames if it just seems to be too big for your girl to handle early on. (I do still remember being embarassed as a girl for misspelling my own last name once. My dad sat down and helped me figure out some tricks to remember that the u came before the e. IT's that experience that I think of when I hear a name described as too hard to write.)

The most recent batch of baby names I've run into is
Cherish Joy
Liam
Sawyer
Jacob
Karissa
and Jeremy.

I have to admit that Jeremy is the one that surprissed me not because I dislike the name but because it seem to be one of those 70's and 80's names that Laura suggested might either sound fresh to his age group or might sound like the name of one of the kids dads. I think Jeremy was one of the names that I always used in make believe as a tween girl (along with Anthony and Jonathon)

sara: I assumed Daveigh was pronounced Davey. I think I may have heard it pronounced like this on TV or by friends, but I'm not sure. I immediately think of the actress, Daveigh Chase--probably the same one you saw listed in the movie credits. I think she did Lilo's voice in Lilo and Stitch... maybe she is fading from popular memory...

I love Genevieve -- nick name Genna (Jenna)

Can't stand Louise. It is my middle name. It rhymes with disease, sneeze, wheeze. Sister made a poem using these words.

Emma -- too popular.

Helen I would like, but teasing alert with having "hell" in her name... had a friend who was teased "going to Helen a handbasket"

Mary... okay. Personally I prefer Mari (with the "ar" sound like car)...

I think Mary is a grand old name. And generations of Helens have had to live with the fact that the first syllable of their name is "hell." This is nothing new: it's not like the Richards of a generation or so who (relatively) suddenly had to switch nicknames from Dick to Rick (or Rich).

Anyone who actually did use the French pronunciation of Genevieve, would probably get flak for being "pretentious." In other words, you can't win. I have a friend whose sister's name is Aimee, pronounced more or less a la francaise (almost like M.A., so the accent is not purely French). Most people, of course, say "Amy," and when corrected, they get a little miffed, "Oh, EXCUUUUSE me."

Which is not to say you should avoid these names. Just the opposite, I'd say. Since any name is going to be "teasable," you may as well accept that fact and pick a name you love.

PS--Madigan as the next big thing (as per Laura's post). Wouldn't surprise me at all. Makes me think of a tough-guy detective though.

I knew an extremely hip college student named Evangeline who was known to all and sundry as Evan. Very cool.

Hyz: Thanks :) ... he's pretty darned cute, not that I'm prejudiced or anything. And on the subject of little Fielding, I'm having a hard time figuring out where that came from. The parents are young but more earthy than urban. And the baby's last name is a very common first name so at first I thought I had his name reversed somehow.. lol. If we end up getting together again I'll be sure to ask them.

I have to admit Helen, Helena, and Ellen are all favorites of mine. Genevieve also seems like it would fit well with the current naming trends without being super popular (different, but not too different).

If Genevieve is no good how about Ginevra? so pretty and it could honour a Genevieve.

How about Ginevra as an alternative to Genevieve?

On Babble.com, I just found a link to a new baby name source that I thought might interest some of my fellow name-lovers: http://www.our365.com/Wisdom/BabyNameScape/default.aspx

I knew about this site before, but I think this is a new tool (new to me at least) that allows you to look at name popularity by city and by hospital, not just by state or for the US as a whole. I imagine only names from the 365 participating hospitals are included, so it's limited, but still interesting.

Looking at my state - Colorado - it's interesting to see the shift from urban (Jayden is number one for boys in Denver, Jose is on the list) to suburban (Mason, Carter, Gavin) and then to rural/mountain areas where there's just a top 2 or 4 names. I imagine that's because so few babies were born in the rural/mountain hospitals included.

Saw this online, rankings should be nothing new for regular visitors here. I don't know who Giada is, but I guess she's on the TODAY show and is trying to decide on a baby name. I would say avoid Cody and Cassidy--and any of the celeb names that are also listed on the Today show site. Bluebell? Audio Science? What ARE these people thinking? Apple is starting to sound pretty good about now.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23357561/?pg=1#TDY_Giada_names

They also rank the Today Show stars' names. Only Matt's is really popular. Meredith is a distant second. Ann just barely makes it (I wonder if that's listed separately from the "e" spelling, which seems to be more popular for first name spelling these days). Not surprisingly, no Hoda or Giada in the top 1000. But they may actually LIKE that uniqueness. Hasn't hurt them in the broadcasting game anyway.

Genevieve is connected to the meaning of Guinevere I believe. Both names I like but unfortunately the story behind them is depressing. Adultery,betrayal,deceit,death,tragedy,pinning away,romantic drama. King Arthur ring a bell?
I considered the names but choose not to strap my daughter with the depressing meanings/story.

Mary means sorrow. That's a sad name to strap on a child, besides the fact that there have been thousands upon thousands of Marys throughout time immemorial. I don't like popular names you could say. I've never met a Mary who wasn't a depressed type, including my mother,and her grandmother who had the name.

Louise is my middle name, I like it alright,and the meaning is fine. I like Louisa a little better though, cause I dig girls name with an A on the end. Extra feminine sounding I think. I agree folks should go for what feels right, but why rush into a name anyhow? I waited nearly a wk after my daughter was born,and then I ended up naming her something I had already rejected while pregnant,but loved, because right when she came out I called her that name,and it felt right,even though I pushed away the possibility of the name still for a wk. Plus the papa didn't like the name at first,but then he absolutely adores it now. I'm not revealing the name because then it's going to grow in popularity potentially :)

I just saw a rerun of the episode of the Tyra Banks show that was discussed three or four posts ago. I want to say that I was stunned by the ridiculousness of the show. The levels of judgment (not Juan = hispanic, but Juan = illegal busboy) was astounding. I also thought the yelling and anger felt like it belonged in a really trashy talk show.

I think the take-home message though, that we are judged by our names, is one that we here agree with on some level. That is why so many parents are on here asking for name ideas/help for their kids -- they want assurance that their kids will appear favorably in this crazy world, based on their names at least.

Enough armchair philosophy from me. I'm still liking Genevieve (any pronunciation), and think, if you are reallly concerned with using Gevevieve as a first name, using it as a middle name is a good solution. Also, I didn't even realize that I have always spelled Genevieve wrong until this discussion of the burden of having it spelled wrong!!

Guinevere has the Arthurian baggage you're referring to, Danielle, and while Genevieve a related name, I think the primary association is with the patron sainte of Paris. Much nicer!

Which name do you all prefer: Caroline, Katherine, Elise, or Margaret? I can't decide and my husband is no help.

Sara and hyz-
I took your challenge and asked Genevieve what name she would pick for a girl (she never had any children). She became very excited about the question, thought for a minute, and said "Ann." She likes the name because, predictably, it it "easy to write, and not too fancy. I hate fancy names, I like simple names like Ann and Mary."

I must say that I am not too big a fan of the name Ann. I've always considered it one of those filler names people put between a kid's first and last name because it sounds good with anything.

I'm really leaning toward Genevieve or Helen now. Mary just seems a little too plain jane for me. I am also thinking about the name Corinne. I think that is a really pretty name, too.

Meghan-
I think all of those names are positively lovely! Katherine would be my least favorite because it is so common and so prone to being shortened to Kate. Every other little girl I encounter seems to be called Kate,and when I was growing up they were all Katie. I just love Elise. It's not too common and gorgeous. I love Margaret but hate the nickname Maggie. It reminds me of a name for a dog. Caroline is a gorgeous name, you can't go wrong with it.

I would say my favorite is Elise, followed closely by Caroline, and then Katherine and Margaret are nice names too if you can keep people from shortening them.

Meghan - They are all very nice. I love Katherine. I have person connections to it, my G'ma and my dh's G'ma. We would have named our son Catherine but alas... Caroline is my least fave. It feels a little akward on my tongue. I knew an very very wonderful Elise. (Shwa-LEES) I like it but it rates in the bottom half of the list. Margaret is beautiful. I am no help but K and M would be my top picks.

Anon - are you sure Mary is too plain? Ann may actually be a fresh bright spot in a row of thisabelle's and thatalee's. Maybe use one of them for the middle name.
Genevieve Mary
Mary Helen
Ann Genvieve (if you pro. G the french way it is really pretty with Ann. IMHO)

I'd have to second Elise. Also, I prefer the spelling Katharine to Katherine ... don't know why, maybe because it seems to add some character to a rather bland name.

Sort of on topic... I'm not sure about Madigan. My first reaction is I would never name my daughter that. It seems like a name slurry to me--toss three different names in a blender and see what comes out. Sadly, I can see it becoming very popular though.

I like simple names too.

Thanks, Jessica and Kimberly for adding "thisabelles", "thatalees", and "name slurry" to my naming imagination! Brilliant.

Meghan -- I like all of these. Katherine is my fave because I, too, have personal connections to it (grandmother's name, grandmother-in-law's name, daughter's mn), and while I think it is beautiful in its entirety, I also like the many nns (except Kathy). My second choice would be Caroline, followed by Margaret (prefer the nn Meg), and then Elise (which happens to be my niece's mn).

I'll second Elizabeth T's thanks for thisabelles, thatalees, and name slurry. Fabulous!

I like Katherine and Margaret best, and I like them best precisely because I adore their nicknames: Kate/Katie/Kat, and Meg/Maggie. But I'm a traditionalist like that--both names offer a lot of versatility to my ear. Different strokes and all that.

I also so desperately wanted to be named Kat when I was in middle school.

Meghan: I think Katherine is the most traditional and common. I love Elise and have considered using it myself. Margaret is a little old-fashioned for my taste. Caroline is cool; I think Elise just seems simpler to me.

Definitely Caroline, on condition that it's pronounced as written and not as in Carolyn. That distinction is always made in the UK where I'm from, and I find it odd to hear Caroline pronounced Carolyn over here in the States.To me, that's a different name!

Just wanted to throw this out htere... my girlfirend's name is Geneva. everyone remembers it and she loves it!

Anon - Now you've asked genevieve she'll probably be doubly anoyed if you ignore Ann and pick Genevieve instead. How about Genevieve Ann? Or go for Helen...

Meghan,

As a Katherine, I've always been somewhat annoyed by its extraordinary popularity, especially among girls my age (early 20's). It's just slightly less popular now than it was then in the 80s, I believe, but the thing now is Kate as a nn, which is also attained by naming your kid Kaitlyn or something along those lines. I'd be careful of nn's for Katherine if you go that way. However, I know not a single Katherine who goes by the full name, so in that way, it could end up being unique!

If I were you, and I weren't named Katherine, I'd go for Katherine and blow them all out of the water by using the nn Kit, which is awesome and totally rare.

Re: Amron Elizabeth - I just sent that blurb to my aunt and uncle, whose family's last name IS Amron. Furthermore, my grandmother (my aunt's mother) is Norma. Probably why my aunt didn't take his name!