The Baby Name Wizard

Double posting to say that the above names pretty much wipe out all my favourites, so I have no idea what the triplets' middles would be. But it would be such a treat to name three people all at once!

My fantasy triplets:

Girls: Greer, Avery, Honor

Boys: Heath, Wyatt, Griffin

I forgot to vote for the rising/falling names this year. I did pick Lila last year though. I actually almost named my daughter Lila - she was born last spring. Man oh man, am I ever glad that I didn't use it. I'm already sick of hearing it, along with Delilah, Leila, Lily, Livvie, Ellie, Ella, Bella, etc. We ended up choosing a name with absolutely no letter "L" in sight!

Ah, I love the imaginary triplet game. I've been doing this for years!
Girls: Josephine, Violette (or Rose) and Louise.
Boys: Oscar, Gabriel and Alistair.

When I was 14, my triplets were Ophélie, Olivia and Oscar.
At least I remain consistent with one name! Still my top pick for a son. but there is no way i'd do the matching initial thing now. Eek.
Although...the matching flowers are awfully temptingeven now:
Violet, Iris and Rose... as long as it's fantasy :)

Fantasy triplets:
Boys: Theodore (Theo), Abraham (Abe), and....perhaps Jonas?
Girls: Matilda, Ingrid, and Clara

I intended to post my imaginary triplets' names with middle names, but then I'd be thinking about this all day and I have some work to do!

I probably couldn't get my husband on board with Theodore, though. He still thinks of the chipmunks, or Theo Huxtable. It's too bad, because I adore the name, with the nickname Teddy for a baby and Theo for an older child.

What are your thoughts on Edward vs. Edmund? My grandfather's name was Edmund. Sometimes I'm in love with the name, and other times I can't get past the rough, almost gutteral sound of "mund".

Love both Edward and Edmund.

Fantasy boy triplets: Stephen, Brendan, Gabriel
Girls: Anna, Katherine, Leah

Boy, what fun triplet names. Several of my favorites have been mentioned. Triplets DO seem exponentially harder than singles or twins. But I'll make it even worse and try to throw in some middle names too!

I'll use some of my perennnial faves, which people on this board have heard before, but...

Sybil, Phoebe, Eliza

With middle names?

Sibyl Trennum
Phoebe Augusta
Eliza Nell Perry (Probably should go for the formal "Helen", but I love Nell so much and wanted to work it in...)

Barnaby, Piers, Josiah

Middles?

Barnaby Cook
Piers Wilkinson
Josiah Osborne

In true fuddy duddy fashion, I had to sprinkle in some dead relatives, both first and last names, but in fractured combos. Looking at these mixtures in aggregate, I would say I lean toward a stodgy, often British and/or Biblical style. And I like that stale, middle-aged English vibe a little too much-- I could also go for "Simon", "Hugh" and "Nigel" (or "Gordon", with a nod to my Canadian family...)

Isn't it funny how having to name multiples, can really clarify your "style" leanings? I have a much better feel for many of you, too, after hearing what you would name THREE children...

Like Keren, I keep thinking I could do better, though...

Fantasy Triplets

Boys: Finley, Roan, Julian
Girls: Charlotte, Katharine, Margaret or Sasha, Nora, Geneva

Dream triplets: Katherine (Cassy), Anne (Nancy), Cecily
Frederic (Fred/Freddie), Edward (Ned)... oh, boys are hard, and I suppose I can't really have a Fred and a Ned! Best hope for one boy triplet maximum!

Blythe - I love Margot too - a very close runner-up for my girl triplets!

Astrid - I was actually just weighing up Edward v. Edmund myself! Edward to me seems more 'wholesome', it has a sort of 'golden boy' vibe. There's something darker about Edmund, although I can't put my finger on why. Still, Edmund has been growing on me lately. I have to say, when I say it, it doesn't feel guttural at all... an accent thing perhaps? The main attraction of both names for me is the nickname Ned, is that what you are going for too?

I didn't vote but I really suspect that Nora/Norah will be growing in popularity. I live in the Indianapolis area and know 2 that have been born in the last 2 weeks. Nora Kate and Nora Caroline.

Imaginary Triplets:
Edmund, Leopold, Wilem (Ed, Leo, Wil)
Temperance, Faye, Heluna (Tempe, Faye, Luna)

Wild I know! Sadly I would suspect my DH would choose very differently so we would end up with a combo of unique and old lady and then also common and normal. Pretty sure when we have kids we will have a Prudence or Temprence (depends on the day) and a Benjamin. Sad.

Hillary-Has the show bones sway you to like the name Temprence. I never heard it before the show.

Ooh, I had to weigh in with triplet names!
To join brothers Thomas and Gabriel:

John Dominic*, Matthias, and ... Caleb? Atticus? Tobias/Tobiah?
Susanna, Therese, and ... Lydia? Juliet? Caroline? Mariah?

* Does anyone have nn ideas for John Dominic? If we have a boy, we're naming him John Dominic after family ... I love the combo, but I can't see calling him "John Dominic" all the time ... my husband won't go for calling him Dominic (and with a Thomas who's sometimes Tommy, I guess a Dominic who might sometimes be "Dom" or "Dommy" is a bad idea ...), and I don't care for Jack ... John isn't too bad, but my taste is a little more non-traditional -- I'd love an interesting nn! (Incidentally, I was interested in the Geordie/Jordy/Jordi conversation from the previous entry -- I love the name Jordy, and thought it could work as a nn for John Dominic, but my husband only thinks Star Trek, like many of you!)

PS C & C's mom -- congratulations!!!! Can't wait to hear what you name your newest little one! (I love your other kids' names!) I'm due in July too ...

Kate: You could always go with JD, unless that's too Scrubs for you.

Kate-- "John Dominic"--- nice!

Is "J.D." too obvious?

Is "Jodo" too adventurous? Pronounced "JOE- doe".

"Jed"? I like nicknames that are a combo of letters in first and middle names. In the many conversations about John we've had over time, I've also liked the nickname "Jock" and of course "Johnny" which has had a timeless charm over the centuries.

Congrats to you, and remiss congrats to long-time poster C & C's Mom! I don't know how I missed your announcement, and I'm also very interested in what you'll come up with.

Ooh, fantasy triplets.

Benedict Paulsen (Benji over Benny)
Henry Dominic or Alexander (nn Harry)
Patrick Andrew (Paddy)

Harriet Evelyn, Margaret Katherine, and Johanna Cecelia, perhaps? Molly, Jo, and Eve. Girls are harder.

Also, I'm not married so there's a whole side of family names I have yet to discover, so my hypotheticals are even more hypothetical than most.

AmyA:

Perhaps the darker connotation to Edmund is because of Chronicles of Narnia? He's the younger brother who went off with the White Witch. That's the first thing I think of when I hear Edmund anyway.

I'm rather partial to Edward. Of course, that's my hubby's first name and the first name of our future son--as it has been for the last 5 or 6 generations in my husband's family. The first-born son of the first-born son MUST be Edward. World without end, amen.

And that also explains the English-Monarchs-for-$1000-Alex quality of my imaginary triplets. It's hard to come up with two other boy names that flow well with Edward. Although I was toying with Edward, William, and Royal (Roy), but that might have been too blatant...

random notes:

I like Jed for John Dominic nn.

I also love Ned (one of our shortlisted names, well, nn). I'm not much on Edward or Edmund but I'm leaning towards Edward (and am sometimes tempted to stretch boundaries with an Edison). Edmund reminds me of that snarky kid in the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe.

hmmmm, I'm sensing a lot of Neds out there this year!

cross-post--clearly I'm not the only one making the Narnia connection!

Rjoy - Yes Bones has def. influenced my love for the name because I love her character. I love how independent and smart and saavy Bones is. I really enjoy that she seems to be so "in charge" of her life and could care less about love and all the "rules" that society has for women. It is fresh compared to all the lovey lovey b-s that is on the tube. I am even ok if she and Booth end up together because they have developed such a strong caring friendship. If I had a daughter like Temprence Brennan I would be proud.

Osbourne, unless it's a dear old family name, is totally shades of Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath/cheap reality TV to me. Completely, like naming your kid Elvis. Maybe if you're from a non-US/UK culture where Ozzy Osborne was never so omnipresent? I would think of it as a sibling match with Jagger & Rhett.

Obviously I am aware of the Ozzy Osbourne connection, but a little Ozzy would sound very fresh to me. Like a twist on Oscar, which I love but which is too popular for me, with extra points for zs.

Wow lots of interesting fantasy triplet combos. Mine would be:
Kimberley Elizabeth, Samantha Noelle, Cassandra Nicole
other names I would have given my girl.
Connor Jeffrey, Maxwell Alexander, Brian Zachary as these are all names I was thinking if my 2nd was boy. Don't know if hubby would approve all of them or not might switch around combos. I know he didn't really care for Connor. He loves the classic names on the girls.

Fantasy triples:

Simone, Josephine, Claudia
Glen, Frederick, Christian

btw...thoughts on Claudia? Not many I've talked to like it. I wonder what it is I'm not seeing.

Addison is rising because of that atrocious Grey's Anatomy. And as soon as that show's popularity wanes, so will the name. On the other hand, Emily might drop, but I see it as one of those names that will always be floating in or around the top 20, because it's just classic and normal. And I would have thought Ava was already up there in popularity - I know so many of them.

What about Grace? Is that one dying of overuse yet?

Sorry if this is a double:

I like Edward and Edmund both, but I prefer Edmund--I get the Narnia association, but it still sounds a touch more refined and dignified to me. Like Rosamond--very strong and proper.

Triplets?
Boys: Rowan, August, Oliver (Oliver would probably be Silas if our lns didn't start with S)

Girls: Ack! I can't even decide on ONE now. Actually, I could put together a few hypothetical lists, though--matching seems easier than picking just one:
Rosalind (Rosie), Philippa (Pippa), Sylvia (Sylvie)
Ivy, Hazel, Laurel
Averil, Fiona, Sylvia
Adele, Sylvia, Laurel

With MNs? We don't have to think of this in real life, but here are my first thoughts, off the top of my head:
Boys: Rowan Alistair, August William, Oliver James

Girls: Rosalind Ivy, Philippa June, Sylvia Fern
Ivy Eleanor, Hazel Margaret, Laurel Beatrix

KRC-- Rats, this is too interesting, and I should be cleaning my house! But it's neat that you like "Osborne". I briefly considered using it as a first name with our little guy, as it is my maiden name. One reason I didn't is, I didn't want his name to draw too much attention to itself, in a funny way, and I do believe Osborne would have.

We did give it to him as one of his middle names. I don't feel proprietary toward it-- it's out there in the public domain, fairly common, and anyone who likes it should use it. Means, among other things, "divine bear". "Ozzie/Ozzy" is a cute nickname, and there's also "Hob" or "Hobbs".

Tk, I know what you mean, but our family TOTALLY ignores the whole Ozzy Osbourne thing. Apart from the different "u" spelling, he represents I think just a tiny, quickly passing slice of popular culture.

"Osborne" has other fun associations with "Osborne House" (isn't that on the Isle of Wight?) and Queen Victoria, etc. There was rebellious English playwright ("Look Back In Anger" etc.) John Osborne. My Dad's family was quite unexceptional but he and I used to imagine the Osbornes were interesting-- there was a glamorous rumor in the family that we might be English Jews, way back, etc.

Anyway, it's one surname-name that certainly hasn't had a chance to pall through over-use!

Anon--for me it's the "Clod" in Claudia. You know, clodhopper, big clod, etc. If you use the Sp. pron., more like CLOUD-ia, it sounds too much like "loud" to me. If you're wondering why the first one doesn't sound like "laud" or the second doesn't sound like "cloud", I can't tell you--I'm just inconsistent like that, lol.

Kate - Thomas, Gabriel and John make for a great sibling combo. As for nn's, I know an adult who has gone by John D. his entire life - D. is his middle initial. Nic is a good nn for Dominic if you were interested in calling him Dominic - good way to avoid Tom and Dom :) Also, Dominic John,nn DJ would be cute. At any rate, you have many options.

EO & Kate - thanks for the well wishes! I really should try to come up with some ideas soon. The problem that I have is that my dh frequently doesn't like the same names that I do (common dilemma). So I prefer to keep my ideas to myself for a while before telling him - that way I get to pretend (for a little while)that some of my favorites are actual possibilities!

Re: Claudia-I like it. Went to school with one-pretty + feminine associations with it.

hyz, I like your Ivy, Hazel, Laurel combos all the mn's sound gr8 with them too. They are not my style but they sound great together and I know YOU love the style.

Eo - I totally agree with your description of Ozzy Osbourne as a tiny, quickly passing slice of popular culture. Osborne is a great name, I think. In addition to yielding what I consider to be the great nickname Ozzy, I love the way the word Osborne looks. I told my husband that and he just stared at me, but you other NEs understand that kind of comment I'm sure!

Also, hyz's list reminded me of my other favorite boy name - August. It had to be removed from my list because I love the girl name Astrid more and could not do siblings with matching initials.

Eo - I agree with your description of Ozzy Osbourne as a tiny, quickly passing slice of popular culture. Of course, he is not my inspiration for liking the name Osborne. In addition to yielding the great nickname Ozzy, I just love the way the word Osborne looks. I told my husband that and he just stared at me. But you other NEs will understand, I'm sure!

hyz - your triplets reminded me of my other favorite boy name, August. How I love that one. I had to take it off my list because my girl name is Astrid and I can't do matching sibling initials. I like so few boy names so it was painful for that to happen.

I'm going to go and name these triplets names my boyfriend would never agree to, as they're fantasy:
Eloise, Adelaide, Verity
Silas, Jonah, Callum

What we'd really name triplets:

Ivy, Calla, Elizabeth
Jack, William, Owen

Perhaps it is a generational issue, Ozzy was famous before I was born, and the Osbournes were TV personalities when I was an MTV demographic, so they do not seem like a passing fad (almost 40 years of fame now). I've never met another Osbourne, first or last name, so I have no other strong associations with it.

And I think if it's a family name, it's a good choice. It's a name with presence, a nice modern but not trendy sound, a hip nickname, and your relations will of course think of the family name before the singer. Yes, he will get "ha ha, bite the head off a dove?" occasionally, but probably the teasing years will be mostly behind him when his contemporaries learn about heavy metal.

pop culture reference: Ozzy makes me think of Survivor. Ozzy won a previous season of Survivor and is currently on Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites. His name is short for Oscar, however, not Osborne.

On the fantasy triplet note... I can't think of a list I would be satisfied posting... I will have to think about that some more. I can't tell you how many childhood twin combinations I came up with.... but adding one more name to the mix makes it considerably harder. Also, I feel like the names should be slightly more connected without being too matchy.

I just hope I never have to name triplets in real life I might go absolutely crazy thinking about all the possiblities!

Also, I don't mind Osbourne as a name I suppose, and Ozzy from a sound point of view, but when I see the double 'z' I can't help but think of Ozzy Osbourne, but this reference will continue to fade.

How about Oswald instead of Osbourne? My DH really likes this one but I can't think about anyone except the BIL on Keeping Up Appearances.

My fantasy triplets:
Catherine, Margaret, Evelyn
Elliott, Simon, Owen

Would really love a Henry, but LN starts with H and the alliteration is just too much.

When I hear Oswald, I think of the knock-knock joke. Which I shall now share. (Imagine also a slight southern accent.)

Knock, knock.
--Who's there?
Oswald.
--Oswald, who?
Help, help! Oswald my gum!

Needless to say, I shan't be naming my child Oswald.

I think a cute nickname for Osborne is simply Oz. I know that probably makes everybody think of Dorothy and Toto, but it has a pleasant association for me.

Emilie: Two of your triplets are my grandmother's names! (Catherine and Margaret)

Katie,
Your fantasy and "reality" triplet lists are interesting in that the latter list echoes the former.

Fantasy: Eloise, Adelaide, Verity
Reality: Elizabeth, Calla, Ivy

I changed your original order to show how the "reality" names reflect the sounds of the fantasy ones.

Fantasy: Silas, Jonah, Callum
Reality: Owen, Jack, William

Silas and Owen aren't very similar (although they both have a British Isles vibe to them), but Jack and Jonah, and Callum and William do sound somewhat alike.

Fantasy triplets-

Boys- Hendrick, Stellan and Alistair
Girls- Philippa, Calliope and Polly

I already have an August Frederick which I'm so happy I chose. Philippa is on the way but still trying to figure out a MN.

KRC, I just had to weigh in because of your mention of Astrid and Osborne. My full name is Astrid and my nickname is Oz. The nickname of the person I was named after was also Oz (though spelled As or Assi, but pronounced more like how Americans say Oz or Ozzie) so, in my family, it was as normal as being nicknamed Ali for Alison. I was called Ozzie by my family as a little girl, and, while there was some playground Ozzy Osbourne teasing, it wasn't really that bad. I still get Wizard of Oz stuff, which is slightly annoying, but no Ozzy Osborne stuff but then, I'm a girl. I adored the W. of O. connection as a little girl and have all the L. Frank Baum books. Ozzy is a relatively common nickname for Oscar.

There's a Spanish company that makes sherry called Osborne, but pronounced more like Os-born-eh. The "e" isn't silent. I mention this because, if you're ever in the south of Spain, you might see the black billboards of their bull. I think it would be fun to have your name connected with a sherry company. http://www.osborne.es/

Kate--
I was thinking about the nn Jody for John Dominic, and then I re-read your post. If you like Jordy, what about Jody? I had a (male) student with this name and he was the most respectful kid, but also really cool...popular among his friends and his teachers. It made me really like the name Jody for a boy.

Regarding Claudia, there is also the unfortunate meaning "lame." That's only a problem for we named obsessed, of course.

I like Claudia. I think it falls into the same class of names as Antonia, Rosamond, Francesca and Cecilia. They are mature, classy names - red velvet/cognac/plunging neckline names. They aren't frilly like current fashion faves Emily and Isabelle. I think the closest fashion fave that suits the style is Olivia, but it has been done to death.

I also like Edmund over Edward but love them both. The nn Ned is a deal clincher for me.

Have you considered Nick as a nn for John Dominic.

Fantasy triplets...
Boys: Hugh, Jasper and Peregrine
Girls: Eloise, Juliana and Cecily
or (Rosalind, Antonia and Francesca)

Most of these names wouldn't get past the DH, so more realistically:
Boys: Alexander, Hugo and Christopher
Girls: Eloise, Julia and Isobel

I have also suddenly realised how many baby Violets I am surrounded by, how come this didn't make the list?

Ha, Kate, you and I have similar taste. I also had the names Thomas, Gabriel... and Raphael but didn't want too many archangels... although perhaps one can never have too many of those around!

What fun! I like John Dominic a lot, also Matthias (although I like the way the French say it best: Ma-TEE-as) and Tobias.
I also thought of Marius, which I've always liked. And Christian.

When I was writing down my girls' names (Francesca, Rosalind nad Violet) I kept thinking that they sounded a bit Shakespearean and wondered if I should substitute Juliet for Violet. Caroline also popped in strongly. And I LOVE Susanna and Lydia. Funny! What would you call our naming style?

Astrid, thank you for your comments! Did you grow up in the US? Do you mind if I ask how old you are (roughly!)? Just interested in the relation to the name Astrid. You made me think though - are Astrid and Osborne too similar for sibling names?

Another Amy, I do like Oswald too, but not as much as Osborne. AK, the nickname Oz is appealing also.

Steph P, August Frederick is perfect. I am so jealous I can't use August. If I would just convince myself to like any girl name more than Astrid!

Back to my female fantasy triplets.

If I didn't already have children and they wouldn't have my husband's last name, and I wasn't thinking about honouring my mother in law they would be Kate, Verity and Daria.

But if I would have triplets really right now (eeek) they would be Verity, Mira and Gabrielle. (Accompanied by Nora the maternity nurse and Maggie the day nanny)

Boys - Jacob, Gabriel and Malachi

Re: Claudia - I have always loved this name, thought it was very elegant and sophisticated. My MIL is named Claudia, and she doesn't really like it - she always wished she were a Susie. She doesn't like the meaning, which is lame or crippled.

I also immediately thought of Edmund in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when that name was mentioned - it's definitely not as nice to me as Edward.

Fantasy triplets:
Gwendolyn, Francesca, Johanna (all three of which we're considering for our girl due in July!)
Jonathan, Christopher, and... all the other boy names I would like are already taken by family members! maybe Lorenzo
I think I have very different naming styles for boys and girls.

Hyz!

I just wanted to say that I love your naming style! Most of your choices are ones I would seriously consider naming my own children. I've been on a Sylvia kick for a while now, and I'm recently really digging Hazel. I'm excited to see which name you ultimately choose.