The Baby Name Wizard

And it doesn't hurt that you chose my name, either. ;)

Well, my Italian boy triplets would be Raffaele, Alonzo and Dante..And my trio born in the British Isles would be Jasper,Crispin and Barnaby. I will contemplate girls later-I have my hands full with these six.:)

Alitalia--I love Lorenzo..and I think that people can spell and pronounce it-always a plus!

love reading the fantasy triplets. I think mine would be:
Darien, Ambrose, ...
Taren, Colette, Vera (or Nora)

re: Ozzy: I think Australia is also called Oz by locals right? Or is this only in certain subcultures?

re: Claudia: The first place I heard this name was in The Baby-Sitter's Club. Now that I think of it, that name stands out from all the others: Stacey, Kristi, Mary Anne, Dawn, Jessi... I guess Mallory is also an outlier...

re: Edmund: I agree that it also sounds darker than Edward. Also more buttoned-up. More risky in any case, I think.

Re Robin on Claudia
HA HA HA
When I hear Claudia I think of the Baby Sitter's Club too, and it was definately my favorite name of the bunch when I read them!

The girl triplets with middle names are Elodie Pearl, Millicent Ruth, and Coral Dorothea.Hmmm a lot of "L"s there. So another set- Maeve Dacey, Daphne Arabella and Isla Beatrix. Needs work--but If they came in a hurry-these will do!

KRC- It's interesting to see that several of my favorite names match yours. Astrid and Tate are also two at the top of our list (but for middle names). So far we are thinking Philippa Tate for our girl.

Robyn T- I adore the name Ambrose. Such a beautiful, diginifed sounding name. However, we can't use as we already know one.

slightly off topic--My mother's Boy Name of the Day is Thaddeus. its apparently a family name. DH isn't thrilled with it but given our skimpy short list I though I'd investigate further. How does it sound to y'all? Any good nicknames? all I can think of is Thad (which I'm not much on) or Tad, which sounds like a surfer. We are not surfer people!

thx!

Robyn T - Locals do refer to Australia as Oz. Also some British and NZ expats here do use Oz in a somewhat derogatory way.

Thaddeus sounds very "conquering Roman gladiator" to me. I dont think that is necessarily a bad thing. Deus as a nn? Stretching, I know!

I have to stop reading all the other triplet names and just post mine before my original train of thought gets entirely muddled!

All of these will be as if my husband weren't voting. He'd probably veto all my choices.

Girls: Hazel, Maud, Beatrice

Boys: Abraham (Abe), Walter (Walt), Edmund (Ned)

I've always really liked Laszlo, but I'm not sure I could make that work if I had to find two other names to complement it.

How fascinating that Francesca keeps popping up. It's been my favorite name since teenage, but DH thinks it's too dark a name for a fair-haired child. Maybe if we adopt...;)

I think Ted could work as a nn for Thaddeus.

Also, how do you pronounce the name Tobias?

And lastly, fantasy twins... totally made up on the spot (I wouldn't actually use these names, at least not these fn/mn pairs):

Zelda Mae, Zivya Rose
Zel and Ziv - cute! ^_^

Oooh--fun! Fantasy triplets.

Boys: Charles, Louis, and Theodore (not positive about the last one)

Girls: Agnes, Elizabeth, and a girl's name that I won't type or say anywhere because I want to use it for myself.

Thanks everyone who had suggestions for a nn for John Dominic! We've actually considered Jed (but my brother's Jeb, and another little John we know, born this past February, is being called Jeb by his parents, who are good friends of ours) and JD, DJ, and Nic ... but we haven't really been struck by anything. (And to the person who suggested "Jodo" -- it's definitely out there, but I'm constantly trying to "make up" nns, so great suggestion!)

jt -- Interesting re: Jody ... I knew it was at one time a nn for a boy, and from that perspective it is indeed PERFECT for John Dominic ... but we know a couple of girl Jody's, so I don't think that would work for us!

Valerie -- wow, that's funny that we have such similar tastes in names! We actually LOVE Christian, and have seriously considered it in the past, but it just sounds too much like our surname. We've polled a few people, and they all agree. I've always thought of my naming style as heavy on the Biblical (Thomas, Gabriel, John, Matthias, Tobias/Tobiah, Susanna, Lydia), with touches of a British/literary/traditionally sophisticated feel (Juliet, Caroline, Atticus, Mariah [though M. Carey is a deal-breaker for my husband], Oliver [which this baby was going to be, if a boy, until a couple of weeks ago!]), and a definite "Catholic saint" feel as well (Thomas, Gabriel, John, Dominic, Therese).

Thanks again!

Nicole -- I say Tobias as "toe-BYE-us." I've never heard another pronunciation, and I knew a Tobias (who went by Toby) in college, and pronounced his name the way I always have.

Steph P - I also adore the name Philippa especially with the nickname PIppa. It would be at the top of our list but it could never work with my husband's last name, which is very similar to Longstocking! May I ask, what are your other top girl names?

Paging J & H's mom, are you still out there? It occurred to me today that I haven't seen your posts in a long time. I hope all is well.

I'm loving the fantasy triplet ideas. New names keep popping into my head. This must be how it is for real sports fanatics--they think about their favorite teams all the time...

Tess: I love the name Crispin! I can't help but think of a curly haired, happy, lovable person when I think of it. If it didn't clash with names we've already used, I might have used it if we had another boy.

Kate: I like John Dominic - I have a John myself, usually called Johnny (though my husband would really like to start calling him Jack). I would lean away from initial nicknames... JD or DJ sound just a touch hillbilly to me, though of course, that sort of association could be overcome. I actually second the nickname Jody if Jed is out of the running. Although I know a few middle-aged Jodys, he'll probably never meet a female Jody his own age.

Fantasy triplets:
Cyrus Levi
Sebastian David
Luke Alexander

I guess there's no common theme to them, but it's a hodge-podge of favorite and family names.
and for girls:

Gwendolyn Lily
Elyse India
Camilla Margaret

How is the name Zara supposed to be pronounced? Is the first syllable like "air" or like "art"? Is there one correct pronunciation or is it like Lara, where there is more than one accepted pronunciation?

oooohhhhh!!!! I love this site. Why haven't I found it sooner? Naming things has been my drug of choice since...forever! My college roomates wanted to positively strangle me.

ok, fantasy triplets:

Girls:
Honor, Rafaela(Rafi), Ismay

Boys:
Jasper, Angus(Gus), Winslow

I can't belive Honor has popped up already. Whenever I bring it up to family/friends, they tell me I'm crazy. It's my absolute favorite.

actually, looking back at my boy names, they seem a bit soap opera-ish. I, too, need more time to dwell on this!

Regarding the name Honor... I just read that the ever annoying yet beautiful actress Jessica Alba may be naming her daughter Honor. I find that bizarre. She strikes me as more of a Frilliana type namer.

I asked this same question to a group of my friends (all engaged/married, childless, college educated women in their 20s, many with UK ties) and got 12 responses. I'd be happy to post the results if anyone's interested.

There were two Aidens, an Aeden, and an Ardn (middle english scholar), and FIVE Alexanders. There were, however, no repeats at all among the girl's names.

A friend in her 30's is named Honor. I love it. Her nickname (in family) is Honny -pronounced with silent H. It suits her well.

Philippa--thanks--and of course now I want to see YOUR fantasy list! I can't wait to see what we end up with, too! Seriously, it keeps me up nights--it's like torture. I *never* imagined I'd be one of these people, but I think there's a real possibility we won't be able to name her until we see her. Of our top choices (meaning the ones I like that DH might go along with), I think Averil, Sylvia, and Adele are the most flexible, and could go well no matter what she looks like, but I think a person sort of has to LOOK like an Ivy or a Fiona or a Hazel. Argh!

I had Honor/Honora on my list originally, but DH said that was too much pressure to put on a kid. He comes from a culture where "honor" has strong connection to family, and where kids and adult children can be pushed to an unhealthy degree to achieve honor for the family, or to honor their parents' wishes, etc. I brought it up again recently, thinking it's a good way to get to Nora, which DH likes, but it's a no go. I actually had Verity, Amity, Constance, etc. on my original list, too, but DH just doesn't like the virtue names.

Tirzah,
I have only met one Zara, a young [under 10] girl, whose name is pronounced ZAH-ra. I think England's Princess Anne's daughter's name is pronounced this way, also. It's r lovely sounding to me and I'm surprised it's not more popular. It will be of interest to see if others know of an alternate pronunciation.

Question: when picking a name for your children, do you consider if YOU would like to have that name, or if it could fit you? On my own list, I could definitely see having some of those names myself, while others just seem wrong. When I think of it that way, those names that might not fit me seem riskier or edgier somehow, and I start getting cold feet about using them. Does anyone else do this? Or does anyone deliberately pick names that *wouldn't* fit themselves?

Names seem so personal and individual, sometimes I think it would be easier to raise the child for 10 or 20 years before deciding what her name should be!

A friend in her 30's is named Honor. I love it. Her nickname (in family) is Honny -pronounced with silent H. It suits her well.

Triplets...I guess I'm a bit late on the uptake. In any case, if I were starting all over with a first pregnancy of triplets:

Girls: Adelaide, Frieda, and Goldie (Golda)
Boys: Wolf, Rider, and Blaze OR Atticus, Justus, and Elias

if they were mixed it would be a combo of:
girls: Etta, Lottie
boys: Duke, Irving

Kate,
Tobias is pronounced Toe-bee-us here in Europe :-)

my fantasy pairings:

Owen, Bryce, Finn
Zoë, Iris, Gwen

Oh my so many things to comment on!
I pronounce Claudia as more like CLAW-DEE-AH.
Edward and Edmund are nms but if I had to choose I'd probably pick Edward.
TK-I would love to see the names your friends suggested. Sometimes when I read the posts here I feel like a bit of an outsider. There are so many people with British influenced/royalty/under-used less common names on their lists. My tastes are much more over-used and popular. I would never think to use names like Pippin, Arwen, Thaddeus, Honor or many of the choices listed above. I'm much more of the Alyssa, Madison, Jennifer, Aiden, Matthew, and Joshua type of person. Thank god I'm done naming for real though!

BTW, Zara=Zar like "art" however probably like Sara, Tara, Lara could go either way, and Tobias=To-BYE-us I agree.

Catherine,
We have a grandmother named Margaret too - that's why that one was in there. It's a great name. I love Catherine (and I LOVE Cate). I had a very beloved great-grandmother named Effie Mae. While I could never name a kid Effie, I love Evelyn Mae (nn Evie). Totally using it if I ever have another girl.

I chuckled when I read someone above call the name Emily "frilly". I've never thought of my name as frilly. Overused, yes. And while I love the spelling my parents used, it's totally annoying to have to spell my name for everyone all the time.

Astrid- I could never get over Edmund being the villain in King Lear. I don't know if anyone mentioned that but it's a real sticking point for me.

Nicole -- I also only ever say to-BYE-us.

Tirzah -- I'd pronounce Zara with the a in art (ZAH-ra, as someone said earlier).

Re: Claudia -- I also say it more like Claw-dee-ah, and think it's a lovely name. I also like the Clou-dia pronunciation, too. It's a feminine name without being too frilly. Not sure I like the meaning though ...

It's ZAH-ra and CLAW-dee-ah for me. Zara reminds me of the clothing store. I love Claudia, though it's quite mature for a little girl. I had a beautiful Aunt Claudia with waist-length red hair that I envied as a child so it's very positive for me. I'm somehow not bothered by loud, claw, or clod.

This is the list my friends gave me, sorry, this will be long (Hypothetical parents are American unless otherwise noted):
***
Gabriel Paul, Matthew Timothy, Jeremiah Xavier
Tatiana Eileen, Isabella Elizabeth, Addison Grace

***
Natalie Harper, Elena Lynne, Amelia Jean
Jackson Richard, Nicolaus Andrew, Desmond Erich
Twins: Meghan Ainslie & Patrick Leland

***
Parents are English:
Matthew Paul, Thomas Douglas, Alexander James
Sophie Judith, Charlotte Janet, Anna Katherine

***
Christopher Aiden, Tyler Aaron, & Alexander Michael
Sophia Adriana (NN "Sophie")
Olivia Rose (NN "Liv")
Gabriella Elise (NN would be "Bri" or "Ellie")

(She also took this moment to swear she invented the name Jaiden.)

***
Brett Robert (yes, after Brett Favre), Elijah John, James Ian
Charlotte Hermione (yes, we're dorks), Anne Juliet (Anne is a family name), Emilia Grace

***
Mother is American, Father is Manx, they live in England:
Phineas Peter (Finn)
Peter Robert (yes, it sounds like Peter Rabbit, but these are our dads' names)
Aedan Robert (Aedan/Aidan is waaay too popular now, it's our ringbearer's name actually--but I liked this name before it was cool. Like, back when I was dating my ex in high school)

Lily Marlene, Aalin Sophia (Manx version of Eileen), Aurora Eve (Rory for short)
***

Madison (Maddy for short), Brooklyn, Katherine Eve (Kat for short)
Kieran, Alexander, Will
***

I have a couple middle names picked out (Pamela and Michelle or Michael), I have no idea about the rest
***
Parents are Scots:
Jean Kathryn, Lynn Elizabeth, Moira Suzanne
(Kathryn is the traditional middle name for first born girls, always with a 'J' first name)

Dane Alastair, William Sydney, Aiden Murphy (But mentioned she'd rather use Gwydion but couldn't get away with it)
***

Nolan Blake, Stephen Bennett, William Trent
Caroline Easton, Lydia Blair, Alison Lane
***

Mason Alexander, Caleb something, unknown
Molly, Samantha, Saffron, Hazel, Ianthe, Willow, Chloe, Kaylee, not sure
***

And one girl who was totally unsure about all of them except Ardn. (She is from New Zealand)

Sorry, that was really long! I didn't know how to better format this.

Irish fantasy triplets!

Girls: Siofra, Aine, Fiona
Boys: Killian, Dermot, Declan

KRC- In addition to Philippa, names we have considered for this baby are Willa, Calliope, Polly, Clementine, Poppy, Delphine, Imogen, Georgina, Eugenia. With my last pregnancy if August were to be a girl, he was going to be Ivy. Which I still love, just out of the running at this time.

Also, instead of August, we almost named him Hank!! I don't know what I was thinking, glad we went with August. I love Hank, but this just doesn't go with my general naming style. My biggest fear in choosing a name is that I will pick something that seems unusual now but 5 years from now it turns out I've named my child the equivalent of the Madison/Emma of today. One thing I have going for me in this regard is we now live in Austin, TX and in this area in general, western sounding names are still pretty prevalent. So I'm probably more safe than say, when we lived in California.

So I had a long post yesterday with my fantasy triplets and some thoughts on the other thread conversation. Of course, it got eaten by the internet for a mid-morning snack, and this is my first opportunity to replace it. So while this version is a bit late to the party I still have to play along.

For boys: James Oliver, Edward John, Henry Robert (which is impressive for me because it includes my grandpa, my dad, and five of my grandpa’s six brothers).

For girls: Margaret Grace, Elisabeth Hope, Katherine Faith (Meg, Beth, Kate) (the idea of using virtue names for middles for girls is totally appealing to me because I love the names Grace and Hope, but is something I’m totally unlikely to do in real life. Triplets, though, especially fantasy triplets, are a different story, right?!?)

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, these names are showing up on a lot of our lists. I also like Charlotte Anne, Eloise Marie , and Josephine Clare.

Late to this game, too, and I know that these names aren’t quite to your taste, but I wanted to chime in that I like using John or J.D. for John Dominic. I think John Dominic is a great name, btw – one that will truly stand the test of time.

I do like both Edmund and Edward. I would be more likely to use Edward (as above), because of family connections, but I think I might actually prefer Edmund. It has sort of an Old World/Classic charm to me (and I am not bothered by the LWW&W connotations, since the Edmund character is ultimately redeemed). I think the nickname Ned for Edmund is also totally adorable (and totally Nancy Drew, if that bothers people). I see it on here a lot, but wonder how commonly it is still used apart from NEs. I think Edmund, nn Ned, is a great way to give a child a classic name, classic nickname and still not be one of 5 in his 1st grade class.

I like Claudia in itself, but, like others, it is totally Babysitters Club for me.

Impressive list, TK. I’m also impressed that so many of your friends played along. I kinda get eye rolls when I ask my friends to fantasy name one child.

Alvin, Simon, and Theodore

Just kidding!

I am having trouble coming up with fantasy triplets. Here are my thoughts this moment. I need to think about it some more though!

Boys: Oliver, Everett, and ?
Owen, Emmett, and ?

Girls: Hazel, Coral, and Evelyn

Of these names, Oliver and Hazel are my favorite! Everett would also be a fav but it is terrible with my ln :(

Wow, it's absolutely years since I read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and I've barely given it a thought since - but thinking about it, that probably -is- where I got my impression of Edmund from - a vaguely dark, weak character, wasn't he? That was probably the only Edmund I was exposed to in childhood - and those childhood impressions always have an inordinate effect on your perception of names, don't they?

I'm still struggling over my male fantasy triplets - I've reached the conclusion that my taste in boys' names is wildly variable and so none of my favourites go together. I like a bit of olde England (Edward, and with a continental twist, Frederic), a bit of trendy (Logan), a nod to my Italian roots (Lorenzo) and a dash of... I don't know, Wild West? West Country yokel? (Jethro).

Kaitlyn, you beat me for variable taste - I was so surprised to see you list Wolf, Rider and Blaze (you are the same Kaitlyn who is mother to Gladys, Cecil and co., aren't you?).

Hyz - I do think in general that the litmus test is: "Would I like to bear that name, every day for all my life?". It's a good way to sort the workable names from the flights of fancy. But I guess you have to be wary with names you particularly identify with. Not that I think each name should be focus-grouped to death, but if, say, you've always wished you were called Theodosia and everyone you mention it to hates it, there's a good enough bet that your child won't thank you for it. Personally, I find it hard to imagine bearing any name but my own, even though I've never been particularly fond of it. I agree that a person 'has to' look the part of a Hazel - for me, it's "English rose" colouring; creamy skin, perhaps freckles, and wavy brown or auburn hair!

OK! So, I was actually dreaming about the lists I would post, so I better do it before I have another sleepless night

Triplets

Girls
Elodie, Brienne, Calla

Boys
August, Desmond, Emil

Whether these names can actually ever come to pass with my DH will be interesting. I have enjoyed reading everyone else's list.
I noticed a few of you had Annelise, a name I love, but my DH dated a girl named Annalea, and it didn't end well, and he says the names are too similar... *shrug*

>There are so many people with British influenced/royalty/under-used less common names on their lists.

Zoerhenne, you are so right! I didn't realize this Board had such a slant until this fantasy triplet game. Lots of British lit type names.

If I didn't have to match my triplets with my current kids, I like:

Haven, Sonnet and Wren for girls.

I'll have to think more about boy names. (Though 3 boys would be more like nightmare triplets than fantasy triplets!)

The name Honor immediately makes me thing of "On her," and all the not-so-honorable connotations that could come along with that. I agree it is a lofty name to saddle on a child. I'm interested to hear if any of you who mentioned knowing someone with this name know if they have ever run across problems, either with teasing or with the weight of a name like Honor and the familial expectations that might come with it.

Sorry, "thing" should be "think."

Looking at my girl triplet names, I think I want to drop Coral. Maybe I will just have to settle with fantasy twins because I can't think of three names for either gender. I will stick with Oliver and Everett or Owen and Emmett for the boy set, and and Hazel and Evelyn for the girl set. In reality, Oliver, Hazel, Owen and Emmett (as a mn) are on my list and Everett and Evelyn are automatically nixed due to our ln.

AmyA--I also agree about having to look the part of a Hazel. DH and I were both blondies growing up (we both now have wavy brown hair), both have fair skin, I have green eyes and he has hazel, so who knows if our girl will meet your description of a Hazel! I do definitely see Hazel having brown hair rather than blonde though.

It's obviously a slow day for me...

Some of you may have seen this sibling set on the Telegraph Birth Announcements. It definitely got my attention!

Ptolemy Ned, Atticus Monty and Octavius Kit

I also can't believe how many babies named Jemima were on there!

sme and AmyA--I agree that Hazel isn't great on a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. I was that girl when I was little, but I grew up to have dark hair--see, that's why you have to wait at least 10-15 years before you know if a name will fit!My concern with Hazel is a bit different--if our girl (half Korean) ends up with very dark hair and eyes, I'm not sure I'd see her as a Hazel (Ivy could work though, or Fiona, if she is very fair). However, she could easily have chocolatey brown hair and hazel eyes, and then Hazel would be a great name--Ivy and Fiona, not so much, imho.

AmyA, thanks for the comment on my question. I guess I see a difference between looking at a name to see if they could be happy through life with it, and thinking "could I, being the person that I am, wear this name?" For instance, some names that I dearly love seem too edgy, or too sweet/cute, or too formal, or too frilly for for ME, personally, to pull off. I agree that I couldn't really imagine having any name but my own, but some seem like they could fit ok, while others are way off. So for instance (from one of my fantasy triplet sets), I love Ivy, but I think Ivy sounds like she has an edge (or spunk, or audacity) to her that I just don't have. Hazel wouldn't work for me because of those coloring issues. I could see being a Laurel, though--it's a little different, but very familiar, and could be either serious/smart or soft/sweet depending on the bearer and occasion, and it's pretty without throwing it in your face. It's not too girly, fussy, or formal (like me), and it's not particularly lighthearted, cutesy, or outgoing (like me). So, even though I might like Ivy better in general, I tend to feel more comfortable with a name like Laurel (or Averil, or Adele), that I could see having myself. But I'm not naming MYSELF, so I think I might be giving this factor too much weight....

Elizabeth T-

You're right about the similarities in some of the names, how funny! I suppose I floated these similar but toned down names after my boyfriend shot down the fantasy lists. Though interestingly, I came to the names from very different sources - Jonah and Eloise are from books (The Giver; Eloise); Callum and Adelaide from college encounters (Scotland and an ex's sister); Ivy and Calla are because my mother's a landscape architect and I grew up with flower names as my first words; and Jack and William are family names (my mother is Jacqueline, and weirdly, both my parents' middle names are William). I'd combine and try to vouch for the more out there names as middle names for our future children, but for me, middle names absolutely have to be honoring family, and I like Jack and Will too much to relegate them to middle name status.

Mary -

I love your imaginary triplet girls' names! Maybe it's because my sister and I are Elizabeth and Katherine ourselves, but I just think Elizabeth, Katherine, and Margaret are the most timeless girls' names out there, pretty much. Women with those names could be any age. You gave their nicknames as Ella, Kate, and Meg, but just look at what simple nickname changes does to the age of the bearer:

2000s: Ella, Kate, Meg
1980/90s: Liz, Katie, Maggie
1970s: Lisa, Karrie, Megan
1950/60s: Beth, Kathy, Margy
1930/40s: Betty, Kay, Peggy
1910/20s: Bessie, Kitty, Greta
1900: Ella, Kate, Meg again

I had such a fun commute coming up with all of those.

sorry if it's a little late to reintroduce the "Honor" discussion, but this is the first chance I've had to get back on the net. Anyway, I really want an H name if I ever have a little girl. My best friend passed away when I was 20, and her name was Heather. In the Jewish tradition I was raised on (not orthodox), people usually name their children in honor of a relative no longer living. It doesn't have to be the exact name of the deceased, but both names should begin with the same letter. Although my friend wasn't technically my family, as an only child, she was the closest thing to a sister I've ever had.

Originally, I fell in love with the name Hadley, which I have read basically means: a field of heather (at least in the baby books I have the meaning works out to be somewhere along those lines). I thought it was a lovely sentiment and that it had a unique and pretty sound. I also liked the Hemmingway connection. Then I became a preschool teacher and everything changed. I have met 4 little Hadley/Hadliegh/Hadlee's over the past three years. Granted, I live in LA and taught at a school with a lot of children who's parents are "in the business", which, interpreted in normal english means: kids with rather inventive monikers.

I know many of the names I encountered don't necessarily represnt the rest of the country, but I was born and raised here, and although I can't predict the future, I don't see my self moving in the for seeable future. So, I went back to the drawing board, and thought to myself "what other name could honor Heather.....Honor". Sounds good, I don't know anybody with the name, and although it's silent, I have the H I needed.

So to rap up this impossibly long explanation, if or when I have a daughter, she will know who she is named for. And although I dearly loved my friend, she was no angel growing up. Some of her more devious actions actually make for a lot of my fondest memories. Hopefully relaying the many stories of how human Heather was, my future child will know that I don't expect her to be perfect. An although I would want her to be proud of such a strong name, in the end, it's just a name.

**Unless Jessica Alba does use it and all of her adoring fans decide to have a whole generation of little Honors....then I suppose it's back to the drawing board. *sigh*