The long road from fantasy to reality

Apr 10th 2008
By Laura Wattenberg

Today's guest namer is my six-year-old daughter, who spent a recent morning hard at work planning a fantasy novel about "centrises."  A centris, she explained, is half woman and half pegasus.  When I checked in with her she was developing a complete chart of the centris population, with columns for "name," "spirit," "parent" and "leader."  For example:

Name: Fironnah (pronounced fye-RAHN-a)
Spirit: Fire
Parent: Liyliah (LYE-lee-ah)
Leader: Niara (nee-AH-ra)

Our young author gave her permission for me to write about the names.  Indeed, she sat down beside me and offered suggestions as I typed this, drawing my attention to particular nuances of her nomenclature.  She definitely has her finger on the pulse of certain name styles.  The extra h at the end is a hot trend in names like Lilah, Myah, Janiyah and Nevaeh.  And speaking of Nevaeh (heaven backwards)...that leader centris Niara?  Her spirit is Rain, and her name was created from "a rain" backwards.  My daughter explained, "I wanted to make it 'rain' backwards, but 'Niar' sounded too much like a boy's name."

Some thoughts that came to mind:

- Long names with endings like -iah do sound like they come from a fantasy world.  This even holds true when you are six years old and most of your fantasy reading has been in the Dickensian namescape of Harry Potter (or prosaic name worlds like the "My Secret Unicorn" books -- think Lauren and Michael).  Oh, and fantasy heroines are not androgynous.  They're majestically feminine.

- The name Nevaeh sounds exactly like a magical heroine of a fantasy novel.

- The name Nevaeh was inevitable.  It's only surprising that it took so long.

- Positive words that sound good backwards are exceptionally rare.


Before I go on, I should acknowledge that Nevaeh is probably the most stylistically divisive name in the English-speaking world.  Many parents find it a creative, lovely gift of a name; others find it not merely unappealing but noxious.  For the purposes of this discussion, let's take the name on its own terms as a kind of loving secret code.

20,000 American girls have been named Nevaeh since the name's debut in 2001.  A large number of them surely have little siblings by now.  Yet Nevaeh has not sparked a new genre -- no other backwards names have entered the lexicon.

Imagine that you named your first daughter Nevaeh, and that she revels in the knowledge of its hidden message.  With daughter #2 on the way, don't you want to give that new child the same kind of gift?  I'm certain that many, many parents have tried, inverting every inspiring word they could think of but ending up with the sad likes of Legna and Dehsirehc.  Most probably ended up with a compromise, perhaps turning to less subtle meaning names like Destiny or Genesis.  Is there a better answer?  Suppose we expand our horizons from reversals to anagrams?  Galen sounds a whole lot better than Legna, after all.

I invited my young fantasy author and her sister to join in the anagram quest.  We poured out our Bananagrams tiles on the kitchen table and started forming some inspiring words.  Ladies and gentlemen, it's harder than it looks.  Sutter (truest) may be passable; Pacee (peace) and Sepira (praise) doubtful; Evilbee and La'Crime...well.  Occasionally my husband would pass by with encouragement.  "You know, Volley is an anagram of lovely," he offered.  "Thanks for sharing," I replied.

Here's the Wattenberg family's very, very short list of siblings for Nevaeh.  Can you do better at turning fantasy into reality?

Galen (angel)
Delia (ideal)
Sutter (truest)
Tanis (saint)

Comments

April 11, 2008 2:48 AM
By Jordan

The only good one I came up with quickly was Ria, or air backwards (which was listed as a synonym for heaven in the thesaurus). I found an odd, but potentially good brother name (well, IMO if you picked Nevaeh, you'd like this name for the same reasons: good connotations, spelled backwards, unique, etc.): Anavrin (nirvana backwards, if you like or can at least get past the Cobain association). Considering it's a neologism, it could be a sister name, too, if you wanted.

But it's likely that most followups to Nevaeh will have to settle for more straightforward names: Sky(e), Honor, Adora, Desiree, etc.

Still looking for a good anagram from sacred. I know it's got to be there. But, of course, scared would also be an anagram of any name there.

April 11, 2008 2:56 AM
By Catharine

What about:
Loah (halo) is kind of a mix of Leah and Noah...could be suitable for boy or girl
Cager (grace) maybe for a boy?
Claemir (miracle) "KLAY-meer"
Ciramel (miracle) if you pronounce it "SEE-ra-mel" rather than "KEE-ra-mel" which sounds like Caramel

Also, what about truncating a word? "Vinity" sounds fresh as a short form of "Divinity."

Of course this is all getting terribly blasphemous! :-)

April 11, 2008 3:28 AM
By Hh

Not quite what was asked, but how about a twist on "Zenith"? -- "Zeenith," maybe, to ease pronunciation. ("Zenithia"?)

April 11, 2008 4:02 AM
By Alexis

What a challenge!

How about
Teaglen (elegant)
Sume - SOO-MY (muse)

Ok Some more thought is clearly required!!!

April 11, 2008 5:53 AM
By Tirzah

Here's one that isn't anagramed:

Traeh (TRAY-UH)- "Heart" backwords. I guess you could pronounce it TRAY as well.

April 11, 2008 7:13 AM
By Jen PH

Jordan - I also tried sacred, convinced there was something there. The best "name" I came up with was Dercas. I don't think there would be a lot of takers for this one. The Biblical Dorcas is still used occasionally though, so maybe there is a glimmer of hope for Dercas. It does have the benefit of being the target word "just backwards" (as opposed to having to scramble the letters).

*Update after googling*
Apparently Dercas is:
- a surname (bonus points for that, right?)
- a genus of butterflies
- already listed on babiesonline.com as "sacred spelled backwards"
- already in use as a given name, based on MySpace and Facebook profiles
- a handle favored by several players of online fantasy war games
- a Spanish-language acronym related to some sort of engineering software (?)

Here are my other offerings:

Turean (nature)
My partner says he knows someone by this name (not sure about the spelling though). I think some people would see it as an uncommon-but-not-too-crazy name and it ends in n. Bound to be some fans.

Gwen, Dale, & Kolbe (knowledgeable)
Fantasy triplet game meets anagram game.

Reesen (serene)
Androgynous, check. Two-syllables-ending-in-n, check. A well-know name made "special" (Reese + n), check. Sounds like a hit to me.

April 11, 2008 11:08 AM
By Belle

How 'bout heaven in spanish 'Cielo' rearranged = Cloie

April 11, 2008 11:09 AM
By Marc Moskowitz

What about Aisyle (from Elysia, a variant of Elysium) or even better, Aidacra (from Arcadia)? Both of these are more classical paradises.

April 11, 2008 11:38 AM
By Paz

How about Teruna? That's an anagram of nature that I think would make a good fantasy name.

April 11, 2008 12:19 PM
By nikki

This is a tough one!!!

Noroh - anagram for Honor. (Could be prounounced like Nora, or NOR-o)

Alliceset - anagram for celestial (could be prounounced like Allison, but with an -et at the end)

Noel Dove - fist and middle name. Anagram for Loved One.

April 11, 2008 12:22 PM
By nikki

Another idea, using other languages. Divina is heavenly in spansish. Cielo is heaven in spanish. Maybe a name could be conjured from these? Nivida?

April 11, 2008 12:31 PM
By HIllary

Funny - But I have a Sorority sister named Tanis. She was a sweet sweet girl and I am pretty sure her parents named her after a family friend - so there it more than one.

April 11, 2008 1:15 PM
By Tess

Random tidbit:Nomar Garciapara used to play for the Red Sox--and his first name is an homage to his father, Ramon, backwards!!

April 11, 2008 1:26 PM
By lizpenn

Rainbow could become ... Wrobina? Ok, that's pushing it.

My entire day is now going to consist of trying to think of a good one!

April 11, 2008 2:10 PM
By Angela

Let the record state that I do NOT condone usage of any of these names. I just wanted to play the game.

These are all just reversed.

Erimda
Elbaroda
Ecnailla
Elbaima
Ruoma
Ecnesse
Laitnesse
Ronoh
Epoh
Annasoh
Enigami
Denrael
Layol
Elbon
Ecneidebo
Eneres
Ecnelis
Ecalos
Rolav
Laez

April 11, 2008 2:16 PM
By Jessica

I have no inspiration. In fact this makes my brain hurt. Well, that and there are so many (established) lovely names crying out to me... :)

April 11, 2008 2:16 PM
By Delia

Well, abuin means "above" in Scots. Spelled backwards, it's Niuba.

April 11, 2008 2:16 PM
By Tk

I could see Lagen (Angel) as a brother name, in the style of Logan.

Cielo is Heaven in Italian, Regalo is Gift.
Felicità is Happiness - Aticilef is not nearly as nice.

Shasppin is Happiness. Love could be Olev, if only Germanic style names were in fashion. Maybe you could pronounce it "Olive"?. Or Ollyve? Ellovy? (Lovely) Lyevol? Kind of a brother name to Errol only horrible?

You're right, this is hard. Though I would have dismissed "Neveah" as not actually being any better than Aticilef.

April 11, 2008 2:39 PM
By Elizabeth

Galen carries quite a bit of nonreligious baggage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen It's still positive, but you might get more teasing about wanting a doctor in the family than understanding of your actual reasons for picking the name.

April 11, 2008 3:23 PM
By Katie

I came up with beauty = Taubey and prayer = Pearry or Parrey. I rather like Pearry, though it would probably be recognized first as a surname before anyone ever got the anagram.

April 11, 2008 3:41 PM
By Joni

Laura, I am surprised that you missed the name Semaj which has been in the top 1000 for 7 years. Semaj = James. It's not a word name, but it is a name spelled backwards that is increasing in popularity.

April 11, 2008 4:30 PM
By Madeline

Is Serena too obvious as a match for Nevaeh? I know it isn't an anagram. But I think the sounds fit nicely was well the meanings.

April 11, 2008 4:32 PM
By Madeline

I meant
* But I think the sounds fit nicely, as well as the meanings.

oops

April 11, 2008 5:08 PM
By Tirzah

Have there ever been any consciously anagrammed names in the top 1000?

April 11, 2008 5:26 PM
By hyz

For a sib to Neveah, how about saved = Devas? Maybe a little too close to devastate, but it could sound like divas (I truly believe some parents want to raise little divas), or Davis--so it sounds like both a word and a name.

April 11, 2008 5:44 PM
By Yolanda

How about:

Deglen (legend)
Sounds male to me and I would pronounce it: [daeg-lun]

Leta (tale)
Sounds female to me and I would pronounce it: [lee-tuh] or [let-uh]

Tyros (story)
Sounds male to me and I would pronounce it: [tie-ruhs] or possibly [tee-ruhs]

Ranniva (nirvana)
Sounds female to me and I would pronounce it: [ruh-nee-vuh]

April 11, 2008 6:37 PM
By C & C's Mom

Miles is an anagram of smile

April 11, 2008 6:38 PM
By Tess

To me the question is-why not just name the child Nirvana or Prayer, if one is so inclined-and cannot resist the inclination? And really--Semaj--- is in the top 1000 and has been for 7 years. Yikes! But I'm probably a spoil sport because I don't have any good ones.

April 11, 2008 6:47 PM
By C & C's Mom

Leah is an anagram of heal

April 11, 2008 7:10 PM
By C & C's Mom

Ok - I think that I am having too much fun playing this game, so I promise I'll stop soon. I think anagrams are much easier than backwards names - the only backwards ones that I could come up with that sounded somewhat like real names:

Ciryl (lyric)
Evoli (I love)

also, someone mentioned that Traeh could be for Heart. It could also be from Earth. So maybe Nevaeh and Traeh could be twins - Heaven and Earth :)

April 11, 2008 7:43 PM
By Angela

Daniel is an anagram of "denial" or "nailed".

Haha.

April 11, 2008 7:55 PM
By JT

You know, I liked Legna when I first read the post. The Italian pronounciation (which is what sounded in my head the first time) would be LANE-ya. Oh well....

April 11, 2008 8:06 PM
By sme

OK, these are crazy but the best I could think of!

Nema (amen)
Halla (allah)
Elbib (bible)
Olah (halo)
Cilohtac (catholic)
Enivid (divine)
Haissem (messiah)
Haronem (menorah)
Havohej (jehovah)
Amrak (karma)
Erised (desire)
Epoh (hope)
Leon (noel) - not really original

April 11, 2008 8:25 PM
By Valerie

Yolanda
Leta is the name of dooce's little girl( www.dooce.com )- it means joy in Latin, according to one baby name book, probably as a variant from L(a)etitia. I think they pronounce it LEE-ta. I liked your ingenuity!

April 11, 2008 9:15 PM
By Melissa C

I came up with Abby (Baby), Irving (Virgin), Lyza (Lazy), Alyce (Lacey), Marecia (America), April (Pilar), Bela (Able), Daly or Lyda (Lady)

April 11, 2008 9:40 PM
By Ryann

To those who were talking about "sacred" - how about Dresca? Yeah, it's just a letter away from Fresca, but I still think it could work.

April 11, 2008 9:47 PM
By Ryann

And to Valerie: Leta comes from the feminine form of the Latin adjective "laetus," meaning happy, cheerful, prosperous, fortunate, or abundant. "Laetitia" is the noun form, and it actually means joy or fertility.

/Latin nerd

April 11, 2008 9:49 PM
By Philippa

When I taught preschool, there was the cutest little girl name Tenaj in the infant room. Her mother? Janet.

April 11, 2008 10:11 PM
By cc

Ooooh! I like Leta...reminds me of the beautiful Queeen Aleta, wife of Prince Valient. Is that comic strip still being produced? It was very popular when I was younger. Why do you suppose Aleta hasn't gained a following?
I also think Lyda is charming. I've always loved the old song Lida Rose. There's another name that's very appealing, I think.
riffing on sacred again:
Cardes
Cedras
Cedars
Scedar
Ugh! Don't like any of those!!
Back to the drawing board.

April 11, 2008 11:59 PM
By Zoerhenne

What a fun game Laura! I actually like some of the names suggested here. I would never name an actual child Nevaeh. (Heck I'm not even sure how to pronounce it!) But if I were it seems that Serena or Treah would be a perfect sibling match!
Legan and Drecas sound do-able to me.
On a side note, my name is anagrammed to Ecstasy. I always thought this could be my "porn name". LOL

Cloud=Duloc
Angelica
Gentle=Teglen
Wonderful=Drewfonul(nnDrew)
Amazing=Ginzama(wierd!)
Miraculous=Caurimusol(CAW-Rim-UH-Sol)sort of spanish sounding
Fondly=Yldonf(Yll-DON-ef nn Don)
Clearly, this is strange. It seems to me that this is easier for the "Tolkienese" and Harry "Potteranians" among us. Laura, your daughter seems like she has the makings of a good book. Btw, why do these names not seem odd when reading these kind of books but do when I try to invent new ones on this board?

April 12, 2008 1:50 AM
By Megan W.

My MIL met a boy Yram (Mother was Mary). I think it was pronounced Ur-ram.

My cousin teased me that Megan spelled backwards is Nag 'em. I still can't forgive him for noticing that!

April 12, 2008 3:51 AM
By Adrienne

"Ainsley" is an anagram of "Elysian," which works well if your last name is "Fields"!

April 12, 2008 9:27 AM
By Keren

Gladrin = Darling

Tisan = Saint

Deroda = Adored backwards

Spicela = Special (can just imagine a class of Ellas, Bellas, Isabellas and little Spicela)

Detiawa = Awaited backwards..perfect for families who have suffered probles conceiving. Deti is quite sweet as a nn.

Vyello = Lovely

Tybeau = Beauty

Steris = Sister

April 12, 2008 9:30 AM
By Keren

Oh, and Glimaci for Magical. This is worryingly addictive..

April 12, 2008 10:06 AM
By njjm

I like Deroda for adored. The few I could come up with that I like a bit are:

Devobel = Beloved
Mircela = Miracle
Pheras = Seraph

April 12, 2008 3:46 PM
By Rachel

Teresa is an anagram for Easter. For sacred, I have Draces, which is not so great.

April 12, 2008 4:30 PM
By Amy3

These have been fascinating to read. I wish I had some to add, but I clearly have no facility for this. Your daughter, Laura, seems to be great at it, though!

April 12, 2008 5:22 PM
By Keren

Climera or Clemira = Miracle (backwards it is Elcarim which is just about possible)

Debelvo = beloved
Thorber = Brother

And my favourite:
Brit'lecey = Celebrity

April 12, 2008 10:07 PM
By peter

so how do you pronounce nevaeh?

April 13, 2008 4:13 AM
By Beth

Merry Christmas to our friends and family! The kids are doing great. Our eldest son Cager (Grace) prefers to go by his nickname Mashies (Messiah), while his twin Claimer (Miracle) has taken on the moniker Tatamihami (I am that I am). As to the girls, I'm disappointed that Hulajellah (Hallelujah) has changed her name to Ann, but baby Ehloony (Holy One) seems quite content to just suck her toes.

No other news from here; we're generally a quiet and modest family and just hope the kids end up happy.

Love, Steve and Karen

April 13, 2008 4:28 AM
By Jessica

Peter: the kids I know say it ne-VAY-uh

April 13, 2008 8:40 AM
By Sarah

I tried to post this earlier, and forgive me if it pops up later, but I think it got lost somewhere between the forum fates and the thunder storm above my house.

If backward spelling and anagrams don't unveil any sibling names for the parents of Nevaeh, how about predictive text naming? A whole new world of naming possibilities open up using the same principle as my cell phone uses to predict which word I want to put in a text message (you can use replace any letter with another letter that appears on the same button on the phone). A quick look gets:
Bliss: Aliss, Clipp

Loved: Joude, Loude, Lotef, Kovee (or you can work with just Love and drop the last letter of any of those names).

Fate: Eave, Dave, Fauv

Nirvana: Mirtana, Nistcoa, Oirtanc (pronounced We-tance), Mistoac

Blessed: Aldrree (similar to Audrey), Clerse

April 13, 2008 8:41 AM
By Sarah

I tried to post this earlier, and forgive me if it pops up later, but I think it got lost somewhere between the forum fates and the thunder storm above my house.

If backward spelling and anagrams don't unveil any sibling names for the parents of Nevaeh, how about predictive text naming? A whole new world of naming possibilities open up using the same principle as my cell phone uses to predict which word I want to put in a text message (you can use replace any letter with another letter that appears on the same button on the phone). A quick look gets:
Bliss: Aliss, Clipp

Loved: Joude, Loude, Lotef, Kovee (or you can work with just Love and drop the last letter of any of those names).

Fate: Eave, Dave, Fauv

Nirvana: Mirtana, Nistcoa, Oirtanc (pronounced We-tance), Mistoac

Blessed: Aldrree (similar to Audrey), Clerse

April 13, 2008 1:35 PM
By Jamie

This is totally unrelated to the post at hand, but a friend of mine is looking for a classic, formal, feminine name for her daughter that sounds a bit Southern in style. The ones we've come up with include:

Virginia, Caroline, Charlotte, Susannah, Georgia/Georgiana

What else would you add to this list? Thanks, and happy anagramming!

A few that I've come up with (which I am NOT recommending for a child!):

(Forgive me if some of these are repeats, I haven't gotten to read all the posts above yet).

Pphay (pron. Faye) or Yppha (EE-fah) - Happy
Dessbel - Blessed (fits with the ____-bel names at least)
Dessonebel (Dess-OH-na-bell)
or Dessenobel (Dess-ENN-a-bell) - Blessed One
Donoevebel (Doh-NOE-va-bell) - Beloved One
Bleon or Bolen or Elbon - Noble

April 13, 2008 2:38 PM
By Linz

This is similar to another post, but I thought Solah (from Halos) was kind of cute.

April 13, 2008 4:17 PM
By RobynT

Jamie: Love all those Southern/classic names. I think we've discussed before problems with Virginia being slang for vagina, plus the whole virgin thing that some (myself included) don't like. And I would maybe check the popularity on some of those.

A story I need to share with you all:
I know three people that are pregnant right now (all around age 28/29 and college educated, but from different parts of the country, different racial backgrounds). One's top name was Lucia, another's was Lucas, and the third had Lucy as one of their top names. Isn't that wild? Well, I told the one with Lucia, and she changed her top name to Josephine. lol.

April 13, 2008 4:47 PM
By Htims Yram

I've been told that "backward naming" is an LDS baby-naming quirk--anyone know if it's especially common in that community? Or maybe just in Utah?

April 13, 2008 5:02 PM
By Kristine

Re: Virginia. Yes, it means "virgin," just like Catherine means "pure." I guess the meaning of Virginia is slightly more obvious to non-name enthusiasts, but so what? Is purity/virginity a liability these days? Plus, it has so much cool, cool history behind it. Wasn't Virginia Dare the first European to be born in the New World? And she was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the "virgin queen" who prudently refused to marry any of the male world leaders of the day, even though she was under great pressure to do so. She ruled over one of England's most glorious periods. I think the whole connotation is wonderful. IMHO, of course.

April 13, 2008 6:06 PM
By bill

Miley is an anagram of limey.

For something goth sounding, how about Elona (alone).

April 13, 2008 10:05 PM
By Rosemay

bill - or even Enola?

April 13, 2008 11:20 PM
By Marzipan

At the risk of sounding like a role playing game, I thought this might appeal to some:

Healer backwards is Relaeh

or

Healed backwards is Delaeh -- a twist on the Delilah phenomenon.

April 13, 2008 11:30 PM
By Madeline

RE:Htims Yram

As on who lives in Utah, I haven't heard too much of the backward naming. But they do sometimes have a tendancy to mix names of both parents to create new names. (That was really a generation ago... I don't know anyone now who does this). I don't know if any of you heard Laura on Radiowest on NPR in September but she discussed this former Utah naming trend.

April 14, 2008 3:11 AM
By J&H's mom

I read years ago about a family who named their daughter Ilys, for I Love You So.
Perfect for a sibling of a little Nevaeh.
Beth, I wish you'd start a blog. I'd read it and laugh every day.
Take care, all!

April 14, 2008 3:52 AM
By Tirzah

Celebrity Naming Alert

Cate Blanchett - Had a boy: Ignatius Martin. That's a lot less mainstream than brothers' names Dashiell and Roman.

April 14, 2008 10:02 AM
By SusieQ

Some more fruits of the Spirit...

Faithfulness
THUFFLENSSIA / THUFFLESSIAN
(girl/boy ... has a Germanic feel to me)

Peace
CEEPA
(girl)

Patience
CANEPTIE / TENCEPIA
(both girls, but you can have the French or Greek versions)

Kindness
DINSKENS
(Dutch?!)

Goodness
SONDOGES
(has the feel of Solange, Solenn or Dolores)

Gentleness
GLENNTESSE
(feels fresh and Scottish)

Self-control
SORFTCOLLEN
(um... sounds Martian, frankly, but anyway...)

April 14, 2008 11:16 AM
By Htims Yram

"Ignatius Martin"--well, I wouldn't use it, but I do kinda like it! I grew up in a town that had a few boys named Ignatius--invariably called Iggie, or by their other names (I suspect Cate's son will be called Martin, which sounds very nice with Dashiell and Roman). Saint's name, long history, hardly ever used but certainly familiar (esp. among Catholics).

BUT, in Spanish-speaking places, it's Ignacio, and the usual nickname is Nacho, which is quite a hoot.

Martin was on my short list, twice. Love that name. And, heads up to nature namers, it's a bird's name--the purple martin!

April 14, 2008 11:38 AM
By J

Evendi is devine
Evolly is lovely
Ebaytu is beauty

Deroda/Edora is backwards adored/adore

April 14, 2008 2:55 PM
By Catherine

If it weren't for the weirdness of the double 's', "Ssenippah" ("happiness" backwards) would be a good match for Nevaeh - it has the same pseudo-Biblical appearance and positive meaning.

Some other backspellings I like are:

Relaeh ("Healer")
Revlis ("Silver")
Nema ("Amen")
Loram ("Moral")

As for anagrams...

Teralen = Eternal
Lysenia = Elysian

April 14, 2008 3:18 PM
By Ash

Wow!! I'm just really impressed with all your anagramming/name inventing skills. Especially Laura's daughter, who seems to have a future as a fantasy writer! I really having nothing useful to add to the conversation, but wanted to tell you how impressed I am. :)

Not too far off topic, I was very excited to stop by here because yesterday in the store, I encountered my very first real-life Nevaeh. Her parents were saying Nih-vay-ah, for what its worth. Since the name is of recent origin -- notice the really nice way I put that -- I wouldn't be surprised to find differences in pronunciation as well.

While I am neither LDS, nor in Utah, I still encounter it enough to know that many (not all or even most) LDS families strike me as creative namers -- in a variety of ways. So backwards names wouldn't surprise me. I think they are going for the exact opposite of the "Catholic effect." I am Catholic and was having coffee with a group of friends from church, and we took a poll of who had a sister with either a first or middle name of Elizabeth, Ann, or Mary/Maria/Marie. Of course, we had 100% success. Every one of us qualified. Some from larger families had all three.

April 14, 2008 4:44 PM
By Elizabeth T.

Ash,
Your comments made me laugh ruefully! I am the only female member of my mother's family for three generations (eight women) who does not have some derivation of Mary in her name! (Clearly, we're Catholic.) But with the name Elizabeth Ann, I think I've got the bases covered since Elizabeth was Mary's cousin and Ann was her mother. :-), My cousins and I have not continued the trend, however, since none of the four girls born to the fourth generation have any form of Mary in their names.

My father-in-law's family is LDS and they do indeed have creative names. His siblings include Radon (named after the gas, but before they knew it was cancerous), Trauma (the worst name I've ever heard!), and Rarely.

April 14, 2008 5:02 PM
By Htims Yram

The stage show "Late Nite Catechism" includes a bit where the nun "teaching" the audience congratulates a woman in the audience for having a "Catholic Trifecta" name--it's usually something like Annemarie Therese, or Marianne Dolores, or Marygrace Elizabeth... any of those will earn the lucky audience member a trinket from the sister.

http://www.latenitecatechism.info/

April 14, 2008 6:13 PM
By Melissa C

My family is LDS although I myself am not, but I have never encountered any backwards naming there, although not from Utah at all. Most LDS families that I know have children with normal common names or biblical names. We used to have elders from the church all the time.. and although they go by last name..their first names were thing like Scott, Devin, Mary, Jonathan, Sarah etc.

April 14, 2008 6:36 PM
By hyz

Hey, do the SSA rankings for 2007 come out tomorrow? I thought I remembered that from this site, but I might be making it up. I wonder if the new list will be on the website tomorrow--I'm excited to see it!

April 14, 2008 6:53 PM
By Madeline

So, back to the LDS naming trends (like I say I really think these are trends of generations past... my mother went to high school with women names LaDonna and the like)

I found this website (hopefully no one finds it offensive) as an Utah living, LDS NE, I don't.

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/mormon/

You enter your name and it "mormonizes" it. Incidentally it tells me mine is:
Marveline Pertheina Marne

This article also talks about some of the LDS/Utah naming trends if anyone is interested

http://wesclark.com/ubn/

April 14, 2008 7:08 PM
By sdh

hyz -- the new SSA rankings usually come out the week before mother's day, so we'll have to wait another month.

April 14, 2008 7:10 PM
By sdh

hyz -- the new SSA rankings usually come out the week before mother's day, so we'll have to wait another month.

April 14, 2008 7:37 PM
By hyz

sdh--thanks for the info, and I'm sorry to hear that--I had gotten my hopes all up. :) Well, I guess a little waiting never killed anyone. :)

April 14, 2008 8:26 PM
By Eo

Trust me to have a minority reaction to Ms. Wattenberg's topic, but it gives me a queasy feeling. Discussions of anagram naming and the like, seem to have a tendency to devolve into exercises in cultural superiority, somehow.

I do think the people who happily bestow names that are anagrammic (?) or a bit literal, are doing it out of innocence, a kind of exuberant naivete, perhaps? I don't like seeing them exposed to public ridicule, even of the muted variety.

On the other hand, names given out of snobbery or social one-ups-man-ship, seem more "fair game", if that makes any sense... Has anyone seen this awful, but creepily watchable reality show, "The Real Housewives of New York City", or something like that?

All the values of these affluent New Yorkers are horribly skewed. One of the strenuously "striving" couples has named their four year old son "Francois". The husband is a Brit who owns an "upscale" hotel in Manhattan, and the wife would probably not be embarrassed to describe herself as an aspiring "socialite". Neither of them are remotely French.

Not only did they name him "Francois", but there is an excruciating scene in a French restaurant where they try to get this squirmy toddler to order his lemonade in French: "Now, say "limonade", Francois!!" Gack!

April 14, 2008 9:30 PM
By Easternbetty

Madeline: Thank you so much for the Mormon name link.

I actually REALLY like the name they gave me. It's actually a little brilliant. (No sarcasm).

NEs, feast:

Sunday's Hossana Bonquisha

April 14, 2008 9:42 PM
By Wendy

Don't know if anyone has offered it, but consider

Cilegna for the sister of Nevaeh.

Angelic spelled backwards.

Thought it up, and then I googled it. 1800 hits.... don't know if anyone was actually NAMED this, but there are females using it on the net.

And for some reason, Cilegna sounds so much better than just Legna to me...

April 14, 2008 9:47 PM
By Wendy

okay, I need some help name geeks (I mean that affectionately). not with a baby name, but with a dog name.

We are going to get a dog in the next few weeks. Don't know if it will be a boy or girl.

If it is a girl dog it will be Clemintine.

We need a boy dog name. The twist: it has to appear in a song. (My daughter and our other dog have songs with their names).

Girl names are used in songs all the time. Boy names are harder. The only ones I can think of are Jude and Jeremiah.

Any suggestions?

Oh, and no popular names please...can't stand them for either a child or a dog.

Thanks

April 14, 2008 9:55 PM
By Lee

I admire the creative effort, but so many of these names are just GOD awful.

I know, I know. One shouldn't get too JUDGMENTAL.

Wendy, how about naming your dog (if he's a boy) Bill. As in the Laura Nyro/5thDimension tune "Wedding Bell Blues." Then you could always sing to him, "Bill, I love you so/I always will."

Just leave out the part about "taking those wedding vows." People might talk.

April 14, 2008 11:38 PM
By Miriam

Re dog names--

I don't know how helpful these are, but this is what came to mind--

Mr. Bojangles
Sue (as in Boy Named Sue)
Liberty (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence)
Julio (Me and Julio DOwn By the Schoolyard--although maybe the lyrics are on the adult side for singing to your daughter--they would probably go over her head, just as the lyrics to Poison Ivy went over mine when that song first came out)
Leroy and Jim (both from Jim Croce songs--Bad Bad Leroy Brown who was meaner than a junkyard dog and DOn't Mess Around with Jim)
Lee (as in Stagger Lee--again not so kid-friendly lyrics)
Sgt. Pepper
Maxwell (Maxwell's SIlver Hammer)

As I am thinking of songs with male characters named in the titles, it is becoming clear that most of the guys in these songs are up to no good--gambling, violence, and other R- and X-rated activities, and worse. Even poor Mr. Bojangles was in the slammer.

Here's some more benign ones:

Eddy, My LOve (by the Teen Queens, dating back to when I was a "teen queen" so to speak)
Johnny B Good
From the Coasters--Charlie Brown and Smokey Joe's Cafe
From Bob Dylan--The Mighty Quinn and Mr. Tambourine Man

Well, y'all can tell how old I am by my taste in music :-)

April 14, 2008 11:42 PM
By Htims Yram

Consulting my "male names" iTunes playlist for ya, Wendy....c'mon, doesn't everybody here have a names playlist?... here's some of what I find beyond the most popular names you've asked us to avoid:

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (REM)
"She Smiles Like Richard Nixon" (Ralph Covert)
"Jeremy Newborn Street" (The Nields)
"J for Jules" (Til Tuesday)
"My Brother Sylvester" (The Pubcrawlers)
"Tristan and Iseult" (Tarkio)
"(My Name is) Luka" (Suzanne Vega)
"(We're Only Making Plans for) Nigel" (XTC)
"Lysander" (Robyn Hitchcock)
"Noel, Jonah, and Me" (Spinanes)

and my favorite for you:
"Fernando" (ABBA)

April 14, 2008 11:46 PM
By Tirzah

How about "Crockett" for "Davy, Davy Crockett"? Crockett and Clementine would be so cute.

April 14, 2008 11:47 PM
By Miriam

further thoughts on dog names--

As I look at my list, I'm thinking Sgt. Pepper would make a cool dog name. There's only one possibly objectionable word in that song, and that word can be substituted for by something else. BTW there's another male name in that song, Billy Shears, the leader of the band.

April 15, 2008 12:11 AM
By Lee

So we're back to Billy. That should tell you something. Go for it, Wendy.

April 15, 2008 12:24 AM
By C & C's Mom

What about Yankee for a dog's name? Or Doodle? Or Dandy?

April 15, 2008 3:15 AM
By Liz & Louka

Male names in songs:

Romeo (comes up in several songs, just can't think of one at the moment)

Denis Denis (Blondie)

(My funny) Valentine (Rogers and Hart)

April 15, 2008 3:25 AM
By Wendy

Thanks for the suggestions. I am really liking
Sgt. Pepper
Leroy Brown
Davy Crockett
Yankee Doodle Dandy

Lyrics are important. My dog Annachie Gordon was named before my daughter came along. Unfortunately the lyrics of his song are not ones you would want your 6 year old to be singing. I have had to stop listening to the whole song when she is around although I do sing the chorus to the dog.

It would be fun to name a dog Richard Nixon...I have had animals named Soren Kirkegaard and Linus Pauling in the past so it would keep up a tradition.

Oh, and now of course I am rethinking the girl name... Joining Clementine are:

Dinah (I've been working on the railroad)
Maria Von Trapp
Mrs. Robinson
Cecilia
Barbara Ann

So if you have any boys or girls names which have g rated lyrics, please let me know.

April 15, 2008 3:32 AM
By Liz & Louka

Oh, I just remembered "Bobby Fischer" by Lazy Susan. I think you'd have to be Australian to have heard of it?

April 15, 2008 4:47 AM
By Miriam

Bernadette (Four Tops)
Gloria (Van Morrison)
For Emily (Paul Simon)
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (a six-year-old won't pick up on what the initials stand for and the images of marmalade skies and tangerine trees and rocking horse people and marshmallow pies would have appeal for a young'un)
Corrinna, COrrinna
Good Night Irene
Suzanne (Leonard Cohen--lyrics are sophisticated for a child but they are beautiful and evocative)
Lovely Rita )meter maid)
Michelle
Lady Madonna
Long Tall Sally
Sweet Georgia Brown
Oh Susannah

tons of songs with female names...

April 15, 2008 4:55 AM
By Miriam

Oh, and Maria from West Side Story

April 15, 2008 5:31 AM
By Liz & Louka

More names in songs:

(The sinking of the) Reuben James (Woodie Guthrie)
Miss Otis (regrets) (Cole Porter)
Wernher Von Braun (Tom Lehrer)
Lobachevsky (Tom Lehrer)
Oedipus Rex (Tom Lehrer)
Alma (Tom Lehrer)

There's Wildcat Kelly, in Cole Porter's Don't Fence Me In, but I think it would be a bit odd to call a dog Wildcat...

April 15, 2008 5:42 AM
By Keren

Sloop John B

(Rockin) Robin

(Five Guys named) Moe

(me and) Mr Jones

Minnie (the Moocher)

(Hello) Dolly

The Jean Genie

April 15, 2008 11:28 AM
By Bea Dee

Lola - The Kinks
Mean Mr. Mustard - Beatles
Virginia (Only the Good Die Young) - Billy Joel
Proud Mary - CCR
My Name is Jonas - Weezer
Major Tom - David Bowie
Come on, Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runner
Benny and the Jetts - Elton John
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Simon and Garfunkel

April 15, 2008 12:52 PM
By hyz

Don't forget the Beatles':
Eleanor Rigby
Michelle
Lady Madonna
Penny Lane (kind of a stretch, but cute)
Dear Prudence

Some more from the same era:
Desdemona (John's Children)
Georgy Girl (The Seekers)
Matthew and Son (Cat Stevens)
Ode to Billie Joe (Bobbie Gentry)
To Ramona (Bob Dylan)
Johnny Angel (Shelley Fabares)
Puff the Magic Dragon (PP&M)
Ruby Baby (The Drifters)
Hello, Dolly! (Louis Armstrong)
Liza Jane (David Bowie)
Rosalyn (David Bowie)
I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am (Herman's Hermits)
Gloria (Van Morrison)
Josie (Donovan)
Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett)
Build Me Up Buttercup (The Foundations)
Delilah (Tom Jones)
Eloise (Barry Ryan)
Jennifer Juniper (Donovan)
Jumpin' Jack Flash (Rolling Stones)
Susie Q (Rolling Stones)
Abraham, Martin, & John (Dion)
Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel)
Maybelline (Simon & Garfunkel)
Richard Cory (Simon & Garfunkel)
So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (Simon & Garfunkel)
Wake Up Little Susie (Simon & Garfunkel)

April 15, 2008 12:57 PM
By hyz

Oh, and James Taylor--usually fairly safe lyrics:
Carolina in My Mind or Caroline I See You
Sweet Baby James
Gaia
Oh Susannah
Captain Jim's Drunken Dream

April 15, 2008 1:36 PM
By Zoerhenne

Hyz-love all those songs you mentioned!
Wendy-my first thought was Leroy Brown as was already mentioned. I have also thought of:
Bobby McGee(Me + Bobby Mcgee)
Edmund Fitzgerald(The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald)
Charlie Brown(Coasters song)
Roxanne(Police)
Brandy(Brandy You're a Fine Girl)
Maybelinne
Proud Mary
Levon(Elton John)
Benny + the Jets(Elton John)
Jessie's Girl(Rick Springfield)
Mickey(Toni Basil)
Jenny"867-5309"(Tommy Tutone)
Sweet Caroline
Daisy(Bicycle Built For Two)*Goes great with Clementine*
Found this when I googled"boy name song title":
http://www.nancy.cc/2008/03/09/names-in-song-titles-coby-katy-lazarus-martha/
There is a list of some modern song names (Girl + boy)there. Also for those of us who can never get enough of names and lists and stuff there are several links on the right-hand side of that page to explore. Have fun!

April 15, 2008 1:50 PM
By Tess

I love the suggestions Miss Otis and Sgt. Pepper...leaving the dog's first names mysterious. I do like the original Clementine(Churchill) with her fellow, Winston.That would work especially well for English bulldogs. But I feel that I have digressed from your problem,at hand.

April 15, 2008 1:53 PM
By Tess

I meant "leaving the dogs'first names mysterious".

April 15, 2008 4:54 PM
By Cleveland Kent Evans

I see that Traeh, from "heart", has been mentioned three times so far, but people may not realize that this name has actually already been used. I've seen at least three uses of it, one of them definitely way before Nevaeh became popular. I've known it given to boys and pronounced like Tray, and give to girls and pronounced like "Tray-uh".

There are also many examples of backspellings from other names. I know of people named Adnil, Leahcim, Sirron, Nella, Mada, Ronaele, and Neleh as backspellings of the names of relatives. And Semaj, which is James backwards, is now fairly common in the African-American community and has been on the SSA top 1000 list since 1999.

Senga used to be fairly common in Scotland, and many parents who used it chose it because it is a backspelling of Agnes, though it may also have another origin from Gaelic.

April 15, 2008 5:04 PM
By Sarah S

Jamie, I would like to add Vivianne (vivi ANN) or Vivienne to your list - maybe not as classic as the others, but definitely southern, feminine and stylish in my opinion!

Faith = Tifah
Serenity = Terynise
Trinity = Rittiny (pronounced like Brittany)
Easter = Restae, Staree, Estara
Eden = Deen
Nirvana = Viranna, Anavira
Paradise = Darasepi
Angelic = Glenica
Garden = Graden
Patience = Penecita (sounds nice at first, but it really sounds like Spanish for a not-so-well-endowed man.)
Loved = Dovel (daVELL)
Agape = Pagea
Honey = Nohey (NOee)

I would never choose an anagrammed name, but I could see some people choosing them.

April 15, 2008 5:48 PM
By roundabout

Nickname question: we are expecting a baby (gender unknown) and our top boy's name pick is Alistair. As a nickname, I'd like to call him ... well, the pronunciation would be "Alley." But what is the best spelling to use? I like "Ali" as it has the most direct relationship to "Alistair", but think that people will misread it as "Ah-LEE" (like Muhammad Ali). Is Alli or Ally preferable for this reason?

April 15, 2008 5:56 PM
By C & C's Mom

I think that it would be fun to have an anagrammed name or even a backwards name as long as the resulting name wasn't too strange. I think children especially might enjoy the secret message aspect of it. I like my own name, but it is just one that my parents liked. I never have a story to tell about it.

http://www.babynames.com/namelist/9615022

April 15, 2008 5:59 PM
By C & C's Mom

roundabout:

I think that out of context people might mispronounce Ali. However, there is a little girl at our school with that name and I have never heard anyone get it wrong. Are you thinking of it as a full-time use nn? Sometimes people still use their full names when they are writing their name. In that case, it wouldn't really be an issue.

April 15, 2008 9:18 PM
By Easternbetty

roundabout, if I were you, I'd use Aly or any spelling other than Ali, but namely because Ali is the most common (female) nickname for Alison and all its variant spellings, which may lead to on-paper gender confusion.

I'm not too concerned over the male Arabic name Ali, because I think most English-speakers still associate the spelling "Ali" with the woman's nickname.

FWIW, the male name Ali should rightly be pronounced in European languages (like English) the same as the female English name (as in Ali Sheedy, etc.)I'm not sure why some people pronounce it with the emphasis on the second syllable (All-LEE) as in the boxer. If anything, in Arabic the emphasis is very strongly on the first syllable, though with an initial sound which has no European equivalent.

April 15, 2008 9:22 PM
By Easternbetty

One more thing, I'd use Aly with one-L because the double-l might put people in mind of an alliance.

Note, though, that the double-l seems to be a popular spelling for males in Scotland; I've heard of several famous Scottish men who spell it Ally, so at least there is precedent.

By the way, I was wrong about Ally Sheedy-she uses the Ally spelling, as well!

April 15, 2008 9:31 PM
By Keren

In Scotland Ally is a common nn for Alistair or Alex..as in Ally MacLeod, Ally McLeish (football managers.)

However there is Ally Mcbeal to think about.

April 16, 2008 12:11 AM
By RobynT

There's that Basement Jaxx song that goes, "You used to be my Romeo."

Ebin from the Sublime song.

I'm really not so good at these games, but very amused by other folks' contributions!

roundabout: I was thinking Ali would be better because the double-L was decidedly female for most folks, but maybe I'm wrong?

April 16, 2008 4:25 AM
By bill

My old cat was Ally, named after Ally McBeal (and alley cat, get it?!?!). Then we found out it was a male, so we lengthened it to Alistair. We kept Ally as the nn, spelled that way. I'm not sure how much spelling matters to pets.

names in songs
lemonheads: hannah & gabi, alison's starting to happen
elvis costello: alison, veronica
material issue: valerie loves me, diane, renee remains the same, lil christine, kim the waitress
juliana hatfield: mabel, daniel (...hey a male name)
sonic youth: hey joni, eric's trip, mildred pierce, theresa's sound-world, tom violence, marilyn moore, madonna, sean & me, reena, karen revisited, heather angel
helium: leon's space song, pat's trick
smiths: william, it was really nothing
velvet underground: candy says, stephanie says, sweet jane
ramones: judy is a punk, sheena is a punk rocker
jane's addiction: jane says
siouxsie & the banshees: christine
new pornographers: jackie dressed in cobras, the jessica numbers
kiss: christine sixteen, beth

ok that's it for now

April 16, 2008 4:29 AM
By Wendy

Thanks for all the suggestions for dog names. My daughter is partial to Clementine, Sweet Caroline or Bonnie (My Bonnie lies over the ocean) for a girl dog. Boy is up in the air... I really like Sgt. Pepper or Leroy Brown. She likes Mickey Mouse.

April 16, 2008 12:32 PM
By Zoerhenne

LOL Wendy on Mickey Mouse for a dog's name. But hey it does have a song appropriate for a 6 yo to go with it.

April 16, 2008 12:46 PM
By roundabout

Thanks for the feedback on Alistair/Ali/Ally. It seems others have a mixed response as I do, so there isn't one "right" way to approach this! Good thing our top girl's name pick is Hazel — less confusion there regarding nicknames.

I don't think the nickname Ally would be used exclusively, probably just informally and interchangeably with the slightly longer Alistair. Of course, then he will grow up to be a teenager and everyone will just call him "Al!"

April 16, 2008 12:47 PM
By Megan W.

Has no one mentioned Bingo? It was after all, his name-o!

April 16, 2008 5:00 PM
By Eo

For a boy nicknamed from Alistair, I like the "Allie" spelling for a boy, as opposed to "Ally". This is a more "antique" or nineteenth century preference. "Ie" was often the ending of choice for male diminutives then-- remember in "Little Women", young Theodore Laurence was nicknamed "Laurie" by his chums. (Although Jo March called him "Teddy" with a "y" ending, which destroys my theory!)

Incidentally, when the surname "Lesley/Leslie" was first appropriated as a first name, the "ey" spelling was pretty much reserved for girls, and the "ie" for boys-- as in actor Leslie Howard. But that's pretty much kaput now...

I still like the Scottish spelling "Alasdair", (but same pronunciation, of course) which gets you to the more distinctive nickname "Lad" or "Laddie". Love!

April 16, 2008 5:06 PM
By Eo

I wonder why there isn't more nicknaming that "telescopes" the name, or slightly scrambles the existing letters? By far the most common nicknaming seems to be the taking of the first syllable, and maybe adding ie/y. For example, "Christopher" becoming "Chris" instead of "Kit" or "Kip/Kiph".

To me, the nicknames that make you work a little harder-- but still relate closely to the original name, are the most satisfactory. Does anyone have any favorite examples of telescoped or scrambled nicknames? I know we've talked about this before, but it's so interesting...

April 16, 2008 5:17 PM
By C & C's Mom

Valerie: I think those lists are addictive as well. The one I posted is actually my own personal list. But I like to look at the others and see what kinds of things other people are considering. I think the names that I see there are pretty different from the names that I see posted on here.

I did see a list with Nevaeh on it.

I'm loving the Cain/Abel joke.

April 16, 2008 5:20 PM
By C & C's Mom

EO: My own ds is Coby from Jacob. Because it's a nn from the 2nd syllable and not the first, many people seem to be confused by it. It becomes more logical when you think of the name Jacoby or if you pronounce Jacob like it would be in Hebrew (Ya - kob with a long o).

I also know someone named Sullivan who goes by Evan.

April 16, 2008 5:56 PM
By AK

That's really weird that you bring up the whole nickname-that's-closely-related-but-not-from-the-first-syllable thing. Because I had a DREAM about that last night.

We have to name our first-born son Edward because of family tradition, but I dislike Ed or Eddy. Last night, I dreamed that we called our hypothetical Edward (a common name in the British monarchy) by the nickname ROY.

Which, in some instances, is derived from the French for "King."

Crazy, huh?

April 16, 2008 6:08 PM
By roundabout

Eo -

I love the Scottish spelling "Alasdair/Alasdhair" as well, but I think that the child will have trouble enough having his name spelled correctly in North America, and an even more esoteric or less intuitive spelling would be even worse.

April 16, 2008 6:40 PM
By Anonymous

I guess I come kind of late to this topic, but how about birthplace names backwards?
Anozira (Arizona)
Nogero (Oregon)
Hatu (Utah)
Amabala (my fave--Alabama)
Adirolf (Florida)
Anaidni (Indiana)
Eniam (Maine)
and
I'iawah (Hawai'i)

As for "meaning" anagrams:
Astree (Easter)
Pyphinea (Epiphany)
Pyrrea (Prayer)
Chastirni (Christian)
Tylinas (Saintly)
Tindsey or Dynetsi (Destiny)
Chytista (Chastity)
Sytra (Artsy)
Stascey (Ecstasy)
Pretura (Rapture)

-Long-time reader, first-time poster.

April 16, 2008 7:26 PM
By JDG

Eo, AK, My uncle Edward goes by Ned, but his brothers often call him Ward. I have known a Christopher that went by Topher, a Cynthia that went by Thia, a Melissa that tried to get people to call her Issa (feeling she had outgrown Missy).

April 16, 2008 8:00 PM
By Nikki

EO-
I know a Calissa that goes by Liss. A Sabrina the used to go by Brina or Breeny. A Christopher that used to go by Topher, but now goes by Toph. Another Christopher that went by Kit. Actually his middle name was Christopher, I forget what his real first name was. I know a William called Liam.
Now that I think of it...I DO like those nicknames better!

April 16, 2008 8:44 PM
By susan

girl dog name: don't forget Peggy Sue (by Buddy Holly?)

April 16, 2008 10:01 PM
By Keren

I just reversed my childen's birthplaces and I got Nodnol and Madretsma. Noddy and Mad for short.

April 16, 2008 11:08 PM
By Catherine

I love nicknames that don't tie to the 1st letter, Liam for William instead of Bill, Topher from Christopher etc. We're actually considering Peter if our baby is a boy but I don't like the nn Pete so if anyone has any other nn suggestions I'd love to hear them.

April 17, 2008 1:15 AM
By Eo

I LIKE the nickname examples! The nickname "Coby" (KOE-bee) for Jacob is such a great solution for a lovely, old name that is currently very popular. There might be several "Jakes" in one class, but highly unlikely that there will be more than one "Coby". Plus it has a charming sound and is 'high energy'...

Almost any traditional or highly popular name can be given an unexpected twist by "telescoping" or "scrambling". I've always liked "Romy" for "Rosemary". Seems slightly exotic, and reminiscent of actress Romy Schneider, who I think might have been Austrian. Ditto, "Tibby", "Tibbs" and "Zibby" always seem so fresh for "Elizabeth.

There was the aforementioned "Lad/Ladd" for "Alasdair". With the renewed interest in "Benedict", I was toying with possible nicknames, and really like "Bix". Even though most people would associate Bix with jazzman Bix (born Leon Bismarck) Beiderbecke, it seems a tailor-made short form for Benedict!

And on and on...

April 17, 2008 1:22 AM
By Eo

Catherine, Hannah completely stole my thunder! "Piers" and "Perry" would be my nicknames of choice for Peter. Both sophisticated and unexpected, but directly related to Peter...

April 17, 2008 1:47 AM
By Kristine

Funny someone should mention Ward for Edward. I was just saying to my husband, if we have a third boy, what about Edward called Ward? And he said, like Ward Connelly? I said, no, like Ward Clever... but he didn't really like that any better.

April 17, 2008 2:49 AM
By C & C's Mom

Valerie - thanks for the compliment. I must admit that I would not personally choose many of the names that I see, but I do like seeing them. Tastes vary so widely.

EO - glad you like Coby. He is generally the only one; however, he does get called Cody and Colby fairly often.

April 17, 2008 3:39 AM
By Joni, again

Speaking of names spelled backwards... a friend has a new baby girl in her circle named Amron. I can't remember if it was the mother or grandmother who was named Norma.

I am glad that CKEvans mentioned Senga because I was thinking of it the whole time that I read the post. It's not a word name, just a name spelled backwards.

I wonder if backwards names will be come a greater trend? I can't imagine naming my child Inoj or Auhsoj but maybe I am not "original" enough... Hannah works though.... ;P

April 17, 2008 4:58 AM
By Liz & Louka

The names of my family and my husband's, backwards:
Aleahcim
Aicirtap
Nhoj
Htebazile
Maharg
Ecurb
Harobed
Drawde
Mik
Yram
Ecyoj
Drahcir

...no, I don't think we missed any great names for our daughter.

April 17, 2008 10:23 AM
By Philippa

Along the lines of non-first-syllable nicknaming, I'm considering Fiona/Ona as a possible. Any opinions?

April 17, 2008 11:16 AM
By julie

For a Greek sounding name, how about Detniona, rhymes with Fiona? (Anointed)

April 17, 2008 11:33 AM
By Amy3

I finally have a song to contribute to the dog-name discussion! What about 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon)? Lots of male names there, and some that would be quite good on a dog, I think (not that they also wouldn't be good on a person!).

As for the telescoped-nickname discussion, I have also known a Christopher who went by Kit and a Dorothea who goes by Thea (pronounced Tee-ah).

April 17, 2008 12:41 PM
By Htims Yram

Catherine--my DH is Peter and never ever Pete. It's not a hard one to enforce; so if you want the full-name-only, go for it. On the other hand, I've always liked "Perrin" as a nn...

April 17, 2008 2:09 PM
By kristi

Another American folk-song hero to name a dog after - John Henry. Hmm, a dog born with a hammer in his hand. Sounds like a Wishbone episode.

Sunday school songs have some great names, too. Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego. Zaccheus Was a Wee Little Man. Go Down, Moses. David and Goliath.

April 17, 2008 3:36 PM
By Katie

I am voting on these like crazy, hoping to prevent just one parent from birthing the worlds 200,899,678th Madison. And then I came across the Fisher family's poll, in which they are debating naming their son, among other things, Hunter and Tanner. Hunter Fisher. Or perhaps Hunter Tanner Fisher. Wow.

April 17, 2008 6:21 PM
By Jen PH

Re: not-first-syllable nicknames
My Genevieve goes by Evie. Like C & C's Mom said, this less automatic nn does seem to confuse people. I think they’re thrown by the fact that the names don’t start with the same letter. My own father saw her initials written on something once and asked, “What’s the ‘G’ for?”

April 17, 2008 7:19 PM
By alitalia

Amy3 - love the suggestion for 50 ways to leave you lover for finding pets' names. That is actually the source of one of my cats' names. The name the shelter gave him was Denton, but that clearly didn't fit, and I was trying to find just the right name for him. My parents, who had gone with me to get the cats, were on their way home and called from the car saying, "What about Gus?! As in, Get on the bus, Gus!" They had been listening to that song, and the name suits him perfectly!
(My other cat is named Lucy, after L. M. Montgomery)
:)

April 22, 2008 11:23 PM
By Harriet

My vote is for Elbaroda. Adorable backwards. It fits the long name trend, the -a end trend, and the nn Ellie trend. And I actually think it's kinda cute. ;)

April 26, 2008 6:56 PM
By Elizabeth T.

Catherine,
If you're still reading and are still looking for a nickname for Peter, we call our son "Peter Pie," or "Pie" for short. He's only three, so he hasn't yet rebelled, but I'm sure he will at some point. Right now it's adorable and very well received.

May 1, 2008 9:16 PM
By Karen

Just thinking of nn's already famous.

Topher Grace from That Seventies Show
Tibby from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
and my hubby's Thomas Edward has always been Ted or Teddy as a child

backwards names
Karen Nerak
Thomas Samoht
Joseph Hpesoj
Susan Nasus
Diann Nnaid
Laurie Eirual
Steven Nevets
Chris Sirhc
Ellen Nelle
Dave Evad
David Divad

Anagrams
Spirit Tripsi
Aura Arua and backwards
Home Mohe
Serenity Neesytir or Nyestier

OK most don't work fun anyway

May 6, 2008 4:10 PM
By Miss Megan

Rennis (boy's name) is Sinner backwards. I like the idea of it being almost the opposite of "sinner"

May 11, 2008 9:06 PM
By Laura F

That is a precocious 6-year-old! I am jealous.

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