The Baby Name Wizard

How about b/g twins -- Silken and Leathern.

Just heard this one last week:

Sylence Nevaeh

bill, you are on a roll! Keep 'em coming.

I've posted about my father-in-law's siblings before, but he has a brother named Radon (actually named after the gas, but before it was known to be carcinogenic), and sisters named Trauma and Rarileigh (called Rare for short). Yikes!

No one has mentioned Huckleberry yet. A nod to a literary great and a botanical to boot.

And I'm thinking that carcinogen has a nice ring to it. Nicknames could be Carsi or Jen (girls) or Carson (boy).

These suggestions are all pricless!!! I'll try to add a few, but e.g. Jettison is just spot on. :) Here's my domestic list.
Rector
Box
Margin
Barely
Retrieve
Melon
Finally
Filter
Rye
Onion
Truly
Nuisance

Saute
Slice
Julienne - what, that's already a name? Who knew?
Winery
Glass
Cake or Caek as my stumbled typing produced
Photograph - if Pheobe and Phobia work, why not?

Sister Melinda: Ditto on Penn. It's far from "pen".

Lorien: I've had my eye on Brighton for a few years now (since the show "Everwood"), and I'm not sure why it hasn't caught on yet, as it has a trendy sound/feel. I quite like Brighton nn Bright, and there are all sorts of positive associations. I suggested Bright to my fiancé some time ago, but his response was "What if he... isn't?" ;)

So, in high school I dated a boy who was dead set on naming his future sons Trep and Trisk. Trep is, of course, a good golden retriever name, and Trisk always made me think of Triscuits (the cracker). So, in honor of him:

Triscuit (nn Trisk)
Newton
Figg
Oreo
Ritz
Nilla
Chips (As in Goodbye Mr...?)
Keebler
Saltine

And fine fancy names:
Medallion
Chalice
Malaise
Phobia

I'm afraid people are going to derive too much inspiration from this!!!

FWIW, Octave is also a name. It's the French answer to Octavian, and I for one really like it! I also think that Pepper is a name, as much as Sorrel is.

http://youcantcallitit.com/

This thread is the most fun I've had all week...

Amy3, there was a Canadian olympic rower named Silken Laumann, back in the 90s. Her sister is Daniele, though!

Partially inspired by car names- Exam, Flex, Edge, Civic, Citizen, Sonata, Luminescence (Luminessence), Matrix, Vector, Micro, Electron, Vista, Rover, Carousel (Caryselle).

I'm having trouble coming up with anything new and creative, but the joke name for me before I was born was Kentucky Blue (real ln that sounds like Grass). Kentucky is a place name so it's probably already being used, but I'm not sure the three together are...

JO, I like all of your options and definitely think Vernica Frances is a nice combo, although if you might have more girls would you regret using both names at once or be happy to use Eleanor then? As for nicknames my mom's nn as a kid and still with family is Fancy which I think is adorable on a little girl. Doesn't fit the same style as Georgie, but I thought I'd throw it out anyway!

Re: Caramel as a girl's name -- yes, especially since some pronounce it "carmel" and Carmel is already a girl's name (I say cara-mel ... and was actually nn'd Cara by a friend in high school when I dated a boy with the last name Mello [like the candy bar Caramello]).

Susan -- I too have always wondered about "Fanny" because of its use as a term for one's backside ... though the only people I've ever heard use it to mean that are older, so maybe most young people/kids wouldn't be familiar with that meaning?

Wafer
Tidbit (a mirror palindrome when lowercase, in a font with out a little hook for the t)
Sandal
Demise
Abyss
Uremia
Bulimia
Diverticula
Macedonia
Dilemma (matches well with Nuisance)
Quandary

Debris

Re Fanny: In the US it means backside. In the UK it means female genital. I would stick with Frannie or Francie or some such.

Re Huckleberry: there is a professional poker player named Huckleberry (Huck) Seed. His sibs--Poppy, Cotton, and Leif....

In the "nothing new under the sun" department: in the 12th century Heloise and Abelard named their son Astrolabe.

My uncle has been thinking up names for my soon-due daughter. Among them:

Amnesia
Alexia
Dyslexia

It's funny that people actually DO use Alexia as a name. It's a disorder. LOL

My husband and I have been thinking of Veronica, so it's funny that the question was raised here about that name. It's certainly much better than Amnesia.

Makepeace was a family name for him, and is still is here in New England where I live.

Leonie, Cameo is WAY cool. :)

Enid, our neighbor's grandchild is Alexia. :) Course in my dd's lexicon it's pronounced 'wekkia'...

Thank you all for the input! My husband is leaning toward Veronica and I'm still undecided between the three (Veronica, Frances & Nora). The middle name for all three would be Lynn (again to honor a family member). I did a search on Veronica Lynn and unfortunately, an adult film star uses that name - Yikes! Should this affect my naming choice?!

I think Fanny is cute, however, I am concerned with the UK meaning!

Love this thread discussion. You guys have me laughing at my desk!

Could someone make a list of more music/sound inspired "names"? I'm helping my uncle pick names for characters in his book. He won't tell me why, but they must have this connection.

We have: Cadence (girl)
Sonic (boy. I found this one on this thread! Going to suggest it to him tomorrow!)

And we need one more for a boy.

Thanks!

P.s. Wow all I seem to do on this site is ask for naming help for other people ;)

P.P.S: BTW, I just typed up a Baptism certicate for two girls: Jerzee (Jersey?), and Quality!

RB, I'm also crying with laughter at your words-for-names lineup, especially "Lummox," "Usherette" and "Payola." Hee!

re: Caramel.

Yes. One of my former students older sister was Caramel. Or was hers Carmel? Yes. It was Carmel.

My SIL is Caramela. Caramela Delight to be precise. (pro. car-ma-la)

I have to weigh in on the Frances, Veronica, Nora discussion. I have to vote for Frances Veronica (I prefer that order), then you could have several different nicknames for different occasions! My DD is Nina Frances and when she's being silly she's Nina Fancy Francie, but when she's being naughty she's being Nina Frannie or just Frannie, but she's never Frankie...it just doesn't seem to fit her, but it's cute too.

Now I need some suggestions if I may interrupt the fun name games..
I'm trying to help my sister brainstorm for her Girl #2 due in Nov. Her first daughter is Lucy Ann3 and their LN is a cute French name that starts with a B.

I've suggested Sylvie but she felt ehhhhh about it and we don't like how trendy Sophie is. Charlotte was on her orig. list for baby #1 and she likes the name Molly but isn't overwhelmed by it. They might use "May" as a middle name to honor his grandmother and Molly M a y is a little too sing-songy.

Any other suggestions? Nothing too difficult because they constantly have to spell their last name.

Thanks!

Eimi do you want Music/Sound words that are already considered names? Or just words that COUlD be names?:

Try:

Treble
Echo
Allegro
Adagio
Dolce
Forte
Melody
Tempo
Tembre
Acoustic
Ambience
Bass

Names for sister of Lucy Ann:

Amy (although Amy May doesn't work well)
Claire
Julie
Sally (or is the Peanuts connection to strong?)
Chloe

Wendy, thanks for your imput!

Check this out:
Amy is my name! (I suggested to her as a joke because it is making a come back!!)
Chloe was the name I used as an alias back in my angsty teen years!
Julie is her sister in law!
Claire is a name of college BFF's new baby!
Sally is really cute, but maybe too much Peanuts like you said.
What else can I shoot down? haha jk

She kinda likes Sadie, but it's a little trendy. And she's willing to go kinda outside the box. She likes Edith (for our Grams) NN Edie but isn't sure her DH will go for it.

Sorry--unrelated question here. I posted a while ago about the names Natalie and Madeline, and mentioned how we had changed our minds completely to go with Anna.
Now we're back to the drawing board AGAIN, because my husband's family members recently commented that "Anna" reminds them too much of my husband's ex. (The association hadn't bothered me, but now I'm having second thoughts. Partly because I love Anna but haven't been 100% "sold" on the name.)
I liked Anna for its classic simplicity and worldwide appeal. The new name that we're considering is Juliana, thinking that it would give our daughter more options in the form of nickname opportunities (including Anna!). And yes, I do like the name Juliana on its own.
What do you guys think? Is Juliana too romantic or overly feminine? Her middle name would be my mother's one-syllable maiden name, starting with a B.
Thanks!

Oh, again, off-topic--my husband and I came across "Acadia" and found it an intriguing name option.
THEN I turned on the TV and saw a commercial for the new GMC Acadia.
How disappointing.

What do you guys think of Acadia as an up-and-coming name?

Siphon
Vapor
Dentifrice
Allergy
Dinette
Spigot

I have nothing but positive connotations from Juliana (Juliana Hatfield). Please don't spell it with 2 Ns, I like it less that way.

Acadia nn Katie. Good for the place name crowd.
I went from elementary to high school with an Acacia, nn Kacie.

Lucy's sister could be Adair! (As I've posted before, I know a Lucy/Adair sister-pair).

Molly May is straight out of the ee cummings poem "Maggie and Milly and Molly and May." It's a great poem, and could be an interesting namesake if your sister likes it.

Just some more miscellaneous words I thought of:
Laundry
Mussel
Generosity
Envelope
Fallopian/alt sp=Phallopian
Radio/alt sp=Raydeo
Nabisco
Shellac
Cemetery/alt sp=Semetary
Dessert/alt sp=Deezert;D'Zert
Cellophane/alt sp Sellafane

P.S. this thread is cracking me up!!

Jo-Another thought on Frances. It was the "real" name of the character in Dirty Dancing and I'll never forget one of the classic lines from the end of the movie.-"Nobody puts Baby in a corner" because her nn was Baby. So another nn option or a reason NOT to use it-you decide. And still one more thought, (Don't hate me but..)Veronica Lynn is more stripper-esque than Frances or Nora Lynn.

Eimi-How about Victrola;Thunder;Clef;Adaggio;Forte;Drum;or Harp

AG-Lucy Ann's sister could be:
Vivienne May or Jillian May! But I'll think of some others at my other computer later.

last one, I promise!

Boys:
Heathen (for all those parents who think Heath is too short, Heathcliff too long, and Ethan too common.)
Moat (Bailey's brother)
Spartan
Dominion
Orthodox
Inferno
Bogus (they wanted nn Gus, but Angus was too beefy, Fergus too Gaelic and Gustav too fancy)

Girls:
Orthodoxy (nn: Doxy)
Design (Dezyne)
Easy
Essay
Allusion
Strata
Verily

What about

Quote
Bait
Brix (alt sp Brixx {like the pizza place})
Calculus
Modem
Tide (Tiden, Tidal)
Damm
Equinox
Gavel
Potter
Pain (Payne, Peighn)
Addiction, twin brother to Addison
This is addicting

oops, I meant to say that Addition would be Addison's twin. lol I guess either one would work

AG- okay, so be difficult. ;0

Try:

Phoebe
Lydia
Elena
Eliza
Adeline
Tess

Twins following the Jolie-Pitt trend:

Knob Lee & Avian Flucheline

JO,

I think Veronica goes best for a number of reasons:

1) It's a family name that has special meaning.

2) Georgiana and Veronica both have 4 syllables and end in "a." The rhythm of the two together sounds pleasant.

3) If you call her Ronnie for short, then she and her sister will both have cute, androgynous nicknames. (If you do go with Frances, you could call her Frankie to better match Georgie.)

4) You can use the others easily as middle names. Veronica Frances sounds very nice (as does Frances Nora or Nora Frances, if you go that route)

In my experience when you have a handful of names you like, the best thing to do is wait until you meet the baby. One of the names will obviously be the best for her. My cousin went back and forth between Maya and Claire her entire pregnancy. In the last week, she decided the baby's name was definitely Maya. And yet, after seeing her, she left the hospital with Claire ;-)

Here are a few more (and I apologize if any are repeats I missed after going through the other comments):

Arbor
Bargain
Bender
Brainy
Brash
Brass/Brassy
Calyx
Chrysallis
Cicada
Crash
Crass
Daily
Deli
Divinity
Entity
Failing
Gender
Grave/Graven
Hula
Infinity
Insanity
Jailor
Jelly
Lawyer
Lemming
Litany
Liturgy
Liver
Warden
Melanin
Melee
Messy
Odyssey
Paler (probably spelled Paylor)
Shade/Shady
Shave/Shaven
Simile
Sinister
Staid
Stain
Steal
Stash
Tax
Trashy
Voyeur
Waylay
Ziti

And what about brand names that could be a given name if you didn't know they were a brand:

Drano
Noxema
Barilla
Pledge
L'Oreal
Iams
Cottonelle
Tampax
Febreeze
Herbal/Essence (for twins)
Faygo
Izze
Evista
Celebrex
Aveda
Icee
Cymbalta
Strattera
Vioxx
Absorbine
Cialis
Bactine

Blythe, your mention of doxy suddenly made me think ... a proxy for a doxy is a substitute for a prostitute.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Charity
Austerity
Clarity (nn Clare)
Celerity
Dexterity (nn Dex)
Hilarity
Rarity
Sincerity
Temerity (nn Tim)
Verity

As a Frances, my vote is obviously for Frances. I've probably gone by every nickname at one point in my life (Francie, Frankie, Fran, and Franny) but prefer my full name. It's a name that ages well, I think.

Tammany

Twins: Sorrow and Pity

How about Bellyrub, nn Ellie, of course.

I have to say, if sternum did mean sternum ... I'm just saying ... I like it. :-)

Laura-I think you have the beginnings of another column here. There are many word "names" that "aren't too bad" because of the endings. Especially for girls, there seems to be an abundance of -ine, -ity, -ia and so on words that fit. For the boys, even though there is the ending sound -ex/ax/ix, it seems we concentrate more on the beginning sounds. Do you see this? Any thoughts from anyone else?

I think that we look at endings for male names, too. For instance, Tibia and Patella with their soft "a" ends sound female (at least to me) but Sternum and Cranium with their stronger ends definitely strike me as male names. While I agree that a name like Dominion probably sounds male partially because of its similarity to a name like Dominic, change the name to Dominia and it sounds female, I think, showing that the ends count, too.

Bender, Bonus, Video, Liver, Ladder, Gavel, Spartan, Lemming, Printer, Monitor, Stain, Drano, etc. all sound male to me and I think that their endings have more to do with this perception than their beginnings. Change many of their ends and you can get lovely girls' names: Drana (heh, or Drama), Lemmine, Gavelline, Spartane, etc.

Of course I'm sure that there will be many instances of other readers thinking "Really? You thought of that as a male/female name?!"

Our second child arrived last Friday night: Phoebe Alexandra. As I stood in the baby nursery on Monday morning watching the nurse do her genetic screening test and HepB shot I took an impromptu name poll amongst the dozen babies present waiting the same tests.

12 babies: 7 female (1 set of twins), 5 male

5x Charlotte
1x Olivia (Olivia was one of the twins)
1x Phoebe

1 x Harry
2 x Henry
2 x Lucas

6 names for 12 babies! I know that strong geographical trends exist in baby naming, but by the time I had discovered that there were 5 Charlottes in the room I was pretty astounded. I was fairly surprised by the absence of Emily too.

The surnames were quite diverse from Tang to Okanopolis to Williams. Guess we are a pretty homogeneous bunch here in east Melbourne.

I didn't get the opportunity to discover the names of the other 14 babies on the ward at the time, but I would hazard a guess that they dont stray to far from the list above.

Many years ago, in an ESL class, one of the students offered that he thought the most beautiful sounding English word that he had learned was cellar-door - I think he was right, it does sound nice! Could be a name, couldn't it?
Maybe spelled Cellador?