The Baby Name Wizard

first, congrats Vivian's mom and THANK you for sharing the photo! She is very cute!

Jed -- agree that it is okay as a nickname, but I would go with Jedediah or Jared.

How about James Stanley "Rosen"?

Vivian is beautiful! Congratulations and thanks for the update.

I rather like Jed, but also have you considered Jude? Or Judah (my son's name)? A bit more urban perhaps.

Funny I've liked these names for ages long before any became used my celebs/popular.

Knox - boy
Calix - boy
Fox - boy
Shiloh - both
Arrow - girl
Harlow - boy
Jericho - girl
Shadow - both

and I'd use all of them.

I have to say, I'm really warming up to Delores, and the more I think about it, the more it seems just fine with Natalie.

OTOH, you could "behead" it to Elores (lots of nn options there!), or take it's "feet" off too, for Elore or Elora. Adding the popular "n" gives you Eloren.

In this circumstance, a little creativity or poetic license seems justified.

Giving quadruplets names like Ebony and Ivory (and Harmony and Hendrix) seems very risky to me on a number of different levels. First and foremost, I would want my kids to have separate identities and grow up feeling that they are treasured as separate individuals. Quadruplets will always be seen as part of a group (at least while they're children). For that reason alone, I would want them to have non-matching names.

Secondly, and this is a horrible thing to write down, I would be afraid that not all of them would survive. Names like Ebony and Ivory, especially when coupled with Harmony, beg the question, "Where's Ivory?" Of course parents of non-surviving children will always remember and cherish the children that died, but it might be painful to have to recount to strangers (and you know with multiples there will be many every day) for years to come that yes, there was an Ivory, they were quads, but she didn't survive. I'm sure that the expectant parents are thinking as many positive thoughts as they can, and I know that I would never raise this with a friend who was expecting multiples, but it was what occurred to me when I read the names. It would be like naming a set of quads Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Or Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Or triplets Faith, Hope, and Charity. If one is missing, the set is obviously disrupted. Ebony just calls out for an Ivory.

AMA - our son is Aaron and our last name is two syllables ending in -en. Just saying. :) It sounds fine (though it flows better when his MN - Samuel - is said too, which of course it almost never is). Daughter is Anna Jane so we have sort of a lot of n's going. (A's too, it seems.) We didn't plan it that way; Aaron was a name we really liked, and Anne and Jane are multi-generation family names. Jed sounds like the Clampetts to me too (sorry), though I agree with the previous poster who thought that association wouldn't mean much to our kids' generation. Jules is cool but is beginning to sound like a girl's nickname to me, if that matters to you. I really like the James suggestion, in case that appeals to you. But if you really like Jed best, I'd go with that if I were you. :) (Big help, I know.)

I suppose I'm just surprised that the couple went with Ebony, Ivory, Harmony, and Hendrix given that they were, I believe, the same couple that was considering names like Sophia and Lucia.

That is not to say that people don't have discrete, diverse favorite naming categories. I've given the example before of both me (nature names; classical Latin; inanimate objects, etc.) and Kaitlyn, mother of Prudence, Cecil, et al, who also considered a far different set of names that I can't remember now.

But it seemed as though this couple had had a very clear "set" type for the quadruplets up until the last minute. I wonder what made them do a -180. Perhaps they were moved by the births and wanted heavily symbolic names?

I will say that I had my own problems with the ebony and ivory issue. Wasn't one parent European-ancestry and the other West African-ancestry (Haitian, if I recall?). I see what they're going for with the whole "black and white in harmony" theme, but it seems like it's singling out each kid to make each one represent a different [and hotly contested] social construction such as "race." IMO, it's pretty heavy to lay social constructs of any type on kids; that's why I shy away from, say, "virtue" names traditionally used on girl children.

Although it would be interesting to note if skintone differentials played into this (one e.g.: a dark-complected baby got Ivory; a light-complected one got Ebony; and a brown one got "Harmony), I think this is risky for many reasons. On the most literal level, a person's skintone can change over childhood and lifetime. Secondly, even if all the kids are generally similar in phenotype, most people around the world struggle at some point to sort out their various identity issues. I don't think it would make this struggle easier for these girls (later angsty teenagers, inquisitive [potential] college students, and adults in relationshiops] to have to sort out their own dynamics with a particular parent or parent's ethnicity vis-a-vis the girls' own given names.

I hope the poster who originally posted about the couple doesn't perceive my comments to be criticisms. I'm interested in the situation from a social science perspective.

Of course, disregard all my comments if the couple in question was not the Haitian & Euro one.

Haven't caught up from being away this weekend, but have gotten far enough to say ... Congratulations, Vivian's Mom! She's a gorgeous baby with a lovely name to match.

KRC -- Glad you like Laszlo! I'd love to see someone use what I think is a fantastic name. Maybe you can sell your husband on it. And, yes, I am the mom of an Astrid whose mn is Katherine (in honor of 2 g-grandmothers of hers -- one on my side of the family, the other on her dad's side).

AMA -- I think Jed is a great nn, but I'd want a more formal version (even if you never use it). Otherwise, I think Jules or Julian are both nice and work well with your ln.

Re: the quads. Who was it that said we as a group would be relieved at the elimination of Codex from the line-up and let it go at that? I completely agree. The sea change in name-style for these kids has been amazing.

Re: the quads

I think we're just going to have to accept that my friend is terribly confused as to styles and appropriateness.

Here's what she said: "I want to the girls to have obviously feminine names, but not really frilly like Gabriella or something. I want it to be a name that people will know how to pronounce and spell when they hear it but I don't want it to be very common. I do want their names to match somehow. Maybe have the girls names have the same amount of syllables? I dunno."

She's keeping the name Ebony, but now she doesn't like Hendrix any more! (but there will be no relapse into Codex. )

So, 2 girls names matched with Ebony, and 1 boy name!

I think you guys have your work cut out for you.

I went to a Civil War themed museum this weekend. It was local history and there were some very interesting names. I wish I could remember them all. Otho, Lucius, Linus, Columbia, Ema, five different Isaac's, Green, Blue, and Rome come to mind right now. Those, with a lot of surnames as first names, made me think that maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same!

Some Nymbler suggestions for Ebony: Jasmine, Raven, Natasha, Desiree, Jewel, Summer, Jamila, Lakisha, Emerald, Jade

Quincy, Devon, Kendrick, Terrance

I think Ebony, Jade, and Raven work well together: they are all word color and nature names but don't sound too matchy to my ears. For the boy, I would go with Quincy, or, if that's not creative enough, maybe another color name, or a nature name....

Here's an idea: Ebony, Nydia, and Diana would literally be linked (Ebonydiana, overlapping syllables across the names), and each would have three syllables, feminine, five letters each, but not too matchy. (The overlapping spelling is a little gimmick, not even noticeable for most people I suspect.)

AMA-If Jed is the name in your heart, go for it!
I was just giving you my impressions.
Fwiw, I loved West Wing, although I never did buy President Bartlett as a Jed or from Maine....

Eimi-Here are some random names that seem to match Ebony,though not for any reason I can articulate...none are particlar favorites of mine, but I don't actively dislike them either.

Autumn
Raquel/Rachelle
Alexa/Alexis
Eden
Vanessa
Sierra (I know Ebony and SieNna would be waaaay too much for this board, but they do kind of work together, no?!)

I'll mull it over more, but I'm sure others will have come up with some excellent suggestions by then. Take care!

New baby alert!

Brandon Michael

Born this weekend to a scarily young looking (but somehow 32) coworker. It seems like a very good example of a "new classic" name to me. Thinking about the name, I realized my cousins, Zachary Joseph and Adam Michael are the ultimate "new classic" sib set. I like the new classics, especially for boys. Very handsome.

Re: Jed
I'm 23, and have never once seen The Beverly Hillbillies. I know there was a character named Jed on it, but likely your baby's peers, being 2 decades younger than I am, won't even know that much. My association is with a very cool backpacker-eco-hippie type from college. His full name was Jedidiah (paired with a long Jewish surname). I believe he had a twin named Rachel. So for me, it totally works for a Northeast urban kid. Especially with Stanley, which is such a cool middle name. I plan on using Stewart as a middle name for a first son, and those middle aged stodgy names sound so kicky with a fresher, more modern first name.

Re: The Quads
Eimi, have these guys been born yet? I haven't read all the comments, but the way you worded their names, I thought they were already here and named. If not, then I'd actually recommend the Sofia-Lucia-Gloria-Whateveria set over "Ebony and Ivory live together in perfect Harmony." Of course, she seems to be running the gamut of names, so she'd probably be open to any suggestion you gave her. She seems...lost, in terms of style. Does she have any older children?

Hmm, I knew Jed would be a tough sell. I get the associations, but I like the simplicity of the single syllable, yet it's not common (like John or James (sorry)). Jedediah sounds fundie to me. (Not so good for a little Jewish boy.) Jared is the Subway guy. (Or a snobby prep school boy?) I have a cousin named Judah, so that's out. (And Jude makes me think "Dude".) Jasper seems effeminate, although I like it for a pet. (Jasper the puppy or Jasper the bunny.)

Might wind up going with Julian, with Jules as a nn. My 10 year old niece's name is Julie (named for my grandmother). We sometimes call her Jule, but I don't think that would be a problem. I actually think the kids could like it as a special bond between them. It would be soooo wrong for sibs, but I think okay for cousins. With the gender difference and age difference, I don't think there would be any misunderstandings.

Katie slipped while I was writing.

Yay! Another vote for Jed Stanley! Another thing about Jedediah, I don't see the point of a long name that's never used, just because it looks better on documents.

I have a feeling that if we do wind up using Jed, the naysayers might find it growing on them. It's not like there's an x in there, or even a y or k! Jeyd anyone? ;-)

Ya know, just to keep people IRL from driving us nuts, I'm thinking of telling them we're naming the boy for that nice Jewish carpenter fellow with the "J" name!

AMA-

*First, I have fallen in love with the name Stanley. One of my son's preschool buddies is Stanley LN IV. Stan is such a strong, masculine name.

*I really like Jed. As for the Hillbillies, I had a student named Edith (probably about 20 now). She remarked at how adults constantly referenced Edith Bunker of "All in the Family", but she'd never seen it. You are probably safe with Jed. I'm 37, and have never seen the B. Hillbillies, though I do know there's a Jed in it.

*For Star Wars fans a young "Jedi" wouldn't be too off the mark. But you would have to be the right family.

Ah, finally read this page of comments. So the quads aren't here yet. Let's see...matches with Ebony....
Raya
India
Garnet
Rain
Neva
Jasmine
Mercy
Jewel

I also agree heartily with Guest that Jade and Raven would be a perfect sib set with Ebony.

Now, if she's really actually into the Luc-Sof-Nad-Gloria names, she should stick with one of those and then find some similar but not rhymey replacements.
Camilla
Lila
Alyssa
Marina
Claire
Juliet
Hope

I suppose she could blend her two disparate naming styles, but if she wants a matching set, that would never work. The only ones I can think of that bridge the gap are names like Jewel, Jasmine, India, and Hope.

She seems to like Jolie-Pitt type names for boys. If she wants to keep the "x", I'd suggest she just look at this blog post. If she just likes the edgy feel, perhaps...
Jagger
Jett
Mack
Monroe
Rex
Mannix (a little out there, yes)

I hope she finds a style she'd likes enough to stick with before these kids are born!

One more for the edgy boys column that I just thought of:
Marlow

Also, I was probably being stingy with my "bridging the gap" list. I'd say most of the ones that we've come up with, save perhaps Raven, Jade, and Rain, are girly enough to hit both categories.

I like Jed. I do not like Jedidiah. However my personal problem with Jed is that it is too nn-y. I would like to have my own Jed in Memory of my dad. At this point he will be (not conceived) James Edward/mund. Seeing as yours is in honor of a Jay...I have nothing to offer.
I much perfer Jed to Jules.

Quads: I think the Ebony, Harmony, Ivory is too much. Hendrix would not be my pick but o. so. much. better than Codex. The -ia'a are a much easiertolivewith set.

RE: Quads,
Don't forget the name Indigo! (Sib set in the last post). That would be pretty with Ebony...except it's getting a little Crayola for my taste.

Picking 4 names would be really hard when you have so much input! (Let alone carrying 4 babies would put a lot of stress on you!!!!)

My suggestions if she really likes Ebony:
Gem stone theme...
Ebony
Jade
Coral
Jasper (who knew it was a gemstone???)

Things I meant to say:
Thanks for the update on Vivian. She is adorable!

We have friends who named their **girl** dog Jasper which is very annoying to me because my dh and I actually like that name for its timeless, yet cool (imo) vibe and we have the hardest time finding boy names we like.

Amber could be included on my list and sorry to any Ambers out there, but that sounds like a stripper name to me.

I really don't like the name Vivian. It makes me think of middle aged women.
I would link it with Jackie or Bev. Something a bit cheap really.
I really can't see it fitting with the romantic 1940s and before kind of names like Violet, Evelyn, Tabitha, Olivia ect.
Bare in mind Im from Wales though, and British naming trends are slightly different i suppose.

Knox too Im not keen on. I really like Maddox (though it appeals to me more for a girl) but i never liked Pax. Again I don't think Britain has this obsession with the X, but I do like Max/Maxie.

I love Harlow however (maybe Harlowe?) for a girl. I think it goes really well with Scarlet, my other name of choice, and shortens to Harley which i also like.

AG -- Your comment on Amber reminded me, I had a name dream recently. In it my husband and I had named our daughter Amber, but always called her Astrid (IRL her name *is* Astrid). In the dream I was wondering if we shouldn't just change her name to Astrid. Strange! (Amber is not a name we considered at all, FWIW.)

I think of wood when I think of Ebony, not gemstones.

So how about tree names?

Ebony
Juniper
Acacia
Amber
Dara
Ilana
Linnea
Rowan
Tirzah
Willow

A little more subtle than Ebony, Ivory and Harmony.

Does the boy name need to match also? Must say Hendrix is growing on me... There is a whole list of boy tree names at:

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/search/1/tree/1

Please let us know her final decision (does dad have a say?)

Well AMA, I'd say we have defined her style. Edgy, matchy, not too flowery, not-too-common (like within the top 100), easy to spell and she likes the name Ebony.
I LOVE the suggestions made already. Ebony, Raven, and Jade sound pretty good together. Sister Melinda had a wonderful idea in putting the name/syllables together and coming up with Ebony, Nydia, and Diana. Although, I feel like your friend will have trouble with them. Diana can be spelled a few ways (as most any name these days) and it can be pronounced a few different ways such as Dee-ann(a) or Dye-ann(a)
Nydia may have the same trouble although I believe the "y" clearly makes a short sound to rhyme with Lydia.
I think going with Ebony thing and trying to get a theme of maybe the color black would be cool. She could do Ebony, Raven, Jett, and Malandra. The names would not SOUND matchy but would carry a common theme. However, not be so weird if "one was missing" as another poster so eloquently put.
For more "color" ideas go to:
http://www.20000-names.com/color_names.htm

Loving the comments!

Thanks, Megan. Re "*For Star Wars fans a young "Jedi" wouldn't be too off the mark. But you would have to be the right family." Hee hee! I hadn't thought of that. My little knight!

Okay, totally being goofy now. Here's my list of mix and match quad names.

BOYS
John
Paul
George
Ringo

GIRLS
Joan
Paula
Georgia
Ringo

Hey all, since we are having so much fun creating names for quads let's do some more. I had a dream the other night and I know I had a few babies but can't remember any other names besides the one-Gavin Robert. So suggest between 4-6 other names for sib set. Have no clue about genders so do what you like with that. Again, not expecting but just for fun!

Here's a thought for the quad boy-- Dixon. It's similar to Hendrix and (shudder) Codex, but less common. And I think it goes with Ebony, Rave, et. al very well (especially if you think of it along the lines of Mason/Dixon, bridging barriers and all that. I'm not probably overthinking this). And if you can withstand jokes about "Ebony and Ivory" I think you're more than a match for a few dick jokes.

Truthfully, it occurred to me because I knew a girl in college named Ebony Dix. I always liked that name a lot.

Pardon the confused syntax and typos in the above. If the quads have left me this confused, I can't imagine what they've done to the mother.

Zoerhenne, I'll bite. Gavin Robert's sisters and brothers will be:

Malcolm Antony
Bryn Margaret
Carys Elinor
Saoirse Jane
Dylan Christopher

A little Welsh, a little Scottish, a little Irish, with classic British middles. I think they go nicely together.

I like Wendy's suggestion of tree names for the quads. I think that would be a great way for them to "match" without it being over the top, plus you'd be able to find names that are easy to pronounce and spell.

I'd add to her initial list Larch, Birch, Linden and Aspen.

I'm not sure a tree name for the boy will yield an /x/ if that's what the mom's looking for, but she could definitely find some offbeat botanical names. I bet hyz would have some good suggestions!

Some "x" and "o" name ideas I like ...

Baxter (male)

Imogen (female)

I'm really curious as to the connotations associated with Imogen. I like the name for a future daughter but not sure I'd ever be brave enough to use it. What do you think?

Zoerhenne -- Here are my sibs for Gavin Robert.

(Sex was randomly generated by flipping a coaster. I tried to use BNW as my guide, linking off Gavin to start and trying to have each name link to at least one other, but that didn't hold for the first boy's mn and for the girls' mns. For those, I went out on my own.)

Alec Walter
Conor Lloyd
Owen Carter
Clare Lucille
Elise Katherine

Elaine -- I *love* Imogen and my daughter goes to school with an Imogen (she's entering 2nd grade) who is a real cutie.

For me, it's one in a series of lesser-used girls' names that are spunky, strong, and attractive. They work for girls and age well. That said, I'm a fan of the consonant so a name like Imogen doesn't put me off the way it might someone who's more a fan of vowels in names. (Although Imogen is equal parts consonant and vowel, the consonants rule the name IMO.)

Here's an unused -x name from mythology: Ceyx. Pronunciation may be an issue for those reading it before hearing it, but that's true for a lot of humdrum names, too.
Sisters: Ebony, Viola, and Melody (musical connotation from Ebony)

Oh, my favorite family of matching names that aren't matchy. Thomas, Albert, and Marie are the children of two science professors I know. Doesn't hit one over the head like Edison, Einstein, and Curie would, but it makes a cute story for the kids, no?

Coll and Amy3,
Thanks for playing. I love the name Connor and Claire is beautiful too. But Amy3 I think I might flip a few of yours around because of flow issues to my ears. So - to go with Gavin Robert I pick:
Dylan Christopher
Kathryn Elise
Connor Joseph
Shannon Claire
Poor Connor he's the only one who name doesn't end with an "n" sound. This was fun! If anyone else still wants to play-go ahead.

I have to lie down with the smelling salts and consider those poor quads.

I wish she'd just go for last names of black or biracial musicians -- Hendrix isn't all that awful to me compared with the interracial musical theme of Ebony and Ivory live together in perfect Harmony. The boy could keep Hendrix and the girls could be Simone (Nina), Holiday (Billie), and Rainey (Ma). That's the classiest theme I can come up with.

But OK, she's keeping Ebony. So for color, if she wants a black pride theme, maybe Ebony, Onyx, Sable, and Slate (the boy?).

I like suggestions for woods and gems, too. Or maybe Ebony and Ivory are about precious natural commodities? Ebony (wood), Cashmere (fiber), and Saffron (spice) for the girls, Topaz (gem) for the boy?

Then again, if they were mine I'd name them Audrey, Claire, Eleanor, and Samuel and be done with it. But I am an unimaginative WASP.

Been thinking on my imaginary quads up above. i think i'll change poor Connor's name to Colin Jeffrey.

Beth, I'm amazed how good Simone, Holiday and Rainey sound, especially given they weren't chosen for sound!

Elaine- when i think of Imogen, i automatically think of Imogen Heap, an electronica music artist.

Can I just say that this comments board is my favorite place on the Internet? What a bunch of smart, lively, interesting people -- this conversation sparked by Knox and Vivienne is the best yet. Where else can you go to talk etymology with people with degrees in Middle English and Old Icelandic (who also happen to be really funny and nice?)

I'm so glad that Vivian's mother went with the name she loved -- it's a great name, and even as a newborn she looks like a total Vivian. And to the extent the Jolie connection will be made it all (which is slim in the case of this name, I think) it will be positive -- I think most "namies" like Angelina and Brad's naming style. (Though it always bugs me when people include Zahara among the names they chose -- wasn't she named that already when they adopted her at age 2?)

lizpenn -- From Wikipedia: "Jolie adopted a six-month-old girl from Ethiopia, Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt (originally Zahara Marley Jolie), on July 6, 2005. Zahara was born on January 8, 2005; her original name has been reported as either Tena Adam or Yemsrach."

I think I've heard from other places that Zahara was 6 months old when Angelina adopted her.

lizpenn- I agree! I love this comments board, and come here far too often. Wouldn't it be fun to meet IRL? How about a BNW conference, Laura?

Valerie and lizpenn -- This is my favorite online spot now, too. I learn a tremendous amount here. And I think a BNW conference would be fantastic!

Great idea folks!

Just a note -

Knut, or Knute, is a Norwegian name and the K is NOT silent. It is properly pronounced: Ka'newt. Such as Knut Hamsen, the famous Norwegian writer of Hunger and Growth of the Soil.

I love that name - but it has taken time, many years married to a Norwegian!

Wow wonderful idea
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