The Baby Name Wizard

I tried doing this with some family names, but I'm having no little bit of difficulty.

The 2 impossible names for me:
Harvey
Clyde

Others:
Daniel = Danielle
Joseph = Josephine
Winfred = Winifred
Herman = Hermine/Hermione

On a side note, I work with a lady who was named after her father. Marvin = Marvanna

Susan-Yes, by all means Noel and Noelle for December babies (especially if they are twins)! Maybe Fabian or Fabrizio for February boy? I don't much care for Ruby but I am a July baby so I kind of like the Ju-lee pronunciation of it used as a name. I don't think I could ever change my first name completely but my favorite name has always been Jessica. Dh didn't care for my daughter to be named that though. Plus our last name has a long A sound so it didn't really match.

AB-I like Patrice, Patton, and Patience for a different variant on Patricia.

Re naming a daughter after a father--

Anne Rice's given name at birth was Howard Allen O'Brien, named for her father.

**Baby Alert**
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban had a baby girl Monday morning. Named her Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. Eww, I hope they just call her Rose! And why did they name her Sunday instead of Monday?

Sister Melinda, I find myself thinking that too; as far as I know, Julia/Julius were Roman family names, as in "girl of the Julii clan"/"boy of the Julii clan". That's why I can never really warm up to those names, or a name like Lydia, meaning 'woman from Lydia' - they seem a bit too "Hey, you!", if you know what I mean. But no, I don't think of Julia as the "feminized form" of Julius either, it's not the same as something like Malcolmina (which I have seen on a real girl, and she wasn't Scottish or elderly either!). I'd also be interested to hear from any classicists about this.

I'd forgotten about Nigella, Susan - apparently, it was her grandmother's idea, inspired by the Nigella flower which is also known as "love-in-a-mist". So not entirely due to sheer egotism on Nigel Lawson's part! In an interview I read, Nigella said that when she was little she wished her name was Caroline, because all the Carolines in books were nice girls! Her sisters' names are definitely not my cup of tea (although I do love the more down-to-earth and less obviously cobbled-together Tamsin).

"Sunday Rose" sounds like a country music song, which I guess is appropriate?!?! NMS, though. Any Ozzies have local insight about the choice?

A female namesake for Roger might be Rogelia (pronounced in Spanish Row-hay-lee-uh).

It took me all day yesterday and most of today to catch up on these two posts! And by now I've forgotten most of the comments I had as I was reading through them.

I do know of a family with parents named Paul and Paulette. Their children are Paul, Paula, Pauletta, and Pauline (or maybe it's Paulette and Paulina). A little bit of overkill, don't you think?

Jane and Susannah, congratulations on your wise choices. How is the switch coming along? Has there been much resistance?

Kate, congratulations on the birth of John Dominic. I have a friend who has sons named John and Dominic--they flow well together.

Names heard while on vacation in New Hampshire last week: Kailyn (Kaylynn?), Lloyd, Aidan, Jazlyn (the name of the girl in the surgical bay next to my son, who broke his arm--it was a hell of a vacation).

There is the option of just giving a girl a "boy's" name or using a surname or putting the make name in the middle slot.

For example, I know a grown woman named Stewart and a little girl named Davis.

I personally am considering the names Rhodes (my grandfather's mn) and Miller (hy dh's grandmother's maiden name) for either gender.

I had a female high school friend with the middle name of Scott who went by Scotty.

Of course, this doesn't work with every male name.

oops! "make" should say male

The men in my and my husband's families are:

Frank
Anthony
Walter
Burchard (2x)
Thomas
Jeffrey

Frank, Anthony, and Thomas are easy, as noted upthread, with lots of options for each.

Walter and Jeffrey are definitely more difficult (although I do remember Freya for Jeffrey).

But what would you do with Burchard?!? Birch? What I wouldn't like about that is the Burchards go by Burch, too. I couldn't hear it without thinking of the U in the middle rather than the I.

I have been thinking of naming my daughter Dove after her great-grandfather Dave, or David. I love the name and wonder why it has been off the charts since the 1880's. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Dava and Davida are other names I seen used for David.

Whoo-ee, Burchard is a tough one! Would Bridget be close enough for a tribute?

I think Dove is a lovely name. I'm not sure why it isn't used more widely, what with its simple sound, easy spelling and pronunciation, and nice connotations (peace). It makes sense to use it to honor a David, too. Isn't there an Israeli name similar to this? I can't remember now...

For Grandma Ursula, there's Arthur, Bernard or Orson, all of which are related to bears.

Roger has the same first element as Rowena and Romilda, which could work. Maybe.

There's also Petronella/Petronel/Peronel for Peter (though maybe those aren't actually related, but became associated with each other so early on that it doesn't really matter).

How would you name a boy after a Margaret or an Elizabeth?

Margaret - Mark, Martin

Elizabeth - Eliot

Dove is so beautiful and simple. WIth the comeback of nature and religious-themed names, I can't believe it hasn't at least had a small surge.

There's a male Israeli name, Dov, meaning "bear," which is nice too.

This is a fun topic. Hy dad is Homer, and Homera just wouldn't make me happy (is that even a name?) But what about Penelope, from The Odessy?

Another David possibility is Davinia. I once knew a girl named Davinia Darling. Yes, Darling was her last name. My mum thought the girl's mother was just very affectionate and a bit precious always using a term of endearment, and then found out that it was really her daughter's (but not her) last name!

While not a common name, the name Colombe, the French version of Dove, has been used more-or-less consistently over the years in Quebec. Maybe in other places, too. (I did the Facebook test and sure enough, there are quite a few Colombes who turn up.)

I'm Aussie.... baby Kidman's name is getting mixed reviews here on morning tv. Some people seem to like it for being 'unusual' but most are a bit bemused by it. Sunday is certainly not a popular name in Australia. There have been reports that it is common in Nashville but I'm not sure whether that is true or not? Personally I don't mind it, but the bub has already been nicknamed 'Sunday Roast'.

The name is very different to Nicole's other children's names - Isabella and Connor. I guess they were named a long time ago now and with the infulence of a different partner.

last names derived from female names:

I'm going to hazard a guess that the Polish Rutkowski is derived from Ruth.

I have a friend of Romanian ethnicity whose last name is Magda.

Dove is sweet. Don't forget also, that the Spanish is Paloma.

I was named for my grandfather (and his grandfather) Valentine, and our son was named James Valentine, partly for this and partly for his due date (although he was actually born in January).

Sister Melinda- for Timothy, I actually know a woman named Timothea (Tim-o-THEE-a).

Enjoying all the wonderful inventiveness of us NEs and the fabulous etymological input, particularly from Miriam!

Dove is sweet. Don't forget also, that the Spanish is Paloma.

I was named for my grandfather (and his grandfather) Valentine, and our son was named James Valentine, partly for this and partly for his due date (although he was actually born in January).

Sister Melinda- for Timothy, I actually know a woman named Timothea (Tim-o-THEE-a).

Enjoying all the wonderful inventiveness of us NEs and the fabulous etymological input, particularly from Miriam!

Bill--

Jewish surnames derived from women's names are quite common, because Jews are matrilineal. Examples would Rifkin (child of Rifka 'Rebecca') and Sorkin (child of Sora 'Sarah').

Homeira/Humeyra/Humaira is a girls' name used in Farsi and Arabic speaking families that might work as a feminine tribute to grandfather Homer... There is a famous Iranian singer called Homeyra (b. 1939) now living in Los Angeles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeyra

Sunday Rose...don't get it...especially born on a Monday.

Interesting that Sunday and Suri sound so much alike...

re: Harvey, my dad says he grew up with a girl named Harveline. Probably not a very modern aesthetic.

I think the name Sunday is sweet, and certainly no more strange than girls born in October named May, or girls born in the spring named Summer. :)

Someone help me out here. There's a famous song that references a girl named Sunday.

how about Anna > Anuszka > Anuszkiewicz

Lucie la Morena said:
"...Nigella said that when she was little she wished her name was Caroline, because all the Carolines in books were nice girls!"

Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice strikes me as not very nice! I do know a nice Caroline in real life, though.

miscellany:

How about Fredelia as female for Fred? It's a street I saw while riding my bike tonight. Or Fredonia, if you are into placenames.

Also, I mentioned this before under a different post, but I think my middle name Derek is the male version of my mom's name Darlene. It follows the D continuity in my family: Denise, Danielle (<- these two a sibset) Drew.

And I was thinking about Rogelia, nn Hayley (or some such spelling).

I echo Valerie: let's not forget Paloma. I think this is the most melodic name ever - SO pretty. But it clashes with our last name, so I could never use it.
Also, am I crazy? I kind of like Sunday. It is the nicest day of the week, has a very laid back religious connotation, and has the word "sun" in it, which is hard to find fault with. I know it is offbeat, and not an old classic, but it also feels sort of right for a country music singer, as someone said above.

Sarah, believe it or not I've never read Homer. I looked up the name and its meaning is from the Greek word meaning hostage. Not exactly a great thing to pass on. However, if you keep in mind the fact that Homer was a poet, you can look up poetry and get a few names.
Thi(pronounced Thee)-poem in Vietnamese
Vagdevi-Hindu goddess of learning, music and poetry in Indian
The following are from Sanskrit:
Karika-collection of philosophical poetry
Kavita-Poetry
Kavyalola-Fond of Poetry
And these are English:
Poesy and Poetry itself!
So I hope that gives you some ideas!

Tizrah -- there is a Blonde song called Sunday Girl. But the girl isn't named Sunday...

Watch it on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obwanhb6kww

I like the name Sunday-or any of the days of the week for that matter. although, maybe not Saturday... My Husband was stuck on the name Winter for a while even though our daughter is due this week in the dead of summer.

I'm trying to convince him to go with my grandfathers name Lowell for her first name. Her middle name is the shortened version of his name Reynald. He's french so it is pronounced Rain-al. So she would be Lowell Reyn. As of this moment she is Peregrine Reyn. I had to stop him with Winter or we would have had a Winter Reyn which is kind of cold and wet.
Anyone have an opinion on Lowell Reyn or Peregrine Reyn? Aurora is our last choice but I feel it is becoming way over used.

Kat - Sorry, I just don't see Lowell as a girl's name. Maybe if it were Lowelle...? But Reyn is a really pretty name and it goes with a lot of first names. (Although really, Winter Reyn isn't a pleasant image for anyone who lives in a climate with distinct seasons. It did make me laugh, though!)

Guest- I know what you mean, Winter Reyn sounds like a bad Comic Book Character! The spelling Lowelle is better, I agree, thank you. She is going to be called Reyn. It was simply to difficult to come up with a middle if that was her first. There are so many firsts that work with that as a middle name! Part of the issue is pronunciation as he is French and I am American, so we have to be careful for both families... yuck.

To follow along with Zoerhenne re Homer--

Calliope is the muse of epic poetry, and of course Homer is THE Greek epic poet.

Kat- I actually like Lowell for a girl, I certainly don't like it for a boy. I think if it's spelled Lowelle, you might get the pronunciation "low-EL" rather than just the almost-single syllable "loel". Peregrine for a girl is interesting. I tend to think of it as a boy name but again, I think I don't care for it much on a boy. Aurora is *very* difficult for me to say, and Aurora Reyn is nearly impossible. :)

My father was named for his father, Marcus, but was always known by his mn - Leslie. I told my parents that I wanted to name a daughter Leslie. My mom told me in confidence that my dad was insulted as he had always considered it as a very manly name, the meaning being "grey fort". So I shifted my chosen girl's name to - wait for it - Jennifer! (Voyager tells me that Leslie, for a boy, was in the top 100 when he was born and in top 100 for a girl, when I was expecting).

As it turned out we had a boy and named him Mark. In retrospect I wish I had given him the whole original name of Marcus.

Did someone suggest Marcella from Marcus? Would not like that at all.

Here are a few names to work on:
Zachary
Enoch
Ebenezer
Gideon
Simeon
Seth
Travis

Kat,

Just FYI: Lowell is a gritty, down-trodden ex-mill town in Massachusetts, which I believe has a gang problem. Not a great association if you're anywhere near the east coast! I've also noticed that it gets mispronounced a good deal by non-Massachusetts residents who encounter it for the first time (Lo-WELL, for example).

Kat-- "Lowell" has an illustrious history in the U.S. due to the exploits of a particular family, which produced not one, but two well-known poets, Amy Lowell, and the much more renowned Robert Lowell, about whom tons have been written, if you care to look him up.

In this case, I would definitely not veer from the standard spelling. "Lowelle" seems a bit corny, I'm afraid, and will be perceived that way, while "Lowell" is distinguished, and quite lovely on a girl. As usual, if one loves a name, I advise ignoring the possible negatives of a minor pop culture or geographic duplicate. In the case of the latter, most people will not make the association. If they do, exclusive of all the other associations that could be made, they have a rather narrow frame of reference, not worth worrying about...

That said, I do love the fact that there are alert NE's who bring all the possible associations to our attention, so that we can choose or reject a name, "fully informed"!

Golly, there's also "James Russell Lowell"-- can't forget him...

Heather RC - you're right, Caroline Bingley is definitely no nice girl! I guess she may have been thinking about the girls' books of a generation or two ago - I can see Caroline fitting in very well at Mallory Towers, or in some kind of literary pony club or gymkhana!

Kat - Lowell is not my usual style, but on consideration, I think the sound is very pretty - especially as "lo-Well". Peregrine as well has grown on me since I first saw it; it's got substance, and she could use the nickname "Peri" if she chose.

AS for Laura's original question about female surname, the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Dexter, meaning woman dyer. Although I'm not clear if the original for would have been Dextra or Dexter proper.

Can't remember now who asked about Dove as a given name, but I think it's quite lovely. It has a great shape and sound, if that makes sense. I also second Paloma. I know a little Paloma (5 yrs old) and think it's a super name.

kat -- I like Lowell (pron the one-syllable "loel" way) Reyn over either of the other two.

I like how Lowell looks on paper. But the sound reminds me a lot of "loll," which is not the most positive of verbs. I understand, though, that you have a limited range of names to work with because of the family honoring. I think this is a very male-identified name, but because it is also a surname, and given the surnames-for-girls tradition/trend in the U.S., I think it could work.

I have a very hard time thinking of Peregrine as a girl. Perhaps many centuries ago it was a unisex name, but it seems resoundingly male to me now. And because I've only ever heard of it as a given name, that knocks out the surnames-for-girls excuse.

However, I have never been opposed to genders appropriating each others' names (I just wish there would be more male Tiffanys and Hazels and Laurels--seriously.)

P.S. I love the name Sunday, and can't beleive it never ocurred to me before. Very attractive syllables and sounds.

BLEH--"believe."