The Baby Name Wizard

i have definitely noticed how many boy names are -n names - because the middle name i wanted to use (should we ever have a boy) starts with N and i just don't like how they run together.

not crazy about Graden, though. i much prefer Grey.

but that's just me...

Graden sounds like something my wife used to do back when she was a teacher.

Graden looks like garden misspelled to me. I would have to add the obligatory 'y' to get Grayden.

I'll seen a few people who tried to make Kelly masculine again by making it Kellen.

Kellen looks like a Helen Keller Smash up to me.

How much longer will this N phenomenon go on?

Also...Do you think this will pass over on to the girl side eventually? Anyone see Gretchen coming back?

I have seen people thinking of Grayden to get to the desired nickname of Gray.

I do have to say I am tired of the -n endings to make a name "different". I agree with Laura that the Grady, Colt and such will be more distinctive amongst their peers.

I, too, am curious to know how long this trend will continue.

So does Calvin fall into the "n" phenomenon?

In my last job I was part of a fairly multicultural team. We wracked up a Lachlan (Scottish), a Reuben, a Caylen and a Sachin (both Indian) within 3 years. The pattern was broken with a Josiah.

Not on topic, but New Baby Alert:

Stella

Middle name is the mum's last name, so I won't include for privacy's sake.

She's very cute, and very Stella.

:-)

I agree that Graden is nothing distinctive, being part of the Aiden-Jayden-bobaden-bananafanaafoaiden crowd. I would stick with grayson to get the formal name and cool nickname twofer

I think we've already have witnessed this among both boys and girls.

Kyle becomes Kylen
Riley becomes Rylan

MAX is also a big one for which parents always seem to search for a more "formal" name: Maxton, Maxford, Maxington among them (parents, please stick to Maxwell, Maximilian, or just Max). Many parents may feel that these suffixes (-ton, -ford, -ington, -worth) make the family sound like they hail from an affluent British estate, but sadly, it's pretty much the opposite.

Also, to my eyes, Graden looks like a typo for Garden. In this case, I prefer Graydon.

Funny, some ancient names that look as if they would fit this model but don't, say Samson v. Samuel and Lucian v. Luke, have yet to lure parents in large numbers.

COME VISIT MY BABY NAME BLOG:
http://youcantcallitit.com/

Also for girls,

Grace becomes Gracen. (!)

I would like to go on record as predicting the name Cullen will catch on like wild fire. Cullen Jones is an attractive, young, black swimmer on the US Olympic team. I think this will be a case of right name right time!

very funny - we just names our 3rd baby Beckett. I was a strong advocate for just naming him Beck . I like short, snappy baby names (in Laura's book, they are the Brisk and Breezy catgory). My dh really wanted a longer, more formal name, hence Beckett for the birth certificate. And I can still call him Beck if I want. So we did exactly what Laura said in this entry, but not with an "n."

Another name I considered was Grady, but never Graden.

I have trouble thinking of many of these names that don't sound totally silly. I tried applying it to some of the top boy's names, but "Jaken" (just to take the #1 name) sounds like a sea monster.

Here are some others I can think of. Several are "real" names or surnames, but you can easily see how someone might derive them independently based on the process Laura describes:

Maxton (which came up on these boards a while back)
Tynan
Samson
Clifton
Clinton
Levon
Edison
Kenton / Kennon
Neilon / Neilson
Quinton (a twist on Quentin or an embellished name for a fifth child?)

The only one of these I would use is Levon, and that's a stretch.

Oops, I went away for a while as I was writing, and I see that Elisabeth already mentioned Maxton and Samson! Sorry for the repeat!

NE minds must think alike...

re: Gretchen coming back Say it isn't so! It's been steadily travelling up my list for the past few months.

I know a 7 year old Gretchen, but she's the only one I've met.

We're definitely going to be seeing more Cullens... it's also the surname of the male lead in the bestselling Twilight series.

How about Gayden? Think that'll catch on? Hm, maybe not.

In the invented-boy-names-ending-in-N category, I recently saw a last name on the spine of a book that fits the bill: Hazen. Has the hip "Z," sounds like the male equiv. of the fast-rising Hazel, and it ends in an N. I wouldn't consider it myself because of the ubiquity of the "N" trend, but I have to admit it sounds kind of cool

I think Jackson might also fit into this trend.

BTW, babies I know born (or to be born) recently:
Lucas
Peyton
Maya

Maya's parents are in their early 30s. Does that count as older parents? As much as I like that name, I do feel that it's sort of played out.

Also, if any of you watch Project Runway, I'm sure the name Kenley has caught your eye. For those that don't, Kenley is female and her style makes me love the name even more! Probably not enough to use it, just enough to think about it a bunch.

"MAX is also a big one for which parents always seem to search for a more "formal" name: Maxton, Maxford, Maxington among them (parents, please stick to Maxwell, Maximilian, or just Max)."

Hi Elisabeth - you missed my grandson Max, short for Maximus. It was a natural choice though; he has an uncle Julius and his late grandfather was Julius!

Elisabeth, wanted to let you know that there is a little girl Gracyn born last year that I know. Second choice for the mom was Emercyn Emercin etc. All this despite calling the girl Grace or Emmy. My comment that kre8ive spelling just mean she'll spend her whole life spelling her name for people was met with stony silence. "It makes her unique."

Gracyn... Emerycyn/Emercin, yikes!

Are these parents aware that the "son" ending means "son of" and are just trying to make it not so by kre8ively re-spelling these names?

I have a friend who named her daughter Emmerson, and I had to really bite my tongue. I call her Emmy (her parents use this nickname, also).

Gwyneth--I love Bananafanaafoaiden!

I have been hearing Kenley or Kenlee thrown around some name sites already. I don't know if it will take off or just be blip. But it does seem to fit in with some of the name trends out there.

AJ, Emerson is a well known surname that has some feminine sounds popular at the moment, so it's no surprise parents would adopt alternate spellings. Teri Hatcher has a daughter Emerson. Were those comments before their baby was born? I hope so!

Marjorie, Maximus is lovely and totally appropriate considering his predecessors. Maybe he'll grow up to have a little Lucius, Octavius, or Cassius of his own.

I think Kenley on Project Runway is adorable, but I do loathe her name. Good example of when disliking a name has nothing to do with one's feelings for a person who has that name. Of course, the opposite can be true as well.

http://youcantcallitit.com/

There was a Kenlea in my high school. I think it's a little prettier speeled that way, but still not my style.

There was a Kenlea in my high school. I think it's a little prettier speeled that way, but still not my style.

I misspelled "spelled." Perfect.

Ahhhh!!!! Just say no to Graden! My son is named Grady...a name that we LOVE! And I have been asked twice if its short for Graden. The
-aden, -ayden, -aiden, etc. trend is bad enough, but I truly did not expect to ever be asked about Graden when we decided on Grady's name.

I agree about Cullen by the way. I noticed it both on the swimmer and in the Twilight series! From those books, I definintely prefer Carlisle or Jasper :)

Like I've said here before, our tiny town has multiple Cadens, Laytons, Daylens, Rylans, and at least one Grayson, Taylen, and Treyton. I don't have the stats to prove it, but it would almost seem like more than 1 in 3 boy babies have an -n name around here.

It makes me worried to ever use a more traditional boys' name that ends with -n (like Calvin, as someone mentioned) or even to use a girls' name (like Maren) that ends with -n. I do wonder if the -n phenomenon is going to jump to girls, as I have heard of several girl Kaydens and the like.

(Also, we have a Kinley in town, probably about 8 years old.)

i'm trying to convince my hubby that Holden is a good name - it's my all-time favorite. he's very hung up on the catcher in the rye aspect (as opposed to the william holden aspect), but since salinger is one of my favorite authors, i have no problem with it.

it's an -n name, but not a kreated name.

what do you guys think? bad? should i let it go or fight for it?

C & C's MOM and now B!- Great name.....but does it bother you that Beck is a nickname for Rebekah, bekah, than beck??

"Grady as nickname for Graden" is also a logical parallel of Brady and Braden/Brayden/etc.

What interests me is that people don't want their sons to have boyish sounding names so they formalize the names BUT girls so often get stuck with names that will age badly. For example: Molly, Kayley, Lexi, Coco, Apple.

Maya, I know one Holden: a girl who uses the nickname Holly. I see Holden as just an extension of the Aidan, Hayden, create-a-name theme. And Holden Caulfield is a jaded, foul-mouthed misanthrope. If your such a Salinger fan why not use Jerome?

As for Beckett with nickname Beck: yuck. First off, Beck is traditionally a nickname for Rebecca (as noted earlier by Rjoy). Plus the musician Beck is a HUGE scientologist and that's a turn off for me.

Amandolynn - I don't like Jerome! :) I like Holden. And not because of that book either - that's my least favorite of his books. I just like the name.

But I also love the name Beck for a boy (and Beckett).

Beck is also a surname. Some of my ancestors were surnamed Beck and there are several males with the first name Beck in my family tree (usually because it was the mother's maiden name).

I would pronounce Levon, LeVON, not LEvon.

Have any of you guys been watching So You Think You Can Dance? There was an 18 year old girl in the top 10 named Kherington. I'll bet she has to spell that a lot.

Amandolynn, I believe Beck(ett) has already been named. Didn't know Beck was a Scientologist - though I found out recently half the cast of My Name Is Earl are...

Re: Holden, my first association is Catcher in the Rye, and then the film The Good Girl, which has a not-very-likeable character who renames himself Holden after the book, a bit of a wannabe-rebel (or at least that's how I remember it). Catcher in the Rye seems to be quite a polarising book; I think a lot of people will hear Holden and think "Cool, like Catcher", and others will hear it and cringe because of the same association. For that reason, I would shy away from it. But on the plus side, it does blend right in with the -en trend so little Holden's contemporaries wouldn't give his name a second thought.

Re: Beck again, it just occurred to me that it's a dialect word for 'stream' or 'brook', in the North of England. I think it's of Scandinavian origin - if anyone's read Melvyn Braggs 'The Adventure of English', he talks about how many of the dialect words he grew up using in Cumbria had their roots in Viking settlement. I suppose that's how it came to be a surname (for someone who lived by the 'beck'), and then used as a first name.

No one from New Jersey would name their baby Trenton LOL... and
I shudder every time I see a little girl named Camden.

Umm? Ever heard of Graydon Carter?

Devon, here, here, re: NJ natives not using Trenton or Camden. Trent is great - Trenton not so much! Another name NJ natives would never consider is Brooklyn.

How about...

Calen (cal-en; nickname: cal)
Westin (nickname: west)
Jameson (jay-me-son, nicknames: jamie or james)
Keithan (nickname: keith)

Re: Kenley

I work at a mother's day out, and there are two little girls, one named Kenlie, the other Kinley, both around two years old.

In Australia, Rylan is pretty much a boy's name (Riley is in the top ten) and Kaylin/Calan/Kalan/Cailen etc is relatively split between boys and girls. Same with Caiden etc, but I think if you add a y (Kayley etc) then it becomes a girl name. Gawd.

I have always given very little heed to the "spell it her whole life" argument. There are plenty of us who would consider our names very UN-kre8tiv who have been stuck spelling our names as well. My first name is Carrie, that one will always need to be spelled of course. My dh get things adressed to Jonathan, Jonathon, and Johnathan (this spelling is actually in my family tree about 5 gen. back). My aunt Lisa gets Liza and sometimes Lissa. And Kelly, Theresa, Reagan, Brian and Sherry are all ordinary names with ordinary spelling that have to be spelled their whole lives.

I do somewhat acknowledge the misprounced arguement though even that one can be tricky.

Also this doesn't belong here, but how about an international Olympic team analysis?

Australia's top ten baby girl names are Ella, Emily, Mia, Isabella, Chloe, Charlotte, Olivia, Sophie, Lily, and Sienna. One in four girl babies are given one of these 10 names.

But just to show that a lot of these names are pretty "new", in our 400-plus Olympic team, there are only 2 Emily's and 1 each of Olivia, Mia and Sophie (this includes common alternate spellings). It will be a different picture at the 2020 games I reckon!

I agree c.Elizabeth. We are entering a world where no one, nowhere, is going to take name spelling for granted, simply because there are so many free radicals out there, even for common sounding names. Maybe the digital era will save us all and we'll just have to swipe a card everywhere we go?

To me, Graden is basically just another "aiden" spin. It's more of a "stick a consonant or random assortment of consonants in front of Aden, and *poof* you have a name"
Also, I don't know if it's because of the trend that I tend to shy away from it, or if it's because of the fact that my last name ends with a strong -n sound, but I really like VERY few names ending in "n".

My hubby's middle name is Benton, a name that hasn't been on the top 1,000 since the 1970s but seemed to be a well-used name for a century before. So, do y'all think is this likely to be perceived as a made-up name. It seems to fit the formula of this post, an alternate way to arrive at the nickname Ben. We're definitely using it, but I wonder if it will seem date-stamped with all the other -n names?

This conversation is interesting to me, because I am pregnant with my second child and if it's a boy I was thinking that a name ending in -n would sound good with my first son's name, which is Porter. After reading these comments, I'm kind of liking Cullen. I don't like the derivations of Aidan (ie. Graden) because they are just too common and trendy. The reason we chose Porter, other than that we loved it, is because there are not many other Porter's out on the playground, yet it's not sooo different that people are asking, "What was that? How do you spell that?"

Do any of you have any other suggestions for sibling names that would go well with Porter? We are having a hard time coming up with either girl or boy names...

I'm actually a huge fan of Graydon nn Grady.

Imho, it has the aura of a southern gentleman, a la Atticus Finch.

I do think some parents are considering Graydon since Grayson is rapidly turning into Gracen et. al for girls.

However, I have to respectfully disagree that most folks using Graydon did it to have a more formal version of Grady.
I'm sure this was true for some, but I think for the most part, Graydon has a quite different feel and appeal than the other n names. Now, Graeden is a different story!!

I guess what I'm saying is that I think it's more likely that a couple using Graydon had a list of names like Miles, Simon, Leo, and Oliver than Aiden, Colton, and Jackson.

I do see how it has a similar vibe to Max, which I used to think of as sort of an artsy/sporty name until it got uber popular.

I don't know if any of that makes much sense, but that's my two cents worth!

Erin-

I like Cullen with Porter.
I think you can use any girl's name to your taste.
The only ones I'd avoid for either gender are other surname/ first names.
I like quite a few, but multiples in families start sounding a little like a law firm-kwim?
If you give us a little bit more information about your tastes, you will get lots of good suggestions. The gurus on this board love to be asked!

Maya-I love Holden, and again, I think this name has a very different vibe than Caden, Brayden, and so forth.
The one we know is brother to a Grace, and he's smart as a whip.
Now, if you don't want to hear something really off-putting, skip the rest of my post....

O.k.-Here it is-I actually tried to get my dh to consider Holden, but he said kids would forever be making jokes along the lines of "Holding my..."
Of course, much the same can be done with any number of names, but if you hadn't considered that I thought I'd put it out there.

I'm afraid I don't like the name Cullen. Reminds me of
a) culling (as in killing animals)
b) sullen
and
c) it was the last name of my fourth grade teacher who never liked me.

Sorry to whoever likes it...

Interesting stuff.

For those who asked about names such as Calvin, I do not think that they remotely belong in this discussion. That's a fine name, not trendy. It has a great history. There are many, many male names that end in -n that "just so happen" to end in -n. It doesn't make them less strong or meaningful, and it certainly doesn't take away from their depth of character, substance &/or history.

Many come to mind. Stephen/Steven, Kevin, Evan, Ethan, Nathan, Ryan, Brian, Colin, Jonathan, Aaron, Sebastian, and the most timeless name of them all - John. Sure, they all end with "n," but I don't think that any of them, Calvin included, should be grouped with all of the "-aden" names.

I like Holden. I don't like Cullen. I much prefer Colin.

I don't like commenting on the names of children who have already been born, that seems less appropriate.

J&H's mom-

Thanks for your feedback! I guess as far as our tastes go, we have a variety of likes. For girls, I prefer pretty, but my husband likes kind of boyish names, I guess, though he does like some of the more feminine ones I've thrown out. If Porter was a girl, his name was going to be Avery. My husband still really loves that name, but I'm finding that every little girl at the park seems to be named Avery now. He suggested Elle, which I think sounds ridiculous with our one-syllable last name, and he suggested Alex which is too male for me. He keeps throwing out Top 20 names, which, though I like, I keep vetoing (namely Abigail, Sophia) Currently, we are both kind of liking Lila(h)and Anabelle. I like Eliza, but he does not.

For boy names, we haven't really discussed much, but we have leaned towards -n names, such as Gavin.

So, as you can see, I'm pretty much open to any and all suggestions. :)

Rjoy - the fact that Beck is a nn for Rebecca does not bother me. In fact, my next door neighbor is a girl named Becky. Somehow Beck just doesn't seem feminine to me. I don't really mind names that could be masculine or feminine. In fact, if you look at all my children's names, you may not know which are girls and which are boys: Coby, Campbell, Beck (ett).

Of course, my older children (4 and 2) have been saying Becky which I probably will have to put a stop to soon. :)

names to go with Porter: Foster, Ellis, Miller, Logan, Graham - I think Porter goes well with tons of names!

Cullen (and any parents of Cullen) will spend a lot of time correcting people who think they're hearing "Colin," soooo..... maybe just go for Colin instead?

- Cullen reminds me of a more estabished name, Callum (Scottish), recently used by Kyle MacLachlan and his wife.
- I know a Clifton but there are certain names that I don't think will be popular in the near future no matter what the added ending.
- I didn't even know Grady was a name! It makes me think of Brady.
- If Gretchen catches on maybe Gwendolyn will, too.
- I know a couple that had the Max issue...ended up with just Max.
- I have a three-year-old cousin named Stella and have always liked the name.
- It would be really interesting to break down the top 1000 name list by age demographic of the parents (Maya commenter). I have a niece with that name and her parents are 35+.

Cullen reminds me of Cullen Skink, a traditional Scottish soup made of smoked haddock and potatoes. But I doubt this would occur to most people, except perhaps in Scotland.

I would suggest "Danson" (nn Dan/Danny) but it sounds too much like "Dancin"... or Sam from Cheers. Maybe combo Irish/-n names will take off next, much like Aiden/Caden/Brennan but with the happy nickname possibility. I nominate Finnlan (nn Finn) and Bryson (nn Bry).

re: Cullen
The name most strongly reminds me of William Cullen Bryant, a poet of the American romantic era. I don't know a lot about him personally, but in this case I would guess Cullen is a mother's maiden name or other family surname. Seems posh New England patrician to me. And yes, cullen skink is probably a Scots or Caledonophile-only association.

re: Holden
A totally respectable name. NOT associated with this trend. I wonder about it: I see it doesn't crack the top 1000 until the '80s, a few years too late to be really linked to the book (whose readers probably would have started with the babymaking in the mid-60s).

At the end of the day, it's not a name I would ever use, because I loathe the character from Catcher... (and the book) with a passion. Until angsty teenage boys stop reading it, the name will never be totally free of that association. But that doesn't stop it from being a nice and usable name. (Though, yes, I knew a Holden in high school, and my friends and I swapped "Holden" for "holding" in song lyrics...but it was more a tribute than a mockery.)

Speaking of Olympic names, I was watching some swimming finals (U.S.) and of course there is Dara Torres, who has been getting a lot of attention. In addition, though there were three women named either Kara or Lara (or maybe another -ara name?) It was crazy.

The problem with Stella in the UK is that it means beer - people talk about getting in the Stella's, or getting tanked up on Stella - after Stella Artois. I think they've changed the name now to just Artois, but it's an unattractive connection.
A shame because it's a lovely name.

Scads of Stellas out here in SF. Even a Stella and Sloane sibset (sisters). And I know a baby Gretchen, whose name I thought was charming when she was born.

I like Cullen precisely because it is a New England surname--that's my heritage--but agree that most people would hear "Colin."

For Porter, I think the key is not another -er name, but you probably new that. I myself would probably balance it with something simple like James or Henry, so the names didn't seem too theme-y. I loved J& H's mom's remark, "I like quite a few [surnames for first names], but multiples in families start sounding a little like a law firm. When a friend told me her second child, a girl, would be Taylor, sister to her little boy Mason, I blurted out, "Wow! They can start a law firm!" Ooops.

I'm going to sound like a snob here, but, um, here I go. I think "Holden" is like "Atticus" (from To Kill a Mockingbird) another name that has an appeal to people who want to be edgy. Both books are required reading for high-school English even now, and to me (admittedly a college professor of English) the names give off the impression of the parents' having stopped reading right about there. But as always, if you love it, use it!

Apropos of Laura's post on words that should be trendy names a while back, some siblings for Graden: Burden, Curtain (spelled Curton, of course, nn Curt), Cordon, Harden, Happen, Raisin (spelled Razen no doubt), Sodden...

oops, "knew" that. Typo. Embarrassing when you are burbling on about high school English.

Our eldest son's name is Atticus and I definitely did not stop reading after high school. We named him that, not because of the book (although as far as characters go, you can't get much more honourable than he). It was a name that wasn't even on our radar, but a friend suggested it and we loved the way it sounded. My husband hadn't even had read the book.

Both my husband and I are writers and Atticus was considered the first publisher (of Cicero's letter's), so we liked that. More research revealed that Atticus was an Armenian saint. Also, a friend of ours, a man who we both admire, played him in the local stage version of the play.

We weren't trying to be edgy or cool. We just liked the name. We got a bit of flack from the grandparents when we first announced his name (which just reconfirmed why we didn't discuss our shortlists with anyone), but they've since fallen in love with it because they've fallen in love with him.

would like to have some trendy names for soft beverages.

I'm constantly surprised that Laban hasn't become popular. It's never been in the top 1000 names. But it has the two-syllable DAH-dah rhythm, the N-ending, the trendy A-sound, and isn't a million miles from Hayden et al. Are there any obvious bad connections anyone has with the name that I'm missing?!

Double post: I just realized it sounds a TEENSY bit like labia. But not much.

Erin-

The first girls name that came into my head to go with Porter was Casey.
After looking on the voyager it does look like it might seem slightly old fashioned, but there is a character on Greek with the name, so it is still out there. In Britain I know only two Casey's. One who is 17 and one who is roughly 10/11.
However I think any girls name ending in -y would sound great with Porter.

Lucy
Josie/Jodie
Macy
Molly
Rory (which could work for a girl or a boy)
Ellie

I also love Avery but can see why you might find it too popular right now.

Re: Porter--I love Gavin with it. Of your girls names, I'd suggest Anabelle over Lilah. I have a feeling Delilah/Lilah will be taking off and too much opularity with a name seems to bother. Even if they don't take off, Lilah is still likely to get lumped with all the Lilys. Other names I think go with Porter (some have already been suggested) Graham, Henry, Loretta, Ruth, Claire.

Popularity, opularity, poopularity...I've obviously had too much vitavetavegimin this morning.

It's funny, I knew three Cullens, but had never met a Colin until my cousin named his baby (now nearly 3 years old) Colin. I guess that is like the "Ethel-Mae postulate" that was mentioned a few weeks ago. So to me, Cullen is a nice name, and not at all confused with Colin.

Beth-It's funny you mention Holden and Atticus as being named after characters in novels. My husband and I named our son Grady after a character in the novel Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon. Please don't read the book, or you might have a lesser opinion of us! The character Grady is a philanderer and pot-head (although I'd argue he's a good guy at heart). We really chose our Grady's name more to honor the author, who I think is America's greatest contemporary novelist. We were also considering Clay to honor the same author and his book The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay....but in the end we really just liked the name Grady better.

I heard a "Dalton" being called on the playground yesterday. What is the nick name for that? Dolly?

Just thought I would share some of the recent babies names in my circle...(Toronto area). We have a 6 month old named Chelsea. So far we know a Lilly, Charlotte, Elianna,Evelyn, Alley,Austin, Karter, Morgan, Aiden, Sam, Cameron, Hailey, Landon, Madeline, Jayla, Hunter, Kole, Ainsley, and Izzy.

I thought it was interesting that the boys names were so modern sounding.. and the girls had an old fashion flare.

As for the name Dalton.. the nick name I have always heard was Dalt.

If I were choosing a baby name from Kavalier and Clay, it'd be Luna or Josef. But what was the hunky 1930s actor's name...Tracy Bacon! Very entertaining choice, I thought.

New Baby Alert-

JazMia Mae (AAAHHH, horrible!)

Born to a teenage mother I know. Mae is lovely, but hearing JazMia is just revolting to my ear.

I have been a lurker for a long time and finally feel a need to comment!

We just had a boy 8 weeks ago who we ended up naming Gavin. Took us a long time to come up with a name.

We have an SON last name and I was adamant that Baby would not have a first name that ends in N. And no trendy -aiden type names. But I loved the name Gavin enough, and thought it was uncommon enough, that I was happy to use it and I absolutely love it.

I agree that nesm like Calvin, Colin, Gavin, etc don't fall into the "end in N" trend. At least I like to think so!

Erin - we get lots of compliments on the name so I would go with Gavin if you like it! People know it's an old name and no one seems to think it's trendy. Not yet, anyway, I hope it's not going to be the next big name.

I met a little girl on a playground last year whose name was Dalton. I asked her what her name was and she immediately replied, "Dalton. It's a family name. I was named for my mom's side of the family." I thought it was so interesting that a child of five or six years old would already have a canned story to tell strangers about her name--obviously she'd gotten some reactions to her name that caused her to come up with the speech.

Dalton McGuinty is the Premier of Ontario and I haven't heard of any little ones being named after him around here! I don't see that happening but maybe I am wrong!

My sis is a Rebecca but she's NEVER been called Beck. Becca and Becks, but never just Beck. Beck is SO totally masculine for me. I love Beckett and would have loved to use Beck too but dh didn't like it. Plus it's pretty alliterative with our B ln. Too bad!

Seems to me that if 1/3 boys have names that end with 'n' that Calvin, Holden, and other old names still fall into the category since they still end with n. The are still set apart from the Aiden family and but still are part of a name trend. Which I don't automatically think is a bad thing, it's just a thing.

I've heard of some Gracen's too. :-\

Part of me is saying pretty please stop publicizing the name Grady - it's my toddler's name and I fear it will become too trendy. At the moment we know of no others IRL, apart from a senior citizen. The other part of me is saying well, perhaps it's better to be a few years ahead of a trend?

Any suggestions for sibling names?

Grady's mum
As a fellow mother of a toddler Grady, I agree! He's the only Grady I know of, apart from a few eldery gents.

so is the current opinion that Lila is too popular? I hadn't heard the name until this year, and I think it's lovely. I was considering it for my first child- due in December- but don't want her to be one of a dozen Lilas running around on the playground. What are some good, less popular alternatives to a name like Lila?

Arg. I struggle with this trendy "ends in n" thing. I have always loved the name Owen, but now fear that it falls right into the Graden, Braden, Jackson trend. Thoughts on whether Owen aligns more with Braden or with Calvin? Not to mention my last name ends in "n" and I can't decide if the double n is a deal-breaker for me...

Kara:

I think anything old fashion sounding right now is in.. and Lila has that feel to it. If you love the name go with it though. Your child will fit right in with the Lily's, Evelyn's etc. crowd.

I would also say that to me Owen aligns with the Braden, Aiden, Jackson, Mason crowd. I know 2 little Owen's already. I do like the name though.

I think Calvin is a nice name that ends in n though.. a little different.. haven't heard it yet.. and it would kinda go well with the old fashioned sounding trend.

SusieQ,

In the Biblical story, Laban is portrayed as the bad guy in the love story between Jacob and Rachel. So if you are religious, then you probably wouldn't want to name your son after him. (Of course, Delilah has taken off so who knows? Next thing you know, we'll see Salome on the charts.)

I think Beck is a strong, masculine name; great choice!

Grady reminds me of gravy, so not a good name in my book.

I also dislike all -aiden names, especially with kre8tive spelling thrown in the mix.

Owen to me isn't part of the trend, I like it.

Lila(h) sounds lovely, but I have no idea on the polularity of it.

I like Annabel with Porter very much. That's a lovely pair of attractively quaint names.

Other possibilities: Henry (as others suggested), Jane, Eleanor, Charles (Charlie), Libby or Libba, and James. I think Porter is such a strong, unusual name that you're best off keeping things simple with the sibling.

My favorite boy's name for years has been Simon, which is British and old-fashioned to my ears but also Biblical. I'd hate to think it's part of the "ends in N" trend :(

I think Cian/Kian is going to explode soon. And not just b/c we used the name a few years ago.

I'm surprised it hasn't made any noise yet.

Though a kids store we shop at said there was a baby Cian who came into the store.

Tirzah - Salome is actually common in Switzerland. I've met one Swiss girl with this name, and mentioned it later to another Swiss woman who told me it was completely normal there. It is all "Bring me the head of John the Baptist" to me; I wouldn't use Delilah or Laban either. But, I must admit it is pretty. There'a a sweet, shy little creature called Salome in one of Tove Jansson's Moomin books, too. She was a Swedish speaker - I don't know whether Salome is used in Swedish outside of Moomin Valley.

aj, i know a baby Cian who is about 6 weeks old! his dad is Irish and they wanted a traditional Irish name. i think it's near the top of the popularity charts in Ireland right now...

Kara-- my sister-in-law just had a baby and named her Isla (the "s" is silent so name rhymes with Lila). It's apparently a Scottish name and although the actress Isla Fisher has it, the name itself is not in the top 1000. I've also seen it spelled "Eila." I was a little jealous when she chose the name since I had my sites set on Lila(h) for a little girl. Of course I'm not even pregnant yet so I can't really complain...:)Her daughter is just gorgeous and it fits her perfectly.

Random things.

My older dd is Rebekah and has never been plain Bek. Bekah, Beks, Bekkers, yep. I will say that it was confusing in her swim class with Beckett nn Beck. While not exactly the same, it was close enough to make both of them turn to answer.

Kellen is the first name of a football player (thinking Cleveland Browns). Pretty sure he has a teammate named Braylon.

My ds shared a NICU room with a Grayson. His mother said she liked the name Gray, but wasn't sure about how he'd feel in the future with a color name. So, she lengthened it to give him the option.

Do I think Graden/Graydon/et al will catch on? As long as the -aiden ending is popular, parents will continue to try to make an "original" name with that ending. Would not be surprised to see a kid named Taiton to get the nn Tate for example.

Yet Another Guest -- do you use a nickname for Atticus? My husband and I like it, but not the seemingly inevitable nn of Atty/Addy ... Do you mind shaing your other children's names? I'd just like to see what kind of sib set Atticus fits into IRL ... thanks!

Annabelle is a perennial British name, and a nice change from all the Isabelles and Gabrielles around. I've seen it spelt Annabel as well, but never with one n. So spelling might be a consideration. I think it's really pretty.

This last year I taught a Grady who is 13 years old. Only one I've met IRL.

Love Atticus! I heard a parent discussing his son Atticus at the Farmers Market on Sunday. I would love to have known of any sibling names.

I think Owen is clearly part of the whole "n" trend and the HUGE current spike on voyageur seems to confirm it. Calvin doesn't have the spike yet but maybe it will next year. A co-worker of mine just named her baby Calvin and with all the talk here about the name it must be an up and comer (maybe too strong of a religious connotation to be ever get really big)

In fact, it would be hard to convince me that any ending in "n" name is not part of the trend with the possible exception being Jonathan. As a Jennifer born in the 1970s it cracks me up when people say "I really like this name ending with an 'n' and i don't want to be/think it is part of the trend." That's what a trend is, after all, lots of people really liking the same thing. When I ask my mom why she picked Jennifer she says "I just really liked it and we were looking for a J name."

ending in "n" names in my son's 2-year old "class"
Jaylen
Dylan
Greyson
Jordan
Lincoln

all different in tone, all part of the trend.

Someone else mentioned this way upthread, but Graydon Carter is an editor and writer in his 50's, I would guess. I assumed it was a family name because he seems rather old money. And yes, Cian(pron. Key-an) is quite popular in Ireland as the updated (more authentic) translation of Sean from Irish-Gaelic.I just got back from Ireland and was listening hard for all of the "new" old names. I met a baby named Aoife(pron.Eva) and heard a child called Saorise(pron.Shercha). A fellow who gave me a ride was named Ronan-pretty common there, but I like it.I think Annabel and Gavin are lovely names and , certainly, both have been climbing the charts.And belated Congratulations to Beckett's Mom..My son tells me that that is the name he would have chosen for a boy. Very strong and handsome and historical.

Also love Atticus.
I think - maybe wrong - that the -n thing is American and hasn't made it here to the UK yet. We're knee deep in boys called Alfie, Luca and Milo.
The exception would be names like Nathan and Aaron which are quite downmarket now.

I should say Alfie etc are North London names!

I bet we might be able to see Scotten -> Scott. Cotton?

I wonder how long it will take me to feel like the bananafanafofaidens are 'normal' names. My mom is a Darlene and I have friends with moms named Charlene, Marlene... To me these sound normal, but if i was alive in the 50s I'd probably think they were godawful tryndee monstrosities.

Can anyone give me info on the meaning and origin of Gilead?

Gilead is a hilly region in the Holy Land, east of the Jordan River (now located in the HLawsonashemite Kingdom of Jordan). It is famous for the balm of Gilead, some sort of resinous plant used to make a medicinal ointment. Gilead is also the home of the Prophet Elijah. The name seems to mean something like hilly or rugged.

Sorry. Somehow the capcha (Lawson) got incorporated into the word Hashemite. Blasted capchas!

I know a Salome who is about my mom's age (60-ish) and think it's a really pretty name. It comes from the same root as shalom and salaam (peace).

As a non-Christian, it seems like a really nice name to me, but I can see how it would sound pretty weird to others.

Kate-We don't give him a nickname and, luckily so far, no one calls him Atty. I *really* don't like Atty, and I'm hoping that when he gets older he won't go by Atty. But even if he does, I'll always call him Atticus!

Our younger son's name is Avner. It's the Jewish form of Abner. Another name that wasn't on our radar until another friend suggested it. Apparently it is popular in Israel. We're not Jewish, but we thought the name was great and suited him.

Just in case this is of any help, other names on our boy shortlist were: Arlo, Theodore, Solomon, Leif, Rupert, Ezra, Howard and Magnus (although we knew we couldn't have two boys with the -us ending--we just really like that name). Girl shortlist was Adelaide, Clementine, Violet, Hazel, Ivy, Iris, Eleanor and Harriet. As you can see, we definitely had a type of girl's name, but were all over the place for boys!

Well, the class I teach at the mother's day out had five boys, three with endings of -n:

Owen
Preston
Jonathan (goes by Nate)

I also feel that Owen fits in with the current trend of -n names.

Comments on the above:
Holden reminds me of Hayden. Very gender neutral IMO.

Know a Landon in my dd's preschool. I think this definitely fits with the "n" trend. I think most names in the "-aiden" category and others with a "made-up" feel should be included. I do not agree that Calvin, Owen, Jonathan should be included. I think Jackson was the fore-runner to this trend.
Other ideas not mentioned for the trend include:
Brenton, Keegan, Garrison(eventhough its a surname), Thornton(same), Princeton, Brighton, Paxton.

Sibs for Porter-First thought for G was Emerson-don't know why, guess it has same feel for me.
Maybe for B Grady, Maxwell, Finley, Samuel, or Stephen. I think Avery works great for G. Other G names: Madeline, Beatrice, Caroline, Gwendolyn.

Eila seems a much better sp and easier to get pronunciation correct than Isla which no matter how many times I'm told will always be IS-la rather than EYE-la.

Miriam: Does it have any history as a boys name? Wikipedia had some about it but I am never sure how far to trust the info there. They also had a differetn meaning than you listed.

Did anyone here read the latest Real Simple magazine?

There was a page dedicated to different moms with various questions.
Well...One mom had a son named DRY. DRY??

Has anyone else every heard that name? Is it REALLY a name? I can't believe it?

Jessica--

As far as I know, Gilad is used in Israel as a male name--after Mt. Gilead (I think). This is a modern Hebrew name, not a traditional one. The trend in Israel has been away from the traditional Hebrew biblical names and toward names derived from nouns referring to concepts, emotions, and features of nature. Gilad would fit the more current Israeli naming patterns.

I am not aware of Gilead being used in the US. although certainly it is possible that religiously inclined parents might use it. As far as I know, the only biblical place names in common use as personal names are Bethany and the various forms of Magdalene/Madeleine. There might be a Jericho or two running around here and there. I have never heard of anyone named Galilee, for example. Zion and Ben-Zion, not exactly toponyms, do show up occasionally.

Just plain Gil (joy) is a very popular modern Israeli boys' name.

Tricia-- Thanks for your invaluable comment on the discussion. You are right, traditional names which end in "N", may fit with some transitory popular taste because of the ending, but they stand outside of that, and will weather trends handily. Your example of classic "John" makes the case!

I wonder if there's something about that "nnn" sound that is inherently pleasing, at some obscure level? Isn't that a sort of cooing baby sound-- "nnnnn", maybe to self-comfort?

Decades ago, I suddenly realized that my mother, father and I all had names ending in the "n" sound, and thought that was a neat connection.

Beth, your humor is priceless. Bring on the "Soddens"!

Apropos of "N", this time at the beginning of a name-- just heard that Helena Bonham Carter named her baby "Nell", one of my all-time favorites. Golly, I hope the celeb set hasn't taken that one up with a vengeance, only to "ruin" it. But Helena Bonham Carter did say it was to honor all the "Helens" in her (admittedly illustrious and rarefied) family, so maybe it's still somewhat safe, and not an actressy predilection? I'm a bit worried now that "Honor" has been taken up...

Miriam, am I right in thinking that "Sharon" was originally a place name in the Bible, then taken up as a girl's name? Or was it just a word meaning "a plain" and not a specific place?

"Eden" is a gorgeous Biblical place name I've always liked-- and there's that "n" sound...

Eo--

Sharon is the heavily populated central part of the Israeli coastal plain. As a girl's name Sharon is twentieth century, but I don't know whether it was derived directly from the biblical place name or from the rose of Sharon plant.

Although Sharon is a plain, oddly the cemetery in which much of my family (both sides) is buried is called Mt. Sharon.

I completely agree with this.
I speant the whole of yesterday trying to come up with baby boys I knew with -n names and the only ones I could come up with were Morgan, Bryn, Owen and Dylan which don't count as I live in Wales and people are always going to give their children Welsh names.

I do actually know one Logan, and I know the name is getting popular here. To my huge annoyance because I liked that name fo years whilst it was all unknown (over here anyway). And TBF this Logan is a brother to a Morgan so that might class as a -n family.

Apart from that off the top of my head I know:

Thomas
Noah
Kai
Liam
Charlie
Harry

Kai - I keep on coming across this name for boys.Seem to be up and coming in London. I know one family with sons Jay and Kai.

Sharon - I know an Israeli man with this name, don't know if it's more common as a man's name in ISrael. Sadly for him he now lives in London! He pronounces it Shar-ON.

Im sorry by this I meant Keren.
Sorry about that.

My husband's name is Gilead (yes, he is Israeli). It's pronounced gi-LOD, so a better spelling in the US might be Gilad (otherwise you'll get a lot of GIL-ee-od attempts, or more often, blank stares).

Actually to be nitpicky, the pronunciation is somewhere between guh-LOD and gee-LOD. Think of it as a very quick long-E sound.

I have another -n name to throw out:

Maven (MAY-ven)

I like that it comes from the Hebrew word "understand" and in English it means "expert". It could work for a girl or a boy, but maybe better for a girl since it rhymes with Raven, and there would be the cute nns Mava and May. Just another -n name...

It's so annoying. I don't have kids yet but the names I like are suddenly very popular (Lilah, Ronen). Grr!

My son's second-grade class had a Braxton, a Braden, and a Bryston...all with parents who thought they were giving their sons names that would stand out and not be one of many in their classrooms. Their teacher calls them "The Killer B's" because she is forever getting them mixed up. LOL

My trainer named her son Kai last year. She liked that it was both Welsh and Hawaiian and had multiple meanings. It suits the adorable and incredibly active little boy very well (he's already standing at 7 months).

In -aden news, the Jaydens are crossing over. My husband just made contact on Facebook with an old high school friend and found that she has a daughter named Jayden. I know people on this board generally look askance at giving boy's names to girls. But Jayden's not a hot property around these parts. And it's a boy's name of very recent origin. So what's the feeling about it becoming a name for girls? It's similar in sound to Jade, which could make it seem a sensible choice.

I know two girl Jadens, elementary age.

The little Atticus I know has an older sister Violet.

I'd avoid naming a kid Gilead, though I can see the Biblical/geographical appeal, because for me it only conjures the dystopian state of Gilead in Margaret Atwood's _The Handmaid's Tale_. Shudder.

Hey, I knew Helena Bonham Carter and I had more in common than our lovely porcelain skin (ha!)--now we both have daughters named Nell. Sweet, thanks for that news bulletin.

I was just thinking today about if there were any girls with -aiden names. And how Jaden would work well being simular to Jade.
So that answers that question anyway.

Thanks Yet Another Guest! A lot of the names on your lists are ones I like too ... and I'm a writer! Great minds think alike! :)

Re: Jaden/Jayden being used for girls, my cousin recently named her daughter Jamison ... it's the first time I'd heard it used for a girl -- has anyone else?

Kate,

I know a girl toddler named James, I believe after the model. She's got a model theme going since older sis is Elle.

Maybe Dry is a nickname for Dryden!

Re: Owen- while I agree that it's "outside the trends" in Wales, it's absolutely part of the trends where I am in Ontario. I work in a infants/kids clothing shop, and Lily and Owen are our (unofficial) top names- at least one of each every day.

There was a Graydon Richard in today's Globe and Mail- brother to Cameron and Mason- and born in California
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Births.20080809.93164097/BD...

US swimmers:
Brendan Hansen
Larsen Jensen

how law firm-y

Jaden/Jayden is crossing over. I received a baby announcement today for Emily Jaden. Yes, it is very unoriginal.

I know two Kians, both about a year old. Rhymes with Ryan right? At least that's the case for the two I know. Actually though, last year I was introduced to one of them as Kian (rhymes with Ryan) and this year I heard him called Kee-an so... not sure about that.

Three recent births to friends:

Hazel, sister to Charlie
Gisele, sister to Isabella (Bella)
Leonardo David (Leo)

All quite sweet, I think. Will try to find out middle names of girls....

Birth announcement:
People on my genealogy group have announced grandchildren born-
Phoenix Trinity
Maximillian Wilhelm

Don't know any stories behind the names but thought you all would want to know.

lizpenn -- You mentioned Hazen as a possibility for boys, and I actually met a Hazen recently. Not sure how he spelled it, though. He would be in his late 30s/early 40s so certainly not part of the current ends-in-n trend for boys' names.

Erin -- I think Anabelle and Gavin would be great choices to complement Porter. The only Anabelle I know IRL uses this spelling (and, apropos of the ends-in-n discussion, her twin brother is Calvin. They'll be 8 this fall.)

Re: Cullen, I instantly thought of Callum, too, and much prefer that one.

Re: Holden, I don't really care for this name, partly because it's too verb-y to me (holding). I dislike Graden for this reason, too.

And as for names like Gavin, Owen, and Calvin, while they share an ending that is very popular today, they are light years away in style from many of our -aidens.

Just was listening to radio (oldies) and heard the song 50 Ways to leave your Lover. You remember..slip out the back Jack, make a new plan Stan,,,etc.

So it got me thinking..in today's society with the trends we are discussing here, what rhymes with all the -aiden names? Or even Gavin for that matter? I did come up with some rather rude comments for guys like-You're a jerk Dirk. (My apologies to all Dirks-don't actually know one IRL). But anyway, I just don't think you could do a song like that with today's names. Thoughts??

Not that it matters, but I was wrong about the Anabelle and Calvin I know. They'll be 9 in the fall.

I know a preschool-age Atticus. He's sometimes called Atty. Sister is Eloise.

Glad to see someone else likes the name Magnus!

From the 50's to the 80's, there was a Canadian politician (CCF and later Liberal)named Hazen Argue. I always thought it was a great name, especially for a politician! Maybe it was a family name.

Coll and Karen re: Kai - I know two boys with different spelling - one is Ky (about 20) and one called Kye Kelsey now age 25.

I don't think rhyming these names for songwriting purposes is difficult at all....

Jaiden, maiden, laden, fadin', tradin', paradin', badin', paid in, played in, fade in, trade in, laid in...

Ryden/Raiden, tied in, sidin', glidin', slidin', tighten, lighten, frighten, fightin'

See?

The reason most of the names in "50 Ways" are so easy is that they're one-syllable names--not so much in fashion now. But songwriters will manage.

Re: Kai, I know a Dante Kai born earlier this year to an Anglo dad and a Japanese mom. I think they call him Kai.

just saw a girl Jadyn, 4, on the cover on some mail advertising

Eo, you're welcome. Thank you. I certainly do not agree that all boys' names ending in -n are part of any trend. They are two entirely different branches of the naming tree. Names that have been popular for 100 years or much more, and remain popular today (top 200 or so) are definitely not trendy in any way. John, Steven, Sebastian, Calvin, others - part of the trend that Laura discussed here?, no way! Not with the history they have in the US and other countries. Just doesn't fit.

Re: the person who knows a boy named Dry, I can only imagine the fun they'll have with that name during potty training.

Do you have any suggestions for sibling names for Grady? Heavily pregnant, babe's gender unknown, and still no names selected - please help!

Boys:
Owen, Rowan, Gavin, and Brennan all have the same Celtic feel to them. And ironically are all -n names.

Oliver, Miles, Jack, and Reuben have a similar feel to them in terms of age. In my opinion anyway.

Girls:

Ellery
Elise
Felicity
Gemma
Charlotte

A bit more random but they seem to fit.
I may be way off from your personal style though.

I've thought a lot about whether established -n names are "part of the trend" or not (Tricia's the most recent one to mention it).

I think in a way they are: it's a way for parents who don't want the Aiden, etc. names to fit into the contemporary sound. Plus a lot of those names don't really have a history of popularity. I looked up some names I would think of as NOT part of the trend, and many have only recently started climbing:

Mason, Sebastian, Owen, Holden, Maximillian, Lucian, Ethan, Gavin, Gideon, Simon, Julian

Except for Simon, they all have almost identical curves: almost flat until the 1990s, then a fairly rapid rise over the last 17 years. So they're clearly part of SOME trend, whether it's the -n name thing, or the general interest in distinguished-sounding vaguely old-fashioned names, or a combination.

Interestingly, there are a lot of -n names that are on their way down (or are there already). These include:

Stephen, Jason, Reuben, Nelson, Wilson, Clifton, Aaron, Brendan, Colin, Dylan, Gordon, Kevin, Martin, Warren

In these cases, it seemed either that they had been steadily declining throughout the century (like Clifton and Reuben) or had an earlier spike in popularity and then dropped back down (Jason). So what's wrong with these names? Why haven't they been adopted by parents looking for -n names?

Maybe they sound like old men (and not imaginary old distinguished British men like Sebastian, but real, grumpy old men next door like Nelson), or older brothers (my brother b. 1973 is named Jason--along with half his high school class), or kids with parents who are behind the times (don't they know Brendan is on its way out?!). In any case, there's something going on here, and I'm not sure if it's connected to the -n issue or something else. Just thought I'd share.

Reuben seems to be on the up in the UK. Have cme across quite a few, all trendy families.

Someone upthread mentioned that they thought that the name Hazel is a fast-rising up-and-comer. Is this the general consensus? I'm asking because it is our absolute top choice girl name for a soon-to-arrive baby (we don't know yet whether the baby is a girl or a boy). I don't know a single Hazel under the age of 30 and if anything I thought some people might look a little askance at our name choice because it may still be considered an "old lady" name.

Do you think that Hazel is likely to become trendy, or only within certain circles?

Thought I should throw out that I know a Hazen and he is in his 80's. I haven't done my research so don't know the names' history but it's definitely not new. It just might become popular though? Once we tire of x we might move on to z.

Names of girls born in the past 5 years on a subdivision street in the oregon town of 55,000 ranked one of the top 5 places in the U.S. to live (also has one of the highest #s of PhDs in the country)

Francesca
Viviana
JulieAnne
Molly
Leah

About -n boys' names that are losing ground--Martin is one of my faves--it was on my shortlist in 1999.

Hazel's popularity in the US--well, let's look at the numbers: It's solidly in the top 500 now, and took a 100+ leap up the charts (from 465 in 2006 to 361 in 2007). Now, that's still not wildfire territory--but it's not likely to read as completely strange to a lot of American parents at the Kindergarten gate in 2014, either.

Ooo - I like Martin, too! I wonder why it isn't more popular? And with namesakes like MLK, Jr., no less. Perhaps the nickname Marty is a turn off?

i think hazel is becoming trendy-ish. i know a hazel younger than 2 and one expectant mother who is going to name her daughter hazel anne. i heard more people start to talk about it after julia roberts' daughter was born a few years back.

thoughts on the name Kaina? (the female version of Cain, i guess?) i heard it on jerry springer, haha, several years back and think it's super pretty.

I like Martin too but I do see it as sort of a dorky name (of course I have a soft spot for dorks). The character on The Simpsons can't help...

J&H's mom - we talked about that ("holden on! holden my ..." etc.)

sure, it's annoying. but plenty of names can be made fun of. what can you do?

Friends of mine have two sons -- Martin (nn Marty, 8 yrs old) and Silas (5 yrs old). I think Martin is a great name; Silas is a little too ... something ... I'm not sure exactly what ... for me.

@ RB -

ARE today's angsty teenage boys reading Catcher in the Rye? I'm not so sure anyone's reading it today. I didn't read it in school - I read it after I graduated high school. It was not in our library at school. Ha ha.

@ Beth

Love your comment! Even if we do have a boy next and name him Holden, I can assure you that I didn't stop reading after Catcher in the Rye. :) But I do have a sentimental attachment to the name Atticus too. ha. But it's not on my list of baby names.

Love your list of siblings for Graden, too.

I have a friend who named her daughter Hazel a few months ago. I also love the name and think it's a hot right now (for better or for worse).