Here's a rare name I expect to hear more of in the future: Graden.
Certainly, it has a fashionable sound -- another in the vast rhyming family that includes Aidan, Hayden, Caden and Braeden. But there's more to it than that. Graden sounds like a formal version of a popular formal name that sounds like a nickname. Hmm, was that gibberish? Let me give it another shot.
Classic multisyllabic men's names -- Thomas, Edward -- generally come with two standard nickname options. There's a one-syllable basic (Tom, Ed) and a two-syllable diminutive (Tommy, Eddie). That's sensible enough. After all, the two main functions of nicknames are to shorten and to soften.
Today, though, the standard nicknames are decidedly out of fashion. So far out of fashion that some parents are getting skittish about names that even resemble the form of a traditional nickname. So more and more, you see parents tacking extra endings onto short boys' names, creating a new "formal" version for something that was never a nickname to begin with.
It's not a totally new phenomenon; Rexford is one example from past generations. But the practice is growing. And forget old add-ons like -ford, -burn and -wood. Today there's just one way to extend a name: with the all-powerful letter -n.
For a case study, consider Colton. Colton is a popular contemporary name, currently ranked #117 among American boys' names. It was a surname before it became a baby name, but that doesn't tell the real story. As a surname Colton isn't common at all, ranking behind the likes of Stumpf and Fortenberry in frequency. Nor are there prominent Coltons to raise the name's profile. The key to understanding the name Colton is that it made its debut as a popular baby name in 1982. That's the same debut year as Colt -- which is to say, the first full season of "The Fall Guy," a tv series starring Lee Majors as stuntman/bounty hunter Colt Seavers. At first, Colton was just a quiet shadow of the hardy young cowboy Colt. But by the '90s, the more "formal" Colton was the clear leader of the pack.
Some more popular -n extensions:
Brycen
Daxton
Trenton
Treyton
All of them, notably, also have rhyming names in the top 1000. Which brings us back to Graden. So you like Grady, but perhaps find it a little boyish? A mere flick of the -n gives you Graden. You can still call him Grady if you like, and the full name blends right in with the current name landscape. It's a nifty 2-for-1...as long as "blending in" is what you're after. If you're customizing the name to make in more distinctive, though, keep in mind that uncommon and distinctive aren't always the same thing. In an age where a third of all boys born get an -n name, Colt and Grady may end up standing out a lot more than Colton and Graden.
Instant name: just add N
08/07/2008, 11:51AM
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Comments
another Amy- Thanks for posting the names. I just have to say that a baby girl named Emerson Grace makes me mad. It is so annoying.....Sorry, just had to vent.
Keren- You made me laugh so hard! I can just see you with your face scrunch trying to figure that out! LOL
Trish-Cute names! I like Pete and Repeat
About the cat- I hope you are all right. I am starting to get a little concerned though. My niece adopted his brother and he is very calm and cuddly. Our cat wants nothing to do with us. I know I need to give it time. But the main purpose of this adoption was to give my daughter a cuddly, sleep in her bed, cat. Hmmm
Rjoy, given that your husband likes The Flash, here are suggestions based on the names of Flash-related folks:
Bartholomew
Allen
Garrick
Gardner
Amy-Congratulations on Edison Owen!
Our Henry was almost an Owen (it's his mn), so naturally I think it's super handsome.
I think the interesting thing about this discussion is that some of us are considering it from a linguistic point of view, while others are trying to work out its practical implications for naming.
I think while the n trend is truly fascinating, it's too big a group to use in a practical sense-for example, eliminating names ending in n from consideration. Certainly, Calvin, Owen, Jackson, Caden, and Aiden all share an ending, but I'd argue that each is quite distinct in style, and except for the latter two, in sound as well.
Do others really find Calvin and Caden similar? To me, they're just as different as can be in both sound and style-n or not.
I have to chime into the orange tabby conversation! Our red mackerel tabby cat is called Roscoe Peregrin (Ros, Ros Ruskin, Roscito, Roskis, Rascal etc etc) and he's both cuddly and super people oriented (also typical devon rex traits as far as I can tell).
We just decided to adopt him a cat brother, this time a brown mackerel tabby. This new one we're planning to call Jackbert Mortimer. The kitten won't be arriving for another 2 months, tho... Jackbert's another story - it's a real person's name I once found in the phone book of the Cayman islands... the ultimate -bert name :)
While I agree that there are many different styles of "-n" names, they do start to sound similar, whatever their history. I know a sib set of Ryan, Ethan, and Brandon, and while I know that the popularity charts and histories of the names are not identical, the names SOUND very similar. Just as a group of boys named Owen, Aiden, Kevin, and Nathan would have very repetitive sounding names, even though the names may have little else in common. This is particularly true for the 2-syllable, ends in -en names.
Also, the fact that many are blissfully unaware of name history and popularity compounds this. While someone who has researched names might feel that Madison and Madeline, for example, are worlds apart, I think many would find them so similar as to be interchangeable.
So I guess what it comes down to is that a name like Calvin is different in history and popularity from Brayden and Jayden, but it will still blend in with them, for good or bad.
And FWIW, I know lots of little Owens, two of whom are brothers to Emmas.
My best favorite cat ever was an orange tabby with white tummy and paws. His name was Edgar Morris Katz (Morris because he was adopted from the Morris animal shelter in Philadelphia). It suited him perfectly.
I will continue to respectfully disagree :) that names such as Calvin, Sebastian, and so on belong in this discussion, which is not really about names that have been around and well used for over 100 years and just so happen to end in -n, but is much more about recently created names and/or adding suffixes, namely -an, -en, -in, -on and the worst of them all, -un, to already created names.
I don't think that Ryan, Ethan, Brandon, Owen, Aidan have anything more in common than the very fact that they do end in -n. In my opinion, the sound of the name is not just phonetic. I "hear" a style when I hear a name, so Bertha "sounds" old lady-ish to me, while Martha sounds a bit fresher and actually usable in this day and age. They both end with the same 4 letters, but they sound worlds apart to my ears.
Ethan sounds Biblical. Ryan & Aidan sound Irish. This is based only on my experience with people with the names, not on research. Their style is so different, even if certain names have become mainstream.
I hear a lot of people say that names such as Aidan, Brendan, Holden rhyme. They don't rhyme. Aidan and Caden rhyme. Holden and foldin' rhyme. The flow of siblings Aidan, Brendan & Holden might be a bit much for some ears, but it's very different than having an Evan and a Kevin or an Aidan, Brayden & Caden.
And having names that end with like sounds is less obvious, in my opinion, than having a family full of kids who have names that start with the same letter.
another Amy, congrats on Ned's birth!
Kate, I'd definitely go for Edward/Ted (one of my secret favorites).
As far as predicting name trends 10 or 20 years into the future, that's obviously beyond anyone's scope-- other than anticipating names come back around in 80-100 year cycles and checking out names that were popular but not oversaturated in 1920-1940.
Along those lines, my mother has a name that came to be the overused girls' name a good two decades after her birth. My almost 60-year-old mother was named Jennifer in 1951 after my grandmother's favorite actress, Jennifer Jones (she was the youngest of 5 kids, so they were ready to branch out name-wise). Growing up in rural Minnesota, she said she was mercilessly teased about her name by her peers (often called "Furry"), but also complimented on having such an "exotic" and "unusual" name.
Fastforward 20-30 years and I bet a lot of those same kids who teased my mom wound up having Jennifers of their own.
My paternal grandmother was a stylish woman who was very concerned with being different and what other people thought of her. She changed her own name as a teenager from Sylvia to Sybil, (apparently that was as more stylish name at that time,) and she unilaterally changed my grandfather's name from a Yiddish name to an English one. (The two had nothing at all to do with one another and I'm not sure how she chose the English one - or why he let her do it. I suppose it was easier than fighting her.)
She was also so ahead of the curve that, in 1950, she named her first-born son Rowan. (She also gave him a middle name that he refuses to tell anyone and I only found out once I peaked at his passport when I was about 11. A very creative woman, she was.)
My entire life, the only Rowans I had ever heard of were Dan Rowan from Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (and of course that's his last name) and Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean). Today, I marvel every time I hear of a baby named Rowan - especially when the baby is female. And the number is increasing. Very weird.
Rjoy- Don't worry- I'm sure your kitten will acclimate. Just keep talking to him reassuringly. It really makes a difference.
And then if he stays shy, maybe we'll have to think of some names for a quieter type!
Emerson ranks 312th among girl names. There were over 1000 girl baby Emersons born just in 2007. Teri Hatcher's daughter Emerson Rose is 11 years old. Emerson doesn't even rank in the top 1000 for boy names. Like it or not, Emerson is firmly a girl's name.
Oops! Emerson does rank as a boys name. (Messed up my searching parameters.) It ranks 494th for boys, which is 529 baby boys in 2007. The girls still trump.
Regarding the name Emerson, according to the SSA charts, it has ranked as a male name for 111 of the 127 years that the SSA has been keeping records of names. It appears to have hit a high at #304 in 1912, but it appeared as on the charts as far back as their are records - 1881.
Emerson, as a girl's name, did not enter the top 1000 until the year 2002, and it's been on the list ever since.
Basically, it's much like the name Kelly, which has been a top 1000 name for boys since 1881; and only a top 1000 name for girls since the 1940s.
Ashley & Riley are 2 other boys' names that follow the same general patterns of Emerson & Kelly.
In my cat's litter was a charming orange tom kitten - we named him Marmalade. There was one pale grey one called Mouse and the one that I kept (for 18 years) was what the vet called a calico cat - orange, tan, black, white, and a bit of tabby mixed in. I would have named it Joseph (with a coat of many colours) but it was female so she was Josephine.
Tirzah- Thanks for the info on Emerson. You are right about it switching over, but the history is still firmly male. I guess I will have to give up on it being a male name from now on. :(
Marjorie- Thanks for sharing the names of your cats. Funny, thing...my husband wanted a female orange kitten so we could name her Marmalade and call her Lady sometimes. I guess we are not all that original like we think! LOL!
Congrats on NED! I don't usually like last names as first, but I do like Edison!
After reading some of your comments, I became curious about the stats on boys' names ending in -as. Here's what I found at the SSA site.
Nineteen boys' names in the top 1000 ending in -as:
20 - Nicholas
51 - Thomas
53 - Lucas
144 - Nicolas
173 - Elias
235 - Lukas
331 - Jonas
340 - Dallas
346 - Silas
370 - Nickolas
396 - Douglas
401 - Nikolas
477 - Tobias
508 - Isaias
525 - Tomas
779 - Mathias
795 - Matias
816 - Matthias
971 - Andreas
I also think we're going to see more and more -ah names on boys over time. There are twenty of them in the top 1000:
14 - Noah
30 - Elijah
43 - Isaiah
67 - Jeremiah
106 - Josiah
126 - Micah
165 - Jonah
363 - Nehemiah
425 - Judah
440 - Izaiah
444 - Zachariah
447 - Isiah
549 - Alijah
670 - Zechariah
723 - Messiah
827 - Jeramiah
867 - Jasiah
894 - Abdullah
919 - Hezekiah
920 - Izayah
Thanks Cathy! That was interesting.
What I couldn't help noticing is how people can take a classic name that has been around for thousands of years and butcher the spelling. For example: Izayah?? what is up with that?? Excuse my CA slang here.....LOL!
Hyz, Is Ivy here yet?! You've been silent for a while, which isn't like you. Please send an update!
Daughter-of-Jennifer and relative-of-Rowan, what marvelous stories you shared. I love hearing of these "ahead of the curve" namers who were clearly NEs in a world which, at that time, valued conformity and assimiliation.
Please, everybody, share your "ahead of the curve" family stories!
I have "out-of-the-curve" stories from family members who went outside their cultural background in unexpected ways. Many foreign names in my background are French (a nod to the days of French imperialism, although my country was never officially ruled by the French). So my Uncles Emil and Maurice and Aunt Georgette are nothing out of the common way.
But I have one great-uncle (now deceased; he would have been in his 80s or so) named Morgan, a Welsh/Anglo-adopted name that is completely out of place with my ethnic and cultural milieu, to say nothing of the uncle's year of birth. It is pronounced with a garden-variety "flipped-r" accent, but with a subtle emphasis on the last syllable, --AN. Government officials always wanted to know if he had a Western mother (it's the mother who's assumed, natch) or some other logical namesake, a famous person for example, but to my knowledge, he was not named after anyone. His parents just must have been widely-read NEs who kept their eyes and ears open.
Rjoy, Tirzah, etc: my thoughts on Emerson for girls is that it plays off of a pleasing sound-- "Em" and "Em-e" that the parents love but that, in Emily and Emma, is disturbingly "too popular."
I suspect this sentiment has resulted in many an Emerson, Emmeline, and Emery. It's interesting that we have two celebrities--Teri Hatcher with her Emerson and Christian Bale with his Emmaline--who seem to have followed this "Alternatives to the Top-10" approach (although for all I know, those celeb babies were given family names. I'm just offering some conjecture).
Girlieq, too right you are that attempting to circumvent future trends is a fool's game. (And Sister Belinda is correct in her note that this board is one of the staunchest proponents of "choose the name you love, regardless_____").
I've posted before that there is a name for boys I have loved and attached deep personal meaning to for all of my teen and adult life. As far back as Social Security records show, it has never been in the Top 1000 in the U.S. But I am resigned to the fact that, given the ravening beast that is our Fresh! Exotic! Name From-the-Distant-Past-Made-New naming society, the name will very soon come to light and possibly reach a certain level of popularity (I don't see it going over 100 or so, though, unless a celebrity with that name surfaces). I find it very difficult to imagine NOT using the name, no matter how popular it becomes.
I believe others have commented before that the surest way to avoid the popularity trap is to stick with the most venerable of "classics," the names with dozens of famous namesakes: the Johns, Michaels, Catherines, Marys, Jameses, Josephs, Sarahs, and Elizabeths. Their popularity so long ago reached the saturation point (and not just in the West, I might add), that they no longer exist for me on a "popularity" scale.
It means very little to me to tell me that one of these names has a certain ranking, because they fill my daily consciousness; they're like background music in my head. And it is likely that their "music" will continue to fill the air fifty or 100 years from now, for as long as people are still naming their kids after deceased loved ones.
Cathy, for whatever reason, I'm really drawn to -s names. Names that didn't make our shortlist for our second son because of the -s endings (as stated earlier Atticus( 683) is our eldest boy) were Silas, Amos (979), Linus, Ambrose and Magnus (which made the shortlist).
While I think it doesn't sound strange to have a family of boys with -n names, a family full of -s names would seem too much to me, despite how much I love those names.
I'm trying to imagine in 15-20 years if -s is the new -n. Could you imagine? Caedus, Braedus, Graydus? Nope. I can't see that happening!
I've been wondering if the popularity of the Jonas Brothers will give a bump to Jonas as a first name. Opinions?
I think I posted a while back (probably under another screen name) about a local obituary I saw, where the woman's three daughters were Althea, Lauren, and Cecily. Totally hip and fresh sibset for 2008, but.... they were born in the early-mid 1930s. That woman was way ahead of the trends!
I really hope -s doesn't become the new -n. My absolute favourite boys name ends in s. and as of yet isn't in the top 1000, and has never been. I don't want it suddenly taking off. Being an Emily all my life I wouldn't want to give my child a very popular name if I could help it.
Karyn, I loved your story too! Can you please tell us what Rowan's middle name is?
I'm also wondering about hyz! Can't wait to hear about the new baby girl.
Karyn... and there is no way you are going to tell us the great mn?
O and just out of interest I had a look at -n boys names in the England and Wales top 100.
N was a clear winner for the last initial (despite the fact that I didn't think we had that much of a -n trend) with 26/100, followed by y (14/100) and then e (12/100).
19: Dylan
25: Ryan
31: Harrison
32: Jayden
33: Cameron
44: Owen
45: Nathan
48: Ben
49: Aaron
54: Logan
55: Mason
61: Kieran
66: Brandon
67: Kian
74: John
75: Leon
76: Ashton
79: Aidan
81: Hayden
82: Evan
86: Sebastion
91: Reuben
93: Morgan
98: Sean
Obviously not all of these are considered trendy -n names though.
-s came third with 7/100 if anyone is interested
2: Thomas
9: James
16: Lewis
26: Lucas
52: Charles
56: Rhys
78: Ellis
I've never even heard of the Jonas brothers. Am I completely out of the loop? (FWIW, I hadn't heard of Miley Cyrus until the Oscars and a friend had to explain why we were supposed to care about her!)
As I posted the name Jonas on the -s ending boys' names, I did think of the Jonas brothers, and yes, "Guest," I do think that the name is going to make a big leap (even bigger than it has in recent years) in popularity soon.
Here's how it's looked for the last 16 years (ala SSA) - definitely a steady, and fairly rapid, riser!
2007 331
2006 357
2005 387
2004 458
2003 466
2002 438
2001 516
2000 525
1999 510
1998 521
1997 555
1996 570
1995 690
1994 702
1993 807
1992 906
One of my favorite names ends in s-- Marius. No one else ever seems to comment when I say I like it, so I guess it's all mine!
Yet another guest,
I like a fair deal of -s boy names too. I think my favorites are Matthias, Tobias & Thaddeus.
It would be funny if your Caedus, Braedus, Graydus prediction came to be. Add yet another syllable in there, and you could have Graydeus.
Hey, ya' never know!
I'm a staunch supporter of the "If you love a name, use it..." school.
As I mentioned earlier, my brother, born in the early 70s, is named Jason. He's never seemed to mind that he graduated with 20+ other Jasons in his high school class. My parents have said they were surprised to learn of its popularity after he was born, but they never consequently felt that they were uncreative people or felt accused of being trendy. They (and he) have always been happy that they went with the name they loved most.
Plus, there's no getting around the "Ethel-Mae postulate":
my husband and I both have names of roughly-equivalent popularity for the year we were born (around 50th). I have met ONE person my age with my name in my entire life, and my husband grew up knowing about 10 other kids with his name, including his best friend. So why worry about something over which you have no control?
As far as "ahead-of-the-curve" naming, about seven years ago I used to babysit for a boy named Calvin, who was 6-7 at the time (so would have been born around 1994 or 5). The only other Calvin I knew of at that time was a cat... But now it really seems to be taking off--at least I hear it tossed around a lot more as a strong contender.
For the orange cat, what about Andy, as in Raggedy Andy?
I noticed Reuben (#91) on ET's list of England and Wales' top 100 names and wondered what you all thought of it?
I'm drawn to it -- it's biblical, it could have the great nn Ben, and two of my ancestors had the name -- but no one else seems to agree (mostly I get, "Like the sandwich?" when I mention it). Laura's book says the Spanish version Ruben is most popular now, but I did read recently that Reuben's somewhat popular in England, as ET's list demonstrates.
I'm also currently in love with Joachim ...
Thoughts on either Reuben or Joachim?
Kate, I adore Joachim. A friend of mine who is a very chic NYC woman working in the movie industry has a 3 year old Joachim and he is beyond precious. I love it!
Not as much a fan of Reuben, but it may be because I tie it to the whole -n trend. If it weren't for that, I think I would like it more.
Kate,
I like Reuben, that spelling, unless you or your husband are of Spanish descent, then the Ruben spelling might be nice.
I do think of the sandwich, but it is a name, and a fine one at that. Perhaps the Ruben spelling would help distance the name from the sandwich a bit.
Another thing to consider is the potential nickname Ruby. It's a great given name for a girl, but personally I would not like my son to be called Ruby. Just a thought.
RB,
Regarding your brother not minding having a popular name, my husband says the same. He says that "guys don't worry about that stuff like girls do" and having asked around a lot the past many years, he seems to be right, generally speaking. I've actually found that most men or teenagers would prefer to be one of many of the same name in a crowd. They don't want something that draws attention to themselves. Girls, on the other hand, may not necessarily want more attention, but do seem to like (or at least not mind as much) having a more distinctive/less popular name.
Of course, those are total generalities, and just my experiences.
Correction:
That was supposed to be "most men or teenage BOYS..."
Cathy and Yet Another Guest, I've long had an affinity to -s names, including Thaddeus, Giles, and Tobias. For me the appeal is that so many of those names have literary associations, like "Thaddeus of Warsaw", and Tobias Smollett. It's only a matter of time before they become VERY widely used, I'm hazarding a guess.
Valerie, your candidate "Marius" holds intrigue! I immediately think of Marius Petipa-- wasn't he something to do with the ballet world, in the Twenties, maybe? Or was he a composer? Very appropriate for you!
The other category of -s names I like are surname ones like Brooks, Jenks, Barnes, etc. which have less broad appeal. I even like "Jones". Suddenly remembered that one of the posters who had named her son "Jonah", I think called him "Jones" for short! Love!
Speaking of which, in the continuing saga of Banks getting to be called by the right name: he got a charming letter from his new third grade teacher, in which she welcomes the children to the class in September, etc. She merrily addresses him as "Ben" throughout, even though her class list would clearly have nothing but "Benjamin" for him...
However, based on last year's experience, once she knows he goes by the short form "Banks" at school, it shouldn't be a problem. Almost all the kids and most of the teachers have "acclimated"-- it just takes a little extra effort...
And at VBS, once he scrawled Banks on his nametag, he got everybody calling him that, even a little boy who for two years has perversely insisted on "Ben"! The power of the group, I guess.
Kate -- Like KRC, I think Joachim is a great name. Reuben for me has too many other associations, namely Reuben Kincaid from The Partridge Family.
When i first read "The Giver" about six or seven years ago, I decided that I really liked the name Jonas. However, given the extreme popularity of the Jonas Brothers (and for those that don't know, they are like the Beatles to pre-teen girls), it's effect has kind of worn off.
I also liked the other names in that book, Asher, Fiona, Lily, and Gabriel.
Kate--I really like Reuben, but prefer the e-less spelling 'Ruben.' It doesn't seem like it's part of the n-trend in the same way Aiden/Brayden/etc are--it's more distinguished.
I like Joachim, once I figured out how to pronounce it! It might throw some people off that way, depending what part of the country you're in and how common/familiar it is.
Wow KRC, I'm surprised and excited to hear that Joachim is actually used! (Though, I hope it doesn't catch on!) Does your friend pronounce it JO-uh-kim? Does she use a nn? I suppose Joe is natural ... or "Jokey" as my mom joked :) ... Laura's book only has an entry for Joaquin (like Joaquin Phoenix, and she has Joachim listed as a variant of it), and Quino is the nn listed ... but I like just Joachim.
Does anyone like girls' names that end in "-s"? I've always liked "Glynis" and "Dilys". Can't think of any non-Welsh names ending that way, but know there are many. Oh, "Phyllis" and "Doris", and "Mavis". I would love to see a toddler named "Phyllis"! The height of anti-fashion.
Where is our avant-gard poster who named her children Mildred, Prudence and Cecil? Wasn't there a fourth?
Oops, I forgot to say--
Valerie, I like Marius. (It does make me think of Interview with the Vampire, but that is probably not a strong association for most.)
Do you pronounce the first syllable to rhyme with bear or bar?
Eo -- Wasn't the fourth kid Gladys? Another girl name that ends in /s/.
I get all the new hire emails from my firm's HR dept and a woman named Silkys just started. Not sure how that's pronounced -- sil-kees or sil-kiss.
Re: Joachim, I would pronounce it wah-KEEM.
Eo & Amy3--I remembered the fourth child as Gertrude.
Kate, mom of T G and J-- "Joachim" is wonderful. I would put it second only to my favorite "Jo-" name, "Josiah". Nicknames besides "Joe" could be Joch, Jock, the ever-popular Jack, or even something out-there, like "Jam", "Jamm", "Jamz"?
Sorry to post so much but this discussion is tripping off a lot of things! I harbor a liking for "Reuben" as well. It's strong, Biblical, and connotes honesty, and enduring values, for some reason. It could also be intellectual, as opposed to the "frontier" associations it also evokes. Nickname: "Reub" or even "Ben" if you don't mind the popularity of that name...
As usual with pop culture references, I wouldn't worry about the sandwich or transitory TV characters-- "Reuben" transcends all!
I think the fourth child was named Gladys. Isn't the mom Kaitlyn? Kaitlyn, are you out there?
And although I like Reuben, the nickname "Reub" is too close to "rube" for me. I wouldn't want my son to be called a rube!
The standard English pronunciation of Joachim is JO-uh-kim. In other languages it is pronounced in a variety of ways. SO, the pronunciation really depends on what language the family chooses.
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