The Baby Name Wizard

hmm... maybe I will give the name Jacob a second chance.

It's not just alphabetical. As you mentioned, frequency can be just as advantageous (like the Michaels in the man's PDA). I had been hesitant to use Jacob, the number 1 name since the 90s, but my husband loves it. This idea makes me want to reconsider.

Being the first entry in a lot of my friend's cell phones, I've gotten a lot of unintended phone calls over the years. Such accidental phone calls can lead to an opportunity to reconnect. It's nice being first now because often I was near the end in elementary school when we lined up by last name!

I semi-frequently get a text meant for my friend DH. ha!

Maybe this is why an aquaintance named her daughter Aashley. no kidding.

Call me an NE but when I was teaching school, just to break up the monotony of alphabetized name lists I sometimes had them go in order of their mn also. (I got to hear all the mn and they got another order...) :)

Adrienne- Your comment brought up a memory for me. When my daughter was a baby, I was waiting for my husband and to pacify her I let her play with my cell phone. She accidentally called my best friend Ava, the first person on my list. The neat part is that we hadn't talked for over a year due to a conflict we had. I hung up before she could answer, but due to caller ID she called me back and we started talking. Now things are great!

I thought this post was going to be about those accidental calls! My husband accidentally called his "Aunty Faye" so many times (and often in the middle of the night) that he eventually changed her listing to "Faye, Aunty." I suppose he is very close to her though...

About the elementary school line-up, I always thought it would be nice to "balance" the first and last initial for your kid. So with my last name "T," I should try for a first initial in the earlier part of the alphabet.

Jessica: that is hilarious! I would totally do that if I taught elementary school!

At my elementary school, we always lined up be height - I was short, so I always got to stand towards the front.

This explains a lot... (sob)!

Jessica - have you found that you have a class full of Graces, Lees and Nicoles, then?

I've never really thought about the cell phone thing before. When I need to call someone, the most common people are on speed dial, and for the rest, I never scroll through the whole alphabet. I plug in the first and second letter of their name and jump right to that letter set.

I have never felt disadvantaged having a name that start with one of the last letters of the alphabet.

But then all my schools used last names not first when we were alphabetized and my last name begins with a C. This had advantages and disadvantages in school since I had to go near the beginning on giving reports and such.

My teachers always mixed it up...sometimes we lined up by first name, sometimes by last name, sometimes in reverse alphabetical order (either first or last), sometimes by height or age, when I would usually be at the back, being younger and shorter than everyone else.

Not sure that having the name at the top of the cell phone list is an advantage. My MIL calls my husband (with an A-name) all the time by accident. But she's never actually on the line...she just forgets to lock the buttons. That woman needs a flip phone!

I mean, it's a funny and interesting argument, but I certainly wouldn't let it affect my naming choices.

My husband and kids' last name start with the letters "Ab." I've never seen a list where they are not first!

It can be bad though. For example, at the school where my husband teaches, they assign "bus duty" alphabetically. (That's the teacher that stands out there at the end of school to make sure the kids get picked up.) Every year they restart start alphabetically. So hubby has to serve two weeks every year whereas almost all of the other teachers only have to serve one week.

In my primary class (kindergardan in Americanese I think) we had to all be split up after lunch time to join other grades because our teacher taught a high school class in the afternoon.

We were split into 6 groups and she made us sing the order of our names, the alphebetical way we were supposed to line up so we wouldn't forget.

I'm 19 now and I can still remember how it went: "Anna, Amy, KEITH, Sean, John and Ryaaaaa~aaan!"

(Keith switched out to the other primary class after a while to be with his twin brother Kyle. The name song doesn't sound right without him.)

I just got a baby name announcement from my college alumni listserv.

R-a-i-n-i-e-r with big brother S-h-e-f-l-e-r.

Oh, I was Amy in that line-up by the way. I loved being second. Being first was scary for the 5-year-old me. What if I had to lead the way? What if I didn't know the way? Much more relaxing to just be a lemming, haha.

.....and I just realized that that line-up is not alphebetical. Whoops.

I wonder if my teacher just grouped together kids that played well together?

Is it the first day/week of school anyone? I would love to see the first name rosters in different parts of the U.S. and English speaking world if anyone wants to share. Am especially interested in repeat names in the same class. Cannot get over the fact that there are two Ezra's in my don's Jewish Urban/Suburban preschool class. I think names have their own "micro-climates." I bet rural (Cody), Suburban (Ava), and Urban (Jade) trends are different.

Interesting post, Laura, but I'm unpersuaded.

@yet another Jenny - repeat names (2 of each) in Urban US preschool class of 18 kids: Gabriel, Olivia, Harrison

Don't despair Valerie, according to this story in the Guardian the earlier you come in the alphabet the more spam you get:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/28/spam.email

I notice it, too, with blog names/titles. A blog that starts with an S, for example, is way down low on the blog rolls. A blog that starts with A is not only at the top, but also one of the ones that gets clicked before someone gets tired of going through the list.

Ezra is a fairly common Jewish name, so I don't see what's particularly surprising about it.

I know certain teachers used to make us sit boy-girl-boy-girl up to about year 10 (9th Grade) and having a last name that started with T meant that they'ld run out of boys by the time they got to me and so I was always between Georgina and Tasha instead. Which was a plus considering the boys in my form class.

This blog is so timely Laura. My ds started school this week. Our ln is A so he's been first every year. He marvels at this and doesn't quite get the whole alphabetical reasoning even though he's in 3rd grade.

When I was in school we often did alphabetical and I was often near end being a (maiden) S. It didn't really bother me except it would've been nice to mingle with the others a bit more than I was able. Finally, when I got to high school my teacher mixed it up a bit and alternated the order of the desk assignments so first was A then Z,B,Y,C,X and so on. That was definitely a welcome change since we lived in a fairly small town we were all getting bored of sitting near the same people for 11 yrs.

Also, my bf runs a daycare. She specifically put an A in front of her school's name so she would be found first in the phone book.

We lined up by either last name or height in the schools I went to. I was either in front (short) or in the middle (J).

I know school trauma lasts for a short time, I just hadn't thought about the technology end of it. I guess I lucked out by giving my kids both "A" names.

When auditioning or test taking, we always lined up alphabetical by last name. In the phone book, it's last name, then first name. I don't think the first initial matters as much.

I teach freshmen at a midwestern state university. In a class of 27, the only duplicates I've got are two Courtneys and two Leslies. Some other interesting names: a girl Brette, Felisa (I think she is Latina), an African American Milton, a girl Jordan, and a Lyndra (who I think is white. she's a music major so maybe a creative family?).

I think the way names are put into cell phones is highly individual, for instance, some of the names in my cell phone are by last name, some by first name. I would argue that they way anyone organizes their personal contacts, whether in a cell phone, address book, rolodex, etc... probably varies a great deal.
That said, I think the first letter of your last name probably does influence more in the way of who you sit next to, where your locker is, and possibly who you share classes with in high school or college. When I started grad school after I got married my last name changed from the end of the alphabet to nearer the beginning. For one large med school class, we were split into two groups alphabetically to take tests A thru M and N-Z. I remember thinking during the first test, these are all the people at the beginning of the alphabet that I have never gotten to sit with my whole life until now. ha!

It's so true. I'm at the top of everyone's cell phone list (Amanda)...I don't think it's upped my social life, but I do get an awful lot of voicemails of a phone in someone's pocket or them singing on the way to work! ;)

We don't have any double names in my (younger son's -- he's 2) pre-school class, just 3 sets of twins (out of 14 kids)! There's also a kid with my older son's (he's almost 4) name, which I hope doesn't confuse my little one!

In my older son's class (again, he's almost 4), there are 2 Zacharys.

It's a Jewish preschool.

When my older son started pre-school they put their cubbies alphabetical by first name. His name starts with a C and he was first. It was very strange for me that he was first as I was a T with no middle name (so where would I line up if they lined up by middle names?) and an H maiden name and pretty much always in the middle by any criteria. He LOVED it.

This is off topic but I have been reading a lot of this blog and I have been very impressed with the name discourse.

I am expecting a baby girl and having a very difficult time deciding on a first name.

As middle names I want to use by grandmother's name Taimi (its Finnish) and she will also have my last name also Finnish as a second middle name. It starts with a K. Her last name is going to be my husband’s which starts with an A. It’s a Scottish/Irish name.

I would like it be complementary with my son's name which is Graham Andrew K_ A_. I really like having my last name included as it reduces issues with traveling alone with my son as my last name is very unusual.

I don't want something too popular as my husband's last name is quite common but nothing too unusual as she will already have to live with Taimi and my last name as middle names.

Anyone up to the challenge?

Kelly-I would love to help out as I am sure others will too. As always though we ask that you post some names you like or letters or themes or something to give us an idea of your taste preference. You say not too popular OR too different. Do you want something to match Finnish/Scottish/Irish or just a good girls name to match with Graham?

I'm an Angela and my nickname is Aiea. I'm often glad to be so close to the alphabetical fronts of things. But it is annoying how often friends cellphones "accidentally" call me while in their pockets or purses.

Zoerhenne,

I see your point... my problem is I have so few I like. Primarily I want some thing that goes well with Graham. And if you really want my "rules"... which is going to sound pedantic, here goes.

I hate most girl names that end in the "ee" sound. Particularly my own name. Because Kelly was trendy and turned into a media blond, bimbo name, I prefer names that aren't too cutsie and work well for a professional wormen.

I can't have an "A" name because of the initials AA. My husband uniformly hates M names but I was partial to Marian. I personally don't like B names and K names for the most part.

I don't think I would go Finnish as she already has two Finnish names. Scottish/Irish is ok.

I also really love the Indian name Indira but I think it might be too different with Graham. Oh and yet again my husband doesn't like it. It look us ages to come up with Graham and there was a great fear that he would have no name!

I am at a loss really and would love to hear some different suggestions which might spark an epiphany.

Baby alert: Izac Raffi
white-as-bread, MidWest America, supposedly Raffi is from/after/or something Patch the Pirate

@Kelly - Here's my attempt to assist you with names for a sister to Graham (not starting with A,M,B,K nor ending in "ee" sound; not too popular, not too unusual):

Eleanor
Helena
Charlotte
Paige
Claire

Kelly,
I second Charlotte, Claire and Helena.
Also:

Caroline
Fiona
Nora
Lydia
Louise/Louisa

I like a lot of the above suggestions. I was about to suggest Fiona also! Here are some more:
Francesca
Rowena
Linnea
Georgina
Nina
Susanna
Stella
Serena
Nicola (NI-co-la)

Isla (depending on whether Taimi has that same vowel or not- is it pronounced Tay-mi or Ty-mi?)

RE: Kelly

I *love* Charlotte, especially with Graham, what a cute pair. Good luck!

One of my friends just found out that she's pregnant. She has a son named Jayden, and we're trying to come up with some complementary names.

So far on the girl list (with the MN Rose):
Molly
Shaylee
Sophie
Taylor
Daylee
Hadley

And on the boy list:
Zane
Eli
Zander (she prefers the Z over the X)

Any other suggestions out there--especially for a boy?

Kelly: I also like Marian! So what do you think of Colette, Vera, or Elise?

AK: Collin? Spencer?

Kelly
Very quickly thought of some Celtic names and others I love. I will post more later. AK I will think on yours tommorrow as well.

Dierdre; Valerie; Shannon; Bridget; Victoria; Erin. Charlotte and Paige as mentioned above are also nice.

Newsflash Baby Announcement:
(Aug. 28) - "Numb3rs" actress Diane Farr and her husband Seung Chung welcomed twin girls in Los Angeles on Wednesday, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.
First born Sawyer Lucia weighed in at 4 lbs., 12 oz., and Coco Trinity, who was born one minute later, weighed 5 lbs., 14 oz., according to Farr's rep. The girls, who are both 19-inches long, were born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "I'm so thankful that my midwife and doctor paid such wonderful attention to me and the little ladies," said Farr, 38. "And I’m really glad that I got to 36 weeks with multiples."

Sawyer Lucia and Coco Trinity-hmmm???

Weird names for Diane Farr. I would of expected different.

Kelly, I love the names suggested for Graham's sister, especially Charlotte, Paige, Helena, Nicola and Eleanor. I'd also suggest:

Jane
Flora
Miranda (a little Marion-esque and perhaps more appealing to your husband)
Rebecca
Felicia
Ginevra

So true! And not only the power of suggestion just from seeing their name all the time, my friend Allison says she's always getting accidental calls from all her friends because she's first in everyone's address book. (I've done it by accident too!)

Kelly:
I love a lot of the previous suggestions. Here are a few more:

Clara
Eloise
Vivian
Juliet
Eliza
Cordelia
Honor
Pheobe

**Good luck** Luv the name Graham bye the way!

Ooh, and don't forget Facebook--your friends list is alphabetical by last name, and if you boredly click on it, you see that...at least I'm more likely to check out the profile of someone on the first page.

PS I know I've been gone awhile...I'll read all you guys' wonderful comments in a year or so when I have time. :)

@AK - A name for a baby brother or sister to Jayden (a name so very much NMS) - here goes:

Boys:
Dalton
Landon
Logan
Rylan
Ethan

Girls:
Macy
Bree
Alyssa
Savannah
Haven

Of the girl name choices you listed, Molly and Sophie struck me as not fitting in with the group, and IMHO would certainly not pair well with Jayden.

@Kelly - Have more suggestions for a sister to your Graham:

Iris

Was reminded of the name by the romantic comedy "The Holiday" - those were the names of the sibling characters played by Jude Law & Kate Winslet. Iris may be a bit less usual a name than you'd like, yet you did mention a like for Indira.

Isis is another "I" name received by a wee one in my circle this year (given name Isadora). Of course there's also that perennial NE favorite Ivy (but there's that -ee ending you can't abide.)

Please be sure to come back & let us know the name you've selected. Best wishes.

Gosh, Sawyer, Lucia, Coco and Trinity are all such different names stylistically.

I think I would like the grouping better if the twins were Sawyer and Trinity or Coco and Lucia.

Sister for Graham- I knew a Graham with a sister Paige. Paige is not my style, but to each his own. :)

There are so many good ones suggested already.

How about......

Anneliese (one of my faviorites)
Lucinda
Honor
Beatrix
Violet
Simone
Elizabeth -popular but classic with the same air as Graham
Ainsley
Audra
=)

For Graham's sister I was also going to sugest Fiona. And I totally agree with Charlotte, Paige and Helena. I also LOVE the name Eloise. The Eloise I know always goes by Ellie though, and you mentioned not liking -ee names, or is that only if they are spealt -ee?
Also I would suggest

Megan
Bridget
Amelia (Perhaps Emelia to stop the AA initials?)
Eleri(el-AIR-rhi)
Maisie
Bethan/Bethany
Jemma/Gemma

Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions.

Fiona seems a general favourite. Too bad it and Clare are already chosen in my family.

I like the following suggestions:

Helena
Elinor (spelt in the Jane Austen way)
Iris (I have a German friend with the name who pronounces it EER-ris and it's lovely)
Isis is great too and I like Isodora but this received a distinct frown from my husband.

I got a good chuckle out of Cordelia - so very Anne of Green Gables. Too bad I want to use Taimi (Ty-mi) as I could name her Anne Cordelia!

Speaking of Anne of Green Gables. Has anyone heard of someone naming their daughter Rilla? Anne's seventh child's name. I see there is an emergence of the name Willa, Rilla would be in a similar vein.

Thanks again!

Tirzah,
Your alumni announcement cracked me up. Those boys' grandmother is my boss. The older one has her maiden name as his first name (she wasn't thrilled). Not sure about the name of the younger except that Raini3r is his middle name (and what he'll go by)--his first name is his father's name (J3remy).

AK- for girl Jayden siblings I like Taylor and Hadley best off your list.

For additional boy names--
Jackson
Caleb
Asher
Brandon
Austin
Colton
Bronson
Donovan
Gannon
Ethan

Kelly- I always think of Anne of Green Gables when people mention Cordelia too! Cornelia is a family name that I really like, but Cordelia always makes me laugh. I heard on the radio a discussion of Anne of GG and a caller said she was going to name her daughter Marilla (Rilla's full name in the book) and I do think that's a nice set with the nn Rilla.

For the new baby names you mentioned I like Elinor the best with Graham, provided of course DH agrees!

Tirzah said "I think I would like the grouping better if the twins were Sawyer and Trinity or Coco and Lucia." I totally agree! Also, I would hate to be Coco in the pair of Sawyer and Coco although neither is my style. Especially Coco, it just sounds like a cat's name to me (which could be because I know a cat by that name, but still).

RE: Cell phone name order:
I fiddle with the alpha order by putting the most important names/numbers artifically first by adding "AAA" before them.
My husband's name starts with a Z..wonder if that hurts him getting more side jobs, being last in people's cells??

I have thought of this issue in naming our next child, as our last name starts with a U. Don't want the kid to be last in line with first names as well! considering Aaron or Adam, LOL

Ak-
I met a Jayden this week with brothers named Bryson and Owen and a sister called Brooklyn.
I also know of one who has a brother named Luke.

I second Caleb and Logan, and I'd also add Leighton and Zachary. Mitchell or Wyatt, maybe?
I actually quite like Zane, and I don't mind Zander, both of which I think work fine with Jayden.
I adore Eli, but it's an odd pair imo.
Like others, I'm not a Jayden fan, but what I think it needs as a match is something fairly trendy, but also something that reads young and sporty, if that makes sense. Oddly, a lot of the n endings I thought of initially seem too old paired with it.

For girls' names, I'd suggest Delaney or Darby over Daylee. Carly's list is just about perfection, and her comments are spot-on.
Personally, I'd avoid Taylor, as then she would have two children with gender neutral names (I actually know more girl Jaydens and more boy Taylors), but that's just me.

Re: alphabetization, as an /a/ fn, I was frequently first (or very nearly first) if alphabetizing happened by fn. My maiden name began with /k/ so I was solidly in the middle no matter if the alphabetizing began with /a/ or /z/. Now my ln begins with /c/ so I'm pretty well always near the front. The same will be true for my daughter who shares the AC initial set.

Re: repeating names, my daughter hasn't begun school yet (first day is 9/2), but I can't wait to see who will be in her class this year. However, my husband's brother-in-law is a teacher (high school math) and in one class he has four Brianas (with a variety of spellings, but all pronounced the same). He persuaded one of them to go by Bree.

Kelly -- I think Elinor and Graham are quite nice together. My daughter has a friend Elinor (nn uber-popular Ella). Otherwise, I love, love, love Beatrix.

AK -- I don't have any additions to the Jayden sib search, but I agree the boy name needs to have that sporty, trendy quality Jayden has while the girl name should read as identifiably "girl."

Twin name alert:

Jas*per and As*trid

They are about a year old. I like both names but they don't seem to match, IMO.

Kelly, love the Austenian Elinor spelling (my favorite).

I've always entertained fantasies of naming daughters Rilla and Valancy. Both are beautiful names that fit in well with current trends. But actually, in the novels, Rilla's full name was Bertha Marilla, after Anne's birth mother + adoptive mother. And Rilla complains that she's known by the "childish" Rilla rather than the mature and sophisticated Bertha. Can't see that happening today!

Maybe that's where my name enthusiasm began. There are so many fantastic names in L.M. Montgomery's novels: Emily Byrd Starr, Marigold, Anne (with an e, of course), and Valancy Jane, always called by the hated nickname "Doss." And Lucy Maud is a pretty great name, too.

Jayden is nms, either. I would recommend the name Joshua with it, if your friend can stand the alliteration. I think it has a similar sporty sound and similar level of popularity, but is not quite as aggressively trendy. Jayden and Josh are a cute pair.

For girls, I could see your friend liking Madelyn (w. that spelling).

chloezoe -- If you don't mind divulging, where do the twins live?

Off topic, but sibset in the news: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig.

Track?!?!

Is anyone watching the news about McCain's running-mate Sarah Palin? It just broke and she introduced her children as Track and Trig (boys) and Bristol (I think, I wasn't sure if that was right), Willow and Piper for girls. I don't really know what to do with Track and Trig, though I guess they match. And while I like all the girls' names I feel like Willow and Piper together are almost too matchy. Definitely interesting sibset overall!

Anyone else have thoughts or corrections??

Haha, Brunka de Loof, you beat me to it by seconds! And yes that was my thought too...

Actually, my husband was the one who said "did she say TRACK?" We looked it up (thanks wikipedia)--yup, TRACK. For your first-born. Okay then.

Trig I kinda like, it reminds me of Cornish names that start Treg--m/f both--Tregenza, Tregidden, Treglyn, Tregony, Tregwall, Tregoweth. But as a brother to Track, it seems lacking in originality, like a retread of the only boy's name they ever agreed on, y'know?

Willow and Piper do match awfully well--nms but I can see the appeal of a safe, trendy match. But Bristol--again, for the first daughter--there must be some kinda story there? (As an art teacher, it says "Bristol board" to me, but that's probably not a reference for most folks.)

Track and Trig are like organic nn to me. hmmm. nms.

Yeah--they do sound like nicknames. Track might be a very cool option for a boy named Tracy (in tribute to an uncle, say), or even Terrance. I can see that, sure. Trig would be cool for a Patrick/Padraig, to anglicize (sorta) Tariq. But as stand-alone names, they're nms.

Jenny, I think you got the spelling of all of them right. At first I was wondering if the oldest boy was "Trac"? It was so unfamiliar I wondered if it was a tribute to Sarah Palin's husband's heritage, since he is part Eskimo.

But looked it up and it is with a "k". Apparently Sarah Palin's father was a track coach, among other things. I wonder if that was a consideration?

The baby is "Trig Paxson Van Palin". It would be fun to know the middle names of the other children...

Haha that is quite a name! I wonder if somehow NEs can band together and get her talk about her name stories rather than policies on the stump, at least for a little;)

Very interesting names by Mrs. Palin. The only other Bristol I know of is a little girl who spells it Bryst0l. Bryst0l's little sister is called H0lden. WASPy family, parents are academics.

@AK - More thoughts for little Jayden's mother on the spelling of girls' names from her list:

I really prefer the spelling "Daley" to Daylee (seems a bit classier even if like the Chicago mayoral family).

Also much prefer the spelling "Shaili" (a name becoming trendy in US among Gujarati Indian parents) to Shaylee.

Best wishes! I'm sure the NE's here would like to hear her final selections.

I have found several articles about alphabetical order affecting peoples' lives, like this one: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/05/22/scialp...

But more than that, I've seen that certain letters tend to be more popular than others at different times. The J-craze started in the 70's and is still going. K kicked in the 90's. A, B, and C are also popular, though for the most part it's c names with the k sound. Sometimes I wonder if it's a result of baby name books being alphabetical. People start with the a's, b's and c's, and by the time they get past the M's they've already got a lot in mind.

Thanks, everybody, for your suggestions!

I've suggested many of the names on the lists that you've come up with. She knows people with some of the names, and others don't sound good with her last name (which starts with R), and others she doesn't care for.

I don't think she's as worried about the girl name. It's the boy name. And I think you're right on with the idea of a jaunty boy name.

Any other suggestions out there?

Well, isn't Bristol a place name in Alaska?
Or am I imagining that?

Trig, I like. I think we've discussed it with the Tryg spelling.
I don't know anything about it, except that I've seen it several times lately in my mom's college magazine (small, liberal arts school in Minnesota). I suspect it has Scandinavian or faux-Scandinavian roots.

I like both Willow and Piper but agree with others that they're a bit much as a pair.

Track-I just don't get, but maybe it's an homage to hunting-a la Archer.

We have a friend who lives in a verrry small town in Alaska and is married to an Eskimo (I never know if we're supposed to say Eskimo, Inuit, or something else-so someone please chime in if we're being offensive).
I wish I could remember the name of her son.
Her daughter's name is pronounced darj-rye, but you kind of muddle the middle sounds together, if that makes sense.

Interesting discussion as always!

I just have a quick question and it'd be great to get a few opinions. I've just started teaching at a new school, and I have a few great names amongst my classes. One of my favourites so far is Joss, on a very handsome and popular wee boy.

What does everyone think? It just keeps growing on me! It's a refreshing alternative to the ever-popular Josh (more common than Joshua in my area), but I worry it might be perceived as 'girly' - though I like softer boys' names (my other favourite is Luka).

I think it passes the doctor/lawyer/president test, but could also be a rock star, artist, etc.

Help appreciated!

@Rosemay - re: Joss

Well, there's British Female recording artist Joss Stone.

There's also Hollywood producer Joss Whedon (b. 1964, Joseph Hill Whedon nn Joss).

NMS, sorry. Sounds to me like an androgynous made-up name or a nickname. Yet if there were only some family connection, I'd like it for you (just a bias I have).

How about Ross instead? A little more mainstream, but rarely used.

Joss for a boy could be good as a nickname--for Joseph, Josiah, Joshua, Jonas, etc.--as it is for the most famous bearer, Joss Whedon. (And if someone in 2008 in the US names their baby boy Joss, I'm going to assume they're Whedon fans. Just a heads up there.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon

For girls, it's the natural nickname for Jocelyn, of course, and works for Josephine and other Jo- names too.

More fodder for Joss's "nicknameyness." Joss Stone was born in 1987 - given name is Jocelyn Eve Stoker.

J&H's Mom: I think the preferred term is Inuit.

Rosemay: I like Joss! I could see it being a little "soft" but that sort of thing doesn't bother me. Plus it is so close to Josh, I feel like it is more boyish than girlish. The first Joss I heard of was Whedon, the guy who did Buffy, Firefly, etc. and the second was the female singer Joss Stone. Oh and then there are joss sticks; I think they are like Chinese fortune telling or something. Or incense? I don't know. But total old school Chinese like I bet my mom (second generation, b. 1949) knows what they are but I don't know that many Chinese Americans younger than that would.

I know of a girl with the last name Joss. Was it a surname first?

New Baby Alert-

Salvador Eliseo. LN is a common Jewish name. Big brother to Santiago.

Love the Spanish/Jewish name combo.

The Joss I've heard of is the English actor Joss Ackland:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Ackland
His full name is Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland. Sidney has traditionally been male in the UK and I have definitely heard of Jocelyn as male too, although I doubt if anyone would use it for a boy these days! I think Joss is a nice way to masculinize (?) it.

Well I found a blurb about Sarah's son Trig. Don't know about the others.

Trig is a Norse word meaning "true" and "brave victory." The name is in honor of his great uncle, a Bristol Bay fisherman, while the name Paxson comes from the well-known snowmobiling area in Alaska, which Sarah and husband Todd Palin love. Probably safe to assume this is where Bristol comes from as well.

Ooh, I love Eliseo! Is that pronounced Eh-li-SAY-oh, more or less?

Just saw my daughter's class list -- first grade, 20 kids. The only repeat: Griffin!

In fact there are 3 Griffins in the first grade which has about 50 boys.

Given that it was ranked 229 for the US in 2002, I find this quite amazing.

Bristol is also a place in Britain, and it sounds so much like a boys name to me. Also the same as calling a child Manchester or Durham. I can't say I like it.
I do prefer it spelt Brystol, though I still can't really get behind it.

Trig was the name of a stupid pub-goer in famous British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. For this reason it is also the nn of a boy I knew, given name Paul, because he was a bit dopey. Apart from that I do kinda like it. With Track its a bit much though.

I do like the name Piper alot though, it kind of annoys me that its getting so popular.

Carly - Thanks for the swift reply! I actually have a brother named Ross - maybe one of the reasons I was drawn to Joss. Ross is actually quite common in Scotland (where I live).

Brunka de Loof - interesting, as I really do love the names Jospeh and Josiah (though Joseph is way too common).

Joss Stone does give me pause for thought as I really hate her music. I think she's awful, and a pain in bum too.

Joss Whedon less so; he's not well known in this country (except amongst teenage goths, and let's face it, they'd think it was cool! :P )

Valerie: I agree that Jocelyn would be way to cruel to bestow on a modern male child!

Robyn T: Glad someone likes it! Thanks for the input.

I know a lot of people here are against using nicknames as full names, but I don't find Joss to be cutesy in the manner of Alfie, Freddie etc or insubstantial. I think some nicknames - like Kate and Beth - can sound sophisticated and adult and I feel Joss is in that camp.

All opinions welcome! Thanks people...

*too cruel - sticky keyboard!

@Rosemay - Excellent rationale! I support your choice to use Joss, given your brother's close name, and the relative obscurity of Joss Whedon in your country. Apologies for the US-centrism!

Just curious - what are some of the local naming trends you're seeing?

@Wendy - I, too, am very surprised to hear of multiple Griffins in the same class, born in '02. Must have been a microclimate thing. Great name, too.

re: Sawyer Lucia and Coco Trinity

the only thing that's similar about these names is that they're all very 'now,' albeit in stylistically different categories (surname; previously dormant classic; hipster; and either nice sounding word or religious connotation, respectively)

nmsaa, but i prefer the spelling Daly to the other versions of 'daily.' One letter per sound. I mentioned Daly and Knightley in the post about words that could be popular names.

Charlie Brown: do you happen to be a residency program director? I'm applying for residency now, anesthesia, I think. My anatomy practicals were divided into two groups randomly.

Dibs on Palin for next year's baby name wizard pool! Or should I say Paelyn? Maybe Paylon? :)

Kelly,

I'm thinking of names that have something in common with Indira--whether sound, syllables, flow, or "feel."

Choice #1
I don't know if someone's mentioned it, but I think Cynthia is an excellent choice:

1. Not too common but still familiar.
2. Classic, not trendy (a boon, in my opinion anyway!)
3. Goes well with Taimi
4. Goes well with Graham (which I also class as not too common but still familiar, and also classic to a large degree).
5. Nice associations and allusions--e.g. a floral nod to "hyacinth."

Choice #2
Along the same sound lines but less common would be the also Greek-classical choice of Cynara (which has literary allusions, as well).

Choice #3
Elspeth--perhaps too themey with Graham, but it's a subtle theme if you live in the U.S. It seems you also like beginning vowels as long as they are not "A."

Choice #4
Elisabeta (and any variant spellings thereof)--Romanian version of Elizabeth, so if you liked Elspeth but wanted to avoid the Scottish-stereotype, this works. Again, a non-A vowel.

Choice #5
Imogen--vowel again, and goes well with Graham.

Choice #6
Dorian-- similar to Marian

Choice #7
Caroline-- since you liked the Austen allusion of Elinor...

Choice #8
Samira--a non-Western name that works well in the West, commonly used in Arabic-speaking countries, that your husband might prefer to Indira.

What do you think? See any you like?

oops. the first sentence should read "something in common with Indira, Elinor, and your other choices."

Hi everyone.

My sister is due in Oct. and is having trouble deciding on a MN for her son.
She's torn between Oliver Charles and Oliver Caspian. (They both sound fine with her LN) Which one would you choose?

Thanks in advance from my sister. :)

juniemoon:
if she has a common last name, i would definitely go with caspian for something different. if a more unusual ln, maybe charles would make life easier.

Haha! Well, as an Alaskan, it's been quite a day. I was also thinking the name Palin might see a jump due to this.

As for her children's names. Bristol is likely for Bristol Bay. Willow could easily be for Willow, Alaska which is a town near Wasilla, where Sarah Palin is from. Or simply for the tree, which we have in Alaska. That said, to my ear Bristol and Willow match much more than Willow and Piper. The first time I heard their names they kind of surprised me, as well, but now I know of like them, especially Piper and Bristol.

As for whether or not to use the name Eskimo, unless you are sure that the person is in fact from an Eskimo tribe such as Inuit or Yupik it's probably safest to just say Native or Native Alaskan probably the same way one would say Native American in the Lower 48. I don't generally hear people referred to as simply Eskimo. I've more heard it as Inuit Eskimo or Yupik Eskimo, etc. But then they have a lower population in the specific area where I am from, so I don't know if that's definitive, just my experience.

Oops, the end of that middle paragraph should read: "but now I kind of like them"

@juniemoon - I'd go with Oliver Charles.

re: Caspian - NMS. Now, unless there is some connection to Price Caspian or to the sea that I'm missing, it sounds made up.

juniemoon--
I'd second Oliver Caspian. More uncommon, with a nice ring that I think will age well.

My daughter Phoenix is starting kindergarten on Tuesday. Today was "meet the teacher" day and they posted the class list.

Some people think that my choice of Phoenix is out there; but it's really not that farfetched among the kids in the neighborhood. Phoenix's kindergarten class:

Not in the top 1000:
Wynter
Acacia
Indiana
Ramsey

Popular Names:
Ava
Maximillian (2)
Maya (2)
Chloe
Emma
Benjamin
Melanie
Niki
Matthew
Dalton

We live in a wealthy California suburb.

It is interesting to me that for the most part, people are either picking names that are ranked in the top 200 or they pick something that's completely off the chart.

Quote from Sarah Palin's husband in People.com:

"Where do your children's names come from?
TODD: Sarah's parents were coaches and the whole family was involved in track and I was an athlete in high school, so with our first-born, I was, like, 'Track!' Bristol is named after Bristol Bay. That's where I grew up, that's where we commercial fish. Willow is a community there in Alaska. And then Piper, you know, there's just not too many Pipers out there and it's a cool name. And Trig is a Norse name for 'strength.'"

BTW, the oldest, Track, is 19. The youngest, Trig, is 4.5 months, has down syndrome, and is still breastfeeding. Boy, that pump is going to get a lot of frequent flyer miles!

Hmmmmmm. But if all our first-borns were named for something we did in high school, yikes...."meet my kids, Drama Club and Clearasil."

I guess that's another reason to wait till you're well beyond those years to have kids, till you have some wider interests and experiences....

Rosemay -- I like Joss. I think it may be misheard as Josh by many, but that's never been a deal-breaker for me (my daughter's name is frequently misheard). I think it works as a stand-alone name, and I'm typically one not to prefer a nn over a more formal version as the given name. I also like the nod to your brother with the -oss ending.

juniemoon -- I'd prefer Oliver Charles myself, but Caspian is okay, too.

Re: Palin, I actually considered this as a possible name for a boy (inspired by Michael Palin's name) years ago and many years before I was pg. Now I'm glad it never made it into the running!

Of Sarah Palin's kids, I think Trig is cool, but Track is just too much. I don't care for Bristol. It sounds far more like a boy's name to me. Willow and Piper are a bit matchy for my taste, although each is fine on its own.

>>But if all our first-borns were named for something we did in high school, yikes...."meet my kids, Drama Club and Clearasil." <<

LOL I'd have Band Geek and Failed Cheerleading Attempt.
That said, I think Bristol might be my favorite name out of the bunch, followed by Piper and Trig. Willow seems... I'm not sure how to put it, but almost "predictable". I could like Track if it wasn't about, yanno, TRACK.

Rosemay- I really like Joss also, and think it makes a fine given name.

juniemoon- both Charles and Caspian work well with Oliver, I kind of like Caspian better but dh thinks Charles should be the one.

Tirzah- I love Indiana, Acacia, and Ramsey! I live in a similar type of neighborhood in SoCal, just add "60% Asian" to the description. In our schools, it seems that the "older" names prevail. Eunice, Albert, Philbert, Ada, Alice seem to be overly popular.

If you were a swimmer in high school, you could name your firstborn "Butterfly." Or, urm, just "Stroke." Makes as much sense as Track, anyway.

Carly - I wouldn't say you're US-centric at all - it's great to get a different perspective on these things, as I doubt my child will stay in Scotland his whole life.

The main trends here just now do differ somewhat from the rest of the UK and elsewhere. Scotland is a very divided wee country and social class plays a very big part in the language (I once met a Canadian shocked that everyone she met here had different accents!), including names - as it does everywhere, but sometimes I think such issues are more pronounced in the UK.

In general, though names that are Scottish in origin without being overly Gaelic seem very much in vogue with certain sets - place names like Isla, Iona, Harris and Lewis are all commonplace, as are anglicisations such as Callum and Rory (though Ruaraidh is also pretty popular - it'd be in the top hundred easily if it wasn't spelled twenty different ways!)

I'm a teacher and am always amazed at how schools can provide little pockets of certain names - one school I went to had tons of Frasers and another had a glut of Roberts and Demis. My bf's niece's nursery has a lot of little Jaes/Jayes/Jais, pronounced both 'jay' and 'jye'.

What about where you are, Carly?

Amy3 and Trish - thanks for the replies! They're very much appreciated.

Palin's kids' names are growing on me. If nothing else, I rather like the fact that they put a bit of thought into them. And there's something about Piper that I find very pretty...

As always, I'm appreciating all the contributions.

I just read that Mr. Palin is part Yupik Eskimo.

Tirzah,
Thanks for the list! Jack is starting kindergarten next week.
Last year Maya was one of the only repeaters at preschool. I was sure I was in some sort of Maya pocket. Maybe you're in one, too!.
The interesting thing about the list is that even the more creative names seem to fit right in sound wise.
I'm actually the most surprised by Melanie and Niki. Those seem like they'd be the names of kindergarten moms.

juniemoon-I vote for the uber handsome Oliver Charles, unless Caspian has a personal connection.

Rosemay-I agree with Amy3 that Joss would be misheard as Josh (at least here in the states), but that is only an issue if it would bother you.
I have a "just Jack," myself, so the nn issue doesn't bother me, but there is something about it that seems a bit incomplete. Maybe because it sounds so close to other names? Hmmm....
I do think it has an appealing sound-very boyish and sporty. It reminds me a bit of Cam.
Don't know if that helps you, but there you go...! BTW, forgive me for being forward, but are we naming an actual baby yet?
I lose track of the goings-on with this thread.

Do Palin's kids have middle names?

Melanie isn't that dated--it's at #80 right now and was at #94 around when a kindergartner would've been born.

Oh, and at its height in the 70s, it was #56, so it hasn't fallen far. I think of Melanie as a modern classic.

I only heard the middle names of the baby-- "Trig Paxson Van Palin".

That's it, J@H's Mom, the thing I read said he was, I think, one-fourth Yupik Eskimo.

I rather like the Palins' taste in names, even though their style is different than mine-- more adventurous and eclectic, in keeping with their Western roots I suppose. As someone said, they put a lot of thought into them...

Juniemoon, I like both Charles and Caspian. For Oliver, I lean slightly more toward Charles, only because I like a single syllable name to follow a three syllable one, rather than another three syllable name. If his first name was short, like "Hugh" or "Tate", then I'd prefer Caspian as the second name. It's just a goofy idiosyncracy of mine...

I knew that I could find a discussion of Palin's childrens' names here!

My personal reaction:

Track seems kind of cool - but nickname-y to me. I imagine Track to be the sporty cool kid at school

Trig - just makes me think of trigonometry (another high school reference?) I'll have to think about whether or not hearing that it is a "real" name will influence my perception.

Bristol - seems fine to me, I would probably put it on a boy rather thant a girl

Willow & Piper strike me as relatively mainstream.

I think it is the combination of the 5 names that gets me. When you say them all together, you think, "Wow, those are unusual names." In a lesser grouping it wouldn't be so striking. For instance, Will SMith has a daughter named Willow. When you hear that his children are named Willow and Jayden, Willow doesn't seem so out there. When you hear Bristol, Track, trig, Willow and Piper, you think all the names are unusual.

Rosemary-

In regards to the name Joss, I came across this on another name site in a list of new babies the poster had come across recently.

"Joss Mikayla (Joss is feminine? Since when?...)"

Just thought you might be interested. I really like Joss for a boy btw. Ive added it to my hypothetical list.

Re: Oliver... I am all about classic names hence my strong perference if Charles. Also I like the syllable flow much better. If there are personal connection to Caspian, I'd do it. But only if...

I also want to know the Palin kids mn's. The fn are nms but I find them to be strong names. Connected to their roots. I like the name Willow quite a lot. But that is reflective of a Willodean I knew whom we called Willow. After Bristol and Willow, I think Piper fits well.

I recall questioning the naming choices of Mrs. Palin when baby Trig was born (several months ago, as someone above pointed out). I suspect that some of those names, especially the girls' names could get boosts from her candidacy.

I teach middle school in a vast-majority Hispanic, low-income school in the southwest. Repeat names off the top of my head: 4 Maria-s, 4 Luis-es, 2 Eddie-s, 2 Perla-s.

Wow. I feel as though I have just found my kind. My husband and I bought a copy of The Naming Wizard a couple of years ago (not having a baby; just thought it was interesting), and since then I have become a name buff. Whenever I heard a name, in real life or on tv, I check it out in the name book. When I'm bored I scroll through the pages, making up games (like - pick the best name on each page). And now, quite by accident, I seem to have found others like me. Wow.

I was all over Palin's kids' names. Very interesting. That says a lot about here I think.

I teach at a pretty upper crust independent school in DC, and the names are always interesting. I love to check out the school directory every year. Someone mentioned a number of Griffins - we have several at my school, across the grades. We also have a lot of what looks to me to be family names used as first names. This is especially true for girls - or maybe it just doesn't wear as well for girls.

Anyway - great blog. I love it.

I vote for Oliver Caspian, mostly because I love Caspian but was too chicken to use it myself (chose Charlie - although it was for a first name, not a middle name, so that made me less adveturous.) You seriously can't read Voyage of the Dawn Treader and not love the name Caspian. Also Oliver Caspian has a nice iambic flow going that I like.

Eo: Do you pronounce Charles as one syllable? Because my husband and I debated once whether our Charles had a one- or two-syllable name. I say two: CHAR-uhls. He says one: Charlz.

Apparently a lot of people are interested in Sarah Palin's children's names. There was a debate about it on NRO toady (from a reader email):

"One weird bit from a New Republic post on McCain's choice of Sarah Palin (it seems to be credited to professor Alan Wolfe, but surely he wouldn't say something that is without evidence):

Sarah Palin named two of her children after witches, once took drugs, and refused to sign a bill forbidding domestic benefits for gay couples.
It's unclear where this "witches" claim is coming from, although I suspect it's due to this post from Andrew Sullivan:
A reader plumbs the weirdness: "Willow" was Buffy the Vampire Slayer's best friend and "Piper" was the eldest sister on the series Charmed played by Shannen Doherty. The governor obviously has a penchant for television shows of paranormal female empowerment.
Alas, one problem for this theory is the timing: Buffy the Vampire Slayer didn't start airing until 1997, whereas Sarah Palin's daughter Willow is described as being 14 years old. I don't know whether she turned 14 this year or will turn 15 later this year, but I'm pretty sure that 2008 minus 14 equals something before 1997.

Otherwise, that's a great theory . . ."

Track reminds me of a recent baby-name conversation DH and I had. The game was bicycle-related baby names, and Gear started to grow on me...

Others included Cadence, Ellsworth, and Pedal (Petal?). I knew he wasn't taking the game seriously anymore when he suggested Crankset and Seatpost, however.

AK- rather than "just" Daley, would your friend like Daelyn/Daylen/Dailyn (however she'd like to spell it), then nn'd Daley? I love the name Daelyn, and although I first heard it on a boy (former professional football player Daylon McCutcheon was one of my dh's students in HS), I think it works better for a girl.

Kelly: Some other suggestions I came up with tonight. (I know you said no A,M,B,or K but I threw some in anyway just in case).
Ainsley; Rayne; Chloe; Ishani; Isla; Rebecca; Bianca; Sierra; Danielle; Eileen; Elyssa; Gabrielle; Iris; Jaclyn; Maura; Natalie; Nicole; Piper; Prsicilla; Savannah; Scarlett; Sheridan; Lydia; Vaentina; Virginia; Zaria
It seems to me that something that ends in an "-ah" vowel sound would work best.

AK-Some more for you too!
Boys: Dylan; Dalton; Griffin; Owen; Austin; Dakota; Conner; Eli; Fisher; Gannon; Garrett; Wesley; Quincy
Girls:Mikayla; Delaney; Sharaya; Alyssa; Brianna; Brooklyn; Chelsea; (some pronunciation of KY-ah however it is spelt); Kelsey; Skyler; Shyanne (or alt sp); Lydia; Sierra
Kelsey seems the best match for "spunk" and Lydia apparently is my new favorite name!

Rosemay-Joss seems girly, but I do like Ross except for the TV show Friends connection.

juniemoon-Prefer Oliver Charles.
Good luck all!

Elizabeth T, Thanks for the extra info. Small world! I was wondering if they were family names. Do you happen to know if $hefler's first name is Dad's name as well? I'm faintly recalling that it might have been. If not, it is a bit unusual for the second son to be the namesake, rather than the first.

Trish, I really like Indiana, Acacia, and Ramsey too. Funny thing is that Acacia was on our name list for both girls. I drive by an Acacia Lane everyday and always think, "What a nice name!" It would have been funny/horrifying to show up for kindergarden and have my daughter's cubby marked "Acacia A." My other daughter is named Indigo. I hope that there isn't a kid named Indiana when she starts kindergarten. One "Indie" is more than enough!

J&H's mom, I'm definitely in a Maya pocket. In addition to the two in kindergarten, I have two co-workers that have daughters named Maya. Also, one of my friends from college has a Maya. The name seems particularly popular in Jewish families. Good luck with Jack's kindergarten class on Tuesday!

Oh, no, it was only a matter of time before political partisans invaded this question. I don't know Alan Wolfe, but he and others who try to make that family's naming process into something weird or unsavory-- AND manage to insert extraneous information as well, oh so innocently...

It's unseemly.

Absolutely nothing to do with political views, and I am brtish so I don't have a vote anyway but I don't think I could vote for someone who names her sons Track and Trig. What kind of judgement has she got?

Not an indictment of you, Keren, or any genuine NE's. And of course, anyone can and should have any opinion they choose about any given name...

It's a subtle phenomenon. I'm talking about journalists, "professors" and others who take to the Internet and other venues, ostensibly to talk about the names of the children of politicos, and then wind up inserting other information that they deem to be politically "damaging". That is what is clearly at work in those items about the Palin family.

On the opposite end, I'll stipulate that I quite like Joe Biden's sons' names, "Beau" and "Hunter"! Although again, it's not my particular taste, I think those names have a sort of dashing, rather Southern gallantry...

Saw another episode of Derek Jacobi's superb "Cadfael" last night. Names of characters: a brother and sister pair, "Ermina", (I think) and "Yves". They must have been Norman, right? Is Cadfael set in the eleventh century? I get all fuzzy about when the Normans were predominant.

Other characters: Sister Hilaria, Brother Oswin. I do think "Cadfael" would make a splendid name for a modern-day little boy...

I heard Trig was Bristol's kid anyway.

And "Track, Trig, Willow, Piper and Bristol" are just a bit too much for me. I know we have a lot of discussions about not being judgemental but these names just don't sound like wise choices to me. Sort of flaky and flippant.

I always make an involuntary judgement on parents when I first hear their children's names. Yep, Jayden and Madison's mom is a different sort than Jade and Maya's or Julian and Mathilda's. It just happens.

The first sentence of the 10:47 AM post rather proves the point, does it not?

It's no wonder that people are hesitant to enter the political arena, with such casual barbs aimed relentlessly not just at candidates, but families.

Back to names, anyone?

Um, excuse me EO, this is the internet and we discuss things here. The first stuff that popped up for me when I was reading about Sarah Palin's children's names were discussions about "Trig" being "Bristol's" baby. It's not like I believe it. I was making a joke.

And when people enter politics that's what happens. I wasn't making any casual barb, I was commenting about the rumor which is all over the place at the moment.

And no, I don't like her kid's names much. This was actually the point of my post. We are allowed to discuss this kind of thing here.

Hi Laney, respectfully referring you back to my 10:12 post, I reiterate that it goes without saying, one hopes, that of course anyone may hold any opinion and express it, forcefully!

My objection is to "stealth" smears, in the guise of name commentary.

And I'm afraid that I do believe that repeating baseless, damaging rumors, about any public figure is wrong. I don't like ANY of the rampant, unproven rumors circulating in this most potent political year.

I totally support your right to like or dislike any name you choose. Please, keep those opinions coming!

Eo--

Cadfael is set during the civil war between the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I and his designated heir, and her cousin Stephen of Blois who (conveniently for his own ambitions) didn't think a woman should be monarch. (It's that darned glass ceiling!) This is the middle of the twelfth century. Mathilda was the mother of Henry II and thus the mother-in-law of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Beau Biden is actually Joe jr., and Hunter is Robert Hunter, Hunter being his mother's maiden name. The baby daughter who perished in the car accident was Naomi, and the surviving daughter from the second marriage is Ashley (strikes me as a totally different name style from the first marriage). Joe Biden's grandchildren are Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel, Natalie, and Robert Hunter Biden. Finnegan is Joe Biden's mother's maiden name.

Laney, there's no need for the snarkiness. It's not appreciated. There is certainly a place to discuss the degree of responsibilty that older siblings should have for younger ones, but it's not here.

Talking about irrational hatred of names, one of mine is Piper. There is no particular reason why it, of all flightily insubstantial surname-names, irks me so, but I'd take an Addison or Avery over Piper any day. PYYYE-perr. Yeurgh!!

Back to the original topic, as an "A", I used to get strange calls all the time...from two kids I babysat, who liked to press buttons on their parents' cell phones. The worst was one midnight call, when I answered the phone to a decidedly cranky infant and a barely-audible discussion about whether to wait for the next service station or just pull over to the side of the highway!

Tirzah- I wonder if we live in roughly the same area... I know an Acacia Lane also that is easily driven by, it's very near where I grew up!
My cousin named his son Indy (he's about 5-6 mos. old) but they live a bit south of us so with geography and age, hopefully your dd is "safe". :)
My daughter's name is McKenna, and while many people seem to know others with the name, we haven't run into any in her classrooms yet (she's in upper elementary). Who knows though when she gets to HS, where the student population is over 3,000.

I think we should try - even on the internet - to refrain from passing around ugly (and I should think, obviously false) rumors about young girls. I regret including a bit from a political blog into this one. I honestly thought it was funny the way the names Willow and Piper seemed so far out there to people that they assumed they must have been stolen from television! I think it illustrates how different the perspective of a NE is from the general public (and from BC professors). Anyway, I should have respected that difference, and NOT crossed politics with naming.

Met a little girl at church this morning named "Amariah" (not sure on spelling). It was pronounced AM-er-EE-ah. They said it was a Biblical name... but I've never heard of it. Has anyone else?

@Rosemay - I'm in an urban US pocket. Seems like the yuppie parents here are naming every other boy Graham or Oliver, and every other girl Charlotte or Annabelle. The hipster parents are naming every other boy Elijah or Miles, and every other girl Sadie or Finley.

@Laney - "Jayden and Madison's mom is a different sort than Jade and Maya's or Julian and Mathilda's. It just happens." Absolutely! I would add to that "Joseph and Margaret's mom is yet another sort."

These "sorts" we're talking about roughly correlate with lower, middle, and upper classes. Few in the US are comfortable discussing the class system, let alone admitting it even exists. I think it has little to do with actual wealth anymore, and more to do with aesthetic preferences and intellect. Everyone says they're middle class.

"Laney, there's no need for the snarkiness. It's not appreciated. There is certainly a place to discuss the degree of responsibilty that older siblings should have for younger ones, but it's not here."

Huh?

"My objection is to "stealth" smears, in the guise of name commentary."

Again: Huh? I don't live in the US...I'm not voting, I'm not political. I just think her name choices are flaky and weird (Track?!?!?) and was mentioning that for an unpolitical name lover like me that makes me judge her based on her kids names.

It's the only thing I even know about her. Anyway, carry on.

Does anyone else think Gustav is a funny name for the hurricane?

I know Gus is trendy again, but Gustav seems really old-world for a hurricane-maybe because it was the name of my Norwegian Great-Grandfather.

Think we'll see a rise in Gus?

I'm surprised that names like Willow, Piper, or Bristol would be considered odd to anyone who grew up in the U.S. or has an American perspective. The former two have been around for decades as first names (and Piper even has a celebrity namesake), and Bristol is a place name that is just a different flavor than other place names like Austin, Dallas, Savannah, Brooklyn, and Dakota (all much-used).

Track and Trig might be further off the beaten path, but not along the lines of Moon Unit. The boys' names read more like a Jolie-esque Pax. Further, many public figures--for example, American politicians--have a rich tradition of unusual nickname-style (or actual nickname) names. Newt Gingrich and the like.

But, as in everything, what's "unusual" is subjective.

As for the political aspect, there are some "character" issues that certainly would keep me from pulling the lever for a candidate. But what a politician names his or her children is, for me, decidedly not one of them--even if they named their kid Moon Unit!

@J&H's mom - I think "Gustav" is already such an uncommon name that the impact of Hurricane Gustav on the name's popularity will be negligible. As for the nn "Gus," I think it's on the rise, along with the various formal names Augustin, Augusten, and Augustine.

@Easternbetty - "I'm surprised that names like Willow, Piper, or Bristol would be considered odd to anyone who grew up in the U.S."

Hmm... I'm in the US, and I actually consider Willow and Bristol to be exceedingly odd names IRL (on this board however, dare I say, they're probably even a bit common.) I know of several little Pipers, and one Bryst0l (also a girl). I'm surrounded by corporate types in a major US city.

You're right about the political tradition of unusual names; typically with some family connection. Names aside, I actually admire Mrs. Palin for birthing 5 children and being able to attain the level of success she has in spite of the many demands of childrearing - and from what I know of her middle class background, she's not among the rich who had a cadre of nannies. As for my vote, I'm a democrat - but who cares.

Gustav for a hurricane makes more sense if you think of its Spanish cognate, Gustavo, which is pretty common in Latino families--check the Gustavo graph on BabyNameVoyager, it's been in the US top 1000 since the 1950s, and top 300 for the last decade.

I was a little surprised about Gustav. Since the names are supposedly drawn from languages spoken in the hurricane-prone areas, I would have expected Gustavo.

I have been obsessively following all the predictions about Gustav. This has been a difficult few days since it is the anniversary of the loss of my home and entire social context to Katrina, and Gustav is simply adding to my feeling of anxiety. While I have been reading every Gustav update, I have also been reading all the political bumpf. Every commentator mentions the names of Governor Palin's children--and not in a good way--just as last week every commentator mentioned Senator Clinton's tangerine pantsuit--and not in a good way. None of these choices has anything to do with fitness for high office, but that does not stop them from incurring negative attention.

As someone once said, "What's in a name?" While a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, nonetheless that someone was very savvy about choosing names, and the ones that he invented (like Miranda, Jessica, and Imogen) have lived on. People do react positively or negatively to names, whether consciously or subconsciously. I know I see a lot of names which cause me to ask myself what they were thinking....

Fair or not, naming her son Track because family members enjoyed participating in that sport has caused some to question Governor Palin's judgment and gravitas. We can only rejoice that the self-identified hockey mom did not name her newborn Puck. Hillary gets a pass on the tangerine pantsuit because by the time it appeared she was out of the running. OTOH Michelle took flak because her green dress clashed in some eyes with the blue background. Talk about reducing a vital election to the most trivial of issues....

Miriam--you (either inadvertently or intentionally) bring up some interesting gendered naming questions.

Would a male politician who had a son named Track be similarly considered by some (for example, some who have posted here) to be incapable of earning their votes?

Politicians and public figures aside, is a woman parent presumed to be the chief "namer" more than a man parent, to the point where it would be her "gravitas," and not her male partner's, that might be questioned if her child had a whimsical name?

Is a whimsically-named child more of a detriment to the "gravitas" of a woman public figure than to a man public figure? That is, is a public woman's gravitas dependent on other and/or additional factors than a public man's?

If the answer to all of the above questions is "yes," I can only say with rue, "Gosh-DARNit. Apparently even very young women have to be more circumspect in every aspect of their lives than men, starting from perhaps their teen years, if they have even an inkling of attaining a public or visible position in the future." Running for public