The Baby Name Wizard

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.