The Baby Name Wizard

What IS the quintessential name match to Piper? I think Willow seems very matchy to its style and that sentiment seems to be echoed in many of the above posts. However, Nymbler(who we know has a few faults) does not come up with this match even after many cycles through "find more names". I do agree with a few of its choices like Sloane and Avery but more than a few seem WAY off base. Does anyone else have the PERFECT name to go with Piper just as a fun aside to this conversation? Laura-thoughts? New blog?

yet another Jenny -- My daughter began 2nd grade today. I won't have her full class list for some time, but she says the only repeat name is Thomas (one boy goes by Tommy and the other is Thomas). These are kids born in '01 in NYC.

Re: pols kids, as sets, I'm not thrilled with any of these. I love Naomi, although I'd never use it. I think Malia is interesting, and I like Sidney (love the nn Sid) a lot. The only one I'd actually consider using is Sidney, and that was nixed early on by my husband as it's the name of his ex's father.

I guess if I had to choose one set, it would be Obama's.

@Brunka de Loof (@4:33) - Amen!

@Wendy - One person's opinion here since you asked... I think McCain's kids' names are the bast choices of the bunch. Their traditional/modern classic names work very well with the LN McCain, complement one another nicely, and aren't about trying too hard.

Malia & Natasha don't really have a pleasing sound, IMHO, with the last name Obama. Perhaps it's those repetitive -A endings on the FN & LN. They also strike me as having been selected because they sounded like the names of sophisticated young women, but have no personal meaning. (Someone please correct me if my facts are wrong about that.)

Biden's kids' names were fine until they selected the name Ashley. Eek!

Palin's picks are so NMS that it is hard for me to really evaluate them in a positive light.

@Hattie - H names for a girl:
Hallie, Helena, Haven

Hallie is nice; would probably be too close in sound to Hattie (assuming that's your real name.) Helena is one of my personal favorites. Hard to know your style though; it's very different in feel than Helen. Haven is NMS. Best wishes!

Zoerhenne,

Possible quintessential name matches to Piper:

Piper and Wren
Piper and Jet
Piper and Melody (or Cadence)

I vote for Piper and Wren.

@Zoerhenne - "What IS the quintessential name match to Piper?" Great question! The little Pipers in know of IRL don't have any sisters. One has a brother called Theodore (nn Teddy); the other has brothers Graham & Miles.

Some ideas for a sister to Piper:
Maren
Paige - though the alliterative P seems off
Laurel
Eloise
Ruth

The one Piper I know in real life has a twin named Josephine.

Some name matches that came to mind (although, I admit, they aren't perfect:
Harper
Parker
Molly

I like Carly's suggestion to pair it with Maren.

Hattie: My personal favorites...
Hyacinth
Harriet
Hermione
Helena

Steliana: I like you take on the Palin kids names. Amen.

Poor Bristol. Hope she's a tough cookie and pays no heed to such drivel.

Genevieve, are you suggesting that Hallie could be spelled Hali? Because if I saw Hali I would pronounce it Haley, unless instructed otherwise...

Oh, as for Piper name matches, of the suggestions so far, Wren and Maren fit the best to my ear/eye. I would also suggest:

Piper and Ellie
Piper and Sakura
Piper and Aibreann
Piper and Aisling

I like this political name game.

My views:

My least favorite here is Obama's. Malia and Natasha are very tired and 80s-stereotyped to my ear. Malia is yet another Arabic/Swahili-esque name to me along the lines of Aliyah, Keisha and Aisha, which have long been used extensively within American communities of my acquaintence. Natasha and its many incarnations were done to death by the late 90s, when the Obama kids were presumably born. Can't even count how many Natashas of different ages and ethnicities whom I have met over the years.

Grains of salt: No offense is meant to anyone who has used either of these names (and certainly not to non-Americans who have used these names as parts of their own cultural tradtions). I'm commenting strictly on these names as they fit into American trends of the past few decades, and from the perspective of someone who has a slightly unhealthy tendency to steer clear of popular names, no matter how otherwise attractive.

Now apply a ditto to everything I wrote above for Ashley, I name I used to love and wish were mine (in the 80s), but which I now feel was so dominant for so long, that other names deserve a chance for prominence.

Megan is a bit date-stamped, as well, though still pretty. I agree that I prefer other spellings of Megan to the one McCain used.

In the end, my favorites are a combination of McCain's and Biden's: Bridget, Robert, Joseph and Naomi are wonderful names IMO, both beautiful AND stately AND an open palette for the personality of the kid (they work great on hippies or executives or working class, of all ethnicites). Bit too common for me, but stil great picks.

However, I don't dismiss PAlin's picks, either. While not my style, I actually--contrary to some other posters--think the names work exceedingly well together, with the caveat that two male Ts is a bit much.

The key to this set is that they are all varying shades of offbeat, falling at different points along a spectrum, which is what I think is so delightful.

We have, on the one end of the spectrum, Track and Trig, two decidedly uncommon names that might provoke a few head-scratches. Next, we have Bristol, a name that is, in the U.S., ingeniously placed with both the trendiness of a place name (and a Western one at that) and the familiarity of Anglo-Saxon roots, but with the "new and different" factor. Then we move a bit away from that offbeatness with the mildly "different" Piper, a name that, as I've mentioned before, has at least two celebrity namesakes (Laurie and Perabo) and which is cheerful and spirited without being obnoxiously so. Finally, we move further towards the mainstream with Willow, a name that I have seen used by three women over 25 and a teenager, and which also aurally conjures the YA author Willo Davis Roberts.

IN all, I think it is a very congruent and (with the boys' exception), non-matchy set of names.

.

By the way, Amy3, I think you asked about Maggie in the U.S. South. In my bit of the south, both Maggie and Margaret were much more common than, say, Meg, Peggy, Marge, or other variations. Interestingly, I knew many under-30 and over-60 Margarets, but hardly any in-between. I know three under-40 Maggies, but I have no idea whether or not they are short for Margaret or stand-alones

I read my comments and reaize that it might seem inconsistent that I don't ike Natasha, Maia and Ashey-for-a-girl because of their wide use, whereas Joseph and Naomi and Robert don't bother me.

The reason is that the former set are not "classic" names in the Anglophone world, so they are perhaps inevitably associated more with the eras in which they enjoyed wide popularity. With Robert, I could be talking about Robert Bruce in the Middle Ages or Robert Redford.

oops-Malia. Okay, finished!

Easternbetty--

I thought Malia was supposed to be Hawaiian....

Easternbetty, I totally disagree on Malia. To me Malia screams "I LOVE HAWAII." Since Obama grew up on Hawaii, it makes sense. (Now my friend who named his daughter Malia because they like to vacation in Hawaii has a more tenuous connection.)

Miriam, I knew that Malia was one of those cross-pollinated names that are used with variable cultural references.

I'm referring to the name in the context I first heard of it-- in conjunction with names of Arabic-Swahili origin (even though the name itself is not Swahili--that's why I used the term Swahili-esque). I actually have known three Malias who were thus named: (1) to rhyme with the Arabic & Swahili-used Aaliyah, the older sister, (2) as a feminized play on the Swahili word "mali" [property-related], and (3) in conjunction with sisters Aiysha, Kenya, and brother Saleem,

Thanks for making me clarify this; probably should have inserted it in my original post, but am running out of time!

For those speculating on Bristol's kid's name, the Dad is named "Levi." So maybe we'll see a Biblical baby name. News reports are that Levi is flying out to Minnesota so that he can appear at the Republican Convention. It seems to me that he is voluntarily putting himself before the cameras; hence I don't feel bad discussing his name or his future baby's name.

Easternbetty -- While Maggie was mixed up in my question, what I was really wondering is if nns as given names is perhaps more common in the South than in other parts of the US. The names from my husband's alumni mag (school in the Mid-South) had quite a few nns listed as given names (Elly, Danny, Jerry, Abby).

Oh, I'm so glad that Bristol's baby is due after the election. Wouldn't it be awful to have such a thing politicized? Like poor Bristol might feel pressured to name her child Patriot or America or something? It'd be fine if she actually wanted that type of name, but because of her mother's political campaign?

"Mommy, why did you name me Homeland?"
"Well, sweetheart, you were born when Nana was running for vice president, and her advisors told me that naming you something patriotic would benefit her campaign."
"Would you have named me that anyway?"
"Probably not."
"What would you have named me?"
"Bob."

Much as I support Obama, I am disgusted at some people's obsession with this as much as I was when people flipped out over Obama not wearing a flag pin. Maybe even more so--family especially should be personal.

Anyway...

Eo: Interesting stuff. So, in your opinion, how similar is too similar? Megan and Rita both derive from Margaret--are they too similar for siblings? Bettina and Isabel (Elizabeth)? Evan and Johanna (John--speaking of which, I think Ivan Reginald Ian Cameron is too much John)? Just wondering, because you pointed out something very interesting.

Re: Malia--I read somewhere that Barack and his wife chose it because it's the name of a bird in Indonesia. I don't know whether that's true, but I like the story if it is.

To be honest, I don't see anything wrong with naming your kid something purely because of how it sounds (caveat: if you [live in an English-speaking country and like the way the Dutch name Freek sounds, or the creation Latrina, then defer to meaning). I mean, your kid is going to hear his/her name practically every day of his/her life; he/she probably won't think every day, "My name derives from a Welsh word meaning 'uphill battle' and my parents chose it because it looked like my lungs weren't developing when my mother was at six months gestation. It's also the middle name of a twelfth-century peasant who saved all the money he/she earned to found a school." In the end, having that backstory won't really impact your child's life.

Now, it would be really awesome to have that, and I hope to give my future children names with such connections just because I like hidden meanings and think they're cool. But at the same time I think it's equally...I don't want to say "legitimate" and open that can of worms...respectable? appropriate? someone help me out? to name your kid on sound alone. I don't support criticisms that certain politicians' kids' names aren't personally connected to the parents.

I also wonder if the British Isles-ish-ness of Bridget McCain's name ever bothered the South Asian adoptee or if she appreciated that it helped her blend in with her siblings.

Sorry for the length of the post. :)

*country]

I mean

*country and]

sorry.

Sabrina,
You are hilarious! That bit about Patriot/Bob is priceless. And I love your back story to the name meaning "uphill battle." I think I said it before, but you really should go into script writing.

Thank you!

Easternbetty-I'm fascinated that you've known so many Natashas! I know one little Sascha, but not a single Natasha. I did have a teenage Natasha in class years ago, but she was the only one, and I even taught at a school with a sizable Eastern European population.
Do others know many Nataschas?

Malia reminds me of Laura's post on names that "travel well."

The Piper I know has older brothers named Riley and Connor.
I stick by Frances, but I think Wren is pretty spot-on. Willow, to my ear, is a shade too delicate and a shade too "hippy." Hmmmm....fun question.

Levi, btw, reads more "country," to me than religious-and I don't mean that in a negative sense; it's just my read on it.

I'm done posting-really-but what about Piper and Finley?

Hattie, chiming in a little late to offer one more H name, my late grandmother's: Hildegarde (nn Hildy). I have no doubt you will think better than to choose it, but in the interests of thoroughness, I felt obliged to make the suggestion.

I used to think it was a terribly ugly name, but it's grown on me over the last few years. The association with Hildegard von Bingen doesn't hurt. There's something rather stately and regal about it. I highly doubt I'll ever use it on a future daughter of mine -- my husband thinks Sebastian sounds "too German" so I can't imagine how he'd respond to Hildegarde.

Anne, I had a friend named Hali in Hebrew school. But I prefer the spelling Hallie.

My husband emailed me this a couple minutes ago:

I just "conceived" where the Palin kids' names come from:

Track: under the bleachers at Wasilia HS football field (which has a track around it like most HS's)
Bristol: in a fishing boat in Bristol bay
Piper: in the back seat of a piper cub airplane on the way back from the North slope
Willow: under a tree behind the town hall
Trig: Off on a tangent, under a sign somewhere -- (maybe her back was arc'ed?)

As for the grandkid, my money's on "Rink" - Rink Johnston. Sounds like an actor, no?

I say no, a boy should be named Puck.

Prefer not to see such e-mails, to be quite honest.

I would be equally put off by allusions to the Obama children and how their names were arrived at. If anyone on this blog burlesqued THEM in the unkind way that the Palin children have been, I believe there would be justifiable protest.

Too bad to see the taint of incivility creeping in.

My seven-year-old's soccer "class" (all the girls ages six-seven who signed up in her division). We live in a tiny, very rural town outside a major national park in CA, and are kind of like Mayberry on acid:
Savannah
Jaylynn
Makinna (Jaylynn's sister)
Anika
Kayla
Kiya
Grace
Eden
Trinity
Sabella (Chop off their heads!)
Natalie
Holly
Patricia
Parker
Kiersten
Reyna
Jessica (2)
Shayna
Audrey (2)
Judith (my dh)
Delaney
Alexis
Ansley
Taylor
Brooke
Kylie
Quinn
Sarah
Morgann
Jade

Will post boys if I have time!

I'm sorry, Eo -- I thought better of it after I posted, but can't delete it. I'm very sleep-deprived and punchy and it made me laugh, but I shouldn't have posted it.

I have known two Natashas and no derivatives; one was 4 and one was in her 50s.

" Megan and Rita both derive from Margaret--are they too similar for siblings? Bettina and Isabel (Elizabeth)? Evan and Johanna (John--speaking of which, I think Ivan Reginald Ian Cameron is too much John)? "

This was a very interesting thought to me. Of the ones you listed, only Bettina and Isabel are too similar to me. However, you chose names that don't start with the same sound, whereas Katya and Kitty both have the "K" at the front (and also a "y.") I think the "be" in both names is too much for me and that's why Bettina and Isabel are too much for me.

The e-mail made me snort, though I know the "real origins" of the names who's to say they weren't influenced subconsciously by some of those factors? Piper, for instance-- they say they "just liked the name" but WHY do they like it? The only one that was a stretch (no pun intended) was Trig, I actually like why they chose Trig's name.

Palin was 25 when she had Track. I just thought I would throw that fact out as it seems many people assume she had Track at a young age which resulted in a "poor" name choice. Track is named after something she and the family loved and has meaning. I personally would never name my child Track, but I am not going to discount Palin's ability due to her name choice.

Btw, I looked in my BNW book last night for sisters for Piper. One of the choices....Willow.

Sorry about this, but I'm trying to google it and can't find it! What's the link for that really nifty tool Laura had made, that you picked names you liked and it came up with similar ones? :)

Thanks,

Anna

I'm glad a few of you have brought up the name Levi, because I'm now curious about it and wonder if any of this blog's rural western readers could comment. To these Northeastern ears, Levi sounds fresh, rugged, and uber-Biblical. Perhaps a bit nineteenth-century-farmerish. Certainly much more unusual than its counterparts like Jonah and Eli. But a friend who lives in Idaho said that teenage Levis are a dime a dozen there, and that bestowing that name upon a son in his area is comparable to naming your daughter Krystal or Koortney. I wonder if the same is true in Alaska.

I've always found it the height of tackiness to name your children after their place of conception, but on the other hand, it seems pretty charming to me to name them after the place of their birth (if that locale is unusual or unexpected). The parents of Florence Nightingale (born in Tuscany) and her sister, Parthenope (born in Greece), took this approach.

If memory serves, Chelsea Clinton was named after the place of her conception. I remember reading that her parents had been trying to have a child for a long time with no luck until they took a trip to England. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Steliana, I'm with you on the tackiness not only of naming your child after their place of conception, but also of alerting people to the reason for choosing the name! I'm thinking of Brooklyn Beckham right now, as well as Ron Howard's kids (I think Bryce Dallas Howard was conceived in, duh, Dallas, and I believe their son's name or middle name is Carlyle and he was conceived at the Carlyle in NYC...why do I know this?) Why would you admit to the press that you named your kid Brooklyn because he was conceived in a hotel there?

Along those lines, a friend of mine is a honeymoon baby, and her parents told her they jokingly considered naming her Carmella (they had been staying in Carmel, CA). They went with Whitney.

Wow, I must really look at some garbage blogs/newsgroups because I find the discussion on here about politicians naming style tactfully funny and quite relevant to most of the discussions on here. I mean look at what other people are discussing out there and it's pretty darn mild.

Eastern Betty, I have never met a Natasha. Not in school (attended 5 different schools, public and private), not in college (2 different ones), not as a teacher (in 3 different countries...one of them full of Russians!) I guess most of them would have been born in the 80's in America and I don't know large groups of women this age. Met a lot of Natalies, and about 10 Sashas though. 6 of them male.

Malia to me is 100% Hawaii as well. Every Malia I have met has been from there.

And I like Malia and Sasha. They don't sound the least bit worn out and 80's to me. They fit in just fine with all the Lias and Mayas and Annas.

Ethel-Mae postulate or rising in popularity?
I've met at least 3 Maisies and 3 Ashers in the last week. All under the age of 3. I really like both of them and have even thought of Maisie if another daughter was to come along.

I think Chelsea was named after the song....Chelsea morning or something, wasn't it?

Coll- Victoria claims a different reason for naming her son Brooklyn:

It was when we were in Marbella that we came up with the name Brooklyn. We already knew he was a boy and so I knew he could end up a footballer, so it had to be a name that was a bit blokey. I had always liked the name Brooke and then we suddenly thought about Brooklyn. I'd always like it as a place - it's very multi-cultural, very grounded. And it was only afterwards that I realized how appropriate it was because it was in New York that I found out I was pregnant and where David came after the World Cup.

http://brooklynenthusiast.blogspot.com/2007/03/origin-of-brooklyn-beckha...

Anna- It is nymbler.

Steliana,
Matthew McConaughy and Camila Alves have new son [born in July] whom they named Levi. Perhaps this name is ready for a comeback.

Yes, Chelsea Clinton was named after the song.

Regarding Levi, Matthew McConaughey just named his new son Levi.

Everyone posts so fast here!!!

Off topic: I was listening to some music yesterday and heard an old song with a name I really liked the sound of, but haven't heard used for a long time...Dinah. It's soft and feminine to me, and I'm wondering what you think of it.
Also wondering what's become of hyz. Anyone know?

Here in upstate New York, "Levi" is one of those fashionable, Biblical names along the lines of "Isaac", "Nathaniel" and "Lucas".

Not long ago on this blog a poster who identified as Jewish, I think, was contemplating it as a name, but wanted to ensure it would be pronounced "LAY-vee" rather than "LEE-vye", I believe. I think the consensus of responders was that in English-speaking countries, most would use the latter pronunciation.

I would agree that there is an extraordinary amount of hate out there, and some agenda-driven sites are especially egregious.

They feel cloaked by the anonymity of the Internet, I suppose. I'm grateful that most of the time a certain decorum is observed on this board. Whatever our political views, (and of course here in the U.S. feelings run very high in this election year!), it is rare to find the arrogance, condescension and all-out malice that is out there "in the ether".

I like "Dinah"! Dinah Shore was such a great singer in the Forties, with that smoky delivery.

Also wonder about hyz, and hope the baby news is great...

I am going to go out on a limb and guess that Bristol and Levi are going to name their child something totally conventional something like Madison or Ethan -- rebellion against her unique name. :0

Or she will go with Nevaeh or Brayden.