The Baby Name Wizard

Amy3 - Thanks for that. I appreciate your reassurance. I do love the name Avery. I absolutely am in agreement with "Guest" who wrote "I hate the hijacking of boys' names by girls: this has happened with both Avery and Grayson". My husband and I were CONVINCED that this baby was finally a girl and a plethora of names starting coming to mind - all of them beautiful and IMO matched with Logan and Tyler. Then we found out it was a boy and we were suddenly lost. Nothing inspired us at all. I thought of Avery (as I said before I almost named my 10 yr old that) and my husband said "okay" and that was it. Then I made the mistake of telling people around me what we were going to name him (and I knew better) and of course "THAT'S A GIRL'S NAME" was all we've heard. What's worse is that the biggest advocate is my 10 year old. Tyler absolutely HATES that name and has not kept that a secret. It makes it hard. But..the good news is that he hates Brady too (the #2 contender) so either way I guess I can't make him happy. It also doesn't help that my mother works for a company called "Avery Dennison" (it's an office supply manufacturer). This definitely puts another nail in the coffin. Hence the reason for my reconsideration. The major consensus with everyone is Brady. It seems that everyone (including my husband now) is really rooting for that name. I am starting to come around but haven't decided yet.

I'm really thankful for everyone's comments here. It really is nice to have an unbias opinion. I really appreciate all of you reading my comments and talking me through this. Thanks again.

Re: Milos, I know two -- one is now 12 and the other is 5 -- both of whom live in the US. So there's one set of parents who were well ahead of the curve (they have a 15 yr old named Willa) and another set who were maybe only slightly ahead (for the US).

Rachel-I think Micah Ber is very handsome.
I also remembered last night that I used to have a book by a woman named Beryl Markham. She was a pioneer aviatrix (sp?), among other things.
I don't know if that's your cup of tea, but I thought I'd mention it.

Sue-There are many girls named Avery in our area, as well as the similar sounding Ava.
My vote is for Brady, although I also second the suggestion of Cole. I also thought you might consider Jeremy. Like several others, my immediate thought was Wyatt, but it certainly doesn't work with your ln!

On the o endings: It seems to me that Laura did a post on this a while back. It was the trend on the verge, as I recall.
My theory is that it was about to be the next big thing, and then Aiden, Braden et.al hit.
I know there have been a lot of posts about Milo, Theo, and so forth, but I don't know any irl, and we know gobs of wee ones. Maybe if everyone starts steering clear of n endings, they'll rediscover the o's!

Has anyone seen the olympic-themed McDonald's commercials? They show a bunch of young teens and one of the commericals shows them sitting around the table and toasting people (athletes?). One of the kids has mustard on his face and is offered a napkin by a girl. The messy eater is named Archer.

There are two things about this that strike me:

1. Do you think they named him Archer in honour of the golden arches?
2. I don't think that you would have seen a kid called "Archer" in a commercial until relatively recently. Although the name hasn't been in the top 1000 in the US since 1889, it fits into the popular profession-name-as-child-name thing, so I don't know how many people will pay much attention to it.

Hmm, Archer is an unusual one. Puts me in mind of Edith Wharton, and that's no bad thing.

Micah Ber is inspired. The name is by all major criteria a very good one.

I'd sooner use Avery for a boy than for a girl, precisely because Avery for a girl seems to be popping up all over the place, and I'm not one for ubiquity.

Also, the thing about Avery is that with girls, in the year 2008 in the U.S., it really does sound like a conscious play off of "Ava," another super-popular name. It also brings to mind Averil and Avis and all the other Av names.

A boy on the other hand, doesn't have as many Av- names to conjure up, so Avery seems a bit more fresh on a boy, despite its tradtional usage as a male name.

Also, the fact that Avery Dennison's offices seem to be located in your area is, IMO, a boon. Very few people will be naming a kid after that type of company (unless they start producing luxury cars or vodka).

Wow, thanks for all of the positive comments on Micah Ber. It is pronounced MY-kah, but I have heard it pronounced MEE-kah occasionally as well (the two different pronounciations was one of the things that made me hesitate about it originally.) But now it's the only name that's really staying in my head which is a good sign. Now I just have to hope that my partner continues to come around to it. We have been batting around Milo too, but although I love the name, I think that it will really depend on what the kid is like in terms of pulling it off. I feel like it could be either nerdy or super cool, especially with his last name (which will be Gold____, last part meaning 'stone' ;-) ).

I also noted the Archer kid in the McDonald's commercial, and thought that was amusing (I haven't met any in real life).

By the way, I met a kid last night, about 5, whose name is Buckminster, goes by Buck. Quite a name to carry!

Rachel-Micah Ber is original. A bit different but certainly not "way out there". I believe I got confused earlier and called you RB-my apologies. I still like Jordan.

Sue-Thank you for your kind words. I love names and they just seemed to sound good. No magic involved. If it were me I would not do Avery. Although it is a perfectly good name, the hijacking, the fact that Tyler doesn't care for it, and the company thing are all nicks in the no column. Any of them by themselves wouldn't be a deal breaker, but all three together just lean me away from the name. If you look back at the list I gave, I included Everett. I think this has the same sound although maybe not the same feel as Avery so you might want to play around with it. I also think with Brady you still have that long A sound as well. It seems you really like that sound so I might look for a few more long A names for this little guy. Btw, what were some of the girl names you liked maybe there is some inspiration there.

Trends alert: Girls coming into the neighborhood Kindergarten this year include Avalon, Montgomery, and Harper. Met one little brother named Paxton, and the usual array of Graces and Kylies and Owens and Evans.

I love Easternbetty's comment on Micah Ber-- inspired, the perfect word for it! I second.

As for Avery, if I were to hear of a baby named Avery I miiiight slightly lean towards thinking it was a girl because of the trend, but I'd be happy to hear it was a boy as androgynous names for girls are definitely nms. Still very much like Brady too though!

Long time lurker here who is currently having a love affair with the name Violet and wanting to see what the pronunciation split is. Do you say VIE-uh-lit or VIE-lit. I THINK most people in my area would pronounce it with two syllables instead of three.

I appreciate your input!

Sue- Just a thought on Brady vs. Avery
I like both names, but I know that some of the scores of Bradens go by nn Brady. I know one such 1yo personally. Just something to think about. Either way, I think all the names you are leaning toward sound nice!

Michelle-
I say Vi-uh-let (although not that dramatically)
Perhaps, though it's just because I grew up watching Willy Wonka:
"Violet, you're turning Violet, Violet!"
Very pretty name.

Sue-Here are the long A names I found. Of course you have all the -aiden rhyme names but I didn't think you wanted to go there! the first list are names which were already mentioned and actually sound good to me-the second are not so great IMO but included them nonetheless.
#1:Brady; Nathan; Eric; David; Derek; Gage** this one could be great; James/Jamison; Shane/Zane
#2:Emery; Cade; Craig; Daryl; Garrett; Grady/Grayson; Isaiah; Jake; Jared; Jason

Good luck!

Michelle-I'm from Northeast and say it more like VYE-lit. But could easily be "taught" to say VYE-uh-let if that was the pron. preferred.

michelle -- I say "VY-uh-let," and I live in the Northeast.

Sue--from Zoerhenne's list I think Zane sounds great with Tyler and Logan. Plus its just really cool. I would lean away from Avery but its nms for boy or girl so I'm not a good judge.

Michelle--I'm a midwesterner transplanted in the south. I say Violet with 3 syllables but the middle syllable is really short and hard to catch. I think. It occurs to me that when I'm referring to a flower I might use 2 syllables. People somehow get 3...

Hi! I have an update on the Lucy Ann3's baby sister's name.

My sister is now leaning towards Maggie. (If you recall she originally liked Molly.) She is conflicted on whether they should use Margaret or just Maggie. I think Maggie stands on its own and Margaret sounds somewhat stuffy when paired with Lucy. What are the NE's thoughts? The entry for Maggie in BNW is very cute.

Possible middle name: June for our paternal grandmother. Maggie Jun3 has a similar feel to me as Lucy Ann3 and I think would be cute for a southern little girl.

I suggested many of the names posted previously and she really liked Alice, but her DH's suggestions lean towards, Taylor. They were even batting around Lola because it's a family name, but then decided too many celebrities have little Lolas.

AG -- I love Maggie June! Normally I dislike nicknames as given names, but I agree with you that Lucy Ann3 and Maggie Jun3 sound like sisters.

I'm in the "don't write a nickname on the birth certificate" camp--because I'm someone who always wished for the formal version of my name (which my parents didn't give me). I would have preferred not to see a pet name on my PhD, in particular.

Maggie can be a nickname for Margaret or Magnolia or Magenta or Magali or Marguerite or Magda or... you get the idea. (Not that I'm suggesting Magda as a great American baby name for 2008. Definitely out of the ordinary, but....) It's a gift to the child to give her options--and for most of her life, nobody will be looking at her full name next to her sister's, so that really shouldn't be the deciding factor (though I think Lucy and Margaret are fine together as a sibset).

AG: Another vote for Margaret (or another Mag- name, like Marguerite), nn Maggie, rather than just Maggie. I love the variety of nicknames that can come out of Margaret--if she doesn't seem like a Maggie, she can be Meg or Greta or Margie or many others. But Maggie is hard to formalize or alter if she doesn't identify with it later in life.

I saw that someone above mentioned meeting a little Magnolia and I just ran across that in BNW found it an intriguing alternative to Margaret. I thought of suggesting it but was wondering if that's a little too much if you live in a place where having them in your yard is the norm. And my sister seems to be getting Name Fatigue, so I may wait a few days!

Magnolia Jun3 is pretty darn cute. Then maybe she could still call her Lola even.

AG--An additional vote for Maggie as a nn to a more formal name. I don't think Margaret sounds too stuffy paired with Lucy and Margaret June is a great name. My grandmother goes by Maggie and her given name is Madeline...so that is another option besides Margaret.

Michelle--I say Violet with three syllables but like another amy said, that middle syllable is hard to catch.

AG- I also vote Margaret or Magnolia or another longer name, my sister is a Julia who has ALWAYS gone by Julie to the point where people think that she is a "just Julie," however she likes having another name to fall back on. Neither she nor my parents ever had any problems getting people to call her that so I'm sure it would be Lucy and Maggie pretty much all the time (which I do like very much as a sibset!).

Another nickname for Magnolia someone mentioned the other day was Nola-- similar to Lola but more unusual I think!

Magnolia June--swoon! Okay, maybe it's slightly "cute" for a Southern girl, but Southerners have a high tolerance for that kind of thing, and it's not a babyish name (which takes a lot of the cute sting off it for me).

Stacy's Pita Chips sent a large sample box of all of their varieties to every Stacy in the States a few months back -that was quite a benefit!

I was excited to see this topic come up because I was recently mulling over this very issue. My husband and I are considering a more old fashioned boy name for our baby due in early January. Whenever we have told friends and family, their first response is usually that the child will be made fun of in school. My first reaction was to ignore this and brush it off. But then I got to thinking, what if this name really changed the path of this child's life. Will it effect who he makes friends with, what activities he takes part in. What is the overall effect of something seemingly so small?

In the end, I suppose we will do what we like because you can probably torture yourself by asking those questions over every little decision you make. But it is interesting to thinking about.

Also for the record, this name is not something I believe the readers of this blog would consider all that strange. In fact, I fear it is coming back! But those not interested in naming trends seem to have a completely different opinion!!

AG -- Count me as another who would suggest Maggie as a nn for a more formal name. As others have said, Margaret (or Magnolia or Marguerite or ...) sounds fine paired with Lucy. Plus it does allow for a range of nns.

michelle -- As many have said, I pronounce Violet with 3 syllables, but the middle one is very fast and hard to hear.

I've been home with my daughter this week and we've spent quite a bit of time at the park down the block. Here are some kids' names I've overheard (sibs are paired):

Annie -- Liana
Jack -- Liam
Yonah -- Zacharias (pron zuh-CARRY-us)
Yeshua (nn Shua)
Tess -- Ella
Nora
Cecilia
Sarah
Sarah -- Lily
Aubrey (g) -- Beatrice
Jack (or maybe Zach, it was hard to tell)
Jasmine

Name in our local birth announcements, gender *not* indicated, and no middle name listed to give a clue:

Marlin.

I could see it as a boy's name (like Merlin) or as a girl's name, for the fairly common -lin (lynn) ending & for the nn Marly/Marlie/Marley (as in actress Marlee Matlin). I've heard & seen Marly a few times on girls lately.

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I know a Maggie who is "just Maggie". She doesn't seem to mind, but I also prefer a formal name with nn possibilities.

Magnolia is pretty. If you live in southern NJ, though, or if you plan to live there, be aware that there's a town there with that name - if that matters to you. I do like, though, that Magnolia also has other nn potential, such as Nola, as a few here mentioned.

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Amy3,
Jack & Liam as well as Tess & Ella seem to be good matches for sibs. Aubrey & Beatrice, OTOH, seem an odd match to me.

Thanks for the feedback about Violet. I'm in the early stages of my love affair with it and have been over analyzing the name like crazy.

Stacy, are you going to tell us the name you have in mind for your son?

A boy's name using Bertha and Millie made me immediately think of Miles Bertram. You could also use variants such as Milo (which I like) and Bernard, Bert, Barry, Baron, Bartholomew, Beringer, Berlin, Bertrand...

Girls...Milla,Mila,Milana, Miley, Malia, Maliyah, Molly, Moll, Maile (Hawai'in- may LEE in English, mayee leh is more accurate) Berenice, Brigitte, Brigitta, Birgitta, Britta, Bernadette, Beryl, Britt, Brett, Bianca...

Go to some name sites, especially with foreign names and look for similar.

I can't quite imagine Noa on a girl...nor how exactly that is naming her after your aunts?

Good luck!

Lauren,
I have to vote for Lark or Larkin. Lark sounds upbeat and kind of like "luck." Wren doesn't have great connotations for me as it can be used in some unfavorable ways. I think of it as a goth name. Wrench/Wench/wring and other similar sounds also come to mind. Don't like it with a Van S name, either. Think Larkin might fit best unless there are quite a few syllables in the surname.

Larkin gives it a more androgynous feel; great for a pen name. Friends would probably call you the more feminine Lark.

Most people in California would use two syllables for Violet with no real emphasis on either. Just vie let. Actually, it sounds more like vie lit, with an "i." I think three syllables might draw out the last syllable making it VIE oh let, though. If that's how you want it pronounced, you could always correct and explain to people that it is more like the word "violin." Maybe then they might say it...or not. I have one of those names that everybody cuts off and pronounces wrong. Strangers seeing it written do this, and other people do it even with continuous correction. Not fun. So I'd recommend perhaps being okay with both pronunciations, or not using it.

In the fifth grade, I had a teacher named Dr. Faille. She was tough, but definitely one of the best teachers I ever had. I wish I could remember her first name. (Although as a fifth grader, it probably didn't even occur to me that a teacher would HAVE a first name...)

Zoerhenne - Again thanks for your comments!! If this baby would have been a little girl, her name, without a shadow of a doubt would have been Paige Victoria. It just occured to me that I like the long "A" sound. Weird. I never realized it before. Other girl names I like are: Mariah, Elisabeth (or Elissa) or Laila. My husband loves the name Brooklyn for a girl - but nonetheless, her name would have been Paige. I have loved that name since Tyler was born.

Avery (in this instance) does seem to have the deck stacked against it. I wish that I could just dismiss it but I just think it's so "calming and sweet". I have a feeling that this little boy will be artist and on the quieter side and an observer. I guess the name Avery reminds me of that. For example - I used to like the name Chase and considered using it here but I don't feel like it will be "fitting" for this baby (which is ridiculous, I know, because I don't even know this baby's personality yet). Logan and Tyler's personalities both match their names - which is so odd to me. I never worried about it with them either, it just worked out that way- I don't know why I'm doing so now. Anyway - I like Everett but you're right - it just doesn't have the same "feel". Brady does slightly and I'm still considering a few other names suggested here. I just want something sweet and appropriate.

Thanks again for your comments and advise.

Thanks to everyone who has given my situation thought and consideration. I really appreciate it. I read all of your comments to my husband!!

Chiming in late to say that Magnolia June is absolutely to die for. I want to eat that name up with hot fudge sauce. It's so fantastic.

Margaret is a favorite of mine, and I would strongly recommend using the full form. I love the options it gives for nicknaming, like many have said. Margaret and Lucy are a nice pair of classic girls' names, both feminine and strong (though I do still think that Alice and Jane pair most perfectly with Lucy).

I can't beleive someone named their kids Yeshua? What demographic is this??

Here is another vote for Magnolia. We have Magnolias in our neighborhood also. I have recently thought that it is very cute.

I say Violet with three syllables. However, I also say "interesting" with four syllables, so clearly I am not in the majority. (At least in the North-East of North America.)

AG-I know a Maggie who is "just Maggie". She is a junior in college right now and has always been called Maggie or Mags. I don't think she is the type to be a Margaret even if that WERE her real name so I guess it just depends on the family and the child. Maggie June is very cute and pairs well with Lucy Anne.

Stacy-I did not get any chips! I put an "e" in my name but it's still pronounced the same and it's not a kre8tiv spelling.

Sue-I'm sorry you're not getting your girl. Paige Victoria is a wonderful name. I understand your worrying about the name and wanting it to match the child. Don't doubt yourself that you don't already KNOW this child because it's been a part of you for almost nine months now. As one who agonized over several different names even AFTER my dd was born, I know that it's important to "get it right". I named my dd Natalie Renee but up until she was about six months I would occasionally have a concern that she should have been something else-Kimberley Elizabeth was the next top runner. So anyway, a sweet, gentle artsy name? Well, among my choices I would have to then lean towards Craig, Shane or Jamison. Brady still works too but the rest of them have inherent personalities that don't IMO match what you've described. Still whatever name you choose will work out. The name will grow to match the child as the child grows to match the name.

Rjoy -- Although I've only seen Yeshua with his nanny, I can tell you he's a Modern Orthodox Jew so that might clarify why the name was chosen.

Quoting Rjoy:

"I can't beleive someone named their kids Yeshua?"

Yeshua is considered to be a late Aramaic biblical (Greek scriptures) contraction of Yehoshua (Joshua). Some sects (particularly Messianic Jews) believe this to be the form by which Jesus was addressed in daily life by his friends and family. I would imagine that Messianic Jews might use this name for their sons. Jews would use the uncontracted Yehoshua.

Quoting "Guest":

"I can't quite imagine Noa on a girl."

Your imagination needs a bit of a stretch. Noa is a biblical feminine name. The feminine name Noa is spelled differently in Hebrew than the masculine name Noah. Noa is routinely used in Israel and has begun to catch on a bit here in the US.

Miriam -- Thanks for the additional info on Yeshua / Yehoshua. Shua, which is what his nanny calls him most often, could actually be a Yehoshua. I only heard her say the full name once and I may have misheard.

Amy3--

I am a bit surprised that Modern Orthodox parents would choose Yeshua over Yehoshua. To me the form Yeshua is so linked with the proselytizing materials of the Messianic Jews that I wouldn't consider using it. Interesting....

One last comment, I actually know more girl Noas now than I do boy Noahs, and the boys I know tend to be Hispanic while the girls are Jewish.

Miriam -- That's why I think I may have misheard the name. My neighborhood certainly skews to orthodoxy over messianic.

lauren,
i seem to like Lorenza Van S...

The name Juniper is pretty, yes, but, to me, it's inextricably linked to a gin bottle, which is something you might want to think about. True, it's also a flower, but a chardonnay is actually a grape, and you don't see too many Burgundys or Rieslings on the playground nowadays.

If that's your angle, though, (and a fun one it is!) I would suggest a trendy yet potent name like Hennessey, Alize, or Peyote.

Peyote? Heh.

Michelle -
Sure -it is Oliver. Although, we do not know if we are having a boy or a girl!

Stacy- I love the name Oliver! I get the same reaction when I have mentioned the name to others. That is definitely not stopping me from using it in the future though. Do you have a girl name picked out?

Stacy, would you really name a girl Oliver rather than Olive or Olivia or something more traditionally feminine or am I missing something?

Michelle - Thanks for the feedback. It helps to hear people like the name! We are undecided on girls names but I think Charlotte is high on the list. I really like Brynn but my husband isn't too fond of it.

Zoerhenne - When I mentioned my issue with the name Oliver, I guess I may have implied that we knew we were having a boy. I was just clarifying for Michelle that Oliver was our boy name but we weren't defintely having a son. I actually think the name Olive for a girl is adorable. But I like Oliver so much I don't think I would want to use it, just in case I have a boy in the future!