My friend had an Ivy D0r0thy this year which has grown on me. Ruby or Hazel Dorothy is my suggestion.

Fred of "Angel" was pronounced just like in Frederick, and there were a few jokes about her being mistaken for a man.

Which I think alludes to the girl counterpart of this trend-- for girls it has always been the masculine nickname for a feminine name that becomes the cool, assumptions-busting alter ego. Some pop culture examples I can think of from TV and movies are a Joey who is actually Josephine, a Fred who is actually Winifred, a Theo who is actually a Theodora. You can take Alex from Alexandra, Max from Maxine.

One of my favorites of these "Clark Kent" names is Sly from Sylvester.

I usually like masculine nn's on women, but Fred on a woman doesn't work for me either. It's like calling a Georgina 'George'.

How about Cassius/Cash?

Thanks to those of you who helped me with DS#3's name back in July. Xavier & Felix now have a baby brother Raphael, and everyone seems pleased with the name as a stand-alone and as a member of the family.

Without reading through comments my thoughts were

Archibald - Arch

Chaplan - Chap (not so good)

Sworenson - Sword ?

I would second Hazel Dorothy, I think those work nicely.

@AJ Congrats! I'm a fan of Raphael. Are you using a nickname at all?

@Qwen, everyone I've shown that site to has instantly also loved the art, so I think I've picked well. :D

Speaking of Clark Kent, did anyone else watch America's Next Top Model a season or two ago? There was a girl named Clark, which at first I hated, but it kind of grew on me.

For what it's worth, my daughter Dorothy's middle name is Maia, and I think it works in the other order, too.

Hazel would have been my first choice if my second child had been a girl (we named him Howard). I like Hazel Dorothy.

Did anyone ever read Enid Blyton's Famous Five books as a kid? There was a major character there named Georgina who wished she was a boy and wouldn't answer to anything but "George." Then in one of the later books in the series they brought in a character named Josephine who went by Jo - George didn't like her because she thought she was stealing her tomboy thing.

I actually never cared for these types of nicknames. I like Alexandra a lot, but would always, always go with Lexy as a nickname over Alex, and while I like Samantha, I think I would avoid it for fear of her always being called Sam. Not sure why, just doesn't appeal to me. Strangely enough, I don't mind the opposite trend - girls being called Emerson and nicknamed Emmy, Addy for Addison, etc. (although I wouldn't choose those names for my own kids either).

Just noticed a Clark Kent name today while filling out my grades:

Barclay --> Clay.

He has a pretty intense list of names actually. I couldn't figure out who it was when I looked at the roster b/c I only new him as the (simpler and stronger) Clay.

It was Fred, just like the boys name. It was totally cute on her! I think the idea was that Winnie is the expected nickname and Fred is something new, as in Topher, Xander (another Whedon character) etc.

Congratulations, AJ! Raphael is the prefect compliment to your other boys' names.

A Barclay could also go by Barc.

Congratulations, AJ!

Of course, Raphael to Rafe is now a popular nn choice.

@Chimu re: Riordan - this one was on our boys' list for ages. Rio/Reo works visually, but not aurally, given that it's pronounced "ROAR-dan" or "REAR-dan", not "Ree-OR-dan", we'd thought to go with Roar (or even Rory).

Riodan seems like an interesting name--and I like the ROAR-dan or REAR-dan sounds. I think I'm going to go investigate it further...

oooops, Riordan...

PPPhd--that's interesting about Riordan. I liked the look of it, and had it on my boy list too, but always saw REAR-den as the only "correct" pronunciation, and and that seemed too much like "rear end" to me, so I dropped it. If ROAR-den is also correct, that seems more promising. Rhymes with Warden, too--that could be cool, maybe.

So, in my perusal, I think I might like Royden better than Riordan. But now am I getting to close to the "Aiden" sound???

Off topic, or back on topic, I also really like Thijs (said Tyce). It is dutch, and a shortening of Matthijs/Matthias/Matthew. So, could Thijs be an alter ego for Matthew? Because I don't see Thew working so well... ;)

I wish there was a name linked to Michael (that does not start with an M) the same way Thijs is to Matthew... Can anyone think of one?

Lynn M:

What about Zara Dorothy.. Zara is modern sounding.. but oh so close to common Sara.

Also think Ariel, Sierra, Sienna, Arley , Layla, Makenna, Alexa could work.

I love the suggestions of Maia & Mia for a baby with the middle name Dorothy.

knp,
all i can think of is angelo (from michelangelo), but i'm not sure if that's what you're looking for...but i think i'd find it pretty cool if i met a michael who went by angelo instead of mike. :]

Clinton/Clint

Lynn M, my first thought was Piper Dorothy. Don't know why, it just came to me instantly! Seems to be along their style lines and I like the repeating R. I also like Mia Dorothy a lot.

AJ, I love Raphael as a little brother to your other two! Sounds great.

What about Hale for Michael?

@AJ - congratulations on Raphael! The name goes beautifully with your other boys too.

@PPP - I also tend to pronounce Riordan - Ree-Or-Dan, or sometimes ROAR-dan. I can't believe I didn't think of Roar as a nn. That is great! I was trying to think of a nn that doesn't involve Dan, as it's all too common with all the Daniel's around. Riordan is also on my list so I'm a big fan of the name too.

My BIL, also a Michael, goes by Mikl (pron Mi-Kel) most of the time. It makes a nice change from all the Mikes and Mick's we know. I know it's another M nn but it's something a little different.

Congrats to Everett and Raphael!

Maia Dorothy was the first name that came to my mind. Caia would work well, too. Other possibilities: Quinn, Kira, Lisa, Valle, Phoebe.

The Thijs of Michael: Kyle or Cael/Cale come to mind--especially when considering non-English pronunciations of Michael (a la Mikhail). I actually don't mind Thew, though, since "Thew" also means "muscle or sinew." Also compare Tiw (Tyr), the Norse god of war, and source of the name for Tuesday. False etymology, but I like it.

One big Clark Kent name: Barbara -> Barbie -> Barb.

There's also a webcomic out there with a main character named Riff. It turns out to be short for Riffington. (In the interesting names department, his best friend is named Torg.)

How about Mabel Dorothy? Also, I've heard Ike as a nickname for Michael.

Great article in EW this week that is perfect for follow-up NOTY discussions:

"This was the year it was good to be named Taylor" No two young stars had a bigger 2009 than Swift and Lautner. Then they started dating. Is there something about the name? by Henry Goldblatt.
She's one of the biggest musicians on the planet. He stars in one of the biggest movies on the planet. She's shiny and pretty and has good hair. He's shiny and pretty and likes to take off his shirt (though we're not allowed to pass judgment on what we see until he turns 18 in February 2010). So when some puppy-love photos surfaced on Oct. 25, revealing that the two Taylors were dating, it was like heavens had presented us with the most wonderfully perky gift, wrapped up in perfect poreless skin.
Though neither can legally drink yet (at 20, she's the cougar in the relationship), we'd like them to stay together for a couple of reasons: (1) The ongoing Taylor frenzy could spark the Taylor Dayne comeback we've been hoping for; (2) they will never spawn an annoying nickname like Brangeline or Bennifer.
One sad footnote to this story: You gotta feel sorry for Owen Wilson and the producers of "Drillbit Taylor". They must be cursing their poor timing.

AJ- Congrats on Raphael! Goes very well with your others and I second the nn of Rafe. I'm not much of a nn person but I've always liked that one.

knp-Speaking of nn's I'll second what Linnaeus said and go with Cael (pronounced Kyle to me) or Cale (like the vegetable).

Thank you, everyone! Nice to see you still like your suggestion months later. ;-)
Rafe (Eng) and Rafa (everyone else?) are common nns, w/ Raffi being "ruined" by the annoying-to-me musical artist. ;-) My toddler (now the middle bro) might go for Rafa since Raphael is a bit of a mouthful for him today.

You guys are really doing well with today's name game. I've got nothin'!

I wonder if that EW writer has heard the nick "Tay-Tay" for Lautner and Swift?

Not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but how about the name Sylvester and the nickname Sly? Definitely two different feelings associated with those names.

Henry --> Hank

Thanks everyone for the suggestions for Dorothy combos. I passed them along to my friend and she likes so many of them! They won't make a decision until the baby arrives but I'll be sure to report back!

@AJ, congrats on Raphael! I love the name (and the nn Rafe), and think it's a perfect complement for your other boys' names.

We were looking at Scandinavian names for boys, two in particular: Severin and Axel. The embedded sounds (especially for Severin) were a bit of a turn off. Imagine this sib set:

Severin-->Sever
Axel-->Ax

2 new babies born in my neighbourhood this week (both boys):

Dakota & Nohl.

Really like Nohl.. different but a nice touch with Christmas just around the corner.

Thanks all for the Michael pseudo nicknames-- I like Cale or Hale (I had thought of Cael/Cale earlier, but was spelling it Kael and we also want to keep away from k- names.) I am actually trying to look to one of these names to be a way to name our son after his dad without using Michael. (LOVE name michael, but much to widely used, dh dislikes being one of many many Michaels/Mikes) And these are perfect, because my hubby actually loves the russian Mikhail version of his name.

Although, I agree with emilyrae that Angelo would be pretty cool for a Michael!
I've also thought of Guel (Miguel) or Misha (but has M).

Oh, and I like Nohl spelling-- it clarifies the pronunciation compared to Noel (1 or 2 syllables?), spelled close to the last name Kohl, and, oh, upon inspection is a last name itself. More interesting than Nole, Noal.

I know a Gertrude (3 years old) called True.

Lynn-- I love Dorothy!! Didn't Laura mention that it has recently fallen off the top 1000 list? But it's too pretty a name to lose! I also like Mabel Dorothy. Mabel was my grandmother's name, but I wasn't gutsy enough to go with it for one of my girls (@my Rose and @lice Cl@ire).

knp-I agree that Nohl has a bit more charm than Noal or Nole. I know you said you were not looking for an M name but Mitchell as a variant on Michael has always struck me as perfect. I'm not sure if the etymology is exactly a variation but the sounds make it so in my head.

What about Nicholas-Cole or Nickel rather than Nick

For someone not concerned about popularity, Olivia Dorothy or Stella Dorothy I think are both modern and mesh well with the middle name. They don't have the jarring sound of Regan Dorothy or Payton Dorothy, which to me, just sound like two unrelated names listed next to each other.

And here's a Clark Kent name I was thinking of just this morning courtesy of my daughter's love for the Beatles!

Richard ----> Ringo

What do you guys think of the name Paloma? I nixed it because we're not Spanish to the slightest degree, but I'm wondering if that's necessary...but maybe it is. I just came across it today as a character name in a book and fell in love with it again, though...strong and sexy but also soft. Do you think it's too much? I'm not a big fan of nicknames other than silly famly ones, but is it too much for a little girl? Just wondering...

I think Hazel is another great name to go with Dorothy...for the same reasons as Stella. Ruby's in the same category, but I think another name ending in Y is a problem. I agree that Dorothea would be an easier, more graceful middle name and would open up the options, but I'm assuming they're using it for family/sentimental reasons.

I'm watching the Wizard of Oz right now, and Dorothy suddenly strikes at this moment me as a girlish, sunny name for an optimist in sparkly shoes. Perfect as a middle name for a little Stella, Ava, Olivia or Maia. No need to soften it with a popular 'a' ending or an extra syllable.

My, how some characters are powerful!

Love Paloma!

My mother's family has a generations-long tradition of using family surnames as given names in order to honor esp. the mother's (maiden) side of the family. Contrary to what many seem to associate with this naming habit, her ancestors were yeoman farmers, not Park Avenue elites.

They've had the following names/nicknames:

W3stley/West
B@ldwin/Winn
Willi@m/Willis
V@nBuren/Van
Freel@nd/Freed
Buckn3r/Buck
Howl@nd/Howell
Simm0nds/Sim

My brother's name is Michael and his friends in high school came up with the nickname Guel, from Miguel but pronounced Gwell. I still call him that!

@AJ- I'm a little late, but just wanted to say how perfect Raphael is with Xavier and Felix- many congrats on your new little one, and on his name!

For me Paloma gives off an air similar to Payton. It's an unexpected name that I would NOT attribute only to a certain race or type of person. Paloma means dove and seems to be a cute yet somewhat spunky kind of name. Not quite as spunky as Astrid or Beatrice in my book but just a touch under that. Payton gives off a similar vibe but because of its recent popularity and alternate spellings I would think Paloma is a better choice.

Here is what happens when I read this blog late at night, and Laura offers a suggestion to think of more names. I spent a good portion of the night in the middle of my sleep just trying to come up with names. I woke up with a bunch of -ston names in my head. Here is what I have:

Weston/ West (already been mentioned)
Kingston/ King
Princeton/ Prince
Ashton/ Ash

Jm2c about Paloma is that girl names in general make a very graceful step across cultural lines. While I might make assumptions about a boy named Juan or Carlos, Isabella, Maria, or even Juanita or Paloma don't do the same thing to me. This is just my gut response, and fwiw, I think it is a beautiful name.

I like Paloma and would be quite happy to meet a little girl named Paloma. I also don't think you need any Spanish heritage to pull it off!