The Baby Name Wizard

Poisson d'avril :D

Laura, I can't believe you're advocating "cre8tive" spellings. In hard times, folks tend to be more conservative, and I've read predictions of greater use of classic baby names, spelled the standard ways of course. (Oh wait, it's April Fools' Day -- guess you got me!)

Your "reuse, recycle" is good advice any day of any year.

"In hard times, folks tend to be more conservative, and I've read predictions of greater use of classic baby names, spelled the standard ways of course. (Oh wait, it's April Fools' Day -- guess you got me!)"

psst...look for a real post on this topic April 2!

Good one Laura! I'll be looking for the "real" story soon!

Haha! Good one!

LOL! Nicely done, Laura.

That's great Laura!

Oh, while you're all here, my dh and I were mulling over names he grew up with (including a predominance of Jennifers, of course) and he suddenly came up with the name Conifer! So there's another tree name for someone to pick who's bored with other plant names...it's got quite a ring to it, don't you think? ;)

*chuckle*

Cuentin, Cuincy, god forbid! Hehe. Thanks, Laura!

Continuing from last thread:
Zoerhenne- There are a bunch of things that suprise and interest me about your analysis!
-As someone else mentioned I'm very suprised by Brooke. It's a nature name so that makes sense, but the only Brooke I know is probably 40 and I connect it more with that generation.
-How many other spellings of Elaina are there? I was surprised to see 3 of this spelling, but maybe there are a bunch more with other spellings?
-Kassidy?? Why not Cassidy? It's not like it's overused in that spelling as far as I know.
-I wouldn't have expected 3 Laurens, but maybe that's considered a new classic now...

@Buttercup- I've never heard anyone called Lovely and while I think it's a great sounding word, I think it's a lot to saddle a child with. What if she doesn't feel Lovely all the time? As someone pointed out when talk about virtue names, people can always have Hope, but it's a lot to ask them to always be Lovely. That said, hyz is right that you don't want to mortally offend your cousin if she chooses that name. It's not worth it.

Not to say you can't nicely suggest other names:). Hyz has some great suggestions.
I second Lavender (she could nn her Lovely from this if she really wanted to, especially if she went with a mn like Leigh or Leah...)

Lavender Leigh or Lavender Leah (nn Lav-leigh, Lovely)
Lacey- very similar feel, but accepted widely as a name.
Larkin
Laurel
Layla
Lena
Livia
Lilliana
Lyric
Cecily/Cecilia
Angelina

I'm sure there are other great names for them, I just got the L's stuck in my head. Then the last ones were from the sibling cloud for Cordelia.

Laura - hilarious!!

I am a lurker, too, although not religious about reading because it takes me so long to scroll through and read. (Thankfully, my connection speed during the day will soon increase!) I'm on today because I'm looking for name advise, but first a few comments from the last string...

PJ (and others, I suppose) - what about Aspyn/Aspen? I saw it on a car sticker and it's stuck ever since. Pretty, natural, plus just a little different (although maybe not different enough for some).
A friend of mine has a daughter, Melia, and they chose it because of it's Hawaiian roots.
Lastly, on my comments from earlier, I know of a Stella Celeste who goes by both names. At first I didn't know what to make of it. But years later, I like it and always associate both names independently with her and it makes me smile.

I am pregnant with my second son. We live in the US, thought we were fairly traditional in naming, are white/anglo (although I'm including that only because it comes up occasionally after hearing our son's name), and Catholic. We promised my mil (although only because I happen to agree) that we would name our kids names she could spell. lol I was at a loss for names for this baby, both to match my son's name (at least somewhat)and to work for my husband and I.

Our first sone is L1nc0ln Douglas. My husband is a history nut, and Douglas is a family name. We were going for a saints name somewhere, but that didn't work the first time.

We still want a family name as a mn (Anthony, Andrew, August, Richard, Michael, David, Douglas) and we still want to stay away from names that are trendy (although I love Aiden, but am working on getting over that) or too classic (I can't manage to deo Michael or David even though they're perfectly fine names).

So far, the only name that's made my list this time is Eli August. My husband is tending towards the n names (Christian, Austin [which I didn't like since we live in TX but have been okay with it since I learned of it's ties to August, a family name). We are also okay with Joshua, but I'm not crazy about it.

This is far too long, so I'll stop. Any thoughts that come to mind based on his sibling or our preferences? (By the way, I think I liked L1nc0ln Douglas because it sounds familiar - what with the famous debate. Plus, then if he ever (not that I'm pushing it!) wants to go into politics, at least his name is bipartisian.

Let me clarify that by car sticker I mean the "softball" or "dance" stickers that have the child's name underneath.

I have never met anyone named Lovely, but I did know several named Lovie. One of my sister's names is Leibe (lee-bah) which means 'love.' Then there is the Slavic Lyuba which also means love. Over the years I had a number of students named Precious which strikes me as similar in style to Lovely. Names like Lovely and Precious are extremely nms, but they are in use in some circles. I VASTLY prefer Cordelia....

Buttercup- I too would hesitate to use the name Lovely... I can just see it as the subject of taunts in middle school, if nasty peers perceive her as being less than lovely.

KimB- Of your choices, I like Eli for you... I'm not sure if you are looking for a historical connection in your second child's name but here are some other suggestions based on style and with the middle names you listed (hope I'm on the right track):

Gideon Michael
Vaughn David
Reid August
Wyatt Anthony
Tobias (or Tobin) Richard
Grant Michael
Archer David

Hope that helps! Good luck

Just a quick correction on the spelling, the german word for love is Liebe (lee-bah). (Leibe would be pronounced lye-bah)..

I had never thought of Liebe before as a name, but now will consider it... I esp. love it as a mn

To cut out more waste, take a cue from Hebrew and Arabic-- get rid of those vowels!

For example:

Margaret -> Mrgrt
Lillian -> Llln
Beyonce -> Bnc

Thrifty and cutting-edge!

KimB - I like Eli August!

If you are looking for names that are easy to spell, does it matter if there are alternative spellings? For instance, I know a male Ely. I think spelling alternatives are an issue with almost any name in this age of creative spellings.

Buttercup - not really a fan of Lovely. I like the suggestion of using it as a nn (even for Cordelia). However, I would be hesitant of a "family intervention." Hopefully, she decides that her husband should be included in the choice, and they can reach an agreement together.

I think I agree that Lauren is a new classic.

KimB: I love Eli August!

re: Lovely: There is a character named Lovey in Lois-Ann Yamanaka's novel Blu's Hanging. Her brother is named Blu and sister is named Maisie, I think.

Haha, Judy M., I read Bnc as Bink, which I kind of like-- a nn for Bianca, maybe:)

I was just looking over at our phone list and some of those names are quite fun vowel-less:
Nina- Nn
Laurie- Lr
Andrew- ndrw
Maryrose- Mrrse (reads like the virus to me...)
Barbara- Brbr

This is fun!

Buttercup-I do not know anyone named Lovely (or Precious or Cordelia for that matter). I do know 2 little girls named Trinity about 5-8yo range. I like hyz's suggestion of Calantha. I think it's pretty, different but not too different. But like others said, you have to be cautious as to not step on toes and hurt feelings.

KimB-I like Linc0ln Douglas I think it has a certain ring to it. Your family names are nice.
Eli August doesn't flow as well for me though. Of the names you listed: Anthony, Andrew, August, Richard, Michael, David, Douglas) I think that Richard Andrew matches the best to the style of your other boy. As far a -n names go there is also Ethan, and Colin. Names like Lucas, and Mitchell are nice but not common. Or maybe stick with the presidential theme indirectly Jackson is way popular in this area though. Stay away from Stephen though THAT would be weird.

J3nny L3igh: Regarding the local names, yes I agree that Lauren is rising into a "new classic". Also, surprisingly I think Jennifer will be there soon too. There is both in my dd's gym class of 5yo.
I'm not sure about the rise of Brooke. There again is a 5yo in dd's preschool with this name.

You also asked"-How many other spellings of Elaina are there? I was surprised to see 3 of this spelling, but maybe there are a bunch more with other spellings?"
There is also Alayna, Alea, Alina, Aliyana, and Eliana so I guess Elaina is just a bit more *comfortable* of a spelling than some of the others. And btw, there is only 1 Cassidy! I believe K is the new C. Keep in mind that the numbers are ytd or cumulative since the beginning of the year. So that is only 3 Kassidy's out of however many births in this hospital in the last 3 months.

Kim B:

I like the name Lincoln Douglas. I also like Eli August but agree with zoerhenne that it doesn't have the same flow as your son's name.

I also second the suggestions of Archer and Reid. Also thought Reid Anthony would sound nice.

What do you think of: Nolan Andrew, Edison David or Bennett Michael ?

A few other names I think you might like Preston, Grant, Elliott, Marshall, Miller, Walker, Spencer.

For some reason I think Edison David sounds really nice with Lincoln Douglas... loved that both have D middle names... and Edison is also historical but not politically.

KimB, I think Eli August is great, flows nicely, and does have a similar feel to Lincoln Douglas--I think it's a winner!

Catching up...

I noticed on the last post someone suggested Rowan for a boy since it "sounds like Owen." Really? Rowan County, Ky is pronounced with the -ow- sounding like the word couch. That's how I would pronounce it.

Bowen rhymes with Owen. I like that one.

I know a Rowenn (female, ~30) pronounced to rhyme with Owen. I *so* want to ask her about her name... maybe in a few weeks right before the semester ends...

Jenny L3igh: Funny you should mention it, Bink is in fact my nickname. I've heard of one other Bianca that gets called this. It's more of a childhood/close friends and family sort of thing, but I don't think there are any very grown-up nns for it.

Was it Buttercup? - I think you could intervene (not should, just could) about Lovely if you're really close with your cousin. I'm usually alone on this point of view, but I feel that if you really care about someone you'll have something to say even if it could hurt their feelings. A good friend/cousin will get over it because she will know that just because you spoke up doesn't mean you can't be swayed by her 'excellent choice that you don't appreciate yet'. When my uncle was first suggesting his daughter's name my immediate (out loud) reaction was 'French hooker' (just a childhood association) but now I love her name and no one remembers anyway.

I think Rowan/Rowen or other sp's of it are mostly meant to be pronounced with a long O sound to rhyme with Owen. It reminds me of the Regina thing. There is a street in my area plus the town (in Canada I think) that have a long E pron instead of the long I so it sounds like Reg-EEN-a instead of Reg-eye-na. It bugs me to no end even though I know it is technically correct.

KimB-I LOVE LOVE MelissaC's suggestion of Edison. I think it's exactly the kind of name you need with Lincoln. Edison sounds nice with many of your mn's. I like Edison Richard, and Edison Michael. To me Edison August works too and has a better flow than Eli August if that gives you an idea of how my ears work.

I've know several Rowans and they all rhyme with Owen.

KimB- I like Linc0ln Douglas. I was thinking about other Americans I would want to commemorate apart from Lincoln (whom I love). What about Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau (although the last, funnily enough, sounds a bit feminine and I know Emerson has been used for girls).

I agree that Eli August (although cute) doesn't flow as well as Linc0ln Douglas.

Here are some combos I like:
Christian Anthony
Christian David
Austin Richard
Austin Michael
Austin David
Whitman August
Whitman David
Emerson August
Emerson Andrew
Eli Richard
Eli Andrew
Eli David

I'm curious as to why people are saying that Eli August doesn't go with Lincoln Douglas. To my mind, they both have a sort of weighty/serious historical quality, and fit in equally well with trendier names of today. Maybe I'm odd, but the first Eli that comes to my mind is Eli Whitney of the cotton gin fame, and he was (practically) a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln. August and Douglas are a little stylistically disparate, but both are family names, and firmly entrenched traditional names as well. Also, when saying the two full names together, they have same number of syllables and stress pattern, so they seem to flow rhythmically together to me.

Anyway, those are my thoughts, and I was just wondering why I seem to be the odd duck out on this.

zoerhenne- Hurrah! I hope you're right about Jennifer becoming a new classic -- its routes are old enough and maybe as people try to name after their mothers and grandmothers in the future it will become so!
I had a feeling Elaina couldn't be the only one of that ilk, I actually like that spelling, as you say it's straight-forward as these things go...
The Kassidy thing still gets me, I know it's over 3 months, I just can't imagine why you'd abandon Cassidy before it's "overused." I think I have a thing against K's (except in Katherine) right now;)

Guest- The Rowan's I've known all rhyme with Owen, I believe that's how it's said when referring to the tree... anyone know for sure?

Bianca- That's exactly the sort of situation I see that nickname in, I'm so glad it's actually used, I just think it's great!

hyz- I'm with you, I think Eli August and Lincoln Douglas work together fine. That said there are lots of other great options being suggested too!

Yup, I've only heard Rowan to rhyme with Owen--think Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) or Rowan Williams (Archbishop of Canterbury). I've been through Rowan County, KY, and didn't know that it was said to rhyme with cow, not owe--interesting.

Just a quick correction on the spelling, the german word for love is Liebe (lee-bah). (Leibe would be pronounced lye-bah)..

Dear knp--

My sister's name is not German. It is Yiddish which has been transliterated into the Roman alphabet. Tiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet, although its spelling conventions (of which there are several) are different from those of Hebrew. Just so Yiddish spelled in Roman letters is not necessarily the same as German spelling. For example, my grandfather's name was spelled in Roman as Shloime (Yiddish for the Hebrew Shlomo--Solomon), but pronounced in his dialect Shlay-me). There are also different dialects in Yiddish in which the vowels are pronounced differently, although they may be spelled the same in the Hebrew alphabet, and thus may (or may not) be transliterated in the same way. Yivo has attempted to standardize the spelling and transliterating of Yiddish, but the standardizations have not stuck except in certain academic circles and in Yivo's own publications. So the way I wrote it is the way she spelled it.

Trust me, I know how to spell and pronounce German--and Dutch for that matter. In Dutch 'small' is 'klein', pronounced (roughly) 'klayn', while in German it is 'klein' pronounced 'kleyn' (the diphthong heard in English 'eye'). When my son took German at university he got tangled up in all this. For example, if he wanted to say 'hot water,' he would say 'hayse vasser,' and his teacher would get bent out of shape because in Standard German it is 'heys' (the diphthong in 'eye'). He had to explain that his mother's Yiddish was interfering.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, I only knew the german and just wanted to be sure it would not be mispelled if it was going to be substituted for "Lovely." It looks like either could be used depending on background!

(to my credit, I did try to google leibe and love (and did not get any hits) before I posted the first time. )

I apologize.

I LOVE this site. I really appreciate all the comments so far and hope they keep coming, especially when people have alternate suggestions. He's not due until August, so we have time, but I'd like to at least have enough names that sound plausible to me in the next month or so, so that I don't feel stressed about him getting a haphazard name!

I really like the idea and sound of Edison, too. But, I really don't like Eddie as a nn... could I get over it? I'll let it stew and see.

Thanks again to all who've already commented!

Zoerhenne-
If I'm reading it right, I'm confused by the Regina comment... do people on here really know women named Reg-EYE-na... I have only ever known Re-Gee-Nuh. Like Re in front of Gina. Although now I'm kind of scared of how some parts of the country might pronounce Gina :)

Regina, Saskatchewan, is pronounced with the long "i" = Reg-eye-na.

However, I've never heard a woman's name pronounced like that in real life.

I love Eli August as a name. My only thoughts were that you will have the "L" sound repeated 3 times between the two boys, and that the August and Douglas repeat a lot of similar sounds (Aug/Doug, gust/glas). Not a deal-breaker, but something to be aware of.

KimB--Other first name ideas

Wilson
Beckett
Auden (thought this may be going girl?)
Archer
Sawyer
Silas
Spencer

I like Anthony as a mn for most of these to break up the 2-syllable pattern. I also like Anthony (just a personal favorite) b/c you can change it's association depending on what you pair it with. It can go "Joseph Anthony" or "Edmund Anthony" and sound like two entirely different names.

Hey, this no vowels thing is kind of fun...
Just going through some family names:
Timothy = Tmth
Pamela = Pml
Amber = Mbr
Amy (that's me) = m ?

Haha, I guess I'll just go by m now to conserve letters. :)

KimB,

If you're looking for a saint/Catholic + historical name, what about
George
Samuel,
or
James?

These might be too plain for your tastes...of the three, I think George has the most "edge" of the three, and I think a little Georgie is adorable.

Congratulations!

Miriam, did you used to go to the BabyCenter when they had public name polls?

Joni, no.

I don't know--I think with Lincoln I'd avoid other famous surnames, for fear of being too theme-y. I do like the Silas suggestion, though. I think Christian could work well, but I understand your hesitation to have two names ending in n. Still, they're different enough that I think it could work well, and it's a nice name. Maybe Christian Andrew or Christian August? I think that Austin does sound a bit trendy, and also makes Lincoln sound trendier by association. Joshua is very nice, too, but I've known so many guys named Josh that it lacks spark for me--the full name still has some punch, though.

Hi there - I've been lurking these past two years. this is such a wonderful site and source of delight for me whenever I have time to read a bit. I always mean to post but I get so caught up in reading (I feel like I don't want to miss anything, so I will sometimes read a few months' worth of comments at one time).

I've noticed the name Cordelia coming up. This is my daughter's name, and I love it. She often goes by Cora or Coco - it's a name with many options. For me, it doesn't have a frilly feel. It has a cool, strong sound and reminds me of Lear's daughter: a gentle, constant, rational woman of integrity.

I think the alternatives Calantha and Lavinia are excellent suggestions.

Prairie Dawn, was it you who was considering Cordelia some time back? Is it still a contender? I'm so curious because I've never met another and I wonder if it may be be that it's coming up on people's radar more lately (as has been discussed seems to be the case with Astrid). . . and if so, why? I don't mind the idea of the name becoming more popular in the least. Just curious about these things.

Ah, it feels good to post after all this time!

Eleni-

How old is your Cordelia? Mine is not quite 2. I have heard it more and more lately. I think it is one of those up and coming names.

Aybee + DRDS-I'm sorry to be confusing about the Regina thing. What I meant was that the girls name is Re-Gee-na but the town and street I know is Reg-eye-na. It just bugs me that the town and street are long I sounding instead of Long E sounding like the name. I have a friend with this name but she goes by Gina. I like the nn in this case rather than the full name.

Hyz-The Eli August flowing situation is I think because of the long I sound against the Aw of August. Thats why I like Edison better. The names themselves are very compatible but I just don't like the open sound of Eli against August. Eli Richard might work. Christian Silas I like too. Others:
Benjamin
Franklin
Jefferson or Jeffrey
there are just so many.

Btw, Scott Wolf named his baby Jackson Kayse Wolf. Another vote against Jackson/for Jack!!

Eleni,

Cordelia is not on our short list, even though it is a lovely name. Cora, however, is on our list and a top contender for our baby (due date: three days ago!)if she is a girl. I mentioned Cordelia to dh way back when but he wasn't interested. I especially like the option of the nn Delia. Really beautiful.
I think the person who was considering Cordelia a few threads back was exploring names for twin girls... can't recall her name but I'm curious to know what she decided on.

If we go with Cora, likely mn would be Josephine. Then we could call her Cora Jo, which I love love love. But factoring in dh's preferences, I think Marina is the front runner right now for girls. Of course, I'll post our final decision as soon as this baby decides to make it's grand appearance. We are in "waiting mode" for sure!

For the person who is considering Dalia/ Dahlia, I love it. Dahlias are my favorite flower so I have a bias. Another option: Magnolia. My niece is Magnolia and goes by the nn Nola. It is very sweet.

Oh, and one more thing about Cordelia. I agree that it has become more popular but I doubt that it will ever become widespread. It just doesn't sound to me like a name that would be adopted by the masses.

Lauren is definitely a new classic.

Kitty,
How funny - mine is not quite two either! I agree that Cordelia isn't the kind of name that will spread like wildfire.

Prairie Dawn:
Oh, it's Cora then that struck me. Cora Josephine is just lovely. Marina is beautiful too, and I like it more than Maren, which is also nice.

Cordelia also goes by Cora. And funny, I remember the talk of Marina now, too. I keep a list of names for number two, and the list of girl names has Marina and Penelope as frontrunners! (Funny - I also really like Lucia, but when I ran it by my husband the first time around he nixed it because of bad associations.)