The name Gage hit the American mainstream in time-honored style: as a demon child.
You might think that the spawn of Satan would be a negative association when picking a baby name. In fact, the fiend-children of Hollywood horror are a reliable source of new hit names. The name Damien was launched into popularity by The Omen, Adrian by Rosemary’s Baby, and Regan by The Exorcist. Little Gage of Pet Sematary wasn’t technically demonic, just an undead kid, but he was evil-cute enough to make the cut. The name Gage debuted in the top 1000 in 1989, the year the movie came out, and has been a mainstay ever since.
As a surname, Gage has a deeper history. It has multiple derivations in English and French and ranks among the 6000 most common American surnames. Moved up to first-name status, it strikes a nice balance between the cowboy machismo of Colt and Cash and the preppy breeziness of Tate and Trey. It’s also a snap to spell and pronounce. Until it’s not.
As the baby name Gage rose steadily year by year, alternate spellings started to appear. Gaige first hit the top 1000 in the year 2000. Gauge broke through five years later, and it’s now the fastest rising form of the name. To me, it’s also the most intriguing.
The word gauge is a classic of English orthography, a completely non-standard bit of spelling that’s a fixture on “most frequently misspelled” lists. If you can find another word where the vowel pair AU is pronounced as a long A, you get a word-freak gold star. Gauge means “measure,” as either a noun or verb. As far as I know, that realm of meaning is not commonly adopted for name use in any language. And yet there can be no doubt that the rising new baby name Gauge exists because of the word. After all, you don’t see anybody spelling Paige as “Pauge.”
So let’s recap. People are changing the standard spelling of a modern baby name in order to match a familiar word. In a sense, the creative new spelling is actually a conservative stylistic impulse -- it was invented because it looks less “made up”. And that impulse is so strong that it holds sway even though the word has no intrinsic appeal and its spelling gives people fits. That has to be the most confusing push-pull of spellings and origins since…Page.
Name Spotlight: Gage, Gaige, Gauge
06/01/2009, 8:46PM
Baby Name Wizard Store
Celebrate with personalized baby name products! Custom birth announcements, invitations, bibs, onesies & more.
Start Shopping
Comments
I met a woman who had named her daughter Somara, but spelled it that way so it wouldn't be linked to Samara in The Ring (a total failure, it's the first thing I thought). I think it's a simple case of liking the name. Or it wasn't even the strongest association for them, a lot of people don't like/watch horror.
Akaya - I would love (not really) to see a family of kids named with 'reclaimed' or 'taboo' names that we talk about. How about racy siblings Jude, Jemima, and Cohen?
AE/Valentine - Thank you! It's worse because the writer appears to be a NE and then COMPLETELY drops the ball.
Philippa - congratulations!
I met a woman who had named her daughter Somara, but spelled it that way so it wouldn't be linked to Samara in The Ring (a total failure, it's the first thing I thought). I think it's a simple case of liking the name. Or it wasn't even the strongest association for them, a lot of people don't like/watch horror.
Akaya - I would love (not really) to see a family of kids named with 'reclaimed' or 'taboo' names that we talk about. How about racy siblings Jude, Jemima, and Cohen?
AE/Valentine - Thank you! It's worse because the writer appears to be a NE and then COMPLETELY drops the ball.
Philippa - congratulations!
Congratulations, Philippa! Sylvia Grace is a BEAUTIFUL name, and I love the thoughtful approach you took to making your final choice. Definitely something to share with her as she gets older. Enjoy your baby!
I know of a five year old named G@ge, with a brother named M@son (nine years).
Bianca: LOL! The Taboo Family really ought to include Adolf, Jezebel, Gaylord and Fanny. As for Jemima... can't the pancake people just update her to Aunt Jennifer or Aunt Miley or something, so we can start using that name again? I think it's kind of pretty (though I prefer Gemma).
I can't help but smile when I see Cohen. A cousin of mine (my side - not Jewish) called her baby Cohen a year ago. My husband thought it was no end of hilarious. He was calling the baby "my fellow Jew", talking about his future bar mitzvah, throwing in Yiddish words he probably made up (no one in his family speaks it), suggesting the next one be called Steinberg, and generally being annoying. Well, what did they expect? (Actually, apparently, they say they had NO IDEA it was a Jewish priest, or even a Jewish surname, they just thought it "sounded cool". Oy. Sillier still... the poor kid's last name is Italian.)
omg can Gaylord and Fanny be twins?
Bianca + Ayaka-That idea is SOOOO funny but lets not leave out little Delilah and Five.
Word freak offering of the day:
Assuage.
Philippa: Congrats on little Sylvia! You really did choose a beautiful name for her.
Bianca: Their cousins could be Ahab, Nero, and Medea.
Emily Postal: Well Done.
Bianca: Also, Faust, Iago, and Rasputin. He could be called Raspy for short.
Philippa-- Sylvie is so lovely and sweet and Sylvia Grace has such a great flow. May I add my welcome and congratulations? Well done ..and how nice.
Philippa - Sylvia Grace is lovely and classic. And she sounds a lovely baby. Sylvia always sound very fair to me, maybe because it sounds a little like silver.
Philippa-- Great news! Love "Sylvia Grace" and your nickname "Sylvie".
It's such a versatile name. I went to school with a Sylvia nicknamed "Syl", which is fun in the breezy diner mode of "Lil", "Flo" etc.
There's also "Sivvie/Sivvy" which to me goes in the direction of ethereal and faintly Scandinavian... Is there a Scandinavian name that uses that nickname?
Has anyone heard whether Kimora Lee Simmons has released the name of her new little boy yet? I find her amusing in an extravagant, sort of 'camp' way, and am interested to see what she'll come up with. Don't her little girls have Korean names?
Eo, Kimora Lee Simmons' daughters are Ming and Aoki, according to Wikipedia.
I have been meaning to post the great finds from my daughter's yearbook (elementary school) for weeks. It's going to take me a while to compile the stats, however, so I haven't gotten around to it. A few weeks ago I posted that one child in the third grade, a boy, is named Jihad. Last night at a school function I realized that his mother is the PTA president! I am dying to know the story behind his name but can't figure out how to ask...
There was a little Jihad born at the local hospital in my area recently (I was scrolling the recent baby names for fun) with the middle name Amor. "Love of Holy War" perhaps? I was surprised to see that someone would give their child such an emotionally charged name in our current political climate.
New baby announcement:
Is0la, sister to C0lette.
I think it's pretty, although I'm not sure how to pronounce it. Does anyone know more about this name? It's not one I remember coming up much in conversations here.
Isola is Italian for island, pronounced EE-zo-la. I quite like it.
However, that may not be what the parents are intending. It also looks like Isolda minus the d.
Philippa, congratulations to you and your family! I loved both names you were picking between, but Sylvia was my favorite--welcome to the world, little Sylvia Grace! :)
Why do you guys think Henry and Lucy are on the rise? Do you think they will reach the top 10/20?
Philippa, is Sylvie not a name on it's own? I didn't realize it was a nickname for Sylvia. Just curious--congrats on your new arrival!
guest:
sylvie is a nickname for sylvia, but you are also correct. i believe sylvie is the french form of sylvia, so yes, it is a name on its own. however, i believe in previous discussions, some people felt that to many american ears, the ie ending made it feel somewhat nicknamey (like susie or cassie). of course not everyone feels that way--including you.
re: Henry: I know a Henry born to professors in '05 and another also born to professors a couple years ago. Maybe I just know too many professors. Anyway both couples are on the older side. I wonder if that means they name will get phased out as those who use it move past their child-bearing years or it will get picked up as the next generation of "older" parents comes along. (By older I guess I mean late 30s)
re: Lucy: Of the three expectant friends (b. late '70s) I talked to about baby names last year all were considering a "Luc" name (Lucy, Lucia, Lucas). Lucia and Lucas were actually used; "Lucy" ended up being a boy. (Not sure if it was their top choice for a girl anyway.)
Here's a small game: which is the first name and which is the last name?
MuLlenEix BeRmUdEz
I saw this name written down, and I can't decide which is first and which is last! Sorry about the funny capitalization, I was trying to make it less google-able.
Another celebrity baby name announcement! I particularly follow this celeb's name choices because she uses Asian names. She did not disappoint this time:
"Kimora Lee just had a baby boy with longtime boyfriend Djimon Hounsou. The Baby Phat CEO on Wednesday followed up with the name of the infant: Kenzo Lee Hounsou.
Kenzo is Simmons' third child. He joins Ming Lee, 9, and Aoki Lee, 6 ½, Kimora's daughters with Russell Simmons. Kenzo is the first child for Amistad star Hounsou, 45." (From celebrity-babies.com.)
I think this is a terrific name for their family. Kimora is part Asian, so it's nice to honor that portion of her heritage. Kenzo is Japanese and apparently means "wise" and "three." This is their third kid so the three fits. Kenzo is like the hipster name Enzo, only with an Asian twist. Good job Kimora!
I just read Eo's post. Ming is Chinese; Aoki is Japanese; and now Kenzo is Japanese. Interestingly, Kimora's mom who was originally from Korea was named Joanne by her adopted parents. Joanne now goes by the Japanese name Kyoto.
It's not clear to me whether Kimora and Kyoto are Korean or maybe Korean/Japanese. There are a lot of Japanese living in Korea.
Philippa, thank you so much for sharing the story with us!! I definitely think of Sylvia/Sylvie as light haired for some reason as well so it seems perfect. I'm sure she will enjoy hearing the story of her name as well (I can see her having her imaginary twin named Fiona, I had a big imagination as a kid, can you tell?). I always loved hearing how my Dad dreamt about my name before I was born. Also that I would have been a Jeffrey if I'd been a boy, a name I've always good-naturedly disliked... don't know if that's because of the knowledge or not!
LOVE Rasputin nn Raspy and twins Gaylord and Fanny, hahaha! Since ln's as fn's are all the rage now... Rasputin and Robespierre anyone?
A new one i'd never seen before:
Cairellyn
From a grad list. she works in speech comm, how ironic. were the parents going for Carrie-Lynn? Carolyn?
Congratulations on Sylvia Grace, Philippa! It's a lovely name!
re: Henry--it does seem to be slowly increasing in popularity. Looking at the SSA website,
in 2008 it was ranked 78
in 2007 it was ranked 91
in 2006 it was ranked 95
in 2005 it was ranked 102, and has been above 100 since 1969.
That said, RobynT, I really hope that you're right in that the name appeals to 'older' parents and will soon phase out. It is one that has been on my list for awhile now (I've been a NE for many years, the result of being born one of the many 80's Jennifers). I'd hate to see Henry join the other names I like that have become too popular for me.
Celine immediately comes to mind. It's feminine, sounds great with Simone, and has the second syllable emphasis. Also Nadine.
Sorry, that last comment was for Gina @4.
Ah, thanks Clementine and Tirzah, that sibset of Ming, Aoki and Kenzo is fun-- and it's nice that Kimora kept the names of all three children compatible...
anne with an e-Gee thats a tough one but I would tend to think the B part would be the FN.
Guest-Cairellyn is pretty I would pronounce it either Carolyn or Kai-rell-in. Hmmm.
I really like Kenzo (on its own and paired with Ming and Aoki). Kimora has a great naming sensibility.
Anne with an E, I'd guess Bermudez is the ln b/c I know people with that surname.
Anne with an e, I think Bermudez is the last name. It's a relatively common Hispanic surname.
I was figuring that Bermudez was likely a last name, a la Martinez or Rodriguez, but I'd never encountered that particular one so I wasn't sure.
MuLLeNeix however, I've never seen! It reminds me vaguely of French-Gaullish names such as Vercingetorix (or Astorix and Obelix!) but when I googled it just asked me if I meant "Mullenix" which appears to be a surname.
Anyway, I thought it was a fairly spectacular name!
For me, Mull3n3ix veers dangerously close to Musilex, or, worse, Mucinex. Unless, as you suggest Anne, it's French (in pronunciation, at least).
Mullen seems ripe for the picking, however--ready to ride on Cullen's coattails, perhaps? Although most of the people I know with this as a surname have a pulralized variation--Mullins, Mullens--which are somehow less appealing as a first name. Maybe this is why there are so many boys named Collin, but so few named Collins.
OT, but does capitalization really make a difference in googleability? I never thought it did, but maybe I'm wrong (there's a first for everything, right? ;) lol). I just tried it by googling the unique name mentioned above, and got no hits, so...?
@hyz, I was under the impression it did, but maybe I'm wrong.
@circe, the -ix ending is so much better in French! "eeks" just sounds much more fun that "icks".
Collinix, Braedenix, Gaugix perhaps? :)
Hm, when I think about "Gauge" from a French perspective I suddenly want to pronounce it Gohdge, more in line with the pronunciation of Gaugin.
Thanks a few months ago to the NEs who had some very helpful suggestions for naming my son. He was born April 15th.
We ended up going with:
Eskander Jack, nn "Zander"
Eskander is the Persian version of the name Alexander and works in Arabic as well.
Other friends/neighbors with recently born babies:
Laurel
Lucilla (brother is Manuel)
Rebecca Marie
Sarah Elizabeth (brothers: Jacob and Jesse)
Erica
Noah
Hayden
Sienna
Thanks again for the input.
One of the babies on the "baby board" I read was named Gage Michael or Gage Anthony.
Philippa, Congrats. I also love Sylvia and Sylvie!!
SarahYRA-
Congratulations on the birth of Eskander Jack. I love the sound of that, and the nn Zander. He sounds like he will be dashing and adventuresome!
Congratulations to Philippa and SarahYRA on your new babies! Sylvia Grace is beautiful (I'm so glad you went with it over Fiona) and Eskander (Zander) Jack is smashing, as well.
Names at a recent birthday party (for preschool/ early elementary school aged children):
Gabriella
Adrianna
Sophia
Ryl3n(m)
Del@yne
N@t@l!e
Conner
Madison
Alex(m)
I was at the supermarket today and overheard a mom call her daughter, approx age 7, Francie. I thought it was lovely and suited the little girl well. It reminded me of Sandra Dee's character Gidget, who's name was Francine, nn Francie.
To the poster who's looking for a sibling for Simone-- Francine perhaps?
Prairie Dawn-those seem right in line with my area and could almost be the K list for my dd next year. I'll let you know in Sept LOL.
SarahYRA-Congrats on your new addition! I am inclined to pronounce it Ex-ander like Alexander only w/o the AL. It that right? I've never come across this variation but it sounds delightful esp paired with a "fun" name like Jack.
To "just Jack"'s mom: As we were recently talking about Eliza being a "spunky" name, don't you agree that Jack on its own has that same sort of spunkiness but in a playful boyish way?
Thanks for the positive feedback. We were rather nervous giving the little guy a name that is so unusual here in the US.
Our naming journey: we were looking for a name that "worked" in English, French, and Arabic that we liked. We honed in on Alexander or some version thereof. We had thought of using the French spelling Alexandre and giving the baby an Arabic middle name, but in the end, we decided on Eskander. (The Arabic transliterations of the name are Iskander and Skander, so Eskander was close and comfortable for baby's North African grand-parents.) We also liked the sound of the name and felt it was a bit different and "fresh" compared to Alexander (where I was afraid he'd be one of many, due to the name's popularity) That said, I figured I could use nn's of Alexander and Zander makes the most sense b/c of its similarity in sound to Eskander.
Jack was just b/c my husband and I like it. It's easy and simple and I agree that it sounds spunky. Rather heroic (we watch 24 and Lost!) This way, too, if Eskander is too strange for our little guy, he can always go with Jack.
I also thought he could go with his initials, E.J. (like the Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne). Anyway, the little guy has a few options. For now, we've got all sorts of goofy, baby-related nn's for the little fellow.
Zoerhenne- Eskander is pronounced exactly the way it's spelled.
Wow, Laura...you ARE right about evil movie kids becoming reliable namesakes. Out of curiosity, I looked up Samara (the evil little girl on the Ring) on the Name Voyager. I figured that since she was a demonic kid with a fashionable-sounding name, she'd fit into the same category as Damien, Adrien, and Regan. Sure enough, her name seems to have shot up in 2003--the year after "The Ring" was released in America.
Congratulations Philippa, Sylvia Grace is a beautiful name.
I find it so hard to believe that people cal their children after guns. This is a real difference between US and British culture. If a Brit did that they'd probably send the social services round.
And I definitely think that Gauge is pronounced Gorge.
Ayaka - my son Jude/Judah grew up in Holland where Jude means Jew. Never a problem because the pronounciaton of his name would be spelled in Dutch Djoeda. I also like the idea of reclaiming the word - I feel he has a name that is strong and proud.
@SarahYRA, congratulations on your little boy! I agree with the assessment that Eskander Jack (nn Zander) sounds positively dashing. It's great you found a name that works so well cross-culturally, and I don't suspect pronunciation will be an issue. It's very intuitive.
Re: gauge, I find it fascinating that in the UK this would be said "gorge." I would never have thought of that as a possible pronunciation.
haha Raspy!
Eo/others interested in nns - I was trying to find out how all the -ot ending names are pronounced and came across this really interesting paper with info on the 'pet-name epoch' in England!
http://www.archive.org/stream/curiositiesofpur00barduoft/curiositiesofpu...
About kre8tive spelling, this is out on a limb, but did you ever wonder if *some* of the spellings that make you cringe are actually chosen by hardcore NE parents who are going for super historical traditional names with very vintage spellings?
Post new comment