The Baby Name Wizard

amy3, i'm right there with you. pronouncing gauge as "gorge" is very baffling to me, since there's no r in gauge. but language is a funny thing...

Hmm, gauge as "gorge"--that reminds me of the Don Hobbs/"doorknobs" confusions mentioned awhile back--funny. In case any of the brits are at all confused, we say gauge here as "gaydge".

I thought that folks might be interested in the baby names from my "baby board". These were folks due the same week in April as I was.

The board seems to be a complete cross-section of folks concerning geographic origin and socio-economic background, as reflected by name choices.

My own little guy's name (as I said): Eskander Jack (nn: Zander)

Other names:

Matthew
Rylea Nicole & Addyson Rose (twins)
Laylah Cheyanne
Abigail Caroline & Ian James (twins)
Hope Grace
Ava Rose
Saverio Luis
Sheamus James
Tyler Lawrence
Hayden
Brooke Nicole
Jacob Cole
Kaelynn Alexis
Caelan Marie
Mitchel Anthony
Isaak Louis
Chelsea Leigh
Logan Matthew
Benjamin Alexander
Miley Shea
Morgan Grace
Adeline Grace
Madelynn Marjorie
Stacy Thomas
Ashley
Jacob Tesla
Micah Neal
Raya Elizabeth
Brandon Lee
Teegan William
Skylar Lynn
Abigail Paige
Lena Jo
Aarnav Sud Khanna

So Grace and Rose seem to be the new "Marie", "Lyn(n)e)" and "Ann(e)" as middle names (I was born in '79) for girls.

We see one Hayden. Interesting, there are a few names where I can't tell the gender. Teegan William? (I'd assume boy . . ) Stacy Thomas (this one, I have no idea, I'll have to look back a the board to find out)

Addyson, totally fits naming trends.

This is totally fascinating . . . as a NE.

Stacy Thomas is a boy as well. Interesting that they're reclaiming Stacy as a boy's name.

SarahYRA- Congrulations on Zander! So glad you found an option that you love. Thanks for sharing that list too, so very interesting. Here are my thoughts:

Love Abigail Caroline and Ian James, classy, flow well, love! I would add Nicole to the mn list, I feel like we see that a lot here, you have 2 on this list I think. Brooke Nicole seems much older to me, but I don't dislike it. I find Stacy Thomas fascinating too, that's one of those that I knew was male originally but had totally forgotten. Good for them! Is "Sheamus" really the spelling they used? Is Caelan pronounced Kay-lynn you think?

SarahYRA-Interesting names on your board. Very trendy it seems.
The only reason I was asking about pronunciation on your little guys name is because FOR ME it is hard to say ES-kander. My mouth just wants to twist it to EK-sander which would be closer to Ex-ander because the KS sound would slur but FOR ME the SK sound does not. I like it alot but FOR ME its hard to say.

I am SO particular about sounds I've just realized that it is now beginning to make me feel "weird" a bit like the synethesia thing with the colors we talked about a while back. I despise F and P sounds for the most part. Hard C/K sounds aren't my fav as a beginning sound but in some names they work. I really like the name Colin but don't like C/K girl names as much. Columbine would be a great girls name for the sounds but alas to me it doesn't seem like a name-just a plant. (sorry hyz I know you like names like that). I guess this goes along with what one poster was asking about hearing what your name "almost" was and your feelings about that. I've always pronounced Penelope wrongly as Penn-e-lope sort of rhyming with Canta-loupe as a child (of course now I know better) but I still dislike the name. Weird I know!

We have 3 Isolas in my family, It was my g.gran's name, an aunts name and now a cousins name. No one knows where the name came from. We are Irish I dont know if 100 years ago someone was kr8tive or what? But we pronounse it Eye-sol-a. Because it has always been present in my family I had no idea it was uncommon until I became a NE.

Hijacking once again for some baby name help -- you all gave me some great ideas and advice many posts ago for our impending little girl, but I'm still unsure. (And only a few more weeks to decide!)

Once again, we have had two daughters - Ed3n Claire and Z3lla Jean. The latter passed away shortly after birth, but she's still ours, so her name is semi-important in the scheme of things.

Ideally, I would like a two-syllable first name of more modern style paired with a one-syllable traditional middle name. I often call Ed3n by both names and would want the option of doing the same with this one.

And if you really want extra credit, I'd prefer that each girl have a first name that starts and ends with a different letter than her sibling. (Yeah, I'm a little weird.)

Our last name is: W@rn3r.

OK, here are the first names we are considering -
Liesl (used to love this, but feel a little weird about it because my name starts with L and we have a SIL named Lisa)
Siebe (pronounced Sea-bee - Dutch first name)
Navy
Cleo
Maeve (only one syllable, but could be paired with a two-syllable middle name to fit our pattern)

Which names do you like best? Any other suggestions? I don't want anything uber-popular, as I learned my lesson with Ed3n.

What about middle names? We like June the best, but aren't sure how it sounds with some of them.

OK, GO!

I really appreciate your help and feedback.

Oh, and I have a friend with a little boy named Gaige and all I can think of is those weird stretched earlobe rings.

That last post was for Philippa and Valerie, I got excited I have never heard anyone else with e name Isola.When I aske my gran she said it was most likely Scottish as that was where my g.g.Gran's mother was from. But when you put it into a search engine usually I get results for Isla,Iona or I just get a big ?.

Was looking through folks I attended elementary through high school with on Facebook and was interested in the nicknames people had adopted. There was the conventional:
Ricky --> Rick

But more interesting:
Traci --> Trace
N3delyn --> Lyn
M@rnoel --> Noel

I wonder if Traci felt her name was too dated. Lyn and Noel are really interesting to me because it seems like they changed these distinctive names into more conventional ones. Knowing the context, I wonder if they felt their longer names marked them as immigrants or from an ethnic group viewed negatively.

Mrs. D: I think I like Siebe best. I remember you said it was the name of the street your husband grew up on or something so I like that personal connection. I think it's cute but not cutesy. She may have to pronounce/spell/explain her name her whole life, if that's a concern to you. Siebe June is really cute--would just make me happy to hear it yelled out on a playground.

I like Cleo too but I still get Miss Cleo in my head unfortunately. But maybe for those around you, they'll replace Miss Cleo in their heads with your Cleo.

Navy is a bit strange to me. I guess the color association and military association both seem strange. I think Blue is cute though so idk.

Liesl and Maeve are in the middle for me. I like Liesl but understand your concerns; they would make me feel weird too. I'm always a bit confused about the pronunciation of Maeve. Does it rhyme with knave?

Mrs. D-
Of your choices, I like Maeve the best. Liesl (I believe I've seen this Liesel) would be my second pick.

As far as the others-- Siebe and Eden seem to have repetative sounds (long e) based on the pronunciation you give. I cant be objective about Cleo because of a cat I know by this name, as well as Miss Cleo. Navy reminds me of the military, or that campy tune "In the Navy!"

As far as middle name options:
I think if you chose Liesl, Liesl June sounds lovely with your last name.

For Maeve, two syllable middles, how about:
Maeve Liesl
Maeve Ivy (v heavy but I like it!)
Maeve Elise
Maeve Daphne
Maeve Emma
Maeve Charlotte
Maeve Camille

Best of Luck!

bianca- thanks so much for the link! I'm really enjoying it and it explains a lot I've never understood.
Does anyone know what Ham/Hamme would be short for? Of course, Hamlet probably comes from Ham also.

Mrs. D--

My friend just had a baby girl and gave her a name which seems to fit your taste.

Her little one is Laurel. I'm a fan of the name (and the baby too)! Thought I'd put it out there as a suggestion. I do like many of the names you suggested already as well!

Zoerhenne--My mother also suggested that it might be a tough name to pronoucne, which is why I introduce him to folks as Zander. Zander's easier to say. For me, I say Eskander with a French accent, as my husband does.

Mrs. D---good luck!

Ok, well my first pick was Cleo, followed by Maeve and then Liesl. I had absolutely no idea who Miss Cleo was--I just googled her to find out--and it doesn't seem so bad to me. So, I think Cleo June is totally adorable. I love the name June by the way, and am tossing it around in my head as an idea for baby #2 if/when we have one, even though I tend to prefer multi-syllables with our last name. I don't think Maeve June works so well though, so that's my biggest strike agaisnt Maeve for you, although I love that name too. I'll have to think on good 2-syl middle names for it. What about Adele or Adair? Liesl June doesn't sound great to me either--I feel like Liesl wants another name which could be used in German, like Ann(e), Rose, or else, hmmm... what about Liesl Mae/May? I like that!

I'm not feeling Navy or Siebe, to be honest. To me, I guess Navy is first a color and then a bean and a marine war unit, and it just doesn't scream "name". And maybe I'm weird, but Siebe, with the pronunciation you give it, somehow sounds medical to me, maybe like sebum or sebaceous.

Oh, Laurel, another of my favorites--good idea! I think Laurel June is pretty wonderful.

SarahYRA--if it makes you feel any better, I don't find Eskander difficult at all to say. I had to look at it twice to be sure it wasn't *spelled* Eksander (and I'm so glad it's not--Eskander seems so fresh and interesting by comparison), but once I was sure of the spelling, the pronunciation is fairly clear. My only question would be whether it's es-KAN-der or es-KAHN-der--it sounds like you say the latter, which is lovely.

Mrs. D, I too like Maeve and Liesl best (and Laurel). Others you might consider:

Honor
Paisley
Lyric
Piper
Dahlia (although borders on 3 syllables)
Saffron
Dulcie
Astrid

Some of these might be a bit too much, but that sort of describes my naming style ;).

Valerie, I've heard Hamm as a nickname for Hamilton.

@Mrs D, I like Maeve quite a bit, but agree it doesn't work as well with June as the mn. Navy, Cleo, and Siebe don't really do it for me, and Liesl is a name I like better in theory than in fact. However, from Jillc's list, I can wholeheartedly second Astrid, which sounds lovely with June. (Full disclosure: Astrid is my daughter's name and I *love* it.)

When Keren said she pronounced gauge like gorge, she didn't mean that you put an R sound in. She's just being a Brit. Brits don't pronounce the r in many words. My assumption is that she was saying that you use an au/aw sound as opposed to an ay sound. The only challenge with explaining that is that we Brits say that sound in a different way to Americans. I don't even know how I would write it down. It's like the aw in Dawn. We pronounce Dawn and Don very differently. From what I've heard, I think Americans not only pronounce them the same, but they don't use either of the vowels we use. Sigh. I wish I could just demonstrate!

On top of that, I would pronounce gauge the same as gage anyway!!

JillC- wow, you mentioned Dulcie. I'd forgotten that name, and I love it. I once knew a woman named Dulcie Gr@y and she was just so stylish. That probably had something to do with it!

Random thoughts:

* I think I like Liesl Mae better than Liesl June, but I feel like A LOT of my friends are giving Mae/May as a MN ... I worry it's the new Marie or Lynn. Thoughts?

* As for the spelling of Liesl, I've consulted a German friend who said the traditional spelling is Liesl, but that Americans (and some Germans consequently) spell it Liesel or Leisel. I was leaning toward the original, but do you all have preferences?

* Siebe feels good to me, but I don't like that it sounds like an acronym.

* Sounds like Navy is a strike-out. I once knew a grandma named Navy and found it charming, but the military connection is not my fave. I don't mind the color association. My BF named her first boy Blue.

* I really like Astrid. (Though hubs is lukewarm). However, I worry about the Ahss sound in the first syllable. Does that just beg for kids to call her terrible names, like those ending in -hole?

* How would you pronounce Dulcie? (I think Dool-say, like the Spanish word for candy. Is that correct?)

Mrs D. In England we'd pronounce Dulcie as DULL-see. Not as pretty as dool-say, I must admit. I know a Hispanic girl named Dulce, pronounced that way.

Eo- You HAVE to read that link at the bottom of page 2. it is full of those ancient nicknames you love. I'm enjoying it so much.

P.S. I just found the origin of Ham/Hamme. The paper says:

"The most interesting, perhaps, of these ex-
amples is Hamnet, or Hamlet. Hamon, or
Hamond, was introduced from Normandy :

" Hamme, son of Adcock, held 29 acres of land." "De Lacy
Inquisition," 1311.

It became a favourite among high and low."

Mrs. D--I prefer Liesl with that spelling. Its biggest drawback for me is the (near) rhyme with diesel, which isn't really bad, just... not optimal? Still, I knew a Liesl in college (her mom was Austrian), and I thought it came off very nicely--stylish, cute, and interesting. I don't know any kids with the middle name Mae/May yet, but I could see it becoming fairly big.

I've always said Dulcie as dull-see, same as the first syllable in dulcimer.

There's a nationally syndicated comic strip with a kid named Hammie, short for Hamish.

The only thing about Liesl is that it's strongly associated with The Sound of Music. I read an article from a woman named Liesl. She said that people were constantly singing her songs from The Sound of Music. She was particularly annoyed that several people suggested she have the song "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria" played while she walked down the aisle at her wedding. That movie is a strong cultural icon. Hence, if you pick Liesl, I think you and she may have to be tolerant of people asking if she's named after the character in the Sound of Music.

Regarding Eskander, I know someone from Ethiopia named Eskinder, pronounced es-KIN-der. I wonder if it's the same name.

Tirzah, good point about The Sound of Music. People just can't help themselves from breaking into song, believing all the while that they're the first clever soul to come up with the connection. I went to a middle school that shared a name with an old tv series, and I can't count how many people have launched into the tv theme song when I mention the name of my school. Yes, people, very creative. lol.

I like Eskinder--it sounds like a name out of Harry Potter to me, somehow--I think it's the slightly unfamiliar beginning paired with the -nder ending, like Ollivander (I also kind of dig Lavender, Evander, Leander, Lysander, and Germander).

@Mrs D, so far with my Astrid we get a lot more "ostrich" and various mishearings of the name rather than mean-spirited name calling, although she's only 7 so her day may yet come. My husband I took the view, though, that she will be an adult far longer than she'll be a child, and I'd hope any name calling on that level would be short lived.

valerie,
you pronounce dawn and don differently? i wish i could hear this in person!

it reminds me of a similar incident once where this t-shirt was in question:

http://www.threadless.com/product/462/Nothing_Rhymes_With_Orange?

there was fierce debate over whether cherry rhymed with fairy. finally it came to light that americans thought it did and brits didn't. i believe in england it's something like cheh-ree and fair-ee (not rhyming). it was an amusing and fascinating discussion though.

New baby names from my husband's alumni mag (mid-south state college):

Boys
William Maeson
Easton Alexander
Roman Gale
Connor Joseph
Isaiah Graham
William Tate
Aaron Andre
Matthew Edward
Nathaniel Houston
Hunter Elijah
Carden McLean
Owen Bradley
Luke Collins
Gavin Thau
Dexter

Girls
Tristyn Layla
Olivia Sarah
Maggie Ann
Ally Paige
Isabella Amanda
Raegan Lin-Yen
Elizabeth
Sophie Jo
Marlee Erin
Nicole
Grace Ellen
Emmalyn Kensington

I also know a child nn Hammie, short for Abraham. I gather he 'named' himself as a toddler, because his full name was hard for him to pronounce.

I am in desperate need of one syllable stong male names! Please help.

Guest- Not Gauge/Gage? Haha

Not sure of your style but how about:
Stone
Max or Jack
Chase
Cole
Rhys (or Reese)
Troy

Let me know if this is near the right track... good luck!

Amy3-Love those names. thanks for sharing.

emilyrae-Don has the O sound like dot, cot, pot the name Dawn has the same sound people make when they learn of a sad event awwwww. The mouth is much more open/rounded in the first and oval/elongated in the second case. Maybe that will help.

Mrs. D-I don't remember what options you received from all of us in the past. I thought you had mentioned a name with a Z in it to honor Zella. I am guessing you decided not to go that route. So, based on your current choices:
Leisl-like this sp
Maeve-pron with short E like met, pet, get, etc. I like it but it doesnt seem to flow with June as they are both short.
Navy-interesting but nms
Cleo-no
Siebe-nms either maybe go with Sigrid, Siobhan, Sibyl or something similar
Other mn ideas to go with these:
*Eden Claire* + *Zella Jean*
Leisl June (i like this one)
Leisl Joy
Leisl Corinne
Leisl Ione (pron I-own)
Leisl Erin
Maeve Kristen
Maeve Isla
Maeve Violet (I quite like the V repetition)
Sibyl Faith
Sibyl Grace
Sibyl Elise
Sibyl Kate
there were also a few A names I liked for mn's until I realized this would make the initials spell words so I left them out.

I prefer Liesl or Liesel to Leisel. I think Mae is really cute and I wouldn't care if it became common!

Zoerhenne-
Am I misunderstanding? I always have heard Maeve with pronounced like "Mayf"

wow typos. you get the picture.

Here's another vote for Cleo June. I don't know who Miss Cleo is but I did recently see this name on a 9-year-old who wore it well. I thought it was pretty, and with all the Leos running around it seems to fit in while standing out.

One-syllable masculine names:

John
Lee
Steel
Bo/Beau
Mack
Clay
Holt
Blake
Scott
Gray

Any of these on the right track?

Hmm ... lots to think about. I like Sibyl. That's a new idea.

As for Maeve, I've always heard it as Mave (rhyming with wave). Am I wrong?

And Dulcie is cute no matter how pronounced.

Hmmm ... I'll keep you posted, but keep the feedback coming. Even though lots of you don't dig Siebe, it's still a contender. (Mostly because my first is VERY attached to it. I shouldn't run these things by her.)

Guest, Reed/Reid is also a strong 1 syllable name. So is Colt, if you want to go the aggressive cowboy route.

For Americans unfamiliar with English pronunciation of gorge/gauge, think "gahdge" but then purse your lips. So you've got a little pursed O but an open "ah" inside. Kind of an "aw" too, but the pursed lips are key.
(This is coming from a thoroughly American woman addicted to British tv who lived in England for a time)

Mrs. D--

What about Phoebe, which rhymes with your Siebe? Phoebe June is delightful.

I like Dulcie June (dull-see) quite a bit, too.

Would also recommend Adele, Florence, and Beatrice (which is sort of slurred into 2 sylables)

Ooh Coll, I like Phoebe June too! Dulcie is cute but a bit "too cute" for a grown women which of course means Dulcinea as a full name I think which also seems not to be the "right" name to go with Eden imo.

Re Maeve: The "mev" pronunciation is the only one I know and I only know it because of a young baby I once had in daycare.
From http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/girl-names-i-m.html
They pronounce it "Mayv" and spelled the Irish way it is Maebh. They state:From an old Irish name Madb, "the cause of great joy" or "she who intoxicates." The great warrior queen of Connacht and embodiment of sovereignity she stars in Ireland's greatest epic "The Cattle Raid of Cooley" (read the legend). She left king Conchobhar Mac Nessa for Ailill because "you are a man without meaness, fear or jealousy, a match for my own greatness." But the couple quarrelled over who had the most possessions. Maebh's bull had defected to Ailill's herd and so she bought Daire's brown bull. When Daire went back on the deal she went to war with Cuchulainn (read the legend) and the province of Ulster to recover the bull.
I guess you all have the correct pronunciation!

Coll: Great explanation of the British -or- pronunciation. I'm also a big British TV fan (we were practically raised on Coronation Street, LOL), and I can hear the sound in my head and imitate it, but it's so complicated to explain.

Another pronunciation difference I find interesting is how the British pronounce 'Harry' and 'hairy' completely differently. (The vowel in Harry is more like 'hat', the vowel in hairy is more like 'head'... or something like that.) I'm quite sure the 'hairy' issue is why Harry just hasn't caught on here, despite Harry Potter, Prince Harry, and so on. (Not much hope for my old favorite Harriet, either...)

Mrs. D - I really like Maeve with your ln and my first thought was to pair it with Patrice even though I've never given much thought to that name and don't really think I like it on it's own. There's something about the cadence of the two together that works for me.

I really like the sound of Siebe but the look of it throws me for a loop and turns me off to it. For whatever that's worth. On the other hand, Phoebe has the sound I seem to be enjoying with a more mainstream spelling/acceptance. (Mainstream is not necessarily good, just trying to explain.)

I like the "original" spelling of Liesl.

Guest - Cash and Gage (from Laura's blog).

Here's a name question of my own. One of my friends has been talking about naming her son (due soon) Ruben - which completely fits them. My husband and I have mostly decided that our son (due in August) will be Benjamin Anthony, nn Ben. Then I learned that Ruben will be nn Ben and one of the name lists above had Benjamin in it. I know this is a relatively popular name, but do you guys see it on the rise? I REALLY want to try to avoid our son always needing to use his last name or initial since his first name is duplicated in his class.

My daughter was talking tonight about a girl she knows named Claudia. She (my daughter) told me she really likes the name; that it sounds like a dessert to her!

KimB, Benjamin has been holding steady around #30 for the past 6 years. I'd say anything in the top 50 is at moderate risk of duplication, particularly if you're in a traditional naming area. However, don't forget the Ethel Mae postulate!

We were so worried about this that we homeschool ;). Of course, this wouldn't solve the problem for George Foreman's kids...

I played in a string quartet in high school and we actually played "How do you solve a problem like Maria" as a wedding processional once. I don't believe the bride's name was Liesl (or Maria, for that matter).

Amy3, I'm trying to come up with a dessert that sounds like Claudia! All I can think of is biscotti-a.

KimB-I like Benjamin Anthony. I do think the classic names are rising. Hence you will find more names like Michael, Benjamin, and Thomas in the mix if you are in the USA. However, I don't think I would NOT use it just because my friend was also using it. I might even think it were fun or cool. So instead of fretting about your great name becoming the next "Ethel Mae", I would think of a different nn. A shoutout to EO is now of course in order! I was thinking maybe Banjo if that didnt sound too country/strange for you.

Here is the epitome of matchiness! How LESS creative can you get with triplet names? Did she not have enough time to think? Did her name book only have one page in it? Sorry if I sound insensitive, but unless there is a big family connection, I just don't get it!

DETROIT (June 4) - A Michigan woman who's one-third of a set of triplets is celebrating the birth of her own three babies.
Amber Ali delivered Amir, Armann and Amari Whitaker on May 26 at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit. The 23-year-old woman tells The Detroit News she's relieved the boys arrived safely.

Sylvia is a lovely name. This is my favourite spelling, too. Congratulations!

Also, Re: Jemima
I read a lot of comments about it being unusable in the US. That's a shame as it is such a lovely name. Remember though to not shy away from suggesting it online, as it is usable elsewhere! :)

Ayaka: Re: Harry/Hairy

It's not just the British prn., it's Australian and other English speaking countries also. Harry and Hairy are completely different words and one doesn't remind me of the other at all.

Ben is a common name. There's one in my daughter's kindergarten class. If you choose the name Benjamin, I would hope and expect that you are the type of parent that isn't bothered by knowing several other Bens.

I'm laughing about the gauge/gorge thing because I realise that we do say gage in the UK, it's just that I am complete unscientific and have no interest in guns, railways or measuring things, so just by looking at the word I would think 'au' should be pronounced 'aw' or 'or'.
Dawn/Don - Dawn is 'Dorn' to me. But not with a very pronounced 'r' sound. There are different UK accents though - a 'Coronation Street' accent is very different from a London one. For example my husband - from Manchester- would pronounce 'bath' with a short a, whereas I, from London, would have a longer ore drawn out baaath.

Ayaka - your taboo family was almost mine - we have a son Jude and Jemima was top of my list for a girls name when our second baby was born. But Jemima is completly un-taboo in the UK, rather trendy in fact. I do draw the line at Cohen.