The Baby Name Wizard

Congratulations on the new addition! A guilty pleasure that's not fattening - is that a first?

Good Luck.

Fantastic! Unless you know about your web browser RSS option some people might not be able to find the feed - you might want to add a link?

Well done as usual Laura!
I have a comment though, why did Milla Jovovich pick Ever Gabo instead of something pretty like Galina? And she herself says Ever is a boys name, that doesn't bother her on a girl?

hyz-don't know if you've moved over to this post or not yet but here's your reply: I said my gma's name closer to Veer-a but others with more of an accent came out a bit like Vair-a. Maybe you could do Verity or Stella? Wasn't Sylvia also on your original list? (I think you have an affinity for V's) For boys, I like the ideas of Gordon and Arthur that were previously mentioned. Maybe try Ernest or Alden as well.

I have an email right now with the initials nebh that stand for a company- so definitely NOT pronounced Nehv, but that's totally how I just said it in my head, lol.

Congrats Laura, will definitely check it out!

zoerhenne--I didn't look here before posting on the other thread this morning--whoops! I totally do have an affinity for the letter V. I like Verity a lot, but DH isn't a fan of the virtue names--he says it's too much to put on a kid, and I can see his point. Sylvia is still very high on the list (only DH wants to spell it Silvia, and I'm not sure how I feel about that, and I really love the nn Sylvie, but I think Ivy and Sylvie could be too much) but I'm still thinking of other options. Stella doesn't have the same appeal to me that it has to many here, not sure why. Gordon, Arthur, and Ernest seem too outmoded to me, but Alden is on the boy list--I do like it a lot. I was thinking yesterday, I seem to like girls' names I associate more with the early 20th century, but like a lot of boys' names better from the 19th c. Not sure why.

Re: this post--love the comparison to Samantha and Serena--very cute! And it's cool to have a searchable database of which stars used which baby names--even if the only reason you're looking is so that you don't unwittingly pick a Hollywood trendy name.

hyz- What about Silva/Sylva as a nn for Sylvia? I feel like that does the job-- short, cute, can be said fast just like Sylvie-- but doesn't match quite so much with Ivy!

I just love the idea of a calorie-free guilty pleasure! And the idea of searching celebrity baby names is just too fun.

hyz -- I have to respectfully disagree with others about June and xxx-Joon not being a problem because, iirc, your in-laws call your children by their Korean names (well, Ivy and future siblings). I think it would be very confusing/difficult for children for June to be June at the doctor's, at school, etc., but for brother to be xxx-Joon with Grandma and Grandpa. Does that make sense? Like I say, it just seems complicated to me. Refresh my memory, will all the kids of one gender in your family have Korean names with the same second syllable (ie Joon)?

I do, however, love August, Oliver and Sylivia. I also like the Silvia spelling, if only because it looks off-trend without the 'y'. Although now that I think about it, Oliver, Syliva and Ivy seem a bit matchy with the 'v''s. And I like v's. August, Silvia and Ivy seem to work better, imho.

PPP -- I just wanted to comment because I've been following your dilemma in my usually-only-lurking mode. I think all of your name choices at this point are fun and going to fit your little girl beautifully. I just *know* that things will work out well in the end.

hyz-do you like:
Vern
Percival nn Percy (except for the Thomas the Train thing)
Clarence
Brooks?? (too English stuffy/trendy/nowadays)
Floyd/Lloyd
Lucian
Virgil
Warren
Harvey

And I like Marjorie, Eleanor, Beatrice or Victoria for a girl. Or am I totally off base?

Jenny L3igh--good thought, although Sylva sounds a bit musty to me for some reason--hmmm....

Ash, you're right about the in-laws and all that. The syllable used for boys in this generation is Young, so we're not stuck with -joon for a boy necessarily. But DH's father passed away a few years ago, and joon was part of his name, and we though it would be really nice to use--hence, Young-joon. We could use the other syllable from my FIL's name, which would yield Young-tae (or maybe Tae-young--we're still checking to see how strict they are on the ordering of the syllables). That's not bad either--def. an option, but we had become pretty attached to Young-joon. I do get your point about June v. Young-joon being possibly a bit confusing. On the other hand, it's 100% standard for Korean siblings to share a name syllable, and they all seem to get by fine. So, I don't know. This is all very hypothetical at this point, and too many variables. I didn't mean to start a general discussion about my name choices--I guess I can't help myself--I really was just hoping to compile a list of June-esqe names to ponder.

I'm trying to think of cheerful names that call to mind grainy black and white photos of a summer backyard birthday party, hand stitched quilts, ric rac trimmed aprons over tidy skirts, hens pecking in the yard ;), and home canned jam. June does this for me, but I have a hard time thinking of too many more besides the good ones already mentioned (Mae, Rose, Mary, Betty/Betsy, Dorothy, maybe Virginia, etc.). For boys, I tend to come up with more nicknamey things like Tommy, Timmy, Pete, Jack, etc. I think Shepherd (nn Shep?) fits in there for me, too, but DH doesn't like it, and I'm not sure I'm brave enough to use it anyway.

zoerhenne--thanks! From that list, I do like Percival, Clarence, and Warren, although I think all push the line with the outmoded Asian name thing. Clement/Clemence are in the same category for me. Warren does keep popping into my mind, lately, though--I think it's really on-theme here, and doesn't seem too geeky or odd, but is definitely unexpected these days. Virgil and Lucian seem too fancy for me, Floyd/Lloyd and Vern seem too outmoded, and I like Brooks, but I agree with your assessment of it. Harvey is an interesting thought--probably can't use it with Ivy, but I'm glad you brought it up--I think it fits well and it was totally off my radar.

I'm not huge on Marjorie, but I love Margaret and have considered Marguerite, too. Eleanor was a strong contender last time 'til the end, and I do love it and think it fits this theme well, but I think I'm glad we didn't use it becaue I keep hearing it all the time on little kids now. I'm not so much for Beatrice, but I love Beatrix (the Potter association is always foremost in my mind)--I'll have to see if I can get DH to warm to it this time. Victoria is really growing on me too--funny, because I dislike Victor--but I'm afraid of the nns--with 4 syllables a nn seems inevitable, and I don't like Vicky or Tori.

hyz,
i prefer sylvia over silvia. that's mostly because i'm big on using the standard english spelling and/or the most common spelling. it would feel odd and wrong (for me personally) to use silvia. i know it is a valid traditional spelling (italian, right?), not a creative one, but i just wouldn't use it (unless i was italian). it's totally just me though...i realize that silvia is probably the more international spelling.

also, the /v/ in oliver, ivy, and sylvia does not strike me as too matchy. (am i biased because i like all those names? most definitely.)

that really surprises me that you are hearing eleanor a lot. i didn't think it was much more common than ivy.

Interesting sibset heard yesterday. I can't believe I almost forgot to post it! New baby (overheard mom say born in July) K33fer/Ke!fer-as in Southerland. Not sure of sp and wasn't brave enough to ask. That's not so bad, unusual but not too bad. BUT, it sounded like she called the older child (4-6 yo not sure) M@ko -like in the shark. Anyone ever heard of that before?? She also had a girl but didn't get her name. Maybe I can update next week since this will be a recurring weekly event.

Oh and Hyz, you're welcome! I'll give you time to get conceiving now LOL!

You all will enjoy the names in my son's preschool this year:

Boys
Jack
Sam
Peter
Lucian
Dominick
Kai
Jacob
Bram

Girls
Lily
Samantha
Lila
Rowan
Luise (pronounced Louisa--mom is German)
Anea (pronounced Uh-neigh-uh)
Avery

emilyrae--I agree with you that Sylvia looks "normal" and that's generally the one I'd pick, but Silvia is used in large number of countries, including ones I have some claim to (eastern Europe, for instance). So, I'm not entirely opposed to it, but a little uncomfortable. Re: Eleanor, I might just be in an Eleanor pocket--they go with all the Theos, Leos, Henrys, Jacks, Annas, and even Silases around here.

Thanks to all who offered middle name suggestions for my little Claire, if she is a Claire, that is, and not a Malcolm.

We've decided on Virginia, and frankly, I don't know what took me so long. Virginia is my grandmother's name, and my husband's grandmother's name as well. I was at my gramma's last week so that she could teach me how to crochet, and it hit me like a ton of bricks: Of course Claire's middle name should be Virginia!

Even though I'd thought of Virginia before, it didn't resonate until I was sitting next to my grandmother learning something that her mother had taught her, and then suddenly it all made sense.

Don't you love it when the perfect name appears!?

that's a good story, meppie. :] it sounds like you made a great chioce.

meppie--from one granddaughter of a Virginia to another, congratulations on finding the perfect name! LOVE Claire V1rginia--and what a nice story about it and your grandmothers, too. So funny since we were just talking about it in the last thread.

meppie--Congratulations on finding your perfect mn. I love names that connect children to both sides of their family. My daugther's mn is Katherine for my grandmother and my husband's grandmother. The two-for-the-price-of-one was too good to pass up!

hyz--I have lots of Eleanors/Elinors/Ellas around me too. And Henrys. And Jacks. :)

Elizabeth T--Love your class list! It sounds so generally untrendy (or it is just more traditional rather than kre8ive?), which is refreshing. My daughter started 3rd grade yesterday and I pestered her mercilessly last night about who's in her class. Once I've got the whole line-up, I'll post it.

Elizabeth T- Wow, especially the boys list could so easily fit into an earlier era except really for Kai, neat!

meppie- Claire Virginia is lovely and I'm so glad that it came to you in such a neat way!

meppie-that story is so beautiful it almost made me cry. Congrats on finding your perfect name.

who are the writers at NameCandy? I mean, are there other contributors to the blog besides Laura?

"who are the writers at NameCandy? I mean, are there other contributors to the blog besides Laura?"

Absolutely, in fact I don't routinely write for the Celeb Name Blog at all. There's only so much of me to go around. :-)

We have a great group of bloggers there scanning for name news. Your question makes me realize that the credits haven't been properly posted. I guess there should be a big "Beta" all over the site, eh?

Ok, I have a lot to say. I just started high school yesterday and already have annoying math homework! It's great to be back here and see what I missed. First of all, congrats Laura, I can't wait to check it out!

@ meppie: Congrats! I'm so glad you found the perfect name! Claire Virginia is amazing!

@ hyz: I love Juniper and don't feel that it's too matchy with Ivy (not like Rose and Lily) especially if you use June as a nn. Although the XXX-joon might be confusing.

@ whoever was discussing the out of date Asian names (I belive it was Tirzah): I know an Asian Norine, Joyce, Nancy, Cindy (at least 2), Angus, Kathy, Clarence (a friend's dad), Leslie (a boy), and two Stephen/Stevens (I don't consider this a particularly old name, but when I think about it it's my parent's gen., like my uncle and friend's dad...)

@ ppl talking about Vera: I say Veer-ah, and have never heard Vair-ah, but I can see this as a more Russian pronunciation. Same with Lena (I knew 1 Vera and 1 Lena, both with a EE sound)

@ jaclyn: I went to middle school with a Siobhan. I heard her name before I saw it written, it took me a minute to figure out it was her, but I think that it's a pretty widely known pronunciation in the US. Same with Niamh. Also I have a friend (girl) named Sean. I really like it as a girl's name. I'm not sure if it's your style. But definitely one that people know how to pronounce.

Also, an interesting name of a girl in my biology class. Medley (sp?).

I'm not sure if this was his real name, but there's a person in NYC history (my dad read Gotham and he's mentioned in it, I have no idea who he is otherwise) who's name is Preserved Fish. Or Fisch, I'm not sure. Love the name though!

This made me cringe. I heard a woman say she's naming her daughter "Zofea," a creative form of Sophia. I'm trying not to be judgmental and keep an open mind, but why butcher such a gorgeous name? Sigh.

'Grats on the new site, Laura!! Fab idea and I love its punchy mod layout!

@Meppie: What a great story you have to pass on! I have always liked the name Virginia.

Highlights from Sunday's upcoming birth announcements:

Maximus Michael
Summer Ann Darling LN
Barrett Giles
There are 2 Parkers listed, both boys
Narcissa Isis LN
Emmalea Ann

I usually pick the most unusual or the most egregious kr8tives of the area, but there are a fair number that are on pace with trend.

One thing is a little odd: I've been seeing more and more names that I consider sort of 70s/80s names -- Jessica, Lynn, Brooke, Paige, Renee. Anyone else seeing those?

rhanda,

very interesting list! several intrigue me (maximus michael, summer ann darlng), but the one i particularly noticed was narcissa isis. that's a harry potter character (not a particularly positive one, though i suppose she redeems herself a bit in book 7). even aside from the hp connotations, i can only assume the name symbolizes vanity, so it's an interesting choice. unless they were going for the harry potter reference, and they just found it pretty?

Love Claire Virginia.

hyz, there is always the traditional Russian nickname for Victoria, Vika. I believe it is usually pronounced VEEK-uh, although there is no reason why you couldn't use VICK-uh if you preferred (which would be the more obvious pronunciation in English, I think). I also went to school with a girl who was known simply as 'V', which sounds nice and spunky to me. What about Ria? Ori? I know both girls and boys named Ori/Orie - it's a Hebrew name meaning light, but I think it would be lovely nickname for Victoria.

@ rhanda/emilyrae: Narcissa Isis struck me as odd too. I immediately think Harry Potter as well. And it's a pretty sounding name, but not one with a positive connotation (like Lucifer imho... and Cholera, which I realize isn't a human name anyway, it sounds pretty).

Names from my son's 2 yr old preschool class:
Jack x 2 (including mine)
Isaac
Gavin
Brady
Cooper
Benjamin
Francesca
Since Jack is my first child, and my husband and I have uncommon-ish names, we didn't really "get" the problem with having a popular name. So what? we said. So who freaked out today when she realized her son would be Jack R. ? Oh well; it gives me an excuse to use his middle name, Weaver (family name that I love).
Also love that the Francesca in his class does not go by a nickname--it's all or nothing! Very cute :)

Rhanda-I'm moving to wherever you are. Love 70/80's style names. (*Secretly doing happy dance and packing)

Landry-I smiled at your newly realized problem and thought, "2 Jack's is better than 4 Aiden sound-alikes" isn't it? Oh and loving Francesca too. THAT is a grownup fancy name to give whomever is related to Aria.

I knew a Francesca (no nn) in elementary school and I always LOVED her name!

Count me among Francesca's fans! I like the use of the full thing--very sweet--but I could even see Cheska as a fun nn--sounds Russian-y to me.

I love the sound/feel of Narcissa, though I agree the meaning and connotations are not great. But still, I'm happy someone used it. I really like Summer Ann Darling, too--seems to me she'd make a fine sister for Harlow Winter Kate. Darling is quaint, too, and always makes me think of the family in Lady and the Tramp.

sarah smile, Vika and Orie are both cute, and more appealing to me than Vicky or Tori.

Rhanda--I do know a 1 year old Paige, but I personally don't tend to think of that as strongly 70s/80s like Jessica. I like Brooke, too, but I don't know any of those.

hyz-there was both a Paige and a Brooke in my dd's preschool last year along with:
Delana(long a sound)
Kendall
Hope
Taylor
Isabelle
Miranda
and of course a few others I'm forgetting.

zoerhenne--So true:)
Also, I have to agree on the 70's names--particularly kind of preppy girl's names: Paige (as was mentioned), Blair, Brooke, that kind of thing. I have no idea why :)

Oooh, and Sloane (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

@ Landry --

Nice list. Francesca is a pet favorite of mine. :)

@hyz -- I guess I think of Paige as a 80s name cause so many people I knew growing up were either named Paige or had it as a middle name. (Namemapper does not support this evidence, however, and has it peaking in 93.)

I wonder if there are other NE on this site who are also crazy about fonts/typography? For me, the two are a natural match. So, when I saw the new logo for the namecandy website, my first thought was...what great-looking fonts!

Laura, can you share what the namecandy fonts are?

For me, I picture in my mind many of the names that are discussed here set in different fonts. (For example, Francesca definitely needs a font like "Beautiful," while I'm imagining Paige, Sloane, Brooke, et al in a cute cursive script like "Pinafore." Am I nuts?!?)

On a side note, I love all of the Thomas the Tank Engine names like Percival nn Percy, mentioned above. But, my preschool son has some pretty definite speech issues, so "Percy" is always pronounced in a way that sounds like "Pussy." This might not sit well during all of the years when so many kids have trouble saying their "r" sounds. Of is this just an American issue?

In defense of the spelling Silvia, it is a valid spelling in English - in fact, Shakespeare used it in "Two Gentlemen of Verona," which, of course, was set in Italy, but he Anglicized all of the names anyway. I love that spelling, if only because it reminds me of pretty much the most romantic soliloquy of all time:

What light is light, if Silvia be not seen?
What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by?
Unless it be to think that she is by
And feed upon the shadow of perfection
Except I be by Silvia in the night,
There is no music in the nightingale;
Unless I look on Silvia in the day,
There is no day for me to look upon;
She is my essence, and I leave to be,
If I be not by her fair influence
Foster'd, illumined, cherish'd, kept alive.

Landry~~
My grandpa's name is Jack Weaver! Weaver was my maiden name; I miss it :). And, my 6 year old is Jack! Named after my grandpa (and I just loved the name). Funny, I didn't think it was all that popular when we named him almost 7 years ago, but when he was in preschool 2 years ago, he was one of 3 Jacks- and the other 2 Jack moms said they named their boys after grandpas. Ironic. Now, mine is in 1st grade, and he's the only Jack in his class, but there is a Jackson. Anyway, just thought that was funny.
c

My son's preschool has a Viola (pronounced vy-OH-lah), Sage (boy) and an Ezra, and an Alexandra who uses her full name exclusively. (it's a mouthful for my L- and R- challenged 3-year old, but he manages!)

It's a montessori school in a college town, so there's the demographic. It's mostly kids born in 2005-06.

For those of you who weighed in on our daughter name delimma, we're narrowed down to Eliza or Amelia. This week it's Amelia, trends be darned. Cliche though it may sound, I've loved it forever. And I like a number of the nickname options should her best friend have the same name. Though, the pendulum could easily shift again in the next 5 weeks!

Oh, the burden of being an over-thinker... :)

Another Francesca fan (and one who prefers the full name over any nn).

Telle--I also love typefaces so you're not alone in combining those two interests.

meganromer,
i definitely agree silvia is a valid english spelling; i wouldn't say otherwise. it's just that my general tendency is to prefer the most common spelling, which in this case is sylvia. it's only my preference.

and yes, telle, i like fonts.

Landry-Sloane is a secret love of mine (for a girl not a boy). Has nothing to do with Ferris Beuller but it just sounds classy, spunky, and prestigous all at the same time. Easily judge material for me.

Telle-add me to the group of "font enthusiasts". Whenever I compose something, for myself that is, I need to have the font fit the style of the list/note/etc. No fancy script for grocery lists! Yes, I am "weird" too!

meganromer-I tend to prefer the "look" of Sylvia over Silvia because the Y mirrors the V- to me that looks lovely. I am partial to Y's in the middle of a name as my own name includes a Y. However, I don't enjoy names that begin with a Y. How strange is that?

meganromer--I thought of that too, but assumed he used Silvia because of the setting--maybe not, though, it sounds like? But that's a beautiful verse, and goes in the "pro" column for both Silvia and Sylvia, I think.

Telle, a guy at work told me his young sons have the same amusing problem pronouncing Percy--that goes in the "con" column for Percy, I think! lol.

By the way, all of you name enthusiasts...

I'm looking for a good wordsmith or two with a genuine love for names. If you'd be interested in contributing to one of the NameCandy blogs, I'd love to hear from you! You can reach me with the site contact form (in the top menu bar on the right).

Thanks!

Oh, I'm so far behind, and can't catch up. So sorry to have missed what have been doubtless many fascinating name discussions...

Not strange at all, zoerhenne. Have the same quirk. I like the renegade "y" too, preferably in the middle of a name also, like "my" beloved "Sibyl/Sybil", "Bryony", "Jocelyn", "Evelyn", "Tyne", and Welsh/Cornish gems "Cerys/Carys", "Dilys", "Celyn", "Eryl", etc. etc.

But occasionally at the head of a name it is nice too, as in the boy's name "York". Even have a sneaking fondness for "Yorick"(!) and definitely "Yannick"...

I like "y" at the end of a name like yours as well. Don't like it when people try to replicate that ending "y" sound with the spelling "ee". An acquaintance gave her daughter (as a formal name, no less) the nickname for male name "Charles", but spelled it "Charlee".

That is unacceptable to me on several levels, but of course, since it was after the fact, I remained discreetly mum!

meganromer- That is a lovely sonnet and would be a nice thing to connect with one's name!

Rhanda- I love Summer Ann Darling, it's adorable and definitely reminds me of Peter Pan, Wendy's name is Wendy Moira Angela Darling which I think has a wonderful flow (especially said with the british accent:). I wonder if that was any part of the reason they used Darling or if it's a family name. Oh I wish it were a family name for me! Now Narc!ssa Is!s on the other hand... hope the poor child doesn't have a lisp. I definitely hear the HP connection immediately but then was also noticing how much Isis is really just more repitition which seems like an odd choice.

toothfairy- Good for you either way! Don't let trends get you down:)

But an "ey" ending for the "y" sound is very traditional and appealing, as in "Charley"... (Although I still would never bestow that on a girl.)

So interesting the difference a letter or two can make, isn't it?

I have no idea why my name came out 1111111-- maybe the computer didn't like my comment?!!

I also enjoy fonts and found this great toy for NE's at parenting.com. I'll put the link in, but it's long so in case it doesn't work just go to the pregnancy section/ baby names/ build-a-name. Then you type in a name and it shows it in various fonts including "broadway debut," "4th grade hand-writing," script, graffiti, "varsity letterman jacket," starwars, business card, etc. It's a lot of fun!
http://www.parenting.com/Pregnancy/BabyNames/buildaName.jsp?genID=2&type...