The Baby Name Wizard

Yay!

My favorite part of the naming year, yeehaw!

Reposting for EVie and Eo from previous thread:

EVie- loved your rant about German pronunciation too- every time I see Leisel, I think "Do you really want to pronounce it Ly-zel?" :)

Eo- I don't know where I first came across Philomela, having been an NE since I was very young! I certainly didn't know the myth- thanks for sharing that hyz. Gruesome!

Philomel is lovely too- Shakespeare uses it in Midsummer Night's Dream:

"You spotted snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
Come not near our fairy queen.

Philomel, with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby:
[Never harm,
Nor spell nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby.]

Weaving spiders, come not here;
Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence!
[Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm nor snail, do no offence.

Philomel, with melody, etc.]..."

Woohoo! I'm excited to see how close I get this time since I've been tracking my local names all year.

zoerhenne - I've very much enjoyed your updates throughout the year on your local names - I'd be shocked if you don't nail some risers.

I'm very curious though - what's your strategy for the falling name picks (not asking for your actual picks, of course!)?

I'm so excited for this! This will be my first Pool and I'm totally looking forward to it!

On another note, I just saw the hour-long episode of "The Office" where Jim and Pam have their baby. Her name is Cecilia Marie Halpert (or Cecelia, I don't know). I love the name Cecilia and I think it was a good choice for the two of them.

A Rose, I watched that episode tonight WAITING for the name, and somehow missed it!! When did they say it?? Thanks for mentioning it here! I think that's a very nice choice for the two of them, too, and now I can breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't one of my top choices. :)

Unbelievable! If I ever had a baby girl #3 (which won't be happening), she would be Cecilia. The zeitgeist lives on.

cecelia (or cecilia, i always forget which spelling is "right") marie, i know! i was so excited.
hyz, i don't remember when it was, but jim bursts out and gives the name and weight (michael tries to interrupt and say she weighed 11 lbs, but jim stops him and says that it is in fact 7 lbs) and length. i was very curious about the name they would choose. adorable.

CB-Good question. I think i will have to go back over the past few years top 500-1000 and review the names for sounds, style and the like. As Laura said it's all very fun but not in the least bit easy (and I still have taxes to do LOL)!

Cecilia Marie seems very on trend. I don't watch the Office but I bet this one will experience a jump too. However, we must keep in mind that the names occurring now were what was on the minds of folks LAST year. So really what is going to top the 2009 charts was what was "hip" in 2008. (OMG, this is going to take a bit of time to analyze)!

emilyrae, thanks--I caught the weight part of that scene, but somehow missed the name. I think DH may have been talking and interrupting my "very important" show, lol. I am definitely an Office fan, and I was actually mad at the Olympics for delaying this episode so long--I just couldn't wait to hear that name! lol.

Valerie-- Thanks for the Shakespeare. I must say I like "Philomel" best of all now! Something about those less-trammeled, three-syllable names that enchant me-- "Bryony", "Marigold", "Cynfelyn", "Romilly", "Imogen", "Dorian", "Peregrine", "Alaric", "Caswallon", "Kentigern", and now "Philomel"-- they all seem to come from a magical, far-away kingdom I'd like to get to!

Thought you'd all be amused by the names in the book DD brought home from the library yesterday. The book is entitled "When Agnes Caws" written by Candace Fleming. It's about a girl who is a birdcaller. Well anyway, her name is: Agnes Peregrine daughter of Professor Octavia Peregrine. The villian in the book is Colonel Edwin Pittsnap.

I just thought these names were so amusing I had to post them. I know we have a bunch of Peregrine followers. Even though in the book it is used as a surname, Octavia Peregrine sounds so regal yet spunky to me-much like the character in this book.

Exactly, zoerhenne! Sounds like a book Banks might like. Love your tidbits...

hyz,
i'm definitely a huge office fan as well (though i'm also a huge olympics fan, so i wasn't too bothered--i did get to see all sorts of tantalizing ads for this episode during those two weeks). i was kind of hoping they'd do a series of "interview" scenes with various members of the office commenting on the name. meredith would say something rude, kelly would say it was on old lady name, someone could mention the paul simon song. as many people here can attest to, people love to give their (often unwanted) opinions on baby names, so i feel like it would have been pretty true to life. :]

Eo- glad you liked the Shakespeare. I love some of those names you mentioned too, particularly Bryony (I have two lovely friends of that name), Peregrine, Marigold, Romilly and, of course, Philomel.

How would you pronounce Cynfelyn? And is it male or female?

Oh, as for the Name Pool... well, it's not really my area of expertise. Popular culture mostly passes me by, owing to a lack of a TV and not having an American upbringing in the first place! So, good luck to you all, I shall remain an observer...

Amazing name encountered today online- a little girl called Wild Freeborn. I wonder how she will turn out! Quite a contrast to the virtue names of old- Prudence, Patience, Chastity, etc.

Little Wild will probably grow up to become a nun, just to defy the expectations placed on her by her name!

LOL Elizabeth T-that would be a trip!

Eo-Glad you enjoy my little tidbits.

emilyrae-That would be an amusing episode I think and I don't even watch the show.

You all have brightened my afternoon-keep it coming!

zoerhenne - I pretty much always bomb the fallers, myself. I think I tend to go with what I want to fall... For risers, I'm just trying to configure my time machine and go back to the beginning of the year (09) and collect data like you.

Cecelia is a lovely name and does fit with current trends, but, for some reason I can't put my finger on, I have it mentally filed as a villian name... Can't shake that feeling...

Valerie, I believe that "Cynfelyn" is pronounced as similar Welsh names would be, with a hard C and emphasis on the middle syllable-- Kin-FELL-in. Undoubtedly there are those who would object to the similarity to "felon", but I sweep those quibbles aside!

It's a male name, but modern tastes would dictate that it be used for a girl, no doubt. The prefix "Cyn" apparently originally meant "fore", "excellent" or "head", and Cynfelyn came to mean "yellow-head" or "golden haired".

I like the "Cyn" names, of which there are a number-- "Cynteyrn", which I imagine to be pronounced Kin-TAIRN, (head ruler) is another pretty one...

I've become less and less interested in the Oscars over the years, but the hoopla snagged my attention to some of the names of the contenders. My two favorite names of nominees are Helen Mirren and Gabourey Sidibe.

"Helen", because although very familiar, has lost favor in North America and is now quite fresh-sounding. And "Gabourey" is novel and attractive. I read that it is Senegalese-- does anyone know the meaning?

Oh, maybe the "f" in Cynfelyn is pronounced like a "v"? I never can get that rule straight. I THINK that the double "ff" in Welsh is pronounced like a regular "f", but when you see an "f" alone, it's pronounced like a "v"? Someone, straighten me out...

Ack! I'm so upset by Cecilia Marie (and I there's no "right" way, but Cecilia is more common than Cecelia) I love Cecilia and don't want it to become more in vogue. Although I do admit it is believable for them, blah blah.:)

Yay, name pool! I had a tough time last year so we'll see how I do this year. I remember feeling like a lot of the risers last year were old hat because we talk about them so much and you have to remember that not everyone is an ne! Speaking of which my bf through out the name Adelaide the other day sort of a as a joke (although I think this is from me having mentioned it before which is GREAT news if he then "thinks" of these on his own) and he was shocked when I told him it is definitely rising so then we had a nice conversation about perceptions of how popular names are and the reality. Of course Adelaide isn't that popular now but it's moving up (unfortunately). He was also beside himself at the various spellings of Abigail, it was pretty amusing.

And to follow from last post, connected to what Miriam said about the name Jonah I always attach the name to L.M.Montgomery's use of "Jonah days" in her stories. But I wouldn't say don't use it because of that, I could get over that connection pretty quickly if I knew a Jonah.

Eo- yes, I think you're right about the v sound in Cynfelyn. Ooh, now that I know how to pronounce it, I love it! Sounds like a lesser known but very dashing brother of Llewellyn. Although, of course, double Ls are very different to single ones! Oh, it's a minefield...

emilyrae -- I had the same thought that the characters should've had opinions on the names! I was thinking they'd have opinions beforehand too, with Michael suggesting Michael, and Kelly suggesting something from Twilight or something trendy. Plus to add to your ideas of the comments for afterwards, I figured it would be very Andyish to break into the Paul Simon song. Ahh, if only we were the writers... for such a full and wonderful episode, they obviously missed a good chunk of funny. :)

betsy 2,
oh my gosh, andy totally would have broken into song!! wow, they really missed some great opportunities! not that i didn't love the episode; i definitely did, but man...we should clearly be writing the show!

:) :) I definitely loved it too, and I was pleased with Cecilia Marie, but the only part that even came close to where my NE hopes had been thinking was with crazy Angela and Dwight... "Jedediah" "(crazy star trek name)" "Jedediah" "(crazy star trek name)" hahaha, so appropriate.

betsy 2,
ha, yes! oh, i'm going to find that quote so that everyone here can enjoy it. things you need to know: a rather militant uber-conservative woman and an equally militant, nerdy, beet farmer agreed to have a baby together and are writing up a "baby contract" (yes, they're very odd):

Dwight: Acceptable names include and are limited to...Ebenezer

Angela: Jebediah

Dwight: Honas

Angela: JEDediah

Dwight: Worf.

Angela: No Star Trek names!

Dwight: Okay, fine

Angela: What if it’s a girl?

Dwight: Irrelevant question. Section 5a: child shall be male

my favorite part is how jebediah and jedediah are the only names angela is considering. hilarious.

Jenny L3igh--you brought up a question that has been on my mind for awhile now and have felt silly asking--is Adelaide rising? That is our #1 girl pick but I have reservations about it for several reasons. And these are just the major concerns:

1) Is it going to rise in popularity? I often hear it discussed, but rarely used. Did the rise in Addison/nn Addy make it pop onto others' lists?

2) It doesn't go well with our last name--L@ng. Which is an interesting name story itself. The shortened version--dh is fn-Charles-ln, III (he goes by Chuck) but never knew his father and has no ties to that side of his family. He's always had this big name after someone he never knew and didn't treat his family well. So, he took my last name. Also, his last name is J0bs minus the /s/ and with the biblical, not occupational, pronunciation. We feel like we're tempting fate with the change, but so far so good:)

3) We would like to use the mn Victoria to honor his mother. I didn't make the Australian connection for some time, and don't think many of our friends/family would at all, but is it too much?

Do we have too many strikes against it to use Adelaide? I have been in love with the name for several years now. Ever since I met an Adele. We would use the nn Adele or something else, but probably not Addy. I really need advice on this one b/c now that we are TTC I can't get Adelaide out of my head. I'll be really disappointed if we don't use it, but I don't want my potential daughter to have a horrible name. Adelaide Victor!@ L@ng/Adelaide L@ng--what do you think? Too 'Hannah Montana?' I feel like I'm crazy for obsessing over it since we could very well have a boy and this not be an issue!

scuba22: I don't think there is any problem with how Adelaide and L@ng go together. As for the Australian thing, I see what you are saying, but it seems pretty minor. I bet most people won't notice it (especially since middle names aren't used too often). As long as it doesn't totally set you (or your husband or child when she is older) off, it won't be a big deal. And what do you mean by too Hannah Montana? Lol, I'm very curious about this reference here.

Looking at the numbers you can't deny that Adelaide is on the rise, but I think it's still very useable. Many of those Adelaides will probably go by Addie not Adele which will help your little Adelaide. With Addison so popular many parents are probably seeking a more traditional route to the Addie nn thus the surge for Adelaide.

Any rabid Office fans have probably already read this, but the name Cecelia Marie (this is the spelling they're using) was Jenna Fischer's (the actress who plays Pam) choice. Cecelia is the name of her niece that was just born and Marie is Jenna's middle name, which I think is sweet.

I loooove Cecelia. Not crazy about Marie, but it's so common as a middle name it feels like the characters could have chosen it after a mom, aunt, sister, etc. Not too trendy, very realistic.

Yay, I love the name pool! I can't wait to see the results ... so hard to wait until May.

I just met a new baby, Stella Luna. This is the parents' second kid (older sister Leila [sp] is probably 3) so I can only assume they're familiar with the storybook character. My 8-yr-old daughter's first comment--not to the parents, thankfully--was, "Like the bat?" It's also interesting to me given that Ellen Pompeo recently gave her daughter this very same name.

Names from my husband's alumni mag (mid-south public university):

Gavin Reed
Clarke Michael
Jadon Isaiah
Assata Che Marley
Brennan Tyler
John Hampton / Mary Evelyn (twins)
Nicholas
Nicholas Creed
Lillian Elizabeth
Liam Jude
Samuel Wilson
Adam Ross
Caroline Elizabeth
Maloree Taylor
Madden Charles
Brady James

Arghhh, Jim and Pam have a girl??? Call spoiler alert before you do that!!! :P

Amy3-Love the names on your alumni list!

scuba22-I like the name Victoria. I wouldn't care that it is a place name in Australia. If you live there it might get weird in the beginning but people would jsut have to deal if it was me. Think of all the little Brooklyn's, Savannah's, Georgia's and all that are out there. Having a name that is also a place name is no big deal. I DO however, think the name Adelaide Victoria/Victoria Adelaide (which I like better the 2nd way) is a mouthful though. Would you use the LN of L@ng or J0b?

it's that time of year again?! egads.

Eo- somewhere I have a list of six- and seven-letter three-syllable names. They are so lovely.

Apart from that little vampire thing, what cultural phenomena would have affected naming in 2009? I'm drawing an absolute blank. Though I'll bet that picking any three of Bella, Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Jasper and Emmett would get at least middling points :)

@scuba22, I meant to say I think Adelaide sounds fine with your ln, and while I'm sure it's gaining ground, I doubt we'll be awash in Adelaides anytime soon. I also think the Australia connection will be lost on most people (at least most Americans). I wouldn't worry about it if you love the name.

Ah, I so love this blog. I just finished talking with dh about The Office baby name right before clicking on here to catch up. So funny! Guess I found my niche...

I love Philomel and Phyllida. Too bad that Phyllida Font3n0t could pretty much only work as a children's book character.

Zoerhenne: Thanks for those storybook names. I Love Agnes and Octavia Peregrine!

I had forgotten about the Jonah Days in the LM Montgomery books. I need to read those again. I guess the negative connotations for Jonah are out of use and common knowledge enough that it wouldn't dissuade me from using it. Funny, I'd be more concerned if it were a girl name, because I'd think that a girl might care more. Is it sexist of me to assume that a boy would be less likely to be an NE?

Scuba 22: I'm afraid that for me Adelaide L@ng sounds a little off, kind of like "dingaling" to my ear, or a sound that would be sung in a '50's duwop song. I don't know if I'm explaining that well. Is that just me? I don't think it's crazy of you to obsess about it, but I'm one to talk, since I'm in the same boat. I do think it's possible to fall in love with another name, though, despite the fact that you've had a certain one in mind for awhile. But maybe I'm wrong about the way they sound together. Victoria L@ng is pretty lovely, if you'd be willing to consider that one. And, hmmm, Cecilia L@ng is also really beautiful...

scuba22,
there are lots of place names out there (ones way more placey than adelaide and victoria), so i wouldn't worry about it too much. i don't think people will notice. it would be pretty comical if adelaide was a city in victoria, but i checked and it is in south australia. but i wouldn't worry about it if i were you. adelaide l@ng is sliiightly trippy on the tongue (with the laid-lay), but it isn't bad and i don't think it' a big deal at all. definitely not hannah montana-esque. and i think adelaide victoria is truly lovely. i love it.

@scuba22:

These are lovely, classic choices. For me, however, "Adel@ide V1ct0ria" does sound a bit place-namey. Those are very popular street names in Canada (given that several major cities were settled during the reigns of the Queen Consort and Queen, respectively), and seeing them beside each other makes me think of an intersection. But, if you're not Canadian, it's a minor point! FWIW, "Ad3le" doesn't have that effect at all. And I agree with Mirnada - "V1ct0ria L@ng" is a triumphantly strong name.

@ scuba22: I think Adelaide L@ng is a little difficult to say, but not too bad. I like Adelaide Victoria a lot.

Re. The Office: I didn't know Jenna Fischer had picked the name. I think that's really cool. Sorry for the spoiler by the way! I like the Cecilia spelling better but I absolutely love that name (and just Celia, and Cecily...)

re: Stella Luna: I overheard teen girls in the Barnes and Noble talking about how this was a nice name.

Creed is an interesting middle name. First thought would be fans of the band... middle name is a good spot for that kind of thing though!

Also like Maloree. Well, would prefer Mallory. I strongly associate this name with The Baby-Sitters Club and so it sounds like a smart, bookish name to me.

Thanks for all of the comments! I am definitely feeling a little better about it, but I do still agree with those who said that it's a little difficult to say with fn-ln. Miranda, I totally get the 'dingaling' reference. And I do like Cecilia, too:)

RobynT--I was referring to the rhyming sound Adelaide L@ng has, similar to Hannah Montana:)

zoerhenne--We would use L@ng. Makes me rethink the choice, but it's all for good reason!

We live in the south-eastern US, so the place-name issue shouldn't be too much of an issue. I guess I'm just over-thinking it. . .

I do really love Adelaide Victoria and dh was on board from the moment I mentioned the name. I found that Adelaide's naming history, etc. has a lot of great connections with my family, including that St. Adelaide's feast day is my birthday. I'm still not completely settled on the flow of the entire name, and I love several other names, but right now feel I would mourn the unusability of Adelaide . . .

Should we go with Victoria instead (just a thought), what nicknames are there other than the Vicky, Tori variety? The only ones I would consider at this point are 'V' or 'Ree.' I know we can always push for the full Victoria, but I feel like it's a name that will inevitably be shortened at some point and I'd rather have an 'approved' nn in place to be used as needed!

Thanks again for all of your input. It feels great to get feedback from you all because I love and trust your naming styles.

Any chance of naming her Adele? I know that was your planned nn but Adele and Adela are lovely names in their own rights. We were seriously considering Adele for a bit but we are in an Addison pocket and so Addie is starting to wear on me and we tend to but the -y sound on the kids names so Addie would be inevitable for us. And I can relate to loving a name that sounds a little off with your last name for me it's Teresa.

Re Stella Luna: I agree that the SOUND of it is pretty and brings to mind lovely moonlit night images. However, the book connection is WAY too strong and I just could not do that to a child.

scuba22-The reason I asked about LN is that I was going to scan through Nymbler. I do think a 3 syl flowy name like Cecelia or Victoria works well. Some others to consider:
Cordelia; Chloe; Veronica
Joanna; Margaret; Beatrice
Madeline; Genevieve; Charlotte
Samantha; Virginia; Alexandra;
Jacqueline; Felicity; Aubrey
Penelope; Juliette; Angela

You don't have to avoid L sounds but just move it out of the last position to avoid the sing-song thing.

Re: Office baby --

Lane and I have been posting over at Laura's other site -NameCandy.com about the office baby name
http://www.namecandy.com/celebrity-baby-names/blog/2010/03/05/office-bab...
and
http://www.namecandy.com/celebrity-baby-names/blog/2010/03/04/the-office...

@kakicloud -- what is your source for that information regarding how they picked the name - I would love to add it to our information -- or please post a comment on NameCandy!

Re: Stella Luna, actress Ellen Pompeo named here baby Stella Luna.. see :
http://www.namecandy.com/celebrity-baby-names/baby/stella-luna-pompeo-ivery
http://www.namecandy.com/celebrity-baby-names/blog/2009/09/23/new-baby-a...

I'm due in eight weeks and set on Evelyn. Do you name fanatics think the name Evelyn is skyrocketing in popularity? NN Evie (pronounced Eve-E)

I want to avoid an Aaden situation.

Any comments are appreciated.

hunnymama,
evelyn is ranked at 54--i don't know if that is too high for you or not. it doesn't seem to be climbing too sharply though. evie is adorable by the way.

HunnyMama-Evelyn is rising in popularity. Many of the L names(such as Lillian and Aaliyah) will experience a rise because of their similarity yet difference to names already among the top names such as Olivia, Emily, Isabella, etc. The numbers show the following:
1999 Evelyn #161 > 2008 Evelyn #54
The biggest jump was from 2001>2000.
Evelyn also has the throwback feel to it a bit so that is another plus.

The name has not risen in popularity in PA however from what I can tell though. Evelena (1), Evelynn (1). The other names I mentioned were much higher Lillian (5), Aaliyah (1) but there are other spellings as well, Olivia (13), Isabella (13), Emily (8). So I think it depends on your area.