MelissaM
- Name
No info yet
- About Me
No info yet
- My Favorite Names
- No favorite names yet.
- My Recent Blog Comments
Baby Name Wizard Store
Celebrate with personalized baby name products! Custom birth announcements, invitations, bibs, onesies & more.
Start Shopping
Thank you very much for the link! :)
I just ran across this article about how "Bad Names Ruin Lives." http://motherjones.com/mixed-media/2012/01/new-study-bad-baby-name-choices-destroy-lives I am absolutely TWITCHING to verify (or, you know, NOT) some of the names mentioned in the comments but I have no idea where to find data for names outside the top 1,000. Does anyone know where to find this data?
On the topic of first name technology, we had a GPS that we named Sheila. (Originally after the tank-driving tutorial in Red VS. Blue, but also because we selected the Australian accent to disguise the imperfections in the robo-voice.) A few months ago, though, our GPS was stolen. We bought a new one, and attempted to keep calling her Sheila... but she doesn't have an Australian voice option and now it's just weird. We may have to give her a new name...
Okay, guys. Dilemma. I recently hit on the idea of honoring a beloved relative (with the name Lola) by using Lola as a nickname. Genius, right? But what name gives you Lola as a nickname? I looked around and thought about it and decided that Lola works very well as a nickname for Eloise. So I tell my husband my brilliant idea and he pulls 'the Face.' Does anyone have any more name ideas that would get me a little Lola?
No one recognizes Menolly? Menolly of the Nine Fire Lizards? Harper Hall of Pern, anyone? I don't know. To me it seems like they're mostly common names with a small change to make it exotic. Example, Melanie/Mallory = Menolly.
chipper28, congrats! Trying to name twins nearly drove me up the wall. And I have to say it since I haven't seen it mentioned - wouldn't Artemis and Apollo be divine for a boy/girl set? (Pun fully intended, but the sentiment is there as well.) They even have very mundane nicknames they could use later - Pol (pr. Paul) and Missy. Good luck - we didn't nail our names down until 30 weeks.
Oh, I agree. I love Sophia (nn Sophie) and to make things worse my husband actually likes it too (this is an achievement for the man whose first girl suggestion last year was Jennifer) but it is eye-poppingly popular. I think a good sub would be Isabella, but again...popular. Some ideas: Elena Fiona Liliana Lucia (prn. loo-see-uh)
Oh, Clementine, I didn't see your question about Violet! I love Violet, it's a soft antique flower name. You might like: Ivy, Poppy, Marigold, Flora, Lavender, Rosemary, Lilac, Amaryllis...that's if you like the flower meaning. If you like the soft antique feeling, you might like: Clara, Eloise, Adele, Flora (again!), Sylvia, Cecilia, pr Agatha.
tiffg, some subs for Hannah I thought of: Sarah, Rachel, Anna, Leah, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Susannah. Those could all be sisters, I think. Slightly more unusual ones: Abigail, Esther, Eve, Miriam, Ruth, Tabitha, Naomi, Phoebe, Lydia. The thing about Olivia is that it has a very unusual rhythm: four syllables with the emphasis on the second one, and a nice soft ending. (Also, it uses only a few letters to get such a long name, so it doesn't look long and frilly.) I don't care for Olivia, but it worked beautifully rhythmically and stylistically as a middle name for Elinor (Elinor Olivia - say that out loud, it's beautiful), so I tried to find replacements. The list is surprisingly short: Cecilia Amelia Elizabeth Ophelia There's a few more that have the same length and rhythm but lack the softness (Penelope, Cordelia) or don't match stylistically (Serenity).
Okay, guys...my relative undergoing IVF just found out SHE'S HAVING TRIPLETS! (Aaaaah!) She has no other children so she gets to name a three child set all at once without other consideration. (FUN!) Way too early to peg the genders, so it could be 3 boys, 3 girls, 2 boys 1 girl, or 2 girls 1 boy. So, fun game - what would you name triplets if you didn't have to make their names coordinate with any other siblings?
Oh, hey, I forgot to mention earlier: I have a relative who is undergoing IVF and I am looking for a list of names to jokingly suggest if it takes (please, please cross your fingers for her, guys). I'm looking for something a little more subtle and humorous than 'Miracle.' So far I have Reuben (Behold! A son!) and Leah (weary). Any suggestions?
Oh, I'm so jealous of people with a good surname. I've got a choppy one-syllable last name (and my maiden name was even shorter and choppier, if it's possible). It would be so much fun choosing names for a last name like Wellington or Matthews...as it is I end up looking for long given names to balance it out. (I even admit to being on board with the Frilliana trend - to an extent - because of the pretty way it adds syllables.) In other news, I met a toddling Alexia this week. Sigh. Adorable baby. Nice mother. You'd think people would check to see if their baby's name was the same as any medical conditions before they gave it, though. I just don't get parents who give a name with no consideration except to the sound! I'm baffled. Re: Agatha, that's so funny! I've been thinking recently how appealing the name is. It's not a name that is much around, then suddenly it pops up simultaneously. Truly, we are creatures of the trends...c'mon, though. Just picture a cute little two and a half year old shyly saying, "I'm Agatha!" when you ask her name. Oh, yeah. It's going to happen.
chipper28: Have I got the name for YOU. What about Amalthea? I must confess, I think it is one of the most beautiful names I have ever heard (but I can't use it, definitely can't use it...). The name means 'tender goddess' and she was one of the nymphs who nursed the baby Zeus. PLUS, you could totally use the nicknames 'Amy' or 'Thea.' Other names that I didn't see on your list include: Andromeda Ariadne Calypso Thalia Harmonia Calliope monicaj, you got the nicknames right with the exceptions of X@nder and N@than. (He's too little to be a Nate to me!) Peter is nice. Samuel and Thomas unfortunately can't be used. (Grr.) Whoever posted the name nerds link, thank you! It's awesome! It looks like our naming style is Classic Unusual with some spillover into Classic Conservative, which could be why my husband balked when the girl names I liked fell in the Classic Eccentric (his girl suggestions are all on the Modern Conservative list)! How interesting and helpful. Names listed in 'Classic Unusual' that might fly are Isaiah, Jonah and Josiah (both of which have been mentioned, score!), and...uh...huh. Well, three of my boys' names are on that one. If we go up one or down one on the 'weirdness scale' (ignoring the 'outmoded') we get: (Conservative) Benjamin Christopher Daniel Patrick Robert Timothy (Eccentric) ... ... ...no. No way on earth would my husband go for any of those boy names.
Haha, Rupert is cute but a little too 'British' for me, I guess. Not to mention my husband - I can't use any 'weird' names. (Seriously, last pregnancy his girl name suggestions were Jessica, Jennifer, and Ashley. Kill me now.) So you can imagine my surprise when he really liked G@briel and also went for Ch@rles, of all things, although unfortunately he wasn't up for Edward (as a first name...I'm 95% sure I can get it for a middle name with big eyes and a story about my grandfather) and nixed Theodore. Josiah, on the other hand...that's interesting. I like it better than Jonah in that it's longer (we have a short surname) and a bit less trendy...good meaning, good nickname, Biblical - huh. Interesting. So - for a boy's name to pass muster it has to be: 1. Traditionally and (mostly) exclusively male 2. "Normal." Whatever that means. Can be bypassed with a solid nickname (I think Ch@rles passed on the strength of "Ch@rlie," for instance.) 3. At least a little interesting. 4. Stylistically compatible with brothers, in a classical/traditional/Biblical/English kind of way. Brothers are Alex@nder Gregory, Nath@niel D@vid, G@briel J@mes, and Ch@rles Elmer <-----(family name!)
Sigh. I know, I feel boring when other people are here saying, "What do you think about Atticus? Is it too mainstream these days?!" and I'm dithering over Robert. Still, I think that picking a timeless, classic traditional boy's name that has contemporary appeal is its own challenge. Thanks for the suggestions, zoerhenne. Isaac, Samuel, Stephen, and James are taken. Elliott, Elijah, Sebastian, and Xavier don't quite do it for me. Theodore I love, but my husband hates it. He says it's too geeky. And 'Theo' is too "Cosby." As you can see, I've got problems. Other names I've been pondering: Henry - I know. I know. It's nice, though, but I'm not keen on Hank or Harry. Benjamin - I'm lukewarm on this one. William - like, but I fear it runs together badly with our last name. Richard - nice. Richie and Dick - awful. Jonah - hmm. Maybe. I've mentioned before I like how the name has access to 'Joe' and 'Joey' while being lighter than Joseph. Timothy - mmmmaybe... I just feel like I've painted myself into a corner and there aren't any more exciting names and it's making me sulky.
So, I've been turning my "next time" names over in my head (like you do), setting them in order and arranging them nicely. I think I'll end up pushing for Elinor Sophia. I think I like it. But then, I thought, what if we have yet another boy?! (That would make 5 boys, no girls. Not fair! But eminently possible!) We had a hard enough time coming up with names #3 and #4 - it was brutal. What would we do for a fifth? I've been turning the name 'Robert' over in my mind and I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, it has a good meaning. I LOVE Robbie and Rob as nicknames. Love love love. Also, one of my grandfathers is named Bobby. (Legally. Bobby. Do you think he'd mind if I went for the full Robert? He liked his name enough to pass it on to one of his sons...) On the other hand, the full name feels a little stodgy, and it's fallen pretty fast - from 29 to 55 in the last 10 years. On the other other hand, you can't deny that Robert fits well with Ch@rles. On the other other other hand, does it fit with Alex@nder, Nath@niel and G@briel? (Ch@rles being, IMO, a bit of a stylistic outlier in our names.) If I did use it I would want Robert Edward, in subtle homage to both of my grandfathers. (Edward is my other grandfather's mn.) Thoughts?
New baby alerts! @very Rose @llison D@rcy Elodie @nn
Adopting again - you're lucky in that 'Noble' is in the meaning of quite a few excellent names! For instance: Adelaide, Adele, Alice, Camille, Heidi, Patrick, Nolan....maybe that will help you. Am I too late to play the game? Month: June (g)/August (b) Day: Sunday (g) Season: Summer (g) Holiday: I'm fond of Noelle, but has Easter been much used as a name? Flower: Ivy, Amaryllis, Calla, (g), although wouldn't a trio of Lilac, Violet, and Lavender be sweet?! Gem: Amethyst (g), Jasper and Jet (b) Bird: Peregrine (b), Sparrow (g) Virtue/Attribute: Serenity, Faith, and Patience (g) Color: Forest (b), Lilac, Violet, and Lavender (I kid) Place: Eden, Isla (g)
Zoerhenne, Capers and Koger were men. Larksong - you know a female Hester? Hyz, I've never been keen on Oliver for some reason. Mayber it's the 'liver' in the name, or the fact that the name actually just means 'olive'. (I don't like olives, haha!) However, I love, love, love Ivy - in the weepy hormonal throes of my last pregnancy I was planning on naming one of the twins Ivy if they were girls. Sigh. So, perhaps you'd like instead... Felix (it means happy and lucky!) Theo or Theodore (God's gift) Basil (royal, kingly - also another plant name) Edmund (prosperous defender, I <3 this name) Tobias (God is good) Gareth (gentle) Gideon (great warrior) By the way, Nymbler thinks that if you like Ivy and Oliver, you might want to name your son Skipper. Hahaha! Anyway, even though I don't like it I agree that Oliver and Ivy go together quite well.
Anne with an E, this phenomenon has been discussed before (since vintage names are very much on trend at the moment). Sure, you want to honor a grandfather, but why Grandpa Charles and not Grandpa Floyd? Well, uh, sorry, Floyd, but...it's not an appealing name at present. Just because this is fun for me and I could name imaginary children all day long, I went back to the family tree again (this time broadening it to include siblings) and sorted some names into YES, eligible for namesakes, or NO, sorry love you anyway. :D Some names I've tweaked for more current popularity or spellings, but they're noted. YES Charles Edward Lily Cora Jane Mabel Olivia (was Mable Olive) Thomas John William Georgia Leona Lola Ruth Cordelia Flora Estelle George Henry Eleanor Hazel (was Nellie Hazel) Elijah (was Eligha, interesting!) Ella Louisa Donovan Douglas (was Donophan, also interesting!) Jacob Grace Clara Amelia Florence Esther Emily Flora (was Emily Florah) Louisa Adeline Cynthia Ruth Anna Evelyn or Evangeline (was Annie Eveline) NO Fannie Roscoe Alva Guy Fern Clyde Raymond Willa Lestina Olarinda Lee FitzHugh Velmer Koger Hester Permelia (f) Vitalis Edna Effie Eldon Addie Melton Dewey Ralph Harmes Elwin Gerald Esta or Vesta (sisters! Come on!) Zella Prince William (proving this trend is at least 200 years old) Capers Eller Pharorah (huh?) Wilmurth Navista (that sounds almost modern!) Orinda Oritha Marilza (Seriously. I could do this all. Day. Long.) Anyway, many of these names I've never even HEARD of before - heck, the internet's never heard of half these names. Fascinating.