...but can they name? (continued)

The "Well, that's tolerable, I suppose" group is that ill-defined set of families whose names aren't quite up to snuff but couldn't be called bad. Of course, compared to the governors' families in my last entry, they look positively radiant. Let's begin!

Arnold Scwarzenegger (California): wife Maria; sons Patrick Arnold and Christopher Sargent Shriver; daughters Katherine Eunice and Christina Maria Aurelia. AH-nuld came very close to getting included in the "My Favorites" list (yet to be posted). I love his daughters' names in particular; Aurelia is sophisticated and gorgeous. However, I just can't get behind a Christopher and Christina in the same family. That's way too close for me.

M(ary) Jodi Rell (Connecticut): husband Lou; daughter Meredith; son Michael. First off, if your name is Mary, why choose to go by Jodi? Jodi Rell sounds like a 20-something airhead. Mary Rell sounds like a distinguished lady. Beyond that, her children's names, while not offensive, have been ruined for me by the comic strip For Better or Worse, which offends me just by existing.

Ruth Miner (Delaware): sons Frank, Wayne, and Gary. I adore Frank, but I feel rather bad for Wayne. It has a bucktoothed redneck deputy image to me, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps the similarity to Dwayne? John Wayne? It's a puzzlement.

Sonny Perdue (Georgia): wife Mary; daughters Leigh and Lara; sons James and Daniel. His real name, thankfully, is George Perdue, but he chooses to go by Sonny, again for reasons that baffle me. Sonny is a name that should fall by the wayside when a child turns 10. His sons' names are fine, but I don't like the matchiness of the daughters. And Leigh is one of those boring-as-toast names. If you don't want to put any thought into naming children, they always end up Elizabeth, John, or Leigh. I read Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw as a child, and since I was a name nerd even at that tender age, I could never fully enjoy it because the hero was named Leigh.

Butch Otter (Idaho): son John; daughters Carolyn, Kimberly Dawn, and Corrine. I know I should be aghast that at a grown man still going by Butch, but I just can't work up the horror. Butch otter is simply too hilarious of a juxtaposition. I keep picturing an adorable little otter with a mullet and a flannel shirt. Probably not the image old Butch was going for. Anyway, this family epitomizes the "it's okay" category. There's nothing outright wrong with any of the names. Corrine and John, in fact, are quite charming. But together they're just... eh. All right, but nothing to get excited about. I suppose you could say they're no BUTCH OTTER! (cue Indigo Girls music)

Steve Beshear (Kentucky): wife Jane; sons Andrew and Jeffrey. Bonus: his daughter-in-law's name is Britainy, one of the most outrageous spellings of that awful name I've ever come across. Geez, Britainy Beshear.

John Baldacci (Maine): wife Karen; son Jack. Earlier I noted that parents who don't put any thought into naming their children usually end up with Elizabeth or John. Well, I should update that for this era: They will end up with Jacob, Madison, Emily, or Jack.

Martin O'Malley (Maryland): wife Catherine (Katie); sons William and Jack; daughters Grace and Tara. I have to take a moment to sing the praises of Martin. Why does Martin get no love? It's masculine, strong, and a true classic, with wonderful social and artistic namesakes. Yeah, Marty isn't a great nickname by the standards of today, but Martin still deserves some consideration.

Deval Patrick (Massachussetts): wife Diane; daughters Sarah and Katherine. This is a great example of rising above the naming injustices perpetrated by the previous generation. Deval Laurdine Patrick turned around and gave his daughters real, beautiful, classy names that will serve them well for 100 years.

Jennifer Granholm (Michigan): husband Daniel; daughters Kathryn and Cecelia; son Jack. Another Jack! See what I mean? Despite the ubiquitousness of that particular name, I would gladly have put this family on the "My Favorites" list if not for the spellings of their daughters' names. Kathryn is an early trendism; Catherine, Katherine, and even Katharine are far superior. Cecelia is a pointless variation on the lovely Cecilia. I've often wondered if it originated because parents' wanted to call their Cecelias Celia, and didn't realize the nickname doesn't have to be spelled out in the name itself. It's this dull sort of thinking that leads to Abbygayle and Maddielynn today.

Matt Blunt (Missouri): wife Melanie; son William Branch. I'm intrigued by William's middle name. Where does it come from? I thought it could be a family surname, but it doesn't belong to his wife or his mother. Possibly his wife's mother? Also, speeches indicate he refers to his son as William Branch, which is just a little too yuppie for me.

Brian Schweitzer (Montana): wife Nancy; son Benjamin and Khai; daughter Katrina. Again, another governor who was so close to hitting a home run. Benjamin is lovely, and Katrina is lyrical and unexpected. But Khai? What the fuck is Khai? My mind, she boggles.

Dave Heineman (Nebraska): wife Sally; son Sam. I couldn't find any information as to whether Sam was a Samuel or just plain Sam. It's one of my shadowy secrets that I actually prefer Sam by itself; Samuel reminds me of Tori Spelling saying Screech "Samuel" Powers's name on Saved by the Bell. Remember, when she played Violet, his bespectacled, nerdy girlfriend? And yet her Dad never helped her get an acting job? I'm not sure if the fact that she ruined the name for me has to do with me being a sad, lonely child with no friends and too much time to watch TV; or Tori Spelling's inherent evilness.

Jim Gibbons (Nevada): wife Dawn; sons Christopher and James Arthur Jr.; daughter Jennifer. My word, a daughter named Jennifer, born circa the 1960s-1970s. Stop the presses!

John Lynch (New Hampshire): wife Susan; daughters Jacqueline and Julia; son Hayden. I don't fancy Hayden, but hey, at least he didn't complete the J trifecta with Jayden! It's the small victories.

Jon Corzine (New Jersey): sons Joshua and Jeffrey; daughter Jennifer. Speaking of J trifectas. I think every J-overload family I've known (and there've been a few-- J is a popular letter for trendy parents, though now they seem to be moving en masse to K) has had either a Joshua or a Jason. Neither here nor there, just a note.

David Paterson (New York): wife Michelle; son Alexander. The new boy on the block, David Paterson has already done better than Eliot Spitzer on one count-- he gave his son a good name. (Spitzer's three daughters are Elyssa, Sarabeth, and Jenna.) Paterson also has a stepdaughter named Ashley, whose name he cannot be held responsible for.

Mike Easley (North Carolina): wife Mary; son Michael Francis Jr. Time (again) for a possibly (probably) unpopular opinion. I don't like juniors. I think it robs the child of the sense of identity an individual, unique name would provide. That goes double when the parent is famous or relatively well-known. For example, imagine growing up as Harrison Ford Jr. Talk about never having a chance to be seen on your own merits! In that case, your father's successes or failings are literally stamped on you, as his torch bearer. I always felt bad for Frank Sinatra Jr. in this respect.

John Hoeven (North Dakota): wife Mical "Mikey"; daughter Marcela; son Jack. Marcela is interesting and rather wonderful, but I just can't put a "Mical" on the good list. It's horrible! And Mikey as a nickname isn't any better. Assuming her middle name isn't Eunice or Hortense, I haven't an idea why she isn't going by it.

Ted Kulongoski (Oregon): wife Mary; sons Theodore and Justin; daughter Kristin. Another junior-- they're depressingly common in political families. My earlier comment on feeling bad for Frank Sintara Jr. can be taken and doubled in the case of John F. Kennedy Jr. And to get stuck with something so stupid as John-John on top of it. (Yes, I'm aware his family never called him that, but it remained associated with him in the press, unfortunately.)

Ed Rendell (Pennsylvania): wife Marjorie; son Jesse. Much like Carrie did for Cary and Frances for Francis, Jessica screwed it up for Jesse. I rather like it, but the similarity in sound to the feminine nickname turns many people off.

Don Carcieri (Rhode Island): wife Suzanne; son Mathew; daughters Alison, Jill, and Sarah. Another great example of the "it's okay" category. Alison and Sarah are nice; Mathew would be too if it were spelled correctly. I don't like Jill as a stand-alone, and I prefer the Gillian spelling.

Mike Rounds (South Dakota): wife Jean; sons Brian, John, and Christopher; daughter Carrie. I just don't get Carrie as a stand-alone. There are so many names Carrie could be short for-- Caroline, Carolyn, Charlotte, Carissa, Carol-- what is the reasoning behind Just Carrie?

Phil Bredesen (Tennesse): wife Andrea; son Benjamin. Say Ben Bredesen aloud. Pretty rhymey, ain't it?

Jon Huntsman Jr (Utah): wife Mary Kaye; daughters Mary Anne, Abigail, Elizabeth, Gracie, and Asha; sons Jon III and William. I don't think it's a surprise to find out the governor from Utah has the most children of all the reigning state leaders. I have to say, I was actually impressed by how little these sucked. My only major complaint is Gracie as a stand-alone name, when Grace would have been so much easier. And, bonus! It actually ages past 7 years old! I will also quibble with both parents getting juniors (at least that's assuming Mary Anne was named for Mary Kaye), but on the whole, Jon & Mary Kaye did a pretty good job.

Jim Douglas (Vermont): wife Dorothy; sons Matthew and Andrew

Christine Gregoire (Washington): husband Mike; daughters Courtney and Michelle. Dollars to donuts Michelle would have been a Mikey if she'd been a boy.

Joe Manchin (West Virginia): wife Gayle; daughters Heather and Brooke; son Joseph. I have never met a non-bitchy Heather. I don't know that it's possible. Logically I'm sure it must be, but still, I've known several and it hasn't happened yet.

Dave Freudenthal (Wyoming): wife Nancy; sons Donald and Bret; daughters Hillary and Katie. I couldn't determine through Google if Katie is a Kate, Katherine, Kathleen, or simply Katie. I can determine through the awesomeness of good taste that Bret is a lame spelling and Hillary is a one-woman name, and I'm not talking about Mz. Duff.