Sara's Name Collection

Twins

2008-03-16T22:04:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, there were a series of dolls under the name Magic Nursery. The selling point was that you didn't know if the doll was a boy or a girl until you got it home and ripped off it's little bonnet in a frenzy of anticipation. The boys had flat plastic waves of hair, like Ken of Ken & Barbie, and the girls had a tuft of real hair (or as real as synthetic doll hair gets). It also came with a birth announcement you ran under warm water to reveal the hidden gender.

After much begging, my mother bought me one at Sears', and at home (or maybe even in the car on the way home) I ripped off the hat and found it was a little boy. I was somewhat disappointed, because, hell, girl dolls are always more fun than boy dolls. They have more clothes and more accessories! It's a sad but true statement. But when I ran my baby boy's birth announcement under the faucet in my mom's bathroom it read Twins.

I got to send off for another baby, a little girl. I named her Jennifer Ariel and her brother was Eric, because I loved the Little Mermaid. Of course now I think, "Ew, incest names!"

This whole story is to say that a.) my taste in names is much better than it was then, and b.) I am fascinated by twins and how people name them. Since my Magic Nursery dolls, I've always felt that I was destined by have twins one day. Of course, my sister had a Magic Nursery dog, where you can pull open her velcro stomach and see how many puppies you got, and I don't think she's ever felt destined to have three puppies, one with a little bow on her head.

For about a month I've been tracking the birth announcements of twins published on hospitals' websites. It fascinates me that parents are still so obsessed with matchiness. To go on another tangent, my father was a twin, and when my grandmother was in the hospital shortly after he and his sister were born, the lady in the next bed suggested Bonnie & Donnie as names. My grandmother was appalled and named them John & Victoria, because she was sensible and had good taste. Imagine that!

Twins' birth announcements I've collected:
Adalynn Jane and Gwendalynn Lee
Amanda Lee and Amber Marie
Aubrey Lea and Madison Lea
Emilee Sage and Kate Noel
Layla Ann Marie and Sophie Katherine
Meliah Larose and Miah Rae
Mya Jean and Payge Ann

Bryce David and Zachary Michael
Logun Michael and Luke William

Abby Renee and Owen Robert
Addison Marie and Michael Mark
Allie Jo and Jordy Dillon
A'Mariah Zoe and Edwin
Aqua Marianna and Atchison Bluenyte
Cameren Marie-Kay and Samuel Codi
Faydra and Wyatt
Jessica Rose-Lynn and Joshua Phillip
Kendal Rose and Tucker Erik
Madison Elaine and Luke Michael
Reese Nicole and Ryder Lee
Samantha Elaine and Adam Steven
Seranae Isabela Sierra and Serhue Isaiah Steven

The only ones that aren't misspelled, trendy, or matchy (if not all three) are Samantha Elaine & Adam Steven; Layla Ann Marie & Sophie Katherine; and Bryce David & Zachary Michael. So huzzah to their sleep-deprived parents, and virtual shame to the rest, especially Aqua and Atchison. Is Bluenyte supposed to be blue night, do you think?

Interestingly, this is one place where I think celebrities tend to name better, on average, than the regular public. I'm not sure why. This is a chronological list (youngest to oldest) of twins born to famous folks.

Max & Emme (Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony)
Thomas Boone & Zoe Grace (Dennis Quaid)
John David & Lucy Elizabeth (Nancy Grace)
Eden & Savannah (Marcia Cross)
Sullivan Patrick & Darby Galen (Patrick Dempsey)
Johnnie Rose & Miller Steven (Melissa Etheridge & Tammy Lynn Michaels)
Dexter Henry Lorcan & Frank Harlan James (Elvis Costello & Diana Krall)
Slater Josiah and Bronwyn Golden (Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett)
Henry Benjamin & Julianna Tex (Emily Robison, of the Dixie Chicks)
Hudson Harden & Julitta Dee (Marcia Gay Harden)
Kian William & Kaiis Steven (Geena Davis)
Hazel Patricia & Phinnaeus Walter (Julia Roberts)
Kathleen Emilie & Eva Ruth (Martie Maguire, of the Dixie Chicks)
Kate Elizabeth and Max Aaron. Kimberly Elise and Jack Andrew. (Joan Lunden)
Dakota Alan & Danilee Kelly (Chuck & Gena Norris)
Grace Anne & Stella Busina (Dave Matthews)
Henry David & Rufus Logan (James Taylor)
Isabelle Rose & Grace Elisabeth (Lance Armstrong)
Anton James & Olivia Rose (Al Pacino & Beverly D'Angelo)
Maya & Kaila (Justin Chambers)
Aquinnah Kathleen & Schuyler Frances (Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan)
Aaron Kendrick & Julian Henry (Robert DeNiro)
Kristopher Steven & John Stacy (Jane Seymour)
Matthew & Gregory (Ray & Anna Romano)
Katya Amelia & Eliza Victoria (Charles & Victoria Spencer, Princess Diana's brother)
Malcolm Hayes & Olivia Rashelle (Denzel & Paulette Washington)
Molly Ariel "Ariel" & Cyrus Zachariah "Zack" (Cybill Shepherd)
Jocelyn Carlyle & Paige Carlyle (Ron Howard)
Richard Ross "Ross" & Rachel Moore (Jane Pauley & Gary Trudeau)
Edward & Christian (Mel Gibson)
Matthew Phineas & Sascha Villiers (Mia Farrow & Andre Previn)
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini & Isotta Ingrid Frieda Giuliana Rossellini (Ingrid Bergman & Roberto Rosselini)

Obviously there are some failures-- Chuck Norris' and Melissa Etheridge's twins stand out-- but there's a lot of beauty there too. I'm particularly impressed with James Taylor, Dave Matthews, Pacino and DeNiro. So, as celebrities and our few real-world parents have demonstrated, succcessful twin naming is possible. Remember: they are not a matched set!

Yes, they can name! (Part the last)

2008-03-14T01:21:00.000-07:00

I love making lists of good names, and I found more than a few in the current governors' families. I'm giving Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin a round of mental applause. Yahoo!

My favorites:
Bill Ritter (Colorado): wife Jeannie; sons August, Abraham (Abe) and Samuel (Sam); daughter Natalie (Tally). I admit my naming weakness for boys is traditional names with short snappy nicknames that sound like a list of New York City barbers circa 1905. I'm talking Cal, Hal, Mose, Gus, and Abe. That taste isn't as strange as it would have been only a few short years ago-- see the re-emergence of Max for proof-- but it's still rare to find someone who shares it. Mr. Ritter, you are the governor of my heart!

Rod Blagojevich (Illinois): wife Patricia; daughters Amy and Anne. Anne-with-an-E! Oh, how I love it's delicate simplicity and warm, supple strength. Erm, that is... Anne is an outstanding choice! I also applaud Mr. Blagojevich for going with simple, sturdy names, since their surname is a bit of a tongue twister.

Chet Culver (Iowa): wife Mariclare; daughter Clare Honour; son John William. I admit, I'm not sure about this spelling of Honour, since, from what I know of England, the American spelling, Honor, seems more commonly used as a name. But I do love the feel of Clare Honour as a combo, and John William is handsome and distinguished.

Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota): wife Mary; daughters Anna and Mara. I freaking love the name Mara, and I'm stoked to see it used. Anna and Mara are delightful together.

Jim Doyle (Wisconsin): wife Jessica, sons Augustus (Gus) and Gabriel (Gabe). Another Gus! What a thrill. I'm again very pleasantly surprised by these names. Augustus Doyle and Gabriel Doyle have such a weighty, intelligent sound, and Gus and Gabe are wonderfully approachable, every-day nicknames.

Bravo!

...but can they name? (continued)

2008-03-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

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.

They can govern, but can they name?

2008-03-13T01:55:00.000-07:00

In the wake of Eliot Spitzer's resignation as the governor of New York, I present an overview of American governors and their naming failures and successes. Mostly failures. The voter can only hope their fiscal policy is sounder than their taste in names.

The bad:
Sarah Palin (governor of Alaska): husband Todd; son Track; daughters, Bristol, Piper, and Willow. Oh, you know we're on a whole 'nother level with this one, don't you? We start with Sarah and Todd-- young, idealistic, invested in warm winter coats. Normal. Then: Track. Middle name: Andfield? Marks? Lighting? We may never know. Then, Bristol, a lovely name... for a CITY. Honestly, I can understand, if I make myself, the appeal of place names like Savannah, Dakota, etc. But Bristol?! It doesn't even sound attractive! And what possible nickname could there be? Brissy? Piper and Willow are everyday trendiness and not worthy of comment.

Bob Riley (Alabama): wife Patsy; son Rob; daughters Jenice, Krisalyn, and Minda. Of course, the son gets off as a junior, while the girls get stuck with shit. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize what Jenice was. I thought it was a misspelled Venice, not a Jennifer-Janice smush! Krisalyn, obviously a Kristin Carolyn mash-up. I can only hope Minda is short for Melinda, otherwise I'm not sure what to make of it. Was Melinda just too much commitment for the Rileys?

Mitch Daniels (Indiana): wife Cheri; daughters Meagan, Melissa, Meredith, and Maggie. If I were Joan Crawford, believe me, I wouldn't be railing against wire hangers. "NO MORE MATCHING FAMILIES!" would be my cry of choice. I happen to be related to three families that did the "Oh, we'll just use the same letter for every. single. kid's. name." deal, and it's confusing as hell when they grow up and decide to do the same thing. As for the names themselves, I find only Maggie and Meagan objectionable. Maggie is a nickname, period, and Meagan is a stupid '80s spelling. Rather ironic that these are the two bad names, considering they both originally derived from Margaret. Also: do you think Cheri feels left out? I wonder if she doodles "M'Cheri? Mary-Cheri?" and the like in the corner of her First Lady of Indiana "Gos Colts!" day planner?

Bobby Jindal (Louisiana): wife Supriya; sons Shaan Robert and Slade Ryan; daughter Selia Elizabeth. Yes, another matchy sibling set. Well, I'll note here that Selia was the first born, which is so discouraging because you feel like they were almost started on a good path. Celia, correctly spelled, is so lovely. But then the horrors strike and we're left with Slade, that dull rock of a name, and Shaan, which is not Sean or Shane but some awful thing in between, like Frankenstein's monster.

Haley Barbour (Mississippi): wife Marsha; sons Sterling and Haley Jr. (Reeves). Poor Haley. I wonder, when he was young, if he got teased for his name, or if he had any inkling of how hugely popular Haley would one day be... for girls. You would think it couldn't have been too much of a trial, or he wouldn't have passed it down to his son, but family traditions, even the worst ones, have the lifespan of mutant cockroaches. As I noted, Haley Jr. wisely goes by his middle name, Reeves, which has yet to be stolen by the gentler sex. Sterling, on the other hand, spends his life as a descriptive adjective for silver. On the other hand, Sterling Barbour would make a great name for a metrosexual man-about-town or a used car dealer, which are the two paths most likely for a Southern governor's son Oh, Mississippians, always planning ahead.

Brad Henry (Oklahoma): wife Kimberly; daughters Leah, Laynie, and Baylee. Like the Gentleman from Louisiana, here is another case of deceptive naming. We start with Leah, a pretty, traditional, Biblical choice. Then: Laynie. Laynie! Not Elaine or Lorraine or Alaina, or even Madelaine. Laynie. Of course, I still think she got a better moniker than Baylee, who was apparently never supposed to dress in anything but pink, or, oh yeah, age past five years old.

Mark Sanford (South Carolina): wife Jenny; sons Marshall, Landon, Bolton, Blake. The counterpart to "oh, she's so kyooooooot!" girl names like Baylee is the random surname, as exhibited here. Trust, if Mr. and Mrs. Sanford had ever been blessed with a girl, we'd be dealing with a little Brittanie or Haylee. As it is, we're stuck with namesakes for Thurgood Marshall, Michael Landon, Michael Bolton, and William Blake. Who would have thought anyone would ever be mentioning those four in the same sentence!

Rick Perry (Texas): wife Anita; son Griffin; daughter Sydney. This could really go in the "eh" category, but for the fact that Rick Perry annoys the poo out of me. That said, Sydney on a girl is neither jaw-droppingly horrible nor acceptable in any way.

Tim Kaine (Virginia): wife Anne; sons Woody and Nat; daughter Annella. I have to make a big mean judgement here, which I obviously hate to do (stop snickering). Anyone who names their child Woody in this day and age is cruel. I don't care if it was your name, your father's name, your grandfather's name, and so on. I don't care if you have a room in your house devoted to the bartender on Cheers, the largely forgotten Woodrow Wilson, or an computer animated character voiced by Tom Hanks. I don't even care if your son was born looking like a tree and smelling of cedar (though I would like to see pictures). DO NOT NAME A CHILD WOODY. As for the other two, I can only hope Nat is a nickname for Nathan or Nathaniel, and Annella is a nickname for Anne Helen. Mmm... Anne Helen. I'm feeling better already. Time to move on to...

The "Well, That's Not So Bad... I Guess" Families.

To be continued!

ABCs of Popularity

2007-11-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

A: Ava (number 5), Andrew (number 8)
B: Brianna (20), Benjamin (24)
C: Chloe (18), Christopher (7)
D: Destiny (37), Daniel (6)
E: Emily (1), Ethan (4)
F: Faith (64), Fernando (151)
G: Grace (17), Gabriel (28)
H: Hannah (8), Hunter (54)
I: Isabella (4), Isaiah (40)
J: Jasmine (29), Jacob (1)
K: Kayla (26), Kevin (37)
L: Lauren (24), Logan (19)
M: Madison (3), Michael (2)
N: Natalie (16), Noah (15)
O: Olivia (7), Owen (58)
P: Paige (76), Patrick (110)
Q: Quinn (540/girls), Quinn (282/boys)
R: Rachel (49), Ryan (14)
S: Sophia (9), Samuel (25)
T: Taylor (22), Tyler (18)
U: None for girls, Uriel (403)
V: Victoria (28), Victor (104)
W: Wendy (354), William (10)
X: Ximena (393), Xavier (78)
Y: Yasmin (324), Yahir (387)
Z: Zoe (54), Zachary (33)

The Second and Third of My Celeb Baby Predictions

2007-11-08T18:11:00.001-08:00

Sacha Baron-Cohen and Isla Fisher welcomed their daughter on October 19. They have not publically confirmed it, but her name is rumored to be Olive.

How I came out: I got the gender wrong, first off. Darn. I was also wrong about them using a religious name-- though now that I think of it olives are mentioned in the Bible, and some sources state that Noah's dove brought back a leaf from an olive tree after the flood. So I'll give myself half-credit for that.

I was pleasantly surprised by this name. Given Olivia's amazing rise in popularity over the past decade, and the fact that Oliver's coming up right behind it, Olive has been left by the dusty wayside. It's a sedate, plainer version of Olivia and Oliver, but that kind of quietness has it's own charms (see the Fireside Names entry for names in the same style). Additionally, Olive has the forgotten retro feel that is super-hot in artistic urban circles. It's a stand-out choice-- a round of applause to Mr. Cohen and Ms. Fisher.

Famous Olives:
Olive Marie Osmond, better known as Marie Osmond
Olive Higgins Prouty, author of Now, Voyager and Stella Dallas (both of which have been made into movies-- Now, Voyager was a Bette Davis film, and the lovely Barbara Stanwyck appeared in the original Stella Dallas). She was also a patron of the poet Sylvia Plath, providing the scholarship that enabled her to attend Smith and paying for her psychiatric hospitalization after her first suicide attempt. Plath featured a fictionalized version of Prouty in The Bell Jar.

Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly Buffington, welcomed their boy/girl twins, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace today, November 8. These are their first children together; Dennis has one son, Jack Henry, from his previous marriage to Meg Ryan.

How I Did: They announced the genders, so no surprise there. My thoughts here were "something popular but not misspelled or made-up." And score! Thomas and Zoe are both in the top 100 as of the 2006 United States statistics. I have no clue where Boone came from; Grace is the default middle name choice (along with Rose) of every girl born in the past five years. But overall, I'm very pleased. Thomas and Zoe are flawless choices, and they sound great with Quaid, which is a rather difficult last name to pair things with.

Famous Parents with a Zoe:
John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands
Woody Harrelson
Samuel L. Jackson
Melina Kanakaredes
Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet
Audra McDonald
Henry Winkler

Famous Parents with a Thomas:
Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Haden Guest

The Fireside Names

2007-10-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

My latest name obsession has been names that communicate a certain feeling or emotion. Inspired by recent thoughts on Paul and Joel, I started with names that feel warm, friendly, and inviting. In today's world where parents are increasingly obsessed with uniqueness in their kids' names, "nice" names are often left by the wayside. They're derided as boring, unexciting, old-fashioned, blah. But given time and thoughtful consideration, this more gentle breed of names can grow on you; after all, who can't love a name equivalent of sitting by a warm fire on a crisp, fall evening? And the names on this list have plenty of advantages: they're endearing, they age well, and they're increasingly rare (unlike Destiny, Jayden, and all the other "unique" creations).

These are names for the cute, quiet boy in your English class you secretly had a huge crush on, the kind-hearted nurse at the doctor's office who always remembers your baby's name, the friendly boss who makes you glad to come to work in the morning. They may not be flashy, but they will stand your child in good stead for the lifetime to come.

Boys:
Aaron
Bernard
Carl
Clarence
Edward
Francis
Joel
Jude
Laurence
Leonard
Louis
Morgan
Paul
Robert
Roger
Russell
Samuel
Saul
Seth
Stanley
Timothy
Wesley

Girls:
Adele
Alma
Beth
Cecile
Cora
Dorothy
Ellen
Evelyn
Hannah
Julie
Laurel
Leah
Lily
Louise
Marian
Marie
Martha
Miriam
Molly
Pearl
Rose
Ruth
Susan

First of my predictions

2007-09-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault have finally announced the birth of their daughter. Her name is Valentina Paloma. (I'm not sure how the last name will be done-- Hayek, Pinault, Hayek-Pinault, or Pinault-Hayek.)

I'm glad they ended up going with Valentina. It has a delicate, feminine feel, but I think it would age well, which is often unusual for the girlier names. I have to admit that I've never cared for the sound of Paloma (pa-LO-mah). It seems like a name more often chosen for it's meaning: dove, or less appealingly pigeon, in Spanish. I'm also unsure as to how legitimate it is as a name in Spanish-speaking cultures. I have found Palomas born in Spanish-speaking countries, but none born earlier than the 1970s. Is it a modern word-name, like the English hippie-ish choices of Willow or River?

I also found out, in an article on Valentina's birth, that Francois-Henri has two older children named Francois and Mathilde. Both gorgeous names-- particularly Mathilde. Delightful!

Other Celebrities with a Valentina:
Italian football legend Roberto Baggio
Baywatch "actress" Angelica Bridges and pro hockey player Sheldon Souray
Actress Lolita Davidovich and writer/director Ron Shelton
Oscar-winning actor Anthony Quinn
Comedian Red Skelton

Other Celebrities with a Paloma:
Actor Emilio Estevez
Spanish musician Juanes
Artist Pablo Picasso

Baby Name Pool for Famous Folks

2007-09-09T00:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of my most favorite things to do, and I'm sure that admission has hereby cemented my eternal status as a big ole geek. I keep lists of when celebrities are expecting their babies, so I can keep track of when the next one should be popping. And I also like to make guesses as to the gender and possible name choices. I've never gotten it totally right (though I have been close!), but it's fun.

I'll do them in order of the due dates.

Beck Hansen & Marissa Ribisi

This is a bit of a cheat, since they've apparently already had their second baby. I think Beck's bassist announced it on his blog a couple months ago. They're very private, so we probably won't hear about it until his next album comes out.
Background: They have one child, Cosimo Henri Hansen. A very interesting name, and I'm sure they went with something else off the beaten track for their new little one. Marissa is a variant of Marisa, which is Italian (among other things). She's the twin sister of Giovanni Ribisi (from a whole bunch of movies, but most memorably to me Phoebe's younger brother on Friends), which is also an Italian name. Cosimo is the Italian variant of Cosmo. Henri is both French and Finnish, which might be a tribute to Beck's background, as his mother is half-Norwegian and half-Swedish.
Gender Predictions: I'm leaning towards girl.
Name Predictions: Cosimo is interesting, a lyrical and distinctive choice, and I see them going with another Italian name for this baby. Eulalia (yoo-lay-lee-ah) seems to fit their style-- sophisticated names with a long history that have fallen out of wide use in modern day. Possibly Beatrice (with the Italian pronunciation-- bee-ah-tree-chay) for the middle name, which would pay tribute to Beck's mother, Bibbe.

Eulalia Beatrice Hansen.

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Mark Ruffalo and Sunrise "Her Real Name Is Christina" Coigney

Another one I'm not totally sure on the date for. They announced in March of this year, so I'm thinking it'll be soon-- most couples don't say anything until they're at least three months along, and she was probably a bit further. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd already had the baby and we just haven't heard yet. (Argh! I hate when celebrities make me wait.)
Background: They have two children, a daughter named Bella and a son named Keen. I've never heard middle names for either of them, so I'll just stick with predicting first names for this one. They seem to be fond of noun names-- mark, sunrise, and keen are all English words, and Bella, of course, means "beautiful" in Italian.
Gender Predictions: No clear feeling one way or the other, so I'll take a shot in the dark and say boy.
Name Predictions: I'm thinking they'll go with another noun name for this one-- probably something short and on the trendy side (Bella being born in the middle of the uber-hot Isabella trend, and Keen fitting with the K-obsession that's inexplicably gripped parents). I'd like to predict August (meaning "venerable" or "inspiring reverence or admiration"), which is increasingly popular amongst celebrities, but it may not be hip enough for their tastes. Frank (meaning "straightforward" or "direct"), which is Mark's father's name, would be a lovely, meaningful choice, but again, probably too old-man. So I'm going to go with the as-yet undiscovered Archer (the meaning ties into its roots as a surname-- "a person who shoots with a bow and arrow") which should rise in popularity when the first tryndee mom discovers it. If the Ruffalo babe turns out to be a girl, I can see them using a lesser-known virtue name, like Mercy, or the ever-popular celebrity choice Tru(e), or even a boy's name, like Chase. I really like Mark Ruffalo though, and I don't want to be more discouraged with celebrity baby names that I already am, so I hope he comes through and picks something good.

Archer Ruffalo.

Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault

Doesn't it seem like she's been pregnant forever? I thought she was due in August, but my math is, as always, fuzzy, so the baby will probably make a break for it sometime this month. She carried her pregnancy very well, but I imagine it'll be a relief to be done with. She's gotten huge!

Background: Salma is an Arabic name meaning "to be safe," possibly chosen as a tribute to her father, whose name is Sami. She was born in Mexican to parents of Lebanese and Spanish descent. Her fiance Pinault, if you can't tell from that great name, is French. They have such a rich background of cultures to choose from, I'm very confident that they'll give their baby a beautiful name.

Gender Prediction: Even before insider gossip from Salma's recent baby shower said it was a girl, I was leaning that way, so yeah: Girl!

Name Prediction: More whispers from the baby shower said Valentina was a possibility. I would be thrilled to see them use that one, but I'm not 100% that they'll go with that. When my French major sister tried to school me on some of the language, she taught me a French song with "valentina" (cee too vu faire mon bon huere-- yeah, can you tell I was a failure as a languages student?) in it, and I wonder if they're using it as a pet name for the baby, like sweetheart in English? Anyway, I'm predicting they'll use something deliciously elaborate and girly. Claudia, Veronica, Lucia, Silvia-- any of these would be gorgeous, but I'm leaning towards Marina. I definitely think that Marina will (and should!) rise in popularity here.

Marina Juliette Hayek-Pinault.

Sacha Baron-Cohen and Isla Fisher

Possibly not quite as well-known as other people on the list, so I'll just put in that Sacha is Borat, from the movie (and Ali G, if you have HBO). Isla Fisher is a lovely up-and-coming Australian actress best known for her role in Wedding Crashers. They're due with their first child 'round about October.

Background: Sacha was born in England to an Orthodox Jewish family. His first name is apparently French, which seems an odd choice (well, he did play a Frenchman in the Ricky Bobby movie...). I'm not sure where it comes from; his family background, from what I gather, is Welsh and German. Isla was born in the Middle Eastern country of Oman to Scottish parents, and raised in Australia. Her first name, pronounced eye-la, derives from the Scottish island Islay.

Gender Prediction: Boy (again. Seems like I have more boys than girls on here, doesn't it?).

Name Prediction: From what I've read, Sacha's religious heritage seems to be important to him: he keeps kosher and observes the Jewish Sabbath, and Fisher was (or has?) converted to Judaism for their upcoming marriage. So I would anticipate them going with a Hebrew name. Additionally, Sacha and Isla, despite his outrageous stage personas, seem down-to-earth and sensible in real life, so I think we can count them out of the crazy celeb name watch. I adore a lot of Jewish names, and I'd be thrilled to see them use Ilan or Asher or Moshe or Gavriel... Okay, you get the picture. But my final pick is going to be...

Daniel Avram Baron-Cohen.

Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington

They're expecting twins, a boy and a girl, in late November. I have to admit, past celebrity births have left me petrified about these names. Not too long ago Marcia Cross was expecting twins and Kevin Costner and his (younger) second wife were having their first child. I had high expectations for both of these couples and I got... Eden & Savannah from Marcia Cross, and Cayden Wyatt from Kevin Costner. Fuck. Me. So I'm really not sure how much I can dare to hope for here.

Background: The twins are their first children together. Dennis has one son, Jack Henry Quaid, from his marriage to Meg Ryan. He and Kimberly are both from Texas. He was raised a Baptist and is still a practicing Christian, most recently attending a Presbyterian church.

Gender Predictions: Um, a boy and a girl, I'm guessing, since that's what they announced. Woo, me!
Name Predictions: Something popular but not misspelled or made-up (hello, parents of Nevaehs). Possibly a Biblical choice, but if they go that route, it'll be a more common one, like Sarah or Maria, not Dinah. Dennis's middle name is William, after his father, and the Irish name Liam is very popular at the moment, so I can see them using that. For the girl, I'll say Ava, which isn't much of a guess at all, since every other female famous baby seems to be named that, but whatever.

Liam Aidan Quaid and Ava Rachel Quaid.

Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi

I just adore Toni Collette. She's a brilliant actress (she played the mother in The Sixth Sense and Little Miss Sunshine, among many other roles), and she seems like such a fun, interesting person, the sort you want as a friend but are too shy to ever talk around. She and her husband are expecting their first child in December.

Background: Her full name is Antonia. She was raised in Australia, and they currently own homes both there and in Ireland. I have no clue what the origin of the last name Galafassi is (but I'd love to-- so if anyone knows, tell me!), but several people with Italian first names come up when I do a Google search, so possibly Italian?

Gender Prediction: Boy.
Name Prediction: Somehow, from the first moment I heard she was pregnant, I was sure it would be a boy named Hugo. Maybe because Hugo feels like a particularly Australian name to me, I'm not completely sure why. She's another who seems smart and together, so I hope she and her husband do right by their kid, name-wise. I think they will.

Hugo Benjamin Galafassi

Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman

Can you believe the little Genie-in-a-Bottle girl is pregnant? I feel old. Even though she's older than me, I still feel old. (By the by, nothing freaks me out more than when people my age or younger have kids. It makes me feel utterly unaccomplished. Which I likely am.) She and her husband Bratman (heh) are expecting their first child in January 2008.
Background: Christina is of Ecuadoran (through her father) and Irish (through her mother) descent. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her father is alleged to have been abusive. They are currently estranged. Bratman is from a Jewish family, but it's unsure if he still follows the religion.
Gender Prediction: Girl. Another shot in the dark, I could go either way.
Name Prediction: I can't get a handle on this one. It's perplexing. Christina has always been a bit out-there, a trendsetter, and I can see her choosing a completely random name for her baby. Of course, she's in her 1940s retro phase at the moment, so she might pay tribute to the glamour of that era by choosing an glamorous actress name, like Lana or Vivien. Or she might pay tribute to her mother's Irish heritage and use a familiar Irish name like Bridget, or a more distinctive one like Roisin (rosh-een), Caoimhe (kee-va), or Aisling (ash-ling). Or she could go in some other direction I've not even thought of yet! So I'm going to take a crazy guess and know I won't be right.

Lucy Mae Bratman

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Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry

Yep, Halle Berry is pregnant. She confirmed it in an email to a host on one of those syndicated celeb news shows, which seems really odd to me, but apparently they're friends (it was Nancy O'Dell from Access Hollywood, Wise Old Lady Google says). I totally saw this coming. Who doesn't want to have a baby with a younger, super-hot French male model?
Background: Halle is biracial-- her mother is British, and her father is black. She and her father had an unhappy relationship, and are currently estranged. Aubry is French Canadian and was raised in five foster families from the ages of 3 to 18.
Gender Prediction: Boy
Name Prediction: Halle seems especially close to her mother, probably a result of her father's alleged abuse early in her life and growing up with her mom as a single parent for the rest of the time. So I think she will probably give her baby a first name or middle name that pays tribute to her mom, whose name is Judith. I wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of French name being used, but since Gabriel was raised in foster care, I'm not sure how much he identifies as French Canadian.

Jude Adrien Hawkins Aubry.

And that's it-- for now. Please comment with any alternate suggestions, random thoughts, criticisms, etc. Just don't tell me I'm a stalker. I hear that enough from the voices in my head.

(Sad attempt at humor.)

The New Exotic Traditionals, Part Two

2007-09-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

Second verse, same as the first.

Removed from Wattenberg's Exotic Traditionals for reasons of popularity:
Alonzo, Andreas, Antony, Atticus, Augustus, Axel, Cedric, Cornelius, Damian, Demetrius, Desmond, Dominick, Elias, Emmanuel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Felix, Gideon, Isaias, Jasper, Justus, Lucian, Malachi, Matthias, Maxim, Maximilian, Milo, Orlando, Quinton, Raphael, Roman, Romeo, Samson, Simeon, Thaddeus, Titus, Zachariah

Removed from the Exotic Traditionals list for reasons of illegitimacy: Adelard, Aidric, Artemas, Beauregard, Dashiell, Falco, Garth, Lafayette, Montague, Montgomery, Regis, Tristram, Wolf

Removed because, frankly, I would worry about people who used these names for children: Adolphus, Fabio, Hannibal, Philo, Severin

Which leaves us with: Absalom, Aeneas, Alaric, Aldric, Algernon, Alistair, Aloysius, Alphonso, Auberon, Barnabas, Barnaby, Bartholomew, Benedict, Bram, Casimir, Cassius, Constantin, Cosmo, Dimitri, Eliezer, Ephraim, Erasmus, Erastus, Evander, Ferdinand, Florian, Galen, Gawain, Gervase, Horatio, Ignatius, Ishmael, Ivor, Jabez, Japheth, Jedidiah, Joachim, Lazar, Lazarus, Leander, Leif, Lucius, Magnus, Marcellus, Marius, Napoleon, Nicodemus, Niels, Pascal, Peregrine, Phineas, Piers, Severin, Stanislaus, Tarquin, Tavish, Thelonius, Theophilus, Torquil, Ulysses, Zebedee

The New Exotic Traditionals (my suggestions):
Ambrose
Amos
Anatoly
Aonghus/Angus
Archibald
Avram
Azriel
Baltazar
Basim
Benoit
Bertram
Cian
Cillian
Cormac
Crispin
Diarmaid
Dietrich
Edmond
Emile
Eoghan
Enrico
Giuseppe
Gregor
Hamish
Henrik
Homer
Ilan
Jago
Klaus
Laurent
Lemuel
Leonidas
Leopold
Linus
Malachy
Marek
Merlin
Milos
Mordecai
Noam
Olaf
Piet
Renato
Rudolf
Rufus
Stefanos
Stellan
Sylvain
Tommaso
Tzvi
Vadim
Willem

Suggestions, please.

The New Exotic Traditionals

2007-09-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happened not long after I created this blog-- I got a life. Thus the lack of updating. But never fear, my name geek tendencies survive.

I was rereading my abused, falling-apart copy (seriously, this book has the worst binding job I've ever seen!) of The Baby Name Wizard last night and pondering the Exotic Traditionals category. In this group, Wattenberg places names that "stand out from the pack," stretching from the less-familiar to the "downright eccentric." But, as the Traditionals label suggests, all the names are legitimate, "with roots and resonance," and often "artistic or literary pedigree."

My first inclination when looking at the list was to remove any names appearing in the Top 1000 in the United States, on the basis that they have reached a level of popularity that negates the exotic flair they once had. I like a lot of the names this standard eliminates, and I'm not suggesting they're poor choices in any way, but for the truly exotic, we need names that are in much more limited use.

Names from Wattenberg's Exotic Traditionals girls' list I'd remove on the basis of popularity:
Angelique, Athena, Aurora, Catalina, Damaris, Delilah, Evangeline, Genevieve, Isis, Leilani, Lorelei, Paloma, Sarai, Scarlett, Valentina.

Most of these rank in the mid-range of popularity (400-600), and there's an obvious celebrity influence. It's no coincidence that Scarlett and Evangeline rocketed up in popularity after the success of actresses Scarlett Johansson and Evangeline Lilly. Similarly, Lorelei owes some of its success to the cult hit TV show The Gilmore Girls.

The next set of names I'd remove are those with questionable legitimacy. Wattenberg has put out some great information with this book, but she's also guilty of giving the more, um, trendy parents among us ideas by suggesting Atlanta as a great girl's name. This set of names includes:
Averil, Domicela, Glynis, Lourdes, Monserrate, Tallulah, Viva, Xanthia, Zena, Zola, Zora

And, last but not least, I'd purge a few names that I think are so out-there that it would be cruel to use them on a child. I tread lightly here, since I know there are people more adventurous than me, but I hope these are names that the majority can agree are frankly bizarre (but often quite delightful guilty pleasures). These names include:
Apollonia, Flavia, Mehitabel, Olympia (Sorry, Ms. Dukakis), Severina, Zenobia

So, the revised Exotic Traditionals girls' list is as follows:
Aida, Amabel, Anais, Araminta, Ariadne, Artemisia, Astrid, Beatrix, Bronwyn, Charis, Christabel, Cleo, Danae, Drusilla, Elodie, Esme, Guinevere, Hermione, Iolanthe, Iole, Ione, Isadora, Leocadia, Lilias, Linnea, Lucretia, Minerva, Octavia, Philomena, Phyllida, Portia, Salome, Sapphira, Sidony, Siobhan, Tamar, Thomasina, Violetta, Xanthe, Zelda, Zilla

And here comes the geeky-fun part-- what to add? I would humbly submit these names as New Exotic Traditionals:
Aoife
Clemence
Cornelia
Cosima
Davina
Demetria
Ekaterina
Eulalia
Euphemia
Galina
Hadassah
Ileana
Ines
Irina
Jacinta
Lavinia
Leonora
Liora
Lucasta
Ludivine
Nadezhda
Orfhlaith
Rosamund
Sigrid
Sunniva
Tamsin
Theodora
Ursula
Vashti
Verena
Verity
Wilhelmina

What makes an exotic traditional in your book?

A Round of Applause

2007-07-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

As promised, the best-named celebrity kids. By family, because there are a good amount of well-named kids out there. A big hurrah for sensible, sane celebrities.

A few caveats: I don't count stepchildren, adopted or otherwise, not because I don't consider them the celebrity's child, but because for the celebrity didn't play a role in the naming, so they can't get the credit (or take the blame). If the celebrity has been married more than once, and only children from one marriage are included, I list the spouse's name. Otherwise, I just put the celebrity. Because, really, that's all you're here for. You sluts.

Alan Alda: Eve, Elizabeth, and Beatrice Alda.

Judd Apatow: Iris and Maude Apatow.

Jason Bateman: Francesca Nora Bateman.

Juliette Binoche: Raphael Binoche Halle and Hanna Binoche Magimel.

Jack Black: Samuel Jason Black.

Matthew Broderick & Sarah Jessica Parker: James Wilkie Broderick.

Pierce Brosnan & Cassandra Harris: Sean William Brosnan.

James Cameron: Claire, Quinn, Elizabeth Rose, and Josephine Archer Cameron.

Steve Carrell: Elisabeth Anne and John Carrell.

Beverly Cleary: Malcolm James and Marianne Elisabeth Cleary.

Stephen Colbert: Madeline, Peter, and John Colbert.

Harry Connick Jr: Georgia Tatom, Sara Kate, and Charlotte Connick.

Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman: Isabella Jane and Connor Anthony Cruise.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Haden Guest: Anne Haden and Thomas Haden Guest.

Joan Cusack: Dylan John and Miles Burke.

Judi Dench: Tara Cressida Frances Williams.

Robert DeNiro: Julian Henry, Aaron Kendrick, Raphael, and Elliott DeNiro.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones: Dylan Michael and Carys Zeta Douglas.

Bob Dylan and Sara Lowndes: Jesse Byron, Anna Leigh, Samuel Abraham, and Jakob Luke Dylan.

Clint Eastwood & Frances Fisher: Francesca Ruth Eastwood.

Colin Farrell: James Padraig Farrell.

Craig Ferguson: Milo Hamish Ferguson.

Will Ferrell: Magnus Paulin and Mattias Paulin Ferrell.

Tina Fey: Alice Zenobia Richmond.

Dan Futterman: Sylvie Epstein and Eve Epstein Futterman.

Mariska Hargitay: August Miklos Friedrich Hermann.

Patricia Heaton: Sam David, John Basil, Joseph Charles, and Daniel Patrick Hunt.

Dustin Hoffman: Jennifer Celia "Jenna," Jacob Edward "Jake," Rebecca Lillian, Maxwell Geoffrey "Max," and Alexandra Lydia Hoffman.

Lauren Holly: Alexander Joseph, Henry Charles, and George William Greco.

Elizabeth Hurley: Damian Charles Hurley.

Jeremy Irons & Sinead Cusack: Maximilian Paul Diarmuid and Samuel James Irons.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: Simone Alexandra Johnson.

Stephen King: Naomi Rachel, Owen Philip, and Joseph Hillstrom King.

Greg Kinnear: Lily Katherine and Audrey Mae Kinnear.

Kevin Kline & Phoebe Cates: Owen Joseph and Greta Simone Kline.

Lenny Kravitz & Lisa Bonet: Zoe Isabella Kravitz.

Diane Lane: Eleanor Jasmine Lambert.

Jessica Lange & Sam Shepard: Hannah Jane and Samuel Walker Shepard.

Angela Lansbury: Anthony Peter and Deirdre Angela Pullen-Shaw.

Hugh Laurie: Charles, William, and Rebecca Laurie.

Matt LeBlanc: Marina Pearl LeBlanc.

Heath Ledger & Michelle Williams: Matilda Rose Ledger.

John Lithgow: Ian, Phoebe McCurtain, and Nathan George Lithgow.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Henry and Charles Hall.

Martie Maguire (of the Dixie Chicks): Eva Ruth and Kathleen Emilie Maguire.

Dave Matthews: Grace Anne, Stella Busina, and August Oliver Matthews.

Paul McCartney & Linda Eastman: Mary Anna, Stella Nina, and James Louis McCartney.

Dylan McDermott: Colette and Charlotte Rose McDermott.

Ewan McGregor: Clara Mathilde and Esther Rose McGregor.

Christopher Meloni: Sophia Eva Pietra and Dante Amadeo Meloni.

Viggo Mortensen: Henry Blake Mortensen.

Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward: Elinor Teresa "Nell," Melissa Steward, and Claire Olivia Newman.

Randy Newman: Amos, Erik, John, Patrick Randall, and Alice Ann Newman.

Jack Nicholson & Rebecca Broussard: Lorraine Broussard and Raymond Thomas Broussard Nicholson.

Clive Owen: Hannah and Eve Owen.

Al Pacino & Beverly D'Angelo: Olivia Rose and Anton James Pacino.

Bill Paxton: James and Lydia Paxton.

Michelle Pfeiffer & David E. Kelly: Claudia Rose and John Henry Kelly.

Paul Reiser: Ezra Samuel and Leon Reiser.

Emily Robison (of the Dixie Chicks): Charles Augustus "Gus," Juliana Tex, and Henry Benjamin Robison.

Al Roker & Deborah Roberts: Leila Ruth and Nicholas Albert Roker.

Rene Russo: Rose Jean Gilroy.

Susan Sarandon (and Tim Robbins): Eva Maria Livia Amurri, Miles Guthrie Robbins, and Jack Henry Robbins.

Martin Scorsese: Catherine Terese, Domenica Elizabeth, and Francesca Morris Scorsese.

Steven Spielberg & Amy Irving: Max Samuel Spielberg.

Patrick Stewart: Daniel Freedom and Sophie Alexandra Falconer Stewart.

Meryl Streep: Henry, Mary Willa "Mamie," Grace Jane, and Louisa Jacobson Gummer.

Liv Tyler: Milo William Langdon.

Emily Watson: Juliet Waters.

Side-Steps

2007-07-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as the "Instead of [this], try [that]" game.

If there's one thing I am authorized to advise parents on, it's popularity. If you combine the two spellings, there were nearly 40,000 other Sara/Sarah's born the same year as me. That would put us in the number three spot overall (behind Jennifer and Jessica). There are good points to giving your kid a popular name: less possibility for teasing in school, less likelihood that the name will be misspelled or mispronounced (assuming you avoid the illiterate spellings of Emilee and the like), and the guarantee that your kid will have a good name-- with one exception, the 10 most popular names are charming and lovely.

But the downsides to popular names should be equally considered: being dated to a certain age group or era, going through the school years as Emily W., and the annoyingly stupid parents who misspell names in misguided attempts to "stand out" and "be creative" (Emilee, Emmalee, and Emely are all included in the current top 1000 names). If these concerns hit a note with you, be proactive. Study the birth announcements in your area. Visit the Social Security Administration's baby name database (http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi). Find out just how common your name of choice is in the country and in your state and city.

So say you love a Top 10 name, like Hannah. You can't imagine a name you could love more than Hannah. But you flinch at the idea of your daughter being one of three Hannah's in her class. Here's where sidesteps come in. I've gone through the ten most popular names for girls (boys will come tomorrow) and selected less popular alternatives that have the same sound or the same background. There are two levels at play: the slightly less popular category-- Allison instead of Madison, for example-- and the very unique-- replacing Madison with Magdalena. Take a spin through the alternatives, and see if you can't find another name that hits the same spot as America's reigning favorites.

Emily/Emma
Sidestep: Amelia, Emilia, Camille, Camilla
Sideleap: Amalia, Amelie, Emmeline, Imogen, Gemma
Amalia is a German name pronounced ah-MAH-lee-ah.
Delicate beauties Amelie and Emmeline are both French, pronounced ah-me-LEE and EM-e-leen, respectively. Amelie was, of course, made better-known by the popular French film.
The distinctive and gorgeous Imogen is a Shakespearean name popular in Australia and England and pronounced IM-o-jen.
Gemma is the Italian word for gem that's fairly popular as a name in Great Britain; it's said JEM-ma.

Madison
Sidestep: Allison, Madeline
Sideleap: Matilda, Magdalena
Magdalena comes from the Biblical figure Mary Magdalene, and it can be said mahg-de-LE-nah or mahg-da-LAY-nah. I prefer the latter, but either is gorgeous and eye-catching-- and legitimately feminine, unlike (the surname and Wisconsin town) Madison.

Isabella
Sidestep: Annabel, Gabriella, Eliana, Arabella
Sideleap: Isadora, Adela, Sibyl
Isadora, which is perplexingly unheard of in the United States, has its roots in the male name Isidore. It's utterly delightful, so jump on it now before it becomes an American phenomenon.
Sweet Adela was big at the turn of the century, but fell out of use in the 1950s. It's closeness to current trends and popular nickname root (Addie) leave it bursting with hit-name potential.
Sibyl is a name used in Greek mythology; it's pronounced SIB-ul. A long, fascinating history, and a memorable alternative to the overused Isabella/Isabelle crowd.

Ava
Sidestep: Eva, Eve, Ivy, Ada
Sideleap: Maeve, Isla, Aviva, Avril
Maeve, while getting some well-deserved popularity love, is still unheard of in some parts of the country. It's the Anglicized version of the Irish name Medb, and it's pronounced mayv. Freaking wonderful, and a great way to ground a more frilly first name.
Isla is hugely popular in Scotland, and will probably be making it's American debut soon; it's said I-lah, like the first beginning of the word island.
Aviva is a high-spirited Jewish name pronounced ah-VEEV-ah.
Avril, made famous by the musician Avril Lavigne, has Scottish roots in the name Averill. It's also the French word for April.

Abigail
Sidestep: Tabitha, Rachel, Leah
Sideleap: Abital or Avital, Abijah, Berenice
Abigail is a strong, dignified Biblical name with the cute nickname Abbie. Tabitha is a strong, dignified Biblical name with the adorable nicknames Tabby and Tibby (used by a character in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series). And as a bonus, Tabitha has been falling in popularity for years. Why not go for it?
Abital or Avital are pretty much unheard of, but they also have Biblical words. Abital was the wife of King David in the Old Testament (say it AB-i-tal). Avital is the Hebrew version.
Abijah was used for both men and women in the Old Testament and has a surprisingly modern look. It's said a-BIE-jah.
Berenice has gotten a sad-sack old lady vibe from the related name Bernice. Forget that. The true Berenice has a quietly devilish spirit, especially with the original pronunciations: ber-e-NIE-see in English, and be-re-NEE-che in Italian.

Olivia
Sidestep: Evelyn, Lydia, Sylvia
Sideleap: Lavinia, Olympia, Ophelia, Niamh
Ah, Lavinia. Used in Roman mythology and Shakespeare, but left by the wayside today. I'll chalk that up to parents' ignorance of this gorgeous classic. It's literary and smart, but offers the cute Liv as a nickname.
Olympia is daring and takes no prisoners. A powerful and unforgettable choice.
The poor Ophelia, another Shakespearean name, has the same soft, lady-like feel as Olivia, but is guaranteed to stand out in any classroom.
Anglicized as Neve, Niamh is an Irish name pronounced neev. I suspect that, like Maeve, it will soon be appearing in full-force on our shores. Spry and pretty, a real winner.

Hannah
Sidestep: Anne, Hazel, Lana
Sideleap: Annika, Hannelore, Harriet, Janet
Dutch Annika shot to popularity over here a few years ago, and boy, was that ever well-deserved. It's happy sound and abundance of nicknames (Ani, Niki, and Nika right off the bat) should make it a hit for years to come.
Some clever person in Germany smushed together Hanne and Eleonore and we reap the benefits in the versatile Hannelore. The pronounciation (HAH-ne-lo-ruh) gives you the nickname options of Hannie and Lory, if the full name is a mouthful for your little girl.
Lumped with the yucky old lady names like Hilda, Harriet has the hidden comeback potential of names like Hazel. It's dashing and memorable for a woman, and the nickname Hattie is as delightful (moreso, I say) as Hannie.
Janet: Damnit, Janet! Jan Brady. Baby boomers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been used for centuries, and deserves to be used for generations more. It has character, quiet dignity, and lends an individualist, "I don't care what anybody thinks" air to parents daring enough to use it. Jan is a sweet-but-not-cutesy nickname choice.

Sophia
Sidestep: Sophie, Fiona, Sabrina, Selena
Sideleap: Silvia, Estella, Sonya
My beloved Silvia is the original spelling of Sylvia, and one of the most lilting, gorgeous names of all time. And as a bonus, you get backbone, the wonderful Silvie as a nickname, and a great history (used in mythology and Shakespeare).
I'm not sure why Estella doesn't appear in the top 1000. It has a perfect meaning (star), a lady-like appearance, and a popular nickname (Stella, and for that matter, Ella and Ellie). Jeez, people! Get on it.
Sonya is a Russian pet form of Sophia, and it's worth considering as a nickname or a stand-alone.

Samantha
Sidestep: Susannah, Simone, Martha
Sideleap: Simona, Amarantha, Tamsin, Shoshannah
Simona is the feminine form of Simon used in Italy and Romania, among other countries, and gets you a little closer to Samantha's lush, girly sound. It also gives you the options of Sam as a nickname.
Amarantha is totally over the top, but, hey, sometimes you want that in a name. It's derived from the amaranth flower.
The equally-neglected Thomasina was contracted to form the spunky Tamsin. It's pronounced just the way it's spelled, and given some time, will charm you out of your wits.
Shoshannah is the Hebrew version of the Biblical Susannah. It's soft, exotic, and very pretty. Hannie or Shoshie are adorable on a little girl, too.

Tomorrow: The Boys!

Popularity of First Letters in Names

2007-07-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

I found a list on my computer ranking the most popular first letters in names today. I can't remember if I determined this from the 2005 Social Security Administration Top 1000 list or the 2006 one, but either way, it's a good guide.

I went through the 200 most popular names in America and counted how many names started with each letter of the alphabet. The most popular letter was A with 32 names, followed by J, with 27. If you are looking for a name that will stand out among your child's peers, your best bet is to stick closer to the bottom of this ranking.

A: 32 names
J: 27
M: 20
C: 17
S: 13
K: 10
B: 9
E: 9
L: 9
D: 8
N: 7
G: 6
I: 6
R: 6
H: 5
T: 5
O: 2
V: 2
W: 2
Z: 2
F: 1
P: 1
X: 1
Q: 0
U: 0
Y: 0

Next, I broke it down by the two first letter combinations, to get a clearer picture of the most popular sounds of the moment.

The results: There were 11 names that begin with Ma- in the top 200, the most by far. Runners-up were Ja- with 9, and Al- and Jo-, both with 8. Again, if popularity is a concern for you, avoid these letters. Find an little-used first letters combination (Athena instead of Alexa, for example) or go with a less popular letter altogether (Frank instead of Jack).

There are so many wonderful names out there. Look outside of the box!

The First Two Letters List:
Aa: 2 (Aaliyah, Aaron)
Ab: 1 (Abigail)
Ad: 2 (Adam, Adrian)
Ai: 2 (Aidan, Aiden)
Al: 8 (Alejandro, Alex, Alexa, Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis, Allison, Alyssa)
Am: 2 (Amanda, Amelia)
An: 7 (Andrea, Andrew, Angel, Angelina, Anna, Anthony, Antonio)
Ar: 2 (Ariana, Arianna)
As: 1 (Ashley)
Au: 3 (Audrey, Austin, Autumn)
Av: 2 (Ava, Avery)

Be: 1 (Benjamin)
Bl: 1 (Blake)
Br: 7 (Brandon, Brayden, Brian, Brianna, Brooke, Brooklyn, Bryan)

Ca: 7 (Caden, Caleb, Cameron, Carlos, Caroline, Carson, Carter)
Ch: 5 (Charles, Chase, Chloe, Christian, Christopher)
Cl: 1 (Claire)
Co: 4 (Cody, Cole, Colin, Connor)

Da: 2 (Daniel, David)
De: 2 (Destiny, Devin)
Di: 2 (Diana, Diego)
Do: 1 (Dominic)
Dy: 1 (Dylan)

El: 3 (Elijah, Elizabeth, Ella)
Em: 2 (Emily, Emma)
Er: 1 (Eric)
Et: 1 (Ethan)
Ev: 2 (Evan, Evelyn)

Fa: 1 (Faith)

Ga: 4 (Gabriel, Gabriella, Gabrielle, Gavin)
Gr: 2 (Grace, Gracie)

Ha: 4 (Hailey, Haley, Hannah, Hayden)
Hu: 1 (Hunter)

Ia: 1 (Ian)
Is: 5 (Isabel, Isabelle, Isabella, Isaiah, Isaac)

Ja: 9 (Jack, Jackson, Jacob, Jada, Jaden, James, Jasmine, Jason, Jayden)
Je: 6 (Jenna, Jennifer, Jeremiah, Jesse, Jesus, Jessica)
Jo: 8 (Jocelyn, John, Jonathan, Jordan, Jordan (girl), Jose, Joseph, Joshua)
Ju: 4 (Juan, Julia, Julian, Justin)

Ka: 6 (Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Katherine, Katie, Kayla, Kaylee)
Ke: 1 (Kevin)
Ki: 1 (Kimberly)
Ky: 2 (Kyle, Kylie)

La: 2 (Landon, Lauren)
Le: 1 (Leah)
Li: 2 (Lillian, Lily)
Lo: 1 (Logan)
Lu: 3 (Lucas, Luis, Luke)

Ma: 11 (Mackenzie, Madeline, Madison, Makayla, Maria, Mariah, Marissa, Mary, Mason, Matthew, Maya)
Me: 2 (Megan, Melanie)
Mi: 4 (Mia, Michael, Michelle, Miguel)
Mo: 2 (Molly, Morgan)
My: 1 (Mya)

Na: 3 (Natalie, Nathan, Nathaniel)
Ne: 1 (Nevaeh)
Ni: 2 (Nicholas, Nicole)
No: 1 (Noah)

Ol: 1 (Olivia)
Ow: 1 (Owen)

Pa: 1 (Paige)

Q: NONE

Ra: 1 (Rachel)
Re: 1 (Rebecca)
Ri: 2 (Richard, Riley)
Ro: 1 (Robert)
Ry: 1 (Ryan)

Sa: 5 (Samantha, Samuel, Sara, Sarah, Savannah)
Se: 3 (Sean, Sebastian, Seth)
So: 2 (Sofia, Sophia)
St: 2 (Stephanie, Steven)
Sy: 1 (Sydney)

Ta: 1 (Taylor)
Th: 1 (Thomas)
Ti: 1 (Timothy)
Tr: 1 (Trinity)
Ty: 1 (Tyler)

U: NONE

Va: 1 (Vanessa)
Vi: 1 (Victoria)

Wi: 1 (William)
Wy: 1 (Wyatt)

Xa: 1 (Xavier)

Y: NONE

Za: 1 (Zachary)
Zo: 1 (Zoe)

Hmm, Pig or Crippled?

2007-07-29T14:02:00.001-07:00

I'm not much on name meanings. They're a nice bit of trivia, but when it comes down to it, the only people who really cares that Ruth means friends are people named Ruth and, occasionally, parents considering naming their daughter Ruth. In my experience, what a name means has little impact in how the bearer feels about his or her name. Some people (most guys I know, for starters) just don't care that much. And for the rest of us, personal associations with our names and a particular name's rate of occurence in our community, among other factors, matter a lot more than its etymological roots.

My sister and I are a perfect example. My name is Sara. My sister's name is Rebecca. Sara means princess; Rebecca means a snare. It's not too hard to figure out which meaning is more appealing. But my sister has always, and probably will always, like her name a lot more than I like mine. Rebecca is relatively rare-- she never had one in her class growing up-- and offers some nice, very obvious nicknames. And unless you're reading this from a deserted island, you'll know it's the exact opposite for Sara. Yell Sara in a college classroom and at least three heads will turn. (Obviously most parents wanted a princess instead of a snare for a daughter!) It's been so overused that it's simplicity and charm is at the point of fading. Meanwhile, the graceful Rebecca still has buckets of appeal to spare.

All that said, I was curious enough to compile a list of names with negative meanings. It was surprisingly hard to do. Despite the fact that the name's meaning will rarely impact the bearer's experience, most parents are reluctant to knowingly name their little boy "destruction" or "hated." So the more unlucky names die out. Most of the ones on this list are not widely used today; I have bolded all the names that appear in the Top 1000 in America, italicized the names that have appeared in the Top 1000 at one point or another since the 1890s. The names marked (poss.) have unclear etymological roots.

Abaddon: ruin, destruction
Achilles: pain (poss.)
Ajax: mourner (poss.)
Beelzebub: lord of flies
Boyko: to be afraid of (poss.)
Brennan: a descendant of Braonan [Braonan meaning sorrow] (poss.)
Caleb: dog (Hey, it's an insult when a girl gets called this, so why not a guy?)
Calvin/Calvino: bald
Casimir: to destroy peace
Ceallach: war, strife (poss.)
Cecil/Cecilio: blind (poss.)
Cillian: war, strife (poss.)
Claude/Claudius: lame or crippled
Diggory: lost one (poss.)
Duilio: war (poss.)
Ekaitz: storm
Frediano: cold
Gwandoya: met with misery
Hadad: thunder
Hashim: crusher, breaker
Job/Iyov: persecuted, hated
Kimball: chief war (poss.)
Livius/Livio: to envy or blue, envious
Loki: to break (poss.)
Mazin: rain clouds
Neoptolemus: new war
Odysseus/Ulysses: to hate (poss.)
Patton: bald (poss.)
Perseus: to destroy (poss.)
Phobos: fear
Ptolemy: aggressive, warlike
Stamatios: stop
Terminus: limit, boundary, end
Thor: thunder
Viggo: war

Acantha: thorn, prickle
Amaia: the end
Audra: storm
Bellona: to fight
Cecilia/Cecily/Cecile/etc: blind
Claudia/Claudie/Claudette/etc: lame, crippled
Etain: jealousy (poss.)
Gunhild: war, battle
Gytha: war, strife
Hedwig: contention, war
Livia/Liviana: to envy or blue, envious
Pankaja: born of mud
Perdita: lost
Persephone: to destroy, murder (poss.)
Portia: pig

All name meanings taken from www.behindthename.com.

Additions, disagreements, general rabble-rousing from the peanut gallery?

Comments, GO!

2007-07-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

I think I have enabled it so anyone, even you non-Bloggers, can comment. Have at me.

Do Not Listen to Celebrities

2007-07-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

A collection of the worst of the worst of the worst in celebrity baby names. First, the criteria:

the legitimacy of the names-- or the lack thereof.
the stupidity level of the non-legit names. For instance, a name like Julitta, while not a legit stand-alone, sounds more like a name than Chudney.
gender appropriateness (i.e. not using Dean on a girl or Pax on a boy).
good flow with the surname. Say Darby Dempsey out loud. Sounds pretty fucking ridiculous, doesn't it?

Send the children out of the room before viewing the following terrible, terrible list... or at least try to muffle your screams.

Males:
Tron Austin (Rozonda "Chili" Thomas)
Audio Science Clayton (Shannyn Sossamon)
Kal-El Coppola (Nicolas Cage)
Tennyson Spencer Crowe (Russell)
Darby Galen Dempsey (Patrick Dempsey)
Prince Michael Jackson II (Do I have to say?)
Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt (Angelina/Brad)
Chance Armstrong King (Larry King)
Eja Lange (Shania Twain)
Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf Lee (Jason Lee)
Brawley King Nolte (Nick Nolte)
Gulliver Flynn Oldman (Gary Oldman)
Hopper Jack Penn (Sean Penn/Robin Wright)
Sage Moonblood Stallone (Sylvester)

Girls:
Coco Riley Arquette (Courteney Cox/David Arquette)
Evin Harrah Cosby (Bill Cosby)
Suri Cruise (BSC Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes)
Phoenix Chi Gulzar (Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown)
Bluebell Madonna Halliwell (Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell)
Deni Montana Harrelson (Woody Harrelson)
Makani Ravello Harrelson (Woody again)
Grier Hammond Henchy (Brooke Shields)
Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard)
Jade Sheena Jezebel Jagger (Mick Jagger)
Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt (Angelina/Brad)
Dexter Dean Keaton (Diane Keaton)
Satchel Lewis Lee (Spike Lee)
Apple Blythe Alison Martin (Chris Martin/Gwyneth Paltrow)
Nico Parker (Thandie Newton)
Ripley Parker (Thandie Newton)
Chase Rolison (Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins)
Sam J Sheen (Charlie Sheen/Denise Richards)
Chudney Lane Ross Silberstein (Diana Ross)
Lulu Belle Simon (Paul Simon)
Taa-Jah Summer Sood (Sarah McLachlan)
Destry Allyn Spielberg (Steven Spielberg)
Sistine Rose Stallone (Sylvester Stallone)
Rumer Glenn Willis (Bruce Willis/Demi Moore)
Scout Larue Willis (Bruce Willis/Demi Moore)

Yeah, seems like girls always get the shitty end of the stick, doesn't it? Ah, well. Tomorrow, a look at the best celebrity baby names (of which there are many).

My Heroes

2007-07-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I wanted to live in San Francisco. I didn't know anything about it, so there was no reasoning behind my desire; I just got it in my head that it'd be a cool, fun place to live. (I had the same feelings about Australia.)

Over the past few months I have falled in love with San Fran all over again. Why? I am convinced that this city's parents are among the best in United States... name-wise, that is. And that's all that really counts!

When I see a birth announcement for Chevy Cheyenne in the newspaper (yes, really) or I hear another celebrity naming her daughter Princess, I close my eyes and think of San Fran. Specifically, the California Pacific Medical Center. My one true home.

Of course the city has it's Maddoxes and surnames-on-girls like every city seems to these days, but it also has gorgeous, literary, elegant, sophisticated choices that you rarely see in the U.S. And I'm compiling them here, to stock-pile hope for the next round of naming atrocities, because, yeah, there will be one.

A Collection of Well-Named Babies, CPMC Style:
Aisling* Eve (An Irish name pronounced ASH-ling.)
Amelie Hribar* (Appears to be a surname.)
Aoibhinn* Marie (An Irish name pronounced EE-van.)
Beatrice Le
Camilla Citlali* (Means "star" in a Nahuatl dialect.)
Celeste Elizabeth
Charlotte Elaine
Claudia Rose
Corinne Victoria
Domenica DeRochi
Eliza Li
Ellen Louise
Esme* Nelson (A French name pronounced es-MAY.)
Flora Alexandria
Francesca Irene
Gemma* Rosemary (The Italian word for "gem," commonly used as a name in England. Pronounced JEM-ma.)
Josephine Wei-Li
Lana Frances
Lavinia* Louise (A name from Roman mythology pronounced la-vin-ee-ah.)
Lena Audrey
Livia* Francesca (Feminine form of the Ancient Roman name Livius.)
Lidia* Teresa (Polish, Italian, Spanish, and Portugese variant of Lydia.)
Lydia May
Mabel Virginia
Marina Elizabeth
Matilda Grace
Naomi Denise
Violet McGlinn
Vivian Grace

Andreas* Emilio (Ancient Greek and Latin form of Andrew; pronounced ahn-DRAY-ahs.)
Antonio Bautista* (Spanish form of the French name Baptiste, pronounced bow-TEES-tah.)
Arthur Thomas
George Alois* (German and Czech form of Aloysius; pronounced AH-lo-ees.)
Dominic Vitale* (Italian form of the Late Latin name Vitalus.)
Elias Timothy
Ezra James
Gabriel Nicholas
Geoffrey Ivan
Henry Bellantoni
Joaquin Leonardo
Kieran* Jeremiah (Anglicization of the Irish name Ciaran, pronounced KEER-ahn.)
Leo Henry
Leo Zalman* (Yiddish form of Solomon.)
Liam Renaud* (French form of Reynold.)
Luka* Marko* (Croatian, Serbian, and Slovene forms of Luke and Mark, respectively.)
Miles Edward
Oliver Patrick
Oskar* Benjamin (Scandinavian, Polish, German, and Slovene form of Oscar.)
Raymond Joseph
Sean Francis
Sebastian Alexander
Simon Oliver
Theodor* Raymond (German form of Theodore.)

Twins:
Luc* Peter and Emilia Josephine (The French form of Luke, pronounced closer to look.)
Marisol and Francesca
Graham and Gabrielle
Alexandra and Julia

The Second Stringers

2007-07-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

Some of these names have been on my list at one time or another and fell out of favor, others are names I would never use but like seeing on other people's kids. Either way, they're lovely and endorsed-by-me choices.

Aaron, Adam, Alan, Alasdair, Albert, Alexander, Andre, Andrew, Arthur, Asher, Barnaby, Bartholomew, Benedict, Bernard, Bertram, Caleb, Casper, Cedric, Charles, Cillian, Conrad, Clyde, Cosimo, Dante, Declan, Dennis, Desmond, Dexter, Edgar, Eli, Emmett, Ezekiel, Gabriel, Gideon, Gilbert, Grant, Harold, Harry, Homer, Horatio, Ivan, Jeffrey, Jeremiah, Joaquin, Joseph, Julius, Kiefer, Liam, Lorenzo, Luke, Lucian, Magnus, Malcolm, Martin, Max, Merlin, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Nils, Paul, Phineas, Quentin, Raymond, Robert, Roger, Rudolph, Rupert, Sean, Sebastian, Thaddeus, Theodore, Xavier

Adelaide, Adele, Adeline, Adrienne, Alexandra, Alice, Alison, Allegra, Amelia, Andrea, Annabel, Anne, Antonia, Astrid, Athena, Audrey, Augusta, Beatrice, Bianca, Bridget, Camilla, Carolina, Caroline, Cassandra, Cecile, Charlotte, Clarice, Claudia, Cosima, Delia, Diana, Dinah, Edith, Elena, Emeline, Esther, Finola, Gilda, Gillian, Glynis, Helena, Ingrid, Isobel, Janis, Jessamyn, Joan, Joanna, Jocelyn, Josephine, Juliet, Junia, Katerina, Lana, Laura, Lenora, Lila, Liza, Lorna, Lorraine, Lucia, Magdalena, Maria, Mariana, Margot, Maude, Miranda, Miriam, Nadia, Naomi, Nora, Prudence, Ramona, Rebecca, Rosanna, Ruth, Sabrina, Simone, Susannah, Tessa, Veronica

My Complete List of Girl's Names

2007-07-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

All 41 of 'em.

(4) Agnes (Annie) Chaste or holy.
Famous Bearers: Dance choreographer Agnes DeMille; Agnes Baden-Powell, founder of the Girl Scouts; Agnes Randolph, a 13th century Scottish countess who defended her castle against a four-month English siege; botanist Agnes Arber; the gentle young heroine of Dickens’s David Copperfield.
BNW: Porch Sitters.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the Top 1000 in 1972. In the top 10 in Sweden; in the top 100 in Hungary

(6) Anastasia (Tasha, Stacey, Ana, Annie) Resurrection; literally, she who will rise up again.
Famous Bearers: Traditionally given to children born on or near Easter. Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last Russian monarch, was murdered with her family in 1918; rumors have persisted that she survived the massacre. An Ingrid Bergman film was made about a woman who claimed to be her.
BNW: Annika, Dominic, Dimitri, Damian. Greek, Lacy and Lissome, Saints, Slavic.
Popularity: In 2006: 288. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use from the 1890s-1920s. Re-emerged in the 1960s. On a slight upswing (up 5 points).

(3) Anna (Annie, Nan) Favor, grace.
Famous Bearers: A Biblical prophetess who recognizes the infant Jesus as the son of God; a tsarina of Russia; legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova; innovative children's author and poet Anna Barbauld; columnist/author Anna Quindlen; actress Anna Paquin; prominent Russian poet Anna Akhmatova; the elegant and selfless heroine of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.
BNW: Julia, Henry, Simon, Julian. Antique Charm, Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 23. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady (down 1 point).

(6) Annora (Nora, Annie) Honor.
Famous Bearers: A variant of the English name Honor or Honora.
Popularity: Never in Top 1000.

(7) Annika (Ani, Nika) Favor, grace.
BNW: Anastasia. Lacy and Lissome, Scandinavian.
Popularity: In 2006: 335. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1990s. On a downswing (down 8 points).

(5) Celia (Lia) Heaven.
Famous Bearers: The loyal second lead of Shakespeare's As You Like It; popular Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz.
BNW: Estella, Nora, Sam, Henry, Elliott. Shakespearean (As You Like It), Timeless, Why Not?
Popularity: In 2006: 707. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 31 points).

(7) Clementine (Clea, Mercy) Merciful, gentle.
Famous Bearers: The folk song called My Darling Clementine; a type of citrus fruit similar to an orange; a lead character in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
BNW: Hugo. Ladies and Gentlemen, French.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the Top 1000 in 1953. In the top 100 in France.

(6) Elaine (Nell, Laine, Lainie) Shining light.
Famous Bearers: In Arthurian legend, the lover of Lancelot and the mother of Galahad, whose story is retold in Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott; award-winning children's author Elaine Lobl (E.L.) Konigsburg; painter Elaine de Kooning; the female lead on the sitcom Seinfeld, Elaine Benes.
BNW: Gloria, Calvin. Solid Citizens.
Popularity: In 2006: 719. Widest Useage: 1940s. In Use since the 1890s. On a sharp downswing (down 114 points).

(4) Eleanor (Nora, Nell) Shining light.
Famous Bearers: Eleanor of Aquitaine, the first known bearer of the name, a powerful queen of France and England in the Middle Ages; social activist First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt; the first name of poet (Eleanore) May Sarton and singer (Eleanora) Billie Holliday; the thoughtful and reserved heroine of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, Elinor Dashwood; the title character in the Beatles' song Eleanor Rigby.
BNW: Josephine, Virginia, Vivien, Henry. Antique Charm, Ladies & Gentlemen.
Popularity: In 2006: 277. Widest Useage: 1920s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 14 points).

(7) Eliza (Liza) My god is an oath or my god is abundance.
Famous Bearers: Eliza Doolittle, the heroine of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, later made into the film My Fair Lady; English author and actress Eliza Haywood, one of the founders of the novel in the 1700s.
BNW: Lydia, Sophie, Simon, Jonas, Hugo. Antique Charm, English.
Popularity: In 2006: 325. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use from the 1890s-1950s. Re-emerged in the 1970s. On a downswing (down 19 points).

(5) Esme (Mae) Esteemed or loved.
Famous Bearers: The heroine in a popular short story by J.D. Salinger, "For Esme with Love and Squalor."
BNW: Isadora. Exotic Traditional, Little Darlings.
Popularity: Never in the Top 1000.

(6) Estella (Stella) Star.
Famous Bearers: Allegedly introduced as an English name by Sir Philip Sidney in his sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella; the lovely and cruel heroine of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations.
BNW: Edmund, Celia. Ladies and Gentlemen, Why Not.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s; fell out of the Top 1000 in 1974.

(10) Eve (Evie) To breathe or to live.
Famous Bearers: In Christian and Islamic religions, the first woman created by God, who causes the suffering of humanity by eating the forbidden fruit; playwright Eve Ensler; the deceitful and ambitious young actress in the film All About Eve. As a noun, refers to the day before a specific holiday or special event.
BNW: Simon, Jonas, Miles. Biblical, Little Darlings, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 590. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use from 1890s-1970s. Re-emerged in 1998. On a sharp upswing (up 81 points).

(4) Fiona (Fee) Fair or white.
Famous Bearers: Songwriter Fiona Apple.
BNW: Malcolm, Callum. Celtic, English, Lacy and Lissome, Why Not.
Popularity: In 2006: 333. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1990s. On an upswing (up 41 points).

(10) Flora (Florie, Lora) Flower.
Famous Bearers: In Roman mythology, the goddess of flowers, spring, and fertility; Scottish folk hero Flora McDonald. As a noun, refers to plant life in general.
BNW: Iris, Maeve, Leo. Charms and Graces, Ladies and Gentlemen, Mythological, Saints.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s; fell out of the Top 1000 in 1972. In the top 50 in Hungary.

(9) Frances (Franka, Frannie) From France.
Famous Bearers: Actress Frances McDormand; children’s book author Frances Hodgson Burnett; Frances Perkins, a progressive labor reformer and the first woman to serve in the cabinet; philanthropist Frances Wisebart Jacobs, founder of the United Way; the real name of Judy (Frances Gumm) Garland.
BNW: Walter. Ladies and Gentlemen, Solid Citizens.
Popularity: In 2006: 779. Widest Useage: 1910s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 23 points).

(7) Genevieve (Eve, Genny) Tribe woman or fair, white, and smooth.
Famous Bearers: The patron saint of Paris.
BNW: Dominic. Exotic Traditional, French, Ladies and Gentlemen, Saints.
Popularity: In 2006: 368. Widest Useage: 1910s. On an upswing (up 26 points).

(8) Georgia (Georgie, Gia) Farmer.
Famous Bearers: Painter Georgia O'Keeffe; the country ballad Georgia on my Mind; a state in the southern U.S.; a small Eastern European country.
BNW: Lucy, Virginia, Iris, Oliver. Antique Charm, Country & Western, Place Names.
Popularity: In 2006: 273. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 46 points).

(7) Gloria (Glory) Glory.
Famous Bearers: Actress Gloria Swanson; journalist Gloria Steinem; singers Gloria Estefan and Gloria Gaynor; the famous Latin hymn Gloria in Excelsius Deo (Glory to God in the Highest); various songs recorded by Van Morrison, Laura Branigan, and U2.
BNW: Rosemary, Elaine. Solid Citizens.
Popularity: In 2006: 453. Widest Useage: 1940s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 24 points).

(7) Imogen (Idgie, Genny) Maiden.
Famous Bearers: A name invented by Shakespeare for the princess in his play Cymbeline. Imogen is one of his greatest female characters-- witty, wise, and resourceful. Photographer Imogen Cunningham.
Popularity: Never in the Top 1000. In the Top 50 in England/Wales and Australia.

(8) Iris Rainbow.
Famous Bearers: In Greek mythology, a messenger to the gods who serves as their connection to humanity, personified by a rainbow who travels with the speed of the wind; Chinese-American historian Iris Chang; novelist Iris Murdoch; a plant with showy, brightly-colored flowers; the colored circle in the center of the human eye; the basis for the word iridescence.
BNW: Georgia, Flora. Charms and Graces, Mythological, Shakespearean (The Tempest), Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 369. Widest Useage: 1930s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 11 points).

(5) Isadora (Dora, Isa) Gift of Isis.
Famous Bearers: Modern dancer Isadora Duncan.
BNW: Esme. Exotic Traditional.
Popularity: Never in the Top 1000.

(6) Julia (Jules, Julie) God's child or youthful.
Famous Bearers: The name of a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon for his mother, whose name was Julia; chef Julia Child; actresses Julia Roberts and Julia Louis-Dreyfus; author and activist Julia Ward Howe; the real name of Julie (Julia Elizabeth) Andrews; early photographer Julia Margaret Cameron; the rebellious heroines of both George Orwell's novel 1984 and Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona. Also used as a surname, as with the actor Raul Julia.
BNW: Anna, Simon, Vincent. Antique Charm, Shakespearean (Two Gentlemen of Verona), Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 31. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady.

(7) June (Junie, Junebug) Young.
Famous Bearers: The sixth month of the year; singer June Carter Cash; junebugs or june beetles are common insects; Flaming June is the title of a famous painting by Frederic Leighton.
BNW: May, Rosemary. Androgynous, Charms and Graces, Solid Citizens, Why Not.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1920s. In Use since the 1890s; fell out of the top 1000 in 1986.

(8) Lucinda (Lucy) Illumination.
Famous Bearers: Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams; a silent and beautiful character in Cervantes's Don Quixote, where the name supposedly first appeared; in Roman mythology, Lucina was the goddess of childbirth, literally interpreted to mean "she who brings children into the light."
BNW: Mid-Century.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s; fell out of the top 1000 in 1987.

(5) Lucy Light.
Famous Bearers: Author Lucy Maud Montgomery; Lucy Stone, a prominent American suffragist; the youngest of the Pevensie children in the Narnia series; a cynical and bossy young girl in the Peanuts comic strip; the title of an iconic American sitcom, I Love Lucy, starring actress Lucille Ball; the bright and passionate heroine of Forster's A Room with a View; the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, by the Beatles.
BNW: Georgia, Leo, Oliver, Oscar. Antique Charm, Guys and Dolls
Popularity: In 2006: 152. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 21 points).

(6) Lydia (Lydie) From Lydia (region in Greece).
Famous Bearers: Biblically, an affluent businesswoman converted to Christianity by Paul; the last reigning queen of Hawai'i, Lydia Lili'uokalani; the flirtatious and headstrong youngest Bennett sister in Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
BNW: Eliza, Simon, Henry, Miles, Oscar. Antique Charm, Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 131. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 12 points).

(4) Maeve (Mae) Intoxicating.
Famous Bearers: In Irish legend, Maeve was a wild, powerful warrior queen, described as being "tall and fair, and carrying an iron sword."
BNW: Fiona, Kieran, Callum, Oscar. Antique Charm, Celtic, Why Not.
Popularity: In 2006: 645. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since 1997. On an upswing (up 51 points).

(8) Marina (Mia, Mina) Of the sea.
Famous Bearers: A clever, virtuous young woman in Shakespeare's play Pericles; as a noun, refers to a dock used for pleasure boats.
BNW: Susanna, Adrian, Raphael, Vincent. Italian, Saints, Shakespearean (Pericles), Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 406. Widest Useage: 1990s. In Use since the 1920s. On a slight upswing (up 5 points)

(7) Marlena (Lena, Marly) Beloved, my love and from Magdala
Famous Bearers: A contraction of the name Maria Magdalena, a biblical companion to Jesus; actress Marlene Dietrich.
BNW: Mid-Century, 70s-80s.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1980s. In Use from 1967-1998.

(5) Mary (May, Mia) Beloved, my love, or possibly star of the sea.
Famous Bearers: Several Biblical characters, most importantly the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, and Mary Magdalene, Christ's most prominent female companion; queens of England, Scotland, and France; artist Mary Cassat; authors Mary Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Mary Karr; poet Mary Oliver; archaeologist and anthropologist Mary Leakey; educator Mary Lyon, who founded the women’s college Mount Holyoke; Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science religion; actress Mary Pickford and Mary Tyler Moore; musician Mary Chapin Carpenter; the children's film and book character Mary Poppins.
BNW: George, James, Peter, Thomas. Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 84. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 12 points).

(9) Matilda (Tilda, Tillie) Strength in battle.
Famous Bearers: Three queens of England, a queen of Portugal, a queen of Germany, and an empress of the Holy Roman Empire; the progressive suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage; the girl genius of Roald Dahl's novel Matilda; a famous Australian folk song, Waltzing Matilda.
BNW: Edmund. Ladies and Gentlemen, Saints.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the top 1000 in 1964. In the top 50 in Australia and Sweden; in the top 100 in England and Chile.

(5) May The fifth month.
Famous Bearers: The fifth month of the year; poets May Sarton and May Swenson; actress Mae West; the middle name of author Louisa May Alcott; as a verb, used to express permission or possibility.
BNW: June, Pearl, Theo. Charms and Graces, Guys and Dolls, Why Not.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the top 1000 in 1982.

(4) Nell (Nellie) Shining light.
Famous Bearers: Singer Nelly Furtado; the first name of author (Nelle) Harper Lee; the title character in a Jodie Foster film; knell, with the same pronunciation, refers to a the ringing of a bell or a mournful sound, generally heard in the phrase death knell, an omen of death or destruction.
BNW: Theo. Guys and Dolls, Why Not
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the top 1000 in 1956. In the top 30 in Sweden.

(4) Pearl (Pearla, Pippa) Gemstone.
Famous Bearers: A small gemstone, usually white and iridescent, produced by mollusks and oysters and used in jewelry; author Pearl S. Buck; a novel by John Steinbeck; an album by Janis Joplin; the grunge band Pearl Jam; a precocious, mischievous child in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Occasionally used as a surname, as in reporter Daniel Pearl.
BNW: May, Nell. Charms and graces.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the top 1000 in 1986.

(5) Penelope (Nell, Pippa) Weaver or possibly duck.
Famous Bearers: In Homer's The Odyssey, a resourceful, faithful wife who must fend off suitors for twenty years while waiting for her husband to return from war; actress Penelope Cruz.
BNW: Rosemary. Mythological, Timeless, Why Not.
Popularity: In 2006: 481. Widest Useage: 1940s. In Use from 1935-1975; re-emerged in 2001. On a sharp upswing (up 79 points).

(7) Rosemary (Romy, Roxie) Dew of the sea.
Famous Bearers: A plant that produces an edible fragrant herb and various-colored flowers; in Hamlet, rosemary is mentioned as the "herb of remembrance"; singer Rosemary Clooney; Rosemary's Baby, a popular horror film about a woman who gives birth to the devil's child.
BNW: June, Gloria, Penelope, Calvin. Charms and Graces, Solid Citizens, Why Not.
Popularity: In 2006: 703. Widest Useage: 1940s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 44 points).

(100) Silvia (Silvie) Woods, forest.
Famous Bearers: Poet Sylvia Plath; the reigning queen of Sweden; a heroine in Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona; in Greek mythology, Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
BNW: Vivien, Raymond. Ladies and Gentlemen, Latino/Latina, Mythological, Shakespearean (Two Gentlemen of Verona), Solid Citizens.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1970s. In Use from 1940s-2003. Re-emerged in 2005, fell out again in 2006.

(3) Sophie (Sosie, Fee) Wisdom.
Famous Bearers: The heroine of Roald Dahl's children's book The BFG, the novel and film Sophie's Choice, the novel Sophie's World and the novel and film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.
BNW: Eliza, Oliver, Henry, Leo, Miles. Antique Charm, French, German/Dutch, Guys and Dolls.
Popularity: In 2006: 125. Widest Useage: 1910s. In Use from 1890s to 1955; re-emerged in 1984. On an upswing (up 10 points).

(4) Ursula (Sal) Little bear or little she-bear
Famous Bearers: A legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage; science-fiction author and poet Ursula K. Le Guin; the villianous sea witch of the Disney film The Little Mermaid.
BNW: Exotic Traditionals, Shakespearean (Much Ado About Nothing).
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: . In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the top 1000 in 1983.

(5) Virginia (Ginny) Maid, virgin.
Famous Bearers: A state in the southeastern U.S.; author Virginia Woolf; actresses Gena Rowlands, Ginger Rogers, and Geena Davis; the real name of country singer (Virginia Patterson) Patsy Cline; Virginia O'Hanlon, whose question sparked a famous newspaper editorial entitled Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus.
BNW: Georgia, Eleanor, Josephine. Country and Western, Ladies and Gentlemen, Place Names.
Popularity: In 2006: 511. Widest Useage: 1920s. In Use since the 1890s. On a sharp downswing (down 66 points).

(6) Vivien (Vivi) Alive, lively.
Famous Bearers: The enchantress, the Lady of the Lake, in Arthurian mythology, who is also depicted in Tennyson's poems Idylls of the King; actress Vivien Leigh.
BNW: Eleanor, Silvia. Androgynous, Saints, Solid Citizens.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1920s. In Use from 1890s-1941. In the top 10 in Hungary.

My Complete List of Boy's Names

2007-07-26T05:04:00.000-07:00

This is my current complete list of my favorite boys' names, all 39 of them. To start, a breakdown of what each listing means.

(7) Simon (Sam) Hearing, listening.
Famous Bearers: Two apostles, Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot, as well as a man who carried Jesus's cross for him; Jewish hero Simon Wiesenthal, who survived 12 Holocaust camps and spent the rest of his life tracking down Nazis; the children’s game Simon Says; and the nursery rhyme character Simple Simon. Surname of songwriters Paul Simon and Carly Simon.
BNW: Lydia, Anna, Eliza, Julia, Eve, Julian, Miles, Calvin. Biblical, English, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 246. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 7 points).

The first number in parentheses refers to how this name ranks in comparison with other names on my list. Simon is a 7, on a scale from one to ten. The name in parentheses on the first line is my preferred nickname(s) for the name. The information in italics is the meaning of the name, mostly gathered from the website Behind the Name (http://www.behindthename.com/).
The famous bearers lists notable people with this first name from the fields of art, literature, politics, math & science, popular culture, and religion. It occasionally includes interesting trivia facts associated with a particular name as well.
The next section of information is compiled from The Baby Name Wizard, by Laura Wattenberg. In her book, Wattenberg classifies a large selection of names into groups based on their history, ethnic background, and current useage trends. For example, Simon is listed in BNW in the Biblical, English, and Timeless groups: Biblical, for obvious reasons; English, because many Americans associate it with Great Britain; and Timeless because it is not dated to a particular era (compare it to names like Hilda and Tucker to see what I mean). Wattenberg used a computer program to determine the "brother and sister" names for each name listed in her book. These are names with the same general feel, to give parents more options. The names listed are the Brother and Sister names for Simon (or the names that have Simon listed as a brother) that appear on my list in their own right.
I also have the popularity data listed for America as of 2006 (names are ranked 1 to 1000). Widest Useage refers to when the name reached its popularity peak-- I determined this using another computer program of Wattenberg's, the Name Voyager, which is online here: http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/. In Use refers to how long this name has been in the top 1000 in America. Social Security tracking of names began in the 1890s, so that is the earliest possible era available. Lastly, I have calculated whether the name is moving up, down, or holding steady popularity-wise in America. Simon is currently on an upswing-- it has moved up 7 places in 2006. (Holding steady means the name has moved less than five places in either direction.) For names that do not appear in the American Top 1000, I may have popularity data from other countries as applicable.

(5) Abraham (Bram) Father of many.
Famous Bearers: The Biblical Abraham, seen as the father of both Judaism and Islam; President Abraham Lincoln, remembered for ending slavery in the U.S.; Abraham "Bram" Stoker, the author of Dracula; Abraham Ortelius, a cartographer who created the first modern atlas in the 1500s. Occasionally used as a surname, as with actor F. Murray Abraham.
BNW: Ezra, Jonas. Antique Charm, Biblical.
Popularity: In 2006: 183. Widest Useage: 2000s. In use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 10 points).

(3) Adrian (Ren) From Hadria (Northern Italy) or of the Adriatic Sea region.
Famous Bearers: Six popes; Flemish composer Adrian Willaert.
BNW: Marina, Damian, Dominic, Julian, Miles. Antique Charm, Saints, Shakespearean (The Tempest, Coriolanus).
Popularity: In 2006: 63. Widest Useage: 2000s. In use since the 1890s. Holding steady (up 2 points).

(4) August (Gus) Great or venerable.
Famous Bearers: The eighth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. Sculptor Auguste Rodin; painter Auguste Renoir; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson; Swedish playwright August Strindberg.
BNW: Annora. Modern Meanings, Charms & Graces, Ladies & Gentlemen.
Popularity: In 2006: 618. Widest Useage: 1890s. In use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 16 points).

(6) Callum (Cal) Dove
BNW: Fiona, Maeve. Celtic, Why Not.
Popularity: Never in the Top 1000. In the top 20 in England and Scotland; in the top 100 in Australia and Ireland.

(5) Calvin (Cal) Bald.
Famous Bearers: President Calvin Coolidge; Bill Watterson's comics character, Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes. Also used as a surname, as in John Calvin, leader of the Protestant Reformation.
BNW: Elaine, Susanna, Lydia, Rosemary, Simon. Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 220. Widest Useage: 1920s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady. (3)

(3) Conrad (Rad, Kurt) Bold counsel.
Famous Bearers: Five German kings in the Middle Ages; poet Conrad Aikens; Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotel chain. Occasionally used as a surname, as with the novelist Joseph Conrad.
BNW: Frances. Ladies & Gentlemen, Shakespearean (Much Ado About Nothing).
Popularity: In 2006: 788. Widest Useage: 1930s. In Use since the 1890s. On a sharp upswing (up 45 points).

(2) Damian (Dimi) One who tames or subdues.
Famous Bearers: Father Damien, a Catholic famous missionary to the lepers; the name of the Son of Satan in the 1976 film The Omen.
BNW: Anastasia, Adrian, Dominic, Elias. Exotic Traditional, Saints.
Popularity: In 2006: 136. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1950s. On an upswing (up 20 points).

(9) David (Vid, Davy) Beloved.
Famous Bearers: The Biblical King David, the most righteous king of Israel and a forebearer of Jesus Christ; the name of Michelangelo's famous sculpture, inspired by the Biblical character; David Ben-Gurion, founder and first prime minister of the nation of Israel; David Sarnoff, founder of NBC; Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume; early director David W. Griffith; writer and novelist David Herbert (D.H.) Lawrence; director David Lean; musician David Bowie; talk show host David Letterman; playwright David Mamet; humorist David Sedaris; the hero of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield.
BNW: Maria. Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 13. Widest Useage: 1960s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady.

(3) Desmond (Des) From South Munster (a province in Ireland).
Famous Bearers: South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
BNW: Malcolm. African American, Celtic, Exotic Traditional.
Popularity: In 2006: 464. Widest Useage: 1990s. In Use since the 1950s. On a slight upswing (up 9 points).

(6) Dimitri (Dimi) Follower of Demeter (the Greek goddess of agriculture).
Famous Bearers: Dmitriy Mendeleev, the Russian chemist who devised the periodic tables; composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
BNW: Anastasia, Dominic. Exotic Traditional, Greek, Slavic.
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1990s. In Use since the 1990s. Fell out of the Top 1000 in 2006.

(7) Dominic (Nico, Nick, Dom) Of the Lord.
Famous Bearers: The name of several saints, including the founder of the Dominican Order (a Catholic religious group famed for its intellectual traditions); Dominica and the Dominican Republic are island nations in the Caribbean. Traditionally given to a child born on a Sunday.
BNW: Anastasia, Genevieve, Julian, Adrian, Elias, Dimitri. Antique Charm, Exotic Traditionals, Saints.
Popularity: In 2006: 85. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady.

(8) Edmund (Ned) Wealthy protector.
Famous Bearers: Explorer Edmund Hillary (first to summit Mount Everest); the English poet Edmund Spenser; philosophers Edmund Burke and Edmund Husserl; astronomer Edmund Halley, for whom Halley's Comet is named; and the jealous, villainous younger brother in Shakespeare's King Lear.
BNW: Matilda, Estella. English, Ladies and Gentlemen, Saints, Why Not.
Popularity: Not in Top 1000. Widest Useage: 1910s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the Top 1000 in 1997.

(4) Elias (Eli) My God is Yahweh.
Famous Bearers: Inventor of the sewing machine, Elias Howe.
BNW: Julian, Dominic, Damian, Ezra. Antique Charm, Exotic Traditional, Greek, Saints.
Popularity: In 2006: 186. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady (up 3 points).

(5) Elliott (El, Elly) My God is Yahweh.
Famous Bearers: Songwriter Elliott Smith; famous FBI agent Eliot Ness; the young hero of the film E.T. Occasionally used as a surname, as with the poet T.S. Elliot.
BNW: Celia, Susanna, Miles. Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 388. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 26 points).

(6) Ezra (Ez) Help.
Famous Bearers: Biblical prophet and author of the Book of Ezra, who led Israelite exiles from Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem; poet Ezra Pound; Ezra Cornell, a co-founder of Western Union and Cornell University; alt rock band Better than Ezra.
BNW: Hugo, Jonas, Elias, Moses, Abraham. Antique Charm, Biblical, Exotic Traditional.
Popularity: In 2006: 340. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 9 points).

(9) Frank Spear; or Frenchman.
Famous Bearers: Musicians Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa; architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry; director Frank Capra; authors L. Frank Baum and Frank McCourt; poet Frank O’Hara; Alabama judge Frank Johnson, who presided in many landmark Civil Rights cases; Broadway composer Frank Loesser. Occasionally used as a surname, as in the diarist Anne Frank. The Franks were a tribe of people in ancient Europe who formed an empire in what is today France and Germany.
BNW: Henry. Nicknames, Solid Citizens.
Popularity: In 2006: 245. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 14 points).

(8) George (Georgie, Geo) Farmer.
Famous Bearers: The patron saint of England, famous for slaying a dragon representing Satan; three US presidents (Washington and the two Bushes); baseball player George "Babe" Ruth; inventor George Eastman, founder of Kodak; playwright George Bernard Shaw; director George Cukor; composers George Frideric Handel and George Gershwin; musician George Harrison; actor George Clooney; comedian George Carlin; and the children's book character Curious George. Used as a pen name by authors George Orwell, George Sand, and George Eliot.
BNW: Mary, Henry, Walter. Ladies and Gentlemen, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 153. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 14 points).

(5) Henry (Hal, Hank, Harry) Home ruler.
Famous Bearers: Eight kings of England, seven kings of Germany, and six kings of France; authors Henry James, Henry Fielding, Henry David Thoreau, Henry Louis (H.L.) Mencken, and Henry Miller; poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; artists Henri Matisse, Henri Toulosse-Latrec, and Henri Rousseau; industrialist Henry Ford; actor Henry Fonda; baseball player Henry "Hank" Aaron; and four historical plays by William Shakespeare, based on kings Henry IV, V, VII, and VIII.
BNW: Eleanor, Anna, Sophie, Celia, George, Walter, Frank. Ladies and Gentlemen, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 95. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 7 points).

(5) Hugo (Go) Heart, mind, or spirit; bright in mind; a thinker.
Famous Bearers: Author Hugo Gernsback, called the Father of Science Fiction, for whom an award honoring the genre's authors is named; actor Hugo Weaving. Surname of author Victor Hugo.
BNW: Eliza, Clementine, Ezra, Oscar. French, Ladies and Gentlemen, Latino/Latina.
Popularity: In 2006: 371. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady.

(8) Isaiah (Ike, Zay) God is salvation; salvation of god.
Famous Bearers: A major prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Isaiah; political philosopher Isaiah Berlin.
BNW: Raphael. African-American, Antique Charm, Biblical.
Popularity: In 2006: 40. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 5 points).

(10) James (Jamie, Jem, Jimmy) Holder of the heel, supplanter.
Famous Bearers: Two apostles in the New Testament; five kings of Scotland and two kings of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; six U.S. presidents (Garfield, Buchanan, Madison, Monroe, Polk, and Carter); novelists James Joyce and JM Barrie; poet James Wright; actors James Stewart and James Dean; musicians James Taylor, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix; directors James Cameron and James L. Brooks. Surname of author Henry James and singer Etta James.
BNW: Mary, Thomas. Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 16. Widest Useage: 1940s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady (up 1 point).

(7) Jonas (Joe) Dove.
Famous Bearers: Jonas Salk, the scientist who developed the first polio vaccine; the young hero of Lois Lowry's The Giver.
BNW: Eve, Eliza, Abraham, Ezra. Antique Charm, Biblical.
Popularity: In 2006: 357. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 30 points).

(6) Julian (Jude, Jules) Downy-beared or youthful.
Famous Bearers: Two Roman emperors; evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley, co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund; Nobel Prize-winning physicist Julian Schwinger.
BNW: Anna, Adrian, Dominic, Elias, Miles, Simon, Vincent. Antique Charm, English, Saints, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 65. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 9 points).

(6) Kieran (Kier) Little dark one.
Famous Bearers: Anglicization of Ciaran, the name of five Christian saints; actor Kieran Culkin.
BNW: Maeve. Bell Tones, Celtic, The -Ens, Saints.
Popularity: In 2006: 566. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1990s. On an upswing (up 7 points).

(7) Leo Lion.
Famous Bearers: A constellation of the zodiac, used in astrology to represent those born from July 23-August 22. Thirteen popes; six Byzantine emperors; novelist Leo Tolstoy; Leo Baekeland, the inventor of plastic; pioneering ad exec Leo Burnett; physicist Leo Szilard, who conceived the nuclear chain reaction.
BNW: Lucy, Sophie, Flora, Sam, Oliver, Theo. Antique Charm, Guys and Dolls, Saints.
Popularity: In 2006: 236. Widest Useage: 1900s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 23 points).

(3) Malcolm (Mal, Cal) St. Columba's disciple.
Famous Bearers: Malcolm X, a black civil rights leader; four kings of Scotland, one of whom appears in Shakespeare's Macbeth; actor Malcolm McDowell; publisher Malcolm Forbes; the lead character in the cancelled TV sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.
BNW: Fiona, Desmond, Miles. African American, Celtic, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 545. Widest Useage: 1920s. In Use since the 1890s. On a slight downswing (down 6 points).

(4) Miles (Milo) Possibly soldier, merciful, or eager to please.
Famous Bearers: Musician Miles Davis; military advisor to the Pilgrims, Miles Standish; a unit of measurement for distance.
BNW: Sophie, Lydia, Eve, Simon, Malcolm, Julian, Adrian, Elliott. Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 202. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 8 points).

(10) Moses (Mose, Mo) Son; saviour; delivered; saved from the water.
Famous Bearers: A Biblical prophet who led the Jews out of captivity in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God. Traditionally considered the transcriber of the first five books of the Bible, he is also an important prophet in the Islamic faith. Jewish philosopher Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, famous for his pioneering 12th century writings on logic, mathematics, medicine, and law; Rabbi Moses de Leon, author of the Zorah, the foundation of the Jewish mystical tradition Kabbalah.
BNW: Ezra. Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 445. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 82 points).

(5) Oliver (Liv) Olive tree; or possibly elf army.
Famous Bearers: English military and political leader Oliver Cromwell; comedian Oliver Hardy of Laurel & Hardy; poet Oliver Wendell Holmes; director Oliver Stone; writer Oliver Goldsmith; the reformed villian of Shakespeare's As You Like It; the protagonist in Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, made into the musical Oliver! Surname of poet Mary Oliver.
BNW: Lucy, Sophie, Georgia, Nora, Leo. Antique Charm, English, Saints, Shakespearean (As You Like It).
Popularity: In 2006: 173. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 36 points).

(7) Oscar Deer lover, or possibly god spear.
Famous Bearers: In Irish legend, the son of the poet Oisin and the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhail; writer Oscar Wilde; lyricist Oscar Hammerstein; Holocaust hero Oskar Schindler, the basis of the film Schindler's List; the children's TV character Oscar the Grouch; the nickname for the most prominent film award in the United States; and Oscar Mayer, a brand of processed meat products.
BNW: Lucy, Lydia, Maeve, Hugo. Antique Charm, Latino/Latina, Scandinavian.
Popularity: In 2006: 118. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady (down 2 points).

(6) Peter (Pet, Piet, Terry) Stone or rock.
Famous Bearers: The most prominent of Jesus's disciples, considered by some to be the first pope; Peter the Great, czar of Russia; artist Peter Paul Rubens; actors Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers; directors Peter Jackson and Peter Weir; journalist Peter Jennings; the boy hero of the play Peter Pan; the main character in Beatrix Potter's children books, Peter Rabbit; the eldest of the Pevensie children in the Narnia series; and the alter ego of Spiderman, Peter Parker. Peter is occasionally used as a euphemism for a penis. As a verb, it refers to diminishment or reduction.
BNW: Mary, Thomas. Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 167. Widest Useage: 1950s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 6 points).

(7) Raphael (Rafe, Raph, Rafa) God has healed.
Famous Bearers: One of the seven archangels in Christian tradition; the prolific Renaissance painter and architect.
BNW: Marina, Susanna, Isaiah. Biblical, Exotic Traditional, Saints, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 681. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 14 points).

(8) Ronan (Rone) Little seal.
Famous Bearers: Twelve Christian saints.
BNW: Celtic, Saints, The -ens.
Popularity: In 2006: 598. Widest Useage: 2000s. In Use since 2001. On an upswing (up 7 points).

(4) Sam (Sammy) Short form of Samuel, which means name of God or God has heard.
Famous Bearers: Soul singer Sam Cooke; directors Sam Raimi and Sam Mendes; businessman Sam Walton, who founded Wal-Mart; Uncle Sam, an advertising icon created to represent the U.S. government; the loyal and protective sidekick Sam(wise) Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings series.
BNW: Celia, Nora, Leo.
Popularity: In 2006: 463. Widest Useage: 1900s. In Use since the 1890s. Holding steady (down 1 point).

(7) Simon (Sam) Hearing, listening.
Famous Bearers: Two apostles, Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot, as well as a man who carried Jesus's cross for him; Jewish hero Simon Wiesenthal, who survived 12 Holocaust camps and spent the rest of his life tracking down Nazis; the children’s game Simon Says; and the nursery rhyme character Simple Simon. Surname of songwriters Paul Simon and Carly Simon.
BNW: Lydia, Anna, Eliza, Julia, Eve, Julian, Miles, Calvin. Biblical, English, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 246. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 7 points).

(4) Theo (Teo) God.
BNW: May, Nell, Leo. Antique Charm, Nicknames, Why Not?
Popularity: Not in the Top 1000 in 2006. Widest Useage: 1900s. In Use since the 1890s. Fell out of the Top 1000 in 1939.

(10) Thomas (Tom, Tommy) Twin.
Famous Bearers: An apostle who doubted the resurrection of Jesus, giving rise to the expression Doubting Thomas; President Thomas Jefferson, who authored the Declaration of Independence; noted inventor Thomas Edison; philosophers Saint Thomas of Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes, and Thomas More; novelists Thomas Hardy, Thomas Malory, Tom Wolfe, and Thomas Pynchon; actor Tom Hanks; musician Tom Petty; journalist Tom Brokaw. Surname of poet Dylan Thomas and actress Kristen Scott Thomas. In popular slang, a Peeping Tom is a voyeur. An Uncle Tom is a pejorative term for an black man seen as behaving subserviently toward white people.
BNW: Mary, Peter, James. Biblical, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 51. Widest Useage: 1940s. In Use since the 1890s. On a downswing (down 11 points).

(5) Vincent (Vin) To conquer.
Famous Bearers: Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh; actor Vincent Price; Saint Vincent de Paul, whose name is associated with an international aid organization; musician Vince Gill; director Vincente Minnelli; poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (called Vincent by family and friends).
BNW: Julia, Marina, Miles, Julian. French, Saints, Timeless.
Popularity: In 2006: 108. Widest Useage: 1910s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 3 points).

(6) Walter (Walt) Ruler of the army.
Famous Bearers: Poets Walt Whitman and Sir Walter Scott; cartoonist Walt Disney; British adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the first English colony in the New World; news anchor Walter Cronkite, actor Walter Matthau; pioneering physician Walter Reed; auto company founder Walter Chrysler; major labor union leader Walter Reuther.
BNW: Frances, Henry, George. Ladies and Gentlemen.
Popularity: In 2006: 355. Widest Useage: 1890s. In Use since the 1890s. On an upswing (up 21 points).