You Can’t Call It “It”!

Trash is not really the operative word, but dated and ubiquitous names in their home country may sound chic and youthful to American ears.  From a list of European adults, let us mull the merits of recycling the following treasures:

WOMEN:

Amandine

Anouk

Ariane

Benedicte

Bernadette

Bianka

Carine

Coralie

Delphine

Elodie

Elsa

Estelle

Fabienne

Floriane

Geraldine

Justine

Laetitia

Mafalda

Magali

Marielle

Marijke

Melina

Nadia

Noemie

Oksana

Oriane

Paola

Sabine

Severine

Sonia

Teresa

Violaine

Virginie

MEN:

Arnaud

Bertrand

Boris

Brice

Casper

Cedric

Christos

Claude

Clement

Cyril

Didier

Emmanuel

Etienne

Fabrizio

Gauthier

Giuliano

Gustave

Hadrien

Jerome

Joakim

Johan

Julius

Lionel

Louis

Moritz

Nico

Nils

Pascal

Raoul

Remy

Salomon

Sergio

Sylvain

Thibault

Thierry

Ulrich

Yannick

Want to go post-style?  Give a name to your child with a bit of a wink?  Make sure they are the only ones in the class with that name?

Many city parents have this same thought and are going country.  In particular, you’ll find the hippest hipster turning to these names as a nod to how ironic and carefree their family is.  For a little extra honky tonk twang, go for a double name with Sue or Mae or Bob tacked on.

It’s a natural progression from old lady chic and classic revivals.  Even SJP (not exactly what I’d called a hipster) chose Loretta!  What originates as a stand out choice may fit in very well, after all.

LADIES

Arlene (and the -eens in general)

Bernadette

Bonnie

Clementine

Coralie

Darla

Dinah

Ethel

Etta

Eulala, Eulalie

Fern

Hester

Hortense

Ida

Inez

Irma

June

Loretta

anything-Lou

Lucinda

Lula

Mabel

Mae alone, or anything-Mae

Minnie

Nell

Oma

Opal

Pauline

Pearl

Polly

Rosetta

anything- Sue

Thirza

Willa

Ursula

Vada

Viola

Zelda

Zora

MEN

Arlo

Bert

anything – Bob

Chester

Clyde

Cornelius

Dale

Dell

Doyle

Dwight

Earl

Floyd

Hank

Herbert

Hubert

Irvin

Jasper

Leander

Leland

Lionel

Lloyd

Milton

Orville

Otto

Raymond

Roscoe

Samson

Sidney

Wilbur

Vern

Zeke

The mystery of the mismatched twins’ names may be solved at last.

I’ve been operating under the natural assumption that Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s twins were called Marion and Tabitha.  Yet in an interview with Access Hollywood, Parker reveals that it was James who chose Marion, and that “he wanted it legal.” Voilá! The parents kowtowed to their sons’ request and one twin adopted a second name, only that second name was put in the first slot.  Twins are called LORETTA and Tabitha (full names: Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick and Tabitha Hodge Broderick).  Sweet story.

Many of you wrote in the comments that you found Marion and Tabitha an unnatural pairing.  Do Loretta and Tabitha mesh better to you?  I actually think the first pairing is more complementary, though I do love Loretta and the bubbling Southern twang fad.

So what say you readers?  Is Loretta (v. Marion) a disappointment or a revelation?  Have any of your children gotten involved with the process of naming their siblings?

Meandering through past posts at Ohdeedoh, we found these stylishly named young ones.  It is interesting to see how the definition of  style differs depending on who you talk to.  Xochitl is a Nahuatl name for flower and is used among Latinos and Native Americans.  Mungo is Scottish and was the nickname for seventh century saint Kenitgern.   Obree is Scottish as well, as are Nairn and Macadam.  Are people veering away from the Emerald Isle in favor of the Highlands?  A trend we’ll have to keep an eye on.  Google yields that Kahurangi is a national park in New Zealand.  Got to love Kiwi names!

GIRLS

Aliana

Amelia (& Paul)

Anderson Nicole

Anna

Audrey

Aurora Jane

Azalea

Beatrix Anne

Blakeleigh Eden

Capucine

Charlotte “Charlie” (& Maxwell)

Charley Mae

Chloe (& Makena)

Cora

Daphne (& Maia)

Dylan

Elsa

Em

Emma Adela

Eva

Huntleigh “Hunt” (& Lucy)

Immy

Isabella Kai

Julia Annabelle

Kennedy

Lola (& Sofia)

Lucy “Lulu” (& Huntleigh)

Lucy (& Oden)

Makena (& Chloe)

Maia (& Daphne)

Malia

Mia (& Jeremiah)

Millie

Morgan (& Evan)

Nola

Ophelia

Peyton Grey

Phina

Reagan

Rylie

Samantha Plum

Sasha

Scarlet

Sofia (x2) (& Lola)

Skyler

Sophie

Taylor Grace

Violet Hope

Warner

Wyler

Xochitl

Zora Helen “Zadie”

BOYS

Aaron

Abbott

Aldo

Andrew (Miles)

Benjamin

Cooper

Dakota

Dexter (& Hank)

Emmanuel

Evan (x2) & Morgan)

Findlay (& Nairn)

Grahm

Hank (& Dexter)

Henry

Henry Thomas

Jasper Jack

Jeremiah (& Mia)

Joshua

Julian Maziar

Kahurangi “Kahu”

Kai Bodhi

Luca

Macadam Andrew

Maxwell “Max” (& Charlotte)

Miles (Andrew)

Mungo

Nairn (Findlay)

Ned

Niels

Obree

Oden (& Lucy)

Oliver (x3)

Oscar James

Ozzy

Parker

Paul (& Amelia)

Reed (& Tate)

Sam

Tate (& Reed)

Zachary

Above:  The Fishing Bear by Pushmepullyou Design

…was born to Heidi and Seal on October 9!

Is Sulola not so gorgeous?  I do hope they call her that.  Upon googling I did find other Sulolas.  It may be Yoruba.  Anyone?

ETA This according to a Celebrity Babies reader:  

According to Babalola’s and Alaba’s Dictionary of Yoruba Personal Names, Sulola means “Our noble family is extensive/wide and vast”.

Above:  Yoruba Coppa

UPDATE II:  It IS Lou!

UPDATE:  It appears to be just a rumor.  On pins and needles here waiting to hear the verdict…

Can it be?

Heidi Klum and Seal have dubbed their precious newborn baby girl “Lou.”  Lou Samuel, no less.

Guess the child will be so beautiful she can pull off any name!  She’ll fit right in with Jagger, Charlie, Sam, and some other lovely little ladies who’ve made their way into the world in the last year or so.  

What’s next?  Gus?  Harry?  Arnold?

I’m going to call her Louisa.  ;-D

Now PLEASE don’t let the birth of Heidi’s baby overshadow Shelly’s.  Go help her.

Shelly OK, a regular here at YCCII, writes:

Would love some naming input from you as well..especially since back when in the OBBC days, you suggested Yasmina for me, which is still a strong contender if I have another daughter.

My DD is Zafira, I am expecting a boy at the end of October. Middle name will be chosen by my husband after the baby is born, in his native language. He is no help with first names, his only sugestion was in jest (Heffernan like Doug Heffernan from the show King of Queens). Name meaning is important. Last name starts with an O, has 4 sylables, and is distinctly Nigerian. We are a multi-ethnic family, with family on 3 continents.

My top 2 choices are Felix and Raphael/Rafael. I have felt strongest about Felix–than in June an ex had a baby and named him Felix. DH and ex are both fine if we use the name..but it feels a little less special to me now.

I like the meaning of Raphael/Rafael–God heals or God has healed, depending on where I look. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer not long after I found out I was pregnant, this baby is due 2 days after her birthday. My mom had her last chemo apt. and her dr. thinks she may be cancer free–this is why this name feels strong to me. Husband not a fan of this name–boo…

Other names I could possibly use, but don’t feel strongly about are the following:

Walter
Franklin
Isaac
Meshach
Wyatt
Balthazar
Gustav

Names I like but can’t use:

Oliver
Ezra
Malik
Lateef
Everett
Ezekiel
Jude
Leo
Leonard
Omar
Julius
August/Augustine
Desmond

Names I like but have discarded:

Oscar
Calvin
Malcolm
Elliott
Isaiah
Nehemiah
Theodore
Soren
Bernard
Tobias
Julian
Solomon
Elijah
Jameson
Otis
Casper
Linus
Langston
Severin
Asa
Nasim
Osias
Raziel
Rafferty
Gilbert
Arthur
Etienne

Is there any hope for me? Any ideas or suggestions would be great!

 

It is hard with such a long list to know what would work best for you honestly.  Have you narrowed it at all?  Truly, I love each name–especially Rafael.  It’s international, straddles that balance between being recognizable yet not too weird to use, and has that fantastic meaning.  Prefer the F spelling in the case because it’s more consistent with Zafira.  Felix is so wonderful as well and you can’t go wrong with either, though I can imagine the birth of an ex-boyfriend’s son of the same name to be a deterrent.  So I’m firmly on team Rafael.  There are lots of gems on the “discarded” list too and I have to wonder why they’ve all been tossed?

Here’s a handful of additional names to throw into the pot:

Asher

Elias

Ishmael

Isidore

Lawrence

Lucian

I’d look closely at the meaning of each name on your list and let that be your guide.

Readers, which ones do you like, either on Shelly’s list or mine?

Above: Head of an Old Man with Baby by Raffaello Sanzio

Blissfully Caffeinated is busy cooking an over-amped bundle of joy who’s destined to break the bank with her Ritalin consumption and mochaccino habit.  Said little girl needs a name, and they’ve turned to us.  She has lots of ideas and would love your thoughts and suggestions.

Bliss writes:

Two of the names on our list are Lila and Eva. We already have a Caroline and an Avery, so I’m worried that Lila is too similar to CaroLINE with that li- sound. And I worry that Eva is almost the reverse of Avery and sounds too similar. I have the same problem with Charlotte. Charlotte has been on my list all three times now, and I love it but worry that it is too close to Caroline. I could be wrong but thought they are both derivative of Charles. Adele has recently been added to our list, but having some trouble pairing middle names with it. The other names we are considering are Josephine and Kate, still love Fiona, Cecily, Annabel, and recently have a soft spot for Francesca. Thoughts? Advice? Help, please?!

 

Your girls’ names are crisp and bright and a tad preppy.  It’s been said before that Caroline and Avery are disparate styles, and that almost any name you choose will pair up with one or the other.  Yet if stylistic cohesion is what we’re going for, Fiona feels beautifully integrated.  It’s high energy like Avery and fem like Caroline.  It shares sounds with each of them (F/V and O and N).  It’s always been a favorite for you.

Lila strikes me as a good third with Caroline and Avery.  The repeated “LI” doesn’t bother one bit.  Eva on the other hand feels like a complete recycling of Avery’s first three letters, and I think you have to make peace  with the fact that it’s just too close.  Anybody disagree with me on this one?

Charlotte is another I’d have you omit from consideration.  Yes, she and Caroline are both derived from Charles.  Better as mother-daughter names as they did in Monaco, or for cousins– than for sisters.

This leaves Adele, Annabel, Cecily, Francesca, Josephine, and Kate.  Annabel, Cecily, and Josephine are all gorgeous, but each nag me a bit with your girls.  Annabel presents the two A problem, Cecily 2 Cs, and Josephine a double -ine ending.  Plus, stylistically they do sound a bit better with big sister Caroline.  Hmm.  Depends on how much you want all the names to flow.  I would love to see you with a Cecily, Annabel or Josie.  Still, not perfect.

Francesca honestly seems way weird as a sister to Avery.  Sorry to harp on matchiness– I’m just going on what I have to work with.  Kate as a given name is energetic, but not a favorite of mine due to its history as a nickname.  I’m a stickler for that rule.

Adele is last but not least.  Lovely, graceful, understated Adele.  It still leaves us with the double As, and the potential– good or bad– for the nickname Addie.  Yet I couldn’t dissuade you from choosing it.

My favorites on your list are Fiona first and foremost, followed by Lila.  When choosing between final favorites I always weigh three things:  1) Flow with surname 2) Meaning and 3) Flow with family’s names. Most importantly I hope you find a name that feels right for this baby.   Below are some eleventh hour suggestions.  Any strike a chord?

Blythe

Delia

Gillian

Isla

Maren

Piper

Hello all.  Slowly getting back in the swing after a languid end of summer.  Activities start this week, as does preschool application hell, but YCCII needs a little TLC.  Time to pull my head out of the sand.  

My absence saw multiple births and one adoption.  A Sparrow, a Blaise, a Dante, and a Naleigh made their way onto the scene.  Loving Blaise and Dante, for reals.  Sparrow intrigues, and it swerves goth-punk to me.  Sparrow’s not going to take crap from anyone.  Love the religious and symbolic implications as well.  Does it surprise you that I’m actually a fan?  

Naleigh, however, is unforgivable, if only because I know she will have so many namesakes.  The –leigh craze is OUT OF CONTROL and has become the Eighth Deadly Sin fo’ sho’.  Blakesleigh?  Finleigh?  Blargh.  I know her name is actually Nancy Leigh on the birth certificate, thank goodness, and that it is after family.  Fine.  Bully for you Ms. Heigl.  But don’t expect me to be nice to you.  I’m on team Apatow.  I was angling for Lena, anyway.

Last but not least, please help me welcome Rosemary Flora Claire!  She is the second child and first daughter for Sarah and her husband Nathan of Names From Adam to Eve.  ”Remy” joins older brother Edward Peter Nole.  Total swoon!

Now for the Yocals:

GIRLS

Amina

Clara

Eulala “Euly” (I couldn’t believe it!)

Isadora

Juniper

Leah (Josiah, Nehemiah)

Mia

Stella

BOYS

Aidan

Asher (Melech, Ushi)

Birch

Cosimo (Lorenzo)

Francisco “Cisco”

Harry

Josiah (Leah, Nehemiah)

Lorenzo (Cosimo)

Maximo

Melech (Asher, Ushi)

Mohammed

Nehemiah (Josiah, Leah)

Riley

Ushi (Asher, Melech)