Wow, the celebs have been pulling out all the stops on the baby names lately, huh? Just this week we’ve had Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban and Levi Alves McConaughey. I think this latest round of the unusual was precipitated by Gwyneth Paltrow & Coldplay’s Chris Martin naming their daughter “Apple.” Yes, Apple Martin, who you just know is going to be called “Apple Martini” when she gets to be a teenager.
Jason Lee’s “Pilot Inspektor” and Penn Jillette’s “Moxie Crimefighter” are silly in the realm of “Moon Unit Zappa.” David Duchovny and Tea Leoni naming their kid “Kyd” and Rob Morrow choosing the name “Tu” (get it? Tu Morrow) makes you wonder if heavy doses of Demerol were involved.
I kind of like Honor (Jessica Alba) and Harlowe (Nicole Richie). A recent celebrity trend is the name “Jagger,” which has been used four times this year alone and I think is totally going to be my next Starbucks name.
Big Daddy and I had picked out “Elijah” for our son almost as soon as we found out we were expecting. I had loved the name since that cute little Elijah Wood came on the scene (it was the early 90s; he hadn’t become a hobbit yet). We never even picked out a girl’s name. And while “Elijah” was #30 in 2007, it wasn’t even in the top 100 names for 1993, so there aren’t too many in his class.
The beach is a great place to scope out kids’ names. People are constantly yelling at their kids to quit dunking their sister and stop flinging sand on the nice people under the umbrella. Last names as first names (Cooper, Brady, Carter, Cameron, Jackson) and unisex names (Ryan, Jaden, Dylan, Blake, Hayden) seem to be all the rage.
What is it about baby names that makes us constantly consider them, even when we’re passed (or nowhere near) the child-bearing stage? Chris Martin (father to Apple) recently told Blender magazine that “A name is just a noise” and “There’s nothing weird about calling your baby Chewbacca if that’s what you want to call your baby.” I think most parents consider it far more than “just a noise.” Come on, admit it - you have baby names picked out, don’t you?
Responses to “A rose by any other name”
July 9th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I love the idea of “Rhett.” “Stella” has always been a favorite of mine, another old Southern name.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I like the name “Levi”. there are actually quite a few people I know that have that name - adults, not kids. With my own children, I went very conservative - Jacob and Benjamin. I did, however, have all of my friends convinced that my first would be Elvis!!!
July 10th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Like Elijah, there weren’t many Ethans 11 years ago, but now the name is very popular. We have lots of “E” names in our family, it’s kind of a tradition — my grandfather’s family were Edwin and Emma, with children Ernest, Ewart, Edwin Jr., Erwin and Enid.
I’ve always loved the name “Enid,” but my husband did not concur so we have an “Eryn” instead, which is probably a good thing as she didn’t turn out to be an Enid …
Using family names can be frustrating as well as an honor for the receiver. I was named after my Aunt Melissa but because she’s only 6 years older than I am, I was destined to have a nickname and never got to use my beautiful real name until I was an adult. My family still uses my nickname. We have friends whose son is a junior, and grew up being called “Little Brad,” but he’s 6′5″ now, towers over his father, and there’s nothing little about him!
July 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I don’t have kids, but I do have favorite names. I’ve tried several times to get friends to name their daughters Valerie (no takers, yet)- even though I’m not sure why I like it. I also like Suzanne because I think it is pretty written in script. Julia is another girl’s name that appeals to me. The only boy name I ever really considered was Rhett. I’ve noticed an increase in popularity in the name Ainsley for girls. I think it is an old Southern name that is enjoying a revival. We have dogs, but so far, only one of our dogs has had a “people” name — Molly. I don’t think any of the names I like would work well for a dog, but maybe I just haven’t met the right dog!