Christmas Names

Merry … whatever it is you celebrate! 

Around here, we’re getting ready for Christmas.  This being Leo’s first Christmas, it’s pretty exciting.

In honor of the holiday spirit, here is a list of names having to do with Christmas.  Some of them are pretty obvious, but some of them may be reaching a bit.  Which may be exactly what you want, so as not to club people over the head with “my-baby-is-named-a-Christmas-name.”

I would tend to give people a lot of leeway with this, mostly because I love Christmas time (and Christmas names).

Some of these might also be good choices if your holiday celebrations include a new puppy/kitten/rabbit/goldfish/iguana/etc.

Enjoy!

Girl Names
Merry
Noelle
Holly
Ivy
Natalie
Christina
Nicole
Eira
Winter
Decima
Dara
Mary
Joy
Carol
Emmanuelle
Angel
Gloria

Boy Names
Noel
Nicholas
Joseph
Decimus
Theodore
Luke
Matthew
Neo (means “gift”, but beware the Matrix)
Gabriel
Christopher
Christian

Leo Nathaniel and The Phenomenon

So, after many databases, spreadsheets, and rating systems (yes, we are nerds), we decided to go with a name that wasn’t even in our original Top 10. We saw the ultrasound photos, and we said, “He’s Leo Nathaniel”. Ultimately, that was easy.

I wrote about the name Leo awhile back, never imagining that someday I’d have one of my very own. The name is quite a bit shorter than the names I generally like, but, as I said, he pretty much just WAS a Leo. There was no other option.

And so far, the name has been serving us very well. The lone exception is my mother-in-law, who has been known to call our sweet little baby “Lee-Lee” (eew).

But we have discovered something that is common to parents everywhere, and something that I didn’t expect would ever happen to us: suddenly, we are hearing the name everywhere. We didn’t pick the name because it was unusual, thank goodness. But, come on! On one particular message board I am on, there are three Leos under six months old. My dad told me that he met another person with my same first name, and she recently had a baby who would have been named Leo if she had possessed the appropriate parts.

This is something that happens to almost everyone, but it wasn’t supposed to happen to us!

Bottom line: when naming your progeny, be sure to pick a name that you would love even if it suddenly jumped to the top of the charts. Because it probably will.

(This post was written entirely on my dad’s iPad, while sitting in my grandparents’ living room. I have no idea how to scroll back up and edit. I probably should have waited and written this post on a “real” computer, but I decided to seize the nap time.)

I am so sorry.

It has been far, far too long since I have updated this blog. Tons of comments have been left hanging in cyberspace for the digital equivalent of eons. But I have a very cute little excuse:

I will get back on the horse with a new article soon, I hope. For now, though — it’s 9:00 p.m., and those big blue eyes are finally closed. Hopefully for at least a couple of hours. Wish me luck!

Honoring People with Names

When I was a kid, I was tickled pink that I had the same middle name as my mom.  My first name — well, that seemed to be completely a matter of chance.  My mother was knocked out with the drugs, and my dad was pressed by the army doctors to fill in the birth certificate without her.  They had discussed the name “Melanie” at some point while I had been baking, and so Melanie I became.  But my middle name!  To me, it seemed premeditated.  Classic.  A little piece of history, passed down to me for my very own.

And what is this stunning middle name, you may ask?  Brace yourself.  My middle name is … Ann.

I look at it now and wonder how I could ever have been so enamored with it.  I mean, there’s not even an “-e” to dress it up a bit!

But this middle name was also my mother’s, and I was the kind of child who liked being connected with the past in any way.

Flash forward a few years, and my parents are faced with the task of naming my brother.  They knew that they wanted to name him after our maternal grandfather, but there was a problem.  You see, our dad shared a name with his dad.  And my new baby brother would likely be the only boy with our last name.  He was supposed to be the one to “carry it on,” you see.

Much drama ensued.  The whole situation culminated in my poor brother being given TWO middle names, to try to cover everybody who needed to be “honored.”

That whole episode kind of left a sour taste in my mouth when I think about “honoring” people with names.  I see nothing wrong with naming a child after an author, artist, or historical figure you admire.  I can even condone the practice of using random names of long-gone relatives in your family tree.  But things start getting a bit hairy when you decide to name the kid after Aunt Lillian (probably just because you like the sound of her name, not because she rescued your dog from being hit by a car, or something), and then Aunt Mildred starts getting her panties in a bunch (maybe because she really DID rescue your dog and thinks she deserves a namesake).

You can see where “honoring” someone who is still alive can lead to hurt feelings and family drama.

Not to mention, there is a certain weight of expectation that is put upon a child when they become the one to carry the family name.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there is a disproportionally high number of “Juniors” who are behind bars — don’t quote me on this; I read it somewhere and can’t remember the source.  Also, I have nothing against Juniors, personally:  my husband is one, and he seems to have turned out pretty good.

And so we will not be naming our new baby (coming in July, yay!) after anybody on either side of our family.  There will not be a George Middlename Lastname III.  We declare our independence from George III (sorry)!

(note:  the guy with the pipe may or may not be my great-grandfather, John Marshall Lastname.)

Name Spotlight: Theodore

Oh, this is one of my very favorite boy names!  *insert girlish “squee” here*

I’m going to have to disagree with NameBerry on this one, though:  I don’t think that this name was “everywhere” in the late 1800s/early 1900s.  The highest it ever got was #30 (in 1904), when there were only 835 little Theodores born that year.  For comparison’s sake, there were 8,108 Johns reported that year.  (Now, this is all according to the Social Security website, and there may very probably be some aspect of these numbers that I’m not grasping.  But this is what it looks like to me.)

So, why exactly do I like Theodore so much, you may ask?  Several reasons.  It’s gently old-fashioned, but not in a stodgy way (although this might be a matter of opinion.  Several of the comments on Behind the Name are less than favorable in this area).  It has a very appealing meaning (“gift of God”).

And the biggest reason of all for my Theodore-love is … the nicknames.  Oh, the nicknames!  How I love them!

Teddy.  An adorable nickname for a little boy.  I know a second-grader who goes by this nickname.  When I met him in kindergarten, he was roly-poly and good-natured, with chocolate brown hair and big brown eyes.  I just about swooned on the spot when I heard his name.  But fortunately for him, as he gets older he can choose to go by …

Theo.  This is one of the coolest names I can think of.  Even cooler than Leo, and without sounding stuck-up.  My husband says that this nickname makes him think of the Cosby Show, but I don’t think kids nowadays have ever even heard of the Huxtables.  I picture an artistic teenager when I hear the nickname Theo.

Ted.  I’m iffy on this one; of all of the Theodore nicknames, this one sounds the stodgiest in my opinion.  Ted Bundy — blech.  Though there are also many positive associations with Ted, this nickname sounds the most like a Baby Boomer.  Stick with the other nicknames, and you’ll be fine.

One possible negative association from the younger set is that dratted Alvin and the Chipmunks movie.  But they never use the nicknames for Theodore, to the best of my knowledge, so as long as your son avoids the full form during those few cartoon-crazy years, he should be okay.

Better than okay, because he will have a very versatile and classy name.

from AskOxford
From the French form of the Greek name Theod{o_}ros, derived from theos ‘god’ + d{o_}ron ‘gift’. The name was popular among early Christians and was borne by several saints.

from Behind the Name
From the Greek name Θεοδωρος (Theodoros), which meant “gift of god” from Greek θεος (theos) “god” and δωρον (doron) “gift”. This was the name of several saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.  This was a common name in classical Greece, and, due to both the saints who carried it and the favourable meaning, it came into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was however rare in Britain before the 19th century. Famous bearers include three tsars of Russia (in the Russian form Fyodor), American president Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and American children’s book creator Theodore Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), better known as Dr. Seuss.

from NameBerry
When Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901, his name was in the Top 40, with Teds and Teddys everywhere. After some damaging stereotypes — the nerdy Chipmunk, Beaver Cleaver’s real name — it went into a decline, from which it is yet to recover.

from Baby Name Wizard
Style:  Ladies and Gentlemen
Sisters and Brothers:  Beatrice, Eleanor, Alma, Antonia, Josephine, Julius, Frederick, Everett, August, Conrad
A nifty name, bristling with gentlemanly vigor and surprisingly undiscovered in the recent turn-of-the-century revival.  Two fine nickname options complete the package:  down-to-earth Ted and artistic Theo.

One-Syllable Names for Girls

It’s all about the rhythm.  Maybe it’s because I’m a music teacher, but I think the rhythm a name makes when it’s combined with a middle and last name is one of the most important things to consider.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, I’m going to refer you to an excellent article written by the Name Nerds lady (I think her name is Norah).  Summary:  variety in flow, vowel sounds, and rhythm can make a name interesting.

For example, if you happen to have a one-syllable last name, I would recommend against using any of the names on the list below.  It would be very likely to come out sounding like Ann Veal from “Arrested Development,” the girl who was so boring that nobody could ever remember her name (“Her?”).

But, on the other hand, if you have a long and complicated last name, it could greatly simplify life for your child if you choose a shorter first name.

As I mentioned in my post on one-syllable boy names, I am forever barred from considering any of these names for any future children, alas.  Our soft one-syllable surname really needs something long and clunky to balance it out (fortunately, I love long and clunky names).

But any of these would work great for a middle name.  Choose something interesting, though!  As someone with a filler middle name myself, I can heartily say with the character from “Where the Heart Is,” that you should “give that baby a name that means something.”

Side note:  be careful with the initials.  A couple of days ago, out of the blue, I had a fourth grader complain to me about her initials (G.A.S.).  Poor kid.  Please think about these things before you decide on a middle name.  I’m not sure how that one got past her parents, but it did.  Don’t let this happen to you.

Girls
Anne
Belle
Bess
Beth
Bette
Blair
Blanche
Britt
Brooke
Brynn
Claire
Dawn
Elle
Eve
Faith
Fay
Fern
Fleur
Gail
Grace
Greer
Gwen
Hope
Jade
Jan
Jane
Jean
Jill
Jo
Joan
Joy
Joyce
June
Kai
Kate
Kim
Lark
Lee
Lise
Lou
Lynn
Madge
Maeve
Maude
May
Merle
Nell
Niamh
Paige
Pearl
Quinn
Ray
Rose
Ruth
Sage
Shea
Star
Tess
Wren
Yael

One-Syllable Names for Boys

There’s something so direct and straightforward about one-syllable names.  They are so in-your-face that they appeal to a lot of people.

Especially one-syllable names for boys.  Many (not all) of the boy names on the list below can be seen as “tough,” which can be very attractive.  If you have a long and rolling last name, hey, you’ve hit the jackpot!  These names can add the necessary balance to The Force.

I would not necessarily use all of these names myself, not the least because we have a one-syllable surname.  If we were to use these, it would probably come out sounding too curt, terse, and succinct.  Like a bark.

But there are many names on this list that I think are great, and it is with a pang of regret that I relinquish them.

In the interest of providing a more comprehensive list, I have included a few names that are … um … of questionable lineage.  Meaning that they started out as surnames or nicknames for a longer form.  But I tried to restrict most of the names on the list to names that I would not cringe at if I saw them on students.

This might be a good reference for middle name ideas.

One-Syllable Boys
Beau
Blaise
Brad
Bram
Bran
Brent
Brett
Brock
Bruce
Bryn
Cade
Cale
Carl
Chad
Charles
Cian
Clark
Claude
Clay
Clint
Clive
Clyde
Cole
Colm
Craig
Dale
Dean
Duane
Earl
Finn
Frank
Fritz
George
Glenn
Graham
Grant
Guy
Hans
Heath
Hugh
Jack
James
Joel
John
Jude
Jules
Kai
Keith
Kim
Kirk
Kurt
Kyle
Lance
Lars
Lee
Leif
Lir
Luke
Mark
Max
Merle
Miles
Neil
Noel
Paul
Pierce
Quinn
Ralph
Rand
Ray
Reid
Rex
Rhys
Rolf
Ross
Roy
Royce
Saul
Scott
Sean
Seth
Shea
Sven
Todd
Trey
Vaughn
Wade
Wayne
Wynn
Zane

 

Name Spotlight: Eve

Okay, I’m back — and I’ll try my best to get back to posting at least twice a week.    I’ve missed updating this blog.  Between NaNoWriMo and other personal issues (one of which involving an 8-hour trip to the emergency room; don’t worry, everything’s okay), I haven’t written as much as I would have liked lately.  But things should be calming down a bit in the near future.

Today I’m going to give Eve the spotlight.

I was caught completely and utterly off guard when I entered the world of Name Nerdiness and discovered that there are quite a few people in the world who would name their child Lilith with absolutely no compunction at all.  Or Jezebel.  Or Delilah.  Growing up in a conservative Christian home, I had no idea that these were names that were even usable at all!  Who would want to name their sweet little girl after someone who was evil and eaten by dogs?  Or a demonized, screech owl of a woman?

And, I have to tell you, I still feel the same way.  Yeah, I know:  those accounts were written by men, we are liberated females and the world is our oyster, etc, etc.  But that doesn’t change the fact that these characters have very few redeeming qualities, historically.  Why would you do that to your daughter, just to prove how liberated you are?

Okay, sorry.  I really don’t have a grudge against you if you’ve used one of these names.  They do SOUND quite nice; in fact, they positively roll right off the tongue.  I wish I could find them usable, but I just can’t.

Needless to say, I do not place Eve in the same category with the other names I just mentioned.  I refuse to believe that the Biblical Eve was wholly evil.  I think that she was just as frail and human as any of us.  And she did, after all, start off the human race.  Not too bad of a legacy.

For anyone interested in the story of Eve, I’m going to recommend a book that I have loved for years.  I think it might be out of print, but you can find anything these days on the internet.  It’s called simply “Eve:  A Novel,” and it was written by Evelyn Minshull.  I picked it up in a bargain bin several years ago, and it is arguably the best $3 I have ever spent.  Every couple of years I pull it off the shelf and have a good read.  The ending makes me cry every time, even after all these years.

As for the name Eve, I think it is unusual and lovely and accessible.  It is minimalistic, but also extremely feminine.  V is a hot letter right now, and as a result Eve is enjoying a bit of a popularity spike.  But don’t worry: it’s only at #655.  I don’t think it’s due to rise to Madison heights any time soon (hmm, that sounds like the name of a subdivision.  Madison Heights).

I like the name Eve quite a lot, even though it is a departure from my usual preference for clunky names.  If our surname wasn’t only one syllable, this name would be high on my list (as it is, Eve Ourlastname sounds disturbingly like Steve Holt from Arrested Development).  But if you have a multi-syllable surname, use it with my blessing!

Now, go forth and multiply.

Some of these nickname to Eve, some of them are just similar in some way.
Eva
Evelina
Evelyn
Genevieve
Niamh
Lilith (just kidding)
Evangeline
Zoe
Yvonne

from AskOxford
English vernacular form of the name borne in the Bible by the first woman, created from one of Adam’s ribs (Genesis 2: 22). It derives, via Latin Eva, from Hebrew Havva, which is considered to be a variant of the vocabulary word hayya ‘living’ or ‘animal’. Adam gave names to all the animals (Genesis 2: 19–20) and then to his wife, who was ‘the mother of all living’ (Genesis 3:20).

from Behind the Name
From the Hebrew name Chawwah, which was derived from the Hebrew word chawah “to breathe” or the related word chayah “to live”. According to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and Adam were the first humans. She gave the forbidden fruit to Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Despite this potentially negative association, the name was occasionally used during the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world both Eve and the Latin form Eva were revived in the 19th century.

from NameBerry
Oldest name in the Book, now coming back into style, has the virtues of simplicity and purity, yet has more strength and resonance than other single-syllable names like Ann. British actor Clive Owen chose it for his daughter.

from Baby Name Wizard
Style:  Biblical, Little Darlings, Timeless
Sisters and Brothers:  Maia, Juliet, Ivy, Daphne, Belle, Simon, Jonas, Asher, Eli, Miles
While Adam has settled in comfortably as a new classic, his old garden mate, Eve, is seldom heard from.  The name’s image is complex:  simple yet sophisticated, sweet with a dangerous edge.  Its light touch is the standard that names like Rose and Grace aspire to.

I’ll be back next week!

Whew, it’s been a crazy week.  There have been all kinds of exciting things going on over on this end.  Sorry to leave you with Michael for so long … I’ll be back next week.  Promise. 

Name Spotlight: Michael

It spent years and years at the very top of the boy charts.  There have been countless celebrity Michaels:  actors, singers, politicians, authors, scientists, artists … you name it, there has been a Michael involved in it.

With all of this exposure, is Michael getting a bit stale?  Well, maybe.  It’s certainly not a choice that will rock the boat in any way, shape, or form.  But therein lies a great part of its charm.

Nobody ever would or could object to the name Michael.  It is a basic and fundamental part of the American naming landscape.  In this respect, I classify it with Elizabeth and Katherine and William.  Perhaps a bit predictable, but steady and reliable.  Which is very appealing to a lot of folks.  In an uncertain world, this is a name that you can depend on.

If you’d like to dress it up, however, there are several options with a bit more spice.  Mikhail, Mitchell, and Miles are my three favorites out of the list below.  Some of the choices on the list are a bit nickname-y or surname-y, but I included them because we all have different sensibilities.  *shrug*

Want to name your baby after a Michael?  Try …
Mitchell
Mikhail
Mickey
Mika
Mikko
Miles
Milo
Miguel
Micah

 

Michelle
Michaela
Michelina
Michal

from AskOxford
English form of a common biblical name (meaning ‘who is like God?’) borne by one of the archangels, who is also regarded as a saint of the Catholic Church. In the Middle Ages, Michael was regarded as captain of the heavenly host (see Revelation 12:7–9), symbol of the Church Militant, and patron of soldiers. He was often depicted bearing a flaming sword. The name is also borne by a Persian prince and ally of Belshazzar mentioned in the Book of Daniel. See also Michal.

from Behind the Name
From the Hebrew name Mikha’el meaning “who is like God?”. This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. Saint Michael was one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven’s armies, and thus is considered the patron saint of soldiers.  The popularity of the saint led to the name being used by nine Byzantine emperors, including Michael VIII Palaeologus who restored the empire in the 13th century. It has been common in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, and in England since the 12th century. It has been borne (in various spellings) by rulers of Russia (spelled Михаил), Romania (Mihai), Poland (Michał), and Portugal (Miguel). Other more modern bearers of this name include the British chemist/physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and basketball player Michael Jordan (1963-).

from NameBerry
The Number 1 American boys’ name for almost half a century, Michael is still in second place — translating to an annual twenty thousand babies — a phenomenal record due to its use by parents of diverse ethnic and religious groups, and its all-around likability, strength, and sincerity.

from Baby Name Wizard
Style:  Biblical, Timeless
Sisters and Brothers:  Rebecca, Diana, Christine, Rachel, Laura, David, Steven, Matthew, Daniel, Patrick
The dominant name of the late twentieth century, Michael reigned as America’s top choice from the 50s until Jacob finally stole the crown in 1999.  Its hallmark is its versatility:  It’s Old Testament!  It’s New Testament!  It’s black!  It’s white!  It’s Mike, it’s Mickey, it’s Mitch!  And Michael’s immense popularity has only contributed to its standing as a name without boundaries or preconceptions.