C is for Clementine

C is for Clementine

We interrupt our regularly patterned blog format to break into song:

Recently, a friend of a friend gave birth to the divinely named Clementine Violet. I could break into song! And I’m not just talking “Oh my darling…” Clementine is fresh, adorable, out of the box, old fashioned, quaint…I could go on. Ethan Hawke just dubbed his baby daughter Clementine, too, which means we could be seeing some darling Clementines populating playgroups in the near future. Why? Because he’s an actor, hip, edgy—all that jazz. People will read his daughter’s name in magazines, and suddenly it won’t be so foreign or undoable anymore. They’ll think, ‘Huh. Clementine. That’s kinda cute,’ and thus the name is re-launched. It’s very ripe for the plucking, especially since it hasn’t been a Top 500 name in 100 years (www.babynamewizard.com).

And now, back to our regular programming, er, blog format:

Girls

Best Literary Name: Charlotte. Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte Bronte, and Charlotte Lucas from “Pride and Prejudice” are just a few literary connections to the romantic and graceful Charlotte. It’s a strong and lovely classic just about to puncture the top 100. Runners up: Carson, Clio, Celia.

Best Celebrity Name: Carys. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones named their baby girl this Welsh name a few years ago, and I liked it immediately. Zeta Jones is Welsh, and so is Carys, making this a pretty name with an cool ethnic twist. Runners Up: Coco (Courteney Cox/David Arquette), Cosima (Nigella Lawson), and Clara (Ewan McGregor).

Best International Name: Catriona. Here’s a windblown, plaid-kilt-wearing name perfect for someone searching for a tie to their Scottish ancestry. According to gold medalist speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan, her name is pronounced “Ca-TRAIN-a” or phonetically—your choice. Runners Up: Cressida (British), Catalina (Spanish).

Boys:

Best Lit Name: Curran. There’s a kid on my son’s hockey team with this fab find, and the more I say it, the more I like it. Curran (a Shakespearean name, from King Lear) has the spice that Connor and Liam may be losing, at least in terms of Irish vivacity. And folks, don’t miss the meaning: “Hero, champion.” Runners up: Conan, Cormac, Caspian.

Best Bible Name: Cyrus. I know, he sounds like an old coot smoking a corncob pipe on the front porch—isn’t it snappy? Cyrus has a case of reverse cool, or nerdy/hot, whatever term you’d like to use to describe a name that sounds so outmoded that somehow it has flipped over to be hip. Cyrus was a king in the Bible, and Cy is a sporty short form. Runner Up: Caleb.

Best International Name: Carlo. So handsome, and if you’re looking for a strong yet uncomplicated Spanish name, this one’s a winner. Runners Up: Caspar (German/Dutch) Who cares about the ghost? He is friendly, after all. Callum (Scottish).

Just Because it’s My Blog: Chester. Rosenkrantz and Satran rave that Chester is a “comfortable, little-used teddy bear of a name that suddenly sounds quirky and cuddly.” I concur. Plus, the nickname Chet is a slick (guitar) pick. Should Brad Paisley and his lovely wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, stumble onto this blog, I would recommend Chet as a perfect companion brother name for Huck. I'm just saying...in case...

B is for Bella

B is for Bella


The Best of B: Girls

Lit Name: Beatrix: How many girls’ names end in an x? Yeah, not too many. But we do have Beatrix, and I for one love the saucy, personality-loaded import from England. The Potter books and movies are so adorable as well. Me and Phoebe watch “Jemima Puddleduck” all the time. Runners up: Barrett (a romantic yet strong tribute to Elizabeth Barrett Browning); Beatrice (see below), Bronte…Okay Bronte deserves the full treatment here.

Brontë: This is a name with some steel in its spine, a lit tribute that evokes the three sisters Brontë—Anne, Charlotte and Emily—dipping pens into inkwells as they concoct tales of gothic romance. Also, this name has currency in Australia, where it is a place name as well.

International Name: Beatrice
Just as I suspected, Beatrice got a bump from being born to a Beatle (yes, I do overindulge in alliteration!), and is now climbing slowly up the top 1000 chart (ref: Baby Name Voyager says it was 866 in 2007). People just have to get used to a name, attached to a baby or child, before rethinking it and possibly appropriating it for themselves. This antique restoration (a top 40 name in 1910) is ripe for renewal, and would make a perfect sister name for Violet, Lillian, and Charlotte. It’s international in two ways: not only did it originate as the French form of Beatrix, but now the English use it often and well. Bea is a cute nickname. Runners up: Bronwen and Bridget.

Bella: A gorgeous, roll off the tongue kind of name, made more romantic by the Bella from the Stephanie Meyer books (indeed, the first Meyer book came out in 2005; by 2006, Bella was a top 200 name, and it continues to climb.) I think the biggest boost for Bella, though, was Isabella, which people just stone-cold love, but which is reaching the point of saturation. Bella somehow still sounds ravishing and new.


The Best of A: Boys

Lit Name: Beckett: Naming your child after an Irish playwright might be the hippest thing you ever do. What, not a fan of “Waiting for Godot”? Well, stay tuned, because Beckett is for every creative, edgy baby namer out there. The short form Beck packs a punch, and is also imbued with rock n roll ambience thanks to, well, Beck. Runners up: Blake, Bram, and Booker.


Bible name: Boaz. It takes moxie to dub your tiny man Boaz, the kind of moxie my friend Margaret has (she, mother of Zion, Judah, Boaz, and Siloam!), but what a payoff. Boaz has all the verve and clout and zip in the world, and in an age where it’s possible (I saw it with my own eyes today) to have a 10-12 hockey team with Isaiah and Jonah zipping around the ice, why not? Plow new ground with this zesty number! Runners Up: Barnabas and Benjamin.

International Name: Bruno: Any baby name of Nigella Lawson’s has got to be smokin', and that O ending pops. Besides, no one’s gonna mess with a kid named Bruno! Runner up: Bastiaan (Dutch).


Just because it’s my blog: Baxter

I used to hang out with this cool guy from Snowflake, Manitoba, whom we called Dexter for some intangible reason. Dexter looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo, actually. He was legitimately named the (much) blander Brent, but guess what he dubbed his Dexter Junior? Baxter. Any name with an x in it has the X factor—funky, offbeat, nerdy-yet-hot—and Bax is a nifty nickname.

Okay, you Bonkers-for-Baby Names people. Give me the buzz on your favorite B’s...!

A is for Araminta: A Baby Names

I’ve been really high on this one girl's name I heard recently, a name that I once dismissed as being too out there, too zippy somehow. But upon hearing it attached to the daughter of a lovely writer acquaintance, and hearing the adorable nickname, I suddenly loved it with a passion. What is this name which has me so zealous? I’ll tell you in a minute, after we discuss the opposite end of the alphabet for awhile. Since I have this blog (sorely neglected for seven weeks! I am ashamed…), it occurred to me that I could drum up some doozy discussions about baby names if only I blogged about them.
So, henceforth, I’m going to pop by the old blogger’s block way more often and I’ll be taking myself (and hopefully a few other baby name freaks) through a tour of the alphabet, discussing, letter by letter, what’s yum-O these days in the world of monikers.

The Best of A: Girls

Lit Name:
Auden: Pair this poetical tribute with a definitively feminine name—say Maria or Rose—and you’ve got a soft yet strong presentation at the height of style. Elegant! Runners Up: Antonia and Arabella.

Bible Name: Abra: After my dad, Abe, died, I realized that I would be brave enough to use this feminization of Abraham, should I somehow find a baby on my doorstop. It’s so creative, gorgeous-sounding, and gutsy all at the same time. Most folks would be stopped cold by “Abra Cadabra” and/or “a bra.” But then again, the late, great Abe wasn’t like most folks. Runner up: Acacia

International Name: Anastasia
The lost Romanov princess’s name, steeped in almost 90 years of legend and stories, has the luster and exquisite detailing of a Faberge egg. Tasie and Tasia are sweet short forms. Runner up: Anya

British Name: Araminta. It’s a stretch on this side of the pond, but to me, Araminta sounds so quintessentially British and silver-spoon-y. Mint is a quirky nickname that might fit the right little sassy pants. Ok, so it does kind of make me want to dig through my purse for gum…Runner up: Anabelle and Arabella.

Cardigan cool: Alice: My hero Tina Fey could flip this Great Aunt name upside down and make it a hipster hottie. Super lit Alice is the perfect name for a book freak, too. Or a Sarah Palin impersonator.

The Best of A: Boys

Lit Name:
Atticus: What else? It’s not for the faint of heart, but Atticus suggests justice, compassion, humanity…I could go on. And all because of the worthy character Atticus Finch. I’ve heard of at least three baby Attici in the last month or so, so I seem to have a few like-minded souls out there in Baby Naming Land. Runners up: Anton (Chekhov), August (Strindburg).

Bible name: Abram. Yes, I have a deep personal connection to Abram—it belonged to my dad—but other than that, it’s beautiful, earthy, strong, and provides a stellar hero of the faith role model, too. Though my dad was Abe, I kind of prefer the more rootsy, organic-milk-and-local-produce-type nickname Bram. Runners Up: Asher and Amos.

International Name: Anton: As I blithered in “Atticus”… “Anton is the exchange student from the Baltic Sea who makes all the girls go weak in the knees because he’s enigmatic yet sweet…” I concur. Still. Runner Up: Angus, Aris (I miss Aris’ Disc Shop! Can I get a witness?)

British name: Alistair
We have a marvelous friend who plays the blues outside the Dog Pit on Monroe Mall in GR. And for that, amongst other reasons—it’s handsome, debonair, plaid—I think Alistair is a smooth customer. Runner Up: Archie.

Just because it’s my blog: Ajax
I know. Grandma will have a cow. But hear me out: Ajax was a hero of the Trojan War, a brawny, brave warrior-king. The original slogan for Ajax cleanser was “Stronger than Dirt,” a reference to the manly man of the myths. Had Angelina and Brad called me for suggestions, I would have suggested this (they picked Knox instead, a family name. Solid. But you know these two. They can’t stop at just six children. Perhaps an Ajax is in their future.)

So, A is done. 25 letters to go! And it’s time for me to reveal the identity of the baby name that has me burbling like Bruno on “Dancing with the Stars:” Zinnia! Lily, Violet, and Rose are all hot (Daisy’s heating up too), and here most of us have overlooked this spunky sparkler of a name. My new acquaintance, a writer, also has an Oskar. When I heard her two kids’ names, I think I told her I loved her. Get this: They call the wee Z “Zinnie” or “Zinny,” which strikes me as about the cutest name I have heard in ages. It’s going to be awhile before I get to Z, and I couldn’t wait to blither and burble about Zinnia.

What’s your favorite A name, by the way? Any treasures I should be alerted about? Do tell!

Loyal, much?

I'm a loyal creature, to be sure. This quality was refined in the fire of Winnipeg Jets fanhood, circa 1979-1982. I WAS of course a fan after 1982, but those were the ferocious years of fanhood, when I fell asleep routinely with the sounds of play by play and color commentary wafting from CJOB on the radio by my pillow.
The Jets, bless their red, white and blue hearts, had a time of it trying to win games once they entered the NHL. But I loved them anyway, because they were my team, my beloved, irreplaceable, live-and-die-with-them team. On my thirteenth birthday, my parents had given me two ice-level seats, which was fantastically closer than the nosebleed/rafter/$7/ 7/11 seats we usually sat in. I was thrilled to feel an ice chip melt on my newly teenaged cheek as the Jets skated to and fro, trying to beat whoever it was they were trying to beat (oh, wait a minute..upon googling it I find this tidbit: "The Canucks hit double-digits against the Jets on March 27, 1981, winning 10-2 ... ")
So now you know the score, 10-2. Double digits, as the scribe recorded for posterity. It was crushing, yet nothing in me wavered as to whose fan I would be at the final buzzer. After the game, as my friend and I tried to comfort the comprehensively dejected goalie, as only a thirteen-year-old girl could ("You were great! Seriously! Don't worry about it! Hey, it's my birthday..can I get your autograph?"), I was sad yet excited. I was 13, and I had seen a Jets game from the first row!
10-2? They were my team, end of story.
That loyalty, forged in the 1980-1981 season, is still steely, irrational, and the cause of my current inner rantings, which I will share with you all in my first blog.
Lately, I have come to wonder, is loyalty a lost trait?
Recently, my loyal little soul has been shocked--shocked I tell you!--at the defection of various people from both my son's hockey program and our kid's wonderful school. First, I learned that some of my favorite hockey families would not be returning to the charming old barn, the Jolly Roger Ice Arena, our home away from home from September to March. In fact, they not only left the EGRAHA hockey program, they left in a snit, or so the story goes. Now, don't be deceived; I like to get whipped up in a good snit as much as the next girl. I guess I just don't get the rationale behind their alleged snits, or why their rationale would ever constitute leaving not only a building, which is the least of it, but a real family of players, moms, dads, coaches, Zamboni drivers, rink rat siblings etc, so their children could don the jerseys of teams we all used to cheer mightily AGAINST. Yes, some teams had lost a ton of games, and some coaches were not competitive enough, or so the story goes. I hate to see my son lose a game, because he works so hard, and it makes him hang his head and feel sad. I want to see the blue and gold do their very best and win, win, win. But never did it occur to me that leaving our close-knit hockey community would be the answer. I can't fathom cheering against some of the boys and girls my son used to play with, the same boys and girls we all got so attached to, and whose first goals and fab saves were a thrill for us just as they were a thrill to their parents. I can't fathom looking across a crowded rink lobby, to see my friends having a cuppa hot chocolate with strangers--to me. I guess I never thought about it before this exodus from East, but I had really kind of hoped to see those boys and girls grow up with my son.
We don't even live in East Grand Rapids; these people do, which makes their leaving even more puzzling. I will probably see these families again--I hope I do!--and we'll be happy to see each other. We'll chat a little before the game, about how the kids are doing and what's going on in their families--but it won't be the same.
I feel even more flummoxed about the abrupt departure of some families from our amazing, diverse, caring, one-of-a-kind school. Again, it's not just a building, although our building is cool-old, distinguished, and has a peaceful vibe that not even the upheaval of the past year could destroy. I think of our school community as being like-minded people who care about sky-high standards in education, devoted, loving teachers, and a diverse and vibrant student body committed to being formed in the likeness of Jesus.
This community I love has lost at least 16 children over the summer. Of course, I don't really know why these people have left. Maybe they couldn't afford it anymore (that would be completely understandable), or wanted to revolt against the MAN (the future consolodation plans of the school consortium, etc). Maybe they didn't leave because they were in a snit over the upheaval at Oakdale, but if they did...What happened to loyalty?
Happily, at the Oakdale open house the other night, I saw many familiar faces, the faces of the parents, children, and teachers who make up the mosaic of the school we love. And I saw a bunch of new faces too, which made me even happier. Enrollment, I hear, is just peachy, thank you very much.
Loyalty may not win hockey games, but Go Jets! anyway, forever. It may not mean that my child wins most of his games this year, or that the future of his school (and that of his brother and sister) is not in some question. But it means that we as a family are sticking by our various "teams," standing with them, win or lose, no matter what.