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...