F is for Finn

F is for Finn

Girls

Best Lit Name: Fern

I know, here’s where many of you are just going to shake your heads in mild, hopefully fond, disapproval. Fern, which comes from the beloved children’s chestnut Charlotte’s Web, has a “leafy green sensibility,” I write in “Atticus.” I see delicacy, botany, feathery fronds. A landscape architect dude I know of named his baby girl Fern, and that just gave it a green, now boost of (chlorophyll?) juice. It’s also quaint and old-fashioned, and utterly unused in the last 100 years, when it was in the Top 200.
Okay, it’s a tie: Frances is also a stupendous lit name, coming from Frances Hodgson Burnett, not to mention the winsome Francie from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Other marvelous F Lit names: Flannery, Flora (the goddess of flowers and springtime in Roman myths).

Best International Name: Francesca

Drop-dead gorgeous Francesca, Italian, of course, is swooningly beautiful. My spell check is insisting that “swooningly” is not a word, but it is the only word to describe Francesca. Runners up: Finola (Scottish), Fiona (Irish), Freya (Scandinavian, yet popular in England.)

Other F Names I Love:

Faith, Fenella, Felicity. I have a friend who named his daughter Felicity after something one of the founding fathers said. Yes, I have some deep friends. I must ask him that quote of his, so I can post it here for you all, and you can sigh deeply with happiness as I did when I heard it.

Celeb F: Finley. Good job, Lisa Marie Presley, who named one of her twin girls Finley, and the other one Harper. Of course, the aforementioned Harmon-Sehorns (see Emery), blazed this trail with their little Finley Faith. Love it.

BOYS

Best Lit Name: Finn
Best International Name: Also Finn
Best F Name, period: Finn! Finn! Finn!

Obviously, I’ve become carried away. But why not, when you have the perfect name? Finn is literary (Huck Finn), international (as Irish as a jig, and on the Dutch Top Ten!), is charming, energetic, simple, handsome. Recently, a preggers relative said she couldn’t use Finn because her in-laws thought the boy would be made fun of. I wanted to take her in-laws to the baby name woodshed, and show them the what for…! People with no imagination sorely test my sanctification. After all, Finn is rising slowly up the charts—it was 387 in 2007—so it’s not like, weird or anything. Sheesh.

Fergus and Felix are nice, too.

PS: Felicity has a big brother named…can you guess?...Is your heart pounding?...Fionn! Okay, so they added an O for a little more Irish authenticity. This is good stuff, folks.

E is for Ezra

GIRLS

Best Lit Name: Esme is one of my favorite names, a French miniature of Esmerelda. Esme is literary (from the adorable Salinger short story, “For Esme with Love and Squalor”), exotic, cute, and elegant (it’s pretty hard to be cute and elegant at the same time!). Runners Up: Eliza (Doolittle), Emerson (Ralph Waldo), Evangeline (from the Longfellow poem of the same name).

Best Bible Name: Eden: This lovely biblical place name takes us back to the garden where our story as humans started. Runner Up: Eve. Can someone please tell me why Adam is so popular, and Eve is ten times (literally) less so? According to www.babynamewizard.com/voyager, Adam was in the Top 65 last year, and Eve was in the top…600! Anyway, I don’t get it, because Eve to me is sleek and pretty. So she got Adam to eat the apple—he ate it of his own free will, didn’t he? Well, all that to say, Eve has a great meaning—“life-life giving”—and deserves more usage.

Best Celeb E: Emery: Angie Harmon and her mister, football commentator Jason Sehorn, have contributed a nifty E name to the pantheon: Emery. Their third daughter, Emery Hope, recently joined big sisters Finley Faith and Avery Grace—a trifecta of virtue for the Harmon-Sehorns!

Best International E: Ellitta, pronounced El-EE-ta, a delicate and beautiful Dutch name I came across recently in my community: Runners Up: Elara (Greek), Electra (Greek), and Emiliana (The Italian form of Emily, also Shakespearean).

Best E Name with No Category: Ella: Welcome to the world Ella Christina Mary Finlayson!

Boys

Best Lit Name: Emerson: Cool, funky, laid back Emerson has sturdy literary underpinnings due to Ralph Waldo, of course.

Best Bible Name: Ezra: Any name with a Z in it is zesty, and Ezra, with the hipster nickname Ez, is full of energy and creativity. The biblical namesake, the scribe Ezra, is worthy, and there are a bookshelf full of lit namesakes, too (think Ezra Pound, Ezra Jack Keats, Ezra Baxter from “The Yearling.” Our Ezra is eight now, and we think his quirky, handsome, old-fashioned name suits him perfectly. Runner Up: Eli

Best International Name: Enzo: Romantic, Italian Enzo packs a punch with a roll-off-the tongue sound that can’t be beat. Elias is another favorite of mine, and I’m hearing it a bit more often now among creative types. It’s the Greek form of Elijah; so handsome!

What are your favorite E names? What do you think of Ellitta, my latest “discovery”? Tell!

African Baby Names

From the tip of Tunisia to the beaches of South Africa, African baby naming is a highly tuned, culturally rich process, one steeped in significance and mystique. Africans, who believe that the choice of the name influences the life of the child and the family, would never dream of plucking a pleasant name off a popularity chart and rolling with it. That would be an unspeakably shallow way to name your child, as if you were naming a guinea pig or a Volkswagon. Often, African parents select a name with deep meaning to them, in terms of attributes they hope their child possesses, or the family’s tribal “totem,” religious views, or the circumstances surrounding the birth.

In many African cultures, there are elaborate naming ceremonies that take place, followed by joyful celebrations with food and drink and music. In Nigeria, for example, there is a two-part soiree that precipitates naming a baby. The first part I really like (how do I snag an invite to a Nigerian naming party?). Guests get to throw out the name they would have named the child, if given the option to do so. And then, after you divulge your choice, the rest of the partygoers respond, "Ogha gue dia. Ise," meaning "May he or she live long, Amen." Honey beer and goat cheese pizza follow (often, some sort of goat-derived edible follows, anyway). Part two unfolds later in the evening, when the main naming ceremony takes place. Prayers are accompanied by eating such exotic morsels as alligator pepper (to energize the child's speech); honey, sugar, and bitter kola nuts, which symbolize life's sweet and sour experiences; native chalk and salt, to symbolize happiness; water, because it has no enemy; and palm oil, seen as a mitigator of life's problems.

During the ceremony, the eldest female member of the family repeatedly asks the mother what she calls the child. To the first six questions, the mother replies with a crazy, unthinkable name (“Gekko!” “Conehead”), which the women reject amid jocularity, traditional songs and music. When the question is asked for the seventh time, though, the father of the child whispers the actual name to his wife, who then announces it publicly.

I’m not sure about eating alligator pepper and chalk, but the rest sounds like fun. One thing is sure, Africans take baby naming very seriously. They also have some breathtaking, sumptuous names full of rhythm and strength. Beyonce (“beyond others”), Lateefah (“gentle, pleasant girl”), Mandisa (“sweet girl”) and Akon are all familiar to us through their famous bearers.

Halle Berry chose the peaceful African/Arabic Nahla (“honeybee”) for her little honey, making this obscure name a sweet new option. Angelina Jolie dubbed her Ethiopian daughter Zahara, a name that should always link her to her African roots.

There are many more gorgeous, meaningful names where those came from. Keyara rolls off the tongue and means “Beautiful river;” Kamaria is Swahili for “Like the moon.” For boys, Jayvyn (“light spirit”) walks in step with the Aiden/Jadon/Cadon pandemonium, yet just enough off the beaten path to make it interesting. Like so many African boys’ names, Jabari, meaning “brave, fearless,” connotes passion and might. Kyan, another fresh yet accessible name, means “Little king boy.” You may not be a member of the royal family, but your baby boy is always your tiny prince anyway.

More African names:

Girls: Iman (Faith Girl), Karimah (Generous Girl), Kesia (Earth bound Girl), Layla (Born at Night), Mariama (Gift of God), Nailah (Succeeding Girl), Taniel (Feminine of Daniel), Zarina (Golden Girl).

Boys: Jamar (Handsome Boy), Keon (Boy), Haben (Pride), Jelani (Mighty), Kojo (Born on a Monday), Kuron (Thanks), Naeem (Benevolent), Nalo (Loveable).

As you can see, I've just touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of Africa's lovely and mighty names. Which ones do you like? I'm sure I've left out thousands. What's your favorite African name?

D is for Dashiell

D is for Dashiell

Girls

Best Lit Name: Daisy, from “The Great Gatsby,” is as bright and cheerful a name as any, short of Sunny (Adam Sandler’s baby daughter). It’s a warm and wonderful name, popular in England and just waiting to be plucked here. Meg Ryan’s little girl from China is Daisy True. Runners Up: Delia, Doone, and Dorothy (same era as Violet, and due for a comeback).

Best Bible Name: Delilah: I know, she was a bit of a fast and loose lady, with no redeeming story, ala Rahab or Tamar. But as a name, Delilah is romantic, old/new school, and fabulous. Interesting story: When my dad ran his bookstore, he had a longtime employee named Lydia who became our dear family friend. She died around 20 years ago now—hard to believe. Anyway, good old Lydia was raised on a honey farm in Blumenort, Manitoba, with sisters all bearing Bible names. I can only remember two others, Sarah and Delilah. It struck me even then that these super conservative Mennonite farmers had named their daughter after Samson’s temptress. If it’s wholesome enough for a Mennonite bee farmer girl, it may be wholesome enough for anyone. Runners Up: Dinah (although she is my dog!).

Other D Names of Note: Delaney, Delancey, Dabny, Delphine

Boys

Lit Name: Dashiell: I know I blithered on about several names (okay, like, 100 names), in “Atticus,” but the one that may take the cake in terms of my gushing is Dashiell. It’s so singular, so fresh and bold and zippy and handsome…here I go again. Why don’t I just recount what I wrote in the book? “So let’s tally up the pros here—art deco panache, celebrity pick, fabulous animated movie tie-in—and we’re talking name perfection.” I’m referring, of course, to the 1930’s detective novels by Dashiell Hammett, Cate Blanchett’s little boy, and Dashiell “Dash” Parr from “The Incredibles.” And folks, this name hasn’t even cracked the top 1,000 yet, as of 2007. Runner up: Dexter.

Bible Name: Darius: One of my journalistic heroes, Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent, named her son Darius a few years ago. She’s Iranian, so I thought her choice of this Persian king’s name was particularly apt. Darius the Mede, by the way, had the good conscience to feel terrible when jealous staff members tricked him into throwing Daniel into the lion’s den (Daniel 6). Darius means “He who upholds the good.” Runner up: Daniel!

Irish Names: Darby, Declan and Dermot all sound super fresh and vividly Irish, if that’s your aim.

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!