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23 September 2009

Baby name help requested. My wife is nine months pregnant, we don't know whether we're having a boy or a girl, and we have ZERO names we agree on. →[More:]I like older names. The kind my wife refers to as "grandma" names. My two girls are Georgia and Magnolia, both names that I chose (not because I'm a heartless bastard--though I am--but because my wife was completely indecisive).

My only rule is: the name can't be in the top 100 most popular names for the past ten years. I like stealing names from dead people.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Should we just go with Madyissone?
post by: ColdChef at: 10:52 | 187 comments
Hazel! It's a name I wish I could use, but my last name already ends in a -zel.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 September | 10:56
And I like Grandma names, too. Have you tried going through popular names during the 1920s and 1930s? I love all those.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 September | 10:58
How much money would I have to pay you to buy full naming rights to the baby?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 September | 11:02
1. Abercrombie
2. Shaum-Shaum
3. Xanadu
4. Hassenpfeffer
5. Ibex
6. Ygriega
7. Snow Patrol
8. Booyah
9. Klaxon
10. Fortinbras

11. I realize I'm not helping.
posted by Lipstick Thespian 23 September | 11:03
Girl: Agnes
Boy: Augie
posted by Atom Eyes 23 September | 11:11
I too like Grandma names. Now, if you have a boy, that may be a little tricky...

Girls
June
Martha
Bronwyn
Charlotte (ruled out by your last name and popularity, but hey, I like it!)
Cara or Clara
I like Hazel too, but I feel like it's a leeeetle trendy at the moment. Maybe I just know too many Hazels (3) under three or four years
Edith

I suck at picking boys names.

Francis? Emmett? Sawyer? Charles?

(they are all probably too popular anyway, huh?(
posted by gaspode 23 September | 11:11
Merle?
posted by gaspode 23 September | 11:12
Hoppitamoppita

(also not helping)
posted by VeritableSaintOfBrevity 23 September | 11:12
My cousin is going to name her baby Dominic if it's a boy. I love it. It's traditional, but not common, has a couple easy nicknames, and anyone reading it (off a class roster or future resume or whatever) will know how to pronounce it.[1]

My middle name is Helene. It's fairly unusual, but not wacky. It's after my grandmother, who is named Helen. My mom decided Helen was a bit too old fashioned, and sounded funny paired with my first name. You're welcome to it. ;)

I always liked the name Zelda, but I think most would associate it with the games before they would with Zelda Fitzgerald.

Deborah is nice, too, and not as common anymore. The few Debbies I know are a bit older than me, and generally pretty with-it gals.

(also, that top list... omg. a good friend has a daughter named Isabella, but she's almost six now. They've called her Bella since she was a baby. Born before Twilight, and the poor thing will go through school with people thinking she was named for the damn book)



[1]to me this is big, my classmates already doing their student teaching say nothing gets a kid angrier than mispronouncing their name. But if your kid's name is spelled "Ayysheleayy" and pronounced "Susan" what do you think will happen?
posted by kellydamnit 23 September | 11:13
Buckminster
posted by cillit bang 23 September | 11:14
Huh, Hazel does seem to be working its way up the popular name list.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 September | 11:16
if its a boy, pick Igor . you'll have years of fun . take out the trash Igor .clear the table Igor . pick up you room Igor . it would be even better if you were to train him to call you Yes Master instead of mother or father
posted by rollick 23 September | 11:16
I love your kids' names, ColdChef. Congratulations.

Sage? Well, that'd look good on paper, but it doesn't flow into your family name when you say them together.

Cree?
Leo?
Leona?
Wilson?
Claudia?


Nutria? (LT started it!)

posted by rainbaby 23 September | 11:17
Slightly more helpfully, some viable male names might include Jude, Lawrence, Maximilian, and Calvin.
posted by VeritableSaintOfBrevity 23 September | 11:19
and we have ZERO names we agree on

But, but, but...

I really LIKE "Zero." Or maybe "Aero," which is how I initially mistyped "Zero."
posted by mudpuppie 23 September | 11:20
Oooh, I love Jude. My brother in law's name is Calvin. He's a lawyer. Cal is a good solid nickname, too. The kind you can keep using as an adult.
posted by kellydamnit 23 September | 11:21
Charlotte.
posted by box 23 September | 11:28
Congrats, ColdChef. I love Grandma names too.

My suggestions for girls that "go" with the girl names you already have:

Grace (Gracie)
Jenna
Caroline
Ruth (Ruthie)
Naomi
Ruby
Lily
Ella
Charlotte
Laura
Lauren
Julia

I love all classic boys names: William, Robert, James, Thomas, Harry, John, Jack, Joshua, Michael, etc. I am partial to my boys' names: William and Adam. I always loved the names Lucas and Marcus. I like Cal too. Not Calvin, just Cal, like Cal Ripken. It sounds very masculine, Cal does.

posted by LoriFLA 23 September | 11:31
We have a cousin Jude. Hazel is popular? I love that name. And it's a family name, too. Wife vetoed it.

This baby is going to be nameless.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:33
for a girl
Edith
Myrtella
Rosalind
Lilian (my grandmother's name)

For a boy
George
Henry
Elijah (my grandfather's name)
posted by essexjan 23 September | 11:34
Buckminster is the name I always suggest for a boy. Or Huckleberry. My wife is without imagination.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:34
My friend is going to name her son-to-be Wyatt. I like that a lot. If our boy had been a girl, I thought about Ellen, June, Lucy, or Audrey. I also liked Violet, which might be a touch dramatic with another flower-named child.
posted by pinky.p 23 September | 11:36
What I've been suggesting recently is taking a normal name and replacing one vowel.

So you get: Tamothy, Ribert, Friderick, Jumes. Junnifer. Kute.

My wife hates me.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:38
What names does your wife like?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 September | 11:39
How about Clementine?

I love Audrey for brunettes. Yes.
posted by LoriFLA 23 September | 11:41
Hobbes
Edmund
Percival
Linus
posted by VeritableSaintOfBrevity 23 September | 11:41
What names does your wife like?

NOTHING! She gives no positive suggestions. Only vetoes my suggestions.

Wait. I take that back. she likes the names Jameson and Jill. And that's it. A whiskey brand and Jack's sister. And there are NO names that flow with Jill.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:41
Clementine is on my short list, but she hates it.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:42
Your wife is a saint.

Pictures the scene: Mrs ColdChef's spent a long, hot summer heavily pregnant. She's tired, she just wants the baby out, and there's you coming up with all these 'foster care' names* just for the fun of it. The poor woman deserves a medal.

*foster care names: family lawyers can tell, as soon as they hear a kid's name, if it's likely to end up in a foster home. We figure the fostering order should be made simultaneous with issuing the birth certificate, to save time later.
posted by essexjan 23 September | 11:43
I am shocked to see that "Evelyn" is currently more popular than "Sophie"...I thought for sure that my Ev would be the one of my girls with the LESS common name.

Anyway I came in here to suggest "Lily", a name I really love, but that my surname precludes our using. Turns out Lily's become rather popular. Nuts.

Couple last suggestions for a boy. I had a great uncle named "Wib" - turns out it was short for Wilbur. I liked that name, mainly for it's nickname. I also have a lot of Walters in my family, and like that name, I even like "Walt" but....Wally scares me.
posted by richat 23 September | 11:43
If you call your baby Clementine she will hate you forever, because every single time someone hears her name they'll sing "Oh mah darlin', oh mah darlin' ..." You'll probably be the worst offender.

Stop this nonsense now. Right now. Do you hear me?
posted by essexjan 23 September | 11:44
Ooh I like Clementine.

There's Maddie's middle name: Eleanor. I like that (obviously).
posted by gaspode 23 September | 11:45
Pictures the scene: Mrs ColdChef's spent a long, hot summer heavily pregnant. She's tired, she just wants the baby out, and there's you coming up with all these 'foster care' names* just for the fun of it. The poor woman deserves a medal.

This is a fair and accurate portrayal of my day-to-day homelife. And what she deserves is a compassionate husband. No luck, though.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:46
If you call your baby Clementine she will hate you forever, because every single time someone hears her name they'll sing "Oh mah darlin', oh mah darlin' ..." You'll probably be the worst offender.

My girls are "Georgia" and "Maggie May." They get sung to a lot. So far, they like it.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:48
Girls:
Aubrey
Adelaide
Meghan
Cleo
Carrie
Ellen
Evelyn
Henrietta
Lucinda
Juliet
Sheryl
Shirley
Suzanna


Boys (but I think it's going to be a girl):
Saul
Theo
Thaddeus/Tad
Eli
Devon
posted by rmless2 23 September | 11:49
Girls:

Glory
Domini

Boy:

Maybe since she likes Jameson something else that ends in -son?
Darius

posted by rainbaby 23 September | 11:50
Here was my suggestion from yesterday:

Honey Beatrice.

Come on. That's fucking GOLD! Nope. She wouldn't even dignify it with a response.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:53
Please do not name your baby Kaege. I met one of those recently. Pronounced "cage."

And the grownup Meghans I know hate it when everyone misspells their name. Which is always.

essexjan - I'd really like to see some of those foster care names.
posted by pinky.p 23 September | 11:54
next try Hortense Gertrude
posted by rmless2 23 September | 11:55
Honey? That's a stripper name, or a golden retriever's name!

I do know a recent baby Beatrice, but I know you were just kidding.
posted by pinky.p 23 September | 11:57
The NameVoyager might be helpful, or at least fun.
posted by occhiblu 23 September | 11:58
I do know a recent baby Beatrice, but I know you were just kidding.

Nope. And herein lies the problem. I would TOTALLY name a baby "Honey Beatrice." Or Agnes. Or Bertha. Or Hortense Gertrude.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 11:59
And has someone mentioned Cornelius? Or Thaddeus?
posted by occhiblu 23 September | 11:59
Glory also works with Beatrice!

posted by rainbaby 23 September | 12:01
I think the baby of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg was Ghislaine; I remember telling you that Hortense was the worst female name I could think of and I like MGL's real name for a girl: Felicity. My favorite boy's name is Julian, but you can replace the a for an e, too.
posted by brujita 23 September | 12:05
Jillian? It's grandma-y, and she could go by Jill.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 September | 12:05
Glory also works with Beatrice!

Yes! I will re-submit it to the baby-carrier....Nope. Still a no.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 12:05
Since my last name begins with F (duh) I wanted to name our son (if we had one) Phlegm. So it would be Phlegm F.

Lucky we had a daughter.
posted by danf 23 September | 12:06
Effie
Gussie
Jane
Lena
Mable
Maye

Ike
Luther
Wade
posted by occhiblu 23 September | 12:07
I'll probably never have kids, most likely, so please feel free to consider my grandma's name, Izetta. I love that name. LOVE.
posted by Stewriffic 23 September | 12:08
Izetta is awesome.

I love names with an x, y, z, or q in it.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 12:10
Now I'm liking Harmony.
I also still like the "Sh" names since they'd sound good with your surname, and C names so she can go by CeeCee which I think is cute.
So I'll add:

Cordelia
Calliope
Cadence
Catherine
Celine
Cecilia
Cecily
Celeste
Cybil
posted by rmless2 23 September | 12:11
Quincy?
posted by VeritableSaintOfBrevity 23 September | 12:11
OOOHHH! Calliope! Or another of The Muses? Terpsichore? Erato? But really, I think Calliope is perfect, fits in very well with the other two.
posted by rainbaby 23 September | 12:13
Xavier(a)! Marguerite.
posted by brujita 23 September | 12:15
I love the name Beatrice. Bernadette, too! You could call her Birdie.

I had a Speech class with a woman named Honey. She was tanned and played tennis all day. She drove a Mercedes and wore expensive watches and jewelry. She was very successful in real estate and wanted to do something else, and was back in school. She was the epitome of a modern day Southern Belle. She was always immaculately dressed, refined and classically beautiful, and had wonderful manners. I was 18 and she was probably early forties. I think our instructor had a crush on her and was completely charmed. I think he liked saying her name -- I heard it a lot that semester.

I also went to church with a woman named Honey when I was a kid.
posted by LoriFLA 23 September | 12:19
Foster-care names: These are all first names. I forget the poor kids' surnames

Tia-Maria-Kylie (all one name)
Storm Conan Samurai
Boutros-Boutros
Labia
Tyson Stallone Rambo Rocky
Twins named Capri Mercedes and Porsche Carrera. When the mother said the name was 'Portia' I said "Oh, after the Merchant of Venice?" and she said "naaah, after the bleedin' car!"
posted by essexjan 23 September | 12:19
Oh, and I persuaded the parents not to register their kid as 'Labia'. She ended up as Venetia.
posted by essexjan 23 September | 12:20
Calliope is awesome, but the citizens of New Orleans pronounce it "Kally-ope". Seriously. I have no idea why. There's even a Calliope Street that everyone calls "Kally-ope." Also: Burgundy street is "Bur-GUNDEE".

I like Marguerite, but a friend of mine snatched that up.

(pssst...everyone on your best behavior, my lovely impregnated wife's READING THE THREAD NOW!)
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 12:20
I like Honey, actually. It reminds me of a character in a book series I read when I was little. Bobbsey Twins, maybe? Wait. No. That was Flossie and Freddie, Bert and Nan.

Honey. That's going to drive me nuts now. Oh well.

Other family names of mine:
Frances
Walter
Hubert
Hazel (of course)
Norine
Lewis
Elaine
George
Edna
Velma
Harry
Anne
Eleanor
Arthur
Kathy
Judy
Joyce


posted by Stewriffic 23 September | 12:20
Seconding (sorta) Gillian.

My granny was named Rozelle, which has your Z. Her hubby was named Orion, pronounced "Orey-on", which became a bit of a family name. (My uncle was Orion Junior but everybody called him Brother, my brother got Orion for a middle name). We snagged that one for our first son, but went with the more common pronunciation.

Don't go with Dethrige.
posted by danostuporstar 23 September | 12:20
Honey was in Nancy Drew, Stewie.
posted by rainbaby 23 September | 12:23
Thank you!
posted by Stewriffic 23 September | 12:23
Flannery.
Carson.
posted by box 23 September | 12:24
What about the old Something Mae or Something Lynn for a girl? I have quite a few cousins with that construct as a first name and it always sounds lovely to my ears.
posted by danostuporstar 23 September | 12:25
Myrtle.
posted by box 23 September | 12:25
I was wrong! Honey was in Trixie Belden.


Trixie?
posted by rainbaby 23 September | 12:25
Ooh, I like Trixie.
posted by amro 23 September | 12:27
Sylvie?
posted by amro 23 September | 12:28
Myrtle and Trixie are FANTASTIC! You guys are giving lots of great suggestions. She'll hate all of them, but I love them!
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 12:30
You know what Trixie could be short for? Beatrix.
posted by rainbaby 23 September | 12:36
Nothing beats the girl I interviewed for a study a few years ago:
Shithead.
Pronounced "shi-TEED"

I called her out of her classroom by her last name instead.
posted by rmless2 23 September | 12:36
Good old names from my roots:

Male name: Granville

Female name: Jewell
posted by mightshould 23 September | 12:39
One of my best friends is named Lockhart (most people pronounce it "lock-hart" but his parents say "LOCK-ert"). Lock is a seriously cool nickname.
posted by JanetLand 23 September | 12:41
Annabelle
Quentin
Viola
Penelope
Paula
Grace
Vivienne
Mireille
Muriel
Margot
Maryanne
Marywin
Marilyn

Colin
Quentin
Zeke
Maximillian
Lane
posted by rmless2 23 September | 12:43
More 'C' names:
Collie (I think I actually had a student named this) (kinda hot)
Cordwainer
Crisis
Calamity
Cantaloupe (one of the lesser muses way after Calliope) (pronounce it can-TAL-uh-pee) (everyone will know that immediately upon reading it, don't worry)
Cadmia
Chromia
Crom (very mythic, can't go wrong there)

I think my favorite not-too-popular name with an old-timey air is Naomi. It admits exotic spellings such as Noémie, too.

rmless2: Was she in the same class with that Erbynmyth guy?
posted by Wolfdog 23 September | 12:46
Also, nobody has yet mentioned the best name of all.

Jan

Suitable for a boy or a girl.
posted by essexjan 23 September | 12:48
Also seconding Beatrice/Beatrix --> Trixie.

Vera?
Lynnette?
Lorelei?
posted by gaspode 23 September | 12:48
I'd picked out the names for my first child before she was born, second was named as I was giving birth because my husband hated the idea that it didn't have a name right away, third was nameless for a week, then named Django, then changed a week later, fourth was nameless for a week as well (I think?). So it is okay if the baby comes before the name. I was pushing hard for Sybil for my last one but alas, it was hubby's turn to name her (and he choose a great name, just not Sybil). You like quirky names, your wife likes traditional WASPY mid-century names that start with J. Hmmm, what can meet in the middle?
Jinx
Jivanta
Joni
Sian (pronouced Shawn)
Gillian
Geraldine
Grace
Ginger
Jolene (bonus Dolly song!)
Odessa
Shona
Jocasta
Louisana
Xoexe
Zuzanna
Zofia
Grazilla
Xoebe (Zeebee)
Xia (Zeeah)

Boys names are so much harder as they have to be masculine and not prone to switching teams suddenly (I know too many boy Rileys, Jordans etc whose moms were surprised how quickly they became girls names). I lean towards femmy boys names anyways instead of Butch or Barton or Wyatt.
Basil
Errol
Finn (he'll drink Jamesons...)
Jagger
Luka (I live on the second floor...)
Inigo
Ian/Eion/Xan
Hillel (great Talmudic scholar)
Ximenes (spanish version of Simon - which is a lovely name by itself) with an initial h sound

I could do this all day, it is a shame I stopped at only four. I guess I'll have to get more pets.

I do like Jameson a lot though. And my best friend growing up was Jill and she was a super sweet person. So I think your wife has excellent taste.
posted by saucysault 23 September | 12:51
Avery for a boy?
posted by amro 23 September | 12:51
Saskia, Milly or Rossi for a girl. Harvey, Oliver or Shane for a boy.

Alfie is a very popular baby name in England right now. I don't really like it but to each his own...
posted by triggerfinger 23 September | 12:54
Chloe? Zoe?
posted by amro 23 September | 12:56
The woman who cut my hair throughout high school was called "Punkin" (because no one in our town knew how to pronounce "pumpkin"). I guess this is a little better than her given name, which was Dovonnia.

She was white, by the way.

(Ooh, I like Avery! For a boy OR a girl.)
posted by mudpuppie 23 September | 12:57
I like:

Clementine, Quincy, Ximenes, Lorelei, Calliope (when pronounced correctly, so inappropriate given the region), Basil ("Herb" for short?), Naomi, Catherine, James, Jameson.
posted by aniola 23 September | 13:01
A friend's niece is Roxi. I like the more traditional Roxy, heh.

Naming kids is hard. My husband really tried to get me to agree to Declan MacManus for the whole 40 weeks. If we were big Elvis fans, maybe, but we aren't!
posted by pinky.p 23 September | 13:05
Murgatroyd.
posted by Eideteker 23 September | 13:07
Alberta. . .Bertie for short.
Morley (male or female)
Riley (for a girl)
Blair (for a boy)
Shannon (for either)
posted by danf 23 September | 13:07
I've made it my life's goal to convince someone to name their child Edison.

It can't be in the top 100, and it's close enough to something like Madison that it's not that out there.

Also, I like my son's name (Philo), and wouldn't mind more Philo's in the world. It's old-timey, it means love, and it's easy to spell.
posted by drezdn 23 September | 13:08
One of our Mechazens is named Felicity - I like that name.
posted by amro 23 September | 13:10
Because I have to try: Fishface (works for boy or girl)

Some alternatives:
Girl: Sylvia, to continue to -ia trend. Also Patricia, Cynthia, Gloria, but I like Sylvia best. Virginia too, but I think it'd be odd to have two girls named after states and one left out.

Or how about Camellia? It's a flower, so I violate my "one left out" rule, but I think it's less awkward than the state-names.

Boy: Cass or Cassidy
posted by mullacc 23 September | 13:11
Blair (for a boy) For a boy? For me, Blair is tied to Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 September | 13:14
My grandmothers names are/were Charlotte and Celia. Love both those names.

Grandfathers are/were Joseph and Chester (Chet).

Mom is Virginia (Ginny) and Dad is Gerald (Jerry).

Just throwing those out there.
posted by misskaz 23 September | 13:21
'Belle' is pretty nice for a girl--but are you Southern enough to name a boy 'Beau'?
posted by box 23 September | 13:22
I have a male friend named Blaise, pronounced Blaze, it's a family name, and pretty cool.
posted by rainbaby 23 September | 13:23
Glenn
Glenda
posted by Stewriffic 23 September | 13:30
My husband loves Baskerville for a boy's name. If we ever had a (hypothetical) child, he would probably get in a fist fight to name him Baskerville, and call him Bask for short. I am fond of Alfred.
posted by msali 23 September | 13:31
I really want to win this contest. ColdChef, does you wife like any of these?
posted by amro 23 September | 13:33
Zara
posted by amro 23 September | 13:41
Satchel if it's a boy. Pippa if it's a girl.
posted by Specklet 23 September | 13:44
My grandfather's name was Verdon. That could work.

(actually Hugh Verdon Michael Patrick, but he went by Verdon)
posted by gaspode 23 September | 13:51
Blair (for a boy) For a boy? For me, Blair is tied to Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl.


Heh, and I'm old enough that Blair is Blair from the Facts of Life.

They are the only female Blairs I've ever heard of, though. In my world, Blair is a boys name.
posted by gaspode 23 September | 13:53
I think metachat should have "what would you name (blank)" threads from time to time. Fascinating.
posted by rainbaby 23 September | 13:54
Alternate to Satchel if that's just too, you know, weird: DeForrest.
posted by Specklet 23 September | 13:55
Blair (for a boy) For a boy?


We had Blair chosen for a son, but we had a daughter.

A guy named Blair Ota was a friend of my sister's, a very early Japanese American resident of our very white community, and a popular guy.

When I was in my 20's I ran into him. . .he was an oral surgeon by then, and offered to remove my wisdom teeth (I was hurting at the time with them) for his cost, in penance for the torment he and the rest of my sister's friends heaped on me when I was a kid.

But that's not why we were going to name our son Blair.
posted by danf 23 September | 14:04
drezdn: I think Philo is pretty much the greatest name ever, and Edison just went on my "Favorites" list.

I really want to win this contest. ColdChef, does you wife like any of these?

If she chooses any of these names, I promise to give y'all full credit. "Oh, the Internets named our baby for us!"
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 14:07
Do you have to name your child before you leave the hospital? We did, which meant we had to settle on a name right away.

posted by pinky.p 23 September | 14:09
Do you have to name your child before you leave the hospital?
When Magnolia was born, she went for almost a full day without an official name. We both liked Maggie, but she didn't care for Magnolia. I signed the official paperwork while she was asleep. She's still angry about it. It's by far the most selfish thing I've ever done. I don't regret it one bit, though. I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it here.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 14:15
Alcina
Anne-Lise
posted by rainbaby 23 September | 14:20
Alright! I'm entering my hat into this ring:

Boys:
Howard
Cecil
Zane
Gerald
Seamus (I forget your particular quark of background)
Nathaniel
Hawthorne
Thornton
Nickelodeon
Logan
Caffrey (if you're going for drink names, why not an Irish ale?; note: this is also my sister's dog's name)
Clayton
Clifford
Quilleran
Tennessee
Judson

Girls:
Geraldine
Emily Starr
Raven
Ysandre
Jocelyn
Amylin (actually the first and last name of one of the assistants in the office)
Emmyline
Amaryllis

Yay, my boys' name list is longer than the girls' name list!
posted by TrishaLynn 23 September | 14:25
Roscoe!
posted by gaspode 23 September | 14:26
Oh, and Melvin.
posted by gaspode 23 September | 14:27
Lester? Dexter?
posted by amro 23 September | 14:37
I like Chester, mentioned above. Two others I want to throw in - Sören for a boy and Astrid for a girl.
posted by triggerfinger 23 September | 14:44
Sorenson Carlisle! (What, what, fans of The Changeover?)
posted by TrishaLynn 23 September | 14:55
I would like to nth Trixie. Have you seen the movie Trixie? It has my favorite tagline of all time: The only crime she couldn't solve was the murder of the English language.
posted by birdie 23 September | 15:07
Girls:
Clementine
Rose
Fern
Violet
Celandine
Ivy
Tansy
Saffron
Zinnia
Rowan
*Lily/Lillie

Felicity
Patience
Temperance
Constance
Verity
*Grace

Virginia
Louisa (for Lousiana)
*Savannah

Alice
Elinor
Josephine
Beatrix/Beatrice
Jessie
Susannah/Shoshanna
Eloise
Louisa
*Abigail

Boys:
Henry
Oliver
Finn
Avery
Samuel
Everett
Jack
Theodore
Sage
Absalom
Zane
Merrit
Becket
*Joseph

As you can tell, I like flower/plant names for girls.

*in the top 100 in last 10 years per SSA.
posted by deborah 23 September | 15:11
oh my, a 115 comment thread.

Girl: Gwendolyn or Gwen, Colette (has a nice ring with your last name).
Boy: King Zakaria (Sorry, I couldn't come up with one but I am in Monterey at a crepe place and they have one named so).
posted by special-k 23 September | 15:14
I'm not going to lie, deborah hit about ten of the names on my "Favorites List." Should have married her instead, I guess.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 15:14
I'll never again hear the name 'Trixie" without tagging on "you loopy c*nt." So, consider that too.
posted by mudpuppie 23 September | 15:14
Hey, Coldchef, I understand you have a French surname.

Can you draw on that cultural tradition for given names? Or is that just not how things are done in Louisiana?

Signed,

Ig'nant Yankee
posted by jason's_planet 23 September | 15:15
Magnolia as the official name, and Maggie as what everyone calls her seems better to me than just officially "Maggie."
I guess it's just a pet peeve. Like people who name their kid Jimmy instead of James. Name him James, call him Jimmy! It might not make a lot of sense but I like it.

My parents named me Andrew (as every other parent in the 1980s did to their sons, apparently), but they almost always call me Drew (they're the only ones). I think I prefer that to the thought of being named just plain Drew.

I had one but I forgot it after typing all that. Will post again when I think of it.

posted by CitrusFreak12 23 September | 15:15
For boys: Jack, Paul.

I don't have any good suggestions for girls' names because I've just lifted and my androgen levels are too high right now.

I'll look at Cute Overload for a while. That should lower the testosterone to a more reasonable level. And then I'll get back to you with better ideas.
posted by jason's_planet 23 September | 15:18
Can you draw on that cultural tradition for given names? Or is that just not how things are done in Louisiana?

Almost anything goes down here. I like French names, too, though.
posted by ColdChef 23 September | 15:23
Chandrasekhar - boy
Chandra - girl

You need some India in your life, sir.
posted by Meatbomb 23 September | 15:27
I'd just like to mention that I had a friend who dated a Cynthia. He always called her "Sid" which is pretty fucking cool if you ask me. Love girls names with boy nicknames.

Another good one on that front is Veronica (and calling her Ronnie) and I think I may have suggested that to gaspode back, oh, let's say, over a year ago.
posted by richat 23 September | 15:29
I'm not going to lie, deborah hit about ten of the names on my "Favorites List." Should have married her instead, I guess.

Don't listen to him, Miz Charlet! It's lies, all lies!!

*secretly blushes and giggles*
posted by deborah 23 September | 15:48
Hortense, a la francaise, they can call her Hotty for short! (I keeed!)
posted by Wilder 23 September | 15:51
Another vote for Violet for a girl, though I don't know if you would like the rhythm of how it goes with your last name. I also like Maisie, Tess (or Tessa), and Louise (or Louisa -- Louise is my middle name, btw).

For boys, here are the names that I would love to bestow upon a male child, and which my boyfriend has expressly forbidden me from doing, so I have no choice but to keep foisting them on my friends: Weller (I know, I know), Finn, and Ulysses.
posted by scody 23 September | 16:55
Louise is my middle name, btw


In the 70's I had a little German Shepherd named Louise. I have always liked that name, and it ended up as my kid's middle name. She is ambivalent about that.
posted by danf 23 September | 17:02
If it's a girl, Theora. If it's a boy, 55.
posted by theora55 23 September | 17:42
I dunno, 55 is kind of a girl's name where I'm from.

AHAHAHAHA, you know what's hilarious? Gender! I am cracking myself up. Man, I might need a nap.
posted by Elsa 23 September | 17:53
If you haven't looked at it yet, you might enjoy the Baby name Wizard Name Voyager, which gives a graph of any name you care to enter, charting its popularity over the last ~130 years. It's fun to play with.

(I'm having a sort of pre-migraine haze, so if this is linked above, I missed it. Also, that will explain the egregious typos I am no doubt committing.)

I am amazed, for example, to see that India, which in my imagination is a fin de siecle name, has spiked in popularity in the past two decades. Funny!

One advantage of this graph: it will show you not only full names, but names beginning with [whatever]; if you type in "Jill," it shows you Jill and Jillian in the same page; if you type "Jill" and hit return, it shows you only Jill. Useful for looking at variants.
posted by Elsa 23 September | 18:08
Sorrel or Lana for a girl. Jonah for a boy.

I also second Tess, Sylvia, and Abigail for a girl and Elijah and Wade for a boy.

Gwendolyn and Ophelia are lovely, too.

(I'm also better at girls' names. You must be having a girl. :)
posted by Pips 23 September | 18:25
Girls:
Acacia
Aislin (pronounced Ash-LEEN)
Aliah (ah-LEE-ah)
Amelia
Eliza
Carolina

Acacia is my favorite.

Boys:
Calvin (as previously suggested, great name)
Xavier

My brother used to know a guy named Xavier LaDoux, which was cool because his name both began and ended with X.


My son is 3 years old, and in his various preschool classes and all, he knows MANY Lilys, 4 girls named Avery or Averie or other variations, several Henrys, 2 Harpers (one boy, one girl) endless Hannahs, one Piper (girl), 2 Drakes (boys), a Jonah and a Jonas, 2 Wyatts,, 2 Luca's (that is, the name is LUCA not Lucas) and I could go on and on. Oh, and Payton, Peyton, Peighton and I think Paytyn. That last one absolutely slays me.

Take a look at the kid when he/she arrives and maybe he/she will end up naming his/herself for you. Sometimes a Maximillion just looks like a Maximillion.

Is there a place name you like? Michael J. Fox named one of his daughters Aquinnah after a town on either Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket, I forget which. That's a pretty name that means something to the family. Maybe there's a place name you particularly like too.

Can't wait to hear what you end up with!
posted by Kangaroo 23 September | 18:45
We wrote names on Post-Its and put them on our bedroom door so we could look at them every day. I very much chose names by sound and rhythm. I wanted things to sound just right in full form, long form, and short form.

For Stuart, the first runner up was Maxwell Cornelius. It was actually a tie: Stuart Donovan and Maxwell Cornelius, the final decision based on his coloring. We also had Byron waiting in the wings.

Charlemagne might be a good long one for the diminutive Charlie.

I can't remember what we had for runners up for Alice Katherine. I can't recall.

Female Possibilities:
Faith
Naomi
Virginia
Milicent
posted by plinth 23 September | 19:10
Lucretia?

One thing I recalled is my brother-in-law promised as a child that he would name his first born Mustafah Agamemnon. He folded.
posted by plinth 23 September | 19:17
LMFAO @ theora55

Ok here's mine: Role. Works for both sexes.

Definite no's:

Nictitating Membrame
Dangling Participle
The Child Formerly Known As Embryo
Maggot Muncher
Fink
posted by chewatadistance 23 September | 19:44
Until his boy bits showed up on the ultrasound I thought Elliot Mason was going to be a girl and had the perfect girls name: Mavis Adelaide. Mavis was my grandmother's name and I've yet to meet another, but I think it's such a pretty name.

I came up with stinky bums name because Mason is my brother's name and Elliot comes from a small port town in South Australia where we would sometimes vacation and where my grandparents are now buried.

I guess I focused on place names that meant something to me.
posted by gomichild 23 September | 19:50
Haven't read everyone's yet, just thought I'd chime in with:

Ophelia (what the heck)
Meryl
Kendall
Jillian
Jenna
Veronica
Kayla


Nathan
Gregory
Philip
Pierre
Henry
Steven
Myles

posted by redvixen 23 September | 20:17
Definitely Trixie (Beatrice/Beatrix)! Then you can read her Trixie Belden. :)

Also, re: Honey - the kindly teacher from Matilda is named Miss Honey, if you happen to like Roald Dahl.

And ooh, Adelaide is gorgeous.
posted by unsurprising 23 September | 20:25
Javier
Juan
Carlos

Adriana
Sophia
Candelaria



posted by jason's_planet 23 September | 20:29
Edison's great until your kid gets on the internets and finds out it's been done, with dirty photos.

Georgia, Magnolia - was the Old Deep South theme intentional? In that case: Savannah, Tara, or Waverly. Not Dixie, though.

Cassidy is a perfectly nice girl's name too (it's one of the fake identities I give telemarketers). I like Josephine, but I know a cat named Josephine.

Did anyone mention Jessamyn yet?

For a boy: Laurence, Edmund, Martin. No reason, I just think they sound good.
posted by casarkos 23 September | 20:35
IGOR! Please do this.

Egon

I also like Agnes, Ingrid, Astrid.
posted by fluffy battle kitten 23 September | 21:07
I met an Edsel today. He was a nice guy.
posted by saucysault 23 September | 21:31
My favorite girls name, spelled: Annelise (but pronounced: Anna Lisa).

My second favorite idea for a girl's name is Katharine Elizabeth, and you call her Katy-Beth for now, but you leave open the possibility of allowing her to rename herself later on, since both Katharine and Elizabeth have a LOT of dimunitives.
posted by marsha56 23 September | 21:32
I ..um.. have a Hobbit character named Jessamyn (flower names are popular among female Hobbitses) in Lord of the Rings Online.

Anyhoo - I really like Jessamyn but dunno how weird it would be to people the Mefi/Mecha world to use the name.
posted by deborah 23 September | 21:37
Caleb
Chauncy
oh yeah, and Myles... I've recently befriended both a Myles and a Miles.
Aticus
Hudson
Colin
Xerxes

Josephine
Ania
Catherine
Leah
Quianna
Courtney (every Courtney my wife has had has been an excellent student)
Magdalena
Deborah
posted by Doohickie 23 September | 21:40
Evangeline from the Longfellow poem and Esme since you like them french names. Hmm, let me think of some more ... I can't make accents so you'll have to draw them on your monitor with a sharpie.
Lea, Oliver, Felix, Vincent, Raoul or Roald, Dolores (okay that one isn't french).

I seriously considered Jessamyn but the meta connection was too weird. That being said, I give permission for your child to be names sault - that is a nice french word that works in english too!
posted by saucysault 23 September | 21:46
Kangaroo - there are at least four little Maxes in my kid's preschool. Maybe six. Six Maxes. That sounds like a band.

The top two (unofficial, just amongst the many little kids I know) girls names are Harper and Tallulah.

We met an adorable toddler named Memphis, he was a real cutie.
posted by pinky.p 23 September | 21:48
Marcella.
Maria.
Mirabelle.
Mireille. (after ctrl-f'ing: what rmless said)
posted by box 23 September | 21:52
Elizabeth. I think it's got the most nickname potential of all the girls' names.
posted by box 23 September | 21:53
They're big on that Bible thing in Louisiana, so how's about...

Boys:
Pilate
Herod
Haman
Legion
Pharaoh
Goliath

Girls:
Salome
Jezebel
posted by ROU Xenophobe 23 September | 21:54
Random Factor.
posted by buzzman 23 September | 21:56
Girls:

Iphigenia
Tyieshia
Anais
Atalanta
Harmonia
Althea
Phyto
Brome
Alcyone ("queen who wards off evil")
Maia
Alma (soul)
Luz (light)
Xochitl ("so-chee")

Boys:

Devontae
Evelyn
Ashley
Kyle
Lynn
Bam
Theseus
Nestor
Ajax
Solon
Nicodemus (just kidding, I knew one and he was annoying)

"Trixie" is an insult here in Chicago...
posted by halonine 23 September | 23:22
Good luck finding something you both like! Here are some grandma and grandpa names from various parts of my tree:

Buena (byoo-ee-na), Theda, Melba, Ruthendale, Irene, Josephine

Herman, Erwin, Herbert, Henry, Hector

Yay babies!
posted by wimpdork 23 September | 23:51
Ishmael. What? No? Fine.

We went with a family name when we named Boy, but I refer to him as Igor (Eegor), unless he's in trouble, and then he gets all all eight syllables of his name followed by "front and center, BOY!"

I love old fashioned names like Thadeus, Cornelius, Darin, Emily, Victoria, Rose. If Boy had been a Girl; I would have named him Elizabeth Rose. I love that name. Alas, no girls upon which to pin it.

I second the notion that the name should be easy to spell and easy to pronounce, and not easily translate into a nickname that will haunt them for life.

So exciting...awaiting a new mefite!
posted by Dejah 23 September | 23:55
Huguette. Sidonie Gabrielle Claudine Colette...one of my favorite authors. Martine, Anais (I'm not in the mood to fiddle with Ascii right now). My name in French is Genievre (e grave)
posted by brujita 24 September | 01:03
For a southern boy: Gray. For a girl, a feminine spinoff on Dominique: Dominie.
posted by lalex 24 September | 02:20
Oh, hey! What about Nola for a girl? Besides being a cool nickname for New Orleans, it's a legit name as well -- my best friend is named Nola, and she originally hails from New Orleans, too (she was named after her grandmother). It's a wonderful, distinctive name -- perfect on her, and I've never known another.
posted by scody 24 September | 02:22
and sorry, hell to the no on Trixie. Beautiful name but not quite right.
posted by lalex 24 September | 03:12
My grandmother was a Kathleen, which I really like - an Irish name, but she wasn't in the least bit Irish. Other old female names in my family: Margaret, Elizabeth, Jennifer.

On the male side, a few generations back we have an Aethelbert, an Enoch and an Ainsley. I kid you not.

Good luck with the birth, and maybe the kid will come out with an obvious name attached. A friend of mine had names lined up, but threw them all out when the baby arrived because "he looked like a Vincent".
posted by altolinguistic 24 September | 03:41
Some old-fashioned-ish names of (mostly Southern) people I've known:
Lady (had a teacher once named Lady Camille), Mimi, Bettina, Gwenllian, Shelby, Marinda, Marguerite, Valentine, Iolis, Annabeth, Carys.

Others:
Madeleine, Honora, Verena, Lydia, Ermengarde, Rosemary, Lettice, Cicely.

Louisiana, possibly? One of my great-grandmothers was Tennessee Eva; her grandmother was Louisa Tennessee. Others borrowed from that same branch are Livy, Mahala, Euphemia, Nadine, Phoebe, Fidelia, Abigail, and Adelisa.

Boys! Also mostly from my family...
Hugh, Nelson, Erastus, Isaac, Benedict, Bernard, Alonzo, Clarence, Matthias, Milton, Stephen.
posted by notquitemaryann 24 September | 03:47
Two more I thought of have been suggested - seconds for Evangline and Mathias. I also really like Esme!

Clark (Clark Kent, even?)
posted by rainbaby 24 September | 07:53
Altolinguistic, you have an Aethelbert in your family tree? Me too! My grandfather's middle name - he hated it, but as I understand it was an old family name. Wow. I never heard of anyone else having it, before.

I'm also not fond of "Trixie". Cute name, but what if she has a "serious" job as an adult? "Thanks for teh weather update, Jim. Now back to Trixie on the street"...."All rise, The Honorable Trixie Chef now presiding..." Nope. I feel the same about Bambi, Candy, and all the other exotic dancer type names.

posted by redvixen 24 September | 08:17
Horatio
posted by gaspode 24 September | 08:31
If it is a boy why isn't he getting your name by the way? My boy has the middle names of Frances and Jeremy to honour his grandfathers on both sides (and yes the girls middle names honour the nana). My father's middle names are Clarence Hanson, pretty oldtimey.

I can't believe no one has suggested Katrina, or, in a related note, Phoenix. I knew a boy named Griffin who was supposed to have a sister named Phoenix but I think it works for both genders.

Oh, another french name : Caillou. (i have no way to spell out the sound ... umm, take the first two letters of kite and add an oooo sound kiiii-ooouu.) I love the books too. Speaking of books, Madeline! Or, from le petit prince, Antoine or Roi-Soleil.
posted by saucysault 24 September | 10:04
hrm. Katrina possibly not the best name in Louisiana, saucysault...?
posted by gaspode 24 September | 10:08
Leila? Another song name.
posted by amro 24 September | 10:15
Ooh, or Lola.
posted by amro 24 September | 10:15
If her full name is Beatrice/Beatrix, she can use her whole name or re-shorten to Bea instead of Trixie.

That said, I'm rethinking my support of the name, because it doesn't really go with Georgia and Magnolia.
posted by unsurprising 24 September | 10:16
gaspode, I know the history ... but New Orleans was not wiped out, people are still there, rebuilding in the face of enormous obstacles and the meaning can be changed to a name of hope and determination.
posted by saucysault 24 September | 10:16
Altolinguistic, you have an Aethelbert in your family tree?

Yes, and not very far back, either - it was my great-grandfather Enoch's (who died when I was 10) father's name.
posted by altolinguistic 24 September | 10:46
Coldchef. . .you SERIOUSLY need to print out this thread and save it for your kid, for when she or he will appreciate how wrong it all could have gone.
posted by danf 24 September | 15:29
I've been reading a lot of manga lately and I find I really like some of the girl names, like Mayu, Yuka, etc.

But to tell the truth, a lot of the names people give their kids these days really make me cringe. Plain old names like they used back in the 50's, those are what I'm most comfortable with.
posted by DarkForest 24 September | 16:43
Ooh. I have an ancestress named Jacobina. Josephine might work, too.

I'm partial to Marcella (she was Raggedy Ann's human), but you already have an M. I second existing votes for Sylvia and Louise/Louisa.

Another vote for Philo if it's a boy. Henry, Arthur, or Bernard also seem to have the right great-uncle ring to them.
posted by tangerine 24 September | 16:53
Belen
Cleo
Mariposa
Saundra
Genivive
Monica/Monique
Lorena

Octavanio
Cosmo
(one I mentioned before) Norbert
Xavier



posted by lysdexic 24 September | 17:02
Oh, and watch out for any suspicious drinks you may be offered at the hospital. Wifey may slip you a mickey and sign the papers with a name she picked out six months ago.
posted by lysdexic 24 September | 17:03
LOL @ danf. I agree!

Another vote for Nola if it's a girl.

And I can't believe y'all didn't like Role.
posted by chewatadistance 24 September | 17:20
I have a student named Elvis this year, which I think is way cool. (In case it is a boy.)
posted by Pips 24 September | 17:43
Did anyone mention Roxanne/Roxy? It's awfully cute. Olivia's pretty, too.

My favorites are still Ophelia and Tess for a girl, though.
posted by Pips 24 September | 17:49
Philippa
posted by brujita 25 September | 01:43
I second the idea of naming a boy after yourself--you're the third or the second or something, aren't you, CC?
posted by box 25 September | 21:56
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Jasper. I love it.
posted by triggerfinger 26 September | 06:10
FWIW, we had a boy and named him Milo. And I love it.
posted by ColdChef 01 August | 16:26
:) In Greek, that's "Apple," btw. So, you can always ensure years of embarrassment down the line with future girlfriends by establishing Apple as a nick now!
posted by taz 02 August | 07:13
Speaking of Golden Retrievers, I met one recently named Mango, which I recommend for your child as well.
posted by Wolfdog 02 August | 08:30
my hedgehog's name is Mango
posted by youngergirl44 02 August | 09:34
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