Tis the Season. Or Tisn't it?

Season names are so tricky. I love them all: "Summer," "Autumn," "Winter," and "Spring" are all gorgeous. But is there ever an appropriate time to use them? It seems very silly to name a child "Summer" if she is born in any other season. But it's cheesy to name a baby born in the summer, "Summer!" How do we reconcile this?!

The same thing applies to month names. Just about any month can be a name, but why name a girl "April" if she's born anytime but then, but again: Naming an April baby "April" is borderline dumb, like naming her "Human" or "Born."

What are your thoughts on this conundrum?

Four lists of four, in honor of four!

My amazing husband and I celebrate four years of marriage today!
In honor of this specialish day, here are:

4 names beginning with the alphabet's 4th letter:
- Damon/Damien; I've always been partial to these, even though they're awfully close to demon.
- Doria; a girl from my elementary school had this name, and I think it's so Britishy and sweet.
- Dell; I like one syllable names, especially for boys. This is a nice less common one.
- Deidre; I don't adore it, but it sticks with you- something unique but not weird.

4 names connected to the traditional 4th anniversary gift of fruit or flowers:
- Flora/Fleur; they mean "flower," and they're wonderful; the first is sweet and the second's sophisticated.
- Plum; if I had to use a fruit name, it would probably be "Plum."
- Dahlia; my very favorite flower name
- Posy; just adorable, although she probably couldn't be a supreme court justice.

4 names connected to the modern 4th anniversary gift of appliances (hey, my husband got me an immersion blender for a gift- must be a coincidence because I'm sure he didn't know about the appliance thing!:
-  Luz; the lovely name/word for "light" in Spanish
- May; as in "Maytag," the appliance company.
This is a hard one!
- Miller; like a food mill
- Hoover; well, presidential names are in, so maybe this would be acceptable!

Finally, 4 names associated with the 4 places we have collectively lived since meeting:
- Elliott; from Elliott Bay in Seattle
- Penn; an obvious choice for Pennsylvania
- Eva; a controversial if apt Argentine name
- Juniper; a feisty Flagstaff moniker

Z-Names

There's a fine line one must walk with "z" names. Many are original, fresh, and very wearable. Others are unusual to the point of being unpleasant or just bizarre. Here are a few I like:
Girls:
- Zoe: Fairly common, but entirely lovely
- Zinnia: One of my favorite flower names!
- Zipporah: Exotic and fun, and biblical too, though I'd probably never use it myself!
- Zaylie: Kind of cutsey, but it's a more grown up version of the popular "Kaylie"

Boys:
- Zebedee: How awesome is this?!
- Zeke: Short and manly, and a great nickname for "Ezekiel"
- Zach/Zachary: Certainly common, but it's a more modern classic
- Zachariah: A more unusual take on the previous name
- Zane: I have a thing for wild west names

Do you have any additions?

Short and Sweet

I just adore one syllable sweet and strong names. You would think that the fancier, more syllable-ier names would be the most feminine, but there's something very soft and girly about the following names, even without all the frills. They stand out in their own understated way amongst the Isabellas and other elaborate classics that are so common today:

- Lane
- Tess
- Nell
- Quinn
- Faye
- Sloane
- Rae

Guys and Gals

There are very few names that I consider to be truly gender neutral. Out of those names, there are even fewer that I actually like for both genders. Here are a few:
-Morgan: While this name is probably better on a girl these days, I think quite a few boys can pull it off as well. The shortened form "Morg" is definitely better on a guy.
-Jordan: A strong name for a boy, it manages to be feminine for a girl. That takes skill.
- Nature names: River, Sage, Aspen, etc. A lot of word names work for both genders. I'm not that into word names, but I could see any of these three on a baby boy or girl.

Do you have any favorite interchangeable options?

My new favorite website (next to pinterest, that is!) is nameberry.com. It's a baby name lover's wonderland! Seriously, pay it a visit and you'll be overjoyed.
Name News and Such:
- Jessica Simpson had a baby GIRL and named her Maxwell Drew. Two boy names. I hate it. Couldn't she at least have used "Maxine?" Did she not care what gender her baby was? Good grief.
- I'm seeing a resurgence of the name "June," especially in middle names. It's sweet and unassuming; I like it.
- I love nicknames, but don't really like naming a kid a nickname. For example, if someone wants to call their kid "Eddie," I would name him "Edmund" or "Edwin." Naming with nicknames is becoming more common, which is a little unfortunate since it limits the options the child will have later in life (it's easier for them to shorten their name should they chose than lengthen it).
- What do you think about "Zephaniah?" I can imagine a squirmy little "Zeph" running around and delighting people. But will its resemblance to "Jeff" cause confusion?...

Dual Approval

I am generally a bit wary of names that "work" for both genders; they often are more suitable for one gender or the other, and it means it's not clear on future job applications if the person is a guy or girl. Nonetheless, there are some names that I think are grand for just about any baby:

- Rory: Since this is the nickname of my own dear daughter, I'm obviously a "Rory" fan. I think it works for boys, and it is a nice, not as girly option for little "Auroras" like my daughter, or "Aurelias," and "Loreleis."
- Jamie: It's an adorable short for a young "James" for a boy, and is a nice standalone for a girl's name.
- Jordan: This name has been acceptable for both genders for long enough to make it a viable option for either a guy or a girl. It still has a strong enough sound for a boy (and I prefer it as a guy's name), but it is a far from unusual option for a girl too.
- Alex: A nickname for "Alexander," "Alexandra," and "Alexandria..." dare I call it a classic? This name works for anyone.


Do you have an addition for the list?

Horrific Auto Names

I always thought it would be fun to be the person who decides what to name a new car model. I think the Mercedes Brittany would be a top seller! Here's an article listing some truly AWFUL car names. Really, they should have consulted me first...

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/04/14/10-worst-car-names-all-time/

Man Names

Baby names don't tend to get very many men excited. While quick to reject names, most guys aren't quick to offer their own suggestions. It takes a very special name to generate an enthusiastic response, and these names vary man to man. In the case of my husband, strong, Nordic names like "Thane," wild west cowboy names like "Slate," and quirky fuddy duddy names like "Conrad" thrill him the most.
If you're struggling to come up with any names your man approves of, consider his interests and passions. Is he:
- Artistic? Offfer: "Claude" or "Vincent"
- Athletic? Offer: "Walker" or "Ryder"
- Aquatic? Offer: "Isla" or "Shell"
- Outdoorsy? Offer: "Hunter" or "Willow"
- Musical? Offer: "Cadence" or "Piper"
- Traditional? Offer: "Sarah" or "James"
- Indecisive? Offer: "Elizabeth" or "William" because they come with many nickname possibilities.
- Romantic? Offer: "Aurelia" or "Rodrigo"
- Hip? Offer: "Tate" or "Moe"
- Nerdy? Offer: "Euclid" or "Newton"
- Reformed? Offer: "Luther" or "Calvin"
- Geeky? Offer: "Han" or "Kirk"
- Heroic? Offer: "Wallace" or "Patton"
- Literary? Offer: "Hemmingway" or "Rudyard"
- Succinct? Offer: "Guy" or "Brynn"
- Sentimental? Offer: His grandma's name
- Nostalgic? Offer: His favorite childhood hero's name 
- Easygoing? Offer: Whatever you want!

Let these inspire you, and dream up a couple to toss at your man. Have a pen and paper ready, because they could be just the thing to cause a fount of names to well up inside him!

3 Syllables

Three syllable boy names have been on my mind. On a recent red eye flight from Phoenix to Anchorage, I had ample time to ponder names. In fact, I tried to name myself to sleep by starting at the end of the alphabet and thinking of all the boy names I could for each letter. I made it to A. The sad part was my husband was sleeping so I couldn't include him on my musing over certain names; I'm sure he's sorry to have missed it. From that episode, I learned that 3-syllable boy names are lacking. Granted, there are many traditional offerings, such as "Timothy" and "Jonathan," but pickings are slim for options not as mainstream
Here are a few uncommon ones that stood out to me:
-"Gulliver" I was oddly excited about this name, until I found out that it means "glutton." Not exactly something to aspire to.
-"Caspian" This name sounds both manly and kind of romantic to me, and it's also a place name. My husband was underwhelmed.
-"Tobias-" I'm such a fan of this one, and love the nickname "Toby," which unfortunately is a dog name.
-"Julian-" This one is growing in popularity (in 2010 it was number 53 of the top 100 boy names). It has an old feel to it, but doesn't sound out of place today.

Quickie

I really anticipated updating this more often now that Bash is getting bigger. It seems bigger does not necessarily mean easier!

Just a quickie to remind you that I still exist and that names are still awesome:

Heard/Saw
- "Magnolia" for a girl- not one I'd really consider since it is a suburban area near where I grew up, but I think it's lovely, and "Meg" or even "Nolia" would be a pretty nickname.
- "Xander" as a nickname for "Alexander." I wouldn't use it as a name alone since I don't know how well it would age, but it's kind of a neat alternative to the standard "Alex."
- "Conley"- I actually really like this boy name, even though it's so similar to a couple girls name. It sounds like a wild west, cowboy name to me. Our vet's name was "Conley Westover," and he was (still is, we just don't have a dog anymore) a pretty awesome cowboy kind of guy. He totally pulls off the name, and I think it's great for any rough and tumble little kid (a bookish child may get made fun of with that moniker).

Viking Names

In honor of an epic snowfall in western WA this week, and as a nod to its prominent Scandinavian population (which includes myself), and because I dislike pansy names for boys and these names are certainly not that, here is a brief list of strong Norse names suitable for any little viking:

Fairly Mainstream yet still warrior-strong:

Leif
Victor
Thane
Finn
Axel
Dane
Gunner
Erik


Or if you want something really hardcore Norse, that practically drips with manliness, here are a few options:

Fenris- A mythical monster wolf
Halvard- Rock defender
Hrimfaxi- A mythical horse of night whose bridle drips the morning dew
Ingemar- Of the sea
Bjomolf- Bear wolf
Bodolf- Wolf leader
Eitri- A mythical dwarf (or maybe you don't really want to name your kid that...)

Ego-Names

This past week, yet another celebrity had a baby and gave her a bizarre name. Beyonce now has a daughter named "Blue Ivy." Her husband's name is Jay-Z, so I wonder if the baby's legal name is "Blue-Z." Haha.

That's not what I want to address, however. Being a name-enthusiast, I read an article on the story behind Blue's unorthodox name, and found out that she is named after her father's best selling album, Blueprint. Seriously.

My inclination is to be very unimpressed by a name that is a nod to a great accomplishment of the parents; it seems like one of the more arrogant things a couple can do name-wise. Imagine Michale Phelps naming a daughter "Goldie" after his Olympic medals, or President Obama naming a little girl "Blanca" after the White House or "Paz" after his (joke of a) Nobel Peace Prize (and those are all legitimate, established names, unlike "Blue")! It's one thing to name a child for something you aspire for them, like "Justice" or "Victory," or for something that played a significant role in the parents' life ("Rainier" if they met skiing, or "Iris" after the flowers his beloved Grandma planted by her porch). And it would be perfectly acceptable for little Blue Ivy to name her own daughter "Blue" as a nod to her father one day. But honoring yourself so much in your child's name...I don't know, it just seems so presumptuous! Can you imagine asking a guy why his parents chose his name, and him replying that it was the name of the main character in a novel his dad wrote? I feel like it should be the other way around, naming something else after your offspring (having children, by the way, is a far greater accomplishment than just about anything else we could do!).

I mentioned this to my husband, and he brought up the point that having a "Blake Jr." could be considered arrogant as well. I concede that this is true, although I consider junior names to be more about family and legacy than pride.

What are your thoughts? Should I name my next child "Dare" since I won the DARE essay contest in 6th grade (Blake won his too, so it would be doubly meaningful...)?

I'm Back!

Baby Sebastian is now almost 11 weeks old. I've found that it takes about that long before I can bring myself to even just think about baby names. Now the thought of having another baby to name in the future is not so horrific, and I can glory in names once again.

With that, I have a new name obsession. Verity. I can't stop thinking about it, and even saying it (under my breath, which is weirding out my husband). Verity. It was love at first sight. Immediately after seeing the name (which I correctly figured meas "truth,"), I did some research as to its history and popularity. It's old. And not popular. It's considered puritanical, and is a fabulous alternative to more conventional virtue names. I'd probably call her "V" or "Veri" for short, but despite my rampant nicknaming, I can't imagine shortening such a lovely name all that often. In addition, "Verity" goes really well with "Aurora" and "Sebastian-" all 3-syllable classic but uncommon names.

Now I want another baby girl...better go change a diaper to squelch that sentiment!