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...)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
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...)?
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...)?
Friday, January 6, 2012
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!
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!
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