The Bad Baby Names Blog

Inusual, Unique, and Unisex

2010-06-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

What would be a perfect name for my sisters new born, she is looking for a inusual, unique, and unisex name?

essex So romantic. So melodic. Oh, to be named after the exotic realm of Essex.

Jansen or Janson, Greysen or Greyson, Brysen or Bryson Maiden or Maidon, doesn't matter, all unisex

Roch
Joseph I'd definitely want to take Joseph Marie to prom
Adriel
Adrianna Please welcome your all-star high school quarterback, Adrianna Butch Jones!!
Rhelei (pronounced riley and is unisex) is unisex, but isn't pronounceable
Serenity
Sevannah
Lorelei (pronounced laura-lie)
Travis
Destin
Dustin
Destiny what, no Dustiny?
Piper
Vaughn
Rose I'd like you to meet my son: Rose. He goes by "Jim."
Cadei (pronounced Katie) I'm sorry my son Cadei couldn't be here, he's busy hanging himself.
Cademyn CAEDMON, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU??
Gabrial
Stephen (pronounced stefan) I believe the name you're looking for is... Stefan.
Dakoda Sorry, Sioux people.
Lakoda Oh man, extra-sorry, Sioux people.

Shayne (girl spelling) Shane(boy) girl spellings: just add a Y!

Alexander is actually a unisex name. NO.

NOW........
Here are some unique girl names.
Myla (557 were born last year)
Nyla (797 were born last year)
Neveah (6,020 were born last year)
Novalee "unique" for a reason
Americus unique if you think taking a unique name from a major motion picture is unique
America (539 born last year)
Sailor ( I would spell it Say-Lor because it would be like Taylor) I would spell it HOOK-ER because it would be like "Hey Sailor."
McCall nothing says feminine like "named after a sewing pattern company"
Bentin only if your last name is Half.
Harper (1,885 born last year)
Payton (3,623 born last year)
Gemma (531 born last year)
Esmee (You could say it like it sounds Ess-mee or you could say it Ess-May) You could also say it like Kick-mee or you could say it Woe-iss-mee
Evangeline EVANGELINE how did you get onto this list? are you hurt? trapped? do you need help??

NOW boys!
Samson (236 born last year)
Sabriel omg, i LOVE garth nix!! i want a boy named sabriel and a girl named renesmee because i am like totally into the undead!
Xiaver Five bucks she pronounces this like Xavier
Santana
Bansi Is this supposed to be like Banzai? Or, like... Bonsai?
Ballin BALLIN. Yes, lady, please. Name your son Ballin. I beg you. That would be highly inusual.
Bailey OK, I have to agree with you on this one. Bailey is unusual on a boy. 215 boys last year, 3,614 girls last year. Sounds like a recipe for success to me.
Basil
Parley As in, yarrrrr cap'n, I be seekin' parley? Or do you think that she meant Parsley, and copied these two from her grocery list?
Ritcher
Paisley This kid would never get his ass kicked. Ever.
Parry
Parson
Mabon
Macon
Magee
Jafarie
Jayden VERY UNIQUE
Jackopa Short for, uh, Jackalope.
Taban
Nathan (11,990 born last year)
Tamerson In case you're worried about having a Wilderson.
Tanner (2,427 born last year)
Tucker (1,595 born last year)
Edmund damn, did you know Edmund is actually not on the top 1000 in the US right now? OK, uniquenamer101, I salute you on this one
Elijah (a mere 12,652 born last year)
Oliver (4,233 born last year - did anyone else notice how the unusual boys' list went from "unpopular for a very good reason" to "wildly popular?" and did anyone else notice how this poster didn't even try for unisex? or... did she?)

LangDetectar>en YahooCerror

Pete

with literacy and justice for all

2010-06-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Poster 1: My nephew wants us to name the baby Liberty if it is a girl. I actually kinda like it! But I do not think it goes with Isabelle super well, like Justice or something free-spirited, lol. I still like other names better, but it is fun to play around with ideas. What are your thoughts in Liberty?

Poster 2: What about soem tradional name as a 1st and that as a middle. Since Belles is tradional or to me it is id think something along the same lines would be fitting.

Poster 1: like Liberty more and mroe each day, though I still like some of my traditional A names I posted about before that go wellw ith Belle.

"Girl names?"

2010-04-01T12:40:00.001-07:00

This conversation is surreal:

http://forum.baby-gaga.com/about1076729.html

Yuck(h)

2009-05-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

America, you have disappointed me again.

Khloe went from #960 in 2006 to #665 in 2007 to EFFING #196 in 2008. One thousand six hundred and eighty-seven girls were named Khloe in 2008 in our fair country.

Pretty impressive for a name that sounds exactly like you're hockin' a loogie.

Heil-py Update?

2009-01-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Adolf Hitler Campbell, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell have apparently been taken into protective custody. Best part of this news story is AGAIN the comments, where a wild debate about free speech is raging. Many people seem to believe that the children were removed from their parents because of their names. Now, the state doesn't have the right to remove children because of their names. Buuuuuut, I'm willing to bet that if you're naming your kids Adolf Hitler and Aryan Nation, the state might have their eye on you for other reasons. Just a guess.

M is for Male - and for Mayday

2009-01-11T15:32:00.000-08:00

Mace
I like this name because it means so many different things, from a destructive weapon to a cooking spice! It's short, easy to spell, and different without being wacky.

Because it's definitely not wacky to be named after a destructive weapon and a cooking spice.

Marik
Name of the Egyptian child-villain from the Japanese anime show 'Yu-gi-oh!' Nice alternative to Mark.

Any name of an Egyptian child-villain is a nice alternative to the day-to-day.

Marley Grayson
just luv these names cos they are very different and posses an ambigendrous quality 2 it. the 1st name also honours the reggae king, Bob Marley! a child with this name wouldn't b scared of anything !

Wouldn't b scared of anything, except maybe of being ambigendrous, which sounds difficult at the very least.

Marsala
Roman- "Dangerous"

I can't find a lot of evidence for this, but I remain pretty skeptical that "marsala" was the Roman term for "dangerous." Does anyone else get the feeling this guy was thinking of Messala? Now that was a dangerous Roman.

Maverick
I like it because it is my sons name, and I have never met anyone else with it. It is very unique and also very masculine. Some may say it is a cowboy name, but the preacher said it means child of God...so the meaning is special too. It also means indpendent which I beleive is a good trait as well.

Maverick: independent cowboy of God; hangs out with Goose a lot.

Maxon
I absolutely loooooove the name Max but it sounded somewhat unfinished alone so I made the name Maxon, but Maxton works well too.

Maxon! Maxoff! Breathe in through nose, out the mouth!

Merrix or Merricks
I made this one up before having my third child. I couldn't sell it to the relatives, so as far as I know, it remains an original, unused name. It sounds like an operating system to me!

Great! Maybe you could sell it to Microsoft instead of the relatives! Or sell it on eBay! Original unused condition!

Miakyel
(Michael) - A very common name for a boy with a very unique spelling for that mom who hates common names but just cant give up on michael for some reason or another

Sorry to say, but it looks like you just gave up on Michael. Or... My-ah-kyehl.

Milenko
for a boy, he is one of my friends and i thought his name was pretty cool, as i have not heard his name before, he is Siberian/ Yugoslavian.

Serbian, Siberian. They're all the same. It probably snows there. Or something. Anyway, his name was pretty cool.

Mirajj
Another made up name (MEER-ahj...the last syllable rhymes with the last syllable of 'garage')

So... "Mirage." You made up another spelling for "Mirage." That... rhymes with "garage." Well. This one sounds like a winner to me.

Mitermayer
It's the name of the first guy I felt in love with. He's a very unique guy and there aren't many men around the world with the same name. In fact, I wanted to know what it means... Anyway, it's a favorite for the simple reason that I will never forget this name, I will never forget what this tall guy with a strange name made me feel. Let me tell you the real definition of Mitermayer: a man who makes others feel various sensations in a short period of time, from huge anger to deep love.

This is indeed an unusual name. So unusual, in fact, that I bet if Mitermayer ever googles himself... he'll end up here. Welcome, Mitermayer! Hope you like the blog! Sorry this relationship didn't work out, but really, it's probably for the best. She's writing about you all over baby name sites on the internet - don't you think that's a bit creepy? It's probably good you let go when you did.

Montag
from another favorite book, sounds very clever.

... unless you know some German.

Modoc
Ok I probably wouldn't give this name to a human but I think it would make a great pet name not to mention a fantasy character in a novel. I heard it used originally for a vampire but I think it goes better with a dragon.

On the contrary. I think Modoc Mitermayer has a great ring to it...

Morgan
My male dog's name is MORGAN RHYS LLEWELLYN, which is Welsh for "lion-like."

Oh yeah? Well, MY male dog's name is CADFRAWD ARTHFAEL CYNDDYLAN FFLAMDDWYN MYNYDDOG, which is Welsh for "What the eff, why do I have so many names? I'm a freaking dog!"

Morrgann Braiden (MORR-Gann / BRAY-din)
Morgan is a very popular girls name, however, i have always liked it as a boys name. Sounds very brave to me. Braiden is another name I have always found unique and very masueline.

I agree. Just plain "Morgan" is too femueine these days. Morrgann is way more masueline. You can practically HEAR the pirate in Morrgann. Morrrrrrrgann. I put some hair on my chest just saying it.

Murphy
It's just one of those names that's fun to say and will fit on basically any type of man: alcoholic, saint, young, old, mysterious, open...

Yes, the first association I want with my little baby's name is "alcoholic." You can never be too prepared for the future!

Heil-py Birthday

2008-12-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell and Adolf Hitler Campbell.

Good names for a trio of toddlers? Heath and Deborah Campbell think so. The Holland Township couple has picked those names and the oldest child, Adolf Hitler Campbell, turns 3 today.

This has given rise to a problem, because the ShopRite supermarket in Greenwich Township has refused to make a cake for young Adolf's birthday.

Full story here. Best part of the full story is actually the comments, because people are totally outraged that this store wouldn't make a cake for Adolf Hitler. Oh, Pennsylvania.

What's Ian a Name?

2008-11-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

Whats a different way to spell the name ian?

Poster #1:
"Ean
Iyan
Eyin
Eyan
Eyn
Ein
Iyn
Iain
Iin
Eyain
Eiain
Iyanne
Eyanne
Eyinne"

Poster #2:
"Ean
Eann
Eion
Eon
Iain
Ion"

Poster #3:
"ean?
iyan?
eyan?
eyin?
iyin?"

Most helpful answer as chosen by original poster:
"Ean
Yan
E.N.
eyan
eion
iean
eaon
eian
Eein
Eeinne
Eyian"

Most helpful answer as chosen by me:

"John, lol....serious"

Alaska's First Family

2008-08-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

Reader Liz brought a serious problem to our attention in the last post's comments. No matter what your politics are, I think we can all agree that Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig Paxson Van could have used a re-think. Particularly the first two and the last one. Particularly because Trig doesn't appear to be any kind of "Nordic" name, as the family claims. There's "Trygg", a Norwegian name which means "safe" or "reliable" - but there's unfortunately no "brave victory." Maybe they should have just been straight with us and confessed it's short for "Trigger." NRA family, you know? Or maybe "Trigonometry?" Palin's probably good with numbers?

Willow? I'll survive. Piper? Not my fave, but hey. But Bristol is a girl. And Track is... a sport. And Trig just really, really, really needs to be good at math in high school. At least algebra. Seriously.

2008-08-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

God bless good old American independence and free thought. I'll be writing this blog for the next sixty years.

People Who Can't Take a Joke

2008-08-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

Oh hey, Anonymous. Sorry you don't have a sense of humor, or a sense of courage. I'm sorry to hear that "karma like me is a real bitch," too. Next time, log into Blogger and run a grammar check. Oh, and figure out the "submit" button so you don't have to post your comment fifteen separate times on four posts. I'd teach you how, but I guess I'm too busy being afraid of having children.

Yahoo! Geography

2008-03-12T01:17:00.000-07:00

What are some cool names to name your baby after like countries? Israel for example.?

Ohhhhh boy guys. Are you ready for this? It's time for another installment of: Yahoo! Answers Discusses Geography!!

Now, let's get this straight. Israel really kinda started off as a first name. Can we blame this poor modern mother for thinking it's "cool," even if it's for all the wrong reasons?

Wait. Yes, yes we can. Because look what you just started, modern mother:

China, Scotlyn, Italia, Canada, and Romania!

Oooh, Scotlyn, yeah. I was worried "Scotland" would just be too masculine, you know? But stick a -lyn on there, and we're good. Canada's a great possibility too. Nothing says "cool" to an American audience like Canada.

Holland is my favorite of the country names, Holly is always a cute nickname.

Funny, when I tried using that at the customs checkpoint in Holland, they definitely didn't find it cute. Though maybe I went over the line when I called them the "Cute Holly Passy-Checkies." You know how things get in Amsterdam. Anyway.

Israel... That's beautiful! I also like (most of these are feminine, sorry if it's a boy)
Korea
Asia
Austria
just off the top of my head. And there are plenty of beautiful ones that are like tiny countries, or their cicties or capitals, and states of course. Look at a big map. There's lots of little names like
Alaska
Montana (She'll get a lot of Hannah Montana if you name her this though)
Zambia
Kona
Sidney
Stuff like that.

Look at a BIG MAP! Why didn't I think of this before!! You're right, it's a GOLD MINE on that big map, with lots of little names for all those cicties and tiny countries. Ooh, yeah, here's one: "Myanmar." Mya for short! That's really cute. "Eritea" - that sounds spunky! "Prishtina" - that's like "Christina," but cooler. Hmm, and "Sarajevo!" Sara for short, naturally. What do you think of the combo "Ramallah Israel"? ... What do you mean that doesn't work? I found them on the big map...

Well there is a girl i have met named Ireland so why not.
-Ireland (girl)
-Israel sounds pretty good (gilr/boy)
-America (girl)
-India (girl)
-Finnie short for Finland (girl)
-Armenia (girl)
-Bolivia (girl)
-Chad (boy)
-Iran (boy)
-London (girl)
-Austria (girl)
-Holly short for Holland (girl)
-Sidney (in australia) for (girl)
-Lucia from Saint Lucia (girl)
-Helena from Saint Helena (girl)
-Rwanda (girl)
-Jordan (boy)
-Libya (girl)
-Tunisia (girl)

I like how this one starts out with "so why not!" and proceeds to list every country on earth, complete with suggested genders. Finland on a girl? Why not! Iran on a boy? Why not! RWANDA?? Oh yeah, Wanda for short. Why not!!! I like her enthusiasm.

Alaska for a girl
Chynna for a girl
Amerika/Emerica for a girl
Zealan (New Zealand, minus the new and the d) for a boy
Irelan (ireland) for a boy

This girl's clearly way ahead of the curve. Why name your kid after a country? The country already has that name - make SURE your kid is unique by RE-spelling the country name. You'll be cool for sure.

The only thing better than geography on Yahoo! Answers? History lessons on Yahoo! Answers:

Does any one no what makaveli means and do u thnk it would be weird to name a boy this?

makaveli was a person (dont know where from) that faked his death to get to his enemies

I don't think it 'means' anything, not that I can find, anyway. Makaveli was a gangster, or something of the sort, and also the pseudonym of Tupac.

I read somewhere that the name meant "the prince of power". I think it's a cute name.

Best answer?

where am I ??? the twilight zone ????

"i wonder why..."

2008-03-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

Do you notice that no ones naming their babies Dick anymore? i wonder why

Thus began a most illuminating thread on one of my favorite baby-naming boards. It no longer surprises me to find these sorts of inquiries on the internet. The quality of responses, on the other hand, still kind of astonishes me. One stupid person on the internet? Okay. ONLY stupid people on the internet? Increasingly possible. Example:

No one is naming their children "Dick" anymore for the same reason people aren't naming their children Eleanor or Ethel anymore. THE NAMES make the kids seem older than they are not to mention the fact that kids get picked on for having weird names.......

I just think it not in fashion anymmore

I feel it would be heartless to chime in and say, "Well... maybe because it's now a synonym for 'penis?'"

Is Passion a common name?

Lord, I hope not. No responses on this one. Probably a good sign.

Oval and Candle - WDYT of these names for girls?

Ok, now here's one we can all agree on - Oval and Candle are never okay, ever. Right? Right..?

-"Oval is ok but Candle is horrible."
-"Candle's similarity to Kendall (and to Chandler) makes it seem namier. Besides, the concept conjures images of churches and celebrations, which is also vaguely namey. I personally don't like it, but I could call someone Candle without flinching... Oval, on the other hand, is pretty awful IMO."

Sorry, sorry, wait. You guys are making this too hard for yourselves. Look again. It's OVAL. And CANDLE. OVAL AND CANDLE. Try again.

Hi everybody.
I am due in April with twin boys and my husband Matthew and I can not decide on any names. These boys will be our fist kids and we are so exited, but there is a lot of pressure as we can't find any names. We want them to have somewhat unique first names because their middle names will be Matthew and Robert. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Oh, first-time mom. You have already made the number-one mistake of first-time moms: saying that ANY suggestions are welcomed.

Hey there my name is Jolene and i think that for your twin boys the perfect names would be Eamon and Noel. as you can see i have a unique name and im a very unique person and i think these names would be great for yours boys.

Eamon and Noel? Noel will probably get beaten up on the playground, but I guess this could be much worse. I'm a little lost as to how being named Jolene makes you a visibly-unique person, though.

Alas, the responses went typically downhill from here.

my son's name is Payden and is very similar to other names. such as jayden, hayden, payten, grayden, aiden, and so on :D

Um... thanks for sharing? Oh wait, you are suggesting that First-Time Mom use these on twin sons? Jayden and Hayden? Aiden and Grayden? Payden and Payten? I'm sure they'd really appreciate those. Nothing says "I am a twin, yet have my own identity" like rhyming names. Especially when those names will also rhyme with the names of half of their kindergarten class.

How about:
Acheron, Raiden, Taliesin, Caelan, Corrin, Fagan, Evoy, Finlay, Finnegan, Kegan, Nevan, Rogan, Brycen, Anson, Denson, Lucien...

Ooh, Raiden! There's a rhyme we haven't used yet! Raiden and Grayden! I'm a little disturbed that, of these suggestions, there are only two that do not end in N. Taken all together, they kind of sound like related chemical isotopes. I am also a little disturbed that the first suggestion was Acheron. Acheron? Really?

-Truman and Isaac
-Gage and Ty
-Abram and Skandar
-Silas and Nico
-Klaus (pronounced Clow-s) and Alek
-Beau and Orin (Beau and Ori)
-Corbin and Serefinn (Corey and Finn)
-Jeremy and Preston
-Prosper and Zebben (Prosper and Zeb/Ben/Zebben)
My favorites are Truman and Isaac, Gage and Ty, Beau and Orin, Corbin and Serefinn, and Prosper and Zebben. I think twins should have their own names to go with their different personalities.

While I fully agree with her final sentence, this user may need to seriously re-evaluate the merit of her suggestions. These are some of the most disparate twin names ever. As a twin, I am all for individuality. Jeremy and Preston do nicely. But Prosper and Zebben? Are you giving birth to a Pilgrim and an extraterrestrial?

Fortunately, not every response on the internet is a bad one.

Is Poverty a nice name for a girl?

Maybe she'll have a twin you can name Destitute. That'd be twice as charming.

I have been exhorted by you, my dear far-flung readers, to post more frequently. I know I've been very remiss with this charge. But if you find yourself here wishing you had something to read, remember: there are a lot of baby-name boards out there with a lot of stupid responders. Go be a smart one!

The Ms, P.M.

2008-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

Post-Maddie, that is. I didn't think I'd even be able to look at another M name after that episode. But something just drew me back... it's like a mania... or maybe just a...

Manaia
(pronounced man-eye-ah) a manaia is a traditional carving of a guardian angel, which usually has a birds head on a fishes body. they sit on your shoulder, and peck you if you do something wrong.

Amazing that you didn't feel that bird pecking as you submitted this name.

Markayla Lakembria
(mar-KAY-la la-KEM-bree-ah) is my favorite baby name. I plan to name my daughter this. Markayla is rooted from her father's name Marquis and Lakembria is actually the name of one of my favorite cousins. It's an unusual and beautiful name and I decided to pass it on.

Too bad you didn't decide to pass on it rather than pass it on.

Maven
means someone who is very skilled at something, but I like it as a name.

Something tells me that, if you like Maven as a name, you are probably not a maven.

Mavy
my grandmother's name is Mavy (rhymes with gravey! he-he).� And her father fought in WWI and was in France and met a young girl named Mavy while my great grandmother was pregnant with her,� and well I'm sure you can figure out the rest!

... he ran off with Mavy and left your great grandmother all alone? Don't just leave us hanging there, Granddaughter Gravy!

Materia
it's an old name I think either of arabic, german, or gaelic decent.

This etymological observation is corroborated by the old Gaelic ballad, "Materia Girl."

Matilda
After Queen Matilda, who attempted to claim the English throne in 1141. It still works as a name after 900 years.

Matilda: it still works. Nothing to get excited over, but eh, it works.

Matraca
(Mah Tray Sah) I like this name because it is so unusual and still quite feminine. It can be shortened to Matty for wee ones who can't spell, and I also think it would stand the test of time. I also like that you can be sure that there won't be any other Matraca's in her class!

God willing. Please notice the reappearance of Maddie in this comment, cleverly disguised with Ts.

Matraika
you can call her "Mattie" for short

I bet you can.

Maya
I plan to name my daughter (if I have one) Maya Atzlan. I chose Maya because I am deeply interested in Mayan culture and it is not only beautiful but it pays homage to an a personal interest of mine. The middle name, Atzlan (pronounced oughts-lawn), is actually a name that my husband is hell bent on. While we are not sure of the meaning, since we can't find this name anywhere, we do know that it is of Indian (as in Mexican Indian) descent.

Aztlán was the mythical ancestral home of the Aztecs. Maya Aztec is a great name for your daughter. Especially if your last name happens to be Inca.

McKenzie Dycanne
I think the name Kenzie is a great name, but if my daughter didn't like it I wanted her to have a choice, so with McKenzie she does. Now Dycanne is a very unique name. It's pronounced Dick-cane. My grandparents had three boys. If they were ever to have a girl they were going to name it Dycanne. They made this name up by putting my grandpa's name Dick with my grandma's middle name, Anne. They got Dycanne.

Wait, wait, wait. Sorry. Hang on a minute. DICK CANE? After three boys, they were going to name a girl DICK CANE?

Dick-cane makes McKenzie look like a sane choice.

Meadow
This one brings to mind fresh green grass and wild flowers. And no weird nicknames come to mind.

That's true - why would you burden a kid with a weird nickname when she's already got such a weird name?

Melody
Is definaltley my favourite name. Its unusual and creative. If i had a daughter called melody shed be forced into playing as many musical instruments as possible.

Let's hope you have a daughter named Spellcheck instead.

Meraquise
I had a dream in the tenth grade that someone said this name to me. I have never been able to find it anywhere else and do not know what, if anything, it means. But here it is.

I think it means "no tacos the night before the SATs."

Mercury Sappho
i saw Mercury in the boys names and thought it would be much better on a girl. the middle name is from the Greek poet that lived on Lesbos and that reflects my sexual orientation!

Because no kid would ever be mortified to find that they'd been named in accordance with their mom's sexual orientation.

Meghan
Strange and unusually kinky

You and Mercury's mom should hang out. No wait, maybe not...

McKendrianna
(mic - ken- dree- anna) I haven't found a meaning but based on her personality I would say strong and spirited.

That's funny - I would say it's Greek for "matricide-in-training."

Marissa
This names is sooo beautiful and unique and has MANY meanings. Latin: Seafoam Greek: Seastar Hebrew: the Perfect One. Spanish: Sea Angel or Mermaid. Now how can you not LOVE this name?!? It says, "pretty,talented,strong and bold." all at once. I actually hate to put this up here because I want it to stay unique and unused.

She's right - I have never met another Marissa. Ever! Not like it was in the top 100 in the US for the entire 1990s. Hope it stays unused!

Marlae
(Mar-lay) Many people say it sounds like a French wine!

Only if you've had a little too much French wine.

Noun Disease, take two

2007-11-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

Remember Labyrinth, Blackberry, and Koi? I figured it could be time for a little check-up on our favorite modern hippie namer over at Behind the Name. Truth be told, I cannot figure this poster out. She has such moments of lucidity - Thora, Perdita, Iris, Emma, Jacob, Sidney, Norman, Elisha... And then she apparently gets really, really high. Here is the current list of female names that she considers her "favorite first names for future children":

Africa
America
Amethyst
Anne Marie (Anne Marie?? How did you get in here?)
Antarctica (Glad we've got almost all the A-continents covered by now. Asia must be feeling left-out, though).
Arielle
Athen (just one Athen. Two Athens would be too much like, oh, I don't know, the capital of Greece, I guess.)
August
Briar Rose (to be fair, Disney was on her list at one point, so...)
Bindi (tribute to Steve Irwin, or to the decorative forehead dot?)
Cairo
Caius (on a girl? I bet these guys are pissed.)
Calligraphy (Calligraphy. CALLIGRAPHY.)
Cera
Charlotte
Christian
Cree (on a child? I bet these guys are pissed.)
Denver
Desert (particularly useful if your daughter ends up being a dull, dry sort of person)
Discovery (siblings: Challenger, Endeavour, and Atlantis)
Echo
Emma
England (I can't decide if this is better or worse than Anglia)
Fawn
Forest (ooh, perhaps Fawn Forest? Fawn-in-the-Forest?)
Galilee
Hanako
Hermione
Indigo
Iris
Ivy
Jericho (I would tumble my own walls down if my mom had named me this)
Liberty
Lily Fern (Ever seen a lily grow on a fern? Or... a fern grow out of a lily? Neither have I.)
London
Midnight
Nancy (Nancy?? How did you get in here between Midnight and Oasis??)
Oasis
Ocean
October
Perdita
Phoenix
Rain
River (Rain does have to come before a River, I suppose)
Salem
Sawyer (Huckleberry was on her last list. Maybe she just likes Mark Twain?)
Tigerlily (Lily Fern Tigerlily would sure be a great name)
Tuesday
Thora
Winter
Zaire ("hey, why stop with continents? Former names of colonized countries are really cool too!")

As always, these names are much better in combos. Indigo Bindi? Lily Fern Briar Rose? Tuesday Midnight? In fact, why don't we play a fun image-matching game? I'll give you the picture, and you can guess the combo!

Yes, a Desert Oasis!

Yup, looks like Christian Salem to me.

England Calligraphy, anyone? Thanks, Bede, for being so venerable. It's amazing she hasn't put your name on the list, though, you might want to watch out.

Zaire Africa! - though she should probably go by DRC Africa just to keep things cool.

Also: what would happen if Antarctica ever had nieces and nephews? Aunt Antarctica? Reeeeally?

Bad, Worse, or THE Worst?

2007-10-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ever need a second opinion on some of your name combinations, but Yahoo Answers aren't cutting it for you anymore? Fear not - online baby name polls are make it easier than ever to collect the uninformed opinions of your peers!

don’t want a name that is overly common! but need something cute and unique
1. Lilybeth Michelle
2. Lacilyn Michelle
3. Emberly Michelle

I'm disappointed that Sugarrose Michelle and Ponyprincess Michelle did not make this list. I am similarly disappointed that I'm going to have to vote for "Emberly."

which do you like for our daughter?
1. Mylie Annabeth
2. Sucily Louane
3. Brynna McKenna

One commenter proffered, "I love Mylie. Unique and very pretty! I have never heard it before." Thank you, person who has been living under a rock for the past ten years, or ever since Billy Ray Cyrus had his kid.

loooking for a J R boy name.
1. Jackson (jack) Rory
2. Jacolby Rock
3. Jacobi Royce

Jacolby Rock would be the clear winner here, if the parents happened to be a wheel of cheese and a piece of granite.

Which one for a little girl...
1. Macie
2. Zaidee
3. Macyn

I decided that voting on this one would have been a cyn.

which spelling of (zan-dree) looks the best?
1. Zandrie Elyse
2. Zandree Elyse
3. Zandriegh Elyse

I don't know, but I wish there were a "4. Elise" option.

which one for a girl?
1. kensington alexis
2. mackenzie alexis
3. Elizabeth

I voted for Elizabeth. Another commenter felt differently, saying, "kensingto is way to long a name fora child to have to learn to spell n write..plus it sounds like a kennedy compound.i love alexiis." I could not have said it better myself.

What do you think?
1. Keshley Avalon
2. Ohara Blythe
3. Tenley Cyan

You really want us to vote between an Arthurian themepark, an Irish boxer, and a Sherwin-Williams paint color?

Which do you prefer?
1. Babylon Rose
2. Amber Rose

Most voted for 2, though some Mesopotamian revivalists probably approve of 1.

I REALLY like the name Raegan for a girl. It is VERY important to me that the middle name has Leigh in it somehow. Which sounds best??
1. Raegan Molleigh
2. Raegan Presleigh
3. Raegan Baileigh

Is this Reagan? Or, like... Ray Gun? If the latter, definitely Presleigh. A girlified Elvis would surely have approved of this powerful alien technology. In your weird alternate universe where "Raegan" is a good idea.

Hi, I made a poll last night about the name Daelyn. Thank you for your comments. I’m glad I realized now that it is too masculine. Anyways, I’m having a little girl, and I still need a creative "D" name. PLEASE help me by commenting on each. Dylana is pronounced DAH-LAW-NAH (kind of like Alana). Thank you so much!!
1. Dylana
2. Daytona
3. Darby

I like how Daytona, of NASCAR fame, is somehow more feminine than Daelyn. Maybe when she says "feminine," she actually means "sickening."

Which first name do you like best? Cambria is pronounced with a long "a," NOT like in Cameron. Also, I want to use Rose as a middle name (I think it is so beautiful), but is it too common at this point? Thank you!
1. Afton Rose
2. Brynlee Rose
3. Cambria Rose

Couldn't bring myself to vote on this one, but someone else did comment: "I like Cambria the best. Cameo is another alternative .... it’s an old Italian girls name." Yeah, that's right - I hear Cameo is Italian for "Don't ascribe this crap to us, you brutta stupida."

My husband wants to name our boy Faxon; I'm on the fence - easy to spell; pronounce and goes well with our last name (my criteria), but I'm still unsure. What do you think of the name Faxon?
1. great name
2. pretty good
3. maybe
4. don't like it much
5. definitely not

I think option 6 should have been "hate it, but I'm one of those new Xerox all-in-one scanners that's making fax machines obsolete."

I like these , my concern is how will they age? the combined meanings of each name set are as follows I name more by meaning then sound, you can mix Azriel Bennett Meaning: Little blessed one,An angel of the Lord Jobe Carsten Meaning: Persecuted follower of Christ Flynn Malik Meaning: The red-haired king. Eloisa Genevieve Meaning: Famous warrior,’A woman of the people’. Anastasia Marie Meaning:She who will rise again Bitter. Azubah Flynn -Meaning:Forsaken Child of the red-haired man. MY OTHER TWO CHILDREN ARE NINA MALLORY 7, UNLUCKY GIRL, AND ZION JUDE 4 SING GOOD PRAISE

I had to go for Anastasia Marie on this one. I mean, who wouldn't want to rise again bitter? Though being a persecuted follower of Christ is sure appealing with Job(e) Carsten. And Azubah Flynn's carrot-top baby-daddy has apparently gone missing, which is something I'm sure you'd always want to remind her of. So many good choices with this one. One thing is for sure, though - ALL of these kids' names probably translate to "unlucky girl or boy," if you catch my drift.

I work with kids, so i would like to us a unique name that i don't hear everyday.

Saibryn Embry (can't decide if Saibryn is a sort of weapon or a sort of dishsoap...)
Boston Ellisyn
Phoenix Sahara (did you know that Arizona is actually located in the Sahara? True fact. Hope The Ironic Geography Joke Police come after me for this one.)
Kaclyn Embry (Cacklin'?)
Scarlett (Put out of her misery by escaping with only a first name.)
Declan James
Grayden James
Bridger Michael
Easton Andrew
Brezlin James

I wonder if you can vote on something other than the names? Can I just vote that you have a boy? Your options there are much better.

This name just popped in my head at work and was wondering what other people thought? How does this name sound?
1. Jazzenae
2. Jazenae

This name doesn't sound like Jazzenae or Jazenae. This name sounds like poop.

I am not pregnant yet. I have a daughter named Talya and if we have a son next - it will be Koen. I already find me debating on names if we have a second son. His middle name would probably be Charles after my dad. Which do you like best? or suggest other short, unique names to me...
1. Maxwell
2. Maxson
3. Kylan
4. Kason
5. Jaron
6. Ethaniel
7. Kedric
8. Trevon
9. Ashton
10. Damien

It's going okay until you hit Ethaniel. ETHANIEL? Then Kedric. You don't even have the heart to finish the list and find the decent "Damien" at the end. Kedric? I've lost my will to live.

Riese or Skiler
i like both names and can't decide on one name. i think his middle name will be Robert after my grandfater but if anyone think's of better let me know. i am giving the baby Daniel's last name and thats Coleman. let me know what to do.......
1. Riese (Rhys, I'm guessing?)
2. Skiler (a skier who is also a killer?? oh, no, wait, it's Skyler.)
3. Aiden
4. Hunter
5. Kalib (Caleb, one can only assume).

Fortunately, if you rule out all the names that are either unrecognizable or related to killing, you're left with just one choice - easy voting!

I leave you with this sweet conclusion that needs no commentary:

Praline Cecelia?
I love the name Praline I am just not sure it sounds good with Cecilia. I need some opionions on whether it sounds good or some other first names that would go good with Cecilia. We also have 2 boys Kiefer and Ezwrin so we need another unique name.

Okay, I lied. Maybe it needs just a small comment.

Just... no.

2007-08-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

A quick note just to introduce Amalgam Justice and Monoxide Devan.

Sorry.

M&Ms - or, why the whole world is called Maddie

2007-08-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

I've previously expressed my distaste for the current popularity of K- names, but I think it's only fair to warn you that I'm rather wary of M- names as well. Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional Miriam or Mireille, or even a Madeleine, provided it's a Madeleine and not a Madalynn. No, my dislike of many M- names today sprouts from the nauseating preponderance of a certain nickname. Observe:

Maddison
I was never crazy about the name Madison, until I saw it spelled this way in a story written by my friend Kim. I think it looks better with two 'd's. Plus, I love the nickname Maddie.

Maddisyn
I know Maddisyn if becoming quite a popular name and thats not usually my style but I Just love this. The best part is that you could call her Maddi for short.

Madeleine - because it's classic and beautiful. The nn Maddie is cute as well.

I am sensing a trend.

Madeline - Great alternative to Madison if you love the nickname Madi!
Madelyn Jo - Nickname: Maddie, that's My sister's name, and it's not as common as Madison.
Madelyn Jayne: This is my absolute favorite name. I love the nick name Maddie.
Madigan - I used to quite like Madison, but when I saw this I just thought how much prettier, more unusual and less masculine it was. Plus I still get to keep my favourite nickname, Maddie!
Madilee - I think this is a wonderful feminine alternative to Madison, I think it's so cute and the same nick-names For Madison would work for this as well, Maddi Maddie, Maddy.
Madison - I really like this name because as trendy as it is, it's so cute sounding and addictive! And also, Maddie is a great nickname.
Madison - Okay, so it's popular..but when we had our Maddy 6 years ago it wasn't. We named her Madison because our son, who was two at the time asked to name her "Medicine", so it has special meaning! That aside, I loved the old fashioned named "Maddy" (Maddie, Mattie) and wanted to put it with a newer name
Madison - My daugher, and she is exactly like the name, pure goodness, sunshine, my polyanna. goes by maddy
Madison - I've loved this name since "Splash" with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Plus, it gives the nickname Maddie (or Maddy), which I think is adorable
Madison - I picture an adorable little thing I could call Maddie. Small in stature with a big personality. The way my daughter would surely be.
Madison - This is a very strong and independent sounding name. I also love "Maddie" for short.
Madison Kate - it's just pretty. Can call her Maddie.
Madisyn Faith - I like the nickname Madi for a girl.

Pundits talk about how divided our nation is. Tosh, I say. We can clearly all agree on two things: Maddie should be the name of any girl under 5, and God Bless America.

Fortunately, not all Madison stories turn into blather about what a sweet nickname Maddie is:

Madison Blee
O.K. Blee is supposed to be Lee but thats what was put on her baby shower cake by mistake. I thought it was kinda cute.

I'd take Blee over Maddie any day. WAIT just kidding. What I meant to say is, I'd definitely name my child after a typo in frosting. Cute!

Madrigal
I've never met a child with my favorite name for a girl: Madrigal, a gentle, lilting name, a kind of song popular in the medieval and Renaissance periods. My boyfriend and I are planning our family, and we have decided on "Madrigal Joyeux Rose" for a daughter.

This sounds like a violation of our previously-established "SCA members should not drink while naming" law. Though there is a distinct lack of the word "Wine" in this name. Perhaps Madrigal-Mead Joyeux-Noel Rose?

Magen
(May-gin) Magen is cool because it's different and it's my name!

Magen is also cool because it's the German word for "stomach." Cool!

MahKahylah Annaliese Elizabeth
MahKahylah Annaliese is one of my favorite names for a girl because not only is it different, it was a name I used for a story I wrote and i got an A+ on.

I assume you got an A+ because you're one of the few posters who has employed decent punctuation and capitalization. Though it's also possible you go to a Waldorf school.

Mahler
my favourite composer, and a fantastic girls name.

A fantastic girls' name, especially when you consider the homophonic "mauler" and "maul her."

Mahogunie
I LIKE MAHOGUNIE FOR A GIRL ITS A PRETTY COLOR AND THE SPELLING USES ALL THE VOWELS.

This is an instance where I am glad the "and sometimes Y" rule has not come into effect.

Maison
i love that name for a girl.....i had a boy and named him Mason...but now i wish i would of waited on the name,because now i'm due to have a little girl in july....I think its a great name for a girl!

And a house! En francais!!

Maitlyn
I like the name Maitlyn Analie. Maitlyn is just Caitlyn with an M, but it's different and cute. Analie is just a different spelling from Anna and Lee, both family names put together.

Sorry, but all I get out of this name is "mating anally." (I can't imagine what writing that out will do to my Google hits.)

Majik
this name im submitting is awesome cus its my name....Majik (M-a-g-i-c) i have hippy parents. i also have 2 brothers whose names are Teeki and Jessen and a sister named Keffin. theres some unusual names for your site.

I can't decide if Magic or Tiki has it worse. Wait, no, it's definitely the girl named Kevin.

Makai
this name is adorable in that it is quite unisex and is fun to say because it bounces out of your mouth

That doesn't sound adorable, that actually sounds terrifying.

Makayla Makenzie
this is my daughters name and you might be thinking too many M's but her last name is McCutcheon! and we call her KZ (she spells it Kayzie)for short.

You're right, I was thinking "too many Ms" at first, but now I am definitely thinking "forced sterilization."

Makedna
it is just a beautiful name for a girl.

Rub your eyes and look again: we have just witnessed the crossing of McKenna and Edna. I can't wait for Makbertha and Makthelma.

MaKenady
(Ma Kennedy) I have never heard anyone else with this name. It is a very beautiful and unusual.

I've heard of Ma Kennedy before, though she also went by Rose Fitzgerald, to be fair.

Makenzie Chablis:
...(sounds rich like a movie star!)

Or maybe just a rich porn star. They're kind of like movie stars.

Malay
it is an asian names of my best friend..very exotic

There are no words.

Malibu
I like Malibu, b/c I am a very beach oriented person, and the name Malibu just screams "I'm like a warm day at the beach!"

Or screams, "I'm named after a cheap liquor!"

Mandoline
It is the name of a musical instrument, but it is also a bright name that rolls off of your tongue.

Actually, I think this is a name that will cut off your tongue - you might be thinking of a mandolin?

Marcel
(mar-sel) a place in france that sounds very nice.

So close. SO CLOSE.

Margery
When I was a junior in high school, there was a girl in my dance class named Margery who was so incredibly beautiful and smart, and she stood out so much from that class of blond cheerleaders. She dyed her hair dark red and her lower lip was peirced in the middle. She had this incredibly soft voice and she was a beautiful dancer. I admired her so much I almost had a crush on her, and I had never questioned my sexuality before! Anyways, the name Margery means perfect femininity to me. (Also my grandmother was named Marge; she died before I was born, but I feel sort of attached to the name.)

"Mommy, how did you choose my name?" "Well, little Margery, it all goes back to my first lesbian experience..."

MADALYN JUSTYNE:
got this off the movies north and south and thron birds.. lol... thought it was beautiful

LOL I have no idea what you just said. Lol!

Madden
This is my grandmother's maiden name. I think it has a soft feminine sound to it.

I am sure John Madden would agree. Or perhaps this comment would madden him?

Maddigan
Unfortunatley was a guest on Ricky Lake, but I like the way it flows.

Unfortunately, it also means "little dog." That flows, don't you think?

Madeleine
not many names have an "ie" in them and i have a gorgeous little friend called madelaine.

It's true, not many names have an 'ie' in them. Not even Madeleine does. But you know what does? Maddie.

Yahoo for Yahoo Answers!

2007-06-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Oh, Yahoo Answers. You can go there for advice on how to fix a leaking hose, or file for bankruptcy - why not have them name your baby as well?

Question:
What do you think about naming a baby after a country/city?

my sister is about to have a baby soon.she is not sure about the baby's sex,but she is thinking about naming her baby after a country or city,like brooklyn,china,india,paris.......
what do you think about these kinda names?

I prefer to read "these kinda names" as "these 'kinda-names.'"

As you might expect this question got some truly brilliant responses.

A name has to come from somewhere.............if it is a cute name and happens to be a town, country or city who cares. There are some cute ones to choose from!!!!

Seriously, who cares! I love the names Okinawa, Ypres, and Jonestown - they're cute, so who cares?!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THOSE NAMES if i had a girl it was either gonna be America, India or Asia, lol..

LOL! I bet your son Antarctica is pissed, though.

I love those names. I had a friend in college called Wales. And a friend of our's little boy is named Ireland. I think they are just beautiful.

The countries? Or the children? I'm picturing very verdant, green children right now - maybe a bit too rainy though.

Most baby names topics on Yahoo Answers don't have to work very hard to reveal the education levels of their posters, but geographical name topics? Geographical name topics just GIVE IT AWAY. Nowhere is ignorance of geography more evident than in geographical name suggestions on Yahoo Answers. Cases in point:

I like it. For boy's I like London for girl's Chelsea (it's the city where I live), Dakota, Carolina and Georgia. Also Kenya, Nairobi (my niece's name) and Zaire (cities from Africa) are cute girl's names

Zaire - ("in case you didn't know, it's a city from Africa").

I think its a great idea, if I have a daughter I would love to call her Swansea, cos she would be my little Swan floating on a calm sea

Clearly, an individual who has never been to Swansea.

My little sister's name is Chynna. I think naming a baby after anything is okay as long as it's something that is close to you.

Because China is really close to you. I can clearly tell that you come from somewhere like Korea or Mongolia - those are close to China. Come to think of it, I don't think anyone is close to "Chynna," seeing as it doesn't exist.

The best responses on these topics, however, are the laundry-list suggestions. It's like people pull out Maxim's "100 HOTTEST CLUBBING CITIES" list and just go for it.

Ooh! Those are such beautiful, unique, spicy names! (Spicy?)
for girls:
Paris
London
California (Cali for short maybe)
Chicago (no name more feminine than Chicago)
Montana
Dakota
Argentina? (oh, what, Tina for short?)
Italy
India
Angelos (Angie for short) (I think this is why God invented the name Angela)
Carolina
Australia
Jamaica
Brooklyn (Brook)
Georgia
Virginia
Indiana (a female Indiana would never be teased about a certain Hollywood archaeologist. Never)
Quebec (Becca) (oh no - no, you just didn't)
Lynn (Lynn is definitely a "spicy" name)
Alabama

Boy's names:
Angelos
Tacoma (Tacky for short??)
Rome or Roman (Either/or. I'm pretty sure Roman is a city name, right?)
Japan (JAPAN?)
Brazil
Oregon
Quebec (good to know that Quebec is a unisex name)
Denver
Boston
Maine(another real "spicy" name)
Montgomery

Other "city-name" questions on Yahoo solicited even better lists.

How about
Dallas
Houston
Roman
Kiev
Bristol
Bergen
Carson
Concord
Cork
for a boy

Cork - for a boy. It would be ridiculous to use Cork on a girl, but for a boy - now we're talking. Kiev's pretty great, too. Especially if you had chicken cravings during your pregnancy.

One of my favorites was posted as an answer to "City Girl Names" under the title "All (pretty) real names that are US cities". Check out how pretty these names are. Keep in mind, these are all suggestions for a girl.

Ava, Beckley, Brenham, Camden, Carlyle, Cheyenne, Clovis, Dexter, Enid, Florence, Geneva, Heppner, Holland, Hoxie , Idabelle, Keene, Killeen, Marion, Moline, Monroe, Muncie, Odessa, Olean, Olympia, Ramona, Redding, Roswell, Sidney, Valentine, Winnfield

Oh good. So we've got Ava, Olympia, Ramona... and an odd collection of what reads like the ladies' canasta committee and towns that contain contenders for America's Largest Ball o' String. Plus Roswell. Roswell is a pretty name for a girl if ever I heard one. Unless you count Dexter or Clovis. Thanks, Yahoo Answers!

I think one poster summed up my feelings on place names best.

I mean, Slash from Guns N Roses has a son called London!! he was concieved there. Good job it wasnt a airplane toilet!!!

Cari for short..?

2007-04-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

My friend wants to name her baby Caribou. I think it reminds me of an animal, maybe cute for a nickname. But what about a teenage or a senior citizen, in other words her entire life. What do others moms to be think?

I think it reminds me of an animal. Maybe cute for a nickname!

Back... for good?

2007-03-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

I apologize, my dear readers, for my repeated extended hiatuses. Hiatii? As many of you know, I graduated last May and have been looking for life ever since. I recently got a fabulous job with a fabulous company, and have been working hard to learn all the new things that go along with new fabulous jobs... BUT this is not the reason for my absence.

The sad truth is, readers... that Godot has died. My trusty computer of five years. The keeper of all of my bad baby name links. Folders upon folders of them. A true tragedy. It's strange, suddenly being without those links. They were a gold mine. I am somewhat lost now, trying to pick up the trail of the bad names of the world. It was therefore with great joy that I discovered, quite by accident, some of the most ignorant comments on names known to man. No, I am not talking about NameNerds, though that's a fair guess. I actually found these on one of the most respectable name sites to date. I'm all for including user comments... but sometimes, there just needs to be a law.

A particular user on this particular site has managed to single-handedly confirm all my biases and prejudices about modern American youth. Her comments start out innocent enough:

ADELAIDE: This name sounds like lemonaid!

HEATHER: This name reminds me of a feather.

INNOCENT: This would be an awkward name for a person in court.

Cute. Light-hearted. Even witty, perhaps? Alas. It was not to be.

KEISHA: This name only looks right on girls with darker-colored skin.

Do people seriously say stuff like this in public? I like the euphemism of "darker-colored skin." "Oh no, I'm not saying Keisha is a black name. I'm just saying it doesn't work on white people."

ANJA: I love this name. But, I would rather pronounce it like it is spelled. (AN-JUH) Wouldn't you?

Not really, if I were Scandinavian. Like Anja is.

AISLING: It would be a better name if it was pronounced AYS-LIN. Aislin doesn't even have a G! Where does the ING sound come from?

From Ireland, believe it or not.

ZOE: The pronunciation of this name doesn't make any sense without the Y. ZOE looks like it is pronounced like ZOH. I prefer Zoey.

STUPID GREEKS, with your diaresis. You don't make ANY SENSE.

KALI: This name is NOT pronounced how it's spelled! It would be nice to say it like Kallie, rhyming with Hallie and Allie.

STUPID HINDUS, with your stupid goddess names! This name is NOT pronounced properly!

ALLEGRA: This name reminds me of algebra.

I am guessing that not much else in the world makes her think about algebra.

Nearly every comment she makes are comments like these. I figured it had to stop at some point. But that was before she suddenly veered into etymology:

AMAYA: I love this name! If you take off the A at the very beginning, and the A at the very end, it spells May. This would be a great name for someone who was born in the month of May.

YUMI: I think this name should mean "together" because the name is YUMI. Like, YOU and ME. YUMI.

BEAU: I believe this name means "BEAUTFUL" because if you add TIFUL to BEAU you get BEAUTIFUL.

So close, and yet, so far.

And it just keeps going.

CEDAR: If you ever have a child and you name it this name, and there is a twin, Sequoia and Aspen are very good names, especially for people who like nature! Cedar, Aspen, and Sequoia all have to do with trees! :-)

If she were four, I would congratulate her on her cleverness. That's right, honey! Those are all trees! I wonder what other twin combos she can come up with...

ALESSA: If you have twins, Alessa and Vanessa would be a good pick.

HOPE: This name is adorable! This would be a great name for a child born in a hurricane. Anyways, Hope and Faithe would be great names as a twin set!

STAR: If you have twins, it would be a great idea to name them Star and Stella. This is because Stella means "star".

A lot of the comments reveal that this girl is not only - um, slightly undereducated - she is also, shall we say... a little trashy? Notice how she is able to relate basically every name to wrestling:

BROOKE: Brooke is a Deal or No Deal game show model. Another Famous bearer is Brooke Hogan the singer who is the daughter of Terry (Hulk) Hogan, the wrestler.

BUFFY: Whoever has this name will eventually be made fun of. This is a horrible name because it makes me think of a wrestler.

PRISSY: This is my friend's name, but her real name id Priscilla. I prefer Priscilla in her case, but it's her choice. Anyways, this is NOT a good name for a wrestler! ;)

Phew, thanks! I was totally just wondering if Prissy would be a good name for my daughter/future-wrestler. Now I know what not to name her!!

The rest of her comments are just... inexplicably... agh.

AMITY: In the movie Jaws, the town that was attacked by the shark was called Amity. It is a very pretty name.

Non-sequitur WHHHAAAAA???

LAMYA: This name makes me think of a llama. A furry creature with big hairy hips. Like a hippo.

Double-WHAAAAAAAA????

CHIRANJEEVI: This name reminds me of Corn. Yummy corn.

Maybe she is high? That would explain all of these comments. Plus the munchies.

CLOVER: This would be an awesome name for someone who was born on St. Patrick's Day!

No. Just no. A leprechaun's coming to kick your ass right now.

COOPER: On a video game, a character's name is Sly Cooper, and Cooper is the last name. If you ask me, I would use this name as a middle name because your child will be made fun of if this is his first name. I know this because COOPER RHYMES WITH POOPER.

COOPER RHYMES WITH POOPER! COOPER RHYMES WITH POOPER! I AM IN THE THIRD GRADE R U PROUUUUUUUD???

GISELLE: Isn't this the name of a workout video?

Or a world-famous ballet. But yeah, that's kind of like a workout video.

DOT: This is a good name for a girl with zits.

All those zitty babies.

KIN: Doesn't this name mean "FAMILY" in Chinese?

I don't know... but it does mean "FAMILY" in English!

PARIDE: This name is spelled like parade. Parades are fun except the dancing part. Not really.

Yeah. Paride is spelled just like "parade." And maybe the dancing part would be more fun if you had the Giselle workout video?

PEONY: I like the spelling, but the pronunciation is just horrible! I reminds me of someone peeing down their knee! But, peony is a scent from BATH AND BODY WORKS, and it smells SO GOOD! I have it on right now!

I love the transition between peeing-down-your-knee and a Bath and Body Works scent. "I have it on right now!" Does she mean pee? Or lotion? Or... both?

SARAHJEANNE: Leave this name for the hobos.

Or maybe the wrestlers.

Girls' names! Brought to you by the letter L and the word LOL

2006-12-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

Lady
Lady Madeleine: because Lady sounds regal and elegant, vivacious and artistic.

And like a British noble title. Amazing!

Lake
(for a girl, boy, or intersex child) it's really important to me to name my kids things that don't perpetuate gender stereotypes. i like Lake because it's a natural name for something that's gender-free.

Finally! I was looking for the perfect thing to name my intersex child! Not an actual unisex name, no. A geographical feature! Also, isn't it lucky that this person speaks one of the few Western languages that doesn't have gendered articles? A quick sweep of those others reveals that lakes are usually masculine. Sorry, intersex child!

Lalage
means chatterbox in Greek, very gentle and melodious

While I am impressed that you apparently know the Greek word for "chatterbox," I am somewhat disturbed that you would wish such a thing upon yourself.

Lara
I like Lara for the simple reason that it's Lara Croft's name. It carries the image of a stong, indepedent woman.

A strong, indepedent woman with giant, giant jugs.

Laramie Rubriah
This name is belongs to friend of mine. I have always thought it was one of the loveliest I've ever heard. From what she has told me, Laramie is usually a boys name (more popular in places like Wyoming and Montana) and Rubriah is an old family name.

I am guessing that Laramie is actually not very popular in Wyoming. Kind of like how Brooklynn isn't so popular in, say, Brooklyn. Also, does Rubriah not sound like a communicable disease?

Laredo
Chris Cagle sings a country song called "Laredo" and it is also a famous city in Texas. If you have a simple last name, I think Laredo works well because it's unique but not stupid sounding.

There's definitely nothing stupid-sounding about being named after a Chris Cagle song.

Lasairfhiona
My favorite name of all time is..the ancient Irish Gaelic Lasairfhiona (la'sa'REEna), meaning "Flame Wine" or "Flaming Wine"..for several reasons. When I joined the SCA a year or so ago, I knew my persona would be Irish (I'm half Irish, half Danish - The Viking's revenge!), and I burrowed away on obscure websites looking for something that...felt right. It also had to fit both my personality and have a meaning I liked. I came across the name Lasairfhiona in the Annals of Connacht - a harrowing chronicle of murder, revenge, and feuds that leave the Sicilian Mafia standing...and did my homework..(I study Gaelic - ancient and modern in my spare time). Of course, it helps being a redhead...:-D Too bad I found it too late to give the name to my daughter...

No, no, no. The fact that it was too late to give the name Lasairfhiona to your daughter is clearly proof that there is a God.

(Also, many entries ago, didn't we have someone else from the SCA recommending Brandywine as a girls' name? When will these people finally have their wine taken away from them? NO DRINKING WHILE NAMING. IT'S THE LAW.)

Laura-Ashley Elizabeth
Its a name I wish I were named instead of Ashley Elizabeth...It's really pretty and just sounds classy!

I want to go pick out floral bedspreads right now!!

Laural
This name has always sounded beutiful to me, I can't really place where or when I started liking it.

Probably right after you failed a third grade spelling test, would be my guess.

Lauranthalas
I'm not quite sure if it's spelled exactly like that, but it's simalar. she too is a character in a book series. I like the longer variation of Lauren or Laurana. It sounds elegant.

It sounds like prescription medication to me. Maybe for osteoporosis? Also, if you can't spell "simalar," you might want to reconsider using an invented name with twelve letters in it. Just an idea.

Laureen
I want to submit my own name as a favorite! I have know two other Laureen's in my life, but it is not common and never seems listed on any baby name websites! My sisters are Maureen and Kathleen and my Mother pretty much made it up with a L instead of M in Maureen.

Maureen AND Laureen? Laureen, congratulations on not murdering your mother while she slept.

Lauren Elise
Laura was my aunt's name who was accidently run over by her great-aunt. I wanted to honor her and use her name, but haven't like Laura. I'm a piano player, thence, Elise from "Fur Elise"

"Mom? How did I get my name?" "Well, dear, I had this aunt who was accidentally run over by her great-aunt..."

Leigue
pronounced the same as league. I like this name because it's different. It's my middle name and I've never met anyone else with it.

New feature-length film idea for the Bad Baby Names Blog: TWO THOUSAND LEIGUES UNDER THE SEA!!!

Leila Vega Kione
Leila means 'dark, beautiful,' Vega means 'falling star,' and Kione means 'one who comes from nowhere.' All together, the name means 'beautiful, dark star falling from nowhere.' I think it's just a gorgeous and mysterious sounding name, without being too out there.

Why not just name her "Meteorite?" Way simpler, way more to the point.

Lennon (girl)
I love the name Lennon for a girl. It makes me think of the wonderful John Lennon. It's a unique name, and for a nickname you could be called Len (pronounced like Lynne).

Maybe if you're from the bowels of the deep American South and can't tell the difference between "pen" and "pin." If you are from planet Earth, however, you might recognize that Len and Lynne have two different sounds. But then, you also think Lennon is nice on a girl, so maybe you are not from planet Earth. Sorry, spaceling!

Lenoire
(lay-NWAHR) I was looking for a good name for a female Goth to use in a story and thought of Lenore. But when I asked for opinions, someone made a typo and spelled it Lenoire. I decided I liked it even better! Le noir is translated "The night" in French, I just liked it better with the extra E, hence Lenoire.

Actually, this is akin to naming someone "Blackie." Only with incorrect articles. Perhaps you were looking for "Lesoir"? What was so wrong with Lenore, anyway?

Lexus Bleue
strong, confident name with the needed edge of femininity. goes well with the middle name Bleue.

With a 288 horsepower V8 engine and variable valve timing, the Lexus Bleue also comes with a 50,000 mile warranty. Stop by your Lexus dealer today!

Lilithlani
A lot of 'l's and 'i's, but it has such a pretty sound (it's a combination of Lilith and Lani)

Hope Lilithlani doesn't have a speech impediment. Wiwiphwani just wouldn't have that "pretty sound."

LILLIAN NACOLE
well.. if i have another girl this will be her name... thought it was differant

WAW, I thought it was differant too! I dan't know whay that wauld be.

Lilyth Eve
I like the name Lilyth in the historical context of her being Adam's first wife and I think it would be interesting to use it combined with the traditional "wifey" Eve. I also prefer to change the spellings of names which is why I did not use the standard Lillith here. And for the record, this is my cactus's name (without the middle name though).

I am hoping Eve is her apple tree.

Lindesty
Ignore the nasty character that had this name in a science fiction show. I love the sound of it regardless. That's got to count for something, doesn't it?

I can try to ignore the nasty character that has this name in a science fiction show, but I can't seem to drown out the nasty sound this name makes. I can't even decide how someone came up with this name. Linda + Destiny? Lily + Modesty? Linda + Nasty??

Logan Bay Mackenzie
This name comes from a series of short stories I have wrote. This name could be used for either a boy or a girl. To me it means, "Child born from the sea"

That's funny. To me, it means "little hollow bay son of Coinneach." And by "me," I mean "etymology."

Londynn
The name Londynn is such a beautiful name for a girl. London is my favorite city, and I love names of towns for children. The spelling with a "y" makes the name for feminine. It's also very unique as I have never met anyone with this name.

You are clearly not frequenting enough strip bars.

Lurrah
knew it from childhood, very different from Laura, Lorna, or Lara. The name of a Native American woman. It has a lure to it, don't you think?

You might even say it has a lurrah to it.

Lyrica Hayley
This was going to be my daughter's name untill she established herself as definately NOT fluffy during labor! This is a very beautiful Girly name.

I don't know that many babies DO establish themselves as "fluffy" during labor. My understanding is that they usually establish themselves as "painful large objects protruding from your hoo-hoo." That said, I don't see that Lyrica Hayley is a very fluffy name. It sounds sort of like an 80s dominatrix name to me.

And finally, there are no words:

Lzay
Was playing around with words. This name came from Lazy. Love the end result, kind of an upbeat Lizzie.

Liberty Belle
Just beautiful!! I saw a fashion spread by this title and fell in love with it. Libby is a cute name for a little girl but Liberty is a more mature sounding name that is still very pretty.

Lucrezia
I will name my first daughter after Lucrezia Borgia. I love the sound of it (Lew-cray-see-uh) as well as the history behind it.

Plz don't kidnap azn babies

2006-11-30T00:25:00.000-08:00

Do you want your child to be A'zyian? Or merely Beasiatic?

Please note that one of Beasiatic's middle names is Nazi. Here's hoping that's somehow culturally justified.

Spellcheck!

2006-11-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Saryniti Jacelyn

Miirecal Cy'nthia

Modiest

Pacience

Pashance

Constiance

Heavan Lee

Phoniex

Rightous

Sohpie Ann

Treajore

Twinwatch

2006-11-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

Telly Kolton and Tattoo Kane.

Um.

At least they spelled "Tattoo" correctly..?

I think I just felt my testicles descend

2006-11-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

Get ready, internets, for some MANLY MEN.

Meet Gunner, Gunner, Cannon, Gatlin, Cutler, Cutter, Steeler, Charger, Tuff, the gonadorific Saxon Ryker Magnus, and the testosteronetastic Blaze Earnhardt!!!

Please also greet Rowan, Ryan, Drew, Chandler, and Trystan. All girls, of course. And Trystan got the added bonus of having the word "tryst" in her name.

November 2nd - "K" of the Dead!

2006-11-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

Kanyon Harley:
Its my sons new baby's name, our first grandson and we have never heard this name before. Canyon with a K because it's strong and forever. Harley because it was his grandfathers name.

I just decided I'm going to get married in a Kanyon. And ride off on a Harley. Also, I've decided to ask my boyfriend to propose with a kiamond ring. It's strong and forever!

Kayson
it's the name of a hot guy I work with

This could get awkward.

Kayson: "Mom, how did you pick my name?"
Mom: "Oh, it was the name of a hot guy I worked with."
Kayson: "Um... my dad?"
Mom: "Um..."

Not all bad-baby-namers are stupid. They just all lack common sense. Case in point:

I would use the name Keats Emerson for a son because of the description above for Keats, and Emerson because he is the author of "Self-Reliance," a body of work that also had a great impact on my life. I can't quite convince my husband, though, that a child named Keats Emerson Leichsenring would not be beaten to a pulp daily on the playground, but that's my own problem for now.

Hey smarty-pants. Yeah, I see your English degree you've got there. Here's a hint: pull your nose out of transcendentalist philosophy texts before you bear young. Your young will thank you for it. Let them read "Self-Reliance" for themselves, rather than having to learn self-reliance the hard way: having no friends because their parents gave them the snottiest name on the planet.

Keelin (boy)
It's unusual, but not nauseating.

I'm Keelin' over right now, just thinking about it, personally. Also, this is a great standard for names. "Unusual? Check. Not nauseating? Check."

Keevan
Well I just always thought that this name was the name of a REAL man. Its very unique.

As opposed to those FALSE men, named Henry and William and crap.

Keithen
This is my baby cousin's name. As far as I know, his parents made it up. I like it because it's highly unusual and he is the only person I've ever met with this name. A nice alternative to Keith.

What happens when you combine two names in the top 300? Creativity, apparently..?

Kelson
Welsh, but taken from Katherine Kurtz's "Deryni" series. Means "son of the Celt"

Wow, Kelson derives from "Kelt's son," which is Welsh for "son of the Celt?" Pretty amazing, when you consider that the Welsh didn't use the words "Celt" or "son."

Kelvin
my stuffed penguin is named Kelvin.

Um... good for you?

Kennan
I combine my husband's and my name, KENneth + NANcy =Kennan for our new born boy. Its also the land of milk and honey.

I am hoping you mean that the land of milk and honey is "Caanan," not "what happens when my husband and I combine our names."

Kennebec
I like the boy's name Kennebec. I don't know why. It's a city in South Dakota but I wouldn't mind naming my child that.

I like the boy's name Flushing. I don't know why. It's a city in New York, but I wouldn't mind naming my child that.

Kenyon:
Unique, beautiful and great representation of your son. He will never have the same name of anyone in his class.

So unique, it's currently sitting at 662 on the charts.

Kevan
Just one little change says so much

Namely, "My mom can't spell 'Kevin'."

Kevin
I am convinced that there is not a Kevin on earth who isn't an extremely cool dude. I bet there are no serial killers, mass murderers nor menaces to society of any kind with the name Kevin. Who doesn't get along well with all the Kevin's they know?

I don't, for one. But more importantly, I don't think I could use the name Kevin... it might be one of those FAKE male names.

Kohl
This is a surname in my family. Our company is called Kohl Wholesale. I like how it's like Cole, but more unique and German looking.

And more cabbage-looking, too!

Kylar
A great name. Its kind of a mixture of tyler and Kyle, two name that are too popular for my taste.

Let's see. Kyler currently sits a 282, which constitutes 1,164 boys last year. There were 16,712 Tylers born last year, and 6,590 Kyles, along with 2,747 Skylars, and 2,374 Skylers. What are the odds that Kyler is going to grow up responding to all three of these names more than his own? Good job, name-smushing parent. Good job. If you're going to invent a name, you may as well ensure it doesn't sound like the name of 28, 423 other kids'.

Kyoto
(KEY-O-TO) (Japanese) International environmetnal treaty that will change the world for the better & a nice city too!

I'm a German-American Catholic environmentalist - meet my kids Versailles, Pinckney, Lateran and Kyoto! Also, I apparently can't pronounce Kyoto!

In honor of the season:

2006-10-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

My father spent the evening hanging about a thousand pieces of string in front of our door, to make a spooky entrance for trick-or-treaters next week, so I figure there is no better time than to examine some seriously spooky names. Granted, most names featured on this blog are seriously spooky names, but I think we are long overdue for an updated on... GOTH NAMES!

Yes! Remember Rasputina, Nothing, Calamity and Chlamydia? Let's be serious, who could forget Chlamydia? Well, as the biggest goth night of the year draws closer, let's review some names currently popular on the goth/"goth"/mental scene:

BabyNames.com has kindly provided us with an entire list appropriate for the season. Included are such gems as:

Banshee - "Screaming Spirit"
Blair - "A Witch Project"
Bloody Mary - "Ghost Legend"
Bones - "Skeletal" (Bones would never get teased in junior high, I bet)
Boo - "Scary"
Chaos - "Extremely Disorganized"
Cyclops - "One-Eyed"
Dementia - "Insanity"
Fang - "Long Tooth" (This one would definitely get bottle-fed)
Hulk - "Scary Superhero"
Malifacent - "Evil Godmother in "Sleeping Beauty"" (Way to spell, Babynames.com. Way to spell.)
Reaper - "Very Grim Visitor" (I think this definition is my favorite)
Salem - Witchy Black Cat (Or, you know, that whole witch trials thing. Ooooh, spooky.)
Sasquatch - Bigfoot (definitely wouldn't want a breech birth with Sasquatch)
Scarface - Al Capone's Nickname (only appropriate if they have to use forceps)
Skull - Skinless Head (that's one way to put it, I guess.)
Zombie - Living Dead (every woman wants to give birth to the living dead!!)

On one discussion board, the debate raged on goth names for a truly unfortunate pair of twins:

OP:Ok well, my best friend is having twins, a boy and a girl, and she insist on naming her babies dark, very gothic names. Anyone have any suggestions for first and middle names?

Poster 1: I don't know if these will fit but i like them and i think they have a darkness to them.
Boys:
Drake (dragon)
Dart (Vader?)
Darwin (must be an intelligent design fan)

Girls:
Drewid (I think this is "Druid." One very illiterate Druid.)
Granite
Onyx (That's funny, I think of onyx has having a darkness to it, too!)
Lava (Lava. Seriously. SHE JUST SUGGESTED LAVA.)

Poster 2:
-Monday
-Tuesday
-Wednesday
-Thursday
-Friday (apparently, Saturday and Sunday just aren't goth enough)
-Sullen
-Agony (natural childbirth, perhaps?)
-Blackthorn
-Leaf
-Chaos
-Entropy
-Cloud
-Ghost
-Prayer
-Duck (Duck. DUCK.)
-Stix ("Where you going?" "Oh, to pick up Stix.")
-Absinthe (I think they should just get it over with and name her "Green Fairy")

Poster 3: Hey isn't "goth" something that is associated with death, queen victoria, the rest of the victorian obsession with death and dying,Esp.with children,and babies,since not many lived. Also-Why are people making this a christian/non subject? Or is "goth" now a pagan thing? I thought it was just a pessimistic thing?

Poster 4: Jesus, get a brain, Gothic subculture is all about expression, unlike the new age yuppies of the world, religion is no subject, and some people t choose to be into the death part, you don't have to be all dark and depressed to be gothic, that' s a complete stereotype.

"Jesus, seriously. Our subculture is all about expression, which is why everyone dresses the same. That's what Gothic is. Get a brain! What? What's a triforium? What? No, I've never read Jane Eyre, why do you ask?"

Poster 5:
the gothic name for a boy is dracula, lusfer ,dhamipr ,crow, wolf
and here some gothic girl names, moon ,darlar , chilmmide, rubella

Ahhh. Chlamydia, there you are. At least, I think that's you. You're next to Rubella, so it's a bit hard to tell.

I have saved the truly terrifying for last. That's right. Namenerds. They've got a goth section. Oh the horror.

Ague - term for Malaria used from the middle ages up until the 20th century. (New sibset idea: Malady, Malaria, Ague and Chlamydia. WDYT???)
Autumn - season where everything dies (I guess that's one way to look at it.)
Avarice - Greed. One of the Seven Deadly Sins
Azazel - Hebrew Bible goat-like demon (Attractive.)
Candelaria - a plant family thought to drive away evil spirits in the middle ages (Note to parents: Do not name a brother and sister Azazel and Candelaria.)
Catafalque - coffin-shaped box covered with a black cloth used in place of a body if one is not available for the funeral. (Were any of you like me, and read "cattle f*ck" at first glance? Great name)
Clove - cigarettes that goths and art students smoke a lot of (at least they're honest. I want to name my kids Phillip Morris and Marlboro Camille, personally).
Cloven - what Satan's hoofs are (also an important distinction in kosher dietary law. Is "Shellfish" a goth name, do you suppose? What about "Pork"...?)
Dies Irae - mass for the dead (Actually, this means "Day of Wrath." Methinks someone has listened to the Requiem one too many times.)
Dystopia - the opposite of Utopia - theoretical place where everything sucks.
Funereal/funerea - put the "fun" in funeral! (You did not just say that.)
Imbolc Celtic festival - corresponds with St. Bridig's day (Feb. 1). Groundhog Day actually stems from this. (Awesome. I always wanted to name a kid after... Groundhog's Day.)
Morbosa/Morbosis - "horny" in latin (Intercoursana Ecstasy too overt for you, but still want to name your kid something SEXY? This one's perfect!) (Unless, of course, it means "horny" like "spiny." In which case, I hope a C-section is in order)
November - cold, crappy month in the northern hemisphere
Orchid - I don't know why, orchids pop up a lot in goth clubs, They're exotic and rare. (NB - "Orchid" is actually the Latin word for "testicle." Nice one, Gawth Mawm. Nice one.)
Pancuronium - a poisonous compound used in lethal injection death sentences.
Penance - what you have to do to make up for your sins (in this case, using any name on this list)

With siblings Goould, Dawkinnes, Linnaeyus and Mendelle!

2006-10-14T00:50:00.000-07:00

Anonymous commenter on September 5th, this one's for you:

Darwyn Amelia.

She looks pretty upset about it, too. Who wouldn't? Especially seeing as natural selection should have weeded out namers like this long ago.

Just Plain Unfortunate

2006-10-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

I'm organizing my "Bad Baby Names" section of bookmarks (it's massive, as you might imagine), and I don't think I've posted much from my "Just Plain Unfortunate" folder of late. When I first started keeping a folder like that, names that qualified were relatively mild ones, like Paisley, or Sugar Ray, or Alexia. Where did the time go? Where did the brains go? So, without further ado:

Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Ameliaaaa...

Out of diaper wipes? It's cool, just run over to the Sa Vaun or Long's or whatever.

Having grown up a conservative Christian, Jesus Clinton is a bit for me to wrap my mind around.

Do you think Teirainy's parents noticed her name sounded like "Tyranny?" Tyranny Fleur's parents did, one would hope. Or perhaps they were trying for a trendy form of Tiranie? Which I can only imagine is... a trendy form of Tyranny. Yikes.

We've been hit!! Maday! Maday!! Our emergency systems are FayLynn!! Send a Warchild, ASAP!!

Think Apple just isn't wild enough? Try a Durian!

Please Analyse this spelling of "Anneliese," and explain to me how her twin got the name Rebecca Jean?

I used to think "Unique" was the most ironic name. And maybe it still is, but Nawledge comes pretty close.

Culturally appropriate? Perhaps. But still a bit Harsh.

"I'm having a baby!" "O rly?" "Yarelly!"

Stephen Colbert agrees:

2006-10-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Kraeylaraezyland

2006-10-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've been terrified of the Ks over at Namenerds for a long time, now. Mostly because one explanation offered in that segment contains this statement:

k is a strong letter i believe girls need strong names to shape a strong personality.

Because, you know, without strong names with strong letters, girls just wither away into embroidery and nothingness. Eleanor, Alice, Liana... shrinking violets, all. I mean, who ever met an Eleanor with a strong personality, anyway?

K'Tayan
This is one that I got out of that Name-O-Tron. I must say that it sounds very nice. I plan on using it in a story I write.

God bless you for not using it on a baby you conceive.

Kabrina
A friend of my mother in laws daughter was named this. She was killed in a car wreck when she was 16. I always liked it. Hope you will too.

Does anyone else find the juxtaposition of "She was killed in a car wreck" and "I always liked it" a bit chilling? Maybe just chilling enough to put me off Kabrina.

Kaele
My wonderful, beautiful daughter's name-same as Kaley but my husband didn't like the spelling so he came up with his own and if you write it in cursive - it really flows.

Kaele's mother discovered, too late, that in fact every name on earth really flows when written in cursive. It's kind of the point of cursive.

Kaethe
Kaethe ElizabethI got this name from a book. The character's name was Katherine, but her Irish name was Kaethe.

Even though Kaethe is a German name. Oh those mystical Celts, they sure got around!

Kaelin
Great Irish understatements here!

As in, "Saying you had never studied vocabulary would be an understatement?"

Caelan
(KAY-lun) name of a gorgeous angel haired at my first sons childcare whom I named my second child after. It is a gaelic boys name meaning strong warrior.

Man, it's amazing when those gorgeous angels hair at your daycare.

Kaeylarae Brielle:
Kaeylarae is the angel of peace, and that is what I hope my daughter will be!

Maybe the angel of peace in Crazyland. Or Kraeylaraezyland.

Kali
it's origins are Sanskrit and mean energy, dark goddess. I love this name because it is a simple name that shows how much you would value your child (goddess)

Funny, I thought it would show what you thought of your child (goddess of darkness and destruction). Maybe this woman should have a talk with the angel of peace's mom up there.

Kallyko
I love this name VERY unique

Maybe for a cat. Or a dancer at the KittyKat.

Kalvery
I LIKE THE NAME KALVERY BECAUSE IT A RELIGIOUS NAME WITH A UNIQU SPELLING.

Kalvery, Golgatha and Holy Prepuce Jones? Come to the front of the classroom, please.

Kalyca
I have always liked the name Kalyca {kah LEE kah} for a little girl. Kalyca is a different, beautiful sounding name that I would be proud to yell out in a crowded store while trying to locate my child.

I, for one, am always proud to yell for my disobedient kid in public. Who wouldn't be?

Kandellessa
It's unique....from Della which means nobility.

Can't get wax out of your tablecloth? Need a little mood lighting? Try KANDELLESSA, the new candle substitute! Proud choice of acolytes, Martha Stewart, and ritualist Satanists everywhere!

Kavindra
Hindi for "mighty poet." This is what your name a kid who's going to be seriously super-fly. Nicknames may include Vin, Vindra, Kavi. Gorgeous and rare.

AWESOME! They've figured out a way to genetically-engineer your child to be seriously super-fly??

Kelliemae
(Kelly May) when i was little i wanted to have 2 girls called Kellie and Mae. then i thought it would sound better as Kelliemae and ive loved it since then. The hawian spelling for it is Kelimei which is more unique.

And definitely not "Hawian."

Ketesse
It is very unusal I think it means waterfall.

You know, I think. Either way, very unusal.

Khaleighan
( kay- lee -ann) I haven't found a meaning for this either but would guess ~mysterious one~

I haven't found a meaning for it either, but I'd guess ~ augh! my eyes!! ~

Ciara Mackenzie
When I looked at her, I just knew that was her name. I actually came up with Ciara from a perfume that one of my favorite teachers wore. Mackenzie was because she has a lot of irish in her. I thought the name just rolled off of your tongue. Ciara is pronounced the same as sierra.

Yup. She's got so much Irish in her, she received a mispronounced first name and a Scottish second name. Kudos, MacMommy!

Korinna
This was my top choice for a girls name but it is becoming a little to popular now. I also like the name Korin. It sounds rather German to me, and since I am a lot German, it brings out my heritage.

It SOUNDS German. Just like Sierra Mackenzie SOUNDS Irish! What a great way to honor your heritage!

Kinsie McRae: So cute! Kinsie is very cute alone, but McRae is always a good addition to most names.

McRae is always a good addition to most names? Wow, if only I'd known! Let's test it! Helen McRae. Miranda McRae. Mackenzie McRae. McRae McRae. WOW, I could go on forever!!

Kinsey was also a famous controversial sexologist. Very cute!!

Kit
not short for anything. The advantages are:
a. the boys will like it.
b. the girls will soon accept it.
c. the teachers will get used to it.
d. combining it with a middle name makes it more appealing, especially when paired with other gender-benders, i.e., Kit Morgan, Kit Tyler, Kit Cassidy, or a very feminine version would be Kit Delicata. (See Delicata)

I like how this woman is prepared for Kit to be so controversial that the girls will have to accept it, and the teachers will eventually get used to it. How does she even know the boys will like it? I'd go with Kallyko Kit, if I wanted boys to like it.

Kodie Lee: I chose the name Kodie Lee for my newborn daughter. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to name a son Cody John, but when I found out I was pregnant with a girl I thought the name was perfect, although I decided to change the spelling because I thought it looked a bit more feminine, but still retained a strong & confidant quality. When my daughter was born extremey premature (24 wks & 1lb 8 oz), a friend had her name meaning analyzed, we found out that it meant "Gods Gift"....she truely is!

Hm. The best etymology I can come up with for this one is "island forest clearing," from Kodiak and the OE -ley. Or perhaps "ally forest clearing," from Dakota and -ley. If you reversed the Lee to Eel, Kodieel could be an Anglicization of Chagaiel, a falsely constructed name meaning something like "God's festivities," or perhaps of Kochavael, another falsely constructed name that could be construed as "God's star." This is all hypothetical bullshit, of course, given that I know no Hebrew, and clearly, neither does this woman's friend.

And finally, there are no words for these:

Kontakte
contact in German. I dont know why, but I just like it.

Kafrika
My best friend is named Katherine..and she wanted an upbeat funky nickname...Kafrika was born..when we mixed Kafrin (her previous nickname) with her favourite spice Paprika. (can also be said kaf-rica)

Kaily
I LIKE KAILY BECAUSE IT REMINDS ME OF DAILY WHICH HOW LONG YOU'LL HAVE YOUR CHILD.

Prayer Bulletin

2006-10-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

Wondering who Yu'Shall-Pray for?

A Fearless Christian Soldier, naturally.

Twinwatch

2006-10-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I ought to review a little Bad Baby Names Blog tenet before I launch into this short entry. Let's talk about twin names for a moment. People have this funny notion that twins' names need to match. Ruby and Pearl. Lily and Violet. Dakota and Cheyenne. Thing #1 and Thing #2. As a twin, I'll let you privileged readers in on a little secret: twins come matched. You don't need to match them - they match already! Wasn't that kind of Nature, saving you all the trouble of coming up with matchy names? Just think! Now you can spend that energy coming up with names that will reflect their individuality and separateness, on the off chance that they might grow up as different people! Thanks, Nature!!

Anyway, meet Gabriel and Gabriele.

Only a bit confusing.

On an only slightly better note, meet Kaprice and Koltyn. Correct me if I'm wrong, but does this not sound like the name of a successful exotic dancing act?

Names of the Week

2006-09-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

What do you want to bet that Wiggles' siblings got to choose the name this time? At least it wasn't Blue's Clues.

Leaf Ava. I'm not even sure how I feel about this. Refreshing botanical? or strangely Viking?

I am willing to bet that Paris Nicole's parents watched way too much TV. Or at least way too much "Simple Life."

Tylinn Alyssa Shae. Does anyone else hear "Tylenol Issa Shae?" Is that the level after "extra strength?"

"Yarrh, we should have caught the monster, t'were it left to our Sailor Grace - but the white whale got away!!"

Have a nice day! Have a great month! Have a De'Avazhae Lyfe!

Remember little Cutter? His best friend was just born: Shonto Stabber!

Howdy, Cody!

What's up, Hawaii?

2006-09-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

No buts about it. She's definitely a Sweetie. And this one's definitely Samoan.

James-Z Charley. A girl. I guess the Z makes it feminine? And... the Charley?

Raargh!! He's a Tyger! He has Furyan Roar!!

Also, a short review of recent Hawaiian names:

Abbsidy Elizabeth (yes, I believe this is evidence that somebody liked "Abcde" enough to spell it phonetically and use it on a child. Remember, Elizabeth as a middle name covers all wrongs!)
Applee
Ashlyn-Tasia (it's Ashlyn-tastic!!)
Avyn Hennessey
Blessing
Breezy
Charish
Chymes
Cracious
Dream
Dyzhalinh
Humble
Kailee-lei (lee lee lee?)
Kruzzlyn Charity (how is this one even attractive?)
Lorheynce
Prince Nelson
Raynebow
Rhydr
Sailine
Secrett-Lee
Shadow
Titan
Xcel
Xzayvier Kalei Bozo
Zhymmore Rheign

Blessed are the Jacks and Evelyns, for they shall have reasonable names

2006-09-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

What shall you do about the badly-named? Yu'shall Pray!

News Flash!!

2006-09-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Leviathan attacks Zeppelin Early Monday.

September 6, 2028
Gary, Indiana

A monstrous sea creature reared its head out of Lake Michigan this morning to maul an airborne zeppelin by the light of the Morning Star.

Little Dublin resident Seamus O'Livia witnessed the attack as he woke for work. "It was a Myr'Akell no one was hurt!"

President Chaney is Inasia this week on a Komodo dragon hunting trip, but Vice President Beautifull Princess Ajuliun M says she will personally travel to the scene in her Delorian. Alternative energy activists have criticized the move, saying it would be much better for her to travel in a Jetta configured for Kohl Diesel.

Magickal parascientific specialists were called in to deal with the problem in their own unique way. Merlin, E'owyn, and Arwen Flumguddy joined hands and chanted an obscure spell over the accursed lake. "JamiahLiz Tquan Rhiahannaen!" It is not clear whether this approach was effective in driving off the monster, though paranormal enthusiast Zelic Jones exclaimed, "It was an absolute De'Lyte to watch! I saw the water get all Ghloey, so something must have worked!"

Jones may have been observing the effects of Nitareon gas, which the state has ordered pumped into the lake against the wishes of environmental activists, who released a statement saying, "This move will leave us Bayless!"

Local police speculate whether the leviathan was unleashed on the unsuspecting town as an act of domestic terrorism. "I don't want to accuse anyone of Traesyn," announced Police Chief Camiyla Jasmine Qt Charmaine, "but we currently suspect rogue Austro-Iranian noble Prince Nasir Karl Friedrich of some mischief in this. Allowing criminal minds like Friedrich to run loose is Anasti Pryce to pay for Liberty."

Prince Friedrich would not comment on the case except to say, "I have no Mhemori of the Gary area, and I do not Envayh the job of investigators there. Idonna what else to say."

No word yet on how Indiana authorities plan to Cache the monster, as it seems to have disappeared without a Trace.

Report by Sir L. B. Love.

In case you wonder why I even take the time to do this:

2006-08-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

if hse had been a boy we were going to name him Stalin.. but we got alot of comments from that.. yes.. we got the idea from joseph Stalin.. but he would not have been like a name sake or something.. we just liked the name Stalin..

Majestyk crime-busters Ultraviolet and Blue smash Braizyn Jax smuggling ring with their Lively Tallens

2006-08-28T00:27:00.000-07:00

Tallen Lively. The hospital lets us know that "Tallen is a good name meaning: claw, nail." No news on "Lively," but I think that probably means something nicer.

Braizyn Randall - will he grow up to be a brazen vandal? Only time will tell. Though the first name is not a good sign.

Ultraviolet Isabelle and Crystal Blue could be an awesome crime-fighting duo.

I was shocked to see Leviticus as a name a few months back... but I am now even more shocked to find a Corinthian. Corrie for short, perhaps? Levi and Corrie would make a great sibset. Why bother naming after those books in the Bible that are... named after people..?

Majestyk Valley - I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is a euphemism for cleavage in the Metaphysical poets.

Honestly? Not that Unique.

This kid will never lose at playground games! No way, for he is Jax Justis!

The new baby name book suggests for girls: Anatola ("from the Turkish region Anatolia"), Flower ("Old French for 'blossom'"), Anwar ('Rays of light,' most familiar as a man's name" - have you ever heard this used as a female name, EVER?); and for boys: Havelock ("sea competition"), Rushford ("ford with rushes"), Laddie ("Middle English for 'manservant or young man'"), and Lombard ("Latin for 'long beard'; Lombardy is an area in Northern Italy"). Now, of course, some of these definitions are right... but who would name a kid Laddie, Lombard, or (in the case of a daughter) Anwar?

I would like to note that the woman who wrote this book also wrote a newer one called "The Modern Guide to Teaching Children Good Manners." If her research for that was as good as her research for this one, kids will be farting loudly and biting their hosts as signs of their gratitude.

Spam Names

2006-08-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

When I was working in the archives, I was always coming across old 19th century gentlemen's names like "Norman K. Finletter" and "Albion J. Tomorrow." I made careful note of them because they reminded me a great deal of the names I find daily caught in my spam filter. Names like "Haywood Huggard" or "Erebus Warnick." But lately I find my spamming friends have abandoned their usually hilarious choices (e.g. "Spaghetti T. Joyride," "Probiotic L. Moon") for actual, sensible names:

Lenore Proctor
Reva Christine
Amaryllis Seamons
Mercedes Hobbs
Augustina
Adela
Cecelia
Angelia
Claribel

I wonder whether spammers aren't digging up ideas from the 1880 census. If not for the inclusion of the interestingly-named Maryland Audie (probably the actual name of some poor 2005 baby), I would have thought I was being CC'ed on somebody's canasta webgroup.

Today I took a trip to the local library, where I picked up a free book entitled "20,001 Names for Baby." I can already tell it's going to be great. Check out the entry for Evangeline:

Evangeline Gk., 'good news.' Derived from the term that came to be used for the Gospels, or the four Old Testament accounts of Christ's life. First used in English by Alfred Tennyson in his 1847 poem, "Evangeline."

Did you know that Tennyson wrote a poem named "Evangeline?" I sure didn't. But then, I also didn't know that the Gospels were in the Old Testament, so I guess I have a lot to learn. Thank you, author Carol McD. Wallace!!

J Names for Boys, Dogs, or Other Fashion Accessories

2006-08-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Jaden Velvet:
This is just such a beautiful unisex name that i've only recently found and I luv it . The nn would b J.V.

"Velvet" doesn't scream "unisex!" to me so much as "stripper!" Or perhaps "cupcakes!"

Jaeger

(pronounced Jay-ger, not Yay-ger)....it means Hunter in German.

Not in the German I know!

Jakob

JAKOB DADE COBB IS MY GRANDSONS NAME. WE LOVED THE NAME JAKOB SO IF HE IS CALLED J. IT IS STILL J. COBB IF THEY CALL HIM JAKE IT IS STILL JAKE COBB GET IT. AND DADE MEANS LEADER AN UNUSUAL NAME THAT JUST GOES WITH HIS UNUSUALLY WONDERFUL PERSONALITY.

I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT GOT SAID HERE, BUT AT LEAST IT WAS SHOUTED!!!

Janos

(YAWN- ous) I really like this name for some reason. It's manly, but the problem is I have a friend named this and everyone calls him Nosey. Oh well.

OH WELL! What's up, Nosey?

Jaxon

A better spelling of Jackson. Jack and Jax are both really sporty nicknames.

Somebody better ring Andrew's ghost. I bet he's pissed he used the lamer spelling of his name. Time to beat somebody with a cane!

Jayce Karlin:
I found Jace in a baby book, then met someone with the name Jayce a week later. To me it meant I had to name my son Jayce. Karlin was my daughters name - she came up with it in the car one day...(age 4). I don't like calling kids by initials, so I made Carlin, into Karlin.

Man, that's weird! I met two Onchorynchus's this week - guess that's all settled, then!

Jaycen

I like the way the spelling makes this ordinary name come to life.

I like the way you can take random elements of sound and create names that come to life. Like Frankenstein!

Jaydin

It makes me think of a huge flock of blue jays

This will be particularly cool when changing Jaydin's diapers, I bet.

Jaylen

It gives off a tom-boyish tone, and the name rolls off your tounge. It's just a cool name for a guy to have!

Nothing like being a tom-boyish... boy.

Jaysen

Unique spelling if you are dead set on Jason.

I suspect that if you are dead set on "Jason," you are going to spell it... "Jason."

Jethren

mix of Jethro, from the bible, and Jeff

Dear Jethren, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of two perfectly good names into one horrific mangle.

JORDAN ISAIH:
I HONESTLY DO NOT KNOW WHY I LOVE THIS NAME AS MUCH AS I DO ..HOWEVER ISAIH IS SOLID IN THE BIBLE....

ISAIH, ERZA AND MOSSES ARE MY FAVORITE SOLID BIBLE NAMES!

Joss (boy)

Joss is my favorite boy's name - it's literal translation means "luck" or "fate" in Chinese (Mandarin, I think) but I like to think of it as a modern alternative to traditional names like Joshua (Josh) or Joseph. Watch out for the Buffy/Angel fans on this one!

If all Buffy/Angel fans are like you and think that Joss is a Chinese name, I might watch out for them regardless.

Juan Shea:
pronounced Ja-won Shay but spelled mystiquely

Or spelled Spanishly.

Julian
I'm not sure why, I have just always loved the name Julian. (I pronounce it Jul-ain)

I'm not sure why, I have just always loved the name Literacy. I pronounce it Li-rat-eh-see.

Justice

I love this name, it's so...oh i really dont know it just sounds so cool. I'm a little worried about the whole "Justin" thing though, i have no wish to have my child called justin (i have a grudge against nsync, i wouldnt name my child after one of them!)

Clearly, if you are still carrying a grudge against a nineties boy band, you are definitely at the right stage in your life to be reproducing.

Jusup

For boys names my favorite is Jusup I could image a little dark eyed boy or a strong, intelligent man with this name.

Funny, I could only imagine a Budweiser commercial:

Guy 1: Hey Jusup?
Guy 2: Jusuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!!
Guy 1: Jusuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!
Guy 1: Hey dude, pick up the phone.
Guy 3: Jusuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupppppppp!!

Bad Baby Names - Home Edition

2006-08-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

In the process of moving home, impoverished liberal arts major that I am, I discovered one of those "My Life According to Me" journals given to me on my sixteenth birthday. Its pages disclose such audacious secrets as "As of today, I have liked the same guy since I was twelve," and "I hate French 4 and flared pants." Buried among these gems are the baby names I liked when I was sixteen. Please prepare yourself.

Keep in mind that these are all written in silver and purple gel ink.

Annie Rose (girl) - not to be confused with all those boys named Annie Rose.
Willow (girl) - I was actually not aware at the time of the character Willow from Buffy the Vampire slayer. I briefly thought of changing my name to Willow when I was fifteen and going through a hippie-pagan-nature stage.
Hannah Maria Tzeitel (girl) - I was apparently going through a "Fiddler on the Roof" stage. I believe I gave this name to a snail or fish, eventually.
Hollie Joy (girl) - Apart from the fact that this sounds like the title of a Christmas window theme at Macy's, it could be okay. Maybe.
Amelia Joy (girl) - Oh hay, I would still use this one! Except that Amelia is getting so popular. Maybe Amalia?
Sophie Catherine - Guess I figured there's no way Sophie Catherine could not be a girl.

Gianlorenzo (guy) - For Bernini. I kid you not. I actually still like this one, in an "I would name a fish this" kind of way.
Stephen Cole - Not bad in and of itself, but now would only work if your last name were "Bear" or similar.
Thomas Elijah - How did the boys get it so much easier than the girls? Thomas Elijah is a damn fine name!

So, my dear readers. I know you are out there - you even comment sometimes. What were the worst ideas you had for names as a teenager? I dare you to top Gianlorenzo (guy).

Alaska Season, Blackberry Battle, and Cricket Integrity: an ABCs of modern hippie naming

2006-08-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

My favorite user over at Behind the Name just posted her list of favorite names. GET READY TO ROCK, MY FRIENDS:

The list includes things like Tristan, Edison, Oceana, Lavender... okay, unusual, but not terrible, right? Things are going smoothly until this user contracts... THE DREADED NOUN DISEASE!!

On a boy:
Battle
Blackberry
Huckleberry

On a girl (who gets it far, far worse):

Iceland
Sprite (Iceland Sprite? Like a valkyrie or the huldufólk?)
Season
Tennessee
Koi (KOI!)
Paradise (Koi Paradise! Where we meet all your tropical fish needs!)
Butterfly
Rainbow
Integrity
Cricket
Alaska
Disney
Labyrinth ("Hey man, where were you all last weekend?" "Oh, in the Labyrinth, you know...")
Rhapsody
Breeze
Knowledge

Actual suggestions, people, actual suggestions. All we need is name combinations. What about Rainbow Knowledge (sure to come out of the closet early) or Tennessee Integrity ("I found this here hunderd-dollar bill on yer porch, ma'am, thought I should return it.") or Disney Season ("Here come the tourists to Anaheim! It must be Disney season!!")

Far less virulent but also concerning is the MEDIEVAL OCCUPATION DISEASE, which seems to have infected this poster in the girls' names quadrant of her brain:

Brewster
Thatcher
Apprentice
Sailor

ON A GIRL. No, never mind, ON A CHILD! A real, live, breathing child! Breathing, that is, until little Rainbow Blueberry Apprentice kills herself for shame.

Just a Test

2006-08-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Thought you be interested in knowing:

Lkjlkjl and Jklkj have chosen the name Fjslkdfsdf Jj for their beautiful new son.

Twinwatch

2006-08-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

What's worse than Orion Eleison?

Having a twin called Oriana Kyrie, of course.

Lord have mercy.

Kiss me, I'm Irysh!

2006-08-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Original Poster: I love the name Ireland, for a very long time. I need a MN for "her", any suggestions? I don't want a "filler" MN or one that's used a lot, but still normal. Thanks!

Now, for those of you who might not be able to guess, Ireland is one of those Names of Shame around here. Brooklyn was dumb enough, but at least Brooke and Lynn are names. Ireland? Only if you want a real live leprechaun to kick your ass. Irelynn? Not a chance. A lot of people say they want to use this "name" to "honor their Irish roots." I think that if you're Irish enough to be honoring your Irishness, you probably know that no Irish person would name a kid Ireland, nor would it really be patriotic to use this particular Anglicized form of "Eire" anyway.

I've detailed my feelings about Irysh-philia briefly in the past, but I figure a refresher wouldn't hurt.

The Bad Baby Names Blog Primer on Irish Naming:

1. There are thousands of beautiful Irish names out there. None of them begin with K. Those are Anglicizations. None of them begin with Mc, either. Those are Scottish. If you feel like that's all the same, perhaps you shouldn't be considering an Irish name.

2. Irish Gaelic uses a different set of phonics than English, even if it does use the Roman alphabet. Thus Ciara is "key-ruh," not "sierra"; Siobhan is "she-vahn," not "see-oh-bahn"; and Saoirse is "seersha," not "ooh!-it-means-"freedom!"-that-can't-have-any-political-connotations-it's-perfect-for-my-little-American-girl!!!"

3. An Irish name will not make you Irish. Or even half-Irish. If you are 1/64th Irish and want to use an Irish name to "honor your Irishness," 63/64ths of you are telling me you are really really not Irish. Maybe you should quit while you're ahead.

4. Ireland's number one export, believe it or not, is not: shamrocks; mystic Celts; enchanted little men; Celtic knot tattoos; "faeries"; the Middle Ages; alcohol. It's actually machinery. Sorry to disappoint, Little Miss Pregnant Renfaire.

Now that that's out of the way, let's go on to the suggestions:

Ireland Abigail
Ireland Matilda
Ireland Lorraine
Ireland Eleanor

Hm, these aren't so bad. Maybe I was worried for nothing.

OH NO WAIT JUST KIDDDING!

Ireland Bailey (mm, Bailey's Irish Creme!)
Ireland Mackenzie (mm, Scottish!)
Ireland Teague (boys name - demonstrates a clear understanding of Irishness, doesn't it!)
Ireland Faith (but is it Catholicism? Or Church of England??)
Ireland Peace (if only!)
Ireland Saoirse (OH HAY GUYS DID I TELL YOU MY KID WUZ IRYSH??)

That which we call a Madeleine...

2006-08-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Variants of Madeleine found on a single baby naming site:

Madailein - Irish form of Madeleine, "magnificent"
Madalen - Hebrew, "From the tower"
Madalena - Spanish, "Bitter," "Woman from Magdala."
Madalene - "Woman from Magdala"
Madalyn - Hebrew, "from the tower"
Madalyne - French "Tower."
Madalynn - Spanish, "Woman from Magdala"
Maddalen - German, "magnificent"
Maddalena - German, "magnificent"
Maddalene - German, "magnificent"
Maddalyn - German, "magnificent"
MaddieLynn - English
Madelaine - Hebrew, "from the tower"
Madeleina - French, "tower"
Madeleine - French, "tower"
Madelena - Hebrew, "from the tower"
Madelene - Hebrew, "from the tower"
Madelina - French, "Woman from Magdala"
Madeline - French, "Woman from Magdala"
Madelon - French, "Woman from Magdala"
Madelynn - Spanish, "Woman from Magdala"
Madilynn - Unknown origins, "Combination of traditional Madiline and the Lynn."
Madolen - French, "tower"

Excusez-moi, mesdames et messieurs. I am looking for le Madolen - you know, the one where la madalena madalynn lives? I hear the architecture madelena is sehr maddalen!

The moral of this story? Don't believe everything you read on the internets. Also, be very afraid of recent developments in American foreign language education.

If you thought Holiday Merlot was embarrassing:

2006-08-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ahh, good old Snugglepie. You never fail to disappoint.

Makkitotosimew

Name Origin: Native American

Meaning: She has large breasts (Algonquin)

Also:

Marlin

Name Origin: English

Meaning: Female variant of Marlon.

Just Plain Unfortunate

2006-08-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

Culturally appropriate name? Probably. But it's still unfortunate for poor little Rotchild.

Na na na na Na Na.

Poor Anastyn.

People can't get enough of those dead presidents. Kennedy not good enough? What about McKynlee?

Caution. Too bad his middle name isn't Danger.

Gel Crystal - hippie decor item, or baby name?

Holiday Merlot will never wonder how she was conceived.

This kid's name isn't an embarrassing conception joke - but his t-shirt is. Ewww.

It's a miracle little Sephiroth was ever conceived.

Papa don't Preach.

Don't Laya Abed, you layabout!

Message Board Fun!!

2006-08-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have two daughters and it was so fun and easy picking out their names. You can get creative with girls names and even the spellings. Boys are different. I don't know for sure what the sex of my third baby is yet, but I have a feeling it is a boy. I want to pick out a unique boys name, but I am finding it hard to find one that isn't sissy sounding. And I do not want any crazy spellings either. Guess I am too picky, but I just don't want to stick my son with a girly name. Any advice?

The advice:

Colton/Colt (gun?)
Clinton/Clint (Mr Cigar?)
Viktor (tougher with a K!)
Wolf (leader of the pack!)
Trace (this is a name?)
Kraven (Craven??)
Ky (made up)
Brodin (also made up)
Shad (really really made up)
Rayce (like running? or like skin color?)
Zyler (um?)
Ryder (sexual)
Ryker (prison)

Things are looking good for boys these days.

Okay, I know this name is different but I really love it.

Aelfric -It means Elf ruler.

I haven't come up with a middle name yet. I think it is unique without being too way over the top. I can use Fric for short. It is better than some of those names out there.

It doesn't exactly surprise me that someone who wants to name their son "Aelfric" isn't familiar with the slang word "frick." Not that Aelfric is so bad though, as she does point out.

My DH and I do not know what we are having but are trying to find a good name. All 4 of our other girls start with "K" but we are not stuck on naming this one with a "K".

Our girls names....
Kjersten Ann-Marie
Keeley Cheyenne
Keturah Jay Ann
Keziah Esther Marie

We do tend to like Hebrew names due to the biblical meanings.

Something tells me Keeley Cheyenne missed the Biblical boat.

The suggestions do too.

Karstyn?
Korryn?
Korley?
Kayda?
Kinsey? (About as far from Biblical as you get.)
Kessie?
Kylyn? (Killin'? Definitely not Biblical.)
Kessa?
Kelila?
Kaina? (Make it Caina. Definitely Biblical. Just not with a K.)
Kalla? (Please, only with middle name Lylly)
Kalaina
Kelloryn
Kellen (If Helen Keller mated with herself, she might produce a Kellen.)
Kayle (Like the vegetable?)
Kennedy (Mm, dead president.)
Kabrien
Kindley (Kindly step away from the K names, Mom.)
Karigen (Is this like a pathogen?)

My idea is definately different from every single one you've heard, and is unique but pretty Kishelle like Michelle with a K instead. So here is my name choice:

Kishelle Rae-lynn

The OP found this generous (and, perhaps like me, thought it sounded like a brand of toilet paper), but chose to decline:

Thanks BUT I do like to go with actual names - nothing made up.

Again, seems that Keeley Cheyenne missed the boat on this.

Chick Magnet

2006-08-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Meet Brigham.

From Utah.

Most appropriate shirt ever.

Also:

Please not Kayden. Or Brayden. Or Ayden or Jayden or Slayden. Or Kyllair.

A Living Legend

2006-08-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sure we've all heard those naming urban legends. Lemonjello and Orangejello. Female. Shithead. Shanda Lear.

They are urban legends... aren't they?

Exhibit A:

I'm expecting baby #1 2/07, not sure of the gender, but think it's a girl and wanted some opinions on my choice of names.

Kennedy Jayde or Jade
Konner Michelle
Chandlier Natiese

I'm really into unisex names for the given name, anyother suggestions or combos?

Whoa whoa whoa. Back up. Kennedy Jayde. Konner Michelle. CHANDLIER NATIESE. Is this supposed to be... Chandler? Ohhh, Momma Unisex, this is a job for Clippy!

Oh Clippy. If only there were an AutoCorrect for names.

Unfortunately, there's not. Unfortunately for little Chandlier Natiese, at least:

Hooray, Microsoft Word. Hooray Chandelier Nastiest.

Bomb Kansas

2006-08-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

No, seriously, bomb Kansas. Forget Alabama or Gennessee. It's Kansas we need to worry about. They are crazy there! They've got a Maniya!!

They are too creative there!! Just look at Kansas June, who was born... in Kansas... in June. No, wait, this isn't the example I want.

They are too creative there!! Just look at... oh God... do I have to look at it? Just look at N'Ascent Mi'Princess D'Zyre Heavenly. I'm sorry, I had to. Surely now you are convinced that Kansas must be destroyed.

Let's send an Acelynn pilot to do it! Or perhaps we can utilize karate! Yee-ahhh! Hi-yah! Aahaysia Kamiyah!!

Rats, it's not working. Let's consult modern-day prophets Azekial Eldon (an elf?) and Ryan Michelle Leanne (a modern-day Tiresias, clearly).

Ahh, the prophets have spoken with Aunesti. In order to destroy Kansas, we must harness the power of an Ion Nolen bomb!

Damn! Hippie Native American activist Jericho Krazie Horse has spoken out against our use of the Ion Bomb! Our only option left is to hire a professional Kyllair - perhaps that is un-Kristchain, but it is absolutely necessary in these dire circumstances!

Well, it looks like we're going to have to wait for our little kyllair to grow up. Or at least turn eight. Until then, Kansas, watch your back. We've got our eyes Onya.

Jilljill, Acid Rain, and the Rules of Unisex Naming

2006-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

On to the female Js. I got so depressed with these, I haven't even looked at the boys yet.

J'nai

This is the name of someone I went to school with. Sounds Oriental.

Or possibly Romulan.

Jack (girl)

Why not? I think it makes a really cute name for a girl, especially one with curly hair and misheviously glinting eyes...

... as she loomed over your bedside with a cleaver in her hand, whispering "Why, Mom, why?"

Jade

My favourite color is any shade of green (except avocado) it's short, simple and you can't really come up with any derogatory nicknames for Jade...

I think Dictionary.com might disagree: "JADE- 2: a woman adulterer [syn: adulteress, fornicatress, hussy, loose woman, slut, strumpet, trollop] " Hm.

Jaeda

Probaby cute and popular.

I mean, maybe. It's likely. It could be, you know.

Jael

My favorite name is Jael Armani (JAY-el ah-reh-MAH-nee) This is a girl name and what i plan to name my baby girl. Jael is hebrew for to ascend and Armani is african for faith.

Jail Armani? Maybe she's an animal-rights activist. An animal rights activist who thinks "African" is a language. Jael, when pronounced properly, is in fact a rather nice name, though. Maybe she could use Yale Armani. That sounds appropriately grasping.

Jaeque

(pronounced like "Jake") masculin names for women are strong and sexy, although I don't recommend Bob or Henry!

Then what do you recommend? Perhaps James is all right, but Orlando is not? Is Walter okay? What about Billy? I NEED DIRECTION!

Jana

(jAA-na with a soft J) I like it cause it sound so normal but still is very unusual. It's a name that keeps on buzzing in your head.

Take note that something "buzzing in your head" is normal to this poster.

Janexia

Sounds exotic

Sounds like a cholesterol medication.

January

My obsession with naming children after months has lead me to this. It's pretty, and just sounds nice the way it rolls off the tongue. I don't care for the nickname of "Jan", but all in all, the name is perfect. A good name for a bright and cheery person or an optimist.

Nothing says bright cheery optimism like January.

Jarrah

JAR RAH individual name with a woody kind of twist

With subtle undertones of oak and vanilla, Jarrah's woody kind of twist makes it an ideal accompaniment to steak or lamb.

Jasmine Dymond:
THE TWO ARE BEATIFUL JEMS, AND THEY COMPLIMENT THEMSELVES LOVELY.

Last I checked, Jasmine was not a "jem." Though neither is "Dymond," if you want to get technical.

Jenuffa

There is one name I have not seen there-or anywhere for that matter. It is JENUFFA. It is my eldest daughter's name. I found it in the San Francisco Examiner shortly before she was born, 31 years ago. There was a Chek opera playing in town. And this was its name. I believe, but am not certain, that it is the chek pronunciation of JENNIFER. I pronounce it like the French would. "shin'=uf =fa" or pronouncing Jennifer with a southern drawl. It is a very unusual name. I am sure noone else has the name.

If I'd been this woman, perhaps I would have "Chek"ed up on all these foreign languages she thinks she knows. I am pretty sure the French pronunciation of Jenuffa would be "Elle croit que ça est notre prononciation de Jennifer? Et mon cul, c'est du poulet?"

In actuality, I think this woman was thinking of Janacek's Jenufa, which Wikipedia characterizes as "a grim story of infanticide and redemption." Goody!

Jersey Rain
I heard of this name in the movie Coyote Ugly, and I really liked it. I thought a one syllable name would compliment it, and after debating over Jersey Sky, or Jersey Rain, I choice Rain

Correct me if I'm wrong... but doesn't Jersey Rain, like, corrode things?

Jilljill

(Jill-jill) We thought about naming our daughter Jilljill. It looks kewl written, and both her grandmothers are named Jill. We didn't want one to always think "Oh she's name after the other one so we made it so they would both know that they were both in our hearts and thoughts.

See, for normal people, having two grandmothers named Jill would be a boon because you wouldn't have to name after one or the other. You could just... you know... name after both with one name. Like a sane person.

Joesef

a boys name rarely used as a girls. it sounds so beautiful as a girls name. i just thought it was unusual and i have spelt it differently too to make it stand out even more.

As if a girl named Joseph wouldn't stand out enough.

Jonquil

sounds like a native american name, it reminds me of something peaceful

Perhaps a flower? Or perhaps the word "tranquil?"

Jordyn Grace:
This is one I've liked since I was a little girl. I like the ambigender quality of Jordyn and Grace is a family name and a middle name that makes Jordyn unmistakably female.

I'm not sure I'd go to all the trouble of making something "ambigender" if I were going to go back and make it "unmistakably female." Besides, "ambigendering" something sounds like it would at least require some form of bioengineering.

Joshlynn

I named my daughter JOSHLYNN (Josh+lynn) because I didn't like the spelling of Jocelyn. Add my daughter's name to list and see how everyone likes it. It is one of a kind in that spelling.

Joshlynn: it's Jocelyn, sloshed.

Judith

because ladylike ladies often have it.

Whatever you say.

Julia

to call her Jews for short. Tall, strong woman, classic.

Don't tell the Germans. Also, avoid kids named Aryan Justice.

June Cricket:
I love the summertime, and this name makes me think of school getting out, crickets chirping and getting kissed for the first time.

I prefer June Popsicle or June Roman Candle, myself. Or maybe June Sweaty-Backseat-of-a-Car.

Jura (joo-ruh) Flame:
The first name is the name of an island in my homeland of Scotland that is slightly less common than Iona or Skye. I just thought that the middle name complimented it nicely!

You're aflame??

Here to break the fast!!

2006-07-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

My dear readers, I wish to apologize for the recent drought. I have been abroad and have been looking unsuccessfully for a job (both nasty places, to be quite honest), but I have returned to bring you the best of the interwebs. And it is my distinct honor, ladies and gentlemen, to bring you the most fantastic name I have ever seen in online birth announcements. Caroline and Matthew, whoever you are, I salute you for bringing for Onchorynchus Horatio into the world... and even more importantly, I salute you for naming him Onchorynchus Horatio. I would like to put some money towards his college education. No, seriously, I would - contact me.

Is it too late to let MarkTwain's mom know that it was just a pseudonym? Probably.

Did you ever have to read the story of Jehan Le Fou in French class? Well here's a LeSane!

Epiphany and Serendipity. Twins. As a twin myself, I can't decide if this is better or worse than the traditional Harmony and Melody. Probably better in some and worse in others. Either way, I hope they get nice nicknames. Pippi and Sara, maybe? Too much to hope for?

Little Rydr was born to be wild, and, coincidentally enough, born without vowels. Check out that sweet mohawk.

This kid's name is Zade. Not horrific, until you realize he's got a brother named Zane. Zane and Zade. Better hope no one ever gets a cold in that family.

I know I joke about how some names look like Scrabble tiles. But what if you took two normal names and tried to play Scrabble with them? Perhaps they'd end up looking something like Lyndseei Danielel. How do you even say this?

So let's say I want to use the name Nevaeh (hypothetical situation, clearly), but I'm not sure how to spell "heaven" in order to spell "heaven" backwards. Do I spell it Neveah? Common mistake. Is it Neaveh, maybe? Oh, screw it, let's just go for Neavaeh! That way, it's heaven-backwards AND a palindrome!! (This obviously being highly hypothetical, since I'm not sure there are many people out there who can't spell "heaven" and know what a palindrome is).

You will be disappointed to learn that Pebblez does not have a brother named Bam-Bam. I know I was.

Icelynn, Gemple, and "The Bar Scene Connotation"

2006-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

I went back to my favorite naming site's "user opinions" section, where users can submit their favorite names, and tackled the girls, F through I. The results:

Fanta
i love the name Fanta and i think you should put it in your favorite names list.

Dontcha dontcha wanta Fanta Fanta??

Fauna
A very unusual but beautiful name.

OMGZ GUYZ I want to have twins, Flora and Fauna! They go so well together, and are so unusual but beautiful!!

Favor
maybe I made this up??? Haven't seen it elsewhere. I used it once as my name playing a saloon girl with a $5 bill pinned to my bodice. Got a lot of attention! Could be a pretty name, though, without the bar scene connotation.

I think this is going to be my new standard critique of horrible names. "Could be pretty without the bar scene connotation."

Feodora
Feodora Rose: Elegant, graceful, creative, happy- Feodora Rose is an exotic yet simply lovely name. The kind of name that makes you look up when you here it.

Look up and see that the wind has blown your feodora off your head and down the street.
(Yeah, I realize this is one of those legit-but-weird-in-Anglophonic-contexts.)

French
French Chetta - Chetta is just a shortened version of Chester, which is a family name. (Che - dd- a)

I don't know about French Chedda, but French Brie is delicious.

Galadriel
(Gah-l-ah(like screaming)-dree-el) She is also another charactor in the Lord of the Rings books she is a BEAUTIFUL elfin queen and is very powerful,she was always my favorite woman character.

Galadriel. LIKE SCREAMING. I love that this person's grasp of phonics includes the term "like screaming." I can picture Henry Higgins using this - "Ah, not Ahr, Ah. LIKE SCREAMING."

Gemple
(Jem-ple) I made this name up and it means "purple gemini." I've gotten a lot of negative comments but I still like it and what to share it with you.

I made this name up: Troulean. It means "cerulean trout." I've gotten a lot of negative comments but I still wanted to share it with you. It's way better than "purple gemini," whatever that means.

Gigit
This name sounds like a woman who takes care of herself. doesn't mess around and is independent. she almost sounds like she would be a machinic.

Or maybe a Malibu Beach surfer girl played by Sandra Dee.

Happi-Jayn
i got the first part of this name from one of Macy Gray's children and i just love her music. the second part of the name grounds it. a child with this name would have to be happy go lucky!

You know it's some name, when Jayn "grounds it."

Harborleigh
I sort of made up this name when thinking how much I liked the first name Harbor for a girl, but the man I'm marrying has the last name of Hatcher, and that just doesn't fit too well. I stuck Leigh on the end because it makes it sound like the author Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It sounds very beautiful.

How does one "sort of make up" a name? More importantly, how does one decide that "Harborleigh" sounds very beautiful?

Heavana
Heavena Moon: (heaven-uh) this name conjures up an image of a beautiful, futuristic princess from another universe. it also reminds me of the stars. the nickname 4 this would be Vanya!

Heavena Moon doesn't remind me of the stars - we'd better put "Star" in there somewhere, just in case. Heavena Moon-Starr - now THAT'S a name for a princess from another universe!

Hewovy
(heh-WHOA-vee) I love this name because it is strong and feminine. It sounds good with most middle names. It's Gorgeous!

WHOA. Whoa. ... whoa. Could be beautiful without the bar connotation.

Highland
This is a very unusual and unique name given to my cousin.

Here's hoping your cousin happens to be the mountains of Scotland.

Icelynn
I wanted to name my daughter this as a child!
This sounds like an interesting family structure.
just about any one syllable word or name can sound good when lynn is added.

Hmmm, let's test this hypothesis. Jocelyn. Okay. Carolyn. Yup, all right. Herpeslyn. Eh, not what I was expecting.

Dave points out that I have cheated, and used two syllable words. So let's try this again. Plumlynn. Lightlynn. Woodlynn. Asslynn. Wartslynn. Pooplynn? Again, not exactly what I was expecting.

Imonunique
This is not a great name but I like the way it was made up! My friend in church hates his name because he says it's a girlie name, it's Imani! Me and my cousins like him and so my cousin said she would love to have his baby!! LOL But she would want her baby to have a unique name. Put that together, Imoni and Unique and you get Imonunique so I felt that was cool!

Um... is it bad that, even after this story, I still don't get why Imonunique is cool?

Ireland
One of my best friends named her daughter Ireland and I LOVE her reasoning. First, the word “Ireland” calls to mind pictures of breathtakingly beautiful countryside, castles, and romance and what better gift than to give your daughter than her name conjuring such a beautiful stereotype. Second, it’s a vaguely unisex name which, when coupled with the above mental pictures will give her an amazing edge on resumes and such where her name is her first impression.

I don't even know what to say about this. Other than "dizzying logic."

You can't help but picture all the vast beauty in it's miles of rolling countryside, therefore it makes for a beautiful name. can also be spelled Irelynd.

I would like to ask Patrick Pearse if it can also spelled Irelynd, I bet he'd have something to say about that.

On a related note:
Irish
i saw a guy with this name once and i haven't forgotten it. i like the simplicity of it, and it also demonstrates Irish pride.

Definitely. I bet Patrick Pearse would totally have had a son named Irish.

Isaiah (girl)
Isaiah Noelle: Isaiah has been my favorite name since the first day i heard it. when my mom told me she was going to get me a little puppy i decided i was gonna name him Isaiah...well my puppy turned out to be a girl, and she still ended up with the name isaiah...now it just seems like a girls name to me. I thought Isaiah Noelle sounded pretty together, that's gonna be the name of my first daughter. (nobody steal Isaiah for a girl! it's mine!)

Don't worry, it's all yours. Also - who names their daughter after their dog?

Gems from 2005

2006-05-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

The Social Security Administration puts up a list of the top 1000 names in the U.S. every year - 2005's list just went up a few weeks ago, and I have only now had time to sit down and view the damage. Here, for your viewing pleasure, are the worst offenders:

Girls:

Unsurprisingly, Paris was the most popular destination-name at 206. London followed at 538, surpassed somewhat surprisingly by America (427). Ireland squeezed in at 992, as did Montserrat at 982 - cousin Monserrat fared somewhat better at 638. Imperialism got a big boost with Asia (290), India (501) and Kenya (625) all making the top 1000. Marin, of wine country fame, inexplicably made 964.

We've also got a great crop of girls who will either never grow up, or never use their real name for job interviews. America (427, remember!) is full of Precious (553) Princesses (738) who all deserve a Diamond (302) Tiara (586)! They are all little Miracles (476) and behave like little Angels (147). They will all go to Heaven (245), or possibly Nevaeh (a horrific 70).

As possibly the most ironic name of all time, Unique made 937.

Pseudoreligious names like Genesis (155) Trinity (48) and Karma (867) did fairly well, though the parents of the little Armanis (961) and Chanels (919) had more materialistic naming choices. Kali (526) is religiously named, but very unfortunately so.

Another unfortunate name is the result of an unfortunate spelling. Could Aryana (872) have a sister named Nazi (real name!)?

This was also a big year for random nouns and faux virtue names. Shall we take a Journey (773) through an Aspen (543) Meadow (851)? We can search for the Essence (926) of Justice (536)! What Serenity (170 - need I also point out that this is a brand of adult diapers?) Music-related names were also popular. Do you remember that Presley (513) Lyric (688)? It had a nice Cadence/Kadence/Kaydence (205/345/357).

Presidents are popular, though it's difficult to say why. Maybe Republicans give their daughters the name Reagan (136) and Democrats give their daughters the name Kennedy/Kennedi (118/634 - and which incidentally means "ugly head")... but does anyone really remember what Madison (3) did?

And then there are the just plain unfortunate names that somehow crept into the top 1000. Alexia (160), anyone? Think that Cheyenne (172) isn't disrespectful enough? What about Cheyanne (630), Shyanne (763) or Shyann (901)??

There are apparently a lot of disappointed parents in America who wanted a boy but got a girl instead. Micah (878), Ryan (452), Parker (711), Rowan (766) and Peyton (131) are all now great names for that little girl you just had! Never mind the trouble she'll have with her name - boys names on girls are cute and spunky!

You know what happens when you start giving boys names to girls, of course. They "go pink." This doesn't mean that they join the socialist party, though perhaps that would be preferable - this means that they become unusable on boys. Think of Lindsay, Whitney, Courtney, Ashley... heck, think of Madison! I have yet to receive a good explanation as to why boys names are easily transferrable to girls, but girls names never get applied to boys. I have a sneaking suspicion it is because masculine names "make girls strong" and feminine names are "sissy names," though this suspicion is adamantly denied by most trendy namers.

So what happens when we lose Micah, Ryan, Parker, Rowan and Peyton? Obviously, we just need more masculine names! How about Cannon (767), Colt (949), Gunner (620) or Talon(619)? Nothing says masculine like GUNS AND KILLIN'. Except maybe pornography - good thing Maxim made the list at 970.

Yes, parents sure think a lot of their boys. They don't want to risk any of that feminizing nonsense - they've got to raise little Princes (819)! Is that why Marquis (525), Marquise (801), Adonis (817) and even Messiah (903) made the list this year?

If the girls' names are largely infantilizing or trashy, the boys' names are largely rather inexplicable. Trace (544)? Kale (758)? Jax (979)? Gauge (974)? I guess nouns are just big. Don't have enough Cash (674)? You can rent a Garret (618) room! Though you'd do just as well to search for housing outside Boston (680) or London (688) - have you thought about Zaire (871)?

Also, note: Sincere (SINCERE!) is at 660. Its cousin Ernest is at 655.

Now I know my... daughter?

2006-05-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

The mother of Abcde 's got some 'splainin' to do.

The good news is, I suppose, that the girl will know how to spell her name as soon as she knows her ABCs - it'll take most of the kids featured on this blog a lot longer than that.

Etymology for Dummies

2006-05-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

My favorite types of online birth announcements are those that give the meanings of the names parents have chosen for those little ones. Sometimes they're hilarious and wrong, but sometimes they're hilarious and right.

Take Asia here. Benefis Healthcare says Asia means "Name's Origin: Greek; English.
Name's original meaning: 'Resurrection'; 'Eastern sunrise'." I mean, I guess, maybe. That's definitely not the first meaning that came to my mind, honestly. I was thinking more along the lines of "Oriental Continent," but whatever floats your boat. Maybe I am going to start calling Europe "Mythological Seduced Woman" and Antarctica "Opposite to the Bear." That's what they mean, after all, you know.

Here is little Andersen Kate. A cute girl, but what does Chandler Regional Hospital have to say about her name? "Courtney and Lee have chosen the name Andersen Kate for their beautiful new daughter. Origin: Swedish. Original Meaning: "Strong; manly; courageous"." Good choice, Courtney and Lee, good choice!

London Jayde apparently means "Fortress of the moon." Funny, I always thought a London Jayde was what Hogarth depicted in his "Harlot's Progress" engravings...

India Danielle has a very interesting name meaning, too. "Name's Origin: English.
Name's original meaning: Country's name used as a first name." At least they're honest.

P.S.

2006-05-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Remember how bad Jiizelle was? Well, meet:

Gizem.

Yet another culturally appropriate but linguistically unfortunate name.

That which we call a Lilia...

2006-05-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

WHICH GETS YOU VOTE:

Lilia Monet

or

Lilia Paris

I dread polls like this. Why don't they ever give you option C, "Why not Lilia Marie, or Lilia Penelope? At least that wouldn't scream, 'Look how hard I am trying to be cultured!'" I dutifully voted... Paris. Because Monet is just that bad in my mind. And you know when I choose former-male-name-now-borne-by-socialite-heiress/slut, the other choice is really just that bad.

There are a few reasons I think Monet is a dumb thing to name a kid. Firstly, it is more popular as its "alternate" spelling, Monae. "It's Monae, like Monet," we're told. Nothing screams "tasteful" like a respelling of a famous artist's name. Meet my kids Konstabyl Ohkeef and Renwahr War-haul! If it's a tribute to Monet (which I sort of doubt, more on that later), at least spell it Monet. Secondly, (here is the part I am talking about), Monet/Monae is apparently a clever way to slip both art and cash into the same name. Remember Count de Monet in Mel Brooks' "History of the World, Part One?" Yeah, that kind of Monet. You see the same sort of thing with Jules (Jewels) and Cash. Thirdly, MONET HAD A FIRST NAME. If you're so interested in actually honoring the artist, he had some other names!

All of these facts apparently did not faze other posters, who responded:

Monet; but if I were you I'd look into using a less-well-known artist namefor the middle:

Lilia Chardin
Lilia Morisot
Lilia Cassatt
Lilia Watteau

At least Lilia Monet had some kind of theme going, you know? Lilia Chardin? LILIA WATTEAU? Why not Lilia I-just-googled-French-painters? What about Lilia Fragonard? Lilia Girodet de Roussy-Trioson?? Ooh, I know, Lilia Hennequin! That's kind of like Heineken! Or Lilia Limousin? Now THAT'S classy!

Saynts Preserve Us!

2006-05-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite names these days are religious names. Or, more appropriately, names people think are religious names. I've got a whole folder here in my bookmarks, full of such gems as:

Testament Venaycia S'mya (a girl, I believe)

Elijahanae Heavenly Sincere (a girl)

Sunni (inadvertently religious, I suspect)

Poor little Christain.

Messiah Corion

Serinity Divine

Jesus Alondra (perhaps not unusual, until you realize it's a girl)

So these aren't Adonai Vita or anything, but they're not exactly great. Particularly Messiah. They always say not to name your kids Chastity or Temperance or Joy, in case they don't live up to their names. Can you imagine how little Messiah will feel about that?

I generally only come across these sorts of names in birth announcement rubbernecking, but a recent post on a certain baby names board has brought up the issue of religious names in a very immediate way:

Can we have some feedback on our names? We are due with a little Miracle in June. We are a Christian family from Virginia. I am Lexi and my fiance is Noah. My son Messyah Kenyon is 21 months. I picked a very spiritual name for hm- Messyah has a lot of meaning for me. It was the Lord who guided me through his birth and raising him on his own until I met my fiance. My fiance and I have picked out a few names for our daughter. We have many connections to these names.

Kryshna Faith

Maddox (Maddie for short, we know if means son of the lord but we feel our daughter is just as much a miracle as my son)

Praisee (means to Pray). We like the alternate spelling Prayslee as well.

Miracle (she is our true Miracle. Without her, Noah and i have would never have fallen in love so quickly)

Destiny (she is our future)

Angel (as she is sent from heaven).

We like the middle name Fayth. My mom's name is Fayth.

...

Wow. Wow. Where can I even start? WOW.

Normally I would start with the most egregious thing that jumps out at me. The trouble with this post is, what doesn't jump out at me? Um... well... Let's go in order. Messyah. This is a perfect example of why parents should run names through Microsoft Word beforehand. "Messyah." "Do you mean 'Messy Ah'?" Ahh, thank you, Clippy! I might have missed that! There'd be nothing worse than being a sloppy version of Jesus!

Kryshna Fayth. This poster reiterates in later posts that she wants a "strong Christian name." I'm not sure she understand that the "Krishna Faith" is generally regarded to be Hinduism.

Maddox, meaning "son of the Lord." If it weren't for the fact that Maddox is actually a surname meaning 'son of Madoc', this wouldn't be so bad. Except that she wants to put it on her miracle daughter. Why is it that every child is a miracle, anyway? Isn't that what the human body is designed for? How is it a miracle if a woman in her twenties gets knocked up by a casual boyfriend for the second time? It would probably be more of a miracle if this woman knew how to use a condom, don't you think? (In case you are wondering, I pray for miracles daily). Maybe the real miracle is that the poster didn't realize how terrible the sentence "Without her, Noah and i have would never have fallen in love so quickly" sounds. The best love stories coincide with accidental pregnancies, it seems.

Praisee. I'm not sure how "Prayslee" is an "alternate spelling" of this, seeing as there's an L in it. I'm trying to come up with an etymology for this 'name' - perhaps we are "praisers" and God is the "praisee?" And then she could have two kids named God! Sweet!

Subsequent posters tried to dissuade her, but she won't budge. She did admit that she liked Godiva and Nevaeh though. She says, "Nevaeh's a traditional Welch girls name. Maybe it is not appropriate since we are not welch." Forget Eel Heaven - what about GRAPE HEAVEN??

Kute Baybees Are Widdle Fowever!!

2006-05-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

One quick and sorely-overdue update before I head out for the weekend. It's exam period right now, which is why I am not on my game. I promise I will be better in a bit.

While you're waiting, though, here are some widdle babie gurlz who will never grow up:

Treasure Believe. Little Treasure liked to Believe she was adopted, and that her true name was Tara Beatrice.

Diamond Aurora - perhaps fitting, seeing as she was born in Alaska. Almost as good as Petroleum Caribou.

India Unique and Omaega Unique. What happens when two Uniques are born at the same hospital, I wonder? Does a singularity form or something? Cause that would be sweet.

Emma Louise Peach almost escaped a sickeningly saccharine name. Almost.

Tabrina Jewels didn't, though. Did her parents not get the message that this particular middle name is slang for "testicles?" That's attractive.

Jade Saphire (note the spelling). Subtitled "Our Little Gem Stone." Puke.

Since it's been awhile, I thought I'd divulge a little about myself. I, too, find some completely outrageous names rather attractive. I'd never use them, but here are some examples of people who have:

Maranatha Marisol. Okay, maybe I would use this. Maybe...

Hypatia Rosalind. Okay, maybe I would use this too.

But look, see? I like crazy names too!

End of confession.

Appendix B - Google it!

2006-04-28T00:10:00.000-07:00

You would think, in the age of Google and the online dictionary, it wouldn't be so hard to figure out that a certain name was a bad one. Unfortunately for some, a simple Google search proved to be too much:

Nivea Airiel - Alternate spelling of Nevaeh? Probably. But also a lotion brand.

Shlok Vishal - Yes, I know, an "ethnic"* name. But still incredibly unfortunate.

Kipper Eugene - Baby? Or delicious breakfast fish?

Alexia Addison - Not one, but TWO disorders in one name!! (Alexia, Addison)

Shalott - "Is it too out there/arty?" No, but it kind of makes me hungry...

Some names don't even require an internet search: a simple out-loud pronunciation should suffice. Cases in point:

Analee

Tylynn Alexus (Tylenol-exus?)

Morana

*Someday I am going to write an entry about how much I hate the word "ethnic" as a name descriptor. It is so often used as a PC codeword for "something that is strange and not my own safe, normal culture" that its use when talking about names always seems so loaded.

Appendix A - Offensiveness

2006-04-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

First off, a welcome to all new readers! Keep your suggestions coming - I am hoping to compile the list of bad celebrity names sometime this weekend. (There are a bazillion pages online with partial lists themselves, but why not have our own?)

In the mean time, I've been thinking about the basic naming principles I laid out in my last post. I realized almost as soon as I posted that I had missed the most important of all: don't be offensive.

You'd think this would be a simple thing for people - after all, who wants to name their child something disrespectful, right?

Wrong, apparently.

Let's start with the worst:
Adonai Vita. I hope I don't really need to explain on this one.

I feel like I am always running into people who want to give their child a Native American name (or worse, an "Indian" name). "Are you Native American," I ask. The answers vary, but are usually either A) "I am 1/64th Cherokee" or B) "I like weavings and think wolf legends are cool." When I get the very rare c) "as a matter of fact, I am!", I give them free license. Pxwpexwsshn is somewhat unfortunate for non-Salish speakers, but is not by nature a bad name. But A and B families should proceed with caution. And by "proceed with caution," I mean "lay the hell off!" "But Chenoa Dakota Tareva-Chine means 'dove friend with beautiful eyes' in Indian!!" No, no it doesn't. It means "I am a white person who wishes I were 'tribal,' so I went on the internets and stole these 'names' from indigenous groups who would not recognize them as names!" But frankly, even if they didn't already mean "I am a poser," isn't it just a little wrong to appropriate Native American names "because they're cool?" First, we annex their lands, then we kill off their food supply, then we attempt to re-educate their population... then we decide that their tribal names are cute and spunky monikers for our kids? My apologies to Dakota Cheyanne, but don't her parents have a lot to answer for!

(What's even worse than this, of course, is when Dakota and Cheyenne turn into Dakoda and Shyanne. Recently, one woman on a board I frequent actually thought "Cheyenne" was the trendy version of Shyanne. OOPS!)

Many of the BabyNamesWorld links are down this week, so I will have to content myself with promising a full report on India, Asia, Zaire and Kenya as names for next time... Guaranteed: less talk, more names.

Random name of the day: Royal Blu.

An apology for the life of The Bad Baby Names Blog

2006-04-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

My First Letter of Dissent!

Shamus asks, "why don't you mind your own business? People have a right to name their children whatever they want. It's narrow minded ethno-centric people that are the real problem."

I agree, Shamus, narrow-minded ethno-centric people are a real problem. I hope I am not counted among them. I hope that my writing here does not give the reader the impression that I only like boring English names like George and Mary. On the contrary! I love names of all sorts, and simply revel in the diversity that American naming provides. I love the fact that I am always meeting a little Freya or Sejal or Fei-Qui or Calliope. It's great! What I honestly don't have a stomach for, though, is parents who apparently do not think before they name. I don't believe this is narrow-minded, and it certainly isn't ethno-centric, so hear me out a moment and let me state my case.

Children deserve good names. I'm not here to debate relative goodness and badness, since they are... well, relative. But I think we can all agree on some basic principles. Readers, chime in here with thoughts if you disagree (or even if you agree, really).

(All of the following names are real, by the way).

1. Children should not have to be billboards for a parent's beliefs. No child should have to be a little Aryan Justice or a Paygan Moonblood or a Republican Samuel - those are the parents choices, not the child's. Imagine poor Aryan trying to get a job with a diversity thinktank. Think of poor Paygan trying to be ordained as a Catholic priest. Poor little Republican would have no political privacy.
1a. Children should not have to be billboards, generally. Serely? Dodge Hemi-James? I am looking at your parents.

2. Children's names should not be demeaning. Don't choose something that sounds like a dirty word (or worse, IS a dirty word! Shithead comes to mind). Don't choose something with blatant sexual connotations (Jiizelle, Ryder). Don't choose something that will only work when the kid is a toddler (Binx, Jojo as a full name).

This is particularly bad for girls, I find. No woman deserves to be permanently branded with a name only a fifties cocktail waitress or an exotic dancer could be proud of. Can you picture a real feminist named Presious Princezz or Sexiebird? How about a Supreme Court Justice Beautie Escapade? Would you get brain surgery from Prettiegirl Heaven Love, M.D.? Children should not have to fight an uphill battle for acceptance their whole lives simply because Treasure Beautiful Heart is a really cute name for a four year old.

3. Children's names should conform to basic phonetics in the language in question. This is probably my most controversial standard, honestly. Want to name your kid Madison? Fine. Maddyson? Okay. Maddyysonne? That's silly, but it's really up to you. But please don't name her Maydson and say it's pronounced "Madison." It's not. It's Maid-son. Kids have enough trouble learning to read as it is - don't give them a name that makes it worse.

The point of this blog is to address with gentle humor what I honestly believe is a growing problem. Accountability in naming is important. I wish I could say, as you do, Shamus, that parents should be allowed to name their kids whatever they want. I agree, fundamentally - parents should be able to! But some parents are not taking that responsibility seriously. I don't know who they are - it's the internet, after all - but if this blog causes even one parent to reconsider a name like Tinkerbelle Fagina, then my work is done!

If you are concerned about the individual kids finding their names on a bad baby names blog, I assure you that I am as well. I figure once the kids are six or so, or old enough to google their own name, I'm sure my blog will be dust in the wind. For now, I let their names stand like abandoned wagons on the trail west, serving as a warning for those who would likewise attempt to cross the mountain pass in October with only 100 pounds of salt pork and no spare axles.

It's a tough world out there. Being named Jedi Knight will not help.

Punctuation Violation, Bodily Functions, and more!!

2006-04-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

You know how it's sometimes hard to know how to pronounce crazy names these days? What does that phoneme sound like? Where to place the emphasis? Is Nevaeh "nuh-VAY-uh" or "Nehv-AY?" Is Maliki "mah-lih-KAI" or "mah-LEEK-ee?" What does Pxwpexwsshn sound like, anyway? Well, confused readers, fear no more! Some parents have decided to include the pronuciation guide in the name! I give you: E-li'-sha Hez-e-ki'-ah-Abram.

Emphasis marks are indeed correct. But I think this is officially the most punctuation I have ever seen in a name. Ever. Shalonda-Na Don-Eka Lynn and KendráKashun LaVaryéé do not hold a candle to this one.

There are plenty of tacky names out there. I see them all the time. But I think this one wins Tackiest 2006: Cashmir Mone'y. I like the apostrophe in Money. It really lends some class. Well done, Mom and Dad! (Apparently I missed Tackiest '05: Million'z A'Dolla'z. Seriously. Google it.)

(Notice: Cashmir has a mother named Shelia and a sister named - that's right - She'lia.)

Here's a good one: Messiah Dee'Aira Nicole. I'm sorry... but doesn't that look like Messiah Diarrhea Nicole? The eschatological and the scatalogical meet in one terrifying name.

P.S. That's Amoura'e!

Cutter, Casino, Maniya and Guess-the-Sex!!

2006-04-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

What a darling little girl! What's her name? Er... what's that? Nazgol? Erm... yes, well, must be going. What's that? No, I don't have a ring in my pocket. Why do you ask? Um...

Nobody doesn't love Sarely.

McCluskey Rose. Sorry, but this is just... ugly. McCluskey? But with a sister like LuLu Bee, I guess you can't ask for much.

Brinkley Fallen. Want your daughter to become a hooker? Well, don't just name her Caramella Scarlett or Honey Kitty Jezebel! Why not just call her a Fallen woman?

Oh, oh wait, I get it. Fallen is probably one of those "goth" names, huh? Well, here's another one for you. Cutter. He's got a cute little embroidered hat and everything. Interestingly, this website says that "Cutter" is English for "knife-maker." That's funny; I thought it was English for "I'm a rich white kid with very few real problems!"

Maniya. Lol.

Casino Phuntae looks like he didn't beat the odds this time.

It's Rainnin Love! Hallelujah!!

Pharoah Laurenzell. Nothing says "iron-fisted rule over Egypt" like a misspelled title.

And now, a friendly round of Guess-The-Sex!!

Micah Kennedy
Madison Ryan.
What do you get when you put a boys name and a president's name together? A girl's name, obviously!

Rowan Elizabeth
Tyler Elizabeth
Brogan Elizabeth
Apparently, if you have the middle name "Elizabeth," you are obviously a girl, regardless of what your first name might be. I am considering Walter Elizabeth and Robert Elizabeth for my first two daughters.

Orion Anna. Yup, girl.

Atticus. Girl.

Morgan Sierra HA HA TRICKED YOU! This one is in fact a boy.

Sage Ryan. Girl. Should have a second middle name (Elizabeth) to make it clearer, if you ask me.

Tristan Rose. Now comes the question: is the masculine name Tristan better than the name McCluskey? Um. Well.

Lexington Emery. I can't tell, actually. Could be either, given the evidence I've just presented.

Also, rumor has it that Tom and Katie have named their child Suri Xenu L. Ronette Cruise-Holmes. I am hoping they really only named her Suri.

Land ho!

2006-04-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hi! What do you think of the name Usnavys (pornouced Oos-na-vees) for a girl? And what middle names do you think would go nicely with it (I would prefer something Irish). Thank you! Love Annette xxx

She adds later:

Wow, you girls are good! Yea, I read it in a book called "The Dirty Girls Social Club" (good read, I would recomend it!) It was something to do with the mother of the girl wanted a patriotic name for her daughter then she saw a ship with US Navy writen on the side and dicided to make it into Usnavys. Anyways, I was just wondering what you thought of it and if you knew any good middle names that might go with it. Love Annette xxx

UM. WHAT. U.S. NAVYS?

The least she could have done is turned it into Usnavies. I mean, at least that would kind of look feminine. As feminine as being called U. S. Navy could be, you know.

And her twin, Sementha.

2006-04-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hey parents, want to permanently mortify your daughter? Want to ensure years and years of harrassment at school? Want to make sure she never forgets how she came into the world?? Then I've found the name for you!

Jiizelle.

Ick.

The Force is Strong With This One

2006-04-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

I was trolling the boards when this tragedy was brought to my attention.

Jedi Knight.

JEDI FREAKING KNIGHT.

At least they won't have to save for college. You know, 'cause he'll kill himself.

Or maybe just his father.

Eel Heaven?

2006-04-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

I found a great name today: Nevaeh Lee Promise Angel.

That's darling, isn't it? Awww.

But here's my question: if "Nevaeh" is such a big deal because "it's heaven backwards"... wouldn't Nevaeh Lee be Eel Heaven? Mmm, fishy. You'd think they'd at least spell it Leigh or something.

Mmm. Eel Heaven. Sister to Moray?

Apostrophe Violations

2006-04-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Original post April 7, 2006

Ga'Nieyah La'Ray Marie and Sha'Miracle Ne'Niguia break even at two apostrophes each. I can't decide if Sha'Miracle or Ga'Nieyah is worse, so we'll call it a draw.

Da'ha'lous Winner in the apostrophe category.

Zaria Mone't - I'm not even sure how the apostrophe affects the pronunciation of this one. There is no glottal stop to be had.

KendráKashun LaVaryéé - WTF winner of the day. Try to picture this kid filling out his SAT bubbles. Seriously, I dare you.

Colors and Genders

2006-04-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Original post April 6, 2006

Bad baby names of the day:

Royal Blu

Nevada James (on a girl)

Tennyson Kay (also on a girl; note that the hospitals definition of Tennyson is "son of Dennis." Smooth.)

Truck, Spokane, and Sherardre-anna

2006-04-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Original post April 2, 2006

Latest Baby Names

Words

Truck
Fashion Renee
Scarlet Jay
Rowdy Jack (I KID YOU NOT: FIRST NAME 'ROWDY')
Ransom
Tea Joy
Poetry

Places

Amerikyah
Bristol Lynn
Reno
Albany
Maysa Spokane
London
Denali
Quin'Asia
Havana
Holland
Daytona
Italy
D'Aysiah Nevaeh
Kore'yana
Nevada Justice
Rocky Santiago

Religious (?) Names

Rabbii
Messiah
Lucifer

WTF? Names
Faylee Bathshell
ShaneOggy
Heaven Sherardre'anna (with sister Amiracle)
Exayix Breat
Rodney IV (siblings Rodney II, Rodney III and Princess; dad Rodney; mom Doormat)

Just Plain Unfortunate

I'm sure the goddess of wisdom will be pleased with her protegee Atheyna Maree Nykole.

Of Sardines and Spellchecks

2006-04-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Original post March 29, 2006

It's true: this is my new favorite site. It's the user comments that really put me over the edge.

Dargana
The name Dargana refers to anything dark, evil hearted, dragon-like, or daughter of darkness.

In other words, a perfect name for a child!

Etoile
(et-twa ~best I can do with pronounciation) It means "star" in French and I purchased a bracelet in France that had a statement that just made me weak at the knees "une sardine qui revait qu'elle etatit une etoile"; which means "a female fish who dreams of being a star" and it is a statement that I very much relate to.

I'm not exactly sure what to make of this, except that I now feel kind of hungry for seafood. Or maybe astronomy?

Dymond
DYMOND LEIGH: MAINLY BECAUSE A DIAMOND IS A WOMENS #1 GIFT ..AND THATS WHAT MY BABY GIRL WOULD BE TO ME

Unfortunately, a spell-check is a woman's #2 gift.

Erutan
And another one of my absolute faves is Erutan. This is nature spelled backwards and it is beautiful.

Is it just me, or doesn't this sound like the thing the missing Virginia settlers carved into a pole before they disappeared?

Eponine
this name is french and is form the famous musicle Les Miserables. (is a musicle like a popsicle or an icicle?) its a kind name that makes me think of a poor but humble girl (as opposed to those poor and haughty ones)
Who wouldn't want to be named Eponine? It's got this great European sound to it. Besides, you have the Les Miserables character. Let's see, who wouldn't want to be named after the whiny bitch daughter who feels sorry for herself in song... um... let's see here...

Eevee
It is sweet and spunky, a different spelling of Evie.

I think it needs another E.

Category: UM WHAT?

Demona
It's like an medevial name,on which I think is realy cool.

Demonica
This name is really unusual and it's a alternate form of Monica

Eclipsedsky
I'm a hopeless romantic when it comes to names like this. The poignant drama of the momentary darkness and primal fear associated with eclipses, but the hope and faith that the sun will once again shine...

Wade in the Water

2006-04-08T09:51:00.001-07:00

Original post March 9, 2006

Also, meet Nile River. Who wants to change his diapers? What, nobody?

Adragon, Valkyrie, Anwar and Aztec

2006-04-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Original post March 8, 2006

So. I just discovered THE BEST BABY NAMES SITE EVER, because it is based entirely upon user suggestions, and the suggestions often come with an explanation of the name. Needless to say, hilarity often ensues.

Examples from the A's and B's. Remember - this is just the A's and B's!

Adragon
Adragon Rose: (Add-dreg-en)It's the name of a girls daughter I met once. I think it's very pretty and unusual. Her nickname is Addy Rose.
A Dragon Rose. Sounds like a fantasy novel.

Think Adragon is weird? Let's use it in a sentence!!
Adream
Adream Ajourney Afire Adragon Awake - I love this name because it tells a story. These are a few of my favorite things, I am currently pregnant and planning on giving my child this gift of an unique name. (A - dre - am, A - journey, A - Fear - a, Add -dre - gan, A - wah - key) and the babys last name, will be her fathers, which is miller.
Did you all catch that? Adream Ajourney Afire Adragon Awake Miller.

Alaska
It sound so cold but at the same time, reminds me of cute eskimos! And eskimos rock!!! Plus, I *heart* snow.
Alaska is chock-full of those cute little eskimos! I *heart* cultural stereotypes!!

Check out the explanation on this one:
Andromeda Valkyrie (VAL ky ree) Jade is a beautiful and EXTREMELY unusual name. I love it, because Andromeda was the beautiful daughter of Queen Casseiopeia in Greek mythology. Valkyrie is from Norse mythology, a Valkyrie was one of Odin's (King of the gods, Norse equivalent of Zeus) warrior women that lived in the hall of Vallhallen. And Jade is just a pretty rock, but I figured that if you give a child two long names like Andromeda and Valkyrie, you should give them a little short one to end it up, right?
...Or maybe you just shouldn't give them two long names. I will honestly never understand the appeal of Jade. Sure, it's a "pretty rock"... but it's also slang for a hussy. Awesome.

Anodyne
I like this name for a girl because: A) it's the name of my favorite all-time album and song (by Uncle Tupelo); B) it means something that soothes. For short, we would call her Ana, Ann or perhaps Annie.

Arrhianna
(Aree on ah)I came up with this name for a story I was writing. I needed something original and now I'm just attatched to the name because it flows and it's hard to spell.
"Hard to spell" is apparently a virtue in some people's books.

Avenue
Avenue Fugue: the name of my first baby. Avenue means 'the Way' which my Buddhist husband loved. It rhymes with so many things. There's nothing better than a name that ends in 'ooo'. Fugue means a state of controlled chaos and is also a musical term. I love that they both end in 'ue'
What could I even add to this?

Brandywyne
As a child In the SCA I had a mentor whose name was Brandywine and I loved her so much. I also loved the way it rolls off the tongue and how boys flock to that name.
You never want to see a sentence started with "as a child in the SCA..." Never. But imagine boys flocking to Brandywine! Inconceivable! What a great name!

Braidy
because it is unique and hardly anyone is names that.
I wonder why hardly anyone is names that..?

Brhealynn
combined family names... (bri-lin) my sisters name started with a b ..greatgrandmother rhea and my first name ends with lyn
Sorry, could you repeat that? A woolly mammoth was just brhealynning in my ear.

Briarly
BRI ar lee It's a name I read in a book once and fell in love with.. the closest to a definition that I can get is; Brier, French, meaning (imagine MY surprise) Heather and Leigh, English meaning meadow, so, the definition is Flowering Meadow.
Staggering logic.

Britannica
because it is very cute and sexy
Nothing's sexier than encyclopedias.

Broughnman
(brawn-mon) altered bronwyn...beginning to think my sister is the only one in the world with that name
Beginning to think there is a reason "Brown Man" was only given to one girl in the world...

Aideen
Aideen Michael- i like names that could be for a boy or girl- that way when the sonogram is wrong, you are ready.
Great plan!!

Alexx
Alex is a cute name being so common the extra x adds a bit of spice and uniqueness. Its a great name and would be fit for a strong boy with a sweet and tender side.
Or a porn star side.

Allanon
A new twist on the name Allan, more substantial than the mostly middle-name material of it's predecessor. It was the name of a Druid in a book by fantasy-master Terry Brooks
Wait now, folks, say it with me.. ALLANON. ALL ANON. AL-ANON. Hm.

Anwar
Ray of light
But only in the summer months. In the winter, it means "dark and getting drilled for oil."

Aragon
A name my stepmother created for a play she was writing. It is Celtic though I'm not sure what it means.
I think it means, "Wow, people must not study history in school anymore. Or linguistics, for that matter."

Aztec
Aztec Grey: the name Aztec (As tec) came from the tribe that was around many years ago. i love history. the middle name Grey is for my 2nd favorite colour.
BEST COMMENT EVER. I can't add anything to this.

Atom
if we ever have a boy, his name will be Atom (a variation of Adam?) with a middle name of Danger. I think EVERYONE would have to agree that saying, "Danger is my middle name" would make that the funnest dang name in the world!
As a five month old, Atom Danger was arrested when his family tried to get on a plane to Washington. He spent the rest of his life in a holding cell, plotting evil revenge against Austin Powers and breastmilk.

Barnaby
somewhat nerdy, but with a touch of quirky coolness.
I just put this in for kicks.

Binx
Unusual, sexy, playful -- on the right boy, this name would be heavenly. Watch out, though. If your little Binx is not confident, dashing and intelligent, he may end up the victim of unfortunate comments. Make sure your Binx loves exactly who he is.
Be sure to water your Binx twice a week. Special foods may make your darling Binx grow faster. Redeem Binx points for cool prizes! Never let your Binx watch Star Wars.

And here are some explanations that just plain didn't make sense. I call these the "Dada namers."

Apprentice
Not a name to consider if you want your daughter to go into buisness, after all, could you imagine a executive of a company...named 'apprentice?' But I really like the name, and it brings to mind Star Wars for me.

Aspenetta
(ASP-pen-netta) American in origin; seems to be a combination of Aspen and netta. I like this name because it sounds old fashion and for some reason reminds me of Dodge Vipers.

Adriatic
Like the ocean it sort of rolls off the paper.

Autumnbow
different and friendly

Different and friendly indeed.

Faith - a religious name?

2006-04-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Original post February 28, 2006

A post on one of the boards. I kid you not. Pay particular attention to sentence structure.

Poster 1: Im looking for middle names mainly, but along the lines with a religious meaning. Any suggestions? Thanks

Poster 2: Elizabeth is my fn although I like it as a mn too. It means dedicated to God.

Poster 3: Elisabeth (spelled like this in Bible)

Poster 4: Faith and Abigail always seem like a religious name to me...

Did you know? Elizabeth was spelled with an S IN THE BIBLE! Dummyhead! And Faith always seem like a religious name. Yeah, it definitely SEEMS like a religious name...

Babycenter is on Acid

2006-04-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

Original post February 28, 2006

Today, I came across Babycenter's Truly inspired names: Editors' choices from 2005. A sampling:

Revamp a classic name with a little punctuational flair. We dig these very creative apostrophe-enhanced spellings from 2005:
Ce'Qwoia (Sequoia?)
Cha'Nce (How did they put an apostrophe in a one-syllable name??)
Se'Heira (Sahara)
Cour'Tez (Raper and pillager of Native peoples... now in misspelled variety!)
De'Liberately (Wait wait, did you catch that? Someone wanted to name their kid DELIBERATELY. With an apostrophe. At least they put the E in "tely," I guess.)
Bles'Id, God'Iss and Myr'Acle (St Orthographica, preserve us!)
O'Livia (For the Irish child in all of us)
Zy'Eire (What would happen if an African country were transported to the British Isle? Zy'Eire!!)

Gods, myths, and legends
Eowyn and Legolas (wow, I had no idea LOTR was ancient myth!)
Hero, Luck, Glory, Greatness (let's not give them a big head now) (P.S. just imagine how ironic the name "Luck" could be)

Food for thought
Food names. I SH*T YOU NOT. FOOD NAMES.
Including Clementine and Rosemary (hey, these aren't so bad), Honey and Safron (borderline... and misspelled)... and then... Beans. Peapod. Cashew. DANISH. GHERKIN. Remember, folks, these are the EDITOR'S PICKS for 2005!!

Love to travel? Pick your favorite vacation destination as your child's moniker. These 2005 babies sound very worldly indeed:

Vegas
Jersey
Havana
India

If by "worldly" you mean "of loose moral character," then yes. These are all pole-dancers. They also suggest Bronx. BRONX. Can you imagine a little kid named BRONX walking through the Bronx. Oh man. Ohhhh man. Along the same lines, they suggest Israel.

Look to literature, and reach back into history for fascinating figures. We think these 2005 baby names have real character:

Now, some of these, I have to admit, are really pretty cool names. Newton. Darwin. Dashiell. Hannibal. I wouldn't use them, but you know... they're pretty awesome. And then... Nixon. Geronimo. Questionable, at best. BUT THEN, the best part of all: BENITO AND ROMMEL. Babycenter "reached back into history" and pulled out... THE AXIS POWERS. "Fascinating figures?" Yes. But maybe not in the way you would want.

Interestingly, they also include D'Artagnan, Hansel and TIGGER, who perhaps might fit better in the "myths and legends" section.

Go Shopping
"Some names come fresh off the packaging, as with these well-branded 2005 babies:

I have to admit, I kind of like Arden and Mercedes. Well, and Jemima, but that's a real name. BUT CHECK THE REST OF THESE OUT. This is where I am hoping it is allll a joke, or a bad dream, or a joke in a bad dream. Hyatt. Espn. Google. FANDANGO. BUTTERBALL. Haha, Babycenter, I knew it. You were pulling our legs with this list the whole time, weren't you?

... weren't you?

Maori, Saxon, Elijah Blue-Gene and Dodge Hemi-James

2006-04-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Original post February 19, 2006

People have been asking me lately why I frequent baby naming sites. They always ask this in a low voice, and the question is often prefaced by, "Now, this might be too personal, but..." So I thought I'd use today's entry to explain why I look at baby naming sites.

The short story is, I am not pregnant - I have train-wreck syndrome. When there is a crash on the highway, I can't help but look. When there is a link that says "NSFW!!" (not safe for work) on it, I have to click it. My ears prick up when I hear sirens in the distance, and when I see smoke, I have to find where it's coming from.

How does this relate to baby names? Have a look at Mr Elijah Blue-Gene, and you tell me.

My favorite kinds of train-wrecks involve misappropriation of foreign cultures. The truly priceless ones are few and far between, but when they happen... oh, joy. Consider, for example, Maori. It's apparently a nice alternative to Naomi. Or perhaps Saxon might suit you better? Hey, it's your kid, you should name him what you want! I love it when people think a familiarity with anime makes you a cosmopolitan figure. Poor Evangeline Kitsune's sure thought so. And then, of course, there is the woman who named her son Celtic. Train wreck winners all.

Misappropriation of religion is a great phenomenon as well. We just had a debate on one of the boards about Mecca and Trinity - offensive or not? I think I wouldn't want to risk it with Mecca, honestly. Most misappropriation of religion occurs when parents want to sound mystical or well-travelled. They mostly end up sounding dumb. Most of you probably remember the Dharma Jane fiasco, so I won't go into that again, but have you met Osiris Orien Hayden yet? Or perhaps Karma Aurora? Hey, here's a whole list of deities whose names you can co-opt! I'm thinking of naming my firstborn Lakshmi Hecuba Surya or Adonai Odin Osiris Oberon! They're really interesting and worldly, aren't they?

My other favorite type of names is names where someone either obviously wasn't paying attention, or was paying too much attention in a bad way. Unfortunately, given the apparent stupidity of many of the people who breed today, it is difficult to tell the former from the latter. Elijah Blue-Gene is a good example of this sort of name. Did his parents really mean to name him after an article of clothing? We can only hope to the contrary, but it is more likely than not that they did. Did Henecy Alizae's parents mean to name her after not one but TWO types of alcohol?

Then there are the parents who think they are too clever for us. The parents of Emma Leigh, Jay Son, Brooke Lynn, and Heaven Leigh are obviously way ahead of the curve on this.

There are also those parents who feel the inexplicable drive to name their children after a well-known noun. This is particularly painful with place names spelled incorrectly (Isrrael Giovanni), but can be equally excruciating with plain nouns. See that Hailey Cloud over there? Can we get out of the storm in the Dodge Hemi-James (note: DODGE HEMI James), or would the Treslynne Rocket Wayne be faster? Maybe we could go harvest the fruits of paradise with our Eden Sickle!

Also, Fayth Seven. I couldn't incorporate it into the sentence, but I want you all to take note: her middle name is Seven. SEVEN. SEVEN!

Also, did you know that some children never grow up? It's true! That's why it's okay to give these kids names like Dream Starr, Bella Cherie, Presious Mailyn, and Lillian-Mae Buttercup! Awww, they're so sweet! They're gonna be cute widdle babies fowever!!

You know how some train-wrecks are riveting because of the blood and gore of it all, and others are riveting due to sheer scale of the disaster? Let's meet some kids whose names fall into BOTH of these categories! Mom and Dad couldn't decide on one atrocious name... so they decided to go with them all! Hey, Ta'Varejha Romonique, could you come out here, please? And bring Emmettreio Ay'Lie Chug Chu-Kut with you? We're trying to solve a Jumble, and we think you might provide some inspiration. Hey, what about getting Ukiah James Ryvre Okemos Rain out here, too? And Sevanah Nevaeh Lea Ramona Lisa, would you come too? Now, where's Sihkyliin Rae Taeghen-Owl? Oh, Sihkyliin Rae Taeghen-Owl, come out to join us! What? You won't? Why's that? There's certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.

On the other hand, Lexi Jo could probably have used a full name to fall back on.

Of course, I couldn't let you go without your weekly dose of royalty and social-ladder-climbing. So meet Imperial Aymara. Desdemona Minerva Dior just wishes she could be Imperial. Seriously.

Jay Son, Nickifer, and Pxwpexwsshn

2006-04-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

r!Original post January 29, 2006

First, your weekly dose of aspiring nobility:

Tiara
Quin-seen-um Prince James
D'Majestee Princez
Prinsesa Vanessa
Royal Simon

Also, Nigel Justice Lawrence Joseph Tobi Charles, who probably IS nobility.

Here is an interested trend. I've seen a bunch of suggestions for Genesis as a name (spelled once as "Genisis" - eugh), but never had I seen other OT books beyond Esther, Ruth, Joshua etc. UNTIL NOW. Say hello to Leviticus Paul and Leviticus Trenton, HERE TO LAY THE SMACK DOWN, YO!

Lestat Henry Cooper is already cutting his own face - HOW GAWTH CAN YOU GET??

Here are some place names gone wrong:
Charlestina Assyria - hm. If you say so.
Brooklyn, you can kind of almost understand. But Jersey?
Yelena Rachel Zenobia. As in, "Fictitious country from the Princess Diaries." Fortunately this one is only hypothetical. Unfortunately, this means the perfectly reasonable names Yelena and Rachel were not actually used on a child instead of, oh, say, Heaven Leigh.
EDIT: LOL, as Allison points out below, I am thinking of GENOVIA, not Zenobia. Zenobia was a 3rd century queen of Palmyra who led her people in a war against Rome.

So what about Irelynn Maryn? Hey, that's two place names for the price of one - how about that for compensation!

Also, Maine. Why?

These two rough-and-tumble lads have their work cut out for them! Say hello to Tuff Robert and William "Wild Bill" Peter!! Can Knight Patriot come along to play, too?

Nothing says "I couldn't decide on any names and my spellcheck was broken" like the following charming monikers:
Saydie Alexsys Marie
Te'AijaNiece NiChelle.
Cherysh Angelina Mayjean Dores
Blade Nicholi Miley Delos looks dismayed at the thought of having to write out his full name in the future.

On the other hand, short, succinct, and completely bizarre names include:

C'Era Rain
Jay Son
Aryca Grace
Presious Mailyn
Belief
Kanyon Dale
Maddox Nickifer. NICKIFER??

Is it Xavier? Is it Zavier? Xzavier's parents never had to decide!

Alexxis Mercedes and Maxxim Michael were named for each other. Or were named for bonus points in Scrabble. Either way. Bonus points for Alexxis Mercedes sounding like "A Lexus Mercedes." I didn't know these names actually appeared in the wild!

And now, the winner for this week: Dreighzdyn Hazelle Violette. I think that's Dresden. Though I could, of course, be wrong.

Who am I kidding, folks? The real winner, as Allison again points out below, is Pxwpexwsshn. I believe it is Salish for "Vowels? We don't need no stinkin' vowels!" Or perhaps just Salish for, "Haha, let's see the white man call OUR kid's name on the school roster!"

Breed the Irish Back In!!

2006-04-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Original post January 28, 2006

Okay, has anyone noticed that Irish names are the coolest new kids on the block these days? We got this disgusting post over at Baby Names World yesterday:

Which name for second irish son?

We already have one son named Aiden Kael. He is about to have a brother and we have narrowed it down to two names, but dad isn't being helpful because he is still sore it isn't a girl.

Which one is better?

Cory Liam

Colin Reilly

Okay, so these aren't bad names. But I was intrigued by the "second Irish son." I asked:

I am confused about the second Irish son - are you Irish? Do you have sons that aren't Irish? Or are you adopting from Ireland for the second time?

Her response:

My husband and I are both more than 75% Irish. So, our sons are that much closer to being 100% irish. So, since we are trying to breed the irish back into our blood lines, we thought it would be appropriate to go with completely irish names.

There are no words.

Kyl Yrsyllf

2006-04-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

Original post January 23, 2006

I read the following today:

I'm gonna be having a baby in MArch and my boyfrend and me are pickin out names for it. we don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet. i already have another girl named Maddysynn Nichole from when i was 17.

here are some names for girls

Kaydance Emersynn McKynzie
Presleigh Jayda Brooklynn (my fav)
Skylar Misti Janae
Shyanne Londyn McKynna

here are some names for boys

Kaydan Emerson McKenzie
Maison Wyatt Bradleigh
Diesel Everett McDuke
Axel Vaughn Jebediah (my boyfriends fav)

what names do you think goes best with Maddysynn?

I would suggest, "The only name that goes well with Maddysynn is 'Kill Yourself'," but the thread was old. And besides, someone would chime in and say, "Kill Yourself is nmsaa, but have you considered Kyl Yrsyllf? It's Welsh for "angelic one"!!1"

I love the name Gaye what does everyone think of it?

2006-04-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Original post January 17, 2006

Okay, remember how I told you about the woman who wants to name her son Gaye? I am recording the entire conversation to preserve the hilarity for posterity, bolding the particularly educational parts.

A Comedy of Bad Baby Names, in which I am called a stupid pregnant 13 year old,
and other abundant laughs

Forum: Name Reviews (Boys)

OP: I love this name what does everyone think of it?

Poster #1: I dislike the sound of it in general. But the whole homosexual meaning of it, I think, would be picked up by peers and the poor kid would be teased more often than not. Not a good idea, IMO.

Poster #2: I don't like that name at all and always think of it as a girl's name. This is probably because my mom has a friend named Gaye and she is a female.

OP: it would be for a boy not a girl i doubt kids would be so ignorant and say something like that

Poster #1: I'm still in high school and I see stuff like this every day. Something like that would be low grade. Are you considering this for a fn? I think it would make a nicer mn.

OP: for the fn i think it be better maybe so at high school but less middle school

Poster #3: Go for it. You're right, kids wouldn't be so...childish.

Me: Less middle school?? If anything, MORE middle school, and don't forget elementary school too! Little Gaye wouldn't get through the third grade with a scrap of confidence. It would be equivalent to naming him "Fairy Princess" or "Kick Me." I wish that weren't true, but it is. Please put this name away.

OP: Hey excuse me but if i named him fairy princess (which i wouldnt) then that would be my burden. I dont think any of that behaviour is likely to happen at first or middle school. I dont know about high school. If it is such a bad name why did someone else said they know 2 men with the name on here? I think it is a cross between either Gaye or Galen but Galen will just get shortened to Gaye anyway

Me: I know you don't think this behavior is likely, and that is why I am trying to warn you in the most vehement terms that it is likely. I'm not trying to be mean, I am trying to be real with you. I know kids named Kay and Ray that get teased by getting called Gay - don't do the bullies' work for them by naming him Gaye to begin with! I don't know how old you are, but as someone who was in middle school and high school not so long ago, I can assure you that kids that age, particularly the younger they are, can be merciless and cruel about the tinest things. It's narrow and small of them, but they're children and children really do behave that way. Sure, two men may have that name, and maybe they aren't scarred for life - great for them! That doesn't mean that your son will be as lucky, particularly in today's world, where "gay" is among the most common negative epithets on the playground.

I'm not here to slam your names - Galen is actually one of my favorite names of all time - but I think we are all here to support each other in making wise decisions in naming for the sake of our children. Please do consider the extreme concern being expressed on this board - I assure you we are not just crazy or something.

OP: It was'nt a joke damn, I am genuinly concidering this name for my son. Who are you to talk about names anyway you too made a poor choice of name or your mother did.

Me: there's no need to lash out. If it bothers you around here, it's often best to ignore it than to get riled because that only provokes people.

OP: Im not lashing out you were the one doing that Charlotte I just said it was a good name and you came in here like I was killing your kid or something. And why the hell should I ignore it? You are the one provoking people by telling them they are in the wrong when you are. If you hated the name or thought I was a bad apple you should have clicked the next thread. Whatever happens It isn't going to effect you is it its my burden if I name him gaye, Galen or whatever. everbody has different tastes in names For one thing I dont like your choice of names no one is going to agree on a perfect name theres no such thing anyway.

Me: Look, I am not angry with you or hating on this name - you are not a "bad apple" and I don't hate the name. It's a nice name, and I wish it did not have the connotations it now has. It's the kids who would grow up around little Gaye I am trying to warn you about. I haven't suggested any names to you, so you have no idea about my choice of names - in fact, the only thing I have said about names is that Galen, one of your own choices, is one of my favorite names of all time. I actively encourage you to use Galen, because it is beautiful and unusual and does not have as much of a risk of being teased. I am hardly the only one here concerned about the teasing risk, so please know I am not picking on you - we are all just trying to be helpful.

OP: what is with the long paragraphs you are not being helpful though Ok SSHHH

Poster #4: What is it with people who ask for opinions on names and then get mad when someone says they don't like their name?? What the heck?

OP: then dont reply nobody asked you did they

Me: Au contraire! I believe the sentence that started this whole thread was "I love this name what does everyone think of it?" Was it not? Since you're asking, people are feeling free to tell you. If you don't like being told people's real opinions, you should perhaps reconsider posting for opinions.

OP: OK Wtf does Au contraire! mean you are beginning to get more annoying and confusing with every post. Why are you on my case about it Gaye is a fine name for a boy you may not think so but many people do. And as for it being Gay as in homo I have nothing against them. I am progay I support gay people have any friends who are lezbians and gay. there are other meanings to it Such as 'happy' Why should I be ashamed of them. My son is going to grow up stronger rather than be a no name kid that nobody notices. I don't know why this thread has not been closed yet. For the record I am not being childish Im 19 whereas you being the idiot you are must be a pregnant 13 year old.

Me: It is a well-known fact that pregnant 13 year olds are idiots who somehow miraculously use "Au contraire" at apropos moments. It is also a well-known fact that those who cannot take the heat ought to consider getting out of the kitchen. Please note, for the record, that this post is the first time I have been even marginally rude. And that is because I believe the case is really closed on this one.

OP: I didnt want to be nasty but you are a jackass. What I said to you that i dont understand half the things you say. I already know your well spoken but I am not going to waste my time translating your nonsense words just use plain english. Charlotte your name is dumb seriously, i would rather use Homo or lezbian then that name. French names suck.

To which I simply replied, "You would rather use Homo or Lezbian? Isn't that what this thread was all about to begin with?"

Obviously, she is very pro-gay with those lovely Homo and Lezbian name suggestions. Also, she is apparently a great champion of "plain english," as her composition style suggests. That's really all I have to say on this point.

Pantera, Chryseis-Aaliyah, and Adonai

2006-04-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

Original post December 23, 2005

Inappropriate appropriation of "ethnic" words in baby naming has always annoyed me, but lately I've been getting just plain pissed off with word names, "ethnic" or otherwise. Why are people driven to name their children things that they do not know the meaning of?

Question: Well I love music and I just wondered what would people think of the name Serenade. nn can be Serena.. maybe?? Reply: Ooh, I actually really like it! Here's a list of some other music-related names I like: Cadenza, Madrigal, Sonata, Cantata, Tessitura, Symphony,
Harmony, Aria.
I'm sorry. Madrigal? Symphony? I mean, Harmony and Melody if you really have to, but Aria? Cantata?? Just because a word is pretty in Italian doesn't mean it's a good name! Oooh, I know, what about Coscia, Anatra and Palestra? They mean thigh, duck, and gymnasium, but who cares, they are so beautiful!!!

I think Tress is simple and pretty. Do you think it looks incomplete?
I think it looks like a lock of hair. But maybe that is just me.

Here's a gem: WDYT of the name Pantera(Pan-ter-a)? it's Spanish for Panther.
Oh, really? I thought it was American for metal band!

Dimity - it's the word for cotton fabric with a raised pattern- may have been commonly used as a name a long time ago... Wow, then that's a perfect candidate to be a little girl's name!! Dimity, with her sisters Lawn, Brocade and Calico!!

I've already told you all about the Dharma Jane fiasco, so you will appreciate the following suggestions.

I really like the name Adonai, but my husband worries that
people will think it is egotistical of us to name our child that. I
agree and think that it would be egotistical if we were naming our son
that on purpose but I really just like the name separate from that. Is
it okay to use? Reply: I voted yes, I think this is a really
great name but I think it is better for a girl. (IMO) Would sound
better as a middle name for a boy.

My DH and I are pagan and would like to represent this in our child's name. Some of the ones we're tossing about are:
Amon
Ndrian
Brae (as a mn)
Pacien (Pay-she-en)
WDYT??
Wow, I didn't know that one of the tenets of paganism was scarring your children for life!!

I love Egyptian things, what do you think of the name Osiris? Reply: it's my cousin's name. I like it though my cousin is a girl...

I am currently embroiled in a big debate over Native American "names." A poster suggested Dawson for a boy and Checotah for a girl, saying "They're both Native American." First of all, "Native American" is not a language. Secondly, my college savings says this girl is not Native American. Upon further questioning, the OP revealed that Checotah (the city in Oklahoma) was named after Samuel Checote, a Native American evangelist who was later elected chief of the Creeks (lol, Dawson and Creek??). I asked why she would name a girl after Samuel Checote, and why she would insist Dawson was a Native American name when, in fact, it is simply the Western name assigned to a particular tribe in the Yukon. No response yet, and I suspect I will not receive one. OH WELL, BACK TO THE INJUN DRAWING BOARD!!

Other baby name buffoonery:

One poster just today suggested Xadrian. As in "Xadrian's Wall." A few months ago, this came up: My grandmother, Alexandra, passed away recently. My cousin wants to name her child with the middle name Ardnaxela (alexandra backwards)

One user, who is named Jhaesyn, so perhaps we shouldn't expect much, wanted to know: What do you think about the name Sakai for a middle name to Chryseis-Aaliyah??? Chryseis-Aaliyah Sakai. Hm.

One woman wants to name her little girl Tosca and asks for suggestions. I would have advised against using the name of an opera as a name for a child, but the general public does not seem to mind. Case in point: What about an indian name?
Tosca Raj
or something else?
Tosca Lou
Tosca Broll
dunno really ive never heard of the name Tosca before

Tosca Lou Broll Indrani, get in here, supper time!!

What do you think of this names: Abriyanna Skye. Whats another way to spell Aubriyanna?

I'm so glad you asked!! One poster says: I luv this name! Other ways to spell it:

AuBrianna
Abreeana
Ah'Breona
Abrionna
Au'Breyona
Abrianah

Apostrophes, 1. Dignity, 0.

Dasanee, Marilyb, Quin-seen-um and Vbigail

2006-04-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

Original post October 17, 2005

We all know about unisex names. I, for one, really hate them. But we can all generally agree on what are boy's names and what are girl's names. Right? Well, the parents of Stevie Nicole, Tommie Kalynn (Tommy Colin?), and Ruby Michael would apparently disagree.

And then there are some parents who just can't seem to decide on a name, so they give their kids way more names than they need. For example: Cherysh Angelina Mayjean Dores, Dreah Marilyb Iris Rocksanne, DeMaur Izayah-De'Shaun, Quin-seen-um Prince James, and Wanmbli Sapa Awanyanka Hoksila. My own name has only eighteen letters in it and is STILL a bloody pain to write in on forms. Can you imagine these poor kids on their SATs? "Is everyone finished with their cover sheets?" "I-L-Y-B... umm, just a second! I-R-I-S..."

-I had hoped Vbigail Love was a typo, but it appeared twice on the site. :(

-Dustand Snow. Twin with Iceand Rain.

-Jesus Christian has a fantastically fitting name. So does Niobe River.

-Kyran Che Saylor looks like he is ready to fight the system already.

-I wonder about the classical names some parents choose for their babies. I really wonder whether the parents of Juvenal have in fact read Juvenal. I know the parents of Octavious Jeffery Lee don't know anything about classical civilization, or they would have spelled Octavius correctly. And the parents of Seneca Marie obviously have no clue Seneca was in fact a man. Unless they are members of the same naming school of thought as Tommie Michael's parents.

-Summer Raby looks like she caught summer rabies.

-Do you think the parents of Yale James and Bishop Garcia have high ambitions for their sons?

-Isis Lynn Calypso says "AHHH, too many unflattering mythological names!!"

-Yurae Lauren "Yurae Lauren? I'm a Lauren!!"

-I sincerely hope Sincere Hope is able to change her name at eighteen.

-Dasanee Darnel is named after bottled water.

-Heisei Manual sounds like a book on Asian massage or martial arts.

Enter Etymology Man!

2006-04-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about searching for bad baby names is observing the mini flamewars that dumb people start on naming boards:

Person 1: Well any time the spelling is made up I loath the name. But aside from dumb spellings ("loath," for one?), I love Leah but hate Lia. I love Viviane and Vivian but hate Vivienne. I love Alice but hate Alyse and Alise. I hate Elisabeth but adore Elizabeth.

Person 2: I hate to break it to you, (NB: whenever this is said, it is pretty obvious that they are relishing breaking it to you) but Elisabeth is the original spelling of Elizabeth - before Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth was spelled Elisabeth, in English-speaking countries, at least.

Person 1: I just don't like Elisabeth's sound very much. I don't know, it's not a spirited sounding as Elizabeth. It's like Ava and Eva, similar but I think Eva has more spirit.

It's like Catherine and Katherine. Katherine came first but they've been around ages and both are acceptable names. I mean, the biblical form was Elisheba, but I'm hardly going to use that just because it's the original.

Also, I'm not sure that's true. Elisabeth is the Germen and French original form but it's always been Elizabeth in English.

It's always been Elizabeth in English. Just like Alice has always been Alice in English. OH WAIT, THAT'S NOT TRUE! ENTER ETYMOLOGY MAN!!!

The truth is, claiming "traditional" spellings for so many of these traditional names is entirely fruitless. Chaucer alone spelled "Alison" three different ways in one work. Shakespeare spelled his own name many different ways across his lifetime. Alice, Alyse and Alice (and Alys, Alis and Alise, actually) were really all the same person in those days of "genuine spelling." Elizabeth's "s" or "z" was really the last of anyone's concerns. And HELLO! THEY SOUND THE SAME ANYWAY!! Anyone who makes an effort to really distinguish between pronunciations "Elizabeth" and "Elisabeth" is obviously trying too hard.

And now, I am going to go watch Dad feed the fish.

Zarek, Cadmium and Cachet (I think it's Muslim!)

2006-04-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder whether the problem is bad names or bad parents. Examples:

I met a girl today whose name is Alexis Porshea (prn: Alexis Por-shay) How do you like it? Just curious. A Lexus Porsche? YES!! I didn't even know they MADE those!!

Kurst & Lincoln...WDYT? When he was gunned down, Lincoln realized he was Kurst.

WDYT of the name Cadmium for a boy?? My comment was pre-empted by another's, potentially the most hilarious comment ever:It sounds like a metal or something from the Periodic Table of Elements, in my opinion. IN MY OPINION, Cadmium sounds like it's on the Table of Elements!!

I have friend who has a five year old neice who I just found out is called Austria Rose. i thought what a cute name, what do you think? I think it sounds like a 1930s movie about Hitler.

Saffron, Fenton and Cain? These are names i love for my future children. But does she love her future children?

Hey, I really like the names STAYNER and could imagine it on a boy. I know it´s usually a surname. what do you think ? Hm, this is a toughie. It IS usually a surname, and a surname most recently borne by the Yosemite serial killer. And then there's the obvious "should have been stain on the carpet" connotations.

Kitana WDYT?? WDYT of this name? How do you acutually say this?. Kih-TAH-nah. It means "I like Final Fantasy way too much."

Kiev or Berlin? I know.. Chicken Kiev... It's the name of a city too. Keyev or Berlynn Berlinn. I'm not sure I understand the question, but I am glad to know that Kiev is a city and not just a recipe! Berlynn Keyev promises to be the new Julia Child, for sure!

What do you think of the name Khaire (Ky-ear). I like Zaire for a boy, so I think that Khaire would be a nice name for a girl. I think Zaire would be a nice name for a boy, too. OH WAIT JK JK JK!

CACHET. What do you think of this name?? It is pronounced CA-SHAY. I knew someone with this name-i think it's muslim, but im not sure. But wdyt?? Like it-hate it-would u use it?? Dictionary.com says: ca·chet 1. A mark or quality, as of distinction, individuality, or authenticity. 2. A seal on a document, such as a letter. 3a. A commemorative design stamped on an envelope to mark a postal or philatelic event. 3b. A motto forming part of a postal cancellation. 4. A kind of wafer capsule formerly used by pharmacists for presenting an unpleasant-tasting drug. WAFER CAPSULE ALI, GET DOWN HERE AND SAY YOUR PRAYERS!

Milagros?? I know yall are thinking what the hell??? But it mean "miracles" in Spanish. As in, it would take miracles for this kid not to be teased? PELIGRO!!

What do you think of the name Dakiri for a girl (pronounced da-ker-RI, like the drink)?
maybe spelt differently... Daquiri? Dakiri, Wiskee and Burbynne Jones!

WDYT of Chanai/Shanai? Pronounced Cha-N-eye...or Sha-N-eye. theres a girl on X-Factor who has this name, i love it..WDYT? Chanai? As in Roti Chanai? Mmmm, delicious!

WDYT of the name Caber? I thought it was kinda cute. I hear the newest playground fad is the Caber Toss.

We are having a really hard time picking name for a boy. What do u think of this name? Zarek Philson Ling. Philip is my dad's name and Nelson is my FIL's name so I ended up using both so either one of them will be jealous. But I dunno know Zarek sounds for a Chinese boy tho. Prn like Derek but it's Zarek. ZAREK WILL RULE THE GALAXY IN HIS PHILSON LING 3X5000!!

Things I can't even comment on:

I know it's a type of tea, but if you didn't know that/it wasn't, wouldn't Chai be a cute boy's name? I love the sound of it for a little boy or even once he's grown up, but I don't think the tea connotations are really that desireable. Anyone know any names like this, or that I can use instead?

I think Aria would be the perfect middle name for Sonnet!

WTDY of the name Tarot?

Paygan..??? Opinions welcome on this one, its kinda Goth, which i like

What does everyone think on the name Mascara? I think it is a lovely and unusual name.

Bad joke post!

2006-04-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Original post September 30, 2005

Hooray! The paper is in (and over a page longer than required!) and I've eaten my lunch and I can faff about on the internet once more!
While procrastinating, I found the mother lode for online hospital baby announcement links (where our good friend Orion Blaze came from). Today's browsing yielded an astonishing number of names that never should have seen the light of day. Like, really, never. Jennifer Princess is only the tip of the iceberg. That's why I am presenting these all in the form of bad jokes. Because we can only wish these names were bad jokes.

-What do you name a kid born in a tightly-knit enclave of white people? Aryan Glen, apparently.
-Who will have trouble with spelling lessons? Anikah Mersaydes, Mersadez Coreena, Myranda Neiomi, Irais Johhana, Liberti Madilin and Myracle Luella will!
-Who told Mary she was preggers? Angel Gabriel, of course!
-What's green and holds your washing machine together? A Saige Rivet!
-Why would you name your child after yogurt? Dannon Elizabeth's parents know!
-Whose parents are total sci-fi tools? I'm willing to bet Riddick's are! Atreyu Sebastian's parents are also under heavy scrutiny.
-Who is going to be the most embarrassed English major ever? Asa Isaiah Hemenway!
-Who got voted Class of 2018's "Most Likely to Be a Porn Star?" Shyann Destinee and Aysia Kyana (who, incidentally, is also going to be "Most Likely to Fail Geography")
-Which two boys born this year should be automatic best friends for bad-name solidarity? That's going to have to be Kaedyn Whiskey Lee and Jack Daniel.
-Who means business? Justice Virgil, definitely. Just as soon as he figures out those sleeves.
-Who is never going to get along with his girlfriend's father? What do you want to bet it's Eros Cuauhtemoc.

Tied for the worst today:
Crystal Rubi and Tru Joy.

The Force is Strong With This One

2006-04-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

Original post September 30, 2005

LOL, OH NO!!!

Goth namers, fairy namers, Juelz and Purse-a-phone

2006-04-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Original post September 25, 2005

Another foray into the world of baby naming message boards (hooray putting off the Milton paper!) yielded a new crop of "original" and "creative" names I'd never encountered before. Remember my shock in the spring when I learned that Cadence (and all variations) was a name? Yeah. So imagine my surprise when today I found out that Poet was a name.

User mommy_at_15 says: WDYT of Poet Sienna Rose? I saw it in a magazine... I say, if you saw it in a magazine, then it must be good! It's apparently the name of Punky Brewster's daughter - ANOTHER POINT in its favor!! One mother wants us to vote between Syenna Nikol (Syenna is pronounced Sigh-enna) and Rianna Poette. One savvy user points out, "I'm sorry but "Syenna Nikol vs. Rianna Poette" looks like a mudwrestling marquee!" Another makes a very astute remark: "I don't mean to single you out specifically, but every time I see a post with names like these, I shake my head and wonder if people are purposely trying to breed an entire generation of strippers and pornstars."

Sienna/Syenna is another up-and-comer, apparently. One mom on another board says, "I love the names Seienna Leone, what does everyone else think?" Personally, I think "blood diamonds." But maybe that's just me.

In my last post on this subject, you may remember my amusement at "goth" names. Guess what? There are apparently still pregnant goths out there. One lady posts "Salem? Is that a cute name for a girl or am I just insane?" She may not be insane. But a couple of these other users are:

Aisling: "I like it... sounds like a spiritual, witch like name (obviously!)."
BrokenCondom: "I think its absolutely adorable." (lol username)
a_margaret: "And Salem is obviously a boy's name, I think." OBVIOUSLY.

One Gawth Mawm asks, "Wwhat do you think of the name Salem Lucifer and December Constantine?" I think the only better name would probably be Bloodravyn Batblayde. Either way, this mom apparently knows that "Salem is OBVIOUSLY a boy's name!"

One dark but creative mother suggests:
Persephone ( purr-sef-fa-nee)Greek Goddess - lover of Hades.
Xaida (shy-da)Portuguese/Tribal name mix, meaning unknown ( Source:Parentsite)
Zahayla (zuh-hay-lah) Source:Parentsite

Xaida and Zahayla went over unsurprisingly well (though one user suggests Zaida and Xahayla). Another poster, however, was not so amused. um...wasn't Hades the keeper of hell or something like that? the greek version of the devil? Lover of the devil...wonderful name for a child. Plus, no one will EVER pronounce it correctly (purse-a-phone). Three cheers for Purseaphone.

The only thing worse than a gothic namer is a fairy namer. You know the kind I mean. The kind like this:

The Tolkein name Celeborn, I like it but how does one say it? I haven't see the Lord of the Rings Movies but I have read the books but I'm confused on how to say it. Is it K sounding or is the C like an S? I'm learning more towards the K.

For a girl, Undine. Undine is an elemental. AKA a spirit of water.

Sabrina Fair, one of my favorite users EVER, recently presented "Celestial Dawn" as one of her top picks.

A woman now very very dear to my heart just started her very own "unique names" website. Some of her fairylicious offerings include: Aetherie, Ambrosia, Enodia, Branwen, Bedivere, Caridwen, Avalon, Faerie, Freya, Flora, Gaia, Lotis, Leucothea, Lancelot, Nearia, Lamia, Mordred, Merlin, Ourania, Pasiphae, Zobiana, Urien, Seriphia etc. etc. This woman is also a big fan of taking names from world religions, great books, and creation myths and calling them "original. Bast, Dionysus, Dagon, Ganesh, Jupiter, Jehovah, Cadmus, Eurydice, Leviathan, Lear, Messiah, Mecca, Eastre, Pele, Pan, Nefertiti, Vishnu, Valhalla...

So many of these people do this sort of thing. "Hey, I liked how it sounded and took it away without consideration for its meaning!!" Case in point: on another message board, "Othella: I saw this on a baby-names site, apparently it's the feminine version of Othello. Any thoughts? I had just never heard it before. "HAY! Othello is Shakespeare, that must be smart!" Never mind the murder bit. One girl responded hilariously: Ewww, I don't like that at all makes me think of the game othello, anyone remember that one?? "HAY! Who's Shakespeare???" People are always asking what other posters think of these beautiful names they've robbed. "WDYT of Tareva-Chine. it is a native american meaning beautiful eyes". I bet it is. Know know what else I bet? That YOU'RE NOT AN INDIAN. A close relative of this sort of cultural pillaging is turning foreign words into English names. For instance: Ideha: Pronounced ee-deh- ah. Trying to reproduce the Italian pronunciation of the word "Idea" in Italian, but not keen on "idea" itself. What do you think????. I think you need to get a dictionary. And a spell-check.

Here's a good one: I know this name's a little strange(well, more than a little), but anyway here it is: Benjorah. I mixed Bengal(as in tiger)and Tora(which is Japanese for tigress)together. What do you think? I like different names, since I have a very common name(Brittany). First of all, it's obvious your name is Brittany, if you know what I'm saying. Secondly, wtf?

Once you start making crap up, things just go downhill. Would you name your daughter Juelz, pronounced Jewels? No. Next? Hamble? Sounds like the brunch special at Ihop. Quade? I rest my case. However, sometimes making crap up is better than sticking with a "real" name. Examples:
I know it is also a city in Ohio, but what do you think of Coshocton as a name?
Diesel (Dee-zall) or any other spelling variaton... ok so its pronounced like the feul you put in a car. I love this name, what does everyone else think?

I think it's time to take some of that feul and SET YOUR OVARIES ON FIRE.

Tygerlilie, Valhalla and Ezra (on a girl)

2006-04-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Original post August 22, 2005

I discovered a new board, and OH BOY GUYS, it's the mother lode. Haha, get it? Mother lode? Hm.

Mom-to-be #1: Eulayshia - what do you think about this name?
Mom-to-be #2: it makes me think of euthanasia

One girl likes the names Merrimei and Seven. As in "Marry me" and the numeral. She says, "These are my favorite names, besides Ariana." I think maybe she should stick with Ariana.

One mom says, I am 5 months pregnant and considering names for my baby. I already have a 2 year old son called Winnifred and a 4 year old daughter called Meadow. I love the name Irony for a girl, but do you think that the meaning would be unfair to the child? I also like the names Tygerlilie and Prince. Please give me some feedback on what you think of these names.

User RedSoxFan provides helpful commentary: I can't see Irony on a child, unless the situation it occured was ironic.. like you took a million steps to prevent the conception yet it still happened, but that would just be mean.. and you would have to explain it to the child. RedSoxFan's favorite names are Faelyn Rose, Svetlana Grace, Lysandra Macaria, and Breydun Lee.

One mother is considering Antigone. A mom who has obviously done some background research. Another user comments, “Sounds like a wart remover or a bug spray - Anti-Gone!”

Another mom is considering “Caprese.” As in Insalata Caprese. She is pronouncing it “Caprice.” Caprice indeed.

There is an entire thread on "Gothic names." Unsurprisingly, these are not names like Odo, Etheldreda and Jean Pucelle, but names like Raven and Wednesday. In fact,

Demonica for a girl and Davin for a boy
Morgana Faye and Mordred
Dawn and Dusk
Isolde and Tristan
Sigyn and Loki Lucas Gabriel
Talon Malachai Trueblood
Dragana
Jezebel
Nightshade
Nerolia
Ember
Ash
Blade
Zoe Malice
Tabitha Soulstice
Shannara Rain
Paisley Ariana
Autumn Rain
For a boy, Dracula, Lusfer, Dhamipr, Crow, and Wolf
Girl names, Moon, Darlar, Chilmmide, Rubella (Rubella? GREAT NAME RESEARCH, MOM!)
Belladonna
Chalice
Dementia (takes after her parents)
Atarii (AWESOME)
Lucifer
Ragnor
Satan (having a toddler named Satan would at least be pretty accurate)
Valhalla (VALHALLA I AM COMING!)
Coal
Drear
Envy
Fallen
Lost (what would you tell the guy at the supermarket if you lost your kid and had to page him over the intercom? “I lost my kid Lost.” “Sorry, what?”)
Nothing (this kid would never have self-esteem issues)
Pagan
Shadow
Silence (HOW IRONIC would it be to name a newborn this?)
Sorrow
Sullen
Velvet
Toozdae
Drusilla
Cyd/Cyd Charisse (I think she’s serious)
Babylon
Calamity (yup.)
Cinder (triplet to Ember and Ash)
Drakkar
Dred
Eclipse
Fate
Glacier
Gossamer
Grail
Gusty (hope this kid’s a farter)
Hades
Icy
Imperia
Jinx (Now we know where Persephanie got her name)
Kaige (In spite of my rage, I am still just a rat in a Kaige.)
Labyrinth
Lore (This would be a good middle name for Narnia, actually!)
Maleficent
Mink
Omen
Onyx
Pentecost
Peregrine
Prysm
Ransom
Remember
Rosary
Sabbath
Siberia
Talon
Trilogy (it would be sad if Trilogy were an only child)
Tsunami (I’d hate to change this kid’s diapers)
Amen
Camelot
Dragon
Electra (Electra would be hellbent on killing her mother – just like her namesake)
Faerie
Hades
Hapi (as in Happy? THIS ISN’T A GOTH NAME, GET OUT OF HERE!)
Hecate
Hecuba
Leviathan (a teenage girl would have no body image issues whatsoever if her name were Leviathan, I bet!)
Loki
Medusa (hate to comb this kid’s hair)
Mecca
Nemesis (good name for an ornery toddler)
Phaedra
Poseidon (I suspect you actually wouldn’t want to potty-train a kid named "God of the Waters")
Proteus
Rameses
Thor
Valkyrie
Xanadu
Calyx Acacia 'Caly' (For extra fun, check out this Acacia Calyx!)
Eleanore Hiver (Hiver is winter in French) (That’s true, but most people in America don’t speak French. Hey BeeHiver!)
Lillith Moon Eternity
Willow Sangria (Yum!)
Kestral
Obsidian
Napolean [sic]
Oz
Malaise
Charlotte (UH OH!)
Crescentia
Oleander

Queen_Lamia suggests:

FOR A GIRL:
CHLAMYDIA (I SWEAR I am not making this up)
FARINA (Spanish for "flour")
FINITY (think of the jokes her boyfriends could make about being "in Finity")
GRAINNE (Farina Grainne would be a great name)
NEPHTHYS (hope the kid won’t have a lisp)
PIXIE
RASPUTINA
SUSPIRIA
SYN

DAMIEN
DAEMON (no doubt a variation on Damien)
GNASH
HADRIAN
MORDRED MYRIAMEL

What can I even say, folks? What can I even say?

EDIT: Forgot to add Ezra Alexavia. For a girl.

Winter

2006-04-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Posted by: OP
Subject: Winter

I really like Winter for a girl a lot, what Middle Name would go good with it?

What do you think of These:
Winter Joy
Winter Blythe
Winter Delight
Winter Fable
Winter Faire
Winter Jubilee
Winter Annelise
Winter Winona
Winter Promise
Winter Welcome

Also what's a good First Name for Kaysar?

Winter Delight? Does that not sound like some kind of frozen dessert? Winter Jubilee and Winter Faire would be good twin names. Winter Promise could be a disappointing name if she were born in the spring. And Kaysar... sounds kind of like Delta Rei, don't you think? It continues, and the OP finds a new friend with similar taste(?)...

Posted By: Poster #2
In Reply to: Winter

I love love love Winter for boy or girl.
I like...
Winter Delight
Winter Fable -I prefer this on a boy though. (Winter Fable would definitely never get picked on as a kid.)
Winter Faire
Winter Annelise
Winter Promise - ♥ Promise. My baby. I love it!
Winter Welcome -I love both names, but I'm on the fence as to whether I like them together or not.

You seem to have a bit of my style. :) (OH GOD NO!!)
Winter Indigo
Winter Sapphira
Winter Stelara
Winter Lorelei
Winter Claire
Winter Esmeralda
Winter Treasure ("What's this, Cap'n?" "Yaaarr, it's the Winter Treasure!")
Winter Soleil
Winter Emmaline
Winter Tempest (What can I even say to this?)
Winter Silence
Winter Esteem
Winter Kerenza / Kerensa
Winter Capri
Winter Isla
Winter Twyla / Twila
Winter Frost (Make it stop...)
Winter Bliss
Winter Snow (... I'll do anything, just make it stop...)
Winter Kismet
Winter Azure
Winter Eleri
Winter Kelia (keh-LYE-ah)
Winter Ivayla (fem. form of Ivaylo)
Winter Song / Songa (AAAAAAAAAH)
Winter Tulip (Mommy.)
Winter Noelle
Winter Rose

Posted by: OP
In Reply to: Winter

AH i SO love you *hugs back* LOL

You have awesome taste in names!
I love these:

Winter Claire
Winter Frost
Winter Rose
Winter Emmaline
Winter Snow
Winter Song
Winter Tulip

ah so many choices I dunno what to pick!

SO MANY CHOICES! SHE DUNNO WHAT TO PICK! Winter Tulip made the final round. My faith in humanity has been shattered.

The funniest part of this whole thread, though, was:

Posted by: Poster #3
In Reply to: Winter
Subject: Att Poster #2

I was just wondering what your children are called?

The best question asked all day.

Boston Jinx would have been pretty good until 2004, actually

2006-04-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Original post Aug 12, 2005.

Oh man. I was just back on Mercy Medical Center's website (home of the now-infamous Aryan Justice.) And they've got a great new crop, I have to say.

-Boston Michael, whose father obviously has some high ambitions for his little sports star.

-Ahtum Rene will probably have some issues with phonics when she hits the second grade.

-Taytumn Essie looks a little skeptical about her name.

-Eoghan Fein is totally going to join the IRA. Look how bad he is already.

-My brother points out that a Delta Rei is generally something that gets shot out of space-age guns on TV.

-Brystal: baby? or kitchen cleaning product?

-Heaven Rain: baby? or Glade Plug-In scent?

-Wow. On the plus side, he looks like he's going to be a famous philosopher. On the negative side, his name will never fit on the spine of the books.

-All I have to say is, don't mess with Persephanie Jinx.

Baby Names at Blogger.com???

2006-04-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

I've decided to run a little trial period on Blogger for the bad baby names segment of my usual blog. I'm not entirely enamored of Blogger's setup, particularly the fact that I cannot backdate posts! What is this crap?? At any rate, I will be moving my old posts here to keep a sort of archive, and will be posting daily to this blog with new material, which is born every day (scary thought). Without further ado, the archive!

Blogger.com???

2006-01-12T23:11:00.000-08:00

Oh-em-gee, I just created a Blogger account. What will my LiveJournal say?