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Celebrity Baby Names

PregnancyAdmin — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Celebrity Baby Names
by: Sarah Mitchell

Are you thinking of celebrity baby names for your little bundle of joy?

It seems that the days of naming your son or daughter with your own name and adding a second, third or a fourth sign in roman numerals at the end are fading away. This seems to be especially the case with celebrities. The more unique, the better! As to whether celebrities are simply a little loopy, or whether they simply like the attention that a unique baby name will bring, we do not know. What we do know is that the names just keep getting crazier and crazier. Below is a list of some of our favorite celebrity baby names over the years.

Banjo – Patrick & Rachel Griffiths
This choice of name was based on the main character from ’the man who came to dinner’.

Apple – Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin
We don’t even think the parents understand why they chose this name!

Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lilly, Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom – Paula Yates
Definetely three of the most ‘out there’ names in the history of baby names!

Jett – John Travolta & Kelly Preston
Well, John has always loved airplanes, so we’ll let them get away with this one.

Zowie – David Bowie
Doesn’t seem that bad, until you realise that with the last name it makes "Zowie Bowie".

Rumer Glenn, Tallulah Belle, Scott LaRue – Bruce Willis & Demi Moore
At least there are some normal names mixed in there, but still among our craziest!

Daisey Boo – Jamie Oliver
Typical celebrity, had to chuck in the "Boo" at the end.

Pilot Inspektor – Scott Lee & Beth Riesgrat
This kid is going to have a hard time at school.

Milo – Ricky Lake
This is okay, just so long as she doesn’t name her second child "Otis".

Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q – Bono
Bono had definetely put some thought into this one!

Prince Michael, Prince Michael II, Paris Michael – Michael Jackson
We think this is just too many Michaels for one house hold.

Dexter, Diane Keaton
Only just acceptable for a boy, but would you believe this is her daughters name?

Moon Unit, Ahmet Emuukha Roden, Dreezil, Diva – Frank Zappa
Once again, among the craziest baby names in history.

Ocean, True, Sonnet – Forest Whitaker
We dont’t mind the name Sonnet, but you can make your own mind up on the other two.

Betty Kitten, Honey Kinney, Harvey Kirby – Jane Goldman & Jonathan Ross
We wouldn’t name our kids these names, but they do have a nice ring to them.

For more celebrity baby names visit, http://www.namestobe.com/celebritybabynames.php

About The Author

Article written by Sarah Mitchell of NamesToBe.com. Article free for reprint as long as this info box is present and all hyperlinks remain active.

Baby names and meanings at http://www.namestobe.com/

Baby naming tips at http://www.namestobe.com/celebrity-article.html

Baby Names – Choosing Trendy or Traditional

PregnancyAdmin — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Baby Names – Choosing Trendy or Traditional

Lists of baby names are always fun to look at, whether you’re seeking a name for your soon-to-be-born baby boy or baby girl, wondering about the popularity of your own first name, or just curious about what baby names are currently hot.

What I find particularly interesting is tracking the popularity of baby names over the decades. In looking through U.S. government baby name lists from 1880 to the present, some amusing patterns emerge, particularly in regards to baby names for girls.

For example, in Victorian times Biblical names, such as Mary, Sarah and Ruth were very popular for baby girls. There were also many baby names that sounded very old-fashioned to me, as a kid growing up in the 1960s, including names like Martha, Alice, Bertha and Minnie.

From the 1920s to the 1950s certain baby names rose in popularity. For example, I went to school with many Susans, Debbies, Patricias, and Lindas. All of these baby names have since waned, to be replaced, by the 1980s, with fancier names such as Jennifer, Jessica and Nicole. When I was a children’s librarian in the 1980s my preschool storyhours were populated with little girls named Lauren and Jenny, and little boys named Alex and Matthew.

More recently there’s been a lot of renewed interest in more "old-fashioned" baby names like Hannah, Abigail and Ethan, plus many Biblical names such as Sarah, Rachel, Joshua, Jacob, and Samuel. There’s also been a surge in nontraditional baby names including Madison, Ashley and Brianna for baby girls, and Brandon and Logan for baby boys.

It’s interesting to consider the whys and wherefores of such developments. Sometimes, I suspect, the popularity of a specific actor or fictional character might result in many babies with a particular name. For example, were some of the Lauras born in the 1970s and 1980s given a name suggested by older brothers and sisters who were growing up watching "Little House on the Prairie ?" Were some attributable to the super popular Laura of "General Hospital" fame ?

Today Madison is a very highly ranked baby name for girls (ranking number 3 in 2003) but, when the film "Splash" came out in 1984, Tom Hanks’ character told Daryl Hannah’s character that Madison was not a bona fide first name.

While baby girls’ names seem quite subject to the whims of fashion and the top ten lists can change radically over time, I’ve noticed that, in general, the top baby names for boys remain far more stable. Names like John, William and James are perennials, perhaps because baby boys are often named for their fathers, perpetuating the popularity of certain baby names from generation to generation. The "Junior" factor aside, baby boys are also less apt to be given fanciful names.

A comparison of the changing fortunes of my own first name, Barbara, with those of my husband’s name, Robert, gives a good illustration of the difference in stability between baby girl names and baby boy names over time.

My name grew in popularity in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, peaking at the number 2 position in baby name popularity, which it tenaciously held from 1937 to 1944. When I attended grad school, of a class of approximately forty students, there were no less than three baby boomers named Barbara. Should I thank the actress Barbara Stanwyck for this ? Alas, my first name later suffered a slow, steady decline and placed at a pitiful number 628 position on the baby names popularity list for the U.S. in 2003.

Robert, on the other hand, has survived the vicissitudes of baby name popularity. It held a coveted spot on the top ten most popular baby names list every year from 1896 to the late 1980s, often peaking at number 1 between the 1920s and the 1950s. It has gradually slipped since the 1990s, but still managed to hold the respectable slot of number 35 in 2003.

When naming a baby there are, of course, many other points to consider besides how popular or unique a name is. Here are some helpful tips that you can use with your other children to get them involved in choosing a name for the new baby and to make the process fun:

Baby names need to go nicely with the sound of your last name. Also, pick a first name and a middle name that go together well. (So maybe not something like Erasmus Beelzebub Smith !)
When your family finds a name you all like, look at the initials to be sure that you don’t give the new baby a name with initials that will make people laugh. (So maybe not Pamela Iris Green, which equals P.I.G. !)
You might not want a baby name that is so unusual that the other kids will make fun of your little brother or sister as he or she grows up. (So maybe not Rosebud or Molasses !)
You also might not want a baby name that is so trendy that it will sound funny by the time the baby is ten years old. (So maybe not Sunshine !)
You probably shouldn’t pick a name that’s really cute for an adorable little baby but will sound silly when the baby grows up. (So maybe not Dimples !)
Avoid baby names that might produce insulting nicknames when people shorten them. (So maybe not Smellonius, or Smelly for short !)
You and your family might not want a name that is so hard to spell or to pronounce that people will always get it wrong and your poor little brother or sister will have to go through life correcting people. (So maybe not something like Incandescence, or is it Incandessints ? )
You and your family might want to pick baby names in honor of favorite relatives or ancestors, or special names that show your family’s ethnic roots. You might even find a special name from a book or movie that you love. (Like Harry ?)
You might want to look through books of baby names and pick one that has a special meaning that you like – maybe something that means "sweet" or "kind" or "brave." (So maybe not wimp !)
You might want to think about names that will go nicely with your name and your other brothers’ and sisters’ names, so that if mom or dad are calling you all for dinner or signing a birthday card to grandma it won’t sound too crazy.
(So maybe not "Happy Birthday, Grandma ! Love, Joey, Cindy and Dweevo !")

There are hundreds of names waiting for you out there, so good luck on your search for the perfect name !

About The Author

Barbara Freedman-De Vito, professional storyteller, teacher and artist, has a website with baby clothes, children’s clothing and gift items decorated with her colorful and amusing artwork for kids. Visit Baby Bird Productions Children’s Clothing and Baby Clothes at http://www.childrensclothingbabyclothes.com.

mail@childrensclothingbabyclothes.com

Unique and Unusual Baby Names

PregnancyAdmin — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Unique and Unusual Baby Names

Today one of the biggest trends in naming is choosing a unique name. Those of us who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s undoubtedly knew multiple Jennifers, Amys, Michaels and Johns, and many parents want their child to have a more unusual name. Parents have dusted off old classics, combined names and altered spellings in the hopes of saving their child from the fate of being known throughout their school years as "Amy with a Y" or "Michael R, the one with brown hair." So how do you find a name that is unique and unusual? Here are some suggestions, along with a few warnings.

1. If you live in the US, look through the top 100 names from the Social Security lists for the past few years to get a sense of what names are currently popular. You may be surprised at just how many children share a name that sounds fresh and unusual to you.

2. Look for unused classics. Literature is a great source of names that were once popular but have since fallen down the charts. Read the names in your family tree or look at Social Security lists from the early 1900’s and you may just fall in love with a forgotten classic.

3. Anticipate the trends. Right now, names from the 1900’s-1930’s are very hot for girls. In another decade, that will probably move forward to names from the 1940’s and 1950’s. Look at those names now and see if any appeal to you.

4. Create your own name by combining two family names or altering a name that you love. Be cautious in this, however, as not all created names sound appealing. You may want to ask family and friends for opinions before committing to an invented name.

And now for the warnings:

1. Keep in mind that names used in popular television series or films are likely to skyrocket in popularity, as are names of celebrity children. For example, the name Ella and its variants have become extremely popular since a few celebrities used it and it appeared as a baby’s name on the show ER.

2. Beware of creative spellings. While it’s true that Keightl’nne looks very different from Caitlin or Katelyn, it is still pronounced the same way and is still ultimately the same name. You may be causing your child a lifetime of confusion as she attempts to spell her name over the phone, while she is still one of five or six Caitlins in her class. 3. Beware of punctuation in names, which could cause problems when filling out computerized forms.

4. Be careful not to take the hunt for creative names too far. Imagine the name as your own, or try the "profession test". Would you wish to be known forever as Egwene? Can you picture The Honorable Judge Tequila Mad’y’syn being called to the bench?

5. Above all, remember that what really matters is finding a name you love, one that grows well with your child. Even the top names are being given to fewer and fewer children these days, so if you fall in love with Emma or Jacob, don’t let fears of popularity force you to use another name you don’t really care for.

About the Author

Written by Susan Harkavy for StorkNet’s Baby Names Cubby (http://www.storknet.com/babynames), a one-stop shop for all things baby names. Visit StorkNet for support and information related to preconception, pregnancy, and parenting including childbirth, breastfeeding, pregnancy loss and more.