Name Madness – Round Two

Thanks so much for your responses!  Keep them coming as we continue!

I included the results from Round One first in case you were interested.  If there was a tie, I asked Brent to break it and if you couldn’t make a decision between the two choices, I went ahead and counted a vote for each name.  For Round Two, as before, choose your favorite from each pairing!

ROUND ONE

#1
Anna (10-2)
Annette

#2
Anya
Aubrey (7-5)

#3
Brooke (8-4)
Calla

#4
Charlotte
Claire (8-7)

#5
Daisy
Elinor (8-4)

#6
Evelyn (7-5)
Finley

#7
Georgia (7-5)
Harper

#8
Hope
Jane (8-4)

#9
Jocelyn
Juliet (9-3)

#10
Linley
Lucy (8-5)

#11
Maisie
Maren (7-6)

#12
Marianne (7-5)
Melody

#13
Molly (7-5)
Noelle

#14
Paige (10-2)
Peyton

#15
Piper
Reese (7-5)

#16
Sasha
Summer (8-3)

#17
Susanna (10-3)
Tamsin

#18
Tatum
Tessa (9-3)

#19
Aaron (7-6)
Alden

#20
Andrew (7-5)
Archer

#21
Asa
Asher (12-1)

#22
Brooks (7-5)
Callum

#23
Camden (9-3)
Charles

#24
Chase
Cooper (7-5)

#25
Edison
Ethan (11-2)

#26
Frederick
Grayson (8-4)

#27
Henry
Isaac (8-4)

#28
James (12-0)
Jameson

#29
Jesse
Josiah (7-6)

#30
Justus (7-6)
Malachi

#31
Max
Oliver (9-3)

#32
Sawyer
Sean (7-6)

#33
Simon
Spencer (8-4)

#34
Thaddeus
Theodore (7-5)

#35
Wesley (9-3)
Weston

#36
Wilson (10-2)
Xander

ROUND TWO

#1
Anna
Aubrey

#2
Brooke
Claire

#3
Elinor
Evelyn

#4
Georgia
Jane

#5
Juliet
Lucy

#6
Maren
Marianne

#7
Molly
Paige

#8
Reese
Summer

#9
Susanna
Tessa

#10
Aaron
Andrew

#11
Asher
Brooks

#12
Camden
Cooper

#13
Ethan
Grayson

#14
Isaac
James

#15
Josiah
Justus

#16
Oliver
Sean

#17
Spencer
Theodore

#18
Wesley
Wilson

Name Madness – Round One

The Popular Baby Names list for 2007 should be coming out soon!  So, I’m sure I will have a post about that as soon as I get my thoughts together on it.  Until then, I thought it would be fun to do this little exercise.  I got this idea from The Baby Name Wizard Blog.  I’m opening myself up here, but here is a list of the top 36 girl names and 36 boy names that I like.  Just like in the basketball tournament, for Round One I would like for you all to pick the name that you prefer from each pairing.  I will tally up the results and then post Round Two with the winners of Round One, at which point you will choose the name that you prefer in the new pairings, and so on until we have a winner for girls and a winner for boys.  I will leave each round open for a week, so make sure you put your mark on things and vote as soon as you can!  This will in no way influence how Brent and I choose the name of our little one, but I thought it would be fun to see what you all pick! 

 

So, in your comment, put the number of each pairing and the name you choose.  For example: #1 Anna, #2 Anya, #3 Brooke, etc.

 

ROUND ONE

 

#1

Anna

Annette

 

#2

Anya

Aubrey

 

#3

Brooke

Calla

 

#4

Charlotte

Claire

 

#5

Daisy

Elinor

 

#6

Evelyn

Finley

 

#7

Georgia

Harper

 

#8

Hope

Jane

 

#9

Jocelyn

Juliet

 

#10

Linley

Lucy

 

#11

Maisie

Maren

 

#12

Marianne

Melody

 

#13

Molly

Noelle

 

#14

Paige

Peyton

 

#15

Piper

Reese

 

#16

Sasha

Summer

 

#17

Susanna

Tamsin

 

#18

Tatum

Tessa

 

 

#19

Aaron

Alden

 

#20

Andrew

Archer

 

#21

Asa

Asher

 

#22

Brooks

Callum

 

#23

Camden

Charles

 

#24

Chase

Cooper

 

#25

Edison

Ethan

 

#26

Frederick

Grayson

 

#27

Henry

Isaac

 

#28

James

Jameson

 

#29

Jesse

Josiah

 

#30

Justus

Malachi

 

#31

Max

Oliver

 

#32

Sawyer

Sean

 

#33

Simon

Spencer

 

#34

Thaddeus

Theodore

 

#35

Wesley

Weston

 

#36

Wilson

Xander

Baby Shower Game

I saw this on a baby name message board and thought it would be fun to do.  Make some first and middle name combinations by filling in your favorites.  Feel free to participate in the comments!

Favorite actor / Favorite character he played
Alan Brandon (or Christopher) – (Alan Rickman / Colonal Brandon – Sense & Sensibility)

Favorite actress / Favorite character she played
Kate Marianne – (Kate Winslet / Marianne Dashwood - Sense & Sensibility)

Favorite author / Favorite character from your favorite book
Jane Darcy - (Jane Austen / Mr. Darcy – Pride & Prejudice)

Favorite singer / Favorite band
Sarah Journey – (Sarah McLachlan / Journey)

Favorite Disney character / Favorite TV show character
Donald Apollo – (Donald Duck / Battlestar Galactica)

Fun for Me!!

As you may or may not know, Namefreak is pregnant!  And as we all know, the most fun part about being pregnant is picking a name.    So, your job is to come up with some names that you think I should consider.  Both boy and girl names are certainly welcome!  The middle name for our child will be a family name, so no need for help there.  And if it matters to you, my daughter’s name is Rachel Joyce.  Please comment… and have fun!!

TV Show Names

I’ve been watching Battlestar Galactica again, and it’s made me think of the character names.  Not only are there the characters’ real names, but there are also their call signs: Lee Adama – Apollo; Kara Thrace – Starbuck; Sharon Valerii – Boomer and Athena; Karl Agathon – Helo.  I was thinking how very awesome it would be to have a call sign.  Some of the call signs are assigned to them, due to a mishap or their personality, and some are just cool names.  Just for fun… what would your call sign be?

There are lots of shows that have several great character names.  Here are some examples:

LOST - Jack, Kate, Sawyer (James), Charlie, Claire, Michael, Walt, John, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Desmond, Juliet, Shannon, Boone

Friends - Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey, Ross (and of course Emma, which ruined the name for all of us who don’t want to use such a popular name on their child)

Beverly Hills, 90210 – Kelly, Brenda, Brandon, Dylan, Donna, David, Steve, Andrea, Valerie, Clare, Noah, Janet, Matt, Ray, Jesse, Colin, Susan, Carly, Joe, Tracy, Emily, Erin, Toni

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Buffy, Willow, Angel, Cordelia, Xander, Anya, Faith, Spike

Firefly- Malcolm, Zoe, Inara, Jayne (male), Kaylee, Simon, River, Shepherd, Hoban

Alias - Sydney, Vaughn (Michael), Sloane (Arvin), Jack, Dixon (Marcus), Marshall, Sark (Julian), Francie, Will

Party of Five – Charlie, Bailey, Julia, Claudia, Owen, Sarah, Griffin, Kirsten

One Tree Hill – Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Peyton (female), Brooke

Frasier - Frasier, Niles, Daphne, Roz, Martin

Grey’s Anatomy – Meredith, Isobel, Cristina, George, Addison, Miranda, Callie, Preston, Alex, Mark

What other shows do you watch that have some great character names?

Obviously, character names can have an influence on parents when they name their children. Like I mentioned above, while it was gaining in popularity anyway, the name Emma went from number #13 in 2001 to #4 in 2002 after Ross and Rachel named their daughter Emma on the show Friends. The name Chandler, which never rose above #200 in previous years, actually jumped from #348 in 1994 to #177 in 1995 after the show Friends started, and stayed above #200 until 2001.  The name Addison for a girl has skyrocketed from #106 in 2005 to #27 in 2006, possibly due to the popularity of the show Grey’s Anatomy.  The name Willow cracked into the top 1000 in 1998 for the first time after Buffy the Vampire Slayer started airing.  Whether the show just brings it to the attention of parents, the character is a favorite, or it’s just coincidental, I think it’s interesting to look at.

There are also names that seem “stigmatized” because of its use on TV.  For instance, the name Dylan may always be linked to 90210.  And since I have a daughter named Rachel, I don’t think I can ever use the name Phoebe for another daughter, because people may think I’m going for a Friends theme (even though they are both great Biblical names).

So, what are your thoughts? Are there any names that are/were on a show that made you either like the name more or start to dislike the name due to the character? Did you consider, or actually use, a name from a show that first brought the name to your attention?

Nicknames

Some parents name their child with a nickname instead of the full name.  There are reasons for doing so… they don’t like the full name, they want to name their child what they want him/her to be called, or they just really like the nickname.  There are also reasons for not doing so and using the full name… the child is left with more options of what to be called, the full name sounds more “adult” and ages better, or it may keep the child more unique against common nicknames (Addie can be a nickname for Addison, Adelaide, and Adeline).

To be honest, I tend to side with the latter option.  I like full names because it does allow the child to choose what he/she would be called as he/she gets older and some nicknames to sound more for a child than an adult.  As with every other opinion I have though, there are exceptions.    I love the name Tessa, but dislike Theresa.  I also love Molly, but wouldn’t want to use Margaret.  It could be argued that these names have become “legitimate” names in themselves, like Jack, Carrie and Lucy.  But I’m not sure who decides the legitimacy of a name anyway. 

There’s also the subject of interesting nicknames.  For example, how did the nickname Peggy come from Margaret?  I have read something in the past about how it’s just a gradual change and switching letters… Margaret turned into Margie, which turned into Maggie, which turned into Peggy.  And William turned into Will, which turned into Bill and Billy.  Some other interesting nicknames include Nell (Eleanor), Jack (John), Sadie (Sarah), and Ned/Ted (Edward).

A lot of people say (me included) that any name will develop a nickname, whether it be “official” or not. Brent is not a fan of nicknames, and that was a bone of contention as we were picking Rachel’s name. My family loves nicknames (I am Kelli Jo, KJ, Kel Jo, Kay, and Kel) so I was always suggesting a name with a nickname (“We can name her Charlotte and call her Charlie”). But that was not something Brent would go for. So, we finally chose the name Rachel, which is seen as nickname-proof. But of course, she is called Rach, Ray Jo, and Ray-Ray. It is inevitable. I guess the name Brent is pretty nickname-proof, but not really since my brother calls him “B.” Anyway, those are probably more “pet names” than official nicknames since I doubt Rachel will ever sign her name “Rach.” A little off topic, but not really.

So, I would like your thoughts on this topic, as well as some opinions on the following: what nicknames are your favorite?  Would you choose them over the full name?

And which of the following nicknames do you prefer for each full name?  Or do you just prefer the full name the most?

Elizabeth – Bess, Beth, Betsy, Elise, Eliza, Elle, Ellie, Elsie, Liz, Liza, Lizzie

James – Jamie, Jay, Jim, Jimmy

Katherine – Kat, Kate, Katie, Kathy, Kay

William – Bill, Billy, Liam, Will, Wills

Name Your Twins!

I wish I could tell you that my lack of posting is due to some research that I’ve been doing, or some other good reason. But, I’m afraid it’s just due to lack of activity. I hope you all don’t mind a post every couple of weeks… stay with me and I’ll try to keep the fun going!

Some people like to name twins with names that rhyme, start with the same letter, have some other type of connection, or have no connection at all.  So, if you had to name twins right now, what would you name them?  Explain if you have certain reasons. Let’s do 3 pairs:

Boy/Boy
Girl/Girl
Boy/Girl

Quick Pick #2 – Meanings

Which name do you like best out of each meaning group? You may prefer a different spelling… I just listed my personal preference. And some have both boy names and girls names, you can pick one for each gender.

1. Grace/Graceful
Anabel
Anita
Anna
Annaliese
Annette
Annika
Grace
Hannah
Joanna
Lynette
Nancy
Nina

2. Love/Worthy of Being Loved/Beloved
Darryl
David
Jedidiah
Lowell

Amanda
Amy
Cara
Carys
Cheryl
Darlene
Esme

3. Life
Evelyn
Liv
Viveka
Zoe

4. Fighter
Donovan
Duncan
Evan
Louis
Oscar
Owen
Roger
Sloan
Walter

5. Beautiful
Alana
Arabella
Belinda
Bella
Belle
Bonnie
Calista
Doreen
Ellen
Helen
Keely
Naomi

6. Brave
Andrew
Bernard
Brandon
Brendon
Brian
Casey
Emerson
Emery
Everett
Willard

Andrea
Bernadette
Casey
Kelsey
Tracy
Valerie

7. Strong
Anders
Bryant
Charles
Ralph

Breanna
Bridget
Carol
Caroline
Megan
Milicent

8. Fair One
Guinevere
Jennifer
Kenzie
McKenzie

9. Gift from God
Ian
Jonas
Matthew
Micah
Michael
Nathan
Sean
Shane
Zebediah

Jana
Jane
Janet
Janice
Michaela
Michelle

10. Defender/Protector/Guardian
Alastair
Alexander
Chad
Edmund
Edward
Warren
William
Willis

Name Meanings

I like to look at name meanings a lot, especially when I do research for other people.  If there is something that means a lot to them, or a family member they want to honor, I will look up the meaning and see what names have the same meaning.  I think it’s really neat when people use names that mean something special to them.  And it obviously means something in the Bible, since every time a child was named it included its meaning.

Of course, I don’t think the meaning of a name makes a difference in who the baby becomes.  My name means warrior, lively, or aggressive, depending on where you look.  While I can get aggressive at times , I don’t consider myself a warrior.  But some parents can take the demeaner of their baby, or the fact that the baby fought hard to survive, and choose a name for them that way. 

Personally, I wouldn’t pick a name that means something awful, but in general, meanings aren’t the most critical thing to me when choosing a name.  Like Rachel… it means lamb.  That’s sweet, but it’s not the reason why we chose the name.  However, even though I think the name Mary, or varients of it (like Marianne), is beautiful, it means bitter!  That makes it lower on my list than other names.

What do the names in your family mean?  Do you look at a name’s meaning when considering it for your child?  Are there names that are special to you because of their meaning?

The Top 100 – Boys

Now for the boys list.

Biblical names are the obvious favorite for boys. Yay America! Celtic names are next, followed by Classic.  The rest fall in the following order: New Classic, Exotic (which are all Latino names) and Surname, Androgynous, Bell Tone, Saint, and last but not least, Place and Western.

Names with different spellings: Aiden/Aidan, Bryan/Brian, Caden/Kaden, Jayden/Jaden. And speaking of most of these names, if you lump them in with Brayden and Hayden, you can see the BIG trend of naming nowadays. Anyway, something interesting that I found here was Aiden/Aidan. I am pretty sure that Aidan is the “correct” way of spelling the name. But Aiden is more popular. I guess the same could be said for Jayden and Jaden. Jayden is a variant of Jaden, yet it is more popular. The same deal goes for Bryan as a variant of Brian.  I guess parents think they are being “different” and end up creating a more popular way of spelling the name.  Caden and Kaden are right next to each other on the list, which is also interesting.

I know that quite a few of these names belong in more than one category. I placed them in the category that I preferred them in (and with the help of TBNW).  Here they are!

Androgynous (5%)
31 – Angel
46 – Jordan
50 – Jayden
88 – Jaden
100 – Devin

Bell Tone (4%)
73 – Hayden
79 – Brayden
91 – Caden
92 – Kaden

Biblical (29%)
1 – Jacob
2 – Michael
3 – Joshua
4 – Ethan
5 – Matthew
6 – Daniel
8 – Andrew
11 – Joseph
13 – David
15 – Noah
16 – James
20 – John
22 – Jonathan
23 – Nathan
24 – Benjamin
25 – Samuel
28 – Gabriel
29 – Elijah
34 – Caleb
40 – Isaiah
43 – Luke
48 – Isaac
51 – Thomas
57 – Aaron
64 – Adam
69 – Nathaniel
71 – Jeremiah
90 – Steven
94 – Timothy

Celtic (16%)
19 – Logan
26 – Dylan
30 – Aiden
38 – Gavin
42 – Evan
44 – Aidan
52 – Cameron
53 – Connor
58 – Owen
66 – Bryan
68 – Sean
72 – Brian
81 – Ian
86 – Tristan
87 – Carson
98 – Liam

Classic (12%)
9 – Anthony
10 – William
12 – Alexander
17 – Nicholas
35 – Jack
47 – Robert
60 – Charles
63 – Adrian
65 – Julian
67 – Alex
95 – Henry
99 – Richard

Exotic (9%)
32 – Jose
56 – Diego
61 – Juan
62 – Luis
70 – Carlos
74 – Jesus
89 – Miguel
93 – Antonio
96 – Alejandro

New Classic (11%)
7 – Christopher
14 – Ryan
21 – Christian
27 – Brandon
33 – Zachary
37 – Kevin
45 – Justin
55 – Jason
59 – Lucas
77 – Eric
80 – Kyle

Place (1%)
41 – Austin

Saint (3%)
76 – Sebastian
78 – Xavier
85 – Dominic

Surname (9%)
18 – Tyler
36 – Jackson
39 – Mason
49 – Landon
54 – Hunter
75 – Carter
83 – Chase
84 – Cole
97 – Blake

Western (1%)
82 – Wyatt

What are your thoughts?