Posts Tagged ‘
baby name advice ’
Monday, January 14th, 2013
I love awards-show season—my daughters and I critique the fashions and root for our favorites for each category, while my husband rolls his eyes at the overwrought and often a little out-there acceptance speeches. And last night’s Golden Globes is one of my favorites, since the attendees are plied with a meal and open bar, which means the speeches tend to be a little more real than at the stiffer Oscars.
I was thrilled that Hugh Jackman won for his role in Les Miserables. He’s a very talented actor, and by all accounts, he’s a genuine cool guy (and if his acceptance speech is any indication, he’s a pretty darned appreciative husband). And it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes, too.
Hugh Jackman sports a name that’s much hotter in the UK and Australia than it is here, where it’s barely hanging on to the top 1000. It’s a German name that means “intellectual,” and there seems to be a bumper crop of handsome Hughs in Hollywood right now, including Hugh Grant, Hugh Laurie and Hugh Dancy (along with the aforementioned Hugh Jackman). The Welsh spell it “Hew,” which would be an even more offbeat name choice, if you’re looking for a creative spelling. It’d be a nice alternative to some of the more popular short-and-sweet names, like Noah, Ian and Luke.
As for middle names, Hugh lends itself to longer middle name. I like Benjamin, Lachlan, Xavier and Grayson paired with it.
What do you think of the name Hugh? Would you ever consider naming your baby after a favorite celebrity or even a sports figure? Don’t forget to send your baby-name dilemmas to me at lamilbrand@gmail.com!
Photo: Pregnant woman via Ronald Summers/Shutterstock.com
Categories: Baby Name Help, Baby Name Stories, In Name Only, Must Read, Top Baby Names | Tags: baby name advice, baby name ideas, baby name meaning, baby names, boy baby names, celebrity names, unique baby names
Thursday, January 10th, 2013
Reader Ashley is in a bit of a time crunch—her baby is due this week and she doesn’t have a middle name!
My husband and I love the name Zoey and can not come up with a middle name we love. The suggestion from our family is Elizabeth but my husband is not 100% about it, what are your suggestions? She is due within the week so as you can see its been a long battle…and to think Zoey was so easy for us to agree on! —Ashley
Ashley has a last name that’s on the short side, so you can go either way with the middle name—either something long, like Elizabeth (which I happen to like) or something short and sweet.
If you wanted something a bit more traditional, you can’t go wrong with Jane, Rose or Alice for shorter middle names, or Violet, Catherine or Charlotte for girls. Some of my personal favorites include Adeline, Calista and Caroline. But I’m thinking that you’re looking for something a little more offbeat, given that you’ve chosen a more modern spelling of Zoe for your daughter.
I’m liking some of the modern wintry names—names like Snow, January and Winter all flow nicely with Zoey. You could also consider some of the haute color names. Ruby would be a bit much with Zoey, but you could try Blue, Gray, Jade or Scarlet. And of course, you could try a nature-based name, like Luna, Stella, Wren or Juniper.
But personally, my vote would be for one of the following: Zoey Josephine, which gives you a series of nice, soft sounds throughout the first and middle name, or following in the footsteps of several stars, and giving her James as a middle name.
What middle names do you like with Zoey? Ashley, don’t forget to share your final decision with us! And if you have a baby name dilemma of your own, feel free to share it with me at lamilbrand@gmail.com, or in the comments below!
Photo: Question mark by PZ Designs / Shutterstock.com
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
I just wrote an article about the most popular nicknames around—you’ll hear nicknames like Kate, Abby and Maddie around the playground for girls, and Charlie, Max and Ben for boys. In fact, many of the most popular names in the country—including names like Jack and Liam for boys, and Bella and Ellie for girls—are actually nicknames that were given as official names, in lieu of the more formal versions. And even looking through the top names, you can see where some names were given to arrive at a certain nickname—like Madeline for Maddie, or Elijah for Eli.
But you don’t always have to go for the popular choice to get to the same nickname destination. Here are a few options for some of the more popular nicknames:
If you love Ellie—try Elizabeth, Eliana, Emmanuelle, Noelle or Estella
If you love Ben—try Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Bentley
If you love Addie—try Adele, Addison, Adeline, Adelaide or Adina
If you love Max—try Maxim, Maximilian or Maxwell
If you love Millie—try Millicent, Amelia, Camilla or Milena
If you love Eli—try Elijah, Elias or Elliot
If you love Fi—try Delphine, Fiorella, Fiona, Felicia, Fidelity or Josephine
Girls’ names tend to have more nickname possibilities—if you really want to give your daughters the ultimate in flexibility with their names, consider one of the names that allows a ton of nicknames. There’s Elizabeth (Eliza, Elise, Lisa, Liza, Liz, Beth, Bess, Betsy, Ellie, Ells, Ella), Margaret (Maggie, Mags, Maisie, Daisy, Margie, Greta, Margo, Madge, Gretchen, Peggy), Katherine (Kathy, Kath, Kate, Katie, Kat, Rina) and Evangeline (Angel, Eva, Eve, Evie, Angela, Angeline, Van, Lina, Angie) for starters. With that many choices, you’re sure to find the right nickname to suit your daughter’s personality. But there’s always William (Will, Willy, Bill, Billy and Liam) and Nicholas (Nico, Nick, Nicky, Cole) for the boys.
So, what nicknames are you loving right now? And did you pick your kids’ names just for the nicknames?
Photo: Cute baby by postolit /Shutterstock.com
Categories: Baby Name Help, Baby Name News, Baby Name Stories, In Name Only, Must Read, Top Baby Names | Tags: baby name advice, baby name help, nicknames, popular baby names, top baby names, top baby nicknames
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012
Reader Megan is expecting her second son, and needs to come up with a name that suits him. Here’s her dilemma:
I love the name Nolan, but not sure choosing an “N” name with the last name Neumyer is ideal.
Looking for your ideas on what to name our second son, due Feb 3rd. Our first born is Landon Curtis (Landon we just liked and Curtis is my late father’s middle name) We are thinking of going with the middle name Josef for baby boy #2 as this is my husband’s first name and we like how the spelling speaks to his German background.
I love the idea of picking a name that suits your heritage—like Josef. Landon is a great up-and-coming surname-as-a-name name—currently in the 30s and on the way up. I think it’d be nice to pick another great surname-name for your second.
Some of the more interesting surname-as-a-name names that would sound great with your names are Wyatt, Cooper and Grayson—of these, my favorite is Wyatt. You could also pick a name with German heritage—Garrick is a cool option (it means “mighty warrior”), as is Alaric, which means powerful ruler. Of course, if you’re looking for ties to Germany, why not look at the list of the most popular German first names? Right now, both Jonas and Elias are in the top 15 baby names in Germany, and both names would sound great with your middle name selection and surname. Of course, Nolan isn’t a bad choice with your name, and definitely falls along the same lines as Landon.
Hope this is helpful, Megan! And let us know what name you pick.
If you have a baby-name dilemma, don’t be shy—share it in the comments or email me at lamilbrand AT gmail.com. I’d love to help you find the perfect name for your baby!
Photo: Question mark by PZ Designs / Shutterstock.com
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
Reader Jill wants a little guidance on her baby name choice: “I am pregnant with my first child—a boy! My problem is that I love a first name which starts with a J. My husband’s name is Josh and my name is Jill. We are not interested in getting asked every time we introduce our family if we are going to be “just like the Duggars” and have all J-named children. Our top two names are Jeremy and Marlow. I like Marlow because I think it is unique, but not weird. I am afraid to use that name though, because it might be seen as feminine—especially if we use the nickname “Marley.”
Honestly, I think both names are great. Jeremy is a beautiful name that’s in the top 200 names, a variation on the Biblical Jeremiah, and it means uplifted by God. And while less popular, Marlow has a picturesque meaning—driftwood—and has become a hot choice for celebrity babies, with actress Sienna Miller most recently choosing it for her daughter.
But I think neither name is without its problems. You will likely get a few jokes about being the new Duggars if you choose Jeremy—though that should go away with time, as everyone gets used to your name. And as for Marlow, you’ll need to consider the fact that several celebrities have recently chosen Marlowe, Marlo and Harlow for their daughters, so people may assume that your bundle of joy is a girl. Marlow is one of those unisex names, and its unclear whether it’s going to stay unisex, or become one of those names that the girls take over.
Given the choice of those two names, I’d choose Jeremy, just it really seems like Marlow is skewing toward the ladies at this point.
What do you all think of Jill’s dilemma? What name would you choose?
Have a baby name dilemma? Feel free to send it my way at lamilbrand AT gmail.com.
Photo: Question mark by PZ Designs / Shutterstock.com
