The Weird Kanye and Kim Baby Name Rumor

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013

Everyone’s abuzz about a potential baby name that’s being leaked for the baby-to-be of reality vixen Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West. It’s a name I actually kinda like—North. Except when you pair it with the daddy’s last name—West—you get North West. Which kinda seems like a joke someone’s playing on us (or on the baby).

And in fact, some sources close to them are saying the joke’s on us, and they’re actually picking a “K” name to match the Kardashian clan and Kim and Kanye themselves. Personally, I’d go with a name that naturally gets the K—like Katherine, Kaia, Kendra or Kennedy.

My guess is that these two are going to pick something more offbeat, though. One blog suggested Kit as a name, which sounds great with Kardashian, but a little too short with West.

What do you think? Is North a fake out? Give us your best guess what Kim and Kanye will be naming their baby. And don’t forget to like In Name Only on Facebook to keep up with the latest baby names.

Image: Kim Kardashian by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Royal Baby Name: Has It Been Revealed?

Thursday, March 14th, 2013

There are a lot of loose lips in the royal inner circle. After the Duchess of Cambridge (AKA the former Kate Middleton) accidentally let slip a “d” that led many to believe that the royal family will be adding a new princess, now there are rumblings that someone has leaked the baby name the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen for the future ruler of England: Elizabeth Diana Carole.

Not a bad choice—in fact, I speculated back when the royal couple announced their pregnancy that both Elizabeth and Diana would be among the names given to a future queen.

Elizabeth is obviously in homage to the current and past grand dames of England—and a nice way to pay tribute to William’s grandmother. Diana honors William’s mother, while Carole is Kate’s mother’s name.

I had picked Eleanor Diana Victoria Elizabeth—do I get points for being half right?

What do you think? Is this leak the real deal? And is it what you expected?

Image: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Celebrity Baby Names: Lisa Ling’s New Daughter

Saturday, March 9th, 2013

Journalist Lisa Ling and her oncologist husband, Dr. Paul Song, welcomed their brand-new baby girl yesterday. And they chose a relatively unique name for her – especially among girls. Her name is Jett Ling Song.

Jett  has generally been used for boys – it’s the name of both John Travolta’s  late son and the name of George Lucas’s son. It’s a variant spelling of jet, a shiny black precious stone or the airplane, but when it’s used for a girl, I’m almost wondering if it’s  in homage to rock legend Joan Jett. The name is relatively popular, where it’s currently in the top 400 names for boys. But it’s almost unheard of for little girls.

Ling is obviously Lisa’s surname – and when used as a name, it means delicate. So the name is kind of a nice balance between the strong first name Jett, and the softer Ling.

What do you think of Lisa and Paul’s baby name choice? Do you think Jett works as a girls’ name – or is this Jett destined to be one-of-a-kind?

And don’t forget: If you’re having a tough time finding a great name – or you and your mate can’t see eye to eye – send me your quandaries at lamilbrand@gmail.com. We’ll be able to help you find the baby name that works for you.

Image: Lisa Ling by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Celebrity Baby Names: Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy’s Son

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

Claire Danes (star of Showtime’s Homeland) and hubby Hugh Dancy (who stars in the upcoming series Hannibal) kept their son’s name calm, cool and totally classic. The first-time parents gave their son three names, Cyrus Michael Christopher, none of which would be out of place in a not-so-A-list classroom.

Cyrus follow the hot trend of Romanesque “us” names, such as Atticus (used by Casey Affleck and Daniel Baldwin) and Magnus (chosen just last month by both Hunger Games star Elizabeth Banks and singer Jennifer Nettles). It’s actually a Persian name, though, and means “throne”—perfect for Hollywood royalty. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), it’s also now connected with Miley Cyrus and her dad, “Achy-Breaky Heart” singer Billy Ray Cyrus.

Michael has topped the charts for over 50 years—which is why it seems like every other dad you know sports the name. It’s the name of one of God’s archangels, and has been the moniker of a number of celebrities, from basketball legend Michael Jordan to actor Michael J. Fox to the late “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. I’m liking it in that second name spot—so if little Cy decides he’s too conservative for that slightly more offbeat first name, he can stick with Mike.

Christopher is only slightly less popular than Michael. It’s currently #21 of the top names in the U.S. for boys, and means “bearer of Christ.”

While the whole name doesn’t seem to roll off the tongue as easily, Cyrus Dancy is a great name—lots of soft “s” sounds punctuated with that nice d in the middle.

What do you think of Claire and Hugh’s choice? Is Cyrus too out there for you, or could you see using it?

And don’t forget to share your baby name dilemmas with me at lamilbrand@gmail.com!

Photo: Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com

Celebrity Baby Names: Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and QB Tom Brady’s New Baby

Friday, December 7th, 2012

It’s a girl for Gisele Bündchen and her New England Patriots’ QB hubby, Tom Brady. Their daughter sports a beautiful name, Vivian Lake, and joins big brothers Benjamin Rein and John.

Vivian comes from the Latin word for life, and has been hovering in the top 200 baby names in the country for the past several years. Actress Vivien Leigh was born with this spelling (she changed it to an “e” for her stage name), and actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie chose the Frenchified version, Vivienne, for one of their daughters, lending this old-fashioned name some grand Hollywood style.

Vivian has somewhat limited nickname potential. Most commonly, Vi, Viv or Vivi are used, but Ann or Annie could also be an option.

Lake is a word name for the picturesque body of water—and it’s a nice, sharp middle name to contrast with the softer sounds in Vivian. It’s become popular as a middle name, in lieu of some of the more traditional names like Ann, Lynn or Marie. Paired with Vivian, it brings to mind another silver-screen icon, actress Veronica Lake.

Vivian’s name fits nicely with her older brothers’ names, with a classic first name with softer sounds and a more offbeat middle name paired together.

What do you think of Gisele and Tom’s name choice? Do you love it or loathe it?

Don’t forget to share your baby-name dilemmas at lamilbrand AT gmail.com, and like In Name Only on Facebook so you can stay up on the latest in baby name news.

Photo: Gisele Bundchen by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com