Cool Name of the Week: Conan

Monday, April 29th, 2013

This past weekend was “nerd prom” (AKA the White House Correspondents’ dinner). It’s a fete for all the journalists who cover the executive end of the political spectrum, along with an ever-larger dollop of Hollywood types. (This year, the eclectic group included Sofia Vergara, PSY, and Katy Perry. )

And though his jokes weren’t quite as biting and memorable as my favorite former  host of the proceedings, Stephen Colbert (who memorably took George W. Bush down), Conan O’Brien did an admirable job poking fun at the President, various members of the press corps, and other notable names.

Conan has been late-night royalty for two decades now (and that’s after he served as a writer on two comedy staples, Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons)—but his popularity hasn’t led to an increase in popularity for his name. Conan is an Irish name that means “wolf,” and you’d think it’d be rising up the charts right now, close on the heels of Celtic winners like Connor, Aidan and Gavin. But it’s still languishing well below the 1,000 mark.

Conan’s cool factor isn’t limited to the ginger-tressed late-night host—there’s also author Arthur Conan Doyle, the mastermind behind genius detective Sherlock Holmes. Of course, there’s also the pulpy comic book hero Conan the Barbarian, which is probably what’s holding back the popularity of this name.

Conan pairs nicely with some of the longer middle names, like Frederick, Alexander or Zachary. If your surname is longer, consider a short middle name like West or Lee. Just skip anything with an -an ending, to avoid a weird rhyming cadence with the first name. (Conan O’Brien’s parents paired it with Christopher, in case you were wondering.)

So why do you think Conan hasn’t become more popular? Is it the “Barbarian” connotation? Or are fewer people on “Team Coco” than we thought?

Cool Name of the Week: Henry

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012

My nearly eight-year-old daughter is already engaged. She fell in love with Henry, the son of one of my best friends, the second she laid eyes on him—which was at the tender age of 1, on her very first playdate ever.

And to be honest, who wouldn’t fall in love with Henry? He’s a hilarious boy who loves nothing more than collecting buckets of toy soldiers and doing pratfalls worthy of a stuntman (much to my friend’s chagrin). With his wild shock of dark hair and twinkling hazely-green eyes, he looks like trouble.

Which makes his parents’ choice of moniker even more appropriate. The name Henry, which means “ruler,” has Germanic roots. And it’s been the name of some of the biggest bad boys of English royalty—think Prince Harry (officially named Henry) or King Henry VIII—which makes it perfectly suited for my friend’s mischievous offspring.

When my friend named her son, Henry was hanging down near the bottom of the top 100 names, but it’s rising on the charts, and currently sits just under the top 50 names in the country. Though depending on where you live in the U.S., Henry could be one of the most popular names around, putting your kid at risk of being a “Henry F.” or “Henry G.” throughout his school career. (It’s become especially popular in more urban areas.)

Henry does come with a few nickname possibilities: Harry (as Princess Di’s youngest son is called), Hank (think baseball legend Hank Aaron), and Hal (as the legendary King Henry V was called by his closest associates). And in fact, Hank’s the nickname my friends use for their son.

But personally, I’m just wild about Henry as a boy, and as a name—so much so that if I’d have had a son, I might have considered giving him the moniker myself.

Photo: Pregnant woman via Ronald Summers/Shutterstock.com

Cool Name of the Week: Louisa

Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Photo: Pregnant woman via Ronald Summers/Shutterstock.com

My younger daughter has a delightfully wicked friend named Louisa—the kind of girl who slides down the banisters, cuts her bangs in a sharp V with her dad’s razor, and hides my keys so the playdate doesn’t have to end. And I think the name Louisa suits her—it’s a strong name that means “renowned warrior,” a perfect choice for a fearless female who’d rather run off on adventures than sit primly at a dainty princess tea party.

The name Louisa reached its peak of popularity in the 18^th century, and hasn’t broken the top 1000 names in the U.S. since the 1960s. But it’s the perfect name to make a comeback here, as more and more parents dust off old-fashioned names from their family trees to use for the next generation. Louisa is a name with Teutonic roots, so it’s a great choice if your family hails from Germany or France.

While you don’t have to worry about running into too many Louisas in the U.S., world travelers may find plenty in other countries, as the name is much more popular in Europe and Australia.

Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, is probably the most famous bearer of the name, and renowned actress Meryl Streep also chose it for one of her daughters. Louisa was also one of the von Trapp children in the Sound of Music.

As for middle names, I can see this one pairing nicely with some of the more popular one-syllable middle names—a Louisa Rose or Louisa Belle, or even a Louisa May. And it lends itself to a few nicknames, like Lou or Lulu.

Do you think Louisa is ready for a comeback? And what middle names would you pair with this pretty, old-fashioned name?