Veronika writes:

Our second child is due September 21st. 2008. We are expecting a girl.

Her last name will be Mendoza, but since I am not Mexican (the father is) I do not want anything too Spanish sounding (ie. Paloma, Marisol, etc.). However, I want it to go well with the last name.

Also, we named our first son a name which has a different pronounciation in English than in Spanish. So, I pronounce his name differently than his preschool teachers and friends. I do not want to repeat this problem where the pronounciation is different in each language.

Our list right now includes:

Ana Carolina, Naomi, Luciana, Lucia, Antonia, Annalisa, Daniela.

Thank you for your advice!

It looks like you have a really good list there. I especially like the way the A-ending ones sound with your surname. Let’s go straight to the vote! Poll is to the right. [poll closed; see below]

[Poll results (264 votes total):
Ana Carolina: 34 votes, roughly 13%
Naomi: 45 votes, roughly 17%
Luciana: 39 votes, roughly 15%
Lucia: 64 votes, roughly 24%
Antonia: 17 votes, roughly 6%
Annalisa: 34 votes, roughly 13%
Daniela: 31 votes, roughly 12%]

Hey, if you click the “name updates” thing down in the righthand margin (under “Posts Updated With the Name the Parents Decided On”), does your browser crash? My friend Giselle says that ever since we got above 14 updates, clicking that link makes her browser consistently crash. Test pls and report, kthanx.

Nicki writes:

Our baby is due in 2 weeks and we have yet to agree on a name…I would truly appreciate your help, even though we’ve kept all of our possible choices secret, even from family! While we had just one name all set and ready to go for a boy, we are indeed having a girl. Our last name is Parrott, so that rules out a few names (Polly especially comes to mind). My husband is not opposed to alliteration, but the more I think about it, I’m not sure…I mean, Baby Name Wizard mentions that it can sound like a cartoon character (the “Jenny Jumps” example), and a co-worker of mine whose preteen daughter’s initials are P.P. did admit that kids at school call her that, and she of course hates it. And what is the absolute favorite name of my husband’s, that would be mine if I wasn’t so worried about these things? Paige.

Loren is the middle name of my husband, his late grandfather (who was special to me as well), and first name of his great-great grandfather, so we plan to use it eventually–either middle name of our next child if it’s a boy, or now as a first name, with Evelyn as the middle name (my late grandmother). Having the middle name be after someone in the family, whether a grandparent or parent, is very important to me, and hubby agrees.

So, our top picks for first name so far:
Loren
Paige (hubby’s favorite)
Natalie (my favorite)
Parker
Makenna
Makayla
Ella
Mallory
Bridget
Claire

I like the idea of a name that can be shortened to a nickname, and both of us would prefer to stay away from the “Top 10” names. Some names we like that are already used by cousins are Madeline, Morgan, Carly, Lily, Julia. Speaking of cousins, one just had a baby earlier this summer with a similar name, Laurel Edith, to our plan of Loren Evelyn…would that be too weird? And am I obsessing too much about the P.P. thing? Because Paige Parrott does sound fun and playful, I just want to make sure she’s still taken seriously when she’s older, when she’s in the “real world”.

Thank you so much for such a fun blog! Looking forward to hearing from you!

One of the most useful things I read in The Baby Name Wizard was this question: “If you were starting life today, knowing everything you know about the world, is this the name you would want to represent you?”

The problem is that different people want different things. I don’t want a distinctive name myself, but I notice Faith Popcorn and Parker Posy and Picabo Street haven’t had theirs changed—and many people dislike their own plain names and even get them legally changed to something more distinctive. Still, the “would you want this name?” test is a good Thinking Exercise when considering names for a baby.

If I were you, I’d come down on the side of not using Paige/P.P.—but you might come down on the other side of it, as might your daughter someday. Perhaps a good “have it both ways” decision would be to use Paige as the middle name: she can use it as a nickname if she likes it, and so can you. You’ve said it’s important to you to use the middle name slot for a family name, and I’m in that camp, too—but what if you used a family name for the first name instead? Loren Paige Parrott has family significance, and also has the name Paige but without the P.P. problem.

I’m going to pretend, though, that I can see you shaking your head no: you want to use the middle name slot for family names only. From your list, then, my favorites are:

Loren Evelyn Parrott (LEP)
Natalie Evelyn Parrott (NEP)
Mallory Evelyn Parrott (MEP)

(I think it’s fine that a cousin has a baby named Laurel Edith. Even if you see each other all the time, the names are different enough that at worst they’ll cause minor, occasional confusion.)

Okay, everybody, let’s vote! Pick a name for Baby Girl Parrott! Poll to the right as usual! [Poll closed; see below.]

[Poll results (266 votes total):
Loren: 87 votes, roughly 33%
Paige: 17 votes, roughly 6%
Natalie: 74 votes, roughly 28%
Parker: 2 votes, roughly 1%
Makenna: 4 votes, roughly 2%
Makayla: 2 votes, roughly 1%
Ella: 11 votes, roughly 4%
Mallory: 44 votes, roughly 17%
Bridget: 7 votes, roughly 3%
Claire: 18 votes, roughly 7%]

If we’ve tackled your baby-naming problem on this blog, and now your baby is born, would you email me (swistle at gmail dot com) and let me know what name you decided on so I can update the entry? My original plan was to email each question-submitter later, but that gives me the nervous tummy (term credit: Tessie): what if something Went Wrong, and there I am prying for sunshiney details? And also, the emails tend to be lost in the wayback of my inbox, and I didn’t come up with a good system for organizing the ones I’ve already answered: the to-be-answered ones are in a spreadsheet, but then I delete them, when perhaps it would be better to move them to a “contact later” section. Fine, I’ll do that from now on. Well, but then we’re back to the nervous tummy. So could you please drop me an email with the baby’s name? I think that would be best.

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale had their second boy, naming him Zuma Nesta Rock. Would you like to give an opinion on this name? I know you would.

Kristina writes:

Hello. I am due 8/20/08 and we still just can’t find that “perfect” name. For some reason I just can’t decide on what to name our son. We seem to go back and forth with names. We really like the name Simon, for some reason it just stood out to me. It isn’t a trendy name, and it isn’t popular…it just seems classic. We aren’t looking for a trendy name, or one that is really popular now. I teach, so coming by names that I haven’t already dismissed is getting pretty hard. My husband also likes the name Gabriel, and Matthew. Two very classic names as well. The other name we have thought of is Quinlan. It is a name that I’ve never heard before, but I really like the sound of. (I seem to go for names with more than one syllable in them.) So, this is what we have so far, and we just can’t decide!!

A. Simon Gabriel Baitinger (It is pronounced Bite-ing-er)
B. Matthew Simon Baitinger
C. Quinlan Matthew Baitinger

Our 2.5 year old daughter is named Olivia Grace. I really think that Olivia and Simon go well together, and liked the idea of both names having a “G” middle name. We didn’t do a family name for Olivia, and decided not to do a family name for this one either. AAGGG!! I lie awake at night knowing that I am running out of time to get it together!! Even if I had 2 names that I really loved narrowed down, it would make going into the delivery room a little easier!! Please help us with some suggestions!!

I think you have some great names there, and even if time were not of the essence I would hesitate to confuse the issue by adding more options to consider. I know that when I’m expecting, I agitate about the name even after we’ve narrowed it down to the final choice: nothing seems quite perfect enough for me to feel settled in my mind about it. Then later, I can’t believe I ever waffled at all, when it is SO OBVIOUS that this is the perfect name.

Well. One technique I find useful when I’m wavering between a few choices is to pretend that the decision has been made. So, like, pretend the decision is final, and it’s going to be Simon. Do you feel disappointed about the loss of other names? Try it with each one. What if the decision were made, and it were Matthew? Quinlan?

Another technique Paul and I use is ranking: we each separately try to put the names in order by favorite, even if more than one name has to share a slot. So, for example, maybe for you Simon and Quinlan are tied for first place, and Matthew is your second-place choice; and your husband might find that he likes Simon and Matthew tied for first place, with Quinlan as his second-place choice. Then you’d know that Simon was first for both of you, so it would be the best choice for you together. Or, if your husband’s top choice was Matthew, and his second choice was Simon, and his third choice was Quinlan, you might be able to compromise on Simon Matthew or Matthew Simon.

My own first choice is Simon. I think it’s terrific with Olivia and with your surname. I think any of the other names sound great as a middle name with it: Simon Gabriel, Simon Matthew, Simon Quinlan. If it were up to me, I would use Simon Gabriel, and I would save the name Matthew Quinlan for a future boy.

Let’s take a vote on the three candidates you list above—the poll is over to the right [poll closed; see below].

[Poll results:
Simon Gabriel Baitinger: 116 votes, roughly 81%
Matthew Simon Baitinger: 17 votes, roughly 12%
Quinlan Matthew Baitinger: 11 votes, roughly 8%]

I was thinking about the Aiden, Brayden, Caden, Hayden, Jaden thing. Now that more people are noticing it as a batch of rhyming names, it’s getting common to hear people rejecting the whole group of names because of it: each name is popular in its own right but also seems more popular because of its rhyming friends.

That’s the weakness of rhymers, but also their strength. If you want a name that’s unusual but less likely to raise eyebrows, you can choose a name that rhymes with a familiar name. Instead of Jason, use Cason or Greyson. Instead of Emma, use Gemma. The rhyme—and the way you can say calming things such as “It’s like Jason with a C”—gives the name a familiar, reassuring sound even if it’s the first time your mom has ever heard it.

Back to weaknesses, though: as everyone with a rhyming name can tell you, it means a lifetime of minor misunderstandings: Anna keeps having to tell people her name is not Hannah, and Alyssa has to keep saying it’s not Melissa. Well, but pretty much all of us have to do something over and over with our names: I have to say it’s Kristen “with a K and an -en,” and my friend Sara has to say “without the h.”

Melinda writes:

Hi. We are due on 8/14/08 and we are just now narrowing down our name choices. This has been one of the hardest things for my husband and I to decide on. I love the first name Annalise, but my husband really likes just Anna. I could go with Anna, but Annalise is so beautiful and distinct.

Our 2.5 year old son is named Nathan. I’d like to include my late Grandmother’s name, Maxine or a form of, in the middle name. I’d be happy with a middle initial of M. Our last name is Cooper.

1) Anna Maxine Cooper
2) Annalise Maxine Cooper

We would love your suggestions!

Thanks so much!

Here is the nice thing about going with the name Annalise in this situation: the name Anna is a nickname for it, so both of you can use the name you prefer.

I love both names. I think Annalise Cooper has a slightly better rhythm, but that’s completely subjective and someone else is probably thinking, “Hm, well, Anna Cooper has the better rhythm.” Nathan and Annalise sounds great, and so does Nathan and Anna.

Maxine is a terrific middle name, sassy and strong with an appealing vintage sound. I like the way the ee sound in Annalise repeats with the ee sound in Maxine.

In fact, I don’t even have any additional suggestions for you to consider. I think you’ve chosen two terrific names, and since your husband can still call her Anna, my own vote is for Annalise. On the other hand, if he carries the day with his choice, Anna is a beautiful, classic, never-fail name.

Let’s take a vote! Which would you choose, Anna or Annalise? Poll is over to the right.

[Poll results:
Anna Maxine Cooper: 46 votes, roughly 21%
Annalise Maxine Cooper: 174 votes, roughly 79%]

Steph writes:

I’m wondering what people think of what I like to call “The Y-Spelling Phenomenon”. This is the trend of using the letter Y when spelling names that typically have no Y in them.

Examples (these are ones I’ve actually seen):

— Ryver instead of River (which I have trouble with, because I keep wanting to pronounce it “Rye — ver” (“Rye bread”)
— Madisyn instead of Madison

Some names I personally love spelled with a Y … for example Alyson and Kathryn … but I wonder if that’s because they are more widely used spellings now, and so I’m okay with them because I’ve been exposed to them all my life? Is the “Y” substition the baby naming wave of the future or just a current fad to go along with the need to make popular names “unique’? I’m wondering how many of us who read the blog like this trend, or don’t personally find it to be their taste? Also, what are some of the “Y Spelling Phenomenon” names that other readers have encountered?

I don’t mind it for some names (in fact, I do think at times it can look down-right great!), but I am beginning to feel this is naming fad that’s overused and not necessarily necessary.

How far is it going to go?? “Mykynzy” for Mackenzie??

This whole thing is a future teacher like myself’s nightmare!!

Just something I thought we might ponder!

Good one, Steph! Let’s talk about it! Do you guys like Y spellings and think they make a name “a different name” (that is, you’d say that the name Madison is way overused, but the name Madysyn is a different name and not overused)? Or do you think of it as taking an overused name and making it ALSO difficult to spell? And what Y spellings have you encountered?

[Poll results: What do you think of Y spellings?
I call them “misspellings”: 127 votes, roughly 95%
I like them: 6 votes, roughly 5%]

Leigh writes:

In my desperate attempts to search the Internet for an appropriate name for my soon-to-be born son, I came across your website. My husband and I have gone round and round in our discussions about what to name him, and we’re no closer to a decision than when we started. I am due at the end of August, and I really want to start referring to him as something other than “the baby” so I feel as though I know him when he’s born! I’m a planner by nature, and it’s driving me crazy that we don’t have a name picked out.

There are a few considerations that I have when it comes to choosing a name. First, it has to sound right with our odd last name – Face. That means no “Happy”, “Smiley”, or anything else that’s already a common or cutesy phrase. Second, it shouldn’t rhyme with the last name. That rules out “Chase Face”. Third, I have many names that I won’t consider because they conjure up the image of certain students I’ve had in my teaching career or they are so common that I’ve had ten of them in my classes. I’ve been teaching for ten years, so there are too many to mention, but as examples, no “Tyler”, “Garrett” or “Matthew”.

I really think, rhythmically speaking, that the first name should have at least two syllables to go with the one syllable last name. Ideally, I would like a name with three or more syllables that can be shortened into a two syllable nickname. My husband’s main concern is that it sounds cool when spoken across the loudspeaker at his future Little League baseball games. We have a daughter already and her name is Natalie Elizabeth Face.

I’ve suggested so many combinations to my husband, I don’t know what else to do. He just doesn’t seem to like anything other than Aiden, which to me sounds too much like other modern names (Jaden, Braden, etc.) Maybe if I can give him ideas from non-biased but interested individuals, he will be more open to considering them. I would really appreciate your input! Thanks for any suggestions you may have!

Teaching is a tough profession, baby-names-wise!

You’re hoping for a 3-or-more-syllable name that could be shortened to a 2-syllable nickname, and the one that comes immediately to mind is Alexander, nickname Alex. That’s unfortunately fairly common—but maybe all your Alexanders were bright students with pleasant, respectful personalities.

This discussion has brought to light something I hadn’t realized, which is that most boy nicknames now are one syllable: Timmy and Tommy and Johnny and Ricky sound like children from another era. Still, I did find some boy names with contemporary two-syllable nicknames:

Elias, nickname Eli
Theodore, nickname Theo [suggestion withdrawn; see comment section]
Anderson, nickname Andy
Carlton, nickname Carl
Jameson, nickname Jamie
Tobias or Tobin, nickname Toby
Leonardo, nickname Leo
Jordan, nickname Jordy
Charles, nickname Charlie

Do any of those appeal? You do indeed seem double-cursed: the years and years of former students, plus a challenging surname!

I’ll put a poll to the right [poll closed; see below], but I hope the rest of you will chime in with more suggestions.

[Poll results:
Aidan: 1 vote, roughly 0%
Elias/Eli: 23 votes, roughly 15%
Theodore/Theo: 28 votes, roughly 18% [suggestion withdrawn; see comment section]
Anderson/Andy: 20 votes, roughly 13%
Carlton/Carl: 2 votes, roughly 1%
Jameson/Jamie: 14 votes, roughly 9%
Tobias or Tobin / Toby: 14 votes, roughly 9%
Leonardo/Leo: 4 votes, roughly 3%
Jordan/Jordy: 2 votes, roughly 1%
Charles/Charlie: 18 votes, roughly 11%
Alexander/Alex : 31 votes, roughly 20%]