It’s that time again, time for one of my very favorite baby-related obsessions.
The Name.
Ooh, I love me some baby names. I have my specific criteria, and I have strong opinions when I hear what other people choose to name their babies (no, not you, of course).
But this third name, I’m finding, adds yet another wrinkle to the selection process. Because, this time, we have two kids already named. Their names work with each other, stylistically, and this name should fit in the same genre. And yet… which genre?
You see, the names I already have can kind of cut two ways. On the one hand, they’re fairly classic/timeless kinds of names. On the other, they are both Old Testament/Biblical/Jewish names. I feel like the third name can tip the whole trio either into more “classic” territory, or into the “biblical” side. And while we are, in fact, Jewish… we also have a Hispanic last name and a bit of a cultural mix in our families. I’d prefer that the three names, together, come across as primarily “classic.”
Not surprisingly, I immediately turned to my favorite-ever baby name book, The Baby Name Wizard. OK, fine. If I’m being honest, I have never actually put the book away since I first got it, three and a half years ago. I’m a name geek. Periodically, a name will pop into my head, and I want to look it up. What? That’s not weird, right?
I flipped through the first part of the book, with the girl-name snapshots, and wrote down any name that even vaguely spoke to me. After the first pass, there were more than 40 names on my list. Whoops. Thankfully, though, a second look down the list ruled out nearly half of them.
I also played around on the (pretty awesome) Baby Name Wizard website. You can look up each name and get graphical representations of popularity/usage over time, as well as a nice representation of a name’s usage geographically, since a name can be a lot more popular in Montana than in Massachusetts (or vice versa).
The author also has two very cool name blogs, one with general thoughts and trends in baby naming, and one a little more centered around celebrity baby names. Plus, she just released a set of paid “Expert Tools,” which give you flexibility to put in a variety of preferences and find coordinating names. I love that you can pay for just a “single-trimester” (3-month) or “full term” (9-month) membership, as well as a full year if you’re a full-time name geek.
Lucky me, the author (Laura Wattenberg, or @BabyNameWizard on Twitter) gave me a free peek at the Expert Tools, and for someone like me, they’re a blast to play around with. I especially loved the Name Matchmaker, which allowed me to put in names I already like (or, say, the names I’ve already given my older kids), adjust my style and popularity preferences, and just say GO and find some nicely coordinating names.
If I had one complaint/request of the paid tools, it’s that I would love it if I had access to the snapshots/write-ups that she had of the names in her book. I can understand not having that content on the free site, but I’d love to be able to look it up as part of the Expert Tools.
Between the (now, slightly battered) book and the website, and M and I each taking a pass through our own lists, I can say that I think we’ve got the name figured out. Classic, maybe a little old-fashioned, not obscure but not too popular at the moment (it is not in the top 100 of the Babycenter list for 2010). Some sweet nickname options, works pretty well with my older kids’ names, and allows for my grandmother’s name as a middle name.
What is it?
Feel free to guess in the comments, but I’m staying mum until this kid makes her arrival.
- – - – - – - – - -
(Disclosure: while I was given a free trial of the Expert Tools, I was not specifically asked to write a review of them, and these words and opinions are entirely my own.)
I got nothing for you lady. I gave Bill the middle name rights for Baby 2. Bill picked Joss to the cheers of all his male friends. Ask me how much I enjoy explaining that my son is named after the creator of Buffy.
heather v recently posted..reverb10 MOMENT of 2010
I am so excited to find out what you chose! I am exactly like you. I am always e-mailing my pregnant friends name ideas (whether they’ve asked or not). Sometimes I think the only reason I even momentarily consider the idea of having a third kid is because I want another go at the name game. I’m so lucky we were limited to only names that work in Spanish and English (i.e. really just Spanish names that can be pronounced the same in English), or I never would have been able to narrow it down. I’m surprised you managed to choose “the one” this soon.
Tara recently posted..Back to School & New Dos
It wouldn’t by any chance be Eleanor, would it? I love that name, it has great nicknames (Nora being my favorite), and Eleanor Roosevelt was a pretty cool lady in my book.
Tara recently posted..Back to School & New Dos
No good guesses but I know its not the one I would have suggested because it was in the top 100. Can’t wait to hear it!!
Nicole recently posted..Craftiness- Silhouette Portraits
OK…I will bite, my guess is, oh hell, I just figured out it’s way down the list, but still in the top 100. I was going to guess Katherine, but it’s there. Hmmmm…I like Eleanor too…
Great post! I am a name geek too. I love knowing the meaning of names. Our kids are Phoebe (bright and shining), Thomas (after dad and granddad, but it means twin. too funny as he is a twin) and Liam (protector). Their names all fit them very well, so I’m happy with our choices.
I will say that sometimes I do ask pregnant women if they are discussing names or if they are keeping it to themselves. I totally understand not wanting everyone giving their opinion on the names they like.
Heather recently posted..Santa Picture!
Margaret?
Sadia recently posted..Eczema
BTW, we were still weighing Rachel and Melody when the girls were born. We kept switching between Jessica Rachel and Melody Maria and Rachel Maria and Jessica Melody. Had a gone into labour a few days later, Mel could have very easily been Rachel.
Sadia recently posted..Eczema
Fun! I guess Rachel (probably not, because not too many nicknames) or Madeleine spelled in the way that takes it out of the top 100.
I’m going to guess it is one off my list – Eleanora or Catherine. Nora [yourlastname] would sound awesome. I’d be fine if you used Josephine or Penelope – those also have good nickname potentials (Poppy was another nickname we considered for Penny) but I think those are a bit too “English” for you…
We had a really hard time naming baby #3, too! Like you, we had twins first and went with Benjamin and Jonah. Then when we found out we were having ANOTHER boy, we were toally stymied… We chose the only name we could both agree on: Silas!
(if any of our boys had been girls we would’ve gone with Rachel and/or Rebekah!)
SeaBird recently posted..Space Shuttle blast-off
I’m not going to even try guessing the name. I found it much easier coming up with girl names. When I found out I was having a boy, that’s when things got tricky! I’m curious to find out where my son’s name is on the popularity list. Probably way down there (I hope.)
Barefoot Liz recently posted..Longaberger Special Sale
Hmm…don’t think it is Biblical/jewish, but for some reason my guess is Clara. I am also guessing that I am totally off the mark, but this is the old fashioned name that came to mind.
Krissy recently posted..A Wonderful Gift
No guesses. Hm. But now I’m super curious.
I actually HAD a guess and then remembered that it’s YOUR name LOL! (man, I need more coffee.)
Nancy recently posted..A Message From …