Comments on: TAKING BABY NAMES SERIOUSLY

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:12:35 +0000

Vivian is a good name. Nice rhythm, love the v sound. Plus, I’d assume the meaning has to do with life? In a depression, that’s a great name meaning to have!

By: iris1973

iris1973 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:57:17 +0000

We are seriously considering Sylvia; although we prefer the Shakespearean spelling Silvia. I’m not sure why this name hasn’t had a resurgence considering its familiar sound to Sophia; its meaning (of the forest); its romantic namesakes (Sylvia Plath, Rhea Silvia – the mother of Romulus and Remus); and if for no other reason, the absolutely to-die-for sonnet written for her by Mr. Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen of Verona:
Who is Silvia? what is she,
That all our swains commend her?
Holy, fair, and wise is she;
The heaven such grace did lend her,
That she might admirèd be.
Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness.
Love doth to her eyes repair,
To help him of his blindness,
And, being helped, inhabits there.
Then to Silvia let us sing,
That Silvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing
Upon the dull earth dwelling:
To her let us garlands bring.

How are we not swooning over this one??

By: Esme

Esme — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:21:39 +0000

Alicia – Clara and Arthur are our top picks, too!

By: linda

linda — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:13:48 +0000

I’m not so sure that what happened in the last Depression will necessarily repeat itself now — people’s attitudes towards baby naming has changed a great deal in the last 80 years!

By: NJ

NJ — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 01:31:40 +0000

Laura Wattenburg says, using actual statistics from naming during the great depression, blogged that:

names for boys will get exchanged for the cuter and more friendly (Theodore for Teddy). During the depression is was more of Jimmy over James, and Charlie over Charles.

Girls names will become glamorous, with many namesakes for the movie stars (like Scarlette, or Kiera). During the depression you would have seen Marlene or Carole.

By: lulu

lulu — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:13:19 +0000

i must be so starchy and serious as edith, esther, iris, louise, olive, penelope and vivian are favs for girls; and charles, edward instead of edmund, fredderick, george, lewis and theodore are up high on my list

By: Emmy Jo

Emmy Jo — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:32:05 +0000

I, for one, would love to someday be writing Clara, Eleanor, Rosalind, Arthur, Kenneth, or Frederick on my children’s lunchboxes (or in the cubbies of my first grade students). You have quite a few of our top choices on here! But I don’t think my selections have anything to do with the economy — these names have been on my list for quite some time.

I agree with Peach that quite a few seem more romantic and whimsical than dowdy.

By: peach

peach — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:22:42 +0000

I’d like to see Clara, Florence, Iris, Marian, Penelope, Rosalind make a comeback: they maybe serious but they have a bit of whimsy to them as well. Our someday future boy is going to be Charles but for other reasons. I also like Arthur, Clifford, George, Vincent. I think most of these names could be called sophisticated before they are called dowdy.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:52:42 +0000

Clara and Arthur are our top picks!!! That’s a little crazy.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:48:19 +0000

I love Theodore and would love to see that make a resurgence.