Celebrity Baby Names: Nameberry’s Ten Best of 2010
2010 was most notable in celebrity baby names for being more sedate than in recent years. Instead, stars shocked by ignoring attention-grabbing choices like Bronx and Moxie in favor of such assertively normal names as Benjamin (John Travolta and Kelly Preston) and Grace (Mark Wahlberg).
The best of 2010’s celebrity baby names evidenced style and individuality. Here are our top picks:
LOUIS BARDO – Sandra Bullock wins the Oscar for Best Celebrity Baby Name of 2010, for choosing Louis Bardo for her newly-adopted son. Louis is a classic royal name that’s stylish throughout Europe – the Lewis spelling is Number One in Scotland – but relatively ignored here, and Bardo is an obscure name borne by a German saint (Bullock’s mother was German) and also the Buddhist concept of an intermediate state, perhaps symbolic of Bullock’s own transformation from B-movie queen to Academy Award-winning actress, from scorned wife to single mom.
COSIMA – This Greek name meaning “universe” was chosen in the same month by both supermodel Claudia Schiffer and hipster power couple Sofia Coppola and Thomas Mars, elevating it from obscurity (fewer than five baby girls received the name in the U.S. last year) to stardom.
ABEL JAMES – The whole Cain thing has mitigated against the ascendance of Abel as a baby name, which is a shame given its simplicity, its history, and its ready and willing connotation. Its choice by Amy Poehler and Will Arnett may help elevate it to the position it deserves.
NELLY MAY LOIS – Musicians don’t usually have a taste for gentle vintage baby names, but Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook and Zoe Ball chose this granny-style name for their newborn daughter. Even the spelling of Nelly is unflashy, and while May is back in a style as a middle name, Lois is still rarely heard outside the bingo parlor.
AMADEUS BENEDICT EDLEY LUIS – American parents have been moving toward the British tradition of using two middle names, but why stop there? Boris Becker chose this 11-syllable moniker for his fourth son, but we love the surprising mix of styles, ethnicities, and eras. Mozart’s real middle name was Theophilus, but he preferred the Latin version.
CHAPLIN HADDOW — Carrying on her family’s heritage of distinctive names, the actress Ever Carradine chose the great silent clown as a namesake for her daughter.
FLORENCE ROSE ENDELLION – British prime minister David Cameron and wife Samantha chose this classic name for their newborn daughter. New standard middle name Rose almost knocks it out of “best” contention, but Cornish saints’ name Endellion elevates it. The legendary Endellion was the goddaughter of King Arthur.
MARCELLO DANIEL – Diablo Cody knows you can’t go wrong with an o-ending name, so she chose this Latin lover name, which derives from the mythical Mars, for her newborn son.
BILLIE BEATRICE — Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane’s bouncy alliterative choice balances a sassy nickname with a cool classic in the middle.
McGREGGOR EDWARD – We love genuine surnames used as first names, and applaud this unique choice of One Life to Live star Bree Williamson. The takeaway, you can move beyond such Waspy choices as Carter and Porter to ethnic family names from O’Brien to Chan as first names.
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BasicSand Says:
chakrateeze Says:
I’m an Golden Age of Film buff. I mean the superior quality of the general movie made before 1945, is undeniable. (I’m NOT talking against later instant classics, I’m talking about the simple, average movie had fresher concepts, the film making employed innovations that are stilled used today and the out-and-out GLAMOR of the stars made them the BEST!)
That said, Chaplin? first thing I think of is “Chapped.” Which isn’t difficult when the windchill outside is untenably vicious.
Elle Says:
Billie Beatrice is terrible! I’m sorry but Billie is not a cute name for a girl. Beatrice is nice but Billie is yucky!
My favorites on the list are Cosima and McGreggor. Those are very nice sounding names.
Kiki Says:
Chaplin? And on a girl? Will they use Chappie as a nickname do you think?
I’m curious about Louis and how it is pronounced. In French the many kings who carried the name pronounced it Lou-ee I believe, whereas Lewis I’ve only heard pronounced as Lou-iss.
Macy Says:
I think nearly all of those are terrible choices. Billie, Chaplin and Nelly are awful names, especially on girls. McGreggor is a terrible surname to use as a first name. Amadeus Benedict just reads elderly to me, not appealing at all.
Cosima and Marcello save this list.
Michelle Says:
The only name I really love on this list is Florence Rose Endellion, as it is both classy and absolutely gorgeous.
babynamesrule Says:
I LOVE Cosima. It’s such a beautiful, classy, unique name. And Abel seems to be really popular-a couple I know seriously considered it for their son.
Lyndsay Says:
I love Cosima. I can’t wait to see how many are born in 2010, there will surely be more than 5! Florence Rose Endellion is gorgeous, and Louis Bardo is just so charming.
SadieSadie Says:
I love that Abel was used!
A lot of people are saying these names are horrible, but really compared to some of the insane names out there these are quite sweet and above average. It seems that celebrities can’t win no matter what they do.
Isabel Says:
This list is a little disappointing. While Louis Bardo, Cosima Violet (why didn’t you mention Claudia Schiffer’s daughter is Cosima VIOLET?) & Florence Rose Endellion are all gorgeous, the others are somewhat average.
What about Neil Patrick Harris’ twins Harper & Gideon? Or Leo Benjamin, son of Jeff Gordon & Ingrid Vandebosch? Or India Pearl, daughter of Georgina Chapman Harvey Weinstein?
Gingersnap Says:
I’m really surprised that people like the name Florence. There are several Florences in my family tree, along with Winifreds, and both names make me cringe. But there’s no accounting for the names that appeal to people – to each her or his own. I’m impressed by India Pearl. It certainly has a lovely, regal ring to it. Marcello sounds very affected to me, unless the baby is Italian. But I wish these kids luck in carrying their names well.
Tori Says:
I love David Cameron’s daughter’s name it’s sooooo pretty.
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Love, love, love the name Cosima! I just hope it doesn’t become too popular like Sophia or Isabel.