It’s pretty obvious that some popular names start a daisy chain of cousins that become equally popular, as was seen most recently in the progression of a group of top girls’ names beginning with E.  First there was Emily, which was the Number 1 name from 1996 to 2007.  One year after that, Emma reached the top spot, only to be trailed by Ella, who has now been in the Top 20 since 2008.

Yet as recently as the 1980s, Ella wasn’t even in the Top 1000, seen as a rather frumpy has-been, stuck in appellation limbo.  Which leads us to wonder who will be next?  Which two-syllable E-name will escape from the lower depths to follow in this progression?

The leading contenders:

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There’s something undeniably cool and, well, jazzy, about many of the distinctive names of jazz musicians.  Take the ultimate example, the personification of cool –Miles Davis– who imparted an eternally silky, seductive veneer to his name, as did Quincy Jones.

The inimitable Ella Fitzgerald gave her name a jazzy edge long before Ella was anywhere near the top of the pop lists.  Names like Ray and Roy, Cecil and Percy and Dexter all take on an appealing funkiness and rise to another level when looked at in the context of jazz.

And then there are the great unique specimens—Bix, Django, Eubie, Thelonius—all exceptionally cool baby names–that might appeal to the intrepid jazz aficionado.

The surnames of jazz immortals can be considered as well, just as they have by a few celebs—model Helena Christensen’s Mingus, and Woody Allen’s Bechet, for example.  The middle name of Wynton Marsalis’s son Jasper is Armstrong; Cynthia Nixon’s boy Max has Ellington as a middle.

GIRLS

ABBEY Lincoln

ALBERTA Hunter

ANITA O’Day

BILLIE Holiday

BESSIE Smith

BLOSSOM Dearie

CARMEN McRae

CASSANDRA Wilson

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This week, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel finds fresh inspiration from the title character names on recent movie marquees.

Want to see your baby’s name in lights?

There are a few ways to go about it.  There’s the Toddlers & Tiaras approach, courting fame with elaborate hair-dos and dance routines from an early age.  Or you could choose the name of a Hollywood legend – Ava or Marlon or Humphrey.

Here’s my new favorite:  head to the multiplex.  Right now Hanna and Arthur are on the marquee.  Even if you aren’t into movies about teenaged assassins or immature playboys, odds are that you’ll notice their names.  Many a stylish appellation has graced a movie poster.

Not every name catches on, of course.  It will take more than a singing chipmunk to revive Alvin, and Americans might love the boy wizard, but we’re not naming our sons Harry – yet. 

Looking back over the past few years, choosing a baby name from movie ticket stubs might be a winning proposition.

GIRLS

Akeelah

Alice

Amelia

Beth

Bettie – Gretchen Mol portrayed controversial pin-up girl Bettie Page in a 2005 biopic.

Bridget

Charlotte

Ella

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There’s something undeniably cool and, well, jazzy, about the names of jazz musicians.  Take the ultimate example, the personification of cool –Miles Davis– who imparted a silky, seductive veneer to his name, as Quincy Jones did to his.

The inimitable Ella Fitzgerald gave hers a jazzy edge long before Ella was anywhere near the pop lists.  Names like Ray and Roy, Cecil and Percy and Dexter all take on an appealing funkiness and rise to another level when looked at in the context of jazz.

And then there are the great unique appellations—Bix, Django, Eubie, Mercer—that could appeal to the intrepid jazz aficionado baby namer.

Jazz immortals’ surnames are another possiblity,as chosen by a few celebs—model Helena Christensen called her son Mingus, and Woody Allen used Bechet, the name of one of his musical heroes, Sidney Bechet.

Here, some of the jazziest choices:

GIRLS

• ABBEY Lincoln
• ALBERTA Hunter
• ANITA O’Day
• BESSIE Smith
• BLOSSOM Dearie
• CARMEN McRae
• CASSANDRA Wilson
• CLEA Bradford
• CLEO Laine
• DAKOTA Staton
• DELLA Reese
• DINAH Washington

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