In her second blog for Nameberry, celebrity mom and name lover Natalie Hanson, who has five children with musician husband Taylor, reveals how and why they chose the adventurous Wilhelmina for their second daughter’s name.

Hello Berries! Last time I wrote to you, I shared that I was expecting a little girl and that we were searching for her perfect name. Our daughter arrived in October, and we named her Wilhelmina.  Wilhelmina is a form of William, which means “resolute protection”.  Right now I am so in love with this strong and beautiful name, and even more in love with the girl who bears it!

The story of Wilhelmina’s name starts in October 2010, two years before her arrival, when I came across the name Wilhelmina on a Nameberry list!  My first impression of the name was how strong it sounded. It was like the “Isabella” you wouldn’t want to mess with.

I decided to pass the name along to my sister-in-law, Jessica, who is a fan of strong, Germanic-warrior sounding names. Jessie appreciated the suggestion and told me it reminded her of Willa Cather, the author of Oh, Pioneers!, a book she had read a few years before.  Her choice of books did not surprise me, as I have always thought of Jessie as a sort of “pioneer woman”.  She is one of the strongest, hardest working, most loyal women you could ever know.

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This week, Appellation Mountain’s Abby Sandel finds boys’ names that are anything but traditional, and wonders if nickname-free is the new priority when naming a son.

Flip through on an old high school yearbook, and you’ll probably find pictures of William “Billy” Jones and Mary “Mimi” Smith.

For generations, there was the name your parents chose, and then there was the name you actually used.

Some names were outgrown, of course.  Others held on long after you’d expect them to fade.  My great-uncle Flash was once a high school track star, but even as a portly gentleman in his 60s, he still answered to his nickname.

Of course, Billy and Mimi and Flash grew up in an era when lots of kids shared the same names, sometimes in the same family.  Flash was really Anthony, as were a few of his cousins.  Mimi is one of three Marys on her yearbook page alone.

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In the Nameberry 9 this week, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel touches on several bases–celebrity baby names, when to reveal a name, and elements of style.

A pair of chart-topping singers dominated the baby name news with their name announcements this week.

Shakira issued a good old fashioned birth announcement.

Adele did things differently. She’s kept mum about her new baby boy’s name since his October 2012 arrival, until she was spotted sporting a necklace bearing his name.

Though I always want to know, I respect the right to delay or never make an announcement about your child’s arrival. Except that it seems to backfire. Remember the maelstrom when Tom and Katie declined to release details about Suri?

Or maybe Adele really was indecisive. My son was a few weeks old when I realized I’d overlooked the perfect middle name. Before our daughter arrived, we talked out every aspect of her name – first, middles, nickname – until we were rock solid sure.

I think we can all understand a certain hesitance to share when you’re still trying to make sure you’ve chosen well.

Because it can be tough to decide, can’t it? Does it match your other kids’ names, is it easy to pronounce, have you honored family tradition … No wonder it can take every minute of nine months and beyond to figure it out.

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Today, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel, finds some 2013 baby name predictions embedded in this week’s Nameberry 9 newsiest names.

As 2012 faded into 2013, the world welcomed many a new little life.  Re-reading birth announcements, I was struck by something.

None of them received outlandish names, but every one of them seemed nicely creative.

Some are memorable and meaningful choices, while others are mainstream firsts paired with unexpected middles.

Does it speak to an age where we won’t dismiss names as weird?  Have we stopped worrying that our children can’t be district attorneys or heart surgeons if we name them something other than Katherine or James?  Are filler middles really gone for good?

It all adds up to a great year ahead for baby names – whether you’re naming a child or just spending lots of time thinking about what we might name a child.  And that’s before we consider the latest addition to the Kardashian family …

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Appellation Mountain’s Abby Sandel picks out the nine most noteworthy names of the week.  This time, she’s got to travel far to find them.

With new arrivals at Yahoo! HQ and in Trump Tower, I thought this week was going to be all about preppy boy names.  Yates and Bennett and company, the kind of choices that scream rep tie and polo pony.

But somehow, the rest of the world crept in and I was reminded that American celebrities aren’t the only ones welcoming new babies with lovely, intriguing appellations.  Of course, celebrity baby names that sound mainstream in Belgium or Belize might feel quite exotic in the English-speaking world, and the opposite is equally true.

Foreign language baby name blogs report that homegrown celebrities have an impact on naming trends everywhere.  While those influences are rarely felt in the US, they can capture our attention, especially should their parent strike it big in Hollywood or score an international hit single.

The nine most intriguing names this week come from all over the planet:

Spencer Frederick – Spencer is a preppy choice with ties to the golden age of Hollywood – a fitting name for a little Trump.  Donald, Jr. and wife Vanessa are also parents to Kai Madison, Donald John III, called Donnie, and Tristan Milos.  I think Spencer Frederick is my favorite of the four.

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