The Nameberry 9: Princesses, Politicians and Fashionistas

The latest edition of Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel’s weekly report features nine+ eye-catching new names from around the world.

Jennifer Garner is due any second.  Do you find yourself scanning the headlines, eagerly awaiting a baby name announcement, pondering possible sibling names for Violet and Seraphina?  I’ll admit that I’m on high alert, a little jittery when I can’t keep an eyeball on Twitter.  Celebrity baby names are like Christmas morning, only we get to unwrap the surprise dozens of times a year.

Pregnancy rumors, on the other hand, feel more like the morning after St. Patrick’s Day.  Kate Middleton, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore – it is always a little bit of a let-down when the rumor isn’t true, and I feel like I shouldn’t have wasted my energy scanning speculation on gossip sites.

I need that time to dream up possible names for Jessica Simpson’s daughter.

This week’s summary focuses on nine names that are no longer under wraps.  The newsworthiest baby names last week were:

Estelle – A princess and future queen for Sweden has arrived, the daughter of Crown Princess Victoria and her husband, Daniel.  The choice of a French appellation for the Swedish heir took the nation by surprise, though Victoria’s full name includes the français Désirée, a name occasionally used by royals ever since a nineteenth century king married a Marseille-born bride.  Estelle isn’t a popular pick in Sweden – though that could quickly change.  The new princess is the first grandchild for King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife, which leads us to the next name.

Silvia – The Swedish monarch-to-be’s full name is Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary.  Last week we had Maple Sylvie on the baby names news roster.  When a Hollywood actor and Swedish royalty both use a variation of Sylvia in the same month, this could signal a name on the rise.  Remember when Michelle Duggar and Rebecca Woolf both chose Shalom for a middle name within a few weeks of each other?  As it happens, the Swedish princess is named after grandma, Queen Silvia. 

Laut – While we’re visiting Europe, here’s one that caught my eye.  Dutch singer Roel van Velzen and wife Marloes have welcomed a son named Laut Pepijn.  The singer is a mega-star in his the Netherlands, but I can’t tell if their child’s name is a rock-star rarity or perfectly on trend.  Let it be said that I am dazzled by Dutch names.  I suspect that Laut is related to Louis – and so possibly to mom’s name, which is a smoosh of Marie and Louise.  Any Dutch-speaking Berries reading?  If so, I’d love to know more.

Pixie-Rose – There were also two great birth announcements from Australia this week: Pixie-Rose, a daughter for fashion publicist Roxy Jacenko, and Knox Rocket, a son for fashion stylist and Vogue blogger Yasmin Sewell.  Let’s just say that the letter x is thriving.

Kingston – When Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale named their firstborn Kingston James McGregor in 2006, (shown in illustration), the usual headlines about crazy celeb kid names were everywhere.  Just six years later, Kingston is perfectly mainstream, having surged from obscurity to #214 last year.  American Idol alum Michael Lynche and wife Christa have called their new son Kingston Michael, a little brother for Laila Rose.

Jenico – If Kingston is ordinary, here’s one that would knock the socks off of everyone.  Nook of Name’s pick-of-the-week is a medieval form of Ignatius, first heard in Provence.  He’s quirky and classic all at once, and offers the great nickname Nico.

Clive Angus Lee – Speaking of quirky and classic, did you catch The New York Times’ photo essay about kids attending shows at New York Fashion Week?  Some were designers’ kids, while others just accompanied mom or dad to the runway shows.  Nearly all of them had names appropriate for pint-sized fashionistas, from Clive Angus Lee to a girl named Bechet, plus another called Penelope Beaux, and siblings Ray Coco and Wiley June.

Dejah – Yes, the Academy Awards are this weekend.  But I’m looking forward to a new Disney release slated for early March.  Dejah, Sola, Tars, and Sal are all character names from the Edgar Rice Burroughs series about John Carter of Mars, a Virginia-born Civil War veteran who is transported to the planet.  Burroughs is far better known for his Tarzan adventures, but the names he invented for this series are far more intriguing – and while they would’ve been wildly weird in 1912, today they feel surprisingly wearable.  Dejah is the lovely and capable princess John Carter marries.

Maclane – Any chance you read the Duluth News Tribune?  If you’re not from Minnesota or Wisconsin, you might have missed the news that Wisconsin State Assembly member Nick Milroy (who was born in the Minnesota city of Duluth) and wife Julie are new parents to son Maclane River.  The sound is vaguely geographic, but it is also that most rare of names – a Mac/Mc pick that feels decidedly masculine.

Spotted any interesting names this week?