13 Latest Starbaby Word Names
By Linda Rosenkrantz
The dictionary and the thesaurus have invaded the baby name universe big time, especially if you include all the nature and color and virtue names. Journey and Genesis, Forest and Faith, Maverick and Melody, Ace and Chase, Sage and Summer—I’m sure we could all go on forever.
And celebrities are far from immune to this trend. Let’s take a look at the word names they’ve chosen just in the past year, some of them newly introduced to the baby world.
Arrow—Maybe it’s because of all the archery images we’ve been seeing in pop culture (Archer is another name that’s climbing), but suddenly the straight-shooting Arrow has shot into the realm of possibility for the first time, now ranking at Number 437 on Nameberry. Supernatural star Jensen Ackles covered the word trend from A to Z when he and his wife named their twins Arrow (girl) and Zeppelin (boy). Their big sister has another word name—Justice.
Boomer—He’s not a Baby Boomer, but Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’s son (that’s him pictured in illustration) is definitely a baby Boomer. The Gold Medalist simply explained that he thought the name was ‘different and cool’.
Cypress—An elegant tree name that shares a friendly nickname with Cyrus, Cypress was chosen by Boardwalk Empire’s Jack Huston, a nephew of Anjelica H. Cypress Night Huston has a sister named Sage Lavinia—again, this trend seems to run in families.
Dream—The latest Kardashian Kid is the daughter of Rob K. and Blac Chyna, named, it was said, as “Dream was Rob’s favorite name because it was always his dream to have a baby.” Not the first starbaby named Dream—Sole and Ginuwine have a daughter named Dream Sarae and basketball star Allen Iverson named his son Dream Elijah—there were nearly 100 girls named Dream last year. Dream Kardashian joins word-named cousins North and Saint.
Dusty—This nickname-word name, which hasn’t been heard much since the days of Dusty Springfield (born Mary O’Brien), was the choice of another singer, Adam Levine. Dusty Rose was one of five names suggested to Levine and partner Behati Prinsloo by Ellen DeGeneres.
Golden—Golda and Goldie have long been used for girls; Nick Cannon used the shimmery (and aspirational) adjectival form for his son born this year.
Lyric—Backstreet Boy AJ McLean, with wife Rochelle, chose this musical word name that has been favored by musicians and other celebs since the 1980s. It’s one of the most popular word names for girls, on the lists since 1995 and now ranking at #289.
Major—Military rank name Major—chosen by Eva Amurri and Kyle Marino—is a lot more popular than you might think. Reminiscent of the David Bowie song ‘Major Tom’ and a character on iZombie, it currently ranks at #360, having been on the SSA list since 1880.
Ode—Actress Jenna Malone gave her son the poetic name Ode Mountain— a new addition to the category of literary word names, joining the softer Sonnet, Story and Poet.
Onyx—Onyx Solace, an inspired choice by Alanis Morissette for her daughter—a strong, rarely used gem name for a girl, balanced by her serene, equally unusual, middle.
Winner—Yes this baby is a winner—could a name be more positive? Chosen by rapper Nya Lee for her baby girl, Winner is a new and positive unisex option with cute nickname Winnie.
Zen—Actress Zoe Saldana passed on her distinctive first initial to her third son with this spiritual Buddhist name.
Zeppelin—Chosen by not one but two celebrities—first Jonathan Davis of Korn in 2007, and now by the Jensen Ackleses for the twin brother of Arrow—perhaps as a salute to Led Zeppelin? Conjures up a nostalgic image of an airship floating in the sky. Zeppelin Davis, by the way, has an older brother named Pirate.
And a few more recently arrived word-named starbabies:
Heiress—“T.I.” and “Tiny” Harris