Baby Name News: Mabel Jane, Betsy-Blu and Next Baby Baldwin
Celebrity baby girl names: Mabel and Alana
If you’re looking for a sweet feminine name, this week’s celebrity births might inspire you.
Mabel Jane is the new daughter of actors Ashley Hinshaw and Topher Grace. Gently vintage without being frilly, both her names are fmiliar but not super-popular: Mabel is #513 and Jane is #279. Mabel is one to watch, though: it’s risen fast since re-entering the top 1000 in 2013, and it’s just outside the top 100 on the Nameberry chart.
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo welcomed a daughter, Alana Martina. She joins siblings Cristiano Jr, Mateo and Eva. According to a video on Ronaldo’s social media a couple of weeks before the birth, naming her was a democratic process: each parent chose one name. It’s lucky they go together so well!
New names in Portugal: Arya and Arthur
It’s been a big week for name news from Portugal. The country has a list of approved baby names for parents to choose from…and it’s just had an overhaul. The new list includes every name registered for Portuguese citizens since 2013. (Here’s the full explanation in Portuguese of what’s allowed.)
There are some surprising additions, according to the Portuguese name blog Nomes e Mais Nomes, including many names from other languages. The new girls’ names include Arya, Charlotte, Djenyfer, Margot, Mathilde, and Mel, and for boys Arthur, Bentley, Djhonathas, Henry, and Charles–David. In fact, quite a few hyphenated names appear on the list, although these aren’t as common in Portugal as they are in, say, the UK.
If you love nothing more than perusing a long list of names, it’s well worth a read. Or if you’re looking for solid classic Portuguese names, here are some of the best.
Colorful hyphenated names
Those hyphenated names remind me of British brothers Callum–Blue and Casper–Lee, who appeared in the news earlier this year. Callum–Blue was named after the paramedic, Callum, who helped to deliver him – the parents were looking for a C-name to match his brother, so it worked out perfectly.
They’re not the only parents to use this color in a double-barrel name. Other combinations that have made the charts in England and Wales over the years include Oakley–Blue for boys, and for girls, Betsy–Blu, Lola–Blu, Tallulah–Blu, and the descriptive Sky–Blue and Ocean–Blu.
New Icelandic names: Aríel and Ylfingur
Good news for Little Mermaid fans in Iceland! The Icelandic Naming Committee, which is well-known for only permitting names that fit the rules of the language, has also added new names to its official list. The latest additions for girls are Alísa, Alíana, Aríel (it was already allowed for boys) and Selina. And for boys, Jónsi (a diminutive worn by the lead singer of the band Sigur Rós), and the wolfish Ylfingur (the Ylfings were a legendary clan in Old Norse literature).
On the other hand, if you’re hoping to name your Icelandic baby Mia or Zion, you’re out of luck: these names don’t make the list.
Banned beer names
Is it ever ok to give a baby a beer name? Stella, Bud and Primo are all names in their own right, and the resemblance to beer brands is coincidental, but you can’t say the same for Pilzner.
In another tale of Scandinavian naming laws, parents in Sweden have been refused permission to call their son Pilzner. The inspiration is Pilsner lager, but it’s also a family name of sorts: it was the nickname of the baby’s grandfather, and dad has legally added it to his own name. It looks like his son will have to wait until he’s old enough to do the same – and old enough to discover his beer of choice.
Naming baby Baldwin
Finally, if you’re on celebrity baby watch, some disappointing news for you. Showbiz couple Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, who already have sons called Leonardo and Rafael (as well as a daughter, Carmen) have said that they won’t be calling their next son Donatello or Michelangelo. If not those, then what? Sophie made a spot-on prediction for Leonardo’s name, so the new baby’s name might be on her list too. Still, it seems a shame: opportunities to raise a brood of Ninja Turtles don’t come along every day.