Colorful Baby Names: Rainbow, Aurora and Jett
There have been some colorful baby names–if not wacky ones–in the Nameberry 9 this week, as reported by Appellation Mountain’s Abby Sandel.
It has been a great week for gutsy, even wacky girls’ names, led by Girl Next Door alum, Holly Madison.
Before we get to her new daughter’s colorful moniker, let’s pause and consider the other issue Madison raised: to share or not to share your baby’s name in advance?
Madison split the difference.
She hinted throughout her pregnancy that she was going to choose something different, even comparing it to that much-maligned celeb kid choice, Apple.
And then, just a few weeks before giving birth, she tweeted a snapshot of Rainbow Brite’s Colour Buggy with a one-word caption – need.
I’d been pouring over her Twitter feed looking for clues to her baby’s name, and completely missed that one.
So the choices for expectant parents in 2013 are: tell the world your name before the arrival, keep mum until you’ve already made it official, or use social media to drop broad hints to all of your faithful followers.
Maybe it is time to start monitoring Jessica Simpson’s tweets.
On to the names, most of which are meant for Team Pink, but a few boys’ names grabbed headlines this week, too:
Rainbow – Animated children’s characters like Rainbow Brite and Rainbow Dash spring to mind, and there’s a hippie vibe to this one, too. But Madison says she borrowed the name from a former classmate. Here’s a thought: assuming Holly and Rainbow were both born in 1979 or 1980, was her friend named after the rock band? Rainbow scored their first big hit mid-79 with hard rock anthem “Since You Been Gone.” Ving Rhames has a daughter named Reignbeau, and one of Jamie Oliver’s girls wears this one in the middle spot. It’s a daffy, daring name, but in our era of Daisy and Sky, Scarlett and Blue, something tells me we could hear more of this colorful nature word choice.
Bo – Another reason to consider Rainbow? Mini name Bo seems to be quite stylish for both genders these days. Swistle and her readers compiled a long list of possible formal names for Bo, ranging from Elizabeth to Deborah to Bowen, and yes, Rainbow is there, too. Isabeau is still my personal favorite.
Hero Peregrine – Compared to Rainbow, the literary, mythological Hero almost feels restrained. Hero is the new daughter of actress Cree Summer – remember her as Freddie on A Different World? She joins big sister Brave Littlewing.
Margot – Then there’s the second daughter of model Sophie Dahl and singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum. The couple are already parents to Lyra. The sisters are a little bit of a style mismatch, but I love both names. Margot definitely counts as the most classic choice on this week’s list.
Massimo – Alec Baldwin’s wife Hilaria mentioned that this was Alec’s suggestion if their baby-on-the-way is a boy. It’s a big name – but hey, this baby will be a Baldwin. By the end of the week the couple revealed that Massimo was off the list, as baby Baldwin is a girl. Since Alec’s older daughter is Ireland, I’m very much looking forward to this birth announcement.
Asher – American Idol alum Justin Guarini went with a modern favorite for baby #2. Son Asher joins big brother William Neko. Asher might be the hottest Old Testament name of 2013.
Aurora – If Asher is rocketing up the charts for boys, Aurora has gained quickly for girls. The goddess name picks up where 70s favorite Dawn left off. Holly Madison and Pasquale Rotella chose this for baby Rainbow’s middle name.
Jett – Journalist and television host Lisa Ling is a new mom. If Rainbow is super feminine with a double dose of color, Jett is a hard-edged choice, a brother for Slade or Cole. Then again, I’ve also heard Jett suggested as a nickname for Juliet, so somehow this feels wearable for a girl. Plus there’s a swooning, romantic Nat King Cole song called “Jet, My Love.”
Sonnet – If Jett is a bit intense and Rainbow too out there, Sonnet is the kind of unexpected name that gets it exactly right. She’s as literary as Hero, as tailored as Margot, as unexpected as Rainbow, but with a bit of edge, like Jett. This one wasn’t used by a celeb – instead, Sonnet appeared in a birth announcement at For Real Baby Names.
What’s your reaction to Rainbow? And did you keep your baby’s name a secret? Tell everyone who asked? Or drop hints?