Eve, Everly, and Marcus: Baby Names in the News
This week for her Nameberry 9, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel proves that baby names can come from anywhere .
No, it’s your politics.
This week’s baby name news was packed with explanations for why we choose the names we do.
Some of the research rings true. We know that the parents’ age matters. So does where they live, their educational level, and lots of other demographic data. And hey, it’s more interesting to read all that analysis than, say, another essay dismissing unusual baby names as silly and self-indulgent.
The names in this week’s baby name news were all over the place, from the sweetly vintage to the thoroughly modern.
Call me crazy, but I think that great names can be chosen by any one, regardless of their background. The community of the name obsessed is diverse, incredibly welcoming, and forever surprising.
As proof, I give you Snooki. The Jersey Shore alum, and mom to Lorenzo Dominic, continues to advise her fellow celebs on names for their little ones. Suddenly, I’m eager to meet Nicole Polizzi for coffee.
I think she’s one of us.
On to the baby names in the news:
Jane – The wife speaks! Joanna Goddard’s husband wrote the New York Times piece about baby name anxiety. It turns out that they’re all set if baby #2 is a girl. She’ll be Jane, a name that is pleasing and classic, but still feels very 2013. Should their new arrival be a boy, Joanna admits that they’re at sea. The big-brother-to-be is Tobias.
Estelle – Another mom-to-be shared her thoughts on naming. NBC’s Today correspondent Jenna Wolfe has been blogging about her pregnancy on Today Moms. This week she wrote about her daughter’s “puzzle of a name.” I’m charmed by her intent to use her late grandmother’s name, Estelle, as a first or middle. In our age of Stella, I think Estelle is ready for a comeback.
Eve – Congrats go to Kate Winslet and her husband Ned Rocknroll. (No, it’s not his real last name. He was born Ned Smith.) She has kids named Mia Honey and Joe Alfie from previous relationships. This one sounds like the ending to a Hollywood movie: Ned is the nephew of Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. Kate was vacationing on the Branson family’s private island when a house caught fire. The actress rescued Eve Branson – Richard’s mum – from the fire, and met Ned, too. And so it is rumored that the couple is considering Eve for their new baby together.
Everly – From the enduring Eve to the modern Everly! Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewar welcomed their first child last week. Everly just entered the US Top 1000 in 2012. If she wasn’t already a sure-fire hit, she is now.
Avalon – The only crazy names are the ones that you don’t know the stories behind. This writer is dismissive of Sparrow and Apple, but has great reasons for choosing her kids’ names. Son Nixon wears a family surname, and daughter Avalon is named after a significant place. It’s a good reminder that the parents’ reasons for making a choice matter.
Justice Jay – No word on why actors Jensen Ackles and Danneel Harris Ackles chose Justice Jay for their new daughter, but the couple shared that they’ll be calling her JJ. When it comes to middle names, is Jay the new Ray?
Cash – Actors Will Yun Lee and Jennifer Birmingham are also new parents. They went with Cash for their baby boy. So did Kelcey from Mama Bird Diaries.
Ledger – The wise Mama Bird Diaries also tipped me off to a new reality show on Lifetime. Pretty Wicked Moms is yet another series set in Atlanta. It’s exactly what you think. I tuned in for the kids’ names, and while most are predictable – Addison, Dylan – I was rewarded with some unusual picks, like Amzie and Ledger.
Marcus Anthony – Speaking of reality TV, it’s another Duggar baby! The firstborn of the nineteen Duggar kids, Josh, and his wife Anna welcomed their third child. Their older kids are Mackynzie and Michael. No telling how many children the family will eventually include, but it looks like they’re married to the letter M.
This is the first time I’ve absolutely loved a Duggar baby name. Could it be proof that politics aside, baby names unite as much as they divide?
Have you spotted any great names this week?