Happy Thanksgiving Baby Names!
This week’s news includes names inspired by restaurants, presidents, animals, numbers, and the far east. And then of course, there’s our Happy Thanksgiving baby names.
Thanksgiving names: gratitude, history and food
Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating it! If you’re looking for a name inspired by the holiday, there are plenty of ideas in this blog, from names meaning thankful to old-fashioned virtues to passengers on the Mayflower. Oceanus, Damaris and Remember always stand out to me as especially, well, memorable.
A mainstay of the holiday is, of course, sharing food. But while there are plenty of tasty names out there, from subtle Rosemary to not-so-subtle Peaches, there probably aren’t many babies named after restaurant chains. One of them will be Olivia Garton. Her name is a nod to Olive Garden restaurants, which hold a special place in her parents’ hearts, while also showing her Italian heritage. It demonstrates yet again that just because a name is popular, that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.
If you do know a Wendy, a Chuck, or anyone else named after a favorite eating place, do share!
Presidental siblings
Staying with the patriotic theme, here’s a presidential name challenge. These parents from Nebraska picked out the names Raegan and Harrison for their first children, then realised they had a theme going on. Now they also have Lincoln and Truman, and a fifth child on the way.
They’ve hinted that the baby’s name will probably end in N. That makes the candidates (in order of the name’s current popularity in the US) Madison, Jackson, Nixon, Wilson, Jefferson, Clinton, Johnson, Washington, Buchanan, and Van Buren (ok, Van is in the Top 1000, but Buren hasn’t charted since 1974). Or maybe they’ll break with the surname tradition and use Franklin. Which would you choose?
Usable Japanese names
Now for a name that mixes Japanese cool with the sounds that English-speaking parents are loving right now.
Kevin Hart and his wife Eniko Parrish have just welcomed a son, Kenzo Kash. Kenzo is a savvy choice, only a letter away from rising star Enzo but with a tenth of the popularity – it was given to 103 boys in the US last year. It also blends elements of both parents’ names, and feels like a good match with the modern names of Kevin’s older children, Heaven and Hendrix.
If you’re looking for Japanese names like Kenzo that fits easily into the anglophone naming landscape, others include Raiden, Kai, Mai, Ria and Hana.
Trending names: animals and numbers
Also in the running for most on-trend name of the week is Wolf Nine. Wolf was born last week to British footballer Andy Carroll and his partner Billi Mucklow.
If you’re an avid name nerd, a baby called Wolf may not feel like a novelty any more. This year we’ve already seen Zooey Deschanel’s son Charlie Wolf, and Bam Margera’s son Phoenix Wolf is due over the winter. Not to mention Liam and Cheryl Payne’s son Bear and another recent British football baby called Lion.
But out there in the real world, Wolf is still under the radar as a first name. It’s starting to rise, but was still only given to 67 boys in the US in 2016.
And as for his middle name – if you’re thinking it reminds you of David Beckham’s daughter Harper Seven, you’d be right. 9 is the number on dad Andy’s football shirt. Now that we’ve come to accept Eleven as a name (thanks, Stranger Things), maybe we’ll see even more number names soon.
What’s hot in Singapore
Trends in baby naming aren’t limited to the English-speaking world, of course. In Singapore, according to this article, parents are increasingly choosing names from Standard Chinese or Western culture over traditional local ones – but some still consult feng shui practitioners and genealogy books for inspiration.
Western names spotted in Singapore include Rain, Ailsa, Rhaego (of Game of Thrones fame), and number/music legend name Sixx.
Kimye baby: the latest suggestions
Finally, returning to number names, could that be a trend that Kim and Kanye run with for their daughter? With their love of the brightest and the best, Prima might appeal. It’s no sillier than some of these suggestions. Star doesn’t seem too far off the mark, but apparently Kim isn’t feeling the vibes for that name.