July Babyberries: Asa & Augusta & Atticus
By Linda Rosenkrantz
Yes, yes, yet another bonanza of great names this month—fabulous firsts, interesting middles, harmonious sibsets! And, once again, the intriguing stories behind these July baby names. First of all, three lovely pairs of twin girls:
Antoinette July and Cordelia Somerset
Estelle Ophelia and Scarlett Allison
Giselle Victoria and Tatiana Louisa
The name Margot got a lot of love this month, used once as a first name and twice in the middle. The one name that was chosen twice: Isaac. And there were two exotic blooms: Magnolia and Primrose. Some interesting middles: Matisse, July, Somerset, Appleby and Eryx. And some fascinating comments to explain it all…
GIRLS
Antoinette July, twin of Cordelia Somerset
“Her first name pays homage to my maternal grandmother, Anne, and the actress and director for whom Broadway’s Tony awards are named, Antoinette Perry. DH and I met working on a musical and continue to direct and teach theatre with high school students, so it pays tribute to one of our shared passions. Her nickname will be Annie. July is a month of milestones in our relationshuip, including our wedding anniversary.”
Augusta Cecile, sister of North Ellis
Bristol Evelyn Maeve, sister of Joely and Arlo
‘When it came to it and she was in our arms, she just looked more like a Catherine than a Charlotte.”
Cecily Faye Patrice, sister of Vincent Harrison
“Cecily is a name we both have always loved, and paired with Faye (another longtime favorite of mine, and a form of Faith), it means “blind faith”
Cordelia Somerset, twin of Antoinette July
‘She shares her name with the youngest daughter of Shakespeare’s King Lear, known for her loyalty and honesty. These are qualities we hope both girls will have. Her nickname is Cora. Somerset Village is an area of Bermuda where we spent our honeymoon, and that island is our favorite vacation spot. I went there with my parents growing up and we can’t wait to someday show it to our girls.”
Edith Margot, sister of Atticus Drake
“We were particularly inspired by Edith “Little Edie” Beale of the classic documentary “Grey Gardens’ and the “All About Eve” character Margo Channing, portrayed famously by Bette Davis. Interestingly, we’ve also learned that both Edith and Margot are characters (sisters, in fact) in the film “Despicable Me,” which neither my husband nor I have seen.”
Ella Ruby Green, sister of Jude, Lucy and Sky
“__We chose Emiliana to honor my Italian heritage, and Pari to honor DH’s Persian heritage. We specifically tried to find a middle name that had no Arabic roots and historical meaning. Pari were faeries in ancient Persian mythology, and Pari Satis was both the wife of an emperor and a female general. And she really does look like a little Pari!”
Estelle Ophelia, twin of Scarlett Allison
“It was important to both of us that the girls’ names were very individual, but I wanted something more somber to balance Scarlett. Eventually Estelle seemed perfect…elegant and classy, with a beautiful meaning and lovely nn options…After much waffling, I went with my favorite “guilty pleasure” name, Ophelia, for Estelle. I love the way the names sound together, and I’ve always loved the big, romantic, slightly tragic names. If she grows up to hate it, at least she won’t have to ever use it. But it’s my secret hope that as she grows up it will make her feel a little exotic and special.”
Fiona Rosalie, sister of Killian Jude, Ronan Fox, Delaney Caroline and Rory Elizabeth
Giselle Victoria, twin of Tatiana Louisa and sister of Indira, Parvati and Leela
“Giselle is named after the ballet and the other after a prima ballerina.”
Grace Ramona, sister of Caleb Nicholas and Annabel Hope
I**ndie Margot**
Magnolia Seraphine, sister of Estella Vivienne and Clementine Aurora
Maeve Josephine Quinn, sister of Annslee Belle
“Nettie: my late father was supposed to be called Henrietta if he were a girl, so this seemed like a lovely way to honour him….We decided to go with Appleby as a middle name because my great-granny only had sisters so the name Appleby was never passed on and I really wanted her to have strong ties to her past and heritage.”
Penta Matisse
“I came across the first name Penta when I was three months pregnant and vowed to use it ever since. I just thought it was a gorgeous Italian gem. I also love the futuristic feel along with the connection to geometry. Her middle name, Matisse, is inspired by DH’s favorite artist; I also like the glossy, polished feel to it. To make matters better: this is very similar to the German name Mathis, a variation of Matthew, which was my grandfather’s name!”
Pippa Millicent, sister of Mischa Noelle.
Primrose Lucia, sister of Oliver Henry and Atlas James
Scarlett Allison, twin of Estelle Ophelia
“I had always wanted to name a girl Scarlett, but my husband was “eh” on it. He confessed he had always thought his first girl would be named Carly…which I kinda hated. Then some research turned up that Carly is a nn for Scarlett, and we figured it was meant to be…The DH chose Allison…One day he came to me with stars in his eyes and asked, “What about Allison, doesn’t that sound perfect?” and that was it.”
Tatiana Louisa, twin of Giselle Victoria, sister of Indira, Parvati and Leela
BOYS
Asa Callum, brother of August Levi and Avery Spencer
Atticus James, brother of Delmer Zane and June Kahana
Augustine “Gus” Basil, brother of Linus Theodore and Polly Bloom “
His name is in honor of St. Augustine of Hippo. His middle name is in honor of St. Basil the Great and it’s also my paternal grandfather’s name. If I had had a girl, the name would have been Agnes Jane Frances.”
Drew Daniel, brother of Lily Elizabeth, Chase Steven, and Zack Frances
“We chose Drew because we wanted something not too common yet familiar.”
Emmett Brian, brother of Isla Hope and Grant William
Holden Louis, brother of Brody Alexander
“ He has been named after the main character in Catcher in the Rye, his uncle’s favorite book. Uncle T. passed away last year and would have loved to know we used his favorite name from his favorite book for his newest nephew.”
Isaac Francis Azriel, brother of Evelyn Francine Alia
James Reece, brother of Luke Russell
“Reece is my MIL’s maiden name, so a tribute to her and my husband’s grandmother, to whom he was very close.”
“Jared was just the name we loved from the very beginning and Immanuel was for Immanuel Kant.”
“We didn’t have a final name picked out when we arrived at the hospital, even though I’ve spent my entire pregnancy studying Nameberry…but luckily once our little one was here it was obvious…We chose the “in” spelling of Ronin because we wanted a name that overall signified strength, and we have ties to Japanese culture. Eryx was chosen as a middle name because of our Greek heritage (and we love names with X’s).”
“We chose Simon because we felt like it was a classic, underused name with history and we love the meaning (the listener; he who listens). I have loved the name ever since I was a young girl watching the TV show 7th Heaven. Alexander was my grandfather’s name and my husband loves that it means ‘defender’.”
Wayland Luke, brother of Whitney (Whit) Levi and Knox Rivers