July Birth Announcements: Hawthorne, Hector and Wren
By Linda Rosenkrantz
July was a really rich month for berrybaby name choices, with boys name Hawthorne and Wren and two girls with the middle name of Marigold. Other particularly interesting middles for girls included St. Louis and Zélie. And there was a multitude of multiples as well. Here’s the full list of this year’s July baby names, with some of the intriguing reasons behind the choices.
GIRLS
“Anya has been my favorite name since I first saw the animated movie Anastasia and I can’t think of it, hear it or say it without a smile on my face….I feel like it’s classy; unusual enough that she won’t have too many kids her age with the same name but not enough to be weird; easy to spell and say; sounds sweet, bubbly, lovely and warm…”
“We wanted something classic but fun at the same time. We had a lot of trouble trying to conceive and loved that Beatrix means ‘she who brings happiness’ because she’s done nothing but that. Rose because we got engaged at a picnic at the Rose Garden at our Botanic Gardens.”
Caroline Rose, twin of Evelyn Pearl
Diana Z**élie,** sister of Eva Marceline
“We chose Diana…because it felt like it could stand the test of time. It also felt full of girl power and strong without losing its femininity. I will not deny that the Wonder Woman film impacted this choice. Z__élie is a beloved French name that we chose for being upbeat, unique and adorable sounding, especially in an English-speaking setting.”
“Eleanor was my late maternal grandmother’s name—although she went by Billie. (The story goes that her father, realizing that with 6 daughters he was never getting a son, just started calling his youngest by a boy’s name.)”
Evelyn Pearl, twin of Caroline Rose
“Evelyn was a compromise with my husband between my beloved Everly name and his chosen Genevieve name, both would have had the same nickname Evie. Pearl was my great-grandma’s name and the birthstone for June when they were born.”
Felicity Marigold, twin of Arthur Julian and sister of Theodore Vincent, Daphne Cordelia and Lydia Beatrix
Frida Lily, sister of Hazel Beatrix
“The inspiration for her name came from Mexico, its people, culture, language and colors, my favorite place in the world. …arriving into the world on the death anniversary of Frida Kahlo I couldn’t not name her after one of my favorite artists and such an amazing female role model, in many ways Mexico personified.
Kirra Jane
Lilianna, triplet sister of Jason and Toby, and sister of Sasha and Eden
“Like the flower she came to us early (and in spring!) and her name could not be more perfect—she is sweet and spunky, dainty and pretty but stronger than she looks and smells like heaven (well.. most of the time). We chose Eleanor for my husband’s grandma, who was so happy to find out we’d named our daughter for her. She’s an angel of a woman and I can only hope our little Nolie will be as gentle, kind, and strong as shei s. I’m so happy I went with my gut and gave her the name I loved, rather than choosing a name that everyone recognizes. Turns out, everyone loves her ‘pretty’ and ‘unique’ name.”
Maria Marigold, sister of Hugo Vincent, Larkspur Cynthia, Jasper Wyatt, Theda Rosemary and Rupert Willow
“We realize that in terms of name Maria Marigold could be a bit repetitive, but to us it is perfect, especially when 90% of the time she is actually called Masha and because it’s a name that is vibrant, just as she is, and we think it embodies how we feel about her adoption and arrival: an indescribably sense of warmth, fulfillment and joy.”
Marina Lucille, sister of Thomas Leon, Max Gabriel, Eva Rosalie and Julia Mireille
“…as this will be our last baby, I really felt the need to honor my best friend Emilia…She’s a wonderful, strong Latina woman and so I felt that honoring her trumped any other name chosen just because we liked it. However, as much as my husband and I loved the name Emilia, holding our baby it didn’t feel like it was her name. So, as she usually does, my friend Emilia butted in and suggested Marina, which honors her through her very Italian last name and…is a very important part of who she is.”
Meredith Jane, twin of Theresa Marie and sister of Claudia Diane, Florence Adelaide, Greta Noelle and Lucille Victoria
Nell Thea, sister of Briar Edmund, Anna Louise and Elsie Cara
Rosaline Joy, sister of Liam Anthony
“Her first name is a combo of my middle and her father’s grandmother: Rose and Eileen. So it is pronounced Rosa-leen. Her middle name is after my MIL, her grandma Joyce, who passed away just after Easter. Losing her to lung cancer has broken our family’s heart but little Rosie (as she’s already being called) is helping us to heal.”
Theresa Marie, twin of Meredith Jane and sister of Claudia Diane, Florence Adelaide, Greta Noelle and Lucille Victoria
BOYS
Abraham “Bram” Sirius, brother of Ronan Fox and Theodore River
“Bram seemed perfect as we wanted something recognizable, but less common. Sirius fit with our nature theme and seemed particularly awesome, as it is the brightest star in the night sky.”
“Archer is the name of my DP and I have always loved it, due to its outdoorsy feel and down to earth nature. Louis is after my mum Louise, and Warren is my DP’s surname.”
Arthur Julian, twin of Felicity Marigold and brother of Theodore Vincent, Daphne Cordelia and Lydia Beatrix
Hawthorne Walter, brother of Logan Patrick, Ava Charlotte, Estella Jane, Julia Elise and Olive Eileen
“…was born July 4th! I was delighted to later find out that Nathaniel Hawthorne was also a 4th of July baby.”
Hector Christian, brother of Felix Andrew
“Hector felt like a bit of an ‘out there’ choice, and we came across a fair amount of resistance to it, but when it came to it, it was still our top choice. He’s partly named after my great grandfather, Hector Augustus, who left Scotland to begin a new life halfway across the globe.”
Jason, triplet brother of Lilianna and Toby and brother of Sasha and Eden
Maxwell George, brother of Grace Katherine
“I wanted an old-fashioned name to compliment Grace’s sweet, traditional name, while my husband wanted the boy’s name to be strong, spunky and rockstar. George is my husband’s grandfather, but also a name we liked and thought complemented Maxwell.”
“His name is a nod to author Astrid Lindgren, whose books I’m named after as well.”
Theodore Atlas, brother of Daphne Lane
“We like the o-ending of Theo (considered Leo and Arlo too) and that Theodore is Greek like big sister Daphne. Atlas was a nod to my love of travel as well as Charles Atlas (my husband has loved weight lifting his whole life).”
Toby, triplet brother of Jason and Lilianna, and brother of Sasha and Eden
Wren Adler, brother of Eero Alexander
“In a happy twist, we realized Wren and big brother Eero have a shared meaning! Eero means eternal ruler and we discovered (after the fact) Wren is actually a Welsh name meaning ruler, so a very funny coincidence!”