Name Guru to the Stars: Naming American Royalty
The US doesn’t have a monarchy, but I’d argue that we still have royals. Certain political families — especially the Kennedys — have royal-like status, as do A-list celebrities.
If that’s true, then we have a couple of royal babies coming up. Katherine Schwarzenegger (a Kennedy descendant) and Chris Pratt are having a baby, as is Meghan McCain. Also expecting are Alec and Hilaria Baldwin (the king and queen of celebrity baby names, if you ask me).
My top picks for these stars and more in this month’s installment of celebrity baby name predictions:
Hilaria and Alec Baldwin
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Ireland (previous relationship), Carmen Gabriela, Rafael Thomas, Leonardo Angel Charles, Romeo Alejandro David
After suffering a miscarriage at the end of last year, Hilaria Baldwin is pregnant again. This will be Hilaria and Alec’s fifth child together, so at this point I have a very good idea of the names they might choose for their baby. Hilaria has gone on the record saying that she likes artist names and names with nicknames for her boys — they go by Rafa, Leo, and Rome — so I made sure to choose names that meet that criteria. I would love for Hilaria and Alec to go with a name like Lorenzo for a boy (I’ve said it before — Renzo is going to be the next big nickname name) and Pilar or Inez for a girl.
Girl: Amada, Elena, Estella, Inez, Isabel, Julieta, Lucia, Paloma, Pilar, Ramona
Boy: Antonio, Eduardo, Emilio, Francisco, Lorenzo, Mateo, Matias, Miguel, Valentino, Vicente
Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Jack (previous relationship)
Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt are expecting their first child together later this year. This baby will be a sibling to Chris’s son Jack, who he shares with ex Anna Faris. Normally I might try to base the predictions off Jack’s name alone, but Katherine is a Kennedy — her grandmother Eunice Shriver was the younger sister of JFK. The Kennedys love traditional family names (and often those with Irish roots), so I wouldn’t be surprised if this child ends up with a more formal name than his or her brother. My long-shot guess for a girl is Aurelia, the name of Katherine’s grandmother — Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mother. It’s on-trend and has a family connection — a winning combination.
Girl: Arabella, Aurelia, Bridget, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Emma, Grace, Kennedy, Lily, Margaret
Boy: Andrew, Charlie, Connor, Finn, Fitzgerald, James, Lucas, Nicholas, Theodore, William
Eniko and Kevin Hart
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Heaven, Hendrix (previous relationship), Kenzo Kash
Kevin Hart has a thing for alliterative names. His oldest children and Heaven Hart and Hendrix Hart, and his youngest son is Kenzo Kash. He and wife Eniko are expecting their second child together, and my guess is that this child is going to have matching first and middle initials like Kenzo. I’m not certain it will start with a K, although Kehlani and Kylo are great options for this sibset. If not, I’m especially drawn to Elora and Titan.
Girl: Alaia, Aspen, Elora, India, Kehlani, Kairi, Leilani, Malaya, Monroe, Neva
Boy: Apollo, Aries, Bishop, Creed, Koa, Kylo, Madden, Onyx, Ridge, Titan
Leighton Meester and Adam Brody
Gender: unknown
Arlo is a name that’s rising for boys and girls, and the latter might have something to do with Leighton Meester choosing it for her daughter in 2015. It seems likely that she and husband Adam Brody would use a similarly gender-neutral name for a second daughter, whether that be a feminine-leaning choice with an androgynous sound, like Brynn, or a historically masculine name that is now unisex, such as Elliot. For a boy, a short and punchy name like Nile or a fashionable surname such as Granger would be perfect.
Girl: August, Brynn, Elliot, Indie, Jude, Kit, Micah, Noa, Rooney, Rowan
Boy: Banks, Beck, Dashiell, Ford, Granger, Huck, Jennings, Mac, Nile, Wes
Georgia Groome and Rupert Grint
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Harry Potter star Rupert Grint and his partner Georgia Groome are having their first child, and all I know is that this baby will not have a single-syllable name. When asked if he would name a son Ron, after his character in Harry Potter (and really, why would he do that?), he replied, ” It’s quite a good name, but probably not. And Grint’s a tough name to pair a one-syllable first name with.” I culled a selection of two-plus syllable names for them, all with a hit of British flair:
Girl: Ada, Hazel, Ivy, Juniper, Mabel, Maggie, Nellie, Ophelia, Polly, Theodora
Boy: Arlo, Jesse, Jonas, Louis, Milo, River, Rory, Rowan, Tommy, Wilfred
Meghan McCain and Ben Domenech
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Much like the Kennedys, the McCains are drawn to traditional names with family ties. But names like John, James, and Joseph have been circulated so much within the family that it might be time for some fresh options. Luckily, there are plenty of names on the McCain family tree worth using. Hensley is Meghan’s mother’s surname and a fast-rising surname name — seemingly ideal for a little girl. Fletcher is the surname of Meghan’s great-grandmother and a fashionable choice for a boy. Daisy, a play on Meghan’s middle name Marguerite (after her maternal grandmother) would be sweet, as would Archie, for her great-grandfather Archibald.
Girl: Anna, Catherine, Charlotte, Daisy, Elizabeth, Emily, Hensley, Jane, Marguerite, Rose
Boy: Archie, Colin, Connor, Fletcher, Grant, Henry, Logan, Nicholas, Robert, William
Claire Holt and Andrew Joblon
Gender: girl
Actress Claire Holt and Andrew Joblon are expecting a baby girl in September, a sister for their son James. My guess is that they’ll go in the fashionable classic direction for their daughter as well. I’d love to see them get a little wilder — Claire’s middle name is Rhiannon, so fingers crossed that gets included somewhere! Luckily, a name like James goes with practically anything. It can easily hold up against a less common girl name like Matilda or Willa.
Girl: Audrey, Eloise, Fiona, Grace, Iris, Isabelle, Matilda, Olivia, Rosalie, Willa
What do you think these stars will name their babies?