Nameberry 9+9: Best 2014 celebrity baby names so far
By Abby Sandel, Appellation Mountain
With fewer than ten weeks left in 2014, let’s take a look back at the best of the high profile birth announcements so far.
Sure, there have been some outlandish choices. Celebrity babies have been named Bunny and Buzz, Future and Royal Reign.
But there have been some amazing celebrity baby names, stylish choices rich with meaning, unusual names that feel like they’d be wearable in Hollywood or anyone’s hometown.
I couldn’t keep the list to just nine total, so here are my nine favorite celebrity baby names for girls, and nine more for boys – subject, of course, to revision, any time between now and December 31st!
GIRLS
NINE: River Rose – American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson and husband Brandon Blackstock welcomed their first child together in June. River Rose (shown) is a double dose of nature name – one modern, one classic. And yes, River is much more common for boys. But science fiction loves to give this name to girls. Could Kelly be a Doctor Who fan?
EIGHT: Cai MyAnna – Shameless actress Shanola Hampton and husband Daren Dukes also welcomed their first daughter this year. While Kai is a modern staple for boys, Cai has roots as a girl’s name in Vietnamese. It’s as spare as Jane, as modern as Willow.
SEVEN: Georgia Blue – Georgia feels like a go-to name for a country singer’s kiddo, so no surprise Joe Nichols and wife Heather chose this for their daughter. But Blue makes for a modern, refreshing middle.
SIX: Frankie Barrymore – Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman probably would have made this list back in 2012 when they welcomed Olive. This year, new arrival Frankie is definitely among the most trendsetting names. It’s a spunky, retro girls’ name at home with Sadie, Hattie, and Winnie.
FIVE: Ophelia Saint – No surprise that songwriters are great baby namers, right? The Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and wife Jordyn Blum are parents to Violet Maye, Harper Willow, and now Ophelia Saint. It’s a daring, literary name – and in our age of Sophia, Olivia, and Amelia, more wearable than ever.
FOUR: Philomena Bijou – Sometimes the best names are those that are slightly offbeat. Television host Daphne Oz and husband John Jovanovic hit the right note with their daughter. Philomena fits right in with Isabella and Alexandra, and the French Bijou – jewel – is a twist on popular gemstone names for girls like Ruby and Pearl.
THREE: Nina Odette – Musician Isaac Hanson and wife Nicole are parents of three: sons Everett and Monroe, and 2014 arrival Nina Odette. Ballet name Odette – the good princess in Swan Lake – has gotten lots of buzz as a hipster name. Let’s translate hipster as “just plain great.” As for Nina, it’s an internationally portable choice with ties to legendary singer Nina Simone. It’s a stunning combination – unexpected, lovely, and frills-free.
TWO: Vale Guthrie – Speaking of frills-free, Today’s Savannah Guthrie chose a spare, seldom-heard name for her daughter with husband Michael Feldman. Vale is poetic, nods to the natural world, and feels like the kind of celebrity baby name likely to be influential.
ONE: Rose Dorothy – It was close, but the top spot goes to Scarlett Johansson and fiance Romain Dauriac’s new daughter. Rose feels connected to both of her parents’ names. And while the floral choice has become a go-to middle, Rose is surprisingly rare in the first spot. Dorothy honors Scarlett’s grandmother. Together, the combination is elegant, wearable, and meaningful – a trifecta that earns Rose Dorothy the top spot for 2014 … so far.
BOYS
NINE: Jack Lion – There were lots of classic first-unexpected middle combinations for boys this year. Country singer Josh Turner welcomed Samuel Hawke, and fellow musician Zac Brown named his son Alexander Frost. But my favorite of them all is Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee and husband Josh Hartzler’s Jack Lion. Jack is the ultimate everyboy name, while Lion is straight from the animal kingdom.
EIGHT: Otis Alexander – Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis welcomed a son in April. Olivia revealed that Otis was named after legendary singer-songwriter Otis Redding. It’s the kind of bold vintage name that deserves a comeback in 2014.
SEVEN: Maxim – Supermodel Natalia Vodianova has a knack for choosing names that honor her Russian heritage, but still travel well. She has Lucas, Viktor, and Neva from a previous marriage. In 2014, Natalia and new husband Antoine Arnault welcomed son Maxim. Max, Maxwell, and Maximus are all favorites in the US. The Russian Maxim is more rare, but just as wearable.
SIX: Sid – Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen kept it super-simple when they named their son Sid. Just Sid. One part punk-rock (think Sid Vicious) and one part geezer, Sid could be a stylish up-and-comer.
FIVE: Shepherd – For every aggressive occupational surname name, like Archer or Hunter, there’s a gentler possibility. Supernatural star Jared Padalecki chose the peaceful Shepherd for his son with wife Genevieve Cortese earlier this year.
FOUR: Booker Jombe – Actress Thandie Newton and director-producer Ol Parker chose bold names for daughters Ripley and Nico. Son Booker Jombe’s name is equally distinctive. Booker brings to mind Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington, and Jombe appears to be a nod to mom’s Zimbabwean heritage.
THREE: Wilder – Booker, Shepherd, Wilder – no doubt, surname names have never been more popular. Wilder is the name of Simon Helberg’s new son. The Big Bang Theory star and wife Jocelyn Towne are also parents to Adeline. Wild is a bad boy, but Wilder is an American literary classic, thanks to Thornton Wilder – smart and fierce all at once.
TWO: Apollo Bowie Flynn – Weren’t we all holding our breath for Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s name announcement? Kingston James McGregor was a stylish combination of the trend-setting and the enduring. But then Zuma Nesta Rock was, well, a bit much. Apollo Bowie Flynn strikes a nice balance.
ONE: Charlie West – At first glance, there’s nothing so special about the name of David Arquette’s first son. Arquette and ex-wife Courtney Cox are the parents of Coco, a name far more striking. But Arquette and fiance Christina McLarty named son Charlie after David’s grandfather, Cliff Arquette – best known for playing a character called Charley Weaver on television in the 1950s and 60s. It’s subtle and sweet, a great way to honor a loved one’s legacy without actually using his given name.
What are your favorite celebrity baby names of 2014? Are there any that should be on this list?