Newsiest Names this Week: Nash, Zephyr, and Aman
By Abby Sandel, Appellation Mountain
Berries, we are ending the year with a bang!
After a few weeks of relative quiet in the celebrity baby name sphere, birth announcements were everywhere last week. The names ranged from vintage to modern, mythological to meaningful. But none of them played it (too) safe.
A few of these are interesting enough to make me rethink my favorite baby names of 2014 … but let’s wait until December 31st to revise that post, since there could still be some great names in the next few weeks!
The most newsworthy baby names of the week were:
Frances – Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen made my 2013 when they named their first daughter Winnie. Now Winnie is a big sister, and the Fallons didn’t disappoint with their second daughter’s name! No word yet on why the couple chose vintage Frances, but there’s a great story behind their first choice, so let’s cross our fingers that we’ll learn more about baby #2. Frances, Francis, and all of the related names seem to be on the upswing lately, with Drew Barrymore’s equally vintage Frankie arriving earlier this year.
Franny – But what will they call Frances Fallon? According to dad’s Tweets, the newest addition will answer to Franny. It puts a literary, mid-century spin on the antique appellation, thanks to JD Salinger’s Franny and Zooey. The youngest members of the fictional Glass family, Zooey was short for Zachary, while Franny was short for, Frances – of course.
Cole – Just one more thought on the newest Fallon, promise. While Winnie’s middle name is the conventionally feminine Rose, the couple paired Frances with Cole. It’s a surname choice with ties to Nicholas and the color black. But it’s also a boyish middle name for a girl. I’ve heard Gray and Finn … could this be an emerging trend?
Aman Tyler – Another great name, this time thanks to writer-director Tyler Perry and his model girlfriend Gelila Bekele. Aman is a meaningful choice, from an Arabic word meaning peace. Tyler, of course, honors dad – it’s the name Perry chose for himself at the age of sixteen. Aman feels like the kind of choice that could catch on, a virtue name with an appealing sound.
Berkeley Brynn – Actor Lance Gross is a regular in Tyler Perry’s productions. He’s also a new dad! Lance and girlfriend Rebecca Jefferson named their new daughter Berkeley Brynn. Surname-place name Berkeley has never cracked the US Top 1000, but it has gained steadily over the last few years, and feels like an on-trend pick. They’re not the only high profile couple choosing alliterative names this week, either …
Henry Huey Harry – Henry is classic, but Huey Harry seems like an unusual pair of middles, doesn’t it? HHH is the newest addition to the Stanley family, stars of TLC reality show Gypsy Sisters. Henry is the first child for Nuckie Stanley Small – daughter of matriarch Nettie – and her husband Henry “Pookie” Small. The family is big on handing down shared names, so chances are young Henry will answer to a nickname, too.
John Nash – Mockingjay actor Wes Chatham and television host Jenn Brown welcomed son John Nash last week. It’s a sign of the times that a birth announcement for John feels like quite the surprise! But the couple is calling their new arrival by his middle name, Nash. Dad’s full name is John Wesley, so it must be a family tradition.
Zephyr – Tech entrepreneur Sean Parker and wife Alexandra were ahead of the curve when they named their firstborn Winter Victoria. Now their newest addition is son Zephyr. It’s another nature-inspired name with an ‘r’ ending, and another name leaping up the charts.
Emerson – Let’s end with Zephyr’s middle name, a choice that exemplifies one of 2015’s most exciting trends. In the wake of Madison and Addison, surname name Emerson has been catching on for girls at a rapid pace. But Emerson is still gaining for boys. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone welcomed son Emerson Spencer earlier this year. Does this mean the end of names going girl and becoming unusable for our sons? I hope so!
Do you think Frances, Zephyr, Berkeley, and Aman will catch on? I’m excited about boyish middle names for girls, and even more excited that parents seem to be less concerned about names “going girl” than before!