Baby Names

Use Caution When Choosing Your Baby's Name

2005-04-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

Every new parent wants to think their child is the Most Special Baby On The Planet. And, with that in mind, they often feel that said baby needs a truly unique name. That kind of thinking has led celebrities to shackle their spawn with some pretty odd monikers. It was well publicized that actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her rock star hubby named their daughter Apple. British soccer star David Beckham and his Spice Girl wife Victoria just had son Cruz, who joins brothers Romeo and Brooklyn (named after the location of his conception — nice!) Rock star Bob Geldof may have helped the folks of sub-Saharan Africa by coming up with the Live Aid benefit concerts, but he didn't help his daughters by naming them Peaches, Pixie and Fifi Trixibelle.

And two B-list actors have given their kids possibly the most odious “names” ever: Shannyn Sossamon (who?) named her son Audio Science and Jason Lee (“Almost Famous”) apparently smoked hashish and wrote the words Pilot Inspektor on the birth certificate of his son.
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Ridiculous Names?

2005-03-29T05:21:00.000-08:00

IS there some sort of worldwide contest that I'm unaware of where parents are competing to see who can come up with the most ridiculous name?

Isn't David Beckham naming his son after Tom Cruise's ex-girlfriend enough?

Do we also have to endure Zoe Tay, our very own Queen of Caldecott, bestowing such an ass of a name like Brayden on her innocent newborn?

She's lucky that everyone is so distracted by Li Nanxing's divorce that the donkey name isn't a bigger scandal.

This trend of silly celebrity baby names has got to stop. I mean if there really were a contest, no-one will ever beat the late great Frank Zappa, who christened his children Moon Unit and Dweezil, still the most potent one-two punch in kooky baby names ever.

Of course, questionable name selection isn't the sole province of vacuous showbiz and sports personalities.

I was just going through this year's list of Miss Singapore hopefuls and there's a Destiny, a Blyss and a Swyn. The last two names actually contain no vowels! What are the odds of that?
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Babies Learn Language Starting With Their Names

2005-03-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

Babies use familiar words including their names as “anchors” that allow them to begin to distinguish words in sentences, Texas A&M University psychologist Heather Bortfeld says in a study to be published in the April issue of “Psychological Science.”

Babies as young as six months can learn to recognize an individual word that follows their names in sentences, Bortfeld said, babies appear to use highly familiar words – their names for example – to anchor their early learning of other word forms, and if their name is the first word they recognize, then we’re tapping into the process at the earliest stage possible

Curious and strange names

2005-03-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

One wonders what were those parents thinking...

# Herbs and spices: Curry, Nutmeg, Sorel
# Ethnic food: Tahini, Farfalla, Sushi
# Drinks: Chianti, Chardonnay, Hennessey
# Military: Commander, Jeneral, Appomattox
# Repeat after me: YouYou, LooLoo, ChiChi
# Brands: Ikea, Disney, Infiniti
# Kreativ classics: Kathwren, Aeryk, Maksymilian
# Long: Breighanna, Kwynncey, Ayreeanna
# Star power: Charysma, Mysteek, Zenith
# Peaceful: Zurrenity, Phaith, Ohm
# Rambunctious: Reynger, Wrangler, Blazer
# Celebrities: Brandeau, Madawna, Bryttanni
# Royalty: Umajesty, Quena, Royale
# Musical: Tymphani, Symphaney, Lyrick

Taken from http://www.babycenter.com/

Top 20 boy names

2005-03-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

1. Jacob
2. Michael
3. Joshua
4. Matthew
5. Ethan
6. Joseph
7. Andrew
8. Christopher
9. Daniel
10. Nicholas
11. William
12. Anthony
13. David
14. Tyler
15. Alexander
16. Ryan
17. John
18. James
19. Zachary
20. Brandon

Irish baby names

2005-03-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Currently popular Irish boys' names are Ryan, Aidan, Liam, Ciaran (pronounced "keer-in"), Declan, Casey, Evan, Brady, Corey, Brendan, Colin, Riley, and Conor, according to babynamesofireland.com -- which thankfully has an Irish name pronunciation guide -- and the Social Security Administration. Sean (61st most popular), Shane (150th), Kevin (31st), Cole (70th), and Brian (58th) also topped the charts.

Popular Irish girls' names include Siobhan (pronounced "shiv-awn," the name of WNBA star Rebecca Lobo's daughter), Aisling, Tara, Deirdre, Bailey, Maureen, Mackenzie (the 2005 newborn of Harry Potter mastermind J.K. Rowling), Kaitlyn, and Eileen.

Strangely, Colleen and Megan -- which many Americans assume to be traditional Irish names -- dropped in rank this year. Perhaps parents realized that "Colleen" in Irish Gaelic, translates directly to "girl." ("This is our daughter, Girl."). And Megan? Megan's actually Greek, not Irish.

Most Popular Names of the 1990's

2005-03-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

Rank / Male / Female

1- Michael - Ashley
2- Christopher - Jessica
3- Matthew - Emily
4- Joshua - Sarah
5- Jacob - Samantha
6- Andrew - Brittany
7- Daniel - Amanda
8- Nicholas - Elizabeth
9- Tyler - Taylor
10- Joseph - Megan
11- David - Stephanie
12- Brandon - Kayla
13- James - Lauren
14- John - Jennifer
15- Ryan - Rachel
16- Zachary - Hannah
17- Justin - Nicole
18- Anthony - Amber
19- William - Alexis
20- Robert - Courtney

Top 20 girl names

2005-03-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

1. Emily
2. Madison
3. Hannah
4. Emma
5. Alexis
6. Ashley
7. Abigail
8. Sarah
9. Samantha
10. Olivia
11. Elizabeth
12. Alyssa
13. Lauren
14. Isabella
15. Grace
16. Jessica
17. Brianna
18. Taylor
19. Kayla
20. Anna

Michael, Emily Remain Most Popular Baby Names

2005-03-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

Michael and Emily still reign as the most popular baby names, according to the annual review of vital statistics collected by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In 2003, there were 1,358 newborns named Michael. Jacob was in second place with 1,274 newborns receiving that name.

Michael resumed the top spot in 2002, after having been displaced in 2000 and 2001 by Jacob as the favorite boys’ name. Prior to that, Michael had been the most popular male baby name in Illinois since at least 1968, the first year names data were tabulated.

The other boys’ names in the Illinois top 10 remain the same with only a couple of changes in ranking positions. Following Michael and Jacob are Daniel, Joseph, Anthony, Matthew, Joshua, Alexander, Andrew and Nicholas.

For girls, Emily has been the favorite name since 1997. In 2003, 1,132 newborns were given that name.

The only new top 10 entry for girls in 2003 was Elizabeth, which climbed in popularity from 11 th place to seventh, while Samantha fell from ninth place to 12 th place. Emma was again second behind Emily; Olivia moved up to third place from fourth; Abigail jumped from seventh place to fourth; and Grace remained in fifth place. Rounding out the top10 were Madison, Elizabeth, Alexis, Hannah and Ashley.

Nationally in 2003, according to statistics compiled by the Social Security Administration, Jacob was the most popular boy name and Emily was the most popular girl name.

Top 10 Names in the 1900's

2005-03-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Top Names for Boys

1. John
2. William
3. James
4. George
5. Joseph
6. Charles
7. Robert
8. Frank
9. Edward
10. Henry

Top Names for Girls

1. Mary
2. Helen
3. Margaret
4. Anna
5. Ruth
6. Elizabeth
7. Dorothy
8. Marie
9. Mildred
10. Alice