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Tag Archives: changing names

Family Criticism Has Made Her Anxious About Baby Names

15 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Naming Assistance

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Sinead and William have two small daughters named Orla and Freya, and would love another child. Although they aren’t expecting yet, Sinead is already anxious about choosing baby names due to the reactions they got from William’s family with the first two names.

Criticisms of the names Orla and Freya have ranged from ignorant (the names are “masculine” or “old lady” names), to ridiculous (“It sounds fat”), to vulgar (fancied similarities between the names and obscene words). The criticism is ongoing even after a year or two, and they always gleefully pass on any silly or mean comments they receive about the names from others (“Mrs Tenby mixed Orla up with orca!”).

When they’re not name bullying their own flesh and blood, William’s family are nice, sane, ordinary country people, the salt of the earth and pillars of their community. They don’t have much of a filter, and distrust anything unfamiliar. They kept pointing out to Sinead and William how all the nice girls’ names were in the Top 10, and wouldn’t they prefer Chloe and Georgia?

Sinead has tried to express how she feels to her in laws, and explain why they chose the names, but the response is always along the lines of: You shouldn’t have picked ugly, weird names for your children if you didn’t want people to say that they’re ugly and weird.

William loves their daughters’ names, and is proud of them. When Sinead almost gave in to the name nagging and chose a Top 50 name for their first daughter, William insisted they go with the name they actually loved. However, he feels that his family have their hearts in the right place, and are only being honest. He thinks Sinead shouldn’t be too sensitive about a bit of family teasing.

Sinead’s background is slightly different to William’s. Her parents are Irish immigrants, and she grew up in the suburbs of a large city. She loved that her mum and dad named her Sinead Euphemia, a name that stood out amongst her friends and classmates. Growing up, Sinead was confident enough to correct children and adults on the pronunciation of her name, and enjoyed discussing her name with others.

However her little sister Aoife Catherine had a very different experience. Shy and reserved by nature, she felt humiliated whenever her name got mangled, and readily submitted to being called Eva to avoid any fuss. By the time she was in kindergarten, she insisted on being known by her middle name, and now goes by Kate. Her sister’s experience also makes Sinead wary of choosing anything too unusual, and fearful she may have burdened her daughters with names that could likewise cause them problems.

Sinead has a nice list of possible names that she loves, but almost every one of them makes her pause and wonder if it will be dragged through the mud by her in laws, or end up being more drama than its worth. She has already cut Saoirse, Cillian, Saskia, and Ceridwen for fear they will be “too weird” for people to cope with.

GIRLS
Maeve (her first choice, but their surname is similar to Grove – is Maeve Grove too much?)
Inez (has been told it sounds like a rude word)
Isobel
Astrid
Thea
Marion
Gwen (is Gwen Grove too alliterative?)
Sian
Carys

Middle name would almost certainly be Elizabeth, but Eleanor is a strong contender (both family names). Neither of these names sound right with Isobel, which would probably eliminate it.

BOYS
Alasdair (but feels in laws will only accept Alistair or Alastair)
Euan
Leon
Leo
Theo
Sebastian
Samuel
Lewis
Louis
Dominic
Henry
Anthony
Rowan

The middle name would be John, William, or Gordon.

Sinead feels a bit silly writing in about names for a baby who doesn’t exist yet, but she would love to get some feedback on names which isn’t from her in laws and to feel less anxiety about choosing another baby name.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sinead, I think it would be foolish for you to choose baby names based on the opinions of your in laws. As you know, their tastes are very conservative, and they are highly resistant to learning anything new. It’s a big wide world outside the cow paddock, but they don’t seem to want to know about it.

I think their comments have been appalling and unacceptable. Yet I can’t help feeling a bit sorry for your in laws. You’re a bright, highly educated, very successful woman, and without meaning to, I’m sure a hundred times you have made them feel like stupid, unsophisticated bumpkins.

You’re from the big smoke with fancy ways and book learning, and you make them look pretty small pond in comparison. I do think that they use your children’s names as a way to cut you down to size, and put you in your place.

It’s something a lot of families do, and look at this article I found on Clare’s Name News with daft reactions to baby names – even standard names like Poppy and Sebastian get absolutely hammered. I know plenty of people who’ve chosen popular names for their children, and they’re still too “weird” for the older generation.

I hope your inlaws plan to cut this out once your daughters are old enough to understand what they’re saying. However, I’m not too worried about your girls if they don’t. Because look at their parents – a mum who was a feisty little girl ready to stand up for her name, and a thick-skinned dad who says, “We love your names, and we don’t give a hoot what grandma thinks”. Not to mention some very outspoken relatives, so your inlaws might get a taste of their own medicine one day!

Another reason it would be crazy to make name decisions based on what your in laws think is that they are quite simply wrong. There’s nothing bad about the names Orla and Freya, and they don’t seem particularly burdensome. They’re pretty names with an interesting history, and they’re fairly easy to spell and pronounce.

Freya is not far out of the Top 100, so it’s not at all rare – in fact, parents often fret about using it, because “it’s getting too common” (Australian actresses Freya Stafford and Freya Tingley have given it a boost). Orla is much less common, but it’s one of those names you see often enough that it doesn’t seem outrageous: so far this year I have seen one baby named Orla. There’s also the foreign affairs journalist Orla Guerin from the BBC – have your in laws ever seen her on the news?

I wonder if you have been too busy to attend a playgroup or mother’s group in your community, because I would be surprised if you received any rude comments from other parents about Freya and Orla, or that they would have any problems with them. I’m sure they will fit in just fine with the kids in their area – I see baby names from your region quite often, and they have a pretty broad range, with several hip vintage and nature names. Freya and Orla may well have classmates called Elva, Lucian, and Fox!

Your sister’s experience with her name should give you courage rather than add to your fears, because it shows that even if someone doesn’t care for their name, it’s not a big problem. Your smart little sister was able to solve her name woes by the age of five by simply using her middle name. Mind you, I think the name Aoife would have been much harder to cope with when she was a child than it would be today: we’ve moved on so much since then. Okay, not where your inlaws live – but most other places!

I think you should make a list of names that you and William like, and not bother with what your inlaws will think of them. Clearly they’re not going to be happy unless you choose something like Jack or Sophie, and are probably going to make unpleasant comments no matter what name you pick. Besides, they’ve already got to choose their own childrens’ names – why should they get to help choose yours as well?

I feel a bit sad you’ve eliminated Saskia based on some silly comments from your inlaws. It’s such a pretty name, and it’s rather fashionable at the moment. Actress Saskia Burmeister has given it a boost, and there’s also been a popular kid’s TV series featuring a teenager named Saskia. Saoirse isn’t that uncommon either – there’s a couple of young actresses with this name, including Saoirse Ronan. It would probably have a couple of pronunciation issues though.

Maeve seems like a wonderful choice – fashionable, Irish, goes well with Orla and Freya, and easy to cope with. Maeve Grove is a bit awkward, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a dealbreaker. I do think Gwen Grove is too much though: it’s a real tongue-twister, and sounds like Glengrove with a lisp. Inez doesn’t sound like a rude word to me, unless I’m either mispronouncing the name or the rude word! However, I’m never sure how to pronounce this name, as everyone seems to say it differently. All your other choices are great, and I think Carys is a fantastic match with Orla and Freya.

Your boys’ choices are all really handsome, but quite conservative compared to the names you have picked for girls. Is that your natural name style, or have you been scared out of anything more unusual by family? Alasdair, Euan and Rowan all seem like natural matches with Orla and Freya, but any name you love will be fine.

I really think you are worrying too much, and it’s a shame that other people have spoiled what should be a joyful, exciting pastime – dreaming up names for your future baby! Don’t let them spoil it any longer.

Readers, have family or friends criticised your baby names, and if so, how did you deal with it? And what do you think of Sinead’s name choices?

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Wintery Name News: From Frozen to Ice

25 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by in Names in the News

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Baby It’s Cold
It’s official – the name Elsa has become more popular since the movie Frozen came out in late 2013. In Victoria, the number of babies named Elsa doubled in the year following the film’s release, from 19 babies named Elsa in 2013 to 38 in 2014. However, the numbers were increasing even before the film, with 11 in 2011 and 22 in 2012, so it seems as if the movie was jumping on a trend (or else pre-publicity for the movie doubled numbers too). So far in 2015, there have been 6 babies named Elsa.

The article goes on to say that the number of babies named Anna has held steady in Victoria. Anna has returned to the Top 100 in Tasmania and was one of Queensland’s biggest risers in 2014, going up 19 places, and also in Victoria, where it went up 25 places. So although overall numbers haven’t changed much, the name Anna had a definite boost in the rankings after the film, which is significant for a name that peaked in the 1980s, and which you would expect to be on a slow decline.

The Victorian birth registry cannot reveal how many babies have been named Kristoff, Olaf or Sven, because if less than 5 babies have a name, the information must remain confidential.

Naming Babies in the Lebanese Community
Journalist Antoinette Latouff had an entertaining article at the start of the year on being pregnant with her second child as part of the Lebanese community. Bad bits: lots of pressure to have a boy (Antoinette was pregnant with another girl), tons of interference. Good bits: oceans of love, support, and practical help.

It’s the norm for grandparents to expect to name the baby (one mother-in-law just started calling the pregnant belly John), while in some cases the eldest son is expected to name his children after his parents – which might mean Osama is your child’s default name. Antoinette says sometimes it can be a challenge finding a name which sounds good with your exotic surname, and name sharing is very common in extended families.

The Trouble with Amelia
Yusuf Omar, a Muslim poet from Somalia, wrote about when he and his wife Khadijo were expecting a baby girl. On the advice of a young Western-educated Somali friend, they considered the name Amelia, as being beautiful, easy to pronounce, and fitting in well with Australian society. Unfortunately, the older generation amongst the Somali-Australian community felt hurt and betrayed by their choice: it was especially shocking as Muslim poets are supposed to be cultural custodians.

They were told that the name Amelia was “non-Muslim”, but Yusuf protested that there is no such thing as a “Muslim name”, and that names are neutral. He came to realise there is no such thing as a culturally neutral name, especially after meeting a Mohammad who goes by Moe in order to find employment.

He also notes the number of converts to Islam who change their names, even though this isn’t called for by Islamic teaching. The prophet Muhammad never asked that his followers change their names, unless the meaning of it was offensive to Muslim belief. In fact Muhammad himself kept his original name, which was a traditional pagan name. Yusuf notes that whenever someone changes their name they risk obliterating their own history and culture.

In the end, Yusuf and his wife named their daughter Eemaann, meaning “faith”, on the advice of his mother-in-law. However, the young people call her Amelia.

Legal and Illegal Name Changes in the News
Dorothy Barnett was recently sentenced to prison in the US after kidnapping her baby daughter Savanna from her home in South Carolina in 1994, and eventually bringing her up in Australia. Savanna Todd, now aged 21, grew up believing her name was Samantha Geldenhuys, and that another man was her father. It’s been a very high-profile case of changing a child’s name by illegal means, but Savanna still goes by Samantha, and has been supportive of her mother. She says that a name change does not change who you are, even though this is a case where a name change did indeed obliterate her history and culture. Dorothy’s most common alias was Alexandra or Alexandria.

Gable Tostee, who was accused of murdering Warriena Wright after a Tinder date, and in an unrelated matter gaoled for traffic offences, has changed his name to the more generic Eric Thomas. Police are baffled as to why someone would change their name while legal proceedings are still underway, rather than at their completion in order to start a new life. However, they stress there is nothing illegal or sinister about it.

Choosing a Baby Name on Struggle Street
Did you watch the confronting series Struggle Street on SBS? Before it had even appeared on television it was condemned as exploitative “poverty porn“, but by the time the first episode aired, it had been hailed as a powerful, poignant, complex, thought-provoking insight into the lives of those affected by terrible hardship.

Probably one of the most difficult things to watch was young mother Billie Jo Wilkie, who had a horrific start to life herself, giving birth at home with the aid of illegal drugs, and the assistance of her mother Carlene, who was also on drugs.

At one point, they discussed possible baby names and liked the idea of the name Crystal – after crystal meth. This shows context is everything, because Crystal is a perfectly nice, normal name, but what an appalling reason to choose it.

I don’t know what name they eventually chose, but Billie Jo’s child, her third, was taken into care soon after birth. And in what seems to be something of a pattern for this Name News, Billie Jo shortly afterwards ended up in a women’s prison, on remand for traffic offences.

POLL RESULTS
Nearly everyone (91%) thought that Elsa would keep becoming more popular. 54% thought it would probably become more popular, while 37% were absolutely sure that it would. 9% thought it probably wouldn’t become more popular, and nobody was definite that it wouldn’t.

Interview with Clare from Name News

03 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in Blog Reviews

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Clare has a wonderful Name News page on the Scoop.it website, which collects interesting blog posts and stories in the news about names. Her collection includes posts in languages other than English, so if you want to know what they think about names in Portugal or The Netherlands, click the “Google translate” button and read on! One of the most useful functions is the “Find” key, where you can search for topics which interest you. Name News is so handy for keeping up to date with what’s going on around the blogosphere that I consult it every day – it’s easier than subscribing to hundreds of sites, or getting dozens of e-mail alerts. Attractive and user-friendly, Name News is an invaluable contribution to the naming community.

What is your name?

Yvonne Clare.

Have you ever changed your name?

I went by my first name until I was four, when I decided to use my middle name instead. Now my first name only appears in official situations, and on the odd family Christmas card – and in messages from a friend called Yvonne, who is tickled that we have a hidden name connection. I don’t dislike the name, but it feels like an old toy or a piece of baby clothing: it was great when I was little, and I’m still attached to it, but it no longer fits for everyday use. I’m happy as a Clare and I like the fact it’s more typical for someone my age.

How did you start getting interested in names?

When I was about six, I was visiting a relative who was clearing out some books, and someone handed me The Pan Book of Boys’ Names and The Pan Book of Girls’ Names. I took them home and have been dipping into them ever since. They are particularly strong on literary and legendary figures and references to names in poetry. I’m sure that they contributed to my love of languages, as they gave me a first taste of Latin, Greek, Old English, Welsh, and many others. Each book has a wonderful appendix of names considered unusual by the authors. A couple of decades on I have dozens of name books, but those two are still among my favourites.

What inspired you to sign up with Scoop.it in order to share name stories with the wider community?

At the beginning of this year I became aware of the many name blogs that are out there. I wanted to read everything, but was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of posts. I wanted to contribute in some way, but didn’t feel inspired to write a blog. I’m not so good at regular research and writing; I prefer reading, organising and making accessible the work of others. (That’s why I’m a librarian in real life.)

An acquaintance started a Scoop.it page gathering stories about rare books and manuscripts, and I decided to try something similar for name stories. It’s straightforward to create a Scoop.it account and set up a page, and to add “scoops” – I normally use a button on my browser. It’s pretty much as simple as reading name stories that come up on my feeds and alerts, and adding them.

I would do it just for personal interest, which sounds rather nerdy, but it’s very encouraging that others are looking at the site too. I know there’s been a huge leap in the number of views whenever the site has been mentioned by other bloggers, especially in Appellation Mountain’s Sunday Summaries, so many thanks to you all for getting the momentum going!

I know I’m a bit of a vulture, existing on other people’s hard work, but I hope the site achieves two things: providing a one-stop feed of name stories for people who don’t want to follow lots of different sites, and enabling people to easily search the archives of all the name blogs and articles.

Any other way to connect with you online?

Name News has a Facebook page, although at the moment I’m using it for following news and the odd “like”, rather than anything more dynamic. I also keep a list of my name books on LibraryThing. If anyone uses that site, feel free to connect! I doubt the list is of much use to anyone else, but it’s quite handy for me, as my collection is currently scattered between two houses.

What is it about a name story that makes you interested to know more?

I always get excited when I see one of my favourite names in the title. For example, the very first scoop I made was Appellation Mountain’s post Edith, Everild, and Eden: Getting to Edie. Everild was the catalyst – I just couldn’t resist sharing it! I also enjoy birth announcements, clever data analysis, gems from historical records, personal stories … pretty much anything that’s informative, positive, and open-minded.

Do you have a pet peeve when it comes to names?

My peeves are with writing about names, rather than the names themselves. I’m sure I’m not alone in disliking:

  • proscriptive advice and “rules” that will make precious little difference to naming habits as a whole
  • unhelpful criticism and negativity about parents’ name choices
  • false claims about the “meaning” of names – and false information in general
  • overuse of the word “unique” (I know: now who’s being proscriptive?!)

What are some of your favourite names?

Girls: Annest/Annice, Everil/Everild, Freda/Frida, Hilda, Miriam, Naomi, Tamsin, Tess

Boys: Arthur, David, Edward, Henry, Hugh/Huw, Robin

What names do you dislike?

I’m not so keen on names with excess “frilly” syllables. I usually prefer the streamlined option, so Isabel over Isabella, Mark over Marcus. Maybe even Em over Emma, or is that going a bit far? By that logic, I should prefer Hild to Hilda, and in some ways I do, but sadly it crosses the threshold of being a bit too much to inflict on an unsuspecting British child.

Are there are names you love, but could never use?

Names that would be hard to spell and pronounce, culturally unsuitable, and more about me showing off than the child’s best interests. For example, Ælfric (“Alf-rich”), Buddug (“Biðig“, the Modern Welsh form of Boudicca), and Elestren, which I’ve loved since I saw it in a book of Cornish names years ago. I’ll save them for pets and inanimate objects! I’d also be wary of names that sound similar to mine or my partner’s, like Cleo and Robin.

What are your favourite names in the England/Wales Top 100?

Amy (#62) and Arthur (#52).

What are your favourite names which have never been in the England/Wales Top 1000 (since 1996)?

Hilda and Clem.

Do you have any names picked out for your future children?

I have an ongoing list of favourites, but don’t really have a clue how my partner and I will feel if/when the time comes. I expect that choosing a name for a real person will bring out sides of us that we never knew existed.

What is something we don’t know about you?

I’ve recently taken up morris dancing, a traditional English dance style with props such as sticks, bells and handkerchiefs. It’s great fun, but a challenge as I’m not very co-ordinated!

What advice would you give someone who was choosing a name for their baby?

I’ve tried and failed to come up with a wise, snappy, universal answer to this question. Every time I think I’ve got it, I think Oh, but there could be exceptions, or But that might not work for everyone. Maybe that’s a cop-out, but it’s a personal, sometimes complicated decision, with no clear right or wrong way to do it. Plus it’s not something I’ve had experience of yet. I think I’d have to ask for a few more specifics before feeling qualified to give advice. Or, true to form, I could point people towards helpful books and websites.

(Clare’s profile photo of her favourite name books supplied by interviewee)

Should Chloe Become Claude?

14 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by in Naming Assistance

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Chloe is 24 years old and from country Australia, and is seriously considering a change of name. She likes the sound of Chloe, but for some reason she can’t quite pinpoint, she has never felt entirely comfortable with her name.

She is now at the point where she really wants to pick a name and put an end to the wondering. With her parents’ blessing, she would like to legally change her name on her 25th birthday.

The name that Chloe is thinking of changing to is Claude. She likes the fact that it is unisex, short, and begins with the same KL sound as Chloe, so that she would get used to it quickly.

Chloe is studying in Europe, where the name Claude is easily accepted as a female name. However, she is planning on returning to Australia, and she worries that Claude may seem as if she chose it to be “exotic”.

In French, Claude is pronounced like KLODE, and in Australia most people would instinctively say it KLAWD, but that doesn’t bother Chloe. She doesn’t want to force a specific pronunciation on others, and is happy for people to say Claude in whatever way is natural to them. She realises that in Australia Claude would be seen as a man’s name, and an old man’s name at that, but she feels that its fusty old guy image will actually be fine on her.

Chloe thinks that if Claude seems too male, she could be Claudette or Claudie on paper, but be called Claude in everyday life. She has also thought of Clementine, named Clem, but her last name is Martin, and she doesn’t like the way that the m of Clem would run into the initial letter of her surname.

Chloe’s family is supportive of her, and she won’t pick a name they don’t like, or don’t think suits her. They are a family which often uses nicknames, and would probably be comfortable calling her by a different name.

When her parents were choosing baby names for her, her dad’s choice was Cate and her mother’s was Clare, so she would really like to stick with a name beginning with C. Chloe wouldn’t force a change on her family, and if they wanted to keep calling her Chloe, that would be fine.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chloe, this is the first time someone has written into the blog about changing their name as an adult. I don’t have that much experience, but I’ll definitely do my best.

It occurs to me that although Chloe and Claude both begin with the same sound, and are similar in length, they are very different in style, and this might be a bigger change than it looks on paper.

I was curious to know whether people would readily accept an Australian woman named Claude, so I took a straw poll amongst my acquaintances. There seemed to be two responses: (1) Claude is obviously a man’s name; only an idiot would think a woman could be called Claude and (2) Claude is clearly a unisex name; you would have to be ignorant not to realise that Claude is a female name too. It seems like a name choice that could be polarising, attracting strong opinions.

For myself, I feel that I would immediately accept a French woman named Claude, but would be confused by an Australian one of that name. I can imagine you having conversations that go like this:

“Hello, my name is Claude”.

“Nice to meet you Claude. Why do you have a man’s name?”

“Actually Claude is a unisex name, and isn’t uncommon for women in France”.

“Oh I see. Why do you have a French name?”

It just seems like something that is always going to require explanation, and although that might not seem like a big deal now, remember that you would be Claude for more than fifty years to come, maybe even another seventy.

I do think it might be easier to cope with if you had an “official” girly name, but used Claude as a nickname. Then the conversations would be more like:

“Hi, my name’s Claude”.

“Nice to meet you, Claude. But isn’t that a guy’s name?”

“It’s short for Claudette. But I prefer being called Claude”.

I guess the only thing you would have to worry about is those people who respond with, “Oh Claudette is much prettier. I think I’ll just stick with Claudette, since that is your real name”. However, these would be an annoying minority, and you seem like a very easy-going person who doesn’t get all huffy about their name anyway.

I think I like Claudie better than Claudette as a long form of Claude; to me Claudette seems a bit dated, although really it’s so rare that it could be any age. The thing with Claudie is that if you pronounced it klo-DEE or KLO-dee, it really wouldn’t be very different to Chloe in sound, which might make for an easier transition. I suppose you have already considered Claudia and Claudine, and rejected them, as you don’t mention them.

Other Possibilities

Clementine nn Clem
I agree with you – I don’t like the way Clem blends into your surname, and there’s something about the sound of Clem that doesn’t appeal; it’s like a cross between clammy and phlegm.

Clare
The name your mother picked out is short and simple, and as Clare is a surname, technically it’s unisex, although it’s not been used for men much in Australia, and probably hasn’t been seen as unisex since the 19th century. However, picking your mum’s choice over your dad’s might seem too much like taking sides.

Clarence
If you like the fusty old man image of Claude, then Clarence is another possibility. This used to be seen as unisex, and in fact started out as a female name. It could be shortened to Clary or Clare, although this does seem to take us back to Clare again.

Claris
Like Claude, this is another Latin name which can either be male or female. As a man’s name, it can be a masculine form of Clara, while as a woman’s it can be a medieval form of Clara.

Clover
This another unisex name. As a female name, it is after the plant, while as a man’s it is from the surname, derived from the word cleave. You could use Clove or Clo as the nickname, which isn’t too different from Chloe. There’s also Clova, a feminine form of Clovis, the original of Louis. Come to think of it, people might accept Clovis as female now too.

Clove
A rare nature name which could be used by either sex. Clove from The Hunger Games gives it more recognisability, but may also make it seem too trendy to you.

Cloud
Another rare unisex nature name which sounds a bit like Claude.

Clo
I have seen the name Clo in old novels; it just seems to be a variant of Chloe. It may seem too much like your current name, and it’s not unisex.

Clodagh
The name of an Irish river which is quite popular as a girl’s name in Ireland, and is said KLO-da. This reminds me quite a bit of Claude.

Cleo
This is a unisex name which can be short for anything beginning with Cleo-, such as Cleopatra (female), or Cleophas (male). As it just flips the syllables of Chloe, it seems easy for everyone to adjust to. I have to admit this would probably be my favourite.

However, all my instincts are telling me that you should talk this over thoroughly with your parents. It seems as if Chloe was their second choice for you, a nice sensible compromise between Cate and Clare. I can’t help wondering if this is why Chloe has never quite felt like your proper name, even though you like the sound of it.

I would tell them exactly how you feel, and give them another chance to name you, with all the knowledge they have of your adult appearance and personality, and with you providing feedback and input. (How many parents of babies would love to be able to do this?) I feel that together the three of you will be able to come up with the perfect name.

And if they love the name Claude, and say, “Wow, I wish we’d thought of that when you were born”, and you change it, no matter what questions or comments other people may make, you will always be able to say, “My name is Claude, and it’s the name my parents chose for me. They love it, and so do I”. That’s an explanation you might be happy to make for the next half century.

You seem like a sensible person with a great attitude, and a loving family, so I know you will be able to make the right decision.

NAME UPDATE: Unfortunately Chloe never got back to me, so I don’t know whether she ever changed her name, or if she settled on the name Claude.

POLL RESULTS
73% of people could accept an Australian woman named Claude. 40% of people said they would accept it immediately, while 33% said they would need time to get used to the idea. 27% of people said there was no way they could accept an Australian woman named Claude.

The most common suggestion, made by 15% of people, was that Chloe should keep her name, and use Claude as a nickname. 14% favoured changing it to Claudette, with Claude as the nickname, while 13% liked the idea of switching the syllables of Chloe around into Cleo. Nobody thought Clarence was a good idea.

An Interview with Linda Rosenkrantz from Nameberry

25 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Blog Reviews

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pamlinda8486

The baby name world changed forever when Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz penned their seminal work, Beyond Jennifer & Jason, back in the 1980s. Many more books were to follow, and along the way they educated a generation of parents on naming babies, and made it possible to admit to being interested in names – even obsessed with them. Now they have the Nameberry website, which provides a massive amount of information and opinion on names, creates a space for name nerds everywhere to meet up with other devotees, and inspires many a name blogger. Pam and Linda are the fairy godmothers of the baby name community, and you can link with them on Facebook and Twitter too.

Linda has been kind enough to take some time from her busy schedule to be interviewed on names, writing Jennifer & Jason, creating Nameberry, and how their love of names changed all our lives.

What is your name? 

Linda Rosenkrantz aka Linda Ruth Rosenkrantz Finch.

Have you ever changed your name?

This is a story that I’ve told in a Nameberry blog. It’s about how I was give a name at birth, but never called by that name. I was so traumatised when I began kindergarten and was called by that unfamiliar name that my wise mother allowed me to pick a new one for myself at the age of 5 or 6.

When did you first become interested in baby names?

I would say names in general rather than just baby names have always been a passion of mine from a very early age – a shrink might say it dates back to that kindergarten experience. And being a compulsive list-maker, I was constantly making lists of names, including names for fictional characters, names of prospective husbands, and of course, future children.

How did you and Pam meet?

A mutual friend brought her over for dinner to where I was then living, in Greenwich Village [in New York City], and we hit it off immediately – bonding, in part, over our mutual love for and attitudes towards names. Strangely enough, that was one of the few times we lived in the same city – she later moved to England, then the Bay area [of San Francisco], and then New Jersey. I settled in Los Angeles.

What made you decide to write Beyond Jennifer & Jason together, and how did the process of writing and publishing go?

Pam had been frustrated at the fact that there were no good name books around when she was naming her first child, Rory, and I had the idea of writing an article about the subject for Glamour magazine where Pam was an editor. We both realized that this had the makings of a book that would be a perfect project for a collaboration.

We wrote a very short outline of Beyond Jennifer & Jason and brought it to an agent, who thought it was so original – no one had ever looked at names this way, taking in their contemporary social context and categorising them – that he was sure he could sell it. It was bought by St. Martin’s Press, who published all ten of our name books, all edited by the excellent Hope Dellon.

Over the years, we have gone from communicating via thermal faxes to the internet – I’d say we email an average of 25 times a day, plus phone confabs and New York meeting several times a year. Responsibilities have been divided along the lines of our various strengths. But when it comes to working on some large project, we might split the boys and girls, then switch and edit each others’ efforts. It’s been a remarkably congenial, long-term marriage.

How did the success of your first book change your lives? Did you wake up one morning and discover you were now international baby name gurus?

First of all, here’s Pam’s answer to this question:

The first book changed my life in that it allowed me to quit my full-time job as an editor at “Glamour”, work at home as a writer full-time, and spend more time with my children – at that time, my oldest was only three years old. Although “Beyond Jennifer & Jason” was a big hit, we didn’t feel like international baby name gurus. Just writing books, you have so much less relationship with your readers, and it was difficult for us to tell how much influence our work really had. Our books were not published outside the US until the early 2000s, so we certainly didn’t feel like we were having an international impact overnight … or for a really long time.

Yes, it was a gradual process – and, although our books were successful in the UK, it wasn’t until the internet hit that we expanded into international “gurus”. Cumulatively, it has changed my life completely – widening my world in all sorts of ways, providing immense gratification. And it’s also been VERY HARD WORK.

When did you and Pam start the Nameberry website?

We started off with a smaller site, based on our book The Baby Name Bible. (We were fortunate enough to retain the digital rights to all our books – which is a very unusual situation). Nameberry began in 2008; we were excited to expand the word to a larger audience. We had no idea at the time that such a huge community of name lovers would form around the forums and blogs – an incredible group of informed, helpful people – now reaching two million people a month!

Do you have a favourite blog post that you have written for Nameberry?

Hard to come up with one post, but I especially enjoy those that require a lot of research, and feel good when I can come up with a topic that hasn’t been touched on before. (Which gets harder and harder with all the input we’re now getting from our great Berry Juice bloggers.)

There’s been some new developments on the site recently – what else is in the pipeline?

We are working on some new features, but we’re most excited about two new e-books – best girls’ names and best boys’ names.

What are some of your favourite names?

Pam and I did a slideshow of our faves on Nameberry, which includes several names I never tire of – Barnaby, Mirabella, Dinah, Duncan, and Araminta.

What names do you dislike?

Herman and Sherman.

Are there any names you love that don’t seem practical in real life?

That area is definitely narrowing. Some of the multi-syllabic and exotic names that once seemed too heavy for a baby to carry now seem perfectly wearable – like Persephone, Peregrine, Zinnia, Amaryllis and Peridot. The baby-naming climate is so much more “anything goes” than it was when Pam and I started.

What are your favourite names in the US Top 100?

Girls: Amelia, Lydia and Violet. Boys: Josiah, Julian and Lucas.

What are your favourite names in the rest of the US Top 1000?

Girls: Ivy, Maeve, Paloma and Arabella. Boys: Declan, Edison, Finnegan and Jedidiah.

What are your favourite names that have never been in the US 1000?

Verity, Boaz and Barnaby.

What is your child’s name?

Chloe Samantha (the Samantha was for my father, Samuel, who had recently died).

Did you and your husband agree easily on a baby name together?

Since my husband is British, we had some varying perceptions of names, especially boys names – and in fact never did find a boy’s name we both really loved. But when we hit on Chloe, there was instant agreement.

What is something that we may not know about you?

That I’ve written books on subjects ranging from Old Hollywood to collectibles to the history of telegrams to animation art to memoir to fiction. And Pam is a New York Times best-selling writer of fiction and humorous books.

(Photo of Linda and Pam from Nameberry; Linda is on the left)

Famous Names: Ellen and Portia

28 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by in Famous Names

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531523_10151298153817261_581124430_nAmerican chat show host, Ellen DeGeneres, was in Australia this week. She follows in the footsteps of Oprah Winfrey, another American chat show host who brought her show to Australia, in 2010. However, while Oprah managed to get around quite a bit, Ellen (who was recovering from ‘flu), just popped in to Sydney and Melbourne.

She did seem to take a bit of a shine to Melbourne, saying it reminded her of Boston and New Orleans, and even said that it was possible she and Portia would live there one day. Ellen is practically an Australian-in-law, because her wife, model and actress Portia de Rossi, is from Australia.

Portia was born Amanda Lee Rogers in Geelong. She changed her name as a teenager to sound more exotic and interesting – Portia is after the heroine of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, and de Rossi is an Italian surname, which probably means “red” (like Russell).

Portia de Rossi is the name of the mother of famous Italian poet Torquato Tasso, but I’m not sure whether the young Amanda Rogers was aware of that. Since her marriage, Portia has legally changed her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres. I don’t know where the James comes from.

The name Ellen is a medieval form of Helen, making it the English equivalent of Elaine. Ellen was a fairly common name in the Middle Ages, and features in the English fairy tale Childe Rowland, where Burd Ellen is Rowland’s sister, who must be rescued from Elfland. Childe and Burd don’t mean how they sound – childe was a title given to the eldest son in a noble family, while burd means “lady, maiden”. In some versions of the tale, they are the children of Queen Guinevere, and Merlin also plays a significant role in the story.

Ellen is a classic name in Australia, which was at its most popular in the 1900s, when it was #20. It remained on the Top 100 until the 1950s, and made its way back there in the 1990s, when it reached #92. It’s been fairly stable for a few years now, and in 2011 rose slightly from #517 to #470. Although this looks like quite a jump, it represents just two more babies named Ellen.

With Ella and Ellie in the Top 100, and Elle, Eleanor and Elena rapidly gaining in popularity, and retro Nelly, Nellie, Nella and Nelle becoming increasingly hip name choices, Ellen seems extremely usable, with a host of cute and fashionable nicknames. Simple, pretty and unpretentious, I feel that we will see more of this name in years to come.

Portia is a variant of Porcia, the feminine form of the Roman family name Porcius, from the Latin for “pig”. A lot of people have problems with this name meaning, but the Fabii were named after the broad bean, and perhaps the Porcii gained their name from pig farming.

Another possibility is that in many parts of the ancient world, pigs were sacred animals of the Underworld, fertility and the moon, and there may have been some religious connotations to the name (and in fact pig farming itself had a distinctly religious side, as the Romans were very fond of sacrificing pigs to the gods). Many ancient gods and goddesses were connected with swine, such as Osiris, Adonis, Attis, Demeter, Persephone, Freya and Ceridwen. They were beasts of a mysterious and ancient power, and held in awe.

The most illustrious branch of the Porcius family were the Catones, which included Cato the Elder and his great-grandson, Cato the Younger. Cato the Younger had a beautiful, intelligent daughter named Porcia, and she married her cousin, Marcus Junius Brutus – famous for being one of the key people in the assassination plot against Julius Caesar. Porcia was the only woman who knew of the conspiracy, and as such she plays a role in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar.

However, when we think of Portia, we automatically think of Portia from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, a beautiful and brilliantly intelligent lady who manages to get her own way while still showing obedience. She steals the show and saves the day in a gripping cross-dressing courtroom drama as her fine legal mind swoops in on a loophole in the law. Even now we sometimes call a gifted female lawyer a Portia. The role of Portia was once famously played by actress Ellen Terry.

Portia is an elegant literary name, with historical and fictional namesakes who have both beauty and brains. People seem to either love it, or find it pretentious. Another issue is that it sounds like the name of the car company, Porsche. (Porsche is a German surname derived from the name Boris). Because some people do use Porsche as a girl’s name, a certain type of parent does worry that a daughter named Portia will have her name confused with little girls named Porsche.

So Portia is not without her issues as a baby name, but still a very lovely one nonetheless.

POLL RESULT: Ellen received an approval rating of 46%, and Portia a rating of 31%.

(Photo shows Ellen and Portia on Sydney Harbour)

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Summer Edition)

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

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297602-baby-namesThe first baby born in Wollongong for 2013 was Rumi Vassilakoglou; he is named after the medieval mystical Persian poet, whose moniker means “from Rome” (this name for him is not used in Muslim countries, by the way). Rumi’s mum is named Leila, and his younger sibling is Mahli.

Your baby disappearing is every parent’s worst nightmare, but little Minowa Worthington’s story ended happily. Minowa is the name of a Japanese town, and a Japanese surname, but baby name books tell me it also Native American for “one with a moving voice”. They don’t say which language it is from, but I have seen Native Americans online with Minowa as their surname.

A Gold Coast baby born in the Queensland floods was named Sabre Smith. Although his name can be after the sword, putting it in the same genre as Blade or Steel, a sabre is also a class of racing boats – which seems apt for a baby born surrounded by water.

Another water baby is Dwight Anderson, who was born in the bath. I was a tiny bit surprised to see such an old-fashioned name in use … much more surprised to see that Dwight is a girl. Dwight’s sister is named Billie-Jo.

Allegra Bluebelle from Canberra, born in the city’s centenary year, has a middle name after its floral emblem, the royal bluebell. A little girl born on the city’s birthday seven years ago has the same initials as the Australian Capital Territory – Aisha Caitlyn Truselsen. A fisherman has a daughter named Makaira Indica, which is the scientific name for the black marlin (this isn’t connected to Canberra, so not sure why they mentioned it, but there you go).

The Hallett family changed their name by deed poll to Holden, in honour of the make of car. Not content with that, they have given their children Holden-related names too. Their son is named Toree, after the Torana, and his little sister is named Elcee – after the LC generation of Toranas.

An article about “unique” names quoted brothers named Mac and Fonzii. I have no idea why Mac is supposed to be unique, but Fonzii does seem slightly out of the ordinary. He’s not named about Fonzie from Happy Days, which reminds me of the baby named Tinkabell not named after the fairy. Other unusual names of real babies mentioned were Dragon, Justus, Porch, Ever, Notorious, Cash, Lychee and Bandit.

Another article on the same subject, with much the same information, featured a baby boy named Ace Bear Johnson, which strikes me as both cute and sporty (Ace’s sister is named Esmee). There was also a baby girl named Annecy Belle Easton [pictured], named after a French town that her parents fell in love with after they stayed there. She is called Annie for short, and Annecy’s mum also has the name of a French town – Nancy. Article also mentions real babies named Batman, Blaze and Charisma.

Darwin schoolteacher Wendy Green named her racehorse Rogan Josh, after the Indian spice mix, which she saw at the supermarket. She claims that in Tennant Creek, she was asked to baptise a baby, which she did using champagne, and named the baby Rogan Josh as well. You may take this story with as many grains of salt as you wish – but Rogan Josh really isn’t too bad a name. It literally means “boiling oil” in Persian.

Friday’s birth notices included a new baby named Passion Brinessa Ajayla Quinatee Martin, who is the 12th child in her family. The rest of the family are Samantha Jayne (18), twins Shantelle Victoria and Stephanie Catherine (15), Jenaya Lee (11), Shania Kay (10), Brandon Bradley (7), Brandi Shyla Molly Robyn (6), Cruz Richard (5), Clayton Adam Logan (4) and Diammond Sparckle Zedekeyah Lilly Ann (3). Mum is named Brinessa, which is a variety of rose, and quite an unusual name too. She admits she did find it difficult to come up with original names, and turned to an iPhone application for inspiration.

Names of Adults

Lyra Benbow is a primary schoolteacher in the Melbourne suburb of Digger’s Rest who is just about to spend her Easter break doing volunteer work in Uganda. Is anyone else just loving her name? It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.

Another awesome name from the papers: Eugenie Pepper, who runs a children’s fashion business named Plum. I feel like ringing her number to hear if she answers, “Hello, this is Pepper of Plum”.

Last year, Cressida Moneypenny attended the Anzac Day commemorations in Turkey. Originally from the Gold Coast, Ms Moneypenny was drawn to her name’s spiritual home, and moved to London. Ian Fleming never gave his Miss Moneypenny a name, but I feel sure it should have been Cressida …

The Melbourne Comedy Festival will feature eight comedians named Dave. Why so many funny guys named Dave? Dave O’Neil was a David until he started in comedy – then he became Dave, which seemed more man of the people. Dave Hughes also began as a David, but said he couldn’t make it stick – people just expect a comedian of a certain age to be a Dave, apparently. All the Daves agreed they had been stuck with an uncool name – while a David can be hip or sexy, a Dave is always daggy.

Names From Real Life

A pair of sisters named Ilse and Matine, which I thought went together really well without being in the least matchy. Ilse is a German nickname for Elizabeth, while Matine is based on the French word for “morning”.

Another cute sibset, this time a little hippyish – Lotus, Jewel and Sunny (two girls and a boy). They are names which just make you smile.

Someone I know told me they have a new niece named Berrilee, which is the name of a suburb of Sydney (and one I missed!). It is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning perhaps “mouth” or “food”, and far from being a modern innovation, baby Berrilee is named after an ancestor.

A name I saw on a class list at the start of the school year – Phonique. It’s French for “phonic”, as pertaining to sound, and is used by a (male) DJ in Europe. To me it almost seems like a portmanteau of phony and unique …. and quite technological.

In spring it was Aryan … here’s another name I saw some people find controversial – Gypsy. This is a name more common in Australia than it is in the UK and other European countries, which have significant populations of Romanis or Travellers (who sometimes refer to themselves as gypsies). Romanis are not in fact from Egypt, which is what Gypsy literally means – their origins are from the Indian subcontinent.

Names of Babies Born to People I Know or Know Of:

Girls: Florence, Harriet, Lola, Marina

Boys: Arlo, Gus, Huxley