Holiday Inspired Word Names

The holiday season is a sensory feast; evoking the fragrances of pine needles and cinnamon, images of crystalline snow drifts and strings of softly twinkling rainbow lights, as well as feelings of warmth, joy, and happiness. While many words associated with Christmas have long been in use as given names, like Noel, Joy, and even Christmas itself, there are many other “scent-sational” choices out there just waiting to be discovered. Whether its the aromas of the holidays, or the decorations, or the simple joy of the season that you love most, there’s a plethora of names in each of these categories that could be a lovely choice for holiday baby. Many of the following appellations would make highly unusual, yet still beautiful choices; in the spirit of the holidays, I attempted to compile the most inspirational, rather than conventional, names:

Imagery:

Copper

Bronze

Jewel

Crimson

Silver

Bell

North

Star

Garnet (January’s birthstone)

Topaz (December’s birthstone)

December

Glow

Bright

Tinsel

Snow

Frost

Winter

Wreath

Garland

Trees and Flowers:

Pine

Aspen

Evergreen

Maple

Cypress

Balsam

Cedar

Spruce

Garland

Ivy

Holly

Poinsettia

Narcissa (another December’s birth flowers is the Narcissus)

Fraser (Fraser Fir)

Virtues and Feelings:

Jolly

Merrily

Merry

Feliz

Felicity

Jonty

Holiday

Charity

Jubilee

Epiphany

Gloria

Pax (meaning Peace)

Prosper

Cheer

Noble

Wish

Blythe

Religious Aspects:

Hymn

Noel

Bethlehem

Advent

Nativity

Saint

Christian

Shepherd

Dove

Drummer

Christmas

Heaven

Faith 

Miracle

Hope

Grace

Joy

From Ace to Zane: The Best Cowboy Names for Boys

Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

This post was originally published in 8/11, and revised and edited in 7/13.

Let’s say you want your son to grow up to be like Clint Eastwood. Gruff, rough and tough. A real boy’s boy. A manly man. Macho. Or maybe you’re in love with old Westerns. The romance. The drama. The lonely dusty prairies and tumbleweeds, swinging saloon doors and swaggering, comboy-hat-wearing, gun-slinging heros. Whatever the case, you aren’t into sissy names. None of that Aidan and Liam crap for you. If that’s the way you feel, take a look at these names, a list appropriate for any future comboy, tough guy, or guy’s guy.

Cowboys:

These names were inspired by old Western films, Western literature, and other Western paraphernalia. A lot of names that were used for cowboys were traditionally short and strong nicknames for longer, Biblical names:

Zane
Cooper
Zeb (Zebedee, Zebulon)
Jed/ Jeb (Jedidiah, Jebidiah)
Link (Lincoln)
Ford
Slade
Grady
Ike (Isaac)
Deck
Press (Preston)
Gray
Gus (August)
Flint
Fletcher
Hank (Henry)
Hal (Henry)
Eli
Luke
West
Clay
Dock
Cord
Wade
Hudson
Price
Mose (Ambrose, Moses)
Cash (Cassius)
Jem (Jeremiah)
Grover
Lou (Louis)
Sly (Sylvester)
Amos
Silas
Jake
Cleve (Cleveland)
Clint
Loper
Wiley
Abe (Abraham, Abel)
Heck (Hector)
Boone
Ranger
Linus
Jose, Josie (The Outlaw Josie Wales)
Jud (Judson)
Clem (Clement)
Guthrie
Destry (from Destry Rides Again)
Burt
Zeke (Ezekiel)
Rover
Denver
Lasso
Jethro
Toby (Tobiah, Tobias)
Trace
Dakota
Laramie
Win (Edwin)
Ransom
Mal (Malcolm, Malachi)
Mort (Mortimer)
Cai (Mordecai)
Cass (Casper, Cassian, Cassius, Casimir...)
Hersch (Herschel)
Harlan

Other Guy’s Guys:

These names project a cool, tough, (or combination of both) image:

Jack
Dash
Seth
Dune
Thor (Thorben)
Dirk
Oak
Sam (Samuel, Samson)
Moss (Thomas)
Easton
Foster
Cliff
Vale
Hawk
Keane
Jude
Max
Rift
Ridge
Finn
Ross
Ajax
Red (Redmond)
Dane
Bo
Hunt (Hunter)
Wes (Wesley)
Ramsey
Eben (Ebenezer)
Grant
Ace (Asa)
Blaise
Archer
Pike
Arrow
Birch
Shane (from the film Shane)
Gunnar
Talon
Cade
Flynn
Rush
Chase
Jase/Jase
Cole

Bunions and Butlers: Sounds from the South

The title of this blog pretty much says it all...I was combing through cemetery records for Greenville, SC, and found some real gems:

My Favorites:

Frances Moon

Flora Ozette

Samantha Clarentine

Gracy Myrtle

Addie Geneva

Harvey Levi

Homer Harrison

Tessie Mae

Coralee

Wyly Vincent 

Buster Edward 

Benton Marcellus 

Posey 

Zebby Vance 

Dexter

 Sibsets:

Rex, Roy, and Rufus

Junius and Jasper

Weird Nicknames:

Sunie

Hozey Lee

Heggie

Icie

Zimmie

Texie Talley

Fronie

Jettie Estelle

Loulie Latimer

Zadie

Hardy (technically not a nickname, but it has that “ee” sound ending)

Loveably Eccentric:

Sacharissa (I'm gonna sack 'er riss a horrible name!)

Mattiezelle

Ichabod

Lake

Loner Rainey Langley (No joke.)

Narcissie 

Sophronie

Spartan Irenus (Someone was going through a wannabe gladiator phase)

McBee (This sounds like a possible McDonald’s campaign. Mc-Beeeee yourself!)

Cain (anyone who names their child after the murderous brother is eccentric. Or stupid.)

The Presidential:

Bingeman Franklin (Dear parents, really? Here is all the evidence needed to prove that unique spellings are unnecessary, and often ignorant.)

George Washington

Grover Cleveland

Columbus Washington (Too much. Just too much historical naming going on here.)

Surnamey/Occupation Names with interesting consequences:

Bunion

Young (what did he do when he hit 50?)

Butler

Ransom Duke (this sounds like an order)

Emma and Cassandra...er? 

I found multiple instances of Emmer, and one Casander. Emmer is almost a legitimate name. The Irish name Emer, or Eimhear, is pronounced “ee-mer.” But Casander...I have no explanation for that one.

Inspired by Ireland: Some Musings on the Emerald Isle

I am sort of obsessed with Ireland. My grandma used to remind me that my great-great-grandmother was named Mary Loretta Quinn, and she came from County Clare. I have Scots-Irish ancestry on both sides of my family, and I love Irish music and names (obviously). Someday I will go there, but for now I'm content to scour the green hillsides for the best Irish names. I spent the better part of my morning going through cemetery records for County Clare, and discovered some quirks, trends, and popular / classic Irish monikers. It's not only the first names that I looked at, however: Irish surnames make for plenty awesome first names, as well, so I compiled a list of the catchiest. Without further ado, here is what I found, divided into categories:

THE NICKNAMEY NAMES:

It seems the Irish like nicknames....There was a tendency to lop off everything but the first syllable and add an "o" or "ie" sound to the end.  For the more obscure ones, I added my best guess as to what it could be short for in parentheses.

Lambie (Lambert)

Chappy (Charles)

Miko (Michael)

Tady (Theodore, Thaddeus)

Jimo (James)

Maisie

Nano (Nancy)

Mellie (Carmel, Melissa)

Amby (Ambrose)

Barney

Dolly

Patto (Patrick)

Cissie (Cecilia)

Bessie- Wouldn't recommend, it reminds me too much of a cow.

Jacko

Hughie- Dewie, and Louie, anyone?

Dilly- Bar.

Minnie- Mouse.

Biddy (Bridget)- Old Biddy.

Dinny (Denis)

THE REALLY IRISH NAMES:

Here, friends, are the names I saw most:

Bridget / Brid (BREED) / Brida- By far the most popular girls' name, Bridget was an Irish saint; Brid is the original form.

Honora/ Hanora/ Honor/ Honour- Definitely a phenomenon unique to Ireland; I have never seen Honora used so frequently elsewhere. It's an obscure name, for sure, but has a lovely sound (Uh-NOR-uh). I might steal this for my favorites list.

Margaret- Frequently shortened to Peg, Peggy, and Maisie.

Mary- Frequently shortened to Molly and Dolly.

Theresa- Tessie

Catherine/Kathleen- Kate

Maura/Maureen

Nora

Delia

Patrick

Patricia

THE COOLEST:

These are the names left over after I took out the common names and the nickname-names; the unusual, sweet, and yes, the coolest names of all:

Bartholomew- Popped up quite a bit, another Irish phenomenon. While it is a well-known Biblical name (He was also known as Nathaniel), Bartholomew has suffered from disuse, probably owing to his unwieldy length. Nonetheless, I quite like Bartholomew. He could go by Bo, Mo, Tom, Rolo...so many possibilities!

Padraig- The original Irish form of Patrick, pronounced Paw-drig, was often abbreviated to Patty and Patto. I like its sound, but it may cause problems for Americans when they try to pronounce it.

Cornelius- Another old and rare name that was well used (for some reason) in Ireland, Cornelius might appeal to those seeking an undeniably classic, yet decidedly old and fusty name.

Mortimer- I have a soft spot for Mortimer. It's ridiculously dusty and moth-eaten, but you know what, its got a chic edge. I can just see a celebrity using it soon...He could go by Mo, or even Tim.

Seamus- SHAY-mus, one of the more well-known Irish names, is too little used in the U.S. It's easy to pronounce and cute.

Orla- More of a modern Irish choice, Orla means "golden" and for once, it's an Irish name that is spelled and pronounced the same. The "la" ending is very right now. It's distinctive without being too strange. A winner.

Helena- Shakespearean and pretty, Helena's only caveat for me is that it can be said so many different ways. Heh-LAY-na, Heh-lenn-uh, Heh-LEEN-uh...which one is it?

Desmond- Des is a cool nick name, Desmond in full is classy, but in the U.S., it has been used more frequently by African Americans, which makes it seem off limits.

Edmund- Chronicles of Narnia fans may recognize this. I find it to be more attractive than Edward, more distinctive, and an unfairly ignored classic.

Kieran- Another more modern male choice, Kieran is pronounced "Keer-in."

Seanàn/ Sinan/ Senan- Pronounced Shaw-NAHN, meaning "little wise one."

Zetta- A rando that I like by virtue of the "Z" at the beginning. Short and sweet.

Conolel- The first time I saw this, I thought it was a typo, but there was more than one Conolel. I'm pronouncing it "con-oh-lell" and think it has a nice ring to it. Maybe it's an older form of Conor.

Mercy- A virtue name that sounds modern, with its cute-"cy" ending, Mercy could have possibilities.

Winifred/Winnie- Saw this relatively frequently, as well. I've mentioned Winnie in past posts, because I think it's adorable. The only thing I can't decide on is the "fred" ending of Winifred. Is it cute, or not? And should I say "WiniFRED" or "WiniFRID?"

Cecil/Cyril: These sound quintessentially British to me.

Ambrose: One of my all time favorite names (My current combo is Ambrose Vance), I saw the nickname Amby used for this; my pick would have been Bo.

Sylvester: Another neglected classic, Sylvester is probably hampered in the U.S. by Sylvester the cartoon cat, of Tweety Bird fame. 

Bernadette: The name of a saint, Bernadette has the cute nickname of Bernie going for it. It's vintage chic.

Tadhg: Another of my favorite Irish names, pronounced "TYG." It means "poet," and its too awesome for words. I want to use it in the middle spot someday.

Declan: More modern Irish name, pronounced like it looks. Comes complete with neat nickname "Deck" and was used in television series "Kyle XY." (No, I did not watch that show. My sibs did)

Mollien: I only saw this once. My guess is that it was an elaboration on popular Irish name Molly, and pronounced Molly-ENN. It's pretty. I like it.

Carmel: Uniquely Irish, however, it's too similar to the candy for my tastes. Haha, pun not intended.

John Joe: For some reason, I saw this a lot. I'm not sure why this combination was so beloved, because it sounds like a backwoods hillbilly name, a la Jim Bob or Billy Joe or Ella Mae, etc. I thought it was worth mentioning by virtue of its oddness. I also saw a John Jack. Now, Jack is a nickname for John. Naming your child John Jack makes no sense whatsoever. You might as well name him John John. Which saying aloud makes me laugh. Go ahead. Try it.

Matilda- Another of my favorite-est girls' names ever. It's a family name on my mom's side, and possible nickname candidate "Mattie" is a family name on my dad's side. Matilda reminds me of the book and movie, featuring a smart and sassy heroine by that name. I even had a cousin use this; she named her baby Matilda Rose. Even though Heath Ledger and Michelle whats-her-face had a Matilda, too, it remains fairly unusual outside of Britain, and I love it. 

Flan- Flann was a 9th century King of Tara in Ireland. It means "red" in Irish Gaelic. I think I love it.

Philomena- Old saint's name, has definite possibilities.

Helenora- Reflects the Irish's love for the name Nora; a unique appellation I'd never seen before so I had to include it.

Manus- The Irish form of Magnus. It reminds me of a gruff, ancient Irish man with a heart of gold, sitting in his rocker by the sea spilling the secrets of "Roan Inish" while he smokes a pipe and squints at his listener.

Dermot- Anglicized form of Diarmuid. 

Maude- Alfred Lord Tennyson, whom I have to mention because I like to pretend I'm related, wrote a poem about a Maud; was originally used as a nickname for Matilda. 

Nuala- Pronounced Noo-la, it's a short form of Fionnuala (Fin-oo-la), meaning white shoulders. 

Letitia- When it's pronounced "La-TISH-uh," this name sounds quaint and classy; reminds me of Letitia Prism from "The Importance of Being Earnest," one of my favorite plays. However, it seems a little un-classy these days, for some reason...mostly because I've never heard it pronounced the old-fashioned way.

Betienty- This appears to be another unique name, possibly an elaboration of "Betty." I'm saying it "Betty-enty." It's actually kind of cute.

Theabald- Spelling variant of Theobald, which is pretty bad-ass. 

Ignatius- I'm sort of ashamed to admit that I like this name a lot. Has a cute nickname (Iggy) and is a Roman saint's name. Cate Blanchett has an Ignatius, and there was also an Ignatius in the clay-mation film "The Year Without a Santa Claus." He's the ginger who doesn't believe in Santa...

THE SURNAMES

Irish names just sound cool. That's all there is to it. Young star Rooney O'Mara, of the soon-to-be coming-to-theaters "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" film, is living proof. Also, actor Patrick Dempsey has kids named Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen, and Jude Law has a Rafferty. I think it's only a matter of time before it becomes the next name trend. My picks:

Lorigan

Madigan

Morrissey

Nolan- Met a boy named Nolan

Shea- Knew a girl named Shea once

Halloran

Carmody

Keane

Naughton

Keeffe

Loughlin

Quinn

Reid- A cousin of mine just named their baby Reid

Ronan

Tiernan

Tierney

Vaughn

Brennan

Eagan

Lafferty

Regan

Gallagher

Clancy- I've actually known two Clancy's; one a boy and one a girl.

Lillis

Callahan

Murphy

Cleary

Corbett

Doonan

Keaby

Flynn- Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have a Flynn

So...which are your favorites? Least favorites? Do you know anyone with any of these names?

Euro-Chic Names: Don't Mess With Axel.

Recently, I was bored at work. To solve this problem, I went looking for new names. Since this is so often my solution, however, it’s difficult for me to find said ‘new’ names. Not to brag or anything, but I know a lot of names. Even if I do find a name I haven’t seen before, it’s usually ugly. So, to find cool new names is a little like finding my size in a pair of Joe’s Jeans on sale at T.J. Maxx. Now. That being said, today I sorted through tons of lists from Europe, and found some beauts that are rarely found on our side of the Atlantic, among them:

Girls:

Lærke (Danish)- pronounced LAYR-ka, it’s the Danish word for “lark” and it has a beautiful sound. It’s popular over there right now, unheard of here. (And, I’m guessing, many other places). I also like just plain Lark. It has a down to earth, yet whimsical vibe.

Sunniva (Norwegian)- pronounced Soon-ee-va, it means "gift from the sun," which is just plain awesome. I love the nickname possibilities, like Sunny, Niva, Evie, etc. 

Solveig (Norwegian)- before you gag, it’s not pronounced Sawl-veeg, which would not be the greatest sound, but “Sole-vay,” which I think is really unique and sweet. 

Nova, Novalie (used in a number of Scandanavian countries)- Both are awesome. They remind me of stars, because that’s what they mean, but believe it or not, Nova was not unheard of here in the U.S., circa 1880-1900.

Madelief (the Netherlands)- pronounced Mad-a-LEEF, what’s not to like about this name? It’s like I get to use Madeleine without all the aggravating popularity, and make it sound even BETTER. Only caveat is that it almost sounds invented, and I hate invented. 

Romy (the Netherlands)- This is cute, easy to say and spell, and unusual. Used as a nickname for Rosemary or on its own, I prefer it as a nickname for Rosemary, just because straight up nickname-names aren't my cup of tea. They're not substantial enough. 

Esmee (the Netherlands)- I like it spelled with one e at the end, but still, a gorgeous name (EZ-may) that Lemony Snicket as well as J.R. Salinger have used. Literary cred, check.

Meritxell (Catalonia)- This name is so cool, for so many reasons. (Muh-ree-CHEL). First of all, it has an x in it. Second of all, it sounds like Michelle and Rachel, which are well established, traditional names, but it isn’t. And third of all, it’s insanely unique. That checks a lot of boxes for me.

Jana (Belgium)- YAH-na. Short, cool sound, unique. Can’t go wrong.

Luna (Belgium)- I love this name...the “lu” sound, the moon meaning, the easy spelling and pronunciation, the Harry Potter reference, the Luna Park reference...so much going for it that I think it’s only a matter of time before its popularity skyrockets. I've seen it being tossed around on the message boards quite a bit.

Boys:

Theo (Belgium)- Not Theo, like "thee-oh". TAY-o.

Sander (Belgium)- Sander sweeps me away with its swarthy sexy sound.

Finn (Ireland, Netherlands)- one syllable THWACK of coolness. It’s getting popular really fast, though.

Casper (Netherlands)- Forget the Friendly Ghost. Casper comes from the name of one of the Three Kings that delivered presents to baby Jesus, it has a cool modern sound, and it’s got the “er” ending I’m fond of. 

Bram (Netherlands)- BRAHM, like Bram Stoker. It’s short and powerful without losing a sense of intelligence.

Sem (Netherlands)- The Dutch are prime at one syllable awesomeness. This is the Dutch form of Shem, a Biblical name. Only thing is it might get mixed up with Sam a lot in America.

August (Denmark and others)- I do enjoy this name. It’s retro, strong, and has the nickname Gus, which I can't help but love.

Axel (Several countries) - That’s right. Like an axel rod. But it’s awesome. I would not want to mess with someone named Axel. There is also a female version, the French Axelle (ax-ELLE), which is equally unusual and neat.

Arthur (Belgium) - It’s about time this caught on again. Arthur sounds like that geeky chic guy who makes it big in computers and is nerdily good-looking. I vote yes.

Pim (Netherlands)- I think this is fun to say. Dutch short form of Willem. Could possibly be a replacement for Tim or Jim, though I would recommend it as a nickname only. Pim as one's full name sounds kind of like a joke.

(Image courtesy of zimbio.com) Will Ferrell has sons named Axel, Magnus, and Mattias.

Those are my male and female candidates for some of Europe's best undiscovered names. Which do you like best? Least? Any you think I should have added? 

Name Profile: Tamara

Let me start by saying that Tammy is one of my least favorite names, ever. That’s saying something, because once I made this list of all the names that I dislike and it ran upwards from five pages. Typed. (Becky, I’m sorry). It reminds me of this one video I watched in high school about this lady named Tammy who lived in a trailer and walked six miles every day to her job at McDonalds. That being said, I sort of love the name Tamara, even though it’s not at all similar to my other favorite names, which have a decidedly British flair (Cecily, Clementine, Violet). If it hadn’t been for one adorable little girl, the name probably wouldn’t even have ended up crossing my radar.

That changed today, when I met a ten year old German girl named Tamara. She was small for her age, with white blond hair in a long braid, a quick smile, and gray-green eyes. She introduced herself with a mature handshake and pronounced her name delicately: “Ta-MAH-ra.”  I was struck immediately by how beautiful the name sounded and wondered why I hadn’t given it much thought. I blame it on Tammy. 

After some consideration, I realized I had heard the name Tamara before, in a 90s television series called “Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders,” the epitome of girly entertainment. (It was one of my favorite shows when I was little. I even dressed up as Princess Gwenevere for Halloween once.) Anyway, one of Princess Gwen’s Jewel Riders is named Tamara, pronounced the pretty way, with the stress on the second syllable. (That’s another Tamara problem. In the U.S., it would most likely be pronounced “TAM-uh-ruh,” which is more easily shortened to the dreaded Tammy.) With the European pronunciation, however, “Mara” seems like the most natural nickname, which is far prettier, and far more unusual.

When I looked the name up on my trusty baby name source, behindthename.com, it cited the name as the Russian variation of Biblical name Tamar (Ta-MAHR), meaning “palm tree.” Further research revealed that the name peaked in the 70s, explaining the plethora of middle aged Tammys, but has since plummeted down to the 800s, making it quite rare. However, in Eastern Europe and Russia it’s much more popular, at its highest at number 12 in Serbia. (For perspective, our number 12 is Elizabeth).

Tamara has several attractive qualities: the feminine sounding “ah-ra” ending, combined with the strong opening “T,” as well as nickname possibilities and a meaning rooted in nature and the Bible. It’s easy to spell and pronounce, and while it’s no longer common in the U.S., most are familiar with it. I think it’s a good alternative to the other elaborately feminine names in vogue right now: Sophia, Isabella, Olivia...strong, yet beautiful.

All in all, I like it. What do you think of Tamara? Is it too dated? Ugly? Pretty? Weird? Let me know in the comments section. : )

One Tamara alternative that I find has a very similar style and feel to it is Ramona.

Other unusual T alternatives: Tessa, Thalia, Tallulah, Thisbe, Thessaly, Tora.

Not recommended for use: Tanya. 

"Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders"

Aleph-ed my coat in your car. Can I go get it?

Natalie Portman is one of my favorite actresses. She can actually act, for one. "V for Vendetta" is amazing. For two, she's gorge, and for three, she's educated. She went to Harvard, for goodness sakes. But she has left me a bit confused and kind of sad with the birth of her son, whom she has named "Aleph."

Not Alex,
Not Alan,
Not Al, Joseph, or Aloysius. Aleph.

No, it's not a real name. You will not find it in any baby name books. But, maybe, if you are a Hebrew baby, you will find it hanging on the wall of your preschool, along with the rest of the alphabet. That's because Aleph is literally the letter "A" in the Hebrew alphabet. It's kind of like naming your child "Aych," or "Why" or "See" or "Tee." You get the picture. So what in God's name, has induced (pun intended) Natalie Portman to name her darling bub Aleph?
Well, the woman is Jewish, and has family living in Israel, so I guess she was looking for a way to honor her heritage. She is also a celebrity, and the best way to stay a celebrity is to make some headlines for yourself. Keep the public interested and flapping their yaps. So, rather than going with an actual Jewish name, like Ezra or Abraham, both of which would have been chic, unexpected choices, she decided to jump on the annoying trend of which celebrities are so fond, that of pretending random words are names. The following is the actual conversation Natalie and her man Benjamin had before Aleph was born:

"Hey, Benji."
"Yes, Natty?"
"What can we name our darling bub that isn't a real name, sounds awesome, honors my Jewish heritage, and will make headlines for us, so that we will get even more publicity than we already have??"
"Jee, Natty, your Oscar from 'Black Swan' wasn't enough? Wait...what about...Swan?"
"No, silly, that's a girl's name."
"My bad, my bad. Ummmm... Moon Unit?"
"Taken."
"Apple?"
"Taken."
"Man, this is hard."
"I know, I know. We need to think less. Keep it simple, stupid. Hehe. That's what they taught us at Harvard."
"Good idea, babe. Hey, I got it! If we're going for simple, why don't we just name it a letter?"
"You mean like, Enn? For Natalie?"
"No, I mean, Bee, for Benjamin."
"Hmmm. I got it. What about A? It implies great, mysterious things, like that he's first, because he's the first letter in the alphabet!"
"Okay, but how does that tie into your Hebrew-ness?"
"Prepare to be amazed...we name him A, but in Hebrew, so he's Aleph!"
"Oh my god, that is brilliant. It even kind of sounds like a name!"
(Disclaimer: Natalie and Benjamin did not have this conversation, but they may as well have)

Thus, the dynamic duo ended up with Aleph. Now, appearances aside, I don't actually hate the name. It's not as bad as Moroccan. (Oh, Mariah Carey...) or, on the flip-side, an über trendy name like Max. But it still makes me sad. I was hoping Natalie would display her brainy prowess and choose an unusual, yet legitimate name, that was previously gathering dust in an attic somewhere, bring it out, shine it up, and cause all lesser humans to wonder why in the heck they didn't think of reviving it before. Something like Arthur, as Elisabeth from "You Can't Call It It," suggested, or maybe Leopold or Abijah. I don't know. Anything but A, eh? Granted, Aleph does sort of sound legit. Like it could be a real name, if it actually wasn't. Someone on another board pointed out that it looks a bit like Alex and Joseph, two very popular names, smooshed together, and I guess that could hold some appeal. But still. I think the title of this blog is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the consequences of that name are concerned.