What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

d, l.a., CA — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:51:58 GMT

"If you have library access or $10 for a book, you can pore over list after list of names" It should be "pour" not pore, as on your face.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Pam, Yakima — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:05:17 GMT

I'm still waiting for my name "Pamela" to make a comeback. :)

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:31:17 GMT

Editor's Note: To D in LA: Nope, "pore" is correctly used. As a verb, it means " to read or study attentively — usually used with 'over'." (Check Merriam-Webster if you don't believe me.)

http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pore

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Julie, Greenleaf, ID — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:43:49 GMT

Gael--
Thank you so much for using the correct spelling of "pore" in this context. It is one of the frequent mispellings that irritates me the most. I find that it is almost always spelled "pour".

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Danica, Kilgore, Texas — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:26:06 GMT

I totally agree with the author. One of the neat parts of pregnancy is the name picking. 9 months of debating with your spouse, to finally have the name you feel fits best. As for the name trends; I have 2 children, and a niece, with "grandma" names, 1 daughter with an "unusual but not wacky" name, and another niece with a "seriously wacky" name. Nailed that one.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Lynn Johnson, Portland, Oregon — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:30:45 GMT

As a teacher, it is difficult to keep up with all of these invented spellings. It is very important to a child that their name is spelled correctly on the board or chart. I actually have a student named Khase (pronounced Chase). How am I supposed to teach him to read when he thinks "kh" makes a "ch" sound? Parents! Give us a break?

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Ena, CT — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:34:59 GMT

As a person with a name that no one has ever heard of I sympathize with all the children that will spend the rest of their life saying their name over, then spelling it, and then saying it again.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kathleen, Stamford CT — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:04:24 GMT

Just for the record, my mom wanted to name me "Bhreanna" or something similar but decided against it because she didn't want me to have to go through spelling my name all the time and having folks mispell and mispronounce it.

She named me "Kathleen" , a very very common name that is almost always spelled this way, and my last name is one of the five most common last names.

It still gets mispelled and mispronounced several times a week.

Name your kid whatever the hell you want...people will still be idiots and misspell/mispronounce it. The kid will have to suck it up and move on. The useless national infastructure and the lack of social security will probably annoy them way more.

Does it really bother you that some kid is named 'Apple" or 'Caryyyn'? For you, that should be a great red flag to never hang out with their no-doubt-dumber-than-you parents. (I'm trying to be sarcastic here, but boy, that "Kh" really bothers me, too. Oh well.)

Oh, AND my mom was a nurse and tried UNSUCCESSFULLY to convince a woman to NOT name her baby "Placenta". So, remember, it could always be worse.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Cheryl Ohio — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:11:42 GMT

Some celebritees must have been hungry when they named their kids. Gweneth Paltrow saddled her baby with the name Apple. Courtney Cox-Arquette named hers after a dog or cereal--CoCo, like CoCo puffs. I pity these kids who have to struggle with cutesy names with complicated spellings.
The last thing these parents are thinking about is their kids futures.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Katrina C., Parsonsburg, MD — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:14:09 GMT

All that work to name a baby, when the future may play tricks with it. 36 years ago when my parents picked my name, they had no idea that someday I would share it will a killer hurricane (or that people would have the nerve to suggest I therefore change it!) And in my mother-in-law's baby names book (which she still has) my husband's namd, DANA, was only listed under the Boys section of the book. And now 37 years later it is almost always only listed on the Girls side, and people rarely believe him when he first tells them his name. So parents, don't invest so much time and energy into something that someday may mean something else, or be so wacky that your kid spends his/her 18th birthday filing the legal forms to change it!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Erin, Seattle, Washington — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:21:43 GMT

I cannot stand the "aden" names - Braden, Jaden, Caden, etc.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Vivien Heminover, Waterloo, Iowa — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:44:51 GMT

I gave my daughter three names, the last two after her grandmothers, Violet and Barbara. She has always asked my why? She says her brothers got normal names, Keith and Ryan. Now that Jennifer Garner named her daughter Violet, I do not feel so guilty.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

JimiFloyd, West Linn, Oregon — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:53:24 GMT

A few more "Grandma" names: Myrtle, Matilda, Ida, Edna and Edith come to mind. The Wacky names, I've known Feather, Destiny, and of course Autumn, Spring and Summer (no Winter as of yet) all left over names from the hipsters of the 60's and the wannabe hippies of the 70's. And then there's that actress what's-her-face that named her kid Apple. These kids are destined to grow up with some sort of complex.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Linda, Akron Ohio — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:59:13 GMT

Some of the names people are giving their babies these days should be just cause for a conviction on charges of child abuse. Heaven help those poor little kids who have to suffer with those ridiculous names.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

jim kingsley, Franklin, Pa. — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:07:10 GMT

No comment

Chance but at least it's not Khance

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Neil Charles, Stamford, CT — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:08:37 GMT

You really wanna see some coverage of celebrity baby names? Try http://www.celebritybabynamesblog.com
They blog about this stuff every day!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

remrafdn, Mayville,ND — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:12:23 GMT

How about Willow or Fawn or Cherry?

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Geoffrey Chaucer — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:15:51 GMT

Good article, but the best part was the whole "it should be pour, not pore" thing in the comments. Ha! Love it when people get their comeuppance. Note to d in L.A., that means "a deserved rebuke or penalty" . . . according to Merriam-Webster. Hahahahahahaha!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Ashley, Winchester, Tn — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:38:54 GMT

My rules for naming my children:
1. If I liked it enough to call them a name all the time, that would be their name (no nicknames).
2. Spell it correctly. Spelling a name in a "different" way just makes the parent look illiterate. (Jackson, not Jaxon)
3. It has to sound good with "President of the United States" in front of it. I don't think we'll ever have a President Bubba Smith.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Teeka, Akron, OH — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:45:03 GMT

Most people I've met, no matter how you say it or spell it, they usually fit their name, so, parents must know a little bit.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

ilima, Makawao, HI — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:45:42 GMT

I grew up in Virginia with an unusual Hawaiian name. It caused me much embarrassment when I was young, but when I grew up, I was glad to have an unusual name that was different than anyone else's. I recently moved back to Hawaii and finally met someone else with the same name as me, and it was very disconcerting to hear people say my name and not be talking to me.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Emily, Columbus,Ohio — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:54:35 GMT

For the love of whatever God (or god or goddess) you do or do not believe in, "yooneek" spellings are just torture. Just ask my husband who has a kr8tively spelled name that gets spelled wrong and pronounced wrong. Also, Chase is a game, not a name. Khase isn't even a word, much less a name.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

MelGee Chicago IL — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:09:07 GMT

No, it's actually "pore"; strangely enough.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shonda — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:15:23 GMT

What I hate most about my name is the racial profiling. My first name is mostly associated with African-Americans and my last name is Portugese, however I am caucasion as is my husband and children, yet we get credit card solicitations an magazine offerings written in Spanish or directed at African Americans.

My children have "normal" names, yet my daughter complains that there are 4 other Samanthas in her class.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Merry, Asheville, NC — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:19:34 GMT

My daughter's name is Mabel and we love it. Most people we meet love it too, because of the fact that it's not one of the popular old lady names that are making a comeback (or they are just being nice). The name itself means "lovable," and I cannot think of a better name for her. Sometimes I think she will probably want to go by her middle name instead, but for now we enjoy her short but sweet name.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

BettyLee Martin, Clarkesville, Georgia — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:25:56 GMT

Although my legal first name (on my birth certificate and all other important documents) is Elizabeth, I normally use the nickname Betty (together with my middle name, Lee) [My mother was Betty, my father's name was Lee, and I was their first child.] Ever since childhood, I have felt an immediate kinship with anyone I have met named Elizabeth or any of its derivatives (Beth, Bess, Betsy, Liz, Libby, etc.) I also find special enjoyment in reading about historical women who shared any of those names (the mother of John the Baptist, Betsy Ross, the Queens Elizabeth, Betty Zane, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, etc.)

I think that when parents name their child, they ought to have a story to tell the child about why they chose the name - a story that will help to root the child, give her/him a sense of connectedness to certain people, events, or places important to their family. One of my granddaughters, for example, is named Katie McKenzie. Katie is a derivative of a great-grandmother's name, and McKenzie is the river in the town where Katy was born. Her sister's names are Julia (same as one of her father's sisters) and Victoria, for the place in Canada where her parents were vacationing when Julia was conceived!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

jasper, spokane, wa — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:37:20 GMT

I love my brother, but he is seriously handicapping his kids, poor little tykes. Ezekiel Thayne Balthazar Adrian (last name here) and Evelyn Maria Francesca Sophia (last name here). At least they are all relatively "normal", or family names, except for the Balthazar...

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Winifred Ohio — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:46:10 GMT

I am the 5th of 5 granddaughters yet I was stuck with my grandmother's name. I am 54 years old and still hate it and complain about it to this day..the names of the granddaughters; Susan (Susie) Carole, Dianne, Anna Marie and then me... Winifred Louise. Isn't that a shame? Now WHY would my parents tack Louise after Winifred. My mother wanted to name me Michelle and call me Mickey. Why she didn't stick Michelle somewhere I do not know. Mu aunt who never had any children suggested Louise and probably because she and the other grandmother, Anna, were very dominating italians, my mother gave in. I HATE my name!!!!! I named my daughter Michelle..very common. She is very grateful.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jim, Kerrville, TX — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:32:28 GMT

Apparently, the name "Destiny" is fairly common among little girls in the small town I live in. That's a pretty heavy name for a six-year-old.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Rhonda, Katy, TX — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:54:33 GMT

Never forget Frank Zappa's kids, Dwezel(?) and Moon Unit Zappa.
I personally like the fact that I have a less than common name (Rhonda), and it too gets misspelled and misstated. Had I been a boy, I would have been Dallas.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Erica, Napavine, Washington — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:41:31 GMT

I cannot stand crazy "fashionable" new names, and decided that when I had kids they would have normal names. Their first names are ones that just "felt right" when my husband and I were discussing it - Benjamin and Hannah - and their middle names are after deceased and well-loved, greatly-missed relatives - Joseph and Stacy. Their names are not going to be hard for people to spell or pronounce and I think they will be grateful when they are older for having beautiful names with something special behind them.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Britni, Hawaii — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:28:44 GMT

I agree with most that the weird spellings of names is nerve racking. I have a common name, Britni, but it is spelled weird. I constantly have to spell my name out for people but I like the way it is spelled. It is unique. I sometimes find others who have it spelled the same as me. My daughters name is Ashlynn. I wanted one n but my husband wanted two so I compromised because I got the name I wanted. She will also have to spell out her name for the rest of her life. I feel sorry the the kids who have to grow up with odd names. I once met a girl who's name was Marajuana and another whose name is Tequila! You know what their parents were thinking about. And yes, the name Khase is awful. it's no where near phonetically correct. I didn't know how to pronounce it when I read it. I stopped where I was and tried to figure it out till I gave up and kept reading. I think parents are just trying to out do each other by finding quirks to the spellings. Maybe they think that a name will be better if they can find an odd way of spelling it. I am going to school to be a teacher and it actually makes me anxious (in a bad way) to think about what kind of names I will be approached with on the first day of school.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Karina, Burlington NC — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:52:26 GMT

My first name is Karina due to Swedish heritage and being born in Minnesota. I hated it as a child and well into my teen years and never met anyone else with the same name. It wasn't until I moved to Germany via the US Army for two years that I realized "Karina" was as common as "Lisa" in Europe and for once I felt normal. I even took a picture of a store named "Karina's Boutique" to show my friends back home. And yes... even though I'm lacking the letter "T" in my name I got razzed with all the hurricane jokes also.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

CSK, New Orleans, LA — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:58:07 GMT

I'm a criminal defense lawyer and I have actually represented individuals with the following names: "Baby Girl" "Female" (but it is pronounced: Phe-mul-ee), "Aquanet", and "L'Oreal." The judge always asks me to repeat the names. Always.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Ariane, Richmond, VA — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:36:11 GMT

I can relate to this problem all too well... My name is Ariane. I always have to spell it, repeat it, and end up saying "it's like Marianne, without the M." My Maiden name was horrible too. The first day of school there was always a long pause from the teacher, and I would raise my hand and say, "Yeah, that's me. Marianne without the M."

PS - I named my daughter Caroline Elizabeth. One of those old grandma names that everyone keeps talking about. I thought it sounded good with 'Doctor', or 'President of the United States' in front of it.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Priscilla Fuller, Gulf Shores, Al — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:43:00 GMT

My Mom named me Priscilla and I've been called Patricia, Pat, Phyllis etc. and it's ok. My dear friends call me Prissy and that's ok,too. I'm just happy that I'm still around to respond!!!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Martha — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:05:53 GMT

I have one of the ultimate grandma names...however, it could have been worse - my mother wanted to name me Ivana (My father's name was Iwan (pronounced ee-von))...my father insisted that we get names that translated well in English and Ukrainian

Try growing up in the last part of the 20th century w/the name Martha...in a world of Susans, Kathys, and Lisas ... as a child, the only well known Marthas were Martha Raye and Martha 'The Mouth' Mitchell from the Nixon days...and of course everyone thought they were SO original asking me how George was...and just when all of that stopped, the one I refer to as 'that' Martha came along!

As someone who works in the back office of a major insurance company, I really get frustrated at some of the crazy names and spellings...especially when I have to guess at the gender of the person

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

James E O'Neal — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:14:08 GMT

When I named my oldest son Dakota, the nurse at the hospital asked, "North or South"?. I just smiled and replied, "Dodge". My youngest son is named Wyatt and to this day, I do not regret the choices I made for my two beautiful babies. It really doesn't matter what you name your child, as long as it comes from the heart and your child can hear the love in your voice everytime you use it. My parents named me
James E, even though I am a female, and have called me Jamie since day one. Now that my father has passed away, I am honored to have shared his name and even more so to carry on his name. Life is too short to worry about names, good or bad.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Mike, Little Silver, NJ — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:26:25 GMT

My father has the following opinion: "It should be criminal to use your children's names as a creative outlet."

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kelly, San Diego, CA — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:37:49 GMT

I nearly named my daughter Siobhan (Shabon), as it is a Gaelic name. However, I really didn't want her to have to spend her life spelling it. I named her Mary and she loves it.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Amanda Springfield IL — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:51:35 GMT

I am a fan of somewhat unusual names, my son is Ryder Hayden (before Kate Hudson got her hands on it)and we are currently on the hunt for another name that will be equally uncommon. I do NOT want my child to be one of 5 Amys or Jennifers or Jasons or Chris etc etc in the same class.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Bill Winters, Highland, NY — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:59:56 GMT

When my wife and I married in 2003, I "inherited" (for lack of a better term) my two stepsons, who each have a Western first name and a LONG middle name (Wyatt Alexander and Cole Nathaniel). When we discovered we were expecting, my wife made the executive decision that Emily would be the name if it were a girl, and my only job was to find a middle name. Why all these people come up with stupid names (William HUCKLEBERRY Paisley? Brad, I'm a fan of the music, but...sheesh!) I thought of a name that had one syllable to counteract Emily and we came up with Grace. If the sonograms were wrong, and Emily had "outdoor plumbing", in keeping with the Western First name and long middle name, we would have had a Shane Montgomery.

I kind of like the return of Henry and names of that ilk, but Heaven? Apple? Or the worst thing I can think of, Nicolas Cage's poor kid Kal-el (Seinfeld is a HUGE Superman fan, and even he must have read that and said "What's the deal with that?")

You want to name something a really stupid name? Get a pet. I have a cat named Spaz - that's appropriate for a cat. Huckleberry is never appropriate for a human - only a blue cartoon dog.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Teresa , Delta Colorado — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:14:03 GMT

When I named my children, I read name books and tried every name that I liked with the middle & last name so that it sound ok. I have a Courtney, Ian, Mariah. Ian, I thought would be an easy name, just 3 letters. My ex, liked the name since it was Scottish. Very few people say or spell his name right. My son said that he likes his name because there isn't too many of them. Heaven forbid that people can spell Mariah. Actually, I chose her name since it was the closest name that I like that it had the MA in it. My grandmothers middle name Mae.
On the other hand I am glad that my mother didn't get to name after the grandmothers middle names(Daisey Mae). My mothers name, I have asked her if she has 2 first names or first or middle name. What do you think (Emma Faye).? Her response whatever I want it to be.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shannon Douglas, Ventura CA — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:28:00 GMT

I worked in a pediatrician's office for a bit a few years ago. A woman had had triplets, 2 boys and a girl. Tieler, Taylor and Tyler. I am NOT making this up. Speaking of which, anybody wanna take a wager on how many Zachery Tylers or Zachery Taylors
there are walking around, about 10-12 yrs old right now?

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Katrina, Saginaw — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:29:41 GMT

Poor usage of "pore" and "pour" is one of my pet peeves - thanks to all who badgered D. in LA. It's also nice to hear from another Katrina - it's such a pretty name, and it pains me when people (mostly in the media) don't use "Hurricane" in front of it when they talk about the destruction in the South. I have to keep telling people I didn't have anything to do with storm devastation. Adding to the comment of Erin from Seattle, I agree with disliking the current "-aden" names. I was also sick of the "-ailey/aley" names: Bailey, Cailey, Haley, etc. I think creative and wacky names should be reserved for pets.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Katherine Regan, Charlotte, NC — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:33:42 GMT

Good God, THANK YOU for this! I especially hate the people who say "But it's ur baybee. Naem it wat u want."

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Steven Eisenpreis — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:34:18 GMT

You could also just reference recently popular TV shows, for example, if you have triplet girls, you could name them Paige, Piper, and Phoebe, as in the "Charmed" Ones from the late great WB show. Samantha, Tabitha, and Serena (or Endora) are also Bewitching.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shana, Clarksburg, WV — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:39:13 GMT

My dad and a crush on Shana Alexander on 60 minutes. You guessed it. I got Shana. I have been everything from Shania to shannna to shannon to shawna and the good Lord knows what else. My son was not doomed to my fate and received solid strong correctly spelled and easily pronunciated names Thomas Anthony. Sigh.. More parents should have IQ testing before they are permitted to name their children.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Ericka, Jamestown, NY — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:39:17 GMT

My daughter is named Sydney, after where her father and I were married, yes 'Down Under'. Her middle name is Fred. My husband's grandfather called him that. My uncle is Frederick as is his son. So 'Fred' is natural to us. (Although my grandmother divorced my uncle's father - so my uncle and cousin go by Rick). As a side note, while I was pregnant there was a commercial, Nike I think, that was promoting women's empowerment to do anything. One of the lines in the commercial was something like "we can name our daughters Fred" with a baby girl sitting on shoulder's wearing a baseball cap reading "Fred". Other than my grandmother and one other rather rude stranger, everyone likes 'Fred'. And uses it as a nickname for their own daughters.

My son, choose his name. He didn't like Griffin or Graeme (this is a legitimate spelling, English, pronounced 'gram'). He choose Cooper (okay it's the only one didn't cry upon hearing. Poor kid, his first name is a last name and his last name is a first name. I wouldn't change it - BUT I am very careful when at the Dr's office or when signing him up for anything the first time. Last thing I want is him mistaken for the other kid who's parents got the names in the 'correct' order.

Oh, until I was 26 I had never seen anyone with my first name spelled with both a 'c' and a 'k'. And the first person I saw with my name was on Family Feud of all things. Guess her last name - Erick. I kid you not, watch the reruns. BTW, I was crushed, to no longer be unique.

My spelling comes from my other grandmother's madien name.

Simply put, there is a story behind each name. Don't judge. It may be worth hearing about someday.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Gena, FL — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:47:16 GMT

As a child, I never found any pencils, stationery, or Christmas ornaments pre-printed with my (correctly spelled)name. Also, being a "Gena" that sounds like "Gina" not "Jenna" was a result of really being "Eugenia"...a family name. I like it now but you can be sure that when I had children, I looked for the most common spellings of each of their names. As luck would have it, I traded a common English surname for a Lithuanian one when I married...so now I pronounce and spell both names!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kristen, Laurel, MS — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:52:05 GMT

I used to know twins named orangejelo and lemonjelo. I always felt sorry for them. I mean, what kinda chance do they have in society

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

BV, Joliet IL — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:56:02 GMT

I'm happy with my given name of Beth, but it can be annoying when people ask if it's short for Elizabeth (no) or Mary Beth (heck no).

At least if you feel that personalized mugs or charm bracelets are tacky (I see them all the time), there will be a bunch of kids out there who will never be able to get one that matches their name.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shelly Webb, Beverly, Ohio — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:03:26 GMT

name, then--and Edward is his father's and grandfather's middle name, as well as his great-grandfather's first name. His oldest sister is Eleri Elizabeth. "Eleri" a Welsh name; a nod to my Welsh ancestry. Our youngest daughter's name is Emmory Ellen. Some online friends helped us pick the name, which grew on us."Ellen" honors my Grandmother Helen.

Because (yeah, we admit it) that our daughters have unusual first names, we gave them more conventional middle names in case they don't approve of their first names.) Rhyming with unsuitable words was also a concern. The "EE" initials was unintentional, except for the youngest kid. We didn't want her to feel left out.

It's also fun to shorten the girls' names--"El" and "Em." (I'm not planning to have an "En," thankfully. Three kids is enough!)

So far, my kids (ages 5, 4, and 19 months) love their names, and we get positive responses when people learn what they are. (And it's fun having two daughters, when their names are shortened, as refering to them as

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Cathryn, Cincinnati OH — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:13:08 GMT

I feel for you, Winifred!
A young 15 year old I know is pregnant with a baby girl. She plans to name it Da'Nyah. Any inuendo here?

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

reemrafdn, mayville, nd — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:13:21 GMT

A local woman is named Sharon Anita. The story is she was conceived in the back seat of a Ford between Sharon and Aneta, ND.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Susan Redmond, MD — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:49:12 GMT

My grandmother's name was Viola, which she absolutely hated, so she went by her middle name of Anne. I too see lots of interesting names at the elementary school where I work. We have 2 sisters named ahmyia and shamyia. (they rhyme!) The best one I can't even spell, but Ajanay is pretty close. Guess it's hard for these kids to have to spell their names all the time, but really no different than when I was growing up and had to spell my last name all the time. ("It's Frailer... Just like TRAILER, but with an F." and a lot of people couldn't spell trailer correctly - grrr!) I was hoping to marry a smith or jones, but got a Redmond instead, which often gets spelled Redman. At least I didn't go with Frailer-Redmond - ha ha!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Christy, Lewisburg, TN — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:08:21 GMT

When my mom named me, no one had ever heard the name Christy. Now it is such a popular name, I hear it everywhere. My grandmother gave me the same middle name as my mom, Ann (which I seriously considered changing). My sister Rachel is named after my dad's sister Rachel, who was named after Rachel in the Bible (so were my aunts Ruth and Mary). My sister Nythosia (pronounced nuh-tosha) got her name from an Indian maiden on Gunsmoke. She recently had twin girls and named one of them Kennedy Taylor. So the poor girl has 3 last names but her sister has Caitlyn Elizabeth. You know she's gonna hate that when she grows up! LOL

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kathy, Georgia — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:10:41 GMT

I am also a teacher. In the last two years alone I've had students named Special, Princess, Precious, and Tiara. Can you imagine taking these names seriously in a business meeting??

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Misty Autumn, California — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:37:41 GMT

Honestly, different names can really be cherished by someone in there teens and on. I was always teased about my name as a child, and yes I hated it then, but now I couldn't be happier about my name. I love it! Absolutely love it. I have told my mother may times "thank you for giving me such a great name". Now instead of being teased about it, I am always told "Oh what a beautiful name!". I come from a family of different names: Glorianne, Shera Leigh, Shasta, Cheyenne (not so uncommon anymore) and my own name Misty Autumn and I have to say, we love the uniqueness of our names.

I do have to respond to the comment about Courtney Cox's little girl, Coco, to me thats freaking adorable! I have always loved that name and I think its great for such a cute little girl.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

cturner — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:24:19 GMT

The name on my birth certificate I swear on the bible is Christina Marie Christmas--yes! My dad wanted to name me Merry Noel--thank heaven my Mom did not give in to that one. Being Christy Christmas-Tree was hard enough. My children are named Bethany Joy and Patricia Marie--family names.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jean, NC — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:25:45 GMT

Go, Gael! Power to the people who know how to use words correctly (pore vs. pour).

As for names, I too think parents are handicapping their children. In 30 years, who's going to think someone named Bambi Ariele Smith is a serious businesswoman, or a capable lawyer? Someone mentioned choosing a name that sounded good with the phrase "President of the United States." I did a similar thing: something that sounded good like "Olympic Gold Medal winner."

To me, the wost are people who use the "kre8tive" spellings (thanks Emily in Columbus- ingenious!), and also those who just apparently make names up out of nothing. I always thought my name was too plain, but even so, with only four letters, you'd be surprised how people manage to misspell it!

Parents to be, don't forget, you may think this name is cute NOW, but your child will have to live with it for the rest of his/her life. Err on the side of normality for the name; he or she can always choose a colorful nickname when they get older.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Mrs. J — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:27:34 GMT

I am a teacher also, and I once had a student named Doago. Yup, go figure...

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

jane peters — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:49:09 GMT

My son and his wife gave their son my maiden name as his first name. He'll spend his entire life explaining the name to friends, but it has family roots, so I guess it's cool. I know my dad would be proud.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

NYCGirl — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:04:10 GMT

I've always been fascinated with names...I remember being in elementary school and sneaking peeks at baby name books in the library, afraid that someone would wonder what a little girl was doing looking at books like that! :D

Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing is hysterical.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jane Doe — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:11:08 GMT

How about "Jagger Jonathon Leach", born a few weeks ago to tennis player Lindsay Davenport and her husband Jonathan Leach. Don't these people know what goes on during recess? On a playground? Do you want your kid beat up every day??

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Abellamiento, PDX, OR — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:39:07 GMT

While I understand the importance of choosing the right name and its lifelong implications, I think I have to agree with P.T. Barnum here, "A sucker's born every minute."

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Nancy Callahan, Cape Cod, Mass. — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:44:05 GMT

I couldn't agree more. Deciding on a name is the *fun* part -- why would anyone pay hundreds of dollars to let someone else make the decision for them? It seems ridiculous to me.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Ashton, Philadelphia, PA — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:52:23 GMT

To Kathleen, in Stamford- "Placenta as a baby name" is a racially-charged urban legend. There has never, ever been a baby named Placenta, Vagina, or Orangejello. Go to snopes.com if you don't believe me.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Aileen, Lawrence KS — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:52:37 GMT

BettyLee- Is it Katie or Katy? And, to quote "Baby's got a bad bad name":

"Every kid thinks the idea their parents have sex is nasty. So why oh why would you want to remind them of it every single time someone calls their name?

I mean, how 'bout some truth in advertising, here! Name her Ramblerbackseat."

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kristen Lawton,Oklahoma — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:46:03 GMT

I love my name it is Kristen Marie. I named my daugthers. My First daughter name is Ivy Kathryn her first name we agree with her middle is my mom's first name which is Kathryn he had no say with middle name. My Second daughter name is Maylynn Marie her first name we agree with her middle name is my middle name which is for myself & my aunt, & my cousins that have that middle name he also had no say with middle name.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kathy, southern IN — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:52:10 GMT

Around here the most popular girl, and in my opinon stupid, name is "Nevaeh", or heaven spelled backwards. If they end up with a boy next, is the name picked going to be "Lleh"????

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Lori Ann F.; Shakopee, MN — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 23:26:19 GMT

Ok, I'll admit my daughters' names are spelled a bit different but the names are a combination of their grandmothers' first names.

My MIL name is ATHLENE (her birth certificate was illegible and she was not raised by her birth mom -- finally can read it 55 years later -- her name Madeline Katherine -- by KY lists it under what she knows -- ATHLENE).

My mom's is KATHRYN.

My eldest daughter is KATHLENE JESSICA, we call her by her middle and so do most of her friends. Most of the teachers use KATHLENE or Katie, some of them have picked up on Jessica or Jessie (she's a Junior in HS).

My youngest is ARYN THERESA (pronounced Erin). Her middle is a family friend's first name, and husband wanted to use it. She's going into 7th. She tells people Aryn with an A - she does realize that some people will go straight to the boy's spelling Aaron.

I liked Irish names (I know Erin is not a traditional Irish used name in Ireland) and I wanted to honor the moms. Jessica was a name I loved since childhood.

I knew a Taryn, so Aryn is not that hard to pronounce. I also know a woman by the name of SIAN (Shawn) and her daughter is MAWGRYN (- I think the spelling is right..it's pronounced Morgan, Mar-gwen).
My mom was given DELLA as a suggestion for my name, she turned it down (it was her grandma's name, whoops)

I hope I did not confuse to many teachers.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Alison, Orlando, FL — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 23:55:40 GMT

My father, a doctor, once had to convince a woman not to name her child "Gonorrhea," so it could always be worse. Creative spellings can get interesting. Filing in a medical office I came across a child whose parents "creatively" spelled "Sharon" as "Charon" as in, the Greek guy who ferries souls in hell.

Thank goodness that judge blocked that family in New Zealand from naming their child "4real."

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kacky — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:13:26 GMT

Hate to break it to ya, but "pore" is the correct usage.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Coryliss, South Bend, IN — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:53:55 GMT

I was 40 years old before I met someone with the same name as mine. Actually their name was the same spelling that is listed in the name books. Mine has a "unique" spelling with a "y" thrown in. I never use my "long" name, and I would like to choke those who try to say it. That's why I use "Corrie". The proper spelling is "Corliss"

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

LeeAnn McMahon, Birmingham, Alabama — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 01:12:57 GMT

I agree that a name should have a meaning for the family. My daughter is proud of her name, Kathleen Riley McMahon. She is named after my husband's first ancestor to make the journey from Ireland to America. My son's name is Keegan. It is an Irish name meaning "determined." After my daughter was born in 1999, I was sterilized. In 2006, Keegan was born. After three daughters, God was determined for my 52-year old husband to have a son!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Emily, Illinois — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 01:36:23 GMT

A kid at my kid's daycare is Zy-Quiz.

I hope this is a common foreign name. On Mars. (we just don't know it yet.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Nicole L — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 01:56:16 GMT

My daughter is named Fiona (my husband is Scottish) and she could really not be anything but Fiona!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shonda, Virginia — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 02:05:29 GMT

I agree with the other Shonda. I am Caucasian but I always end up on the African American mailing list too.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Mike Juran, Loyalsock Township, PA — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:32:46 GMT

I am still waiting for the first Little Leaguer in the Little League World Series named Espn. (Of course, the LLWS is televised on ESPN!)

BTW-I live in a suburb of Williamsport, PA. Birthplace of Little League Baseball.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Chari , Belvidere, Ill — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:49:25 GMT

Wow, crazy names are common these days. I'm not sure what my parents were thinking when they named me. Chari` - the accent has to be there to make the *i* sounds like an *e*. Now if you look at my name you can't say it right and if I tell you my name you can't spell it. (Shu-ree) Now I named my son Aidan Matthew. Aidan (fire) and Matthew (gift of God) I liked Aidan because it wasn't a common name and I didn't want him being on of the kids that are Aidan A and Aidan B and Aidan C. But alas as soon as I named him that it became the most popular name in America. The irony I swear....

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Stacy, Seattle, WA — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:46:41 GMT

As a nurse, I have seen my fair share of "wacky" names. I have taken care of children with names Monee (pronounced money) and Currency. There was also the child, Liam (pronounced yum as in William-the child was named after his father, William). What a life battle these children face with their names.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Scott McClintock, San Jose, CA — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:59:29 GMT

Search for over 20,000 FREE baby names here
http://www.babynameindex.com

As an added bonus, you can even add a few of your own. This is a great web site!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Frances Larsen, Newcastle, WA — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 06:35:10 GMT

Haven't seen anyone named Frances reporting in. For females it is spelled with an "e"; for males, it is spelled with an "i". (Not that there aren't rogue spellings out there.) So many people spell it with an "i" that I tell them--"e" for female, as in "hEr"; "i" for male, as in "hIs".

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Diana, TX — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 10:09:22 GMT

Hm... If I ever have a daughter I have been planning to name her Katherine Michelle, but now I think I'll name her Broccoli instead.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

David Farmington NM — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 10:14:46 GMT

i have 2 girls named Jasmine Jade and Lily Emerald, but we just call Lily "Emmy". At first we like the connection between the names but now i start to wonder if they will both grow up and hate there names

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Carrie, Chicago, IL — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 13:32:16 GMT

When I was a schoolteacher in Oklahoma, I had a student named Fluffy! My son's 2nd grade class in Chicago includes Perrier, Queen, and Indigo.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Megan, Arizona — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:13:18 GMT

Why not be creative? Most likely, your children will be spelling their names or correcting people no matter what names you give them. My name is not uncommon, but it's been mispronounced and misspelled for years--even in high school when there were three other Megans in my science class.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

C. Lee — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 15:04:48 GMT

As a teacher I, too, have come across some incredible names. I once taught a Lady (and felt like I was calling a cocker spaniel each time I used the name.)and a Precious. Ashkenazi Jews name for the dead, traditionally, and we used names of departed relatives or the first initials of those names to name our kids. We also used names that worked well in Hebrew and English. Jewish kids get Hebrew names too. However I heard what I considered the worst, years ago, from a nurse who had a patient who told her when she had come to the hospital to have her child she had not yet chosen a name, but had recently seen the most beautiful name on a chart and would use that as the baby's name, Urine, pronounced You-Rhine. The nurse set her straight. Incidentally, a very long time ago, Oprah had a show on unusual names and there were two women, twins, who were called Regina and Vagina. Two other twins names I heard about from a another teacher were Tyzja and Nyzja, pronounced Tahjay and Nahjay. I wonder if the parents even think at all. I have come to the conclusion that many do not. A child should have a name that will not cause him/her to cringe or dread going to school because of what other kids will call him/her. Strange spellings are also murder for kids. Names are important. They are attached to you, and people too often judge you by the name your parents have given you. I feel so sorry for those kids with the odd names that I always ask (all of my kids) if they want to be called by another name. You'd be amazed at the number of kids who do. The Bible is also a terrific place to find names.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Amy, Egg Harbor Twp, NJ — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 15:44:07 GMT

My daughters name is Dorian. It's a variation of my moms name, Doris. I've had quite a few people tell me it's a boys name, but we all love it. My son is Kevin Michael and other daughter is Sarah Elaine. Her middle name is after my Mother-in-law.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Debbie, Wisconsin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 15:57:03 GMT

Twenty-some years ago, when my kids were born, I vowed to name them easy names with no nick names. Thus, Adam and Lauren. To this day Adam is "Bud" to me and Lauren is "Elly" (from her initials - L.E.) - but that's just to me. Everyone else calls them by their given names (or their last name.) Simple process.....

Six months ago my daughter and her husband gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl. My daughter named her "Rose Dorothy" - very old fashioned but it had meaning to her. Since she was little all her baby dolls were named "Rose" - I guess she just loved that name, and Dorothy is after my mother who's been gone for 6 years and who Lauren was VERY close to. I absolutely love the name "Rose" - it fits my beautiful little "blossom" perfectly and will grow with her (not that she'll have a baby name when she's older.) I loved it so much that three weeks after her birth I got a tattoo of a rose blossom on my shoulder, just for her!!! (My first tattoo at age 47!!!)

I just don't understand why people name their kids with unusual or unique names - it only makes growing up so much harder for them. Growing up is hard enough these days.

And as for paying someone to come up with a name.....PLEASE!!! Save that $$$ for you child - they'll appreciate it later!!!!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Charles, Hagerstown, MD — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 16:59:33 GMT

The most unique name I ever saw was a cashier in a supermarket. Her name tag read "January"; I thought it was real neat.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Mike, Miami, Florida — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 17:23:57 GMT

Hey guys, this is a very nice article, but there are some other places, like my country where people use really weird names. I'm a teacher and I had a student whose name is Jimmy Bryan Adams, another one is Shakira Maria and yet another one whose name is Julio Bon Jovi. Also, in the country side you will hear names as Colgate Palmolive (like the toothpaste and the soap), Toyota and some others that, I can bet should make those kids feel embarrased everywhere everytime

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jeanne, Puyallup WA — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 17:26:07 GMT

My mother's name was Patricia Jeannette. My name is a shortened form of her middle name - Jeanne. I get Jean, Ge-Anne, Jenine, Ginny and many other forms. I always have to spell in for people. I never thought my name was that confusing.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Denise, Seattle, WA — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:00:35 GMT

Old fashion names are always safe. But, we live in the millenium now. You can still be unique without naming your child something odd...my baby's name is Grayson Beckett. Unique, but strong!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jolita, MD — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:18:43 GMT

Thanks to Kathy in IN who brought up my least favorite unusual name, Nevaeh.

My grandmother went to school with someone named Iva Heinie. My parents once stopped to help a woman with a flat tire named Ima Hoar. She was so embarrassed to even say her name. Some parents just don't think!

My parents made my name up - I have yet to meet anyone with it, although I understand it's popular in Lithuania... I didn't like it when I was a kid (I was also saddled with a very hard last name), but now I like it for being unique.

Our daughter is Sofia - I liked that spelling better than the traditional one. It's more "fonetic" anyway ;-) and is unique without being too out there.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Bre Kilgore, Texas — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:04:05 GMT

I happen to like the aden names, in fact I have an Aiden and an Ashlyn, with only one n. I guees the third will be an A too.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

AWR, St. Thomas, USVI — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:20:01 GMT

My name is Arniva (R-Ni-Vah)(a combination of my father's first name (Arnold) and my mother's middle name (Valerie). Only God knows how many days I've been called Olivia or Oliver!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Justine, Waldwick NJ — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:23:24 GMT

My name is Justine, simply because i was supposed to be a boy named Justin and mom and dad didn't entertain the alternative! Although i suffered with Justin, Josephine, Christine and the like, i am ABSOLUTELY convinced that having an unusual name gave me a little more "something"...
So to my son Jordan (who just graduated HS), my daughter Taryn (celtic witch!), my beautiful Magdaleine Anastasia (Maggie got the family name Anastasia cause we thought she was our last!) and Caroline Geordana (named for grandparents Carol and George), i hope i have bestowed character in to the names of incredibly wondrous creatures!
Vive la difference!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Roslyn Curry, Hillsboro, WV — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:24:22 GMT

My oldest brother and sister named me. At least, that's what my parents have always told me. Someday, I'll get even!!
Be careful with initials, too. My youngest son, Elliott Thomas, has ETC for initials. When my kids were in school, it was always "Chris, Catie, ETC."!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Nancy, Delaware — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:38:56 GMT

I hate the extraneous 'y'. I once about bit my tongue off when asked my opinion of "Madisyn". I knew the decision was made, and I didn't want them to know that I thought it was a perfectly nice name - but they spelled it like a porn star.

I'm a fan of family names myself.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Ann — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:49:18 GMT

I'm with Kathleen - people aren't going to get it right anyway...most people stick an "e" on the end of my name even AFTER I correct them. What's worse, even people who get it right for years will go insane after meeting someone who spells the name differently. My own boss hasn't spelled my name right since she hired a woman named "Anne," even though I'd been there three years beforehand. Somehow I've lost my identity to the newer person. I've learned it's virtually impossible to give a kid a hassle-free name. Most people are probably like I am in that they'll name their children in such a way to avoid the specific problem they encountered - in my case avoiding names with more than one "accepted" or common spelling.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kallie — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:07:14 GMT

I seriously can't believe people actually care this much about what people name their child. I work in an inner city high school in the math and science areas. The kids all have names like Shanita, Laquia, Ladonnita. I asked about this and was told it is a tradition in African American households to combine the names of the mothers sisters. For example Sharon and Anita become Shanita. I work with gifted children and let me tell you, regardless of their names, these kids are brilliant. They are going to go far in the math, medical or science fields as long as I can keep them away from the drugs, violence and gangs. Bascially, there are far more important issues to spend your energy on.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Susan C., Kansas — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:10:37 GMT

A new mom heard the nurses in her ward taking about "Placenta" and thought it was a beautiful name, so that is what she called her newborn baby daughter. I don't think she ever realized what it really meant.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Chris R, Etoile, Tx — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:47:11 GMT

We named our little girl Calli, to us it was different yet simple, and we had never heard of anyone else by that name. Since this time when we would tell people her name we had more than just a few people say that was their great grandmothers name or aunt etc. We have recently come across a few other kids who have this name also but with a much more difficult spelling.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Carol, Charlotte, NC — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 22:42:47 GMT

With all due respect to Ashton in Philadelphia - several years ago, I read an obituary in our local newspaper for an individual named Orangejello (pronounced o-RAN-jell-o). I also at one point saw an arrest recorded for a young man whose first name was Tellysavalas. Names like that are remembered, if not appreciated.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

KB, Milwaukee, WI — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:40:13 GMT

My Cousin works for the Milwaukee Public School system and she told me about a set of twins she had in her science class named "orangejello" and "Lemonjello" pronounced ore-rahn-jull-oh and leh-mon-jullo. Just TRY and top that.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

remrafdn,mayville,nd — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:53:09 GMT

And then there was Ima Hogg, daughter of a Texas governor. However, she did NOT have a sister, Ura.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Brenda, Oregon — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:56:59 GMT

The worst name I have ever seen was Shi'Thead (prounced like Sh Thad). When that baby gets in school I am sure the kids will say his name with the first 4 letters and then head.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Ashlee, Oak Ridge, TN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:06:21 GMT

I am an expecting mother of baby number two. Growing up with a semi-family name "Ashlee" (The two e's come from my mother's childhood friend who died of Leukemia, Jenny Lee) I have always loved it. I ended up marrying a man who does not care so much for this tradition (unless it happens to come from his side of the family). After nine long months of arguing over a good baby name for our son, we went to the hospital with absolutely nothing in mind. We ended up with a Caleb Grant. While I love this name, I have always thought of it as very traditional. I am, however, always getting comments on what a unique name it is! This time around we are expecting a girl and I cannot stand the thought of naming her something my husband refers to as the "southern names" (Ashley, Samantha, Jennifer, Amanda, Lindsey). I am determined to find something socially acceptable but uncommon and unique!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

sarah Brighton Co — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:27:12 GMT

My name was Sarah Smith. I kid you not so I couldn't do that to my daughter. We named her Alaura but she's always called Laura (drives her crazy) go figure so we named our son David. You can't ever win.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jason Davies, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 01:36:47 GMT

To Chris R - sorry to disapoint you but John Ringo has written a series of science fiction novels about earth being invaded and one of the female characters was called "Calli".

I liked the character "Gulliver Foyle" from Alfred Bester's book, "The stars my destination" so much that I named my son Gulliver.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

cathy austin,texas — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 01:37:26 GMT

Hey Stacy,
Liam is a pretty common name, Scottish in ancestry I believe, maybe Irish but it's a "normal" name.
Cathy

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Brandy Lynn, Lebanon, MO — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:56:50 GMT

I have four children and with each one had difficulty in choosing a name. I ended up with Dylan Dakota, Kaitlyn Taylor, Jaedyn Dawne, and Kyle Douglas. Dylan was named after Bob Dylan and Luke Perry's character off of 90210. I used slightly different spellings on Kaitlyn and Jaedyn, but I love the uniqueness. When I decided on Jaedyn's name I wanted something that was more feminine then the traditional spelling of Jaden. Her middle name Dawne was a tribute to my best friend who's middle name was spelt the exact same way. I have sisters named Stormy Angel, Misty Rayne, and Shasta.... I think using unique names lets a person stand out. However there is a line between unique and downright ridiculous.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Paula K. North Little Rock, AR — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:13:24 GMT

I hate it when young moms insist on substituting a "c" name such as Cody, with a "k" and making it Kody.
I named my own daughter, April. For a time in college she worked as a waitress. The diners always called her April, May, or June. AGH!!!!! I liked April because to me it meant a new birth.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

not stupid, seattle area — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:13:36 GMT

A fellow at work named his son "Maximus" - we wondered if they had a daughter next they would name her "Minima"

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Someone who may know you — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:33:08 GMT

Hey, D in L.A. -

Did you by chance go to school in GREENSBORO, NC?

I've only heard of one other person who went by this...

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

TJ — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:21:38 GMT

Thank you for posting "Baby named a bad, bad thing" That was a great site. I laughed out loud several times. For the record, I have three girls with normal names (Molly, Morgan, Madeleine--and yes, the all M's is totally cheesy, but I just happen to like M names. I didn't plan on making the letters match.)

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Louisa B., Juneau, AK — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:46:50 GMT

My brother and I don't have an original name between us - they're all family names. Louisa Caroline is for my great-great-grandmother and mom; James Albert got both of our grandpas.
I have never met another Louisa and I've had about six different pronounciations. If/when I have kids, I'm thinking Angelica Caroline and September Elizabeth for girls and Elijah Thomas and James Nathaniel for boys (one original name and one family name each.)

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Louisa B., Juneau, AK — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:47:35 GMT

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Pat H, Dallas, Tx — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:54:16 GMT

I have heard of children named Frankly Regrets (named after an uncle), Lemonjello (pronounced as if it were spelled le mon jel o). Her sister's name was Orangejello. Really.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Morgan S, Mountain Home AFB, ID — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 06:58:28 GMT

I think it's just important to name your kid from the heart. I think that the reason a lot of parents give their child a unique name is to stand out. They want their child to be as unique as the name itself.

Growing up I couldn't find a pencil with my name on it. Now it's a popular name. But when I chose Kaley for my daughter's name, I thought it was the normal way to spell it. Not when it comes to personalization. Everything is Kaliegh or Kaylee.

I believe it's every parent's choice to name their child whatever they choose. It's pretty awful to criticize when we all are free to make our own choices. If that child doesn't like the name, then when they turn eighteen they have the choice to change it. But that's a part of life, isn't it?

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jennifer, Pittsburgh — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:46:49 GMT

There's a couple in Australia (or New Zealand I think), that has petitioned the courts to name their child. I hope they deny the parents. The parents want to name their child "4 Real". What kind of name is that? There are so many beautiful names out there to choose from, and I know some parents want to give their child a unique name, but there's unique and then there's overboard.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

charlene rauch, telford, PA — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:54:53 GMT

Twenty-some years ago, when we named our children Hannah and Jonah, the names were old but unique. Now they are common. But our children aren't! They fit their names and love them. I have even come to accept my own name (Charlene) after many years of disliking it. Native Americans claim that each person has his/her own secret name which is kept inside him/herself and is never known to the world, so people--call your kids what you like, but teach them to 'name' their own personality!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shyra, New Orleans, LA — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:14:05 GMT

I have a "Y" smack in the middle of my name, Shyra. It's pronounced like it's spelled/spelled like it's pronounced, but you'd never know that from the way people butcher it. The misspelling I most often see is "Shirah," which at least makes sense. I was born in 1963, and named after my aunt, born in 1942. So where did she get the name? There was a character on a radio soap opera with such a name - since it was on radio, so she couldn't read the credits, my grandmother made up the spelling.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shyra, New Orleans, LA — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:18:01 GMT

As to the name Jackson, right now, a dog name Jackson is right next to me. My boyfriend had an elderly dog named "Andrew," for the Hurricane in which Andrew was a rescued puppy, when he got Jackson. In New Orleans, the name that goes with Andrew is Jackson (we didn't need a numerologist). Andrew passed away a few months after Hurricane Katrina, so now we just have Jackson. We're planning to get another dog soon, and, to keep the chain going, we're going to name him or her "Barracks."

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Julie, VA — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:14:25 GMT

I am a social worker and have seen some really awful names. Here is a short list (I'm not making this up-I kept a list for over 6yrs) Murder, Wet, Ueneek, Obsession, Sparkle, Passion, Rapture, Imunique R'Miracle and Felony. Unfortunately, many of these kids will be racially profiled, which is a shame. My biggest pet peeve with the moms right now is there need to insert hyphens, apostrophes and accent marks into names...some have had more than one and a combo of the above.

For myself I have choses Grace and Lily for my children's names...old fashioned and simple. But even the simplist names give some problems. I am constantly asked how to spell my name...July is common. Huh????

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Julie, New Hampshire — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:23:32 GMT

I agree with all my fellow teachers, give us a brake with the spellings!

The weirdest name to date for me...Pookie. No joke. Even the other 4 year olds (who are usually nonjudgemental) thought is was "silly".

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Lynn, Jasper, Alabama — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:28:57 GMT

I gave anesthesia for years to children... the most unusal name I came across was a little boy's whose last name was Hill. His thoughtful parents name him Blue Berry Hill!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Heather, MD — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:36:23 GMT

I always disliked my name when I was young because I didn't know any "adults" named Heather and only saw them portrayed in movies and television as bimbos, strippers and ditzes. Not to mention, I was one of 3 Heathers in the class from 1st through 4th grade, and at least 2 after that. It didn't even help to use our last initials to differentiate since we were "Heather B." "Heather P." and "Heather D." I don't mind it so much now, but there are a lot of 20/30-something Heathers to commiserate with.

When I was pregnant with my first child, a teacher friend of mine begged me not to name the baby Ryan, MacKenzie, Emma... etc.

We named our daughter after my late mother in law, Anna Frances, and I love it. I like the "old fashioned" names. I almost feel a little upset that they are becoming the "popular" names again.

We have a baby boy due in October whose name will be Charles Michael, after my late gradfather and my husband, respectively. There seem to be a lot of Charlies lately, but I have wanted to name my first son after Gramps for as long as I can remember.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Sibyl — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:20:40 GMT

I was named after my great-grandmother. I've always loved my name, despite having to spell it for people. It's SIBYL, which historically is the correct way to spell it (Sibyl of Delphi, etc.), by the way, but because of the other spellings (Sybil and Cybill), I have to constantly correct people. That doesn't mean I like it any less. Saying that parents "handicap" their children by not giving them standard cookie-cutter names is ridiculous. If you would rather name your child Sarah, that's fine. But don't stereotype people with "unique" names as being at some sort of disadvantage.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Deb, Indiana — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:24:36 GMT

I have Chad, Courtney, and Drew (not Andrew). Pretty normal, common spelling, etc. Over the years, they have been Chadwick or Chadmeister, Corkster or the Gort, and Drewfus or Drewler. It doesn't matter what you name your kids...someone, somewhere will find a way to make fun of them!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Lemur, Neptune NJ — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:16:04 GMT

My sister is something like the 46th or 52nd "Mary" on my father's side of the family. She detests her name, mainly because it's so plain and well, there are over 30 relatives who share it with her. Thank God we all hate each other -- the family reunions would be too confusing. It's bad enough I have to describe one of my cousins as Mary Beth LastName for Rhode Island to distinguish her from the three other Mary Beth LastNames. And that doesn't even cover the whole Catholic school thing where you can guarantee at least 3 other people were named Mary in your class. Like myself. I'm Cathleen. There were 7 other girls in my first grade class at St. Luke's that were some variation on Kathleen -- Katlyn, Caitlyn, Katrina, Kathleen (x4). My neice got off lucky though -- she's Mackenzie, which is a slight variation on a family name (MacKenzie). Poor kid, my brother calls her Kenzo, which you would only understand why that's bad if you're from the Philadelphia area.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Carol, Florida — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:02:04 GMT

A couple of years ago, a local TV station interviewed a woman whose first name was Virus. She was probably about 60 years old, so it was long before the most recent advent of wacko names. The best one I've ever known, though, was an older woman who rented an apartment from my boss. Her first name was Fanny and her last name was Cheeks. The first time I talked to her on the phone, I thought she was playing a joke, but that really was her name.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Wiley Hopkinsville KY — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:10:38 GMT

My name is Wiley, sounds almost as in Coyote, and my wife's name is Nina pronounced N-eye-Na (not KneeNa.) We have few problems obtaining an original e-mail address, no numbers required. ninaandwiley@bellsouth.net. I taught a class many years ago with two hard ankle brothers whose names were Opal and Vivian. Vivian answered to "Mouse" only. My grandmother's name was Emmaline Gertrude. My grandaughter is Emma Jane. So far I have one grandson, and one grand dog, named after me.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Lisa, Brandon MS — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:15:07 GMT

My husband and I named our daughter Laci for 2 reasons. His name is Stacey and I am Lisa, so we thought Laci is a great combination of the 2. Also we were married around the time when Laci Peterson disappeared and I was really drawn to that story. So when I became pregnant, we had already chosen the name. I also agree that a child should have a "story" to go along with their name.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

jax, clearwater, Fl — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:21:19 GMT

I named my daughter Maya. exotic enough but not wierd like everyone does nowadays. Its easy to spell and everyone likes it.Get a grip people. Your kid is not a city, a fruit or a dog.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Julie, Nashville, TN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:37:31 GMT

I feel very lucky to have the name Julie, as there weren't a ton of Julie's growing up. I was almost named Jennifer (which while it is a nice name, was probably the most popular name for kids my age growing up), and my mom says one reason they picked Julie was because they were fans of Julie Andrews. I can imagine a worse person to be named after! My mom was always called by her middle name, and she always said, don't do that to your kid (give them a first name you don't intend to call them) because it can be a big pain. I remember store clerks asking her why she didn't change her name, as if they were the first one to think of that idea.

Once I worked in a reception area signing kids up for swim lessons, and a woman signed up her child named Michael (last name). I asked how old he was, and she angrily snarled at me that Michael was a girl. Well, what are you doing naming your daughter Michael, if you're mad people assume she's a boy? And if you really call her Michael Beth or something, then by all means say that, but sheesh...

As for the name Dana, I once had to book travel for a visiting professor named Dana, and while I could just use "Dr. (last name)" or "Professor (last name)" in email correspondence, I wondered if this particular Dana was a man because I love old movies and remembered the star Dana Andrews. Well, sure enough, the visitor was a man, so my guesses were correct.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Michele, Omaha, Ne — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:41:48 GMT

I have a question - how does the nick name 'Peg' come from the name Margaret?

I named my son Jacob Anthony. Jacob has been my favorite name for as long as I can remember and Anthony just seemed to fit with it. I didn't want to spelled it different than the normal way (Jakob) because he'd have to spell it out to people for the rest of his life. My name is Michele, I'm a one 'L' Michele. I can't tell you how many times I've been called Michael!!!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kristi Jo — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:58:30 GMT

ok, my kid is one of the airplane kids, Logan Christopher, but we chose it after a long search. We were going to mimic my husbands initials, Christopher Lee, but couldn't find a C name that fit, so we mixed it up and went with Logan, and yes, my husband is an X-Men fan! we're expecting another baby this fall and our 3 year old airport named the baby Mason already. don't know where we got it, but we're going to stick with it.

And i know the pain of the name game, being the only Kristi with the weird spelling!!! my own grandfather was never able to spell my name right!! and then they tagged Jo on it to boot!!!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Roberta Hite, Kokomo, IN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:15:52 GMT

Years ago my son's fifth grade teacher had the middle name of Atlanta. When I commented that it was unusual, she said that her parents had named her after an older lady who befriended them when they were first married. That older lady had been named by her two grandfathers. (How brave the parents were to leave this name decision up to the two men!) ANYway, these men were Confederate veterans who decided that the South would not be forgotten if they had a grand-daughter and chose the first and middle names of Atlanta Georgia for the baby. Actually, after I thought about it, Atlanta is a pretty name, but I chose traditional and family names for my children: Rob and Anna.
I'm a teacher and my daughter is too. Before she had their first child, she had decided that the baby's name would be easy to pronounce, easy to spell, and gender-specific. We've both had students with unusual names over the years.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Andrea, Denver Colorado — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:16:38 GMT

My husband and I agreed on three rules for naming:
1. The first name could not be the same name of anybody that he or I have ever met. Including aquaintences.
2. The name could not be turned into something bad or rhyme with anything too terrible. i.e. Buck or Dick
3. It had to have meaning or a story.
So I named my first son Noah, (bringer of peace) after a tough year for the family (motorcycle accident, 3 deaths and a cancer diognosis), and Dominic (born on Sunday) after having second thoughts of naming him my maiden name Marcus and said "if he's born on Sunday..." They both fit their names very well, or is it that the names fit them? Dominic must also mean something about a dominant personality!
My name always gets pronounced wrong too. I pronounce it like the Spanish, French or anybody that is not born American, with the long A sound. I have a friend named Andrea pronounced with the short A sound. We both go by Dre.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

LeAnna, Broken Arrow, OK — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:25:14 GMT

My name is LeAnna, and I always have to spell it for people. When my older son was born, my husband and I didn't have too hard a time coming up with a name. The traditional name for my husband's family is Frederick Ray. His mother carried on the tradition using the first name, but using the middle name Scott. We chose to use Frederick for my son's first name, but we chose to use my maiden name, Ramsey, for his middle name, and we call him Ramsey. My other son's name is Reese Aidan. Neither name has family significance; we just liked the names and they went well together. Had either of the boys been girls, the name would have been Aletha Kathryn after my grandmother and my husband's grandmother.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

ecoleman,norwalk,va — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:27:53 GMT

I worked with a girl named Romance. And not everyone in the African American community have "those" kind of names my daughter is Erika and my neice is Lauren.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Elizabeth, Midwest — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:37:15 GMT

I love my name. Elizabeth Ann-It's common and old-fashioned but it's mine. I can and have shortened it at times and so have others. I've had people try to call me Beth, but I didn't like that. My parents called me Elizabeth, and my Grandma called me Betty Ann. When my dad remarried, my stepmom called me Libby and that stuck for years. I never felt like a Libby so I started going by Elizabeth. Now a lot of people will call me Liz or Lizzie and I don't mind that too much.
However, when I had my children I wanted to give them names that weren't real common, but weren't too weird either. My husband chose our oldest daughter's name and I could see it becoming really popular so I insisted on a unique middle name just in case she wanted to go by that someday to avoid confusion.
We spelled her name Caitlin because that is the original Irish spelling of the name. Unfortunately, people have butchered the name so much that now even though we know a lot of Caitlin's, they are all asked how to spell it.
My other daughter's name is Baylee. At the time, the name was only in the boys section of the baby book, but I named her this and spelled it that way in tribute to one of the tiny victims in the Oklahoma City bombing. She knows the story behind her name and loves it for that reason.
My son is Parker and was going to be Parker if he was a boy or a girl. I just thought it was a very nice sounding name and would go well with just about anything.
I get a lot of compliments on all of our names and wouldn't change any of them for the world.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Cyndi, MN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:44:22 GMT

I think it's interesting how some countries have laws about baby names. "In Germany, the government still bans invented names and names that don't clearly designate a child's sex. Sweden and Denmark forbid names that officials think might subject a child to ridicule. Swedish authorities have rejected such names as Veranda, Ikea and Metallica."

I have a one-year old named Adam. When I meet other moms of young kids and tell them his name, they almost seem disappointed that it's not something more exciting or trendy (e.g., last name, city name, wacky name)! Problem is, with all of the "unique" trendy names, they are becomming commonplace. I know so many Logans, Connors, and Chases. We almost named our son Simon, but couldn't get past the cerrtain "Simon Says" jokes.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Tonya, Michigan — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:13:36 GMT

I have a fairly "normal" first name, Tonya, but do you think anyone spells it right? Nope, it's always spelled Tanya, it drives me nuts. I have two children, my son has a "normal" name of Kyle, which I didn't realize was such a common name until after we had him, otherwise I would not have named him that, I do not like the names where there are 5 "Kyles" in the same room. My daughter has a very unique name, her name is Scottlynn. She is named after her godfather, scott, and we added lynn to it to make it a more "girly" name. I have to admit at first I wasn't too crazy about the name, we figured if she didn't like it she could go by scott, or lynn, or her middle name renee. Now I love it, and get upset when people shorten it to scott or scottie, I always correct them, so does she. We always get compliments on her name, people love it. But we are always explaining that she is not named after the country, and it is not spelled like the country.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jeanne, Baltimore — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:16:04 GMT

Actually Ashton in PA, I've worked in social services for 10 years in Baltimore and Richmond. I have personally seen on some of my forms an Orangejelo and a Lemonjelo. I've also seen several Sh*theads (apparently pronounced Shi-tayed) And the most heartbreaking- 2 sisters named Idonwancha and Idoneedcha. I also personally know of a Tyranny. I will also point out that all of these names have been held by caucasians as well as different minorities.
After working in this field, my personal rules are no foods, no body parts and no diseases (Syphylis)

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shannon B., Minneapolis, MN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:22:39 GMT

At work we were discussing the jobs we had in the past. One of my co-workers used to work in "labor and delivery" at one of the areas hospitals. He was telling us about one of his patients who named her twin boys Oranjelo and lemonjelo. So there, it is true. She apparently named them after oranse jello and lemon jello. What the *@$!# ?

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Susan, Seattle, Washington — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:38:10 GMT

I agree with an earlier poster: I've always said that a child's name should be appropriate if he or she were president. My current chuckle is thinking of how many current kids will have a "Grandma Tiffany" or "Grandma Britney". Doesn't sound quite right, somehow...

I used to hate my name (not exotic enough) but I don't run into too many Susans these days, and I'm finally making peace with it after reading about all these "unique" names. At least I don't have to spell it for people.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kelly Woodcock — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:44:17 GMT

I know a family of boys-- Josiah, Israel, Zanaan, Malachi (middle name Blue), Gideon (middle name Zeb), and Abram. Bible names are okay, but Zanaan? Malachi? Zeb???
I have a cousin named Marlee, and I can't help but think it would have been cuter had they ended with -eigh to make it more feminine.
I'm okay with slightly unusual, but yeah, don't give your kids stuff they can't spell by the age of 5, or that people can make jokes out of easily.
My last name is one of the worst ever for jokes, so I know what it's like!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Dave, South Jersey — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:45:49 GMT

After growing up as one of the many Davids, I knew I didn't want to name my children anything too common. But I also wanted names that were common enough that they wouldn't be given weird looks, in addition that they could find pens (or something like that) with their names on them. So we looked at the top 500 baby names and knocked off the first 25 and the bottom 300. We came up with Alexandria and Leah (Lee-uh, not Lay-uh) for our daughters. Hopefully neither of them will have to add their last initial to their names or have to spell them too often. If we had a boy, he would have been Nathan (that fits the criteria too).
As for celebrity names, how about Jason Lee... Pilot Inspektor (yes, spelled like that).. At least he didn't name his kid Brock Lee.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Marietta — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:53:01 GMT

There should be some sort of common sense or stipulations as far as baby naming goes. I know of someone who named her daughter Sexy,another who's name is Perfection and yet another person who's last name was Kane, wanted to name their daughter Kandy. How they perceive that this wouldn't have a detrimental effect on a child in their teen years (and in adult life) is beyond me (and don't let me forget to mention the young lady I met the other day who's first name is Santa; imagine the comments she hears from the men around Christmas time, it's insulting!)

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Haley, Vincennes, IN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:15:03 GMT

The book "Freakomics" has chapters on baby naming trends. The author mentioned the "Lemonjello/Orangejello" thing, saying they were pronounced "leMONjello," all slurred and kinda French sounding on the "j"

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Beth, Akron Ohio — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:47:36 GMT

I named my girls McKenna Noelle and Ciera Rene' (like Sierra). I love the names and I don't care that they are "different". As it turns out I have met other Ciera's and McKenna's (one being Mary Lou Retton's daughter)

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

TD, Virginia — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:48:39 GMT

I work in a school where many of our students have odd names. We've had Unique, Uniqua and Uniquia (not all that unique, is it??); Infinity, Porsha, Armani and Camry; and twins are often creatively named (boy and girl twins named Bobby and Bobbe).

You definitely can't assume that the unusually named kids are African-American, though. Many of our African-American families name their children with Biblical names or very traditional-sounding names, although we do have many children named after their parents in creative ways (mom and dad's names combined).

I'm glad I named my own children with family names, although it took some digging around to find good ones amid all the old-fashioned or already-used names.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

kate, georgia — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:58:42 GMT

I'm generally all for family names, but I used to date a guy named Gary Lescott Somethingorother. No two people ever called him by the same name. Depending on who was addressing him, he was Gary or Scott or Les or Lescott or....I forget what all. It was a little like dating someone in the witness protection program. Come to find out, his middle name was a strange combination of other family names.
I laughed so hard at the "baby's got a bad bad name" pages that I attracted attention. The whole office has been laughing at them all day!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Beth, GA — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:11:36 GMT

When a really good friend of mine was pregnant, she was determined to name her daughter Madison. In the last month of her pregnancy, everywhere we went, we met at least 3 or 4 Madison's. Grocery stores, parks, dr. offices, Madison's were EVERYWHERE. When she finally gave birth, her little angel was introduced as Megan.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Wrona — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:24:54 GMT

I love my name but wouldn't wish it on anyone else. I am a female but was named after two of my Great Grandfathers (Wrona and Reagan). There are very few "rona"s in the world much less people who spell it the way I do (it is a Polish last name). I've been called Rhonda, Ramona, Rowena, and any other variation imaginable. As a child I constantly had to spell my first name for people or pronounce for people. As an adult I've just about given up, and automatically spell it out for people. It does come in handy when a telemarketer calls, because I can always tell them there is no one by that name at this phone number.

Naming your child a common name, though, is no guarantee they will like it. My father was named Andrew but legally changed his name to Happy when he turned 18.

My advice to parents is to think before you name your child. If you're going to give them a really unique name is there a story behind it or is your child constantly going to be explaining that his parents were just weird. On the other hand, do you really want your child to be one of 3 Allisons, 4 Laura's, or 5 Jeffs in her class at school?

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Leslie, New Mexico — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:21:49 GMT

Virtues and abstract concepts are big down here in the southwest. My stepdaughters go to school with: Purity, Chastity, Felicity, Grace, Hope, Joy, and Pascence (which is pronounced Patience). Apparently most of the above named were in the same PE class and the teacher had a field day with it. I'm still waiting to see the deadly sins follow this same track. Who wouldn't want to be in a class with Lust and Wrath? :)

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Robyn C. , Saint Paul, MN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:57:02 GMT

What's funny, is my daughter (5.5 years) has named two of her dolls Judy and Carole. She did this on her own by asking me if they were names. Could this be the trend twenty years out? (This is when Pamela would probably be introduced :0 )

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Eva, Los Angeles — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 22:40:32 GMT

If my fellow commentors think that naming your child a "safe" name will prevent them from getting teased on the playground, you haven't been on a playground in a while! I know a kid named Diane who was nicknamed fridge--her classmates said she was cold. My point? Kids will find something it doesn't matter what your child is named. The school environment and their relationships with their peers makes a much bigger difference. My son has a really unique name and no one teases him about it. On the other hand, I have a very regular name and I was teased mercilessly about the shape of my nose. I cried so many days. And today, adults mispronounce my simple name constantly. Really, is Eva "ee-vah" so hard? I get "eh-va" or "ay-va" so much I spell it everytime I meet someone new or place a coffee order.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Shersti, Los Angeles — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 01:11:35 GMT

My mother named me Shersti (Sheer, like a sheer curtain), which I hated for most of my life even though I was told it was beautiful. No one could ever spell it, though! Now I love it. It's unique. I once bought a newspaper subscription from a young girl selling them simply because she had the same name and spelling! I married a man who has an unusual Hispanic last name, so I really confuse those poor customer service people! I named my daughter something sensible- Maggie- but she still gets asked if her full name is Margaret. (yech! No!)
The most spelling I've ever seen was on a news program. Some poor boy in Kindergarten was named "Dammeionne." As in Damian. I've felt sorry for the poor kid ever since.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

remrafdn,mayville,nd — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 01:36:34 GMT

A couple of years ago a Grand Forks, ND couple named their son Stud. Middle name? Lee. Those people need help.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Clif C.McHenry, IL — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:12:21 GMT

My wife taught school and had a family that named their children after GM car models. Corvette was lucky. Chevette was not.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

ELF, Chatsworth CA — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:15:06 GMT

For my daughter we needed to use the initials S and C (family tradition) and came up with Sydney Cassandra. The only minor problem there is the occassional person who spells it "Sidney," which is more commonly the male spelling of the name.

Then for my son we needed the initials E and A. We agreed on Alexander as the middle name immediately but had a hellish time coming up with a first name that wasn't overly common, stupidly trendy or made-up sounding. I had an epiphany and came up with Edison. Nobody mispronounces it, nobody misspells it and nobody forgets it. Plus it certainly meets the 'presidential sounding' requirement.

As for my 'ELF,' those are my initials. At home I go by my first name, but at work where I usually share a first name with someone else I just go by "Elf." In his eight years we've only met one other Edison, and that was during a vacation two years ago in Las Vegas when we took him to a Supercuts. They called 'Edison' and to our surprise someone else stood up.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Aurora D. — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:48:30 GMT

My aunt worked at a doctor's office where she runs into new moms on a daily basis. A particular mom stood out with her 2 week old kid in tow. When asked what her name was, she responded it was Raton - which when translated into spanish is Mouse. She didn't have the heart to tell her .... but we do live in a hispanic community...

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Christy; Frisco, Texas — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 04:32:24 GMT

I'm all for unique names, but not at the expense of years of embarrassment for your child or at the expense of you looking like an illiterate fool.

We spent weeks deciding on a name for our daughter who is Rachel Marissa. I don't come across other Rachels often and even fewer Marissas.

A friend named their kid Major because dad is a serious UT fan (*rolling eyes*). Another named their's China Cheyenne (A direct quote; "China with an "i" because there is a "y" in Cheyenne." Can you imagine Chyna Cheyenne? Talk about a stripper name!)

I HATE the purposeful misspellings. I recently saw "Kodey."

We know of a "Brielle." I don't know the history of it, but it's unique without being absurd.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Christine, Frederick MD — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:02:38 GMT

When I was a teenager I babysat - for brother and sister Jubal and Ambrosia. Yikes! My sister has named her son Ciaran (which is pronounced like Kieran). He's going to go through life dealing with it - those who see it written won't know how to say it, and those who hear it spoken won't know how to spell it.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Sue, Pennsville, New Jersey — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:45:42 GMT

My name is sue. Pretty hard to screw that up. But people do, yes they do. No, they don't spell it wrong or call me "Kathy" or anything, but I always have to repeat it because it's only one syllable and therefore runs right into my last name. I always have to speak slowly and distinctly. No matter what you name your kids, people are going to screw it up.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Amber,Columbus,Ne — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:21:51 GMT

When I was in high school, I knew of a couple of girls with VERY interesting names. I met a Lexus, a Mercedes, a Champagne, a Tequila, and a Margherita. Why do parents name their children these off the wall names? How are these girls taken seriously? Can you imagine your doctor saying "Hi, I am Dr. Margherita Johnson. I will be your brain surgeon today." It is hard for me to take that seriouslyy.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Cleveland Kent Evans — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 04:26:40 GMT

I'm sorry, but Orangejello & Lemonjello ARE an urban legend. I've been hearing that story for at least 35 years now. No one has ever been able to give me proof that they exist. Plenty of people claim to have seen the names on forms, but they can never send me a copy of the form. People claim to have taken their photos for a high school yearbook in Oklahoma; to have gone to school with them in Memphis; to have been in the hospital when they were born in Mississippi, New York, Chicago, California, etc. But no one can ever send a written confirmation. If all the stories were true, Orangejello & Lemonjello would be among the most common names for twins in the USA. Orangelo (spelled that way) occurs three times in the Social Security death index, with the oldest example being born BEFORE Jell-O was invented, so it's not from the trade name, but a blend of Orange and Angelo. (Orange was regularly used as a male given name during the 19th century.) Lemongello is an Italian surname, the most well-known bearer being a minor celebrity singer named Peter Lemongello who still appears at Branson, Missouri. But I've never seen Lemongello used as a given name. So for those who claim to have known these twins:
If will have to see the written proof myself to believe this. And as one of the experts quoted in the Wall Street Journal article, I will be happy to announce that the proof has been forwarded if anyone ever sends it to me. But I'm not expecting it to happen.

My address:
Cleveland Kent Evans
Psychology Dept., Bellevue University
1000 Galvin Road South
Bellevue, Nebraska 68005-3098

I have bought official printouts of names on birth certificates from many states over the years. And those official records have included babies named Obsession, Sparkle, Passion, Imunique, Felony, and Tyranny. Unique was a fairly common name in the 1990s and so isn't really a unique name any more. And on these printouts there have been kids named Trivia, Hades, Lucifer, Cobra, and Buckshot. It amazes me that with concrete evidence for names like those, people still repeat the old Orangejello & Lemonjello twins urban legend.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Mel — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 21:18:33 GMT

pore1 (pôr, pōr) pronunciation
intr.v., pored, por·ing, pores.

1. To read or study carefully and attentively: pored over the classified ads in search of a new job.
2. To gaze intently; stare.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Heather, Hollywood, MD — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:34:31 GMT

Amber in Columbus- Margherita is actually not such an unusual name. I was told, this may be wrong, that it is a Spanish form for Margaret, so she could always go by Meg or Margie. The other names are a little tough, but I have to admit that growing up, "Amber" seemed to have the same stigma as "Heather," being portrayed mostly as bimbos and ditzes. I suppose it's really up to the bearer of the name to give it a good or bad connotation.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Tina, Pittsburgh PA — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:19:47 GMT

I was almost Harmony Jeanine but I got lucky and was named Christina Marie. when i had my daughter I only chose one name. It is Christianna Marie. If men can have a junior why can't I? I did want it to be a little different to give her her own identity.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Sara, Platteville, WI — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:35:36 GMT

Oy vey! Why do people do this to their children? I worked at a dance studio and came across Jealousy and her sister Raine (do you think their mother was depressed?), Briquelle, a zillion spellings of Kennedy, Marissa, and Brianna and my favorite, an adult student named Princess. I'm sure that Princess is cute on a baby, or a 5-year old, but come on - for an adult, it's absurd! I have a nice, normal name (Sara), which is often misspelled with an "h" at the end. But you know what? No one mispronouces it!

My parents picked my name so that it was non-nicknameable. My grandmother, upon hearing my name, exclaimed "Oh, we can call her Sadie!" (a common East Coast nickname for Sara. My parents pointed out that if she ever wanted to see me again, she would never call me Sadie. So Sara I remain and Sara I am proud to be!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

NYCGirl — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:17:43 GMT

I loved the name Stephanie so much as a little girl that I actually got my parents to buy me one of those miniature license plates with the name on it. :)

I didn't always like my name (Wendy), but I'm fine with it now. No one has ever had trouble spelling or pronouncing it, it's 'normal' but not widely used, and, believe it or not, I've never gotten that many fast food jokes. :p I did, however, once meet someone who INSISTED that it was short for something (it isn't), which annoyed me, but that's the only name-related 'trouble' I've ever had.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

caineme, Quincy Ca. — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:04:09 GMT

I know a couple whos last name is Devine. So, what do they name their son, yes son, you quessed it..Tru Lee. Gross. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I thought long and hard to give her a unique but not weird name, so I decided on Thea-Marie Clara. Marie and Clara both being family names. And Thea being a name I've loved for ages. Yes, I know it's hyponated, so get over it!!!! If other kids are to come the name I've picked out are Sawyer Cole for a boy and Owen Abigal for a girl. Different, but not so hard that they will have issues in school.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Amber, Phoenix, AZ — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 21:22:46 GMT

My kids fall into the "city/last name" category-we didn't want them to end up with others who had their name in school (like "jennifer" when I went to school), but we also spell them normal.
Kennedy, Camden, Addison
But now I guess "addison" is on that Grey's Anatomy show so their will be a million of those.
So maybe our plan has backfired.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Vandy J. — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:06:11 GMT

I was tagged with a different name and hated it until I got to college and ws able to introduce myself by just my first name and did not have to qualify it with a last name. However, my name is different enough that I still say "Vandy with a V" and hold up my hand in the V shape.
When naming our son we looked long and hard for a name that could not be shortened to a --y ending, a common practice in my husbands family. We did not want him to be Scotty or Nicky at 35. We chose Alexander Gage because it met the above criteria and gave him lots of options for nick names when he gets to that stage where you hate your name, no matter what it is.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Linda, Houston, Tx — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:23:42 GMT

My friend is a neonatalogist and told me this story. They were wheeling a mother with last name 'King' to the delivery room and she mentioned how she wanted to name her soon-to-be born son, 'Nos-mo'. Get it? 'Nos-Mo king' = No Smoking

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Sandy T. Baltimore, MD — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 17:38:43 GMT

My oldest sister has a very common "grandmom" name Elizabeth Ann but here nickname is Beppi. The story is my mother also an Elizabeth was growing up her baby sister couldn't say the name Betty it always came out as Beppi. So when my sister was born my mom gave her that nickname. I know that now whenever I indroduce my sister Beppi to someone she likes it better if I tell them her name is Elizabeth.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

BobbyE — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:05:57 GMT

I am often amazed at the names people will put on their kids and think they are clever or unique. If you think that giving your kid one of these names makes them an "individual" you're misguided. You don't want your kids to be 1 of 3 Emily's or 1 of 3 Jeffs but your kid is 1 of 15 wearing nike sneakers or 1 of 10 wearing a Hurley shirt or 1 of 10 wearing levi jeans. YOU may want your kid to standout but they don't want to stand out. They want to blend in and not have attention called to them for anything. As for people giving their kids last names for first names. You may think your clever but those names have been around forever as what was once called occupational names. When villages got too big you could no longer say you were Mark the son of John so you became Mark Johnson or you became Mark the Cooper (barrel maker) which became Mark Cooper. Other clever names for sons and daughters today are Mason (stone worker), Taylor (fabric cutter), Hunter (one who hunts), Tyler (lays tile). I think the people naming their little individuals these names certainly expect more than for them to simply live up to their names. After all,is their a big job market these days for coopers. Me thinks not.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Arianne, OH — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:54:23 GMT

When I was a kid I hated my name and constantly had to give the "Marianne without the M" line as well. Now that I am older I love that I have a unique name and that I wasnt one of four Arianne's in my class! BTW Ericka, my best friends name is spelled the same as yours.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Doris — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:19:25 GMT

I think I have the worst name of all, Doris. I only knew one other girl with my name growing up. I have never liked my name and never will! I have two daughters, Kristin and Katherine, and several granddaughters with very cute acceptable names. The only sad thing is I will never have a granddaughter named after me but that's a good thing!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Kelly, Ohio — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 17:30:05 GMT

People, please give Gwyneth Paltrow a break. Her husband picked out Apple's name, and Apple has two lovely family middle names to use in the future if she wants. And don't you go on worrying about poor little Apple Blythe Allison Martin. She's much prettier, smarter, and richer than your baby, so I think she's gonna be OK.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

A Key, Toronto, Ontario — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:42:37 GMT

Am pleased that many traditional Angel names are still being used, though there are many more to choose from. For tradition, choose Gabriel or Gabriela and for uniqueness, Cathetel, Angel of the Garden, adds beauty and responsibility to the newborn spirit.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

forever sanchez,indio,california — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:33:49 GMT

hey the whole paying all this money to name your kids is WEIRD because mine is forever and it didnt cost anything

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jennifer Rose, Toronto, Ontario — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 04:58:03 GMT

Let's not forget Sir Bob Geldof's daughters: Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom, and Pixie Frou-Frou. My friend is giving birth to a son in the next few days, his name will be Kash. That's right, with a 'k'. Makes me appreciate my overly popular name!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Megan S., Cali — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:38:22 GMT

oddly enough my short english maiden name was easier then my newly long croatian surname!
Anyway, my parents wanted to give me a nice simple normal name. Megan. I have gotten Meghan(not, that is NOT the correct spelling) Meghanne, Maeganne, Meaghanne, and Magen(which is dutch, I found out. Apparently nice and simply spelled doesn't always work.

BTW, Kelly, "Siobhan" is pronounced more like "Sho-vhan" bh is usually v-ish sounding in irish gaelic.

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Jean, Philippines — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:44:09 GMT

Chance or ZianZ? we both love the names for our daughter but we have to pick only one.. we chose Chance but called her Chan-Z.. She loves her namne anyway as we love it... so everythings great!

What's in a baby name? Plenty of "y's"

Angelia,Erie,PA — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:38:42 GMT

My son's name is Trentyn Xavier...is that too different or a good name? My name is Angelia Noelle, and others in my family are named Heaven Leigh, Autumn Starre, Justice Hunter, Avari Chryshaun Keith, Elija Aum. So we got some pretty creative names i think. I'm sick of teacher's pronouncing names wrong and spelling them wrong too.