My dad has been busy scanning (and emailing) old photos, and he just sent me their original “brainstorming” of my potential name. They seemed to have leaned toward some popular names of the day (Jennifer, Eric) and some of my personal favorites (Caroline, Julian, Daniel). For either sex there were some namesake aunts and uncles (Kimberly, Timothy, Michael). My dad also considered naming me after him (Jonathan)–what is it with dudes wanting to name their boys after them?
Do you know what your “opposite sex” name was? I know my parents vetted down to Erik. And, for those of you who do not know, my name is not, in fact, Penny. It’s Kari Anne.
As for Todd and I, we haven’t really discussed names too thoroughly. I always dreamed of naming my kids after Beatles songs:
- Sadie (Todd vetoed this, thinks it’s a dogs name…I wholeheartedly disagree).
- Jude (we both like this, but it’s too popular, and for me it’s too “Jude Law”).
- Michelle (I am not a fan).
- Julia (I adore this name, but one of Todd’s exes is named Julie and he thinks it’s too similar…yeah, talk to him about that…).
- Rita (…no).
- Prudence (LOVE this name and the song, but it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue).
- Anna (lovely, a bit common, though).
- Maxwell (I think this is cute for a boy, but it makes me think of Maxwell from Apartment Therapy).
- Lucy (I love this name, it has such personality, but I haven’t discussed it with Todd).
- Eleanor (I personally love this name because of Eleanor Roosevelt, but I don’t think Todd will go for it).
- Clarabella (you know, I never knew of this song but it appears on a list of Beatles tracks…Clara reminds me of The Nutcracker!).
- Maggie (I really like this name, again, haven’t spoken with Todd about it).
- Rigby (for a boy, I think this could be cute, no?).
- Martha (…no).
- Penny!
- Winston (…no).
At the top of my list for a boy is Harrison (for George, naturally) but Todd has already vetoed it. BOO!
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
I love thinking about baby names even though I’m many years away from actually attempting to start a family. Every time I come across a name I like, though, I write it down and stick it in my desk. :)
My parents did not have an opposite gender name picked out for me because my mom was 100% sure I’d be a girl. She said I just felt so different than my older brother felt that she was just positive. They were set to name me Jessica, though, after an Allman Brothers Band song that they both really liked. But I guess my mom had a cousin who gave birth first and she named her daughter Jessica, or something like that, so I became Claire, with the middle name Marie. Growing up, I was pretty happy about that because I knew a ton of Jessicas but very few Claires. I think Claire has become much more popular since then, though.
I’ve always really liked the name Susanna, even though it makes people think of Oh Susanna! Susanna Taylor just sounds very pretty. I like Maggie a lot too and would love to name a daughter that, but my parents had a beloved Golden Retriever named Maggie that died shortly after I was born. My mom still claims it was my birth that finally did the old girl in, so I think Maggie is probably a name that will never make it to my short list :) I also think that Elizabeth is probably the most beautiful of the classic names and even though it is always quite popular, there are so many nickname variations that I think it’s still a good choice. But again, never going to make my list. My sister goes by her middle name, Elizabeth and Elizabeth Taylor is well, Elizabeth Taylor. I also will not being naming a son James. Sigh. I like Henry a lot, with the nickname of Hank. I’ll probably end up with George because my husband’s absolutely beloved grandpa was George. Maybe I’ll luck out and we’ll go with Henry George Taylor. Sounds very regal.
I hope you keep us posted with naming news! I really love this kind of stuff, hence the book I just wrote as a comment :)
My boy name was Robert (my dad). Clearly, not very creative on my actual name, but I do intentionally have the boy’s spelling so that I am technically named for my dad. My parents were never terribly creative with the names for me & my 3 sisters (my baby sis is a Jennifer Ann).
I have always loved boy names for girls and vice versa. I would love to name a little girl Brett (a la As the Sun Also Rises) or name a boy Ashley. We’ll see how that pans out. I do love the names of my nieces, MacKenzie Reese & Delaney Ryan (Kenzie & Laney, for short). I think Ryan is a great name for a girl.
My Mom’s name is Judy and my Dad’s name is Bill, so they took the J from Judy and the ill from Bill and got Jill.
Thank goodness they didn’t go with Budy instead.
I know what my boy name was cause it was given to my younger brother. :) Frederick. I’ve already pretty much decided (on my own, whatever f the sperm donor) that if I have a girl I want to name her Nevin, which is my dads name.
My dad wanted to name me ZetaMoon, but I ended up Sarah. He wanted to name my sister Roxanne, but she ended up Jessica. He now has two dogs, Zada and Roxanne. I haven’t asked about our opposite sex names. I should!
We’re thinking about getting pregnant soonwise, and I’ve got a few names in mind. My grandmother’s name is LeaEtta, Lea and Etta being the names of of her two grandmothers. I’d like to name my potential daughter either Etta Elaine or Etta Laine after my grandmother and my husband’s grandmother.
C, my first boyfriend’s middle name was Nevins, his mother’s maiden!
BJ, somehow I think you of all people could pull of Budy.
R, I totally forgot about Brett, I loved that character.
It’s so neat that your parents still have this tangible part of your history! Complete with doodles! I was to be Michael if I was a boy (general, not family-related, don’t know why), and Gabrielle was in tough competition with Adrienne.
Kari is beautiful. Are you called by both names, or generally just the first? My grandmother was Lillian Lucille and I’ve always loved both those names (or some variation Lucy, Lil, Lily).
So much fun to think about :)
That’s amazing that your parents still have that sheet of paper. I don’t know what my ‘boy’ names were, but my mom wanted Kate to be my first name. My dad disagreed, so I ended up with Jessica – the most common name of my generation. If I could have chosen, I would have gone with Kate.
My sisters got more original names, I think. Serafin Dawn and Emma Jean. I’m in the middle and I think they had a creative slump!
One of my pups is named Lucy, she’s mischievous and it totally suits her, but I would still consider naming a child of mine Lucy down the road – I love it so! Also, I love the names Marta, Evelyn, Marion and Sophia.
My mum’s middle name is Lynne. (It was supposed to be Lyn after her grandfather Lynwood, but her father misspelled it on the birth certificate.)
My parents had decided to use Lynn as my middle name – for my mum, with the spelling reflecting my dad’s Welsh heritage. It wasn’t until just before I was born that they realized that Amanda Lynn = A Mandolin, and Lynn became Celeste.
I’ve never asked about my opposite-sex name. I will have to investigate. I do know that my mum wanted to name me Ruby, but my dad hated it. My hair is naturally red(dish) and I think I would have kicked ass as a Ruby.
I think Eleanor is cute, that is my nieces name and we all call her Ellie. I am a fan of uncommon names (as you know already) and actually love the name Ryden for a girl right now id you’re interested. :) For a boy it’s Hudson. Just my two sense. When you figure out the “one” you’ll know and it just sticks.
Had I been born a boy, I really hope that my mom’s choice would have won over my dad’s. Mom’s choice was Jordan. Dad’s choice was… King (it hurts to even write that – my dad is an otherwise intelligent, wonderful man). Mom has told me that her response to dad’s suggestion was “Absolutely not – it would sound like I was calling my German Shepherd!”
I think that Rigby is adorable for a boy. I also like Eleanor for a girl, not only for Eleanor Roosevelt but also for Eleanor of Aquitaine. Shortened to Ellen or even Nora, it’s a good name. My grandmother is a Lucille, and I know a girl named Lucy (shortened from Lucille)…I think both are lovely.
My favorite cousin’s name is Kerry Ann :)
Just a few things, as I too love talking about names: I know wayyyy to many dogs named Sadie, so therefore I tend to agree with Todd, which is a shame because it IS a cute name. Anna is one my favorite girls names ever, it’s classic, and it appeals to the word lover in me as it’s a palindrome. I like Eleanor and the possible nicknames that can be derived from it, like Ellie and Elle. Jude is a great name; have you considered it for a girl? One of the coolest women I’ve ever met was a Jude. And I think Rigby is awesome for a boy! I’ve never even thought of that name before! Very Unique!
Oh, and had I been a boy? My name would have most likely been Wolfgang. No kidding.
You are making my uterus ache with all the baby name talk. We aren’t in a place to have kids right now, and it’s killing me!
Now I want to to know what my name would have been. I think it would have been a combo of Tucker, my father’s middle name, and Clark, my father’s step-dad’s last name (it was their way of honoring him, since his last name was never passed down). I was supposed to be Gwendolyn Clark (my womb nickname by my great aunt was Grover Cleavland), but they changed my first name to Katherine not long before I was born, so I would have the “better” nickname K.C. So, I grew up K.C. Jones. Seriously.
I love Eleanor, Lucy and Rigby. Beautiful, classic sounding names without being trendy. I plan on naming my eventual daughter Genevieve, for that very reason, after my great grandma.
I love the idea of naming kids after Beatles songs- I think Eleanor and Lucy are lovely names. Eleanor could also be shortened to Elle if Todd isn’t loving it. Just a thought. (personally I ADORE Sadie as well). Anna is also nice, and this may be overkill but you could always do a more simple name like Anna with Prudence as middle name. ok, Anna Prudence doesn’t flow very well. But Prudence might be nice as a middle name. I like Maggie a lot too. And Penny is of course great :)
For boys, I like Maxwell and Jude a lot- regardless of the Jude Law thing. There’s also Robert (Doctor Robert) OH! and if it doesn’t need to be in the title of the song there’s Molly and Desmond from Ob La Di.
If I had been a boy I would have been Patrick, for my dad. Good question about why guys always want to do that…
my parents decided early in their relationship that they were having two kids, one named Ryan and one names Jesse, regardless of sex. i took Ryan (i’m a female in case anyone was wondering) and my brother took Jesse.
for our baby, due in april, my husband and i have it narrowed down to ali jude OR jude ali for either sex. ali was my husband’s father’s name (pronounced like mohammed ali) and judith was my mother’s name (nickname judi or jude).
You’ve got to go with Penny, no? Adorable and perfectly appropriate for you. I love Harrison too for a boy.
BTW, I was named after my grandfather, Morris. So that would have been my opposite sex name, though my dad claims he would’ve vetoed it. So glad I ended up a girl!
love the beatles song names — especially lucy and eleanor. i would’ve been charlie as a boy, after my mom’s father.
my boyfriend and i have definitely discussed baby names, even though that’s probably a long way off for us … it’s always a fun discussion, and luckily we have agreed on a few names!
I have been meaning to ask you about this!! I’ve got cousins Harrison and Lucy- Harry is my top boys name too! I think more “vintage” names for girls are really pretty: Lucille, Eleanor, Prudence are all great. I love classics too like Jon and Kate but don’t want them to be one of fifteen Jon’s once they start school. Some people just have a few tops contenders for names, and once you see the little face after birth you know what’s meant for them. are you going to find out the sex?
My opposite sex name would have been Samuel, instead I am Hannah. My parents were all about giving me a Biblical name so they went with a mother and her son for names.
My bf and I are far off from kids at the moment, but we both agreed to name the first son we have Lazarus. This kid would get to have a “z” in his first and last name.
My mom was between Jessica and Jennifer for me. She thought Jennifer was too popular so she went with Jessica….oh if she only knew. My dad got to chose my middle name of Whitney. Yes… I was named after Whitney Houston. I don’t think my mom ever had a boy name for me. My dad did want to name me Otto but I have great faith that if I turned out to be a boy my mom would have nixed that name fast.
For myself I love the name Demetri for a boy and Sophia for a girl. I also love the names Julian and Elijah (ironically enough both names of guys I have dated).
I love your name choices. I really like Harrison too. I have a friend who’s friend named her kid Hendrix. At first I thought it was odd but it really works for the kid and their family. Its always funny how the oddest names just seem to work
I love Penny but does it feel weird to use it for a kid when you’ve used it as a nom de plume for yourself? I LOVE the suggestion of Jude for a girl. Paul is a common name for boys but it is a Beatle and every Paul I know wears his masculinity with a gentle sweetness that is irresistible. Eleanor is beautiful, I know a very fashionable young woman named it, and lends itself to a variety of adorable nicknames.
I’m not telling you any of my favorite names because I don’t want them stolen and propagated before I can use them myself!
I would have been Patrick or Timothy as a boy, my mom is super into her Irish roots.
My boy name was to be “Matthew” but the XX made me Kimberly. (Yawn on both.) You are brave to be putting names out there! My husband and I had lots of girl names we loved, but could not — could NOT — agree on a boy name, which sealed our fate to have a boy. We finally secretly agreed on his name (Nicolas) and promised each other we’d wouldn’t tell anyone until he was born and the ink was dry on the birth certificate, because we didn’t want anyone to start telling us that they didn’t like it. Or that knew an ex/schooyard bully/dry cleaner with that name. ;) You guys have a great list so far.