Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 12

It's been a trend in recent years for celebrities to delay the release of their baby's name--usually for a few weeks, even months. However, actors Peter Dinklage and Josh Hartnett have never revealed the names of their children, and their daughters are five and two years old, respectively! Now they both have a second child on the way--will we find out the names of those babies, or continue to be left in the dark?

We also have some stars this month expecting Irish twins--two siblings born less than a year apart. Supermodel Bar Refaeli is pregnant for the second time, only months after giving birth to her daughter Liv. Lauren Gregory and Thomas Rhett were in the process of adopting a baby from Africa when they found out they were pregnant with a little girl. Now they have two babies on the way that should arrive around the same time. How will these celebrities go about naming their Irish twins? I have my predictions, but we'll have to wait and see.

Erica Schmidt and Peter Dinklage
Gender: unknown
Siblings: sister (name not released)
Peter Dinklage has managed to keep his daughter's name a secret for over five years, but rumors abound that her name is Zelig. According to Peter, this is not true, although it seems like a fitting name for the couple. Both of their surnames are of Germanic origin, and Zelig is a Yiddish derivation of the German name Selig. Keeping that in mind, I chose some similarly strong and quirky names for their next child.
Girl: Agnes, Editha, Elza, Francie. Frieda, Hettie, Hilda, Ilsa, Meret, Tresa
Boy: Alric, Anton, Bruno, Jannick, Kaiser, Rainier, Raymond, Roderick, Rollo

Tamsin Egerton and Josh Hartnett
Gender: unknown
Siblings: sister (name not released)
Like the Dinklages, Tamsin Egerton and Josh Hartnett have never released the name of their daughter. However, given Tamsin's British heritage, I'd wager that their little girl (and her upcoming sibling) has a name with some serious English style.
Girl: Edie, Elena, Eloise, Felicity, Iris, Libby, Lydia, Millie, Orla, Poppy
Boy: Arlo, Dashiell, Elias, Finlay, Harry, Jasper, Luca, Rory, Tobias, Theo

Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg
Gender: girl
Siblings: Maxima "Max"
Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan chose the clunky-cool name Maxima for their daughter in 2015, but call her by the tomboyish nickname Max. Now they're expecting their second daughter--will we see another long Latin name with a sassy nickname?
Girl: Aurelia, Avalon, Cecily, Livia, Lucia, Minerva, Noa, Romilly, Rosette
*Update* Hello, August!

Xosha Roquemore and Lakeith Stanfield
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Xosha Roquemore was named after the Xhosa people--a tribe originally from South Africa. Her father got the idea after researching South African tribes for a play he directing, and Xosha herself went on to study abroad in Ghana during her college years. It's clear that African culture is important to Xosha and her family, which makes me think her baby will have a name with some African influence.
Girl: Amara, Kaia, Kessie, Lissa, Marjani, Nia, Nyala, Sekai, Shona, Zella
Boy: Ayo, Kayin, Kofi, Kwame, Lekan, Massai, Obi, Odion, Taye, Zaire

Casey Wilson and David Caspe
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Max Red
Comedian Casey Wilson and her producer husband David Caspe may have played it safe (by celebrity standards) with the first name Max for their son, but kicked it up a notch with the very bold Red for his middle name. I have a feeling they'll follow a similar pattern for their next son or daughter, so I chose some well-liked, somewhat trendy names for the baby's first name.
Girl: Clare, Daisy, Evie, Frankie, Ivy, Kate, Kit, Phoebe, Piper, Sadie, Tess
Boy: Charlie, Finn, Gray, Henry, Jack, Jude, Liam, Luke, Nate, Owen, Rhys
*Update* Welcome, Henry Bear!

Elvira Lind and Oscar Isaac
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Oscar Isaac is Guatemalan-American, while his girlfriend Elvira Lind is Danish. It may come as a surprise considering Denmark and Guatemala are halfway across the world from each other, but there are actually quite a few names that are used in both countries. I've listed some of them here, along with names I think have the potential to cross over.
Girl: Alba, Amada, Camila, Elena, Isla, Liv, Luna, Maya, Nessa, Signe, Sofia
Boy: Arlo, Bastien, Casper, Hugo, Jonathan, Marco, Otto, Soren, Teo, Viggo
*Update* Baby boy is Eugene, after Oscar's mother, Eugenia!

Bar Refaeli and Adi Ezra
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Liv
Just seven months after the birth of her daughter Liv, Bar Refaeli has announced that she's pregnant again! Bar and her husband Adi are Israeli, and even though Liv is a Scandinavian name, it works well with many Hebrew names. I'm guessing we'll see another short name (maybe also containing the "it" letter V) for Liv's Irish twin.
Girl: Alma, Alva, Avia, Evie, Maya, Mika, Naomi, Niva, Tali, Zadie
Boy: Ash, Bram, Eli, Micah, Nevo, Omri, Oren, Rom. Shai, Tal, Uri
*Update* Another girl--Elle!

Lauren Gregory and Thomas Rhett Akins
Gender: girl and unknown
Siblings: none
Country singer Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren are expecting a baby girl, and meanwhile are adopting a baby (of unknown gender) from Africa. The couple has said they want to use family names, and are open to feminizations of male names for their daughter. Thomas is a junior himself, so if the adopted baby is a boy, could there be a Thomas Rhett Akins III?
Girl: Grace, Gracen, Greta, Kasey, Leah, Macy, Paige, Retta, Tamsin
Boy: Everett, Grayson, Gregor, Gregory, Lawrence, Lee, Rhett, Thomas
*Update* The Akins' adopted baby girl is Willa Gray!
*Second Update* Baby girl number two is Ada James!

Same Meaning Sibsets: Part Two

Image Credit

Part two! Today we have six more name meanings to create sibsets out of. View part one here.

Good
Agatha + Glenda
Gita, Mona, + Tova

Grace
Anya, Grace, + Hannah
Amara, Hanita, + Sena
Carissa + Milena

Love
Amy + Darrell
Esme, Kerensa, + Priya
Amanda, Connor, + David

Peace
Axel, Fritz, + Pax
Freddie + Winnie
Frederick, Geoffrey, + Humphrey
Frieda + Salome

Song
Melody + Odele
Ronia + Zamir
Shira, Rayna, + Roni

Sweet
Anika + Laia
Dulcie + Eulalie
Myra + Shirin

Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 29

How important to you is sibset cohesion? Many celebrity sibsets in this month’s group are remarkably harmonized—Nikki Sixx’s children all have edgy names perfect for the sons and daughters of a punk rocker. Courtney and Mario Lopez gave each of their kids very Italian names, and Jessa and Ben Seewald have sons with names inspired by notable members of their faith.

Other stars have coordinating sibsets—the names go together, but they may be a bit different in style or usage. Chelsea Clinton’s Charlotte and Aidan are an example of this, as are Sara Haines’s Alec and Sandra. Each are adding a third child to their family this year, and it will be exciting to see how their names add to the sibsets. I’ve made my predictions for their choices below—let me know how yours compare!

Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Charlotte, Aidan

Chelsea Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky chose popular names for their two children, but with slightly different styles. Charlotte is a modern classic—not so long ago considered an old-lady name, but recently given the royal seal of approval. Aidan, although with Irish roots, feels very American, thanks to the -ayden names defining the decade in US baby name trends. It’s not uncommon for parents to have different taste in names for each gender, but I’m curious if this sibset will bend more towards recent favorites or familiar revivals.
Girl: Eleanor, Elizabeth, Eva, Grace, Josephine, Lillian, Lucy, Nora, Olivia, Sadie

Boy: Benjamin, Eli, Henry, James, Liam, Nathan, Nicholas, Owen, Samuel, Theo

Courtney and Mario Lopez

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Gia Francesca, Dominic Luciano

Courtney and Mario Lopez have a love for accessible Italian choices—ones that have distinct Italian flair, but don’t feel out of place on their American children. Considering they picked names in this category for each of their children’s first and middle names, the odds are high that baby number three will follow this pattern as well.
Girl: Aria, Bianca, Camilla, Eliana, Emilia, Livia, Lucia, Luna, Milana, Serena

Boy: Angelo, Lorenzo, Luca, Marco, Matteo, Maximo, Romeo, Santino, Xavier

Courtney and Nikki Sixx

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Gunner Nicholas, Storm Brieann, Decker Nilsson, Frankie-Jean Mary (previous relationships)

A large age gap often leads to disparate name styles within a sibset, but I don’t think that will be the case with Nikki Sixx’s children. His children all have what we like to call Badass Baby Names. With such a clear affinity for names with a radical image, I expect baby number five will have one as well.

Girl: Avalon, Domino, Echo, Indigo, Lavender, Lux, Maven, Phoenix, Revel, Seven

Boy: Axel, Blade, Breaker, Crash, Diesel, Draven, Kicker, Onyx, Zenith, Zephyr

 Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Spurgeon Elliot and Henry Wilberforce

The Duggar family at large is known for having themed sibsets and choosing names with religious significance. Jessa and Ben in particular have picked names for their sons drawn from historical figures in Christianity. We have every reason to expect they will continue this theme for their third child—the question is, who will they be inspired by?
Girl: Annie, Darby, Elizabeth, Evangeline, Lottie, Phoebe, Pink, Sunday, Taylor

Boy: Barton, Beecher, Harris, Judson, Palmer, Pruitt, Simeon, Theodore, Wesley
*Update* Welcome, Ivy Jane!

Danielle Fishel and Jensen Karp

Gender: boy

Siblings: none

Danielle Fishel and Jensen Karp are expecting their first child this summer—a boy! The pair has pets named Brunch and Bill, but I don’t think they’ll go quite as quirky when choosing a name for their son. I could see Danielle and Jensen using a familiar and stylish name that hits all the right notes for a 2019 baby, much like the following:

Boy: Beckett, Grayson, Hudson, Ian, Julian, Logan, Maddox, Otto, Wilder

Jazmyn Simon and Dulé Hill

Gender: boy

Siblings: Kennedy (previous relationship)

When a mother’s last name works as a first name, I love to see it used as such. Simon, which has a long history as a first name, would be a great contender for the name of Jazmyn Simon and Dulé Hill’s son. If they decide not to use that opportunity, I think Jazmyn and Dulé might go with a trendier name for their little boy.

Boy: Easton, Flynn, Jameson, Jax, Landon, Milo, Nolan, Rylan, Simon, Wyatt
*Update* He's here—Levi Dulé!

Abby Huntsman and Jeffrey Livingston

Gender: boy/girl twins

Siblings: Isabel Grace

Newscaster Abby Huntsman and her husband Jeffrey gave their daughter the sweet and classic name Isabel Grace. Now they’re expecting twins—a boy and a girl—and I would bet that their new little ones will have similarly well-liked, charming names. For their daughter, something feminine but substantial seems to be in order. For their son, I could see them either going full-classic (like Arthur or William), or modern (like Sawyer and Greyson).
Girl: Amara, Cecilia, Eden, Elena, Jane, Julia, Lila, Madeline, Natalie, Rosalie

Boy: Arthur, Charlie, Elliot, Greyson, Jasper, Jude, Sawyer, Thomas, William
*Update* One out of two! Hello, Ruby Kate and William Jeffrey!

Sara Haines and Max Shifrin

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Alec Richard and Sandra Grace

If you said that Alec and Sandra sound like a sibset out of the 20^th century, I wouldn’t blame you. Both names are well past their peak, with Alec topping out in 1994, and Sandra reaching its height in 1947. Sara and Max’s daughter was named after Sara’s mother Sandy, but it still was a surprising pick, considering Sandra is considered quite dated. I’m hoping Sara and Max revive another forgotten classic with their third child’s name.

Girl: Amalia, Diana, Erica, Frances, Judith, Julianna, June, Laura, Tessa, Virginia

Boy: Amos, Anton, Edward, Gregory, Marcus, Nathaniel, Philip, Tobias, Walter

Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 23

When it comes to naming babies, everyone has a different set of priorities and values. One we talk about a lot is sibset coherence. Whether or not you're a name nerd, it's easy to see the merits of a coordinated sibset. Oftentimes one has to refer to their children as a group, and well-matched names makes it easy for others to view them as a set. 

But how much does this matter when the siblings of a new baby are adults? My inclination is: not much. Adult children are off living their own lives, and the amount of times they will be lumped into the same group as their infant sibling is much less than if they had grown up together. Therefore, I don't think anyone should stress over trying to find the perfect name for their son who will be twenty years his sister's junior. Tastes change over the years, and after a few decades, so do styles. 

Many celebrities expecting babies this month are going to be naming children with 20 or 30-plus age differences from some of their siblings, and will have to determine the importance of this issue for themselves. Daniel Craig's adult daughter Ella will have a little sister or brother at the end of this year, as will Norman Reedus's grown son Mingus. Josh Brolin's 29- and 24-year-old children are going to be the older siblings of a baby girl, and Brigitte Nielsen's four adult sons (ranging in age from 23 to 34) will welcome another sibling into their brood. 

For some, like Daniel Craig, creating a harmonious sibset shouldn't be too much of a problem. For other, like Brigitte Nielsen, it's already a lost cause. As for the rest, I'm curious to see how it will play out--will these stars decide that a well-matched sibset is the way to go, or give it up to choose the name that most speaks to their heart?

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Cyrus Michael Christopher

Five years ago, Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy gave their son the historic, regal-adjacent name Cyrus. It strikes that elusive unpopular-but-familiar balance that is so often coveted by parents-to-be. I've got my fingers crossed for Claire and Hugh to do it again—any of my suggestions below would fit the bill.
Girl: Cleo, Della, Fern, Greta, Isadora, Lucinda, Minna, Phoebe, Romy

Boy: Boaz, Bram, Edmund, Jasper, Lucian, Mercer, Oren, Royce, Simeon

Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Ella, Henry (previous relationships)

Both Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig have children from a previous relationship. Daniel's 25-year-old daughter is named Ella, while Rachel's 11-year-old son is named Henry. The two names already work well together in terms of style, so the pressure is off for the new baby's name to cohere their blended family. As long as they stick with the modern classics, this combined sibset will be perfectly coordinated.
Girl: Alice, Amelia, Clara, Ivy, Lily, Lucy, Mila, Nora, Sophie, Ruby, Violet

Boy: August, Charlie, Jack, Oliver, Owen, Russell, Spencer, Theo, William

Shenae Grimes-Beech and Josh Beech

Gender: girl

Siblings: none

90210 star Shenae Grimes-Beech is a hardcore rock and roll fan. Lucky for her, rock and roll (and music more generally) offers a wealth of baby name inspiration. From guitar-strumming surnames to soulful ballads, Shenae and Josh should have no trouble finding the perfect name for their little wild child--whether they prefer girly and sweet or sassy and androgynous names.

Girl: Axelle, Bowie, Dylan, Everly, Hendrix, Jagger, Jett, Layla, Presley, Rose
*Update* I was right—baby girl is Bowie Scarlett!

Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard

Gender: unknown

Siblings: none

Model Chanel Iman and football player Sterling Shepard are expecting their first child together later this year! Chanel's style is unabashedly feminine, so I predict we will see something lovely and romantic for her baby's name, no matter if it's a boy or girl. I'd like to see her use a name with French origins like her own—Celeste or Sabine are my favorites for girls, and I'm partial to Julien if baby is a boy. 

Girl: Anastasia, Camille, Celeste, Elle, Rose, Ruby, Sabine, Scarlett, Simone

Boy: Clark, Dominic, Julien, Lucian, Marcel, Maxim, Quincy, Roman, Sebastian
*Update* It's a girl--Cali Clay!

Francesca Eastwood and Alexander Wraith

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Trajan (previous relationship)

Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca's name is a variant of her mother's: Frances. I would love to see her continue the tradition and use another Franc- name if her baby is a girl—something like Franny or Frankie, or even just France—a cheerful (and drastically underused) place name. Even if Francesca does not want to be her child's namesake, I expect something frilly and ladylike for a daughter, or handsome and classic for a son.

Girl: Cecilia, Eloise, France, Frankie, Franny, Genevieve, Juliette, Vivienne

Boy: August, Charles, Elliott, Harrison, Henry, Jack, James, Jasper, Theodore
*Update* Welcome, Titan Wraith Eastwood!

Kathryn Boyd and Josh Brolin

Gender: girl

Siblings: Trevor, Eden (previous relationship)

Back in the late eighties and early nineties, Josh Brolin named his kids Trevor and Eden. Trevor was a well-used name during his son's birth—sitting well within the top 100—although Eden was barely in the top 700 when his daughter was born in 1994. Now, with an age gap of almost a quarter century between his two youngest children, I'm curious to see if his tastes have changed. For their newest daughter, will Josh and Kathryn choose something well-established like Trevor, or an up-and-comer, like Eden once was?
Girl: Aurora, Briar, Emerald, Grace, Harper, Haven, Ivy, Lena, Lyra, Piper, Willow
*Update* She's here—Westlyn Reign!

Diane Kruger and Norman Reedus

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Mingus Lucien (previous relationship)

Norman Reedus's adult son has the unusual Scottish name Mingus. He is named for Charles Mingus, the jazz musician. Perhaps Norman will be inspired by jazz again for his second child's name, although expectant mother Diane Kruger is a native of Germany, so maybe a Bavarian name is in order. No matter which direction they choose, there's a plethora of good options.

Girl: Adelheid, Billie, Ella, Greta, Ilsa, Josephine, Lina, Lorelei, Matilda, Zinnia

Boy: Axel, Bix, Conrad, Ellington, Hugo, Kaiser, Kenton, Leon, Loudan, Till

Brigitte Nielsen and Mattia Dessi

Gender: unknown

Siblings:  Julian, Killian Marcus, Douglas Aaron, and Raoul Ayrton Jr. (previous relationships)

At 54 years old, Brigitte Nielsen is officially the oldest celebrity mom-to-be I've ever profiled. She has four adult sons, each with a name of different origin. Husband Mattia Dessi is Italian, so it's likely we'll see an Italian name for baby number five. Although Brigitte appears to have eclectic taste in baby names, so that's not a guarantee.

Girl: Amara, Bianca, Brenna, Gia, Giuliana, Keira, Maeve, Tamsin, Wynne

Boy: Alonzo, Dario, Declan, Conor, Marco, Matteo, Nolan, Orlando, Romeo
*Update* Wow, it's a girl--welcome Frida!