Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 21

Patterns in sibsets can be very cute and add cohesion when done right. But sometimes it can get you into trouble. Take Ayesha and Steph Curry. They have two daughters named Riley and Ryan, and now Ayesha is pregnant with their third child. Ryker or Ryder seems like the obvious choice for a boy, but if they have another daughter, this could be the end of the Ry- pattern.

Kimberly and James Van Der Beek are also in a predicament if they have another baby girl. Each of their children has a 3+ syllable name, and their daughters names all start with different vowels—O, A, and E, which leaves I and U. My top choice for them is Isla, which follows the different vowel pattern, but not the syllable count one. 

All this to say—patterns can be great, but if they're too restrictive, be prepared to give up some of the requirements as more children are added to the mix. I'm excited to see how these celebrities handle the challenge, and I've weighed in with my advice below. 

Laina Rose Thyfault and Chris Klein

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Frederick Easton "Easton"

Laina Rose Thyfault and Chris Klein's son Frederick is named for Chris's dad, Fred. The kiddo actually goes by his middle name, Easton, which gives us a better sense of his mom and dad's naming style. However, I'd love to see them follow a similar pattern of using the honor names first. Chris's mother's name offers some great possibilities—her maiden name, Bergen, would be darling on a son, and while slightly dated, her first name, Therese, lends itself to the sweet (and not at all dated) nickname Tess.

Girl: Addison, Delaney, Hadley, Harper, Piper, Quinn, Sydney, Tess, Therese

Boy: Beckett, Bergen, Carter, Clayton, Greyson, Landon, Lincoln, Tucker

*Update* It's a girl--welcome Isla Rose!

Ayesha and Steph Curry

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Riley, Ryan Carson (g)

Golden State Warriors player Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha are expecting their third child, but after daughters named Riley and Ryan, which name comes next? There are only so many Ry- names left (and many of them rhyme with Ryan), so my best guess is that they might give up the Ry- sound pattern for the broader R initial one.

Girl: Raelyn, Raven. Reagan, Reese, Rhiannon, Ria, Ridley, Ripley, Rissa

Boy: Rayden, Raymond, Rico, Rigby, River, Roman, Rowan, Ryder, Ryker
*Update* They didn't go with another Ry- name--it's a boy named Canon W. Jack!

Luisana Lopilato and Michael Bublé

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Noah, Elias

Noah and Elias are both gentle names for boys that have a religious bent. They also work well in Luisana Lopilato's native Spanish, an important factor to consider when naming cross-cultural babies. Luisana and Michael obviously aren't afraid to use names higher up on the popularity charts, so I imagine they will use another well-liked moniker for Elias and Noah's baby brother or sister.
Girl: Amelia, Annabella, Eden, Grace, Hannah, Isabel, Lily, Mia, Olivia, Sofia

Boy: Asher, Benjamin, Caleb, Ezra, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Levi, Micah, Samuel
*Update* A little girl--Vida!

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent

Gender: boy

Siblings: Poppy

Interior design superstars Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are adding a baby boy to their brood! They named their daughter Poppy back in 2015—a stylish choice that's underused in America, but quite popular across the pond. In all likelihood, they'll choose a similarly friendly and fashionable name for her younger brother.

Boy: Graham, Felix, Jack, Jasper, Leland, Lyle, Milo, Oliver, Otis, Theo, Toby
*Update* Welcome, Oskar Michael!

Michelle Branch and Patrick Carney

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Owen Isabelle (previous relationship)

Singer Michelle Branch gave her daughter the gender-bending name Owen over a decade ago. Now, twelve years later, she is expecting her second child. Have her tastes shifted over the years, or would she go for another masculine name for a daughter? Whatever she picks, I'm sure it will be modern and stylish.
Girl: Elliot, Finley, James, Jude, Kit, Mason, Noa, Parker, Rory, Sawyer

Boy: Beckett, Camden, Dashiell, Griffith, Jack, Magnus, Sullivan, Wyatt
*Update* Hello, Rhys James!

Rachel McAdams and Jamie Linden

Gender: unknown

Siblings: none

Rachel McAdams may be best known for her acting, but she's also an active environmentalist. That makes me wonder if she'll choose a nature name for her baby, although with a surname like Linden, it could become too much of a good thing. Perhaps a name with subtle nature ties, like Cyrus or Daphne, might be better for Rachel and Jamie's son or daughter. 

Girl: Clover, Daphne, Flora, Laurel, Magnolia, Mavis, Rose, Violet, Willow

Boy: Canyon, Cyrus, Danner, Dune, Field, Forest, Fox, Grove, Lachlan, River

Kimberly and James Van Der Beek

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel Leah, Emilia

After four children, the Van Der Beeks have clearly defined preferences when it comes to baby names. Long, soft names are a must for either gender, and for their daughters, they like names that start with different vowels. Some of these requirements are easier met than others, so I'm eager to see which ones Kimberly and James value the most when they name baby number five. 

Girl: Adeline, Audrey, Elena, Elodie, Camilla, Grace, Iris, Isla, Ivy, Lilia, Lucia

Boy: Adrian, Benjamin, Elijah, Elliott, Jameson, Noah, Samuel, Silas, Wesley
*Update* Another girl, but not another vowel name--baby girl is Gwendolyn!

Sophie Flack and Josh Charles

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Rocco

The friendly, charming name Rocco was chosen by Sophie Flack and Josh Charles for their son back in 2014. Although the name is Italian in origin, neither Sophie nor Josh have Italian heritage. That makes me think they chose Rocco more its style cred than its backstory, so I don't think we should expect another Italian name from Sophie and Josh. Although who knows? Rocco and Luca makes a pretty darn cute combination. 

Girl: Adele, Alma, Cleo, Della, Evie, Frieda, Gemma, Luella, Stella

Boy: Arlo, Benji, Cosmo, Duke, Hugo, Julius, Luca, Maxim, Nico, Otto

Catalog Names: TinyPrints, Holiday 2013

The hipper counterpart of Shutterfly, TinyPrints definitely has the cooler names (Clementine and Isla vs. Mia and Claire. I rest my case). Enjoy (another) long list of Catalog Names.

Girls:
Abigale
Adie
Alex
Alexandra
Allison
Annabella
Ash
Ashley
Barbara
Beth
Bethany
Candace
Carrie
Cecily
Clementine
Diane
Ebony
Elizabeth
Ellen
Emery
Emily
Esther
Evelyn
Gabrielle
Gwenyth
Isla
Jamie
Jane
Jessie
Juno
Kathleen
Kayla
Kia
Mae
Margaret
Marie
Natalia
Natalie
Natasha
Pamela
Sage
Sarah
Sophie
Stephanie
Terry
Trish
Valerie

Boys:
Alex
Alexander
Ash
Ashton
Ben
Benjamin
Brian
Carter
Chris
Christopher
Colin
Collin
Daniel
Edward
Eliott
Gene
Grayden
Henry
Jacob
Jamie
Jason
Jensen George
Joe
Jonathan
Mark
Martin
Matthew
Michael
Nathan
Noah
Oliver
Patrick
Quinn
Rob
Sammy
Thomas
Xavier

Super Anagram Names

Image Credit

I've talked about Anagram Names in the past, but today we are going to discuss the Super Anagram. We've all heard of that family with the kids named Alex, Axel, Xela, Lexa, and Xeal (that's boy, boy, girl, girl, girl), and that got me thinking about other names that can produce the same effect. Hence, the Super Anagram. To qualify as a Super Anagram, there must be at least four useable names produced, with at least three being well-known and/or legitimate names. The others can be uncommon names or something that could be a name (Let's face it, you wouldn't use Xela under normal circumstances). The Super Anagram is an uncommon way to connect all your children's names, albeit an obvious way. Just a warning before I go on- this list features A LOT of misspellings/creative spellings, and not all of the names make great sibsets. Don't be alarmed.

A, A, N, Y
Anay, Anya, Naya, Yana

A, C, E, L
Alec, Cael, Cale, Clea, Lace

A, C, I, L
Cail, Cali, Clia, Laci

A, D, E, V
Evad, Dave, Deva, Veda

A, D, I, N
Adin, Andi, Dani, Dina, Nadi

A, E, D, N
Aden, Dane, Dean, Edna

A, E, K, L
Alek, Elka, Kale, Lake

A, E, L, N
Alen, Elan, Lane, Lena, Neal

A, E, L, X
Alex, Axel, Lexa, Xale, Xeal, Xela

A, G, I, N
Angi, Gani, Gina, Inga

A, I, K, M
Kami, Kima, Maki, Mika

A, I, K, N
Anik, Inka, Kina, Nika

A, I, L, M
Amil, Liam, Lima, Mila

A, I, L, S
Ilsa, Isla, Lasi, Lisa, Sali

A, I, L, V
Alvi, Liva, Vail, Vali

A, I, M, R
Irma, Mari, Mira, Rami

A, I, N, R
Arin, Nari, Nira, Rain, Rina

A, I, R, S
Arsi, Irsa, Risa, Sari, Sira

A, I, T, Z
Itza, Tazi, Tiza, Zita

A, M, O, R
Amor, Mora, Omar, Roma

A, N, O, R
Aron, Nora, Orna, Roan, Rona

E, I, K, L
Elki, Keli, Kiel, Kile

E, I, L, N
Elin, Leni, Neil, Nile

E, L, N, O
Elon, Leon, Noel, Nole


It's pretty obvious that not all of these would make great sibsets. I wouldn't suggest having kids name Lena and Lane, or Noel and Noel. That being said, some of them do work really well. My favorite was the Amor, Mora, Omar, and Roma set. They all have distinct sounds, start with different letters, and have an exotic, Latin feel to them.

Some interesting statistics:
All of the names here have four letters: two vowels and two consonants. With the exception of the first set, none of the vowels repeat within the same sets.
A is the most popular vowel (as well as letter), accounting for 23% of all letters, and is in 88% of all letter groupings.
I was the second most popular vowel, as 15% of all letters, and in 46% of all groupings.
L was the most popular consonant, as approximately 12% of all letters and in 45% of all groups.
Close runner up was N, accounting for 10% of all letters, and was in 42% of all groupings.
The only vowel not featured was U.
Only seven consonants did not appear, and those were B, F, H, J, P, Q, and W.
There are a total of four creative spellings of Aaron featured on this list.

In conclusion, this would be a fun link between children. You CAN pull it off tastefully, but you have to have the right set of letters. If you just plan on having two or three kids with anagram names, check out my post on regular Anagram Names, for options that have been selected for being a good match.

Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 32

The most exciting celebrity baby news of the past few weeks has undoubtedly been that of the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s little prince. Archie Harrison does not have any family names, but his middle name honors Dad—Harrison literally means Harry’s son.

Back on this side of the pond, we saw the announcement of two presidential grandchildren—Jenna Bush Hager is expecting a son, and Eric Trump’s wife Lara is pregnant with their second child. Like the royals, they seem to have a penchant for honor names. Mila Hager is actually Margaret Laura—both of her grandmothers’ first names—and Luke Trump shares a first name with his father. A presidential baby name doesn’t carry the same kind of influence as a royal baby name does (I’m keeping my eye on Harrison), but nevertheless, I’m curious to hear their choices.

Blake Lively, Keira Knightley, and other stars announced their pregnancies this month, and I’ve made my predictions for them below. Weigh in with your suggestions in the comments.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Gender: unknown

Siblings: James (g), Inez

James and Inez may seem like two very mismatched names for sisters—indeed, they are very different stylistically—but they have a commonality. Both names end in a Z sound, a trend that is having a moment right now for boys with names like Charles, Miles, and Blaise rising in popularity. Should Blake and Ryan stick with this subtle theme, I’ve offered them many options. If not, there are plenty of other choices to suit their eclectic style.
Girl: Alice, Astrid, Beatriz, Blythe, Briar, Celeste, Frieda, Greer, Hollis, Mavis

Boy: Alastair, Ansel, Bas, Boaz, Charles, Eamon, Hayes, Holden, Hugh, Miles

Keira Knightley and James Righton

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Edie Knightley

Keira Knightley and James Righton’s daughter is Edie (not Edith), which feels very appropriate given her British heritage. A sister name for Edie should hit all the same sweet vintage notes and perhaps be nickname-y as well, like Nell or Millie. If Keira and James have a son, I’m hoping for a name with a bit of a quirk-factor, like Frank or Linus.

Girl: Daisy, Faye, Jane, Maeve, Millie, Nell, Olive, Pearl, Rosie, Willa

Boy: Arthur, Finn, Frank, Henry, Jack, Linus, Miles, Oliver, Theo, Walter

Jenna Bush and Henry Hager
Gender: boy

Siblings: Margaret Laura “Mila,” Poppy Louise

Jenna Bush Hager is expecting a son! After two daughters named Mila and Poppy—familiar names with great style that aren’t over-used—I’m curious to see what they’ll choose for a baby boy. Of course, there’s always the chance that Jenna and Henry will go with George—their oldest daughter Mila is named after her two grandmothers, and this is President Bush’s first grandson. Henry’s father is named John, so Jack seems like another probable option.

Boy: Anders, Beckett, Bram, George, Jack, Jonas, Jude, Nico, Rex, Wells

Lara and Eric Trump

Gender:

Siblings: Eric Luke, “Luke”

Eric Trump named his son after himself, but baby Eric goes by his middle name, Luke. If Eric and Lara’s second child is a boy, something similarly boyish and modern seems likely, although I could also seem them pivoting to a more traditional name like Adam or Michael. For a girl, a feminine, well-liked name seems to be in order.
Girl: Emma, Genevieve, Hailey, Isla, Kate, Mia, Nora, Olivia, Reese, Vivian

Boy: Adam, Carter, Evan, Jack, Jake, Logan, Max, Michael, Parker, Ryan

Aja Volkman and Dan Reynolds

Gender: boy

Siblings: Arrow Eve, Gia James, Coco Rae

If you thought Blake and Ryan had an eclectic sister-set, meet the other Reynolds family. Dan Reynolds, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, has three daughters named Arrow, Gia, and Coco. Now he and wife Aja are expecting their first son, and there’s no telling what style his name will be. A word name like Arrow? A mini-name like Gia? A nickname like Coco? Something totally different? I’m looking forward to finding out.

Boy: Ace, Arlo, Bodhi, Ever, Felix, Kai, Onyx, River, Rowan, Zeb

Tara Ahamed and Jonathan Tucker
Gender: unknown twins

Siblings: none

Tara and Jonathan Tucker are a very private couple—only recently did they reveal they’re actually expecting twins!—so there’s no guarantee we’ll learn their babies’ names right away. Nevertheless, I’m still very excited to hear their choices. Tara has Indian and Arabic roots, so the names could potentially have some cultural crossover, like some of these:
Girl: Arya, Asha, Cala, Layla, Lila, Mela, Nora, Priya, Uma, Veda

Boy: Benjamin, Bodhi, Kiran, Leo, Lucas, Rohan, Samuel, Theodore, Viro, Xavier
*Update* Boy/girl twins—Hayes Taj and India Moss!

Amber Rose and Alexander Edwards

Gender: boy

Siblings: Sebastian Taylor Thomaz (previous relationship)

Model Amber Rose is expecting her second son, a brother for Sebastian. Sebastian is a lengthy, romantic name, so should Amber and Alexander want a name for their son that pairs well with his brother’s, I’ve got them covered. I’m hoping they pick Cassius—it’s spiked in popularity recently and makes the perfect brother name for Sebastian.

Boy: Cassius, Damian, Dominic, Gabriel, Julian, Leo, Lucius, Oscar, Romeo, Tristan

Kendra Caldwell and Joe Duggar

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Garrett David

Kendra and Joe Duggar gave their son the name Garrett last year—a solid, masculine name, albeit one that’s been down-trending since the year 2000. Now Kendra is pregnant with their second child, and my guess is that we could see another name that was more common in her birth year than in the baby’s. But you never know—I’ve included options for both here.
Girl: Abigail, Annabelle, Eliza, Grace, Julia, Laura, Madelyn, Piper, Rebecca, Sarah

Boy: Dawson, Gregory, Griffin, Joel, Matthew, Peter, Russell, Ryan, Warren, Wesley

Summer Names

Summer's almost here! To celebrate, I thought I'd do a post on names for summer babies.

Girls:

Calida
Clara
Iliana
Isla
June
July
Marina
Marisol
Muriel
Phoebe
Rae
Rubyaina
Sandy
Shirley
Sky
Sol
Soleil
Summer
Sunny
Sunshine

Boys:

Albert
Alberto
August
Augustus
Brighton
Cyrus
Fulbright
Julio
Junot
Kai
Leo
Ray
Sol
Stash

Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 28

The new year brought with it a barrage of celebrity pregnancy announcements. We’re starting off 2019 strong with stars like Gordon Ramsay and Kobe Bryant adding little ones to their (already large) families. Other notables like Andy Cohen and Katy Tur are each going to welcome their first child this year. And of course, what is going to be one of the most hotly anticipated birth announcements of 2019, the Kardashian West baby. Yes, North, Saint, and Chicago are getting another sibling, and he or she is going to have an unconventional name to match. So start placing your bets now (and maybe take out your dictionary), because we’ve got an eventful year ahead of us.

Joana Pak and Steven Yeun

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Jude Malcolm

Actor Steven Yeun and photographer Joana Pak are expecting another little one! Their oldest is Jude Malcolm—a handsome name that feels timely but not trendy. My guess is we’ll see something along the same lines for baby number two, potentially one of the following:
Girl: Audrey, Chloe, Isla, Lily, Luna, Mae, Mila, Nora, Ruby, Sadie, Stella, Wren

Boy: Asher, Beckett, Elliot, Flynn, Graham, Holden, Jonas, Leo, Miles, Owen, Rhys

Margo Price and Jeremy Ivey

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Judah, Ezra

Nashville-based country singer Margo Price is pregnant with her third child. She gave her twins, born in 2010, the stylish biblical names Judah and Ezra. The odds are high that Margo and Jeremy will use another name from the Bible for their next baby, especially if it’s a boy. These are my top picks:

Girl: Anna, Evangeline, Lydia, Mabel, Mae, Matilda, Ruth, Selah, Tabitha

Boy: Amos, Asher, Elijah, Gideon, Isaac, Levi, Micah, Noah, Samuel, Silas
*Update* It's a girl—Ramona Lynn!

Katy Tur and Tony Dokoupil

Gender: boy

Siblings: none

When it comes to celebrity baby names, journalists and reporters tend to be less outrageous than other stars. Katy Tur is pregnant with her first child, and I am not expecting anything along the lines of Kulture or Chicago. She and husband Tony Dokoupil are much more likely to use a familiar and fashionable classic for their son’s name. However, Katy’s middle name is Bear, which would be a fun honorific.

Boy: Alexander, Benjamin, Bear, Emmett, James, Jasper, Luca, Nathaniel, Theodore
*Update* Yes, baby boy is Theodore, called Teddy!

Andy Cohen

Gender: boy

Siblings: none

Bravo producer and Real Housewives wrangler Andy Cohen is set to welcome a son in the next few weeks! Rumor has it that the name is already picked out, although Andy hasn’t shared any hints as to what it might be. Andy has a bright, loud, and fun personality and doesn’t take himself too seriously—qualities that may be present in his son’s name. I highly doubt we are going to see something too vintage, lengthy, or fussy.

Boy: Asa, Axel, Cosmo, Cyrus, Fox, Gus, Knox, Levi, Louis, Otto, Rex, Romer
*Update* Welcome, Benjamin Allen!

Chloe Melas and Brian Mazza

Gender: boy

Siblings: Leo

It’s another boy for reporter Chloe Melas and husband Brian Mazza. The pair are already parents to their son Leo, who was born in 2017. Do you remember what I said about journalists and baby names before? I don’t anticipate Chloe and Brian will choose a name from out of left field for this baby either. One of these names would be apt:

Boy: Arlo, August, Ben, Everett, Finn, Henry, Julian, Quinn, Micah, Sam, Wyatt

Tana and Gordon Ramsay

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Megan, Jack, Holly, Matilda

Tana and Gordon Ramsay are having their fifth child, with a full 17-year age gap between their newest babe and current youngest, Matilda. Baby name taste can change dramatically over a period this long, but my guess would be that this little boy or girl will have a name that fits with his or her older siblings. I expect Baby Ramsay will have a name that is familiar, well-liked, and vaguely British.
Girl: Annie, Grace, Flora, Harriet, Ivy, Josephine, Kate, Lucy, Poppy, Ruby, Sophie

Boy: Charlie, Eli, Felix, Harrison, James, Liam, Luke, Milo, Oliver, Rory, Theo, Toby
*Update* It's a boy—Oscar James!

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant

Gender: girl

Siblings: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka

It’s baby girl number four for the Bryants! Vanessa and Kobe love their long and romantic Italian girl names, so I’d be shocked if they went in a different direction. My top choice for Natalia, Gianna, and Bianka’s sister is Chiara—a vastly underused Italian name that is related to Claire. That being said, any of these other choices would be lovely as well.

Girl: Allegra, Arianna, Chiara, Giuliana, Francesca, Luciana, Mariella, Sienna, Simona, Viviana

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Gender: unknown

Siblings: North, Saint, Chicago

2019 is going to be a good one, because we have another Kardashian baby! And not just any Kardashian baby, a Kim Kardashian-Kanye West baby, who we know is going to have a name that will blow our minds. After three kids, Kim and Kanye’s naming style is clear—obscure word names. My favorites for them are listed here, but in all likelihood Kim and Kanye are going to choose a name that no one could have ever predicted.

Girl: Ciel, Dove, Forever, Glory, Halo, Karma, Lux, Majesty, Moon, Poetry, Revel, Soul, Wisdom

Boy: Brave, Champ, Chief, Epic, Ever, Four, Hero, Knight, Loyalty, Noble, Quest, Stellar, Winner
*Update* Psalm West!