140th Westminster Call Names

Craig Jamieson via Dribbble This year's winner was a German Shorthaired Pointer named CJ

When we hear about show dog names, we most often are mentioning the outrageous, over-the-top, nonsensical monikers the dogs are referred to formally. Even though I get a kick out of these, I'm always more interested in the call names of the dogs, i.e., what they respond to outside the show ring. Hundreds of dogs participated in the 140th Westminster Dog Show this year, and I recording their names to list here (here's last year's post, if you're interested). This isn't a very large sample size, but it can give us some insight into how people name their dogs, and how it's so similar, yet vastly different from naming children.

Classic Dog Names
Bella
Charlie
Chloe
Gus
Henry
Hunter
Izzy
Louie
Lucy x2
Marley
Molly
Parker x2
Pepper
Sophie
Thor

Colorful Canines
Azul
Blue x2
Cadet
Mr. Blue
Sky

Cultural Choices
Blitx--"lightning" in Swedish
Devlin (g)
Gomez
Gretel
Hoja
Leandro
Mano
Ovidius
Pepe
Ronan
Saxon
Schilling
Sunito
Tuco

Currently Trending
Annabelle
Anouk
Beckett
Cyrus
Eli x2
Finn
Gia
Gideon
Juliet
Kit (b)
Leo
Olivia
Piper
Walker

Distinguished Gentlemen
Adrian
Alan
Andrew
Angus
Anton
Bradley
Casey
Chauncey
Falco
Griffin
Hank
Hector
Humphrey
Jango
Jason
Joshua
Lucas
Moses
Mr. Jones
Ned
Nelson
Preston
Remy
Richard
Stuart
Vito
Watson
Xavier

Food and Drink
Bacon
Brie
Kahlua
Monte Cristo
Patrón

Lovely Ladies
Clara
Creeda
Fiona
Gail
Grace
Etta
Kate
Lucia
Paola
Primrose
Summer x2
Vanessa
Vera
Victoria
Zora

Place Names
Cayman
Dixie
Fenway
Mexico
Orlando
Tennessee

Nicknames
Allie
Augie
Cal
CJ
CR
Danny
Duffy
Frankie (g)
Gabby
Gabe
Gedi
Gibbs
Jenny
Lumi (b)
Mack
Manny
Obie x2
Odgie
Ollie
Pandy (b)
Ricky x2
Robbie
Rocky
Rondo
Sally
Tilly
Toodles
Tubbs
Vinny
Zak

Notable Namesakes
Astaire
Fergi
Jackson--after Michael Jackson
Julia--after Julia Louis-Dreyfuss
Mick--after Mick Jagger
Peyton--after Peyton Manning
Robert Redford
Santana--after Carlos Santana
Windsor

Pop Culture Picks
Bond
Burberry
Indy (b)
Jedi
Leonard--after the Big Bang Theory
Neo
Peter Parker
Steelers--after the Pittsburgh Steelers
Wesley--after The Princess Bride

Word Names
Banner
Bingo
Bogey
Brazen
Chance
Cubit
Dart
Dynamite
Exquisite "Quizzy"
Flash x2
Frosty
General
Journey
Judge
Panda x2
Paparazzi
Pilot
Precious
Rain
Riot
Rocketman
Rumble
Rumor
Slick
Star
Striker
Tank
Toot
Trader
Vanity

Names from Christmas Songs

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Merry almost-Christmas everybody! This is my last post for 2015--I'll see you all back after the new year. Happy happy holidays, enjoy this list of Christmas song inspired names.

Blue--"Blue Christmas"
Blue is a lovely name, but I wouldn't name my child after a sad Christmas song.

Christmas--Take your pick of Christmas song!
Christmas is definitely out-there, but still a usable name. It's obviously featured in many a Christmas song (if not all of them).

Dominick--"Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey"
The song is a silly one, but Dominick is a very nice name. Spelling it Dominic gets rid of the former grocery store chain connection.

Drummer--"Little Drummer Boy"
A classic Christmas song and a very new name. You won't meet many baby Drummers around, but it does sound very on-trend.

Holly--"Holly Jolly Christmas"
Holly is not a particularly popular name, though I suspect usage increases in December. I love her as a nickname for the whimsical Holiday.

Joy--"Joy to the World"
Joy feels quite dated, but she's an understandable choice for a holiday-time baby.

Navidad--"Feliz Navidad"
Navidad is the Spanish word for Christmas (hence the song title) and also a Spanish variation of the name Natalia. Like Christmas, she's a bold choice, but perfect for a December 25th baby.

Nick--"Little Saint Nick"
Nicholas is a modern classic, and his main nickname gets plenty of use. The Beach Boys' song "Little Saint Nick" is a cute one to be named after.

Noel--"The First Noel"
Noel is another name that is heavily associated with Christmas time, and works for a boy or a girl.

Plum--"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"
You all know how much I love the name Plum, and the song from the Nutcracker ballet makes her that much sweeter.

Rudolph--"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Rudolph would be a hard name to wear, even though the song promotes not teasing others. Go with Rudy instead.

Silver--"Silver Bells"
Silver is a daring color name that is slightly softened by the Christmas song association. The calming melody offers a nice balance to the sparkly, intense color.

Suzy--"Suzy Snowflake"
I hadn't heard this song until a few minutes ago. If you're not familiar, the song seems to have originated in Chicago, and may not have been widely known outside of the city (though I am from Chicago, and I had never heard of it). The name Suzy would feel retro-cool on a baby today, though I prefer the softer spelling Susie.

Winter--"Winter Wonderland"
Winter is name that's rising up the charts. She's the freshest of the season names, and comes with the adorable nickname Winnie. "Winter Wonderland" is a wonderful song to have your name in, as well.

Best Unisex Names for Girls

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Don't let the title fool you--this post is not about the definitive "best" unisex names for girls. Rather, I've listed unisex names that are used more often for girls than they are for boys. All of them work for either gender, in fact, many of these names have extremely similar usage among both genders. Check back on Friday for the boys list!

Addison
Ariel
Ashby
Ashley
Aspen
Avery
Bailey
Blue
Campbell
Dakota
Dana
Day
December
Eden
Ellison
Emerson
Emery
Fallon
Finley
Harbor
Harley
Harper
Indiana
Izzy
Jess
Jules
Justice
Kendall
Kennedy
Kimber
Larkin
London
Mackenzie
Marlowe
Meridian
Merritt
Monroe
Morgan
Palmer
Paris
Peyton
Presley
Quinn
Rain
Reagan
Reese
Riley
Romy
Sage
Sailor
Sasha
Scout
Sheridan
Sky
Skylar
Sloane
Sparrow
Sutton
Taylor
Teagan
Tierney
Valentine
Yuki

Word Names

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Word names make great middle names. We see it all the time with celebrities--Charlie Ballerina, Sparrow James Midnight, Buddy Bear, etc. But you don't need to be a celebrity to go big in the middle. The best part about middle name is that they are just that: in the middle! They aren't used on a regular basis, so have fun with it. I've got 150 options here, ranging from the safe and easy to the truly outrageous. It's all after the jump.

Beachy Names

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Summer is in full swing, and what better time than now to give your child a beachy name? Here are my favorites.

Blue- The color of almost everything at the beach, from the waves to the sky.

Coral- A cute, retro spin on the trendy Cora.

Cove- A cool, up-and-coming nature name for boys.

Dune- A unisex name (also spelled Doon) that conjures up images of the sand hills.

Harbor- For those of you who want a beachy alternative to Harper.

Lake- In Chicago we swim at the lake, so this will always have a beachy feel to me.

Marine- Chicer and more unique than Marina. Marine is very trendy in France.

Oceane- One of my favorite water names. This French name is pronounced oh-SHAY-ahn.

Palma- Palm trees remind me of beach vacations, and Palma reminds me of palm trees. Perfect.

Pearl- The best ocean treasure.

Roxy- Roxy is a cute swimwear company based in California. She's usually used as a nickname for Roxanne, but your beach babe can rock it on it's own.

Sandy- Dated, but most definitely beachy.

Sea- Sea is another one of my favorite water names. She's absolutely lovely. Use her on her own, or as a nickname for Season.

Sky- The beach isn't all about the sand and water--the sky is beautiful as well.

Summer- The best time to go to the beach.

And the Nominees Are: Oscar Nominee Names

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I adore the Oscars. Other award shows are so bland, but The Academy Awards captivate me all night long. I have compiled some names inspired by Oscar nominated films, actors, and more as inspiration for a babe born on the fantastic night.

Expected:
Jasmine- The Woody Allen directed film Blue Jasmine was nominated for best writing. Jasmine is a lovely name, if not slightly outdated.
Lupita- Lupita Nyong'o of 12 Years a Slave is getting a lot of attention this year. Her fashion sense and acting skills are highly praised, but what about her name? Lupita is a great choice that should be embraced by more parents.
Omar- This Palestinian film of the same name is nominated for best foreign language film. Omar is a great cross-cultural name, perfect for families of mixed backgrounds.
Wolf- Wolf is a cool-boy's name, but The Wolf of Wall Street might not be the movie to gain inspiration from.

Unique:
Blue- Again from Blue Jasmine, but this time, more likely to be inspired by Beyoncé's daughter.
Celestine- What a gorgeous elaboration of Celeste. Inspired by the animated film Ernest and Celestine, about a mouse and a bear.
Ernest- This old-school pick would make a refreshing choice on a baby.
Moon- The Moon Song from Her was absolutely beautiful (and deserve the win in my book). What a lovely lullaby it would make for a daughter named Moon.
Phillips- I'm not a fan of Tom Hanks, but his surname in Captain Phillips is baby name worthy.

Unheard of:
Dallas- This unisex name will remind people of Texas much more than Dallas Buyers Club.
Gatsby- Nominated for costume design, The Great Gatsby has a plethora of great named characters, but Gatsby makes your intentions obvious.
Llewyn- Inside Llewyn Davis was nominated for best cinematography. Llewyn strikes me as out of the box but wearable. A more masculine form of Llewellyn.
Philomena- I haven't seen the film, but Philomena is a great Greek name that is one hundred percent wearable in 2014.

Calendar Names

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Upon hearing "Calendar Names" most people automatically think months. But what about those other neglected parts of the calendar? Here's some options, taken straight from the calendar.

Expected:
April- Your common sixties/seventies month name.
August- Getting up there in popularity, but still one of the best month names.
Autumn- One of the more popular season names.
June- So sweet and making a comeback.
May- Lovely name, currently trendy.
Summer- Trendier than you might think, but also quite nice.
Sunday- Most usable of the day names.
Winter- She's fast rising, I expect to see more of her in coming years.

Unique:
Holiday- I secretly love Holiday. She's unexpected and spunky.
January- Mostly associated with January Jones, she makes a more unique month choice.
July- Least common of all the summer month names
March- One of the few month names that works for a boy.
Season- I think Season sounds beautiful. With a slight nature vibe, what's not to love?
September- Creative month name that works for either gender.
Seven- Popular celebrity baby middle name that's not too common- yet.
Tuesday- Quirky-cute day name.

Unheard of:
Blue- As is "Blue Moon". How sweet if your baby was born on a blue moon night.
Day- Straight and to the point, Day works well as a middle name.
December- A little chilly, but usable.
Five- Daring and mysterious. Most often associated with Five Novogratz.
Friday- Why not name your baby after everyone's favorite day?
Moon- That "oo" sound is so pretty, but I might stick this one in the middle. Otherwise go with Luna.
Spring- Least common of the season names, she's seldom heard.
Wednesday- She would be a great day name, if not for Wednesday Addams.