Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 8

Brent Blossom via Dribbble

This month of celebrity pregnancy announcements was quite eclectic. We have some celebrities who go all out with their baby name choices--yes Geri Halliwell, I'm talking about you. Others lead more private lives, and choose less outrageous names to match. Neither way is better than the other--great names come out of each (Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch is an A+ name). Although I have to admit, it's pretty fun to predict the name of Bluebell Madonna's future sibling.

Christina and David Arquette
Gender: boy
Siblings: Coco (previous marriage), Charlie West
It's another boy for David Arquette and his wife Christina. They chose the friendly, likeable name Charlie West for thier first son, so I expect something along the same lines for his brother.
Boy: Alex, August, Eli, Henry, Jack, Liam, Milo, Oliver, Owen, Parker, Theo
*Update* Very close--Augustus Alexis!

Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Bluebell Madonna (previous marriage)
Bluebell Madonna frequents the lists of Craziest Celebrity Baby Names. Will Geri Halliwell choose another wild name for baby number two? I hope so!
Girl: Blossom, Coco, Juniper, Moxie, Poppy, Romy, Tigerlily, Trixie, Velvet
Boy: Caspian, Huckleberry, Loyal, Peregrine, Phoenix, River, Valentine, Zeppelin
*Update--Bluebell's brother is Montague George Hector!

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Jack (previous marriage), Liam, Stella, Hattie, Finn
The McDermotts are often considered to have the best sibset in Hollywood. Stylistically the names work really well together, and they're all perfectly on trend. Whatever they choose for baby number five, I know it's going to be great.
Girl: Dolly, Elsie, Evie, Georgia, Ivy, Lucy, Minnie, Nellie, Ruthie, Tilly, Violet
Boy: Charlie, Dashiell, Everett, Felix, Gus, Jude, Milo, Otto, Rudy, Toby, Wyatt
*Update* It's a boy! Beau Dean McDermott

Rochelle and A.J. McLean
Gender: girl
Siblings: Ava Jaymes
Ava Jaymes is a sweet and sassy name that's full of spunk. I expect the McLeans to use a similar formula to name their second daughter as they did with Ava--a well-liked first name with a spunky middle.
Girl: Chloe, Grace, Hazel, Leah, Lila, Kira, Maddie, Mia, Olivia, Ruby, Sofia
*Update* Welcome Lyric Dean!

Lea Seydoux and Andre Meyer
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Lea Seydoux is having her first child, and I can't wait to hear what she names him or her. Lea is a French actress, so I have a feeling she'll choose a name that shares her European roots.
Girl: Amelie, Beatrice, Camille, Elinor, Emmeline, Madeleine, Silvie, Veronique
Boy: Adrien, Auguste, Charles, Henri, Julien, Luc, Quincy, Remy, Romain
*Update* A baby boy--George!

Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Christopher Carlton
Christopher Carlton is the appropriately British, classic name Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch chose for their first child. I suspect his sibling will get an equally sophisticated and stylish name--maybe one of the ones below.
Girl: Abigail, Amelia, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Emma, Olivia, Philippa, Samantha, Victoria
Boy: Andrew, Jonathan, Matthew, Nicholas, Samuel, Sebastian, Timothy, William, Zachary
*Update* Another boy--Hal Auden!

Amber Tamblyn and David Cross
Gender: girl
Siblings: none
It's a girl for Amber Tamblyn and David Cross! They could go in any direction with her name, but I'm guessing we'll see something sweet, cute, and upbeat from this comedy couple.
Girl: Elsie, Frankie, Georgia, Gracie, Lola, Lulu, Phoebe, Poppy, Ruby, Stella, Susanna
*Update* Hello, Marlowe Alice!

Ciara and Russell Wilson
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Future Zahir (previous relationship)
Ciara's oldest son Future is named after his father. I wonder if this means a possible son will be called Russell, like his dad. For a daughter, I doubt Ciara is on the list, but maybe a fun musical or word name to match the boldness of Future.
Girl: Aurora, Bliss, Cadence, Eden, Emerald, Love, Sable, Sienna, Story, Xara
Boy: Ace, Austin, Carlton, Cassius, Chance, Justice, Maverick, Reign, Russell
*Update* I was right--baby girl is Sienna Princess!

Tree Names

Image Credit

Arbor Day greetings! Nature is a wonderful source of baby name inspiration--trees are especially great. I've noticed more and more tree names on babies lately--has anyone else? Let me know your favorites in the comments (I'm rather partial to Birch).

Acacia- Acacia is a stunningly beautiful name. At only #2257, I'm surprised she isn't more popular.

Ash- Has Ash officially gone to the boys? I definitely prefer him for a son, but I'm not sure everyone agrees with me. If you do like him for a boy, here's a list of full names.

Aspen- Nine times out of ten, people will first associate Aspen with the ski town. So if you want people to know you chose it for the nature connotations, I suggest having a nature (or even tree) themed sibset. I like Aspen, Linden, and Juniper.

Birch- Birch trees are some of my favorites, which might be why I love Birch as a name so much. It would be perfect for a middle name.

Cedar- Arguably the best part about nature names is that almost all of them are unisex. You can use the majority of these names on either a boy or girl, Cedar included.

Cypress- Cypress is the second of two place/tree names on this list. It is actually slightly more popular for girls, which surprised me. I thought it would lean boy because of the similarity to Cyrus.

Elm- Elmo may be off the table, but Elm makes a fantastic alternative. It also makes a great way to honor any Elmers in your life.

Hickory- I've never met a baby named Hickory. Or even heard of one, for that matter. However, it's not an uncommon dog name, and if you've ever looked at pet name data, you know that pet name trends tend to be a step ahead of baby name trends. Does that convince you to use Hickory?

Juniper- Juniper is on fire. She has only been in the top 1000 three years, but has skyrocketed all the way up to #648. That's a 227 place jump from the year before. Who knows where she'll be at in the 2014 data. Top 400, maybe?

Linden- Gender-wise, Linden is very apathetic. It's currently 55% female and 45% male. Spelled Lyndon (like LBJ), it's 89% male. Linden is a nice substitute for the oh-so-popular London.

Magnolia- Magnolia trees are gorgeous around this time--they have the prettiest pink flowers. She's also a lovely name, and has a lot of nickname options.

Maple- Maple and sound-alike sister Mabel are both on the rise here in the U.S. The former is much less trendy, at only #3284. Maple would make a great name for anyone's baby, but especially for syrup-lovers, Canadians, and tree-enthusiasts.

Oak- I never gave Oak much thought as a name until the beautiful LaTonya Staubs gave it to her son (a brother to River!). His full name is Oak Tullier (too-YAY), which is a perfect combo.

Olive- Olive was on my list for a long long time, until I began hearing too much of her (what should that be called--name fatigue?). I still think she's a very sweet, but at #290, she may be at risk of losing her hipster charm and becoming mainstream.

Pine- Strong, concise names for boys are having a moment. If you're a fan of this trend (like me), put Pine on your list. He's unique, on-trend, and a nature name.

Willow- Could Willow break the top 100 this year? She's at #155, and still rising, so there's a chance. If you're looking for a cool nickname for Willow, I suggest Loie or Billie.

Food Names: Herbs and Spices

Image Credit

Happy Thanksgiving-week! In honor of the holiday we are going to talk about food names all week. Back in October I covered fruits and veggies, so today is all about herbs and spices. There are so many options here, and I adore almost all these names. Let me know what you think! Would you name your baby after a spice? (I totally would).

Expected:
Basil- Though as a name, he's mostly pronounce BAH-zull.
Bay- Lovely, especially for a girl, I think.
Dill- He works as a nickname for Dillon, but not so much on his own.
Ginger- A name more people should be using.
Jasmine- Jasmine is beautiful, and was popular in the past.
Juniper- Up and coming, she also comes with nicknames June, Junie, and Juno.
Pepper- Spicy and fun.
Rosemary- So sweet, the nickname Romy seals the deal.
Sage- Another name that is truly unisex. Sage has been used by a few celebrities.
Willow- Will- names have been popular lately, perhaps because of the Smith family?

Unique:
Angelica- A little outdated, but usable.
Anise- Don't confuse her with Anais, this one's pronounced ANN-iss.
Carraway- Too similar to carried away? I think she still works.
Cassia- Feminine choice brought into the light by the YA Matched series.
Cicely- She would often get confused with Cecily, but still is a lovely pick.
Lavender- One of the most girly nature names out there.
Rue- She should be gaining popularity soon, thanks to The Hunger Games books and movies.
Saffron- Fun choice, especially for a chef.
Tarragon- It works for either gender, but it's similarity to Tara makes me read girl on this one.

Unheard of:

Artemisia- An elaboration of Artemis. Does she need elaboration though?
Clary- Another name from a YA Dystopian novel. Cute nickname for Clare or Clara names.
Clove- What's with it with YA Dystopian books and spice names? Another one from The Hunger Games, Clove is a simple yet strong name for a girl.
Myrtle- She's so far gone, she might never come back.
Nigella- So closely associated with Nigella Lawson, but a pretty pick nonetheless.
Olida- A great choice for the underused letter "O".
Perilla- She sounds very name-y, I'm surprised she hasn't been used yet.
Quassia- The world could use more "Q" names. This is a great one.
Ramsons- A little close to Ransom, but hey, that's a name too.
Sorrel- This herb is a great pick for a baby boy.
Verbena- The -ena ending make her name-worthy. But the strong -rb- sound gives me pause.

June Names

Image Credit

June is one of my favorite months. School ends next week, and the week after is my birthday and the start of camp. If you are lucky enough to have a June baby, consider giving him or her a subtlety related name to their birth month. I've got some great picks for you.

Birthstone:
Alexandrite- Alexandrite seems like a little much, but any of the Alex names would work perfectly.
Moonstone- I always loved the idea of Moon in the middle spot.
Pearl- Most widely recognized as June's birthstone. Always lovely.

Birth Flower:
Rose- Rose is great on her own, but if you want an elaboration, take a look at this list.

Star Signs:
Gemini- Gemini seems better suited for a pet, but Gemma or Jemima would work just as well to honor baby girl's star sign.

Related to June:
June, Juno, Juniper, etc.- This is the more obvious route to go, but that's not a bad thing. The June names are in vogue, but not super popular.
Summer- June 21 marks the official start of everyone's favorite season, Summer. She's a little past her prime, but remains a solid pick.

June

Happy June 1st everyone! Considering today is the first day of June, I have decided to do a post on this month's name.

Right now, June is rated #597 in 2010 births. She isn't that popular, but the trends show she's going up. She peaked around 1926 at number 40 and continued going down until 1986. June means born in June and was named after the Roman goddess Juno. June is very old lady chic, a catergory that seems to be getting more attention lately. If you like June, but want something different, you could use Juno, Juniper, Junie, Junella, Junelle, Junette, Junina, or Junine.