Isla and Alexander

A blog follower named Sarah has written asking for some advice about great baby girl and baby boy names, it has taken me a while to get back to her!!  Sorry Sarah.  Anyway here is her email and my response underneath.

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I'm 5 months pregnant and this is my first. If im honest I've never thought about names before, but now I feel under pressure!

If it's a girl, I love the name Isla, its unusual but not weird, I don't like common names or names with multiple strange spellings, and although the pronunciation may be misreaad, I'm in love with the name, but i havent thought of middle names. The surname is P****y, so I'm having some problem trying to think of something to put in the middle which ends in the sound of a consonant.

My bigger problem is thinking of boy's first names.

My boyfriend said he would like to name it Alexander if it's a boy, after his grandad, and he brought this to me within a week of me discovering I was pregnant, 3 months ago, and nothing else has entered his head since. His name is Alan Robert, named after his dad, which to me as an outsider to his family looking in, is just confusing, when I shout Alan they both come to me. Anyways, the name Alexander to me, sounds like it belongs to an old person, and abbreviated to Alex, I find is too common. I was one of 5 girls in my class at school called Sarah and I hated it, so its important I dont inflict the same frustration on my own child.

I'm happy to compromise and have Alexander as a middle name but only because of its sentimental value to my boyfriend, but as i can't find anything that i like at all, finding something to compliment Alexander is even harder. His arguement is that I haven't come up with anything better and the longer I'm unsure, the more he gets his heart set on a name i don't like.

Please help if you can!
Sarah.x

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Hi Sarah,

Thanks for writing to me and congratulations on your pregnancy.  I absolutely adore the name Isla, I blogged about it a while back, such an elegant and beautiful name.  Great choice! 

I am not sure why you need to have a middle name that ends in a consonent sound?  Is it because it would sound better with your last name?  Sometimes it feels like that is necessary but not always.  I have blogged about some of my favourite middle names before such as Jane and Grace.  I think both of them would be lovely with Isla.  But if you really need names that end in consonants then some possibilities might be longer names, they tend to give some pace and therefore space between the first and last name.

For consonant ending names how about Elizabeth, Harriet or Annabel type names?   They aren't unusual but Isla is fairly uncommon and would sound great with a more old fashioned type name.

For other longer names with consonant sounding endings have your considered French names such as Madeleine, Celeste, Adelaide or Astrid?

As for your boys name ideas I have been thinking a while about this and I think just about anything goes with Alexander.  It is such a classic name that you can't really go wrong.  So I think on this one I agree with Daddy!  But you know there is much more scope here than just merely a little Alex.  There are LOADS of other versions of Alexander and some groovy short forms.

How about the ultra modern Xander?  Or the Dutch Sander?  Alec, Zander, Lexi, Al.   Some traditional variants are Alessandro, Alexi, Alejandro.  My favourite is the Scottish version, Alasdair or in anglicised form Alastair. 

Thank you so much for following my blog, let me know if there is anything here you can work with!

Tara

the nicest email ever - Rune - inspired boys name

Just recently I received such a lovely lovely email from a blog follower named Lisa.  This is what she wrote

"Subject: Old Norse Name inspired
Message: Hi Tara,
Originally inspired by your post about Old Norse names, we've decided to named our son Rune Vincent (Vincent is my father's name). Runes are also magical and to us our son is a most magical gift. You see, we tried unsuccessfully for a baby for over 10 years before deciding to adopt. We are expecting our little boy to arrive home to America from Korea in just a few weeks.

Thank you for the initial inspiration!

Lisa"

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Lisa,

I just wanted to openly thank you for this beautiful email.  I am so very happy that your family has been blessed with a beautiful little son from Korea.   10 years of waiting for your beautiful son must have been full of really difficult times, and his arrival must be the most splendidly overwhelming experience.  I wish you three all the joy and happiness that any family could hope for.  

I am honoured that my thoughts about Norse names were the inspiration for such a wonderful name.  Rune Vincent is a very special choice.

And I agree completely about the magical nature of runes.  I am also very attracted to the idea of a set of beautiful smooth stones with mystical properties.  The very images of the runes themselves speak of a direct connection with ancestoral peoples.

I hope you will come back soon and tell us all about your little son when he arrives at his forever home in America.

Lots of love

Tara

Oh a most darling name... Miette

Isn't she sweet?  ... Miette. I haven't ever met a little Miette, but I just know I will one day, surely a parent is going to be attracted to this adorable bubbly little French name.  Anyway, I know what she looks like this little Miette, she just has to have large brown eyes with wild curly hair and a big pink bow.  Don't you agree?

Miette means 'small; sweet', apparently just like a little pastry crumb.  It is possibly a short version of Mariette.  I think it is very small and sweet indeed. 

I am not usually a fan of 'ette' names, I think this is because they were so popular in the 70's they seem kind of retro daggy.  But I think Miette has the same feeling as Amelie and Chloe which are uber popular at the moment.

Tara

yes I am still here

Hi there. I like this blog heaps but am unsure if its still running? Sorry if im being a bit inconvient, your probably really busy. Thanks Rory

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Sorry Rory, I just get overwhelmed with all my commitments sometimes and can't keep up with Blogging!  I promise that I will get back to this soon.   I love your name by the way!

Anyone have a particular name that they are particularly fond of and would like to see as 'name of the month'?

I am actually thinking of doing a little giveaway soon, I have a belly band and a BNWT pregnancy top to send to a lucky expectant mum.  So stay tuned while I take pics and get the competition ready. :)

Tara

Cool, unusual, short boys names

I am 21wks pregnant and we are looking for a cool, somewhat unusual boys name.

My 5yo boy is called Dain Jensen Mil****vic(Jensen my maiden name and Dain to represent my Danish ancestory...and conceived in the Daintree forest!!, surname comes from my loving husband of course who is half yugoslav).

My 2.5yo boy is named Jai River (Jai pronounced "Jie",and River because he was a waterbirth). So looking for cool boys names that are relatively short, to go with that long surname!! We had in mind Bodhi Jem (Jem is hubby's mum's initials) or Zac or Ethan, which are more common and not quite "there" for us, but other than that not many ideas. We would LOVE to hear what you have to suggest!! Thanks so much for your time and ingenuity,
Best wishes,
Shona

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Hi Shona,

Thanks for asking for some suggestions for names.  I love the vibe of your boys names, they have a real free spirit and energy.  They remind me of boys surfing waves on a beach or diving into waterfalls at Kakadu. 

I found it quite fun to think of cool, edgy short names with a similar unusual but not crazy vibe.  And I have come up with a whole stack, some of these names are personal loves.  I wanted to cut the list down but I couldn't. :)

• Taj -  An Indian name that means 'crown', I love this name for boys. It is strong, powerful and symbolic.
• Ra - The Sun God.  An ancient Egyptian god often symbolised with the head of a falcon.  I have seen this name spelt Rah.
• Leo - The Lion. A very powerful name.  I like it with Dain and Jai.  It seems to be a balancing name for those two.
• Micah - A prophet, this is a gorgeous slightly soft name with integrity.
• Bede - An obscure saint. St Bede was a Benedictine Monk and a famous author and scholar from the 7th century.
• Griffin - This Welsh name is also the name of a mythological creature with the head of and eagle and the body of a lion. 
• Zeke- A short form of Ezekial.
• Thor - Norse god of Thunder.  A very powerful Nordic name.  Thor carries a hammer with which he makes lightning.  Thursday, in English, is derived from "Thor's Day or Thunder's Day".  In Danish it is Torsdag.

Hope you are inspired by this list, I had fun coming up with it.

Pretty, happy girls name suggestions

Hi Tara
Its been a while since I stalked your blog and to be honest can't even remember if I have logged a request for names in the past!

We are 27 weeks pregnant with our third and are after a bit of inspiration. We have some ideas but would love to know what you would suggest. Needs to go with Ashleigh Jade and Gabriella Paige ;)

Thanks
Love Raelene

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Hi Raelene,

Sorry it has taken me so long to make a suggestion!  Now I know you are nearly settled on a boys name so I will stick to girls suggestions today.

Gabriella and Ashleigh are names with such completely different backgrounds and influences it is hard to know what to suggest.  But I think I can understand the connection between the two.  Both have a light, lifted, spirit.  To me they bounce and spring, they are happy, cheerful names. 

Interestingly they are both names that have a basis in male names.  Gabriella the feminine form of the French name Gabriel (an Archangel). Ashleigh a feminine spelling of the traditionally English male name Ashley, a last name that has become standard as a first name.

Some names that come to mind as having the same spirit as Ashleigh and Gabriella are:

• Imogen - a beautiful, classy, Shakespearean name. I think it is a perfect match.
• Madeleine - a little Maddy is a happy name.
• Lorelei - ok, very Gilmore Girls but still sooo cheerful and elegant at the same time.
• Juliet - I wish SOMEONE would choose this name.  So elegant, so beautiful, so pretty. Perfect.
• Alexis - A funky name that is a feminine form of Alexander.
• Sophia - not Sophie, but Sophia.  Soft, pretty, sweet. Lovely.

Anything interesting there?

HOT BABY Names - Hel Looks - Style inspires

A long time ago when I first started this blog, Skye of Skylark and Son, a fabulous style blog, told me about an incredible website called HEL LOOKS.  This Finnish site is one of the most interesting fashion blogs I have ever seen.  I love it and think everyone will find it fascinating.  The journalistic style photography is fantastic.  Those kooky Finns have some of The. Best. 'Eurovision feel' style.  Just brilliant.

(Although the fascination with skinny jeans reminds me too much of the eighties for me to be entirely comfortable).

Anyway, Skye pointed out to me that Finnish names are just as cool as Finnish style.  And she is right.  These Finnish names are totally quirky and fantastic.  If you are in Australia and looking to really push the boundaries of unique then check out some of these fantastic names. All the 'extra' letters are very cool and aren't at all bogan.

Girls

• Sera
• Janne
• Tiia
• Kaisa
• Maija
• Saara
• Riikka
• Aava
• Iida

Boys

• Jaakko
• Artturi
• Masi
• Joona
• Jukka
• Karri
• Teemu
• Antii
• Ville
• Henri
• Aleksi
• Eero

Aren't they just fantastic names?  I love them.  Especially Ville.  I really like that name.