go ahead, name my baby
yes. it’s a girl. she’s a she. there’s a her in me.
and, i’m not going to lie, i wanted a girl. i wanted to know right now that i’m not going to have three… four… (okay, i would stop after four) boys in a row. i can’t explain, really, this need to have girls. (does everyone have it?) it’s not that i think rambunctiousness is divided along gender lines. and it’s not that i think puberty with a girl is going to be oh-so-much-fun. it’s… it’s… it’s just that i want a girl. (and, for the record, with henry, i wanted a boy.)
so she’s coming. she’s adorable and relaxed. she rarely kicks. she spends every ultrasound curled up in the fetal position. (well, she is a fetus). in fact, this pregnancy has been so easy-going i forget for hours at a time that there’s anyone in there at all.
well, now that i’ve rambled, let’s get the crux of the matter. i’m at a loss when it comes to naming girls. it just seems so much more complicated to me than naming boys. so, i’m going to let you have a go at it. really. name my baby. you just have to follow a few simple rules. (of course i have rules.)
1. no androgynous names.
her kindergarten teacher needs to be able to look at the roll and know absolutely, unequivocally that someone curtis is a girl.
2. no messing with the alphabet.
i’m not in the camp of people who find that Hs can be thrown in at random, Ys can replace vowels, and Ks somehow make words more feminine.
3. no names from the top ten list of the social security administration.
4. (this is the tricky rule) there has to be a book where a girl with this name appears.
this doesn’t mean that she has to be the main character, but she does have to be a “good guy”–for henry we have the henry series by beverly cleary–i just think it’s important for a kid to pick up a book and get the chance to think, “hey, that person’s a little like me and we share a name”–i mean, where would i have been in life if one of the babysitter’s club hadn’t been named jessica?
there you have it. take a crack. if you name my baby, you just might win a prize. and if you need some inspiration, check out laura wattenberg’s baby name wizard blog. she is the genius of naming.
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Ideas: Juliet Elinor Scout (middle name, I think) Scarlett Bella (I just had to put it in there) Madeline May Claire Kate Olive Helen
Charlotte. I am in love with that name. Mainly because she is the author of my favorite book, Jane Eyre. Claire would have been Charlotte, but Brad complained it was too long and he couldn’t come up with a nickname he liked. But I think there is a wealth of good nicknames for the name. Or, no nicknames at all (which I prefer). I know she’s not the SUBJECT of a book, but she’s the author of the best one EVER… doesn’t that count? Okay, and there’s always Avi’s True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
I guess you could just go with Jane. Which is also cute.
Do I get a prize?
Okay. Seriously. Let me know what you eventually decide.
First of all, Congrats! I didn’t know you were expecting!
As for names, I vote on rather generic but beautiful Elizabeth. Of course people will think you’re naming all your children after kings and queens of England, but I still think it’s just so pretty and there are so many options for nicknames if you want to go that route. Plus, it’s definitely the name of a great heroine from a great book! (I didn’t check to see if it’s on the top ten list, though–sorry if I broke that rule.) Can’t wait to hear what you pick!
I’m a huge baby name nerd!
Here’s my favorite girls list right now:
Helena May
Guinevere (Nickname Winnie)
Carolina
Amelia Jane
Rosalie Claire
Congratulations!
Congrats! I could not be happier for you and Joe. I will be thinking of names….
Lucy. It’s cute, easy to spell, and who doesn’t love Lucy Pevensie? That’s what I’m naming my first girl, except it will be Lucy Jill. I have a sister named Jill and we have an aunt Jill. So I want a daughter who has an aunt Jill who has an aunt Jill. (Also my mom’s name is Claire, and her grandma’s name is Claire, so I’ll use Claire as a first or middle name for another daughter.)
With all my cool girl name plans I’ll probably have all boys.
Hey Jes!! I just found your blog again, and I was so excited to see the first post saying that you’re having a girl, that is so exciting! Congratulations and I’m glad to hear this pregnancy is going good for you. I totally know what you mean about wanting a girl, in fact I wanted all girls, until I had my sweet little boy of course! Anyways, I don’t really have any names to suggest right now, since I was in boy mode last time I named a baby, but I will keep my ears open for good ones. Good luck with the name thing, I think it’s one of the hardest parts about getting ready for baby!
Are you kidding? There’s no debate here. Try
Shawnelledraugh. Think of all the potential nick names (shawnee, nellie, draugh). Plus, it’s spelled phonetically so no teachers will have a problem with it. Shawnelledraugh is definitely a girl’s name, and it’s not on the top ten list. The only requirement not filled is #4, but that could change really soon. YOU could write a book really fast before Shawnelledraugh is born.
Well, there you have it. End of discussion?
How about Diana? Then Anne Shirley can be her kindred spirit.
I still like Tessa, and you could go with- Hazel, or Leah or Nora (although I think I am naming my little one Nora so yours would be named after mine- j/k)
how sad that abigail is in the top ten. why does that make me sad? and i can’t share girl names with you as ty and i are bound to have all girls here and i have to selfishly keep all of my favorite girl names to myself. except in las vegas i worked with a girl and her sister’s name was Aquanetta. sweet huh?
no fair that you wanted a boy and got one. and wanted a girl and got one. i cried at both ultrasounds. don’t tell my girls that though because i love it just the way it is now. i am glad i don’t have a boy around…yet. of course i still, and always will, long for one.
ps- i adore the name henry. i love it. i fully trust your girl name because henry was spot on. i also am very visual and like the names to look good on paper, besides sounding wonderful to boot.
First, congrats on your little girl. I’m happy that you’re happy. Second, Jonathan says to nix all the names that everyone else has suggested. He calls them “old and sappy” whatever that means. He actually said that he wants to, and I quote, “barf in my throat when I hear some of those names.” My vote is for Miri. I think it’s cute and maybe she’ll get some inspiration from the character in Princess Academy. Good luck!
Hi Jessie! I found your blog… congrats on the girl! I was going to say Laura, because of Laura Ingalls Wilder, or Rowena from Ivanhoe, but I really like the name Diana that Tiff mentioned above.
Jane is my pick.
We named our baby girl “Lily” for prettymuch all the reasons you cited above. (We’re big fans of “Lily and the Purple Plastic Purse.”)
you can steal it, I grant permission.
ps: congratulations!!
pps: your blog just told me that I’m posting comments too quickly and I need to slow down. I think that is HILARIOUS.
also, I really wanted a boy and girl, too. then you can be done if you want, which is a fantastic feeling.
We want to know what you are thinking! It’s been a couple of weeks, are you any closer? Do you have any favorites?
ok, so you did give me a good idea but Rob also came up with it on his own (he is not a big fan of Sonora but likes Nora and Eleanor). We could both use it. Or yes you could use Ruby (I still love it) I also like Lydia- hum so many good names. I was reading the baby name book and come up with some new ones for you to think about; Edith (Edie), Eloise, Nellie, Olive, Pearl, Ettie, Georgia, Nola, Jemima, Naomi, Harriet… I like them all. How will we ever choose. I know you choose for me and I’ll choose for you.
I too am expecting a baby girl, I LOVE the name Gracelynn Mae, but my husband hates it. So I’m doubting I’ll get to use it.