I have long since explored the world of baby names that can be found in a medical dictionary, in what I affectionately call "The Diabetes List," I now choose to explore some of the other great resources at our disposal.
The Bible:
This has been the Christian go-to book on many topics, including baby names, for a millennia. John, David, Ruth, Isaac, Potiphar, and other classic names have their roots in a Biblical tradition. May I suggest searching the Bible Dictionary where one can find such gems as Achan, Eleazer, and Nimrod. They're creative AND traditional!!
Geology and Geography:
Our family has briefly touched on this approach (Rivers: plural for river OR a really cute/sneaky little boy!) But I feel there are more...unique ways to use geography and geology in baby naming.
A. Rock names: Ruby, Crystal, Cole (coal), Opal, Granite, Igneous...
B. Place Names: Paris, Georgia, Euphrates, Nile, Munich, Amazon...
C. Geologic/Geographic features: Cliff, Rocky, Fjord, Forest...
Namesakes:
Whether ancestor, friend, or historic figure, naming your child after someone is a beautiful gesture! Here are some namesake recommendations (I will insert my own last name so you can get the feel for it): Ronald McDonald...Phillips, Glen Yarborough Phillips, George Washington Carver Phillips, Whitney Houston Phillips, Ringo Starr Phillips, Audrey Hepburn Phillips, Wolfgang Amadeus Phillips, Johannes Sebastian Phillips, etc..
Harry Potter:
Reading novels gives one exposure to a huge variety of names. I am going to recommend, however, that you use only names of the peripheral characters in the Harry Potter series: Xenophelious, Cornelius, Piers Polkiss, Griphook, Ludo, Elphias, Aberforth, Gellert, Hokey, Travers, Griselda, Seamus, Salazaar, Terry...
Happy baby naming one and all! If you've already named all your kids, no worries. It can't be that hard to change their name legally to Fjord!
NO! Take it down! I'm going to name my children after obscure Harry Potter characters! Geez, quit leakin' my secrets!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised at you, in your namesake list you forgot our proud heritage of delightful nomenclatures....Artmissa Minerva, Herbert, Durward, Abram, Alvin, Duane, Cyril, Doyle, Wayne....
ReplyDeleteOr Hippie names? What about: Sunset, Moonbeam, Rainbow, Starlight, Mushroom, and Dewdrop?
I hope these make your baby list next time...
Ahhh, baby naming... One of the more enjoyable parts of preparing for the new bairn, (and incidentally one of the more contentious.) Some of my least favorite literary names come from Terry Brooks; monosyllabic and boring (Par, Brin, Shea, Bek and Ruhl to name a few.) Watership Down gave you names that you could shorten at your leisure, (i.e. Nildro-hain, Thrayonlosa, and my personal favorite, Thethuthinnang.)
ReplyDeleteAs you know, Lisa and I have only used family names, plucking them at random from both family trees. (Miles' first name being the exception; we never expected to have as many boys as we did.) Should we ever have a girl, I'm thinking we'll go with Artemissia Mehitable to satisfy both sides of the family.
Why did we not consult you?!?
ReplyDelete