Baby Girl Name: Jetta

If you're looking for an unusual name that will suit many different personalities, I've got one for you. But first, here's what I mean about the different personalities. When you're naming a baby, you don't know if she'll be shy or outgoing, feminine or tomboyish, feisty or agreeable. Some names seem to lend themselves to one kind of person, but this name takes care of lots of bases.

Jetta Goudal was a Dutch-born American actress from the silent film era. Her parents actually named her Juliette Henriette Goudeket. I would have advised them against the "ette" ending for both the first and middle names, but they couldn't consult me because my great-grandmother wasn't even born at the time. Anyway, Jetta was born in Amsterdam to Orthodox Jewish parents. She left war-torn Europe during World War I and described herself as "Parisienne" when she got to New York City.

By 1921 she appeared in a Broadway show, using the stage name Jetta Goudal. In 1922 she moved to the west coast and began starring in motion pictures. After appearing in several box office smashes, Cecil B. Demille fired her and cancelled their contract because he claimed she was so difficult to work with. So she sued him. She won the lawsuit and went on to star in several more successful films before switching careers to interior design.

"Juliette" is feminine; "Jetta" is feisty. It seems that she embodied both.

If I were expecting a girl right now, I'd add it to my list.

Boy Baby Names: Names from Cartography

Cartographers are like explorers. They set out to make the unknown explorable and accessible for other people. If you're looking for a traditional name with a little adventure, try one of these boy baby names from well-known cartographers:

Abel (Abel Buell, 1742-1822, published the first map of the new United States created by an American)
Alexander (Alexander Wilbrecht, 1757-1823, Russian geographer)
Dirck (Dirck Rembrantsz van Nierop, 1610-1682, cartographer, mathematician, and astonomist)
James (James Cook, 1728-1779, naval chart maker and navigator)
Max (Max Eckert-Greifendorff, 1868-1938, German cartographer)
Murdoch (Murdoch McKenzie, 1712-1797, Scottish cartographer and hydrographer)
Philip (Philip Johan von Strahlenberg, 1676-1747, Swede who drew maps of Russia)
Rafael (Rafael Palacios, 1905-1993, prolific map drawer for U.S. publications)
Thaddeus (Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler, 1842-1922, American pictorial cartographer)
Thomas (Thomas Jefferys, 1710-1771, geographer of good old King George III)
William (William Bligh, 1754-1817, ship master during Bounty mutiny)

Which of these baby boy names are 21st-century appropriate? Would any of you use the name Murdoch?

A Bit Overused, But Still Fab: Lillian

A decade ago, the name Lillian was still cutting edge, like Ivy is today. Now, it's fairly common, but that doesn't make it dull. Lillian exudes class and femininity, just like Lillian Gish did back in the golden age of silent movies.

She worked with DW Griffith from 1912 to 1921, and many agree that she was the greatest film actress of all time. Her long successful career spanned 75 years. Unbelievably, she appeared in her last movie opposite Bette Davis in 1987!

The name Lillian works well as a middle name as well as a first name. It's got some great nicknames: Lilly, Lily, Little Lil.

Do you know any little ones named Lillian? Any thoughts on the name?

Trendy Baby Names: Aiden Derivatives

Just a few short years ago, Aiden Quinn was the only Aiden people had ever heard of. Aiden was a quaint Irish name--so Gaelic, so wise-sounding, so remote.

Well, Aiden is remote no longer. Aiden is every other preschooler in the classroom. And if he's not Aiden, he's some derivative. Something like one of these names actually attached to little American boys:

Braden
Caden
Jayden
Aeden
Auden
Hayden
Linden
Brendan
Evan
Gavin
Edan
Eidan
Aydan
Aedan

It appears from this graph from thinkbabynames.com that Aiden is going nowhere for the time being.

But if you're expecting a little boy, give him a break and give him a name that places him in the Aiden herd.

What are your thoughts on the name Aiden?

Baby Names to Live By

This isn't an ordinary baby name book. You won't find hundreds of thousands of arbitrary names listed by meanings or syllables--because you don't want to give your baby just a name. You have higher hopes for your child than just a melodious sounding name. You want to give your little one a namesake, someone to look up to and be inspired by. From Audrey Hepburn to Isaac Newton, you'll learn about the fascinating people behind the names.

Naming a baby is a big deal. It will consume much of your thinking time while you’re pregnant because you want the name to be just right. You want it to fit the child you haven’t even met yet, and yet it’s also a reflection of you as parents. In modern Western culture, parents often choose names based on how they sound.

This book is full of alternatives: people who are admirable in many ways and also have names that are timely, interesting, and full of potential.

Baby Names to Live By is the perfect book to read while you're pregnant. The mini biographies are short enough for reading in the waiting room while you wait for your appointments and interesting enough to keep you from speculating on whether or not that woman over there is carrying twins.

Get it from Amazon today. It's only $2.99 for the Kindle version.