Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Baby Name of the Day: Beatrix

When you think of the name Beatrix, you probably first think of Beatrix Potter, the Victorian author of the much-loved Peter Rabbit stories. Not only did she write those charming stories, but she also drew the illustrations. In fact, as a fourteen-year-old, she was awarded an Art Student's Certificate for model drawing and freehand. She employed her art skills to drawing scientific nature drawings and presented a scientific paper to the Linnean Society. A recent Hollywood film starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor focuses on Beatrix Potter's relationship with Norman Warne.

But Miss Potter isn't the only well-known Beatrix out there. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (pictured above) has been in the news lately because she has announced that she will be abdicating the throne in favor of her son Prince Willem-Alexander. She's approaching her 75th birthday, and I imagine she would like to slow down and take up a hobby or two. After all, she's been the queen for 33 years.

One of the wonderful things about this baby name is that it has such charming potential nicknames: Bea and Trixie. It's old-fashioned and lovely, but it has a kick with that "x" at the end.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Baby Name of the Day: Alden


You may be hearing this lyrical boys' name a little more later on this month when you can see Alden Ehrenreich in Beautiful Creatures.

As "Aiden" grows old and weary as a baby name, Alden becomes a nice alternative. It's an Old English name that means "old friend." Originally, it was a surname, but it's a somewhat popular first name as well. It seems to have hit its peak in popularity around World War I, so it's ripe for a comeback.

Notable Aldens include:

Alden Ehrenrich, actor
Alden Carter, author
Alden Dow, architect
Alden Jenks, composer
Alden Barber, chief executive of the Boy Scouts of America


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Baby Name of the Day: Sylvie


Here's an up-and-coming name that has elements of current trends (retro and the letter "V") and a uniqueness all its own. It's a variant of Sylvia, which means "woods" or "forest."

One of the best things about this baby name is that it's very uncommon and yet it's easy to spell. It didn't show up in the top 1000 baby names in the 2010 census, but it's easily recognizable because of its similarity to Sylvia.

Cultural References

  • Sylvie is the name of a Canadian indie rock music group that was nominated at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2003.
  • Silvie is a novella by French Romanticist Gerard de Nerval. It was first published in 1853; Harold Bloom included it in The Western Canon in 1994.
  • Silvie van der Vaart is a Dutch television personality and model. She recently split from husband Rafael van der Vaart, German football star.
  • The Sylvie Bridal Collection is an extension of Spectrum Diamonds, a South African jewelry company. The bridal jewelry can be customized and is available at fine jewelers nationwide.
  • Sylvie and Bruno is the last novel Lewis Carroll published in his lifetime. Similar to his Alice in Wonderland, the story crosses between Victorian England and a fantasy world.
Would you use this charming name for your own baby girl?

Saturday, January 19, 2013

2 Free Baby Name Books for your Kindle



1. Baby Names to Live By (Tabitha Klein). This unique baby name book offers short biographies of people who are admirable in many ways and also have names that are timely, interesting, and full of potential.

2. Top 8 Baby Names for Boys and Girls (TobBabyNames). This very short book gives you information about the top 8 baby names.

Get them while they're free this weekend and find your perfect baby name.

Baby Names to Live By: Free at Amazon This Weekend!

Baby Names to Live By is free this weekend at Amazon! Download it for your Kindle, and enjoy reading the mini biographies of people worthy of being namesakes for your baby.

Older names are currently in vogue, and it makes sense to look to the past for your little one's name. While the sounds and popularity of a name are important, it's also wise to think about the connotations the name carries. Because of the good and noble acts of people in the past, some names have been enriched with additional meaning, which can become a touchstone for your child.

Here are just a few of the names you'll learn about in Baby Names to Live By:

Nora
Myles
Samantha
Sebastian
Vera
Leo

Read a short, interesting story about each name in the book. It's perfect for reading in short stints, like when you're waiting at the doctor's office.

Download your copy today, and let me know what you think! Please review it on Amazon!



Wednesday, January 16, 2013

5 Teacher-Inspired Baby Girl Names


Grace Abbott
If you're looking for baby name inspiration, why not look to famous teachers? Teachers have certainly shaped you and helped you become the competent, creative, talented woman you are today. Pass along a little of that teacher-inspired wisdom by considering one of these baby names:

Maya: Maya Angelou became voluntarily at age 8 when she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. She didn't speak again until she was 13 years old after a dedicated teacher introduced her to classic authors like Poe, Dickens, and Shakespeare. She repaid her gratitude by becoming a teacher herself. Today, she teaches at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

Madeleine: Better known for her role a the first female Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright teaches international relations at Georgetown University.

Grace: Grace Abbott was a social worker, public administrator, educator, and reformer. Born in the 1870s, she was concerned that children spent too much time working for a living and not enough time at school. She became very influential in the field of child-labor legislation.

Nadia: Fortunate Nadia Boulanger grew up among the musicians of the Paris Conservatory where her father taught voice lessons. In 1937, she was the first woman to conduct the Royal Philharmonic. She also taught an entire generation of composers, including American Aaron Copland.

Lucy: The daughter of former slaves, Lucy Craft Laney opened her own school in 1883. By the end of the second year, she had more than 200 African American students enrolled. She also opened a training center that taught nursing skills to black women.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Baby Girl Names, Brought to You by the Letter V


The "V" sound has been very popular for about a decade now. My little girl has friends named Eva, Ava, Vivian, Olivia, and Avae. The letter "V" still has staying power, but it would be wise for expectant parents to shake things up just a bit because elementary school roll call has become a veritable, vicious "V" tongue twister.

Here are some female V-names that don't sound quite so much like the above-mentioned V-names:

Valerie
Valley
Valora
Vanna
Valencia
Valkyrie
Valene
Evelyn
Savannah
Geneva
Ivy
Yvette
Devon
Maeve
Minverva
Olive
Yvonne

Baby girl names containing the letter "V" are still hot. Try jumping on the bandwagon but not standing right in the middle of that wagon. See if you can just hang onto the edge.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Adele's Baby's Name


Adele sure knows how to keep a secret. There she was, all ecstatic about winning Best Original Song at the Golden Globes on Sunday night, and she still hasn't spilled the beans about her baby son's name.

In an interview afterward, she said it was her first night out since the baby was born. Wow! The Golden Globes! I think I went to Taco Bell for my first night out after the baby was born.

Here's what she said about her baby boy's name: "I am not sharing his name at the moment. It is very personal to me and I just want to enjoy him at the moment." I have to say that I think she is very wise. New moms only get to be new moms for a very short time, and her personal life is often overshadowed by the press and the noise of her fans.

The very best to you, Adele, and your sweet little boy, whom we shall call Fred until you let us know what his real name is.

Scandinavian Baby Names


There's a trend blowing this way, and it's coming in a Viking longship. Scandinavian baby names are making an appearance in 2013, and maybe you'll want to consider one of them. Although pronunciation can be tricky with some Scandinavian names, the following ones are probably safe from all but the most ruthless substitute teachers.

Girls
Anneke
Dagmar
Agnetha
Britta
Dagny (with an Atlas Shrugged connection!)
Elin (of Tiger Woods fame)
Astrid
Brigit
Elsa
Freya
Erika
Halle (Berry)
Inga
Kerstin
Ingrid
Kirsi
Jetta
Katinka
Lovisa
Maren
Liv
Marja
Svana
Stina
Odina
Thora
Valkyrie

Boys
Alrik
Boden
Dane
Axel
Bjorn
Elof
Eric
Eskil
Halden
Ensio
Hannes
Havard
Jens
Kirk
Knute
Henrik
Jorn
Krister
Leif
Mikko
Langer
Nils
Olin
Ragnar
Rasmus
Soren
Tove
Yorick
Viggo
Torvald