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Jennifer Moss is the founder and CEO of BabyNames.com. She is media's favorite source for baby naming and celebrity baby name information! Jennifer has been seen on CNN Headline News, Fox News Live, The CBS Morning Show, as well as being interviewed on the radio and in print. Check out her book, The One-In-A-Million Baby Name Book at Amazon.com and in major bookstores.
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10/01/2009
Hi Jennifer,
My husband and I are just starting to talk names as we aren't due till May. I know most baby name advice is not to spell names oddly; however I really like the name Hollie but spelt this way. Do you think it will be a big burden on her considering it is more often spelt with a y. Also we both love the name Teagan for a girl but are confused on the best way to spell it as apparently a popular singer spells it Tegan. Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks
Amanda
10/01/2009
Hi!
I think you have great site, but I disagree with your recent advice about middle names. You made it sound like parents shouldn't worry about their child being teased about a middle name because other kids won't know what it is. As a teacher, I see kids in action all the time. Here are some scenarios: The teacher leaves the class roster on his or her desk and another student sees a middle name when they come up to ask a question (names are not considered confidential), the teacher assigns a project that requires the students to research their full names and present them to the class, another student asks your child what their middle name is and they innocently tell them because the child doesn't realize they will be made fun of, or they feel pressured. Are you going to tell your child not to tell anyone their middle name? Make it a shameful secret? Please tell parents not to assume that no one will find out their child's middle name.
Sincerely Sarah
Dear Sarah,
You have a good point. Although I never said that you should keep your child's name secret. Maybe I'm wrong, and if someone out there grew up with a teasable middle name let me know, but I don't think it hurts as much if you're teased about your middle name than if you're teased about your primary name, which is your base identity.
That being said, you still have to be sensitive when using middle names. If you're thinking of a crazy spelling of a common name, I'd say that's ok with a middle name but not with a first. Because you'll be telling and spelling your first name your whole life. If you want to use a crazy teasable name like "Pighead" I wouldn't use it for either name. But if you're on the fence about a more unique name like "Feather" or a family name like "Horatio" then I recommend you put it in the middle.
Thanks for your feedback!
Jennifer
10/01/2009
Hi,
My sister in law and I are both expecting a baby girl in November. My mom recently passed away and I was thinking of using her first name as my daughter's middle name, Nancy. However, my brother announced that he was planning to do the same thing already. Is it in very poor taste to 'copy' and have cousins with the same middle name? I don't want to steal his idea, but am struggling to come up with alternatives and had my heart set on the name before he vocalized the name. What do you think?
Sincerely,
Susan
Dear Susan,
This is a very real issue in many families. Some family members do it unknowingly of the other wanting to use the name and some just take the name because they like it. The latter is called name "sniping" and that is pretty rude.
If your brother didn't know you were planning on using it, discuss it with him. If you plan on using it as a middle name, maybe you can alter it a bit. What about Nan? Nancy was originally a nickname for the name Ann, too, so you have many posibilities.
You didn't say whether you were pregnant yet, or if your sister in law is pregnant. If she is and you aren't, it may be a touchy subject, since you are asking to "reserve" a name for a future baby. But if you are both pregnant now, I'd say just sit down and discuss it.
And in my opinion, if you use Nancy as a middle name, I see no problem with cousins having that name.
Good luck!
Jennifer
10/01/2009
Hi,
A long time ago when I was in grade school my class read a book called Johnny Tremaine. In the book one of the characters was named Isannah. To this day I love the way this name looks and how I assume it to be pronounced (Eye-san-nah) However I have never been able to find the true origin or meaning of the name. I hope to one day use it for a daughter so I was hoping maybe you could shed a little light on the mystery?
Thank you!
Elizabeth
Dear Elizabeth,
Most likely the name Isannah is a variation on the word Hosannah, which means "Praise God" or "Praise in the Highest." I believe it would be pronounced like the I in Isabel: Ih-SAH-na.
It could also have been a combination of the names Isabel and Susannah, however combination names weren't very popular back then. I do know it was also the name of Paul Revere's daughter!
It's a beautiful name -- good luck!
Sincerely,
Jennifer
10/01/2009
Hi Jennifer,
Forty-four years ago my mother named me, Frän. The pronunciation rhymes with Ron or Dawn. I’m female and there are umlauts over the ‘a’. Rarely does anyone read my name correctly. Even English teachers would pronounce my name incorrectly. Do you have any idea where this name comes from and what it means. My mother said it was an Old French name. Any clues would allow my heart to rest. This has been an extremely hard name to grow up with. Thank you for your help.
Frän T.
Cantonment, FL
Dear Frän,
It's actually a German name meaning "French Person." The root is from the name Francis.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
10/01/2009
Dear Jennifer,
I am aspiring to become a writer, and I had a few questions regarding names for my teenage boy character. Many of the key words I've tried for the "Search Baby Names" tab do not turn up with very many results. And, I simply do not have the time to sift and sort through all of the many names.
My character is a fifteen- sixteen year old boy living a popular life in the suburbs of New York. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and his future companion will be a girl named Jade, a year younger than him (she has long, black hair with a slight Japanese/ Chinese appearance). I won't go into details though. I’m looking for a name than is kind of unique, but not wild and obnoxious. Definitely not a common, overused name.
I've considered many names, yet none seem to fit his personality.
Any advice on how to find the perfect name other than persistent searching?
My last question is regarding another character. I want to name her Calixte, but I fear that may be too close to my name, Calli. Should I keep this name, or toss it in the trash?
Thanks,
Calli
Thanks,
Calli
Dear Callie,
To answer your last question first, I like Calixte. And don't worry about it being too close to your name. Look at Luke Skywalker! He was named after his creator, George Lucas.
As for searching for unique names, go to our advanced search and choose UNISEX as the gender. Then as an additional criteria choose either beginning with a certain letter and an Asian culture for origin. That may narrow down the choices for you.
Very soon we will have the ability to choose by tags, such as "unique" "nature" and "wild" so stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Jennifer
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Dear Amanda,
I think the spellings that you chose are pretty common, and won't get people confused. However if you choose Hollie, she will be forever saying "Holly with an ie." Is that something you would want to say the rest of your life? If you don't think it's a burden then go ahead with the name. It's kind of like if your name were Amandah. How would you feel about it?
The name Teagan could go either way. People will probably ask how to spell it no matter what spelling you choose!
Hope that helps,
Jennifer