J. writes:

We are considering the name Miller for our first son. I’d like to get some reactions to the name. Is Miller “trying too hard” or too last name-y? It has no family connection, we just like it. The lack of a nickname is the biggest downside.

I checked and it’s just a few spots away from the top 1,000 last year. Maybe next year it will break through?

I wish I had a list of other finalists, but we are both extremely picky. We’ve both read the entire Baby Name Wizard for goodness sake!

Baby isn’t coming til November, so we aren’t in a hurry but I’m eager to get reactions to Miller in case they are negative and we need to go back to square one.

Last name is two syllables and ends in “man” which rules out a ton of cute names because they sound super rhyme-y.

I remember the first time I encountered the name Miller: it was when Stella McCartney had her first son in 2005. I had an immediate positive reaction to the name, and I wonder why it isn’t being used more. It seems like a great fit with current styles.

For me, the one downside is the beer brand—but it doesn’t factor into it enough to rule it out: when I hear the name, the first association is with a strong friendly man milling grain.

So let’s find out what we as a group think of it: I’ll put a poll over to the right. [Poll closed; see results below.]

Poll results for “What do you think of the name Miller?” (403 votes total):

I love it! I’d use it! – 58 votes (14%)

I like it! I’d consider it! – 92 votes (23%)

I like it for someone else’s child – 144 votes (36%)

No particular opinion – 24 votes (6%)

Slight dislike – 66 votes (16%)

Strong dislike – 19 votes (5%)

A. writes:

My husband and I are considering Cozette for a girl’s name. It’s not on the social security website and I’m very curious (worried) as to how people will respond to this name. Any feedback?

Thanks!

According to the Social Security Administration, 17 baby girls were named Cozette in 2010. Another 58 were named Cosette.

For me, the nickname Cozy is a negative—but there’s no reason it should be, since it’s a perfectly pleasant word.

Let’s have a poll over to the right: what do you think of the name Cozette? [Poll closed; see results below.]

Poll results (342 votes total):
I love it! I’d use it! – 17 votes (5%)
I like it! I’d consider it! – 35 votes (10%)
I like it for someone else’s child – 93 votes (27%)
No particular opinion either way – 25 votes (7%)
Slight dislike – 117 votes (34%)
Strong dislike – 55 votes (16%)

Emily writes:

Name to consider: Vada (like from My Girl). Why doesn’t anyone use this great name?

Aw, My Girl! I’d forgotten that movie. SO SAD.

According to the Social Security Administration only 93 new baby girls were named Vada in the U.S. in 2010. There were 155 named Veda—I wonder if that’s the same pronunciation? And 22 named Vaida, and 72 named Vayda, and 17 named Veyda.

I wonder if part of the problem is the Darth Vader association? It seems a bit obscure, but in the northeast U.S., Vada and Vader would be pronounced almost the same. Or it sounds a little like the word invader.

What do you think of the name Vada/Vaida/Vayda? How would you spell it? What issues do you think affect its popularity? And let’s put a poll over to the right to see what we as a group think of it. [Poll closed; see results below.]

Poll results (255 votes total):

I love it! I’d use it! – 15 votes (roughly 6%)
I like it! I’d consider it! – 29 votes (roughly 11%)
Wouldn’t use, but would like on someone else’s baby – 103 votes (roughly 40%)
No particular opinion either way – 16 votes (roughly 6%)
Slightly dislike – 69 votes (roughly 27%)
Strongly dislike – 23 votes (roughly 9%)

Jenny Grace writes:

I have been VERY MUCH enjoying the discussion of various names that originate in children’s literature, such as Heidi, Wendy, Alice, Dorothy, the names from The Children’s Hour, the names of the Little Women, stuff like that. And…um…some boys’ names too I suppose (not really, I’m not good at naming boys).
Anyhow it’s been a very satisfying Imaginary Baby discussion for me, except that no one wants to discus a particular name with me, either because they haven’t heard of the book, or they are alarmed by my baby name discussion and want to know if I’m pregnant (I’m not).
The name I would like to discuss!
Eloise.
What do we think of Eloise?
Is the association with the children’s book positive or negative?
Is it a pretty name?
Would Elsie be an appropriate nickname?
Does it make us think of Heloise, and Abelard, and monk castration? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Abelard#H.C3.A9lo.C3.AFse)
Anyhow, I’ve been pondering the name Eloise, for an imaginary baby, if you’d care to ponder it with me.
I also want to know what you’re favorite literature-based names are, if you have any.

I would INDEED enjoy a good ponder! I like the name Eloise very very much, and for me the children’s book character is what takes it from being “the name of that older lady at church” to a name reasonable and appealing for a child. It gives it SASS and SPIRIT. True, the book Eloise is a bit of a terror, but she is an APPEALING terror, and a CHEERFUL terror, and a CONFIDENT terror with high self-esteem.

I don’t know if I would describe the name as “pretty” or not—in the same way I’m not sure if I’d use that word for the name Beatrix, or even for a fancier name like Anastasia. They’re some of my favorites, but are they pretty? Good question. Clarissa is a pretty name, I think; Linnea seems pretty to me, as does Cecily, as does Arabella. For me, names like Eloise and Ruby and Genevieve have some quality other than prettiness, but I find I can’t put a finger on what, or why.

Elsie, to me, is a different name and not a nickname for Eloise–but then, I’m a HUGE stick-in-the-mud about nicknames (I don’t think Ella is a nickname for Elizabeth, either, even though I am fine with Meg as a nickname for Margaret). In old books I’ve seen Weezie as a nickname for Louise and Eloise, but it’s not a nickname I like much. Louise has Lou and Lulu, and I’d think Eloise could have Lo or Lolo—which looks odd when I write it, but it seems like J. Lo and Lo Bosworth have brought it into the realm of possibility. Or the nickname Ello might happen naturally. I think I’d just call her Eloise, though. It’s so fun to say.

I had somehow managed to fail to notice that Heloise was Eloise with an H: I’ve got Heloise over on one side of my mind with household hints, and Eloise way on the other side with appealingly spoiled children. So clearly my answer is that it doesn’t make me think of monks and castration misunderstandings—but I would be grateful for the chance to take that into account, if I were considering using the name, since I can easily see how to someone else the names could be interchangeable.

The question about other favorite names from children’s literature needs its own separate post, I think; I’ll do that one a little later today. In the meantime, let’s discuss: ELOISE. And let’s have a poll over to the right! [Poll closed; see results below.]

Poll results for “What do you think of the name Eloise?” (289 votes total):

I love it! I’d use it! – 19%
I like it! I’d consider it! – 28%
Wouldn’t use, but would like on someone else’s baby – 40%
No particular opinion either way – 3%
Slightly dislike – 6%
Strongly dislike – 2%

I’ve been hearing names such as Emery and Everly. And I think Ember is a good modern update for the name Amber. So how about the name Emberley?

It has sounds in common with other names being used. It has a positive association in the artist Ed Emberley.

What do you think? Remember, the point of a “name to consider” isn’t so much “Is this name to my own personal tastes?” as it is “Does this seem like A NAME, with potential for use by people whose naming style it WOULD be?”

Lizzie writes:

I was due 3 days ago with my son and we still don’t have a name. (GAH!) ANYWAY, here’s where your first reaction advice comes in: we like the nickname Buzz as in Buzz Aldrin, Buzz Peterson, Buzz Stephen, etc. Do you think this kid would die of BUZZ LIGHTYEAR syndrome as he grows up? Is it too generational a reference do you think? I JUST DON’T KNOW!

 
This is one of those questions where we won’t know until we collect a large enough sample. To ME, the nickname Buzz brings to mind both Buzz Lightyear and Buzz Aldrin—but not in an exclusive, “no one else may have this name” sort of way. I would blink if I encountered it on a child, only because I’ve never heard it on a child before—but I don’t think I’d blink TWICE. On the other hand, I’m not a peer of your child-to-be.

I hope everyone else will give their reactions as well, to give us a good solid sample. Also, this needs a poll, but it’s hard to know what the poll should say. I’ll wing it; it’s over to the right, under the ad. [Poll closed; see results below.]

[Edited to add: Note that this is a question about using Buzz as a NICKNAME, not as a given name.]

Jennifer writes:

I’m not due til the end of April (the 22nd), but of course, I’ve been dreaming of baby names since high school. Husband and I can agree on our top 8 girls and boys names, but our top three out of that list are totally different! We have already agreed on Jean as the middle name, after my grandmother, and last name is Haide (pron: hide). I tend towards longer, feminine names that have options for cute nicknames, like Sophia and Penelope. His favorite is “Story”. I like it, but I have concerns that it won’t pass the “playground test”. Also, no nicknames? (sigh) We’ve decided not to ask any family or friends for opinions, but I do want to get some objective feedback about “Story Jean Haide” as a name. What do you think? Thanks to you and your readers in advance!

Surname names are popular, and I have a new one to consider for a girl: Middleton.

The rhythm and sound are similar to Madison, and Middie is a workable nickname, and now there’s a nice princess association because of Kate Middleton—without the name being at all “princessy.”

What do you think? Remember, the point of a “name to consider” isn’t so much “Is this name to my own personal tastes?” as it is “Does this seem like A NAME, with potential for use by people whose naming style it WOULD be?”

Sarah writes:

My hubby and I have debated the name Rilea (RYE-Leah) Elizabeth as a name for a future daughter. Does this sound like a normal name? Obviously, she could have the ever trendy female “Riley” nickname, but do you think that name is bound to be too become too trendy in the next 10 years? We love the name, but have found many family members/friends wondering why we are “making up” a name. We are both teachers, so this is one of the few names not wrecked (or sweetened) by past students. But, being academics, we are hoping to have a name that could also sound educated without being stuffy. Does the name have too trendy of connotations? Or does the Rilea pronunciation give it (like we hope) an ability for the name to carry into adulthood?

What are your first impressions?

FYI: other kid names are already mostly decided on. We just like to have though this through and “lived” with the names for awhile first before kids come.
Others: BOY: Ethan David; Lincoln James; GIRL: Reese ________ (something biblical to be decided on)

-Sarah– a girl with a common name, married to a guy that has that conversation “Where did you get your name from, can you repeat it again for me” every day.

I have two first impressions:

1. I would have pronounced it ry-LEE-ah on the first attempt.

2. I’d put it in the category Modern Invented Name, with names such as Kiana and Kiera, Brylee and Caleigh.

There’s nothing wrong with multiple possible pronunciations OR with being a modern invented name. My name has been pronounced Kirsten and Kiersten and Kristine, even though I would have thought there was only one sensible way to pronounce the name Kristen, so there are few names that DON’T have to be corrected now and then. And every name has to be a modern invented name at SOME point in its life—and it makes sense to use one when the parents are teachers and more likely than other parents to encounter their child’s name elsewhere…and elsewhere…and elsewhere….

AND, I think that if you LOVE a name, other issues are usually well worth it.

I think if you’re looking for a name that sounds academic, I would recommend Leah instead. It’s more common, yes, and you may have already had students with that name, but I think ROOTS are one of the things that can give a name academic heft. Modern Invented names tend to sound Trendy, because they tend to be formed from sounds and spellings that are currently trendy.

A much less common choice would be Amalia. It sounds similar to Rilea, but has ROOTS. And I’m hoping the “oh, it’s a typo for Amelia” problem will be slightly lessened by a Malia living in the White House.

Or Cecilia: again, similar sound, but more academic.

I’d like to add a third impression of Rilea:

3. I spelled it differently every time I typed it in this post, and had to keep scrolling to the top to remind myself. I spelled it Rylia, then corrected it to Rylea, then corrected briefly to Rilia, then corrected to Rilea.

But of course all my impressions come from my own experiences with children and my own tastes in baby names and my own region of the country, so what we need is a much wider set of responses. Comments section, do your stuff!

It’s been so long since we’ve done a Name to Consider post, you may have forgotten we’ve ever done one. Previous posts include Brando, Schroeder, and Abelson. Remember that the point of a “name to consider” is not so much “Do I personally like the name and would I personally use it?” (though of course that’s always an interesting issue), but rather, “Does this seem like A NAME? Can I picture SOMEONE—perhaps someone in search of a more unusual style than I myself would consider—using this for a baby?”

Names to Consider are names I FEEL as if I made up out of my own head—but I assume that if I”m “making up” a name, that means many, many others have already made up the same name (see also The Baby Name Wizard‘s section on the name Keaton, pages 3-4 in the second edition).

Today’s candidate I thought of because of a misunderstanding: my mom was talking about a doll she referred to as Miss Winter, and I thought she said Brynter. My immediately reaction was positive: it combines Bryn (which can seem too short) with Winter (which can seem too nouny). It has the popular occupational sound.

I think it could work. What do you think?