The last September births

Moving through the last of September Australia celebrated, well not all of us, a bunch of yobbo's many of whom are applauded for excessive drinking, drug taking, obscene sexual behaviour and sexual harassment. If you haven't caught on I'm talking about AFL. Yes that elusive one day in September where the footy bogans gravitate towards the heartland of Australian football, Melbourne. Don't ask me who won, I don't know and I don't care! What I do care about is what people have named their kids this September; so without further ado lets hear it for September...

Apart from a few, 'what were they thinking' this list is fairly bland, come on parents, lift your game just like those interest rates, the recession is over!

Trinity - do you think she'll be called Trinny? Hopefully not Tranny...

Isabelle Kate - lovely combo but Isabelle is oh so popular right now

Layla Grace

Yve Anne - Lovely but may have some prn problems with Yve

Amber Kate

Amelia Mary Rose - pink ribbons and bows, but I like it!

Chelsea Cait - umm did they forget the 'lyn'?

Madison

Arabella May - Nice until you read her twins brother's name below.

Kyla Elise

Zoe Sheree

Georgia Rose

Keeley Moira - Squealey to nana in 0.5 seconds

Taleisha - from the hood?

Mila Jade

Benjamin Arthur

Cameron Sean

Harrison Paul

Marcus William

Lewis Spencer

Matthew Alexander

Charlie William

Griffin Oliver - Please don't hurt me Mr. Griffin... In all fairness though it works great with the surname

Remi Hugh - Odd choice, didn't work with the surname which also ended in an E sound.

Harrison Everett - Nice to see Everett still getting some use

Isaac Dean

Blaize Dalmon - what the...? How could the twin of Arabella May get such a bad name?

Elias Italo

Alexander George

Edward Stanley

Hugh Thomas

Archer Henry - I like this, I'm giving it the Combo of the Post Award

Hopefully October brings something a little more interesting....

Feel free to comment...subscribe...do a little dance...

Names for naughty girls and boys

A recent poll came out conducted by parenting website bounty.com. They surveyed 3000 teachers to find the most common names for naughty kids and also for the smart and studious types. I don't necessarily agree with the results from the naughty list; here it is:

Boys

1. Callum

2. Connor

3. Jack

4. Daniel

5. Brandon

6. Charlie

7. Kyle

8. Liam

9. Jake

10. Brooklyn

Girls

1. Chelsea

2. Courtney

3. Chardonnay

4. Aleisha

5. Casey

6. Crystal

7. Jessica

8. Brooke

9. Demi

10. Aisha

Now being a teacher I feel it's pretty safe for me to make a thorough comment here. I'm yet to come across a Connor so can't comment there but Callum, I've known a few and they were neither the best or the worst students I've met. Jack is such a common name that I know some jacks with behaviour problems and some without. That is the problem with a list like this. What I can safely say is that at all the schools I have taught at I have had the most problems with boys whose names start with J, Jake and Jack making this list. Add to that Jayden and Josh. I've only ever taught 1 Brandon and he was horrendously studious, which was rather annoying.

As for girls, I laughed when I saw Chardonnay on this list firstly because it's pretty tacky and I'm not sure anyone would actually really name their child this, obviously I'm wrong on that second part. Seriously if my name was Chardonnay I'd act out too! I agree with this list far less than the boys list. Chelsea is a name I've never encountered problems with and probably would have put on the 'smart' list to be honest, the same with Casey and Jessica. Having never met a Demi or Aisha I can't comment there. Again there are names that crop up on lots of badly behaved kids like Emily, but considering Emily has been one of the worlds most popular names and there are at least two Emily's per class the chance of there being 'naughty' Emily's is out there.

Now for the 'smart' names:

Boys

1. Alexander

2. Adam

3. Christopher

4. Benjamin

5. Edward

6. Matthew

7. Daniel

8. James

9. Harry

10. William

Girls

1. Elisabeth

2. Charlotte

3. Emma

4. Hannah

5. Rebecca

6. Abigail

7. Grace

8. Alice

9. Anna

10. Sophie

I need to take the credibility from this list too. Some of the most problematic students I've had were named Benjamin, never had a 'good' one come to think of it. Add Harry to that list too! Last year a William from my class was suspended with despicable behaviour. So like the 'naughty' list I don't really agree with this one either. The only girls names on here that I actually agree with are Alice and Emma. I find it interesting that it is Elisabeth and not Elizabeth, Elisabeth is not hugely common whereas the other names on the girls list are rather popular.

So to round up, as a teacher I myself find this list to be a load of garbage.

Behaviour has more to do with parenting than names.

Baby Name Remorse

Have you ever wanted to change your child's name after they were born? This article has come from the Guardian in the UK and is an interesting read. Check it out here.

What are your thoughts on the issue?

I know! Lets spell it with a Y. Y I can't stand kr8ive spelling

So the most recent example of blatant kr8ive spelling would have to be that of Vanessa Hudgens character in the latest film Band Slam. She is Sa5m, but the 5 is silent. Ok so this is just a movie but things like this happen in real life too.

Most of the people I have come across looking for advice on names really like a name that is currently rather popular like for example Ava, Maddison and don't get me started on all the 'aiden' names out there. They then encounter the problem that their child will inevitably be one of a few in their classes at school. This is probably true however their next move is to try to change the spelling to make the name more unique. this generally involves adding the trendy 'y'.

For example:

Ava = Ayva.

Maddison = Maddyson or Maddysyn.

Aiden = Ayden or Aydyn

Jaiden = Jayden or Jaydyn

Madeline = Madilyne

Jason = Jayson

Miley = Mylee

Have you picked up that the names are still pronounced exactly the same, yes exactly the same. The only difference now is that the child given the name has to spell it for absolutely everyone they meet. Chances are that no matter how may times they spell it they will still end up with the more common spelling.

The bottom line is that alternate spelling do not make a name more unique, they make it more frustrating. Being one of a few is far less frustrating than having to spell your name for everyone. So if you want to use a popular name but are afraid of the popularity why not look for a similar alternative name. Trawling through popularity lists, like those listed in the links of this website, is a great place to find names that you can guarantee aren't hugely common.

August Births

Some people say that there are more births during extreme weather. If that is in fact the case we should see a surge in births this week. Unseasonal heat in the north, great snow falls and extreme cold in the alps and gigantic storms with super fast winds in the south. Weather aside, here are some Aussie births from August from an Aussie blog, accept no imitations! For boys William and Edward have been rather popular this month and for girls Paige has been a name popping up along with the usuals Grace and Rose. There are some people still hanging on to the end of the 'maddison/addison' craze but there are also some gorgeous names.

Enjoy!

Ruby

Autumn

Beth Marie

Hannah Addison

Addison Kaye

Maddison Paige

Maddison Rose

Olivia Ella

Hariette Pop - I'm wondering if this should be Poppy?Misprint perhaps?

Courtney Rae

Claire Eliza

Stephanie Paige

Alyra Jae

Emma Jane

Grace Maree

Lily Margaret Rose

Aliya Isabelle

Olivia Lee

Lexie Rose

Imogen Grace

Paige Helen Sarah

Gabriella Grace

Annalise Hope

Elise Hannah

Mia Phoebe

Lily Charlotte

Lilana Emelia -Joan

Jade Elizabeth

Sarina Lily

Scarlett Isabella Rose

Lenni Alice

Zara Mae

Henrietta Josephine

Emily Rose

Alexander Reuben

Nathan Andre

Jensen Allen

Lucas Adrian

Ambrose Patrick

Nash Harry

William John

Quinlan Ra

Oscar Edward

William Brian Michael

William Samuel

Paul Eric

Nicholas James

Sebastian Allan

Flynn Philip

Kobi Lee

Tyler Hudson

Leroy Joe

Noah Ryan

Bradley Robert

Rylan Michael

Damien James

Hamish Robert

Oliver Bryan

Lachlan Anthony

Liam Phillip

William John Malcolm

Jaiden Harry

Xavier William

Rowan Blair

Scottish Boys for Kate

I had an email from Kate in Melbourne the other day, hi Kate! Kate's little boy is due in September and she wanted some information on Scottish or Scottish sounding boys names.

Some Scottish names, more so the traditional ones, have Gaelic origins and many may also have an anglicized spelling. I'd recommend using an anglicized name to make it easier for the child to move through their life. There is nothing more annoying than having to pronounce your name for absolutely everyone! Several Scottish surnames are also used as first names, most commonly Mackenzie, which is most commonly known as a girls given name now.

Without further ado, here are some of my favourite Scottish boys names:

Alastair

Andrew

Angus

Blane

Boyd

Campbell

Clark

Craig

Dougal

Douglas

Duncan

Ewan

Finley

Fraser

Gavin

Hamish

Kenneth

Lachlan

Logan

Mitchell

Leith

Rory

Ross

Scott

Tavish

Torquil

Wallace

My personal favourites Angus and Hamish are widely used in Australia, so if popularity and common-ness of a name is an issue tread carefully with these two. My other favourite is Tavish, which is not as widely used.

Good luck with your search for the perfect name!

Fantastic Florals

The last several years have seen a revival in many floral names such as Lilly, Rose, Violet and Poppy. Floral names were rather popular throughout England in the later years of the 19th century and as with other classic revivals, florals have been no exception. After all who wouldn't want their daughter's name to remind them of a beautiful garden on a lovely spring's day. With spring around the corner lets investigate some popular and lesser known florals.

Acacia - Part of the scientific name of many plants including our very own Golden Wattle.

Alyssa - A take on the name of beautiful flower Alyssum

Azalea

Blossom

Bluebell - Former Spice Girl Gerri Halliwell named her daughter Bluebell, but that doesn't mean you have to.

Bryony - Whilst not a flower as such, of Greek origins meaning 'climbing plant'.

Calla - From the Calla Lilly.

Camellia

Crisanta - from the chrysanthamum

Dahlia

Daisy

Elodie

Fleur - French for flower

Flora - Perhaps the margerine association has made this unusable but it's still a gorgeous floral.

Flower

Hana - Japanese for flower or try 'Hanako' which in Japanese is 'flower child'.

Heather

Ianthe

Iris

Jasmine - Had some popularity on the 90's but has now cooled off

Jolan

Kalina

Leilani - A Hawaiian floral wreath.

Lilac - A nice change from Lilly or Violet

Lillian

Linnea

Lotus

Marigold - perhaps a great full name for Mary

Pansy

Peony

Petula - another take on Petunia

Poppy

Primrose

Rosa

Rose

Rosalaine

Saffron

Tansy - not related to Pansy. A yellow flower that used to be used in tea. In some places it's considered a pest.

Violet

Yasmin - An alternative to Jasmine

Zahra

Zinnia

See any you like?

Do you Google names?

I know I am not alone in the world of onomastics when I say that I Google new names I discover or like. Really if you were going to give your child a name wouldn't you want to know who else out there has that name? It avoids those moments where you introduce your child and weird thoughts run through people's minds. For example:

Person A: "This is my daughter Marley"

Person B: Thinks: oh like the cute dog in that movie, gee that movie was so sad.

But says: "How lovely"

Person A: "Meet my son Edward"

Person B: " How cool, are you a Twilight fan?"

Person A: "What's Twilight?"

Person B: "Oh sorry, I just thought, because your surname is Collin it sounds like Cullen, Edward Cullen, you know, Twilight, vampires, raaaaaarrrrr???"

Or a situation that happened to some I know who didn't do their research

Person A: "This is my child Jenna"

Person B: Thinks: Jenna, ok, um isn't your last name Jameson, Jenna Jameson, that's a porn star right. But says: "Oh yes, how nice to meet your little girl"

So like most people I make a a habit of Googling names and combinations just to see what else or who else is out there, and yes 'what' was not a misprint.

Recently I came across the name Solveig (sol-vay) and have been rather charmed by it. I'm not sure why I am so fascinated by it because in Australia any Solveig would inadvertently be called Sol-vague which isn't really appealing and I'm not so keen on the nick name Sol or Solly, which seems very masculine to me, even though it (sol) means 'sun' in several languages.

In my quest to find out more about Solveig I Googled the name. It turns out there are many people named Solveig ranging from sportswomen to politicians and a ten year old graffiti artist, who isn't too bad really! I've included one of her pieces below.

Just out of interest there were no hits when I Googled Solveig with my surname.

So I'd like to know, do you Google names? Have you ever found anything that turned you off a name?

XOXO