LilSugar

Eight Sources of Baby Name Inspiration

LilSugar — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:32:00 PDT

Pregnancy is the easy part. The true task of parenthood is picking a name your child will go by for the rest of his or her life. If you and your spouse are having trouble agreeing on a moniker for your impending mini me, there are several sources of inspiration that might assist you in your search.

Would You Use a Traditionally Male Name For Your Baby Girl?

Kate Stahl — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:04:12 PDT

Jessica Simpson recently gave birth to Maxwell Drew, a healthy 9-pound, 13-ounce baby girl, who sports two traditionally male names. The Maxwell came from the tot's dad, Eric Maxwell Johnson, while Drew is the maiden name of Tina Simpson, Jessica's mother. In the April issue of Elle (posed nude on the cover), she talked about the name, saying, "It's nothing shocking and nothing you'll have to add to the dictionary. Still, when people hear it they'll know . . . why."

Maxwell - or "Maxi," as it's been rumored the babe will be nicknamed - joins Charlie O'Connell (daughter of Rebecca Romjin and Jerry O'Connell), Mason Grammar (Kelsey and Camille's daughter), Rowan Henchy (Brooke Shields's daughter), and Sam Sheen (daughter of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen) in the league of little girls with cute boys' names.

Would you give your daughter a traditionally male name? Weigh in below.

10 Things to Know Before Giving Birth

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:03:28 PDT

Get ready to meet your lil one! In the final days of pregnancy, expectant mamas have a lot on their minds. But as the nesting instinct sets in, take advantage of the downtime to read up on what lies ahead. Before heading to the hospital, check out our guide of things every mom-to-be should know.

The Name Game: What Influenced Your Decision?

LilSugar — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:19:41 PST

While Aiden and Sophia set the national trend in baby names for 2011, we're curious to know, what influenced the name you selected for your lil one? It's one of the first important decisions that you make as a parent, and one that your child will carry with him for the rest of his life . . . talk about pressure! From the traditional to the avant-garde, tell us how you chose a name that stands the test of time for your little guy or girl.

Would You Rely on Facebook to Name Your Baby?

LilSugar — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:04:10 PST

Plenty of people rely on social media to ask for restaurant advice or their friends' favorite movies, but we'd never heard of anyone using Facebook to name their baby - until now. According to Yahoo, an Illinois couple recently turned to the social network to choose their baby's name.

Dave and Lindsey Meske had selected the name Cooper for their baby boy, but when their doctor informed them that a little girl was actually on the way, the couple launched an online poll - "Name My Child" - in which family, friends, and even strangers could weigh in. From the options Addilyne, Madelyn, Emily, and McKenna, Madelyn won out with 1,310 votes. Madelyn Rae Meske was born on January 31.

Celebrity Baby Names: the Best and the Worst

Celebrity Baby Scoop — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:36:39 PST

We're excited to share this post from our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop! Every week, we will be bringing you the best celebrity baby stories from the Celebrity Baby Scoop, including this post from Jenny Schafer about the best and worst baby names in Hollywood.

With the recent arrival of Blue Ivy Carter - the first child of R&B royal couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z - we couldn't help but reminisce on the best and worst baby names out of Hollywood.

Who will be the next Shiloh, Suri, Pilot Inspektor, or Moxie Crimefighter?

There's a fine line between unique and just plain cruel when naming your child, and nobody does that better than our favorite celebrities! Let's take a look through some of the best, worst, and wackiest celeb baby names . . .

Best of 2011: Favorite New Celeb Baby Boy’s Name

Natasha Dantzig — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:33:23 PST

It's raining boys, hallelujah! Hollywood saw no shortage of interesting lil boys names this past year, from interpretations of classic boys names to original choices honoring family or cultural heritages. Natalie Portman and her fiancé, Benjamin Millepied, chose the distinctive Aleph - the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the Hebrew number one - for their lil boy, while Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy went with Bingham, an old family name for their new addition. Bear was the interesting choice Alicia Silverstone and her husband, Christopher Jarecki, chose for their lil boy, and stunning French actress Marion Cotillard and fiancé Guillaume Canet went with the thoroughly French Marcel. Whatever your preference - classic or boldly unique - this year's celebrity parents certainly came up with some creative monikers for their bouncing baby boys.

The Biggest Baby Naming Trends of the Year

BabyCenter — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:33:23 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Lindsay Weiss about the most popular baby names of 2011.

Drum roll please…Babycenter just released the results of its highly anticipated annual Top 100 Baby Names of 2011.

(Note: am I the only one whose heart starts pounding when I read this list? Don’t get me wrong, I love the names but my palms are sweating because I do not want to see my kids names on this list! Sadly, they are. Darn Kate Middleton…it’s all her fault.)

As Carolyn noted, there’s no surprise on the most popular names - Aiden tops the boys’ list for the seventh consecutive year while Sophia holds tight to the lead for girls for the second year in a row. But never fear, 2011 definitely yielded some interesting trends in naming:

The Anderson Cooper Effect
He’s got a new talk show and, apparently, a lot of ‘mini-Coopers’ too. While Cooper rose 3 percent to number 58 on the list, the name Anderson made a meteoric ascent, up more than 100 spots!

Fist Pump…Jersey Style
In addition, this year’s list reflects America’s obsession with the Garden State, as names like Nicole (Jersey Shore) make their way up four spots while Briella (Jerseylicious), Jacqueline and Caroline (The Real Housewives of New Jersey), and Kimberly (Jersey Couture) all experienced hair-raising leaps. And if that’s not enough, the name Jersey itself is up 16 percent!

Keeping Up With…Mason?
Another reality baby name star to take note of is Mason, Kourtney Kardashian’s son, who toddled up eight spots to claim the number three spot for boys. Not to be outdone, the first names of power couple Victoria and David Beckham are both on the rise as well as that of their newborn daughter, Harper, whose name is up an impressive 34 spots.

The Royal and the Political
Keeping the reality show stars in check is the royal duo William and Kate, whose names are both on the rise along with Harry and Pippa, whose name is up a whopping 45 percent. Moms also looked to politics, as evidenced by the rise of inspirational congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ name, as well as the names of the Palin, Obama, and Clinton daughters.

Superheroes…Real and Fictional
Additional inspiration for this year’s crop of top baby names came from superheroes, with names like May (Spider-Girl) swooping up 98 spots and Peter (Spiderman) climbing 22 spots. NASCAR and nature also left their mark on this year’s list, with names like Matt (Kenseth) and Kyle (Busch) on the rise along with Summer and Storm.

Do any of these trends resonate with you?

P.S. full disclosure: I may need to get pregnant (with a girl, please) in 2012 so I can name her Pippa. Who wouldn’t love to squeeze the cheeks on a little Pippa?

More great stories from BabyCenter.com:
6 ways to stretch your holiday dollars
Homeless by choice family: cool or lame?
Don't tell me about your sleeping baby
9 Hanukkah craft ideas for kids
5 reasons my baby won't start solids - ever

The Name Game: Which Names Were More Popular in 2011

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:32:12 PST

One of the biggest joys and most stressful parts of pregnancy is choosing your unborn child's name. Parents-to-be stress that they won't please family members with their choice, that they'll pick a name that 10 other kids answer to on the playground, or that they'll just grow tired of it in the future. Name trends may come and go, but each year two names - one boy's and one girl's - rise to the top. BabyCenter recently unveiled the most popular names of 2011. Take this quiz to see if you know names landed on the list!

Take the Quiz

Guess the Cultural Inspiration For These Popular Baby Names!

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:33:41 PST

Ever walk out of a movie and think to yourself that you loved the main character's name? If so, you're not alone! Pop culture influences all areas of life - just think about the fashion - including baby names. Take this quiz to see if you can guess which names rose to the top of the popularity list after appearing in TV, movies, and literature!

Take the Quiz