Baby Names

“I called my husband when I found out we were having a boy. I was disappointed, but he said, ‘That’s what God wanted us to have.’ I named our baby Nathaniel because it means ‘God’s gift’ in Hebrew.”

Noonoo, who teaches journalism at the University of Houston, wanted to give her son a name with history and resonance — her own first name, Jemimah, is a Hebrew word meaning “dove.”

Isabella and Emma topped the Social Security Administration’s list of popular baby names in 2009; Jacob and Ethan cinched the boys’ spots. In a world of Apples and Bronxes and at least one Jermajesty – thank you, Jermaine Jackson – it’s nice to see a Jacob walking up the street.

A name is something we carry around for a lifetime, says Jennifer Griffin, author of Bring Back Beatrice! 1,108 Baby Names With Meaning, Character, and a Little Bit of Attitude.

Griffin was born in the summer of 1969, when Jennifer hit the Top 10 in baby names. She’s not entirely sure why Jennifer – an unusual variation of Guinevere – was so popular back then, though actress Jennifer Jones and a heroine in a George Bernard Shaw play may have something to do with it.

It’s not that Jennifer is a bad name. It’s just that it was too popular. Parents should strive for a name that’s distinctive without being ridiculous, Griffin says. A sure win is what Griffin calls “a Colonial graveyard name,” which has stood the test of time and oozes character. For her, a name like Charlotte – a feminization of Charles – is a prime example of “a good, solid, traditional name.”

That’s just what Kelly Kenyon and her husband were thinking when they decided to name their daughter. “Charlotte was really the only name my husband and I could agree on,” Kenyon, a Houston attorney, explains. “We thought it was a beautiful name that had some character behind it. But I didn’t think of it as old-fashioned until she was born and I got responses like, ‘Oh that’s my grandmother’s name!’?”

Kenyon did her homework, looking up names on the Social Security Administration website to gauge their popularity. “One of the reasons I didn’t push for Olivia or Sophia is because they were in the top five,” she says.

Griffin, who cautions against the trendiness trap in her book, also rejects unorthodox spellings and substituting nicknames for proper names. “Why name your kid a nickname?” she asks . “You can have your cake and eat it, too. There’s nothing cuter than a cute nickname.”

Griffin recommends parents picture their children as adults, sitting down with ré sumé s for job interviews. “You don’t want their name to make them seem flaky and low-rent,” she warns.

Indeed, one reason Renée Villarreal named her daughter Sofia is that she wanted a name that wouldn’t raise eyebrows with a potential employer.

The first time Villarreal ever heard the name was on television’s The Golden Girls. “It was the name of the Estelle Getty character,” says Villarreal, a student at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. “She was my favorite character on the show. Once we found out we were pregnant, I looked up the name and saw that it meant wisdom. I thought, what a strong name to give your daughter.”

Yet because it was such a popular name – No. 4 on the SSA’s 2009 list – Villarreal considered changing it. But her husband wouldn’t let her. “You’ve wanted this name for so long, before it was even popular,” he said. “Just do it.”

Taking a cue from film director Sofia Coppola, Villarreal gave the name a special flourish by substituting the standard “ph” with an “f.”

Certain letters will give a name an extra edge, Griffin concedes. If you want to give a girl a lively name, start it with a “V.” “Vivian, Veronica, Victoria … they sound vivacious and energetic,” Griffin says.