Celeb Baby Names 2014: The Awesome and the Atrocious, according to Kaitlyn.

Here we are at the end of another year! In the naming world, this means two things:

 

 

1. We can talk about the year's best and worst baby names.

2. We can start to predict popular names for next year.

 

 

And this post is focusing on the first!

 

 

There were some AWESOME baby names this year. I was impressed with so many star babies. 

 

 

The Awesome:

 

 

Apollo Bowie Flynn-- I knew Gwen Stefani would pull through for me. Gwen has been my Hollaback Girl since 05', and She's been naming her boys incredibly for about that long. Kingston James and Zuma Nesta Rock are big brothers to Apollo, so I couldn't wait to hear what Gwen picked and I was so excited when I heard she had picked Apollo. It's quirky, and stylistically matches with her other kids' monikers so I give this name an A+.

 

 

Alexander Frost-- Zac Brown of the Zac Brown band had a baby boy this year: Alexander Frost. Alexander is a classic boy name that has been consistently popular for years. The middle name is what got me. I'm kind of fascinated at their choice of middle and I'm curious as to if it's a family name.

 

 

Charlie West-- David Arquette's newest addition didn't let me down either. With all of the girl Charlies floating around, it was refreshing to see a Charlie, especially since it honored one of David's grandfather's acting roles. West is possibly my favorite middle name for a boy name. Also, the vintage Charlie goes with his older sister Coco quite well, in my opinion. Great job, David. Really, Bravo!

 

 

Fordham Rhys-- Remember The Rosenbaums of Bachelorette's past? They had a baby boy and his name is Fordham Rhys. It's grown on me a lot. Where at first I was a bit iffy on this name, now I love it.

 

 

 Leonore Lilian Maria-- Here's a royal baby to throw in the mix. This is Princess Madeleine of Sweden's baby girl. Typically royal baby names are rather boring, but this one has flair for sure.

 

 

Bridget Monroe-- I had high expectations for pregnancy guru Rosie Pope and again I wasn't disappointed. This name is classy, vintage, yet has an edge.

 

 

Fianna Francis-- Danny Masterson's choice for his daughter opened up the doors for me to my new Name Love, Fianna. I think it's so beautiful.

 

 

Philomena Bijou-- Don't get me wrong; I'd never use this name. Not my taste at all. But I admire Daphne Oz's courage to use this mouthful for her daughter! So elaborate and eccentric.

 

 

The Atrocious:

 

 

Jaxon Wyatt-- I don't hate the name Wyatt, I promise. I dislike this name so much for this reason: Kristin Cavalarri already has a son named Camden Jack. She already has "Jack" in one of her kid's names! Just because you change the spelling doesn't make it a different name. *rolls eyes*

 

 

Saint Laszlo-- Pete Wentz and his girlfriend named their son this. I knew his name would be outlandish-- his eldest son with Ashlee Simpson is named Bronx Mowgli. But Saint is kind of a lot of pressure to put on a kid.

 

 

Eric-- I can't say I'm completely surprised that Simon Cowell named his son this. Eric is simply dated.

 

 

Reign Aston-- Let's talk about the newest little Kardashian baby. First Kourtney had Mason Dash and Penelope Scotland-- Names that are not to far from the beaten path. And then there is Reign Aston. I dislike it so much because it doesn't match his siblings names at all.

 

 

Wyatt Isabelle-- Probably my biggest celebrity baby name let down of the year. I'm sorry, but taking a traditionally masculine first name and pairing it with a hyper-feminine middle doesn't make it a girl name. I thought Mila and Ashton would get more creative than this. Bummer.

 

 

Royal Reign-- Can we talk about how cheesy Lil Kim's choice for her daughter is? We get it, you want her to be fabulous. This name is just too much.

 

 

Summer Rain-- Speaking of cheesy, this is the name that Christina Aguilera chose for her daughter. I had high hopes for her; Her son's name is Max Liron, which is pretty cool, yet not to out there. Again, way too much.

 

 

Elizabella Dylan-- OMG. NO. Alyssa Milano just missed the mark completely for her daughter. Her son's name is Milo Thomas... How in the heck did she come to the decision to mash up Elizabeth and Isabella (Isabella is actually a form of Elizabeth so it makes no sense anyway) and pair this frilly name with Dylan. I am at a loss.

 

 

 

Other celebrity baby names that are worth mentioning, but didn't make either of these lists are:

 

Rose Dorothy (Scarlett Johansson)

Sienna May (Ellen Pompeo)

Alexandra Kalliope (Debbie Matenopoulos)

Vivianne Rose (Jesse James/Eric Decker)

Sunday Molly (Mike Myers)

Georgia Blue (Joel Nichols)

Delta Bell (Kirsten Bell/Dax Shepherd)

 

Genesis Ali (Alicia Keys)

Bodhi Ransom (Meghan Fox)

Booker Jombe (Thande Newton)

Jack Lion (Amy Lee)

Samuel Hawke (Josh Turner)

Lyric Sonny Roads (Soleil Moon Frye)

 

 

 

And that's the Celeb Baby Name Round-up of 2014! If I don't post until 2015, I hope you guys have an awesome New Year!

Favorite letters: (His is E, Mine is C!)

I have to tell you that talking about names with Bradley isn't easy or fun whatsoever. My taste in names is a lot like my taste in clothing; I love a lot of different styles. I love the preppy Livingston and the cowboyish Weston and the bad-ass Jagger all the same. Bradley really only likes a select few names, for both genders. So it's made it very frustrating for me.

 

 

The cool thing is that the names he DOES like/would be willing to use all start with E. (With the exception of two boy names that are family names) Today I'll share with you those names.

 

 

I feel like everyone (or at least every Name Nerd) has a specific letter that they are drawn to. I'd love to hear what your letter is, and some of the names start with it!

 

 

Here are his:

 

 

Girls:

 

 

Eliana-- This name is rather trendy, I'll admit. But it's meaning "My God has answered" is so beautiful and that's why I love this name. Bradley likes it, but it isn't his favorite.

 

Everly-- This one was a contender for us for awhile, and is Bradley's favorite, but it didn't feel right to me. I just couldn't picture it on my daughter. I think it's adorable and has a great sound, but it just isn't for us!

 

Emmeline-- Our current top contender. We both agree that it's a cute name, but before I'd use it, I'd want to find a really cool, quirky middle name to go with it, to counter the frilliness that the name has.

 

Elora-- This is a new name love of mine. It sounds like a fiery princess and I loooove it.

 

Evie-- I thought this name would be a cool way to honor both mine and Bradley's side of the family, since we both have great-grandmothers named Eva Nell. (No, not the same woman!)  He's on the fence about this one.

 

Essie-- Okay this one isn't one we agree on. I just think it's adorable and someone should use this. ;)

 

 

 

Boys:

 

 

Emerson-- I much prefer this on a boy. Traditionally a boy name, Emerson is strong, yet soft. Everything I love about a boy name.

 

Everett-- Bradley's dad's name. I love the nickname Rhett.

 

Ender-- I've blogged about this one before. Ender is simply cool.

 

Ezra-- My long lost Name Love. Anyone who reads regularly knows of my love for this name.

 

Emmett-- I'm just starting to warm up to this one. I know, I know, I'm behind. This is becoming quite trendy, and for good reason.

 

Elias-- This is a middle name option for us. I adore the -s ending for boy names.

 

 

 

 

Long before Bradley, and long after him, I'll forever love C names. They look so chic. So here are my own personal favorite C names:

 

 

Claire-- When I was six, I named my dog Lacy Claire. I still love it to this day.

 

Carrigan-- An undiscovered gem of a name.

 

Coraline-- I've adored Coraline since I read this book about the spunky little girl who wears the name.

 

Calliope-- I think this name has the potential to be the next Penelope.

 

Charlie-- Trendy or not, this is adorable for a baby girl. I'm a sucker for nickname-names.

 

Campbell-- A surname name that I like mainly for a girl.

 

 

 

Caius-- One of my all time favorite boy names. I wish Bradley would agree to let me use it!

 

Callum/Callen-- Bradley's picks for boys. I think they are pretty handsome, preppy sounding boy names and they have my stamp of approval. :)

 

Canaan-- Forever gushing over this biblical name. I go back and forth on which gender I like it better for.

 

Crew-- When I think of preppy boy names, this is the first one that comes to mind. Maybe it's because I think of crew-neck sweaters? Hmm. Not sure.

 

Cassian-- This boy names feels.... victorious. Does that make sense? Hope so. :P

 

Crawford-- Let's end on a surname-y note... This name sounds like a future little baseball player. I find it very adorable. And you've got the nickname Ford too!

 

 

 

That's it for today guys! Hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope I hear from some of you about your favorite letter for names! If I don't blog tomorrow, I hope you have a blessed Christmas!

#selfiesaturday: Our story.

{I want this written down some place. I want it to be out there so that we don't completely and inevitably fade into the background of history like many great love stories that we'll never learn about. I want to savor each wonderful, messy detail of us.} So here it is:

 

 

 

 

I met Bradley when we worked at a restaurant together for a few weeks. He was actually dating my ex's sister at the time, so when I saw him my first thought was "Oh, that's *so-and-so's* sister's boyfriend." And I went on about my day. Sparks most definitely did not fly.

 

 

I was talking to another guy at the time I met Bradley, but I remember preferring to be around Bradley rather than this other guy because Bradley has such a collected, kind nature about him. Bradley made me feel at ease, more than anyone else. I didn't think a lot of it at the time, honestly.

 

 

A few weeks passed. I no longer worked at the restaurant, nor was I talking to this other guy, and Bradley was no longer in a relationship either. He messaged me on Facebook, striking up a conversation. The conversation flowed well, but he was in no way flirty. I didn't think that he liked me. A few days after our platonic conversations, he straight-up asked me out of the blue: "So should I keep talking to you like this? Or do you want me to just leave you alone?" That was my first inclination that he liked me at all. I was taken back, and intrigued all at once. If you know me, then you know how direct I am and I was attracted to the fact that Bradley, from the start, did not play games with me. I wanted to know more.

 

 

Our first date was after school bowling and dinner. I was wearing Vibram FiveFingers and a thrift store t-shirt, and I'm positive that I was not impressive-looking at all. He lost at bowling that day, even though he is insanely good at it, and to this day I swear he did it on purpose and he swears that he didn't. Hmmm...

 

At dinner, he would barely look at my face. He would look all around me, to the side, down at the table, but not into my eyes. So I called him out on that. (Yes on the first date.) To this day, Bradley hardly takes his eyes off me at the dinner table.

 

 

After dinner he walked me to my car and we talked a bit more and then we went our separate ways. I drove away thinking: "That wasn't so bad."

 

 

The next few weeks was filled with simple, sweet dates. Our second (or third, I'm a bit fuzzy on that one) date was a picnic, and a walk afterwards. We had agreed that we didn't want to kiss on the lips yet, but by the time we had got back to our cars, he had kissed me on the cheek/forehead so many times that I just turned around and planted one on his then-stubbly face. That was our first kiss, and it was adorable.

 

 

A month after our first date, he asked me to be his girlfriend on March 17th, 2012. Clearly, I agreed.

 

 

The first five months of our relationship sucked. We will both tell you that. I think it ran through both of our minds to break up with one another, but I didn't want to jump ship on Bradley without giving it all I had. So I had a serious talk on the phone with him one night, basically telling him to be nicer to me or I'd break up with him. After that, we've basically been perfect.

 

 

Over time, we discovered that we both loved Batman, Old-school rap, and Reese's cups. We discovered that we have a polar opposite taste in food. I came out of the Name-Nerd closet to him and he was very accepting, and I came to accept his video game obsession as well. (Kind of.) We adapted to each others' quirks, and we've adopted each others' quirks. Sometimes I catch myself saying something and I'm amazed at how Bradley I sound.

 

 

Since March 17th, 2012, I have become a much better, stronger, more caring human being. I have learned how to pick my battles, and how to communicate effectively with someone you care about. Since March 17th 2012, I have found that God has a master plan. And all of the break-ups and hurt were all just pushing me in the direction I was supposed to go, and landed me in the place where I'm meant to be. Since March 17th 2012, I have been given the irreplaceable gift of a companion to share life with. Two proms, two graduations, two new colleges, one move, birthdays, Christmas', new jobs, new places, new friends and I've got to experience all of it with that redheaded bus-boy that was dating so-and-so's sister.

 

 

 I love how life works.

 

 

 

 

Alternative names to the Top 15

I was asked to do a post on alternatives to popular names, so here it is! If you like a very popular name and don't want to use that name because of it's popularity, this is the post for you.

In this list, I'll include a few names that begin with the same letter as the popular ones, then I'll suggest some with a similar sound in general.

 

 

 

Here are the top 15 boy names of 2013 and their alternatives:

1. Noah-- Noam, Noel, Niall, Navy, Ezra, Rowan, Bodhi.
2. Liam-- Leland, Leo, Lake, Lachlan, Graham, Eliam. 
3. Jacob-- Jago, Jack, Jenson, Cabe, Macon, Breccan.
4. Mason-- Mace, Mannon, Malik, Emerson, Salem.
5. William-- Weston, Wiley, Wade, Abram, Callum.
6. Ethan-- Everett, Emmett, Evander, Lathan, Thatcher.
7. Michael-- Micah, Myles, Merritt, Abel, Cael, Ike.
8. Alexander-- Alec, Alistair, Atlas, Candler, Canyon, Van.
9. Jayden-- Jameson, Jagger, Julian, Declan, Blaise.
10. Daniel-- Draven, Davis, Duke, Emmanuel.
11. Elijah-- Elias, Ellis, Elliot, Kaius, Orion.
12. Aiden-- Aiken, Ace, Anderson, Dresden, Leighton.
13. James-- Jameson (again), Jude/Judah, Jasper, Amos, Asa.
14. Benjamin-- Bennett, Beckham, Brice, Eamon.
15. Matthew-- Matthias, Matteo, Maston, Theo.

Now for the top 15 girls:

1. Sophia-- Sylvia, Selma, Sienna, Fianna, Fiona.
2. Emma-- Esme, Emory, Essie, Isla.
3. Olivia-- Olive, Eliana,Veda, Milena.
4. Isabella-- Isabeau, Indira, India, Estella, Annabel.
5. Ava-- Avia, Aviana, Alba, Viola, Raven.
6. Mia-- Maia, Malia, Maeve, Fia.
7. Emily-- Emilia/Emiliana, Emmeline, Kirrily, Adelie.
8. Abigail-- Abilene, Adelaide, Alice, Annelise.
9. Madison-- Madigan, Mallory, Maisie, Ellison.
10. Elizabeth-- Eliza, Elin, Ember, Libby, Evelyn.
11. Charlotte-- Charlize, Carla, Lottie, Harlow.
12. Avery-- Amzie, Adeline, Everly, Ivana.
13. Sofia-- *Same suggestions as the above spelling*
14. Chloe-- Clara, Cami, Cora/Coraline, Jovie.
15. Ella-- Eleanor, Ellery, Evie, Bellamy, Esmerelda.

Okay guys that's it for today. Now that all my classes are completely over until next semester, I can finally focus more on blogging! Thanks for your patience! :)

 

My top 5 personal name pet peeves.

I don't like to talk about names negatively here, but I would like to do a post about my own personal naming pet peeves. Before I start, let me state that I don't mean to offend anyone out there, and that these are just my personal opinions.


*Also these aren't in any particular order. I'm numbering them for organization's sake.


1. Siblings named similarly. I've heard of siblings named Braidon and Brandon this week. What?! It's almost the same name... it's literally one letter away from being the same name! I also think names with a too-obvious theme fits in this category. For example, siblings named London, Paris, and Brooklyn. It's just cheesy.

That being said, I am really not against naming your children with some kind of theme, or even with the same letter, but my two general rules about naming your children with the same letter are:

-The two names can't have the same first three letters. (The same first two is kinda pushing it!) Nathan and Natalie are too matchy, but Nathan and Nora are different enough to work.

 

-The two names can't end in the same letter if they begin with the same letter. Morgan and Mason are too matchy, but Morgan and Molly are different enough to work.

Make sense?




2. Sibling name styles that don't match at all. I'm going to use fake names here, but I know of a sibling set named similarly to: Richard and Cayden. OMG. What?! That sounds like a grandfather and his grandson. When I hear a great name, it can be totally ruined if their sibling's name is wayyy different stylistically.




3. People that change the original spellings of names in the name of "unique." If you like a name, use it. If you like an alternative spelling better, than use it. However, don't change the spelling because a name is popular and you think changing the spelling will make it more "unique." I like the name Charlie for a girl, but I prefer the spelling Charlee. Not because Charlie is getting so popular, but because I simply like that spelling better. I have heard of people doing that SO much that I get tired of it. And please-- don't make the spelling so complicated. Simplicity is under-rated nowadays in naming trends.




4. People who use "filler" middle names. This one drives me up the wall. "Filler" middles are middle names that tons of people use as middle names, simply because they sound good with almost everything. Filler middles for girls nowadays tend to be: Grace, Faith, Brooke (my own middle), Rose, Elizabeth, Marie, Ann (I could go on and on). For boys, fillers tend to be names like James, Michael, Joseph, Thomas (Again, I could go on.) Now, let me say that it's a totally different story if one of these types of common middles are family names. But I know more often than not these typical middles are just kind of placed in the middle name spot because it was the first thing that sounded good. That kind of carelessness with a name is so annoying to me! At least put some thought into the name your child will be wearing for the rest of it's life.




5. When people have no intentions of ever actually calling a child by their first name. I know a boy (I'll use a fake name here) that has a wonderful first name, but his parents never planned on calling him that and he's always went by his middle, even in the womb! For example, let's say his name is Callum James and they call the child James. Huh? If you wanted to call him James all along, you should have named him that! Even if there are family names involved, just put the family name in the middle.



Alright that's it! My top 5 personal name pet peeves. What are yours?

The "long A" sound names: America's favorites

Finals week is slowly coming to an end and that means I'll get back on my blogging track! Woop Woop!

 

 

If you're an American reading this post, I guarantee you that you can think of a LOT of kids with this long A sound in their name. The "ay" sound is America's favorite, in my opinion.

First, let's take a look at the boy names. There -Aydens. Aidan, Brayden, Caden, Hayden, Jayden reigned as kings of the name world, and other spellings and variations followed suit. The main sound in all of those names is "ay." Now, I see a whole new set of "ay" names on trend: the -Asons. Mason, clearly, has become hugely popular. I can also count at least 10 Casons (all spelled differently) under the age of five. Grayson is popular in my area as well, and I've also spotted some Paysons. Other popular names for boys with this sound are Gabriel, Jacob, Caleb, Jace, Blake, and Chase.

With girl names, there are lot's of -aylas. Layla, Mckayla, Kayla, Jayla, Shayla, and I've seen a few Aylas. There's also been a huge trend of -ae middle names for girls: Rae, Mae, Jae. Other popular girl names with this sound are Ava, Grace, Payton, Paisley, Jada and Reagan.

I think we see so many of these "ay" sound names simply because it's easy for us native English speakers to say. When we're looking for names, aside from style and what the name reminds us of, we want names that are easy and pleasant to say.

Looking for the "ay" sound, but want some less trendy/popular alternatives? Glad you asked :)

 

 

 

Boys:

Baylor

Asa

Tatum

Eamon

Hadrian

Draven

Abram

Aiken

Sage

Lane

 

 

 

Girls:

Freya

Maven

Cate

Esme

Mabel

Waverly

Hazel

Blakely

Veda

Asia

 

 

 

 

Alright guys, that's it for today! I'm gonna go grab a coffee and head to class. My next post will be one that was requested of me to write, and so I'm pretty excited about it. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

Ask Anything Thursday Answers 12/5/14

Since I introduced the feature kind of late in the week, I decided to give readers an extra day to send in questions and I received four of them:

 

 

 

"What would you name a sibling to Olivia Rae?"

 

 

Well, Olivia is a classic, feminine, yet fairly common name nowadays. I'd pair it with something with a similar feel. If Olivia Rae had a sister, I'd name her Caroline Bryn. If she had a brother, I'd probably use a classic name for him as well. Jameson Grant would go well, I think.

 

 

 

"How do you feel about the name Blake for a girl?"

 

 

I actually like Blake for a girl a lot better than I do for a boy. Not sure why, just a personal preference.

 

 

 

"Could you do a post on names similar to popular names? (: "

 

 

Yes! I think that would be fun. :)

 

 

 

"I really like the name Hudson but I can't use it now b/c it's too popular where I live.. any other suggestions plzzz????"

 

 

Well, names that sound similar to Hudson are Holden, Hayden, Harrison. If you like the -son ending, Emerson, Ellison, Judson, Lawson, and Jenson are names that are less popular with that ending. Other surname-names in general that you might like: Weston, Maston, Sumner, Palmer, Siler, and Keaton.

 

 

 

That's it you guys! My birthday is Sunday so stay tuned for my birthday weekend celebration updates. And thanks for sticking with me readers through all this craziness. I appreciate you guys so much!

Introducing a new feature!

Again, I apologize for my lack of blogging. My stomach issues have been a major hindrance and add that with my homework load lately and you've got a Bad Blogger.


But I do have some exciting news!

Every Thursday from now on I will be doing a "Ask Anything Thursday" feature. You can message me on Facebook, DM me on Instagram, and I now have a Twitter account so you can tweet me at @kbcarvr. Also, if you'd like to not have your name included with your question you can contact me through the sidebar of this blog.


What can you ask me? Anything.

• My opinions on certain names
• My suggestions of names for you
• Certain blog post topics you'd like to see me write on
• Personal questions
• Literally, anything you want to know

On Thursdays I'll be answering them all in one post. I can't wait to get back to fully blogging, now that my digestive system is freeing me from it's tight grip, and I look forward to answering your questions! :)