Azlynn

Valerie Azlynn 

I wasn't really aware of who Valerie Azlynn was until I saw her last week on 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' (obviously I don't watch her current show 'Sullivan & Son'). While her first name itself is a pretty and underused, during this appearance it was Valerie's surname that stood out to me more, mainly because they specifically discussed it. She chose Azlynn as a re-spelling of her actual last name - Asselin - to get rid of the pesky Ass in her name. It's definitely easy to understand why you wouldn't want to be thought of as that Ass girl when you go for auditions (or even ordinary job interviews).

It also struck me though that Azlynn is the type of name that has a lot of appeal as a first name. It's not too out there or weird, but it's just different enough to stand out in a crowd. The Lynn makes it girly and familiar, while the "Z" gives it a little bit of a cool and modern edge. And it's just the type of name that is popping up on the charts all over the place.

So it shouldn't really be surprising that some people have already cottoned on to this name. In the U.S., Azlynn first charted in 1992, then again in 1997, and it has been present every year since then. In 1992 it was bestowed on just 7 girls. In 2012, 80 baby girls were called Azlynn, so it's a name slowly on the rise. It's highly possible that in 10 years time it will be in the top 1000, at which point we'll all be wondering where this pretty little name came from.

Which is a good question. The best theory is that it is a somewhat phonetic variation of Aislinn. Yes, Aislinn comes from Aisling and is therefore meant to be pronounced Ash-lynn. But it's not hard to see how people would see the spelling Aislinn and think it should be Ays-lynn and then make the short leap to Azlynn. It's almost as if people were inspired by the original to come up with a new name, rather than simply butchering the original. Although I'm sure not everyone will feel the same way!

One possible hiccup to be aware of if choosing this name is pronunciation. Valerie pronounces it AZ-lynn, but I have seen people lean to AYZ-lynn or even As-LAN (like the lion leader of Narnia) at a stretch. The other one is that some people do feel it is "ugly" because it is "made up".

On the other hand though, I've seen it described on different forums as sweet, magical, romantic, feminine and pretty. Plus if we assume that the origin is actually Aislinn then the meaning of Azlynn would be 'fantasy, dream, vision'. Which is just as pretty and fantasy-like as the name itself - an image that most parents would be happy to have associated with their little girl. This could be a great name if you're after something different and modern, but one that is attractive enough people to be on the charts for quite a while to come.