Abercrombie

One of the (many) benefits to maintaining a baby name blog is that you can discover a naming style that you didn't even realise you loved until it reveals itself through the names that you feel inspired enough to write about. If you're a regular reader reader here at Baby Name Pondering you might already be able to tell what type of style I am referring to by today's chosen name, Abercrombie. Apparently it turns out I have a bit of a love affair with the preppy sounding surname name.

To address the elephant in the room up front, for Americans Abercrombie is so entwined with the clothing label Abercrombie and Fitch that it would take quite a brave person to use it. The label has often faced controversy, providing plenty of good reasons to avoid having your child forever associated with their brand. And indeed Abercrombie has never charted as a given name on the SSA lists. So US readers might want to pretend there's no such thing as Abercrombie and Fitch for a few minutes and look at this name with fresh eyes.

Like many surnames, Abercrombie (pronounced ab-err-CROM-bee) started as a place name. It comes from the Scottish Gaelic words aber meaning 'confluence' and crom meaning 'crooked', which gives it the meaning of 'confluence of rivers at a bend' or 'mouth of the bendy river'. The original Abercrombie is in Fife, Scotland, but other Abercrombies are also located in Nova Scotia, Alabama and North Dakota. There's also an Abercrombie Mountain in Washington, and Abercrombie River, Caves and National Park in New South Wales Australia, so there are plenty of places to be inspired by.

There are also several famous figures sporting the surname Abercrombie, such as:

• Governor of Hawaii Neil Abercrombie
• Scientist and politician Sir Charles Abercrombie-Smith
• British Fantasy writer Joe Abercrombie
• Australian Rugby players Gordon and Jim
• English actor Ian Abercrombie
• American Musician Jeff Abercrombie
• Sir Patrick Abercrombie, British town-planner instrumental in the re-development of post-war London

However there seems to be just one well known person bearing this as a first name - botanist Abercrombie Lawson, who was also a professor in the subject who taught at Stanford University, University of Glasgow and University of Sydney.

Yes indeed, Abercrombie would make for a very rare given name. I've seen a couple of people toying with it as a girls name with the nickname Abby, but this is one that I personally much prefer for a boy. Maybe because it has notes of boys name Ambrose.  It feels a little stronger and more solid than an Ambrose to my ears though. And obviously I like it's preppy feel.

Back to the clothing reference though. Much as I like Abercrombie and would like to think the American label doesn't have any impact in other countries, the fact is that it is iconic and recognisable almost worldwide. Making me think that true lovers of this name would be best using it in the middle position, and even then possibly only if it is a family name. Seems a shame.

Then again, Abernathy could be a viable alternative - a similar sound, origin and meaning without elitist connotations.......what do you think?

Alliterative Names

Ever noticed that all four of HBO's 'Girls' characters - Jessa Johansson, Marnie Michaels,
Hannah Horvath and Shoshanna Shapiro - all have alliterative names?

Alliterative names - first/middle/last names starting with the same letter/sound – is a subject that many people have strong feelings about. Some people love them, some hate them with a passion.

For those that hate them, there really only seems to be one argument against them. They are just too cutesy and "matchy-matchy". They just make it too hard to take a person seriously. These people actively avoid giving this type of name to their children.

Others love them for almost the same reason they are hated - because they are cute and snazzy sounding. This makes them fun, easier to remember and hence more memorable.

Being more memorable makes them perfect for celebrities, superheroes, wrestlers and fictional characters. J.K. Rowlings world of 'Harry Potter' is full of alliterative names. Just look at examples such as Luna Lovegood, Severus Snape, Dudley Dursley and Minerva McGonagall. And have you ever paid much attention to the founders of the four houses at Hogwarts? All four of them have alliterative names. HBO show 'Girls' is another example that may have slipped most peoples notice. All four of the lead characters also have alliterative names.

Popular comic book author Stan Lee is another writer with a preference for alliterative names, mainly as a way to help him remember the names of his own characters (such as Peter Parker, Bruce Banner etc). He wrote about so many that he sometimes had trouble keeping track of all them. They also work well when paired with a descriptor - hence we have Green Goblin, Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four. Other creators also use this to great effect. Think Big Bird, Pink Panther and Mickey Mouse. Would Mickey be as memorable if he were named Harvey Mouse? Probably not.

The memorable factor is also why many celebrities use alliterative names. We may think that they choose this, and some deliberately do, but many more are actually given alliterative names. Does this make it easier for them to reach stardom? Who knows. But some are plainly happy with their alliterative names, as some alliterative celebrities (Sylvester Stallone, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg) have continued the tradition with their own children.

And why not? One of my husbands' friends has an alliterative name, and he loves it. When his first child was born last year, their number one rule was that they also had to be given an alliterative name. He felt it was lucky and had served him well. I found it a little surprising when I first heard this, but I guess I hadn't really thought about it myself.

When I thought about it some more, I realised that both my husband and one of my brothers actually have alliterative names, and my other brother likes to go by a nickname that is also alliterative. In their cases it's not deliberate. So I guess there is something behind the thought that alliterative names are often just naturally catchy and attractive sounding. Some would argue that certain letters work better than others for these types of names. But whatever you think of them, I can almost guarantee that there are plenty of them out there that you never even noticed.

What do you think - catchy and cool, only OK in some cases, or just not to your taste? And if you're still undecided, here are some lists of just some of the many examples you may or may not have already noticed in the world around you to get you thinking.


Famous "Stage" Names

Adam Ant		Joan Jett		Robert Reed
Alan Alda		Loretta Lynn		Roy Rogers
Anouk Aimee		Lucy Lawless		Simone Signoret
Claudia Cardinale		Malcolm McDowell		Sissy Spacek
Coco Chanel		Amanda “Mandy” Moore		Susan Sarandon
Cyd Charisse		Marilyn Monroe		Suzanne Somers
Erik Estrada		Marisa Miller		(Richard) William “Wil” Wheaton
Greta Garbo		Priscilla Presley		(Thomas) Woodrow Wilson
Hulk Hogan		(Charles) Robert Redford

Famous Faces

Alfie Allen		Janis Joplin		Nick Nolte
Amy Adams		January Jones		Parker Posey
Armand Assante		Jesse James		Piper Perabo
Asia Argento		Karolina Kurkova		Rebecca Romijn
Benjamin Bratt		Kevin Kline		Rob Reiner
Brigitte Bardot		Kim, Kourtney & Khloe Kardashian		Robert Rodriguez
Charisma Carpenter		Kris Kristofferson		Ron Rifkin
Charles “Charlie” Chaplin		Laura Linney		Ronald Reagan
Chris Columbus		Leona Louise Lewis		Ryan Rodney Reynolds
Colbie Caillat		Lindsay Lohan		Sarah Silverman
Courtney Cox		Logan Lerman		Scott Speedman
Daniel Day-Lewis		Lucy Liu		Sharon Stone
Danny DeVito		Matthew Morrison		Steven Seagal
Emilio Estevez		Maureen McCormick		Steven Spielberg
Farrah Fawcett		Melissa McCarthy		Steven Soderberg
Holly Hunter		Michael McMillian		Sylvester Stallone
Howard Hughes		Michelle Monaghan		William Wallace
Janet Jackson		Mike Myers		William Windsor

Famous Offspring

Archibald & Abel Arnett		Hannah & Harper Hader
Bear Blu Jarecki		Harper Harris
Benjamin Brady		Hayley Hasselhoff
Billie Beatrice & Georgia Geraldine Dane		Henry Hornsby
Bingham Bellamy		Jesse Johnson
Brooklyn Beckham		Liberty Lawrence
Buddy Bear Oliver		Maggie McGraw
Camden Cutler		Memphis Mosberg
Caroline Couric Monahan		Mitchell Murphy
Cayden Costner		Mosley Manning
Connor Cruise		Racer, Rebel & Rocket Rodriguez
Dallas Durst		Rocco & Rafael Ritchie
Dylan Douglas		Ryder Robinson
Exton Elias Downey		Sage, Seargeoh, Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet Stallone
Fiona Facinelli		Sasha & Sawyer Spielberg
Grace Gummer		Taj Tyler
Greer Grammer		Tennessee Toth

Fictional Figures

Artie Abrams		Helga Hufflepuff		Pepper Potts
Bastian Balthasar Bux		Honor Harrington		Peter Pan
Betty Boop		Horatio Hornblower		Peter Parker
Bilbo Baggins		Huckleberry Hound		Peter Petrelli
Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe		J. Jonah Jameson		Pink Panther
Bobby Brady		Jane & Judy Jetson		Reed Richards
Bruce Banner		Jessa Johansson		Ricky Ricardo
Bugs Bunny		Junie Jones		Roger Rabbit
Carl Conrad Coreander		Kathleen Kelly		Rowena Ravenclaw
Charlie Chan		King Kong		Salazar Slytherin
Cordelia Chase		Lex Luthor		Sansa Stark
Daffy Duck		Locke Lamora		Scott Summers
Donald Duck		Lois Lane		Severus Snape
Elizabeth Elliot		Luna Lovegood		Seymour Skinner
Fleur Forsyte		Mae Mobley		Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield
Franky Fitzgerald		Marnie Michaels		Shoshanna Shapiro
Fred Flintstone		Marty McFly		Steffan Salvatore
Gabriel Gray		Michael Myers		Strawberry Shortcake
Gil Grissom		Mickey & Minnie Mouse		Sue Sylvester
Godric Gryffindor		Ned Nickerson		Tom Tucker
Hank Hill		Olive Oyl		Tricia Takanawa
Hannah Horvath		Peppa Pig		Willy Wonka

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.