of names that is. I realize this entire post is really premature considering that we haven't even finished this cycle yet. However as usual, I like to think ahead.
Gabriella (or the Spanish version Gabriela) has been my top baby girl name for the past oh 4 years or so. However I've discovered that it is moving way too fast up the popular baby names list in the good old USA. It was at like #100 five years ago and now it's at #35!! Please say it isn't so! At that rate it could be in the top 15 in no time flat. In fact Eggchick's beautiful toddler daughter's name is Gabriella. At first I thought it was a sign that we picked the right donor, but now I think it's just that Gabriella is a common name. I do know that it was already common in Spanish speaking countries.
I have a major aversion to naming my baby a name like everyone else. My sister Kerry is still heartbroken that her daughter Emma has a name that when she named her 13.5 years ago wasn't all that popular - but is now the #1 baby girl name. I know at least a dozen Emma's born in the past 3 years (sorry Lynette I do love the name, but just wish every other kid wasn't named Emma). I really like my name Kelly, however growing up there were a dozen other Kelly's in my class and they all had last names starting with "S" (my maiden name starts with S). It bugged me to hear "Hey Kelly" and 5 of us would turn around in the hallway. I don't want that for my children. I want them to have unique names, but not weird ones.
Therefore Gabriella may be retired from the list. We'll see. I have a long time to think about it even if this cycle works and I get pregnant. Plus I could have a boy or boys, so it may not even matter.
Other girl names that I like are Adriana and Valeria (pronounced sort of like Malaria but with a V (not really, but most Americans can't get the true Italian pronunciation so Malaria is close enough), but they are also moving up in popularity. Oh what to do. Eurydice I may need your help with some other Italian baby name ideas!
8 comments:
Baby names are so fun to think about!!! Mike and I used to love Isabella or Isabel but now it's ALL over the place too...sigh. Oh well!
I agree, I don't want my child to have a super common name. Lately we've been thinking about Marianna!
Obviously this is very premature for us to think about too...ha ha! But at least you're in the midst of your cycle so it's not so premature for you!
Your weekend sounded so fun! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hugs!
Oh yeah, that would be pronounced Mary-ah-na! Not like the typical name Anna!
Names...what a PIA! It's all about perspective :-) Having a name that constantly had to be repeated (Annette, Nanette, etc.) and spelled predisposed me to have more "common" names.
We did have a huge debate with Emma, in fact she was almost Paige, but in the end, decided we liked the name enough to get over the fact that there might be 5 kids in her class with it :-)
With Lauren, it wasn't all that popular at the time and she still ended up with 3 in her class. We decided the whole thing was kind of a crap shoot!
And frankly, it's hard to come up with two names you both love at once...and we only wanted two syllable names since we already had Lauren and decided on Megan.
So, hat's off to you for thinking about it early and you'd better have more than one name picked because you never know :-)
Emma was also on my list 6 years ago. And then rachel on 'friends' named her baby that and wham. it was on the top ten. And then the girl who sits next to me, and 10 weeks more pregnant than me, declared it her name. So I backed up the M one letter to L and Ella was it. :)
I don't blame you for wanting unique names for your children. I feel the same way. I work in a school and there are repeat names in every class. There are lots of "ella" names too - Gabriella, Isabella, Bella, and Ellie to name a few. I come from a big family so it will be hard coming up with new names that haven't already been used!
Oh the pressure!!!
You can make it easy and do what a lot of old-time Italians did and just name their kids in ordinal numbers: Primo, Secondo...Quinto etc.. but then, they did that cuz they had like a gazillion kids.
I think the old Italian names are funky like Generoso (generous), Benedetto or Benedetta (blessed), Felice "fay-lee-chay" (happy) ...
But basically, Italians usually name their kids after saints so they're ALL called Francesco, Paolo, Alessandro, Pietro, Maria, Elisabetta....
some new popular names now are Flavia (think roman empire), Rocco, Emily, Christian, Stella, Viola...
I like Benedetta, Elena...
you can try this site:
http://www.bimbonaturale.org/node/263
It even gives you the "onomastico" -- the name day celebration!
Oh, go with it! As a teacher I hear it all and even have had some names ruined for me because of the association with a bad ass kid! I've had a few Gabriellas in the past few years, but most use Gabby. (or Gaby).
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