Interesting local article on baby names

(cross posted to misc.kids and misc.kids.pregnancy)

Given the recent discussion on misc.kids on Names in Preschool, I
thought you all might enjoy this. This is a report that my hometown
paper does every year on the babies born at the main hospital in the
area. This is from a mostly rural community in Idaho. Lucky me, I
have an Ethan that is 5 1/2. I always tell DH that we started
something because it wasn't near this popular in Idaho 5 years ago.

~ Sher, due with boy #3 on Saturday


UP FRONT/COMMENTARY: A.L. ALFORD JR. ... For the boys, it was a
definite winner

Alford is the Tribune's editor and publisher.

It was decisive for the boys.

Ethan was the most popular baby name for boys in the last year in the
11th annual Lewiston Morning Tribune Stork Report.

For the girls, well, it wasn't that easy. For the first time, four
names were tied as being the most popular: Emma, Emily, Madison and
Taylor. (In only one other year, the first in 1993, more than one name
was the most popular, with a tie between Ashley and Jessica.)

Ethan replaces Dylan as the boys' most popular name. Dylan was No. 1
in both 2002 and 2001. Emma, Emily, Madison and Taylor replace
Madison, the solo 2002 champion.

By national standards, Ethan was popular, too, being the ninth
favorite name. It was preceded by No. 1 Matthew and then in order by
Nicholas, Jacob, Ryan, Michael, Andrew, Joseph and Zachary.

Throughout the United States, Emily was the most popular girl's name
last year, followed by Lauren, Emma, Olivia, Abigail, Sarah, Hannah,
Grace, Samantha and Megan in the top 10. Madison and Taylor, popular
here, were not in the top 24 nationally.

The Stork Report is based on births for the 12 months through midyear
at Lewiston's St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. It's a fair
representation of baby names from throughout the Inland Northwest.

The number of named babies through midyear, as published in the
Lewiston Tribune, was 692, an increase of 3.8 percent from 667 in the
prior year. The records in the 11-year period? It was 701 in 1999 and
a low of 644 in 1998. The 692 births are an average of 1.9 per day on
St. Joseph's third floor.

For the seventh time in 11 years, more girls were born than boys.
Barely. The girls' birth number was 349, or 50.4 percent, versus 343
boys, 49.6 percent.

The top 10 boys names in the last year (and, in parentheses, the
name's popularity nationally, if in the top 20): 1. Ethan (9), used 12
times; 2. Dylan (22), including one spelling of Dillon, eight times;
3. Cole (not ranked) and Ryan (4), seven times each; 5. Jayden (not
ranked), including spellings of Jaiden, Jaden and Jaeden), six times;
6. Brayden (not ranked), including a spelling of Braden, Connor (17),
including one Conner, Isaiah (not ranked), including Isaiha and
Isaigh, Michael (5), William (10) and Ian (not ranked), including one
spelling of Ean, five times each.

The top 10 girls names we 1. Emma (3), with one spelling of Ema,
Emily (1), with one spelling of Emilee, Madison (not ranked), with
spellings of Madyson and Madysen and Taylor (not ranked), six times
each; 5. Hailey (not ranked), with one Haleigh, Megan (10), with one
spelling of Meigen, Olivia (4) and Samantha (9), five times; and 9.
Allison (21), including one Alison and one Allisyn, Alexandria (19),
with one Alexsandra, Cassandra (not ranked), including one Kasaundra,
Gabriel (not ranked), with one spelling of Gabrielle, and Isabell (not
ranked), including single spellings of Isabel and Izabelle, four times
each.

Honorable mention in boy names went to Issac, Keaton, Matthew and
Zachary.

For girls, the next most popular were Alyssa, Destiny, Elizabeth,
Madeline and Riley.

No sets of twins were born, quite a turnaround from the prior year's
seven sets of twins.

As always, parents showed creativity with names.

Among the boys were Aslyn, Calek, Chutuk, Declan, Jeryk, Lestat,
Misael, Ryle, Spender, Tamahsat, Xicigu and Yovane.

Creative girls names included Ashauntay, Aliyah, Averyauna, Brentiyah,
Dawnieshia, Jenalyne, Kaiah, Keauna, Nevaeh and Navaeh, Nikomis,
Sancia, Sakin, Tiersa and Vernis.

As always, there were unusual spellings to my eyes: For boys, Damyen,
Grayedn, Kaelub, Ostin and Zakary. For girls, Aaliah, Alyzae, Camrynn,
Ellayna, Ellyxis, Jewl and Madysen.

Boys and girls share some names, too, respectively: Alex and Alix,
Cameron and Camrynn or Kamryn, Dominic and Domique, Jaiden (for both)
and Jordan and Jordyn.

Favorite names with a western flavor? For boys, Cody, Hunter, Logan,
Levi and Roan. For girls, Breeze, Destiny, Rain and Talon.

What were the most popular names in Washington state? They were Jacob,
Luke, Samuel, Jack and Joseph, and Emily, Lauren, Hannah, Abigail and
Emma. In Idaho? They were Nicholas, Andrew, Cooper, Lucas and Adam,
and Amber, Chloe, Hannah, Adeline and Emma.

For the 11th consecutive year, we had no Tom, Dick or Harry names.
There was one Tom (well, Tommy).

Tribune Librarian Phyllis Collins was pleased with Ethan being the
most popular boy name.

She reported: "A survey conducted by librarian Phyllis Collins, with
extreme prejudice and bias, shows that my nephew, Ethan Ryan Watkins,
born on my birthday, May 7, to parents Shawn and Heather Watkins, is
without a doubt the cutest baby born in Lewiston in 2003."

There's no argument from this corner. Case closed.

As always, parents showed creativity with names.

Among the boys were Aslyn, Calek, Chutuk, Declan, Jeryk, Lestat,
Misael, Ryle, Spender, Tamahsat, Xicigu and Yovane.

Creative girls names included Ashauntay, Aliyah, Averyauna, Brentiyah,
Dawnieshia, Jenalyne, Kaiah, Keauna, Nevaeh and Navaeh, Nikomis,
Sancia, Sakin, Tiersa and Vernis.

As always, there were unusual spellings to my eyes: For boys, Damyen,
Grayedn, Kaelub, Ostin and Zakary. For girls, Aaliah, Alyzae, Camrynn,
Ellayna, Ellyxis, Jewl and Madysen.

Boys and girls share some names, too, respectively: Alex and Alix,
Cameron and Camrynn or Kamryn, Dominic and Domique, Jaiden (for both)
and Jordan and Jordyn.

I hope these parents were picked up for child cruelty. Gimme a break!


Tribune Librarian Phyllis Collins was pleased with Ethan being the
most popular boy name.

She reported: "A survey conducted by librarian Phyllis Collins, with
extreme prejudice and bias, shows that my nephew, Ethan Ryan Watkins,
born on my birthday, May 7, to parents Shawn and Heather Watkins, is
without a doubt the cutest baby born in Lewiston in 2003."

There's no argument from this corner. Case closed.

Very cute

In ,
sher wrote:

*Among the boys were Aslyn, Calek, Chutuk, Declan, Jeryk, Lestat,
*Misael, Ryle, Spender, Tamahsat, Xicigu and Yovane.

I'm sure this is a perfectly normal acceptable name in some places and
cultures, but - Jeryk is going to be taunted if he goes to an American
school. Jeryk the Jerk. Poor kid. And Lestat had better stay home on
Halloween!

h.
--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

"Hillary Israeli" wrote in message
...
In ,
sher wrote:

*Among the boys were Aslyn, Calek, Chutuk, Declan, Jeryk, Lestat,
*Misael, Ryle, Spender, Tamahsat, Xicigu and Yovane.

I'm sure this is a perfectly normal acceptable name in some places and
cultures, but - Jeryk is going to be taunted if he goes to an American
school. Jeryk the Jerk. Poor kid. And Lestat had better stay home on
Halloween!

I'm imagining the poor teachers trying to call the roll on future first days
of school-better hope some of these parents decide to homeschool! (Or
include phonetic pronounciation guidelines on their child's registration
form!). How do you pronounce Xicigu, anyway?

h.
--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

"Donna Metler" wrote in message
...
How do you pronounce Xicigu, anyway?

I don't know how to say it, but it looks like the name of a Pokemon
character...
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [18mo] mom)
See us at http://photos.yahoo.com/guavaln

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
"No parking passed this sign" -- hotel parking lot sign

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a
fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman

In misc.kids Donna Metler wrote:
I'm imagining the poor teachers trying to call the roll on future first days
of school-better hope some of these parents decide to homeschool! (Or
include phonetic pronounciation guidelines on their child's registration
form!). How do you pronounce Xicigu, anyway?

My mother's name is unpronounceable and she finds it to be a nice feature
- vets people on the phone. Anyone who knows her knows how to pronounce
her name. Anyone who doesn't is instantly identified. (She picked this
name as an adult using numerology and alphabet soup, as I recall, so no
one inflicted it upon her besides herself.)

My SIL has a common last name - think "Smith". She specifically wanted
names for her children that were unique spellings so the children's names
would be both memorable and unique. I didn't care for the concept of
saddling kids with names that cannot be spelled by anyone ever, but I
acknowledge her reasoning and it was just a reminder that we each value
different things. This SIL is turning out to be an excellent mother and
she gets that way by following her heart and instincts, so I feel like I
was wrong to dislike the names originally. (And I certainly love the kids
and know them well enough to think their names are normal - for them -
now.)

Wendy

sher wrote:
(cross posted to misc.kids and misc.kids.pregnancy)

As always, parents showed creativity with names.

Among the boys were Aslyn, Calek, Chutuk, Declan, Jeryk, Lestat,
Misael, Ryle, Spender, Tamahsat, Xicigu and Yovane.



Lestat? Does he have an older brother, Dracula?

Clisby

In ,
Donna Metler wrote:

*
*"Hillary Israeli" wrote in message
...
* In ,
* sher wrote:
*
* *Among the boys were Aslyn, Calek, Chutuk, Declan, Jeryk, Lestat,
* *Misael, Ryle, Spender, Tamahsat, Xicigu and Yovane.
*
* I'm sure this is a perfectly normal acceptable name in some places and
* cultures, but - Jeryk is going to be taunted if he goes to an American
* school. Jeryk the Jerk. Poor kid. And Lestat had better stay home on
* Halloween!
*
*I'm imagining the poor teachers trying to call the roll on future first days
*of school-better hope some of these parents decide to homeschool! (Or
*include phonetic pronounciation guidelines on their child's registration
*form!). How do you pronounce Xicigu, anyway?

The pronunciation thing doesn't bug me as much for some reason. Ever since
a high school teacher of mine called a classmate "Joe-ACK-win," (the kid's
name was Joaquin, you know, wah-KEEN), I have kind of just figured that no
matter what name you use, someone will screw it up.

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

(sher) wrote:
UP FRONT/COMMENTARY: A.L. ALFORD JR. ...
As always, parents showed creativity with names.

Among the boys were ... Declan ...

I don't know about any of the other names, but I understand Declan is a
perfectly ordinary Irish name. The rock musician "Elvis Costello" is
actaully named "Declan P.A. Macmanus" and he's close on to 50 years old.
(Born in 1955.)
--
-- Vicki
Married DH May 21, 1995
Ima shel DS, born 11/16/99; and DD, born 5/19/02.
"Stay-at-home" Ima since October 2002.
An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. -Spanish proverb
I may not currently be pregnant, but I look pregnant, does that count?

Vicki S wrote:

(sher) wrote:
UP FRONT/COMMENTARY: A.L. ALFORD JR. ...
As always, parents showed creativity with names.

Among the boys were ... Declan ...

I don't know about any of the other names, but I understand Declan is a
perfectly ordinary Irish name. The rock musician "Elvis Costello" is
actaully named "Declan P.A. Macmanus" and he's close on to 50 years old.
(Born in 1955.)

I had a Declan on my swim team when I was coaching c 1976. He was Irish
(northern). His mom had a wonderful accent. He had a brother who also had
an uncommon name. Both of them were behavior problems.

When I was teaching (20 years ago or so) I had a Tange (it was pronounced
Tan-Ja like in tangerine), and a Lolita. (Both black girls-Tange - not
sure of the spelling- got called Tanya a lot and she would go off if that
happened.)

My niece has named her girls Taylor and Madison.

In our family, it has always been common to name children with their mom's
(or grandmom's) maiden names. So we have children with first or middle
names of Hewett, Carson, Ross, Anderson, Hicks, Harris, Baptist, DeGruchy
Littlejohn, Earl, Rogers, Barrington and Beasley which were all originally
someone's last name.

grandma Rosalie