Birth announcement: Benedict Jude!

sanctanomina Birth announcement , ,

I did a private consultation for Shelby and her husband a few months ago, and I’m excited to share that her baby boy has arrived and been given the fantastic name … Benedict Jude!

Shelby writes,

“Your consultation was so helpful; after reflecting on it, we just fell more in love with the name Benedict and felt more comfortable gifting him that robust Catholic name! I’ve been calling him Benedict and Benny (*swoon*) lots…..and my husband and oldest daughter have been using Bennett…….it will be interesting to see what sticks. We love all the name in all its variations🙂 

Jude was the perfect middle name to ‘lighten’ the name a bit, pay tribute to a special Saint to us, and use a name that we love.”

Benedict is SO handsome, with so much faith significance!, and I love how Shelby said Jude “lightened up” the name Benedict — I think that’s a great way to put it! I’m swooning right along with her over nicknames Benny and Bennett … I love all of this!

Congratulations to Shelby and her husband and big sisters Emelia and Felicity, and happy birthday Baby Benedict!!

Benedict Jude

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

Spotlight on: Ferris

sanctanomina Spotlight , ,

Good morning, everyone! I’m so happy it’s Friday!

I received a thrilling email recently, because it contained name info that I never knew! I absolutely love being surprised by a name or by name info, and the tidbit this mama shared with me is one that’s been dancing around in my head ever since. She wrote,

“I also wanted to tell you, my oldest child and only boy is named Ferris. We liked the name but we were also considering Peter after my husband’s father, and then in a bookstore we said oh why not look up Ferris one more time in a baby name book, and saw ‘Ferris, a form of Peter’. It is so special to us! So if you have any boys looking to honor a Peter without using the exact name, there you go.”

What is this??!! I thought to myself! FERRIS is a form of PETER?? Well, of course I had to go look it up immediately, and it took some digging (Behind the Name only has a user-submitted entry, which notes that it’s a surname with English, Irish, and Scottish usage, but doesn’t offer any further info other than it might also be related to Fergus), but I did eventually find this from a new-to-me site, Think Baby Names:

“Ferris as a boys’ name is of Irish and Gaelic origin, and the meaning of Ferris is ‘rock’. Anglicized spelling of Phiarais, of Piaras, a Gaelic form of Peter. May also come from a surname, originally a form of Fergus. See Hamish for a similar derivation from a vocative. Brought to attention in the 1980s by the movie ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off‘.”

You know how wary I am of almost all baby name-meaning sites, but I was impressed with the Think Baby Names entry, and found confirmation of the connection in Irish Names and Surnames by Rev. Patrick Woulfe (available online at Library Ireland):

“… the family being probably descended from a person called Ferris O’Helie (Pierce Healy)” (source)

and

“Mac PHIARAIS — M’Fearis, Mac Feerish; ‘son of Piers’; a variant of Mac Piarais; very rare” (source)

There’s also a street in Ireland called “Corrán Fhearann Phiarais” in Irish and anglicized as “Farranferris Crescent” (“Fhearann Phiarais” becoming “Farranferris”).

Isn’t that all so cool! So, like the mama who wrote to me said, if you have any boys looking to honor a Peter without using the exact name, there you go. Have a great weekend!

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

Baby name consultation: Some really fun name rules (hopes) for baby no. 5

sanctanomina Baby name consultant , , ,

Happy All Hallow’s Eve’s Eve, everyone!

Today’s consultation is for a little green bean (= gender unknown🌱) due on Holy Thursday — the family’s fifth baby. Before sharing big siblings’ names, you should know that Mama Tricia wrote, “We love all our children to have a family name, patron Saint, and title of Mary in their name” — I’m amazed at how well she and her hubby did especially with the title of Mary! Check out these beautiful names:

Noah Samuel William (“Our Lady Queen of Patriarchs is the Marian title, St. William is patron, Samuel is the family name“) 

Maria Joy (“Marie is heavy family name, Joy is a play on her dad’s name Roy. Patron Saint is Maria Goretti and Our Lady Cause of Our Joy“)

Adam James (“Adam was the middle name of my brother who died as an infant, patron St. James the greater. My husband proposed on his feast day and hiking the Camino was a really moving experience for me. Title of Mary is Our Lady Queen of Apostles“)

Martha Lily (“Martha is my grandmother’s name and confirmation Saint. Lily is a name I’ve always loved and St. Joseph is my husband’s confirmation Saint. Her patrons are St. Martha and St. Joseph, and Our Lady Most Pure“)

What do you think of these names?? Aren’t the Marian title just amazing?? I love them all!!

I also want to point out, in case it’s helpful to anyone who might be considering these names for their own babies, that Maria goes by Mia sometimes within the family, and Martha goes by Millie sometimes within the family, as a mashup of Martha and Lily. I love those!

Tricia continues,

“Holy Thursday is my favorite liturgy — I was so happy to hear it would be our new child’s due date. There are so many feasts around that time too! I am open to naming the child something related to the day they are born, if indeed they come on the Annunciation, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter!” 

Names they can’t use include:

  • Aubrey 
  • Clark
  • Cecilia 
  • Juliette 
  • Miles 


Names they like for girls:

  • Agnes (“esp for an Easter girl“)
  • Dolores (“esp for a Good Friday girl, probably call her Della, but my husband doesn’t like it“)
  • Anna 
  • Monica 
  • Catharine “Kate”
  • Greta 
  • “I love Matilda and Gloria, but my husband says no“
  • “He likes Avila and Zelie, beautiful names but I’m worried about everyone always mispronouncing“

Girl middle names:

  • Felicity 
  • Sage (“seat of wisdom“) 
  • Pieta (“esp for Good Friday“) 
  • Ann (“my middle name“) 
  • June (“my mom’s middle name, maybe Immaculate Heart as title of Mary“) 
  • Fiat (“if bday is March 25?“) 

Names they like for boys:

  • Gabriel (“esp for March 25 bday“) 
  • John (“prob front runner, his dad’s name, lots of great Saints, James and John were brothers“) 
  • Luke (“I have always loved Our Lady of Częstochowa“)
  • Judah 
  • David 
  • Ambrose “Bo”
  • Maybe Pascal “Cal” (“for a Holy Thursday boy“) 

Also, some family names that could work include:

  • Theresa June (“my mom“)
  • Krista Lynn (“his mom“)
  • Gregory Michael (“my late father who I love so dearly, definitely think of honoring him but my brother is also a Greg and my nephew is Miles Gregory after him …”) 
  • John Samuel (“his dad“)

Tricia also wrote,

“I’d love more ideas especially with possible holy day birthdays, maybe what your favorites are?” 

Just to reiterate, in case you didn’t catch my enthusiasm above (!), I am just really impressed with how Tricia and her hubby worked a family name, a patron Saint, and a title of Mary into each of their children’s names. I love “Queen of Patriarchs” for Noah; Adam James is very handsome, and I love the family connection to Tricia’s brother; I’m also kind of blown away by their girls’ names: Maria Joy and Martha Lily are unexpected combinations to me, and I LOVE them! So lovely!

I wanted to offer some thoughts on the names they like, in case they find them helpful:

  • Agnes: Considering Noah, Maria, and Adam, I wouldn’t have thought of Tricia as liking “old lady” names (said with the utmost respect), but then with Martha, Agnes makes sense to me! Because of the baby being due on Holy Thursday, I thought of how one of you readers once told me you like the combo “Agnes Daisy” because it sounds like “Agnus Dei” — I thought it might be the perfect idea for this family! Daisy is a traditional nickname for Margaret, which derives from the Latin word for “pearl” (margarita), but its French form, Marguerite, is the same as the French word for the daisy flower (hence the traditional nickname Daisy). So there are a few layers of meaning in the middle name Daisy! It could work as the “title of Mary” element: as I wrote in my book of Marian names,

“The common daisy flower (Bellis perennis) has also been known as Mary’s flower or Mary-Loves, and the oxeye daisy (chrysanthemum leucanthemum) has also been known as Mary’s Star.”

Additionally, since Daisy is connected to Margaret, and Margaret means “pearl,” Tricia might also like this bit from the “Pearl” entry in my book:

“Though Pearl is a variant of Margaret, since Margaret means “pearl” (Latin: margarita), Pearl can take its place as a Marian name through the fact that Our Lady is referred to as ‘Pearl of Virgins’ in the Litany of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows.”

The connection to Our Lady of Sorrows can also be appropriate for this baby based on the due date, since the last four are connected to Jesus’ Passion and Death (The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross; the Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross; the Descent from the Cross, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms; the Burial of Jesus).

  • Dolores: this is in keeping with the older feel of Martha and Agnes, and Tricia’s planned nickname of Della is darling! That said, I’m a big fan of finding names that both mom and dad like, so my advice would be for them to shelve this one for now since her hubby doesn’t like it (though it is perfect for a Good Friday baby!)
  • Anna: I love the name Anna! It’s one of my very favorites BUT — they already have Adam, and I’m going to propose some additional A names below that I like better for them than Anna, so my vote is to either cross Anna off the list entirely, or consider a related/soundalike/nickname-connected name like Susanna or Hannah. I have seven boys, and for all of them, if they’d been a girl, our chosen name was Susanna. We intended to use Anna for a nickname, which Tricia and her hubby might like as well! Hannah is another great option — it’s the same name as Anna etymologically-speaking, and gives them a different initial from Adam with nearly the same sound as Anna; it can also honor Tricia as an Ann name, since Ann is her middle name. I like that both Susanna and Hannah are Old Testament names like Noah and Adam, too.
  • Monica: Monica also has that older feel, and I do love it, but I’m also thinking of their Maria and Martha and how adding Monica to the mix is really M-heavy.
  • Catharine/Kate: How could I not love this name, with my own name being Katherine/Kate?! It’s a great option, and so timeless — it fits right in with the older names Tricia likes, and Kate is specifically a style match for Adam.
  • Greta: This was one of the reasons I thought of Daisy as a middle name for Agnes! I love Greta — it’s one of my favorites of the Margaret names, and it, too, has that older feel. I gave a lot of thought to how Tricia could honor her dad, Gregory Michael, and I think she could consider Greta to be for him, given that they both begin with “Gre.” If she did something like Greta Michaela or Greta Michelle, that could really hammer home the point.
  • Matilda and Gloria: Tricia’s style is so clear!
  • Avila and Zelie: I see these names a lot with the families I work with — I think of them as “new favorites” among Catholic families, while still being traditional names with solid, saintly history and usage. If Tricia’s concern is solely related to pronunciation, I would be inclined to advise her not to worry too much about that — Zelie especially is becoming more and more common (I wrote about it several years ago; as an added data point, my 9yo has a girl in his class named Xaylie). It is true that the names Tricia likes are ones that generally won’t be mispronounced, so I can see why the possibility of mispronunciations might bother her. At the same time, so many “normal” names have the possibility of being mispronounced — Madeline and Caroline can be said to rhyme with “lynn” or “line”; I’ve seen some people think Sean is pronounced like “seen”; even Maria is said like Mariah sometimes in England — and I always tell parents to just be firm and consistent with correcting people and teach their children to be as well.
  • The middle name ideas: I love all of these! I find it especially fun to discover that someone has a middle name that’s unexpected, which these parents have done with Joy and Lily, and their middle name list is similar! To me, unexpected middle names are the ones that don’t follow the traditional path of names like Marie, Rose, and Grace, which have been incredibly common for girls (for a reason — they’re incredibly beautiful!). I also like when currently popular first names are used as middle names, like they did with Martha Lily. That particular point made me think to suggest Sophie or Sophia as an addition to their middle name list, since, like Sage, they also mean “wisdom.”
  • Gabriel: Because Tricia doesn’t like the possibility of mispronounced names, I feel like I have to share that I know a Gabriel who frequently has to deal with people (doctor offices, for example) thinking his name is pronounced like “Gabrielle” (which I know is legit as the Spanish pronunciation, but he uses the English pronunciation and lives in a predominantly English-speaking area). I’m always surprised by that — I would never have thought that Gabriel was a difficult or unfamiliar name, given that it’s biblical and all! I would imagine this would be a dealbreaker for Tricia, so my suggestion is to make it a middle name. I particularly like it with John — John Gabriel is so handsome! Especially for a March 25 baby, like she said.
  • John: I think of John as one of those names that can take a bigger/more unusual/out-there middle name, which, as I’ve mentioned a few times already, I love! Johnny and Jack are great nickname options, too.
  • Luke: I love how Marian Luke is, not only his connection to the various images of Our Lady with the Child Jesus (Our Lady of Częstochowa as Tricia mentioned; Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a particular devotion of the Redemptorist Order, which founded my parish; etc.), but also that his gospel is the most Marian and contains her beautiful Magnificat.
  • Judah: I do love Judah — the sound, the “h” on the end, all of it — BUT I do think that its similarity to Judas might be a little too much for a Holy Week baby? Especially Holy Thursday?
  • David: I loved discovering that “Tower of David” is one of Our Lady’s titles! David also fits in really nicely with the Old Testament-ness of Noah and Adam. My older boys have a friend who has always gone by Davy, even now as a high school junior — I love, love Davy! So sweet!
  • Ambrose/Bo: You are speaking my language! We had Ambrose on our list of possibilities, and coming up with nickname ideas was one of my favorite things. Bo was definitely one of them! I also thought of Sam, Bram, and Brody (especially if paired with a “D” middle name, like Ambrose David). However, Tricia and her husband have a definitely style going on with their older kids, and the more unusual names on their list seem better suited to middle names I think. Again, I’ll go back to John: John Ambrose is incredible! They could even still do Bo as a nickname if they want (one of my boys goes exclusively by a nickname of his middle name and it hasn’t been a problem at all).
  • Pascal/Cal: Another awesome name that was on my own list! And I LOVE Cal! John Pascal (or similar) would be my preference for this family for the reasons I mentioned above, and would be really great for an Easter baby.

Tricia also gave a list of family members they’d like to honor if possible — I had a couple thoughts that I thought might be helpful:

  • Theresa June: I love both Theresa and June! They’d both be lovely for a girl. Junia is a biblical name — I wonder if that would appeal to Tricia in honor of her mom?
  • Krista Lynn: I was thinking that Kristopher could be a great middle name to honor Tricia’s mother-in-law! Maybe John Kristopher?
  • Gregory Michael: I had mentioned Greta above as a possible way to nod to Tricia’s dad; I also wanted to point out that the name Greer is derived from Gregory. I don’t think Greer is this family’s style, but maybe as a middle name?
  • John Samuel: John as a first or middle is great!

Okay, on to new ideas! I did my usual research, looking up in the Baby Name Wizard (affiliate link) the names they’ve already used and those they like as it lists, for each entry, boy and girl names that are similar in terms of style/feel/popularity. I also considered details of Holy Thursday that might offer some inspiration. Based on all that, these are my ideas:

Girl

(1) Abigail

Abigail is a style match for this family according to the BNW, but what originally inspired me to add it to the list was that Holy Thursday is when Jesus instituted the priesthood, and Abby is similar to Abbey and Abbott, which can be considered priest-y!

(2) Olive

Olive has that “older” feel of so many of the names Tricia likes, and was also inspired by Jesus going to the Mount of Olives on Holy Thursday night.

(3) Carmel or Carmen

These names were my attempt at finding a name similar to Avila and Zelie but without the pronunciation issues that Tricia’s worried about. Carmel is a holy place name like Avila, and has, to me, an “older generation” feel (I know an older lady named Carmel); Carmen is a variant of Carmel, if they prefer that form more. A bonus is that these names can be related to Holy Thursday, too! They mean “garden,” which calls to mind Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. I really like this idea for them.

(4) Mandy

This is inspired by Holy Thursday’s alternate and old name of Maundy Thursday; “Maundy” derives from the word mandatum and refers to Jesus’ words from Holy Thursday: “I give you a new commandment.” Mandy can be a reasonable nod to it, right? Mandy is one of those sweet nicknames that always feels so affectionate to me! I have a friend named Mary Angeline who goes by Mandy — I would love to suggest that here, except that they have a Maria already! Amanda is the most familiar way to get Mandy, and means “beloved,” which is fantastic; it also doesn’t start with M, which is something I’m trying to stay away from because of Maria and Martha. In the style of Mary Angeline, maybe something like … Amata Nadine? Angela Madeline? (Or Madelynn, incorporating Tricia’s mother-in-law’s name?) This could be fun to work with!

(5) Elizabeth

I love that Elizabeth has the biblical connection that the other kids have, and the Visitation is one of my favorite Marian feasts. I also thought Tricia might like the nickname Ella, since she has Della as a nickname idea for Dolores (which I love!).

Boy

(1) Andrew

Andrew is a style match per the BNW, but I also consider it (and other An- names, like Anson and Anthony) to be a possible way of honoring an Ann (St. Ann, and/or, in this case, Tricia because it’s her middle name), which I think makes this a really strong choice for them!

(2) Benjamin

I was very influenced by the fact that Noah and Adam have Old Testament names, so when I saw Benjamin listed as a style match, I thought it was a great choice! I think Ben is one of the friendliest nicknames.

(3) Nathan or Nathanael/Nathaniel

Nate was the inspiration here — it was listed as a style match for this family — and I like both Nathan and Nathaniel as the formal name for it. Using Nate as a nickname would probably knock Catharine/Kate out of the running for the future, but maybe that’s a chance they’d like to take? Nathan is shorter like Noah and Adam, and I love what I consider to be the Old Testament feel of Nathanael/Nathaniel (it feels weighty like Abraham and Melchizedek and Solomon). Nathanael has the added benefit of being an alternate name of the apostle Bartholomew, who of course was at the Last Supper — a nice Holy Thursday connection.

(4) Caleb

Caleb sounds like a natural brother for Noah and Adam, and it can take the nickname Cal, which they already have on their list for Pascal!

(5) Oliver

Finally, Oliver, which I’m including for the same reasons as Olive above. It’s one of the sweetest names, and I love that it can have a Holy Thursday connection via the Mount of Olives.

Tricia said she’d “love more ideas especially with possible holy day birthdays, maybe what [my] favorites are,” so I went through the feast days from two weeks before her due date to two weeks after, and these jumped out as me as possible ideas, either as a first or a middle:

March 14: Eve, for Bl. Eve of Liège and Our Lady (the “New Eve”)

March 15: Clement or Clementine for St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (my parish’s patron and one of my favorites) and Our Lady (“O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary”); Peter or Pascal for Bl. Peter Pasquale

March 17: Patrick, for St. Patrick

March 18: Clement, Clementine, or Mercy for Our Lady of Mercy

March 19: Joseph, for St. Joseph

March 20: Lucy for St. Photina of Rome, the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman (Photina means “light” and so does Lucy)

March 28: Kristopher for Bl. Christopher Wharton and Tricia’s mother-in-law

March 29: Agnes for Bl. Agnes of Chatillon (she’s also celebrated the day before by the Cistercians)

March 30: Irene for St. Irene of Rome

March 31: Benjamin for St. Benjamin the Deacon

April 1: Sofia or Zofia for Bl. Zofia Czeska-Maciejowska

April 7: John for St. John Baptist de La Salle

April 8: Julia for St. Julia Billiart

April 11: Helen for Bl. Elena Guerra

This is not an exhaustive list of holy ones with feast days during that four-week period, just ones that jumped out at me. If you’d like to look through them yourself, start here and go forward day by day.

And those are all my ideas! What do you all think? What names would you suggest for the little sister or brother of Noah, Maria, Adam, and Martha?

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

“Old man” names for girls

sanctanomina Naming nitty gritty ,

Hi everyone! Happy feast of the Guardian Angels!

I’ve been meaning to write this post for ages, ever since Food Network’s Molly Yeh named her second daughter Ira. Ira! Sister to Bernadette who Molly refers to as Bernie exclusively. Bernie and Ira!

Bernie’s full given name is Bernadette Rosemary and, silly me, being immersed in Catholic naming all the time as I am, I thought that maybe Molly and her hubby would give their second daughter an equally heavy-hitting Catholicky Catholic + Marian combo (despite the fact that the story at that link includes the reasoning behind the name, in which no faith talk was mentioned) and was so excited for the birth announcement. Ira Dorothy was so surprising to me until I recalibrated my thinking and thought that Bernie and Ira sound perfect together — but as *gentlemen* of an older generation! In fact, if you search “Bernie” on the Social Security web site, you’ll see it defaults to male results and it peaked in 1937 at no. 469; Ira, too, defaults to “boy” and it was at its most popular in 1900 at no. 107.

It made me think of this chef on Tasty named Merle (full name Merle Shane O’Neal), and while Merle is listed on Behind the Name as both feminine and masculine (taken as a variant of Merrill or Muriel), the only Merle I’d known before Girl Merle on Tasty is a professor I had in college who was, yes, an older gentleman. Another “old man” name! Like with Bernie and Ira, a search on the SSA site for “Merle” defaults to only male results, with a peak in 1918 at no. 170.

You can actively choose “female,” which I did for each name after searching without choosing gender, and was interested to discover:

  • Bernie was not in the top 1000 for girls at all, though Bernadette was until 1994 and peaked in 1946 at no. 146
  • Ira actually does make an appearance for girls pretty regularly from 1900 until 1947, peaking in 1900 at 480
  • Merle peaked for girls at no. 295 in 1903 and dropped off the charts in 1957

Anyway, I didn’t know any of this about these names having usage for girls in the past — I was really caught up in this old-man-names-for-baby-girls thing when I read this article from August (very recent!) called “‘Grandpa’ Names for Girls With That Vintage-Cool Vibe” by Rita Templeton! I knew it! It talks about the “hundred-year rule” where “popular names gradually lose steam and fall off the charts, and it takes a hundred years for them to become in favor again.” So grandparents’ names tend to be ones that current baby namers are drawn to — we’ve seen it here with names like Agnes, Edith, George, and Hank-for -Henry. The article points out, though, that “what is fairly new is a trend we’re seeing in 2023 that takes the hundred-year rule and turns it on its head: using these traditionally-male vintage names for girls. ‘Grandpa names’ for girls feel both timeless and trendy — clunky yet cute, giving kinda the same vibe as those lug-sole loafers that are back in style.” I love that! I think “clunky yet cute” like “lug-sole loafers” is such a fun way to describe this!

So tell me! Have you seen the “grandpa names for girls” trend in your own circles? Can you share any examples?

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

Replying to emails now!

sanctanomina Uncategorized

I know I owe a bunch of you emails, and I’m going to work through them right now — I’m so sorry for the delay! I had a couple of Urgent Care runs last week for sprained fingers for one boy and a fractured and dislocated femur for another, which resulted in surgery and a hip-to-toes cast that has required much rethinking of systems and schedules in our house! I’m grateful for your patience!!

Birth announcement: Marigold Elizabeth!

sanctanomina Birth announcement , , , , ,

I posted a consultation for Maria and her husband in June, and I’m so very happy to share today, on the feast of the Queenship of Mary, that their little girl arrived and has been given the amazing name … Marigold Elizabeth!

Maria writes,

“We are so happy to announce the safe arrival of Marigold Elizabeth. Our sweet Mary born on August 9 at 1:45 pm.

Although we originally came to you looking for a unique middle name for Mary, your mention of Marigold made us realized it was just the perfect first name! We plan to also call her Mary.

Once we landed on Marigold, the more traditional Elizabeth was just the right fit for a middle name, giving us that a Mary-Elizabeth visitation connection that I also have in my name.”

Isn’t this just so perfect?!! And today is the perfect day to post this announcement because the feast of the Queenship of Mary has been taken by two of my other Marigold mamas as the name day for their little girls (here, here) (the gold of her crown –> Mary’s gold). I absolutely love it! And for this family, who had originally decided on Mary for the first name, using Mary as a nickname for Marigold is just right. I love it all!

Congratulations to Maria and her husband and big sibs Samuel, Phoebe, and Anna, and happy birthday Baby Marigold!!

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

Baby name consultation: “Well known but not often heard” name needed for baby boy

sanctanomina Baby name consultant , , ,

Happy Monday, everyone! Today is my grandmother’s birthday, whose name was Anne, and she was one of the reasons St. Anne seemed perfect for Sancta Nomina’s patroness. My grandmother, who I called Mimi, passed away 33 years ago — if you think to say a Hail Mary for her and our family, who all still miss her, I’d be so grateful!

I posted a consultation for Erin and her husband two years ago when they were expecting their daughter, and I’m so happy to be able to offer ideas for her third baby — a little boy, her second son! Little Man joins big sibs:

Calvin Frederick

Lucy Renee

I just love these names together! Such a lovely set!

Erin writes,

“I like to include saint/biblical and family names in some combination. My husband is not Catholic, so a name with a religious tie is less important to him. Calvin and Lucy were in our family trees. Frederick is my husband’s MN and grandpa. Renee is my MN and Godmother’s name.

We are having a little boy due September 2nd!

Our top choices we are considering are:

  • Henry
  • Samuel
  • Franklin
  • Walter

All of these are family names. Our favorite is probably Henry, but both of us feel it is more popular than we want. I’m also feeling drawn strongly to Samuel, but struggle with it feeling perennially popular. We really liked how Calvin was a well known name but not often heard. Franklin we both like but don’t love, although I do love Frankie as a nick name. My husband really likes Walter. I like Walt, but Walter feels a little too ‘grumpy old man’ to me lol.

Some other names I liked:

  • Isaac
  • Emmett
  • Bennett
  • Abe*
  • Peter*
  • Ambrose
  • Beau
  • Otto
  • Theo
  • Everett

Other names hubs liked:

  • Max
  • Mac
  • Harrison
  • Elliott
  • Benjamin
  • Hugh
  • Thomas

*Family names

We also both like August, but we’re unsure with his due date being so close to the month.

Our daughter is rooting for Sammy, and our son is convinced his name is Blaise! Lol

Family names we can’t use include: Archie, Eli, Oliver, Joel, Adam, Gavin, Caleb, Charles, and Cole.

Top contenders for middle names are: James and Douglas (my grandpa or dad’s name), but we aren’t super set there.

Can’t wait to hear what you come up with!“

Alrighty, let’s get to it! 😄

As I usually do, I thought I’d start with offering my thoughts on the names Erin and her hubby have discussed, in case they’re helpful:

  • Henry: I’m not surprised that Erin said their favorite is probably Henry, as it was far and away the biggest style match for them when I did my usual research in the Baby Name Wizard (affiliate link)! It’s a great name! I wonder if switching up the form they use might help it feel fresher, even if they use Henry on an everyday basis? Some of its international versions that I thought they might like include Henrik/Henryk, Hendrick, Hendry, Henning, and Henderson (which is similar to Harrison on Erin’s husband’s list). I think Henry can work as a nickname for all of these, or the traditional Henry nickname Hank. Since Erin mentioned popularity, I looked up the SSA rankings for each of the names and will include them as I discuss them; Henry is no. 7, Henrik is no. 926, and none of the others are in the top 1000 (though Henderson ranked in the top 1000 almost every year between 1900 and 1944!). (For reference, Calvin is no. 148 and Lucy is no. 48.)
  • Samuel: Another great name! Samuel is less popular than Henry at no. 20; it’s been rising in popularity for a long time, but slowly — it entered the 20’s in 1997 at no. 27, so in the grand scheme of things it hasn’t moved too much at all. It’s so cute how Erin said her daughter is sure this baby’s name is Sammy! If the nicknames are a big draw for them, I thought I’d mention that my husband and I considered Sam as a nickname for Ambrose, which I see on Erin’s list. I wonder what she and her hubby would think of that? Ambrose is no. 720.
  • Franklin: Franklin definitely feels like Calvin to me — “well known but not often heard,” as Erin said. Such a cool name, and awesome that it’s a family name for them! Frankie is a darling nickname, too. I wonder if they’ve considered Francis or Frank as given names? Franklin is no. 408, Francis is no. 462, and Frank is no. 439 (this name family is very consistent popularity-wise!).
  • Walter: It’s so funny that Erin’s husband likes Walter but she thinks it’s too “grumpy old man”! I agree that Walt is adorable, and I actually used my own husband’s like of what I considered to be “old man” names to try to convince him of the given name Walsingham with the nickname Walt for our youngest! Walsingham is the name of a Marian apparition location in England, and Our Lady of Walsingham is one of her titles, so I thought I was being incredibly clever; my husband did not agree, haha! One thing that Erin might like about Walter is that I’ve seen it with increasing regularity among the families I work with because of Servant of God Fr. Walter Ciszek. Here are some birth announcements: here, here (he has a big brother Henrik!), and a sibling group that includes a Walter here.
  • August: I know what Erin means about August for a baby due in the beginning in September! If he ends up coming early, in August itself, I wonder if that would that make it easier or harder for them to use? Would they consider Augustus or Augustine?

Of the names Erin and her hubby like, I won’t comment on them all except to say:

  • Emmett, Bennett, Everett, and Elliott are very revealing! I absolutely tried to find an idea that ends in -tt for them when I was doing my research!
  • Abe and Beau (Bo) are both names that I think can work as nicknames for Ambrose; also Bram, which was my favorite idea when I was pitching this to my husband!
  • I really want to figure out something with Harrison and Henry, since Harry originated as a nickname for Henry … using Henry as a nickname for Harrison is normally the kind of thing I’d go for, except I’m having a hard time with the fact that it would technically be going *backwards* — Henry isn’t  a nickname for the Harry names, Harry is a nickname for Henry! But I want to mention it anyway, in case it strikes this couple as the perfect solution.
  • Popularity of all these:

Isaac: 42

Emmett: 115

Bennett: 83

Abe: Not in top 1000

Peter: 214

Ambrose: 720

Beau: 89

Otto: 309

Theo: 99 (Theodore is no. 10)

Everett: 81

  • I also wonder about their son’s idea of Blaise — what do they think of that?? Could be very cool! Blaise is not in the top 1000.

On to new ideas! I did my usual research for Erin and her hubby in the Baby Name Wizard, looking up the names they’ve used and those they like to find style matches. I was also inspired by all of the names ending in -tt that are on their lists and wanted to find similar options for them. What do you all think of:

(1) Stanley

Walter on their list made me think of my own name conversations with my husband, as I noted about re: Walsingham nn Walt. I wondered if the name that my husband was really crazy about would appeal to them: Stanley nn Stan! I’ve actually seen an uptick in interest in this name among the families I work with because of the recent beatification of Bl. Stanley Rother. I did a really thorough spotlight of Stanley here. Stanley is no. 778.

(2) Malcolm

I was mostly inspired by Mac and Max on Erin’s hubby’s list when deciding to include Malcolm in my official suggestions, as well as the ideal of “well known name but not often heard” like Calvin. I absolutely think both Mac and Max can be nicknames for Malcolm, and I quite like it as a brother name for Calvin and Lucy. Though I don’t think there’s a St. Malcolm, the name itself means “disciple of St. Columba,” who was a great Irish Saint. I had suggested it to Haley from Carrots for Michaelmas — she has a Lucy too! Malcolm is no. 285.

(3) Name ending in -tt

I had fun looking through the BNW for names ending in -tt! Of them, my favorites for this family are:

  • Garrett: Garrett is derived from Gerard, which gives it its saintly connection. I love that! It’s no. 463.
  • Beckett: This can be literary (Samuel Beckett) or saintly (St. Thomas a Becket(t)) — or both! Beck is a fun nickname. It’s no. 195.
  • Dermot(t): This name is usually spelled with one T, but can be spelled with two. There are a few Sts. Dermot; the name in either spelling (Dermot or Dermott) is not in the top 1000.
  • Grant: Okay so, yes, Grant doesn’t end in -tt. But it showed up in my research as swirling around the kinds of names this couple likes, and I know of a family who chose Grant for their son with the “grant us peace” part of the Mass in mind, which I thought was clever. Grant is no. 220.
  • Atticus: Okay so, yes, again, this doesn’t end in -tt — and doesn’t end in T at all! But when I was skimming the BNW index the double T of Atticus caught my eye and I thought maybe it would be perfect! I’ve seen Gus used as a nickname for it, which kind of loops in their August idea. Atticus is no. 274.

So those are my official suggestions, but I also want to mention that I considered Leo (no. 22), Lincoln (no. 54), Martin (305), Philip (no. 494), Barrett (no. 208), and Rhett (no. 151) for them as well before whittling my list down to just the ones I mentioned above — maybe one of those would be perfect after all?

And those are all my thoughts! What do you all think? What name(s) would you suggest for the little brother of Calvin and Lucy?

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

Birth announcement: Malachy Golden!

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In my previous post, I told you about my sister and brother-in-law expecting their second baby, their second boy, and asked if any of you might have a guess about what they would name him, based on their love of their Irish heritage and the name they gave their first son. I loved reading all your ideas!! My sister and brother-in-law did as well, and were THRILLED to see that one of you actually guessed it! Not only did reader VEL get the correct first name with the correct spelling, but also the nickname! I’m excited to share that my newest nephew has been given the fantastic and meaningful name … Malachy Golden, nn Mac!

Just like with his big brother’s name, Malachy is an Irish name with an easy, friendly nickname. I love it! His middle name is his grandmother’s maiden name — a great way to honor a special woman in a boy’s name. All in all, I think my sister and BIL did a great job!

Congratulations to the happy parents and big brother Cashel nn Cash, and happy birthday Baby Malachy!

(VEL — I’d love to send you a little prize for guessing the right name and nickname! Email me! sanctanomina at gmail dot com)

My hubby holding Mac! 🥰🥰🥰

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

Baby name predictions: Irish, place name, cool nickname — will little brother follow suit?

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Hi everyone! 👋 Since my last post my no. 5 boy graduated from 5th grade, which means he’s moving on the middle/high school his big brothers go to; my no. 7 boy graduated from preschool, which means he’s moving on to Kindergarten (and ending the fifteen years I’ve had a little one in or anticipating being in our school’s sweet Early Childhood program); and we took a two-years-in-the-planning Big Family Vacation with my two brothers and their wives and kids, my parents, and my sister — 21 people in a house by the ocean (my two youngest sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew couldn’t come). While there, we went to Mass at a St. Anne church, checking the box for this year’s St. Anne Pilgrimage (that links to 2020; you can read more about 2021 and 2022 here)! And also: five of my seven kids and my husband came down with a stomach bug while on the vacation, which cut our vacation short, lasted through our drive home and into the next few days as well, and, man. That’s all I have to say.

But today I have a FUN THING!! My youngest sister is due next week with her second baby — a second boy! She and her hubby don’t share their name choices ahead of time so we’ve been having fun trying to guess/predict what her littlest man will be named, based exclusively on big brother’s name: Cashel, nn Cash.

Cashel is an amazingly fantastic name for my sister’s and BIL’s firstborn because they have a super Irish last name and they *got married in Ireland* and Cashel is an Irish place name with historical and faith significance. And it has the fantastic nickname Cash! It’s pretty close to perfect in my book. (Read more about Cashel [the place] here, and the name here and here.)

So today’s question: If you knew a couple with an Irish last name, who got married in Ireland, who gave their first baby boy an Irish place name for a given name, and that name has an easy, jaunty nickname, what names might you suggest or predict for baby boy no. 2??

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!

Birth announcement: Remember Ocean Terebinth!

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Happy Tuesday, everyone! Here’s another belated birth announcement for a Sancta Nomina baby!

Longtime readers will remember Katheryn’s and her husband’s amazing taste in names as evidenced by the names they chose for their children: the first four explained here, and birth announcements here, here, and here. I’m excited to share that they’ve since welcomed another baby girl, to whom they gave the incredible name … Remember Ocean Terebinth!

Katheryn writes,

“I absolutely love her name, and love it more and more as she grows. We went back and forth for awhile on her name and were originally going to name her Ocean Memorare but one day my husband said, ‘I actually like Remember better than Memorare, and as a first name.’ When he said that it just clicked! I went ahead and copied what I put on Instagram for you. 

REMEMBER ‘Zakar’ is the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for when God remembers. Instead of meaning to recall something forgotten, like we commonly use the word, it means to bring someone to mind and act on their behalf; to take action on a promise. Every instance where God is said to remember someone it involves an action. When Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19-20) and Rachel (Genesis 30:22) finally conceived after many years of infertility, it says that God remembered them and they conceived. 

Remember is also after the Memorare prayer ‘to remember,’ a prayer that has special meaning to us in our infertility journey. It is also in honor of the year of the Eucharist: ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ (Luke 22:19)

OCEAN is after Our Lady Star of the Sea and the ocean of divine mercy. 

TEREBINTH is her botanical name since all our daughters have one. The terebinth tree is a landmark tree because it grows huge and alone instead of in groves.  It is a tree that grows slowly but has a wood that is so strong it is almost indestructible. It remains green even in times of drought and can even regrow from its stump after being cut down. In the Bible David fought and defeated Goliath in The Valley of the Terebinth.  It was under a terebinth tree that the three visitors came to Abraham and told him that Sarah would finally conceive a son and be holding him within a year. It was also under a terebinth tree that Gideon was called by God to be a great warrior. The terebinth tree is a symbol of strength so her patron saint is St. Joseph under his title ‘St. Joseph most strong.’

She is our remembrance of God’s faithfulness and His intimate Abba love for us, that He is a Father who sees and remembers us by keeping His promises to our hearts in His best timing and way. The miracle of her life is a landmark of faith that we can return to when we need to be reminded of Whose we are and what He can do.”

Aren’t the different elements of Remember’s name amazing?! I’ve come to expect no less from Katheryn and her husband — each of their kiddos’ names are so deep with meaning and connections to our faith.

Congratulations to Katheryn and her hubby and big sibs Verity, Gethsemane, Bosco, Hyacinth, Exodus, Zephyr, and Sojourn, and happy belated birthday Remember!!

Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!