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Jennifer Moss is the founder and CEO of BabyNames.com. She is media's favorite source for baby naming and celebrity baby name information! Jennifer has been seen on CNN Headline News, Fox News Live, The CBS Morning Show, as well as being interviewed on the radio and in print. Check out her book, The One-In-A-Million Baby Name Book at Amazon.com and in major bookstores.
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06/20/2009
Dear Jennifer ,
My name is Tran Bao [Last Name], and I have gone by Baotran my whole life. I have no idea what my name means. I tried searching just BAO and got that it was a boy's name meaning To Order there was no TRAN in the search base. I was wondering if you had any more information about my name.
I'm Vietnamese and I have asked my parents about my name but they say they aren't sure about the meaning and just loved the way it sounded.
Thank you ,
Baotran
06/20/2009
Hi there -
I am in love with the name Canaan (for a boy) and am just wondering what your opinion on the name is? I think it sounds strong and masculine - but wonder if it sounds overly religious, or if there are any negative connotations that you know of? Canaan isn't listed on your site, or other naming sites either for that matter!
Thanks!
Jess
Hi Jess,
Canaan is a place name (ancient name for Palestine), and would be a really interesting name for a boy. It follows the current -an trend for boys' names like Aidan and Ethan.
The only caveat I would have is the spelling. I probably would use something more phonetic, like Kanen, or people who are not familiar with the Bible may call him Cah-NON.
Hope that helps! I'll make sure we add it to the site..we'll be the first!
Sincerely,
Jennifer
06/20/2009
Dear Jennifer,
My husband and I are expecting our first little girl in the summer. My husband's middle name is Garrison after his grandmother's maiden name and it is a name we love for our little girl. We would give her a clearly "girl name" as a middle name (Elaine or Paige most likely). While we realize that Garrison is traditionally a "boy name", neither one of us really likes it for a boy and I generally tend to gravitate towards more boyish sounding names for girls anyway. Simply put, we both truly love the name but are worried about other people's reaction to it. We haven't told anyone our choice so we'd love a 3rd party's opinion. Is it too out there for a little girl?
Thanks for your help!!
Susan
Dear Susan,
People will say "That's a boy's name!" However if you and your husband love it, then go for it. No one matters but you and the child. Many a girl has grown up with more masculine names, look at Madison and Hayden for example! There are even many girls named Michael. Teach her to be strong in spirit and she, too, won't care what people think.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
06/20/2009
Hi Jennifer,
My husband and I are expecting an adopted baby girl very soon if all works out. Our favorite name is a double name but we are not quite sure how to ensure that she would be called by both names instead of just the first. Macy Kate is the name we would want her to be called.
Would you suggest hyphenating? Do you add a separate middle name? Could you use the monogram of the double name even if you had a middle name?
We appreciate your help!
Thanks!
Kristi
Dear Kristi,
Macy Kate is cute, but I definitely would not hyphenate it. Double names are more prevalent in the South, but less common in the North and in metropolitan regions. I would use Macy as the first name and Kate as the middle name.
If you want people to call her Macy Kate, then you call her Macy Kate. By using them as separate names, it will ensure that she has the choice of just being Macy if she wants to, as she grows up.
Let me know what you choose!
Sincerely,
Jennifer
06/20/2009
Dear Jennifer,
My daughter's name is Leighton. I want to pronounce it "Lee-ton." She is named after my grandma, who's middle name is lee. But I didn't like the spelling "Lee", so I decided on Leigh and just put the "ton" on the end. My husband says that it can only be pronounced as "Lay-ton." Is this true, or can I pronounce it the way I like?
Courtney
Dear Courtney,
You can pronounce it the way you like, however I believe most people at first will will pronounce it LAY-ton. If you want your daughter to be correcting people for the rest of her life, keep the Leighton spelling. If not, spell it Leeton.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
06/20/2009
Hi Jennifer,
For ages, I've really liked the name 'Miyu' and I am considering using it for the main character of my novel series. However, I cannot find the meaning of it anywhere! Do you have any ideas on what the meaning behind this name is?
Thanks,
Amy
Hi Amy,
Miyu is a beautiful name. The name comes from a combination of two Japanese characters: MI, which means beautiful or truth, and YU which means gentleness or superiority.
So I guess it could be a combination of any of those!
Sincerely,
Jennifer
06/20/2009
Hi Jennifer,
My husband Elliot and I are pregnant with a girl due in July. We have both agreed on the name Storm. We think it’s beautiful, but have kept it a secret because we don’t want any input from our families and friends. Do you think it is acceptable to name a baby girl Storm? Or will she be taunted on playgrounds and in school for life?
Thanks,
Katie
Hi Katie,
Storm is a strong and interesting name for a girl. I don't think it would lead to teasing more than any other unique name. I'd rather be Storm than Pixie, for example.
However you do have to be careful that it is not, what I call, an "expectation name." That is a name (usually from a word) that is associated with a personal characteristic. Will she be wild and angry? Will she feel she has to live up to her name? What if she's timid and shy, will it be strange to be named Storm? Are you setting her up to be emo?
There are many other nature names out there that are just as strong, but won't put that kind of an unspoken burden on her.
Expand your list.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
06/20/2009
Hi Jennifer,
First of all, thank you for your wonderful website. It has been really helpful to scroll through all of those names for suggestions.
I have chosen the name Lilah but am concerned that it may be too similar to my own name (Lara) and might be confusing in the future. What do you think?
Lara
Hi Lara,
You're welcome! I think naming your daughter Lilah is fine. I would say no if you wanted to name her Laura or Dara, but Lilah and Lara are two distinct names that just start with the first letter.
If you're still concerned about it, you could consider naming her Delilah and calling her Lilah for short.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
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Hi Baotran,
After doing research, Tran is the Vietnamese form of the Chinese surname, Chen. Chen was used for families who came from the province of Henan, an ancient region of China.
Bao means "Protector" in Vietnamese or "Treasure" in Chinese. I'm not sure where you found "To Order?"
Hope that helps!
Sincerely,
Jennifer