OK, I admit it, that headline is a really bad pun. Actress Sharon Stone has just adopted her third child, and has given him a good, strong, Celtic name, Quinn, which means wise, or bright, or intelligent — something along those lines. Had I felt a bit brighter myself this morning, I might have avoided such a cheap pun, but I needed a headline with some meaning to it.

Speaking of meaning, the TV and movie guide website Zap2it.com ran a story about Sharon Stone’s latest adoption, and came up with a pretty strange meaning for the name of Stone’s oldest son, Roan. While correctly noting that all of Stone’s name choices have a Gaelic origin (Roan, Laird, and now Quinn) the writer went on to say that Roan means “Seal.” Huh? Is that a navy S.E.A.L. or something? I beg to differ, but Roan (a beautiful name, by the way), is not usually described as meaning “seal.” While there are some variants in its origin and meaning, the name Roan appears to most commonly refer to the rowan tree, or to the color red. In the uber-bible of baby names, Diane Stafford’s 50,001+ Best Baby Names, both those meanings are given. Similar meanings are given at Baby Names Garden.

The rowan tree, by the way, was worshipped by the ancient Druids of Ireland, for its magical and healing properties. So maybe Sharon Stone is on to something with these Gaelic names.

Photo by Richard Sambrook

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Sharon Stone, Sharon Stone baby, Quinn Stone

Posted on August 30th 2006 and posted to Sharon Stone, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(1)

Are you looking for a particular celebrity baby name? There’s a place you can check — the celebrity baby name database. The database contains about a thousand celebrity names at last count. The cool thing is that if you can’t find the celebrity you want, you can fill out a quick form and the people there will track down the celebrity baby names that you need, and add them to the database. There is also a list of the major celebrity births for 2006.

I love a good mystery as much as the next person. It occurred to me yesterday, while I was writing my post about Suri Cruise, that all 4 letters of the name ‘Suri’ are contained in the middle 4 letters of the name ‘Cruise’. See what I mean? Suri is an anagram of the middle 4 letters: ‘ruis’. Is this where the name Suri comes from? Is this some kind of Scientology thing? Let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Suri Cruise, Tom Cruise baby, Katie Holmes baby

Posted on August 29th 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

I take heart from the fact that Suri Cruise’s photos will be appearing shortly in Vanity Fair. The announcement of the upcoming photo spread, following in the celebrity tradition set by Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, indicates more to me than simply that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have decided to prove Suri’s existence. It implies, I think, that they have gotten over the furor created by the oddness of her name.

Hearing about Suri’s photos made me go back and look at my post about the name Suri. So much has happened in the intervening months, I had almost forgotten the assortment of meanings that different people gave to the name Suri. Rose (the Cruise’s nomination); sun; pickpocket; alpaca wool; a Pashtun tribe, an ethnic group in Ethiopia, to name a few. And, of course, the meaning that I dwelled on the most (because I think it may be the one that causes little Suri the most embarrassment in years to come) — “pointy-nosed,” the meaning of Suri in the language of the Toda people of southern India.

But now, with the long-awaited appearance of the photos of Her Little Self just around the corner, I think it seems likely that Tom and Katie have moved on from their disappointment over the reaction to her name. And good for them. They have kept Suri under wraps for too long. The world is waiting to see little Suri no matter what her name means. So bring on the pics, and remember, ”a rose by any other name…”

Photo by Photorazzi

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Suri Cruise, Tom Cruise baby, Katie Holmes baby

Posted on August 28th 2006 and posted to Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

Jamie Deen, star of Food Network’s Road Tasted, and wife Brooke Terry Deen, welcomed their first son, Jack Linton, into the world on August 21, 2006. Jamie, who hosts Road Tasted with brother Bobby, is the son of renowned chef and TV food personality Paula Deen.

You may be thinking that I can’t have much to say about the name Jack Linton. Because it’s not the usual sort of fun, wacky, silly name that celebrities frequently give to their kids, the kind of name that keeps this blog relevant. But wait. Not so fast. Jamie and Terry don’t get off that easy. What’s with this “Linton” name?

I dug around a bit, and found, to my surprise, that the Deens have named their son after a flax farmer. Is this a food kind of thing? I looked up Linton in the database of baby names at Baby Names Garden, and found the following definition:

“Linton, Old English, meaning ‘from the flax enclosure.’”

I checked another site, and found Linton defined, similarly, as “dweller from the flax enclosure.” A bit more quick research, mainly at Wikipedia, and it seems that an “enclosure” is just another word for field, or fenced meadow, or something like that. Basically, Linton seems to mean “flax farmer.”

Flax is one of those plants we don’t think about much, although maybe the Deens do. It’s used for a ton of things, from dyes, to fabrics, to oils, and other food uses. It’s also grown as an ornamental plant, famed for its blue flower. So why should the Deens name their son after a person from the Middle Ages who raised this important but boring crop? I don’t know. Like the names of Holly Hunter’s twins, maybe we’ll never know. But it just goes to show — when it comes to celebrity baby names — scratch the surface a little, and there’s always something fascinating.

By the way — I am now offering a full one year subscription to People Magazine to anyone who can tell me the names of Holly Hunter’s twins. The mystery has been deepening since their birth in January, and it is now considered the number one secret in the world of celebrity baby names.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Jamie Deen, Jamie Deen baby, Jack Linton Deen, Holly Hunter, Holly Hunter twins

Posted on August 26th 2006 and posted to Jamie Deen, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

It’s August 22, and time for my first annual Round-Up of the ten funniest celebrity baby names of 2006 (so far). You’ll notice I use the term “funniest.” Not the “dumbest,” and certainly not the “stupidest” — and there’s a reason for this. Besides my dedication to celebrity baby name watching, this blog is dedicated to being a “vitriol-free” site. Rather than stooping to the cheap shots of four-letter words and gratuitous sexual references beloved of so many bloggers, I actually try to “write” my blog posts using the English language in its original form. Let’s face it, anyone can poke fun at celebrities by going for the shock value of a curse, or a reference to someone’s body parts. It’s a bit more of a challenge (but also more satisfying) to keep your readers entertained by your sheer wit. Still there? OK, back to my original discussion — the ten funniest baby names of 2006 (so far).

Starting at number 10, the funniest celebrity baby names are:

10. True Harlow, the daughter of actress Joely Fisher and cinematographer Christopher Duddy.

9. Moses, the son of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and singer Chris Martin.

8. Zander Ryan, son of singer Mindy McCready and her husband Billy McKnight.

7. Suri, alleged daughter of actor Tom Cruise and actress Katie Holmes.

6. Grier Hammond, daughter of actress Brooke Shields and producer Chris Henchy.

5. Ace Shane, son of softball player Jennie Finch and baseball player Casey Daigle.

4. Bluebell Madonna, daughter of former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell.

The drum roll please…

Coming in at # 3: the most talked-about baby of the last 2,000 years, Shiloh Nouvel, daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Coming in at #2: streaking past the funny names of those babies born earlier in 2006, the very newborn Jonas Rocket, son of musician Tom DeLonge and wife Jennifer DeLonge.

And without question, the # 1 funniest celebrity baby name of 2006 (so far), is the son, and second child of comedian (?) Penn Jillette and his wife Emily: Zolten Jillette. In case you didn’t know, Zolten, among other things, was supposedly the name of Dracula’s dog. Little Zolten joins sister Moxie Crimefighter in the Jillette household. Moxie, I might add, is currently the odds-on favorite to take # 1 in the silliest celebrity baby name of the decade competition (2000-2010).

If you can’t get enough of funny celebrity baby names (and who can) check out this celebrity baby name database. It currently has more than 1,000 baby names listed. If you can’t find one you’re looking for, you can email them and they’ll find it for you and add it to their database.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Moses Paltrow, Suri, Jonas Rocket DeLonge, Grier Hammond, Bluebell Madonna Halliwell, Shiloh Nouvel, Zolten Jillette, Moxie Crimefighter Jillette

Posted on August 22nd 2006 and posted to Brooke Shields, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Geri Halliwell, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom DeLonge, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Joely Fisher, Jennie Finch, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

Is the celebrity baby drought over? More important, are wacky baby names making a comeback? I think so, on both counts.

ABC News is reporting the arrival of a much-anticipated baby boy for ABC News’ World News Tonight co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas - now there’s a celebrity baby if I ever saw one! Vargas, and husband Marc Cohn, are naming their new arrival Samuel Wyatt - I like it! It’s a tough, all-American, no-nonsense man’s name - it conjures up images of Wyatt Earp, handlebar moustaches, a deep gravelly voice, all that manly stuff. What a great example to set for the millions of viewers of ABC News, who have undoubtedly been awaiting this moment with a collective bated breath. That’s what a real celebrity baby name should be - more John Wayne, less oh…Spongebob Squarepants.

However, all is not suddenly ‘return to Mayberry’ in the world of celebrity baby names. Just when little Samuel W. Vargas should have been enjoying his first moments in the New York sun, all very proper and serious, along come celebrity rocker Tom DeLonge, and wife Jennifer, completely upstaging Samuel Wyatt by naming their newborn boy Jonas Rocket. That’s right, Rocket. According to ContactMusic.com, Jonas Rocket DeLonge was born yesterday, August 16, in Los Angeles.

Come to think of it, it’s almost a metaphor for East Coast versus West Coast. New York City - all business, corporate, proper - you get a traditional, manly name like Samuel Wyatt. Los Angeles, la-la land - well, you get the picture. You get a name like ‘Rocket.’ But hey, that’s what makes blogging about celebrity baby names so much fun: you never know where it’s going to take you. Maybe next time, to the Moon.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Elizabeth Vargas baby, Tom DeLonge baby, Jonas Rocket DeLonge

Posted on August 17th 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

So it’s out - Fred Savage, child star of the 80s sitcom The Wonder Years, and wife Jennifer Stone have named their first boy…Oliver Philip. While we had some interesting ideas from our readers about the name of Fred and Jennifer’s new baby, nobody got it right. I finally located it on one of my favorite sites for the latest news on all sorts of topics, Wikiepedia. (If you haven’t tried Wikipedia, you should give it a spin sometime - it’s a fascinating collaborative website). But I digress.

So it’s Oliver Phiilp for the little Savage (sorry, that’s a bad pun, even for me). I notice Jennifer’s last name is Stone. Is there something going on here? Some kind of ‘Oliver Stone’ thing? Weirder things have happened. Brad and Angelina’s Shiloh Nouvel was apparently named Nouvel because Brad admired a French architect named Nouvel. (It’s called ‘lack of inspiration’.) Still, Oliver is not a bad name. It’s ranked # 209 for boy’s names in 2005, according to Baby Names Garden. And the search continues for the name of Holly Hunter’s twins.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Fred Savage baby

Posted on August 13th 2006 and posted to Fred Savage, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

Fred Savage, the star of the 1980s hit T.V. series The Wonder Years, is a first-time dad. Fred’s wife Jennifer Stone gave birth on Saturday to a baby boy. Fred and Jennifer join Holly Hunter (see previous post) in the burgeoning Hollywood club of ‘celebrity parents who won’t reveal their new baby’s name’. Come on guys - surely you know what you’re going to name the little guy. What’s the big deal, not releasing the name? It just makes all of us celebrity baby watchers a little nuts - especially me, whose blog thrives on knowing the baby’s name. As with our Holly Hunter contest, if anyone out there knows what Fred and Jennifer are callling their newborn, send me an email. A Celebrity Baby Names Blog T-Shirt goes to the first reader with the correct answer!

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Fred Savage baby, Holly Hunter baby

Posted on August 08th 2006 and posted to Fred Savage, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(1)

It’s no secret that Holly Hunter gave birth to twins back in Janaury. But what is secret, apparently, is what Holly and her partner Gordon MacDonald have named the pair. According to the Holly Hunter page on Wikipedia, the proud parents welcomed two little boys. But as for their names — well, the world is still waiting. What could be the reason for Holly’s reticence in this regard? Is it because she doesn’t want her new babies to be hounded by the paparazzi? I can understand a parent’s desire to shield their offspring from the media spotlight, but I don’t believe that simply releasing the names would spark such a media frenzy that Holly, Gordon, and the kids would need to escape to Namibia for some privacy. Or is the eerie silence a sign that Holly and Gordon are completely stumped? Overawed, perhaps, by celebrity couples who have set the bar pretty high with names like Apple, Suri, and Moxie Crimefighter?

If you know the names of Holly Hunter’s twins, share the scoop! Even if you’re just kinda guessing the names, go ahead — who knows, maybe Holly and Gordon are waiting for inspiration! Maybe they haven’t come up with names yet. Maybe Celebrity Baby Names Blog can help them name their twins.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Holly Hunter baby, Holly Hunter twins

Posted on August 05th 2006 and posted to Holly Hunter, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

Just back from my vacation, where I was unable to write my blog because I did not have reliable internet access. Where did I go, you say? The moon? Pluto? No, just to visit my folks, who are among the few remaining people on the planet who don’t have internet access.

So what do I find upon my return to civilization? Not much, when it comes to new baby names. Oh, sure, there have been a few minor celebrity baby births, but those aren’t the ones I generally blog about. I like to wax eloquently about the big name babies.

This actually brings up the whole question of ‘what is a celebrity,’ or, more accurately, ‘who is a celebrity?’ I know there are bloggers out there who think the 3rd baseman for the Bridgeport Pirates minor league baseball team is a celebrity, and accordingly, will breathlessly report on his wife’s delivery as if Madonna herself had given birth. Not me. I think that a celebrity is someone whom, if you asked 10 average people on the street, would be known by at least 5 of them. Minor league baseball players, unknown television personalities from Indonesia, talent-free singers who appeared once on American Idol, and other so-called ‘celebrities’ known only to the blogger and three of his or her best friends, just don’t cut it when it comes to real celebrity.

So, I’ll continue to scour my news sources, check my alerts, and otherwise keep my ear to the ground, for news of any real celebrity newborns. And when the next one arrives, as it surely will, I’ll be reporting on the latest in (real) weird celebrity baby names. You can be Suri I will.

Posted on August 03rd 2006 and posted to ODDS AND ENDS | Comments(0)