While celebrities are busy naming their kids weird and unusual things, the ordinary public wants to get in on the act also. Showing that the lines between reality and illusion are increasingly blurred, people are naming their kids after fictional movie characters.

A article on the website of Britain’s Daily Mail reports on the new movie character names showing up in baby name registrations in the U.K., including Spike (presumably for James Marster’s character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Blade, immortalized by Wesley Snipes in the movie Blade). The data in question first appeared on the British website Bounty, Britain’s largest parenting club.

Here’s what I think may happen. As soon as celebrities see how cool it is for people to be naming their children after fictional movie characters, they are going to want to get in on the act also. So we may end up with real celebrity children having fictional “celebrity” names. We could be seeing names like Trinity (from The Matrix); Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean); or even Shrek. With “real” names like Moxie Crimefighter already here, can Foxxy Cleopatra (from Austin Powers in Goldmember) be far behind?

 Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, James Marsters, Wesley Snipes, Buffy, Blade, Trinity, Jack Sparrow, Moxie Crimefighter

Posted on September 30th 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

In the wake of her son’s tragic death from a drug overdose on September 10, Anna Nicole Smith has named her newborn daughter Dannielynn Hope.

According to published reports, toxicology tests indicate that Smith’s son, Daniel, died from an overdose of methadone and two antidepressant drugs.

The usual tone of this blog is one of light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek humor. Today, that is not appropriate. I simply hope that the birth of a new daughter, and the hope that comes with her birth, may in some tiny degree help soothe the undoubted vast pain of this tragedy.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Dannielynn Hope Smith, Anna Nicole Smith

Posted on September 28th 2006 and posted to Anna Nicole Smith,CELEBRITY BABY NAMES,ODDS AND ENDS | Comments(0)

Continuing with my list of celebrities who are expecting (in the absence of those who are actually delivering) — rumor has it, via Glitterati Gossip, that Sarah Jessica Parker may be pregnant again. This is what I call a slow news day.

 

 

 

 

Photo by Photorazzi.com

 Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Sarah Jessica Parker

Posted on September 26th 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES,Matthew Broderick,Sarah Jessica Parker | Comments(0)

No new celebrity babies born over the weekend. Hmm. (email me if I’m wrong). What to write about? Hmm. I know! Let’s talk about who’s pregnant! I’ll start the list rolling. These names are in no particular order. But there are tons more pregnant celebrities out there — if you know of any, please email the information. Expecting:

Patrick Dempsey & wife Jillian (twins)

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Brad Paisley & wife Kimberly

Amanda Peet & fiance David

Elvis Costello & Diana Krall (twins)

Marcia Cross

Jillian Anderson & Mark Griffiths

P. Diddy (twins)

Heidi Klum & Seal

Annabeth Gish & husband Wade

Matt Leinart & Brynn Cameron

I know there are tons more out there, but I don’t really get focused until there’s a name to go with the baby. Let me know if you know of any!

 Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names

Posted on September 25th 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES,Maggie Gyllenhaal | Comments(0)

Edward Furlong, in case the name doesn’t instantly ring a bell, played John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. John Connor, you may remember, was the kid who was destined to save the world. Now you know who I’m talking about. Okay, John Connor (sorry, Edward Furlong) is all grown up now, and he and his wife Rachael Bella (who has appeared in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and other T.V. hits) just had a little boy. And they named him Ethan Page.

Ethan is perfectly fine. It’s a “cool” name of 2006, so nothing to fixate on there. But Page? That’s an odd one. It is a real name, according to my sources, but very rare as a boy’s name. It’s of French origin, and it means, shockingly, Page. As in an attendant, or a page to a knight. And that’s about all there is to it. As names go, it’s about as bland as they come. And maybe once in a while, in Hollywood, that’s a good thing. Way to go, Edward and Rachael.

 

 

 

 

 

 Edward & Rachael

Photo by Photorazzi

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Edward Furlong baby

Posted on September 22nd 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES,Edward Furlong,Rachael Bella | Comments(6)

It’s been a heck of a year for English rock band Coldplay. First, lead singer Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow had a baby boy, Moses, in early April. Not to be outdone, drummer Will Champion and his wife Marianne welcomed a daughter named Ava about a week later. And, now, according to ContactMusic, bass player Guy Berryman and his wife Joanna Briston show that they’re supporting the band’s efforts at procreation as well, with the arrival of their daughter Nico earlier this week.

 Whoa! That’s three out of four. Is this getting to be some kind of record for a rock band? What I’m most worried about is all the pressure that this places on guitarist Jon Buckland. I mean, forget the music, everyone around him is having babies. There is a rumor that Jon and his girlfriend Chloe are thinking of getting married. Better come through on that one Jon, or you may be looking for a new band to play with next year. They’re not going to want a band member who can’t change a diaper, for goodness sake.

Oh, and Nico is a very pretty name.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Coldplay, Guy Berryman baby, Chris Martin baby, Gwyneth Paltrow baby 

Posted on September 21st 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES,Chris Martin,Gwyneth Paltrow | Comments(1)

I was unnerved to read on the Starpulse News Blog that British actor Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding) is pitching the idea of a celebrity sperm bank. According to the story, Everett is convinced that the sperm of such luminaries as Brad Pitt, or the eggs of Angelina Jolie, could be sold for big dollars. I’m sure they could. We live in interesting times. But think of the consequences. And I don’t just mean lots of little Tom Cruises running around.

Pardon the pun, but this idea is likely to sow the seeds of considerable confusion when it comes to naming the “celebrity” offspring.

Is the offspring from a celebrity sperm bank truly a “celebrity baby?” Not really. A celebrity baby is more than just Hollywood sperm and eggs. It’s an event. It’s a baby registry at Petit Tresor. It’s when speculation about the baby’s name bumps news about the war in Iraq. It’s renting small African nations for a private maternity zone. It’s the cover of Vanity Fair magazine.

Most important, what possible name could the new parents bestow upon this half-famous, half-unknown infant? The hallmark of a celebrity baby is its wacky name. You’re not a total celebrity baby unless you’re called something like Shiloh, or Suri, or Moxie Crimefighter. But the offspring from a celebrity sperm bank can scarcely be named Bluebell Madonna or Jonas Rocket. They will have to grow up someplace like Cleveland, Ohio, not Beverly Hills. Think of the confusion this will create deep in the psyche of the poor child. To have the blood of Tom Cruise coursing through your veins, but to be named Bud? Or to have the genetic gifts of Paris Hilton, only to be named Linda? We’re talking serious therapy by the age of 9 at the latest.

So no, Mr. Everett. We all understand your desire to make a buck. And no doubt you think you’ve had the Big Idea. But it’s not going to fly. The world is confused enough. And we certainly don’t need a new breed of  “half-celebrities” with boring names growing up in Arkansas.

 Rupert Everett

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph by Photorazzi

 

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, celebrity sperm bank, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Hollywood, Rupert Everett

Posted on September 19th 2006 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES,ODDS AND ENDS,Rupert Everett | Comments(5)

Our contest, “What Will Britney Name Her Baby?” is over. Our winner will receive a deluxe Graco Comfortsport 5-Point Convertible Car Seat, with built-in cupholder, plus a year’s subscription to People Magazine.

And the winner is…(drum roll please)

Sarah, from Phoenix, Arizona.

Sarah lives with her husband Matt and their two-year-old son Kyan, and she was kind enough to send us a picture of herself with her little boy. A little brother is on the way for Kyan, and is scheduled to arrive in about 3 months. (I’m so glad she won the car seat). Sarah and her friends are “either pregnant or are trying for our second babies” and they love to keep up with the gossip about celebrity pregnancies, babies, and baby names.

I’m glad they do. That’s what keeps this blog rolling along. Thanks Sarah,  and congratulations on winning our “What Will Britney Name Her Baby” Contest!

P.S. If any of our other readers would like to send in a pic and a bio, I’ll be happy to feature you on the blog. I see us as a community of people interested in celebrity baby names, so why not say “hi” to each other this way.

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Posted on September 19th 2006 and posted to Britney Spears,CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(0)

Sarah P. is the winner of our “What Will Britney Name Her Baby Contest?” for being the first to correctly predict that the little guy would be named Sutton Pierce. Her emailed entry was received on September 13, at 5:01 pm E.S.T. (For the benefit of other contestants who are saying “hey, I guessed Sutton Pierce also!”). Congratulations to Sarah P. We are awaiting word from Sarah to see if she will allow a short profile in this space, and maybe share with us how she cottoned to the name so early. (Maybe she’s Britney’s cousin or something).

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Britney Spears, Britney Spears baby, Britney Spears baby name, Sutton Pierce Federline

Posted on September 18th 2006 and posted to Britney Spears,CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(2)

And it’s Sutton Pierce Federline.

 Thank God that’s over.

 The winner of our contest will be announced on Monday.

Technorati Tags: celebrity baby names, baby names, Britney Spears, Britney Spears baby, Britney Spears baby name, Sutton Pierce Federline

Posted on September 15th 2006 and posted to Britney Spears,CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(1)