UPDATE: On the name choice — I’ve seen some reports that say Bronx was chosen because that’s where the little guy was conceived (thanks, needed to know that — right up there with Kingston Stefani-Rossdale) and Mowgli because Simpson and Wentz are obsessed with The Jungle Book. Guess we’ll have to wait for official confirmation on this.

After what was reported to be as much as two weeks past her due date, singer Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and husband Pete Wentz finally welcomed their first, and much-anticipated baby, a boy, yesterday evening in Los Angeles.

And in a move that rockets the couple to the top of the running in our Celebrity Baby Names of the Year, they named their son Bronx Mowgli.

It’s moments like these that make being a blogger about celebrity baby names all worthwhile. Bronx Mowgli is the sort of name that only celebrities could dream up.

A quick check of our favorite website for baby names meanings revealed neither Bronx nor Mowgli in their lists, but maybe they will be added soon. Mowgli of course is the famous name of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book character, immortalized since he first appeared in Kipling’s short story, In the Rukh, a year before appearing in the more well-known Jungle Book. Ever since, Mowgli has been the icon of the wild boy, brought up in the wild by wolves (in the Jungle Book story). Mowgli is also said to have been a major influence in the creation of Edgar Rice Burrough’s character Tarzan.

Bronx, naturally, is the famous borough in New York City, properly known as The Bronx. The roots of the name are not particularly remarkable — according to Wikipedia, the area known today as The Bronx was land wrested from native Americans around 1640 by a Dutch sea-captain named Bronck.

Here’s the big question: how did the new parents come up with the name Bronx Mowgli? Are they trying to go one better than the Beckhams, who have a son named Brooklyn? What’s fascinating about this is the fact that just a few weeks ago, Pete Wentz went on record saying that they were going to wait until the baby arrived before finally deciding on a name. Does this mean little Bronx Mowgli arrived like a screaming wolf child from The Bronx? It would seem so. But, naturally, it’s early days, and I’m sure we’ll hear lots more about how Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz came up with this amazing baby name.

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Posted on November 21st 2008 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES, Ashlee Simpson Wentz | Comments(4)

What name would you choose if you wanted to make sure you’re picking a popular name?

Well, you could do what country singer Josh Gracin, and his wife Ann Marie did, when they welcomed their third daughter, and fourth child, in Nashville on November 12. They gave her not one, but two of the current top ten names in America: Isabella Sophia. Some may say the combo, of the number 2 and number 6 names respectively, is a bit over the top. Either way, Isabella Sophia joins Gabby, Briana, and Landon in the Gracin household.

The former American Idol contestant, whose debut album in 2004 reached number 2 on Billboard, and his wife, married in 2001.

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What a cheerful choice! Comedian Adam Sandler, 42, and his wife Jackie, 34, welcomed their second daughter on November 2, according to a new annoucement on Sandler’s website. The newborn is named Sunny Madeline. She joins big sister Sadie, who is now two years old.

No word on Sandler’s site about just why they chose Sunny. Still, it makes a nice change from some of the more contrived and precious celebrity baby names that tend to crop up. And it goes really well with Sadie!

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Posted on November 12th 2008 and posted to Adam Sandler, CELEBRITY BABY NAMES | Comments(1)

CONFIRMED: Actress Michelle Monaghan, 34, (Mission Impossible III; Eagle Eye) and husband Peter White welcomed their first child, a daughter, on Guy Fawkes Day, aka November 5.They have named their daughter Willow, which is a name that has been quietly, but steadily rising in popularity for the last decade, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration.

CONFIRMED: Singer Carnie Wilson, 40, is expecting her second child next spring. Wilson, and husband Rob Bonfiglio, 41, are parents of three-year-old Lola Sofia.

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A breath of fresh air in the celebrity baby names world this week, as two sets of celeb parents give their newborns out-of-the-ordinary names.

CONFIRMED: Comedian Amy Poehler, right, who has been seen by many more Americans recently as Saturday Night Live has continued to skewer politicians, and her comedian-husband Will Arnett, welcomed their first child, a boy, on October 25. Poehler, 37, and Arnett, 38, named their son Archie. Not a name you hear often these days, but maybe it’s in for a comeback.

CONFIRMED: Meanwhile, actress Annabeth Gish, of HBO’s Brotherhood, and husband Wade Allen, welcomed their second son, Enzo Edward. Little Enzo joins big brother Cash Alexander, who is nearly two years old.

CONFIRMED: Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl, and his wife Jordyn, are expecting another child. Their first child, daughter Violet, is two years old.

CONFIRMED: Country music star Jo Dee Messina, 38, and husband Chris Deffenbaugh, 28, are expecting a child soon — and Messina has confirmed that it’s a boy.

MEANWHILE: Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz will be the next megastar couple to welcome a baby, and the couple recently let it be known that they are expecting a son. As for baby names, Simpson and Wentz are supposedly waiting til the baby arrives. When he does, they’ll pick a name that could fit a “senator or a rock star,” according to a story by Access Hollywood.

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