Hey Internet, Help Us Name Our Child!
My wife and I are expecting, and thus we have to pick a name for our new baby. We’ve perused baby name websites and tried the Freakonomics tactic of predicting popular names, but to be honest none of it was really working.
As a Googler, though, the answer should have been obvious – let the Internet do it! So that’s what we’re doing, opening up our baby’s name to an Internet-wide vote.*
In the next couple days I’ll also put up a live graph of the results. If you’d like to learn how to use Google Docs and Spreadsheets to put a poll on your site (or name your baby), check out this post.
Feel free to send this link to your friends, put it up on social news sites, or write about it on your blog – the more votes the better.
If you can’t see the poll, follow this link to get to it.
EDIT: Here’s a little preview graph, with the most popular boys’ and girls’ names so far. I’ll add a graph with user-suggested names soon too.
DOUBLE EDIT: I’ve moved the graphs to the next page, so as not to influence the voting.
TRIPLE EDIT: The form isn’t working for some readers, it looks like all the visitors from neatorama have taken Docs by surprise. I’ll talk to some folks at work tomorrow. If you can’t see the form, please try back again a little later. If you subscribe to my blog you’ll see an update when I’m sure everything’s okay.
* We do reserve the right to ignore the results of the poll completely. Otherwise we’ll end up with a kid named Mr. Splashy Pants. Actually, that has a nice ring to it…
Tags: baby names, Freakonomics, Google Spreadsheets, internet, poll, social news
September 8th, 2008 at 3:47 am
I vote for Mr. Splashy Pants!
September 8th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Taking into consideration that your grandfather spent most of his time outdoors, and the fact that it goes so well with your last name, Rain (or Rainn, if you’re big fans of The Office) works well. And if you don’t spend a lot of time on the plain in Spain, there shouldn’t be a lot of teasing. :0 ]
September 8th, 2008 at 10:24 am
One requirement should be that the domain is available so that he/she doesn’t end up with a .net.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:21 am
I don’t know why people are voting so much for “Dylan Morrison.” You really don’t want to mix your pop idols like that, people. Will his middle name be Hendrix?
Also, while I like Isaac, I’d have a hard time thinking about the kid without imagining this.
I voted for Olivia and Levi. I actually know a kid named Levi and he’s all right. Apparently, I am into the letter V, too.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Bah! There are too many antiquated biblical names out there already. I don’t get the obsesssion with trying to revive 19th century (at best) names. We need more pagan names, maybe crazy new age ones like Sky and Mountain (I am in Seattle after all).
That said, I vote for Fhqwgads. It’s gender-neutral, and has a nice ring to it.
I was going to name my cat Hurdenflurst.
I actually like Olivia and Erin. Or Aaron and Eric. Have you considered Adolph?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Whatever name you finally decide on, just make sure it (or some close variation of it) is not too popular name. If you really want something unique, how about Ea? Some sites list it as boy name, but it can be either boy or girl. Actually, the only person named Ea I ever heard of was a girl. Origin is Irish/Celtic, and the meaning of the name is Fire. As for popularity in US, it is nowhere to be seen on SSA’s web site. It also not very common name internationally.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Oh, BTW. With the way you present the poll, you are influencing votes towards whatever more popular names are chosen early on. No wonder some very popular names floated up to the top. Since they are the names presented to the voters directly. I’d just have a text entry for the name (not presenting any names to voters) and a link to complete partial results. Or you could choose names you like from already submitted names, and present those to voters directly. Just my $0.02.
September 10th, 2008 at 12:04 am
+1 to Nelson’s comment
You might even want to consider a unique name where you can reserve a first-name-only email/twitter/ account. Those are all the rage these days.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:20 am
About the methodology of the survey – AM is right, this is not a very scientific study. I mean, there’s huge amounts of sample bias, for one thing. I probably shouldn’t show participants the results before they vote, and if I removed the choices and just had a field to enter a name I’d get closer to finding the absolute best name.
But, on the other hand, I’m probably not going to try to get this published in a journal. :) Also, people like the see results in polls, and our goal is to narrow down the list of names we like and maybe get some suggestions, not find the objectively best name.
So thanks for all votes, everyone, keep them coming.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Responding to Nelson, AM and Reid, we thought about going for a totally unique name but I think Ann has seen too many horrible examples of that at work. I’d like to think we could come up with a unique name that’s actually good, but everyone who picks ridiculous names thinks they found a good one too, so we’re going to play it a little safe. I am very concerned about getting good domain names/account names… maybe we can add in a strange middle name.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:27 am
I like Ada a lot.
It’s a simple name that sounds nice and will work well in most languages. It is a palindrome, refers to adamantine qualities, and did you know that the first programmer was called Ada (Countess of Lovelace)?
September 11th, 2008 at 3:35 am
I laughed so hard at Nelson’s comment lol
October 1st, 2008 at 3:00 am
Yes, to get .com baby would need to have a super long name or many misspellings in it. I like the idea of a very strange middle name. Let the voting begin! :)
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I’m a fellow Googler. Those are lovely names, and Mr./Ms. Splashy Pants will do fine with almost all of them. However, Asma/Ozma has the problem of sounding like an illness (asthma), so probably best avoided.
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
[...] says in this post that he and his wife have contemplated various names for their baby (whether it’s a boy or a [...]
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:59 am
What a great idea. I voted for Olivia (my 4 month old) and Sydney (my father in law’s name is Sid). We allowed our 5 year old to help us name our daughter and thought he might suggest something like Banana or Spongebob, but he liked Olivia. And everyone says “what a beautiful name”. Of course, they could just be being polite, but I choose to prefer that she is truly one of the most beautiful babies they’ve ever seen with an appropriately beautiful name : ). bon chance!
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I chose Ada and Levi since you already show an interest in these names. I am of the group of people who chose unique names for my kids, and we’ve never looked back.
Good luck, and whatever you name your baby, I hope you all are blessed with peace and love.
(my kids are Jester and Jovy)
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Best of Luck with everything!
I voted for Althea (so pretty and not overdone). Ada is a nice “Ava” alternative and Athena was on my short list (we named our girl Lilah). Cassia is also lovely. Olivia is a sweet name if the popularity of it does not bother you. TONS of little Olivias running around. Just PLEASE do not choose Asma…people will forever think of Asthma!
For a boy I chose Isaac. I think it is a strong and handsome name. The others are great choices, too. I always think of Sydney as a girl, though.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
There is only one name you need to consider.
Chutney Muldoon.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I like my name, but I think that it’s gotten too popular. You probably don’t want a unique name, but you don’t want something too common.
There’s another problem here, though. I don’t like the unusual names you have listed. Althea? Never appealed to me. And Ada is just plan bad. Levi is either clothing or a “fucking redneck.” You don’t want that as a model, do you?
Perhaps I am disqualified, for not liking the names that you like. Alas…
October 7th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I have a feeling you are going to have a girl… I usually can tell these things for some reason, just by looking at someone.
With that said I think you will name her Ada. Another “gut feeling” if that is what you want to call it. Congrats, on your soon to be new addition to your family!!! I just found out that I am pregnant with my third! Best wishes for you and your family.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I saw a version of Alex for both a boy or girl. I do like it for either.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
My grandma says the best way to see if you like a name and see if it flows is to go yell it out your back door a few times, like you will when the baby gets older. Dont leave out the middle name in your yell. Like Jason William Morrison get in here and pick up your socks!!!!
Revert back to your second grade year and rhyme the name with everyhting you can think of. Olivia Boliva What’s Aaron wearin’ etc.
I really tried not to pick a name that would get mangled or get a mean kid’s attention.
Congrats! I am sure you will do well by your child.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
I’m a teacher and I can tell you some of the names that are being WAY overused the last few years. If you don’t want your child to have common name then if it’s a girl avoid Isabell, Isabella, Olivia (it’s on your list and there are tons of new Olivias), Zoe, Stella, Ava, Tess (all the grandma names are coming back big)
If it’s a boy avoid Jack, Jackson, Sebastian, or Max.
One other thing. Pick a name that is spelled the way it sounds! Your child will be very grateful if you do.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:54 am
I tried voting when I first came across this site but I got some sort of error and now I can’t see the list at all… I didn’t pick from the suggestions on either list but chose Serena and Haden as possible names for your soon-to-be new arrival! Congratulations and good luck with your expanding family!
October 8th, 2008 at 3:28 am
I suggest “Ai” or “Aye” (pronounced as “eye”) which stands for “love” in Mandarin Chinese.
October 8th, 2008 at 4:25 am
I picked levi and cassia, they sound like good names although it seems like the majority of names you pick are increasing in popularity, which can suck for the kid. All 3 of my kids have fairly unique names al though #2 (jocelyne) starting popping up randomly after we named her. Our oldest girl is Aislinn and our only boy is Rowan, don’t hear those too often (never actually) and they love it and so do I!!!
October 8th, 2008 at 7:11 am
I voted for Olivia and Sydney . Olivia was one of the names I had picked out for our baby due in March but didn’t go with . Sydney is my father’s name, sister’s name and my nephew’s name. All spelled differently though.
October 8th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I thought most of your picks were pretty good. My boys are Jacob Galen, James Tyler, and Jeremy Daniel. Pretty common for the most part, but each having a special connection with loved ones. I had a few choices in mind each time for my boys, but I actually waited until they were born before I chose the name. When you actually see and hold your baby, the name will just come to you naturally. At least, thats the way it happened with us.
Sydney is a great name. And actually, you could use that for a baby boy of girl! God bless you and your family. And don’t stress. That baby will be loved so much by everyone around he/she will probably be called pookie bear, snickerdoodle, or little munchkin or some other silly nickname by most of the family and maybe even you for the first year or two! LOL!
October 8th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Olivia is my daughter’s name. I chose it because it is classic, timeless and elegant. It appears in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. Also, just think of Olivia de Havilland, who epitomises the golden age of Hollywood. You can’t go wrong with Olivia!
October 8th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I think you should name it Alpha if it’s a girl. It’s a nice name.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
We had just a few important criteria for our kids’ names:
1. We (parents) both like the name, and it doesn’t remind us of someone we dislike, ex-partners, etc.
2. It’s easy to spell (so they don’t have to spell it every time they give it)
3. It’s easy to pronounce (less embarrassment with teachers, etc.)
4. Bonus points if it’s not on the list of 100 most popular names for the previous year.
We gave more common names for middle names — in case our kids want to try something different than their less-common first names somewhere along the way. Middle names were also where we could name after family members — worked out well since we had one male and one female name that came from both sides of the family.
We have one boy and one girl — this process gave us Theodore and Petra for their names. We get tons of good reactions to these names. Good luck finding a name you love.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Athena is such a classic name with such nice connotations associated with it. Sebastian is just classy.
October 8th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I think the name Althea is wonderful and more than classic. I stuck with family when naming my little girl who was born on November 16 last year and named her after my passed away nan. It’s an ‘old’ fashioned name but I love it (Sadie). I noticed that someone said naming a son Rain or Rainn would be nice after your grandfather. My younger brother’s middle name is Rayne and it’s a beautiful name, he uses it now as his common name.
Good luck with the new little baby whatever his or her name turns out to be!! All the happiness to all three of you!
October 8th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
We just had a baby and went with Emory. It can work for a boy or girl. You will get asked if either of you attended Emory University in Atlanta. Given that you live in Atlanta, I say go with it!! I picked Levi for a boy and Lexi for a girl – just to make you think more about it……
October 8th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Mary or Genevieve. Beautiful, classic.
And I think you’re having a girl!
October 9th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Or “Ainee” (Ai Nee /Aini/Ayenee) – pronounced as “eye-knee” – which means “love you” in Mandarin Chinese.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Nirvana for a girl
Leon for a boy
Nirvana is nice since it’s the state of enlightenment in buddhism. (It also would be a nice middle name if you decide to go with something else for the first! And it’s nice for boy or girl!)
And for a boy Leon because it means Lion which is a figure in art and religious symbolism of many cultures, symbolizing kingliness and courage. It’s also french, so it’s one of those names that just sounds beautiful when you say it!
October 9th, 2008 at 3:12 am
I respect everybody’s name suggestions, but the names you’ve picked out are stereotypically religious!
I would recommend the following Indic names:
Simran (Hindi: ?????) means “Wind” in Indic languages [prounounced Sim as in SimCity ... and Rin from Ring] … Simrin (say it fast … Simrin … not slowly Sim Rin)
Kiran (Hindi: ????) means “Ray of Light” in Indic languages [prouncouned Ki as in Kim and Ran as Run … KiRun)
Meera (Hindi: ????) means “Sea or Ocean” in Indic languages [prouncoued MeRaa)
These are all female names, I don’t have any suggestions for boy names, sorry :(
http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/ind.php
Has more interesting names :)
October 9th, 2008 at 3:55 am
hi, i think you’re joking, if not, the message is ‘race’ doesn’t matter!
i think Page & Larry are good, but since the ‘baby’ will come in Nov, call him “Barack” or her “Obama.” this will be better!
Larry
October 9th, 2008 at 6:21 am
i also tried leaving a name but it came up with an error. my suggestion is alivia which is also the name of my first girl. livia was the mother of tiberius ceaser, alivia is a character in a book, and i didnt know this one at the time but alivia is some sort of whore in a shakespeare play apparently. but i dont mind it is a cool name
October 9th, 2008 at 7:55 am
HMMM…. I had a name for my boy even before I met his father so I didn’t have such problems… only with girls name :)
When Your baby comes, he/she will show You how to name him/her. Sometimes the name we choose before, doesn’t suite with the face :o)))
Wish You good luck and for the lady-easy birth :o)))
Mirna from Croatia/Poland(4 months old Jan Jakov’s mom)
October 9th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Asma or Isaac
October 9th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Mr Morrison -
I work in a school, and I can tell you that although it may be wrong, you can actually tell a lot about a child from its name. If I were choosing, I would go for Olivia or Alexander, simply because they’re both easy to spell (do you really want your child having to go through life having to spell out their name, which will be the case if you call them Alexandria, which is in any case a place not a name) or Nikolas? I know you’re American, so names might have different connotations over there, but names do have associations – a child called Levi might be expected to be Jewish, for example. Do think long and hard – there is also the fact that if you choose a less adventurous name, your child is less likely to be able to be pigeonholed by age later in life. It is a momentous decision that will affect someone else for their entire life – for which reason, save flights of fancy for second names.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
[...] decidan cómo se podría llamar nuestro retoño". Dirección para elegir o sugerir un nombre http://www.jasonmorrison.net/content/2008/hey-internet-help-us-name-our-child/ 1 comentarios en: tecnología, internet karma: 19 etiquetas: nombre, bebe, encuesta, internet [...]
October 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Creo que Javier es un nombre muy adecuado para vuestro hijo, si es varón. Significa : “casa nueva”. Es un nombre que tene un aire frescoy alegre, que puede acompañar al niño toda su vida.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Jason,
Is your wife’s name Ann? I have an algorithm that can find names
from the parents letters (in this case, that would be AJNOS). Please let me know if Ann is short for something.
I guess one possibility would be “Sonja” for a girl which is a complete anagram of your name.
October 9th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
[...] no) trabaja en Google, está muy familiarizado con las herramientas de búsquedas en Internet, señala en su blog que “después de meses buscando los nombres más populares en la Red, hemos decidido que sean [...]
October 9th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
If it’s a boy: Chuck Norris.
A girl? Chuck Norris.
October 9th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
[...] Morrison, who is a Search Quality Strategist at Google, needs your help in picking a name for his baby who is due next [...]
October 10th, 2008 at 2:21 am
I Suggested Zanele (Girls Name ) originally a Zulu name
and Kabilo, a Sotho name from South Africa.
Pretty unique in both counts. So if uniqueness are your goals then these two could do the trick.
October 10th, 2008 at 5:13 am
Jason,
I suggested Antía for girl, typical name from Galicia (Spain), and for a boy Iago (that means Jacob, as well in Gallego).
I hope you like them! ;-)
All the best,
Lolo
October 10th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Jason,
I suggested for a girl Antía which is a typical name from Galicia (Spain) and for a boy I like Iago (that means Jacob also in Gallego) ;-)
All the best,
Lolo
October 10th, 2008 at 5:59 am
Here in Spain, Alexis is a name for boys… just fyi
October 10th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Hey Jason — You’re forgiven for not yet finding a great name online, because we just lifted the password on our big new baby-naming website nameberry.com YESTERDAY so google hasn’t even found us yet! I’m the coauthor of nine bestselling baby-naming books written over 20 years, on which the site is based.
We’re the only baby naming experts to own all our own content so I promise nameberry is a deeper, richer, more authoritative and more interesting baby-naming experience than anything else out there — really!
By the way, the only name on your list that’s really distinctive is Cassia. I like Ada but it’s a lot like Ava, and our new book coming out next spring, to replace Beyond Jennifer & Jason, is going to be called Beyond Ava & Aiden. And no matter what, you can’t name a boy Sydney anymore.
Check out nameberry.com and let us know what you think. Best, Pam Satran
October 10th, 2008 at 7:29 am
About Althea, tell you -maybe dont know- that is the name of a city in Alicante (Spain) called ALTEA , i think it’s sounds fine, i like too AITANA what is similar
October 10th, 2008 at 8:20 am
[...] “My wife and I are expecting, and thus we have to pick a name for our new baby. We’ve perused baby name websites and tried the Freakonomics tactic of predicting popular names, but to be honest none of it was really working. As a Googler, though, the answer should have been obvious – let the Internet do it!” he writes in his blog. [...]
October 10th, 2008 at 8:24 am
haha I am born on November 16th :)
October 10th, 2008 at 9:05 am
[...] ??????? ??? ????, ??? [...]
October 10th, 2008 at 10:18 am
You guys should pick solid, traditional names. I know you may like the trendy stuff in an attempt to be different, but guess what? EVERYONE IS DOING THAT! It’s bad enough being one of 3 Johns but Levis or Olivias?
It’s positively maddening and will give your kid major esteem problems, or at least they will always hate their name.
If you really like music, I think the name Van is quite nice as well…
October 10th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I think for a girl you could name her Shayla, Skye, Alexa Rae, Jaylyn to name a few. For a boy maybe Jaden, Matthew, Aidan, Nicholas, Austin. But if none of those you could always use Devon which is good for a boy or a girl. Well, I’d like to say, whatever name you both pick I only wish you all the best with your child. My thoughts will be with you both and wishing you all the best of luck and health. Congrats on your pregnancy.
October 10th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Mum’s name, Ann, is a nice traditional name. It might be good avoid trendiness and give Baby a more traditional name — a serious name for your son or a beautiful name for your daughter — maybe a name from an ancester to carry the line along. So many parents give gender neutral names to their daughters, like Madison and Taylor. They’re trendy names and not very attractive for a girl, and the poor kids have to carry the moniker to their graves. Also, you might want to avoid nicknames and names often given to pets. Just imagine a 98-year-old man named Benji, sitting in an old folks home long after you’re gone, drooling into his coffee cup It’s not a happy thought. Your baby will spend such a tiny bit of his life as an infant. Give Baby a grown up name s/he’ll be proud to carry forever.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Chuck Norris!
October 10th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Yeah, if you’re going to pick one of those names your child is likely going to have an awkward name like the Madisons that were born a few years ago. I don’t think you have to pick a boring traditional biblical name, but you can be creative instead of picking off-the-shelf trendy yuppie names. I voted for Erin and Sydney because I think those are the edgiest. I like Cat’s suggestions.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Angelica is a beautiful name…
Seven years ago, when I was 18, I met a woman called Angelica. I still remember her today… She was my fisrt Love, a gorgeous & wonderful red-haired lady.
I miss her a lot…
If someday I have a daughter, I’ll name her that way…
Angelica…
October 10th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
[...] Google Docs poll-creation tool, the Ohio-based programmer has created a survey in which anyone can vote on one of 17 different names. Olivia and Dylan are currently the front runners, but the poll is still open and participants are [...]
October 10th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Also, a suggestion is to use numerology (even if one is skeptical), to try sound combinations, and to the meaning of the name.
A very important thing is if the future mother can simply try meditation, and ask the yet unborn baby: how do you want us to call you? And then wait for a response. In some seconds, hours, or maybe days or weeks, the name will come to you naturally in the less expected moment.
Good luck finding a name!
Happiness, joy, prosperity and alternative energy for the couple, the child and all!
October 10th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Hi, I am an European girl from Spain and I’d like to suggest a Spanish name for a boy: Joaquin (like the actor Joaquin Phoenix). It is pronounced somewhat like “Hoa-a-keen”. If you find it too much complicated just try the English/international version (Joachim). Try Jess for the middle name.
I do like short names so my favourite in the girls list is Ada. This is also a Spanish name and a name in many different languages (French, Italian, etc), so it’s very international and easy to pronounce and spell, which is very convenient. I suggest Mary as the middle name (ADA MARY MORRISON, It sounds fabulous!).
Or just try my name… ;) (English Violet)
October 10th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I voted for Althea and Aaron but only because I had to vote for something. Which is not to say that I don’t love those names, I do, particularly Althea. Its just that I cannot really in good conscience choose a name based on no background. I understand that you can’t give your surname but that is so important to the first name choice!
I consider myself something of an expert on names. I’ve been researching name origins and trends since I was 13. I have helped name several babies, including 3 of my own. You have some beautiful choices but a name needs to be more than pleasing to the ear.
Give this a read:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=Lny8cKgPS_AC&dq=baby+names+satran&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=1B1jiCyp0w&sig=O7MtOs2PtCFLXDi0YEGFUH–hUs&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA323,M1
Best wishes! You’re headed into an amazing time of life…
October 10th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Ha! I see Pam Satran posted before me (note to self…read first, post later)…lucky you! She’s the guru of baby naming.
October 10th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Sorry, I forgot to say that I actually love the name of my best American friend: Coralie. It is such and uncommon and pretty name and she is so lovely that I also love this name.
October 10th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Annnnd…I see that your surname is right in the blog title. At this point I’ll just pretend I was never here.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Hi !
I’m a “random internet stranger” from France. Your idea is really funny, and not stupid, in fact.
I do prefer Ada for a girl, as I’m an Ada developer (the computer language Ada was named after Augusta Ada, countess of Lovelace) :)
Long life for your child, girl or boy :)
October 10th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
[...] que hizo una convocatoria en su blog para escoger entre varios nombres el de su hijo que nacerá en noviembre. En su convocatoria, [...]
October 10th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I like Arycha Elizabeth for girl and Aryc Mikal for a boy…
October 10th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Easy picks for me. Like Ann, I see many horrible names in my job. Thanks for not merging your named (e.g. Cheryl plus Ronald equals Cher-Ron). Don’t worry about domain names and the like. There is a two-test rule for baby named: 1) If I see it on a resume, will I know how to say it to call and offer a job interview, and 2) When he/she is 70, the name must sound good with the title of Grandma or Grandma.
October 10th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I’d like to suggest a few more names
Althea and Esme for girls
Otis for a boy.
Happy baby internet strangers!
October 10th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I would strongly recommend staying away from Dylan and Olivia – as nice as they are. They are a dime a dozen today. Same goes for Erin which will forever be stuck in the 70s and 80s in my eyes.
I love Ada and Althea for the girl names. I knew an Althea in high school and always loved the name.
Most of the boys’ names are pretty common, unfortunately. Levi was the stand-out name for me.
But please, no more Olivias! The general population is naming their daughter that so you must discount all their votes :)
October 11th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Angelica is a beautiful name for baby girl
and Eric is most loved name for baby boy
if you need any indian name, I would recommend the following Indian names for :
(1) Neepra for baby girl
(2) Praneesh for baby boy
Long life for your child, girl or boy :)
October 11th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Congratulations on your upcoming little miracle.
Let me say its one of the best experiences one could ever go through in life. Its amazing how much love you have for this little person who you never met before.
Good luck on the name poll. I named my daughter Riley. After a long extensive list including some more exotic names like Adan and Asia, a friend suggested Riley and it just seemed to fit. Now I couldnt see my daughter as anythinig else but a Riley.
October 11th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Yes, I may be the baby name guru, but I’m not the tech guru! Here’s the link to our big new baby-naming site where you’ll find what’s good about Ada and bad about Sydney for a boy, and many thousand other useful baby-naming ideas: http://nameberry.com.
October 11th, 2008 at 8:43 am
[...] Jason Morrison, an employee at Google is expecting a child soon. His wife and him have spent a lot of time trying to decide on a name for their child and after much searching, they decided the best bet would be to ask the Internet! [...]
October 11th, 2008 at 10:35 am
There are a LOT of baby naming sites out there. Many are very good; some are less so. The Right Baby Name tries to do something unique. Using a massive volume of data gathered from dozens of different sources and number of psychological and sociological studies TheRightBabyName.com provides analysis of names and their association with various characteristics. For instance, you can find out how memorable a name is, how much of a fad it is, whether it’s associated with felons or lawyers or even Ivy Leaguers. Check us out and test out some of your favorite names!
October 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
hi,
I couldn’t resist to drop a line here :) I think that this is such a great, cool and sooo original idea! I’m trying to imagine how will your kid feel when finds out that people all around the world helped to name him/her :) AWESOME!
And about names, from your list I would pick Alexis and Aaron but I like more names Damian for a boy and Leah or May(those two sounds great together :)) for a girl.
good luck&lots of happines, love and prosperity!
greetings from Croatia
October 11th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
SpongeBob xD
October 12th, 2008 at 12:39 am
All the best with the result!!.
Blessings of the internet to the child :)
October 12th, 2008 at 7:43 am
I’m a bit confused. Are you trying to avoid trendy names so to keep your kid being one of a dozen in his or her class, or are you trying to be on trend?
October 12th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
How about Asa for boy? Sasha for girl?
Love Althea and Athena. Jacob and Isaac don’t do it-too biblical. No to Aaron. Genevieve lovely. Petra cool and historical.
Our daughter is Saylor and son is Archer. Seneca almost made birth certificate.
Good luck. Whatever you decide on, I wish you a healthy baby.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:06 am
[...] nombres de nuestros hijos. Al menos eso está haciendo Morrison, quien desde su web ha organizado una encuesta para escoger el nombre de su hijo que nacerá a mediados de noviembre. Hey Internet help us name [...]
October 13th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
boy: HAMMER
girl: TIME
Hammer time!
October 13th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
I like the name “Frogmella”
October 13th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Prediction – you will decide on a name and then after the little one is born will totally change your mind as it won’t suit somehow. I’d go with George Castanza’s choice ‘Seven’. Don’t worry… it will grow on you.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
if you are going to have a ‘famous’ or world renowned child then choose a name that stands out! esp if it is going to be a ‘mix’ baby – i have 2 euro asian girls – simply gorgeous! ruby and hunter (aka crickette) i want them to grow up so no-one forgets who they are! i chose strong names that they could live into – have an awesome life – not normal and mundane!!
i chose ‘Jasanne’ for a girl – father’s first name and mother’s first name and cause it is different!! it is still feminine yet interesting and beautiful…
Levi for a boy cause i’m guessing he would be good looking – yes?? and sexy!! also a strong name and not a push over… and very very cool!!
well enough from me – gotta get back to work:
http://www.rubyandcrickette.com.au
October 13th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Sydney is good – just spell it properly – Sydney is a city
Sidney is a name.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
China India – if its a girl because thats where your next fortune is going to come from.
October 13th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
awesome idea.
I like EDEN – apart from the fact that it’s my niece’s name – because it is non-gender-specific, and contains none of those pesky letters that cause massive mis-pronunciation in other languages, so she/he will be able to travel the world and still hear her/his name more-or-less correctly each time!! :)
And it has a beautiful meaning – paradise, or possibly pleasure (see http://www.aussiethings.com.au/babynames/eboy.htm)
Surprisingly enough, I found myself on this website, and typed in EDEN, and it has obviously taken a HUGE surge in the past few years in New South Wales, Australia, but they are claiming all female. That is misleading, as the FIRST ‘Eden’ of whom I heard here was a male.
http://www.nsw.gov.au/explorer.asp.
Wishing you much happiness with your child, girl or boy….
October 13th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
You cannot go passed:
Sunday Roast
October 13th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
… Sydney is a city and is also a name.
October 13th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Hi,
I love your idea…and I’m sure whatever you choose will suit your little miracle. I chose Malaika for a girl – it means Angel. I think it’s a beautiful name. I like Isac for a boy…nice traditional name and goes wonderfuly with your family name.
Good luck!
October 13th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I have suggested the new baby be named Darwin.
October 13th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
go with Jude – boy or girl it’d work
October 13th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Sydney people are stuck up snobs…go for melbourne
October 13th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I have suggested, for a girl, Alice Fiona as these are the names of my own daughters, who tell me they love their names/
I have suggested, for a boy, William Dane, the name of my uncle who lies in Flanders fields (Polygon Wood actually) in what is now Belgium and who left his home in Invercargill, New Zealand to fight in the First War and died 19 February 1918. If I had a son I would have named him William Dane.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:46 am
As a random internet stranger, I’d like to offer my congratulations on your lovely baby. I’ve chosen Althea and Alexander on your list.
However, as a mum of two (they’re strapping young men now), I’d like to make a suggestion that you might find helpful. Like you and Ann, my husband and I couldn’t really attach to a name during the pregnancies. We decided to wait until each one was born, trusting that something important would happen in our hearts. It did. Each time. My older son was premature and took four days to tell us his name. It came to us as we stood yet again over his crib in the hospital on the fourth day. And it suits him perfectly; he has adopted his own version of it as he has grown older and we respect his choice. Our younger son was more dramatic: ten minutes after he was born, I heard myself say “his name is ***** ****”. And just then my husband brought his 6 yr-old brother in, who said, “Mummy, why don’t we call the new baby “*****?”
I haven’t told you my boys’ names because I respect their privacy. I don’t mind you knowing mine. Anyway, the gist of my message to you is not to worry if you can’t decide on a name before your child is born. You may find that whatever you had been thinking of beforehand, you now have a strong sense of what fits your child now that you can see and hold him/her.
All the very best to you.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:47 am
Hi
Don’t choose anything too popular (believe me there is nothing fantastic about being one of 20 million Jennifers on the planet) but don’t choose something that is too tacky and modern either.
I have added Alegre to your list of girls names as it was similar to some of your other choices and means “happy” in Portuguese (and maybe in spanish too).
My daughter is called Lily, after her great grandmother. I like flower names for girls: Rose, Poppy, Daisy, Violet.
For boys, Oliver would be a nice choice too.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:52 am
Hi again
Another idea: you have put Ada on your list but what about Ava? It reminds me of Ava Gardner- a strong attractive woman
October 14th, 2008 at 6:00 am
love ’sunday roast’ – LOL!!!
’sidney’ – unisex…
‘darwin’ – reminds me of dingos…
sorry – ‘malaika’ i’m pretty sure in an asian language is an insulting word…
October 14th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Guys,
Never named a kid, but wih a bit of luck I’ll get to do it eventually…
I’ve given it a bit of thought and igure you should keep these “rules” in mind:
1.Don’t have rhyming first name and surname, so ErIN MorrisON, JasON morrisON etcetera are OUT. They just sound silly.
2.Don’t go with a first name that can be slurred into the surname when speaking quickly and then the person at the other end of the phone mis-hears it and you have to start over… eg “Mat Stilton”, when said quickly, becomes “Max Tilton” (you get the idea)
3. “Splashy McMansion” is a bad idea.
4. “of the Overflow” would be a great middle name. Aussies will understand it. :)
Good luck!
October 14th, 2008 at 6:28 am
Woops, totally didn’t mean any offence with the Jason Morrison thing! I was just looking at your surname and thrying to thinkof a fist name that ended in “ON”. Sorry dude!
matt
October 14th, 2008 at 6:49 am
[...] Okay, this is taking crowdsourcing a little too far. Google search quality strategist Jason Morrison is expecting a child this November, and he and his wife are having a hard time nailing down names for the little bugger. So he decided to let the World Wide Web do it for him. [...]
October 14th, 2008 at 7:30 am
I *hate* the idea of an internet poll to name your baby! Names are so subjective, different people will have wildly different opinions so a bunch of internet strangers don’t have a chance in hell of coming up with something ‘just right’.
Nice idea for a bit of a laugh though, and obviously you won’t be going with the result unless it’s what you wanted anyway…!
(My 4 children have the most perfect names, they go with their surname and middle names, their family heritage, their personalities, their appearances, family in-jokes, the hopes I have for their futures, what impression I want them to project as children and as adults, what names they ‘told’ me when I first laid eyes on them seconds after their births, in fact I’m the proudest mother in the world for choosing such fabulous titles for such fabulous kids… Of course, I *could* tell you what you should call yours, but that’s your job!!)
Good luck x
October 14th, 2008 at 7:32 am
What is wrong with this world? Is the excitement and thrill of naming one’s own child now gone cyber? How will that poor child react when, he or she reaches the age of understanding and gets told that his or her name was chosen by a bunch of STRANGERS ON THE WEB! Maybe this whole fiasco is nothing more than the parents trying to get their 15 minutes of fame or their name in lights. Come on Mum & Dad, choose the baby’s name yourself and be proud!
October 14th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Say each name 100 times in a row. If you’re sick of it or it’s too long, then don’t name the kid that name. by the time they are five, you will have to say their name like, 300 times a day. you can’t find it hard to say or get sick of it. Nor should it be hard to distinguish the sounds for the hard of hearling or older people.
Good luck! All the names you picked are great. Let the baby choose. Have the baby, then call him or her by the name and see what they respond to.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Bobox has been with me since I was 14. Love it
October 14th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I chose Olivia which I feel is short but pretty, and Daniel, as both seem to run well with Morrison. Both could be abbreviated and still run well with the surname, but ultimately of course, the choice is yours. The first step is to see your baby born safe and well. Good luck.
October 14th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Kate for a girl
Simple and easy to text..lol…K8
As an idea…..
We used my wifes maiden name as the middle name.
Family is important to us and it was a way of maintaining the link to where she came from.
All the best for parenthood…its great fun!!!
October 14th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Great idea! I am due Nov. 27th (november is looking to be a popular month!) and we still have no idea what to name our baby. Cheers and congrats :)
October 14th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
What an exciting time for both of you !
My choice of name for a girl – Aroha – is the Maori word for ‘love’.
Seemed appropriate, and sounded like it went well with Morrison too.
Hope all goes well
:-)
October 14th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I got an error so forgive me if I’ve double-voted. I’m a random Internet stranger. I would vote for Cassia and Isaac for your lists, and pair them with middle names as Cassia Giselle or Cassia Celeste or Isaac Vincent or Isaac Martin. I named my daughter Elena Gabrielle, again with the idea of a name that could take her into the boardroom or studio or matronhood elegantly. (Gabrielle from an esteemed grandfather.)
My name is what it is and I’ve made my peace with it, but nobody ever pronounces it properly – why would they? It perfectly reflects my ethnicity, but who knows from Estonian? Good luck to you all for the home stretch, and then the fun really starts.
October 14th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Well, it’s the first time my name is so popular! Actually, I don’t know if I find it bad or good…
And btw, my birthday is on November 15th!
October 14th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Always a conundrum, but somehow the name mostly seems to suit the child as they grow older…like some people and their pets that tend to resemble each other as time goes by.
I chose the name Jaan (or even Ja’an) as it’s non gender specific, (and that makes a difference nowadays..? yeah, right.) and is a combination of Mum & Dads’ first letters…It should act as a reminder of his/her heritage throughout his/her unique life, in the first degree.
Just a thought…and good luck with it all.
Cheers,
Rick
Cairns, Qld. Australia.
October 14th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Hi ya,
Great idea to have a poll, then choose whatever you prefer. I chose Althea and Aaron off your list – just because I liked them best from those you had an they sounded good with Morrisson. But something else might be even better Aaron Morrison has the on on thing. I suggest you avoid first names with lots of s’s because of the lisp thing (we had to do that too with our surname), and I am picking shorter names sound better with Morrisson too. Theo, Thea or even 1 syllable names like Jay. Claire etc. I personally like Alana for some reason.
With our 2 we shortlisted middle names as well, as we wanted an important family relative to be honoured there, then we worked out which our longer list of preferred first names went well with it. I agree completely with saying the name aloud a lot to see how it sounds. With Morrisson a 1 syllable 1st, 2 syllable 2nd, or shortish 2 syllable 1st name, 1 syllable middle name are likely to sound more balanced aloud.
Also think about nick names and name calling. Silly Lilly, Luke Puke are just a couple of examples of many! I am a great believer of conventional spelling to make life easy for everyone – I have friends who hate their names as they always have to spell it out. I didn’t want my kids to be one of loads of children with their name in class, but not to have something faddy and dated as soon as this decade is over. Olivia is way over used in my book.
Best wishes,
Helen (New Zealand)
Personally I think letting the baby choose the name is just ridiculous, but short short listing then waiting to see the baby is o.k.
I also tried to picture whether the names we gave our kids would fit no matter what they grew up to be. – a mechanic or a doctor/lawyer. Some names seem to pigeon hole people in our minds.
October 14th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
In an early post from JJ, he asked, “Will his middle name be Hendrix?”
Yeah…my second son’s name is Gideon Hendrix [Last Name]. It totally works for him.
My first son is Elijah Harrison (after the Beatle), and my youngest son is Lukas Hawkeye (after the Marvel character).
Anyway, I wrote in “Oona” for a girl (which could be a good nickname for “Ramona”), and I was torn between Levi and Isaac for a boy…
October 15th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Call a girl Chiandra and a boy Xern
October 15th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
[...] jasonmorrison.net] “We’re expecting a baby November 16th, and we need help choosing a name. This is a [...]
October 17th, 2008 at 3:19 am
name her google.whats the harm anyway she will probably be the most popular girl around.if that fails try vonneta
October 19th, 2008 at 7:19 am
i vote for Daniella One or (Daniella 1)… that will be the name of my daughter, so there will be two of them… good luck
October 19th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
i voted for olivia and levi. but i really love ada too and think it sounds lovely with morrison. olivia is a little too popular for me, but its still very pretty, and has some great nickname possibilities. something to consider are how you feel about nicknames, and if you are big on it, think about what the most likely nickname would be for the name and make sure you like it. does that make sense?
some more suggestions for a girl…
india/indiana/indie
francesca
pippa
for a boy…
max
samuel
milo/miles
august
but i really love levi for a boy.
October 20th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Heey, cool idea I must say! I pray for a boy ;) Greetings from Croatia!
October 21st, 2008 at 5:25 am
First of all I wish good health and happiness to you and your child.
The girl name I suggested (Nefeli), relates to an ancient Greek cloud nymph. The boy name (Epameinondas or Epaminondas), relates to one of the greatest (although not so much known) men of ancient Greece, the man who beat the Spartans, a great warrior but also very well educated and cultured.
Stories of both you can easily find at wikipedia. Good luck…..!
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Olivia is very, very overused right now. She would be known as Olivia M. for her whole school life. Don’t do it! Actually, one cool thing about that would be that her initials would be OM – cool if she turns out to be into yoga. I am voting for Ada because one of my favourite teachers of all time was named Ada, it is simple, classic, easy to pronounce and pretty.
For a boy, Erik is nice. Or Erick. Or Eric. You can see there would be spelling issues, though! Sydney with the “y” is often a girl’s name these days.
I’ve been teaching preschool for 25 years, so I have seen a lot of names come in about out of fashion. Just be sure it is something your child can live with past age 5!
October 24th, 2008 at 5:09 am
[...] Morrison isimli Google çal??an? 16 Kas?m’da do?acak çoçu?u için Internet üzerinden bir anket yap?yor. Google Docs kullan?larak haz?rlanm?? anketteki k?z ve erkek isimlerinden birini seçebilir [...]
November 11th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
well i have four of my own and most of the time the right name just comes along my chilldren have fairly common names except for my youngest which we made up his name is tanin jamie but he does het called tj a fair bit but i always call him tanin and then theres my name shasta i have never ever in my life met anyone with my name i think it is very uniqe and i never realy got teased as a child exept for shasta pasta my childrens middel names are also diffrent my daughters is immoen and my sons are perrin maitland and averie fell free to use any of our name i would love to know another shasta out there in the world and as far as i know here in australia shasta is a daisy and in america there a lake called lake shasta which from pictures ive seen is beautiful goodluck in your search and something eles that may help is when i was choosing my childrens names i imagined my self standing on the back veranda calling my kids in for dinner and the right name just felt right mabet that would work for you
November 11th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Hi All the best to your beautiful wife with the delivery, good health to both you and your baby.
As far as names goes I myself like to go for unusual names, as common names are to familar and were as unusual name allows them to be more of an individual from the day 1.When I pre chose my names of my daughters as suggested above , though uncommon, I changed them slightly to make tham a little bit more different.
As a suggestion avoid names that might be turned into a bad nick name, (Like Dick most common or Pat you would constantly get pats on you back or head etc).
Good luck
November 11th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
This is a fantastic read!!!!
It is so funny how people can have such different opinions – especially when it comes to something as personal as the naming of babies. I think this poll is a great idea – would have done it myself if I’d have thought of it!!!
Anyway, I had to vote for my children’s names as i think they are both wonderful names. As a teacher, I have seen so many terrible names and it took great thought for us to choose. My son is Hunter – which is aparently a gender neutral name – but i have yet to meet a girl Hunter (here in Australia anyway). It is a strong name, and very masculine I think.
My daughter is Layla, a name that is beautiful and sweet, yet not overly common. My husband and I wanted to choose uncommon (but not weird) names for our kids and I think we did a great job. We always receive comments on how nice their names are – especially Layla.
They are both easy to spell, easy to say, and their names go well with their middle names. Hunter Isaac and Layla Grace. I kept the biblical names for middle names and I think they work perfectly.
All the best for your new little miracle. I knew my babies names before they were born and it suits them beautifully. As other have said though, if you dont know for sure, once you have him/her in your arms you will know the right name.
All the best.
November 11th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
i love the name savannah eden as i i feel it is strong ,yet pretty for a girl ! and i have always liked nate for a boy,s name which you dont here of a lot of nate,s cheers julie
November 20th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
All the best for you and your baby!
How did you name it then?
January 19th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
What is the name, please?
February 1st, 2009 at 9:12 am
[...] Organiser un vote sur internet pour choisir le prénom : on peut voter ici. [...]
February 6th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
what ever you name your Baby, Remember that someday they are going to be on a playground alone with a bunch of other kids and what you name him/her will effect whither they play with or beat the living **** out of your child.
Please, Please what ever you do, don’t do to your kid what these celebrities have done to theirs.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article2130988.ece
these unique names may seem wonderful to you but your child will have to live with this choice for the rest of their lives (or until they get emancipated and have their name legally changed)