A Rose by any other name…
I always look forward to reading what Hollywood stars, being way more inventive than me or most I know, will name their children. Some are real misses, like the names Julia Roberts picked for her twins: Hazel and Phinneas. But some are real hits.
Here’s one, as reported by Us magazine, July 7:
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban chose a “really adorable and original” baby name for newborn daughter Sunday Rose, baby name expert Pam Satran, coauthor of Cool Names and The Baby Name Bible, tells Usmagazine.com.
“Sunday [is] a choice to rival Tom and Katie’s Suri and Brad and Angelina’s Shiloh,” Satran says.
Kidman, 41, gave birth to Sunday – who weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces – on Monday morning. It is the first child for the actress and Urban, 40. (Kidman has two adopted children – Connor, 13, and Isabella, 15 – with ex Tom Cruise.)…
“Sunday is one of the next generation of word names,” explains Satran. “But it also harkens back to the ancient tradition of day-naming as practiced by many African tribes and originally brought to America by the early slaves.”
Other famous day names? Actress Tuesday Weld, the character Wednesday Addams and Robinson Crusoe’s Friday.
“Some modern parents like Sunday because of its spiritual element, which connects to such other starbaby names as Angelina and Brad’s son Pax and pop names like Nevaeh,” Satran adds.
Sunday emulates Suri because both “unusual first names begin with Su and have two syllables,” says Satran.
The name also represents Whitsundays, an island chain off the coast of Queensland, Australia – where Kidman and Urban celebrated her 40th birthday – and it is a day of prayer in Kidman’s Catholic religion.
Satran says Rose is the “starbaby middle name of the decade.”
The daughters of Michelle Pfeiffer, Teri Hatcher, Ewan McGregor and Eric Clapton all have Rose as their middle name. Sylvester Stallone… has 3 daughters with the middle name Rose.
The couple’s decision to give Sunday Rose both of their last names “is a signal that this is a marriage of equals,” Satran says.
[HT: proofreaders Laura Loo and Angela; Urban/Kidman photo courtesy of Huffington Post; Stallone family photo courtesy of celebrity-babies.com]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
If I ever have a son I want to name him Noble, If I ever have a daughter I want to name her Hulda Estelle.
That’s a nice name. They can even call her “Sunny” for short if they want. Here’s hoping the kid grows up sane and healthy.
I’m kind of surprised you don’t like the name Phinneas, considering the goals of the priesthood by the same name.
I always tell my boyfriend that Beowulf is a nice, strong name. ;)
I knew a couple who were going to name their baby “Quest” whether it was a boy or girl. They were having a ‘surprise’ baby. I lost touch with them before they had the baby so I have no idea if they went through with it.
The couple’s decision to give Sunday Rose both of their last names “is a signal that this is a marriage of equals,” Satran says.
Ummm……….I just don’t know what to make of this comment.
Oh honestly…WHO CARES what these fools names their kids?
I just got back from my lunch break, which I spent holding my coworkers 2 week old daughter. *SQUEEEEEEE!*
Her name is Karin. (pronounce car-in rather than care-en) I really like it.
I’ll be in a tough spot with hubby with a last name that ends in “ee” – always thought I’d name my daughter Audrey or Lily but neither of those work – not that I need to figure out an alternative any time super soon. I guess I’m a bit more traditional than the famousy types. If I have boys, they’ll be Miles and Brendan.
As an adoption proponent it would be nice one day when a story like this doesn’t refer to Kidman’s children with Tom Cruise as “adopted.” They are just as much her children as Sunday and don’t need the qualifier.
Amanda, I’ve always loved Lily for a girl. Though the name I secretly love the most is Evangeline.
I guess with a name like Alexandra I’ve come to appreciate being able to dress myself up or down, linguistically, via the use of nicknames. Ally with my family and close friends because it’s whimsical and a bit youthful, as I so often am in the comfort of my own home; Alex with most acquaintances and co-workers because I’m tomboyish and work in a male-dominated field, and Alex sounds like she has moxie stored away in her dimples, which is how someone once described me; Alexandra in professional or formal situations. Some people prefer to shorten me to Lex but I find it more awkward and thus more time-consuming to start the word with an L than an A so I don’t introduce myself that way. But anyway I like having different linguistic faces. I work with a company of Koreans, who have varying feelings about how you address them — some go, as they would in Korea, by their family name; others go by their given name in the spirit of American informality; others chose American names to keep their family names intimate while still projecting a casual, “American” feeling in conversations. In addition they have all kinds of nicknames they use when speaking with each other, depending on age, gender, relationship, etc. And I guess I view my nicknames as kind of similar to that — it’s a nuance I appreciate having. I wouldn’t choose a name solely for its ability to spawn nicknames, but it always makes me happy when names I think are beautiful can become, in turn, beautiful nicknames.
Anyway.
Sunday. Hmmmm.
I like Sundae better.
I had a friend name her son Justin Case. I thought it was cute.
I think it is funny that you who supposedly honor children would stand in judgment of people’s names. Don’t you have better things to think about?
Opinions, not judgment.
I am thinking about sundaes.
Opinions, not judgment.
I am thinking about sundaes.
Posted by: Carla at July 8, 2008 6:41 PM
………………………….
I’m think about a Margarita. And her brother Jose. : ) Ole!
Cheers, Sally!!
Yo La Tango: 6:31: I think it is funny that you who supposedly honor children would stand in judgment of people’s names. Don’t you have better things to think about?
Once in a while it’s nice not to have to think about abortion. Speaking of names, is that your given name or a blog name?
Lynn: 2:56: As an adoption proponent it would be nice one day when a story like this doesn’t refer to Kidman’s children with Tom Cruise as “adopted.” They are just as much her children as Sunday and don’t need the qualifier.
I agree. I wonder how it makes the older children feel.
Well Janet and Lynn, this story should burn your beans:
http://greenfertility.blogspot.com/2007/12/dutch-diplomat-abandons-adopted-child.html
How many times can I say this? Little baby Asian girls ARE NOT TOYS!!!
Thanks for posting that Jess. What kind of heartless people could do adopt a baby and desert it? (Maybe the same type that could abort a baby?) Just a thought.