Still waiting for Godot to become popular.

bzzzt. wrong. try again subby.

Top Ten new character-based names parents are using for their babies. The others, based on nearly two million visits to the Nameberry name pages over the past three months, are drawn from classic literature and futuristic fantasy, Old Hollywood films and modern animation.

these are 10 names that are peaking in those categories.

Not THE Top 10 Baby Names right now

/reading comprehension
//get some

If they're reading To Kill A Mockingbird, let them be. We need to encourage that sort of thing.

fusillade762: I keep hearing about "The Hunger Games", anyone know if it's any good?

My nephews have them. I've read a bit. The writing's not too bad as far as those types of books go.

fusillade762: I keep hearing about "The Hunger Games", anyone know if it's any good?


My students (high school) recommended this to me for months before I picked up the first book. Ended up downloading all three books to my Kindle that weekend. The storyline is familiar to anyone who's read some sci-fi or classic literature, but I think the author does a good job adding her own twists and has some good characters.

I enjoyed them, but I'm a garbage can when it comes to books - I'll read anything you throw at me.

I was just b*tching about stupid book-related baby names this weekend to my nephews, Frog and Toad.

They are friends.

Maybe I'll name my child Ender.

fusillade762: I keep hearing about "The Hunger Games", anyone know if it's any good?

I liked them... A different twist on a dystopia, although the third book became fairly predictable. The first and second ones kept my interest much better.

I ended up buying the hardcover trilogy for $30, although the paperbacks can be had cheap at Amazon (or Kindle for that matter).

If I ever have girls, which is unlikely in my family, I'm going to try to convince the wife to agree to the names Nynaeve, Elyane and Egwene.

/not really

At least Katniss is a badass. I feel sorry for all the girls named Bella because of their Twimommies. Shame, it's a pretty name without the association.

While calbert is right, the "2010 Most Popular Names in the US" at newberry.com* isn't something to be joyous about, either. And it's worth nothing the most recent recipient of the Medal of Honor was Dakota Meyer.

Rank Males Females**
1 Jacob Isabella
2 Ethan Sophia
3 Michael Emma
4 Jayden Olivia
5 William Ava

By comparision, someone who's about 80 was born in 1930, and those top names* were ...

Rank Males Females**
1 Robert Mary
2 James Betty
3 John Barbara
4 William Shirley
5 Richard Patricia

* source: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/index.html
** no, I'm not going to fiddle with the spacing; it's 4:15AM.

AverageAmericanGuy: Needs more Humbert Humbert.

the great American horror story ... "She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita."

fusillade762: I keep hearing about "The Hunger Games", anyone know if it's any good?

I was pleasantly surprised, I liked the sci-fi factor of a future dystopia, but be warned that its popularity has to do with the central choice the main character makes between two guys, and her selfish motivations. Props to the author for having other characters call her out on her motivations.

thursdaypostal: fusillade762: I keep hearing about "The Hunger Games", anyone know if it's any good?

First book is good. Sets up interesting characters and setting, driving plot.

The second two are, in my opinion, garbage. Forced drama, the premise wears thin, emphasis on plot lines that were already stale in the second book. The ending is just.. silly.

They're all 'young adult' books, but the second and third really really read like it, and not in a good way.

In this way, it kind of reminded me of "Ender's Game." The unfortunate truth was that "Speaker For the Dead" was the novel that Card wanted to write all along, he just had to get "Ender's Game" out of the way first to provide the backstory. The fact that it is a far superior work to any of the sequels shows that maybe authors aren't the best judges of their own works, or their own ideas.

exterminate_teacake: But if I name my next daughter Idris, after the human personification of the TARDIS, does this make me a nerd and horrible parent?

(Considering Idris is traditionally a boy's name anyway...)

If you name your boy Idris, do not be surprised when he gets his ass kicked and lunch money stolen on a daily basis.

Pert: Was hoping to name my son Marwood, or at least use Marwood as his middle name. Small prize (i.e. nothing) for anyone who knows which film character's name is Marwood, although you never actually find that out in the film.....

/we had a girl.....

John Marwood Cleese



frowns at your shenanigans.

Whenever I've thought about it I figure someday I wouldn't mind naming a girl Elanor and calling her Ellie a la Contact. But then I also think Maxwell would be a good guy name (thanks to the equations, not his silver hammer), so there we are.

/ always feel obliged to mention in these threads that my dad is named Zoltan
// ancient Hungarian prince name, a lot more common over there along with Attila
/// there was many a Dude Where's my Car? reference in my household when we saw the movie

By the way, survey for guys, how many of you go by a one syllable name when you get older? Basically I've noticed most of the American guys I know do this regardless of how potentially silly the abbreviation is (for example my friend "Patrick" goes by "Pat," which is really a girl name), so I've decided accordingly it's not worth giving a boy a name he can't do that with (ie Bob from Robert, Chris from Christopher... you know all those Jaydens are just gonna go by Jay later in life).

Agree or is this just a phenomenon amongst the people I know?

Pert: Was hoping to name my son Marwood, or at least use Marwood as his middle name. Small prize (i.e. nothing) for anyone who knows which film character's name is Marwood, although you never actually find that out in the film.....

/we had a girl.....

Withnail and I. If you do end up having a boy, don't let him drink lighter fluid or near "Uncle Monty"

untaken_name: Pert: Was hoping to name my son Marwood, or at least use Marwood as his middle name. Small prize (i.e. nothing) for anyone who knows which film character's name is Marwood, although you never actually find that out in the film.....

/we had a girl.....

The internets say it's "Withnail and I". Sounds like a good movie, too.

I knew that without it being a Google answer! I own the UK import of the Blu-Ray. Paul McGann is "Marwood," aka the "I" in the title, and he's also the infamous 8th Doctor. :)

If I ever have a girl, which I doubt I will, I'd name the her Eilonwy, after Princess Eilonwy from the Chronicles of Prydain book series (Disney's movie's fun and all but it killed the series), Meg, after one of the main characters in the Time series by Madeleine L'Engle, or Eowyn (which another poster already said).

Some how I don't think my potential son would appreciate the name Fflewddur Fflam though. Maybe I'll call him Rory Williams.

Andromeda: By the way, survey for guys, how many of you go by a one syllable name when you get older? Basically I've noticed most of the American guys I know do this regardless of how potentially silly the abbreviation is (for example my friend "Patrick" goes by "Pat," which is really a girl name), so I've decided accordingly it's not worth giving a boy a name he can't do that with (ie Bob from Robert, Chris from Christopher... you know all those Jaydens are just gonna go by Jay later in life).

Agree or is this just a phenomenon amongst the people I know?

I'm named after my dad, as in, exactly the same name with a "Junior" stuck on the end. He goes by "Joe", I've always been "Joey" thanks to my big sister. I don't forsee this changing. It's just who I am.

Andromeda: Whenever I've thought about it I figure someday I wouldn't mind naming a girl Elanor

Not unless your last name is Gamgee and you have hairy feet.

My mom used to work at Head Start as a case worker. She had one kid named "Courvoisier" in her group. I mean, on one hand, I can understand naming the kid after what you got drunk on the night he was conceived, but on the other hand, come on! The kid has to learn to write his name in freakin' kindergarten!