We’re getting towards the end of this highly eventful month (at least for the Name Warehouse), and you know what that means! It’s time to take a look at some celebrity baby names, or celebaby names, as I do every month. My take on the most unusual of the bunch, most commonplace of the April batch, how well sibsets blend together with their new addition(s), as well as my guesses for the names expecting celebrities will be bestowing upon their little ones in upcoming months are all included, and I hope you enjoy this monthly series just as much as I do. I might even sneak in some popularity and origin story information lest you be pondering one of these for your little one in the future. From North to Penelope and Emma to Calliope, here we come!
Dakota Song-
Macaulay Caulkin, the Kevin Macallister many people know and remember with intense nostalgia from the movie Home Alone, and his partner Brenda Song have announced the arrival of the son no one knew was coming. They decided to name him quite a meaningful name, packed with honor for various members of his family. Little Dakota’s first name is an explicit honor to Caulkin’s older sister by the name Dakota, who tragically passed in 2008 following a car accident, making the obvious honor name and meaningful one that allows Caulkin’s sister to live on through her nephew. Now, I was unsure if Song-Caulkin was baby Dakota’s last name, or if he took his mother’s surname as a middle name and adopted his fathers as a surname. In the announcement, his name is written Dakota Song Caulkin, so I assumed the former, but the lack of a hyphen doesn’t necessarily solidify that Song is his middle name. Back to the commentary! I typically would suggest against putting two word names together. However, in this case, both Song, a surname that represents generations of Brenda’s family, as well as Dakota, which honors Macaulay’s late sister, are deeply meaningful. Not only that, I wouldn’t say that Dakota Song comes off too wordy. Instead, I think the name is just wordy enough to bring about plenty of imagery, but not too wordy (think Summer Apple) that it’s unable to function as a name. Dakota Song is truly a unisex name as well, with the girls grabbing #257 compared to the slightly lower boys with #347. Stylish, gender-neutral, and meaningful, I would say that Dakota Song is a wonderful choice for the Caulkin/Song family.
Adyn Aubrey-
Female tennis player Taylor Townsend has recently welcomed a son, her first child, into the world. While his father has not been revealed, as Townsend has kept that part of her life more private, their son’s last name is Johnson. Taylor and her partner have decide on the name Adyn Aubrey for their little boy, another definitely unisex choice. I believe that Adyn is a more creatively spelled take on #20 Aiden, making his sound quite a popular one, but the spelling does not ranks in the top 1000 for boys or girls. While the name Aiden is decidedly masculine and not a unisex name in nature, girl adaptations of traditionally male names tend to use spellings similar to Adyn (Cameron to Kamryn, Emerson to Emersyn), making the name appear much more gender-neutral. While the name Aiden leans heavily to the boys, even with the slight tweak of unisex thanks to that Adyn spelling, the name Aubrey is very much a feminine name. While Aubrey began as a male name, he last saw the top 1000 in 2002 at #929, burying all remnants of Aubrey’s unisex/mostly male stint. Aubrey as a more current and cool alternative to Audrey for girls now ranks at the surprisingly high #45, giving the combo Adyn Aubrey a delightful mix of masculine and feminine. Plus, combined, the names mean “fiery elf power.” I mean, that’s pretty epic, you have to admit. While my personal tastes don’t quite align with this baby name, I can appreciate the pleasant alliteration and the use of Aubrey for boys, as that’s something that’s become quite the rarity.
Kenna- Brother to Isaiah and Violet Madison
Actress and singer Christina Milian and her boyfriend Matt Pokora have announced the arrival of their second delightful little one together, a baby boy and brother to their son Isaiah. Christina also has a daughter called Violet Madison from her past marriage to the singer The-Dream. They’ve decided to call their son Kenna, a name that blatantly defies the trends of the past few years, but aligns perfectly with the trends of this month: everyone seems to be leaning towards gender ambiguous or gender bending choices! Kenna is a derivative of the Irish girl name Mckenna, which has had quite the popularity in the past couple decades. This name peaked for girls in 2002 at #177, so she’s no newbie to the spotlight. Kenna as a girl name peaked in 2016 at a mediocre, but still suitably popular #662, making the sounds of Kenna quite feminine in nature. However, with Koa and Kenneth, Kenna gets just the slightest bit of backup from the boys, making the name one that can also work on a boy despite his lack of presence in the boys top 1000. The -a ending also pairs wonderfully with his brother Isaiah, tying the two together yet giving them distinct sounds as well. I would expect Kenna to be a sister for Violet, but given that there were two different families naming Violet and Isaiah and Kenna, I don’t think that the style disparity is particularly problematic. I always like to talk about how I’d be fine with the boy names on girls trend if it mirrored itself with the opposite gender (girl names on boys). But it doesn’t. Well, until Aubrey, Kenna, and Dakota, all names more popular on girls, get given to little boys by a handful of our favorite actors, sports players, and singers. Maybe this wave of celebaby sons being gifted more traditionally female names represents a shift in how we view stereotypical gender roles. Or maybe I’m just really overthinking this. Either way, I love how Kenna matches with his brother’s name, and wish the couple a lovely time in getting to know their new little one.
Sunny Cinco- Sister to Frankie Stone
Cassie Ventura, a rapper, wife to Alex Fine, and mother to a little girl, shared that she’s become a mother to another baby daughter. Cassie and Alex revealed that the name they settled on is Sunny Cinco, another bright, fairly gender-neutral, word name heavy choice. I promise you, I chose all of these randomly! Sunny is a cutesy, cheerful choice, a name that brings to mind a spirited little one stomping through a field with the radiant afternoon sun shining brightly on her face, and parents seem to be embracing that adorable image with her rank at #794. Sunny is a joyful choice, potentially a diminutive for any name that ends in -son (Madison, Addison, Allison), Sunday, Sunniva, etc. However, it appears that the Fine family has proceeded with their nickname names as given names style, as they have an older daughter named Frankie. Sunny’s cool contrasting middle name, Cinco, also mirrors Frankie’s statement middle, Stone. Although Cinco is only in the SSA data as a boy name, Sunny is feminine enough that this name doesn’t feel unisex exactly. There’s potential for either gender, but definitely more towards Team Pink. Frankie and Sunny, while not the ideal stylistic match, have a unifying springy and cute quality to them that makes them feel a bit more connected, and of course, their middle names, Stone and Cinco, further unite them with their same-sound beginnings. Sunny is a favorite of mine, particularly as a nickname for Sunday, but that’s mostly a guilty pleasure. Cinco isn’t my thing, but I do, again, adore the alliteration.
Upcoming Celebabies:
Ben and Erin Napier, the stars of the HGTV show Home Town, are expecting their second child very shortly. They have a daughter, named Helen, who they share, and I’m guessing that they will echo that tailored, traditional, buttoned-up style for a second daughter (Miriam, Ruth, Susan, Josephine, Caroline). As for a son, I’m having a bit more trouble pinning down a specific style. Maybe something classic with a sprinkle of vintage? (Charles, Alfred, Edward, Phillip). Net up is Gal Gadot, an actress famous for her role as Wonder Woman. She shares two little girls, Alma and Maya, with her husband Jason, and has shared that she’s expecting a third daughter. For this little girl, I’m guessing that they’ll stick to their -a ending theme, going with something feminine and short (Ida, Nora, Ada, Lila). Finally, Jason Derulo, singer of Savage Love is expecting his first baby. Given that people who are raised similarly and live in a similar area typically name their kids with some of the same styles, I’m basing many of my unisex predictions off Derulo’s niece Skylar, who both lives near him and who’s parent grew up with him. I also get word name vibes from the couple. (Riley, Finley, Storm, Collins, Sparrow, Phoenix). That’s all for now, dear readers! I hope you enjoyed this article just as much as I love taking a look at some celebaby names, and have a wonderful rest of your day.
Sincerely,
-Delphina Moon
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