Girl!

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

We finally decided on a name for our girl, due March 2. Since I figure this community has a much better finger on the pulse of naming trends, I wanted to see how popular this first name is getting to be. Not that it would change my mind, necessarily, I'd just like to be prepared.

She'll be named Eleanor Jane. Eleanor because I love the sound of the name, and historically the women who have worn it have been strong and capable, and Jane for my mom.

Is she doomed to me one of six in her class? This says that the name is on the upswing, but it's hard to tell how popular this is going to get. As a Jessica Lee born in 1980, I'd really hate to doom my daughter to the same kind of thing.

Whatcha think?

Comments

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

I haven't really seen many with that name around lately.. sure, it's not unheard of nowadays, but it's no Grace or Ava. I see it more often on people's lists rather than on actual girls, but I can't promise it will stay that way in the next couple of years or so.

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

And even if it does get crazy popular it's got several possible nicknames: Elle, Ellen, Ella, Ellie, and Nora off the top of my head. That should help, too.

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

that's very true. Ella and Nora are lovely :)

[kimber-leigh.livejournal.com]

what a wonderful choice!! (i think you're safe..)

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Good flowing names :-)

Not something i'd choose though I don't know why because I tend to gravitate towards names that end in -a but i think it's the nickname Ellie, really dislike it. However..

Eleanor was ranked 277 for 2006 an though it's been rising steadily and there might be a coule of Eleanors around it's definitely nowhere near the same as being a Madison the equivilant of Jessica in 1980.

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

The sound of the whole name is very important to both of us (english majors), so I'm glad it falls off the tongue in a nice way. I'm not too crazy about Ellie either, Nora's actually the one I like the best, but we'll have to wait until her personality develops to see if she can pull it off.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

I think you're pretty safe. I don't think there's going to be THAT much of a surge in popularity, and as someone else mentioned above, even if there is, there are SO many nickname possibilities that she could go by Ellen or Nora and she could be distinguished from the 80 Ella's, you know?

I love the name, by the way, and you totally worded it the exact way I would have, about how women who have worn it in the past have been really strong and just...amazing. That's why it's my #2 name:)

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! We've been getting a lot of positive feedback from people, and while we weren't able to even come up with a workable boy name, this one felt right from the very beginning.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

Not pregnant yet but our agreed upon name for our first daughter is Eleanor Mirah
So yeah, I'm a fan :D

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

Mirah! Beautiful!

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

It's not as popular as Jessica, but is popular. There's a chance she'll have another one in her class.

And, because I find it interesting and you probably won't but whatever, I'm a Jessica Leigh and my birthday is March 2. And so there.

[happy-just-2-be.livejournal.com]

Just posted this lower, I am a Jessica Leigh, and my birthday is March 29th. haha

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

I like your spelling better than mine. I like to joke that "Lee" is so bland that they may as well have named me Jessica Name Sipe.

[happy-just-2-be.livejournal.com]

I actually really like our names. haha. I love the sound of it. I used to hate my spelling when I was little, I just didn't get it, but now I think it is pretty.

[bicyclefortwo.livejournal.com]

I'm another Jessica Leigh!

I go through periods of loving and hating my (our) name. Currently, I like the Jessica Leigh but am annoyed by my last name, haha. I like how my name looks in my email account, though, with the "Jessica L. LastnamestartingwithH."

I'm starting to grow more partial to "Jess." As a kid I hated it for whatever reason, but now I'd feel awkward asking people I've known since I was 5 to start calling me it. IDK.

I love, love, love Eleanor. Eleanor Jane is cute =)

[happy-just-2-be.livejournal.com]

I have always been Jess, but hate Jessie. It sounds like a boy name, and my old roommate was named Jessie, and we had a falling out. But, I don't mind Jess. I have a last name starting with H too. How funny. But, I wish I still had my maiden name. My last name now is SO common, no one shared my maiden name. Husband didn't like me keeping it though. :(

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

I would never go by Jess when I had my maiden name, because it began with S, and the names just blended together into 'Jesssipe,' which was not pretty. Now that my last name starts with B, though, I've switched over to Jess full time.

[moldycelery.livejournal.com]

It's popular, yes, but there are so many nick-names you can use. Elle, Ella, Nora are popular, but I've known an Eleanor who was called Lea (pronounced like Leah) also.

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

That's one I hadn't though of, I like it!

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I think Eleanor is becoming more popular, but it's no Ava or Emily. She might meet with another Eleanor or two as she goes through school, but I doubt she'll always have other Eleanors in her class.

Eleanor Jane is a beautiful name, and I love your reasons for picking it. :)

[jesus--suburbia.livejournal.com]

I think it's adorable. I think she'll be fine.

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

It's no Eddie Walker, but it'll do.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

I think Eleanor is becoming more popular (it's on my list of favorites, as well), but it's not too horribly trendy. Eleanor Jane is beautiful.

[samaside.livejournal.com]

I don't think it matters really. I mean, I was a Samantha born at the end of the eighties. I lucked out in being the end of the trends, I suppose, but there was one point in high school where I had THREE Samanthas in my class and in my International Politics class there are three Sams.

In my individual school of 120, though, there are two of us. It really doesn't matter to me. The other Samantha is a freshman who hates to go by Sam and introduce myself as Sam so it works. It should work even better for an Eleanor who goes by Ellie, Elle, Ella, Nora, Lennie, Rory, etc.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

It ranks 227 for 2006, but I don't think it's much of a problem.
Love the name though- very feminine and strong.

[happy-just-2-be.livejournal.com]

No advice, but I am a Jessica Leigh born in 1984.

[rubytitania.livejournal.com]

I have bad associations with the name Eleanor, but in itself it's not a bad name. Eleanor Jane is classic and elegant.

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

That site scares the everloving namestress in me.


... I guess you can finally count me in on the "I liked it when I was little, I swear!" camp (for the name Leilani — which still isn't all that popular, but it's the TRAJECTORY at the SSA that scares me, not its current rank).

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

That site also kinda puts paid to "But I LURVE Isabel/le/la! It's not trendy; it's CLASSIC!!"

Sure, the name's been around forever (and others like it: Emily, Ava, Abigail), but it IS trendy and with a peak like that, It Will Fall And Thus Become Dated.

[searlait.livejournal.com]

I know of a couple baby Eleanors, a million Ella/Ellie babies, and one adult Eleanor Jane.

[lneef.livejournal.com]

It is probably on the upswing and will go more so. I don't see it ever being really popular.

Eleanor Jane is a gorgeous and classy choice. There are artists and queens and leaders with the name Eleanor and she will have no shortage of literary and real-life heroines to associate herself with. It's the reason I chose Catherine for my daughter. Beautiful and well-done.

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! The history behind it was very important to us, and with Eleanor Roosevelt and Eleanor of Aquitaine both behind the name it ended up being a clear choice.

[lneef.livejournal.com]

I adore Eleanor of Aquitane (I took a class on her in college) and really would have loved to use the name, but my husband didn't like it. :P

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

Nora's my favorite of the possible nicknames, so I hope to avoid joining the Ella/Ellie fad.

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

LOVE the name, it is a little popular, but not too bad. I know a few older girls with the name, but no babies. I think both names are classics - not trendy and they flow really well together.

I was born March 2! :)

[idrinkacidrain.livejournal.com]

Go for it. Your Eleanor is your Eleanor, no matter if there are five in her class. 'Ella' is Teh Common nickname and you have more chance of an Ella in her class than an Eleanor, Nora is sophisticated and beautiful.

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I think that's the perspective all naming parents really have to take, because you just know way back in the dawn of the 90s there really was a person that chose the name Madison because it was original and uncommon.

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU. PLEASE KEEP PROCREATING!

As for Eleanor being common, I wouldn't worry about it. Plus you can have all sorts of nicknames. Ellie, Ella, Lea, Nora, Lenore...or something like Sweetie or Tootsie, something completely random.

[indyselsa.livejournal.com]

This comment cracked me up, but confused me at the same time. Why do I get a "procreation yay!" card? :)