3-for-1 post

[pinkysmith.livejournal.com]

#1 :  Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) and Alice Evans (Lost) welcomed their first child on Sunday, PEOPLE has confirmed.  Ella Betsi Evans Gruffudd was born Sept. 6 in Los Angeles. She weighed 6 lbs., 3 oz. and was 21 inches long.  The couple, who met while filming 2000’s 102 Dalmatians and wed in 2007, announced the pregnancy in April.

#2 : Katherine Heigl's adopted daughter: Naleigh.  Named for her mom and sister, Nancy and Leigh.

#3 : WDYT about Kendall as a girl's first or middle name?  I've only heard it on a soap opera but I would imagine other people have done it.  Too masculine?  Too androgynous?

Comments

[jordle.livejournal.com]

my 30-something year old cousin is Kendall. Was born well before the AMC. I didn't know it was a boy's name for years! I still automatically think girl when I hear it. Oh and I hate it ;P

[pinkysmith.livejournal.com]

reading that you hate it all the way at the end made me chuckle. any idea as to how/why her name was chosen?

[jordle.livejournal.com]

No idea. It's my dad's side of the family and we don't see his family (aside from him). My Aunt was a single teen mother if that helps :P

[nevershagagreek.livejournal.com]

My 38yr old sister is named Kendall, and I've men TONS of girls with the name and only one man. I was surprised to hear it's mostly a man's name. My husband has never met a man named Kendall! Before it was on whatever soap opera it's on now, it was on another soap back in the late 60's early 70's, which is where my parents got it. I love the name!!

Also, she was born on St. Patrick's day, so she got a semi-Irish middle name: Erin.

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

The coach's daughter on my soccer team (for years I was on the same team) was Kendall. She was one of the best players. I think the name is alright. I've never heard it on a male, or a soap opera - to me it's always been female. But then she was the only Kendall I know of, so my view is skewed by that.

As for the celebrity births: I don't like Naleigh, much prefer Natalie. Ella Betsi is cute though not my style.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I love Ioan (the name and the person). Ella Betsi...Betsi's just a little weird, I think, and neither of them are my style. Naleigh is not very good. At all; it's ugly to look at and ugly to say.

I see Kendall as at least being unisex, if not feminine, since I've never seen it on a boy.

[rowan-belle.livejournal.com]

Ella Betsi is too cute-sy for my taste. Naleigh is... interesting. I wonder if it's pronounced Nah-Lee or Nay-Lee?

I've only ever heard Kendall as a girl name, and only on reality TV shows. I don't like it much.

[gregariouspeach.livejournal.com]

I think they're spelling it Nayleigh. Which is a whole lot worse in my opinion.

[pinkysmith.livejournal.com]

that's how i saw it written in on one site but the spelling i wrote is from people.com and it's transcribed from an appearance on a tv show so who knows. i just want to hear how it's supposed to be pronounced.

[gregariouspeach.livejournal.com]

Ohwell, time will tell. I don't really like it no matter how you pronounce it. It just seems way too made up and trailer parkish.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

I just heard it on the radio, they said "Nay-Lee"

[jordle.livejournal.com]

I heard they're going to call her Leigh. So her name will be Leigh Kelley.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

From what I read about it, Leigh will be her nickname *shrugs*

[so-there.livejournal.com]

I knew a Kendall and never thought of it as masculine. definitely more feminine than her little sister's name (Kyle)!

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

Ella is cute, it's one of my favorite names, Betsi...I don't care how you spell it, it's the name of a cow or a 90 year old woman.

Seems like odd spelling for such a simple name, but I understand it and I think it's sweet that she's honoring her mom and sister.

Kendall doesn't sound like a girls name at.all. It's not even a good boy name, I dunno, I think it's quite ugly. MAYBE as a girl's middle name if she had a girly first name.

[pinkysmith.livejournal.com]

the combo i heard with kendall was "eve kendall". i think i was simply attracted by the sound of it.

[laura-anne.livejournal.com]

1. Ella Betsi is fine, although I think Ella Elizabeth is nicer (lots of 'e's though!)

2. I think Naleigh is horrible, however it's spelled. Why not just call her Nancy Leigh?

3. Kendall just sounds like a last name to me, I don't like it as a first name for boys or girls.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

I sort of like Ella Betsi but like others say... Elizabeth would have been a little better.

No to combined names... such a big noooo.

I hate Kendall, sounds sort of trailer trash.

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

#1: Not a fan of Betsi but Ella is fine. A little "done," but oh well, better than being bizarre.

#2: Speaking of which... Naleigh? Seriously? I like her for using family names, but... yikes. It's ugly and ridiculous and impossible to spell or pronounce. Other than that, I guess it's okay. :)

#3: I have a 12-year-old girl cousin named Kendall. I've never been wild about the name, thinking of it as a little masculine and a lot pretentious, but she wears it so well that I've softened toward it. It's one of those names that sounds more feminine than it looks, if that makes sense. It's grown on me.

[penguiny7.livejournal.com]

1. Ella Betsi is really cute, but a little too cute. And I can't really get over Ella being a name on its own... it's so nicknamey. And Betsi is a nn too, thus the cutesy-ness.

2. Don't like the sound of it. I really like Nancy though.

3. I dislike Kendall on anyone. I've known 3 in my life-- 2 girls and 1 boy. I think it's too androgenous. In middle school there was a girl named Kendall in my class and in gym class they put her on the boy's list because they thought she was a boy based on her name.

[monkey-fruit.livejournal.com]

1. Ella Betsi- not my style...but it's not horrible. Betsi is weird looking, and makes me think of cows. (I think I had a stuffed cow named Betsy, haha.)

2. Naleigh- ugly. Ugly looking, ugly sounding. The 'nay' sound just translates to 'neigh,' which makes me think of a horse.

3. I've always hated this name. Is this a unisex name? I have -never- heard it used on a boy.

[spaceandclouds.livejournal.com]

I love Ella still, despite its incredible popularity. I hate the name Betsi though. Hate it.

Naleigh...I like the idea behind it, but it just doesn't work for me.

And Kendall is a girl's name to me, but I'm not really a fan. It would work fine as a first or middle though, it's just not my style.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

Ella Betsi is sorta too cutesy, but it could be worse I suppose. I had a friend in high school named Betsi, spelled the exact same way.

Naleigh looks ridiculous--like a nickname for Nala. But the fact that they're apparently pronouncing it Nay-lee is even worse. Like someone trying to say Haley with a cold! Meh, those are just my thoughts.

And Kendall to me should have been left as a boy's name, but I guess it's passed into female usage and there's nothing I can do about it. :)

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

I've never liked Kendall (or Kendra) for a girl. I know a sprinkling of them in a range of ages, but the Ken at the beginning always seems to masculine to me.

[kkleigha87.livejournal.com]

My name is Kendal

[xheartfluttersx.livejournal.com]

I have a guy cousin named Kendall and a girl I went to school with was named Kyndall.

I like the name Naleigh, but it could be because I just love Katherine.