baby names Archives

With names like Kulture, Cricket, and Blue Ivy, there seems to be an unspoken rule among celebrities that newborns must be given obscure names. Like the trendsetters they are, the general population… has begun to follow suit. And sure, a unique name that has no association with anyone else offers the opportunity for a child to create their own legacy. But what about carrying on the legacies of our ancestors? At a time when everyone is seeking to stand out and make a name for themselves, it can… >> Read More

Jewish baby names

The Jewish Versions of 2018’s Trendiest Baby Names

Eliana Padwa

Being Jewish in 2018 often means toggling between a live-in-the-moment secular culture and a set of ancient rituals and traditions. It’s never easy (Friday night — drinks with friends or Shabbat… dinner?) but there’s one aspect we don’t talk about enough: baby names! When so many of your friends’ kids get to be Venus or Kylo, traditional Jewish names can feel limiting. Don’t worry, though. For generations, American Jews have handled this by giving their kids a Hebrew name for religious ritual, and a secular, American… >> Read More

baby names

Why Is ‘Aryan’ One Of the Most Popular Names of 2018?

Emily Burack

We were looking at lists of baby names — as we do here at Kveller — and did a double take. Sitting at #17 on the "The Most Popular Names of 2018," was the name Aryan. Yes, Aryan. As in,… white supremacy, Aryan blood, "Heil Hitler," etc. What the hell, parents!? Why are you naming your child after a racial ideology in which unspeakable atrocities have been committed? How is Aryan a more popular boys' name than Josh? Well, to clear some things up, Nameberry says its an "Indo-Iranian" name and defines it as "warrior, honorable." And… >> Read More

baby names

Why We Didn’t Name Our Son After His Grandfather, a Holocaust Survivor

Jasmine Smith

Old man is showing his number he got in Auschwitz Holocaust

Before my son was born, my husband and I each came up with a list of possible first and middle names. On a long flight, mid-pregnancy, we pulled them out and started negotiating. We agreed that we… each got one undisputed veto, but everything else was up for debate. Before we even started, I knew that my husband wanted to name him Michael, after his own late father. But there were two reasons I fended this off. One, I thought it was too common — I didn’t want him to spend his… >> Read More

new baby

Stephanie Wittels Wachs Names Baby After Her Brother, ‘Parks and Rec’ Writer Harris Wittels

Emily Burack

Stephanie Wittels Wachs' powerful memoir Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss — about the death of her comedian brother, Harris Wittels, of… Parks and Recreation fame — ends on hopeful note: "Mike [my husband] and I are trying to have another baby. There's nothing more hopeful than that, right? When it happens, if it happens, we will name the baby after the boy who hung the moon: Harris." Last month, when Kveller spoke with a very pregnant… >> Read More

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