Literary Names: The Baby-Sitters Club

In the fall, I'm always reminded of my elementary school days and book fairs. One of my favorite series was Ann M. Martin's The Baby-Sitters Club!

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it focuses on the shenanigans of four (then more) best friends who run a babysitting service in their town. As a kid, it inspired me to pursue babysitting as soon as I got old enough. It was also a great example of a bunch of very different girls forming friendships and coming of age. 

I'll be focusing on the five main characters, though a few more enter and exit throughout the series. 

Let's begin!

Kristin "Kristy" Amanda Thomas..... Zoe Ellen

Kristy always struck me as an all-American girl, outgoing and determined. When the books were published, Kristin was in the 30's on the US top 1000, so I picked another name found in the same place today - Zoe. Because of Zoe's zippy beginning and vowel-ending, I chose a more substantial name for the middle, as well as to match her bright personality: Ellen, meaning "shining light". 

Claudia Lynn Kishi..... Iris Kahlo

For the most creative member of the group, I chose an artistic name - Iris means "rainbow" and its uniqueness speaks to Claudia's personality, while Kahlo directly references a strong female artist of the 20th century, Frida Kahlo. I'd also be interested to know if any readers skilled in Japanese names have suggestions that reference Claudia's identity as a Japanese-American girl?

Mary Anne Spier..... Serena Sibley

I wanted a name that was quiet and calm like Mary Anne, and Serena fits the bill - three-syllables, with similar consonants, and a meaning to match. Sibley comes from Sybil, or "seer" - Mary Anne is the secretary who records everything, and her last name means "to watch". She is also inspired by author Ann M. Martin's own personality - I love the idea of the author as omniscient narrator. 

Anastasia "Stacey" Elizabeth McGill..... Sophia Chanel

This was the first name I thought of for the series. Stacey is fashionable and trendy, with the girls mentioning multiple times that she's "from New York" and therefore more sophisticated. I thought Sophia referenced that well, and Chanel is more of a nod to her interests. 

Dawn Read Schafer..... Eos Catalina

Probably the most unusual name in the group, I picked Eos to honor Dawn's original name - it means "dawn", and she's singled out in a few books as the newcomer or outsider. Catalina refers to her California heritage - for those unaware, Catalina Island is about 26 miles from Los Angeles. The short, consonant-ending first name goes well with the long, vowel-ending middle name, too.

Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

Oscar Wilde Names

As an Oscar Wilde fan, I'm continuing my posts dedicated to my favorite names in his books and plays (as well as those of his two sons). You can check out my post about The Importance of Being Earnest here!

Dorian - The Picture of Dorian Gray
The twisted antihero of Oscar Wilde's only novel would make an interesting namesake for a child of readers: Dorian isn't much to aspire to. But his name is fantastic! The name comes from an ancient Greek tribe, and may have been first used as a name by Wilde himself. With its similarities to Damian, I think Dorian could be a great option.

Basil - The Picture of Dorian Gray
A personal name crush, but definitely has its cons: how many pesto jokes could one child handle? Older generations might also associate with early Sherlock star Basil Rathbone, though that reference is definitely decreasing. As for the pros: it means "regal", has quite a few saintly namesakes, and has the cute nickname Baz. And with other nature names moving up the charts - River, Forest, and Phoenix - it won't be too out of place.

Sibyl - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Another name with conflicts, but rising out of the negative shadows. While the multiple personality Sybil came out as a fake, fictional namesakes Sybil Trelawney of Harry Potter and Sybil Crawley of Downton Abbey make this name more desirable. It's also aurally close to Sydney, and has the excellent meaning of "seer" from ancient Greek mythology.

Rosalie - Lady Windermere's Fan
This name is trending up the charts quickly! And why not? It's got the popular -lee ending, three syllables, and a floral first part. Characters in Twilight and Grimm complete its trendiness. Yet Rosalie is an undeniable classic that won't result in eye-rolls. Wilde was more than ahead of his time!

Vera - Vera; or, The Nihilists
Another personal name crush, based on a dear friend. But my own bias aside, I think Vera is ready to come back in style. It's from the Russian for "faith", and has the same sound as Lena or Nora. Some great women working today are named Vera, including designer Wang and actress Farmiga. It also works well across cultures - Vera is currently trending in Sweden!

Salomé - Salomé
While it's a beautiful name that means "peace", the connotation with the seductress who was part of the death of John the Baptist might be a little much. If you can get past it, though, why not? Other similar alternatives include Simone, Selma, or Esme.

Cyril (Holland) Wilde - Oscar's older son
Not too far off from Cyrus or Silas, this name means "lordly". It's definitely got a pretentious air, but the right child could make it more friendly. Cyril was the favorite son of Oscar and his wife, Constance, who died in battle in World War I.

Vyvyan Oscar Beresford (Holland) Wilde - Oscar's younger son
While this name is definitely decadent, it's unusable quality stems more from Vivian's takeover by the female gender. Vyvyan's son Merlin would go on to be a major Wilde biographer, and Vyvyan himself published some memoirs on life with his notorious father.

Any names I missed, or mischaracterized? Let me know in the comments!

Literary Names #1 - The Secret Garden

For those of us who are both name fans and avid readers, fantasizing about naming your future kids after your favorite characters can be incredibly tempting. I mean, how cute would a little Hermione be? But to save a child from years of the same comments - "'Your parents are Harry Potter fans, huh?" - it can be a better idea to give a child an homage name, rather than a direct namesake.

In an effort to expand my interest in names, I've decided to flex my naming muscles and take on popular literature. For each "Literary Names" installment, I'll be taking characters from a book and updating their names as an homage. Let me know what you think!

Today's installment: The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Putting aside that fact that Frances is an adorable vintage name, this book was one of my favorites as a kid. There are also only a few main characters, which should make this first try doable. Let's begin!

Mary Lennox..... Mari Elowen
I didn't want to stray too far from Mary, which means "bitter" - an excellent adjective for the character at the beginning of the book, so I chose a Welsh variant of the name. As for Lennox, I considered the up-and-coming Lennon, but it was a bit too masculine to fit with Mari. Lennox translates to "place of elms" in Gaelic, so I looked up names that mean "elm" and found Elowen! I like that the n-ending grounds the name, being that Mari is so light. "MarI ELowen" also flows together nicely.

Colin Craven..... Cole Perrin
Colin itself is a fabulous name, but I chose another diminutive of Nicholas slightly behind it in popularity - Cole. Again, I looked up the meaning of the surname: Craven means "rocky place". Perrin is a diminutive of Peter, which means "rock".

Dickon Sowerby..... Rico Dumas
Much more Latin than the first two, I've continued the pattern: Rico is another diminutive of Richard, like Dickon. Dumas means "of the little farm", an homage to SOWERby. Dumas also allows for a second literary reference in addition to The Secret Garden - Alexandre Dumas is known for The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Martha Sowerby..... Mattie Leighton
The original name struck me as rather fussy, so I've made it more modern and tomboyish. Mattie is a diminutive of Martha that is currently at #958, while Leighton, which means "meadow town", comes in at #540. The name is also upbeat and friendly, like Martha's character.

Ben Weatherstaff..... Benjamin Robin
This is more of a guilty pleasure name than an homage, but Benjamin has always been a favorite. As for Robin! Ben Weatherstaff talks a bit about his "friend", a robin who hangs around him in the garden. Why not put the pair together in a name?

Archibald Craven..... Emery Mason
While Archie is climbing the charts, I still think of it as a name associated with fussy old men. Archibald, however, means "truly brave", so I chose another name with the same meaning, Emery. It's currently at #161 for girls and #687 for boys, and I think it works either way. Mason, while popular, isn't in use much as a middle name - it's strength is clear next to Emery.

What do you think? What would you do differently? And any suggestions for future books to try this out with?