http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png http://jezebel.com/tag/names http://jezebel.com/tag/names

Rachel Dratch is always a blast to watch, but Billy Eichner, of Billy on the Street, really brings out the best in her. He puts her in a Snuggie and gives her a simple challenge: name 20 famous white people. It proves to be a very difficult task for her. I won't spoil the ending, but suffice it to say, she must not have a lot of white friends. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5879807&view=rss&microfeed=true

The French are notoriously uptight about what one can and cannot name their baby, but they've decided to let one newborn keep his name, even though his parents heard it on an American show aimed at teenagers. In November Lionel and Blandine Defontaine dubbed their boy "Daemon" after the character Damon on The Vampire Diaries. The "e" was added to make the name sound more French, and it seems that was enough to convince the court. They may have let it slide this time, but don't think you can name your baby Pilot Inspektoré and get away with it. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5875706&view=rss&microfeed=true

A gentleman named Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop has been arrested in Madison, Wisconsin for — shocker — possession of drug paraphernalia. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5874515&view=rss&microfeed=true

Hey, look! New music from Jay-Z featuring "B.I.C" (his daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.) The track's called "Glory," and the lyrics are much what you'd expect from a new dad: My kid is awesome, I am so happy. Lyrics: More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5874374&view=rss&microfeed=true

Having an unpopular name can cause lots of problems in life, from schoolyard taunts to endless bureaucratic misspellings. And now, researchers have discovered another worry for the unfortunately-named: online dating rejection. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5873781&view=rss&microfeed=true

Horrifyingly, the Kardashians no longer need to reproduce in order to populate the country with their unique brand of krazy nomenklature. This year's first babies sport a klutch of kreative K names, perhaps inspired by the fame-hungry family. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5873649&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's hard to imagine anyone in the United States naming a child "unwanted" and getting away with it. (Of course we name our kids things like Moroccan and Pilot Inspektor and nobody bats an eye, but that's another story.) In India, however, the cruel practice of naming a daughter the Hindi equivalent of "unwanted" is, sadly, not uncommon. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5852468&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's almost disappointing when a celebrity names their baby something normal like Michelle or Richard, but while stars may briefly delight us with their Pilot Inspektors and Fifi Trixibelles it seems more and more parents are realizing that you just can't put Jermajesty on a job application (so it's a good thing no Jackson kid will ever apply to be a barista at Starbucks). A new survey found that about one in 10 parents eventually decide that their attempt to bestow a unique name on their precious progeny has backfired. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5850346&view=rss&microfeed=true

As lawyers wrangle over what charges Dominique Strauss-Kahn will face, if any, a debate begins over the naming of his accuser. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5818551&view=rss&microfeed=true A Boston bicycle shop worker named Kate Middleton was kicked off Facebook when administrators assumed she was running a fake account in the princess-to-be's name. Luckily, she convinced them she was a real person and they reinstated her. But now her bike shop is mobbed with media folks. Apparently she has "steadfastly refused reporters' requests that she speak with a British accent." More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5795831&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Palins aren't the only Alaskans dishing out wacky baby names. A study found that parents in newer states tend to pick less common baby names, while parents in the original 13 states stick with popular names. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5767936&view=rss&microfeed=true

Waiting sucks. New research shows that how long you had to do it in childhood makes you less patient now. But just knowing how long you have to wait may make it more bearable. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5748029&view=rss&microfeed=true

A Canadian professor reports a rise in gender-neutral names. Which is awesome — maybe. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5720648&view=rss&microfeed=true

"Sophia" and "Aiden" are the winners; sorry, all of you no-longer-special kids with those names! And it's the sixth year in a row that Aiden/Aidan has been the winner, suggesting that the SATC long tail is worse than we thought. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5704234&view=rss&microfeed=true

A very scientific-sounding survey has determined that ladies with names ending in a have more lifetime sex partners than average, at least in France. Lauras top the list with an average of 9.5, while chaste Thérèses average just 1.1. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5694455&view=rss&microfeed=true

The central conflict of the most heralded love story in history can be encapsulated in four words: "What's in a name?" More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5652431&view=rss&microfeed=true

If the words "eating out" make you, like the author's friend, think of "a pig at a trough," you'll welcome the concept of new nomenclature for intimate acts. (Glaring omission: "missionary.") Discuss. [Glamour] More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5577650&view=rss&microfeed=true

Once I met a woman with a beautiful newborn girl. "What's her name?" I asked. "Murray," said her mother happily. "Murray Olivia." Thank God for middle names. But "Murray" did not make the list of most-regretted girl's names. What did? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5536467&view=rss&microfeed=true

According to the list of 2009's most popular baby names, parents are drawing inspiration from pop culture. Specifically, Twilight: Cullen skyrocketed in popularity and Isabella's the top girl name. But other celeb-inspired names are out, namely Lindsay, Kimora, and Rihanna. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5533562&view=rss&microfeed=true

A study finds that the - often unconscious - societal practice of putting male names before female names in writing and addresses is "a remnant of sexist thinking" dating back to the 16th Century. [Science Daily] More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5491354&view=rss&microfeed=true

If Yvonne seems a bit aloof, it's not that she doesn't like you — it's just that she has to protect her secret identity. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5486575&view=rss&microfeed=true

Taylors, like Madisons, have been cursed with an obnoxiously trendy name. Can they redeem themselves? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5459721&view=rss&microfeed=true

With her flowing hair and her shelf full of trophies, Samantha's the kind of girl you hate because she's good at everything. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5454740&view=rss&microfeed=true

Quinn, Queenie, Quetzal — by now you already know you have somewhat unusual names. And you know that makes you both lucky and unlucky. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5443774&view=rss&microfeed=true

Will this decade actually be known, descendant-wise, as "The Naughties?" Writes the New Yorker's Rebecca Mead, "As we near the end… we still don't have a good collective name for the first decade of the twenty-first century." But we do! More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5435601&view=rss&microfeed=true

Paula has always struck me as a motherly name — for a mom who's a little bit kooky. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5429676&view=rss&microfeed=true

Sometimes in the course of doing this post, I come across a name that is, as the kids are saying these days, full of win. Such is Olivia. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5424336&view=rss&microfeed=true

Not all Natashas are Pottsylvanian spies — but just to be safe, you might not want to turn your back on them. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5419006&view=rss&microfeed=true

Michelles turn heads with their elegance — even when they're wearing acid-washed jeans. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5409376&view=rss&microfeed=true

For over $1,500, a London-based translation firm will perform a "baby-name audit" for parents, checking the meaning of a name in 100 languages or more. According to their linguists, Suri means "pickpocket," "turned sour" and "horse mackerels." [Reuters] More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5407398&view=rss&microfeed=true

The name Lisa conjures up visions of lip gloss and My Little Ponies, but Lisas aren't necessarily ditsy — even if they sometimes seem that way. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5404121&view=rss&microfeed=true

Kate doesn't take shit from anybody, meaning she can be an awesome go-getter — or an ice queen. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5398788&view=rss&microfeed=true

Jennifer was the most popular girl's name from 1970 all the way to 1984, and its sheer ubiquity makes Jennifer seem wholesome, trustworthy — and a little run-of-the-mill. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5393675&view=rss&microfeed=true

"Hillary" has obviously become famous/infamous because of its association with our First-Lady-turned-Secretary-of-State. But to me, Hillary's less class president and more party animal. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5383336&view=rss&microfeed=true

Grace doesn't talk much, but it's not because she has nothing to say. It's just that she likes to keep you guessing. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5378148&view=rss&microfeed=true

In a story for Time magazine, Jeffrey Kluger writes that Latin/Hispanic names — like Juan, Juanita, Guillermo and Manuel — are dropping in popularity. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5375405&view=rss&microfeed=true

Danielle has always seemed like a non-confrontational name to me, but some of its variants (namely Dani or Danny) might help you get ahead in the legal profession. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5362684&view=rss&microfeed=true

British schoolteachers apparently think Courtneys are badly behaved, and I'm not surprised. Sorry, but Courtney: kind of a stuck-up name. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5357441&view=rss&microfeed=true

Today in "The Name Game," we focus on a name we think is all about sweetness and light: Beth. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5347955&view=rss&microfeed=true

Welcome to The Name Game, in which we bring totally unscientific analysis to bear on popular American names. To kick off this new feature, I'm starting with a name about which both I and my boss are completely unbiased: Anna. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5342696&view=rss&microfeed=true