Thinking of naming your little darling Emma or Isabella?
You may want to consider alternatives.
"Beatrice, Adelaide and Mathilde are not as popular, but they're in the same tone and style," said Jennifer Griffin, author of the new book "Bring Back Beatrice! 1,108 Baby Names with Meaning, Character and a Little Bit of Attitude" (Griffin, $10.95). "That makes them great choices."
Among the advantages of going with a name that's classic but unexpected: Your daughter won't have to spend her childhood as Emma R. or "Bella from ballet class." And she'll be spared the confusion that still swirls around the many Jennifers born in the post "Love Story" boom.
"I am nobody's only Jennifer," Griffin laments, only half tongue-in-cheek. "I can never call somebody and say, 'Hi, this is Jen,' except for my husband."
Griffin, who has a son named Luke and a daughter, Josephine, has penned a funny, useful, unapologetically opinionated book in which she advises against supertrendy names such as Madison, creatively spelled names and "Frankennames" such as Jayden (Jason meets Aiden).
She also offers more than 1,000 names from a range of cultures, most of which she believes will stand the test of time. Among the names that make the cut: Claudia, Maeve, Zara and Kali for girls, and Micah, Rhys, Silas and Terrell for boys.
Not included: Apple and Pilot Inspektor.
"People feel, 'Oh! Naming children, it's my way of subjecting others to my thoughts,'ââ" Griffin said. "I think they think less about the children and more about themselves."
And, please, don't even get her started on creative spellings.
"If you're going to name your kid Madison, fine," she said. "But spell it correctly, please, because you're not making any kind of a statement (when you don't) except, 'We're strange.'
"There are something like 12 spellings of Madison. It's nuts."
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