“Conservative names at the top of the list - Tasmania Examiner” plus 1

Conservative names at the top of the list - Tasmania Examiner

Posted: 09 Jan 2010 11:05 AM PST

THE old was made new again in Tasmanian baby naming trends for 2009.

Oliver Twist, Tom Thumb, Jack and the Beanstalk, Prince William and the biblical story of Noah's Ark might have been the inspiration for the top five boys' names in Tasmania for the year.

As for the girls, they reeked of femininity, with names like Ruby, Charlotte and Isabella invoking characters from Jane Austen novels.

Tasmania's Births, Deaths and Marriages registry identified Ruby and Oliver as the two most popular baby names for 2009.

In Victoria it was William, which ranked fourth in Tasmania, and Olivia, which did not rate a mention in Tasmania's top 10.

The list represents a shift from previous years' popularity stakes, where Jack and Mia were consistently king and queen. Mia has been given the boot to number six, while Jack hovers at three.

All in all, there was nothing to make the grandparents rail over in terms of kooky names, Matilda probably being the most unorthodox although not considering that iconic Aussie ballad, Waltzing Matilda.

Tasmanians were conservative compared with a handful of Australian celebrities who named their spawn Rafferty (David Hughes and Holly Ife), Lucky (Toni Pearen), twins Jagger Emilio and Charlize Alley (Grant Hackett and Candice Alley) and Goldie Priya (Ben Lee and Ione Skye).

In international delivery rooms, there was Sparrow James Midnight born to Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, Seraphina to Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck and Petal Blossom Rainbow to Jamie and Jools Oliver - all making the most of their outlandish baby- naming rights as celebrities.

Social researcher Mark McCrindle at McCrindle Research, which publishes the national baby names list, said for the general population, naming had turned conservative.

"There's always the thought that in uncertain times people go back to some stability," he said.

"I think it's also a reaction from what we saw in the turn of the century with quirky names."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Kourtney Kardashian Explains Whe She And Scott Disick Named Their Baby Mason Dash - MTV.com

Posted: 05 Jan 2010 12:34 PM PST

By Cara Alwill

Celebrity baby names are always a hot topic. Stars seem to pick the most unique names for their bundles of joy, and let's be honest ... sometimes they are a bit, well, strange. But Kourtney Kardashian and boyfriend Scott Disick didn't just pull a name out of the hat when naming their new son, Mason Dash. In the current issue of Life & Style, the new parents talk about the meaning behind the name and why they chose it.

"The first time I started looking at baby names, Mason was the only one I liked," Kourtney tells the mag. "It was the only one that stuck with me. Right before he was born, I told my aunt we were thinking about going with that for a name. She told me that Mason means the same thing in English that Kardashian means in Armenian — stone worker. Another aunt told me my great uncle used to use the name Mason when he made dinner reservations, because Kardashian was too long. When I heard that, I thought, Oh my god, it's meant to be."

And while fans are most familiar with the name Dash from the Kardashian sisters' clothing boutique, Kourtney insists that's not where Baby Mason's middle name is derived. "Dash is not for my clothing store, as some people have suggested online," says Kourtney. "That would be stupid. Dash is short for Kardashian, and it was my father's nickname."

Kourtney and Scott admit that Mason Dash is not the only name this baby is called. He also goes by "Gorgeous, Precious, Munchkin, Angel," she tells the magazine. We're not surprised!

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.