2 Mirai vs 7 Soluna; 2 Selah vs 7 Celeste

It's been a fun first round through Baby Girl Chan's name bracket... this week features the final match-up of the round! 

However, let's get a quick update of last week's results:  Adela defeats Estrella 10-7, while Seraphina crushes Samantha 15-3.  Thanks to all our fans who voted via the blog comments and Facebook!

This week's match ups are:  2 Mirai versus 7 Soluna from the "International" region, and 2 Selah versus 7 Celeste from the "Biblical" region. 

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:  Mirai (Mee-rye), Soluna (Sol-loo-nah), Selah (Say-lah), Celeste (Suh-lesT).

Gar:  I can't believe the first round is finally over... hurray!  For the first match-up, Mirai is a Japanese girl's name that means "future" - a fitting name since Baby Girl Chan is literally our future!  Soluna is comes from the Spanish words for "sun" (Sol) and "moon" (Luna).  Selah comes from Hebrew and appears frequently in the book of Psalms, where its true meaning is somewhat mysterious, but many think it means "pause and reflect".  Celeste comes from Latin and means "heavenly".  I like both names, but I'll give the edge to the names Mirai and Selah. 

Shiv: I can't believe it either. I liked Soluna but then I remembered they were a girl group with the one hit wonder, "For All Time." I don't know if I would like our baby girl to have a name that is linked to this group with a cheesy song with the cheesy line: "Baby you know it ain't no lie, I'm gonna be with you til the day I die." So yeah, Mirai! I think we are on similar wave lengths for this round. Just like how Soluna reminded me of the above song, Selah reminded me about the song, "Bless the Broken Road," on Dawson's Creek Season 1 finale. It was the background song to the scene of Joey wandering around Capeside and Dawson trying to find her.




Soluna -"For All Time"



Gar: Did Dawson ever find Joey?  Because I bet Tom Cruise would like some tips on how to find her!  (ZING! Heh heh heh).  You're right, Soluna would be a great name only IF that cheesy pop group wasn't around.  Calling someone your "sun & moon" is a very poetic way of saying they're the most important thing in your life.  It reminds of Game of Thrones, how Khal Drogo and Daenerys refer to each other as "sun & stars".  So, why not Celeste? 

Shiv:  Game of Thrones reference, eh? I guess I did bring up Dawson's Creek. Celeste is close to the word celestial, meaning heavenly. I would classify the name as uncommon, common name. Not that many people have the name but it sounds common, not unique or different in any way. I was looking for famous Celeste that have come into the entertainment world. (Pop culture references are important to acknowledge before giving baby girl a name.) Not much came up and that can be a good or bad thing.

Vote in the comments below!

3 Adela vs 6 Estrella; 3 Seraphina vs 6 Samantha

Baby Girl Chan's name bracket marches on!  We're almost done with the first round... hurray!

The results from last week's voting:  Marisola edges out Misora 6-5; Estera and Shiloh tied 6-6.  (Votes are counted by on the blog, and via Facebook comments)  Using the ultra scientific method of the coin toss, Shiv called tails for Shiloh... Shiloh wins!

This week's match-ups: 3 Adela versus 6 Estrella from the "International" region, and 3 Seraphina versus 6 Samantha from the "Biblical" region.

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:    Adela (Ah-DELL-ah), Estrella (Eh-STRAY-ah), Seraphina (Sair-ah-feen-ah), Samantha (Sah-man-thah).

Shiv: Now onto the next round, Adela versus Estrella. Well, Estrella means "star" in Spanish. It is a beautiful name. Adela is a variation of the name that I like, Adele. She is an amazing singer and songwriter. We do like her music but this year, a certain student kept singing the song, "Rolling in the Deep." So after liking the name for so long, I will have to go with Estrella. Seraphina means "ardent and fiery." Oooo.. I like those adjectives for our baby girl. She is a Dragon baby, so it would be fitting for her to be fiery!

Gar: Well, even if your certain student kept singing music by Adele, it doesn't mean Adela is a bad name!  It means "noble" and I think it would be a great name, though hmmm... one of Gideon's cousins already has "Adele" as a middle name.  Estrella might have to get my vote.  Seraphina makes me think of the seraphim, the 6-winged angels who were supposedly the most honored and most holy of God's angels.  Samantha is a more common name, the female version of Samuel, but it also has a good meaning too - it comes from Hebrew and it means "God heard".  But it also makes me think of those American Girl dolls...

Shiv: I don't think that Adela is a bad name but I will always remember this specific student just by associating the name with the singer. Estrella Acosta is a well-known jazz singer. Maybe baby girl Chan will have musical talents. Gar just referenced Samantha as to the American Girl doll. Oh, our daughter can get a doll and go to the American Girl store to get a makeover and have tea. Wouldn't that be fun, Gar? You can take her and have father-daughter bonding time. I can hear him now. =) Seraphina is an unusual name that could be shortened to Sera. Serephina Chan; it has a nice ring to it!

Gar: Seraphina Chan does have a nice ring to it.  And I will (reluctantly) take Baby Girl Chan to the American Girl store to get a makeover and have tea, if that's what she really wants even though the American Girl has only 2 Asian American girl dolls (Ivy Ling and Jess Akiko McConnell, I did my research) and neither is a "main character" doll (Boooooo).  Plus, those dolls and all their accessories are crazy expensive!  But yeah, Baby Girl Chan and I will hopefully have lots of good father-daughter bonding times over tea, delicious food, shooting guns, martial arts lessons, etc.  Heh heh.

Vote in the comments below!

EDIT:  Voting is now closed!

4 Misora vs 5 Marisola; 4 Estera vs 5 Shiloh

Sorry friends for the long delay in a new name blog post!  Blame end of the school year craziness.


Results from last post:  Aiona routs Gasia 12-0; Elise beats Elisheva 11-0.

This week's match-ups: 4 Misora vs 5 Marisola from the "International" region, and 4 Estera vs 5 Shiloh from the "Biblical" region.

PRONOUNCIATION GUIDE:  Misora (Mee-soh-rah), Marisola (Mah-ree-soh-lah), Estera (Ess-teh-rah), Shiloh (Shy-loh).

Gar:  WE'RE BACK!  The International region has a good match-up.  Misora (Mizora) is a Japanese name that can be written with the characters for "beautiful" (Mi) and "sky" (sora/zora).  So the literal meaning is "beautiful sky", one of my favorite things from nature.  Marisola is a Spanish name that comes from "the sea" (Mari) and "the sun" (sola).  So the literal meaning is another nature reference, "the sea & the sun."  Growing up Seattle, you have to appreciate the sea (it's always there) and the sun (you love it when you can actually see it).  It's hard to pick, but I'll give the edge to Misora for the uniqueness of the name.     

Shiv: So many choices and so little time. Shiloh means "His gift" or "peace." I like the name for the meaning and how it sounds. Unfortunately, Brangelina has already taken this great name. Estera is a form of Esther. I like the story of Esther and how she was able to be courageous and brave. That is what I would hope for our daughter. I will pick Estera over Shiloh. As for the international region, I like the name Marisola. When we were brainstorming names, I liked the name Marisol, for the literal translation of ocean and sun. Garrett likes girl's names to end in an "A." So we modified the name to Marisola. Maybe our daughter will be nature girl who has the green thumb for our future garden in our backyard!

Gar:  It definitely help papa if Baby Girl Chan was a nature girl, because I have crazy plant allergies... especially to grass.  I like the name Estera over Shiloh too, but for a different reason... 

 

I don't want to name my daughter the same name as a dog.  No matter how good the book was... seriously!  Besides, Estera has a very unique and beautiful sound to it.  I don't think I've ever met a girl named Estera.

Shiv: One thing though, Garrett asked me if it means anything in Spanish. We have been reading this book called "Sorpresa" to Gideon in the car or at home and there is a word that Garrett thought was similar to Estera. The word is "estará." I told him that they are two different pronunciations because of the accent mark. For Estera, the pronunciation is Ess-TEH-rah, with the stress on the second syllable. I have not read the book about the dog named Shiloh. Hmm. I'm thinking thematic bedroom decor, birthday celebrations and birthday gifts! =)

Vote in the comments below!

EDIT:  Voting is now closed!

1 Aiona vs. 8 Gasia; 1 Elisheva vs. 8 Elise

Last week's results are in: Cecilia beats Aria 7-4; Soledad wins over Sahara 4-2.

This week's match-ups:  1 Aiona vs. 8 Gasia from the "International" region, and 1 Elisheva vs. 8 Elise from the "Biblical names" region.

Pronunciation guide:  Aiona (Eye-oh-nah), Gasia (Gahz-ee-ah), Elisheva (eh-LEE-sheh-va), Elise (Eh-liz).

This week, we have some special guest commentators:  Grandpa & Grandma Wong!

Gar:  Though I'm a little bummed that Aria got upset last week, I'm a big fan of Aiona!  Aiona is phonetic spelling of the Irish girl's name "Iona", which means "blessed."  It's also a name for an island between Ireland and Scotland.  I like G-names of course, but I think "Aiona" just has a nicer sound to it.  For the "Biblical" names region, Elisheva is alternate spelling to Elisheba, a Hebrew name which is the root of the popular girl's name "Elizabeth."  It has the awesome meaning of "God is my oath."  Elise is a French girl's name that has the same meaning and owes the root of its origin to Elisheva... so in this case, I'll go with the original, Elisheva.

Shiv: When we were brainstorming names for the bracket, I was looking for a "G-name" that was unique and different. While watching morning news in California, I saw this name, Gasia Mikaelian. I think it was a moment where I liked the name for it's uniqueness. As for the other match up, I would agree with you about going with the original. Plus, Elise is a more common name that I have heard in the store or in the classroom.


Grandpa & Grandma Wong: I like Elisheva because it has the sound of Siobhan in the name. I don't like Elise because it reminds me of the not-so-great contestant on American Idol. Baby Girl Chan might be nicknamed like her mom with Shiv. I don't like Gasia because it has a similar sound to gas and she might be called gassy. Aiona has an Irish connection and the sound is nice too. I would not know what to nickname her. I guess she will always be just Aiona or maybe Ai. There is no danger of it being butchered when people pronounce it.

Vote in the comments below!

Here's a link to Baby Girl Chan's Name Bracket.

EDIT:  Voting is now closed!

2 Aria vs. 7 Cecilia; 2 Sahara vs. 7 Soledad

Last week's results are in: Amalia beats Georgiana 8-4; Shiomi wins over Shoshanna 12-1.

This week's match-ups:  2 Aria vs. 7 Cecilia from the "Pop Culture" region, and 2 Sahara vs. 7 Soledad from the "S-Names" region.

By popular request, a pronunciation guide... Aria (Ar-ee-ah), Cecilia (Suh-sil-yah), Sahara (Sa-hair-ah), Soledad (So-lay-dahd).

Gar:  My first pick for this week is Aria.  Besides the simple, yet pleasing sound of the name, it also has 2 great meanings.  In Hebrew, Aria means "lioness" and as any well educated school child knows, it's lionesses that do the majority of the hunting, rather than the males!  In Italian, Aria refers to the solo melody song in an opera.  As a popular culture reference, Aria refers to Arya Stark, one of my favorite characters from the HBO series Game of Thrones.  Aria is also reference to a character in one of my favorite video games, Mass Effect (Aria T'Loak).  As for Sahara versus Soledad, I'll go with Soledad!  It comes from the Spanish word meaning "solitude" and is reference to the Virgin Mary, Maria de Soledad.

Shiv: I am reminded of the movie, Beaches, when I hear the name Cecilia aka CC Bloom. She was the main character who wanted to be a singer and dancer for the stars. It was a great movie about friendship and how the two characters kept in contact through snail mail. As for the S-names, I prefer Sahara because of how it rolls off the tongue, but then I am reminded of Zahara Jolie Pitt. Yes, it's the same pronunciation but different spelling. I don't know if I would like our daughter to have the same name as a Brangelina child!

Gar: Haha... you said Brangelina.  Well, the Sahara desert is a part of Africa and its geography has made it part of ancient human civilization like the Nubians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Greeks.  The desert can symbolize things like loneliness, but it can also be a place of austere beauty and the spirit of survival despite the difficulties of life (heard of the Desert Fathers/Mothers?) .  I think you like the name Cecilia because "CC" reminds of your secret family nickname, but Beaches... psshhhht!  Yeah, it was popular drama/comedy movie, but anybody who's seen the movie has to admit that CC was a completely selfish and vain character.  I don't want Baby Girl Chan to have those terrible traits!

Shiv: Yes, CC does have a special place in my heart because it's a family nickname for me. My maternal grandmother gave it to me. Wouldn't it be nice for Baby Girl Chan to have it too? After watching Game of Thrones with Gar, I am liking the character of Arya (Aria). She is a strong and courageous girl who is a fine swordsman. It is a tough match-up in the pop culture region.

Vote in the comments below!

Here's a link to Baby Girl Chan's Name Bracket.

3 Amalia vs. 6 Georgiana; 3 Shoshanna vs. 6 Shiomi

Last week's results are in: Amelia beats Lavinia 9-4; Seona dominated Salvadora 14-0.

This week's match-ups:  3 Amalia (ah-mah-lee-a) vs. 6 Georgiana from the "Pop Culture" region, and 3 Shoshanna (sho-SHAH-nah) vs. 6 Shiomi (she-oh-mee) from the "S-Names" region.

Shiv: In our pop culture region, I chose Georgiana from my favorite BBC series, Pride and Prejudice. She has a unique name. It reminds me of Maplewood apartment days and my apartment name was "Georgia." I like the name Shoshanna because it has double use of the "sh" digraph. I just realized that most of the names in our bracket are multi-syllabic. Hmm... what does that say about us?

Gar: I think we chose multi-syllabic names because when your last name is "CHAN" (a single syllable like most Chinese family names), it just sounds better.  While Georgiana has more syllables than Amalia, I dislike it because I just associate it with the mens' name 'George' (farmer).  It's like when somebody makes up a name from an already existing name... like JERMAJESTY.  Amalia has a beautiful meaning, it comes from Hebrew for "Work of the Lord."  Plus, it's a reference to Amalia Rodrigues, the famous Portugese singer with a beautiful voice (I learned about her from NPR).  As Shoshanna vs Shiomi, I'll go for the upset... Shiomi!  In Japanese, when it is written with certain characters, it means "beautiful tide."

Shiv:  Amalia is too close to Amelia that is already in the next round. Georgiana is a talented piano player in Pride and Prejudice. What Asian parent would not want their child to be an amazing musician? As for Jermajesty, you just used that name because it was in the most outrageous celebrity names in Parent magazine. I don't think Georgiana would fall into the same category as Kal-El, Bear Blu or Pilot Inspektor. If you want to follow in Jermaine Jackson's naming skills, you should have insisted on calling baby girl Chan, Garretta!

Gar: Oooh, what a low blow.  First, Kal-El is a comic book reference and an awesome name.  Second, if I ever become crazy enough to name one of my kids after me, the names would be: GARSON (boy) or GARSONA (girl). And sure, maybe Georgiana was a talented piano player in Pride and Prejudice, but she almost eloped with the evil Mr. Wickham... when she was 15!  I don't want my daughter running off with any bad men, especially as a teenager.  I'll send her to the Shaolin Monastery or the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen of Meteora before that happens.

Vote for choices in the comments below.

Here's a link to Baby Girl Chan's Name Bracket.

4 Amelia vs 5 Lavinia; 4 Salvadora vs 5 Seona

Last week's results are in: Mira beats Topanga 8-4; Saoirse barely edges out Sabrina 6-5.

This week's match-ups:  4 Amelia vs 5 Lavinia from the "Pop Culture" region, and 4 Salvadora vs 5 Seona (see-oh-nah) from the "S-Names" region.

Gar:  This week's matches are pretty interesting.  Amelia is a reference to the great Amelia Earhart: aviation pioneer, women's rights advocate, and adventurer.  She was intelligent, spirited, and courageous enough to follow her dreams even though she lived in a culture and society that was not ready for a woman like her.  I would love for Baby Girl Chan to have the same traits!  As for Salvadora and Seona, both of these S-names could easily be in our Biblical category as well.  Salvadora means "savior", while Seona means "God is gracious."  I like both names, but based upon meaning AND sound, I'll go with Seona.

Shiv: The meaning of Siobhan is "God is gracious" too. I do like Salvadora and Garrett said that we can call her "Sally" for short. =) (He just said that as I am writing my response to his.) It is a tough choice. I would have to say that I would prefer Seona as well. It just rolls off the tongue better. As for the "Pop Culture" region, Lavinia is in homage to Downton Abbey. Yes, she was a character who kept our two favorite characters from being together, but Mary didn't fit with our name bracket. We know of many amazing Mary's but Lavinia was more unique. Lavinia Chan... doesn't that sound great, Garrett?

Gar: While I will concede to Downton Abbey being gangsta, I don't think "Lavinia Chan" sounds that great.  What will we call her for short?  La-La?  Nia?  Vinny?  I looked up the meaning of the name and it's a reference to the legendary mother of the Roman people, or possibly, an ancient city.  Again, not as cool as Amelia.  Sorry.

Shiv: The Germanic meaning of Amelia is "work, effort, strain." I like work and effort but strain just sounds odd. Think about Amelia Bedelia. She didn't know there is more than one meaning for words. Yes, she is a great children's book character to teach students lessons about vocabulary but she would be forever known as the character who dressed the chicken in a dress!

Vote for your choices in the comments below!

Here's a link to the Baby Girl Chan's name bracket.

1 Mira vs 8 Topanga; 1 Saoirse vs 8 Sabrina

We finally have the time to write out the first post for Baby Girl Chan's Name Bracket. In the "Pop Culture" region, it is 1 Mira vs. 8 Topanga. In the "S-names" region, it is 1 Saoirse vs. 8 Sabrina.

Siobhan - In the "pop culture" region, I have to say that Topanga is a unique name. It reminds me of the good old days of watching Boy Meets World with my siblings. Yes, that is where the name came from. She was an independent thinker who walked to the beat of her own drum. In the "S-names" region, I liked the movie, Sabrina. She was willing to move to another country to experience life in a new way. I would hope that baby girl Chan will also have the desire to experience life with such courage and bravery.

Gar - Topanga was a weird girl. Seriously... her character made no sense.  Plus, the actress who played her ended up dating co-star Ben Savage, and later, Lance Bass from N*Sync.  Booo.  Mira is a much more awesome name - it means "peaceful, wonderful."  Plus, a famous Mira is Mira Sorvino, the actress in one my favorite cult films, Guillermo del Toro's Mimic.  She's super smart - she graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in East Asian Studies and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese!  As for Saoirse (sear-sha) vs. Sabrina, I'm going to go with Saoirse.  It's unique, it's an Irish name (like Siobhan) and it has a great meaning "freedom, liberty."

Siobhan - Mira Sorvino's performance in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion also has some quirky moments too. Overall, Mira has a slightly better sound than Topanga with the last name Chan and with the Chinese accent. Plus, my mom's name is Miranda. She would love to hear part of her name in her granddaughter's name. Saoirse is an amazing Irish name. Yes, it would follow our Irish heritage, =), but it will be a tough childhood and adulthood with people always mispronouncing your name.

Gar - Yeah, having people mess up your name your whole life can make for a tough life, but I think it could also help Baby Girl Chan to grow up to be a tough woman.  YEAH!  Sorry, Topanga and Sabrina.  I think this first round pretty obviously goes to the top seeds. 

Feel free to now vote in the comments below!

BONUS:  It's hard to believe, but it's been 2 whole years since Gideon's Name Bracket.  And yes, Gideon was a name that was one there!  It's exciting to think about what Baby Girl Chan's name will be...

5/13 EDIT:  Voting is now closed!

Introducing the name bracket!

After a long winter of National Boards and Report cards, the Chan family is ready to unveil the name bracket for Baby Girl Chan. We started this tradition when Gideon was still in the womb. We had some girl names in mind, but we did not have any boy names. We thought it would be fun to create a bracket and include our family and friends. With 64 names and Gideon's early arrival, we did not finish the bracket in time. We decided to make a smaller bracket and start a little earlier.

To remind our readers, here are the parameters of the baby girl name bracket: Garrett and I will make a post discussing four names that are in a "game." Then the readers can have a chance to vote for a winner from each game. The tournament ends when we reach the Elite Eight. Then it will be up to the parents, aka Garrett and I, to make the final decisions. =)

We made four "regions" of names: Pop Culture, International, S-names and Biblical. We brainstormed the names in one large list before deciding on the regions. We wanted a variety of names to choose from that were unique and different. Dividing the names into the regions was not easy since some of the names could be placed in more than one region. We had to shift the names to make groups of eight. The Biblical names were difficult to find since we wanted a name that was not common. The International names were the easiest to find since we like languages. The S-names region was also difficult to fill since some of the S-names did not sound right with Gideon or with my name. The Pop culture region was the most fun to create. It was supposed to be the "potpourri" region, but we didn't like how that sounded. So we looked at the names from another angle. Can you guess where each name comes from?

As we unveil the name bracket, it makes it more real that she is coming very soon. We want to be prepared with a few names at the hospital. We would like to name her as she is in our arms. We hope to finish most of the bracket by then, but we will see. Happy voting!

CLICK HERE to download Baby Girl Chan's Name Bracket as a spreadsheet
(thanks Dad!)

Gar EDIT:

 For those people who haven't seen all the names:

POP CULTURE
1 Mira
2 Aria
3 Amalia
4 Amelia
5 Lavinia
6 Georgiana
7 Cecilia
8 Topanga


S-NAMES
1 Saoirse
2 Sahara
3 Shoshanna
4 Salvadora
5 Seona
6 Shiomi
7 Soledad
8 Sabrina


INTERNATIONAL
1 Aiona
2 Mirai
3 Adela
4 Misora
5 Marisola
6 Estrella
7 Soluna
8 Gasia


BIBLICAL NAMES
1 Elisheva
2 Selah
3 Seraphina
4 Estera
5 Shiloh
6 Samantha
7 Celeste
8 Elise

the winner by sudden appearance is...

Hello friends,

Some of you might have already heard, but our name bracket for Baby Chan got suddenly interrupted by...



BABY CHAN!

Son, meet the world... world, meet Gideon.

The full story to follow soon. We promise! =)

 

RoundTwo: 1 Griffin vs 9 Garrison; 12 Cooper vs 13 Landon

The final first round match-up concluded with not just one, but TWO upsets: Tiberius beats Amadeus 9-2, and Marius beats Gen 8-1.

At Siobhan's request, we're starting the second round with the VANILLA region of the name bracket. The first match-ups are:

1 Griffin vs 9 Garrison

AND

12 Cooper vs 13 Landon

(Click the links above to read previous commentary)

Gar: The first match-up is hard for me because I like both "G" names, but I'll give the edge to Griffin rather than Garrison, for the coolness factor of a half-eagle, half-lion mythological animal. As for Cooper versus Landon, both names were upsets that I'm not very fond of, but if I had to pick one, I'll pick Landon.

Siobhan: With the "G" names, they are both interesting in their own ways. Yes, Griffin has a coolness factor with it but I will have to just state the awesome statements I made in the previous post. "Garrison stands for spear-fortified town; protection, stronghold. Definitely manly characteristics!" Cooper vs. Landon. That is a tough match-up because well, Landon is from the movie, "A Walk to Remember" and I forgot to mention that Cooper reminded me of Cooper Nielson from "Centerstage." Cooper Nielson was too charming and manipulative in the movie. Let's go Landon!

 

The Second Round Begins!

WOOHOOO! Thanks to you all, faithful readers, the 1st round is over and now we can begin the 2nd round.

You can download an EXCEL spreadsheet of the results and continuing bracket right here.

(Thanks to Jaime and Mel who contributed the idea).

Check back for more voting!

 

7 Amadeus vs 10 Tiberius ; 7 Gen vs 10 Marius

After a two-week family hiatus... we're back again!

The final tally from last post: Ezekiel survives Josiah 9-6, and Nolan wallops Grant 13-1.

This week's names:

From the HISTORICAL / LITERACY region: 7 Amadeus vs 10 Tiberius
From the INTERNATIONAL region: 7 Gen vs 10 Marius

And we have a special treat... a pronunciation guide video!

Baby Name Bracket Pronunciation Guide from Gar on Vimeo.

NOTE: I actually mis-pronounced "Gen" because I was reading Siobhan's handwriting and thought it said "Geri". Oops. It's pronunced with a hard g like "get" (Ghen). Who's named Gen? This guy.

Gar: There's some interesting names this round. Amadeus literally translates to "God's Love", but is most commonly associated with Mozart. Tiberius means "from the river Tiber" and is the name of a Roman emperor and general, but is most commonly associated with (by nerds) with James Tiberius Kirk AKA Captain Kirk from Star Trek. Despite my heavy nerd leanings, I'd pick Amadeus over Tiberius. As for Gen versus Marius... Gen is a pretty cool character from Street Fighter, but Marius is a form of Mark. Marius it is!

Siobhan: I believe that Gen was a filler name in the bracket. So definitely I would advocate for Marius even though it reminds me of a girl's name, Mari. Amadeus is a great name for the literal translation, God's love. Tiberius comes from the name of river Tiber, which is found in Italy, near Rome. To be named after a river, an Italian river of all rivers, it's a great name. The Roman empire made a great name in history, so will Tiberius.

Gar: Oooh, could it be that Siobhan is secretly a Star Trek? So it doesn't also bother you that Tiberius was the son of Nero (who famously set fire to Rome and blamed Christians) or was uncle to Caligula (whose insanity made many believe that he had neurosyphilis)? Talk about a bad family.

Siobhan: I do love my science fiction at times. Romantic comedies can be too predictable. Yes, Tiberius had some relatives that may not have been such great role models. It takes a village to raise a child so the influences of two do not outweigh the many.

Whooohooo! First round is done. Have fun voting! We hope to continue the bracket as frequently as we can. So keep on checking the blog!

EDIT: Voting is now closed! Thanks for voting.

 

7 Ezekiel vs 10 Josiah; 7 Grant vs 10 Nolan

Hello again!

Last week's results were two blow-outs: Sebastian beats Ernest 9-2; Enzo beats Magnus 9-2. Thanks to all our awesome readers who commented and voted.

Our new match-ups:

From the BIBLICAL region: 7 Ezekiel vs 10 Josiah
From the VANILLA region: 7 Grant vs 10 Nolan

Siobhan: Josiah is a great name, one of the good kings in the Bible, but it seems to be a common name that Christian families use. I know two Josiahs and they are great guys but then again, we are looking for a unique name. Ezekiel means "strength of God." What a great name to live up to! We are looking at a monosyllabic name again in the vanilla region, Grant. I think of Amy Grant. heheh... Nolan is an Irish name meaning champion. We can have an Irish first name family, Garrett, Siobhan and then Nolan. =)

Gar: So are you voting for Nolan? I guess I'll have to disagree and vote for Grant. Yes, Amy Grant is lame, but you have "good" Grants like Ulysses S. Grant (American general and president), or Horace Grant or Grant Hill (basketball players). Plus, I like the idea that Grant means to "give" or "bestow" - our son is a blessing bestowed upon us by God! Plus, points for it being a "G" name. As for Ezekiel versus Josiah, I'll vote for Ezekiel since I tend to admire the prophets more than the kings, and Ezekiel is not so common. He'll also have a cool nickname - "Zeke".

Shiv: I just have a dislike for monosyllabic first names with a monosyllabic last name. I am not saying that Grant is a less than honorable first name. I am looking at the whole picture. What do you have against Nolan? Nolan Ryan (baseball player), Christopher Nolan (film director... Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight) Those were amazing films that represented more than just a casual date night movie choice. =)

Gar: Yeeeeeeeah... man, I'll admit. That's a pretty compelling argument for Nolan. But this all goes back to one of other discussions - what's worst, a monosyllabic name or a name that rhymes? I know that the correct pronounciation is "Noh-len" (sounds almost like "Roland"), but you always got those people who will say the name as "Noh-lAn" (sounds like a tech geek saying "There's no LAN!"). "NOLAN CHAN" is a rhyming name if said incorrectly... it'd be as bad as naming him "JAN CHAN". Haha.

 

3 Ernest vs 14 Sebastian; 3 Enzo vs 14 Magnus

Hello again, friends! Have you been keeping up and crossing off names on the bracket?

We have been trying to keep up while we were away in California visiting family and friends. I guess with all the eating and hanging out, we didn't get to as many names as we would have liked. Now that we are back, we are ready to make a comeback, maybe every other day posting. =)

The results of the last post: Elijah beats Titus 8-2 and Cameron edges out Graham 6-4.

Now onto the next match ups:

From the HISTORICAL region: 3 Ernest vs 14 Sebastian
From the INTERNATIONAL region: 3 Enzo vs 14 Magnus

Gar: An interesting round! My first pick is Ernest. Ernest is a name from old German, that means "serious; battle to the death". It's also the name of one of my favorite writers, Ernest Hemingway. Also another famous Ernest was Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the famous Latin American revolutionary. In the other match-up, I'll be picking Enzo (a form of Henry) over Magnus because Magnus sounds too much like... Agnus (girl's name).

Siobhan: I can agree with you about Ernest because Hemingway was an amazing writer, but who doesn't love Sebastian from "A Little Mermaid." He is the right-hand man to King Triton and composer of wonderful music. As for the other match-up, Enzo is a cool name, but Magnus has such potential for awesome nicknames and stage names if he decides to become famous. Magnificent Magnus... Magnus the Great... Magnus the Magician... Can't you just see it in lights? Can't you hear the wind, string, drums, and words? =)

Gar: Well, I guess there's also "Ultra Magnus", Optimus Prime's 2nd in command, but he didn't, ummm, end up so well. And you want to name our son after a CRAB?! A better reason would be that Sebastian is the patron saint of soldiers. Also, there was a great player for the USL Sounders, a striker named Sebastian LeToux. Nope, my vote is for Ernest!

Shiv: Let's also look at the life span of these two: Ernest ended his life sooner than the natural course and Sebastian had to run away from the crazy chef to stay alive. I believe that Sebastian the crab had a stronger survival sense in his need to run away from all those knives. So I guess you are agreeing with me about Magnus... Hmmm... it will be an interesting match up in the International bracket. Happy voting!

Gar: *groan*

EDIT: Voting is now closed. Thanks for voting!

 

3 Titus vs 14 Elijah; 3 Graham vs 14 Cameron

I hope you enjoyed our special guest commentators from the last point! Currently, we're on vacation in California and were hoping to get more guest commentators... but since we're falling behind (again), we've decided to move on.

Last post's results: Aramis beats Odysseus 6-2; and Edgar shuts out Sulemon 8-0.

The next match up is:

From the BIBLICAL region: 3 Titus vs 14 Elijah
From the VANILLA region: 3 Graham vs 14 Cameron

Siobhan: Let's see... I will start with the easier match up. I am not a fan of Cameron because it reminds me of Kirk Cameron, James Cameron and Cameron Diaz. Graham sounds better and I love graham crackers. heheheh.... As for the Biblical match up, it's a tough decision because both were great prophets that stood up to what they believed in. They were given a task and fulfilled the task as asked. I believe that both names are unique in their different ways.

Gar: Well, let me the voice of reason and say that our son probably shouldn't be named Titus because the other boys at school will take the first 3 letters of his name and tease him relentlessly. Plus, Elijah is probably the more well-known of the two and a great prophet. As for the other match-up, I guess I'll have to agree with you say that Graham is better than Cameron. I looked up the meaning of Cameron and it's Scottish for "crooked nose". Ugh!

Siobhan: Wow, we agree that we like Graham over Cameron. That doesn't happen often. =) Yes, Titus could have a bad nickname if shortened incorrectly, but that shouldn't be the only deciding factor of choosing a name. With your logic that Elijah is the more well-known name in the Bible, then there will probably be more children named Elijah. We already have a common last name. Let's not put the common prophet with the common last name.

Gar: So what are you saying? Vote for Titus because Elijah is more well known? Pshhht. Yes, there are probably more kids out there named Elijah than Titus, but I don't known any "Elijah Chan" so I think it's safe to say it's still a candidate. Go Elijah!

EDIT: Voting is now closed!

 

6 Odysseus vs 11 Aramis; 6 Edgar vs 11 Sulemon

This week, we have a special treat... surprise commentators! Siobhan's brother Dustin and his wife Valene will be posting their thoughts for your voting pleasure.

Update: Elias defeated Solomon 6-3. Inman beats Marion 5-2. Crispin defeated Pablo 9-4. Gustavo annihiliated Garvey 11-2.

From the HISTORICAL / LITERARY region: 6 Odysseus vs 11 Aramis
From the INTERNATIONAL region: 6 Edgar vs 11 Sulemon


Dustin: Odysseus is the name of the man from Homer's epic "The Odyssey", a man who just wanted to go home. I'm afraid if Baby Chan is named Odysseus, his innate desire to just want to go home will lead to him sneaking out of his 6th grade science camp, attempt to make the dangerous trek home, meet a Cyclops, fall in love with a siren, or maybe even encounter a lanky vampire or steroidal werewolf in the deep forests of Washington. I can't take that risk with my nephew. Aramis is both a Chicago Cubs 3rd baseman (awesome) and a musketeer (even awesomer). As for the Edgar/Sulemon matchup, Sulemon is the last name of the notorious Octomom. My nephew will not be no crazy Octodad (Dr. Octopus will still be fine for Halloween). EDGAR stands for Electronic Data-Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system. Sounds smart.

Valene: The name Odysseus might make for some interesting adventures, but "there's no place like home" right? There are much worse things than a child wanting to go home. "Aramis Chan" just doesn't roll off the tongue too well. I agree Dustin, Sulemon is not my pick for Baby Chan. Since many of us are concerned with the kid being made fun of for his name how will being called "Sue Lemon" make him feel? Edgar does sound smart, and like Edgar Allan Poe maybe he'll be very purposeful with his words.

Dustin: I agree that "There's no place like home", but there's no Dorothy, Elphaba, nor Ga-linda in this bracket. We argue about how Baby Chan may be made fun of because of his name, but what about the wimpiness of being homesick? If he were named Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, he would still get made fun of regardless of his name. Well, we are very much in agreement with Edgar. Though the name does bring up sad memories of Edgar Stiles from "24" dying in a nerve gas attack in CTU in front of Chloe, the woman he had a crush on.

Valene: There is nothing wrong with liking to be at home. Would you rather him be a party-hopping teenager that breaks his curfew night after night? And I'm not worried about our nephew becoming a wimp - he's got Garrett to teach him about knives, guns, ninjas and everything anti-wimp.

Shiv:Well done guest commentators. You can now experience our posting rituals and how tiring it could be when there might not be something to say. Stay tuned for another post. Happy voting!

EDIT: Voting is now closed.

6 Elias vs 11 Solomon; 6 Marion vs 11 Inman

The name bracket marches on with another post... hurray! (Did you already vote on the other post?)

More match ups:

From the BIBLICAL region, 6 Elias vs 11 Solomon.
From the VANILLA region, 6 Marion vs 11 Inman.

Gar: There's some interesting match-ups in this group... maybe it's time for some upsets? I like both Elias and Solomon, but I'll have to go with Solomon. Solomon was the 2nd king of Israel, David's son, and the wisest man who ever lived. He's credited with writing several books of the Bible, including Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (duh), and many of the verses of Proverbs. As for Marion and Inman, Marion sounds too ambiguous for me (too close to Mariam), as it derives from the name "Mary". My pick is Inman, which is also a literary reference to the American novel Cold Mountain (also made into a movie). In the story, Inman is a Confederate soldier during the Civil War, who deserts the army and bravely struggles to return home to see the woman he loves, Ada. It's also the story how a single man, in the face of the inhumanity of war, still clings to his beliefs in right and wrong despite the situations he finds himself in on his journey back home.

Siobhan: As for the vanilla match up, I would have to agree with Garrett's assessment of Inman. It's a great character from the book Cold Mountain. It was one of the closest adaptations from novel to screenplay that I have seen. His journey unveiled his true nature, and that he will follow through with his promises that he made. Plus, Marion reminds me of Marion Ross, the mom from Happy Days. Elias is a Greek form of Elijah, the Lord is my God. I have to go with Elias because we already know a Solomon Chan. =)

Gar: Yes, we do know a Solomon, but he's a good guy and I'm sure he would agree with me that "Solomon" is a great name! Besides, Baby Chan can go by any of these cool nicknames: Sol, Mon, or my favorite... CHAN SOLO! Elias is an OK name, but the only nicknames kids will be calling will be "Eli" (that's OK) or a word that rhymes with "gas" that means donkey or butt.



Siobhan: Garrett didn't like that I was peering over his shoulder while he was writing his response. hehehehe.... Chan Solo! I am not sure that nickname will stick. Yes, Solomon is a great guy but I thought we were looking for originality. Elias could have negative nicknames but any name could have bad nicknames. I have nothing more to say than vote for Elias! Woohoo!

EDIT: Voting is now closed!

4 Pablo vs 13 Crispin; 4 Gustavo vs 13 Garvey

Thanks to everybody for voting on our last two name bracket posts!

Ulysses edged out D'Artagnan 8-6, while Tiago defeated Finn 10-4.
Asher barely overcame Azariah 8-7, while in our first TIE ever, Emerson and Landon went 8-8. The overtime ruling by referee (Garrett's sister, Ginger) however is for Landon! Guess Garrett's pick loses...

Our new match-up is:

From the HISTORICAL region, 4 Pablo vs 13 Crispin.
From the INTERNATIONAL region, 4 Gustavo vs 13 Garvey.

Siobhan: Pablo is from the poet Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet. I first heard his poetry when I watched the movie, Il Postino. He helped a postman write his feelings in poems for a young lady in the movie. "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way." As for the next match up, I have always liked watching the Muppets and Sesame Street. It amazed me to see puppets moving and talking. I just read that Kermit the frog is usually renamed in other parts of the world. Guess what his name is in Spain? That is right, Gustavo! Woohoo, go Gustavo!

Gar: Crispin comes from the name of a 3rd century Christian saint who was eventually martyred for his faith. The name is also famous because of Shakespeare's Henry V play, with Henry V's noble speech before battle:

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother

Garvey is a reference to Marcus Garvey, the Black nationalist and Pan-African movement advocate. He was also a powerful speaker and fought the recognition of the humanity of African Americans in face of the blatant Western colonialism of his era. Check out a recording of one his speeches. One of his quotes: No race has the last word on culture or civilization and Liberate the minds of men, and ultimately, you will liberate the bodies of men.

Siobhan: Garvey sounds too similar to Harvey. I am not sure if the name pulls through this match up that it will be strong enough for the future match up. Who doesn't like Kermit the frog? As for Crispin, I am reminded of the children's chapter book, Crispin by Avi. A boy who doesn't know where he comes from searches for his true identity and heritage. Hmmm... not the storyline I would want for our son.

Gar: Well, Crispin is actually a great book from the perspective that the main character learns his Christian name is Crispin and goes on a classic adventure of self-discovery while helping others around him, the poor peasants of feudal England. And why worry about a future match-up? Let's finish this match-up first!

 

EDIT: Voting is now closed!

4 Azariah vs 13 Asher; 4 Emerson vs 13 Landon

A double name post... hurray! If you haven't already, please vote on Ulysses vs D'Artagnan / Tiago vs Finn.

This match-up is:

From the BIBLICAL region, 4 Azariah vs 13 Asher.
From the VANILLA region, 4 Emerson vs 13 Landon.

Gar: Another tough round with some good names, but for these two match-ups, I'm going to go with the favored seeds. Azariah was the name of a prophet in the Old Testament, but it was also the original name of "Abednego" one of the 3 young men thrown in the fiery furnace for standing up for their faith and culture during the Jewish exile in Babylon. The name Azariah means "God's Help". I hope our son will be person of faith and proud of his heritage, spiritual and ethnic. Emerson makes me think of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the famous American author and philosopher. Besides being a talented writer, he was also known for his strong moral convictions, including being abolitionist (anti-slavery) when in 19th century America, slavery was still legal. It goes without saying that if Baby Chan becomes an awesome writer and a man of strong moral convictions, I'll be very happy!

Siobhan: Tough match ups, but Asher is a great name to upset Azariah. Asher means happiness and I would hope that our son should be destined for happiness in his future. The literary match ups seems to have the most discussion. Emerson makes me think of a friend's last name. Landon is from the book, A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks. Landon helped a young lady achieve her goals in life and in the end he found true peace that only God could bring.

Gar: Happiness is definitely something I hope Baby Chan will find, but I think he'll need God's Help to find it. Sorry, Asher. =) Yes, Emerson is a person's last name, but I believe that Ralph Waldo Emerson to be a far more impressive person than just some character from a Nicholas Sparks book. He was very intelligent, and is quoted, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." and "Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well." and "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Siobhan: Landon is an original character that goes deeper than the representations of Nicholas Sparks' books into movies of formulaic character development. Landon, a boy from a single-parent home who doesn't have direction in life, finds it through his friendship with Jamie, the preacher's daughter. He struggled to find a way to cope with Jamie's leukemia by offering her what the world could offer. Landon knew in his heart that there was something more to the world than just happiness and material goods. "My heart was telling me exactly the same thing. I turned to the Bible again, in the hope that it would guide me." "Eventually I came across a passage. The words made me choke up again and just as I was about to cry, the meaning of it suddenly became clear. God had finally answered me and I suddenly knew what to do."

EDIT: Thanks for voting everyone! Voting is now closed.