Baby Names
Prairie, Mirò, Earnie—10 Moms On The Unique Names They Picked For Their Kids
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by PHOTO BY ICARIAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Aug 31, 2018
Whether you opt for a classic name for your child, or a unique moniker (uniqueness, as many baby name experts will tell you, is trending hard these days), every name has a story behind it. And it’s these stories that we really can’t get enough of. Earlier this year, we asked 10 mothers to share the stories behind their kiddo’s name, and the results were so interesting, that we knew we had to do it again. From Prairie and Mirò to a little lady named Earnie, here are 10 more first-person accounts of how these mothers arrived at their child’s special name.
For more baby name inspiration, check out these 100 hot baby names for 2018, as well as the top baby names of the last 100 years.
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- "My daughter’s name is Earnest Olive. I was not necessarily planning to have children myself. And I had never really thought about baby names until I was actually pregnant, and her name came to us in a few ways at once. About 6 or 7 years ago my boyfriend, Patrick, had a painting commissioned for my birthday by a local sign painter and it was the word EARNEST. It is one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received. He knew how important this character trait was to me; it’s how I hope to conduct myself in the world and a trait that I admire in others. I think of the word 'earnest' to mean sincere, forthright, honest, heartfelt, and without guise. As a joke, my boyfriend also happened to nickname our baby 'Ernest,' as in Ernest Goes To Camp, in The Bump app, which we were using to track the baby's growth and laugh at the odd vegetable comparisons to the baby’s size. I thought that spelled out as Earnest, I would actually love to name our daughter that. And I would say that she has already, at four months, begun to live up to her name and she is quite the earnest little person. Her middle name, Olive, is in tribute to my beloved dog Oliver who was the most earnestly sweet pit-lab mix, who died at 14 of cancer when I was (yet to know) three weeks pregnant. Oliver is the one who taught me the most about love, and about showing up, and being my best self for someone else. So, it felt appropriate. Olive is also a family name on my boyfriend’s dad’s side, so it makes for a little bit more predictable of a story as opposed to 'well my child is named after my dog,' It depends on who we are telling! We realize that she will be asked about her name throughout her life, and often perhaps assumed to be a boy. But since she did not get my last name, DeCoudreaux, I am passing along the character building experience of having an unusual name and hope that it will make her strong, sturdy, and earnest! If she hates us for naming her Earnest she can go by Olive. But until then, she has the best nickname—Earnie." For more on Molly, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "My daughters are Skylar Rowan and Stella Quinn. In my late twenties, I had a pretty intense bout of baby fever and compiled a list of baby names for my future kids. 'Skylar' was my top pick. I was so possessive about it, I made it known to all my friends that that’s what my firstborn would be named, regardless if it were a boy or girl. Silly, I know. Fast-forward to my first pregnancy: When I proposed the name to my husband, he loved it right away—not only because 'Skylar' is such a pretty name, but also because it started with an 'S,' just like Sebastian, his son. 'Skylar and Sebastian'—so cute. Her middle name, Rowan, was also on my list. We chose it for its Celtic roots (my husband is part Scottish) and because we felt it was a strong name that balanced out the airy qualities of her first name. As for Stella, I was secretly hoping for a boy and wanted to name him 'Stellan,' but was prepared to use 'Stella' if it turned out to be a girl. Stella means 'star' and that goes well with her sister 'Sky' and also started with an 'S' like Sebastian. We wanted to keep it uniform at this point! Lastly, 'Quinn' is another name that was high on my list that my husband also really liked, mainly because of the song 'Mighty Quinn,' written by Bob Dylan, and so far, little baby Stella Quinn is living up to her mighty name." For more on Juvilynn, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "My daughter is Frances 'Frankie' Louise Efua. Yes, she has two middle names. Frankie has always been a name I love and adore, so when we got pregnant, we wanted to name our daughter a name in which we could use Frankie as a nickname. We thought of Francine, Francesca, and Frances. We finally settled on Frances (of Latin origin) because it felt right and it means 'From France, or Free Man.' My husband and I both love France, so that made it an easy choice for us. We were also inspired by Frances Harper and the work she did for African American and women's rights. Frances has a lightness and warmness to it, yet powerful. Louise is just a beautiful name that flowed well with Frances/Frankie. It is of French and English origin and it means 'renowned warrior.' Efua, which is also my name, is of Ghanaian origin. Ghanaians are usually named after the day they were born. Since Frankie was born on a Friday, just like I was, she was named Efua, too. I wanted to keep my Ghanaian heritage and instill some into little miss Frankie Louise, and this starts by giving her a traditional Ghanaian name. It also makes it extra special to share a name with her." You can find more on Nana, her family, and her work on her Instagram feed.
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- "My daughters' names are Quinn Heyrana and Rowan Heyrana. Both of their middle names are my last name. Honestly, when it came to girl names we had a hard time. Ultimately it was a personal connection that helped us decide. My husband and I would write down names we liked and put them on the fridge. Nothing really stuck. My mom who lives in North Virginia would call and check how I was doing. She's a nurse and knew I was having a tough time with my pregnancy. Our relationship grew even closer during this time. More and more I wanted a name that somehow honored her. She is the strongest and most caring woman I know. One of her nicknames is 'Quints' in college because her maiden name is Quintos. We did a little bit of a modern twist and chose Quinn for our oldest daughter. I love the way it sounds and how it carries so much strength. I told my husband and he immediately said 'That's her name, it's perfect.' With our second daughter, I would go on these hikes by myself. I had hyperemesis, was nauseous all the time, and it brought me comfort to be in nature. On one hike I saw this tree with red berries, it stood out because it was the only one there. I love the color red and being part Chinese it symbolized something more to me. Also a year ago, I didn't think this pregnancy would be possible. I remember going back to find this tree and have my lunch. Another hiker came by and said 'Hi, I see you're enjoying this Rowan Tree. You know they symbolize strength, courage, and protection. Perfect for you, I think.' That was so sweet and something I needed to hear. I was 7 months pregnant and definitely showing. The more I read about the Rowan Tree the more it carried a deeper meaning. As soon as she was born, my husband said 'She definitely looks like a Rowan to me.'" For more on Deb, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "Wilder Thomas Hollister is our oldest, he is six. Thomas is my grandfather’s name and my dad’s middle name. Hollister is Colin’s (my husband) middle name and a family name. Wilder is a name rooted in nature, the frontier, a time past. Wilder is just who he was when we laid eyes on him—and it still suits him perfectly today. Shepard Baxter is 4 1/2-years-old and our youngest son. Shepard comes from a verse in a hymn my aunt shared with me while I was going through a complication in my pregnancy with Wilder. I had a blood clot that was threatening the pregnancy that thankfully self-resolved after eight long and difficult weeks. My aunt told me she would sing the hymn in Sunday school with my mom. 'Shepard show me how to go' was the line that, for me, meant to surrender to a higher power, and to trust and have faith in the path of your life. I am not religious, but I have always felt warm and fuzzy and spiritual around my very loving, very inclusive, very Christian Scientist aunt (she officiated our wedding) and it was the perfect spiritual guidance that I needed to help me move forward. I knew I wanted 'Shepard' to be a part of our family and when we found out we were pregnant with our second son I was so excited to use this very special name in a new context. Our youngest is Josephine Margaret Prairie, and we call her 'Prairie.' She is 4 months old. When we first found out we were pregnant, I had accepted that my fantasy of having a girl was probably not going to be a part of my life. But I was beyond thrilled when I found out our third, and most likely final baby, was a girl. I knew I wanted Margaret included in her name because it is my sister/best friend/business partner’s name, my cousin’s name, and—importantly—both of my grandmothers' name. Josephine is a name I’ve always loved, and have wanted to use. I especially love the historical presence of the name and that it’s been associated with many legendary women from the past. Prairie was a sweet middle name I had started feeling connected to. I loved the picturesque openness I associated with it. One night I handed my husband the list and said I don’t want to talk about the names, I just want you to quietly initial the ones that you feel connected to and Prairie was one of the only ones he initialed and it just felt immediately right. So, now our new love in our life is Prairie." For more on Katherine, her family, and her business, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "I have four children—three boys (Mateo, Luke, Abel) and one girl (Cole). My husband and I didn’t start out with a clear idea of what we would name our children or a thoughtfully curated list. When we found out we were pregnant with our first child, we started brainstorming while commuting together to work. One morning as we were driving across the San Mateo Bridge, my husband says, 'Hey! What about Mateo?' And then it just clicked. We decided soon after to name our first child Mateo Jude. Later when we told my brother-in-law the story, he joked, 'Good thing you weren’t driving across the Dumbarton Bridge!' Two years later we had our second boy. We decided to name him Luke Oliver. Luke means 'light giving' and Oliver means 'affectionate.' It’s wild that he fits this description perfectly. Abel Noah came into our lives a few months shy of two years. Months before he was born, we had been binge watching a show on Netflix with a character named Abel. We decided early on that was the name we would give him. Abel means 'breath' and Noah means 'rest, comfort.' After having three boys, we were given a little girl, Cole Madelyn. Traditionally, the name 'Cole' is a surname or a name given to boys. Needless to say, we confused a lot of acquaintances and pediatricians. We just liked it so much and meeting her for the first time only confirmed that the name was meant for her. Cole means 'people’s victory' and Madelyn means 'high tower.' I hope they wear these names with confidence." For more on Naomi, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "We named our son Lando Mirò. I’ve always had a list of baby names in my phone for as long as I’ve had a smartphone. Turns out that I’d collected all of the girl names and none of the boy names. When we found out we were having a boy, the hunt began. I must have shared hundreds of potential names with my husband Hal. He wasn’t into any of them. Rightfully so—I was throwing so many random names at him! I was keeping in mind how the name worked with our surnames, what potential middle names might be, and what his initials could spell or look like. But none of that over-thinking mattered if the name wasn’t getting past the gatekeeper. I think we were in the car when I brought up, ‘Orlando'. For Hal it brought to mind the actor Orlando Bloom and the Floridian city. He wasn’t sold. Not even with the romantic notion that, 'It’s one of my favorite Virginia Woolf books!' But I did see a sparkle in his eyes when he ping ponged ‘Lando’ back at me. Not fully realizing that the loveable Star Wars rogue, Lando Calrissian, was his impetus, I emphatically exclaimed, 'YES!' and it stuck. Our son’s full name is Lando Mirò. The path to ‘Mirò’ was quite simple—I’ve always loved the artist, Joan Miró, it sounds and looks rad, and Lando’s initials would be, ‘LMK’!" For more on Jacinte, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "My son’s name is Dakota Jack Darton. The name Dakota was always my name. You know? We all have one. But I always imagined my first child being a girl, so I initially put the name on the back burner when we discovered we’d be having a boy. But when my husband and I couldn’t agree on a name, we came back to Dakota and wondered why we ever strayed from what we seem to think is the perfect name. As my husband says, Dakota feels like your favorite denim jacket. A perfect fit. The name comes from the Lakota Tribe, one of the seven Native American Sioux of the plains and means 'Ally' or 'Friend.' Dakota radiates joy and loves everyone he meets, so we feel like he’s already living up to his name. His nickname, Koda, means 'Little Bear,' which is also just the sweetest thing in the world. People often looked at me sideways when I would tell them my future son’s name, I think mostly because it sounds extremely American and apparently American means white to some. But for me, there is a powerful message in using a Native American name for my mixed son. It is a reminder of the roots of this land and I truly believe our son is the epitome of what is beautiful about this country and it’s reflected in his name. His middle name Jack comes from my grandfather on my mother’s side. We never got to meet, but my mother always spoke of him as one of the people responsible for her moral compass, tenacity, and big heart. My mother is one of the best people I know; it felt fitting to honor her father this way. There is so much in a name, so knowing we are arming our son with such good energy feels like a great start to these new parents." For more on Zoila, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "We have two kids, and their names are pretty different. Our daughter, who just turned 11, is Clemens Elizabeth. We knew we were having a girl, and I feel like you can go a little more out-there with girl names. I had been interviewing young women around the country for work at the time, and came home with all sorts of crazy options: Sullivan ('Yeah, we could call her Sully!'), Kingston, etc., but nothing stuck. Then I learned that my husband's grandfather's name was Clemens—although he always went my his middle name. It was like we had unearthed a treasure chest. I loved it from the minute I heard it, and my husband was happy we could honor his family. We added 'Elizabeth' for my sister. My five-year-old son's name is Wesley Alexander. Maybe we aged a lot over the course of going from one kid to two (they are five and a half years apart), maybe we felt like boys' names should be a little more solid and less adventurous. But the path to get there was long. My husband and I could not agree on a boy name for months. He wanted Ivan; I wanted Ben. I think I was thinking about Wes Anderson one day and mentioned I liked the name. So did my husband. Boom! Problem solved. We added Alexander for my grandfather. To us, the name signified a solid, self-assured, calm person. He's actually kind of balls-out crazy, but that's what I love about my Wes." For more on Maureen, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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- "After disagreeing on almost every name we thought of, my partner and I enthusiastically settled on naming our firstborn son Wolfe. We both gravitated toward themes of nature and traditional-sounding names of bygone eras. Wolfe’s father and I both identify with the wolf’s symbolic strength, sharp instincts, family-focused nature, and intuitive intellect in the wild, plus so many more noble traits illustrated in legends and folklore. Originally I balked at the idea of just plain 'Wolf,' so I decided to change up the spelling slightly to 'Wolfe,' a European surname harkening aristocracy and nobility over aggression. We both loved it and knew we’d found the perfect name: Wolfe, a strong name for our strong baby boy." For more on Christie, her family, and her work, check out her Instagram feed.
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