Baby Name Story: Eva

We won’t know until tomorrow about the names of the first babies of 2020. Until then, here’s the story behind the name of Toronto’s first baby of 2010, Eva Violante, who arrived one second after midnight on New Year’s morning.

The parents “knew the baby was a girl and had two names picked out – Olivia and Eva.”

They chose Eva because it was the name of the doctor who delivered her, they had driven down a street in their neighbourhood with the same name, and because they thought she was going to be born on New Year’s Eve.

Neat, right? And here’s another baby whose name was chosen after a series of coincidences.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Source: First baby of the decade

The ‘Hip Hop’ Names Kiyanne & Jaquae

Kiyanne arguing with Jaquae

Of the many Love & Hip Hop stars to influence baby names* over the last decade, here are two of the most recent: Kiyanne and Jaquae.

Jaquáe (born James Harris) and Kiyanne — both rappers — were part of Love & Hip Hop: New York. They were romantically involved during season eight (2017-2018), but broke up during season nine (2018-2019).

As a result of their newfound fame, Kiyanne’s name debuted in the data and Jaquáe’s made an impressive comeback after an absence of several years.

Do you like the names Kiyanne and Jaquáe? Would you use either one?

*Other baby names influenced by various versions of Love & Hip Hop include Somaya, Kimbella, Benzino, Tahiry, Mendeecees, Kalenna, Jhonni, Mariahlynn, Lyrica, Safaree, and Cyn.

Neva, Not Named for Nevada

neva pattersonActress Neva Patterson, mentioned in yesterday’s post about Diana Lynn, was born in 1920 on a farm near Nevada [neh-VAY-duh], Iowa.

So she must have been named for her birthplace, right?

Nope. Neva, called “Nevada’s gift to acting” by the Des Moines register, “spent much of her life explaining that she really wasn’t named for her hometown.” Instead, she was named after one of her mother’s friends. (Her parents were named Marjorie and George, btw, and she also had a brother named Harlon.)

Do you like the name Neva? How would you pronounce it?

Source: Famous Iowans – Neva Patterson – DesMoinesRegister.com

Spanish Baby Given Scottish Names

In November of 1936, during the Siege of Madrid, many people sought refuge in the city’s foreign embassies.

But only the British Embassy saw the arrival of a baby boy.

He was born to British Embassy cook Josefina Ruiz Torrubiano, who named him Mariano Fernandez [sic?] Alexander Duncan Torrubiano Y Ruiz.

Why “Alexander” and “Duncan”?

The third and fourth names commemorate the assistance of members of the Scottish ambulance corps during the delivery.

And I’m assuming his second name was actually Fernando, even though all the newspapers wrote it “Fernandez.”

Which of the four given names do you like best: Mariano, Fernando, Alexander, or Duncan?

Source: “War Baby Born in British Embassy.” Evening Independent [St. Petersburg] 28 Nov. 1936: 1.

Baby Named for Chicago Skyscraper

An item that ran in the Chicago Tribune in 1969:

The newest infant resident of the Hancock building won’t have any trouble remembering where he lives when he gets older. He is Mark Hancock Thorne who was named yesterday by his parents Mark and Cindy Thorne, who moved into the building two months ago. Young Mr. Thorne was born Wednesday in Wesley Memorial Hospital.

The Thornes would have been among the very first residents of the super-tall skyscraper, which had been completed earlier the same year.

Source: “Baby Named for Building.” Chicago Tribune 21 Jun. 1969: N3.

P.S. The name of the building was changed to 875 North Michigan Avenue in 2018.