BOOK REVIEW: COOL NAMES FOR BABIES
The
Book: Cool Names for Babies
The Authors: Pamela
Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz
Publication
Info: Revised edition, published January, 2008, by St. Martin's Press, New York
Author’s
Track Record: Redmond Satran and Rosenkrantz have an impressive backlist of baby name books to their credit, including the famous 'Beyond' series, and The
Baby Name Bible.
What You Get:
The famous arbiters of baby name tastes and
trends, Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz, are at
it again, this time with a revised edition of their classic
2003 book, Cool Names for Babies. Whether a name is 'cool'
or not, and what 'cool' even means in this context, is of course
a matter of opinion. Still, these two authors have been at
the game long enough to have some real insights into the rise
and fall of 'hip' baby names, which is another way of looking
at 'cool.'
So what's in the revised edition, and is
it that different from the first one? For starters, it's about
30 pages bigger, so that's an indication that more names than
ever are now 'cool.' Yikes! Even more choices for status-conscious
parents! Indeed, as the authors state in their introduction, "in
the five years since the first edition of Cool Names for Babies
was published, the cool factor has become even more important
in choosing a name." Why am I not surprised?
The four
categories
of cool baby names remain the same in the new edition: hot
cool (mainstream names); cool cool (famous names); pre-cool
cool (old names);
and finally, new cool (creative names). Many of the names have
changed since the first edition -- how could they not -- 'cool'
comes with a 'sell by' date by definition. But still, many
of the names have remained the same, or at least on the same
list. Isabella is now the # 1 cool girl's name; in 2003 it
was # 11. Ethan is the coolest boy's name of the moment; five
years ago it was # 5. Many of the 'cool cool' names -- aka
famous names, have changed, but then, we've had a whole new
crop of celebrity baby names and other pop culture names since
then. Even so, a lot of famous celeb names still appear on
both lists. But is Calista really still a cool name? How about
Demi?
So why does it matter if a name is cool
or not? Well, apparently it matters to a lot of people, in
this age of personal branding. As Redmond Satran and Rosenkrantz
point out, "cool has taken over from such qualities as
tradition and stylishness as the premier criterion of a name." (Add
to that the availability of a matching domain name for a future
personal website). If you want a really good definition of
'cool baby names' then this book has it. Cool, as the authors
assert, means unusual, but not too trendy. Cool is diverse,
dipping into ethnic names from around the world. Cool draws
on popular culture, in its many forms. And, perhaps ultimately,
cool isn't everything.