I grew up in a middle-class suburban home

I grew up in the suburbs, first in the town of Ankeny, Iowa, outside of Des Moines, then briefly in a suburb in Canton, Ohio, and then in a nice housing development in Noblesville, Indiana. I lived in the prototypical white, middle-class neighborhood, where we walked to school (back when that was safe) and played in the street and sold pencils door-to-door for a kids club or band camp.
But I LOVE pork rinds. Is that wrong? Well, I don’t want to be right.
Also, last night at book club, we helped my friend Jen brainstorm names for her baby. For privacy’s sake, I’m not going to blog the kid’s last name, but suffice it to say that it’s three syllables and sort of Polish/eastern European, containing both a W and Z. You get the idea. Whatever she ends up naming him (I’m sure it will be a great name) we decided that his “book club name” will be “Yosemite Peregrine ____________” I can’t wait to hear what Jen’s husband has to say about that idea.
If you’re naming your baby or pet, here are some places to look for cool names:
The Social Security Adminstration’s List of Popular Baby Names
A list going back to the 1880s of what the most used baby names for any year are. You can search against the database or just see lists of the top names from each decade. Pretty cool.
Name that Goth!
The original, definitive list of Goth baby names.
Freakonomics — Baby Names
The Freakonomics guys do a great statistical analysis of how baby names spread and become popular, then fade out. If you’re searching for something unique and interesting, but not too wacky, for your kid, reading the baby names chapter of their book is a good idea. The link above is to a short Slate article on that chapter of the book.
And I realized this morning, I have a stripper/drag queen name, an alias, a mob name, and even a spell check name, but I don’t have a book club name of my own. So what should my book club name be? It should probably be vaguely literary and slightly snobbish…

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Michelle

    Oh I’ve been looking for a new book club. Is yours open to new members?

  2. Steph Mineart

    Probably; let me ask my fellow members. We aren’t that large (5 or 6 members) so we’re a good size to add one.

  3. mike

    I’ve been really spotty with my reading lately. I’ve been thinking I should join a book club.
    And since we’re sharing names, the site doesnt exist anymore but my Fabulous Black Woman name is Shaniqua Enchantress Jones.

  4. Michelle

    Awesome. Just let me know, thanks.

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