baby names

This year, we've had 5 baby boys born in my department. And, several of my girlfriends are having kids, or are pregnant. So far, only boys born.

Which leads me to ponder, what are good names for boys?

I'm really partial to Buster Ezekiel -- it just has a good ring to it. Besides, "Watch it, buster", and "Where do you think you're going, buster" just seems to work well.

But now I hear the Nicholas Cage, the actor, has named his newborn son, Kal-El Coppola Cage. Hmm. Why didn't I think of that. He's obviously a big Superman fan, because that's the name of Superman on his home planet. Trying saying the name really fast several times. It's actually hard. Is it pronounced Kahl or Cal like So-Cal? I guess naming him Clark wouldn't have been too pop-culture-referential enough.

According to the US Social Security Website, the most popular name for a boy in 2004 was Joshua. Followed by Michael, Joshua, Matthew and Ethan. I think we're definitely seeing a trend towards more old-fashioned, biblical names. I guess it's safe to say that Kal-El is not a "hot" name so the kid won't have trouble in school with sharing the name with everyone else. The Chongster has at least 4 Jenny friends.

It's safe to say, my name hasn't been in the top ten since 1930. It's been a steady slide ever since, down to #352. Oh well, that isn't too bad. It's no Kal-El.