I may have been a bit premature in announcing that I would post again in a week. 2010 is turning out to be a little bit of a stinker, really.

Before I launch into the list du jour, I have a snarky little comment for which I hope you will forgive me. Over on Baby Names World at Parents Connect, there’s a little “guess this baby’s name” box in the sidebar. Lately, I’ve found that I am almost always right if I pick the name that looks like it was a typo.

Ok, onward!

Tabitha is at the top of my list for girls. Edmund remains at the top of my list for boys, but I am waffling on the spelling issue.

Other top of the heap names for girls, in no particular order:

• C/Katherine – I like the C, but my husband has a strong preference for K.
• Adelaide – At the top of MY list. My husband would need a lot of help getting into this one, though.
• Elizabeth – Classic, and enough nicknames to have a different one every month.
• Clara – It sounds sweet, and there’s a family story that goes with it.
• Phaedra – Carried forward from last year’s lists. I still love it
• Sabrina – No, I am not on a “TV’s young witches” kick. This is more Audrey Hepburn in my mind, but somewhat less popular than Audrey itself.
• Tova – I still like this, but it’s just not #1 material. (… this week.)

Middle names for girls? Right now I am hung up on Jane, Mirabel and Leocadia, or alternatively Katherine or Elizabeth behind a … *ahem* more creative… first name.

For boys:

• Jonah – I guess Old Testament names have been a trend for a while, but this is honestly one of my favorites.
• James – Solid, classic, and not overly represented in the family.
• Charles – Exactly the same reasoning as James. The downside is that my niece, Charlotte, is already called “Charlie”.
• Harold - I have a feeling some people will see this as the dog of the list, but it’s a solid, masculine name with family connections.
• Henry - I seem to be running into a fair number of little ones named Henry, but I just love it.
• Wyatt -  No excuses. I just like it.
• Kevin – Don’t laugh. I’m feeling nostalgic for my youth.

I still think Edmund Jericho is my favorite combo for that name, but otherwise, I have no clue what to do for a middle name for any of these. Not a blessed clue!

I am feeling a lot more open toward names in the Top 100 now. I have never really shunned popular names for boys, but I used to be very prejudiced against popular names for girls. This is something I’ve been re-thinking. I am not going to choose a name from those lists specifically because they are popular, but I am not going to reject names that I happen to like just because they are on there either.

I would just like to avoid names that are going to be dated later. I don’t want to do that to anyone.  My parents named me Sherry in 1971. Been there, done that, changed my name.