Thanksgiving is a cherished American holiday, and the centerpiece of the celebration is some seriously amazing food. In honor of this year's Thanksgiving, here are ten baby names inspired by the holiday dinner table and goodies it presents.
Calling the turkey Tom is not a question of anthropomorphizing -- it’s the official term defining maleness, also used for a tomcat. In humans, Tom has been a diminutive of Thomas since time immemorial and has long been used on its own, a Top 100 name through the 1940s, and still in the Top 50 in Germany and the Netherlands.
Corn was known as maize in the days of the pilgrims; it’s also a color name that sounds like a cute shortening of Maizie. We’ve never heard it used as a baby name, but we’re putting it out there as a unique middle-name possibility.
Since kale is the new spinach, it’s sure to be found on a lot of Thanksgiving tables this year. Kale popped onto the boys’ list in 1985 and grew in popularity along with that of the veggie, reaching Number 500 in 2008, but it has now started to slide. The Berries prefer the homophone Cale.
What makes the stuffing smell so good? A lot of it is thanks to the pungent herb sage. The name Sage is a unisex success story, now at Number 457 for girls, 736 for boys. Toni Collette named her daughter Sage Florence, and it’s a male vampire on "The Vampire Diaries."
And what brings a pop of color to the holiday table? The cranberry sauce, of course. And there might be a berry pie as well. The unisex name Berry (as in Berry Gordy, Berry Berenson) is not a recent arrival -- it was actually Number 305 in 1880.
Ginger is one of the spices that often makes the apple and pumpkin pie so delicious. Long a nickname for Virginia (it was Ginger Rogers’ full name) and for redheads, Gingers have featured in pop culture, from "Gilligan’s Island" to "True Blood," and also appeared on the Social Security list from 1933 to 1989, peaking at Number 187 in 1971.
Sweet Cinnamon works with ginger and the other spices in making those pies and sweet potato puddings such holiday treats. Cinnamon comes from the fragrant bark of the laurel tree, and as a name might be remembered as the femme fatale on the old "Mission: Impossible" TV series.
The Jonathan is one species of apple often found inside the piecrust. But the Old Testament name Jonathan, though it still ranks at Number 42 nationally, does not seem quite so fresh. Both Jon Stewart and Jon Hamm were born Jonathan.
Another wintry apple -- also called Mutsu -- that’s a frequent choice for that yummy pie filling. As crisp as an autumn day, the attractive Crispin is the name of a venerated saint and more recently a wizard in the Harry Potter books.
You might find maple syrup in the glaze of the turkey or Brussels sprouts or carrots or in the pecan pie. A sweet newcomer to the arboreal baby name world, Maple Sylvie was the name chosen for their daughter by the Jason Batemans.
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