PEACH CARR Interview
Peach Carr (Photo: Barbara Nitke/Lifetime Television)
Not only is Project Runway star Peach Carr a talented designer, she’s hilarious. I found this out first hand when I interviewed her earlier this week about her one-of-a-kind name. Peach had great stories about how she got her name and how she and her siblings used her name to trick babysitters. I hope this comes across on screen as funny as it was when Peach told me the story – I was quite literally laughing out loud. Peach also taught me something about myself—that’s at the very end of the article. Thanks for your kind words, Peach! Naturally, Peach also has some great baby naming advice to share. Here it is…Enjoy!
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NAME.
My given, baptized name is Sheila. The day I came home from the hospital, my dad was walking around with me and he was doing the “coochie-coo” and pinching my cheeks and he was saying, “peachy, peachy, peachy” and it just stuck. There’s no family history. My mother had gone to grade school or high school with someone named Peachy, but I don’t think that factored into it at all.
I was called Peach by family and friends, but then I went to Catholic grade school and high school where the nuns said there wasn’t a Saint Peach or Saint Peachy. So I was Sheila in school from the nuns. My grade school and high school friends call me as Sheila unless they knew me through the neighborhood and then I was Peach or Peachy. Then as I got older it just became Peach.
DO YOU HAVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS?
My older brother is Scott and my younger sister is Julie. I know my mother really, really liked the name Sheila and we have a lot of Irish blood. It’s an Irish name. I think she probably put the kibosh on another nickname as soon as my sister came along because she had already given up one name that she loved.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
In Winfield, Illinois. It’s one of the western suburbs of Chicago. A tiny, kinda Mayberry town.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP WITH THE NAME PEACH?
I actually loved it because it was different and I was never crazy about the name Sheila because that was usually when you were in trouble. “Sheila Mary” came out when you were about to get yourself in some hot water. So to me the name “Sheila” or “Sheila Mary” was always followed by the nuns with a ruler or a punishment. When I heard the name, I would kind of flinch a little.
DO PEOPLE EVER GET YOUR NAME WRONG? DO YOU HAVE ANY FUNNY OR EMBARRASING NAME STORIES?
You know what we used to do to new babysitters…they would come into the house and my mother would say something about “Peach, Julie and Scott” and then someone would say something about Sheila. So we could get a new babysitter looking for the fourth kid for little while before they got wise to it. That was always the test of a good babysitter – could they figure out where Sheila was. Then we’d show her something with my name on it like my report card and say “Well, here it is.” That was always something to kinda tweak a new sitter.
And my poor younger sister…People would say, “Oh, this is Peaches, are you Cream?” And she’d say, “Oh, could you stop?!” You know, if she had a dime for every time she heard a fruit joke or that “Peaches and Cream” joke blew her way, she’d be telling Bill Gates to cut her lawn. The poor thing got it all the time.
DO YOU THINK HAVING A UNIQUE NAME HAS HELPED YOUR CAREER AS A DESIGNER?
I think it certainly helps people remember who you are. You know, Sheila is a lovely name, but it certainly isn’t real memorable. You say “Peach” and people say, “Oh that’s different.” I hear that a lot. I think it helps me be more recognizable than if I went by Sheila.
On one of the blogs, maybe www.projectrungay.com, they said, “There’s a Casanova, a Mondo and a Peach.” So they did comment on the name. I think my name and the fact that I’m the old broad of the group, you know that combination of two things, probably give me a little more of a profile than if I had neither.
WELL, HERE WE ARE TALKING, SO THERE YOU GO.
Here we are, you bet.
AS A DESIGNER, HOW WOULD YOU CONSTRUCT THE PERFECT BABY NAME?
Well, I will tell you, we joked around a lot about fake names when we were off on Project Runway. One of the contestants, I think we were on that first challenge, when we had some time to chatter when we were in the workroom – we would say said, “What would be your drag queen name?” And Andy South said, “I would be Ta-fay-duh,” you know, taffeta? So we thought that was pretty funny.
So as a designer, my perfect baby name…oh God. That’s a tough question. It would have to stealing it from Andy and it would have to be Ta-fay-duh and you’d have to do it phonetically so it wasn’t taffeta. I thought that was pretty funny. I would steal it from him and say that Andy South came up with the best designer name for a kid and it’s Ta-fay-duh.
DO YOU HAVE ANY KIDS? IF SO, WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES?
I have one daughter. Her name is Molly.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE HER NAME?
Well, I almost didn’t. I had a very dangerous pregnancy and most likely, I was not coming home with the baby. So the chances were very high that this would not end well, so we didn’t bounce around much in the way of names. Of course, everyone was throwing around Irish names—my husband’s Irish and I’m Irish. I don’t know, he might have said, “What about Molly?” And I had a great-grandmother who was Mary, but they called her Molly and so I said, “I kinda like that.” And we never talked about another girl name. And we didn’t even have a boy name because, like I said, the chances were not fabulous that this would be successful, so we didn’t get real invested in…there was no baby’s room, you know? So the only name we’d talked about is Molly. So when it turned out that everyone was going to be okay and they said, “Quick, what’s the baby’s name?” we looked at each other and went, “Molly.” It was the only name we’d ever discussed and it so fits her.
Her middle name is Jerome. Named after my father because we knew there would never be another child for us. It was made very clear that if we got through this that we would not be that lucky on a second pregnancy. So we wanted to pay homage to my father who, at the time was fighting cancer. So her middle name is after my dad and that’s Jerome. So she’s Molly Jerome and she loves it.
THAT’S A POPULAR TREND THESE DAYS – BOYS’ NAMES FOR GIRLS.
Oh, okay. That’s funny because she’s 16, almost 17. So we started a trend 17 years ago.
Good job. How fashion forward of you.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CELEBRITIES CHOOSING UNUSUAL BABY NAMES?
I love it! I absolutely love it. Oh, if I could have gotten away with it, I would have given Molly some name like Willow. We laughed a lot because having a noun as a last name, my sister, who is wicked, wickedly funny, she said, “If it’s a boy, his name has to be Parker, so when he registers for school it’ll read ‘Carr, Parker.’” So we had a lot of that going on. “If she was a redhead she would have to be Red Carr.”
My favorite name for a girl is Grey. I love the name Grey, but you can’t have a Grey Carr, that’s mean. She’s got another 90 years of “grey car” in her. So we couldn’t go in too crazy a direction because of our noun last name.
I forgot, there is a funny story about my name. One time, it was when Gwyneth Paltrow was about to deliver her first child, I’m sitting in a new salon, I’m waiting to get my hair cut and all the women…it was on the Internet that Gwyneth named her first kid Apple and everybody’s sitting around going, “Wouldn’t you be mortified if your name were Apple Paltrow? My God, she named her kid after a fruit.” And they went on and on and, I kid you not, the woman had the card in her hand and goes, “Peach?” and I said, “That’s me.” And I smiled at them all and went in to get my hair cut. That’s the God’s honest truth.
MY VERY NEXT QUESTION WAS ABOUT GWYNETH PALTROW AND WHAT YOU THINK OF THE NAME APPLE.
Why not, you know? I think, if you want to name your kid whatever it is, there’s a reason behind it. You don’t just think, “I’m going to be cruel.” I went to school with Melody and Harmony Music, I kid you not. Everybody’s got those stories. They were the music twins. But their parents didn’t do it to be mean, their parents did it because that’s what was in their heart. So whatever name is in your heart, I have never judged someone by what they called their children because they do it with love.
So, you know Apple Paltrow, Apple Martin – almost like an Apple Martini, but whatever, what the heck, she’s probably going to grow up owning it. If her parents have that much self confidence to give their child an unusual name, they’re going to instill self confidence into their child to carry the name, so God bless her.
CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHER FOOD NAMES THAT WOULD MAKE GOOD BABY NAMES?
I think it’s funny that Woody Harrelson’s dog is named Chicken. I think that’s hysterical. I think if you were Chicken Carr that would be funny. The kid would have to own it, you just hope. I think anything could be a name.
You know, it started with Bette Midler who named her daughter Sophie and everybody said, “Sophie! What a crazy name.” Well guess what, Sophie’s a popular name now. And look at the name Rumer Willis—what a cool name! And at the time, everyone thought it was crazy, but now it fits her. So who knows where names come from? If you hate it, change it when you get older.
I think an interesting name can open doors and change things because it makes you memorable.
OTHER THAN THE NAME GREY, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE NAMES OR TRENDS?
I love the name Willow. I don’t know why. I think if you named your daughter Willow she would automatically be 5’9” or 5’10”. That’s always been a favorite name of mine. I could never have gotten away with anything like that though. My husband liked very basic names. And we loved all the Irish names and we have an Irish last name.
I don’t know why I love the name Willow, I just do.
HAVE YOU EVER MET ANOTHER PEACH?
I have. There is a woman who sells Chanel cosmetics at a Bloomingdale’s near us and her name is Peach. I went up to buy eyeliner and I said, “Oh my gosh, that’s my name!” And I think that’s the only person I have truly met. Someone else told me their mother was called Peach, but that’s the only person I’ve met face-to-face that shares my name. I’ve met dogs named Peach, but people, just one.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO PICK DIFFERENT NAMES FOR MYSELF WHEN I WAS PLAYING HOUSE WITH MY FRIENDS — I loved Cindy and Daphne?! — DID YOU EVER CHOOSE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR YOURSELF?
I don’t ever recall having a different name for myself because I always thought the whole Peach thing was pretty cool. I never thought of being anyone else. I never knew my sister to do that either. She’s such a Julie.
DID YOU EVER DO ANYTHING FUN WITH YOUR SIGNATURE? HEARTS AT THE END, ETC.?
No. Sometimes when I send a card to my sister, I will draw a peach on the return address instead of writing my name, but I’ve never done anything with my signature.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PARENTS PICKING OUT NAMES TODAY?
My best advice is no matter what you name them, tell them over and over again why they have the name they have – whether you loved the name so much or they were named after someone you loved so much. Keep instilling in that child that you named them from your heart because they are your heart.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME?
No, I think what you’re doing is a riot. When I was naming my daughter, we used one of those basic baby name books – so many of those books don’t have names like Peach. Maybe if we’d had something like what you’re doing, opening your mind to things that are a little more unusual…
I love what you’re doing because, to me, and maybe it’s being an artist or being the person I am, but I say explore everything that’s out there. Keep your options and your eyes and your heart and your mind open to possibilities. I love that there are more ethnic names that people are using and that they’re proud of.
I love that you are exploring the possibilities of making unusual names more accepted or mainstream. Or trying to get people to open their minds and open their hearts to something as really important as a name and having people understand and embrace the fact that the world is diverse and unusual and different and that’s what makes it so wonderful. I love that you’re exploring outside the box.
Thank you, Peach!
Wow, saving the world one baby name story at a time. I hadn’t even realized the important work I’m doing. I’ll pat myself on the back. J
Learn more about designer Peach Carr and Project Runway here. Season 8 debuts tonight! Be sure to watch Peach and the other designers battle it out on Lifetime TV!
INTERVIEW WITH MODEL MATAR COHEN
Photo: Dudi Hason
When I saw model Matar Cohen on Project Runway, I immediately wanted to interview her and learn about her beautiful name. Plus, she has curly hair and I wanted to know how she keeps it so gorgeous. Luckily, Matar responded to my email and took the time to tell me all about her name (and she even threw in some tips on how to keep my curls under control). Turns out her parents were quite fond of names with water meanings (great meaning and explanation!), she weighed in on whether her unique name is helping her modeling career or not and she has some great baby naming advice from parents.
Here’s Matar in her own words:
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NAME. DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR PARENTS CHOSE IT?
My name means “heavy rain” in Hebrew. My parents were looking for a name that would represent water and started with the letter M, like my sister, to have a family connection. My family lived in a Kibbutz when I was born, and a friend of the family heard the name Matar and told my cousin to suggest it to my mum right after she gave birth. Everybody fell in love with the name, and that friend turned to be just like another sister to me till this day.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NICKNAMES? IF SO, WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DID YOU GET THEM?
I used to have about a million nicknames when I was a child, most of them were used for a short time but the main one was Tir which is pronounced like “tear” and doesn’t mean anything in Hebrew. I find it funny that “tear” is also related to water in English. Besides that my friends in school used to call me Meter or Giraffe just to bug me. On Project Runway Erica and Kayln used to call me Maiter and they still do sometimes.
DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE NAME?
I don’t have a middle name.
DO YOU HAVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS?
My old sister is called Maayan - which means “spring water” in Hebrew. My younger sister is called Peleg, which means “creek.”
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NAME AND WHAT IT MEANS.
My name means “heavy rain” in Hebrew, but also can be used to describe a lot of moving objects falling or moving like the movement of the rain. As far as other languages, Matar means “to kill” in Spanish (I guess my parents didn’t know that and there are a lot of Spanish people out there scared of me), “airport” in Arabic, and somebody told me it means some kind of animal in an Asian dialect.
WHY WERE YOUR PARENTS SO CONNECTED TO NAMES WITH “WATER” MEANINGS?
My parents love the connection to water because water represents life, energy, purity and growth. Water is one of the essences and elements of life.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I grew up in Israel, born in a kibbutz (which is a collective community where everything is shared), and moved to the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
WAS MATAR A COMMON OR UNIQUE NAME?
My name was always a very unique name, unlike my last name, Cohen, that is very common in Israel.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR SISTERS’ NAMES?
My sisters’ names are unique but a lot more common than mine.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP WITH YOUR NAME? (Was it too common? Was it too unique? Was it just right?)
Personally, I always loved my name and felt very special having a name with so much meaning and depth. It was always hard to introduce myself while meeting new people and it definitely made me feel different. I can’t imagine myself growing up with a regular common name. In some ways my name helped me develop my character and embrace who I am.
MATAR IS NOT A COMMON NAME IN THE UNITED STATES. DO YOU THINK HAVING A UNIQUE NAME MIGHT HELP YOUR CAREER AS A MODEL?
As far as my career, I think it’s great to have a name that nobody else does, and there’s no need in using my last name. On my model comp card I use only my first name, and it’s very catchy for clients. Once I work with a client they never forget my name, and when clients are looking for me I am very easy to track. The only problem is that sometimes people from the fashion industry are not very patient and if they don’t catch my name quickly they just call me ‘the girl with the big curls’…
SPEAKING OF YOUR CURLY HAIR, IT’S GORGEOUS! I HAVE CURLY HAIR, TOO, AND COULD USE SOME TIPS.
I try not to shampoo it more than twice a week because it makes it dry, but I do condition it every day with Pantene for dry/curly hair. Also I use pure organic coconut oil on my hair as a leave in once a week, it’s healthy and makes my hair shine, and smells great! (You can cook with it too!)
DO PEOPLE EVER YOUR NAME WRONG? MISSPELL IT, ETC.? HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?
Of course, especially in the states people tend to misspell my name, the funniest mistake so far was to spell my name “Martar”, but they do all kind of mistakes like “Marta”, “Mattar”, and sometimes they even invent a whole new name for me. I grew to laugh and take those mistakes very lightly, sometimes I even play along with new people I meet and know I will never see again, and I let them call me whatever they want. When I was younger I took it more seriously and tried to make everyone pronounce my name precisely. It’s pretty much impossible to make Americans pronounce my name right because they don’t have the same ‘R’ that we do. Spanish people can pronounce it pretty well though.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE TREND OF CELEBRITIES CHOOSING UNUSUAL BABY NAMES? (ex Nicole Richie: Harlow Winter and Sparrow; Nicolas Cage: Kal-El)
I think it’s great that people and celebrities are being creative with cool name for their kids, as long as there is an interesting meaning to that name. However, I think there should be a balance between the uniqueness of the name to the spirit of the decade and the personality of the child. I heard about a guy called “Katan” which mean “small” in Hebrew, but he is a very tall and fat person, and I think it’s pretty disturbing.
DO YOU HAVE ANY KIDS? IF SO, WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THEM? IF NO, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT NAME(S)? WHAT NAMES DO YOU LIKE?
I don’t have any kids. I think I will have such a hard time finding the right name for my kids, I like it to be special yet not too weird. When I was younger I liked the name “Shachaf” which means a beautiful bird in Hebrew but it might be too hard to pronounce around the world. Overall, I really like boys name for girls.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO PICK DIFFERENT NAMES FOR MYSELF WHEN I WAS PLAYING HOUSE WITH MY FRIENDS — I loved Cindy and Daphne?! — DID YOU EVER CHOOSE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR YOURSELF?
When I was a child I usually picked the name Zohar while playing dolls or house. It means “radiance.”
DID YOU EVER DO ANYTHING FUN WITH YOUR SIGNATURE? HEARTS AT THE END, ETC.?
As a signature I used to write my first name and then shape the first letter of my last name as a cloud and draw rain underneath… I stopped doing that a few years ago thinking that signature is too easy to duplicate.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE NAMES OR NAME TRENDS? (One popular trend today is unisex names)
As I said before, I like boys’ names for girls.
TWILIGHT SEEMS TO HAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON BABY NAMING. THE NAME “CULLEN” WAS THE #1 FASTEST RISING NAME FOR BOYS IN 2009. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
I don’t like trends very much because at the end the chosen name should last a life time and justify itself throughout your life. I don’t like names with no meaning and I not do believe Cullen means anything. There is something interesting in calling somebody after a hero or someone from a story but I rather create my own reality instead of living off of someone else’s story.
HAVE YOU EVER MET ANOTHER MATAR?
I know of another Matar who is around my age and also has curly hair. We are Friends on Facebook but I’ve never met her. At first I was a little mad that she stole my name ( I’m older than her) but a few months later I saw my name in the newspaper under a list of the most unique names in Israel and thought that there is nothing I can do to keep it only to myself.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PARENTS PICKING OUT NAMES TODAY?
My advice for parents is to think about the meaning of the name they are about to choose and try not to go by trends, but follow their instincts. Don’t choose something that will contradict your child’s personality or look. Also, try to find out what the name means in different languages (in case your child will end up traveling the world like me).
Thanks, Matar! You’re beautiful inside and out!
Photo: Aris Ziagos (Irina Shabayeva Spring 2010 Collection)
For more information on baby names and their meanings get your copy of
BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
Gigi Marvin (courtesy of Gigi)
Is there a baby “Apple” in US Hockey player GIGI MARVIN’s future? You’ll have to read on to find out.
Gigi is a woman of many interests. Not only is she a world-class hockey player, but it turns out she knows a lot about celebrity baby naming and has great advice for soon-to-be parents. Plus, she has interesting thoughts on unique names and corporate sponsors.
Gigi took the time to tell me about her name before she left for Vancouver. Here’s what she had to say:
GIGI MARVIN INTERVIEW
By Amanda Elizabeth Barden
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NAME. DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR PARENTS CHOSE IT?
My first name is Gisele. It’s a French name. My mom is a French teacher and she named me after her favorite French teacher.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NICKNAMES?
Gigi is my nickname. My aunt is named Mimi and when I was two she started calling me Gigi because it was similar to her name. It stuck and I’ve been Gigi ever since.
DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE NAME?
Marie — it’s a very typical French name.
DO YOU HAVE SIBLINGS?
My brother is Aaron. My cousins have interesting names — Cahlilah Elise and Isabella Josette.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR NAME MEANS?
I’ve never looked it up actually.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP WITH AN UNUSUAL NAME?
I really enjoyed it. I never met anyone with the same name until last year. Her name was Gigi, but her full name wasn’t Gisele. It was good to be unique. Sometimes people called me “gazelle” when they didn’t know how to pronounce “Gisele.”
I really love the French connection to my name because it’s meaningful for my family.
DO YOU THINK HAVING A UNIQUE NAME HELPS YOU PROFESSIONALLY?
Yes, definitely. Look at Tiger, Lebron and Kobe. Everyone knows them by their first names alone. If you’re good enough, everyone will know you, but having a unique name helps you stand out. It helps you stand out to sponsors, too.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CELEBRITY TREND OF CHOOSING UNUSUAL BABY NAMES?
I like some of them, but some go too far. I love the name Jessica Alba chose for her daughter, Honor Marie. I also like how Angelina chose names with similar meanings from different languages and traditions for her kids. I think that’s very cool. My favorite celebrity baby name is Gwen Stefani’s son Kingston. That’s such a cool name for a rocker family. They also have little brother Zuma. Those are great names.
DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No.
DO YOU HAVE IDEAS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO NAME KIDS IF YOU HAVE THEM?
There are some names I like, but I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I’ll probably go with what some of the celebrities are doing now — fun, funky names from different languages and good meanings. I don’t know if I’ll call my kid Apple, but I hope there’s something cool out there for me to choose.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO PICK DIFFERENT NAMES FOR MYSELF WHEN I PLAYED HOUSE (I loved Cindy and Daphne). DID YOU EVER DO THAT?
I liked Melanie. It was the other name my parents considered for me and I always liked it.
DID YOU EVER DO ANYTHING INTERESTING WITH THAT IN YOUR SIGNATURE?
I didn’t do anything like that. I always used simple dots above my “I”s. My girlfriends did stuff like that though. I always sign my autographs in cursive though.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PARENTS CHOOSING NAMES?
Pick out names with family connections, like my parents did with French. If you choose a name that special to your family and has meaning, it will be a phenomenal name for your kid.
THANKS, GIGI! Great advice. J
You can learn more about Gigi at these websites:
http://hockey.teamusa.org/athletes/gigi-marvin
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-hockey/athletes/gigi-marvin_ath1023980FO.html
Can’t get enough baby name news? Follow my blog! You can subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any baby name posts.
You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!
♥ Amanda
If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com.
Your question might appear in a future edition of Ask Amanda.
For more information on baby names and their meanings check out
BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
Do you or someone you know have a one-of-a-kind name? Is there an interesting story behind why you chose your baby’s name?
If so, email me and tell me all about it! I love learning about new names and hearing fun naming stories. You never know, you just might appear on my Notable Names page!
US Olympian Kikkan Randall
Before Kikkan left for the Olympics in Vancouver, I talked to her about her unique name. Here’s what Kikkan had to say:
KIKKAN RANDALL INTERVIEW
By Amanda Elizabeth Barden
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NAME. DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR PARENTS CHOSE IT?
My dad is an Alpine ski buff. Kiki Cutter was the first American to win an Alpine race and my dad liked the idea of naming me after her. My mom really liked the name Megan, but it was too popular at the time. So they decided to mix the two together and got Kikkan (pronounced “kee-kun”). It also sounded similar to Keegan, which is another name they liked.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NICKNAMES?
Kikkanimal – I got this nickname in high school. I always wanted to push harder in practice and my friends used to say, “You’re such an animal.” Eventually, it turned into Kikkanimal and it stuck.
DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE NAME?
Lewis – Lewis is my grandfather’s name on my mother’s side, it’s my father’s mother’s maiden name and it’s my mom’s middle name.
DO YOU HAVE SIBLINGS?
I have a younger brother named Tanner and a younger sister named Kalli. All our names have double consonants because my dad’s name is Ronn spelled with two “N”s.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR NAME MEANS?
I’m not sure since my parents created it out of a couple other names. There’s a Norwegian/Swedish word that sounds like “kikkan” that means “small child.”
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP WITH AN UNUSUAL NAME?
Very fun! As a kid, I always loved having a unique name. Being an athlete, I always wanted to stand out and perform and knowing I was named after a great athlete was inspiring.
DO YOU THINK HAVING A UNIQUE NAME HELPS YOU PROFESSIONALLY?
Definitely. When websites came out, I was able to buy www.kikkan.com. People seem to identify with my name right away. Also, when I’m competing in Scandinavia I get extra cheers because it sounds Scandinavian.
HAVE YOU EVER MET ANOTHER KIKKAN?
Actually, yes. Someone I went to high school with named their daughter Kikkan. I ran into them at a hockey game and was so glad I got to meet her. She’s a fireball and doing the name proud. I’ve heard of another Kikkan, too.
It’s such an honor that people have named their kids after me. My coach ran into a woman who’d named her dogs Kikkan and Taz (after Tazlina Mannix, another Alaskan skier).
DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No.
DO YOU HAVE IDEAS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO NAME KIDS IF YOU HAVE THEM?
My husband and I talk about it occasionally. When we were dating, we agreed on some names we liked. Jackson for a boy and Addison for a girl.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CELEBRITY TREND OF CHOOSING UNUSUAL BABY NAMES?
I think it’s interesting. Some of them definitely stepped outside the bounds and I hope the kids who get the names can have fun with it. I’m glad my parents gave me an unusual name.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO PICK DIFFERENT NAMES FOR MYSELF WHEN I PLAYED HOUSE (I loved Cindy and Daphne). DID YOU EVER DO THAT?
I never did anything like that when I was a kid. In high school, my friends and I all chose nicknames and I picked Karen. I’m not sure why. My younger sister wanted to be called Jessica for a couple months.
DID YOU EVER DO ANYTHING INTERESTING WITH THAT IN YOUR SIGNATURE?
Yeah, but more with my last name. I turned the “LL”s into arms, drew skis and added hair to the top (see awesome example!). When I got married I decided to keep my last name for branding purposes.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE NAMES OR TRENDS?
I like unisex names for girls. I have a cousin named Taylor and it suits her well. I also like Andy for a girl.
When I was younger I idolized Picabo Street.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PARENTS CHOOSING NAMES?
Go with your instincts. If you see something you like write it down so you don’t forget it.
Thanks, Kikkan, for the great information about your name and for sharing these photos!
Cheer for Kikkan during the Olympics! According to her website, these are her upcoming events:
2/17/10 - Olympic Classic Sprint
2/27/10 - Olympic 30km Classic Mass-start
Learn more about Kikkan at her websites:
http://www.facebook.com/kikkanrandall
Can’t get enough baby name news? Follow my blog! You can subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any baby name posts.
Tune in next week for my name interviews with Olympic US Hockey player Gigi Marvin and 2014 Olympic hopeful Kimber Gabryszak.
You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!
♥ Amanda
If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com.
Your question might appear in a future edition of Ask Amanda.
For more information on baby names and their meanings check out
BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
Do you or someone you know have a one-of-a-kind name? Is there an interesting story behind why you chose your baby’s name?
If so, email me and tell me all about it! I love learning about new names and hearing fun naming stories. You never know, you just might appear on my Notable Names page!
- Kojii in Models of the Runway (courtesy Lifetime TV)
I recently had the chance to speak with supermodel and supermom KOJII HELNWEIN about her name. She had great stories to share not only about her own name, but about how she chose her daughter’s name and about her pain-free birth (keep reading for details!).
Kojii has been on this season of Lifetime TV’s Project Runway and the new companion series Models of the Runway. I have to admit that when I first heard about Models of the Runway I wasn’t sure I was interested. After I watched the first episode, I was hooked. It’s been so interesting seeing what the models think of the designers and their clothes. After all, who knows fashion better than the model who wears it down the runway?
When I talked to Kojii though, what I really wanted to know about was how she got her name. Turns out I learned the answer to that question and so much more. Kojii had a lot to say about baby names and even had some great advice for parents choosing names.
KOJII HELWEIN INTERVIEW, OCTOBER 2009
By Amanda Elizabeth Barden
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NAME. DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR PARENTS CHOSE IT?
One of my dads’ friends told him a story about a Japanese princess named Kojii. My dad was really captivated by the story and wanted to name me Kojii. Later we found out that Kojii is a boy’s name, but we still loved the story.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NICKNAMES?
Koko. One friend of mine latched on to this right away when he met me. It might also be due to my chocolate obsession. People also call me Koj.
DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE NAME?
No.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP WITH AN UNUSUAL NAME?
It was great. I liked it.
Having an unusual name has opened a lot of doors for me in my career. People often ask about my name and it’s a great conversation starter. It helps me stand out which is important in this business.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CELEBRITY TREND OF CHOOSING UNUSUAL BABY NAMES?
I love it. I think it’s cute.
I REMEMBER FROM MODELS OF THE RUNWAY THAT YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER. TELL ME ABOUT HER NAME.
I had such a hard time naming her. I did not want a name that 300 other kids in her school would have.
Originally, I thought I was having a boy so all the names we had picked out were for boys. I did a lot of research into Egyptian and Greek names. Then I researched a lot of old Irish and Celtic stories. Most of the names I found were too difficult to pronounce though. It was important to me to choose a name that other kids wouldn’t be able to easily make fun of. I spent the entire nine months thinking about names.
My daughter’s name is Croí Sequoia. We chose Croí because it’s Irish for “heart.” It’s pronounced “kree.” I thought it was beautiful and loved the meaning.
We chose the middle name Sequoia because Croí is the first American born in the family and we wanted a name with Native American roots.
The name Croí Sequoia literally just came to me when I was in the pool giving birth. So after the birth, I researched and Googled the name Sequoia to make sure there were no bad associations. I learned that George Sequoyah created the Cherokee alphabet. We loved this connection because language is really important in our family. I’m from Ireland and my husband is from Austria. Croí is bilingual and is learning to speak German. The name Sequoia also has a great nature connection.
Three days after Croí’s birth, we read her a list of names. When we said Croí Sequoia, she smiled. It might have meant nothing, but we took it as a sign.
DO YOU REMEMBER ANY OF THE NAMES YOU HAD PICKED OUT FOR BOYS?
I remember that Constantine was on the list.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO PICK DIFFERENT NAMES FOR MYSELF WHEN I PLAYED HOUSE (I loved Cindy and Daphne). DID YOU EVER DO THAT?
Constantly! I used to sign birthday cards with different names. I always wanted to know why my parents didn’t name me Sarah or Rose or Lily. For some reason, I was really obsessed with the name Sarah Davidson. I remember signing birthday cards to my dad as “Sarah Davidson.”
I NOTICED THAT YOU HAVE THREE DOTS IN A ROW IN YOUR NAME – “JII” – DID YOU EVER DO ANYTHING INTERESTING WITH THAT IN YOUR SIGNATURE?
Not really. My dad is an artist though and he made it into a cool art project. He used a white handprint on black paper to spell out “Kojii” with the dots above the fingertips, if you can picture that. He particularly liked that there were three dots in a row. Kojii is traditionally spelled with just one “I” – Koji – but he added the second “I.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE NAMES OR TRENDS?
Not really. I love unisex names though.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PARENTS CHOOSING NAMES?
Think about it very carefully because it’s a hard decision! Think about what the name means—you want a good meaning! Don’t just choose any name. Also, think of all the jokes someone could make out of a name before you pick it.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH SOON-TO-BE PARENTS?
I had a home birth and it was incredible. It was pain-free.
WOW! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
I had an amazing midwife. She came over about once a week leading up to the birth to work with me. I was really worried about pain medications transferring to the baby during birth, so I didn’t use any. I didn’t need them. It was such an amazing experience. It ended up being pain free. I definitely recommend home births to other women.
THANKS, KOJII!
Tune in this Thursday, 11/19/09 for the Project Runway / Models of the Runway finale!
Learn more about Kojii at her websites:
http://kojiihelnwein.wordpress.com/
Want more baby name information? Follow my blog! You can subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any baby name posts.
You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!
♥ Amanda
If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com.
Your question might appear in a future edition of Ask Amanda.
For more information on baby names and their meanings check out
BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
Do you or someone you know have a one-of-a-kind name? Is there an interesting story behind why you chose your baby’s name?
If so, email me and tell me all about it! I love learning about new names and hearing fun naming stories. You never know, you just might appear on my Notable Names page!
Models of the Runway (courtesy Lifetime TV)
