Some stylish baby names in Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel’s Nameberry 9.

　　When I heard that Lily Allen was expecting a second child, my heart skipped a beat.

　　I don’t know Lily Allen.  When her first baby arrived, I had to Google search to find out that she was a singer, and I’d never heard her sing until I headed to YouTube.

　　The British pop starlet turned television presenter made waves with her first daughter’s name, Ethel Mary, and I’ve followed her ever since.  She didn’t disappoint with her second daughter’s name, Marnie Rose.

　　What would you call Allen’s style?

　　I’m thinking “So Retro it Hurts.”  She chooses great names that few of us have the guts to use – yet.

　　We classify names as traditional or modern, classic or trendy.  But the truth is that everything goes when it comes names, and there are all sorts of styles and strategies to describe our approaches to naming children.

　　This week’s nine most newsworthy baby names are all on Team Pink.  I’ve taken a stab at describing each name’s style.  How would you describe:

　　Marnie Rose – The most intriguing name of the week is Allen’s throwback choice for her secondborn.  Marnie is just as unexpected as Ethel, but with an HBO Girls character answering to the spunky nickname, she could follow retro nicknames like Sadie and Hattie.

　　Winter Victoria – Facebook veteran Sean Parker and his fiancée Alexandra Lenas are new parents.  Call their style Tailored Moderns/Enduring Middles.  ThinkWillow Katharine or Harper Jane.  It’s a smart choice.

　　Bo Elizabeth – Australian notables Tim and Monique Blackwell recently welcomed a daughter named Bo Elizabeth, another name that fits in the Tailored Moderns/Enduring Middles category.

　　Vivid Rae – From a birth announcement at Names 4 Real, this one is a Daring Noun Name.  Many seasons, flowers, and surnames are mainstream finds on birth certificates.  Other choices from the phone book and dictionary are not.  Vivid seems daring, even outlandish, but with nickname option Vivi, she might fit right in with all of those Genevieves and Viviennes.

　　Vivian Vespa – Speaking of Vivi, Vivian Vespa illustrates another great strategy:  Mainstream Givens/Wild Middles.  A girl named Vespa would raise eyebrows, but the zippy Italian appellation is a delightful surprise in the middle.

　　Eve Marion – Swistle and company recently helped a family name a second daughter, a little sister for Sloane Eleanor.  The couple described their style as “Brisk and Breezy.”  That pretty much sums it up.

　　Paisley Faye – I wasn’t a fan of Jennie Finch’s choices for her sons at first.  But Ace Shane and Diesel Dean have grown on me.  They’re “Names That Will Seem Normal in Thirty Years.”  Or make that “Names That Won’t Be Out of Place in Kindergarten.”  Baby makes five for Finch and her husband, and their new daughter’s name fits right in with her big brothers.

　　Calvary – If you have two girls named Genesis and Nevaeh, what could you call a third daughter?  Matilda Magazine stumbled across Kalvary.  It’s an intense name – Calvary is a hill outside ofJerusalem, the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion.  But the sound is gorgeous, and for families intent on finding a spiritual name, it’s not out of the question.  Call them Nevaeh’s Sisters – names laden with meaning.

　　Dakota – Rosie O’Donnell is a mom for the fifth time, welcoming her first with new wife Michelle Rounds.  The couple went with a Cowgirl Cool name for daughter Dakota.  Names like Wyatt and Cole are still rising for boys, but wild west options for girls seem to have lost steam.  Or is she simply another name that will seem downright normal in a few more years?

　　What’s your favorite name style?  Have you spotted any interesting names lately?

　　(photo: c Anduca/dreamstime.com.