Happiness: 20 Baby Names for Joy Cho

Happiness is the definition of Joy Cho.  Do you read her style blog, Oh Joy!?  It’s a delight.  I love her “this and that” combos and that she incorporates all her passions from food to flowers.  Not long ago she and hubby Bob announced that they were going to share their joy with a new bambino.  And then we found out that it was a bambina (which is fab — Joy’s design sense has a distinct feminine sensibility).

She’s due super soon, and I’ve been laboring myself over what name matches them best.  It should be something cheerful and slightly hip, but manage to stand the test of time.  Here are a few recommendations/guesses.  Will she go a heavy duty Agatha-Winifred route, with a happy-go-lucky Daisy, or with something else entirely?  We’ll know soon!

Agatha - If anyone can pull off Agatha, it’s these two.  Can they breathe new life into this old saint?

Blythe – If my name were Joy, the felicitous Blythe might be too tempting to pass up.  It might be anyway.

Cecily – While Cecily may not mean “happiness”, it connotes it in the bounce and rhythm of the name.

Cordelia- Shakespearean Cordelia.  She could go by Coco or Dells, Delia or Cora.  Though Hollywood’s already gone there, the symmetry of Coco Cho could be appealing to a designer.

Daisy – If ever there was happiness wrapped up in a name, it would be here.

Elsa – Should they opt with short and sweet like mom’s name, Elsa is like the chic up-do of Ella.

“Flossie” (Florence?) – The British are coming, and names like Flossie are long overdue on these shores.

Georgina- I do see these two picking something with a vintage European flair.  Though I don’t know him one iota, perhaps daddy Bob would like having a daughter George, but Georgina is just enough frills for mom?

Harriet- Compiled before yesterday’s bombshell of an announcement, I almost left this one off.  While I can’t see them choosing to call a daughter Hattie now, Harriet is still just the right amount of retro for a pair like the Chos to bring it boldly back to the fore.

Imogene – I was preferring Imogen until I met a local girl who uses the long E version.  It’s due to return, so I bequeath it to this baby.

Louisa- While sister names Sophia and Olivia reign, Louisa is another queen’s classic that has been overlooked.  They could be “Lulu” types.

Marjorie- Yes, I love Marjorie for many of the reasons mentioned above.  Retro chic, unexpected, and undeniably peppy on the right child.

Mirabel- Will Joy go for something classically “pretty”?

Penelope – My gut instinct and first thought for them.  Not sure if the celebrity birth of Tina Fey’s babe will have any bearing on this one way or the other.

Poppy- While it could be a nickname for Penelope, it deserves its own entry.  Poppy Cho has designer written all over her.

Susannah- Will somebody please use this?  You could call her Zuzu, Susie, Sanna, so many options!

Sylvie- Sylvie gives the somewhat dowdy-but-not-dowdy-enough Sylvia a lift.

Tabitha- It would take just one more style maven in the public eye to push this into the mainstream.  That of course may not be what Joy wants.

Viola- Love the long O repetition of this with Cho.  Fits the criteria we’ve set up nicely.

Winifred- I’ve met several Chinese women named Winnie, no doubt because it works well in both languages.  I believe Bob’s family is Chinese, I’d be just tickled if they had a little Winifred.