The poor Simpson-Wentzes caught a lot of flak last week for their baby name choices–not only for first name Bronx, but for Disneyesque middle name Mowgli as well, to the point where Pete Wentz felt called upon to defend the choice on the people.com website.  In a story headlined PETE WENTZ: WHY WE NAMED OUR SON MOWGLI, his explanation was “The Jungle Book was something me and Ashlee bonded over.  It’s a cool name.”  Well, whether or not we agree, we shouldn’t dismiss the whole genre of Disney names–there are a few treasures buried in that vault.

　　In the beginning, the Disney folks were big on silly, often alliterative names for their cartoon creatures–Horace Horsefeather, Clarabelle Cow, and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Donald and Daisy Duck.  When they moved on to feature films in the 1930s, they began to draw on already created and named characters from fairy tales and children’s books, from Snow White to Peter Pan.  Curiously enough, the one early character name that caught on with parents was Bambi–a male deer in the movie that became a popular namesake for girl babies.

　　The real winners, though, have been the Princess names from more recent Disney films–The Little Mermaid’s Ariel reached #66 two years after its release date and Jasmine from Aladdin has been as high as #23.  Other Disney heroine names like Belle (Beauty and the Beast) and Violet (The Incredibles) have also been boosted by their Disney connection.  Here are some other good Disneyfied options:

　　GIRLS

　　ANASTASIA Cinderella

　　AURORA Sleeping Beauty

　　BIANCA The Rescuers

　　BRIAR ROSE Sleeping Beauty

　　CELIA Monsters, Inc

　　COLETTE Ratatouille

　　ESMERALDA The Hunchback of Notre Dame

　　EVE Wall-E

　　FIONA Shrek

　　LILO Lilo & Stitch

　　NALA The Lion King

　　THALIA Hercules

　　BOYS

　　CLAUDE The Hunchback of Notre Dame

　　DEMETRIUS Hercules

　　DJANGO Ratatouille

　　GIDEON Pinocchio

　　GUS Cinderella

　　JULIEN Madagascar

　　NEMO Finding Nemo

　　PHOEBUS The Hunchback of Notre Dame

　　REMY Ratatouille

　　REX Monsters, Inc

　　RICO Madagascar

　　ZEUS Hercules