It's all girls this week in celebrity baby names. Singer Monica and her husband, Phoenix Suns' b-ball player Shannon Brown welcomed their first daughter, Laiyah Shannon, while it's a second girl for NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson and his wife Chandra, who welcomed Lydia Norriss, who joined big sister Genevieve Marie.
Laiyah was the name the baby's godmother picked for her. It isn't a common name—and seems to be a variant of either the Hebrew Leah, which means weary, or the Catalan nickname-name Laia, which means sweet speaking. It's also similar to the name Aaliyah, worn most famously by the late pop singer, which is an Arabic name that means "high born." Her middle name is Shannon, in homage to her daddy—this unisex Irish name is now slightly more common for girls.
Lydia is a classic Greek baby name, currently in the top 100. A Lydia plays a small part in the New Testament, and it rose in popularity in the 18th century—it was featured as one of the Bennett sisters in Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. Norriss appears to be a family name.
What do you think? Would you prefer the more offbeat Laiyah, or the classic Lydia?
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Photo: Monica and Shannon Brown by Allen Berezovsky / Shutterstock.com
