Parker, Broderick go old-fashioned with names

updated 9:22 a.m. ET June 24, 2009

LOS ANGELES - Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick dug into their family roots for the names of their twin daughters.

The middle names of Tabitha Hodge Broderick and Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick are both family names on Parker's side, according to publicist Simon Halls.

The Associated Press consulted its panel of baby-name gurus to weigh in on the monikers for the girls, delivered by a surrogate mother Monday.

Expert: Jennifer Moss, author of "The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book" and founder of BabyNames.com.
Specialty: Practicality, looking for influences such as family history and life experiences.
Impressions: "It's interesting that they used the traditionally male spelling of Marion, rather than the female spelling Marian. Either way, it's a very dated name from the early 20th century and has not come back into style for either gender. The name Loretta is from the same time period. They did, however, keep in line with the current trend of using family surnames within baby names, Elwell and Hodge both being branches of the Parker family tree."
Grade: Marion Loretta Elwell: C-minus; Tabitha Hodge: A.

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Expert: Whitney Walker, co-author with Eric Reyes of "The Perfect Baby Name" and ThePerfectBabyName.com consultant.
Specialty: Phonetics and rhythm — how names sound and flow together.
Impressions: "Marion and Broderick both have R sounds, and Tabitha and Broderick both have B sounds, which helps make them more memorable and pleasing to the ear. Marion and Tabitha both have prominent short A sounds to tie them together a bit, too. But those middle names don't help. We're all for honoring ancestors with middle names, but the whole string has to flow together, so perhaps they should have picked some feminine first names from the family tree instead."
Grade: Marion Loretta Elwell: D; Tabitha Hodge: D.

Expert: Bruce Lansky, author of "100,000-Plus Baby Names."
Specialty: Function and form, the versatility and first impressions of names.
Impressions: "Marion has two middle names: Loretta and Elwell. Tabitha only has one: Hodge. If you have kids, you know that they can complain all day about something they think isn't fair. In my opinion, giving one twin two middle names and the other twin only one middle name is a decision that produces an asymmetrical situation that may not sit right with the girls — or with people who read the birth announcement."
Grade: Marion Loretta Elwell: B-minus; Tabitha Hodge: B.

Composite panel grade: Marion Loretta Elwell: C-minus; Tabitha Hodge: B-minus.

Previous panel results:

• Seraphina Rose Elizabeth, daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck: B.
• Bronx Mowgli, son of Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz: C.
• Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, twins of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: Knox Leon: C, Vivienne Marcheline: B-plus.
• Zuma Nesta Rock, son of Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani: C-minus.

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