Clementine Jane: Behind Ethan Hawke and Wife's Name Choice

In a real babynaming style switch, Ethan Hawke and his wife Ryan Shawhughes took their choices in a very different direction from the ones he made with ex-wife Uma Thurman -- the modern Maya and Roan.

Clementine, which, unfortunately, some people will still associate with the old 'Oh my darlin' Clementine' song and her size nine shoes (which aren't so unusual these days anyway) is, in our opinion, a really appealing, charming choice. It's a name with a solid history: the feminine form of Clement, which means merciful, with the French suffix 'ine' added, which dates back to the 19th century, when it was quite popular in England (where it's pronounced ClementEEN).

It was the first name of Mrs Winston Churchill and more recently was the starbaby choice of Cybill Shepherd and Claudia Schiffer. It's a perfect match with this baby's surname -- Clementine Jane Hawke sounds like the sweet, prim and pretty heroine of a Victorian novel.

In addition, it can also be placed in the trendy category of nature names, the clementine being a type of Mandarin orange. Hey -- maybe Clementine Hawke can have a playdate with Apple Martin!

Photo by Flynet.

Do you consider 'Clementine' to be more classic or modern?