Actress Lucy Durack, and her husband Christopher Horsey, welcomed their first child on June 11 and have named their daughter Polly Gladys [pictured]. Lucy is a stage actress most famous for playing the role of Glinda the Good in Wicked, and Elle Woods in the musical theatre version of Legally Blonde, for which she won Best Actress at both the Sydney Theatre Awards and the Helpmann Awards. She has often appeared in other stage productions, films, and television, and has created a number of audio books, including for her own pioneering family story, Kings in Grass Castles, by famous West Australian author Mary Durack (no confirmation if the name Polly is a nod to Dame Mary Durack). Christopher is a choreographer.
Businessman and professional gambler David Walsh, and his wife Kirsha Kaechele, welcomed their first child on July 20 and have named their daughter Sunday. Sunday is named after the famous arts patron Sunday Reed, whose name has been covered on the blog. David and Kirsha shared a special moment at the Heide Museum of Modern Art co-founded by Sunday Reed, which seems to be the inspiration for her name. David is the founder and owner of the acclaimed Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, affectionately known as MONA. Kirsha is originally from the United States, and is an artist, art curator, and founder of the Life is Art Foundation. David has two adult daughters named Jamie and Grace from previous relationships, who are Sunday’s sisters.
These are two lovely fashionable names that may appeal to artistic souls and free spirits. I note that this is the second celebrity baby on the blog who was named for Sunday Reed after a special moment at the Heide (Kate Langbroek had an epiphany with a rockmelon there, and doesn’t appreciate other celebrities or other parents using the name Sunday for their children). The Heide is clearly one of those places with a spot of baby naming magic!
Waltzing More Than Matilda 
Coming in late but whatever. From what I’ve seen of Lucy Durack makes me believe Polly to be the perfect name for her and while Gladys I don’t like it kind of makes Polly a bit more sophisticated. I just don’t really like the flow of the full name each name has two syllables.
I think you hit the nail on the head – Gladys does help Polly sound more sophisticated and mature.
Hard to vote on Polly Gladys: I love Polly, but think Gladys is clunky and ruins the full name. Still, middle names mostly aren’t used — and sometimes almost forgotten, so I went with “It’s okay”.
I don’t mind Gladys, and I wonder if this might be a tiny sign of its rehabilitation? I’ve seen a couple of parents using Gladys as a middle name now, and often that’s a sign that a name is no longer viewed with horror. For example, I’ve started seeing Gay and Gaye as middle names, and last week there was a baby girl with Gaye as her first name, so people seem to be softening on that.
I thought Polly Gladys was rather adorable, but apparently it hasn’t been a hit.
Does Gladys need to be brought round again??? I don’t think every once popular name needs to be seen as a candidate for a baby girl today. As for Gay, I know two women, now well into their 60s, called Gay (one is short for Gayle; the other is a nickname for Gretchen). I like the sound of Gay/Gaye, but wouldn’t recommend it as a name — first or middle — for a baby girl born in 2015.