Advertisements

Category Archives: Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

Baby, How Did You Get That Name?

06 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ Comments Off on Baby, How Did You Get That Name?

Tags

, , , , ,

image-50-768x837

These are name stories from The Best Gift of Life website, as mothers interviewed are asked how they chose their childrens’ names. There are so many places to find a great name, from books you disliked, movies you didn’t watch, and baby name phone apps you hated!

Many of these names have been featured in the Birth Announcements section of the blog, so may seem familiar.

Australian/Canadian couple Meagan and Brad have four children: North, aged 7, Indigo, aged 5, Juniper, aged 3, and Sage, aged 1. North was named in honour of Canada, while Indigo’s name was inspired by the Third Eye chakra. Although Juniper and Sage’s names aren’t explained the family love the outdoors, so nature names seem in line with their interests.

Jessie and Adrian from Tasmania have two children named Liffey, aged 2, and Jarvis, aged 7 months. Liffey’s name was chosen before she was even born, as Adrian and Jessie had visited local landmark Liffey Falls and loved their serenity; they agreed Liffey would be a sweet name for a girl if they ever had a daughter. Jarvis was named after Jessie’s dad’s home town – Jervis Bay is in the coastal region of the Australian Capital Territory, and pronounced JAR-vis.

Leah and Colin had a little girl named Eva James at the start of the year. Eva is named after Leah’s grandmother that she had a special bond with, while the middle name James is after her father.

Lucy and Hayden live in New Zealand, but their son Mickey Memphis, aged 2, was born when they lived in Australia. Mickey was the name they were always going to use, regardless of their child’s gender, and Memphis is due to Colin’s love of blues music. During labour Lucy was listening to the radio, and the song Hey Mickey came on, which seemed like a thumbs up to their choice.

Jaimi and Jarrud have two sons named Ziggy, aged 4, and Jango Sting, aged 1. Ziggy’s name came from watching the TV series The Wire, which has a character named Chester “Ziggy” Zobotka. The suggestion started as a joke, but soon they agreed it was the perfect name. Jango’s name was inspired by bounty hunter Jango Fett from the Star Wars franchise, while his middle name Sting was after the rock star (Sting was considered too harsh-sounding to be a first name).

Chenoa and her husband have two children named Baylee and Isla [pictured]. Because their surname begins with M, they wanted their first child’s initials to spell BAM, as their “womb name” was Bamba. In a tragic twist, Chenoa learned her father only had a few weeks to live just weeks before the baby was due. Chenoa’s dad Allan had a vivid dream of a boy in the family named Baylee, so that was the name they chose; Allan is Baylee’s middle name, spelling BAM. (Baylee was induced early so that he could meet his grandfather). Isla was named with the idea of isle, island, and as they often call Baylee Bay, they have two water-inspired names for their children.

Kate and Lachie are from Sydney, but live in the Cayman Islands. They have two daughters named Olivia, aged 5, and Eadie, aged 3. They loved the elegance of the name Olivia, while Eadie was named after seeing Sienna Miller portray the actress/model Edie Sedgwick in the film Factory Girl.

Amber and Johnny have two sons named Franklin Ray, aged 3, and Hugo John Austin, aged 1. When pregnant with their first child, Amber was at the movies with Johnny and a trailer for the movie The Watch came on, with Jonah Hill portraying a character named Franklin. That reminded them they loved the name Franklin, and Ray is after Johnny’s father. The second time around names were harder. Johnny suggested Hugo after he had been using a baby name app, and John was in the middle in honour of Johnny himself. The second middle name Austin was Amber’s brother Jesse’s middle name – Jesse died not long before Hugo was born.

Adele and Matthew have three children named Ryland, aged 6, Reid Alex, aged 4, and Pearl Lavender, aged 1. Matt chose Ryland’s name as Adele was too much in shock over not having a girl to think of anything. Reid was the only boy name they agreed on for their second child, and the middle name Alex was after Ryland’s imaginary friend. Pearl was the girl’s name Adele always wanted, but it took until the third child to convince Matt. The middle name Lavender was a suggestion by Ryland, who was keen to have a sister since he already had a brother. His suggestion for a boy was Shame, as he thought it would be a shame to have a third boy!

Holly and her best friend Chase became parents to Otto Henry Rowu last year. Holly had a baby name app on her phone which she was going to delete as it kept suggesting names she hated such as Laddie Boy and Paulina. Then it suddenly came up with Otto, which she unexpectedly loved. Henry is after a family friend who passed away. The second middle name Rowu is an Aboriginal word, pronounced like roar-war. It’s the name of a native flower which grows in the sand, and was chosen by a family friend who is Yolngu. Holly is raising her toddler nephew Theodore, and by chance Theodore and Otto sound like a perfectly matched sibset.

Danielle and Chris have two sons named Emmett and Myles. Danielle read Twilight, and although she wasn’t a fan of the book, did love the name of the character Emmett. Meanwhile Chris loved Dr Emmett Brown from Back to the Future, so readily agreed. The second time around was harder, as their chosen name Peyton didn’t match well with their surname. They saw Myles in the credits of a movie, and both loved it immediately, so the decision was made.

Advertisements

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad: Name Story Special (Spring 2014)

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

our-family_10

When I looked through my name files, I saw I had quite a collection of stories explaining how babies had received their names. I thought it would be worthwhile to see how other parents go about choosing baby names, as some of their solutions have been quite creative. (You may remember some of these names from the weekly Birth Announcements).

Footy Fever
Baby Aish Barker of Adelaide was named after a famous footballing family where three generations have played for Norwood Football Club. Dad is a massive Norwood fan, and always knew that this child would be called Aish, a name chosen in advance of the birth, regardless of the baby’s gender. Aish is a girl, and her big sister is Teegan. The Aish family feel honoured to have a baby named after them.

Reality Check
Amity McIntosh was born last Easter in Toowoomba, a sister to Dylan. She is named after Amity Dry, who got her big break after appearing on renovation reality show, The Block, in 2003; she and her husband were the winners that year. Through exposure gained on the show, Amity Dry got a recording contract, and has released two albums, as well as writing a musical play. You might remember that the name Amity has just reached the Top 100 in Queensland, so even though Ms Dry is from Adelaide, her name seems to have been a big hit north of the border.

His Name is History
Ethan Forbes Thomas was born in Sydney last autumn, the great-great-great grandson of William Thomas, the first Lord Mayor of Forbes, in country New South Wales. His parents were originally going to use the name William to honour the family connection, but there were already a lot of Williams in their family. They still wanted a name connected to their revered great-great, so chose the name of the town instead. The Thomas family have a strong connection to their family heritage in Forbes, and planned to have Ethan baptised in Forbes in September. Forbes is a very interesting town historically, as it was a gold-rush town in the 19th century. The bushranger Ben Hall was shot near there, and Ned Kelly‘s sister Kate lived in Forbes: she drowned saving an Aboriginal child during a flood, and is buried in the town’s cemetery.

Gender Swap Baby
Sebastian Carvajal was born on Mother’s Day in Melbourne, and was a “surprise baby”, because his parents were told at their ultrasound scan that their baby was a girl. They had therefore painted the nursery pink, bought girl baby clothes, and picked out the name Olivia, not to mention planning trips to the nail salon and dance classes. I remember reading that parents who opt to find out the sex of their baby in advance tend to have very set ideas about gender roles, and this seems like a good example – pink and dance classes for girls, blue and hobby cars for boys! I was interested that they had Olivia chosen for a girl and Sebastian for a boy, because Olivia and Sebastian are a couple in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Named After Mum’s Cheeks
Rosie Lyn Killalea was born in June in Sydney, and she is named that because her mum’s childhood nickname was Rosie, as she had rosy-red cheeks. Her middle name Lyn is after her great-grandmother, who passed away a year before Rosie was born. Rosie has inherited her mum’s pink cheeks.

Two Grandmothers in One Name
Lana Rosanna Krause was born in Rockhampton in July. Her middle name was chosen because her mother’s mum is named Annette and her father’s mum is named Rose.

Greek Mystery
Aeson Carter Small was born in August in Gladstone, just as his parents returned from holiday. When his parents first decided to start trying for a baby, they discovered that his mother was pregnant just two days later. They picked the name Aeson, because they believed that it was a translation from the Greek for “meant to be”, but I think they must have got it from some dodgy name book, because the meaning of Aeson isn’t known. In Greek myth, Aeson was the father of Jason, and he came to an unfortunate end.

He’s Cruz, Not Acacia
Cruz Zion Petterson, of Sutherland Shire, was born in the car on the way to the hospital. The car was parked on Fauna Place, just off Acacia Road in Sutherland, and some people thought he should have been named Acacia; however the Pettersons didn’t think either Acacia or Fauna were viable options for their son. I wonder if Cruz would have been called Acacia if he was a girl? Cruz wasn’t born in a Holden Cruze, but in a Mitsubishi 380. Cruz has a big sister named Starr and a big brother named Phoenix.

Names From The Best Gift of Life

The Best Gift of Life is a blog that Sarah from For Real Baby Names put me onto. It has interviews with mums, many of whom have interests in fashion, photography, and interior design, about their lives and their babies. One of the interview questions is about how they chose their baby’s name, so I thought I’d share some from Australian families.

Bambi – parents Vanessa and Sean liked the name, and knew she would be the cutest little girl.

Johnny Jay – named after mum Shaunyl’s grandfather, John James. Johnny honours Johnny Cash, one of Shaunyl’s favourite singers.

Kawa Leaf – parents are Dee and Desmond. Kawa means “river” in Japanese. Dee lived in Japan in her early twenties, and the name resonated with her; she is of Chinese heritage, and in Chinese Kawa translates as “family” + “fine painting”. The middle name Leaf was chosen because at the time of Kawa’s conception and during the pregnancy, the family were living in a garden nursery called New Leaf.

Peaches Wilde – parents Tess and Caleb had the name picked out even while they were dating. Peachy was mum’s nickname, so dad thought Peaches was perfect. The middle name Wilde was chosen because dad is a “wild hearted” stuntman, so the name honours both parents.

Ravi and Nova – two brothers born a year apart to Camille and Dean. Ravi‘s name was chosen at the 14 week mark of pregnancy, but Nova‘s took longer as most of their favourite names got “swiped”. Both parents like unusual names, and Camille comes from a family which includes Afrika, Harmony, India, Nimue and Joaquin, so different names blend in better.

Seb – named after the Spanish city of San Sebastian which his parents Karrie-Anne and Brent fell in love with on holiday. They were never going to call him Sebastian, so used the short form, Seb.

(Picture is of Peaches Wilde with her mother Tess; photo from The Best Gift of Life)

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Winter 2014)

28 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

image-tools

Anzac Day for Baby Anzac
After I covered the name Anzac on the blog, I received several e-mails from people insisting that it was illegal for babies to be named Anzac in Australia, and that my post should be altered to reflect that. I have seen babies in birth notices with this name, but my correspondents refused to believe me, as I had no proof of this (which is fair enough – imagine if I believed all the people who said they knew twins called Lemonjello and Orangejello).

Because of this healthy scepticism, I am posting a story about a baby named Anzac Judd from Bowraville, near Nambucca Heads in northern New South Wales. Unfortunately, it’s a sad story, because Anzac passed away from a spinal disease when only a few months old. On Anzac Day this year, Bowraville held a golfing and bowls day in Anzac’s memory, and even though the circumstances are heartbreaking, it shows that Anzac Day can mean more to you when you have a baby Anzac.

Danger is His Middle Name for a Reason
Robbie Danger Russell of Darwin was born with an extremely rare and little-understood genetic condition that meant doctors held out little hope of him surviving birth. Robbie did survive, despite multiple medical conditions, and at one year of age, still has the eyesight doctors expected him to have lost by now, although his prognosis is still very poor. Robbie’s mother Jennifer seems to have chosen the middle name Danger as a sign of the hazards that lay ahead of him, and that he lives with every day.

Quick Silver
I know readers love to know what fashionable people are naming their children, so here’s a quick profile of interior stylist Sibella Court who has a little shop in Paddington, and a daughter named Silver with her partner Ben Harper. Silver is pretty, and very much like mum’s name, but Silver Harper is a little race-horsey for my tastes.

And if you’d like to know what is in style, Sibella recommends vases of fruit and foliage, black walls, random surfboards, painter’s ladders, 1950s seashell collections, Union Jacks, vintage life-vests, and subway tiles. But for goodness sakes, don’t do any of this, because the story is from March, and that’s all TOTALLY LAST SEASON.

Sibella also had a pet pig named Wilbur, but pigs either went out of style, or now it’s bacon, the story didn’t really explain. Love the name Wilbur though!

Is it Just Hype?
I read a story about one of the many families who were victims of financial fraud committed by the Commonwealth Bank, and who were able to win their case in court, under the most difficult of circumstances.

One of the family, Tegan Couper of Shellharbour, is pictured with her baby son Hype. It’s a very unusual name, almost a virtue name really. I kept wondering if it was short for something, but could only think of Hyperion, which seemed even less likely, in a way.

Supposedly Seen – Sheen
Brisbane comedienne Mel Buttle wrote a piece about her childhood pet, a beloved dog named Benny, which she named after a boy named Ben she liked at school. In case we don’t think that’s an impressive naming story, she said she knows a baby who was named Sheen, after Charlie Sheen.

Not sure if that’s just a joke, but Sheen doesn’t seem that bad (if you put aside the Charlie Sheen part for a moment). The Irish surname Sheen is derived from a personal name which meant “peaceful”, and it almost sounds like a masculine form of Sheena, or a variant of Shane, as well as the appeal of English word sheen, meaning “lustre”.

Mel’s new dog is named Molly.

The Gods on Television
There was a new television program on ABC1 this autumn called The Gods of Wheat Street. Set in Casino in New South Wales, it’s about an Aboriginal family named Freeburn who have to let go of the past after their mother Eden‘s death, with the help of a bit of magic. Head of the family is Odin, and his siblings are Ares, Isolde, and Tristan, while Odin’s daughters are named Electra and Athena. The names may possibly help the trend for mythological names (and seem informed by said trend).

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Summer 2013/14)

15 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

434407-32707c74-6464-11e3-be16-1445237cc09f

Stories in the papers on the most popular names often have a look at the other end, and tell us which names were least common in 2013. Some of them included:

BOYS: Clinchy, Jetta, Kayos, Magick, Rampage, Shanakee, Xenophon

GIRLS: Asterix, Blendin, Bonniebell, Euphemia, Lingo, Passion, Shiny, Tiger Lily, Vogue, Zipporah

A story from Ballarat focused on mothers who had “bonus babies” long after they thought their families were complete. One of the mums was named Peace, which I thought was a lovely serene virtue name. Another was parenting author Pinky McKay, who has a very colourful name (her hair matches).

‘Tis the Season

The first baby born in Wollongong Hospital on Christmas Day was Fenix Cooper Brudenell. Fenix has a very pop culture name: his first name is after Marcus Fenix from the Gears of War video games, while his second is after Sheldon Cooper, from The Big Bang Theory. Fenix’s siblings are Megan and Austin.

Jonathan Butler and Tahani Curtis, from the Tweed Heads region of New South Wales, were expecting a child on Christmas Day, and seriously considered calling him Jesus if they had a boy. Is this the ultimate Christmas name? They had a girl instead, and named her Matilda.

Saint James the Great church in Melbourne invited people to bring their pets to celebrate Christmas Mass, because baby Jesus was born in a stable amongst animals. Nick Haines and Michelle Nichol brought their three poodles, because as Nick says, “these are our children”. The poodles are named George, Poppy and Lilly – surely some are giving their “fur babies” the names they would have given human children, as this sounds like an adorable sibset … er, pupset.

Fighting Fit Families

Bec Hyatt from Brisbane took up cage fighting in order to lose 80 kg of baby weight. She is now set to become the first Australian woman in the UFC, earning more than $100 000 per fight. Bec’s two sons are Enson and Zake – Enson may be named after American MMA champ Enson Inoue, while Zake is a variant of the Arabic name Zaki, meaning “pure”. It sounds like a cousin of Jake, Zac and Zeke.

Still on the subject of competitive fighting: the children of the Metcalf family from Sutherland Shire are all boxers. Raised by a single dad, and with their trainer as a second father, three of them have fought their way to champion status, with the youngest a promising up-and-comer. Their names are Marizza, aged 18, Axx, aged 16, Lolli, aged 14, and Electra-Shenika, aged 11. If you’ve ever wondered what a sibset that can beat your kids up would sound like, this is it.

Expat Americana

Adam Preston lived in New York City for seven years, with his first apartment over a hot dog joint called Crif Dogs in the East Village [pictured], which calls itself “NYC’s  #1 Weiner”. When he married his Canadian wife Jessica two years ago, they eloped to New York, which has so many memories for Adam. Of course he took her to Crif Dogs, and when they had a baby boy soon after, they named him Crif Benjamin Klaver Preston. The name Crif Dogs came about when owner Brian Shebairo tried to say Chris, his former business partner’s name, while chewing a hot dog. Crif sounds more up-to-date as a baby name than Chris, and even a hot dog place can evoke sentimental memories to be commemorated as a baby name.

Yvette Aubusson-Foley, a former journalist from Dubbo, has been living in the US for more than 18 months, and uneasily watching her three children adapt to local conditions in Tucson, Arizona. They dress up as little pilgrims, develop a slight American accent, and (to Yvette’s horror) happily recite the Pledge of Allegiance – although one defiantly wears an Australian flag for Spirit of America Day. Yvette’s children are daughter Jett, and her sons Phoenix and Dash; names which somehow seem ready to assimilate. Would an Indi, Banjo and Taj remain more stubbornly Aussie, I wonder?

Television

Have you ever watched an episode of Australian reality television show Real Housewives of Melbourne? It tends to get people a little excitable, mostly because the women taking part in the show aren’t actually housewives, don’t have much left of themselves that’s real, and only live in a very limited part of Melbourne. One of the women, Andrea, who runs a plastic surgery clinic and is originally from New York, has three children named Budd, Kiff and Buster (who somehow require five nannies). Their names have caused predictable Internet outrage – especially Kiff, with many demanding to know “what culture” Kiff is from: it’s a short form of Christopher, and therefore a linguistic relation to Crif.

Children’s quiz show Pyramid featured a team consisting of two girls named Eugenie and Prudence. Isn’t that a fantastic pairing of gal-pal names?

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad, Spring 2013

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Rachel

I apologise for the extreme lateness of this entry – apart from being bulldozed by Christmas preparations, I have long been unsure about where to begin and end each season. However, I’ve made a decision, so hopefully will be better organised now.

A commercial site for weight loss after having a baby featured a client named Delight from the Northern Territory who had lost 22 kg on the program. Delight is one of the most interesting of virtue names, and one I have only seen before in old books. I think it’s pretty, but admit it does remind me of Turkish delight a little bit (not that that’s bad). Delight’s youngest daughter is named Halle.

South Grafton High School in New South Wales ran a Maybe Baby program for Community and Family Studies, where students took care of a simulated baby for three days and nights to show what’s involved in caring for an infant. One of the students, Selina, named her baby Wilfred – a top baby name of the future, perhaps? Other high schoolers were Briana, Lertisha, Cheyenne and Brielle. I would have loved to know what names they all chose.

Changing Names

The radio and television presenter Andrew Günsberg (best known from hosting Australian Idol), once nicknamed Spidey, and known by the stage name Andrew G, has changed his name to Osher Günsberg. He was advised by an Israeli shaman that he could change his life energy and life path by changing his name. The name he chose was that of the coolest dude he’d ever met, an Israeli cameraman. Since becoming Osher, he tells us that his life has changed completely, and he now believes that at last he has a name that feels right, and that he owns completely. Osher’s parents have both changed their first names too.

Blogger and editor Alana House relates that one of her Facebook pals had just realised she’d made a terrible mistake with her daughter’s name, and wonders if age two is too old to change her name. The friend’s surname is Nutter, and her daughter’s name is Mia. Uh oh. Alana points out that her own name is the tease-worthy A. House, and she’s grown to like it, so predicts that Mia Nutter will also cope. However, do say the full name out loud at least a few times before whacking it down on the registration form.

Stories on Honouring Names

A story from Ballarat on its fertility rate showed a woman named Vicky who had had a baby during Ballarat’s baby boom year of 2009 [pictured]. Her daughter is named Rachel Scarlett, and she is named after a doll that Vicky had as a little girl. The middle name, Scarlett, is from Gone with the Wind – which hypothetically could be her favourite book as a teen. If I named a daughter after my favourite doll and book character from childhood, her name would be Bridget Cassandra. What would yours be called?

A fun run to raise money for spinal muscular atrophy was held in Tasmania, with one of the participants baby Tylan, named in honour of his sister Taylin, who passed away from the disease several years ago. It’s a lovely way to connect him to the sister he will never meet.

A businessman described as a “traffic king” with the imposing name of Ron Conquest was named after his grandfather, and when his first son arrived this spring, he was also named Ron. Been seeing a lot of babies named Ron or Ronnie lately – but no Ronalds. Is Ron Burgundy making Ron cool? Mrs Conquest’s name is Rana, by the way.

Luke Douglas is a rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans. His dad is named Archibald, and that is Luke’s middle name – I guess in the 1980s, Archibald was a no-go for a baby’s first name. However, I’m interested to see that Luke plans to name a future son Archibald to carry on the family tradition – Archibald is acceptable, now that it can shortened to popular Archie. A good reason to leave “unusable” family names in the middle, because they might be perfect for the next generation to carry on.

And a story from real life. I met a lady with a little girl named Poppy, who told me that her daughter was named after her grandfather. Slightly confused, I asked what grand-dad’s name had been, and she told me, “John. But we always called him Poppy” … I don’t think she knew what made me laugh, but she was perfectly good natured about it.

More Baby Names From Real Life

Kitana: A sexy princess video game character from Mortal Kombat. Could be shortened to Kit or Kitty.

Bly (for a boy): a surname meaning “blithe”; could be seen as a specifically masculine form of Blythe.

Brothers named Aurelius and Evander. Very grand.

A friend who still has small children tells me that at her local daycare centre, there are two boys named Odin, and a Loki. No Thors though. However, the big name for her area is Taylor, with three girls and two boys at daycare with the name. There’s also a Tyler (boy), and Tyla (girl).

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad: Winter Edition

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

084532-baby-couture

A new trend at the moment is for a baby’s christening gown to be modelled on its mother’s wedding dress (hands up anyone who thinks it’s weird for a baby to wear a wedding dress). Mum Annie [pictured] loved her pink tulle and silk wedding dress so much that it seemed the obvious choice for a mini-me christening gown for her seven-month old daughter – and at $1200 a pop, dress designers are happy to replicate their creations in teeny-tiny mode. I know people are interested in what names the wealthy and fashionable choose for their children, and Annie’s daughter is named Pierra – which looks like a feminine form of Pierre, although it also looks like Sierra with a P.

I featured Sassafras on the blog as a girls name last year, but admit to feeling a bit doubtful at the time because I’d only ever seen the name used once – in a birth notice four or five years ago. Was it too out there to suggest as a baby name? Then after seeing a Sass Winnie in a birth announcement in August, regular commenter Sophia said that she knew a little girl named Sassafras, nn Sass. I idly asked an interstate friend over the phone if she knew a Sassafras (not thinking she would) – answer: yes, there’s a Sassafras at her son’s primary school. Now I see a toddler named Sassafras in the local paper from Bellingen on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. If nothing else, my mind has been eased about including Sassafras. It’s clearly less daring, and a lot less rare, than I thought.

A baby boy from Queensland was born very unexpectedly while his mother was taking a nap. He was born in July, on the night of the NRL State of Origin decider between Queensland and New South Wales, just as his father had left for the game. He was named Benji, after his dad’s favourite NRL player, Benji Marshall, from the Wests Tigers, who has recently changed codes and countries and gone to rugby union in New Zealand. I have noticed a lot of baby boys named Benji in the past year or so, and wonder how many of them were named after Benji Marshall – and if the numbers will dry up now that he has gone.

This website has photos of twins from around the world. WARNING: MAJOR CUTENESS ALERT! Name nerd theory states that twin names must not be “matchy”, but here’s proof tons of parents think the matchier the better. Here we have Zoe and Chloe, Jaqi and Jaqari, Xander and Xavier, Evan and Ivan, Jake and Jimi, Ruby and Rose, Jack and Daniel. I did like Reef and Eden, and Gwendoline and Jasper.

This mother of a gorgeous baby boy has the name Oriana, a medieval literary name which may mean “sunrise” or “gold”, or possibly something else. The name might remind you of the famous cruise liners, or more recently, the Bratz doll. It’s certainly a stunning name which seems very usable, with Ariana and Aurelia so fashionable at present. Oriana has a heartbreaking struggle ahead of her, so we wish a speedy recovery to her son Luca.

A story on postnatal depression, and how worryingly few people take it seriously enough, interviewed a mum, now recovered from her PND, named Cybele. Cybele is a Phrygian mother goddess whose ancient Near Eastern name possibly means “mountain”, to suggest “born from stone, born from the earth”. It is said SIB-uh-lee. I think that’s a gorgeous name, and with Sybilla so trendy, seems like a great choice for parents who want something a bit different.

Lavington Fisher of South Australia recently passed his 100th birthday, and looks absolutely amazing for his age. Lavington is a surname from place names in England meaning “Lafa’s people”; the Anglo-Saxon name Lafa may be understood as “survivor, treasure, heirloom, remnant”. Lavington is a good name for someone who has lived for more than a century! There is a place in New South Wales called Lavington, named after the English towns. It reminds me of both lavender, and lamington cakes.

The Great Australian Bake Off on Channel Nine included a contestant in her twenties named Bliss. I’ve noticed quite a few people on name forums who love the idea of Bliss, but worry that it won’t seem “name-like” enough. Having seen Bliss on a real person, I can assure them it doesn’t seem much different to Joy as a name. The trouble is that to me Bliss always seemed like a very flakey name, and the real life Bliss was actually quite ditzy and flakey, so it was rather annoying to have my name prejudice confirmed so readily.

The winner of the show was named Nancy, and I was delighted to see this name on an intelligent, attractive engineering student. I featured this name on the blog, and was pleased how well Nancy works as a young person’s name (apart from on girl detective Nancy Drew, who must be getting on a bit by now). It’s such a smart, spunky name.

Abby from Appellation Mountain did a Nameberry post about some interesting names from her family history. Most of the names from my family tree aren’t too exciting. However, when I looked way, way, way, way back, I did find a Hercules in the 17th century, a great-uncle many times over. Now I wouldn’t name a son Hercules, but it could be usable as a middle name. The thing is, is a connection from the 17th century, not even a direct ancestor, too much of a stretch as a “family name”? At what point does a name from your family tree cease to become a family name (considering that all people are related to each other at some point)?

I was chatting to some friends about the surge in popularity for retro names from the 1900s to the 1930s, such as Olive, Hazel and Florence. The general consensus was that they were over it – it’s been done to death, and so, so boring. They thought to have an interesting retro name now, you had to turn to the 1940s and ’50s – something like Linda or Valerie would seem much more hip. What staggered me is that Olive has only has just started to become popular, while Hazel and Florence aren’t even in the Top 100 yet! Yet they are already “boring”. At this rate, we will have revisited all the name trends of the 20th century by the next decade.

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Autum Edition)

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

982951-130420-twam-honeyNames of Babies and Children

The winners of the 2013 Bonds Baby Search were announced during the autumn, and some of the interesting names I saw amongst them were Ramsey, Cielo and Azriel. Ramsey is a Scottish surname from an English town meaning “wild garlic island” – at last, it’s an anti-vampire name! Cielo means “sky”, in Spanish, but it’s also a term of affection, meaning “my heaven”. Azriel is a Hebrew Biblical name which means “help of God”. Although male in the Bible, its similarity to Azaria and Ariel probably makes it seem unisex, or even female.

A baby girl born rather suddenly in a hospital car park in Adelaide was named Lowenek, a Cornish name said to mean “joyfulness”. South Australia has a strong Cornish heritage, and I wonder if little Lowenek was named with this in mind?

A poor little baby had a rather awful time in hospital. Her name is Venice, which I think is really pretty. We just saw a Verona in a birth announcement, and I saw a Vienna at For Real Baby Names – Valencia must be just around the corner.

This story on a mum who went all out to lose her baby weight, getting super fit in the process, says that she has a toddler son named Jatticus, and a baby daughter named Atlantis. I’ve seen people use Jatticus as a user name online, but never seen it on a baby before, and Atlantis is pretty wow.

A story on a Sydney family with a dozen children did not give all their names, but did mention one boy named Taiawhio, which is a Maori name meaning “go around, encircle”.

An article on baby naming laws in Australia from Lifehacker mentioned a few rare baby names that were registered last year – Hurricane, J’Adore, Couture, Excel, Burger, Google, Tron, Hippo. Are these unique baby names? Nope, they were each registered more than once. Remember, no matter how unusual you think your baby name is, someone else has probably thought of it.

Names of Adults

A story on a baby’s difficult birth mentioned the midwife as being named Oki Rose. Oki is a Japanese name which means “offing” – the offing is the distant sea which is still visible from the shoreline. It’s a surname in Japan, as well as a place name, the Oki Islands. It’s a name which strangely appeals to me, and as parents sometimes call their babies after the midwife in gratitude, I wonder if there are any little Okis in her area?

There was a profile on a novelist named Honey Brown. People always ask her if it’s a pen name, but it’s the name she was given at birth. Her dad was driving down a country road when he saw a sign advertising honey painted on a roadside shed, and he went home and told his pregnant wife that if they had a girl, her name had to be Honey. If that isn’t sweet enough, for her 40th birthday, Honey’s sister tracked down the original sign and took a photo of it. I love a name with a story behind it.

Another writer, this time a teenage fashion blogger from Perth named Willabelle Ong. She’s been blogging since she was 15, has more than 60 000 subscribers, racks up over 115 000 views a month, and has been featured in Teen Vogue and the New York Times. I’m not usually a fan of portmanteau names, but Willabelle is really quirky and charming.

There was a story on a young rapper whose stage name is Iggy Azalea, which is pretty cool. Her real name is Amethyst Kelly, which is cool too. Would you prefer to be called Iggy or Amethyst?

A story on new Australian citizens in Queensland mentioned one with the intriguing name of Ginny Lovelady. It puts an interesting picture in your mind. Other names of new Australians were Craig, Manjula, Marriette, Brigette, Albert, Melissa and Almari.

While watching RPA, I saw a young man, still in his teens, having a tumour removed from his leg. Luckily, his limb was able to be saved. He had the romantically Arthurian name Galahad, which some interpret as being from the Welsh for “hawk of summer”. Galahad is the only knight who is pure enough to find the Holy Grail, and some see him as a Christ-figure. Guinevere is becoming accepted as a “normal” name now, so how about Galahad for the guys?

On the news, there was a brief interview with the father of an unsuccessful criminal who was foiled by a quick-thinking young lady. The dad’s name was Trampas, which seemed to me very unusual (okay, utterly bizarre). Turns out the name had quite a vogue in its day, because Trampas was one of the main characters in the 1960s TV cowboy series, The Virginian. It’s from a place name meaning “traps” in Spanish, and there’s some famous Americans with this name, who were born while the TV show was on. There’s also several Australians with the name in historical records. Perhaps in 50 years a name blogger will exclaim over a stout middle-aged lady named Katniss, and wonder where on earth she got her “weird” name from.

Speaking of names from books, a friend complained that she couldn’t finish the novel she’d started because of the heroine’s name – Ava. She found it ridiculous that a grown woman should have a “little girl” name – sooo unbelievable. The funny thing is, I know an Ava who’s 32, not to mention a Ruby who’s 28 , a Keeley who’s 29, and an Oliver and a Tyson in their mid-forties. These popular baby names had to start out somewhere! The grown-up Ava I know has a toddler named Jessica – I wonder how many people get their names confused?

Interesting Names Spotted in Real Life

Akira – a Japanese name meaning “bright, clear”. It can be unisex, but I saw it on a boy.

Ebenezer – I was so rapt to see this on a little boy! It really doesn’t seem any different to Biblical names like Ethan, Elijah, Ezra etc.

Malik – an Arabic name meaning “chieftain, king”. Does it remind you of Slumdog Millionaire or One Direction?

Riven – a girl’s name from the online game, League of Legends. Literally it means “split asunder” in English, which kind of freaks me out, but I can see it sounds a lot like River and Rivendell. Maybe her parents think riven means “full of rivers”?

Zora – a Slavic name meaning “dawn”. A nice alternative to popular Zara.

Names of Babies Born to People I Know or Know Of:

Girls: Autumn, Mabel, Xanthe

Boys: Calvin, Lennon, Theo, Wyatt

(Picture shows the original sign which inspired Honey Brown’s name)

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Summer Edition)

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

297602-baby-namesThe first baby born in Wollongong for 2013 was Rumi Vassilakoglou; he is named after the medieval mystical Persian poet, whose moniker means “from Rome” (this name for him is not used in Muslim countries, by the way). Rumi’s mum is named Leila, and his younger sibling is Mahli.

Your baby disappearing is every parent’s worst nightmare, but little Minowa Worthington’s story ended happily. Minowa is the name of a Japanese town, and a Japanese surname, but baby name books tell me it also Native American for “one with a moving voice”. They don’t say which language it is from, but I have seen Native Americans online with Minowa as their surname.

A Gold Coast baby born in the Queensland floods was named Sabre Smith. Although his name can be after the sword, putting it in the same genre as Blade or Steel, a sabre is also a class of racing boats – which seems apt for a baby born surrounded by water.

Another water baby is Dwight Anderson, who was born in the bath. I was a tiny bit surprised to see such an old-fashioned name in use … much more surprised to see that Dwight is a girl. Dwight’s sister is named Billie-Jo.

Allegra Bluebelle from Canberra, born in the city’s centenary year, has a middle name after its floral emblem, the royal bluebell. A little girl born on the city’s birthday seven years ago has the same initials as the Australian Capital Territory – Aisha Caitlyn Truselsen. A fisherman has a daughter named Makaira Indica, which is the scientific name for the black marlin (this isn’t connected to Canberra, so not sure why they mentioned it, but there you go).

The Hallett family changed their name by deed poll to Holden, in honour of the make of car. Not content with that, they have given their children Holden-related names too. Their son is named Toree, after the Torana, and his little sister is named Elcee – after the LC generation of Toranas.

An article about “unique” names quoted brothers named Mac and Fonzii. I have no idea why Mac is supposed to be unique, but Fonzii does seem slightly out of the ordinary. He’s not named about Fonzie from Happy Days, which reminds me of the baby named Tinkabell not named after the fairy. Other unusual names of real babies mentioned were Dragon, Justus, Porch, Ever, Notorious, Cash, Lychee and Bandit.

Another article on the same subject, with much the same information, featured a baby boy named Ace Bear Johnson, which strikes me as both cute and sporty (Ace’s sister is named Esmee). There was also a baby girl named Annecy Belle Easton [pictured], named after a French town that her parents fell in love with after they stayed there. She is called Annie for short, and Annecy’s mum also has the name of a French town – Nancy. Article also mentions real babies named Batman, Blaze and Charisma.

Darwin schoolteacher Wendy Green named her racehorse Rogan Josh, after the Indian spice mix, which she saw at the supermarket. She claims that in Tennant Creek, she was asked to baptise a baby, which she did using champagne, and named the baby Rogan Josh as well. You may take this story with as many grains of salt as you wish – but Rogan Josh really isn’t too bad a name. It literally means “boiling oil” in Persian.

Friday’s birth notices included a new baby named Passion Brinessa Ajayla Quinatee Martin, who is the 12th child in her family. The rest of the family are Samantha Jayne (18), twins Shantelle Victoria and Stephanie Catherine (15), Jenaya Lee (11), Shania Kay (10), Brandon Bradley (7), Brandi Shyla Molly Robyn (6), Cruz Richard (5), Clayton Adam Logan (4) and Diammond Sparckle Zedekeyah Lilly Ann (3). Mum is named Brinessa, which is a variety of rose, and quite an unusual name too. She admits she did find it difficult to come up with original names, and turned to an iPhone application for inspiration.

Names of Adults

Lyra Benbow is a primary schoolteacher in the Melbourne suburb of Digger’s Rest who is just about to spend her Easter break doing volunteer work in Uganda. Is anyone else just loving her name? It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.

Another awesome name from the papers: Eugenie Pepper, who runs a children’s fashion business named Plum. I feel like ringing her number to hear if she answers, “Hello, this is Pepper of Plum”.

Last year, Cressida Moneypenny attended the Anzac Day commemorations in Turkey. Originally from the Gold Coast, Ms Moneypenny was drawn to her name’s spiritual home, and moved to London. Ian Fleming never gave his Miss Moneypenny a name, but I feel sure it should have been Cressida …

The Melbourne Comedy Festival will feature eight comedians named Dave. Why so many funny guys named Dave? Dave O’Neil was a David until he started in comedy – then he became Dave, which seemed more man of the people. Dave Hughes also began as a David, but said he couldn’t make it stick – people just expect a comedian of a certain age to be a Dave, apparently. All the Daves agreed they had been stuck with an uncool name – while a David can be hip or sexy, a Dave is always daggy.

Names From Real Life

A pair of sisters named Ilse and Matine, which I thought went together really well without being in the least matchy. Ilse is a German nickname for Elizabeth, while Matine is based on the French word for “morning”.

Another cute sibset, this time a little hippyish – Lotus, Jewel and Sunny (two girls and a boy). They are names which just make you smile.

Someone I know told me they have a new niece named Berrilee, which is the name of a suburb of Sydney (and one I missed!). It is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning perhaps “mouth” or “food”, and far from being a modern innovation, baby Berrilee is named after an ancestor.

A name I saw on a class list at the start of the school year – Phonique. It’s French for “phonic”, as pertaining to sound, and is used by a (male) DJ in Europe. To me it almost seems like a portmanteau of phony and unique …. and quite technological.

In spring it was Aryan … here’s another name I saw some people find controversial – Gypsy. This is a name more common in Australia than it is in the UK and other European countries, which have significant populations of Romanis or Travellers (who sometimes refer to themselves as gypsies). Romanis are not in fact from Egypt, which is what Gypsy literally means – their origins are from the Indian subcontinent.

Names of Babies Born to People I Know or Know Of:

Girls: Florence, Harriet, Lola, Marina

Boys: Arlo, Gus, Huxley

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Spring Edition)

22 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

528324_419521648119669_1365182918_nA nurse saved the life of her daughter’s guinea pig Snowflake by giving it mouth-to-mouth. Her little girl is named Fauve, which in French literally means “wild beast”. In the early twentieth century, les Fauves were avant-garde artists whose style was characterised by wild brushstrokes and vibrant colours. Fauve as a name is as bold as the art it is named after, but still seems on trend.

A bittersweet baby story. Nei Nei Anderson, daughter of Pippin, is just about to have her first Christmas, but she never got to meet her father Jahminn, who died from cancer before she was born. Nei Nei is named after her Maori grandmother; neinei is the Maori word for a New Zealand tree whose Latin name is Dracophyllum traversii. These small trees can live up to 500-600 years.

Elvina Robson [pictured] was born very prematurely, and her little life hung in the balance for a while, but she is ready for her first Christmas too. Elvina’s mum and dad are Emma and Brendan, and her siblings are Marguerite, 16, Gilbert, 12, Lucy, 10, Walter, 4, Angelique, 3 and Stella (deceased). A very lovely and original sibset.

A baby who arrived in a great hurry was named Patience Mezzino. Her name was chosen before her birth, and turned out to be rather ironic.

I have been hoping to see a baby Diamond born in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Year, and finally I have. Diamond Andre Thomas Thompson arrived very unexpectedly, but that did not stop his mum Regine from attending her graduation ceremony the next day. Regine now has a Masters in Maritime and Logistics Management. Diamond’s dad is named Paul, and his big sister is Herleen, aged 3.

Hermione Quinn Penning was born just outside the local rubbish tip. Not the most glamorous start to life, but what a beautiful name parents Kelly and Travis picked out. Hermione’s older sister is Elena, aged 3.

Kellie-Anne, and her ex-partner Trent Ford, came up with their son’s name when they saw the back of of a Holden Commodore ute with Storm written on the back of it. They couldn’t afford the ute, but they could name their son after it, so they named him Storme Hunter Ford. Storme’s younger brother is Levi Ryder, who was named after a pair of jeans. Name inspiration can be found everywhere!

A gym for babies aged 2 months and over has opened on the Sunshine Coast. One of its first clients was a baby boy named Horizen Earle. The name seems to ask that he reach for the horizon – but in a totally Zen way. It somehow seems very Sunshine Coast!

A couple who each run their own winery have welcomed their first child, and their daughter is named Peggy Mignonne. Mignonne is French for “cute”, and I think this is an adorable name combination. Charles Mignon is a famous brand of French champagne, and Peggy’s Hill is a wine produced in Australia, but I don’t know whether they put two wine names together or not.

A gorgeous sibset I saw in the paper – Sebastian, Raphael and Augustine, sons of Emily and Mark Wolfenden. Emily and Mark have both donated kidneys to save Sebastian and Raphael’s lives; unfortunately Augustine did not survive.

Names of Adults

Peter Drouyn was a champion surfer in the 1960s and 1970s, but always felt different. Today she is Westerly Windina – she chose her new name because she had such happy memories of surfing in westerly winds. Ms Windina is now a lawyer.

Supreme Court Judge, Justice Emilios Kyrou, has a name which came as a shock to his parents. Born in a small Greek village, it was tradition there that the godparent would choose the baby name and have it baptised, and the name would be kept secret from the parents until announced by the local priest. Traditionally, the first-born son would be named after his paternal grandfather. However, Emilios’ godmother had other ideas, and named him after the hero of a best-selling romantic novel. Parents not pleased. His younger brother, now a doctor, was named Theodoros after grand-dad instead.

Names from Television

Did you watch Life at 7 on the ABC? The series has been following a group of children since they were babies, and now in this series they are seven years old, and for the first time, speak for themselves to us as they learn to navigate the world. The boys are Wyatt, Declan, Joshua, Jara’na and Daniel, and the girls are Haleema, Shine, Anastasia, Sofia and Loulou.

On the news, there was a young man who was the unfortunate victim of some white collar crime. He was called Armand d’Armagnac, and he was as romantic and exotic-looking as his name – but his Australian accent made it clear he probably wasn’t a French count after all.

Another news story: it was announced that the new head of Swimming Australia was a businessman named Barclay Nettlefold. His first name is said BARK-lee, like the British bank founder. I feel that just by telling you his name, you automatically know he is from a prominent family and a keen yachtsman.

Names from Real Life

I was persuaded to escort two young ladies to a posh hotel which throws children’s high tea parties each afternoon during the school holidays. I was informed by some mummy blog or other that only the hippest mothers and their progeny would be there (fathers, and most sons, seem to give it a miss). I was interested to see what the cool people are naming their kids; mostly they just seemed to have the same names as everyone else. However, I did manage to overhear a Bee/Bea, an Aspen, and a pair of sisters named Cleo/Clio and Isis. A rare and very small boy was named Roland.

Two brothers I met elsewhere were called Ziggy and Dash, which struck me as pleasingly zippy.

I also encountered a baby boy named Urban; I was too shy to ask his parents if he was named after the popes, or the cityscape, or the musical style, or Keith Urban.

Do some baby names seem controversial to you? I met a little boy named Aryan, which simply means “noble”, and is related to the Sanskrit name Arya. It refers to the Indo-Iranian languages, which together have one billion speakers, stretching from Russia to Sri Lanka. It really shouldn’t be any different from calling your daughter India or Persia. And yet …

I did part of my Christmas shopping with my friend Claire, who is in her 30s. As we joined the queue to pay, we heard someone talking to their baby girl in her stroller – the baby’s name was Claire. The plump grey-haired lady who served us had a name badge that said “Claire”. When I got home, I switched on the news and a pretty young reporter named Claire was covering the story. And the name Claire suited ALL of them perfectly! Go classic names.

On Twitter, Name Sociology mentioned the name Evolet, which is a character from the movie 10, 000 BC, and is “t(h)e love” written backwards. It reminded me of a woman I used to work with whose name was Evol, which is Love backwards. Sounds like a nice idea, except that until I saw her name written down, I thought she was called Evil.

Names of Babies Born to People I Know or Know Of:

Girls: Mary, Phoebe, Roma, Sanna

Boys: Boaz, Castel, Phoenix

If you are able to read this, it means the world probably hasn’t ended, yay! However, something has started – Christmas holidays – and I won’t be around much until January 7. Have a very merry Christmas season, and a happy New Year!

(Photo from The Blue Mountains Gazette Facebook page)

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Winter Edition)

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

International Names

Kalden Edwards (Qld) – son of Korinna and Doug, brother of Indigo. Kalden is a traditional Tibetan name meaning “from the Golden Age”, and there are several men of this name from Tibetan history.

Savvas Stergos (NT) – son of Afrodite, brother to Maria, Irene and Michael. The Greek name Savvas is from the Hebrew for “old man” (I’m guessing intended as a title of respect), and there are several saints bearing this name.

Vaishvi Jani (NSW) – daughter of Monalisa. Vaishvi is an Indian name connected to the worship of the goddess Parvati and the god Vishnu. Interestingly, we had a baby called Monalisa mentioned this year, and now we have an adult one.

Xevi Campisi (Qld) – son of Rene Flanagan and Zac Campisi. His name is a common Spanish pet form of Xavier.

Surnames as-First Names

Abbeney Manning (Qld) – daughter of Luise. As far as I know, this aristocratic Norman surname is another form of Albany, based on French place names such as Aubigne, meaning “Albinius’ town”, with the Latin name Albinius meaning “white”. It was used by sci-fi writer Ursula Le Guin as a place name in her fictional universe depicted in The Hainish Cycle. Although historically more often male, today it does sound like an ornate version of Abby.

Kasabian Sentance (NSW) – son of Jodi. Kasabian are a British rock band; the band’s name is from Linda Kasabian, a member of the Charles Manson cult, famous as his getaway driver. She did not participate in any violence, was the star witness for the prosecution, and expressed great remorse for her part in the group’s crimes. Her married surname is a common Armenian one, meaning, “butcher”.

Vaokakala Nevaeh Mara Tere-Vave (NSW) – daughter of Glory Mara Tere and Tevita Vave. Her name is a Fijian surname, but I don’t know what it means. I had never seen Nevaeh on a real person before, but wasn’t surprised to see it used in the Pacific Islander community, as not only does it have strong Christian associations, but the pronunciation (nuh-VAY-uh) is vaguely Polynesian-sounding.

Wiley Huber (NSW) – son of Nicole and Tim. This English surname is from a common place name meaning “willow wood”. It’s the stage name of English rapper Richard Cowie; he took it from a cartoon character named Wiley Kat. It reminds me of the cartoon critter Wile E. Coyote.

Middle Names

I saw a number of babies with intriguing middle names in the papers over the winter.

Archie Elvis Lincard (Qld) – son of Gemma Hall and Chris Lincard.

Austin Kelly Beadle (Qld) – son of Leah and David. Austin’s middle name is in honour of his aunt – one of the handy things about unisex names is their versatility. His first name is after his American-born father’s cousin.

Jake Tiger Gow (Qld) – son of Wendi Leggatt and Bede Gow.

Lily Pepper Van Veen (NSW) – daughter of Xan and Adam [pictured]

Sabine Mirah Thiedeman (Qld) – daughter of Leanne and Nick. Her middle name is a form of the Arabic Amira, meaning “princess, female ruler”.

Adult Names

There was a story in the paper about a construction worker who was awarded more than $100 000 damages named Ark Tribe. His lawyer was named Stephen Dolphin.

The family has rebelled against the slightly brain-sapping entertainment of The Price is Right, and have opted for a noisy educational TV show before dinner instead. I think they became suspicious I had it on to do some clandestine name-spotting (I blame educational shows for making them brainy enough to figure this out!).

So no more names from TPIR – the only one I can remember is a forty-ish lady named Blondie who was indeed blonde-ish. Was this her legal name, or a nickname? I have no idea, as the host did not ask her. It seemed a bit of an odd name to give a child (it reminds me of Blondie Bumstead from the newspaper cartoons). On the other hand, it seemed a slightly odd nickname to retain into middle age as well (although Mrs Bumstead managed to pull it off, at least).

Names Seen in Real Life

We went to the speedway a few times over the winter – my fashion tip is to wear every jumper, jacket and coat you possess, and then cover yourself in gloves, hats and scarves until no skin is in contact with the icy air.

The speedway is the place to go if you want to hear some hardcore-type boys names – over the winter, I heard the names Ajax, Axel, Blade, Cruz, Diesel, Harlem, Hendrix, Hunter, Jagger, Jett, Nash, Taj, Tosh and Zayd. I remember someone saying on Twitter that you mostly hear boy’s names in public places, as they are the ones getting called or yelled at by anxious or petulant mamas, and it’s so true. The only girl I can remember getting yelled at the same place was a non-harmonious Harmony.

Two tots entered in a local kids photo contest were called Sai (boy) and Leto (girl). Sai is a Japanese name that can be translated as “genius”, and Leto was the mother of Apollo and Artemis in Greek mythology. Her name may mean “the hidden one”, or more prosaically, “woman, wife”.

Names of Babies Born to People I Know or Know Of:

Girls: Aoife, Beatrix, Cynthia, Jemima, Tallulah

Boys: Julian and Miles (twins), Emmett, Ronan