A Baby for Jandamarra O’Shane

16 Tuesday Aug 2011

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Jandamarra O’Shane is the nephew of magistrate Pat O’Shane, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner Terry O’Shane.

When he was six years old, he became the victim of a terrible attack. Paul Streeton, a charity worker in his mid-twenties who was a stranger to the O’Shane family, entered Jandamarra’s school with a tin of petrol, and set the small child on fire with a cigarette lighter. With burns to 70% of his body, Jandamarra was not expected to live. He spent long periods in hospital and needed extensive skin grafts.

Streeton was arrested and convicted for the attack, being sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder. During the trial, Streeton revealed he had been planning to burn someone at his former school since Year 2, because of the bullying he had endured there. It is not known why he singled out Jandamarra as his target.

The horrific injury he sustained, the seemingly random nature of the attack, and Jandamarra’s young age made him an immediate focus for an outpouring of public sympathy. There was a fundraising appeal on Channel 7, and rock band Midnight Oil held a benefit concert. Boxer Lionel Rose gave Jandamarra his World Title belt, hoping to lift his spirits. At the age of 10, he was chosen to take part in the Torch Relay for the 2000 Summer Olympics.

By his 18th birthday, Jandamarra said publicly that he had forgiven Streeton for the attack, and even considered visiting him in prison. Part of the reason he felt able to forgive is because he was bullied at school himself, due to the scars all over his body from the burns.

Yesterday, Jandamarra celebrated his 21st birthday. He says that forgiving his attacker was necessary for he and his parents to move on, so that it wouldn’t be an obstacle in his way all his life. He would like to meet Paul Streeton when he is released from prison to let him know he forgives him.

Jandamarra and his partner Tara recently had a baby boy called Raupena. Raupena is a Maori name, but I’m not sure of its meaning. I consulted a Maori dictionary, and learned that if you read each syllable separately, it means “to gather and cherish” which certainly sounds nice, but may be a coincidence. There’s a Maori name Reupena, which is a form of Reuben, and I wonder whether Raupena is a variant spelling of that?

Jandamarra’s own name has an interesting history. He was named after Tjandamurra (the name can be transliterated both ways), a 19th century tracker, warrior and resistance fighter from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. In Indigenous culture, he is a folk hero, sometimes said to be the Aboriginal equivalent of Ned Kelly. As far as I can work out, his name may mean something like “moving hands” (but if so, probably has a deeper metaphorical significance); the name is not uncommonly given to Aboriginal boys because of its cultural resonance. It’s a name of charismatic power.

Jandamarra O’Shane’s parents may have wanted him to possess some of the warrior spirit of his famous namesake, and he has certainly proved himself strong and brave. Jandamarra goes by the name Janda in everyday life.

Apart from the story of someone overcoming horrendous circumstances, I just thought it would be good to show a couple of less common names from different cultures – not everyone is called Jack or Lachlan! It also seems to show that it’s hard to find information on Aboriginal and Maori names, and I would very much like someone to bring out a large and comprehensive dictionary of names from these language groups.

(Story and photo from abc.net.au, August 12 2011)

Scale the Heights at Appellation Mountain

14 Sunday Aug 2011

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It’s almost absurd of me to write a review of this blog – and a bit cheeky too, since it’s a long-established part of the blogosphere, and I’m just a noob. I feel like the stereotypical MC who introduces an honoured guest with the phrase, “This is someone who needs no introduction,” and then goes on to say rather a lot about them. However, I have to start somewhere, and this one is at the top of my Blog Roll.

Abby has been blogging for more than three and a half years, and as she is an entry-a-day writer, that’s an impressive amount of name information that’s been released. Her blog is called Appellation Mountain, which is a pun on the Appalachian Mountains – a conceit I’m not sure would be immediately apparent to someone outside North America. (At least, it took me a moment to figure it out.)

And that’s basically what you get at Appellation Mountain – a mountain of names. Its subtitle is Where every name has a story, and whereas many of us have gone into niche name blogging, the turf of Appellation Mountain is every name out there. It’s an almost staggering aspiration – like someone casually announcing they plan to build a full-scale model of the Great Wall of China in their backyard. Yet Abby is patiently making the mountain higher each day by adding another name to it.

At Appellation Mountain, you can learn about classic names like Henry and Jane, popular names like Ethan and Willow, modern names like Indigo and Madison, old-fashioned names like Donald and Lois, ancient names like Alaric and Hypatia, and exotic names like Zoltan and Sumarlina. Each entry looks at the history of the name and how its fits into our cultural consciousness; meaning is discussed, but is less important than the story of the name. Modern names often turn out to have surprisingly long heritages, and common names to have fascinating stories attached.

Each entry ends by examining how usable the name is, what advantages and drawbacks there are, and what kind of person may be drawn to the name. These conclusions are always well-balanced and thoughtful, and often creative. Abby is a brilliant and witty writer with an almost flawless prose style, and she is very convincing in her persuasions to use or not use a name.

A big part of the fun of Appellation Mountain is the community aspect, because the blog has a legion of dedicated fans who love to express their opinions of, and share their experiences with, each name. I’ve learnt a lot from informative comments, and found others delightfully humorous. If you would like to follow Abby all over the Internet, she writes for Nameberry each Monday, and she is also on Facebook and Twitter, although I don’t see anywhere on the blog where you can easily find that out. Not that she needs to attract extra fans, but I like a nice big dumb button that you can press to get you to someone’s other webpages.

You can also contribute to Appellation Mountain by sending in your own name story detailing how you chose your child’s names. And of course, you can suggest names for Abby to profile by e-mailing her; she tries to take two names from each person, no matter how short or long their lists. Be warned though – she is booked up for months in advance; a mountain cannot be climbed in a day! I don’t know whether this is true or not, but I read in a name forum that boy’s names are especially welcome, as fewer are received.

As well as the name entries, each Sunday there is a generous weekly round-up of interesting posts spotted on other blogs. I can never resist clicking on these, and as a result, have been introduced to some great blogs that I visit all the time. These Sunday Summaries included celebrity babies born that week, but recently Abby wrote that she has new plans for the blog, and I think part of that is making “Starbaby Announcements” separately, as there was one this morning for Tina Fey’s daughter.

As well as her recent posts on Nameberry being catalogued on her blog, Abby also has a list of articles she has written on naming, and these give excellent advice, presented in a clear and intelligent way. This isn’t the usual repetitive bunkum about “You can’t use a name from the Top Ten because if two people called Emily are in a room together, the universe will explode”, or pie-in-the-sky stuff telling us that Quinkalaria is the new vogue name and you should get on board now lest you miss this cool trend. It’s sensible, it’s funny, and best of all, it’s encouraging. (Have you noticed how discouraging naming advice often is? Don’t do this, and don’t do that, and you must not ever!)

There are also some lists of different types of names, such as nature names, saints names and French names. I notice these seem to be heavily weighted in favour of girls names; I hope some boy’s name lists can be added later. By their nature, blogs are a work in progress, not a finished product, and not every single article is yet indexed, so don’t be afraid to look around or search the site. I remember an article Abby wrote for her 1000th post about what she had learned about names through blogging; she probably doesn’t think it counts as a “proper” article, but I’d like to see it added to the list because it was very interesting.

I can’t really tell you all to get on over to Appellation Mountain, because let’s face it, you’ve already been. You’ve already subscribed, or at least are a dedicated lurker. You already know what a fantastic blog this is, and what an institution it’s become. I can only encourage you, for those who have only wandered amongst the foothills, to climb higher up the mountain – contribute comments, send in your name stories, suggest names, follow Abby on Nameberry, Facebook and Twitter.

Most of all, don’t take this iconic blog for granted. Everyone who goes to Paris visits the Eiffel Tower – that doesn’t make it any less a marvel, or any less thrilling to climb.

Q & A WITH ABBY

Name: Abby Sandel. Well, if you’re going to steal my identity, you should know that it is Amy Abigail Sandel. My bank and insurance company seem to think that this means I’m Amy A., while the rest of the planet understands that I’m Abby.

What began your interest in names?: I was born Amy in 1973. There were always other girls named Amy – in kindergarten, at summer camp, in my neighborhood. Even at a very young age, I understood there had been this opportunity to choose something else, and I was not consulted. My mother’s name is say-that-again rare, and our last name was equally distinctive. She thought it was a kindness to give her daughters short, perky, cheerleader names. I found her baby name book not long after I learned how to read, and ran around asking if she’d ever thought about Hephzibah.

How did you start blogging?: I found myself writing the same thing, time and time again, in message board comments. Collecting my thoughts meant that I could link somewhere instead.

Your favourite entry on Appellation Mountain: In Defense of Ethan and Emma: Ten Good Reasons to Use a Common Name. Much as I like unusual names, I hate the idea that parents eschew their favorite name for fear that it will become “too popular” – our son’s name is very common, but it is also his grandfather’s name, and the name my husband had always imagined giving to his firstborn son. That meant more than any ranking.

Your pet naming peeve:I rather dislike the idea that there is a single valid spelling. Don’t get me wrong – I wince when I stumble across a kid called Khaedin or Eighmei, too. But aside from some truly outlandish – and very rare – extremes, most of the time there’s not much harm in calling your kid Coltyn or Cait or Jayne or Reece. Not my personal style, but I’ve gotten over the idea that your child will be kept out of Harvard because you spelled her name with a y instead of an i.

Your favourite names: Troi for a girl. Hallow. Jonathan, nickname Jono. Ask me again next week, and it will be whatever I wrote about most recently. (In fact, I’m presently in love with Bert and Eiffel.) Longer term, I’d say that I have long harbored an affection for Octavia, Mariel and Hester, and I’d love to have a son nicknamed Huck.

Names you dislike: I’m frustrated by names that are super-fluffy and don’t age well. As a nickname, Candi is sweet. But as an independent name, Candi gives me a toothache. Names that are hyper-masculine give me the same feeling. What if Slade grows up to be a sensitive poet? Every name should leave some space for the possibility that your kid will turn out to be wildly different than you first imagined.

Names you love, but can’t use: Since our last name ends in –el, anything that ends in –el. Like Mariel.

Your children’s names: Alexander Arthur is six-going-on-seven, and Claire Caroline Wren, called Clio, is two-going-on-three.

Did you and your husband have any issues agreeing on names?: Oh boy howdy! Yes, yes we did. We brokered the Great Naming Compromise years before we had children. Our first son would be named after his father; our first daughter, after my mom. In our son’s case, that’s very precisely true. My daughter’s name required some creative license. My mother didn’t love her unusual name, and didn’t want us to pass it on.

What’s the ONE piece of advice you would give to someone who was choosing a name for their baby?: One piece of advice? Hmmm … I know parents who have gone mad considering and re-considering the merits of Piper versus Grace. Still, I think I’ll say this: don’t settle. You get to choose your child’s name just once, so I think it is worth mulling it over until you’re sure. Or until you absolutely, positively can’t enroll your child in school without a completed birth certificate. Whichever comes first.

Many thanks to Abby for agreeing to this review and for answering all my nosy questions!

Waltzing With … Mary

07 Sunday Aug 2011

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A050199_246x550This blog post was first published on August 7 2011, and revised and updated on August 13 2015.

Famous Namesake
Tomorrow is the solemnity of Saint Mary of the Cross, otherwise known as Saint Mary MacKillop. It’s a special day for Australian Catholics, because Mary MacKillop is the only Australian to have ever been canonised as a saint.

Born in 1842, she was a nun who founded the order of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, as well as several schools and welfare organisations across South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. She had a special interest in educating the poor, especially in rural areas, but the Josephites also cared for parentless and neglected children, unmarried mothers, women escaping domestic violence, the elderly, and the dying, as well as prisoners and juvenile delinquents. The Josephites did not live in convents, but amongst the community, living as they did, and sharing their hard lives. The brown habits they wore gave them the very Australian nickname, “The Brown Joeys”.

Church politics often caused her stress, including a period of a few months when she was excommunicated for speaking out against child sex abuse within the church. During this time, she lived with a Jewish family and was sheltered by Jesuit priests. There was also an ugly smear campaign against her, including accusations that she was a drunkard. In fact, in an age where pain medication options were limited, she took alcohol on doctor’s orders for severe menstrual pain that left her bedridden for days each month.

Even during her lifetime, Mary MacKillop was regarded as a saint for her holiness and charitable works, and after she died on August 8 1909, people took earth from around her grave as a relic, until her remains were placed in a vault in a memorial chapel in Sydney, paid for by an admiring Presbyterian friend.

In 1925 the long process of having Mary MacKillop declared a saint was begun; she was beatified in 1995, and canonised on October 17 2010. She is the patron saint of Australia, and of the city of Brisbane.

Whatever your beliefs, it’s hard not to admire Mary MacKillop for her altruism and determination. She was greatly beloved by the poor, and accepted by the Aboriginal community as one of themselves. She was a fiery-tempered yet affectionate Scottish redhead with big blue eyes who believed in social justice and equality for all, and whose catchphrase was, “Never see a need without doing something about it”.

Name Information
Mary has long been a favourite for girls, due to it being the name of the mother of Jesus. In fact, there are a confusing number of women named Mary in the New Testament, because it was a name used in the royal family of Judea at the time, and extremely common. Mary is an English translation of the Latin and Greek forms of the Hebrew name Miryam.

The original Miryam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron in the Old Testament. It was she who hid Moses in the bullrushes when he was a baby to save his life, and then watched the Pharaoh’s daughter discover and adopt him. She cleverly suggested to this adoptive mother that she hire Miryam’s mother as a nurse, so that Moses was raised within his own family.

As Miryam was born in Egypt, it’s been suggested that her name comes from the Egyptian word for “love” or “beloved”, or even possibly from the Egyptian name Meritamen, meaning “beloved of Amun” – Amun being the chief god of the Egyptians. So this name, now seen as very Christian, may have ancient pagan roots.

Although Mary is a traditional English name, it didn’t become widely used in Britain until after the Conquest, when the Normans introduced the idea of using names of saints as personal names; before that, they were seen as too holy for an ordinary person to bear. It was introduced in the Latin form Maria and the French form Marie; only as the Middle Ages came to an end did Mary became standard.

The name gained royal credentials, with Mary I the first woman to successfully claim the throne of England, and rule as a king as well as queen – she was known as Bloody Mary for her brutal persecution of Protestants. Several kings had queens named Mary, and Mary, Queen of Scots, was an attractive and romantic figure who earns admiration for the brave manner she faced imprisonment and execution. Queen Mary II, of William and Mary fame, was named after her. Australia has its own royal Mary – Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, born Mary Donaldson in Hobart.

Mary was the #1 name of the 1900s and 1910s, and remained in the Top 10 until the 1940s. It left the Top 50 in 1971, and the Top 100 in 1995. Since then, it has remained relatively stable, and is apparently not far out of the Top 100. That makes Mary a very safe choice – a classic name still in common and regular use without being popular.

Mary was even more popular in the US, remaining at #1 from the late 19th century to the early 1960s – a really staggering run of hypersuccess. It left the Top 10 in the 1970s, and the Top 50 in the early 2000s, dropping off the Top 100 in 2009. It is currently #120 and stable, a similar popularity to here.

In the UK, Mary was the #1 name from the middle of the 19th century to the 1920s, and remained in the Top 10 until the 1960s. It left the Top 50 during the 1970s, and was out of the Top 100 by the middle of the 1990s. Mary has fallen slightly faster in the UK than here or in the US, and is now #244, although still relatively stable. The only country where Mary is still popular is Ireland, where it is #81 and falling steadily.

Mary is gracious enough to be at ease in every level of society, as suitable for a saint or a princess as it is for a scientist or a politician, a soprano or a photographer, a sportswoman or a pilot. While it’s unlikely that your daughter will ever be a saint or a princess, it’s nice to think that if she does, her name will sound just fine with either title in front of it.

This is a timeless classic which sounds wonderful whatever your age, from wee baby Mary to great-grandma Mary. It’s short and simple without seeming cutesy or insubstantial, and is strong, wholesome, dignified, and completely unpretentious. As Australian author P.L. Travers taught us in Mary Poppins, it’s a name that carries just a hint of magic and mystery, and is practically perfect in every way!

POLL RESULT
Mary received an excellent approval rating of 85%, making it one of the highest-rated names of 2011. 34% of people loved the name Mary, and only 5% hated it.

The Winning Baby With a Famous Dad

04 Thursday Aug 2011

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Universal Royalty is a Texas-based company which runs glitz-style beauty pageants for children, and is familar from the reality TV series, Toddlers and Tiaras. When it was announced that Universal Royalty were bringing their glitzy pageantry to Australia, it caused an enormous controversy here, and prompted the Pull the Pin campaign on social media as a bid to stop them.

Those against child beauty pageants say they are exploitative and potentially psychologically damaging. Those in favour say that they are harmless fun, and promote self-esteem. Ironically, the huge media furore ensured that the pageants received many more contestants than they otherwise would have.

The pageant in Melbourne was held at the end of July, and people must have brought their tots far and wide to compete. The winner for the 13-23 months division was Diaz Bowen, the daughter of Queensland NRL star Matt Bowen.

Matt was brought up on an Aboriginal mission on Cape York in the far north of Queensland, played rugby league for his school, and was signed by the North Queensland Cowboys while still a teenager. He plays fullback, and this year broke the record for most games played with the Cowboys.

Matt’s partner, Rudie Doyle, says she entered Diaz in the beauty pageant because she loves playing dress up, and Rudie was looking for something relaxing they could do together in order to bond as mother and daughter. She says that there were no pushy mothers at the pageant, and that Diaz had a lot of fun being on stage.

Diaz is a common Spanish surname that means “son of Diego”. Diego is thought to be a short form of Santiago, meaning “St James”; Saint James the Greater is said to have preached in Iberia, and is the patron saint of Spain. In the Middle Ages, Diego was Latinised as Didacus to make it look as though it was derived from the Greek for “wise, learned”.

Diaz is probably best known to us as the surname of Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz, and I imagine that this was the inspiration behind Matt and Rudie picking this unusual name for their daughter.

(Story and picture from The Townsville Bulletin, August 2 2011).

Celebrity Baby News: Chrissie Swan and Chris Saville

03 Wednesday Aug 2011

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Host of morning TV show, The Circle, Chrissie Swan, and her partner Chris Saville, welcomed their second child yesterday, Tuesday August 2, at 5.30 pm. He was born at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, and weighed 3 kg (6 lb 6 oz). Chrissie Tweeted the news, and the baby’s birth was also announced on The Circle‘s Facebook page. Chrissie and Chris called their son Kit, and he joins big brother Leo, aged 2 and a half.

Chrissie first became known as a popular contestant on reality TV show, Big Brother, in 2003; she came runner up to Regina (Reggie) Bird. After working in breakfast radio, she became one of the four hosts of The Circle last year. This year, she won Most Popular New Female Talent at the TV Week Logie Awards.

Chrissie and Chris have been together for four years, and Chrissie affectionately refers to her partner as “The Chippie”. I’m not sure whether that means he’s literally a carpenter or not.

Kit can be a short form of Christopher, so seems like a cute and fun way to be named after his dad, and maybe his mum as well, who also has a “Chris” name.

Celebrity Baby News: Katie Underwood and Darren McCoy

31 Sunday Jul 2011

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Singer Katie Underwood, and her partner, marketing manager Darren McCoy, welcomed twin girls last week. Their daughters are called Charlotte and Zoe, and Katie announced their births on her Facebook page.

Katie Underwood became famous as a member of girl group Bardot, who formed during the first season of reality TV series, Popstars, in 2000. After the band broke up in 2002, Katie worked with various dance music groups, and now has her own jazz band.

Darren and Katie met on Facebook, and have been living together since September. They planned to wait a year before starting a family, but the twins made themselves known slightly earlier than expected.

Boys Names That Only Chart in Australia

31 Sunday Jul 2011

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Campbell

This is a Scottish surname, which was originally a Gaelic nickname, Caimbeul, meaning “wry, twisted or crooked mouth”. A p was later added to the spelling in the belief the name was from the French for “beautiful field”. I suppose that meaning seemed a lot more appealing. The Clan Campbell was one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans, and the chief of the clan became Duke of Argyll. There are many prominent Australians with this surname. Campbell is #60 in Tasmania, which is very proud of its Scottish heritage, and has a historic town called Campbell. Campbell is on the US Top Top 1000, but only as a girl’s name. As a boy’s name, it has appeared only sporadically, peaked in 1885 at #700, and hasn’t been seen there since 2005.

Darcy

An English surname, from a French place name meaning “town of the bear”, which was introduced by the Normans as the surname of one of William the Conqueror’s barons. It can also be interpreted as an anglicised form of a Gaelic surname meaning “son of the dark one”, and this is a more likely origin in Australia. Although romantics cannot help connecting this to Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the most famous Australian with this surname is probably Les Darcy, the folk hero boxer. There are a number of notable Australian men called Darcy, including D’Arcy Niland, the roving novelist, Darcy Ward, the motorcyclist, Darcy Lussick, the rugby league player, and Darcy Dugan, the notorious bank robber. As you can see, although Darcy is unisex, it’s a very manly name here, and only Top 100 for boys. It’s #94 in New South Wales, #57 in Victoria, #97 in South Australia, #75 in Tasmania and #54 in the ACT. Darcy as a male name hasn’t been on the US Top 1000 since 1970, and it peaked in 1968 at #868.

Eamon

The Irish form of Edmund, this is pronounced AY-muhn. It’s use today is probably influenced by the sprint swimmer Eamon Sullivan (pictured). An Olympic athlete, Eamon is not only a good-looking underwear model, he also proved he was a fantastic cook by winning Celebrity Master Chef. Little wonder that he then went on to claim Cleo‘s Bachelor of the Year Contest. It’s #71 in the ACT, and has never charted in another country.

Flynn

An Irish surname meaning “son of Flann”; the name Flann means “red” and was the name of a 9th century Irish king. In Australia, it’s most strongly associated with the Tasmanian-born Hollywood film legend, Erroll Flynn. His name was bestowed upon Disney prince Flynn Rider in honour of Erroll Flynn, as the character has much in common with the actor. As this name has been given to Miranda Kerr and Orlando’s Bloom’s son, Flynn Christopher Bloom, I can see it gaining further in popularity. It’s #94 in Victoria, #79 in Tasmania and #80 in the ACT. It’s never charted in another country.

Hamish

This is the anglicised form of Seumas, which is the Scottish form of James; it’s pronounced HAY-mish. Its current popularity is almost certainly due to a well-known comedian who stars on both radio and television, called Hamish Blake. Multi-award winning, he was recently voted the most recognisable celebrity, and will be included in this year’s issue of Who’s Who. The name is #60 in New South Wales, #49 in Victoria, #45 in South Australia, #28 in Tasmania and #34 in the ACT. Hamish only just made it onto the list – it’s only recently left the Top 100 for Scotland.

Jai

A Hindi name which means “victory”, it can apparently be pronounced either JAY or JY. Jai has been in use in Australia since the 1970s. Jai Abberton is a former pro surfer who is a member of the notorious Bra Boys Gang. Jai Koutrae is an actor who’s appeared in several popular soap operas. Jai Ayoub plays rugby for Western Harbour. Jai Larkan is the lead singer of folk-rock band, The Wishing Well. Jai Taurima is a retired athlete who won silver at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Lots of guys called Jai! It’s currently #98 in Victoria and #95 in South Australia. It only ever seems to have charted in Australia.

Jed

The short form of the Hebrew name Jedidiah, which means “beloved of Yahweh”. In the Bible, this was a term of endearment given to King Solomon by the prophet Nathan. In use in Australia since the 1980s, there are a number of athletes with this name, including AFL player Jed Adcock (who this year welcomed a daughter named Lily Rose). There’s also some rock singers with the name Jed, including Jed Kurzel, who did the music for the film Snowtown. It’s #99 in Tasmania, whose rural population seems suited to the rustic charms of this name. Jed was on the US Top 1000 from 1947-1989; it peaked in 1978 at #481.

Lachlan

This is a Highland Scottish name from the Gaelic Lochlann, which was used as a nickname for someone from Norway – “the land of the lochs (lakes)”. It’s pronounced LOHK-luhn. There was a strong relationship between the neighbouring lands of Norway and Scotland during the Middle Ages, as both battled for control of the Western Isles of Scotland. There were diplomatic missions between the two nations, and even intermarriage between the royal houses. The name Lachlan has a long history in Australia, owing much to Lachlan Macquarie, a British military officer from the Hebrides who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1810-21, in the period when it was transitioning from a penal colony to a free settlement. He therefore played a major role in the shaping of Australian society, and his liberal views toward ex-convicts and lavish expenditure on public works had a great impact on New South Wales. There are 30 places in Australia named after him, and 6 named after his wife, Elizabeth; on his tomb in Scotland he is called “The Father of Australia”. (American readers may be interested to know that he fought very successfully during the American War of Independence – on the British side of course). When media magnate Rupert Murdoch chose Lachlan as his eldest son’s name, he was perhaps drawing on his own Scottish heritage and honouring a great man from Australian history. Forty years later, this name is still going strong, and there is another generation of well-known Lachlans giving it new impetus, such as soap actor Lachlan Buchanan, and fullback for the Penrith panthers, Lachlan Coote. The name is #6 in New South Wales, #13 in Victoria, #5 in South Australia, #5 in Queensland, #12 in Tasmania and #3 in the ACT. It’s never charted in any other country.

Nate

A short form of Nathan, which is a Hebrew name from the verb “to give”; it can be interpreted as “given”, in the sense that God has given a child. Less persnickety baby name sites often interpret it as meaning “gift”, or “gift from God”, which is a more user-friendly way of putting it. The short form has proved very popular here recently, and I can’t help wondering if that’s partly because Australian baby name sites sometimes list Nate as meaning “little gift”, which I think is taking looseness of interpretation a bit far! Nate has a similar level of popularity to Nathan, and if you’re wondering why I don’t mention Nathaniel as a source of Nate, that’s because it’s not well enough known here to have a nickname yet. A famous Nate is Nate Myles, who plays for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. It’s #60 in Victoria, #52 in South Australia, #44 in Western Australia, #58 in Tasmania and #50 in the ACT. It’s never charted in any other country.

Taj

An Arabic name meaning “crown”, it’s probably best known from the Taj Mahal in India, the name meaning “crown of buildings”. Taj Burrow is an Australian surfer, and as he’s from Western Australia, it’s not surprising that the name is #42 in that state. Taj has only been on the US Top 1000 twice, in 1976 and 1998, and never got higher than #951.

Zac

The short form of Zachary, the English form of Hebrew name Zechariah, meaning “Yahweh remembers”. In the New Testament, Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist. This seems to have done particularly well as a full name here. It’s been around long enough to have some famous Zacs already, such as Zac Dawson, who plays for St Kilda in the AFL, and Zac Drayson, an actor on the popular soap opera, Home and Away. American actor Zac Efron probably isn’t doing it any harm either. Early this year, V8 ute racer Craig Dontas named his second son Zac Michael. It’s #76 in New South Wales, #52 in Victoria, #77 in South Australia and #80 in Tasmania. It hasn’t charted in any other country.

Close But No Cigar

These names don’t make the top 1000 in the United States, but do chart in countries besides Australia

Angus – #75 in Scotland

Archie – #24 in England/Wales, #43 in Scotland

Reuben – #67 in N. Ireland, #71 in England/Wales

Tom – #10 in France, #18 in Belgium, #38 in Netherlands, #62 in Ireland, #93 in N Ireland

Harvey – #47 in England/Wales

NOTE

Please also read Girls Names That Only Chart in Australia, as it contains information relevant to this blog entry. Since then, the 2010 list for England/Wales has been released.

Saturday Sibset: Tara Brown and Sons

30 Saturday Jul 2011

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Tara Brown has been a TV journalist at Channel 9 for almost twenty years, and since 2001 has been a reporter on 60 Minutes, where she has proved a skilful and sensitive interviewer. The first person she ever interviewed for the show was actor Mel Gibson.

For twelve years she has been married to John McAvoy, the head of factual programming at Channel 9, and in October 2008, she and John welcomed their first child, Jack Cooper. Tara was unsure at the time whether she would return to work, but she must have decided that motherhood and journalism weren’t incompatible, because she was soon back on our television screens.

As she was already in her forties when she had her first baby, Tara and John did not expect to have any more children, but they always hoped.

In April last year, Tara was on the road covering a tour of rock band Powderfinger. Already fatigued from covering a flood in Queensland, the usually calm Tara began feeling uncharacteristically irritable and tired. Then she began suffering from constant nausea. Was she exhausted? Was she stressed? Did she have a virus? Was she just sick of being around Powderfinger?

When she got home, she took a pregnancy test and discovered that she was expecting another baby. She was shocked but also delighted, feeling very lucky.

Her second son, Tom Oliver, was born in December last year at Sydney’s North Shore Private Hospital. He was 53 cm long and weighed 3.35 kg. Days overdue, he was induced, and labour was so quick that Tara says there was literally no time to administer any pain relief.

Tara stresses that although Tom wasn’t planned, he was very, very much wanted; just as much wanted as Jack, who she describes herself as being “madly in love” with.

This is the second celebrity sibset I’ve featured, and it’s another one where the oldest child is called Jack! I do find the combination of Jack and Tom rather cute – it’s a nicknamey sibset straight out of a child’s storybook.

(Story and picture from nine.msn, June 29 2011; full story in the July issue of Women’s Weekly).

Celebrity Baby News: George Calombaris and Natalie Tricarico

29 Friday Jul 2011

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Masterchef judge, George Calombaris, and his partner, marketing agency owner, Natalie Tricarico, welcomed their first child yesterday. James George was born in the early hours of the morning on July 28, and weighed 3.26 kg.

George and Natalie have been together for four years, and announced their pregnancy in January.

Celebrity Baby News: Chris and Rebecca Judd

26 Tuesday Jul 2011

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AFL star and captain of the Carlton Football Club, Chris Judd, and his wife, Rebecca, welcomed their first child today, July 26. Oscar Dylan Judd was born at 11.05 am at a private Melbourne Hospital, and his birth was announced on Twitter at 1.30 pm. Dylan is Chris Judd’s middle name as well, so perhaps this is the start of a family tradition.

Chris Judd has captained both Carlton and the West Coast Eagles football teams, and has twice won the highest individual honour in AFL, the Brownlow Medal.

Rebecca Judd (nee Twigley) is a model who is the ambassador for Myer fashions, and the face of Paul Bram Diamonds. She is also one of the presenters on Channel 9’s travel show, Postcards. A qualified speech pathologist, she works twice a week at the Alfred Hospital, helping people recover their ability to speak after strokes and accidents.

Chris and Rebecca met in Perth in 2002, and first gained prominence as a glamour couple in 2004, when Rebecca wore a revealing red evening gown to the Brownlow Medal awards. Even though Chris won the medal, all anybody could talk about was Rebecca in “that dress”.

Chris and Rebecca were married last New Year’s Eve at The Carousel in Melbourne’s Albert Park. In late January, they confirmed they were expecting a baby, and even though Oscar seems to have been a bit of a surprise, they were of course, thrilled to bits, and plan on having more children.

(Photo from Chris Judd’s official website).