Tag Archives: animal names

Famous Names: Sandy and Sable

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Famous Names

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

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

A group of Australian scientists from the University of Sydney have undiscovered an island that was supposed to be in between Australia and New Caledonia.

Sandy Island showed up on Google Earth and Google Maps, as well as marine and scientific maps all over the world, including the US National Geophysical Data Center. According to the maps, Sandy Island was about 16 miles long and 3 miles wide – just slightly bigger than Manhattan.

Geologists on the Southern Surveyor, an Australian maritime research vessel, were puzzled by the island which appeared on their weather maps, yet navigation charts showed that the water in that area was very deep – 1400 metres (4620 feet). They decided that they had to go check it out, and found nothing there except sea. The scientists recorded the information so that maps can be changed.

According to the Wikipedia article on Sandy Island, the island was erased from Google Maps on November 26, but although the name Sandy Island doesn’t show up in the search bar, when I looked in the Coral Sea I found the phantom island quite easily, but there was no name attached to it.

If I zoomed in on the island, it simply disappeared, and if I switched to satellite, the island showed up as a black streak surrounded by blue streaks, looking remarkably like someone had scribbled on it with two different felt-tip pens.

Interestingly, if Sandy Island had existed, it would have been in French territorial waters – and the island is not on any recent French government charts. Perhaps because of this, the Times Atlas of the World deleted Sandy Island from its maps after 1999.

The history of the discovery of Australia involved – indeed, was dependent on – faulty maps, necessitating voyages to check out what was here or not, so it makes a strange sort of sense that now Australians must voyage forth to check faulty maps for themselves.

The episode shows that this part of the world is still not well known, and incompletely charted. It’s not quite a matter of Here be dragons, but the reply from most of the map-providers when the error was pointed out was along the lines of, Well it is in the middle of nowhere …

Tens of thousands of years of human occupation, and centuries since the first mapping, and we’re still close to the middle of nowhere. Which is rather exciting – what else in our region is still waiting to be discovered, or undiscovered?

Apart from the Pythonesque nuttiness of this story (no wonder the geologists got the giggles as they sailed through the invisible island), the thing that got my attention was the name Sandy, which has been in the news internationally since Hurricane Sandy hit the north-east coast of the United States in late October, after devastating the Caribbean.

According to this article in The New York Times, names of hurricanes can help to influence the way we name our babies. It’s not as simple as everyone suddenly choosing Sandy as a baby name, but it seems that once we hear a word or a name many times, we instinctively like names that sound similar to it. So experts are expecting a spike in the numbers of babies of 2012 whose names begin with an S, as well as those with an and sound in them, and ones that end in -ee.

There was a story in the Australian press, about an expat couple in New York, whose baby arrived at the height of Sandy’s fury. The parents did consider calling their new daughter Sandy, but in the end chose Sophie. The analysts would be rubbing their hands, because they chose a two-syllable name that starts with S and ends with an -ee sound, just like Sandy.

Sandy is a unisex name which is short for Alexander or Alexandra, but also for any name related to them, such as Alistair, Sander, Alessandra, Sanette, Sandrine, or Sandra. You could use it as a short form of Cassandra, Santos, Sanford, Sandon, Santiago or any similar name. Sandy is a traditional pet name for people with reddish or sandy-blonde hair, and you could see it as a vocabulary, colour, and nature name meaning “sand-coloured, like sand, covered in sand”.

However, another possibility occurred to me while reading about The Case of the Non-Existent Island. On a French chart from 1875, the island is called Île de Sables, which is French for Sandy Island. Because of this, The Times Atlas of the World partly Anglicised the name back again to Sable Island.

While in French, sable means “sand”, the same word in English means something quite different. (I feel that I must be channelling Lou from Mer de Noms, who quite often finds name inspiration in French words). I should point out that the two words are said differently: in French, SAH-bluh; in English, SAY-buhl.

A sable is a species of marten (a relative of minks, weasels and ferrets) which is found mostly in Eurasia and still hunted in Russia. The pelt of the animal has been highly valued since medieval times, because the fur of the sable feels soft whichever way you stroke you; it’s not possible to “go against the grain”.

Because of the animal’s colour, the word sable is also a literary way to say “black”, such as when John Milton refers to “a sable cloud” in Paradise Lost. It amuses me that sandy and sable are opposites as colours, with one signifying a pale shade and the other one that is very dark.

Sable can also be used as a personal name, with the first one I can find in the records dating to the 17th century. It’s used for both boys and girls, although from the beginning more often a female name – maybe because it seems like it could be short for names such as Isabel or Sabella.

Sable is more common in the United States, where it has sometimes been used amongst African-Americans as a positive and beautiful word to denote darkness (similar to the name Ebony, which doesn’t have that connotation here).

In Australia, it appears rarely in the records, nearly always as a female name. One of my favourite combinations for this name was Brightie Sable. It also belonged to a 1900s French immigrant to Australia, who had the French form – Sablé.

So if you feel subconsciously influenced to use a name similar to Sandy, or would like to be part of a name trend, then Sable or Sablé seem like possibilities to choose from, and may please trend analysts immensely.

(Satellite image from Google Maps)

Celebrity Baby News: Todd and Sally Lowrie

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Celebrity Baby News

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

NRL player Todd Lowrie, and his wife Sally, welcomed their daughter Lani Mae on October 2, shortly after Todd’s team, the Melbourne Storm, won the 2012 Premiership. Lani Lowrie joins big brother Sonny, aged 1. Sonny’s birth was announced on the blog last year.

Todd began his professional career in 2003, and signed with the Melbourne Storm in 2010. He will be going to the New Zealand Warriors for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Todd’s dad Bert Lowrie is the team manager for the State of Origin NSW Blues.

An interesting point about Todd’s own name is that his first name, Todd, is from a medieval English word for “fox”, while his surname, Lowrie, is an old Scottish slang word for “fox”. In this story of The Marriage of Robin Redbreast, recited by the sister of Robert Burns, the name Tod Lowrie is used to mean “Mister Fox”.

Meanings of Names

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Your Questions Answered

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

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

There’s many different ways to choose baby names. Some people pick out a name they like, and perhaps quickly check to make sure it doesn’t mean something horrible, like “he who has the face of a deranged warthog”, or maybe not even care what it means. Others think of a meaning they would like to associate with their baby, and then hunt around for a name that fits that meaning.

These are all the web searches people used to get to the blog this year, looking for names with particular meanings. I don’t know if I’ve always come up with a name they wanted to know about, and I’m not even completely sure that I’m correct on each one, but I did my best.

NAMES WITH MEANINGS RELATED TO STARS

Boys name that means “star”

The English word Sterling, referring to sterling silver, is said to most likely mean “little star”, as some early Norman pennies were imprinted with a small star. The Old French word for the pennies is Esterlin. We also use the word sterling to mean “excellent, of high quality”, so you get another layer of meaning from it.

Latin boy’s name meaning “star”

The Latin for star is Astrum. Astro is a Latin prefix meaning “pertaining to the stars”, as in the word astronomy. I have seen this used as a name.

Swedish girl’s name that means “star”

Stjarna.

A boy’s name that means “bright star”

Nayyar is an Arabic boy’s name which is understood as meaning “bright star”. It also refers to the sun, which of course is our nearest, and thus brightest, star.

Male name meaning “bright star in the southern hemisphere”

There’s isn’t a star name which means that, but Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, and is visible in both hemispheres. However, Canopus, the second brightest, is more often connected with the southern hemisphere; it is always visible from some parts of Australia. It is occasionally called Soheil in English, and the Maori name for it is Atuatahi, meaning “stand alone”.

Spanish girls name that means “constellation”

I’m not sure there is one, but the Spanish for constellation is Constelación. I haven’t heard of it being used as a person’s name, but Constelacia might look a bit more name-like. I don’t speak Spanish, so apologies if this looks absurd to Hispanophones.

Boy name that means “many constellations”

The Japanese name Ikuto has this meaning, although I’ve only seen it used as a fictional surname.

A constellation name which means “small”

All the constellations have names which are nouns or “things”, not adjectives, so there isn’t one. A few have Minor as part of their name, to indicate they are the smaller of two eg Ursa Minor. The closest I could find was Equuleus, meaning “little horse, foal”.

Name meaning “starry sky”

In Japanese, Hoshizora means “starry sky”. It’s used as a surname in the Japanese anime Smile Pretty Cure!

Boys name that means “galaxy”

I have seen Galaxos as a character name in online games, and Galaxian would mean “of the galaxy” or “from the galaxy”.

NATURE NAMES

Boys name that means “beach”

Beach, Bay or Cove.

Names that mean “songbird”

Hebrew has both a male and female name with this meaning. Efrona for a girl (meaning “lark”), and Zalmir for a boy.

Flower name that means “peaceful”

There’s a native plant from Western Australia called the Gunniopsis pax – it’s a succulent, and it does have small flowers. There is also the Peace Lily, and the Peace Rose, and a type of guzmania (a bromeliad) called Pax. The White Poppy, the Lotus and the Daisy have all been used as symbols of peace.

Boy name meaning “otter”

In Japanese, Rakko means “sea otter”. That seemed to be the most usable word for otter in another language I could find.

POSITIVE MEANINGS

Indian boy’s name meaning “one who cannot be defeated”

It seems to be a popular meaning for boy’s names in India, for there are several. I managed to find Adityendra, Ajay, Ajeenkya, Ajeesh, Ajit, Aparajita, and Durjaya. Take your pick!

Viking name meaning “prince”

Balder is translated as meaning “lord, prince, king”, and it was used as an epithet for heroes. In Norse mythology, Balder was the son of Odin and Frigg.

Girl name that means “independence”

Liberty or Freedom.

Sanskrit girl’s name meaning “bright, happy”

Nandita.

Girl’s name that means “beautiful”

There’s a lot. A few you may not be familiar with are Mei (Chinese), Shayna (Yiddish) and Ziba (Persian).

Name that means “bewitching”

Mohana is an Indian unisex name which means “bewitching, infatuating, charming” in Sanskrit. It is used as an epithet of several gods and goddesses.

The word for “lovely” in some other language

Delightfully vague! I pick French – Jolie.

NEGATIVE MEANINGS

Baby name that means “spiteful”

I hope this is for a story and not a real baby! The German surname Sauer means “spiteful” (related to the word sour, acid), and it can be Anglicised as either of the unrelated names Sawyer or Sayer, so I guess those are possible options.

Hindi word for “proud”

Ooh there’s quite a few. Garvi, Garvit and Nidar look the most like names, to me.

DOESN’T EXIST

Name that means “daughter of a princess”

Hmm, seems a bit narcissistic as a baby name, somehow! Anyway, there’s no term for a princess’ daughter, and the daughter of a princess doesn’t necessarily have any special status – Princess Anne’s daughter Zara is just Mrs Tindall. I would choose a name that simply means “princess” or is royal-related. However, the Indonesian name Putri means both “daughter” and “princess”.

Norse name which means “female knight”

Vikings didn’t generally fight with a cavalry, and although there were some female warriors, it’s very unlikely they would have ridden horses, as this was usually reserved for leaders of a warband. It does make me think of the Valkyries, who were mythological women of the afterlife, always depicted on horseback. Valkyrie means “chooser of the slain”.

Norse name meaning “hunter”

There isn’t one. The Old Norse word for hunter is Veiðimaður, and some think this word is the basis of the English surname Waitman. This is occasionally used as a first name.

Name for a girl that means something

More specific, please!

NAMES FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Name that means “perfect time”

I know it’s not quite right, but I keep thinking Serendipity. Also Season, because of the saying that “For everything there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven”. The Japanese girl’s name Aya means “design”, suggesting a planned pregnancy. Musical names like Rhythm or Cadence come to mind, as music must be perfectly timed. Ogechukwukama is an Igbo girl’s name meaning “God’s time is the best” – good for a surprise, but very welcome, baby.

Name that means “beating the odds”

Lucky or Chance.

Boy’s name that means “when two souls join”

I’d probably be thinking of names that mean “bliss, joy”. Anand is a Sanskrit name meaning “bliss”, while Anglo-Saxon has Wynn, meaning “joy, bliss”. The word Bliss itself can be used for both sexes. The Chinese unisex name Zheng or Zeng means “harmony, union”, which seems to describe the state of soul togetherness.

Zulu name for boys that gives hope for the future

Mduduzi is a Zulu boy’s name that means “bringer of hope”.

Boy’s name meaning “not meant to be”

Oh how sad, and what a sad meaning. I’m so sorry. I thought long and hard about this one, and it seems to me that the concept behind “meant to be” and “not meant to be” is the same, that is, some idea of Fate, Fortune or Destiny. We usually think of it as feminine (“Dame Fortune” etc), but the Ancient Egyptians had a god of fate, named Shai or Shay, meaning “that which is ordained”. I think that’s a nice name for a boy, and has the sense of the meaning you’re looking for.

(Picture shows the Milky Way above Lake Moogerah in south-east Queensland; photo from Perth Now)

The People’s Choice of Boy’s Names

23 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

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

Adolf

A form of the Germanic name Adalwolf, meaning “noble wolf”. The Old English form is Æthelwulf, and there are a few famous men of this name in English history, most notably the father of Alfred the Great. The name was often used amongst the royal houses of northern Europe, and the Latinised form Adolphus turns up in the monarchy of the United Kingdom. There is a saint called Adolf of Osnabrück, a 9th century German monk. Up until the mid-twentieth century, the name was common in central and northern Europe, and can be found in Australia due to immigration from Germany and Scandinavia. The reason this name has been included is because barely a day goes by without someone Googling: “Is it legal to call your child Adolf?”, to which I can say, yes, it is legal here, and you can find quite a few Australians in the records with this name – including ones born during and shortly after World War II. I have met a man named Adolf (born around the early 1960s), and I believe he was named after his grandfather. The other chestnut is, “Is it legal to call your child Adolf Hitler in Australia?” to which I reply, Why would you want to do that? Seriously, why? As the name Ned Kelly is banned because he is considered too wicked, I’m pretty sure Adolf Hitler would also be illegal here.

Buster

This spunky name has more history than you might think. In England, it was first used in the middle position; Buster is a variant of the surname Bustard, after the bird. In 18th century America, it seems to have been more common for African-Americans, and may have started as a pet name in the sense of “breaker”. Later it took on the meaning of “unusual, prodigious, amazing”. Buster is used to address males in the same way as pal or fella (“Now listen up, buster”). This comes from the Spanish dialect busté, meaning “you”. It’s gone on to have negative connotations. One of the most famous men with this name is actor Joseph “Buster” Keaton, who started his career in vaudeville as a small child. He claimed to have received his nickname as a toddler from Harry Houdini, after falling down a flight of stairs unhurt. Houdini allegedly remarked, “That was a real buster!”, meaning “a fall with the potential to cause injury”. So Keaton’s name indicated he was tough enough to take a tumble. Buster Brown was a cartoon strip boy who was an angelic-looking blond prankster. In Australian slang, come a buster means to fall or fail by misfortune, while buster is a term for a strong wind – especially the Southerly Buster. This is a name Sydneysiders give to the abrupt cool change that sometimes blows in from the south during the warmer months. Vintage name Buster has recently become rather an Australian favourite for boys, although in the novel, The Shiralee, by D’arcy Niland, Buster is a little girl.

Chester

Chester is a city in Cheshire, England, founded by the Romans as a fortress in 79; its size has led some historians to speculate that the Romans intended it to be the capital, rather than London. Its current name comes from the Old English Ceaster, meaning “Roman fort”, and its early history was very military, with wars seemingly constant. Even King Arthur is supposed to have won a major battle here, and it was the last city to fall to the Normans during the Conquest. Today it’s a thriving modern city which still tries to preserve its historic buildings. Chester has been used as a personal name since the 16th century, probably after the surname, although early births in Cheshire suggest they may have been named directly for the city itself. Although it’s been a popular name in the US in its time, and only left the Top 1000 in the mid-1990s, for some reason it never caught on in a big way here. I was surprised to see it on a baby in the Bonds Baby Search Competition this year. For some reason, this baby name is often Googled, although the slang term chester is an impediment to its use.

Digby

An English surname from a place name meaning “settlement by the ditch”, derived from a combination of Old English and Old Norse. The name seems to have been first given in honour of the aristocratic Digby family, Anglo-Irish peers whose family seat in Coleshill, Warwickshire was granted to them by Henry VII. It is from the town of Coleshill that the personal name originates in the 17th century. One of the most famous of this clan was Sir Kenelm Digby, a Catholic philosopher considered a great eccentric for his exuberant personality and fascination with science, which extended to studying alchemy, astrology and magic (not considered incompatible with science then); he was the first person to note the importance of oxygen to plants. A man of action as well as thought, he became a privateer, and killed a man in a duel; he also wrote several cookbooks, invented the modern wine bottle and managed to fit in a secret romance to a famous beauty which led to their marriage. A true all-rounder. This name regularly appears in birth notices here, especially from Victoria, and may be encouraged by comedienne Cal Wilson, who welcomed a son named Digby a few years ago. People seem to either loathe this name or find it irresistibly cute; I must confess to being in the second category.

Elfyn

This is the Welsh form of the Old English name Ælfwine, meaning “elf friend”; it went out of use after the Norman Conquest. J.R.R. Tolkien liked to think of the name as meaning “friend of the elves”, and invented two fictional characters with this name who formed close bonds with elves. Modern forms include Alvin and Elvin, both taken from the surname form of the name. There are several famous people in Wales with Elfyn as either their first name or surname, including young rally driver Elfyn Evans and poet Menna Elfyn. For reasons I cannot explain, it is Googled several times a week.

Jharal

Jharal Yow Yeh is an NRL star who plays for the Brisbane Broncos. An Aboriginal Australian from the Margany people of Queensland, he also has Torres Straits Islander, Vanuatuan and Chinese heritage. Now aged 22, he has been playing for the Broncos since 2009, for the Indigenous All-Stars since 2010, and for both the Queensland state team, the Maroons, and the Australian national side, the Kangaroos, since last year. Early this season he sustained a serious leg injury, and is still recovering. People Google Jharal’s name all the time, asking for its meaning, and often querying whether it’s of Indigenous origin. In fact, his name was created for him by his grandmother. His mother couldn’t decide what to call him, so she asked nana Iris to name him. Iris cleverly arranged the letters of all the strongest men in her family into a name, and came up with Jharal. It is taken from the initials of James, Harold, Anthony, Reece, Arthur and Linc. The name is pronounced JHUH-rahl, and Iris says that most people think it is an Indian name. In fact, by coincidence, a jharal is a mountain goat from India. Names created for celebrities often seem too unique for others to use, but I have seen Jharal a few times in birth notices recently. Looking for a nickname? Jharal is known to his family as Joe.

Koa

This unisex name has several different origins. There is a Hawaiian male name Koa meaning “strong, brave, fearless”, and it’s also the name of a Hawaiian tree, the Acacia koa. The wood was traditionally used to make dug-out canoes and certain types of surfboards. In Maori, the word koa means “happiness”. In the Kaurna language of South Australia, the word koa means “crow”, and the Koa people come from south-east Queensland, so it’s also a tribal name. There has been a sudden proliferation of this name in Australian birth notices, and that might be because Tom Dumont from No Doubt welcomed a son named Koa last year. However, I am beginning to see far more girls named Koa in birth notices than boys. This may be because of model and actress Koa Whelan, a contestant on this year’s dating show, Please Marry My Boy. I think this works equally well for boys and girls, although the first meaning is male only.

Neo

This is from an Ancient Greek prefix meaning “new, young, fresh”. It turns up in words such as neonatal, meaning “pertaining to the newborn”, or neologism, meaning “a freshly coined word”. The name has become well-known since 1999 because Neo is the protagonist of the cyberpunk Matrix film series. In the films, the character’s name is Thomas Anderson, and Neo is his computer hacker identity (Anderson does have the letters N, E and O in it). Neo is also an anagram of One, and the films seek to discover whether Neo is “The One”, a Messiah-like figure who will be able to rescue humanity. The films have become cult classics, and intermingle a range of philosophical and spiritual ideals from the East and the West – it’s even spawned its own religion, Matrixism. From the amount of times that people have Googled neo baby name or neo for a boy, there are quite a few parents considering using this name. Neo fits right in with current trends, and doesn’t sound any stranger than Leo. It is very strongly associated with the film character though. However, Australians have a solid history of gaining name inspiration from the movies, and most of The Matrix series was filmed in Sydney, giving it an Australian connection.

Rune

A Scandinavian name derived from Old Norse meaning “secret”. The runes are the letters of the runic alphabets, which were used to write different Germanic languages, dating from at least the first or second century AD. Runic inscriptions seem to have been for magical and divinatory use, and perhaps their knowledge was restricted to an elite in early times. According to Norse mythology, the runes were originally stolen from the god Odin. They are part of English history, because the Anglo-Saxons had their own runic alphabet. If you have read The Hobbit, you will have seen Anglo-Saxon runes used on a dwarven map; Tolkien later invented his own runic alphabet which appears in The Lord of the Rings. Rune stones are  used for divination today, often in a similar way to tarot cards. The name isn’t unusual in Scandinavia, and you may know the name from the Polish speedway rider Rune Holta, born in Norway. I think this is a simple, attractive name with layers of history and meaning.

Zephyr

A zephyr is a light, warm wind. It comes from the name Zephyrus, who was the Greek god of the west wind – the gentlest of breezes, which served as a harbinger of spring. He married both Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, and Chloris, the goddess of flowers – who is also seen as a deity of spring (and named Flora by the Romans). Children may know the name as that of a bat in the Silverwing book series, and, in the form Zephir, as the monkey in the Babar the Elephant stories. Grown ups may be reminded of The Zephyr Song by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. If you take the name as derived directly from the god, then it is male, but if you accept it as a nature name and vocabulary name, it is unisex. It only seems to be Googled to my blog as a male name however. Pronounced ZEF-uhr, this name is unsual but not outrageous; it seems like a breezy alternative to popular Z names like Zachary, Zeke or Zane. The obvious nickname is Zeff or Zeffy.

(Picture shows actor Keanu Reeves in his role of Neo from The Matrix; Sydney skyline in background)

Interesting Names Spotted in Print, on Radio and on TV – Autumn Edition

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

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

This celebrates the fourth birthday of a little boy who was the first baby born at Saltwater in New South Wales in over a century. The beachside area is the traditional place of the Worimi-Biripi people, and is now in a national park. Dawn Morcombe gained special permission to give birth at this spiritually significant location, and she named her son Yarramundi John Michael Hollis. Yarramundi was a famous Indigenous leader of the colonial era; his son was Colebee, who was featured on the blog last year. His name is said to mean “deep water”. Fantastic story, namesake, and meaning, especially for a baby born at Saltwater!

Debbie Bell from South Australia has had a rough life and been through more than her fair share of heartache. However, after a great deal of physical and emotional suffering, she and her husband Ian were at last able to have a baby through a donated embryo, and named their son Derlerean. I think Debbie and Ian may have created this name themselves. It reminds me of the car, the Delorean.

Victorian couple Charlotte Gernandt and Dale Hynes called their first baby Tinkabell Darling [pictured]. Now this sounds like a name straight out of Peter Pan, but Charlotte and Dale say she is not named after the fairy. Um, okay … must be inspired by some other Tinkerbell … She’s called Tinka for short.

Emma Preston was so crippled by endometriosis that she was confined to a wheelchair, and had little hope of ever having a baby. But then Sydney fertility specialist Dr Geoff Reid not only got her out of her wheelchair, he helped her to conceive through embryo transfer. Emma was so grateful, she named her baby after him. No, the baby’s not called Geoff; her name is Reid Louise. Nice gesture and name story.

It’s not often a baby ends up in the paper just because of his name, but this one is quite striking. Kate Anderson and Lance Walshe, from the Yarra Ranges just outside Melbourne, named their son Viper. His name was inspired by Lance’s love of snakes, and the couple wanted an original name that nobody else had. They considered Wolfgang, but rejected it because they thought it might lead to teasing. Viper Walshe doesn’t have a middle name, and if he’d been a girl, his name would have been Ruby Joanne. Kate says his name has met with mixed reactions.

A story from Port Macquarie on the ever-rising prices on electricity bills featured a struggling single mum named Bek Latimore. Bek’s baby girl is named Arizona; although I generally don’t go for American-states-as-names, this one always puts a smile on my face. I’m not sure I can ever imagine using it myself though. Arizona’s older brother is named Nick, which made me think – could Nick be short for Phoenix? Hmm?

This story about a midwifery programme at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney showed a mother with an elegant name: Eglantine Jalicot. Eglantine’s son has an equally stylish name – Lysander. His ancient Greek name means “release of a man”, and belonged to a famous military general of ancient Sparta. Eglantine is another name for the sweetbriar, and is first found as a personal name in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Two interesting and pretty girls’ names from a story on sleep and babies: Luna and Reya. Luna is of course Latin for “the moon”, and Reya is an Indian name which means (I think) “wealth”.

A story on a new breech birth clinic at Westmead Hospital in Sydney showed mum Mallissa Tulfua with her son Tevita. His name is the Fijian form of David.

A Brisbane columnist covers a naming dilemma from real life when two of her friends cannot agree what to name their baby. Readers are invited to help name their sprog, but as we’re not told what names they’ve come up with already, it seemed a rather futile exercise (although apparently the mother had rejected Luke as “not masculine”, which seemed odd). The columnist notes some of the baby names from her own extended family are Echo, Theo, Roarke, Ziad, Ingrid and Rudi.

Alana Mahadik had a very difficult childbirth with her first son, Avighna. With her second, she opted for hypnobirthing at Caboolture Hospital in Queensland on Anzac Day, and found the whole experience very quick and stress-free. Her new baby son’s name is Rudra, which is an Indian name meaning, aptly enough, “remover of pain”. Avighna’s name means “remover of obstacles”.

A rather adorable little baby girl was sadly abandoned at Canterbury Hospital early this year. The baby has been named Li-Ye, which means “beautiful child” in Chinese. Only a few babies have been abandoned this way in New South Wales in recent years: two others were named Adam and Sunday April. All of these babies were eventually adopted after their birth mothers failed to come forward.

Interesting Names of Adults

An ABC radio podcast on parenting featured a Melbourne child psychologist named Angharad Candlin. This Welsh name meaning “greatly loved” is one I have admired since childhood, yet never before seen on a real person (although I didn’t actually see her, as it was radio).

This travel writer, enjoying the Sicilian sun, has the name Dugald Jellie. There’s quite a few Australians with this Scottish form of Douglas as their name, but Dugald Jellie seemed just a bit more interesting and storybook-character somehow.

The junk mail of one April morning produced a community newsletter about a new medical centre opening in the area. One of the doctors was named Demelza – a Cornish place name from the Poldark books and TV series. I briefly thought about changing doctors just to have a GP named Demelza, but couldn’t face all the paperwork.

I read One Way or Another: The Story of a Girl Who Loved Rock Gods, the memoirs of Gold Coast rock star groupie Nikki McWatters. Eventually she sees the error of her ways, and settles down by sensibly marrying a schoolteacher. Her husband’s name? The very rockstar-sounding Zeus. As well as teaching school, Zeus is a trained opera singer, so she obviously never lost her thing for male vocalists.

Channel 7 have resurrected The Price is Right, which I find keeps the troops quietly occupied while I make dinner. As I stir and chop, I keep an ear out for names: so far I have seen a pair of sisters named Jalila and Janita (late teens to early twenties), a woman named Feda, pronounced like “feeder” (twenties), and a grandmother named Dixie (around sixtyish).

Saturday Sibsets: Four Families from Tasmania

12 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in Sibsets in the News

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

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

THE CIRCUS TROUPE

Kristy and Mark Sands run the Sands Family Circus. They began performing together in the mid-1990s, and initially planned on having two children, but ended up with a few more than that. All the children naturally learned circus skills, and became part of the act.

Jiemba (15) BOY – means “morning star” in the Wiradjuri language

Tohua (13) BOY – in Maori means “egg”; in Polynesia, a Tohua is a ceremonial meeting place

Spida (11) GIRL

Rain (9) BOY

Ooliki (3) BOY – I don’t know what his name means

Next child (due in July)

THE BABYSLING MUMPRENEUR

Anita Lincolne-Lomax turned her passion for attachment parenting into a business when she founded Babes in Arms several years ago. Babes in Arms sells baby carriers and baby slings throughout Australia and New Zealand, and last year Anita was named 2011 Mumpreneur of the Year by parenting website connect2mums.com.au, and Babes in Arms is a finalist in two categories of this year’s Australian Small Business Champion Awards. Her husband Ralph now works full-time in the company.

Tilli (8)

Jontae (5) – a variant of Jonte, a pet form of Jonathan

Aviya (3) – Hebrew name meaning “my father is Yahweh” (unisex)

Grace (7 months)

THE COOKS WHO COOK

Jo Cook is a chef and market curator, and food is her passion. A member of Slow Food Hobart, she runs Flavour Workshops for children, and volunteers at a primary school to work in their kitchen garden. Next she hopes to link up with the university to inspire a new generation to eat more mindfully and healthily. Of course, at home, the family connects around growing food, cooking meals and enjoying them together around the table.

Nina (10)

Charlie (8)

A FRESH START

Sarra Elradi came to Tasmania from Sudan with her four children to give them a better start in life. She had separated from her husband, and the family spent two years in Egypt, which they describe as “very tough”, because there was no one to help them. When they arrived in Australia, only Sarra’s eldest son could speak English, so they were on a steep learning curve; however they appreciate the education they are receiving and the opportunities that are available to them. Sarra’s daughters are both members of the Glenorchy Young Women’s Multicultural Group.

Elsawi BOY Arabic name meaning “servant of God”

Hanadi (15) GIRL Arabic name meaning “lovely fragrance”

Zeinab (12) GIRL Arabic name meaning “desert flower”

One other child

(Photo and story from The Hobart Mercury, May 11 2012)

Only Natural – Nature Names from the Bonds Baby Search

22 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Baby Contests

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

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

GIRLS

Acacia

Anise

Autumn

Azalea

Berry

Briar

Cedar

Cherry

Clover

Crystal

Cypress

Dahlia

Dawn

Dusty

Ember

Emerald

Honey

Indigo

Ivory

Jacaranda (this South American tree is so popular, it is often assumed to be native)

Jewel

Juniper

Mallee (a native tree; name of Australian Aboriginal origin)

Magenta

Misty

Ocean

Opal

Peaches

Pearl

Pepper

Rain

Raven

Saffron

Sage

Sapphire

Scarlet

Season

Soleil (French word for the sun)

Star

Sunshine

Swai (Thai word for the iridescent shark)

Tigerlily

Tulip

Winter

 

BOYS

Ash

Aspen

Baye

Bear

Bryne

Clay

Cove

Fin

Flint

Fox

Heath

Jarrah (a very tall and strong native tree; name of Australian Aboriginal origin)

Layke

Onyx

Reed

Reef

River

Rock

Rowan

Rye

Silvan

Sky

Storm

Sunny

Talon

Teal

Tiger

Tyde

Wolf

(Photo of Mother Cummings Peak Track, Tasmania from There’s Nothing Like Australia website).

Kit Swan Saville: A Son for Chrissie Swan and Chris Saville, a Brother for Leo

30 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by in Celebrity Baby Names

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

Chrissie Swan is an example of one of those few people that you can point to and say that reality television was a force for good in their life. Without exaggeration, you can say that reality television has changed her life for the better. Without reality television, Chrissie would not be a celebrity, and although she may well have had babies otherwise, they would not now be covered in an article on celebrity baby names.

Once upon a time, Chrissie was a real estate copywriter in Melbourne, when she decided to apply as a contestant for the third series of Channel 10’s Big Brother. Her friends were all fans of the show, and she thought it would be funny to think of them watching in bewilderment as she entered the Big Brother House. The producers said they chose Chrissie for her “intelligence, wit, integrity, and intriguing sense of the absurd”.

The producers showed they were on the money, as Chrissie proved popular with both the other Housemates, and the public. She won great support for standing up to the show’s “villain”: arrogant, boastful and slightly corrupt ex-policeman, Ben Archbold, and by doing so, proved that she wasn’t just a nice person, she also had the strength of character to not allow herself to be bullied. (In case you were wondering, Ben Archbold is now a high-profile criminal lawyer, so don’t worry, Chrissie’s feistiness didn’t mentally destroy him or anything).

Much to her surprise, Chrissie was released on Day 86 (July 21 2003) as the runner-up to Regina “Reggie” Bird; it was the first time a woman had won the show, and the first time a woman was runner-up (it was the only series where both winner and runner-up were female).

Chrissie attempted to return to her normal life, but found it impossible to continue as a real estate copywriter – she was too famous. Instead of showing her around their houses for 10 minutes so that she could go away and describe them alluringly, people wanted her to tell them all the inside goss on Big Brother, look at the family photo albums, and talk to their aunty on the phone. Her attractive personality meant that people saw her as a friend, and a visitor to their home rather than as a professional; and as a good friend, they expected her to stay for at least 2 hours. Her business was in tatters.

Three days after leaving the Big Brother House, she was offered a job in breakfast radio on the Sunshine Coast, and moved to Queensland in September. She worked hard at learning how to be a good presenter, and in 2005, she and her co-hosts won the Best On-Air Team from ACRA, since the ratings for their slot were almost double that of any other station on the coast. When she moved back to Melbourne, Chrissie got a job doing breakfast radio at Vega in Melbourne, until she and her co-hosts got the sack during Vega’s (now Classic Rock 91.5) notorious cost-cutting exercise.

In a clear case of one door opening as another closes, last year Chrissie was offered the chance to co-host a new morning chat show on Channel 10 called The Circle. It was a gamble having an all-female panel on a television show, especially as The Catch Up, an attempt to copy US show The View, was axed from a rival channel after just a few months.

Not surprisingly, Chrissie was nervous about her gig on a new show in an untried format that everyone said seemed awfully risky. But she and her co-hosts rose to the challenge, and the show became a success. The premise of the show was that the women would never be bitchy or create staged conflict; it would be four women having a chat together like friends, and anyone who came on their show would join this circle of friends, and the audience would also be made to feel as they were friends with everyone as well.

It was so entertaining being a guest on The Circle that some celebrities were willing to pay their own way to be on the show. Chrissie got to meet stars like Jerry Hall and Elmo; she cooked with psychic John Edward and cuddled Meatloaf; she sang Stop in the Name of Love with a Supreme and Total Eclipse of the Heart with Bonnie Tyler; and she felt up Kim Kardashian’s bottom. Lily Tomlin refused to give interviews when she came to Australia, but insisted on guest-hosting on The Circle, because she had heard about it in America and wanted to be part of the fun (nobody touched her bottom though).

Chrissie gained such popularity with her audience that in April, she was nominated for three Logie Awards – Most Popular New Female Talent, Most Popular Presenter, and the Gold Logie, given to the most popular TV personality overall. While Chrissie’s head was spinning at this unexpected news, pundits on social media and talkback radio questioned how this “nobody” from a show with only 70 000 viewers could have been nominated for the top award, and darkly hinted that the voting must have been rigged.

Long-time media presenter Eddie Maguire used his breakfast show on Triple M to attack Chrissie, suggesting that people might have voted for her, in the same way that children will vote for “the dumb kid” as class captain in order to irritate the teacher. Chrissie stood up against this onslaught as she stood up to Ben Archbold, and refused to buckle to the bullies.

Chrissie’s fans were quick to defend her, saying that they had nominated her because she was intelligent, funny, warm, genuine and compassionate. People who had never voted for the Logies before said they had to this time, because at last here was someone on TV who brightened each day with their sunny smile; someone fresh and natural and honest; someone that ordinary Australians could relate to. In fact, her fans felt that Chrissie was their BFF, and you always stick up for your friends, right?

In the end, Chrissie won the Logie for Most Popular New Female Talent, and Karl Stefanovic from breakfast TV show, Today, won Most Popular Presenter and the Gold Logie – which started up the whole voting debate again, but that’s another story.

Chrissie met her partner Chris Saville through Big Brother; he was part of the crew, and because she calls him “The Chippy”, I’m guessing he was one of the set builders. Chrissie and Chris had a son named Leo in November 2008, and Chrissie, who has always been a big girl, gained 55 kg (121 lb) during her pregnancy.

Hoping to become pregnant again, she had a very public campaign to shed the extra kilos through healthy diet and exercise which won her even greater public sympathy, and the resulting weight loss had the desired effect – she got pregnant almost immediately. During her second pregnancy she stuck to her eating plan, and was happy to report that she only gained 4 or 5 kg (around 10 lb), and was back to her pre-pregnancy weight within a few weeks of giving birth.

Chrissie and Chris named their second son Kit, which as a male name is usually taken as a pet form of Christopher – very appropriate for the child of a Chris and a Chrissie. A famous Australian Kit is Arnold Christopher “Kit” Denton, the novelist who wrote The Breaker, about Breaker Morant, and the father of comedian and television presenter Andrew Denton. Baby rabbits are called kits, which makes it seem very cuddly. Chrissie’s surname of Swan is used as the middle name for both her sons; a charming modern custom which gives Kit Swan Saville a double animal name.

I must confess that I’ve never really liked the name Kit, but you know how sometimes you don’t like a name much, and then a good friend uses it for their child? And then you see it on a real baby, and gradually like it more and more, and eventually you end up liking it heaps. That’s how it was for me – once I saw it on baby Kit and got a real feel for it, it seemed like the perfect name for him. It’s so cute and chipper, and a brilliant match with Leo – two three-letter names that both refer to animals. I love it! A thoroughly converted thumbs up!

(Photo from Woman’s Day website).

Chrissie gets to know Kim Kardashian a little better on The Circle:

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1930s

26 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

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

This post was first published on June 26 2011, and substantially revised and updated on June 25 2015.

Alfred
Anglo-Saxon name meaning “elf counsel”. The name became famous due to Alfred the Great, 9th century king of Wessex, who defended England against the Vikings, and was the first to call himself King of the Anglo-Saxons. Renowned for his love of learning, he encouraged education and reformed the legal system. Although not officially a saint, he is regarded as a Christian hero, and has a feast day in the Anglican Church. The name Alfred continued to be used even after the Norman Conquest, when many Anglo-Saxon names were discarded. It dwindled after the Middle Ages, but had a revival in the 19th century, and was chosen as the name of one of Queen Victoria’s sons – an earlier Prince Alfred was the son of King George III, and the current British family trace their ancestry back to Alfred the Great. Alfred is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #14 in the 1900s, and #50 by the 1930s. Alfred left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and is currently around the 300s, its position apparently fairly stable. Popular in Scandinavia, Alfie, Fred, and Freddie give this venerable classic several cute nickname options.

Brian
Irish name, possibly from the Celtic bre, meaning “hill”, to suggest “high, great, exalted”. In Irish mythology, Brian is one of three brothers who are sent on a worldwide magical quest. In some versions, Brian is the clever one of the three, while his brothers are bumbling and easily pushed around. A famous namesake is Brian Boru, the first High King of Ireland, and founder of the O’Brien dynasty; he made the name common in Ireland. The name Brian was also used in Brittany, and became quite popular in East Anglia, where it was spread by Breton immigrants, and in the north of England, brought over by Scandinavian settlers who had lived in Ireland. It experienced a revival in the early 20th century. Brian is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #169 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 in the 1920s. Peaking in the 1930s and ’40s at #7, Brian didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1980s – Monty Python’s Life of Brian having turned it into a “joke name” didn’t help its fortunes. However, it’s been reasonably stable for about a decade, and is around the 300s. Brian remains a popular name in Ireland. This is a strong-sounding Irish classic still getting reasonable use.

Colin
Anglicised form of the Scottish name Cailean, meaning “whelp, pup, young dog” in Gaelic. It is also a medieval pet form of Col, short for Nicholas, so it’s an English name as well. Cuilén mac Ildulb was a 10th century King of the Scots, while Sir Colin Campbell (“Colin the Great”) was a 13th century cousin of Robert the Bruce, and one of the earliest known members of the Clan Campbell, ancestor of the Earls of Argyll. The name became traditional in the Campbell family because of him. Colin was #51 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1930s at #14. It left the Top 100 in the 1980s, and although it stayed in use for many years afterwards, now seems to be quite rare. Colin is a traditional name which has a gentle and slightly poetic feel, and works well in the middle.

Edwin
Modern form of the Anglo-Saxon name Eadwine, meaning “rich friend”. The name was traditional amongst Anglo-Saxon royalty and nobility, with the most famous Edwin being a 7th century king of Northumbria who converted to Christianity; it was said that during his reign, the land was so peaceful that a woman with a new baby could walk across the country without being harmed (it tells you something that this was considered remarkable). He was canonised as a saint after his death. The name Edwin sunk in popularity after the Norman Conquest, but was revived in the 19th century during the Victorian enthusiasm for early English names. Edwin is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #52 in the 1900s, and #88 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and is currently around the 400s. A good alternative to popular Edward, while still having Eddie, Ed, Ned, and Ted as nicknames.

Frederick
English form of the Germanic name Friduric, translated as “peaceful ruler”; the modern German version is Friedrich. A favourite amongst European royalty, the name was traditional amongst the Holy Roman Emperors, with Frederick I also known as Frederick Barbarossa, meaning “red bearded” in Italian. Descended from two of Germany’s leading royal houses, he is regarded as the greatest of the medieval Holy Roman Emperors. Handsome, charismatic, and courtly, he was ambitious and skilful, greatly increasing Germany’s power base, and bringing back the Roman rule of law. According to medieval legend, he is not dead, but sleeps in a cave, waiting to return Germany to its former greatness. There are also a couple of medieval German saints named Frederick. The name was brought to England by the Normans after the Conquest, but it didn’t catch on. It was revived in the 18th century when the German House of Hanover inherited the British throne; Prince Frederick was the eldest son of King George II. Frederick is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #8 in the 1900s, and #26 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and sunk to its lowest level in the 1990s, at #459. Since then it has gradually increased in popularity, and is now around the low 200s. A distinguished name with friendly nicknames like Fred and Freddie, Frederick is already popular in the UK.

Ivan
Slavic form of John. A traditional Slavic name, there have been many famous Ivans in history, including six tsars of Russia, and many Croatian and Ukrainian leaders. St Ivan is a legendary hermit from Bohemia, while St Ivan of Rila is the patron saint of Bulgaria. Ivan continues to be a popular name in Eastern Europe, while the Spanish form Iván is popular in Spain and Latin America. Its long-term use in the English-speaking world may come from its similarity to the Welsh form of John, Ifan, so it can be seen as an Anglicised form of the Welsh name. Ivan is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #117 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #97, and was #100 in the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s and is currently around the low 300s, having been reasonably stable since the 1990s. That makes it a great cross-cultural choice which has remained both familiar and underused.

Lawrence
Variant of Laurence, and the usual surname form of the name. St Lawrence of Rome was a 3rd century Spanish saint who was archdeacon of Rome during a time of Christian persecution. There are many stories and legends about him. One is that he spirited the Holy Grail to Spain, where it remains in Valencia. Another is that the Emperor demanded that Lawrence hand over all the church’s goods. Lawrence hastily distributed everything the poor, then presented the city’s suffering, saying that these were the true treasures of the church. For this act of defiance, he was supposedly martyred by being roasted over a gridiron; after hours of pain, he remarked cheerfully: I’m well done. Turn me over! He is one of the most widely venerated saints, and his tomb a favourite pilgrimage site since the 4th century. Lawrence is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #67 in the 1900s, peaked at #55 in the 1910s and ’20s, and was #61 in the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and reached its lowest point in 2010 at #466. Since then it has risen again, and is now in the 200s, outstripping Laurence in popularity. This rugged-sounding classic comes with the nicknames Lawrie and Larry.

Lionel
Medieval pet form of Leon, a Greek name meaning “lion”; it could also be directly from Lion, which was used as a nickname in the Middle Ages. According to Arthurian legend, Sir Lionel was a Breton king, and knight of the Round Table. He features in the Grail Quest, where he is shown to be unworthy of the Grail, and more interested in fighting than the spiritual life. Lionel of Antwerp was a son of King Edward III, and reputedly a giant of a man, almost seven feet tall and of athletic build. It is through him that the House of York claimed the throne of England, and the name was a common one amongst the aristocracy. Lionel was #68 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #66, and was #73 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and hasn’t charted since the 1980s. The name is rising in both the the UK and US, fitting in well with both popular Leo, and the trend for animal names. Definitely a worthy choice that has too often been overlooked!

Rex
The Latin word for “king”, and the title of the ancient kings of Rome (“Rex Romae“) – according to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus. The Roman monarchs did not inherit kingship, but were elected to the role, and held absolute power. The word rex is ultimately from an ancient root meaning “to rule”, and it is related to the Sanskrit term Raja, the German word reich, and the English words rich, right, regal, royal, reign, and realm. Rex has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, but only came into common use in the 19th century. Rex was #138 in the 1900s, and entered the Top 100 in the 1920s. Peaking in the 1930s at #74, Rex left the Top 100 in the 1950s. It left the charts in the 1980s, but returned the following decade at #635. It has continued climbing, and is now around the 300s. No wonder Rex is making a comeback – it’s short and snappy, ends in the fashionable X (like Max), and sounds very masculine and confident.

Walter
English form of the ancient Germanic name Walthari, meaning “ruler of the army”. It was brought to England by the Normans and soon replaced its Old English version, Wealdhere. Mythologist Jacob Grimm theorised that the name may have originally been an epithet of one of the Germanic war gods, and be linked to the Norse god Tyr. The name was especially famous in the Middle Ages because of Walter of Aquitaine, a legendary king of the Visigoths; medieval poems tell of his military exploits, fighting one-handed against his foes. He may be based on a 5th century king of Aquitaine, Wallia – his name is probably from the Old Norse for “slaughter”. There is a 12th century English saint called Walter. Walter was #15 in the 1900s, and #46 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and dropped off the charts in the 1990s. However, it made a comeback in 2011 after the hit TV show Breaking Bad aired in Australia, with ailing chemistry teacher turned criminal Walter White played by Bryan Cranston. His name was inspired by the American poet, Walt Whitman, and he is also often known as Walt. His teenage son is Walter White Jr, giving the name a younger image to match Walter Snr’s villainous smarts. Walter is currently around the 500s, and it is yet to be seen whether it continues rising now the show has finished. I hope so, because this retro name now seems fresh and unconventional.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Walter, Frederick and Alfred, and their least favourites were Lionel, Ivan and Brian.

(Photo of men doing relief work during the Great Depression in 1933 from the National Library of Australia)

Sydney Suburbs That Could Be Used as Girl’s Names

15 Sunday May 2011

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

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

Bronte-Beach-6

This blog post was first published on May 15 2011, and revised on May 7 2015.

Arcadia
Arcadia is a semi-rural suburb in the Hornsby shire, first opened up into a settlement by timber cutters in 1817. It is named after a region of Greece that in legend was seen as an idyllic pastoral area. The name of the Greek region means “bear”, and is after a son of Zeus from Greek mythology called Arcas, whose mother Callisto was turned into a bear. He and his mother were made into the constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor – the great and little bear. Because commercial development is severely restricted in the suburb of Arcadia, it has retained an image as a rustic retreat which fits its name. The name Arcadia is a feminine form of the Greek name Arcadius, meaning “from Arcadia”. There are a couple of saints named Arcadius, and there was also an Emperor Arcadius, whose daughter was named Arcadia after him. This name, which has been more often used in continental Europe and Latin American than in English-speaking countries, feels rather exotic, and quite Utopian. It is pronounced ar-KAY-dee-uh, and you could use Arkie, Kay, or Kaydee as a nickname.

Avalon
Avalon is a suburb in the Northern Beaches region famous for its surf culture. An episode of Baywatch was filmed here in the 1990s, and must have impressed, as the show’s producers decided to shoot the rest of the series at Avalon Beach. However, residents complained until Baywatch went to Hawaii instead. Woot, people power! The first land grant in the area was in 1827, but it didn’t receive its name until 1921. It is named after the paradisical island of Celtic myth, where it is said King Arthur received his final resting place. It is thought the name of the island comes from the Welsh word for “apple”, as it is pictured in myth as being blessed by an abundance of fruit. Avalon has been used as a personal name since the 19th century, when anything Arthurian was fashionable, and has more often been given to girls. Fitting in with popular names such as Ava, it seems like a more mystical version of Eden or Heaven.

Bronte
Bronte [pictured] is an upmarket beach-side suburb close to the city centre, with scenic cliff-top walking paths to popular locations such as Cooge and Bondi. This is another suburb with a keen surf culture, and the Bronte surf life saving club, founded in 1903, claims to be the oldest in the world. It has made notable residents over the years, including Peter McCormick, who wrote the national anthem. Robert Lowe, later Viscount Sherbrook, bought 42 acres here in the 1830s. His house was completed in 1845 and named Bronte House in honour of admiral Horatio Nelson, who was the Duke of Bronte. Bronte is a place in Sicily, Italy, near Mount Etna. Its name, pronounced BRON-tee, means “the thunderer”, and as it is right near a volcano, it is easy to see how it got its name. Bronte first joined the charts in the 1990s, and was in the Top 100 by 1997, making #98. It joined the very bottom of Top 100 twice more, in 2000 and 2001, never getting higher than #93, and is now around the 400s. Only in Australia has Bronte attained even mild popularity, and no doubt Bronte Beach helps explain why.

Elanora
Elanora is another Northern Beaches suburb; it is located on a hill overlooking a lagoon and the sea. The northern and south-western sides adjoin national parks, and native wildlife abounds in the area. It’s a suburb of large houses with a country club, and is popular with tourists. Originally a coal mining camp, it came into existence as a residential area in 1929, named Elanora Heights Estate. The name Elanora is derived from an Aboriginal word which means “home by the sea” or “home by the water”. It’s easy to see the appeal of this name – it sounds exactly like the elegant Eleanora, yet has an indigenous origin and pleasant meaning. You could use popular Ella or hip Nora as nicknames.

Eveleigh
Eveleigh is an inner-city suburb, and an area of of great historical importance, because it was here that the first steam locomotives were built in Australia in the railway workshops. The Eveleigh site was also used to manufacture munitions in both world wars, and is significant in the history of unionism. In 1892, unions first successfully negotiated a six-day working week in Eveleigh, and in 917 the General Strike began there. Unlike some of the other suburbs, this isn’t just a swanky address with a nice beach, but a place with working class roots that helped forge our nation. The name Eveleigh is taken from the name of an English estate. It’s a surname that is a variant of Everly, and means “wild boar’s wood”: despite the spelling, it’s pronounced EV-uh-lee, not like Eve + Lee. Similar to popular Evelyn, this spelling may seem more feminine than Everly.

Jannali
Jannali is in Sutherland shire, south of Sydney. The railway was built in 1885, but few people lived in the area until the 1910s. In 1927 the township was named Jannali after a railway signal box that had been there since the beginning. During the Depression, the population of Jannali increased dramatically as people were forced to sell up and move out of the city, and it became known as a place for “battlers” who were doing it tough during the economic hardships of the 1930s. Today Jannali is an unpretentious commuter suburb. When the name Jannali was chosen, it was reported that it was an Aboriginal name from the Northern Territory, meaning “the moon”. Indigenous Australians already used it as a name, and it does have occasional use. Pronounced juh-NAL-ee, the appeal of this name is its vague similarity to names derived from Jane, such as Jan and Janelle, while having an attractive meaning and indigenous origin. It would make a bold alternative to Selena or Luna.

Kareela
Kareela is also in Sutherland shire, and the next suburb to Jannali. Located on the banks of the Georges River, it was first established in 1968. Its name is derived from an Aboriginal word which is said to mean either “place of trees and water” or “south wind”. It was the second meaning that the Geographical Names Board probably had in mind, as the area is known for its strong southerly breezes. Pronounced kuh-RHEEL-ya, Kareela sounds feminine and begins with the popular K sound. People who like Cara and Cordelia may also like the sound of Kareela.

Rosebery
Rosebery is in south-eastern Sydney, near the city centre, and is the seat of local government. In the 1960s it was developed for industry and government housing, and became home to many migrants, especially Greeks and Italians. Rosebery was named after Archibald Primrose, Earl of Rosebery, British Prime Minister in 1894-95. The suburb was named in his honour after a visit he made to Australia in 1883-84. Rosebery is a variant of the place name Roseberry, on the Yorkshire Moors. James Cook once helped his father run a farm here, and climbing the high peaks gave him a taste for adventure which led him to become a sea captain and brought him to Australian shores. It looks like a nature name and sounds like Rose + Bree (ROZE-bree), but Roseberry is a corruption of the Old Norse for “Odin’s rock or crag”. Many of the place names of this area were given by the Vikings. Rosebery is deceptive – it has the air of a fairytale princess, yet its origins are ancient, powerful, and masculine. You may be intrigued by it if you would like an unusual girly name with a surprising amount of grunt.

Rozelle
Rozelle is an inner-city suburb to the west of Sydney’s centre; Rozelle Bay surrounds the container port Glebe Island. Once a colourful working-class district, this attractive village is now fashionable and quirky. The area where Rozelle is now was part of a 1800 land grant to colonial surgeon Dr William Balmain. The land was settled in 1836, and by 1861 was divided into the suburbs of Balmain and Balmain West. By 1900, Balmain West, now a thriving suburb in its own right, became known as Rozelle, after Rozelle Bay. Rozelle Bay (often marked as “Rozella Bay” on old maps), was called after the Australian parrot, the rosella. These beautiful crimson birds were first seen at Rose Hill, the first suburb of Sydney to be established. The parrots were commonly known as “Rose Hill parrots”, then “Rose Hillers”, and finally, “rosellas”. By coincidence, there is an Italian name Rosella, and Rozelle (roe-ZEL), gives it a twist that seems quite cool. It has occasionally been used as a girl’s name.

Sylvania
Sylvania is another southern suburb from Sutherland shire, next to Kareela. It is mostly residential, but also contains areas of native bushland. The traditional owners of this area are the Dharawal people, and their middens, burial sites and rock art remain in sheltered caves along the Georges River. After European settlement, it was acquired as a land grant by John Connell Laycock, and then shortly afterwards by politician Thomas Holt. Holt built Sutherland House on the foreshore in 1818, and a village grew here from 1881 onwards. The name Sylvania is Latin for “wooded area”, and must have been chosen because of its bush setting, but who chose it and why has been lost to history. Sylvania is already a girl’s name, a form of Silvana. However, the suburb’s name is pronounced sil-VAYN-yah and may sound too much like Pennsylvania and Transylvania for some.

POLL RESULTS
Peoples’ favourite names were Bronte, Avalon, and Elanora, and their least favourites were Kareela, Jannali, and Sylvania.