Tag Archives: car names

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Spring Edition)

22 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Names of Adults

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

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

Names from Television

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

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

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

Names from Real Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Girls: Mary, Phoebe, Roma, Sanna

Boys: Boaz, Castel, Phoenix

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

(Photo from The Blue Mountains Gazette Facebook page)

Is Cressida a Girl Name or a Car Name?

03 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by in Naming Assistance

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

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

Emily and David are expecting a baby girl in three weeks, and still haven’t settled on a name for her. They’ve thought of lots of nice names they could use, but each one seems to have its drawbacks, and they keep crossing names off their list and changing their minds. So far, they don’t really love one name more than another; none of them seem to jump out and say, “I’m the one – stop looking!”.

When they chose their first child’s name, it was much easier. David suggested the name Clementine, Emily loved it too, and straight away it seemed perfect and they never considered anything else. This time it’s been quite different, and they’ve found the process more worrisome.

At the moment they have on their list:

  • Cressida – Emily is slightly bothered by the car called the Toyota Cressida
  • Ottilie – concerned about spelling and pronunciation issues
  • Josephine – like it a lot, but doesn’t seem very exciting
  • Isadora – worried about references to Dora the Explorer, or that she’ll be yet another Izzy in a sea of Isabellas and Isabels
  • Mathilda – David loves Mathilde, but Emily thinks it’s too French and won’t be pronounced correctly; also aware of the popularity of Matilda, which isn’t a problem if it’s the right name
  • Francesca – loved it for ages, but a friend has just used it

Their name style is for names that have been forgotten by most people, a bit quirky, and with a vintage feel. They would like a name that is interesting and offbeat, but not “made up”. They seem to be leaning towards three-syllable names ending with -a, and Emily loves names that have a European/French vibe to them but don’t sound out of place in an English-speaking country.

David and Emily have a typically Scottish surname, such as Baxter, Cameron or Ramsay.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Emily and David, I know you probably feel slightly desperate, with your baby due in only a few weeks, and still no name picked for her. However, I think you’re actually doing really great. You know what your name style is, and you have very compatible tastes in names. You’ve already drawn up a list of lovely names, and if your daughter was born tomorrow, you could probably use any of them for her.

I think you had such a dream run choosing the name for your first child that your expectations are slightly unrealistic. Sometimes the perfect name drops into your lap from the heavens, but you can’t expect that to happen every time. Finding little niggling things wrong with the names you like best is completely normal.

I’d stop trying to find the perfect name that ticks absolutely every box and has no flaws of any kind, and concentrate on finding one that you both like, and that you can imagine saying every day for the rest of your lives. A name that your daughter can grow into and grow up with, and a name that fits into your family and lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be “perfect” – it just needs to work for you.

Let’s have a look at your name list:

Cressida

I’m extremely biased, as this is one of my favourite names and has been for many years. I love the upper-class eccentric feel of the name, and the crisp sound of the first syllable. The meaning of the name – “golden” – is also beautiful.

I know you’re a bit worried about the Toyota Cressida, but they stopped making them 20 years ago, which seems like ancient history to me. The Cressida isn’t a famous or classic car, and I haven’t heard it mentioned for decades (I actually forgot this car even existed) . In Australia, the car isn’t said the same way as the name either – it’s pronounced kreh-SEE-dah, whereas the girl’s name is KREHS-ih-dah (in the US, they say the car name “correctly”). On the one hand, that makes the human name distinct from the car; on the other hand, some people may try to say your daughter’s name like the car, and would need gentle correction.

The fact that you feel a bit excited about this name is a good sign, and the way it breaks one of your “rules” is also encouraging. You didn’t want another name starting with C, so the fact you are still seriously considering it means you must be very interested. I would definitely keep this one on your list for now.

Ottilie

I love the idea of this name, but like you, I’d be concerned about the pronunciation. I’ve listened to it being said by people from around the world on forvo, and it seems to be said quite differently in each country. The only English-speaking nation to contribute is the USA, and they seem to have two pronunciations – OTT-uh-lee, and aw-TIL-ee-uh. I actually don’t know how to pronounce this name correctly, and I’m unclear as to whether there even is a correct way to say it. I’ve tried saying all the pronunciations in my standard Australian accent, and I’m not impressed with the results. I think you’d have to be really certain you knew how it was going to be said, prepared to educate people on it, and to be forgiving if they mangled it. If this doesn’t daunt you, then you obviously love the name dearly, and should keep it on your list.

Josephine

This is a great name, and a classic which has never gained high levels of popularity. However, I dislike it as a sister match to Clementine, as to me the endings of the names are too similar.

Isadora

I think this name is gorgeous, and would make a lovely match with Clementine, and with your surname. I don’t think she would be “yet another Izzy”, as most girls called Isabella go by Bella as their nickname. I think you are worrying way too much about Dora the Explorer – Dora the Explorer is a positive character! She’s smart, kind, friendly and helpful. I would definitely keep this one your list, and give it serious consideration.

Mathilda

I sympathise with David – he’s right, Clementine and Mathilde are a great match. On the other hand, you’re right about the French pronunciation. Mathilda seems like a good compromise, and I think it’s worth keeping this one on your list too.

Francesca

The fact that your friend has used the name, and you still have it on your list, shows that you have quite an attachment to it. Understandable – it’s a lovely name, and like Clementine, is fashionable without being popular. Whether you use it or not depends on how you and your friend feel about sharing your childrens’ names; whether you think that seems cute and fun and a wonderful bond between you, or whether it would cause problems in your relationship. It probably depends a lot on what kind of a friendship you have, and maybe even how often you see each other. If both of you are happy to share, then I’d keep it on your list.

You asked for more name ideas: I feel as if you have already thought of everything by now, having already crossed off a long list of possible names. However, here’s some more:

Aurelia

Like Cressida, this name means “golden”, and is a nice match with Clementine. To me it seems European, vintage and quirky. I’ve seen a few people in birth notices choose Aurelia as a middle name, so I can tell that parents like it, but haven’t quite the confidence yet to use it as a first name. I’d like to see it move out of the middle name spot.

Elodie

You considered Eloise at one point; I thought this seemed an alternative to that. It’s pretty, French, and like Clementine is fashionable and underused at present.

Lilias

You might think this is a bit corny, but I couldn’t resist matching your Scottish surname with a Scottish name. Lilith was on your reject list, and this has a very similar sound. As a clementine is a type of mandarin, Clementine and Lilias is a sweet “fruit and flower” sibset.

Miranda

This is a Latinate name like Clementine, and I think Clementine and Miranda make a pretty and romantic sibset. Miranda is a name which is currently gaining in popularity while not being heavily used yet, and I think it would meet with widespread approval.

Rosamund or Rosamond

You already rejected Rosalie and Rosalind, so I thought I’d try you with another Rose name. It’s European, aristocratic and slightly off-beat, and Clementine and Rosamund make an elegant sibset.

Sylvia or Silvia

To me, this has a similar feel to many names on your reject list. It’s European and vintage, and definitely isn’t heavily used. I like the woodsy meaning, and the silvery sound of the name. Like Clementine, it’s not a nature name, but it somehow feels like one.

Readers, when you hear the name Cressida, do you think “girl” or “car”? Which names on Emily and David’s list do you like best, or which names would you recommend to them?

NOTE: The baby’s name was Isadora Mathilde!

Popular Names for Boys

06 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

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

Follows on from Popular Names for Girls.

William

William is a solidly classic name which has never left the Top 50. It was the #1 name of the 1900s, and gradually decreased in popularity, hitting its lowest point during the 1970s, at #48. However, its fortunes were soon to recover, because in 1982, heir to the British throne Prince Philip, and his then wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, welcomed their first child and eldest son, William Arthur Philip Louis. Prince William was named after his father’s cousin and personal hero, Prince William of Gloucester, who died in an air crash ten years earlier. Prince William made his first visit to Australia as a baby, and this was an immediate help to the name’s popularity. By the time Prince William began university in 2001, the name was already in the NSW Top 10. It reached #1 in 2009, the year after Catherine Middleton began accompanying Prince William to official functions, and there it has remained. In 2011, Prince William made a much-appreciated visit to flood-affected areas of Australia, and shortly afterwards treated the world to a slap-up royal wedding. It’s likely this princely name will remain at the top for at least another year.

Jack

Jack is a classic name which has never left the charts. Top 100 during the 1900s-30s, it sunk to its lowest point in the 1970s, at #269. However, so rapid was its growth that it joined the Top 100 again during the 1980s – the same decade that pop singer John Farnham released his Whispering Jack album. Whispering Jack went to #1, and is the highest-selling album ever in Australia, having gone platinum 24 times over. By the 1990s, Jack was already Top 10, a decade when Leonardo di Caprio played water-logged lover Jack Dawson in the romantic movie Titanic, and teen heartthrob Daniel Amalam played bad boy Jack Wilson in soapie Home and Away. By the start of the 2000s, Jack was #2. It made #1 by 2004, the year that the TV show LOST began, with its hero Dr. Jack Shephard, and the year after Johnny Depp played Captain Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. Jack remained in first place until 2008, the year that AC/DC released their single Big Jack. Jack the Lad may have had his day, but won’t be going anywhere fast, and is still the #1 name in some states.

Ethan

Ethan is a name from Hebrew which means “solid, enduring”. In the Old Testament, Ethan is said to have been a very wise man who wrote Psalm 89. Ethan first entered the charts in the 1970s, and took off during the 1980s, as film-maker Ethan Coen began his career, working in tandem with his brother Joel. At the end of the 1980s, actor Ethan Hawke got his big break in Dead Poets’ Society. By the 1990s, Ethan was a Top 100 name, and it was in this decade that Tom Cruise first played Ethan Hunt, the hero of the Mission Impossible films, Ethan Philips joined the cast of TV show Star Trek, and Ethan Rayne was introduced as a character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was also during the 1990s that surfing champ Wendy Botha welcomed a son named Ethan. In 2006, Ethan joined the Top 10 – the year after the Ethan Group, an Australian IT company, won the BRW Fast 100. Singer Dannii Minogue, Kylie’s sister, welcomed a son named Ethan in 2010, and that probably won’t hurt the chances of this strong yet gentle-sounding name going higher still.

Oliver

Oliver is the English form of French name Olivier, but it’s unclear whether it’s the Norman form of Germanic Alfher, meaning “elf warrior”, or Old Norse Aleifr, meaning “ancestor’s descendant” (related to Olaf). The spelling was altered to make it seem as if the name came from the Latin oliva, meaning “olive tree”. A classic which has never left the charts, Oliver was Top 100 in the 1900s, but then sank into rare use. It recovered during the 1970s, the decade after the release of Oliver!, the musical based on Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist. In this decade, actress Goldie Hawn welcomed a son named Oliver. The name gained ground during the 1980s, and was Top 100 during the 1990s. Late in the ’90s, the first Harry Potter book was published, featuring Harry’s Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood. In the 2000s, the books were turned into films, with Oliver Phelps playing the role of George Weasley. By 2006, the debut of TV show Hannah Montana, where Oliver Oken is the best guy-friend of the heroine, it was Top 20, and by 2008 it was Top 10. By 2010 it was Top 5; Oliver may go higher if you want some more.

Lucas

Lucas is the Latin form of Greek Loukas, on which English Luke is based. Lucas first entered the charts in the 1950s. There was noticeable growth during the 1970s, the decade that George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie, and then it remained stable for several decades in the very low 100s. However, in the 2000s it made the Top 100, and at this point it fairly raced up the charts. A possible help to the name was the television drama series, One Tree Hill, in which Chad Michael Murray plays the main protagonist, Lucas Scott. This brooding, blue-eyed, sporty yet bookish hero proved something of a hit with the female demographic. Meanwhile, Lucas Holden on Australian soap Home and Away was also a literary teenager, who ended up having a controversially steamy scene with his onscreen girlfriend. By 2006, the year that soccer star Lucas Neill played for Australia in the World Cup, it was in the Top 50. By 2007 it was Top 20, and by 2010 it was Top 10. The 2000s were kind to Lucas, and at this point, lucky Lucas seems almost certain to go to #1.

Noah

Noah is derived from the Hebrew name Noach, meaning “rest, comfort”. Noah is well known from the Old Testament story, where he builds an ark which saves his family and the animals of all species to survive the Great Flood, sent by God as a one-off punishment to wicked humanity. The name Noah entered the charts in the 1980s, the decade when Noah Hathaway gave an award-winning performance as boy-warrior Atreyu, in the fantasy film, The Neverending Story. Also in the 1980s, Australian actor Noah Taylor made his film debut as the main character in the critically acclaimed The Year My Voice Broke. Noah climbed steadily, then suddenly shot up during the 1990s, the decade that Boris Becker welcomed a son named Noah, so that it was in the Top 50 by the 2000s. Noah joined the Top 20 in 20005, the year after Ryan Gosling played the young version of Noah Calhoun, the devoted lover from romantic film, The Notebook. In 2006, Noah was in the Top 10. However, Noah has remained reasonably stable, with no signs of moving significantly up or down, and we must wait to see whether it sinks or swims.

Lachlan

Lachlan is a Scottish name which began as a nickname for someone from Norway. In Scotland, Norway was known as the “the land of the lochs”, or Lochlann. Lachlan Macquarie was born in the Hebrides, and became Governor of New South Wales in 1809. To the British government of the time, Australia was a penal colony for offloading the dregs of their society; convicts must be treated cruelly, former convicts exploited, and little money spent. The government fretted as Macquarie pardoned convicts, employed freed convicts in important positions, put up beautiful Georgian buildings, and spent lavishly on public works. Eventually the British booted him, but for giving us a future and sticking up for us, he is considered the father of our nation. Lachlan has been almost continuously in the charts, only dropping out in the 1930s, but was in rare use until it began rising in the 1960s. In 1971, media magnate Rupert Murdoch chose this name for his eldest son, and the name rose significantly. It was Top 100 by the 1980s, Top 20 by the 1990s, and Top 5 by the early 2000s. The position of this patriotic favourite has been stable for more than a decade.

Cooper

Cooper is an English surname which means “barrel-maker”. One of the most famous rivers in Australia is Cooper Creek, where doomed explorers Burke and Wills met their end, and Australian racing car driver Jack Brabham drove for the Cooper Car Company. Cooper first entered the charts in the 1980s, and made good ground during the 1990s, a decade when Bill Murray and Hugh Hefner both welcomed sons named Cooper. By the 2001, the name was in the Top 50, and then it soared. It got some serious sporting muscle as Quade Cooper joined the national men’s rugby union team, the Wallabies, and Cooper Cronk joined the national rugby league team. Cronk was also part of the Melbourne Storm team which won five Premierships or Minor Premierships within four years. Originally from Brisbane, he plays for the Queensland state side, which insists on winning the State of Origin series every year. Handsome, athletic and an extremely talented player, Mr Cronk seems like a big part of the reason the name Cooper is #1 in Queensland. Cooper made the Top 10 in 2007, and the Top 5 the following year, but now seems to be falling without reaching the top spot.

Thomas

Thomas is from an Aramaic word meaning “twin”, and in the New Testament, Saint Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles. Thomas was his nickname; his real name was Judas. Presumably he was the twin of someone in the Biblical stories, or just a lookalike or kindred soul, but frustratingly, the Bible neglects to explain whose “twin” he was. People who like logical explanations for things often cite Thomas as their favourite Apostle, because when he heard that Jesus had been resurrected, he refused to believe it until he could see and touch Jesus for himself – hence the phrase, Doubting Thomas for a sceptical person. Thomas is a classic which has never left the Top 100. In the Top 5 of the 1900s, it gradually declined, and reached its lowest point in the 1970s, at #68. It climbed smoothly through the 1980s, the decade that saw Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks become stars. By the 1990s, it was in the Top 5, and maintained position in the 2000s as Tom Felton played Draco in the Harry Potter films, making many a teen girl switch to Team Slytherin. However, it may be very gradually going down now.

James

James is the Latinised form of Jacob, and must be one of the most successful names from the New Testament. The name of two of the apostles, this doubly saintly name is also a royal one in Britain, where there have been seven Scottish kings called James. The King James Version of the Bible was commissioned by King James I of England (James VI of Scotland), giving it yet another tie to this sacred book. In Australia, the most famous James is Captain James Cook, the explorer who discovered our continent. A classic which has never left the Top 20, James reached its lowest point in the 1960s and ’70s at #19. Recovery was so swift that it was Top 10 in the 1980s, and Top 5 in the 1990s. Since the 1970s, there have been many Jameses in the public eye, real and fictional. Actors James Woods, James Spader, James Marsters, and James Phelps; singers James Blundell, James Morrison and James Blunt (not to mention the band James); Captain James Kirk from Star Trek; and the inimitable James Bond. James is the name of Harry Potter’s father – his mum’s name Lily is also Top 10. Cool James is falling again, at glacial speed.

(Picture shows Prince William as a baby with his parents, Prince Philip and Diana, Princess of Wales; image from Royal Wedding)

Iridessa and Bambam: Created Names from the Bonds Baby Search

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Baby Contests

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Obviously all names are created at some point, but these are ones whose origins  seem easier to spot than most, or which were created for a specific purpose, or for a person who later became famous.

GIRLS

Alinta (an Aboriginal name meaning “fire”, used by a power company as their name)

Chevelle (a make of car)

Chevi (from Chevy, a make of car)

Cordelia (seems to have been created by Shakespeare for King Lear, from older sources)

Evangeline (said to have been created by Longfellow in his poem of the same name, from Greek)

Haidee (created by Byron in his poem Don Juan, probably from Greek)

Iridessa (one of the Disney Fairies in the Tinkberbell films; based on the word iridescent?)

Jovie (a character from the movie Elf; based on the word jovial?)

Juliet (created by Shakespeare for Romeo and Juliet; an Anglicisation of Giulietta)

Katara (a character from Avatar: The Last Airbender TV show; the word for an Indian dagger)

Lorna (created by R.D. Blackmore for his novel Lorna Doone; perhaps from a Scottish place name)

Lyra (created by Philip Pullman for the His Dark Materials series, from the constellation)

Miranda (created by Shakespeare for The Tempest, from Latin)

Mahalia (singer Mahala Jackson put an i in her name to become Mahalia Jackson)

Mavis (created by Marie Corelli for The Sorrows of Satan; old name for a song thrush)

Miakoda (touted as a Native American name, but actually from an obscure 1970s sci-fi novel)

Miette (often used in French cinema and from The Sleeping Ballet ballet; means “crumb, morsel”)

Miley (nickname of actress Destiny Cyrus, based on the word smiley)

Nessa (an angelic character mentioned in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings)

Perdita (created by Shakespeare for The Winter’s Tale, from Latin)

Pollyanna (perhaps created by Eleanor H. Portman for her novel of the same name)

Scout (nickname of Jean Finch, the narrator of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird)

Shara (a place name in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time fantasy series).

Solara (a make of car)

Talaara (a character from World of Warcraft role-playing game)

Talitha (taken from an Aramaic phrase in the New Testament, meaning “little girl)

Tandia (seemingly created by Bryce Courtenay for his novel of the same name; an African surname)

Vanessa (created by Jonathan Swift for his poem Cadmus and Vanessa, based on a friend’s name)

Zali (ski-er Zali’s Steggall’s name seems to be a created name, possibly from a Slavic place name)

 

BOYS

Arda (the name given to Earth in Tolkien’s fantasy world)

Aslan (the name of the Christ-like Lion in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series)

Atreju (original German name for Atreyu from The Neverending Story)

Bam (nickname of skateboarder Brandon Margera, from the onomatopoeic word)

Bambam (a character from The Flintstones cartoon; onomatopoeic)

Caeulum (the Latin word for “sky, heavens”)

Che (nickname of revolutionary Ernesto Guevara; slang for “mate, buddy, pal”)

Dorian (used as a name by Oscar Wilde for The Portrait of Dorian Gray, from Greek)

Dre (nickname of radio personality André “Doctor Dré” Brown, short for his first name)

Jaylen (based on Jalen; basketballer Jalen Rose’s name is James + Leonard)

Jharral (based on Jharal; NRL player Jharal Yow Yeh’s name is the initials of the men in his family)

Kailo (from a Proto-Indian-European word meaning “whole, healthy”)

Keanu (seemingly created by the parents of actor Keanu Reeves)

Neo (main character from The Matrix movies, Latin for “new”)

Reiv (character from the Fire Emblem video games)

Rohan (a place name in Tolkien’s fantasy world)

Sonova (a combination of the Latin words for sound and new)

Stryder (Strider is the alias of Aragorn in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings)

Thorion (character from the comic book Thorion of the New Asgods)

Tynnan (a species in the Star Wars franchise)

Waltzing With … Cruz

11 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by in Waltzing with ...

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

This blog post was first published on September 11 2011, and substantially revised and updated on September 18 2015.

On Saturday September 17, Australia celebrates Australian Citizenship Day. The date was chosen because September 17 was the day that the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 was renamed, in 1973, The Australian Citizenship Act 1948. We have been celebrating Australian Citizenship Day since 2001, and it is organised by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Australian Citizenship Day is one to think about what unites as Australians, to take pride in our national citizenship, and to celebrate our democratic values and commitment to a fair go, equality, and respect for each other. Local councils are encouraged to hold citizenship ceremonies and affirmation ceremonies, where you affirm your loyalty to Australia, just it case it had started waning in the interim.

Citizenship Day is one to remember that we are all Australian citizens, whether you were born here 80 years ago, or just took out citizenship. It seems like a great opportunity to look at a name that has only recently come to Australia from another land, and although many names have been welcomed to our shores, this one stood out as a success.

Name Information
Cruz is a common Spanish surname which means “cross”, coming from the Latin word crucis; it originated in Castile. Many places throughout Europe got their name from a prominent cross used as a marker; perhaps for a public meeting place or a market. This is the origin of the surname, and as there are people called Cruz in Spain, there are Crosses in Britain, Groses in France, Kreuzes in Germany, and so on. In the Christian era, the name took on religious significance, and in some cases the surname Cruz might have been bestowed on someone who carried a crucifix at festivals.

Cruz has been used as a personal name in Spain since the Middle Ages. You can often find it in name combinations such as Santa Cruz (“holy cross”) or Vera Cruz (“true cross”), to underline its Christian significance. In early records, it seems to have been commonly given to babies born during the Lenten and Easter seasons. The other key date for the name is around mid-September – The Feast of the Holy Cross is on September 14.

The name was originally given mostly, but not exclusively, to girls. However overall the name has been given fairly evenly to both sexes in Spain, but with females still ahead. In Latin America, records show it as unisex, but with males slightly ahead of females. The name isn’t popular in Spanish-speaking countries, and is often seen as rather dated for either gender.

The United States is the only English-speaking country where Cruz has much of a history, thanks to its significant Hispanic population. It has been on and off the US Top 1000 since records began in 1880, and has been continually on the charts for boys since 1980. It charted as a girl’s name a few times in the years leading up to World War II. Currently Cruz is #290 in the US, and fairly stable.

In the UK, the name Cruz gained publicity after English football star David Beckham chose it for his third son. Although it is presumed the Beckhams chose a Spanish name to honour David Beckham’s football team at the time, Real Madrid, and perhaps as a nod toward the tattoo of a cross David got in 2004, (apparently for vaguely religious reasons), Cruz seems much more of an “American-style” name, like his siblings Brooklyn and Harper, than one used in Spain. The name began charting in the UK after Cruz Beckham’s birth in 2005, and it is currently #381 and rising.

In Australia, Cruz is a celebrity baby name as well, as tennis champion Lleyton Hewitt, and his wife, actress Bec Cartwright, called their son Cruz in 2008. It seems to be a name which appeals to male sportsmen, because there are several other Australian athletes with sons named Cruz. Cruz shows up a few times in Australian historical records, always on people of Hispanic heritage, and often from countries such as the Philippines or islands such as Guam. In 2012, the name Cruz was #115 in Victoria, and would have been in the Top 100 if combined with the spelling Cruze.

Apart from the obvious star-factor of the name Cruz, I think it’s doing well in Australia because it’s short, simple, sounds very boyish to our ears, and the z-ending seems to give it a little pizzazz. It’s almost a “car” name in Australia, as we have the Holden Cruze, so this connection with sports and cars probably makes it seem blokey.

Perhaps it also reminds parents of the slang words cruise and cruisey, which seem to sum up our relaxed attitude and way of life. If anyone looks up the meaning and sees that it means “cross”, it will of remind them of our own Southern Cross, twinkling down at us from the night sky, and appearing on our national flag. In other words, it seems like a name well suited to Australian conditions, and is almost verging on the patriotic.

Cruz had been inducted as a citizen of Australia, affirmed his loyalties to our way of life, and proudly hung his certificate on the wall. Welcome to Australia, mate.

POLL RESULTS
Cruz received an approval rating of 58%. 29% of people disliked it, while only 9% loved it.