Tag Archives: Danish names

Rare Royal Names for Boys

08 Sunday Sep 2013

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Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria

Alastair

Alastair Windsor was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria through his father, and a great-great-grandson of Victoria through his mother. Although born a prince, he was stripped of his royal titles while still a toddler, after the regulations were tightened up. Alastair went into the army, and died during World War II on active service, in unconventional circumstances. He had been sent to Canada as aide-de-camp to the Governor General, who was a relation of his. Both his regiment and the Governor General had rejected him as incompetent, and he fell out of a window while drunk. It can get very cold in Canada, and Alastair succumbed to hypothermia overnight. Alastair is the Anglicised form of Alasdair, a Scottish form of Alexander. Alasdair Mòr Mac Dòmhnaill is the ancestor of the Clan MacAlister. I think Alastair very handsome, and in a country where Lachlan and Hamish are common, it doesn’t seem out of place. If the alas at the start bothers you, it can also be spelled the more common Alistair.

Athelstan

Although there had been many English kings before him, Athelstan the Glorious was the first ruler of all England, and the first who can be called king of the English. He was the grandson of Alfred the Great, and like his grandfather, had a reputation as a man of great intelligence and justice. His household was a centre for learning, he created the most centralised government England had yet had, maintained social order, encouraged literature, was an unbeaten military leader, and a key player in international affairs. He gets rave reviews from medieval historians, and even foreign writers of his time were eager to sing his praises. He is a king worthy of admiration, yet while the name Alfred was successfully revived and is still used now, Athelstan went out of use after the Norman Conquest, and remains extremely rare. Just doesn’t seem fair, does it? Athelstan is the modern form of the Anglo-Saxon name Æþelstan, meaning “noble stone”; it was very common amongst Anglo-Saxon royalty and nobility, and there are quite a few other kings with the name. I admit it does seem a little unwieldy, but it comes with the nickname Stan.

August

August was the second name of Prince Ernst August, a great-great grandson of George III and cousin of George V. As a member of the Hanoverian family, he was born a prince of Britain and Ireland, but during World War I, anti-German sentiment convinced the British royal family to strip the titles from their German relatives. However, the Hanoverians didn’t consider themselves bound by British rules, and continued to call themselves princes and princesses. To this day, the Hanoverians ask the British monarch for permission to marry, like other royals. It’s a bit of an odd situation. Prince Ernst was the last reigning monarch of the House of Hanover, and his marriage to Princess Victoria of Prussia the last large gathering of European royals before World War I broke out – he was very much the end of an era. August is the German form of Augustus, a traditional middle name in the Hanoverian royal family which continues to be handed down. You can also see August as after the month, in which case it can be given to both sexes.

Axel

Axel was the final middle name of Prince Georg Wilhelm Ernst August Friedrich Axel, the son of Prince Ernst August. He married Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, who was Prince Philip’s sister. The name Axel is the medieval Danish form of the Hebrew name Absalom. In the Old Testament, Absalom was a son of King David, staggeringly handsome and extremely charming. He rebelled against his father; it’s a pretty awful story involving incest, rape and murder, and not one of the most uplifting parts of the Bible. Absalom was killed when he got his head stuck in a tree, which is meant to be very ironic for some reason. To me the ironic part is his name means “my father is peace”, and he went to war against his father. Axel is not a popular name in Australia, but I feel as if it will be in a few years, based on how frequently I see it in birth notices – it is #164 in Victoria. Its use seems to be influenced by singer Axl Rose, whose stage name is famously an anagram.

Edmund

Edmund the Magnificent was half-brother to Athelstan the Glorious, and his successor to the throne. He only ruled for a few years before he was murdered, but in that short time he had important military victories in the north, established peace with Scotland, began reviving the monasteries and helped restore Louis IV to the throne of France. His great-grandson Edmund Ironsides fought valiantly against the Danes, and although ultimately defeated by King Canute, was a skilled and inspiring leader. Edmund is an Old English name meaning “rich protector”, and it was common amongst Anglo-Saxon royalty and nobility. Saint Edmund the Martyr was a King of East Anglia killed by the Danes, and was the patron saint of England until Saint George got the gig – there is a movement in East Anglia to reinstate him. Unlike many other Anglo-Saxon names, Edmund remained in use after the Conquest (probably because of the saint), and was even used in the royal family. It’s surprising how rare this name is compared to classic, popular Edward, but it’s a very handsome and noble one. Narnia fans will know it as the name of the treacherous Pevensie brother, who redeems himself and becomes a king of Narnia. Edmund “Ted” Gyngell is a recent celebrity baby, sometimes called Edmund the Magnificent after his namesake.

Emmanuel

Emmanuel was the final middle name of Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, otherwise known as Prince Albert. He married his cousin Victoria, who was the heir to the British throne at the time. Victoria had the choice of two cousins to wed, and chose Albert as the most handsome and charming. Queen Victoria was devoted to Albert, and he was a great support to her, holding quite a bit of power behind the throne. A progressive and liberal thinker, he helped bring in many reforms, set the example that monarchy must be above politics, and made a huge success of the Great Exhibition of 1851. He died while only in his early 40s, and Queen Victoria was devastated. She wore mourning for the rest of her days and withdrew from public life. Emmanuel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is with us”; the Old Testament gives the name in a prophecy, and the New Testament attached it to Jesus Christ as the Messiah. The name was common amongst European royalty, but less often used in Britain. In Australia it’s possibly best known as a surname, from guitarist Tommy Emmanuel.

Eustace

Eustace was the eldest son of King Stephen, and a great-grandson of William the Conqueror. Stephen had become king of England in a rather controversial way. After the heir to the throne had drowned in a disastrous shipwreck, Stephen had himself declared king by popular acclaim and was speedily crowned before anyone knew what was happening. The Empress Matilda had been next in line, but she was only a woman, and Stephen thought he should rule instead. Matilda didn’t agree, and their subsequent battle for power threw England into a state of anarchy for nearly two decades. Stephen had Eustace declared his co-king, but the church refused to ratify this, and nearly everyone was greatly relieved when the teenaged Eustace unexpectedly died. Generally perceived as rather a blot, his welcome demise allowed peace negotiations to go ahead. Even more conveniently, Stephen died the following year leaving Matilda’s son, Henry II, as ruler. Eustace is the English form of Greek Eustachios, meaning “rich crop”, a name chosen for himself by a 2nd century Roman general and martyr who had been born Placidus, and is known as Saint Eustace; because of him, the name was common during the Middle Ages. This is another name from The Narnia Chronicles, because Eustace Scrubb was a rather annoying character who, like the saint, was converted from his previous beliefs. Hardly anybody seems to like the name Eustace, and even C.S. Lewis made fun of Eustace Scrubb’s name.

Leopold

Prince Leopold was a son of Queen Victoria, named after his great-uncle, Leopold I of Belgium, who had helped arrange the marriage of Victoria and Albert. Leopold’s birth is famous because his mother used chloroform during labour, giving the royal seal of approval for women to seek pain relief during childbirth. Prince Leopold inherited the family condition of haemophilia and also had mild epilepsy; he became a patron of the arts, literature and chess. He knew Alice Liddell, famous as the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice books (one of which revolves around chess), and some believe he considered marrying her, although others say it was her older sister Edith who was his intended wife. Queen Victoria arranged for him to marry Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, a distant cousin. Leopold’s marriage was happy, and he and Helena had a daughter named Alice, but he died as a result of haemophilia after only a few years. He passed away just before his son Charles was born. Alice inherited the haemophilia gene, and passed it on to her son Rupert, who also died young. Leopold is a Germanic name meaning “bold people”; it was common amongst German royalty. This rather grandiose name has popular Leo as the nickname.

Magnus

Magnus was a son of King Harold II and Edith the Fair, or Edith the Gentle Swan, sometimes (wrongly) called Edith Swan-neck. Harold and Edith were married in a traditional manner known as handfasting, and although Edith was regarded as Harold’s wife by regular people, and their children as princes and princesses, the clergy saw her only as his mistress because they hadn’t wed in a Christian ceremony. Harold did have another wife, also called Edith, but this was a marriage of political convenience, and not a love match as it was with Edith the Fair. According to legend, after Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings, only Edith the Fair could identify his body by markings she knew, so Harold was able to have a Christian burial. Magnus is a Latin name meaning “great”; Magnus Maximus was a 4th century Western Roman Emperor who became important in British folklore and Welsh legend, and is part of the mythology of King Arthur. There are several saints named Magnus, and it was a traditional name in the royal families of Norway and Sweden. The name is often thought of as Scottish, and one of the Saints Magnus was from Scotland. This is a great name, rich in history and legend, strong and interesting, and a good alternative to Max.

Octavius

Prince Octavius was the thirteenth child of King George III, and doted upon by his adoring parents. At the age of four, he was inoculated against the smallpox virus, and as vaccination was still in its experimental stages, became ill and died, the last member of the British royal family to suffer from smallpox. The sudden death of the tiny prince caused his family immense grief, and during his later bouts of madness, King George even had hallucinations about Octavius. What made it harder for them was they had lost Octavius’ younger brother Alfred in exactly the same way six months previously. Octavius is a Roman name coming from the Latin for “eight”; Octavius was the eighth son of King George III. Octavius seems very hip – fresher than Atticus and Orlando, with a distinct feel of its own. It would be a good choice for an eighth child or grandchild, or someone born in August (the 8th month) or October.

POLL RESULT: People’s favourite names were August, Magnus, and Alastair, and their least favourite were Octavius, Athelstan and Eustace.

(Picture shows a portrait of Prince Albert and his royal family by Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Rare Royal Names for Girls

01 Sunday Sep 2013

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Berengaria

Royal babies have been on everyone’s mind lately, and we recently saw two babies born in the royal family within less than a month of each other.

Not only have been people been doing web searches for Prince George and Maud Windsor, they’ve been searching for royal baby names in general, uncommon royal names, and royal names that nobody else is using.

So here is a list of queens and princesses connected to English royal houses by either birth or marriage, whose names aren’t popular or common in Australia (although I can’t promise nobody else will use them).

Adeliza

Adeliza of Louvain married Henry I, and became queen of England. She was considered pretty, but didn’t manage to produce any royal heirs. However, after Henry’s death she re-married, and had seven children; she is an ancestor of many of the noble English families. William the Conqueror had a daughter called Adeliza, named after his sister – the name wasn’t uncommon amongst Norman-French aristocracy. Adeliza is a medieval English form of Adelais, a short form of Adelheidis, the original old Germanic form of Adelaide. It’s pronounced ad-uh-LEE-za. Although it doesn’t have any connection to the name Elizabeth, it looks like a combination of Adele and Eliza, and might feel like a way to honour relatives who have variants of these names. It’s rare, but doesn’t seem unfamiliar.

Berengaria

Berengaria of Navarre was Queen of England through her marriage to Richard I, “the Lionheart”. She is the only English queen never to set foot in the country, since she only visited England after her husband’s death, when she was no longer queen. Richard himself spent only a few months in England during his marriage, as he was busy Crusading. Richard and Berengaria never had any children, and it is not known if their marriage was ever consummated, as they spent so much time apart. Richard’s family seem to have liked her, and there are a few other royal English Berengarias, perhaps named after her. Berengaria was a traditional name amongst Spanish royalty, and is the feminine form of Berengar, an ancient Germanic name meaning “bear spear”. It is pronounced behr-en-GAR-ee-uh, and the name has been bestowed upon a planet in the Star Trek universe inhabited by dragon-like creatures. This doesn’t sound like any currently popular names, and the nickname Berry is appealing.

Christabel

Christabel was the middle name of Princess Alice, wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, a son of George V. Princess Alice was born into the aristocracy on both sides of her family, and was a direct descendant of Charles II, through an illegitimate line. She is related to Sarah, Duchess of York, the wife of Alice’s great-nephew, Prince Andrew. Just after the Second World War, Prince Henry was appointed Governor-General of Australia, and he and Princess Alice lived in Canberra for two years. The name Christabel is a combination of Christina with a -bel suffix, but Princess Alice was given this name because was born on December 25, and the name suggests Christmas bells. Her niece Princess Alexandra was also born on Christmas Day, and shares the middle name Christabel. Apart from the Christmas connection, this pretty name might seem like a good way to honour a Christine and an Isobel (for example) simultaneously.

Elfreda

Elfreda was one of the wives of Edgar I, and she was the first king’s wife to be crowned and anointed as Queen of England. Beautiful and powerful, she was unfortunately linked with the murder of her stepson Saint Edward the Martyr, and ever after appears in medieval history in the role of evil stepmother. Her own son, replacement to the martyred Edward, was Ethelred the Unready, only a child when he took the throne. Elfreda was a traditional name amongst Anglo-Saxon royalty, and Alfred the Great of Wessex had a daughter named Elfreda, an ancestor of Queen Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror; through Matilda, the monarchs of England are descendants of the House of Wessex. There is a Saint Elfreda, an Anglo-Saxon princess. Elfreda is a modern spelling of the Anglo-Saxon name Ælfþryð, meaning “elf strength”. The name went out of use after the Norman Conquest, but was revived in the 19th century, although it never became popular. Freda would make a good nickname – unfortunately, sweet Elfie would probably be misheard as Alfie, leading to confusion.

Eugenie

Eugenie was the second name of Victoria Eugenie, a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria who married Alfonso XIII and became Queen of Spain. Her grandson Juan Carlos I is the current king of Spain. Unfortunately, her marriage to Alfonso wasn’t particularly happy, and she didn’t enjoy great popularity with the Spanish people – she was greeted with an assassination attempt on her wedding day. After the Republicans gained power, Victoria Eugenie went into exile with the rest of the Spanish royal family. Queen Victoria Eugenie’s middle name was in honour of her godmother, Maria Eugenia “Eugénie” de Montijo, empress consort to Napoleon III. Eugénie was a member of the Spanish nobility, and after the defeat of the Second French Empire, she lived in England, where she became friendly with the British royal family. The name remains well-known because of Princess Eugenie of York, daughter of Prince Andrew, who was named after Victoria Eugenie. Eugenie is the Anglicisation of Eugénie, the French form of Eugenia, which is the feminine form of Greek Eugenius, meaning “well born, of noble birth”. This elegant name is said yoo-JEE-nee, and Gina or Genie could be used as nicknames.

Marina

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark was a cousin of Prince Philip. Like her cousin, she married into the British royal family when she wed Prince George, the Duke of Kent, an uncle of Queen Elizabeth II; she was the last foreign-born princess to marry into the British royal family. Princess Marina was attractive and stylish, earning her a place in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame, and her favourite shade of blue-green became known as “Marina blue”. Princess Marina’s mother was the grand-daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, and Marina may have been named after Princess Marina of Russia. Princess Marina and the Duke of Kent were married in 1934, and a year later, Swiss water-ski champ Marina Doria was born, which looks more than coincidental. Oddly enough, Marina Doria also became Princess Marina, when she married a prince of Naples. Marina’s name has been passed down to her grand-daughter, Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina Windsor, and I have seen a birth announcement for a Scarlett Marina this week. Marina is the feminine form of the Roman name Marinus, which may be from the Latin for “of the sea”. There are two saints named Marina, and it’s also the name Saint Margaret is known by in the Orthodox church. Marina is a very beautiful name, and familiar in Australia due to entertainer Marina Prior.

Melita

Princess Victoria Melita was a grand-daughter of both Queen Victoria and Tsar Alexander II, making her Princess Marina’s great-aunt. Her love life was one of great turmoil, because she fell in love with her cousin Kirill, Grand Duke of Russia, but was forced to marry her cousin Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse instead. The marriage wasn’t a success, as Victoria Melita preferred Kirill, and Ernest preferred young boys. Soon after Victoria and Ernest ‘s divorce, Kirill was almost killed during the Russo-Japanese War, and this brush with death made him realise that nothing was more important than being with his true love. He defied his family, and married Victoria Melita, much to his parents’ rage and disgust. Although their marriage and family life was happy, the Russian Revolution and subsequent exile was a setback, and the couple rather naively supported the Nazi Party. More emotional pain followed for Victoria when Kirill was unfaithful to her, which she never got over. Her life contained some bitterness, but Victoria Melita’s middle name has a sweet meaning. Melita is the Latin name for the island of Malta, thought to come from its Greek name, Melite, meaning “sweet as honey”; Malta was famous for its honey production. This doesn’t sound out of place next to popular names like Mila and Layla, and would be a great way to honour Maltese ancestry; you could use Millie or Lita as nicknames.

Sibylla

Princess Sibylla (born Sibylle) was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria who married her second-cousin Prince Gustaf Adolf (known as “Edmund”) of Sweden; her son Carl XVI Gustaf is the current king of Sweden. The couple don’t seem to have been very popular in Sweden, being plagued by rumours of Nazi sympathising, of which there is no proof. Unfortunately, Sibylla did have quite a few relatives in the Nazi Party in Germany, who threw her a big fat Nazi wedding, and this can’t have been a help at soothing suspicions. The name Sibylla (or Sybilla) has been used amongst European royalty and nobility since the Middle Ages, and has been connected with the British royal family from early on. William the Conqueror’s son Robert was married to a Sybilla, and Henry I had an illegitimate daughter named Sybilla, who married Alexander I of Scotland. Sibylla is from the Greek word for a female prophet of the ancient world who uttered divine revelations in a state of frenzy; the word became sibyl in English. During the Middle Ages, it was thought that the Greek and Romans sybils had been precursors to Christian prophecy, and therefore gained respectability as a Christian concept and name. This name (and its variants), though uncommon, is quite trendy in Australia, being known from actress Sibylla Budd, and the heroine of My Brilliant Career, Sybylla Melvyn, whose name inspired feminist publishing house, Sybylla Press.

Sigrid

The splendidly-named Sigrid the Haughty was supposedly the wife of Sweyn Forkbeard, who ruled England before the Conquest, in the days when the Danish royal house held the throne. It’s not clear if Sigrid was her real name, because it seems that Sweyn’s wife was actually Polish rather than Scandinavian, and in fact we can’t be sure if “Sigrid the Haughty” even existed. She may well be a fictional character, but her story is compelling. Beautiful and proud, Sigrid was a woman of great political power, who tended to wreak terrible revenge on those who annoyed her, and is supposed to have burned two of her suitors to death to discourage others. It could be that this fascinating lady of legend was tacked on to a real Polish woman who married Sweyn, and became the mother of King Canute the Great. Sigrid is from the Old Norse name Sigríðr, meaning “beautiful victory”. This is another name familiar in Australia because of an actress – the very famous Sigrid Thornton. The usual nicknames are Siri and Sigi.

Thyra

Thyra was the daughter of Sigrid and Sweyn Forkbeard, the sister of Canute the Great. She was married to Godwin, the first Earl of Essex, the father of King Harold who fell at the Battle of Hastings. She didn’t live very long, and she and Godwin didn’t have any children together, so she’s rather a footnote in the history books. She may have been named after Thyra, the wife of King Gorm the Old of Denmark; they were the parents of Harald Bluetooth, the father of Sweyn Forkbeard. According to at least one source, Queen Thyra was English, the daughter of King Ethelred of Wessex. She was said to be a smart and sensible woman who led an army against the Germans, and was described as the “pride of Denmark”. According to legend, one of Thyra’s daughters was captured by trolls and carried off to their kingdom in the far north. Thyra is from the Old Norse name Þýri, derived from the name of the god Thor, and possibly meaning “Thor’s war”. The name is pronounced TEE-rah, and I think it’s attractive and contemporary-sounding, although pronunciation may be an issue, with people trying to say it THY-rah.

POLL RESULT: People’s favourite names were Marina, Adeliza, and Christabel, and their least favourite were Elfreda, Thyra, and Berengaria.

(Picture is a drawing of Queen Berengaria)

Unique Boys Names from Tasmania, 2010

09 Sunday Oct 2011

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This follows on the previous list, Unique Girls Names from Tasmania, 2010. Please read the notes attached to that to see how names were chosen. Although there were fewer unique names for boys, they were much more likely to be genuine names, and not just variant spellings of common names. Whether you like these names or not, it’s nice to know that not everyone calls their children by names from the Top 100. There’s a lot of variety out there once you start looking. (If you are unsure what the animal in the photo is, it is a Tasmanian devil). 

Ambrose

This is the English form of a Latin name derived from the Greek, meaning “immortal”. It is connected linguistically to ambrosia, the food or drink of the gods in mythology, and is said to not only taste delicious, but to have a delightful aroma. In fact, it has been argued that ambrosia means “fragrant”, rather than “immortal”. If ambrosia had any basis in reality, it may be describing a honey product, although another theory is that it refers to the hallucinogenic mushroom, Amanita muscaria. The most famous namesake is probably Saint Ambrose of Milan, a 4th century Doctor of the Church who converted Saint Augustine. Interestingly, according to legend, bees swarmed on Ambrose’s face as a baby, leaving behind a drop of honey; this does seem to link the saint with the mythical ambrosia. An old-fashioned name, this fits in with the antique name revival, and the S/Z-ending for boys names. The meaning, and its associations with divine sweetness, is also hard to resist.

Other Latin names: Adrian, Augustus, Cassius, Ignatius, Maxmilian, Roman, Rufus, Silas, Sylvester

Anakin

This is the name of a Jedi knight in the Star Wars movies, father of Luke and Leia Skywalker, who crossed over to the Dark Side, and went on to become the heavy-breathing evil villain known as Darth Vader. Annikkin Starkiller was the name that George Lucas has originally chosen for Luke Skywalker, and when there was a major plot change and Darth Vader became Luke’s dad, a slight change of spelling meant that Darthy could have Luke’s old name. It’s sometimes claimed that George Lucas took Anakin’s name from his friend, Brtish film director Ken Annakin, but Lucas denies this. Although it’s tempting to give this name all number of foreboding meanings, we should remember it was originally planned as the hero’s name. It wasn’t clear in the beginning what kind of person the protagonist was going to be, and in one version it was an old man, and in another, a woman, so the name predates the character and the plot. Most likely, George Lucas just made it up.

Other sci-fi names: Auron, Draven, Grayson, Jango, Lex, Navi, Neo, Obi, Quillam

Bon

This is the name of the Scottish-born Australian rock musician, Bon Scott, who was the lyricist and lead singer for AC/DC, until his death in 1980, aged 34. AC/DC dedicated their next album, Back in Black, to him, which is the best-selling rock album of all time. Bon Scott is regarded as one of the greatest lead vocalists, has been inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and been honoured in both his home town of Fremantle, Western Australia, and his birthplace of Kirriemuir, Scotland. Bon was born Ronald Belford Scott, and his nickname was given to him in primary school. As there was already a classmate called Ronald, and as Scott had recently emigrated from “Bonnie Scotland”, he was dubbed Bon. The Scottish word bonnie means “beautiful, fair, fine”, and is taken from the French word bon, meaning “good”. Not only honouring a rock legend, this name seems similar to Beau in meaning and origin.

Other celebrity names: Cadel, Cassidy, Denzel, Dre, Elvis, Hammond, Joaquin, Keanu, Leland, Maddox, Makaveli, Orlando, Otis, Sylvain, Tander, Tex, Ziggie Other Scottish names: Dougal, Jock

Clancy

This is from an Irish surname meaning “son of Flannchadh”, with Flannchadh being a Gaelic name meaning “red warrior”. The name is well known in Australia, because of the poem Clancy of The Overflow, by Banjo Paterson; The Overflow is the name of a station where Clancy, a drover, works. It’s based on the true story of Paterson, a lawyer, sending a letter to Thomas Gerald Clancy of The Overflow, and imagining Clancy’s enviable life in the bush, under the “glory of the everlasting stars”. The reply that he received to his letter – “Clancy’s gone to Queensland droving and we don’t know where he are” – delighted Paterson, and was included in the poem. Clancy also appears briefly in The Man from Snowy River, and when that poem was made into a movie, the role of Clancy was played by Jack Thompson. Clancy of the Overflow is a romanticised image of bush life as dreamed of by the city dweller, and probably seems a patriotic choice as a name.

Other Irish names: Fionbharr, Niall, Rafferty, Ronan, Sullivan

Diesel

This is the name for the fuel used in diesel engines, which are named after their inventor, French-born Rudolf Diesel. His German surname is said to be based on a short form of either Matthias or Dietrich. As it sounds quite tough and butch, and has connotations of being able to keep going like a mechanical engine, it’s been a popular nickname or assumed name, for celebrities such as American actor Vin Diesel, Australian rock singer Diesel, American basketball player Shaquille “The Diesel” O’Neill, and AFL player Greg “Diesel” Williams. Diesel is also a popular name for dogs, and with “dog names” for boys in style, Diesel seems very usable. US Olympian softabller, Jennie Finch, called her second son Diesel Dean Daigle, so now it’s a celebrity baby name as well.

Other vocabulary names: Ace, Buddy, Gray, Spike Other car-related names: Holden, Jag

Esmond

An Old English name meaning “gracious protection”, this fell out of use after the Norman Conquest, and became best known as a surname. Thackery’s History of Henry Esmond is a historical novel set in the time of Queen Anne, where the hero spends the whole book in love with his foster-sister and cousin, but marries his foster-mother instead (also his cousin). This surname is part of Australian history, because James Esmond was an Irish-Australian who was one of the first people to find gold during the Victorian goldrush. He was also politically prominent in the miner’s organisation, and commanded a section of miners in the Eureka Stockade rebellion. It’s tempting to wonder if baby Esmond is a descendant of James, or whether the name was chosen in honour of this famous rebel.

Other Old English names: Bede, Edgar, Edwin, Winston

Iluka

This is a small coastal town on the Clarence River in New South Wales, and its name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning “by the sea”. It is pronounced eye-LOO-ka. Iluka is a popular tourist destination, blessed with beaches and rainforest, and people who live in the chilly southern parts of Australia may enjoy spending their winters here. Maybe the parents of Iluka spent a happy holiday in the town? It’s easy to see the appeal of it as a name, because it is so similiar to the popular Luka, but has a distinctive Australian meaning.

Other place names: Carlisle, Clyde, Griffith, Hamilton, Maitland, Memphis, Meredith, Nelson, Preston, Ripley, Weston, Wilson, Windsor Other Aboriginal names: Wirra

Manuka

This is the name of a small tree or shrub native to New Zealand and south-east Australia – including, of course, Tasmania. It’s scientific name is Leptospermum scoparium, and it’s also called tea tree (not the same tea tree that tea tree oil is made from). The name manuka is Maori, and comes from history, where one of the sea-going canoes that brought the Maoris to New Zealand is said to have been called Mānuka. It’s pronounced mahn-OO-ka. Manuka honey is not only delicious, but recently it’s been discovered to have powerful antibacterial properties, and you can now buy medical-grade manuka honey to apply to wounds. There is a town in Tasmania near Hobart called Tea Tree, which may be named after this useful plant.

Other nature names: Aspen, Brae, Nullah, Reef, Stone, Sunny, Tiger Other Polynesian names: Loti, Kalani, Tavita

Namkha

Meaning “sky, heaven” in Tibetan, a namkha is a yarn or thread cross used in Buddhism as a sacred weaving, used in ritual or placed on an altar. “Thread” is the literal translation of the word tantra, and the threads of the mankha symbolise the warp and weft of time and space. A famous bearer is Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Rigdzin Namkha Gyatso Rinpoche.

Other Asian names: Anshuman, Arjuna, Ba, Dravid, Khan, Omita, Yang, Yasir, Zusong

Shem

One of Noah’s sons in the Old Testament, Shem is Hebrew for “name”. It can refer to someone’s fame and reputation, and also to their essential nature and being. While Noah is one of the most popular boy’s names, the names of his sons, Shem, Ham and Japeth, have had only occasional use. This may be because from early on, these three men were seen as the progenitors of the various races (as that vague and inaccurate word was understood at the time). Different writers have claimed Shem as the source of either the “Semitic” peoples, all Europeans, Germans, Greeks, Persians, or Indians; some texts even say that God made Shem brown skinned, Japeth fair skinned and Ham dark skinned. These ideas on race and ethnicity now look rather embarrassing, or even offensive; at the very least, we know them to be scientifically wrong. In the Bible, Shem is said to be an ancestor of Abram, who founded the Abrahamic religions. The name is pronounced SHAYM, and although uncommon, sounds not unlike familiar names such as Sean, Sheamus and Shane.

Other Biblical names: Abel, Amos, Elihu, Gideon, Hezekiah, Jairus, Jotham, Matthias, Raphael, Simeon

Soren

This is an anglicised form of the Danish name Søren, which is a form of the Roman name family Severinus, derived from the personal name Severus, meaning “stern” in Latin. Certain Harry Potter fans may see this as a way of using the name of grim Potions Master, Professor Snape, without actually calling their son Severus. The name has been used several times in recent popular culture; most notably the vampire Soren in the Underworld films. In the Charlie and Lola books and TV series, Soren Lorensen is little Lola’s imaginary friend. If these namesakes seem a bit lightweight, Søren Kierkegaard was a 19th century philosopher and theologian who has been enormously influential in shaping our ideas of the self and subjectivity. It’s pronounced SOH-ren.

Other Scandinavian names: Anders, Thor

Titan

According to Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of gods that ruled in the legendary Golden Age. They were the Elder Gods who were overthrown by the Olympians; this myth of a “war in heaven”, where one group of gods replaces another, exists in many cultures across Europe and the Middle East. The meaning of their name is uncertain, but is often intepreteted as “to stretch”; the Greek poet Hesiod refers to them as “the Stretchers”, because they stretched out their power. Other scholars believe it comes from the Greek for “white earth, white clay, gypsum”; they believe that this white dust was used in ancient shamanistic rituals, and it is from these almost-forgotten rites that the myth of the Titans grew. The name has been given to a moon of Saturn, and inspired the name of the element, titanium. The Titans, often imagined as gigantic figures, are part of popular culture, and you may find Titans in comic books, science fiction movies, and video games, as well as sports teams – including the Gold Coast Titans. Although the name may seem too big for a little boy, it sounds similar to names such as Tate, Tyrone and Titus.

Other Greek names: Constandinos, Eugene, Leonidas, Orion

Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine: Twins for Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark, a brother and sister for Prince Christian and Princess Isabella

08 Sunday May 2011

Posted by in Celebrity Baby Names

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We are still recovering from the royal wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge), but it only seems a few years since Australia had the excitement of seeing Mary Elizabeth Donaldson from Hobart marry Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. I don’t think we’ve got over the thrill of that yet, and the birth of the royal twins this year has been greeted with great interest and enthusiasm.

The unlikely relationship began on September 16 2000, when Frederik was visiting Sydney with the Danish sailing team during the Summer Olympics. He and Mary met at the Slip Inn Bar, where he was enjoying a casual beer and pizza night with his royal cousins; Mary was one of the locals who had been invited to join the party through friends of friends. There must have been something about Mary, because Prince Frederik introduced himself to her at once, and they immediately bonded over sport and horses.

When the media eventually learned of this first meeting, they played up the “prince meets commoner” angle to the hilt, and the fact that the Crown Prince had hit on someone working in real estate down the pub just seemed so beautifully down-to-earth. The media made it sound as if any attractive girl with an office job and a bit of luck could become royalty. The Slip Inn now advertises itself as being fit for royalty, and apparently is still popular with mid-twenties semi-sophisticates who hang around the bar sipping cocktails in slightly desperate hopes of meeting a prince of their own. It seems unlikely that lightning will strike twice though.

Mary and Frederik were able to keep their long-distance relationship secret for over a year, until the Danish press named her as the prince’s girlfriend in November 2001. The following month, Mary moved to Paris where she was able to visit Frederik, and in 2002 she went to live in Denmark permanently. During their courtship, the women’s magazines were bristling with excitement at the prospect of an Australian-born Danish princess, and when the couple became officially engaged in October 2003, they went into hyperdrive. It all culminated in the glorious royal wedding on May 14 2004, upon which the magazines exploded in a paroxysm of frenzied delirium and the Australian public went slightly ga-ga. It was seen as a modern-day fairytale – a simple Tasmanian girl meeting her European Prince Charming and moving into her own palace.

After the thrill of the wedding, there were royal children to look forward to. Mary and Frederik obliged by producing first Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John on October 15 2005, and then Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe on April 21 2007. Christian of course is Frederik’s heir, while Isabella was the first princess to be born in the Danish royal family since 1946.

In August 2010, it was announced that Mary was pregnant with twins, and on January 8 2011, she gave birth to a baby boy at 10:30 am, and then a girl 26 minutes later. By tradition, the names of royal babies are not made public until their christening ceremony, so we all had a few months to speculate what the names might be. As they were born on Elvis Presley’s birthday, Prince Frederik joked that the boy would be called Elvis, but did suggest that they might slip an Australian name in there somewhere.

Guessing the royal baby names became a national idle pastime for both countries, and some suggestions were Banjo and Matilda, Frederik and Marie, Christopher and Mathilda, and William and Mathilde. A Danish poll found Sophie, Adelaide, Caroline, Louise, Charlotte, Astrid and Alexandrine were popular choices for the baby princess, and Magnus, Erik, Harald, Sven, Knud, Axel and Christoffer for the little prince. Australians tended to make silly suggestions like Shane and Kylie, or Serenity and Grayson (not all of them were joking, I’m afraid).

At last the twins’ christening day arrived on April 14 and the long wait was over. It was revealed that Frederik and Mary’s twin son was called Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander, and their twin daughter Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda. It seems that all the guesses that Matilda/Mathilda/Mathilde would be included were on the money, Sophia was much like the Dane’s popular choice Sophie, Alexandrine turned out to be Alexander instead, and Frederik being included was a bit of a no-brainer.

Vincent was an unusual choice, and came as a surprise to both Danes and Australians, as it is considered a rather old-fashioned name in both countries (I’m sure that will change now). Frederik after his father is a royal custom and was to be expected. The interesting name Minik is North Greenlandic, and honours the country of Greenland as part of the Kingdom of Denmark. I have seen Minik translated as “blubber”, “earwax” and “oil used for sealing skin boats”, but Professor Minik Rosing, who attended the christening, gives an alternative definition of “silent snowfall”. That is a much more attractive meaning, and very appropriate for a baby born in mid-winter. The name is pronounced meen-EEK. Alexander is a popular name in both Denmark and Australia, and has been used in the royal family, and by Mary’s family as well – Alexander is the name of her nephew.

Princess Josephine shares her name with one of her godmothers, an Australian friend of Mary’s called Josephine Rechner. However, I am unable to confirm whether Princess Josephine was named in her honour, or whether it is simply a coincidence. Sophia is another popular name, and has been used in the Danish royal family. Ivalo is a North Greenlandic name which means “tendon”, “thread” or “sinew”; it is pronounced EE-vah-lo. Mathilda has been used in the Danish royal family, and is a nod to Mary’s origins – the Australian name we were promised by Frederik.

From polling and surveying conducted online, the majority of people were approving of Vincent and Josephine as a twinset, with most liking the name Josephine more than the name Vincent. Nearly everyone agreed that they sounded great with siblings Christian and Isabella. People have generally been intrigued by the Greenlandic names, and Danish royal watchers have expressed satisfaction at their inclusion. They are two beautiful and carefully chosen royal names for the Danish royal family, which seem to have come as a pleasant surprise to everyone.

Congratulations to the Crown Prince and Princess on their twins, and happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, everywhere! Whether a royal or a commoner, I hope all mothers are treated like a princess today.

NOTES: Translations of Ivalo and Minik from Wikipedia and Behind the Name; Professor Rosing’s definition of Minik was reported in the Danish press.

If you would like to watch the royal twins being christened, you can see it here: