Tag Archives: Easter names

Rare Girls Names From the 1940s

05 Sunday Apr 2015

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Dymphna_Cusack,_1947

The most popular girls names of the 1940s were Margaret, Patricia, Judith, and Helen, but what were the least popular names? Here are ten names which were only chosen once in any year between 1944 and 1949 in South Australia, making them unique names for their time and place. They continue to be rare, and some parents will still find them appealing.

Avis
Thought to be a Latinised form of the Germanic name Aveza, most likely a long form or elaboration of the familiar Ava. Introduced to England by the Normans, it was reasonably common in the Middle Ages, and quickly became associated with the Latin word avis, meaning “bird”. Avis Rent a Car was founded in the 1940s by Warren Avis, but did not become big in Australia for some time – it’s now quite difficult to disassociate the name Avis from the rental company, although it’s very much on trend and still seems contemporary and pretty. It was also a good fit in the 1940s, when names such as Avril and Averil were fashionable.

Bunty
An old British term of endearment, dating back to perhaps the 17th century. In Scotland, buntin means “short and plump”, while in Wales, bontin means “the bottom, the rump” (a part of the body usually seen as quite plump). It’s interesting that in both Scottish and English dialect, bunt and bun refer to a rabbit’s tail, which recalls the bottom meaning. You probably remember the nursery rhyme, Bye Baby Bunting, where bunting meant “a plump little child”, and it’s amusing that they have “a rabbit skin to wrap the Baby Bunting in”, given the etymological connection between chubby babies and bunnies’ bottoms. By the 19th century, bunty was a country word for a lamb, because they bunt (or butt) with their heads, giving bunty another adorable baby-related association. The name Bunty was popularised by the Scottish comedy Bunty Pulls the Strings, which was a hit in 1911 in the West End and on Broadway (Bunty was a canny Highland lass). However, even before this, Bunty was used as a nickname, especially by the aristocracy. It was occasionally given to boys, and in Seven Little Australians, young John is called Bunty, because he is prone to be greedy and a bit overweight. In his case, the nickname literally meant “little fatty”, but Bunty can be understood as “cute wee bairn, bonny babe”. This could be a charming vintage-style nickname, and if you’re worried it’s too infantile, Babe and Baby were both used as names in the 1940s!

Cosette
Cosette is one of the main characters in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the novel, Cosette is the daughter of Fantine, a poor girl who must leave her child in the care of some innkeepers, while she works to provide for her. Cosette is badly treated by her guardians, and becomes a Cinderella-like figure, but is rescued by the ex-convict Jean Valjean. They take refuge in a convent, where Cosette develops into a beautiful young girl, and eventually finds her happy ending. Cosette’s real name is Euphrasie (meaning “good cheer”), but her mother’s pet name for her is the one which sticks – Cosette is from the French word chosette, meaning “little thing”. Les Misérables was made into a successful film in 1935, with child star Marilyn Knowlden in the role of the young Cosette; this would have increased interest in the name. Les Misérables was made into an award-winning musical film in 2012, this time with British actress Isabelle Allen playing young Cosette. Her face was used for the publicity posters, and with her arresting blue eyes, this may bring Cosette into the baby name spotlight again.

Dymphna
Anglicised form of the Irish name Damhnait, meaning “fawn”. Saint Dymphna is a 7th century Irish saint with a truly disturbing story, because legend has it that when she was fourteen, her father went mad and developed an unnatural desire for her. She ran away and devoted herself to helping the sick and the poor, but her father discovered her whereabouts, and killed her in a rage. Called the Lily of Eire, Saint Dymphna is the patron of the mentally ill, as well as vctims of incest, and many miraculous cures have been claimed on her behalf. A famous namesake is the author Dymphna Cusack, and another is Dymphna Clark, married to the historian Manning Clark, so the name has strong Australian credentials. Despite this, and the pretty meaning, Saint Dymphna’s tragic life has probably not been a help. Said DIMF-na, Dymphna has a lovely sound though, like a quirkier Daphne.

Jinx
According to superstition, a jinx is something, or someone, who brings bad luck, often without meaning to. The word is American English, first used in the context of baseball, and its origins are obscure. One suggestion is that it comes from the 1887 musical comedy Little Puck, which had a character named Jinks Hoodoo, who is a curse to everyone he meets, as well as to himself. Although Hoodoo is fairly obviously a “bad luck” word, Jinks is just a surname based on the name John, and not too unusual as a first name. Perhaps it was given with the phrase high jinks in mind, meaning “boisterous fun”. After the popular musical comedy, jinks and jinx seem to have rapidly come into use as slang terms to describe an unlucky person or object. Jinx was known as a girl’s name in the 1940s because of Jinx Falkenburg, one of the highest-paid cover-girls of the 1930s and ’40s – an early example of a supermodel. Considered one of the most beautiful and glamorous women of her time, she was also a talented sportswoman and Hollywood actress, and went on to have successful chat shows on radio and TV. Born Eugenia, her mother nicknamed her Jinx in the belief that it would bring her good luck – I’m not sure how that was meant to work, but Jinx did indeed have a fortunate life. Jinx has quite often been used as a name for (mostly female) fictional characters, from L’il Jinx from the Archie comics to Jinx Johnson in the James Bond film, played by Halle Berry. This is a playful modern nickname for the non-superstitious.

Marigold
The flower name marigold is attached to several plants with yellow blooms, but usually refers to the Calendula or pot marigold – although sometimes called English marigold, the plant probably originated in southern Europe, but became widely naturalised elsewhere from an early date. The name seems to have been first used for the wildflower Caltha palustris, also known as marsh marigold and kingcup. Marigold literally means “Mary gold”, and the name came about because the spring wildflower was a favourite in medieval churches at Easter, a tribute to the Virgin Mary. Shakespeare refers to the “golden eyes” of “Marybuds” in his play Cymbeline, and the marsh marigold is one of the UK’s most ancient plants, being an Ice Age survivor. Marigold has been used as a name since the 19th century, when flower names were fashionable, and is a hip underused floral choice which could honour a Mary.

Rilla
Rilla Blythe is the main character in L.M. Montgomery’s Rilla of Ingleside; the daughter of the famous Anne Shirley (later Anne Blythe), she is a carefree teenager who must grow up fast when World War I is declared. Rilla’s full name is Bertha Marilla, with her middle name in honour of Anne’s strict but loving adoptive mother, Marilla Cuthbert. Marilla may be a short form of Amaryllis or an elaboration of Mary, and it’s notable that the name Marilla was used more than once during the 1940s. Perhaps the wartime courage of Rilla Blythe struck a chord during World War II, or maybe the 1939 publication of Anne of Ingleside played a role, where Rilla is said to be sweetest baby of all, and shown as an adorably pretty and plump lisping toddler. Rilla is a trendy name from the wartime era that still seems cute, especially knowing Rilla Blythe was affectionately known as “Rilla, my Rilla”. One for Montgomery fans!

Thais
Thaïs of Athens was a famous Greek hetaera who accompanied Alexander the Great on his campaigns. Hetaera were high status courtesans; educated, influential, and sophisticated women who were paid companions to men – not just in the bedroom, but as stimulating conversationalists and talented musicians and dancers. Thaïs was the lover of Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander’s generals, and she is said to have been witty and entertaining company. After Alexander’s death, Ptolemy became the king of Egypt, and Thaïs was his wife, or at least a high ranking concubine, and mother of his children (he had other wives to provide him with heirs to the throne). Saint Thaïs was from 4th century Egypt, a beautiful and wealthy courtesan who repented of her life and converted to Christianity. It is hard not to wonder if her story was influenced by Thaïs of Athens, who also lived in Egypt during the 4th century. The saint inspired a novel by Anataloe France, and an opera by Massenet; as a result, Thaïs is a popular name in France. The Greek name Thaïs means “head band”, referring to the plain cloth bands that women in ancient Greece commonly wore to keep their hair in place. Like the hair covering, this name is both simple and sophisticated, with a fascinating historical namesake, and fits in with Australian name trends. The French pronunciation is rather like tah-EES, while English speakers may prefer TAY-is or ty-EES.

Unity
The word unity means “oneness”, familiar in both religious and political contexts, and used as a virtue name since at least the 17th century. It seems a rather strange choice for the 1940s, because Unity Mitford was an aristocratic English girl who was a rabid supporter of the Nazis and fervent devotee of Adolf Hitler, her close personal friend. When Britain declared war on Germany, Unity tried to commit suicide by shooting herself in the head, but survived, although permanently affected by her brain injuries. She died from an infection caused by the bullet in 1948, a controversial figure to the end. Unity Mitford was the inspiration behind evil Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter series, and it’s interesting that J.K. Rowling named her eldest daughter after Jessica Mitford, a staunch Communist and Unity’s sister. If you can get over the connection to Unity Mitford, Unity is a rather attractive name, and similar in sound to Una, which still charted in the 1940s.

Valencia
A large port city in Spain, famous for its vibrant culture and delicious cuisine. Founded as a Roman colony in the 2nd century, its name was originally Valentia, meaning “strength, valour”, in recognition of the bravery of former Roman soldiers who settled there. The name is closely related to the familiar Valentine. During the period of Muslim rule, Valencia was nicknamed Medina bu-Tarab, “City of Joy”. The name might remind you of Valencia oranges, grown in California but named after the Spanish city, which had a reputation for very sweet oranges. Valencia has long been used as a personal name in Spanish-speaking countries, but is not common in English-speaking ones. It may have got a boost from the 1926 romantic film Valencia, where the title character is an exotic Spanish dancer, played by Mae Murray. A box office success, its title song was one of the biggest hits of that year. Valencia fitted in with popular names of the 1940s such as Valerie, and still seems rather glamorous.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Marigold, Cosette and Rilla, and their least favourite were Unity, Dymphna and Bunty.

(Photo shows Australian author Dymphna Cusack in 1945: her play Red Sky At Morning was one of few produced during the war years, and was made into film in 1944)

Waltzing With … Sunday

13 Sunday Apr 2014

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In a week it will be Easter, which is always on the first Sunday after the full moon following March 21. This computation was agreed upon in the 4th century, although it was apparently already an old tradition in Rome. The Gospels tell us that the Resurrection of Christ took place on a Sunday, and from then on the day had special significance for Christians.

In the New Testament Sunday is called the Lord’s Day, and early Christians gathered for worship then. This was formalised in the 4th century, and may have been easier to implement because Sunday was already a public holiday in the Roman Empire. It is because of Christianity, and in particular because of Easter, that Sunday is regarded as a holiday – technically every Sunday of the Christian year is “Easter”, because it commemorates the Resurrection.

The English word Sunday comes from Old English, and simply means “sun’s day”. It is derived from the Germanic translation of the Latin term dies solis, meaning “day of the sun”, and in turn, this translates the Ancient Greek, heméra helíou.

The Ancient Greeks named each day of the week after the sun, the moon, and the five known planets, which were associated with gods; an idea they got from the Egyptians. The Romans followed this pattern, as did the Germanic peoples. It seems to be an Indo-European custom, because in most Indian languages, the word for Sunday is also linked with sun gods. So although Sunday has strong Christian associations, the English word has a long pagan history.

Sunday has been used as a personal name since at least the 18th century, and was possibly used for babies born on a Sunday. The first American named Sunday I can find was African-American, and in her case it may have been a slave name. The name Sunday was originally given fairly evenly to boys and girls, although today Sunday is usually thought of as a female name. Its unisex status is still active – in 2012 we had a celebrity baby boy called Sunday.

Sunday has become a celebrity baby name in Australia, since radio host Kate Langbroek chose it for her eldest daughter, Sunday Lil Lewis, in 2005. Kate’s daughter was named after celebrated art patron Sunday Reed, born Lelda Sunday Baillieau. She was from a wealthy and privileged background, and her second husband was John Reed. Together the couple gave both friendship and financial support to modern artists such as Sidney Nolan and Charles Blackman. Sidney Nolan became Sunday’s lover, and he painted his famous Ned Kelly series in the Reeds’ dining room.

The Reeds’ home near Heidelberg was named Heide, and it later became the Heide Museum of Modern Art. There was a kitchen garden at Heide, and many years later, Kate Langbroek ate from a rockmelon which Sunday Reed had planted there. It seems to have been something of an epiphanous moment for Kate, and served as the inspiration for her daughter’s name.

In 2008, actress Nicole Kidman and her husband, country music star Keith Urban, named their eldest daughter Sunday Rose. This caused Kate Langbroek a certain amount of consternation, who declared that the Kidman-Urbans had “stolen” her baby name.

What may have made it more irritating for Kate was that news sources reported that Sunday Rose had also been named after Sunday Reed. Nicole’s father Dr Antony Kidman was quoted as saying that he and Nicole’s mother had suggested the name Sunday after reading about Sunday Reed.

Meanwhile, baby name conspiracy theorists believed that the name Sunday had been chosen for its Christian significance. They saw the choice of the name Sunday as a declaration of Nicole Kidman’s Catholic faith, and a public rejection of her ex-husband’s devotion to the Church of Scientology.

By Nicole Kidman’s testimony, neither of these stories was correct, and they simply liked the name Sunday. Furthermore, what made the name special to them was that Sunday was the couple’s day to spend together – it was a name that symbolised love and the end of loneliness. It was also the day of the week they got married.

Although some people still see Sunday as a religious name, it’s important to remember that Sundays have secular significance too. Sunday is a holiday, a day of freedom from work, a day for sports and games, for beaches and barbecues, for friends and family. A great day for visiting art museums, too!

When the name of Nicole and Keith’s daughter was announced, I was surprised to see how many people online thought of it as a “wacky celebrity baby name”, like Audio Science or Pilot Inspektor. There often seemed to be disdain or even hostility towards it. In Australia, most people seem to like the name, except those who think that Sunday Rose sounds too much like “Sunday roast”.

Now Canadian comedian Mike Myers has a daughter named Sunday – Sunday Molly. However, Mike’s son is named Spike, which may just cement the idea that Sunday is the sort of crazy baby name that parents who like the name Spike might choose.

The name Sunday has only been on the US Top 1000 once, in the 1960s, and is extremely rare in the UK. Sunday has never charted in Australia, and between 2002 and 2007 there were 36 babies named Sunday born in Victoria. While Kate Langbroek hasn’t managed to keep the name to herself, her fear was that after the birth of Sunday Rose, the popularity of the name would snowball and there would be a “plague of Sundays”. Her baby name nightmare hasn’t eventuated – yet it does feel as if the name Sunday is slowly gathering momentum.

Sunday is a rare name, but still in occasional use, and you must not expect to be the only parent in the world, or even the state, with a little Sunday. It’s a day of the week with a simple meaning, and many layers of associations that are pagan, Christian and secular, but overall tied to the light and life from the sun – a name of warmth and happiness. Sunny or Sunnie is the obvious nickname, which brings the name right back to its origins.

POLL RESULT
Sunday received an excellent approval rating of 80%. 31% of people thought it was a good name, while 28% thought it was a great name. Less than 5% of people hated the name Sunday.

(Photo shows the original 19th farmhouse at the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne, which became a focal point for progressive art and culture: the Reeds made it their home from 1935 to 1967)

Waltzing with … Anastasia

24 Sunday Nov 2013

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southern cross

On November 29, it will be the 159th anniversary of the first flying of the Eureka Flag at Bakery Hill, in the goldfields town of Ballarat in Victoria. This flag was that of the Ballarat Reform League, formed to protest the regulation of the gold diggings, with the goal of having miner’s licenses abolished. It was necessary to pay 8 pounds a year to dig for gold, and the license had to be paid whether the miners found any gold or not.

The Reform League tried to negotiate with the authorities, but they were treated as a rabble, and police reinforcements were brought in to quell them. On November 29 1854, a meeting was called, and the Reform League announced their peaceful tactics had not worked. The miners decided on open resistance, and burned their mining licenses in protest. The next day, they constructed a stockade, a makeshift wooden barricade, and prepared to defend it.

On December 1, the Eureka Flag was consecrated, and the miners swore a solemn oath upon it to stand by each other and defend their rights. Two days later came the Eureka Stockade, Australia’s first, and only, violent act of civil disobedience. A hopelessly one-sided battle, the rebels were swiftly and brutally overcome by the military, with more than twenty of the diggers killed. However, there was such public support for the captured rebels in Melbourne that the hated mining licenses were abolished, and there was a complete overhaul of the goldfields administration.

The Eureka Flag is thought to have been designed by a Canadian miner called Henry Ross, showing five eight-pointed stars of the Southern Cross on a dark blue background, joined together with a cross representing unity. The background was probably inspired by the blue work shirts worn by the miners. According to local legend, the flag was handstitched by three women of the Ballarat goldfields – Anastasia Withers, Anne Duke, and Anastasia “Annie” Hayes.

Anastasia Hayes was a fiery-tempered redhead who had survived the potato famine in Ireland, and was tough enough to cope with life on the goldfields. Her husband was one of the leaders of the Eureka Rebellion, and Anastasia had attended the political meetings with him. Still breast-feeding her last baby at the time, she gave medical aid to miners injured during the rebellion, including assisting with surgery. Later deserted by her husband, Anastasia brought up their six children alone, supporting herself as a teacher.

Anastasia Withers is said to have sacrificed her white lawn petticoat to make the stars for the Eureka Flag. Anne Duke is believed to have been one of the women who sewed the stars for the flag, and was inside the Eureka Stockade during the battle, hiding while she listened to bullets hit the cooking utensils in her tent. Heavily pregnant at the time, she gave birth just a few days later under a cart on the road to Bendigo. Henry Ross was killed during the Eureka Stockade, but the flag he designed has gone on to become a potent symbol of rebellion against oppressive authority.

Anastasia is the feminine form of Anastasios, meaning “resurrection” in Greek; the name was chosen by early Christians in honour of the resurrection of Christ. Saint Anastasia of Sirmium was a 4th century martyr, and the only saint who has their feast on Christmas Day. Because of the meaning, the name Anastasia is sometimes chosen for baby girls born during the Easter season.

Anastasia has been used in England since the Middle Ages, but was more common in Eastern Europe, where it has been used amongst royalty and nobility. The most famous of these is the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, youngest daughter of Nicholas II, the last emperor of Imperial Russia. Reportedly a lively and even mischievous teenager, she was executed by the Bolshevik secret police with the rest of her family in 1917.

However, there were persistent rumours she had managed to escape and gone into exile, and several women claimed to be Anastasia. It became one of the great urban legends of the twentieth century, the subject of many books and several films. Recent DNA testing has conclusively proven these rumours false, and the supposed Anastasias either imposters, or suffering from delusion. Anastasia, and all her family, have been canonised as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Anastasia was #226 in the 1900s, but left the charts the following decade – perhaps the death of the Grand Duchess in 1917 made the name seem an unfortunate choice. Anastasia began ranking again in the 1950s at #484 – my guess is because of the 1956 film Anastasia, starring Ingrid Bergman, which hinted that Anastasia could still be alive. That slender hope was enough to resurrect the name Anastasia in the Australian charts.

The name Anastasia peaked in the early 2000s at #140, not long after the release of an animated movie called Anastasia in the late 1990s, loosely based on the 1956 film. It suffered a sharp drop in popularity in 2010, the year after it was confirmed that Anastasia had been killed during the Russian Revolution. Since then it has recovered somewhat, and is now #176 in New South Wales and #150 in Victoria.

Anastasia is a retro name, but doesn’t sound old-fashioned in the least, and has remained in constant use since the 1950s without ever becoming popular. For many years its fortunes have been tied to a mysterious member of the Russian Imperial family, but with her sad riddle finally solved, it can hopefully move on and be judged on its own merits.

Anastasia is a vital part of Australian history, and a very patriotic name. It is beautiful and elaborate, although too strong and meaningful to be “frilly”. But don’t let anyone tell you it’s a princessy name, or suggest that an Anastasia sounds fragile and dainty. Anastasia is a rebellious heroine; a woman tough enough to survive a battle, but still have the heart to care for the wounded. She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, or too prissy to tear up her own petticoat for the cause.

If you have a little Anastasia, she is part of a proud tradition, and you will be reminded of her name every time you see the shining stars of the Southern Cross.

Name Combinations for Anastasia

Anastasia Chloe, Anastasia Juliet, Anastasia Lucy, Anastasia Mathilde, Anastasia Paige, Anastasia Sophie

Sisters for Anastasia

Genevieve, Hermione, Isabelle, Madeleine, Seraphina, Temperance

Brothers for Anastasia

Calvin, Joseph, Kai, Lucas, Sebastian, Xander

POLL RESULT: Anastasia received an approval rating of 85%. 41% of people thought it was a good name, while 33% loved it.

Waltzing With … Billy

08 Sunday Apr 2012

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This article was first published on April 8 2012, and revised and re-posted on March 9 2016.

Fictional Namesake
The blog entry for Pasco looked at a religious side to Easter, so this one will be about a secular aspect of the holiday.

One of the most popular symbols of the season is the Easter Bunny; this was an old German custom, and originally a hare rather than a rabbit (which is why the word bunny is used, to cover both creatures). Hares and rabbits are famous for being prolific breeders, so they make obvious fertility symbols for a festival which occurs in the northern spring and celebrates new life.

However in Australia, this prolificness of the rabbit has made it an invasive pest and an environmental disaster. Rabbits first arrived on the First Fleet and were bred for food in hutches, but don’t seem to have become a problem in mainland Australia until 1859.

In this fateful year, some bright spark named Thomas Austin thought it would be utterly spiffing to release 24 English rabbits onto his country property in Victoria so that he could continue the rabbit hunting lifestyle he had enjoyed in England. Austin opined the rabbits would do little harm, and might provide a touch of “home”.

Austin released both wild grey rabbits and domestic rabbits; the two varieties intermingled to become an extremely hardy and resilient Super Rabbit. Even then it might not have been such a mess, except that all the landowners living around Austin got in on this new fad, and released stacks of rabbits onto their own farms.

Within a decade, there were so many rabbits that 2 million could be killed each year without making the slightest difference to their numbers. By Federation in 1901, they were already holding a Royal Commission to see how the “rabbit problem” could be brought under control.

Rabbits are thought to be the most significant factor in loss of native species. They kill young trees, compete with native animals for resources, and cause horrific soil erosion which takes centuries to recover. They cost the agricultural sector millions of dollars in damages each year.

During the 1980s and ’90s, the environmental movement in Australia made a stand by using a new Easter symbol – the Easter Bilby. Bilbies (pictured) are cute native marsupials with a long muzzle and long ears, and they are an endangered species. The Foundation for a Rabbit-Free Australia used the Easter Bilby to educate people about the damage that feral rabbits do to our delicate ecology.

Haigh’s Chocolates got on board by stopping making chocolate bunnies, and making the very first chocolate bilbies. Darrell Lea also make chocolate bilbies, with part of the profits going to the Save the Bilby Fund. You can buy cheap chocolate bilbies from supermarkets as well, but it’s probably a toss-up whether any of the money you spend will go towards helping real bilbies.

The campaign has been successful, because thirty years ago there was no such thing as a chocolate bilby, and now they are an established part of Easter. Schools and school holiday programs often use the Easter Bilby for egg hunts and other activities, as an opportunity to teach kids about the environment as they play games and munch chocolate. Buying a bilby instead of a bunny feels patriotic and environmentally responsible.

There have been many picture books about the Easter Bilby, but the first one, and the first mention of the Easter Bilby, was Billy the Aussie Easter Bilby, by Queensland children’s author Rose-Marie Dusting, in 1979. Rose-Marie’s first version of the story was written in 1968, when she was only nine years old. Most likely, Rose-Marie chose the name Billy because it sounds like the word bilby.

Name Information
Billy is a pet form of Bill, which is short for William; it has been used an an independent name since the 18th century. People often ask how Bill became short for William (which doesn’t start with a B), but nobody seems to know for sure. It is presumed to be part of that medieval initial letter swapping which saw Richard become Dick, and Robert become Bob.

Billy is also a vocabulary word which has a particular resonance in Australia – a billy is a cooking pot used to boil water on a campfire. It’s thought that the word billycan comes from the large cans used to transport bully beef (corned beef) on ships sent to Australia or during exploration in the outback.

It’s a word which reminds us of the outback and our history, and even now some older Australians will say they are going to put the billy on for tea, when they just mean the kettle. Billy Tea is a brand of strong tea which has been sold since the late 19th century, and many arcane methods are suggested for making the perfect brew of tea over a campfire. You can read of billies in the poems of Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, the most famous reference being the jolly swagman in Waltzing Matilda, who sang as he watched and waited ’til his billy boiled.

A billy lid is not just a lid for a billy, but also affectionate rhyming slang for “kid” (child). There’s also the Puffing Billy steam train network near Melbourne, a major tourist attraction, and billy buttons, a type of native daisy.

One of the most famous Australian men who went by the name was Billy Blue, the first Australian convict to become a celebrity. Described in the records as a “Jamaican Negro”, Billy claimed to be a freed slave with some Native American heritage who had fought with the British during the War of Independence. When convicted, he was living in London, and had stolen sugar to use in his chocolate-making business.

In Australia, he became popular with the government and the public for his whimsical personality and witty banter. When he completed his sentence, he became a ferryman, and was granted 80 acres of land in the North Sydney area – Blues Point and William Street are two of several local landmarks named after him.

Other namesakes include Billy the Native, a bushranger who passed into folklore as “the traveller’s friend”; Billy Lynch, an Aboriginal community leader in the Katoomba area with hundreds of proud descendants; Billy Sing, a Chinese-Australian soldier who served with distinction in the Gallipoli Campaign; Billy Thorpe, rock singer from the 1960s and 70s; Billy Elliot, the jockey who rode Phar Lap to victory seven times; and NRL star Billy Slater.

Billy entered the Australian charts in the 1970s at #427, and began climbing steeply. It hasn’t reached the national Top 100, but is often seen around the bottom of popularity charts in certain states, and would not be far off. William is a very popular name, and it is possible that some of those Williams also go by Billy.

In the US (home of Billy the Kid and fictional sailor Billy Budd), Billy has been almost continually on the charts, and was a Top 100 name from the early 1920s until the end of the 1970s, peaking in the 1930s at #20. After that very impressive run, it has been on the decline and is now #794. It also charted as a girl’s name (a variant of Billie) from the 1920s until the 1940s, peaking in 1930 at #527.

In the UK (home of Billy Idol and fictional schoolboy Billy Bunter), Billy was a Top 100 name in the 1990s; it left the Top 100 in 2009 and is currently #122, and has been occasionally used for girls. Billy is still a popular name in Ireland. In Australia, Billy has never had a long run of popularity as in other English-speaking countries, so feels a bit fresher here.

Billly is an environmentally-friendly Easter creation; a name from history; a name from poetry; a name from the landscape; the name of a host of colourful Australian characters. Billy is a name which says, “I’m coming at you world, ready or not!” He’s a true blue wild colonial boy who is cute as a button, and sweet as a chocolate bilby.

POLL RESULTS
Billy received an approval rating of 78%, making it one of the highest-rated names of 2012. 42% of people thought the name Billy was okay, while 11% hated it.

Waltzing With … Pasco

24 Sunday Apr 2011

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This blog post was first published on April 24 2011, and revised on April 9 2015.

Today is Easter Sunday, the beginning of the Paschal season, also known as Eastertide. The word Paschal is the Latinised form of the Hebrew Pesach, which refers to the Jewish festival of Passover, commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. Because the events celebrated by Christians as Easter took place during Passover, the same word is used for both Easter and Passover in languages derived from Latin. (As many of you will know, the famous Last Supper that Christ held with his Apostles was their Passover feast).

I have chosen a Cornish name to celebrate this Easter, because people of Cornish descent have made a valuable contribution to Australian culture, right from the start of British discovery and settlement.

There has been a long tradition of Cornishmen in the British Navy, and the first Cornish people to reach Australia were naval officers sailing with Captain James Cook. Cook’s second-in-command was Cornishman Zachary Hicks, who spotted the east coast of Australia at first light on April 19 1770 (just a few days after Easter), so that the most south-eastern tip of Australia is called Point Hicks in his honour. Zachary Hicks was the first of the party to set foot on Australian soil when they landed at Botany Bay.

Although some 600 convicts came from Cornwall, it was after the 1840s that emigration from Cornwall sharply increased, since there was a potato famine and slump in the mining industry in Cornwall at that time. There was a vigorous campaign to attract Cornish people to Australia, with free passage to South Australia offered to Cornish miners.

As a result, a thriving Cornish community sprung up on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, which became known as “Little Cornwall”. The Yorke Peninsula is still intensely proud of its Cornish heritage, and the Cornish cultural festival held in the area is the largest of its kind in the world.

During the gold rush era, Cornish miners were naturally drawn to gold mining towns in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. Cornish miners founded the first trade unions in Australia, and were instrumental in forming the Australian Labor Party. Two of Australia’s most well-known Prime Ministers, Robert Menzies and Bob Hawke, have Cornish ancestry, while numerous politicians have been of Cornish descent.

Leggo’s foods and Fletcher Jones menswear are two successful businesses founded by people from Cornish families in Australia. (Leggo is often wrongly thought to be an Italian name rather than a Cornish one). It is even said that our chant of Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi comes from the Cornish Oggy oggy oggy, oi oi oi. An oggy is a Cornish pastie, in case you were wondering.

Happy Easter everyone – or, in Cornish, Pask Lowen oll!

Name Information
The surname Pasco is a variant of Pascoe, a Cornish form of Pascal, meaning “relating to Easter”. Because Easter is the most sacred and joyous period of the Christian calendar, from early on Christians chose names such as Paschalis, Paschal, or Pascal for boys born between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. There have been two popes named Paschal, and a 16th century Saint Paschal, a mystic born in Spain on Pentecost.

The personal name and surname Pascal was introduced to England by the Normans, and the surname Pascoe has been used in Cornwall since the Middle Ages. Now the 6th most common surname in Cornwall, Pascoe has the spelling variants Pasco, Pascho, Pascow, and Pascowe. Pasco has been used as a personal name since at least the 16th century, originating in Cornwall and Devon.

A famous member of the Pasco family is Rear-Admiral John Pasco, who served on the Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, and sent the well known signal from Lord Nelson: England expects that every man will do his duty. After being injured during the battle, he spent some time in New South Wales with his family, and his son Crawford Pasco sailed to Australia on the third voyage of HMS Beagle; the Pasco Islands near Tasmania are named after him, as are several other features. He retired to Victoria and became a police magistrate.

Around 4% of Australians claim Cornish ancestry, making Cornish the fourth-largest Anglo-Celtic group in the country, after English, Irish, and Scottish, and the fifth-largest ethnic group overall. However, 10% of South Australians claim Cornish ancestry, and six of the top ten surnames in the state are Cornish in origin. In 2011, there was a campaign to encourage Australians filling in their census forms to report their Cornish ethnicity, and encouraging Cornish pride in general, hence this blog post.

Many Australians are proud of their ethnic origins, and will choose baby names to reflect that. I often see birth notices where babies are given names to reflect their parents’ cultural heritage, yet I rarely see Cornish names. Fitting in with the trend for boys’ names ending in -o, Pasco would be a great Cornish heritage choice, especially for a boy born during the Easter season.

POLL RESULT
Pasco received an approval rating of 66%. 29% of people disliked it, but only 6% hated it.