Tag Archives: epithets and titles

Names in the News

30 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Names in the News

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

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

News

Dr Benjamin Pitcher, from the University of London, analysed the most popular names in the UK, Australia, and the US, and found that boys names are more likely to have “large” vowel sounds, while girls are more likely to have “small” vowel sounds in their names. Larger sounding vowels pull the tongue to the back of the mouth, creating more airspace and releasing lower frequency sounds, while smaller vowels force the tongue forwards and upwards, giving high pitched sounds. Examples of “large” vowels in names include Jack, Lachlan, Cooper, Noah and Tom, while “small” vowels can be found in Isabella, Olivia, Mia, Lily and Ella. Dr Pitcher says this is an example of biological evolution, but only looked at names between 2001 and 2010, which doesn’t seem like enough of a time period to evolve in. I was interested to see that a Dr Pitcher would end up studying pitch, and that his first name, Benjamin, tends towards the more feminine vowels.

More studies into gender differences in names show that in English-speaking countries, girls names tend to be longer, to have unstressed “weak” initial syllables, end on a vowel sound, and to have more vowel sounds generally. It is thus supposed that girls names are more “decorative”, and boys names more “functional”. I wonder what they think in non-English countries, because in India, Arabic countries, and Polynesian islands, male names are often just as long and vowel-heavy as female ones, and I’m sure they don’t think of their boys names as “weak” or “girly”. Perhaps we should we be asking ourselves why we see our girls names as “weak and decorative” – it probably says a lot more about our own attitudes than it does about their vowels. Because take away all our value judgements, and there is no real reason while a girls name like Jane is “stronger” and more “functional” than one such as Olivia or Isabella.

The invented word Khaleesi, from Game of Thrones, has the meaning of “queen” in the fictional Dothraki language, although it is a title and not a personal name. Khaleesi has been used as a baby name since the TV show aired in Australia, and it turns out that it is more popular in Queensland – 15 babies named Khaleesi have been born in Queensland so far this year, compared to 4 each in Victoria and South Australia, and 6 in New South Wales. Could it be the meaning of “queen” which unconsciously makes it more appealing to Queenslanders? Two Queensland fans of the show who chose the name for their daughter say that they couldn’t agree on any name until the first season of Game of Thrones began airing. They thought Khaleesi was a really nice name which would be suitable for an adult too, and found out the spelling from the show’s website. Makes you wonder what all these Khaleesis would be called if the books hadn’t been turned into a TV series …

The town of Busselton on Western Australia’s south-west coast has a social group for women named June, and on June 1 each year, they celebrate Happy June Day. (Because if the first of May is May Day, then obviously the first of June is June Day … right?) In existence since 2010, this year eight women named June got together for a cuppa and to find out what else they have in common. Two of the Junes were born in June (well, actually, one of them was born on May 31, but so close to midnight it was practically June). One of the Junes has four children born during the month of June, half the Junes had a mother named Mary, and two Junes have a sister named Barbara. June peaked in the 1930s at #10, and this is something cool to look forward to if you have a popular name – starting your own name group.

This year’s mission for the Junes was to see more newborn babies named June – a wish which was granted instantly, because after a friend sent her the story about June Day in the Busselton paper, Eleisha Whiston contacted the June group to tell them she named her daughter June on May 25. Baby June is named after her 83-year-old great-grandmother, who was born in June. Her brother Hugo also has a June birthday. The Happy Junes were “overwhelmed” to hear of a new June so soon. You know what? June is a lovely name. Seriously consider having a little June – no matter what the moon, or whether born at morn or afternoon, that name would be a real boon, bringing great fortune. Then every day would mean a Happy June.

Meanwhile, Dave Noonan from Hobart’s Heart 107.3 radio station became alarmed at the thought that his own name might die out, and initiated a Save Dave campaign, to convince the women of Hobart to call their sons Dave. Eventually, Matt and Melissa Moore welcomed their son at 4.33 am on July 19, and named him David Xander, to be rewarded with a newly-renovated kitchen. Melissa plans to call her son Davey as his nickname, which she finds “cuter”, making the contest seem a bit pointless.

Diminutive Names for Girls

23 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

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

6729_1302317773These short days of winter seem like the perfect time to cover names which are diminutives, nicknames, pet names, and short forms of names, but can also be used as full names.

Annika

Annika is a Swedish diminutive of the name Anna, so it’s one of those cases where the pet form of the name is longer than the name itself. The name became well known in the English-speaking world through Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking books, because Annika is the little girl who lives next door to Pippi and is one of her friends. There are several variants of the name, such as Anneka and Anika, although while Anneka is said exactly the same way as Annika (AN-ih-ka), Anika is pronounced a-NEE-ka, and is also an Indian name. Annika has charted since the 1970s, and peaked in 2010 at #165; it’s now #196. Although in regular use, it’s never become popular. I think it’s pretty; in fact I wish this had been used as my own nickname!

Elsa

Elsa is a short form of the name Elisabeth. This name reminds me of the 1930s, as there were several prominent Elsas active during those years. One was stylish Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who was Coco Chanel’s greatest rival in pre-war Paris. Another was bohemian actress Elsa Lanchester, who studied under Isadora Duncan and played the “Bride of Frankenstein” on film. American hostess Elsa Maxwell threw lavish parties for the rich, including a scavenger hunt in Paris which disrupted the entire city. In fiction, Elsa is the heroine of Wagner’s opera, Lohengrin, and the pretty and fashionable young mistress in Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse. The name may also remind you of Elsa the lioness, from the non-fiction books and movies, Born Free and Living Free. Similar to fashionable Elsie, but with a sophisticated European twist, this name has gained more attention since Chris Hemsworth married lovely Spanish actress Elsa Pataky. Elsa is #297 in Victoria.

Heidi

Heidi is a short form of the name Adelheid, the German form of Adelaide. This name became well known in the English-speaking world due to the best-selling children’s book, Heidi, by Johanna Spyri; the story of a curly-haired young orphan girl growing up in the Swiss Alps with a gruff, hermit-like grandfather. Although it was translated into English in the late 19th century, the name Heidi only became famous after the 1937 movie was released, starring Shirley Temple. Heidi first charts in Australia in the 1940s, and ranks in the 1950s, debuting at #527. The name skyrocketed to peak in the 1970s at #74. Heidi dropped out of the Top 100 in the 1980s and sunk to #213 in the 1990s – the band Killing Heidi probably didn’t help. It climbed again, and was Top 100 in 2010, then fell the next year. Last year it was one of the fastest-rising names for girls, rising to #76 nationally. It is currently #87 in New South Wales, #85 in Victoria, #72 in Queensland, #57 in Tasmania and #55 in the Australian Capital Territory. This is a spunky little name which just won’t give up – it keeps climbing up and down the charts as if they’re the Alps, but like little orphan Heidi, our hearts can’t let it go.

Jinty

Jinty is a Scottish pet form of Janet, a variation of French Jeanette. One prominent person with this name is British historian Dame Janet “Jinty” Nelson. You may also have heard of the Scottish-born Australian artist and designer, Jinty Stockings. There used to be a British girl’s comic called Jinty, much loved by readers for its bizarre storylines which dealt with dystopian futures, school bullies with mind control, mermaid mothers and the like. There is also a steam locomotive named Jinty in The Railway Series on which the kid’s TV show Thomas and Friends is based;  small tank engines were once nicknamed “jinties” by railwaymen. I saw this name in a birth notice a while ago, and was charmed by its jauntiness. Although it’s not a common name in Australia (I found only one woman named Jinty in Australian historical records and that may have been a nickname), there’s something vaguely Australian-sounding about it. Perhaps it’s partly because it sounds like Jindy, the affectionate name for the town of Jindabyne, which comes from an Aboriginal word for “valley”.

Lola

Lola is a short form of the name Dolores, taken from a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Maria de los Dolores, meaning “Mary of Sorrows”. The title refers to the Catholic devotion, the Seven Sorrows of Mary, reflecting on sad events during Mary’s life as the mother of Jesus. Despite this serious meaning, Lola is usually thought of a fun and even sexy name, and this can be attributed to Lola Montez. Born Eliza Gilbert in Ireland, she was beautiful and exotic-looking, and billed herself as a “Spanish” dancer. Her routines were considered salacious, and she was even more famous as a courtesan, being the mistress of Ludwig I of Bavaria. Lola toured Australia in 1855 where she enraptured audiences but attracted controversy; her beauty manual is illustrated by Australian cartoonist Kaz Cooke. After Ms Montez, Lola was a bad girl name, inspiring songs about showgirls, girls from bars in SoHo, and girls who get what they want. Lola was #203 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1930s at #74, leaving the Top 100 the following decade. It was off the charts between the 1960s and 1990s, returning in the 2000s at #393, coinciding with the publication of the Charlie and Lola book/TV series, where the name got a new image as that of a lively little girl. Lola has been Top 100 since 2010, when it debuted at #97. It is currently #75 nationally, #86 in New South Wales, #59 in Victoria, #61 in Tasmania, #92 in Queensland, and #62 in the Australian Capital Territory. Cute yet alluring, it’s hard to resist the charms of this retro name.

Mimi

Mimi is a short form of all the Mary names – Mary, Marie, Maria, Miriam, and so on, although in practice it is used as a nickname for almost any name with an M sound in it. Some famous Mimis include Miriam “Mimi” Macpherson, actress Miriam “Mimi” Rogers, singer Mei “Mimi” Choo, and children’s author Mimi King. Mariah Carey is called Mimi by her family and close friends. Sometimes it is used as a pet form of certain male names; an example of this is Mislav “Mimi” Saric, who plays soccer for the Adelaide Raiders. The most famous fictional person of this name is Mimi from Puccini’s opera, La bohème; Mimi’s real name is Lucia, so Mimi can be used as a generic “cute” nickname. Mimi has an Australian connection, because in the Indigenous folklore of Arnhem Land, the Mimi are a race of spiritual beings who are often referred to as “Australian fairies”. Mimis are extraordinarily long and thin, and live in rock crevices. They taught humans how to hunt, cook and paint, and are usually harmless, but can be mischievous. The name Mimi is pronounced mee-mee, and seems to be rarely chosen as the name on the birth certificate. That seems unfair, when many brief, and perhaps insubstantial, names are highly popular for girls.

Nellie

Nellie is a pet form of Nell, a medieval short form of names such as Helen, Ellen and Eleanor. Australia has had two famous performers with this name. One of them is Dame Helen “Nellie” Melba, the charismatic operatic prima donna who reigned at London’s Covent Garden during its golden age. During her career, she was invited to sing for many of the royal heads of Europe, and was mobbed by fans, just like pop singers are today. The other is Eleanor “Nellie” Stewart, a beautiful singer and actress who made her name playing Nell Gwynn in Sweet Nell of Old Drury; after that she was always known as “Sweet Nell”. She starred in Sweet Nell, one of Australia’s earliest films. Nellie was #31 in the 1900s, and left the Top 100 in the 1930s. It hasn’t charted since the 1950s – coincidentally or not, that was the decade the enduring children’s song Nellie the Elephant was released. This vintage name is now a very hip choice, and I’m sure we will see more of it. It is currently #494 in Victoria.

Pippa

Pippa is a short form of the name Phillipa. It gained fame in 1841 when Robert Browning published his play-poem, Pippa Passes, which has the famous lines, God’s in His heaven/All’s right with the world! The Pippa of the poem is an innocent young silk-winder named Felippa, nicknamed Pippa. Pippa seems to be more readily accepted as a full name in Britain and Australia than elsewhere, and I used to think of it as a “soap opera” name, because there were two Pippas in Home and Away, and actress Pippa Black had a leading role on Neighbours. However, since 2011 we’ve all connected the name to Phillipa “Pippa” Middleton, who became an immediate sensation after appearing at her sister Catherine’s wedding to Prince William. The name is already Top 100 in Victoria, where it is #73, Queensland, where it is #84, and Tasmania, where it is #93. Other states to follow? Probably.

Romy

Romy is a German short form of Rosemarie, although it can also be used as a male name, possibly short for Romeo or Roman. The most famous person with this name is probably German-Austrian actress Rosemarie “Romy” Schneider, who gained fame in France during the 1960s and ’70s. In the 1990s, the name got some publicity with the release of ditzy gal-pal comedy, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, with the role of Romy played by Mira Sorvino. The name has been picked up by several celebrities, including cricketer Ed Cowan and his wife Virginia Lette, who welcomed their daughter Romy last year. Suzi Catchpole from Australian website Babyology lists Romy as a name with “swagger and sass” – it’s certainly very hip at the moment, a cool twist on popular Ruby and Rose. The name is pronounced RO-mee, like the first two words in the sentence, Row me to the shore.

Willa

Although Willa can be used as a short form of Wilhelmina and other names, it is actually a full name in its own right (so it’s slightly cheating to include it). It is the English form of the medieval French name Guilla, a feminine form of Guillaume – the French form of William. Famous people named Willa include novelist Wilella “Willa” Cather, New Zealand actress Willa O’Neill, and singer Willa Ford, whose real name is Amanda Modana – her stage name comes from her original surname, Williford. Another Willa is young actress Willa Holland, who has starred in The OC and Gossip Girl TV series. The Alternative Guide to Baby Names lists Willa as an Aboriginal name meaning “wife”, but the author doesn’t say which language it is from; in a language from the Melbourne region, willa means “possum”. There are so many place names here that begin with or contain Willa-, such as Willa-Willa Ridge near Adelaide, and Willa Willyong Creek near Broken Hill, that the name does have a rather Australian feel to it. Willa has been gaining in popularity, not only riding the success of its brother name, William, but providing a hip alternative to popular Willow. It is #468 in Victoria.

POLL RESULT: People’s favourite names were Elsa, Pippa, and Willa, and their least favourite were Heidi, Mimi, and Jinty.

(Picture of silver coin in commemoration of Dame Melba from Perth Mint)

Names of Australian Male Olympic Medalists

19 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

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

Bevan (George)

Bevan George is a hockey player who won gold at the Olympics in 2004, and bronze in 2008. Bevan is a Welsh surname meaning “son of Evan”; as Evan is a Welsh form of John, this is the Welsh form of Johnson. One of the most prominent people with this surname was Aneurin Bevan, a Welsh Labour Party politician most active in the 1950s. Recognised as one of the leaders of the party’s left-wing, he was a champion of social justice and the rights of working people. As Minister of Health, he was responsible for bringing in the National Health Service – that wonderful institution celebrated so effusively in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. For reasons unclear to me, this name seems to have been used more often in Australasia than anywhere else, and unfortunately, familiarity seems to have bred a certain amount of contempt, for in Queensland especially, Bevan is seen much in the same way that Kevin is perceived in the United Kingdom, the word bevan used to denote a lower-class person. As such, parents would rather use the name Evan.

Deveraux (Mytton)

Deveraux “Dev” Mytton won a bronze medal in sailing at the 1956 Olympics. The surname Deveraux is a variant of Devereux, and it’s Norman-French, meaning “from Évreux” in Normandy. The city of Évreux gained its present name from the Gallic tribe the Eburovici, whose name may be related to the word for “yew tree”, so the French city could have a similar meaning to that of York in northern England. According to the BBC, so many of the gold medal-winners from Team GB were from Yorkshire that if this historic county was its own nation, it would have finished 15th on the Olympics medal tally – ahead of South Africa and Brazil. The city of Évreux has its own Olympic champion – Didier Courrèges, who won gold as an equestrian in 2004. The surname is one with an aristocratic air to it, and in the early twentieth century would have been considered a very upmarket, perhaps even pretentious, name to bestow upon your son (a 1920s version of a “preppy” name). Pronounced DEV-er-oh, I cannot see this name coming into use, despite the fashionable ending, but Dev has a brisk sound to it.

Eli (Matheson)

Eli Matheson is a hockey player who won bronze at the 2008 Olympics. Eli is a Hebrew name which means “ascension”, and in the Old Testament, Eli is a judge and high priest of Israel who is the teacher and mentor of the prophet Samuel. Eli himself is regarded as a prophet also in Judaism. According to how it is written in Hebrew, Eli can also be a separate name which means “my God”. In Hebrew, it is said EH-lee, but English-speakers tend to pronounce the name EE-lie (probably so it doesn’t get confused with the girl’s name Ellie). One well known person with this name is Hollywood actor Eli Wallach, who starred in the westerns, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and The Magnificent Seven. As Old Testament names for boys gain increasing momentum, Eli continues to rise and rise. It first entered the charts in the 1970s, and joined the Top 100 in 2009. It’s already #45 and still forging ahead.

Fergus (Kavanagh)

Fergus Kavanagh is a member of the men’s hockey team, and won bronze medals in 2008 and 2012. Fergus is the Anglicised and Old Irish form of Fearghas, a Gaelic name meaning “man of vigour, strong virile man” – very apt for an Olympian. It was a name common amongst royalty in both ancient Ireland and Scotland, and is still often used amongst Scottish nobility. One of Queen Elizabeth II’s uncles was named Fergus, and another royal connection is Fergus Boyd, a friend and former flatmate of Prince William. There is a Saint Fergus, an 8th century Irish bishop who was a missionary in Scotland. King Arthur also had Sir Fergus as one of his knights, and he appears in a witty 13th century romance in which he appears valiant but lacking in sophistication. The name Fergus is currently gaining favour with the sort of parents who love Angus and Hamish, but are dismayed by their popularity. Aristocratic Fergus seems so much more select.

Hector (Hogan)

Hector “Hec” Hogan was a sprinter who was Australian champion seven times over in the 100 metres, and was able to equal the world record in this event. He attended the 1956 Olympics, and although he was already feeling strangely fatigued, still managed to win bronze. He was afterwards diagnosed with leukaemia, and died in hospital a few years later, while listening to the 100 metre sprint race at the Rome Olympics. In Greek mythology, Hector is a Trojan prince, and the greatest warrior of Troy, who slays Achilles in battle. A leader noted for his brave and noble nature, he is seen as far more worthy than his younger brother Paris, who caused the war. In Greek, Hector means “to hold”, and is interpreted as “holding firm, holding everything together”. It may be an epithet or title rather than a real name. In Scotland, Hector is used to Anglicise the Gaelic name Eachann, meaning “horse lord” or “brown horse”. Sir Hector is one of King Arthur’s knights in the legends, and is the brother of Sir Lancelot, while Arthur’s foster-father Sir Ector shows another form of the name. In Australia, Hector is the name of a cloud which forms each afternoon in the Tiwi Islands during certain months. This name is fast becoming seen as hip and quirky.

Ji (Wallace)

Ji Wallace is a gymnast who won a silver medal for trampolining at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He later came out as gay, and was the first Australian to be an ambassador for the Gay Games; while attending the 2012 Olympics, he revealed that he is HIV-positive. Ji is a unisex Korean name which means “wisdom”; it’s also the word for an ancient Korean flute. This name sounds similar to the Indian name Jai, but manages to use even fewer letters, and is suitable for both boys and girls.

Kenneth (Wallace)

Kenneth “Ken” Wallace started out competing in Ironman, and switched to sprint canoeing while still in his teens. He won gold and bronze medals at the 2008 Olympics, and last year took part in Channel 7’s Australia’s Greatest Athlete. He came third, with Shannon Eckstein beating him to second place. Kenneth is the Anglicised form of two separate names. One is the Pictish Coinneach, meaning “handsome”; the other is Gaelic Cináed, meaning perhaps “born from fire” or “fire-head”, possibly to denote someone red-haired or hot-headed. According to tradition, the 9th century Kenneth MacAlpin was the first king of Scotland, and is known as Kenneth I (during his lifetime, he would only have been known as king of the Picts, however). There also two legendary saints named Kenneth, one Irish, one Welsh. For some reason, Kenneth became a “funny name” – perhaps because of uber-camp comic actor Kenneth Williams, from the Carry On movies. Kenneth was #38 for the 1900s, and peaked in the 1920s at #6. It left the Top 100 in the 1980s, and is currently #409. It rose last year, so things may be looking up for this attractive name.

Nimrod (Greenwood)

Nimrod Greenwood won bronze for rowing at the 1952 Olympics. In the Old Testament, Nimrod is a great-grandson of Noah, and king of several Mesopotamian cities. He is depicted as a man wielding great political power, a warrior, and a mighty hunter. Although the Bible never states this, according to tradition, he is the king for whom the Tower of Babel was constructed. This hubristic piece of engineering sought to build a tower into heaven itself, and so alarmed God that He scattered humanity over the globe, and made them speak different languages, to prevent further outbreaks of co-operation and harmony. It’s obviously a story to explain cultural differences, and there are similar myths around the world. The name Nimrod is traced to the Hebrew for “rebel”, but as he was Sumerian, this seems unlikely. The most convincing theory is that he is based on the Babylonian god Bel Marduk, one of whose titles was Bel-Nimrod, meaning “to pursue, to make someone flee before him”. Nimrod has entered our language to mean either a tyrant, a warrior, or a huntsman; however, in the United States it is slang for “idiot” – perhaps due to a 19th century play with a character called Nimrod Wildfire. It is still an Olympian name, for one of the Israeli swimmers at this year’s Olympics was Nimrod Shapira-Bar-Or.

Ralph (Doubell)

Ralph Doubell had a brief career in athletics, but was lucky enough to peak just as an Olympics came around. He won gold in 1968 in the 800 metres, and set a world record of 1:44.3. No other Australian has ever managed to equal this, and it’s stood as the Australian record for more than 40 years. Ralph is a contraction of the Old Norse name Ráðúlfr, meaning “wolf counsel”, which was introduced to England by Scandinavian settlers. When the Normans arrived, they brought with them their own form of the name, Radulf, and English Ralph can be seen as a continuation of both these names. Ráðúlfr is pronounced ra-THOOL-fer, and Radulf is said RAD-oolf; in the beginning Ralph was spelled Ralf and pronounced RAYF. By the 17th century the spelling had been changed to Rafe to reflect the pronunciation, and the Ralph spelling appeared in the 18th century. You are now free to pronounce this name either RAYF or RALF, but as far as I know, only one Ralph seems to say his name like Rafe, and that’s English actor Ralph Fiennes. The name was favoured by the ruling classes during the Middle Ages, but American pop culture has not been kind to it, often assigning it to comic or dim-witted characters. In American slang, ralph means “to vomit”, which can’t have done its image any good. Ralph was #91 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1920s at #89. It left the Top 100 by the 1950s, and hasn’t ranked since the 1980s.

Verdi (Barberis)

Verdi “Vern” Barberis was a seven times Australian champion in weight-lifting, and took the bronze medal in the Lightweight category at the 1952 Olympics. He was the first Australian lightweight to clean and jerk over 300 lb (140 kg), which at that time exceeded his state’s heavyweight record. The name Verdi is an Italian surname, common in the north of Italy, and best known as that of the composer, Giuseppe Verdi. One of the most influential composers of the 19th century, he is famous for such operas as Rigoletto, Aida and La Traviata. The name means “green”, from the Latin viridis, related to the word virere, meaning “to bloom and flourish”. In the same way, the English word verdant, from the same Latin root, means “green”, but also has connotations of lush vegetation. It’s very much a name of freshness, spring time and new life. I think this rare unisex name is very appealing, and also begins with the fashionable V.

(Photo shows Ken Wallace after winning gold at the 2008 Olympics)

Famous Name: Apollo

25 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Famous Names

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

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

Last Friday marked the anniversary of the first moon landing, which took place on July 20 1969. The NASA spaceflight programme responsible was famously named Apollo, and the name was chosen in 1960, during the administration of President Eisenhower.

It was named after the Greek god of the sun by NASA manager Abe Silverstein, and he later said that he named it as carefully as if he was naming his baby. Dr Silverstein had been reading a book of Greek mythology, and was struck by an illustration of the god Apollo riding his chariot across the sun; this seemed in line with the grand scale of the project they had in mind.

It became far grander after the election of President John F. Kennedy, for while Eisenhower was on the fence about the whole space thing, Kennedy had made winning the Space Race against the Soviet Union a key campaign promise. Like many people on their way to power, President Kennedy hadn’t considered how much such a promise would cost, and when he found out the price, he also started to go a bit lukewarm on the idea.

Once the Soviet Union became the first to send a man (cosmonaut Yuri Gargarin) into space in 1961, it all suddenly seemed a lot more pressing, and President Kennedy vowed that the United States must be the first nation to land a man on the moon, and would do so by the end of the decade.

Even some people at NASA thought this was going a bit far, and wondered if the President understood how difficult it would be. No he didn’t, but that’s what leaders are for – to come up with big impossible dreams, and then let the brainiacs sort out the technical details.

As we all know, they did manage to get to the moon by the end of the 1960s, on spaceflight Apollo 11, and history was made – not just American history, but world history. Around the globe, 500 million people watched the moon landing on their TV sets, and Australia played a vital role in the television broadcast of the moon landing.

The images broadcast from the moon were received by three tracking antennae – one in California, one in the delightfully named Honeysuckle Creek near Canberra, and one in Parkes, New South Wales. The very first television pictures were received by Honeysuckle Creek, and then NASA alternated between California and Parkes, trying to find the best quality pictures. Less than ten minutes into the broadcast, the signals from Parkes were so superior that NASA stayed with them for the rest of the two-and-a-half hour television broadcast.

The behind-the-scenes of the television broadcast seems to have been very confused. One of the biggest mysteries to me is how NASA managed to lose all the footage we sent them. They didn’t throw them in a cupboard and forget about them, they actually taped over them. I mean, this isn’t the family holiday to Fiji we’re talking about, it’s the freaking moon landing! With baffling carelessness, they also lost the back-up copy Australia sent them. After an exhaustive search, a bootleg copy of the original broadcast was found in Australia in time for the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing. Phew!

The god Apollo who had inspired the name of the space programme was one of the most important and complex in the Greek and Roman pantheon. Always depicted as a handsome and gloriously athletic young man, he was the god of many things – light, the sun, prophecy, healing, music and poetry amongst them. I think of him as a very appropriate god for Australia, because (apart from all the sunshine he’s blessed us with), he was also a god who ruled colonists, and protected flocks and herds. As a former colony with a strong interest in farming, it’s a wonder we don’t celebrate him more often in official imagery.

His name is so ancient that the meaning of it is now very obscure. The Greeks themselves tried to link the name to Greek words that sounded similar such as those for “destroy”, “redeem”, “purification”, “simple” and “ever-shooting”. The name was connected to the word apella, meaning “assembly”; the Apella was a Spartan political meeting held on each full moon, aptly enough. This word originally meant “a wall, a fence”, so you can see that the Greeks saw the political process as being protected by the god, just as he protected flocks of animals. Apollo’s earliest role seems to have been as a protector against evil.

The name is likely to be older than Greek, as there are a number of gods from the Middle East with similar-sounding names. The official title of the Babylonian sun god Nergal was Aplu Enlil, meaning “son of Enlil”. Enlil means “lord of the storm”, and he was the chief god of the Sumerians. Not only does Aplu sound like Apollo, but the parallels between chief storm gods Enlil and Zeus, and their sons, sun gods Nergal and Apollo are obvious. If so, the name Apollo simply means “the son of”, like the Gaelic prefix Mac.

The meaning is far less important than what it symbolises, for classical Greece made Apollo the principle of light, harmony, order and reason. This is the Apollo who presided over contests of music, art and literature, and who inspired the greatest composers and poets. But he had a darker side too from his Eastern origins, which were shamanistic and oracular. His Delphic priestesses sometimes perished in their efforts to hear his divine voice, people who died suddenly were said to have been struck down by the god, and he also brought plague and pestilence as a mark of his displeasure. He demonstrates that everything being light, bright, clear and intellectual are not enough – we also need intuition, awe and mystery in our psychological make-up.

Apart from the god and the space programme, the name may remind you of fictional characters Apollo Creed, from the Rocky movies, and Captain Apollo from Battlestar Galactica. A famous example of a real life Apollo from our own region is the Samoan-New Zealand rugby player Apollo Perelini, a relative of Australian soccer star Tim Cahill. Perelini got his name because he was born the day the Apollo 11 space project was launched – July 16 1969. His middle name is 11. An Australian link is the tourist town of Apollo Bay on the Victorian coast, so named because the ship Apollo sheltered from a storm there.

Apollo is a strong, handsome and spectacular name which commands attention. It’s garnering some interest and perhaps greater use, as it fits in with the trends for mythological names and names ending in O. I suspect this might be a name where many people love the sound and associations, but fear that calling their son after such a divine figure may seem a little hubristic. If so, it makes a brilliant middle name. Many parents are becoming a bit more daring with boy’s names, and if you prefer names without a built-in nickname, Apollo is one to consider.