Unique Girls Names from the 2015 Birth Notices

11 Sunday Sep 2016

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These are ten names given to girls which I saw only once in the birth announcements of last year. They are not all rare (and some of them are popular in other countries even if uncommon here), but they are at least names you don’t see every day.

Aviva
Feminine form of the modern Hebrew name Aviv, meaning “spring”. The word aviv refers to that time of year when grain crops are ripening, is a month of the Jewish calendar, and well known from Israel’s capital Tel Aviv, meaning “Spring Hill”. The names Aviv and Aviva have also become commonly used in Russian-speaking countries. The American philosopher Noam Chomsky has a daughter named Aviva, who is a historian and activist, and you might have seen Aviva Dreschel on The Real Housewives of New York City. Another TV Aviva was pretty schoolgirl Aviva “Viv” Newton from Home and Away, played by Mouche Phillips back in 1990. Although Aviva is a rare name in Australia, it fits in perfectly with current name trends for girls, and does not look at all out of place next to popular Ava and fashionable Vivian. Despite the name’s origin, I suspect many people will automatically connect it to the Latin viva, meaning “alive”. However, this dovetails nicely with the true meaning, as spring is a season of new life. Avi, Viv, Eva, Evie, and Viva are obvious nicknames – the last one is also a brand of paper towels. Vivka is a traditional Russian pet form.

Clodagh
Modern Irish name taken from the name of the River Clodiagh, which runs through the counties of Tipperary and Waterford. There’s a small river with the same name in Kilkenny, and you can find variations of the name all over Ireland. There’s a River Clydagh in Mayo, a Clady Water in Antrim, and towns with names such as Claudy in Derry and Bunclody in Wexford, at the foot of the River Clody, which is yet another river with basically the same name. The name is derived from the Gaelic for “wash, clean” – baby name sites often tell us that Clodiagh was a goddess of water in Irish mythology, but nothing is known of such a deity, although it’s not implausible. The name is said to have first been bestowed in 1897 on the youngest daughter of John Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford, giving the name aristocratic origins. Lady Clodagh married the son of an English earl and wrote memoirs, gaining a wider audience for her name. Clodagh is a popular name in Ireland and Northern Ireland, being in the Top 50 of both countries. Pronounced KLO-da, this is an Irish heritage choice reminiscent of Chloe and Claudia.

Eilidh
Medieval Scottish name. Despite the rather daunting spelling, it is very easy to pronounce – AY-lee. It is usually said to be the Scottish equivalent of Helen, although seems much more likely to be a form of Elionoir (said AY-lee-nuh), the medieval Scottish form of Eleanor, due to the usual medieval mix-up between Eleanor and Ellen. It has also been linked to the Irish name Eileen, the name Evelyn, and so august a source as the Oxford Press suggests it as a Scottish medieval pet form of Elizabeth. Eilidh was a common name during the Middle Ages, but went out of use and was revived in the 20th century so you can see it as both ancient and modern. It’s a popular name in Scotland, and is currently #22. This is a charming Caledonian choice whose sound fits in with familiar names like Ellie, Ayla, Hayley and Kaylee, and due to the competing theories of origin, could be used to honour multiple women at once.

Liv
Norwegian name from the Old Norse hlif, meaning “shelter, protection”. In modern Norwegian, it coincides with the word for “life”. Both these meanings bring to mind the character of Líf from Norse mythology: it is foretold that at the end of the world, she and her male partner Lífþrasir will survive by hiding in the World Tree, and from them will new generations of humans be born (their names can be translated as Life and Life’s Lover). This gives it an irresistible connection to the name Eve. The name Liv became well known in the English-speaking world through the award-winning Norwegian actress Liv Ullman, who starred in several Ingmar Bergman films. The American actress Liv Tyler was named after her – Tyler’s mother saw Liv Ullman on the cover of TV Guide a few months before Liv Tyler was born. The name Liv is popular in Scandinavia, Belgium, and The Netherlands, and doesn’t seem unfamiliar because of popular Olivia. Short and simple with two great meanings, this is a rare but very usable name.

Nadia
Can be a variant of Nadya, a short form of the Slavic name Nadezhda, meaning “hope” (in some Slavic languages, Nadia actually coincides with the word for “hope”). Nadia has an extensive history of use, being used in English-speaking countries, Latin America, Scandinavia, France, Italy and Spain, as well as in Russia and Eastern Europe. Nadia is also an Arabic name, a transliteration of Nadiyyah, which can be translated as “tender, delicate”, or “the caller”, to suggest one who inspires others to a higher cause. Nadia is a popular name in Spain and Portugal, and most popular in Poland, as well as being widely known in the Arabic world. In Australia, Nadia joined the charts in the 1950s at #348; one of the names introduced by post-war immigration. It peaked in the 1980s at #181 and is currently around the 200s or 300s. This is a multicultural choice with two positive meanings that will be familiar almost everywhere.

Rhea
In Greek mythology Rhea was one of the Titans, the daughter of the earth goddess Gaia and sky god Uranus. The sister and wife of Cronus, the god of time, Rhea was the mother of the chief Olympian gods and goddesses. It was she who helped save Zeus from being killed by his father, tricking Cronus by presenting him with a stone wrapped in a blanket instead of a baby god. As such, she was venerated as the mother of the gods, and as a mother goddess and guide of destiny; she is often depicted driving a chariot pulled by two lions. The mother of Romulus and Remus, and the mother of Hercules were both named Rhea after the goddess. The meaning of Rhea’s name is uncertain. It’s traditionally derived either from the Greek word for “ground”, or from “flow, discharge”. Another suggestion is that it comes from the word for “pomegranate”, a fertility symbol. It’s quite possible that the name is pre-Greek and the meaning unrecoverable. Pronounced either REE-uh or RAY-uh, Rhea is an uncommon name but is simple to spell and say, and fits in well with current naming trends (not to mention the fashion for mythological names). It’s also a good multicultural choice, as it sounds like European Ria, used as a short form of names like Maria, and also like the Indian names Riya and Reya.

Serena
Latin name meaning “serene, tranquil”. There is a legendary Saint Serena, said to be the Christian wife of the Emperor Diocletian; Diocletian’s wife was actually Saint Prisca, sometimes called Saint Alexandra just to confuse things further. There was a famous Christian noblewoman named Serena in ancient Rome, married to a high-ranking general and cousin to the emperor. The story goes that she took a necklace from a statue of Rhea Silvia, the legendary mother of Romulus and Remus, and placed it around her own neck. The last Vestal Virgin cursed her for her impiety, and after this Serena was troubled by nightmares about her own death; these dreams proved prophetic when she was falsely accused of conspiring with the Goths and executed. The name Serena first entered the charts in the 1960s at #515; this was the era when Serena was Samantha’s mischievous brunette cousin on Bewitched (played by Elizabeth Montgomery in a wig). The name mostly rose after that, peaking in 2009 at #190: it’s now around the 200s. A popular name in Italy, this is another multicultural choice with a famous namesake in American tennis champ Serena Williams, and numerous fictional namesakes.

Tauriel
Tauriel is a character in The Hobbit movie series by Peter Jackson, played by Evangeline Lilly. She doesn’t appear in the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien but was created for the films by Peter Jackson, Phillipa Boyens, and Fran Walsh. In the films Tauriel is one of the Woodland Elves of Mirkwood; a warrior and head of the elven guard. She’s a rebellious figure, and rather reckless, but shows her softer side through a romantic plot line. The name Tauriel was created for the character from the Sindarin language invented by Tolkien, and is probably best translated as “forest maiden”; it’s said TAWR-ee-el. There’s a real Katniss vibe to this name, as they are names from popular culture, and both Tauriel and Katniss are bold, brave young women who are brilliant with bow and arrows. It feels like a name with a use-by date, but doesn’t seem that strange, as it has the Tori sound from Victoria and the -elle sound ending shared with names like Estelle and Gabrielle.

Ulanni
Variant spelling of Uʻilani or Uilani, a Polynesian name usually translated as “heavenly beauty” or “royal beauty”, which can also be spelled Ulani. It can be pronounced yoo-LAH-nee. Uilani an be given to either sex (there is a male soccer player from Tuvalu called Uilani), but is generally thought of as a female name, and is sometimes a surname as well. To me, Ulanni feels like a more specifically feminine spelling, and this is a pretty heritage choice which comes with the fashionable nickname Lani.

Zaya
Mongolian name meaning “fate, destiny”. It is a Top 10 name for girls in Mongolia, although a famous namesake is Zaya Pandita, a 17th century Mongolian prince who became a Tibetan Buddhist scholar – in his case, the name is a variant of the unisex Indian name Jaya, meaning “victory” in Sanskrit. The name has recently been in the spotlight because of the fantasy film Gods of Egypt, which has a slave girl named Zaya as the love interest, played by Australian model and actress Courtney Eaton. In the film the name is said ZAY-uh, but it can also be pronounced ZY-uh. Zaya is a spunky little name that seems like a fresh alternative to Zara, Zahlia, and other Z names.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Liv, Aviva and Eilidh, while their least favourites were Clodagh, Tauriel and Ulanni.

(Picture shows a poster for Gods of Egypt, featuring Zaya)

Rare Girls Names From the 1950s

05 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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The most popular girls names of the 1950s were Susan, Jennifer, Christine, and Margaret, but what were the least popular names? Here are ten names which were only chosen once in any year between 1950 and 1959 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.

Adelie
Anglicised form of Adélie, a variant or pet form of the French name Adèle. The name came into common use in the 19th century, and has a strong connection with Antarctica. Adélie Land borders the Australian Antarctic Territory, and has been claimed by France, although most countries do not recognise their sovereignty. The coast of Adélie Land was discovered in 1840 by the French explorer Jules D’Urville, and named after his wife Adèle. Since 1956 there has been a French research station here, and perhaps it helped to give the name some publicity in this decade. Adélie penguins get their name from Adélie Land, and the location has another penguin connection, as this is where the award-winning French documentary March of the Penguins was filmed. Names such as Adeline and Adele are on trend, and Adelie has a strong local association. Usually pronounced AD-uh-lee by English-speakers; Addie is the obvious nickname.

Drusilla
Feminine form of the Roman family name Drusus. The first of the line was Livius Drusus, who gained his name by killing a Gallic chieftain named Drausus in one-on-one combat. Although the meaning of Drausus is unknown, one theory is that it comes from the Celtic for “strong”. Drusilla was the name of one of King Herod’s great-granddaughters, and she briefly appears in the New Testament as the wife of the Roman governor Felix Antonius; mention is made of her beauty, and that Felix used great cunning to persuade the Jewish – and already married – Drusilla to wed him, a pagan (later she perished in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius). Drusilla has been used as an English name since at least the 17th century; presumably the loveliness of the biblical namesake was a drawcard. A famous namesake of the decade was British actress Drusilla Wills, who passed away in 1951. In Australia this name has an intellectual image, due to novelist and literary critic Drusilla Modjeska; however Drusilla often has a Gothic connection in popular culture. Dru makes a cool nickname.

Isis
Greek version of the Egyptian goddess Aset, whose name means “throne”, and represents the power of the pharaoh. Worshipped as the ideal wife and mother, Isis was a patron of nature and magic; she was the protector of the poor and downtrodden, but also heeded the prayers of the wealthy and aristocratic. She was popular throughout Egypt, and later her cult spread through the Greco-Roman world, where she came to represent wisdom. She even influenced Christianity, for the popular image of the Virgin Mary nursing the baby Jesus was taken directly from Isis suckling her son Horus. Worship of Isis continues today in both pagan and interfaith contexts, and she has become important to occult, esoteric and New Age movements. A famous namesake from this decade was Isis Finlay, the Miss Cuba of 1954. The British astronomer Isis Pogson, who used her middle name, was probably named after the River Isis, part of the Thames, and this is the inspiration for the name of the Isis Rivers in Australia. A lovely ancient name which has suffered from the coincidence of the terrorist group popularly called ISIS, although Islamic State is the more usual way of referring to it.

Keturah
Hebrew name meaning “incense”, probably with spiritual overtones rather than simply describing a pleasant aroma. In the Old Testament, Keturah was the second wife of the patriarch Abraham; he married her after the death of Sarah, and she is implied to be a lower-status wife. Keturah bore Abraham six sons, and Abraham settled them in colonies at some distance away, presumably so that they wouldn’t trouble his son Isaac. They are said to represent the Arab tribes who lived south and east of Palestine, although the youngest ended up in Syria. Despite being one of the most ignored characters in the Bible, Keturah has been used as an English name since the 17th century, but has never gained popularity. Keturah fit in with popular names of the 1950s such as Kathleen, Kathryn, Karen and Kerry, and even today underrated Keturah is surprisingly stylish. You could use Kitty as the nickname.

Kiki
Can be used as a short form of any name starting with a K, ending in -iki, or with a strong K sound, or as a true nickname with no relation to the birth name. The name was well known by the 1950s due to the French artist’s model and cabaret singer Alice Prin, who worked under the professional name Kiki, and was known as The Queen of Montparnasse. The companion of American photographer Man Ray for several years, she is the subject of many of his most famous works. An artist in her own right, her autobiography was reprinted in the 1950s under the title The Education of a Young Model. Kiki died in 1953, but she remained a bohemian symbol of feminine freedom and audacity. Another inspiration was Norwegian-born fashion designer Kiki Byrne (born Olaug Grinaker), who was Mary Quant’s rival in the trendy London scene of the late 1950s and 1960s. Kiki was also a celebrity baby name in this decade, the nickname of Chiara, daughter of American artist Tony Smith, and his opera singer wife, Jane Lawrence (Kiki Smith is now a highly successful artist herself). Kiki is a vintage nickname which still seems daring, chic, and sexy.

Nerissa
Created by William Shakespeare for a character in The Merchant of Venice. It is usually thought that he based it on the Nereids, the beautiful sea nymphs of Greek mythology who were the daughters of the sea god Nereus; his name and theirs comes from the Greek word for “water”. In the play, Nerissa is the handmaid of the heroine Portia, and the two of them team up to fool the boys and save the day with a clever plan. Although Nerissa is pretty, witty, and gets her man, her role as a servant and sidekick may not have helped the name’s fortunes. It doesn’t seem to have been used as a name until the 19th century, when Shakespeare became very fashionable, and has never been popular, like his other creations Jessica and Olivia. Nerissa was very on trend in the 1950s, when names like Nerida, Narelle, Nerine, and Nerys were all the rage. It perhaps sounds slightly dated now, but is still a very pretty name with an attractive fictional namesake.

Pandora
In Greek mythology Pandora was the first woman created by the gods, designed not as a companion and helpmate for man but his punishment. Each of the gods bestowed upon Pandora the most seductive of gifts, such as beauty, grace, intelligence, and charm, but she was also given a jar which contained all diseases and miseries. Pandora almost immediately opened it, so that evil entered the world. Only Hope was left in the jar, but it is unclear whether this was a Bad Thing (hope was never released, giving us no expectation of improvement) or a Good Thing (at least we still have hope). For that matter, why did the gods regard Hope as an evil? Scholars have devoted many pages to these questions. At least Pandora’s name is straightforward: she was named by Hermes with the meaning “all gifts”, to indicate how well the gods endowed her. Pandora has been used as an English name since at least the 18th century, although the backstory is a mixed blessing. An inspiration from this decade was the 1951 romantic film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, with Ava Gardner as femme fatale Pandora Reynolds. An exotic spin on Eve, but the mistranslation of her jar makes Pandora’s Box something of an issue.

Tasma
The pen name of Australian novelist Jessie Couvreur, who was of Dutch, French, and English descent. Jessie and her family arrived in Tasmania from London in 1852, and she was raised and given a liberal education in Hobart. Her pseudonym was inspired by the island state of Tasmania, and could be seen as a feminine form of Tasman. There is a Tasma Street in Hobart, apparently named in her honour. Jessie began publishing her work when she was sixteen, and she spent most of her career in Europe. An example of the New Woman, Jessie divorced her first husband, and was already financially independent through her work. She published eight novels between 1877 and 1897, lectured in French, and wrote for the Nouvelle Revue, receiving the Officier d’Académie from the French government; she was particularly interested in feminist issues. Later in life she became a correspondent for The Times in Brussels, proving herself an excellent journalist. A famous namesake is actress Tasma Walton, who is married to comedian Rove McManus, and has been a celebrity parent on the blog. Another celebrity mum, Yumi Stynes, has Tasma as her middle name. The name Tasma is particularly associated with Australia, and although it is found in other countries too, seemingly only after Jessie Couvreur began her international writing career, leaving open the possibility this is a genuine Australian original that’s both literary and patriotic.

Viveka
Swedish form of Wiebke, feminine form of the Germanic name Wiebe, a medieval short form of names containing the name element wig, meaning “war”. The name is pronounced VIV-eh-kuh. In the 1950s, Viveka would have fitted in with fashionable Vivian and Vivienne, and still makes a good alternative to those names. By coincidence, viveka is also a Sanskrit word meaning “discrimination, discernment”. In Eastern philosophies, viveka is the ability to tell the difference between what is real (eternal) and unreal (changing), which is necessary for spiritual growth; the word is used in yoga and certain meditation techniques. It is sometimes used as a female name in India, which makes Viveka a cool multicultural choice.

Zora
Slavic name meaning “dawn”. A famous Australian with the name was the writer Zora Cross, who wrote several novels between the 1920s and 1940s but is primarily known for her poetry. Her private life was scandalous for the time, because she separated from her husband and lived with her partner, who she had two children with and “married” in a private commitment ceremony. Zora’s partner adopted another child she had with a previous lover, and in turn he and his wife were separated, she living with her own partner. These bohemian arrangements were frowned upon and caused some difficulties with employment, but Zora was able to support herself through acting and journalism. Despite this interesting namesake, the name Zora probably appeared in the 1950s data because of post-war immigration from the former Yugoslavia (now Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina). Several other Slavic names appear in the data, including Zorica, a pet form of Zora. Very similar to popular Zara, this makes a good heritage choice and an alternative to Aurora.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Adelie, Zora and Viveka, and their least favourites were Pandora, Kiki and Drusilla.

(Photo shows the writer “Tasma” in Turkish dress in Istanbul; a favourite photo of hers since Turkish women’s clothing was unrestrictive compared to that in Europe)

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1950s

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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aristocratic titles, classic names, english names, epithets and titles, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, French names, Gaelic names, Greek names, imperial names, Indian names, Irish names, locational names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from movies, nicknames, papal names, Roman names, royal names, saints names, Scottish names, surname names

Adrian
From the Roman name Hadrianus, meaning “from Hadria”. Hadria (now called Adria) is a town in northern Italy. Its name may be from the River Adria, named from the Venetic word adur, meaning “water, sea”. It has given its name to the Adriatic Sea, to which the river was once connected. A famous Roman namesake is Publius Aelius Hadrianus, otherwise known as the Emperor Hadrian, well known for the wall he built across northern England. There have been many saints named Adrian, including Adrian of Canterbury, an African-born English scholar famous for his learning. There have also been six popes named Adrian. The name Adrian has been used in Britain since the Middle Ages, but only became common in the 19th century. Adrian was #144 in the 1900s and joined the Top 100 in the 1940s; by the 1950s it was #94. It peaked in 1976 at #38 and left the Top 100 in 2004; it is currently around the 100s so still in reasonable use. This is a classic which has been superseded by Aidan, but a reliable choice which is still widely popular around the world.

Christopher
From the Greek name Christophoros, meaning “bearing Christ”; it was a name chosen by early Christians to indicate they held Jesus Christ in their hearts. The legendary St Christopher is said to have carried the Christ Child across a river, making the name’s meaning literal. Christopher seems to be a title or epithet of the Egyptian martyr St Menas, and the story is very similar to one told of the hero Jason in Greek mythology. Christopher is a hugely popular saint, and you may even know someone who has a St Christopher medal to keep them safe, as he is the patron of travellers, athletes, surfers, and sailors. Christopher has been used as an English name since the Middle Ages, and has remained in constant use for centuries. Famous Australian namesakes include poet Christopher Brennan, winemaker Christopher Penfold, Federal Minister Christopher Pyne, statistician Professor Christopher Heyde, and actor Chris Hemsworth. Christopher was #97 in the 1900s and left the Top 100 in the following decade. It returned in the 1940s and by the 1950s was #11, peaking at #2 in the mid 1980s. Christopher just left the NSW Top 100 in 2015, so is still common here, and popular in the English-speaking world.

Darryl
Variant of the English surname Darrell, from the Norman-French D’Airelle, meaning “from Airelle”; Airelle in Normandy means “courtyard”. Although Darrell has been used since the 17th century, the variant Darryl didn’t come into common use until the 19th. Darryl entered the charts in the 1930s at #174, and was on the Top 100 by the 1950s, when it was #80 for the decade. This corresponds to the period when Darryl F. Zanuck was head of Twentieth Century Fox. That was also its peak, and it left the Top 100 in 1969; it hasn’t charted since the 1990s (Daryl has a similar history, but slightly less popular). A famous fictional namesake is cheerful battler Darryl Kerrigan from The Castle, voted the favourite Australian film character of all time. Is that enough to give Darryl another go around the block? Some would say you’re dreaming to think it.

Denis
From a medieval French form of Dionysius, derived from Dionysos, the Greek god of wine. The god’s name combines his father’s name, Zeus, with Nysa, the mythological region where he was raised. Dionysius was an extremely common name in ancient Greece, and the name continued to be used in the Christian era. There is a Dionysius in the New Testament, a judge of Athens converted by St Paul. A number of saints have the name, and a pope as well. However, the most famous is the Dionysius who became bishop of Paris in the 3rd century and was martyred; he is known as St Denis and is one of the patrons of France. According to legend, after being decapitated he picked up his head and walked several miles with it, preaching sermons the whole way. He seems to have started a trend, as after that it became fashionable for saints, especially French ones, to carry their own heads. St Denis was very popular, and his name was introduced to England by the Normans. It became a great favourite in Ireland. Denis was #109 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 in the 1930s. It peaked in the 1940s at #41, and by the 1950s was #73. It left the Top 100 in 1957, and hasn’t charted since the late 2000s. The surname form Dennis has always been more popular, and this spelling is still in use.

Gary
Surname usually said to be a variant of the surname Geary, a medieval English nickname for names such as Gerard and Gerald, and thus another form of Gerry or Jerry. In Ireland Geary is used to anglicise the Gaelic name O Gadhra, meaning “son of Gadhra”, with the name Gadhra meaning “dog”. The surname Gary is more common in Ireland as a contraction of McGarry, from the Gaelic name Mag Fhearadhaigh, meaning “son of the brave”. Gary has often been understood as a pet form of Gareth, even though that isn’t its origin. Gary has been used as a boys name since perhaps the 16th century, coming into common use by the 19th. Gary entered the charts in the 1930s when Gary Cooper began his Hollywood career in films such as A Farewell to Arms. The name Gary was in the Top 100 by the 1940s and peaked in 1952 at #8, the year Gary Cooper starred in classic Western High Noon. Gary left the Top 100 in 1985, and hasn’t charted since the early 2000s. Its downfall is usually attributed to the numerous child sex offence charges against British pop star Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) although it had already left the Top 100 long before he was first arrested. Garry had a similar history, but was a bit less popular.

Glenn
Scottish surname meaning “narrow valley”. It has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, becoming more common in the 19th. Glenn joined the charts in the 1940s, just as Hollywood star Glenn Ford was making his name known in war drama So Ends Our Night, and appearing in early film noir Gilda. It was in the Top 100 by the 1950s when it made #40 for the decade, peaking at #17 in the early 1960s, around the time Glenn Ford starred in epic Western Cimarron. It left the Top 100 in 1987, and hasn’t charted since the 1990s. There are a number of Glenns in the field of music, including pianist Glenn Gould, jazz star Glenn Miller, Glenn Frey from The Eagles, heavy metal guitarist Glenn Hughes, and Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze. In Australia there is cricketer Glenn McGrath, and rugby league star turned politician Glenn Lazarus. Glenn is a simple nature name that could still appeal – in a discussion I had with other parents, Glenn was the 1950s boy’s name most people wanted revived. Glen had a similar history, but was less popular.

Keith
Scottish surname from the lands of Keith in East Lothian, whose name is said to come from a British word meaning “wood”. In the 11th century, the lands were supposedly given to a Germanic warrior of the Chatti tribe who helped defeat invading Danes, and some believe the name may be German in origin. The Clan Keith held a hereditary title as protector of the King of the Scots, and took leading roles in the Scottish Wars of Independence. One of the most powerful of the Scottish clans, various Keiths have been appointed ambassadors and keepers of the crown jewels, so have always had close ties with royalty. Keith has been used as a personal name since the 18th century; from the beginning it had strong associations with Scotland. The name became popular in the 19th century, perhaps due to George Elphinstone, Baron Keith, an admiral during the Napoleonic Wars. Keith was #43 in the 1900s, peaking in the 1920s at #8. By the 1950s it was #44 for the decade; it left the Top 100 in 1970, and hasn’t charted since the late 2000s. I do see the occasional baby named Keith (could country singer Keith Urban be an influence?), so this name is still going long past its peak, and could experience a revival in the future.

Neil
Based on the Irish name Niall, perhaps derived from the Old Irish word niadh, meaning “champion, warrior”, or from nel, meaning “cloud”. The most famous Niall in history is the semi-legendary 5th century Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages. The name Niall was popular in medieval Ireland and Scotland. It was adopted by the Vikings, who had strong ties with Ireland in the Middle Ages, and the name was taken to Scandinavia in the form Njall. The Normans, who were of Viking stock, brought the name to England, although the name already existed in the north, where it had been introduced from Ireland or by Scandinavian settlers. Neil was in use by the 17th century, and originated in Scotland, perhaps influenced by the surname McNeil, meaning “son of Niall”. Neil was #110 in the 1900s and joined the Top 100 the following decade. It peaked in 1955 at #33 and left the Top 100 in 1986. It is currently around the 600s, and the Indian name Neel, meaning “blue”, is more common. Neil is still a pleasant Gaelic choice with some cool namesakes, including astronaut Neil Armstrong, singer Neil Young, and Beat muse Neal Cassady.

Shane
Anglicised form of Séan, the Northern Irish version of Seán, pronounced SHAYN rather than SHAWN, and an Irish form of John. Shane has been in common use since the 19th century, and was strongly associated with immigration from Ireland. The name became famous because of the classic 1953 Western film Shane, with Alan Ladd in the title role as the mysterious stranger who rides into a little Wyoming valley and becomes a guardian, teacher, and inspiration to a family of settlers still unskilled in the ways of the West. The name Shane rocketed into the Top 100 from nowhere in 1954, and was #69 for the decade. It peaked in 1973 at #12 and left the Top 100 in 1997 (cricketer Shane Warne doesn’t seem to have helped, even at the peak of his success). It is now around the 500s and drifting away like its famous namesake – will anyone ever cry out, Come back, Shane!, I wonder?

Wayne
English occupational surname for a wagon-driver or wagon-maker, from the Old English waegn, meaning “cart, wagon”. It has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, and was more common in the United States – probably because of Anthony Wayne, who was General in Chief of the Army during the American Revolutionary War. The name Wayne first charted in the 1930s, the decade when Hollywood star John Wayne began his career in Western films; he hit the big time in 1939 with Stagecoach. Interestingly, 1939 was also the year that superhero Batman first appeared, the alter ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne; this seems significant, although the creators named him after Anthony Wayne. Wayne was in the Top 100 by the 1940s and peaked in 1955 at #11, the year after John Wayne starred in airline disaster flick The High and the Mighty. It left the Top 100 in 1987 and hasn’t charted since the 1990s, the name disappearing after the Wayne’s World movies with Mike Myers as partying slacker Wayne Campbell. This name is no longer excellent, which is bogus and sad.

POLL RESULTS

The public’s favourite 1950s names were Adrian, Christopher and Neil, and their least favourites were Darryl, Denis and Gary.

(Picture shows At Newport, 1952, by classic Australian photographer Max Dupain; now held at the Art Gallery of NSW)

Famous Name: Asha

02 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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African names, Anglo-Saxon names, Arabic names, Avestan names, famous namesakes, hebrew names, Hindi names, Indian names, Iranian names, name history, name meaning, Nigerian names, Persian names, UK name popularity, unisex names, US name popularity, Yoruba names

Even though this blog discusses baby names, real life babies, names of famous people, and names of famous people’s babies, this is the first time I have looked at the name of a real life famous baby. Unfortunately, when a baby is able to grab the headlines in their own right, it is nearly always a tragic story, and this is no exception.

The baby girl known as “Asha” was born in Australia at the start of 2015 to refugees who had arrived by boat: her parents are Nepalese Christians. Under Australia’s Migration Act, any person who arrives by boat without papers is declared an “unauthorised maritime arrival” (UMA) and is transferred to an offshore processing centre. These are not pleasant places, and the waiting times for processing can be extremely long.

You would think that anybody born in Australia would be an Australian citizen by birth, but that changed in 2014 when the Migration Act was amended retrospectively to say that any child born in Australia to a UMA is also a UMA.

In June last year baby Asha became the first Australian-born child to be transferred to a detention centre on Nauru with her parents. Although a thriving baby when she arrived, she had a less than ideal life sleeping on a wet mattress in a leaky tent in the middle of a phosphate mine surrounded by rats and mosquitoes. Her parents quickly became suicidal, and her mother unable to feed her. Asha’s health deteriorated.

Doctors and nurses at the detention centre said that it amounted to child abuse: the government decided to do something about that by changing the Border Force Act to say that any health worker who spoke up about the dangerous conditions on Nauru could be imprisoned for two years. A social media campaign started to Bring Back Asha, and the other babies kept in detention.

On Australia Day this year, baby Asha was taken to Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Hospital to be treated for burns, having been accidentally scalded with hot water. Even after she had been effectively treated and her condition stabilised, doctors refused to release her from hospital, as they feared that sending her back to Nauru would be detrimental to her physical and mental health. Hundreds rallied outside the hospital in support of staff, with Let Asha Stay banners.

The Immigration Minister suggested that Asha had been burned on purpose so that she could come to Australia for treatment. There was no evidence to support this, and it is unclear how it would have made a difference anyway: if a baby is hurt deliberately, it needs the same health care as if it had been hurt by accident.

The stand off between the Federal Government and doctors continued. After almost a month in hospital, baby Asha and her parents were released into community detention instead of being sent back to Nauru. The Immigration Minister insists this is not a back-flip on policy, but exactly what would have happened all along, and that the baby and parents will eventually be returned to Nauru.

The location of baby Asha and her family is currently secret, and their fate is unclear. The other babies and children on Nauru remain in detention, their situation unchanged. It is not really a happy ending to the story.

But at least we know now that Australians are ready to stand up for children against their government, because there was widespread community support for the hospital staff and for the protesters. That is the ray of light in an otherwise very dark chapter.

Name Information
Asha is a Hindi name for girls, from the Sanskrit word āśā, meaning “hope”. A famous namesake from India is Asha Bhosle, who has done playback singing for thousands of Bollywood movies; she is immortalised in the song Brimful of Asha, by British band Cornershop, and still touring the world as a concert singer.

The name Asha is also used in East Africa, an apparent form of the Arabic name Aisha, translated as “life, alive, she who lives”. The name is commonly used among Muslims, because Aisha was the name of the prophet Muhammad’s third wife. A famous namesake is Asha Abdalla, a Somali politician and activist who has been recognised globally for her efforts towards promoting peace and women’s rights.

Another African connection is the award-winning Nigerian-French singer-songwriter Aṣa, her name pronounced the same way as Asha. Born Bukola Elemide, she took her stage name from the Yoruba word for “hawk”: I have seen her name transliterated as Asha, even on official merchandise. Like Asha Bhosle, she has performed in Australia.

There is a male association for the name Asha as well. In Zoroastrianism, Asha Vahishta is a deity of Truth and Righteousness. Asha is translated as meaning “truth” in the Avestan language, but it also means “existing”, in the sense of bringing something into being. Asha can also be translated as “natural order, acting correctly, righteous”, in the sense of cosmic harmony under natural law.

Asha is strongly connected with divine fire, and this is not only the spark of life which brings creation into being, but also a fire which can pass judgement, finding out the truth, and burning away the lie. Fire protects Asha Vahishta, and in later times he is identified as a god of the household hearth. It is interesting for an Anglophone that Asha is connected with fire, which produces ash. Asha is used as a male name in Iran, but is more common as a name element.

Despite all these origins for the name, Asha has been used in the English-speaking world since the 18th century, given to both sexes. It might have been used as a variant spelling of the biblical name Asher, or seen as a specifically feminine spelling. (Asher is translated as “happy, lucky”, but you can read more about its etymology in the entry for this name).

Asha also makes sense as a name to an English-speaking person because of the word ash. This can mean the residue of a fire, and ashes are often seen as holy and protective. The other meaning of ash is an ash tree, which has the same etymology as ashes – ash trees were also seen as protective and healthy.

Although ash trees do make excellent firewood, the Old English word for ash and spear were the same, aesc. Aesc was a popular element in Anglo-Saxon names, and both men and women were called Aesca (said Asha). Even today, popular names such as Ashley (“ash meadow”) and Ashton (“ash town”) are derived from the ash tree, so Asha does not feel alien to us.

Asha is a fairly common name for girls in Australia, and has become conflated with the name Asher, which is used for girls as well as boys here, thanks to actress Asher Keddie. If Asha and Asher were combined together, the name would be in the Top 100, or only just outside it.

In the UK, the name Asha is #940 for girls, and falling in popularity from a peak of #313 in 2003 (Asha has rarely been given to boys, and Asher only occasionally given to girls in Britain). In the US in 2014, 200 girls were given the name Asha, and 74 called Asher (no boys are registered as having the name Asha, while Asher is a Top 100 name for boys).

Asha is an attractive name that has a long history, but feels contemporary. Simple to spell and pronounce, it works multiculturally without seeming particularly exotic. One of its most appealing attributes must be the multiplicity of meanings, all of which are positive. Although common in Australia compared to other English-speaking countries, it could very well be confused with Asher.

I hope the baby Asha story does not put parents off the name: not only is Asha just a name used by the press to protect her identity, but the meaning of “hope” seems so apt. Hope not only for Asha, but for all babies who need our care and compassion.

POLL RESULTS

Asha received an outstanding approval rating of 90%, making it the most popular of all the Famous Names for 2016. People saw the name Asha as pretty or beautiful (23%), working well multiculturally while still fitting in (23%), strong and independent (22%), and having many positive meanings (17%). However, 4% thought it would be too easily confused with the name Asher. Only one person thought the name would be connected with the Baby Asha case, and nobody thought it would be confused with names like Ashley and Ashlyn.

(Photo of protesters supporting Asha from SBS).

(Some) Names From (Recent) Australian Teen and Young Adult Fiction

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by A.O. in Naming Issues

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fictional namesakes, Indian names, name trends, nicknames, sibsets, unisex names

If you want to turn this into a drinking game:

Drink if you see the same name used again
Drink if the character’s name provides a major plot point
Drink if there’s some quirky or interesting story behind a character’s name/nickname
Drink if the character is named after food
Drink if the character is named after an animal
Drink if the character’s nickname has nothing to do with their full name
Drink if the character’s name is highly unlikely for their age group

I, Wolf by Matt Boyd
A werewolf story. The hero is called Romy, short for Romulus (DRINK!), and he’s an Australian boy who has to move to Austria for health reasons. His love interest is Antonia, and friends are Dimitri and Nat.

One of my pet peeves is when the character’s name tells you what’s going to happen. However, after reading endless teen fiction where the heroine has some boyish nickname like Alex or Bill or George, it’s refreshing to read one where the hero has a nickname more common for girls.

Holier Than Thou by Laura Buzo
Heroine is Holly, a young social worker – her nickname is Holier-than-Thou (DRINK!). Her boyfriend is Tim, but she has unresolved feelings for her friend Liam, and finds herself attracted to a colleague, Nick (nicknamed Nickolarse).

The Roxy Ran series by Tiffany Hall
Roxy Ran is a teenage ninja, initiated into the mysteries of the Tiger Scrolls or something by Jackson Axe, who has a brother named Morgan. Roxy’s big sister is Electra (a samurai), and her friend is Cinnamon (DRINK!). The school bully’s name is Hero, which is a major plot point give away (DRINK!).

The Elly Pickering books by Wendy Harmer
The heroine is Eleanor “Elly” Pickering, who has a big sister named Matilda “Tilly“. Her friends are Carmelita and Rosie, while the popular “mean girl” is called Bianca, and love interest is a boy named Tyler. In one book, Elly gets a job which brings her into proximity with a Hollywood teen heart throb called Jake Blake.

For some reason Biancas are often unpleasant in fiction. I had an issue with movie star Jake Blake – it reminded me too strongly of Jack Black, so although he is meant to be a Zac-Efrony sort of guy, I was picturing something far different.

I’ll Tell You Mine by Pip Harry
Kate is the heroine, an upper middle class Goth teenager at boarding school. Her best friend is Maddy, and Maddy’s brother Lachy provides a love interest.

I have an aversion to heroines named some version of Katherine, but my very least favourite is Kate. It shows such a massive lack of imagination that I fear for the rest of the book.

And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst
Madeleine “Maddie” (DRINK!) Cost is a teenage artist trying to win the Archibald Prize by painting her gorgeous and famous cross-dressing actor cousin Tyler (DRINK!). But forget most of that plot, as the book is actually about an alien invasion in central Sydney. The love interest is a science nerd named Fisher “Fish” (DRINK!) Charteris, and best friend a girl named Noi (a Thai name).

There’s a cast of dozens in this book. Most of them have nicknames, some of which are creative, such as a boy named Lee, who is called Pan (DRINK!) for the fairly unlikely reason he resembles the god Pan (DRINK!). You just know you’ve sent your kid to a superior school when their playground nickname is a Greek god.

The Mosquito Advertising books by Kate Hunter
Brisbane teenagers run an advertising agency. Heroine is Katie Crisp (DRINK!), and others on her team are best friend Lorraine Crabbe (DRINK!), neighbour Joel Maguire and his cousin Dominic Pyne-Davies, arty Clementine Bailey (DRINK!), and “bad girl” Jasmine Jolley. Katie’s mum is Vanessa, and Lorraine’s is Pippa (DRINK!). Clementine belongs to a brilliant family, and has siblings named James, Cordelia, Evangeline, Rupert, and Nathaniel. Dominic has twin little sisters named Janie and Susan (DRINK! DRINK!). Jasmine has big brothers named Eli and Byron who are famous rock musicians. Katie’s aunt and Vanessa’s sister is named Nancy (DRINK!).

Not only a variation of Katherine, but a variant of the author’s own name, which seems particularly lazy. The names are all of out of synch: a teenager named Lorraine, little girls named Janie and Susan, and a youngish aunt named Nancy, sister to Vanessa!

Divine Clementine by Hayley S. Kirk
Teenager Clementine (DRINK!) Footner falls apart when her beloved aunt Stella (DRINK!) dies (Stella is not much older than Clementine and is like a big sister). There’s also an aunt named Penny, an uncle named Dorian, and a niece named Auggie; friend is Thom.

The family is quite ahead of the curve, so look out for girls named Auggie in the future.

The Tribe series by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Set in a dystopian future world informed by the Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime. The heroine of the first book is Ashala Jane (DRINK!) Ambrose, otherwise known as Ashala Wolf (DRINK! DRINK!). Her friends are Ember Crow (DRINK!) and Georgie Spider (DRINK!), and they lead a tribe of environmentally-aware children. Love interest is Justin Connor – called by his surname – and Ember’s boyfriend is Jules ; the baddies are Neville Rose and Dr Miriam Grey.

It makes sense that everyone is still using the same names three hundred years in the future, as society broke down right about now. I do like Ashala, but it bothers me that she is called Wolf as a tribal name in Australia – we don’t have wolves!

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
A vampire satire set in a town in Maine where humans and vampires live side by side: the vampires are immigrants to the US. The heroine is Mel (DRINK!), her best friends are Cathy (DRINK!) and Anna, and the vampire is Francis Duvarney (DRINK!). Mel’s love interest is a boy called Kit, whose name is short for Kitten (DRINK!) – it’s a long story (DRINK!).

You might chuckle over a vampire named Duvarney, because of the Victorian pulp-fiction classic, “Varney the Vampire”. Mel and Cathy are remarkably dated for teenagers; they seem very 1970s to me, as an Anna who went to school with about eighty Mels and Cathys (it feels like).

Losing It by Julia Lawrinson
Four 17-year-old best friends vow to lose their virginity before the end of the final school year, American Pie style. The girls are Zoe, Bree, Mala, and Abby. Abby has a brother named Zeke, and Mala has a cousin named Mo. The girls’ male friend is Matty.

Mala and Mo are from a different ethnicity, but it is never said what it is, although Mala is an Indian name, and Mo might be short for Mohandas?

The Convent by Maureen McCarthy
Set in the historic Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne, and based on the author’s own family history. It starts during World War I, when Sadie is forced to relinquish her daughter Ellen, who is brought up by the nuns at the convent. In the 1960s, Ellen’s only daughter Cecilia takes the veil at the convent and becomes Sister Annuniciata, and Cecilia’s daughter is Perpetua, called Peach (DRINK! DRINK!). Peach also has a connection with the convent, as she works at the arts centre now housed in its buildings. Peach’s sister is Stella (DRINK!), and her best friends are Cassie and Det.

It makes sense that great-grandmother’s name is popular again now, and also that a nun’s daughter should be given a saint’s name.

The Colours of Madeleine series by Jaclyn Moriarty
A fantasy series about teenager Madeleine Tully (DRINK!), who ran away from a world of opulence to live a simple life in Cambridge, England with her mother Holly (DRINK!). Madeleine’s best friends are Jack (an admirer) and Belle, but she has a pen-friend named Elliot Baranski in a parallel universe. Can anyone else guess that poor Jack does not stand a chance against a farm boy from a parallel universe who is heading a crew of loyal rebels?

I liked the way that people in the parallel universe had much the same names as we do – Elliot’s friends are Samuel and Keira, and his love interest is Kala. The princess is named Ko, but then she’s royalty. They like the letter K in the parallel universe.

Friday Brown by Vicki Wakefield
Liliane Brown is nicknamed Friday by her mother Vivienne because of a family curse that she will die on a Saturday (DRINK! DRINK!). Friday becomes a runaway street kid, and makes friends with a mute boy called Silence (DRINK!), and comes under the control of charismatic but unlikable young woman named Arden. The other street kids are AiAi, Darcy (female), Joe, Carrie, Bree (DRINK!), and Malik. The love interest is a boy named Wish (DRINK!).

Love-Shy by Lili Wilkinson
Penny (DRINK!) Drummond is a neurotic over-achieving student journalist, and she takes on a project of investigating/fixing a boy at her school named Nick (DRINK!) Rammage. Her friends are Rin and Hamish, who she tries to match up together. Other classmates are Rory, James (DRINK!), Clayton, Perry, Arabella, and Max. Penny’s dad is gay, and his partner is Josh.

Names of Australian Prime Ministers’ Wives

25 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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Anglo-Saxon names, Aramaic names, Biblical names, celebrity baby names, classic names, dated names, Etruscan names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Finnish names, French names, gemstone names, German names, Greek names, hebrew names, Hindi names, honouring, Hungarian names, Indian names, Italian names, middle names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from movies, names from songs, nicknames, Old French names, rare names, Roman names, royal names, Russian names, saints names, Scottish names, Shakespearean names, UK name popularity, underused modern classics, unisex names, vintage names

It is Australia Day tomorrow, and for our patriotic lists, I thought it must be about time to have names of our prime ministers and their spouses. Ladies first!

Antonia
Antonia Watson (nee Dowlan) was the second wife of Chris Watson; she was a 23 year old waitress and he was 58. Antonia is the feminine form of the Roman family name Antonius. The Antonia was a very old family who claimed descent from Anton, a son of Hercules – Anton seems to have been invented, and the name may be Etruscan in origin. The most famous of the Antonii was Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), made famous by Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra. Mark Antony’s first wife was his cousin Antonia, and he had three daughters, all named Antonia. The youngest Antonia was famed for her beauty and virtue, and became the mother of the Emperor Claudius, and grandmother of Caligula. There is a Saint Antonia who seems to be Saint Theodora under another name, and the name has been used amongst continental royalty – it was a middle name of Maria Antonia, otherwise known as Marie Antoinette. Antonia has charted since the 1950s, when it debuted at #346, and it peaked in the early 2000s at #279. Currently it is around the 400s, so this elegant name is an underused modern classic.

Bettina
Lady Bettina Gorton (nee Brown) was the wife of John Gorton. Bettina was an American student at the Sorbonne who met John while on holiday in Spain; he was a student at Oxford. After marrying in England, they moved to his family’s farm in Australia, and Bettina supported her husband in his political career. On an official visit to Sarawak, Bettina became interested in Asian languages and culture; she later graduated with honours in Oriental Studies from ANU and worked on the English-Malay dictionary. When John became prime minister, her knowledge of South East Asian languages made her a great asset when travelling overseas, and she established a native garden at The Lodge which is named in her honour. The name Bettina can have two possible origins. If German, it is a pet form of Elisabeth, while if Italian, it is a pet form of Benedetta, the feminine form of Benedetto, the Italian form of Benedict. One of the world’s first supermodels was Simone Bodin, who worked under the professional name “Bettina” in the 1940s and ’50s. The French model gave the name Bettina a little boost in the postwar era, but it’s never been common.

Blanche
(Josephine) Blanche d’Alpuget is the second wife of Bob Hawke; she was named after her great-aunt Blanche d’Alpuget, a pioneering journalist. Blanche lived in South East Asia for several years, and after returning to Australia, began writing about her experiences, winning a number of literary awards for both fiction and non-fiction. She later became Bob Hawke’s biographer: his wife tolerated their open relationship for many years, and after retiring from politics he divorced to marry Blanche. Blanche was originally an Old French nickname meaning “white”, to suggest “pure”. The name became common in the Middle Ages, perhaps because very fair skin was considered beautiful and aristocratic. It was popularised by Blanche of Navarre, who had a French mother; as she became Queen of Castile, the name was traditional in her royal family. A famous namesake is Blanche of Lancaster, the mother of King Henry IV, said to be pretty and fair. Blanche was #125 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1940s. This is a vintage name which works well in the middle; it might remind you of The Golden Girls or A Streetcar Named Desire.

Ethel
Ethel Bruce (nee Anderson) was the wife of Stanley Bruce. She and Stanley were a devoted couple, and the first to live at The Lodge. Ethel is a short form of names starting with Ethel-, such as Ethelinde. The Old English word ethel meant “noble”, and it was a common name element in royal and aristocratic names. The Victorians were mad keen on Anglo-Saxon names, and began using Ethel as a name in its own right; usually for girls, but occasionally for boys, as there were plenty of male names starting with Ethel-, such as Ethelred. The name was popularised by two 1850s novel – The Newcombes, by W.M. Thackery and The Daisy Chain by C.M. Yonge. Ethel was #14 in the 1900s, and left the top 100 in the 1940s before dropping off the charts in the 1960s. It recently became a celebrity baby name, when pop singer Lily Allen named her first child Ethel, and would appeal to someone looking for an old-fashioned alernative to the current crop of fashionable E names, such as Esther and Eloise.

Ilma
Ilma Fadden (nee Thornber) was the wife of Arthur Fadden. Ilma was a supportive political wife who campaigned for her husband and accompanied him on official visits overseas. The name Ilma can be a short form of Wilhelmina, as well as a Finnish name meaning “air”; I have also seen it listed as a Hungarian form of Amelia. I suspect that in everyday usage, it was often given as a variant of Elma – a name of obscure origin, possibly sometimes created from other names, such as Elizabeth and Mary. Ilma was #176 in the 1900s, and fell until it left the charts in the 1940s – it was a minor trend of the early twentieth century and almost a twin in popularity of Elma. Now this vintage name seems like an interesting multicultural choice not much different to Isla and Emma.

Jean
Lady Jean Page (nee Thomas) was the second wife of Earle Page, and originally his secretary. Like Joan and Jane, Jean is a medieval form of the Old French name Jehanne, introduced by the Normans, and a popular choice in both England and Scotland during the Middle Ages. In England, Jean was eventually surpassed in popularity by Jane, but continued being used in Scotland. In the 19th century, the name was re-introduced back to England, where it now seemed a Scottish name choice. Jean is also a man’s name, the French form of Old French Jehan, and thus the French equivalent of John. Jean first charted in Australia as a unisex name, peaking in the 1910s and ’20s (in the Top 50 if most of the Jeans were girls). In the 1950s, Jean joined the charts as a specifically feminine name, where it peaked at #140, and left the charts altogether in the 1990s. Never popular in the postwar era, it remains very well used as a middle name.

Margaret
Margaret Whitlam (nee Dovey) was the wife of Gough Whitlam. A former champion swimmer, Margaret was a social worker who seemed the perfect match for her husband, and the couple were deeply in love. Margaret was an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, a regular guest on radio and television, and a columnist for Woman’s Day. She died just two years before her husband, acknowledged as one of Australia’s National Treasures. Margaret is derived from the Greek for “pearl”. The name came into common use because of Saint Margaret of Antioch, a legendary saint who was tortured for her faith. She was supposedly swallowed by Satan in the form of a dragon but escaped unharmed, which made her enormously popular. Margaret has been used by European royalty since medieval times. Queen Margaret of Scotland was an Englishwoman married to Malcolm III canonised as a saint: the name has particularly strong associations with Scotland. Princess Margaret was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth; her grandfather was a Scottish peer. Margaret is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #6 in the 1900s, and the #1 name of the 1930s and ’40s. It left the Top 100 in the 1980s, and is currently in the 400s, where it has remained fairly stable for decades. An intelligent, dignified classic with tons of nicknames, including Daisy, Greta, Maggie, Maisie, Margot, Meg, Meta, Peggy, and Rita.

Martha
(Elizabeth) Martha “Pattie” Deakin (nee Browne) was the wife of Alfred Deakin. Alfred was a lifelong spiritualist, and Pattie shared his faith; their marriage was long and happy. Martha is the Latin form of the Aramaic name Marta, meaning “lady, mistress”. In the New Testament, Martha was the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany. Many remember the story when Martha was busy in the kitchen cooking for the disciples, while her sister Mary sat listening to Jesus. Worried and distracted, Martha asked Jesus to rebuke her sister for not helping her, but Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better path (tough advice for those who wear themselves out working for others). Practical and caring, Saint Martha is a role model for those seeking an active helping role in the spiritual life. Martha was #92 in the 1900s, and left the Top 100 the following decade, dropping off the charts briefly in the 1940s, and again in the 1990s. It had a minor comeback in the late 2000s, and is already a Top 100 name in the UK, and climbing. A strong, capable, and attractive name which has never been very popular.

Sonia
Lady Sonia McMahon (nee Hopkins) was the wife of William McMahon. The grand-daughter of one of Australia’s wealthiest men, she was an occupational therapist before her marriage. Glamorous and charming, Sonia made international headlines when she wore a revealing dress to a dinner at the White House, showing more leg than was usual. Sonia is a variant of Sonya, Russian pet form of the name Sophia, from the Greek for “wisdom”; Sonja is another common variant. Sonia is also an Indian name, meaning “golden” in Hindi. The name was popularised in the English speaking world through a 1917 best-selling novel called Sonia: Between Two Worlds by Stephen McKenna. The title character is an upper class English girl with big brown eyes and a face like a Sistine Madonna. Sonia first entered the charts in the 1920s, debuting at #309. It entered the Top 100 in 1967, around the time Sonia McMahon came into the public eye, and peaked in 1971 at #52 – the year she wore “that dress”. Leaving the Top 100 in the 1980s, it hasn’t charted since the early 2000s, having been well and truly taken over by popular Sophia.

Tamara
Tamara “Tamie” Fraser (nee Beggs) is the wife of Malcolm Fraser. Ambivalent about being in the public eye, she proved an excellent political campaigner, and was the first prime ministerial wife to employ her own secretary; Tamie also oversaw extensive renovations in The Lodge. She continues to be active in community affairs. Tamara is the Russian form of Tamar, a Hebrew name meaning “date palm”. The name became better known in the English speaking world because of Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina, who moved to London as a ballet teacher in the 1930s. Tamara first joined the charts in the 1950s, debuting at #522. Its rise in the 1950s seems to be as a formal option for the name Tammy, which became popular because of a Debbie Reynolds romantic comedy called Tammy and the Bachelor: the song Tammy from the film became a smash hit. Tamara joined the Top 100 in 1975, when Tamie Fraser came into the public eye, and peaked in 1989 at #56, leaving the Top 100 in the early 2000s. Currently it is around the 300s, and shows some signs of a slight recovery.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Margaret, Antonia and Martha, and their least favourite were Blanche, Ethel and Ilma.

(Photo shows Sonia McMahon in the entrance hall of The Lodge, 1971)

Interesting Girls Names From the 2014 Birth Announcements

30 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 2 Comments

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Arabic names, Biblical names, birth notices, celebrity baby names, controversial names, Disney names, epithets and titles, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, flower names, French names, German names, germanic names, Greek names, hebrew names, Indian names, Latin American names, Latin names, locational names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, names from ballet, names from films, names of businesses, names of cocktails, nature names, nicknames, plant names, rare names, Roman names, saints names, Sanskrit names, Spanish names, surname names, unisex names, yoga names

I’m always on the look-out for unusual names in the birth notices, and here are a dozen that are little used, but have intriguing histories. If you are looking for a rare yet genuine name, but fear choosing something too strange, you can take heart that these names have all been recently used by real life Australian parents.

Anjali
Sanskrit name meaning “divine offering”, from the word anj, meaning “to honour, to celebrate”. The Añjali Mudrā is a gesture of respect used in India as a greeting, where the palms join over the heart. If you go to yoga classes, you may greet each other with an Añjali Mudrā; it’s also part of several yoga positions. Anjali is quite a common name in India, and you may know the name as that of the wife of Indian cricket star, Sachin Tendulkar. A pretty Indian name that works very well in English-speaking countries, it is usually pronounced UN-juh-lee, although English-speakers may prefer an-JAH-lee.

Cataleya
Latin American form of cattleya, a type of South American tropical orchid with large, showy flowers. The orchid is named after English horticulturist William Cattley, who was the first European to successfully bring one into bloom. His surname comes from Catley in Herefordshire, meaning “wildcat wood”. Readers of Marcel Proust may recall that in Swann’s Way, the courtesan Odette wore a cattleya as decoration on her gown one evening, and her lover Swann removed it for her. As one thing led to another, they used cattleya as a private word between them for lovemaking. Cataleya was the highest-rising girls’ name in the United States last year, rocketing into the Top 500 from nowhere. The reason is the 2011 action film Colombiana, where the heroine is the assassin Cataleya, who leaves a cattleya as her calling card. Exotic and with a tough girl namesake, it is pronounced kah-tah-LAY-uh.

Damaris
In the New Testament, a woman named Damaris is mentioned as a convert of Saint Paul in Athens. Very little is known about her, although it is assumed she was a woman of high social status, but she is recognised as a saint in the Orthodox faith, and there is a street named after her in Athens. Her name is a matter of debate: the most popular theory is that is from the Greek word damalis, which literally means “heifer”, but is understood as “young girl”. Another is that it is derived from damar, the Greek word for “wife”. Once fashionable in 17th century England, this is a little-used biblical name that has gained modern glamour by American swimsuit model Damaris Lewis. The name is pronounced DAM-uh-ris.

Esperanza
Spanish form of the Latin name Sperantia, meaning “to hope”; esperanza is the Spanish vocabulary word for “hope”. The name got some publicity in 2010 because of Campamento Esperanza (“Camp Hope”), set up in Chile by friends and relatives after a cave-in at a mine; many weeks later their prayers were answered when all 33 miners were rescued. The following year, jazz singer Esperanza Spalding was named Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. The name also has a motherly vibe, for Esperanza is the wife of Zorro, and mother of his beloved daughter Elena in The Mask of Zorro, while the mare who gives birth to the stallion Spirit in the animated movie is named Esperanza. Another famous mum is Oscar Wilde’s mother, who wrote under the pen name Speranza. Esperanza is a cool name that’s unusual, but not unfamiliar.

Farrah
Variant of Farah, a unisex Arabic name meaning “joy”. The name is well known because of the glamorous 1970s actress Farrah Fawcett, who passed away a few years ago. Farrah Fawcett posed for an iconic photograph wearing a red Speedo swimsuit, so there is an Australian connection to her. More recently, Farrah King from the hip hop outfit Cherish has given it fresh publicity. Soft and pretty, Farrah is an Arabic name which works well cross-culturally.

Fauve
Modern French name, which is pronounced to rhyme with the word mauve. Fauve literally means “wild beast” in French, referring to beasts of prey, and especially the big cats, such as lions and tigers. The word has a very artistic heritage, because in the early twentieth century, les Fauves were a group of modern artists who were known for their bold use of bright colours; they got their name because their work was criticised as looking like something a wild beast would produce. Henri Matisse is one of the most famous of this group. However, fauve has another meaning in French, and that is “yellowish-brown” – a tawny lion colour which would suit someone with dark blonde hair. Fauve is an uncommon name in France, and a rare one here, although not unheard of. It’s very daring, but also on trend.

Jerusha
In the Old Testament, Jerusha was the daughter of a high priest, and a queen of Judah, the wife of King Uzziah. Uzziah was considered one of the greatest rulers of the kingdom, but he became too proud, and began to usurp the role of the priests. Struck down with a disfiguring skin disease, he was replaced by his son Jotham, who is listed as one of the ancestors of Jesus in the New Testament. The name means “possession” in Hebrew, in the sense of something precious, and is said jeh-ROO-sha. A literary namesake is the teenage girl in the children’s book Daddy Long-Legs: she goes by the name Judy, although Roo would be a very Australian nickname.

Odette
French name which is a pet form of the Germanic names Oda or Odilia. These names may both be feminine forms of names which became the German name Otto, meaning “wealth”, although Odilia might instead mean “fatherland”. The name is forever associated with swans, because Princess Odette is the White Swan in the ballet Swan Lake; a sweet, gentle girl, she has been transformed into a swan, and can only take human form at night. Only true love can break the spell, but thanks to nefarious scheming by the baddies, Odette’s story ends in tragedy. Odette is a dated name in France, but to English-speakers, sounds glamorous and romantic. The Disney movie The Swan Princess, based on the ballet, makes it more accessible as well.

Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone was the daughter of the agriculture goddess Demeter, and she is central to one of the oldest myths. Legend says that Demeter kept her daughter hidden away from the other gods, so the two could live in companionship with nature. Hades, the god of death, fell in love with Persephone, and one day when she was gathering flowers, he kidnapped her and took her to live in the Underworld as his wife. Demeter was so grief-stricken that she neglected the earth, and nothing would grow: seeing that people were starving to death, Zeus demanded that Persephone be returned. However, Persephone had eaten a few pomegranate seeds in the Underworld, and having tasted its food, was obliged to spend several months of the year with Hades. While Persephone is underground, Demeter mourns for her, and it is winter: when she returns in spring, life is renewed. This ancient myth of death and rebirth comes from the Near East: many rituals and mystery traditions are associated with it, with special significance for girls and women. The name Persephone is interpreted as “female thresher of corn”, because she is an agricultural goddess, but another theory is that her name means “bringer of death”, as she is goddess of the Underworld. The Greeks had so many forms of her name that it would seem they had trouble pronouncing it, suggesting that her name was pre-Greek; it is said per-SEF-uh-nee. Beautiful and elaborate, primal to the human urge for life everlasting, this would be a wonderful choice for someone who thought that Penelope had become too popular to use.

Reeva
Variant of Riva, a pet form of Rivka, modern Hebrew form of the familiar name Rebecca. This comes from the Hebrew word ribhquh, which literally means “a connection”; it can thus be understood as “joining together, securing”. Reeva is also used as a name in India, a variant of Reva, which is Sanskrit for “one who moves”, and often translated as “swift, agile”. It is one of the epithets of Rati, the Hindu goddess of love. The name came into the public eye in a shocking way when South African model Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed by her boyfriend, world renowned paralympian Oscar Pistorius, now serving a prison sentence for culpable homicide. Due to the notoriety of the high-profile legal trial, Reeva became the fastest-rising girls’ name in England and Wales last year. Reeva fits in with popular names like Ava and Eva, but the very public tragedy of Reeva Steenkamp’s death may make some parents uneasy about using it.

Sephora
Greek form of Zipporah, variant of the Hebrew name Tzipporah, meaning “bird”. In the Old Testament, Zipporah is mentioned as the daughter of the priest Jethro, and the wife of Moses. When Moses fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian man, he took refuge in the desert country of Midian, on the Arabian Peninsula. When Zipporah and her sisters went to water their flocks, they were driven off by shepherds who wanted the water for themselves, and Moses went to their defence. Moses ended up living with Jethro and working for him, and was given Zipporah in marriage. Zipporah had problems with the in-laws, because Moses’ sister Miriam criticised him for marrying a dark-skinned woman, but she was struck down with leprosy in punishment, showing that God approved of the marriage. Sephora is more popular in France than elsewhere, because of the Parisian cosmetics company of that name, but this lovely name isn’t common anywhere.

Vesper
Roman form of the Greek name Hesperus. In Greek mythology, Hesperus was the personalification of the Evening Star (the planet Venus as seen in the evening); his half-brother Phosphorus was the Morning Star. Vesper can be intepreted as “evening, supper time, west”, and Vespers is the name for the evening prayer service in the Christian church. You may know the poem Vespers by A.A. Milne, about Christopher Robin saying his nightly prayers: it was made part of the minature library collection for Queen Mary’s Doll House. Although a rare name in real life, Vesper has had several outings in the world of fiction. Vesper Lynd was James Bond’s lover in Casino Royale, played by Eva Green in the 2006 movie; her parents gave her the name because she was born on a “dark and stormy night”. The famous “shaken not stirred” martini that Bond invents is named the Vesper after her. Vesper has been picked used as a celebrity baby name – one is the daughter of American rock musician Sam Farrar, whose parents are Australian.

POLL RESULTS
The public’s favourite names were Persephone, Odette and Vesper, and their least favourite were Cataleya, Damaris and Jerusha.

(Picture shows Purple Robe and Anemones by Fauvist Henri Matisse – 1937)

International Names for Boys

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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animal names, Aramaic names, Biblical names, Catalan names, english names, European name popularity, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, germanic names, hebrew names, Indian names, initial names, Latin names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, Norman-French names, Old Norse names, Persian names, pseudonyms, royal names, saints names, Sanskrit names, screen names, surname names, Swedish names, UK name popularity, unisex names, US name popularity, Welsh names

These are names chosen from my e-book, International Baby Names for Australian Parents – names which are familiar in other countries, but rarely used here. I chose ten that I particularly like, or find interesting, or think very usable. If you haven’t read the book, it gives you an idea as to what’s inside, and if you have read it, it’s a chance for me to provide more information than is possible in a book.

Ajay

Indian boys name meaning “he who cannot be defeated” in Sanskrit; also commonly used as a short form of longer Indian names beginning with Ajay-. It is pronounced uh-JAY. Ajay is also an English modern name (presumably) based on the initials AJ, and said ay-jay. It can be used for either sex, and a female example is media personality Ajay Rochester (born Leigh Towler). Initial names are growing in popularity, and this is also an Indian heritage choice which fits in with current trends (although it may present some minor pronunciation issues). The name Ajay charts in the UK for boys.

Barnaby

Medieval English form of Barnabas, which is derived from Aramaic. Saint Barnabas was one of the earliest Christian followers in Jerusalem, and the New Testament tells us he was one of the Seventy Apostles of Christ, and a companion of Saint Paul. According to tradition, Barnabas was martyred in Cyprus, and is claimed as the founder of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The Bible explains that his birth name was Joseph (or Joses, the Greek form), but the Apostles gave him the name Barnabas, which may mean “son of the prophet”. However, in the New Testament, it says his name means “son of encouragement” – early Christians saw a link between prophecy and encouragement. The name is pronounced BAHR-nuh-bee. There are several Barnabys in fiction, most notably Barnaby Rudge, in Charles Dickens novel of the same name. Fictional characters named Barnaby tend to be cute, simple, absent-minded, or comical (Barnaby Rudge is a village idiot). Two famous Australians with this name are former AFL footballer Barnaby French, and National Party politician Barnaby Joyce. This name manages to be both hip and cuddly, and it charts in the UK, where it is rising.

Conrad

Germanic name meaning “bold counsel”. The 10th century Conrad I is recognised as the first ruler who can be called a King of Germany, although he never claimed that title. Related to every other subsequent monarch of Germany, it is little wonder his name became traditional amongst medieval German royalty and nobility. There are several saints named Conrad, with the first one Conrad of Constance, a bishop from the same powerful family as Conrad I. A story is told that he once drank some communion wine at mass after a spider had fallen in it; at that time, spiders were believed to be fatally poisonous, but Conrad drank the wine as a sign of faith. With our current knowledge, his survival no longer seems particularly miraculous. Conrad is the protagonist of The Corsair by Lord Byron, probably the most Byronic of all Byron’s heroes. An outlaw pirate fighting a chivalrous battle against mankind, he is a man of mystery, leading a life of adventure and passion. Because of the cult of Saint Conrad of Constance, the name was used in England during medieval times, and has been revived since the 19th century. Strong and intelligent, it charts in both the UK and the US.

Darius

From the Greek form of the Persian name Dārayavahush, meaning “holding firmly onto goodness”. It was traditional amongst kings of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, and Darius I was also known as Darius the Great, ruling the empire at the height of its power, and often remembered for his defeat by the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon. He is mentioned several times in the Old Testament, so you can see this as a Biblical name as well. Darius III was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire, being defeated by Alexander the Great. Musical Dariuses include French composer Darius Milhaud, British singer Darius Campbell, and Darius Rucker from American band Hootie & the Blowfish. A famous Australian with this name NRL footballer Darius Boyd, who plays for the Newcastle Knights. There are attractive fictional Dariuses in the The Hunger Games trilogy, and the House of Night vampire series. You can pronounce this elegant name DAR-ree-us, DAH-ree-uhs, or duh-RY-us, and it charts in both the US and the UK.

Gideon

Hebrew name meaning “hewer (of wood”) or “feller (of trees)”; often translated as “woodsman”, but other times more freely as “warrior, destroyer”, with the thought that the hewing and felling could be against enemies. In the Old Testament, Gideon was a hero who is listed amongst the Judges of the Hebrews. Born into humble circumstances, Gideon doesn’t seem to have had much confidence in himself, and when God chose him to free his people from oppression, Gideon asked for proof of God’s will through three miracles. Once convinced that God had really chosen him, Gideon led an army of Israelites against the oppressing Midianites. Contrary to standard military tactics, God commanded Gideon to send away most of his army, because it was so large that victory was virtually assured. Instead, he went in to battle with just three hundred men, so that when they won, they were certain it was accomplished through God’s power. Gideon is considered a saint in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths, and the name came into use in Britain through the Puritans. Gideons International is the evangelical organisation which distributes free Bibles; you’ve probably found one in your hotel room at some point. Gideon is a stylish Biblical name; usually pronounced GID-ee-uhn, it charts in the US, where it is rising, and in the UK.

Iestyn

Welsh form of Justin, from the Latin name Justinus, derived from Justus, meaning “just”. All of these names were borne by numerous saints. Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg, in South Wales, before it was taken over by the Normans. His coat of arms forms the modern flag of Glamorgan, and part of the flag of Cardiff. Saint Iestyn was a Welsh hermit who flourished in either the 6th or 7th century, and is said to have been of royal blood. He founded two churches in north Wales. Pronounced YEST-in, this is a positive-sounding name which could honour someone named Justin, or be an appealing Welsh heritage choice. Iestyn charts in the UK.

Orson

English surname which was originally a nickname, from the Norman French for “bear cub”. In the medieval romance Valentine and Orson, Orson is a wild man raised by bears, and twin brother to the knight Valentine, brought up in a royal French court. Originally, the “wild brother” didn’t have a name, and it seems to be an English innovation to give him a name to reflect his ursine upbringing. Orson has been used as a boy’s name since at least the 17th century, and has historically been more common in the United States. There are several famous men named Orson, including the American actor and director Orson Welles, who directed Citizen Kane and the notorious War of the Worlds radio broadcast – his first name was George, and he went by his middle name. Others include American television actor Orson Bean (real name Dallas Burrows), who lived in Australia during the 1970s, and American sci-fi author Orson Scott Card, who wrote Ender’s Game. You may also have heard of Internet sensation Orson Mackie, an Australian baby who stars in familiar movie scenes created by his parents from cardboard boxes. This masculine name is warm, snuggly, yet strong. It charts in the UK, where it is rising.

Roc

Catalan form of Rocco. Roc Brazilianos was a notorious 17th century Dutch pirate who operated from Jamaica. A cruel and debauched buccaneer, he raised terror on the high seas for many years before mysteriously disappearing with his ship and crew. His real name is not known for sure, but historians think he may have been Gerrit Gerritszoon, who moved to Dutch-controlled Brazil with his parents. Rather less spectacularly, a famous Australian with the name is visionary entrepreneur Roc Kirby, who founded Village Roadshow cinemas, and supported the Australian film renaissance. In his case, Roc is short for Roscoe. A roc is also a gigantic mythological bird which appears in Arabian fairy tales, and is well known to anyone who has read the One Thousand and One Nights. Pronounced like the word rock, this is a cool bad-boy choice which can also be seen as a nature name. It is popular in Catalonia, where it is rising.

Sixten

Swedish name which comes from the Old Norse Sigsteinn, meaning “victory stone”. Sixten Ehrling was one of Sweden’s most famous conductors, known for his difficult, yet witty, personality, and Sixten Sason was a super stylish Swedish designer who created the smooth lines of the Saab in the 1960s. Another famous namesake is the Swedish street artist Sixten, who at one time lived and worked in Melbourne. This is a smart-sounding Swedish heritage choice which provides few problems with pronunciation, as it’s said much as it looks. It is popular in Sweden, where it is rising.

Titus

Roman name of unknown meaning. According to tradition, the name was introduced to Rome by Titus Tatius, the Sabine king who attacked Rome, but later made peace with the legendary Roman king Romulus, the city’s founder. There were three Roman Emperors named Titus, and the Roman historian Livy’s full name was Titus Livius. Saint Titus is mentioned in the New Testament as a companion of Saint Paul. As you can probably tell from all these name bearers, Titus was an extremely common name in ancient times, and used by all social classes. The name gained an unpleasant reputation from Titus Oates, the perjurer who falsely claimed that Catholics were plotting to assassinate King Charles II; more honourable associations are Sir Titus Salt, the manufacturer and philanthropist, and Titus Brandsma, the Catholic priest (now a saint) who spoke out against Nazi ideology and died in a concentration camp. A contemporary namesake is American television actor Titus Welliver, from Sons of Anarchy and The Good Wife. Titus Andronicus is Shakespeare’s first tragedy, one of his most violent and gory plays. Titus charts in the US, where it is rising.

POLL RESULTS
The public’s favourite names were Gideon, Orson and Conrad, and their least favourite were Ajay, Sixten and Roc.

(Photo shows Orson Mackie depicting a scene from the movie Cast Away, on the blog Cardboard Box Office).

The People’s Choice of Boys Names

22 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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African names, Akkadian names, Albanian names, Arabic names, Armenian names, celebrity baby names, Christmas names, english names, epithets and titles, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Finnish names, French names, Greek names, Hawaiian names, hebrew names, Indian names, Irish names, Kurdish names, Latin names, Maori names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, nicknames, Old Norse names, polynesian names, saints names, scandinavian names, Semitic names, Slavic names, surname names, unisex names

A selection of boys names that have been searched for several times to reach the blog. I chose names from different backgrounds that aren’t on the Top 100.

Ari

This little name has several origins. It is a Hebrew name meaning “lion”, an Armenian name meaning “brave”, a Scandinavian name from Old Norse, meaning “eagle”, an Albanian name meaning “bear”, a Maori name meaning “clear, visible”, or an Indian name meaning either “sun-like” or “free from sin”. It is also a Finnish form of Aaron and Adrian, a Kurdish short form of the name Arian, meaning “Aryan”, and is commonly used as a short form of any name begining with Ari-, such as Aristotle. There have been quite a few characters named Ari in popular culture, starting way back in the 1950s, with Ari Ben Canaan as the hero of Leon Uris’ novel Exodus, about the founding of the state of Israel; based on Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan, in the movie he was played by Paul Newman. This simple multicultural name is rising like other Ar- names such as Archer, Arlo and Arthur, and is #135 in Victoria.

Balthazar

Variant of Belshazzar, the Hebrew form of the Akkadian name Bel-sarra-usur, meaning “Ba’al protect the king”. Ba’al is a Semitic title for any god, meaning “lord, master”, and in the Old Testament, the early Hebrews used the term to apply to the God of Israel. Later the term became seen as a heretical one, with a clear divide drawn between the Hebrew Yahweh and the Phoenician Ba’al. In Christian legend, Balthazar is the name given to one of the Magi – the three wise men who followed a mysterious star to visit the baby Jesus, bringing him gifts. The story appears in the New Testament, but no name (or even number) is ascribed to the Magi in the Bible. According to some traditions, Balthazar was an Arabian or Ethiopian scholar who brought the gift of frankincense to symbolise Christ’s role as a high priest. He is usually depicted as middle-aged and dark-skinned. One story is that Balthazar later converted to Christianity and was ordained a bishop; like the other Magi, he is regarded as a saint. Usually pronounced BAL-ta-zar in Australia, this is a seriously cool Christmas name.

Dragan

Slavic name meaning “precious, dear one”. It is usually pronounced DRAH-gahn, although I have heard people give it the same pronunciation as the word dragon. This reminds me that there is a sympathetic character named Dragan in the novel, Girl With a Dragon Tattoo; in the American film version, he is played by Croatian actor Goran Višnjić. Dragan Roganović is the real name of award-winning Serbian-Australian DJ Dirty South, and unfortunately the name has had a bit of bad publicity in Australia due to accused Serbian-Australian war criminal Dragan Vasiljković “Captain Dragan”, currently imprisoned in Australia awaiting extradition to Croatia. Despite this, Dragan is an attractive heritage choice with a very sweet meaning.

Kalani

Unisex Hawaiian name meaning “the sky, the heavens”. It’s a name often connected with surfing, because of Hawaiian surfers Kalani Robb, Kalani Chapman, Kalani Vierra and Kalani David, and young Australian surfer Kalani Ball. Mark Gasnier, former NRL player for the St George Illawarra Dragons, welcomed a son named Kalani two years ago. These are all guys, but surfer Kalani Miller, girlfriend of Kelly Slater, is a reminder that it’s a girl’s name as well – in fact, Kalani seems more common as a girl’s name in Australia, making #570 for girls in Victoria and not ranking as a boy’s name. Then again, Victoria is not famous for its surf culture – in northern New South Wales or Queensland, boys named Kalani may be more common. It’s a great name for either sex.

Leander

Greek name meaning “lion man”, featured in the tragic tale of Hero and Leander. Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower in Sestos, on the European side of the Dardanelles, while her lover Leander was from Abydos, on the other side of the strait. Leander swam across the Hellespont every night to be with Hero, while she lit a lantern at the top of her tower to guide his way. Their love affair lasted all through the summer nights, but winter weather proved an obstacle to swimming. Desperate to be with his sweetheart, Leander braved the icy waters and was drowned during a storm, while the savage winds blew out Hero’s lantern. The distraught Hero plunged from her tower into the waves to join him in his watery grave. The story has inspired many writers, including Ovid, John Donne, Christopher Marlowe, and John Keats. Lord Byron recreated the swim by crossing from Sestos to Abydos, a distance of just over 1 km, which he turned into a poem; although he did it in May, according to his poem it was still difficult and he ended up with a chill. Leander was obviously made of sterner stuff. This is a handsome and romantic name with a very masculine meaning.

Mandela

The surname of inspirational world leader Nelson Mandela, his surname the name of his grandfather, the son of a king. Mandela was a lawyer and prominent campaigner against the apartheid government when he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against the state. He served more than 27 years, released in 1990 after an international campaign had lobbied the South African government on his behalf. He joined negotiations to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections, becoming South Africa’s first black president. Deeply loved in his own country, where he was called Tata, or “father””, he was a respected figure on the world stage. He received more than 250 awards and honours during his lifetime, including the Nobel Peace Prize; he was appointed Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia in 1999. His passing this month at the age of 95 after a long illness has only highlighted the global reverence he attained. This is a worthy namesake whose name I have seen given to a boy – a name that Africa has given to the world.

Oisin

Anglicised form of Oisín, an Irish name translated as”young deer”. In Irish mythology, Oisín was a warrior and the greatest poet in Ireland. He was the son of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, and a woman named Sadbh, who had been turned into a deer by a malevolant druid. Fionn caught Sadbh as a deer, and she turned back into a human; all was well until the druid caught up with her and made her a deer while she was still pregnant. Sadhbh returned to the wild, and gave birth to Oisín while in deer form – hence his name. Eventually Fionn got to meet his son, and Oisín joined dad’s band of warriors. Oisín’s most famous adventure is when he fell in love with a fairy queen named Niamh, who took him to live in the Land of Youth. Although he thought he only lived with her for three years, three centuries passed in Ireland during his absence. Acording to some tales, Oisín lived long enough to meet Saint Patrick and tell him of his exploits. Oisín, or Ossian, is the narrator of the famous poem series by Scottish author James Macpherson, who made the Gaelic myths so popular in the 18^th century. Pronounced OSH-een or USH-een, this a popular name in Ireland and would be well-received in Australia.

Remy

Anglicised form of Rémy, French form of the Latin name Remigius, meaning “oarsmen”. Saint Remigius was a 5^th century Gallo-Roman bishop, a highly-educated man of noble blood. According to tradition, he converted and baptised Clovis, the King of the Franks. Clovis was baptised on Christmas Eve; such was his status that 3000 Franks were baptised that day with him. Because of this story, Saint Remigius is credited with France becoming a Christian country, and there are numerous places named Saint-Rémy his honour, as well as Saint-Rémy being a French surname. The name can also be spelled Rémi, and in France the second one is more popular. In Australia, both Remy and Remi are unisex, and roughly even for both sexes (Remy – 19 girls and 14 boys in Victoria; Remi – 11 boys and 7 girls). Although some get upset about Remy and Remi being used for girls, the names could just as easily be short forms of Remigia – the feminine form of Remigius. In Australia, they are usually pronounced RAY-mee or REH-mee.

Wyatt

English surname derived from the personal name Wyot, the medieval form of the Old English name Wigheard, meaning “brave in battle”. The Wyatt family were a prominent one in Britain; the Tudor poet Thomas Wyatt was one of their number. Sir Francis Wyatt was another, and he became Governor of Virginia, so the surname became well known in the United States as well. As a first name, Wyatt is famous because of Western lawman Wyatt Earp, who was Deputy Marshal of Tombstone in Arizona, and is known for the Gunfight at the O.K. Corall, in which three outlaw cowboys were killed. Wyatt was never injured in a gunfight, adding to his mystique, and after his death he gained legendary status as the toughest and deadliest gunman in the West. The name had a boost from popular culture through the television series Charmed, where Wyatt Halliwell was the son born to Piper and her White-Lighter husband Leo; the baby was named from his father’s earthly surname, and seems like a play on the word white, in the sense of “good, angelic”. Wyatt is #252 in Victoria.

Zayd

Arabic name meaning “abundance, growth, increase”. This name is important in Islam, because Zayd ibn Harithah was from an Arabian tribe, and after being abducted, sold into slavery while only a young boy. He was eventually sold to one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad, and when she married, she gave Zayd to Muhammad as a wedding present. The Prophet became very fond of Zayd, even calling him “the beloved”. One day Zayd’s grieving family managed to track him down, and Muhammad asked him to choose his fate; Zayd told his family he did not want to leave his owner. Zayd’s family accepted his choice, and Muhammad legally adopted him as a son, making him a free man. After Muhammad received his divine revelations from the angel Gabriel, Zayd was one of the first converts to Islam, the only one of Muhammad’s companions who are mentioned by name in the Qur’an, and the first Muslim to be killed fighting for Islam on foreign soil. The name can also be spelled Zaid, and elaborated as Zayden or Zaiden – which fits right in with the -ayden trend. Zayd is #650 in Victoria, while Zaid is #648.

POLL RESULT: People’s favourite names were Ari, Leander and Remy, and their least favourite were Dragan, Kalani and Mandela.

(Picture shows the Magi travelling to see the infant Jesus)

The People’s Choice of Girls Names – 2

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 11 Comments

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Here are ten names for girls which have been often searched for to reach my blog. I chose names that aren’t in the Top 100, and come from a range of origins.

Anouk

Dutch and French short form of Anna. A famous namesake is celebrated French actress Anouk Aimée; she was born Françoise Dreyfus, and took the name Anouk from the first character she portrayed on film. The name became better known in the English-speaking world after the publication of the award-winning 1999 novel Chocolat, by British author Joanne Harris, in which there is a little girl named Anouk. The character of Anouk is based on the author’s daughter Anouchka, whose name is another pet form of Anna. The book was made into a movie in 2000. Actor and author Andrew Daddo has a daughter named Anouk, born a year after the film was released. Pronounced a-NOOK or an-ook, this exotic name doesn’t have an obviously “French” sound to it, and seems quite sophisticated.

Blythe

Variant of Blithe, an English virtue name meaning “cheerful, merry” which is first found in 16^th century Norfolk, stronghold of the Puritans. Although the name began as a girls name, it has been given to boys as well, particularly in the United States, and overall is fairly evenly divided between the sexes, although more common for girls. In the case of boys, the name probably comes from the surname, which is derived from any of the places called Bligh, Blyth or Blythe; they get their name from the River Blyth in Northumberland, the River Blythe in Warwickshire, or the River Blithe in Staffordsire. The names of the rivers simply come from the word blithe, so in either case the name has the same pleasant meaning. A famous namesake is American actress Blythe Danner, mother of Gwyneth Paltrow; her name is a middle name of Gwyneth’s daughter, Apple. This is a fresh, sprightly name which has a modern feel despite its long history.

Cordelia

Cordelia is a princess in William Shakespeare’s King Lear, a loyal daughter who is disowned by her father because she will not make flattering speeches to him, with tragic results. The character is based on Queen Cordeilla, a legendary queen of the Britons who appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of Britain. According to Geoffrey, Cordelia ruled Britain as queen, but came to grief because the rule of a woman was deemed unacceptable. Cordelia is also mentioned in Edmund Spenser’s epic poem, The Fairie Queene, where her role as heroic British queen was probably a compliment to Queen Elizabeth I. The first Cordelias were born around the time The Faerie Queene was published, and were from upper-class families. There is a popular but unsubstantiated theory that Geoffrey of Monmouth based the name Cordeilla on that of Creiddylad (said cree-THIL-ahd), a character in Welsh Arthurian legends who was the daughter of the god Lud, and considered the most beautiful girl in Britain. Another idea is that Geoffrey may have based the name on that of Saint Cordula, a legendary companion of Saint Ursula whose name is from the Latin for “heart” (Cordeilla is also found spelled Cordoyla, which offers this some support). Still another is that it may be derived from the Roman name Cordus, meaning “late born”, with the implication that as Cordelia was King Lear’s youngest daughter, he had her late in life. Although all these suggestions are attractive, the last one may appeal most to older parents. If you are a fan of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne books, you will remember that the heroine wished her name was Cordelia – because it is “perfectly elegant”. This literary name still seems refined, and can be pronounced cor-DEE-lee-uh, or cor-DEEL-yuh.

Giselle

Derived from the Germanic name Gisela, meaning “pledge, hostage”. Although the word hostage has rather alarming associations today, in the past it was common for political treaties to be accompanied by the exchange of political hostages, as a guarantee of good faith and to maintain peace. Often the children of the ruling classes, even princes and princesses, would be handed over to be raised and educated by a foreign court, with hopes of greater cultural understanding between nations. Gisela and Gisèle (the French form) were popular names amongst medieval nobility and royalty. The name received a huge boost in the 19^th century, because of the romantic ballet, Giselle. It tells of an innocent village girl named Giselle who dies of a broken heart after being betrayed by her lover. However, as a sign of her forgiving nature, after her death she protects the man she loves from the spirits of vengeance, and saves his life. Another fictional Giselle is the sweet peasant girl who makes a happy-ever-after transition from cartoon fantasy land to gritty real world in the Disney film, Enchanted. Graceful and fairytale, Giselle is usually pronounced ji-ZEL in Australia, and is #161 in Victoria.

Ingrid

Derived from the Old Norse name Ingríðr, meaning something like “beloved of Ing, beauty of Ing, delight of Ing”. Ing is an older name for the Norse god Freyr – perhaps his true name, because Freyr means “lord” and is his title. Freyr was a phallic fertility god who brought peace and pleasure, and was associated with sacred kingship, male sexuality, prosperity, and sunshine. In Norse legend, Ing is the god followed by the Germanic peoples of the area which is now Denmark and its surrounds, and he is claimed as the first king of Sweden, as well as the progenitor of the Anglian kings. Ingrid is a traditional name amongst Scandinavian royalty and nobility, and there is a young Princess Ingrid of Norway, who is expected to one day be queen. A famous namesake is beautiful Swedish-born movie star Ingrid Bergman, who starred in many Hollywood movies, including Casablanca. Ingrid has a strong and chiselled beauty, and is #481 in Victoria.

Piata

Maori name meaning “shine, glisten”. It isn’t unusual in New Zealand, and is still given to girls today; it can also be found as a surname. It’s not common in Australia, but I think it would work well here, and has a pleasingly cross-cultural feel, since it is similar to Italian Pia and Pieta. I believe it is pronounced pee-AH-ta.

Soraya

Persian form of the Arabic name Thurayya, meaning “the Pleiades”. The Pleiades is the familiar group of stars in the constellation Taurus, sometimes known as The Seven Sisters. The name became better known in the west because of two royal Sorayas. Soraya Tarzi was a liberal Muslim and feminist who married into the monarchy of Afghanistan and became queen; she appeared in public alongside her husband as an equal and together they tried to modernise their country. Afghanistan wasn’t quite ready for it, and the couple went into exile in Rome in 1929. Even more influential was Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, who was Queen of Iran as the second wife of the last Shah. Very attractive and western-educated, Soraya and her husband were forced to divorce in 1958 because she was apparently infertile. She also went into exile, under the name Princess Soraya, and lived in France, where her story evoked much sympathy. Her divorce inspired a song, I Want to Cry Like Soraya, and a variety of sunflower was named in her honour. A beautiful star name, Soraya is similar to familiar names like Sarah and Zara, and in Australia is usually pronounced soh-RAY-uh.

Tallulah

A place name of Native American origin, this probably means “town” in the Creek language. Tallulah Falls is a small town in Georgia, in the United States, which has attracted tourists since the late 19^th century. Parts of the film Deliverance were filmed there, so you may even have seen it on screen. Tallulah has been used as a girls name since the 19^th century, and records show that the name originated in the southern states, with most Tallulahs born in Georgia. The most famous namesake is flamboyant actress and party girl Tallulah Bankhead, who was from Alabama, and named after her grandmother. Despite being a name of American origin, Tallulah has never charted in the US, and is far more popular in the UK. Tallulah Bankhead was a huge celebrity in 1920s London, and her name is very fashionable in England, chosen as a baby name by the upper classes and minor royals. Spunky, sexy and fun to say, this fits in with familiar names such as Tully and Tahlia, and comes with cute nicknames like Lula and Lulu.

Uma

This Indian name is one of the epithets of the benevolent mother goddess Parvati, the wife of Shiva. Its original meaning is “mother (goddess, wife of) Shiva”. Because Parvati is a goddess of light, the name Uma also came to be understood as meaning “light, radiance”. In a previous incarnation, the goddess (then called Sati) committed suicide by throwing herself on a sacrificial fire, and her ashes became the sacred spice turmeric; because of this the name Uma came to be understood as meaning “turmeric”. The meaning of Uma is also glossed as “O child, do not (practice austerities)!”, because as a young girl Parvati’s mother chided her for the extreme ascetisim she practicised in order to please her future husband, Shiva. By coincidence, uma is literally translated as “flax” in Sanskrit, although this doesn’t seem to have any connection to the goddess. The most famous namesake is American actress Uma Thurman, whose name is said to have a different origin. Uma’s father was the first westerner to become a Buddhist monk, and the term uma chenpo means “Great Middle Way” in Tibetan – one of the guiding principles of Buddhism. In modern Hebrew, uma means “nation”, and in Israel Uma is a patriotic unisex name. In the Tiv language of West Africa, the name Uma means “life”, and can be used for both sexes. Simple yet multi-layered, this is a fascinating cross-cultural name which isn’t common in any country of the world.

Xanthe

Ancient Greek name meaning “yellow, yellow-brown”, often translated as “blonde, fair-haired”. There are several figures from Greek mythology with the name. Xanthe was one of the Oceanides, the three thousand daughters of the Titan sea gods Oceanus and Tethys. The Oceanides were nymph-like goddesses who were responsible for the world’s fresh water, and were often pictured married to river gods. In some sources, Xanthe is imagined as presiding over the yellow clouds that can be sometimes be seen at sunrise or sunset. Xanthe is also given as the name of one of the Amazon warriors, and Hesiod mentions Xanthe as being the mortal wife of Asclepius, the god of medicine. Actress Madeleine West welcomed a daughter named Xanthe last year. This quirky, stylish name is usually pronounced ZAN-thee in Australia, and comes with the cool nickname Xan or Zan. The name is #469 in Victoria.

POLL RESULT: People’s favourite names Blythe, Cordelia and Xanthe, and their least favourite were Giselle, Piata and Uma.

(Photo shows a scene from the ballet Giselle, performed by the Queensland Ballet)

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Waltzing More Than Matilda

~ Names with an Australian Bias of Democratic Temper

Tag Archives: Indian names

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