Kristel and David were expecting a baby girl – to their great surprise and delight, as they had been told they would not be able to have children. There was just one name they both agreed on, but Kristel wrote in to the blog because she was worried they might have chosen the wrong name. Not only was it very popular, but it was just one syllable long, and people told them it was too short with their one-syllable surname.
Kristel and Dave’s daughter arrived on July 14 weighing 2.8 kg and with wisps of blonde hair. They didn’t rush in to choosing a name, but got to know her for a few days first. It soon became apparent there could be only one name for her, the name they had always loved and wanted from the beginning, so she is called
GRACE AUDREY,
with Audrey a middle name shared with three generations.
They couldn’t be happier with their precious girl, and with her name, which suits her so well. Kristel would like to thank everyone for helping them, and nearly all who responded to their story encouraged them to choose the name they loved best.
Mia and Lachlan were expecting a baby girl any day when Mia wrote in to the blog. It was her second time writing in, as she asked for help in 2013 with her second son. As Mia and Lachlan aren’t planning any more children, she really felt that this name had to be perfect.
Mia and Lachlan’s daughter was born on August 27, weighing 6lb 7oz (2.9 kg). As soon as they placed her on Mia’s chest, she knew what her name was – it was Lou. Lachlan agreed, but both of them felt that Lou was not quite enough for a full name, and they needed something more substantial and more feminine for their only girl.
Mia liked the name Louella, but it didn’t seem right for her Lou. Then Mia’s mum made a suggestion, and it fit perfectly. It wasn’t too frilly and fussy, it had an American vibe like their sons’ names, and it wasn’t a common way to get to Lou. And so they called her
TALLULAH DOROTHY “LOU“,
sister to Bugsy and Jem.
Lachlan pointed out that Tallulah is a character in the movie Bugsy Malone (played by Jodie Foster), which made Mia slightly worried. But when she asked for other people’s opinions, most said they wouldn’t even notice the connection. Dorothy was the middle name that meant the most to them, as it was an important name on both sides of the family.
Congratulations to Mia and Lachlan, and their happily-named complete little family – Bugsy, Jem, and Lou.
Mia first wrote in to the blog a couple of years ago, looking for a sibling name to match their son Bugsy. Mia and Lachlan’s second son arrived in May 2013, and after some discussion, they decided to name him Jem.
Now Mia and Lachlan are expecting a baby girl any minute (she was due yesterday),and still haven’t decided upon a name for her. I thought they would be all ready if they ever had a girl, because Mia had her heart set on the name Margot if Jem had been a girl, but since then one of Mia’s best friends has had a baby girl named Margot, upsetting Mia’s plans.
These are the names on her baby name list:
Adeline
Lou (possibly short for Louella)
Elka
Autumn
Lottie
Astoria (nicknamed Story)
Lux
Besides Margot, other names that have been crossed off are:
Tessa (Lachlan thinks it’s a bit ho-hum)
Matilda (loves it, but it’s so popular ….)
Frankie (just not excited by it)
Middle name would most likely be Dorothy, Clementine, Jean, or Evangeline, depending on which one sounds best with the chosen first name.
Mia and Lachlan aren’t planning on having any more children, so Mia feels as if this name just has to be perfect.
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Mia, I’m almost as devastated as you that Margot got crossed off your list! I feel like suggesting that you still go with Margot – except that it does seem a bit different because Margot is a currently uncommon but rising name. I expect your friend might feel a bit miffed about it, as opposed to you both having daughters named something popular like Ella or Charlotte.
You did have Maisie on your list for a girl before – is it no longer on the table, as it seems like rather a good alternative to Margot? Or Marigold – that was on your original list too, and it’s gorgeous. Actually I liked Tilda from your original list too …
Thinking about sisters for Bugsy and Jem, it seems to me that both your sons have got quite original names, and it would be nice if their sister had one equally distinctive.
Adeline
This is a beautiful name, and Adeline Dorothy sounds really lovely. However, I should probably warn you that Adeline is much more common than the data suggests due to spelling variants. What with Adelynne, Addalyn, Addelyne, Addilyn, Ada-Lynne and so on, it really isn’t a very rare name. If you use Addie as a nickname, it sounds like all the Maddies, and the name fits in so neatly with Addison, Adelaide, Madison, and Madeline that it almost seems too on trend. Could I interest you in Ada? It’s two syllables like Bugsy, three letters like Jem, and begins and ends in a different sound to both those names, so it seems like a good match without being “matchy”. However, I must confess Ada is very like Ava, so you might think this is too much on trend as well.
Lou
Very cute, and Bugsy, Jem and Lou is quite delightful. I think I do prefer it as a nickname for something like Louella (which is very hip), because it seems a bit insubstantial on its own. Louella Clementine is nice, although Louella Jean is charming. I only hesitate because you already have a name in your family with a strong L-l sound in it, which makes we wonder if you are comfortable with that.
Elka
Great name, which goes well with almost your middles (except Elka Evangeline, which sounds too much). The only thing which makes me hesitate is that when I see it matched with Bugsy, it really makes me notice the BUG and the ELK in their names a lot more.
Autumn
Very pretty and underused in Australia, although it does seem quite modern matched with Bugsy and Jem. I don’t think that’s a problem though. Autumn Dorothy is an attractive combination. This was a hugely popular name when it was covered on the blog, getting one of the highest approval ratings ever – not one person hated the name, while almost 40% loved it. It seems like a name that’s easy to wear.
Lottie
Adorable, with that vintage vibe Bugsy and Jem have. Lottie Jean is nice – both hip and homely. Again, it’s an L name, so think about that carefully.
Astoria
Like Bugsy and Jem, this seems like an American-inspired name that also has a vintage feel, since the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York flourished during the 1930s. There’s something about it which makes me inwardly gasp a little, just like Bugsy and Jem, so it does seem like a natural sister to them. It’s a bit daring! I love the nickname Story, which seems like a good match with Bugsy and Jem, and this goes well with most of your middle name options.
Lux
Bright, shiny, glittering, lovely. I like Lux Clementine and Lux Evangeline, which both sound very glamorous to me, and I think it’s a natural match with Bugsy and Jem. Another L name, so do think about it.
Other names you might like:
Thea
Avalon
Winter
Mabel
Magnolia nn Maggie
Mamie
Mimi
Mae
Mia, I remember when Jem was born you originally chose a different name for him, but after he was born, you realised that Jem was the name that belonged to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happened with your daughter – it’s hard to decide on a name now, but once you get to meet your baby, the right name may become obvious.
NAME UPDATE: The baby’s name was Tallulah, nicknamed Lou!
POLL RESULTS
The most popular choice for Bugsy and Jem”s sister was Astoria, nicknamed Story, which had 26% of the vote. Lou was the third-most popular choice with 22%, but I think would have got higher with a full name behind it.
Names in the News
On July 14 this year NASA’s New Horizons space probe made its closest encounter with the dwarf planet Pluto. Australia was the first place on Earth to receive images of Pluto from New Horizons, at the CSIRO’s Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla. The CDSCC has been tracking New Horizons since it was launched in 2006, and it will take more than a year to receive all the data.
Two days later, the David Bowie Is touring exhibition opened at Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image, and broke all records for ticket sales before anyone stepped inside the doors. First staged at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, it has already been seen by more than 1 million people around the world. The show includes costumes, video, photographs, and items from Bowie’s own collection, including notes and sketches.
David Bowie has a special significance in Melbourne. His first Australian tour was in 1978, and the biggest concert of his career to that point was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. People queued for three weeks to buy tickets, and the fact that it poured with rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of 40 000 fans. His experiences in Australia in the 1970s inspired the music video forLet’s Dance, filmed in Sydney and outback Carinda).
BOWIE
Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic nickname Buidhe, meaning “yellow”, to denote someone blond or fair haired. It has also been used to Anglicise the Irish surname Ó Buadhaigh, meaning “son of Buadhach”, with Buadhach meaning “victorious”, although more commonly that’s Anglicised to Boyce. In rare cases it may be a variant of the English surname Bye, from the Old English for “bend”, referring to someone who lived on a river bend.
The Bowie surname originates from Kintyre in western Scotland, and the Bowie family were early colonists to America, with John Bowie Snr one of the founders of Maryland in the early 18th century. He was the grandfather of James “Jim” Bowie, who played a prominent role during the Texas Revolution, and died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.
The thick heavy blade known as a Bowie knife is named after Jim, who carried a hunting knife with him and had a reputation as a skilled knife fighter. His brother Rezin Bowie is supposed to have been the creator of the Bowie knife, although Bowie family history relates that it was Rezin’s blacksmith who created the knife.
David Bowie was born David Jones, and first performed as Davie Jones, which risked being confused with Davy Jones from The Monkees. He chose his stage name after seeing the movie The Alamo in 1963, with Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie; allegedly he wanted a name with a “cutting” feel to it, like Mick Jagger’s, and the Bowie knife gave it some edge. He deliberately chose the name of a famous American, as American music and culture had first inspired him.
Bowie has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, and originated in Scotland. Mostly used as a middle name, it was first given as a family name, but in 19th century America increasingly given to honour Jim Bowie: it was particularly found in the southern states. The name Bowie has been given to both sexes, but mostly to boys.
Jagger, Lennon, and Hendrix are reasonably common names, but even with the fame of David Bowie, the name Bowie is in rare use. It doesn’t chart in Australia, while in the UK there has been a smattering of Bowies on the charts since 2003; in 2013 there were 5 baby boys named Bowie. In the US last year, there were 59 baby boys named Bowie and 30 baby girls (numbers rose considerably for boys, but fell for girls).
It is slightly puzzling why Bowie isn’t used more. It sounds like familiar names like Beau, Bohdi, and Brodie, is a counterpoint to popular Archer, and as a knife it fits the trend for weaponry names like Blade.
One issue is that the pronunciation is slightly confused. In the US, Bowie tends to be said BOO-ee, the usual pronunciation of the surname and the Bowie knife. The British sometimes say the first syllable of David Bowie’s surname like the bough of a tree, whereas Bowie himself says it like bow and arrows.
PLUTO
In Greek mythology, Pluto is the god of the Underworld and the afterlife. His earlier name was Hades, but gradually this was used to mean the Underworld itself. Pluto is the Latinised form of the Greek Plouton, meaning “wealth, riches”, and the name is sometimes glossed as “giver of wealth”.
It makes sense that Pluto should be associated with wealth, because he has dominion over all the precious metals, gems, and resources under the earth, and all crops planted in soil. He was a god of abundance, and from early on was associated with agricultural fertility – which is why he was the natural husband for the agricultural goddess Persephone. Pluto and Persephone were revered as a divine couple with knowledge of the mysteries of birth and rebirth.
In the Christian era, there was often a horror of gods of death and the Underworld, who tended to be associated with Satan or demons. Pluto’s image, never a particularly cheerful one, became positively macabre, with Hades a place of torment. In Dante’s Inferno, Pluto rules the fourth circle of Hell, where those who have squandered their wealth are sent. Medieval English writers sometimes conflated Hades with Fairyland, giving Pluto a magical elf-king quality.
The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930 by a young astronomer named Clyde Tombaugh who had just started working at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. It was named by an eleven-year-old Oxford schoolgirl named Venetia Burney. She made the suggestion to her grandfather Falconer Madan, retired from the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library. He had the connections to ensure that Venetia’s idea got to the right people, they unanimously agreed, and Venetia was paid £5 (around $450 in today’s money). A big help was that the first two letters were PL – the initials of Percival Lowell, who had founded the observatory.
When Walt Disney studios created a pet dog for Mickey Mouse in 1930, he was named Pluto – apparently after the planet, although nobody is able to confirm that. So Pluto went from being a god name to a dog name!
Pluto is a gloomy god, a dwarf planet, a cartoon dog … but the name has also been rarely used for humans. The name is first found in colonial America in the 18th century, as a slave name. Pluto can be found in Australian historical records (Pluto Riches and Pluto Surprise are two interesting finds), and was also given to Aboriginal servants. Overall, Pluto has mostly been used in the United States. Use of the name, always low, fell after 1930 and never recovered, although it isn’t clear whether parents were put off by the astronomical body or the Disney character.
Pluto is probably too much of a space oddity to use as a first name, but would make a memorable middle.
Two rare names from the stars: which one will rate better?
POLL RESULTS
The name Bowie received an approval rating of 50%. 42% of people weren’t keen on it, although 17% loved it.
The name Pluto was much less popular, with an approval rating of 15%. 46% of people weren’t keen on it, and only 7% thought it was a good name.
(Picture of David Bowie in 1973 by Masayoshi Sukita; photo from Urban Walkabout)
Sinead and William have two small daughters named Orla and Freya, and would love another child. Although they aren’t expecting yet, Sinead is already anxious about choosing baby names due to the reactions they got from William’s family with the first two names.
Criticisms of the names Orla and Freya have ranged from ignorant (the names are “masculine” or “old lady” names), to ridiculous (“It sounds fat”), to vulgar (fancied similarities between the names and obscene words). The criticism is ongoing even after a year or two, and they always gleefully pass on any silly or mean comments they receive about the names from others (“Mrs Tenby mixed Orla up with orca!”).
When they’re not name bullying their own flesh and blood, William’s family are nice, sane, ordinary country people, the salt of the earth and pillars of their community. They don’t have much of a filter, and distrust anything unfamiliar. They kept pointing out to Sinead and William how all the nice girls’ names were in the Top 10, and wouldn’t they prefer Chloe and Georgia?
Sinead has tried to express how she feels to her in laws, and explain why they chose the names, but the response is always along the lines of: You shouldn’t have picked ugly, weird names for your children if you didn’t want people to say that they’re ugly and weird.
William loves their daughters’ names, and is proud of them. When Sinead almost gave in to the name nagging and chose a Top 50 name for their first daughter, William insisted they go with the name they actually loved. However, he feels that his family have their hearts in the right place, and are only being honest. He thinks Sinead shouldn’t be too sensitive about a bit of family teasing.
Sinead’s background is slightly different to William’s. Her parents are Irish immigrants, and she grew up in the suburbs of a large city. She loved that her mum and dad named her Sinead Euphemia, a name that stood out amongst her friends and classmates. Growing up, Sinead was confident enough to correct children and adults on the pronunciation of her name, and enjoyed discussing her name with others.
However her little sister Aoife Catherine had a very different experience. Shy and reserved by nature, she felt humiliated whenever her name got mangled, and readily submitted to being called Eva to avoid any fuss. By the time she was in kindergarten, she insisted on being known by her middle name, and now goes by Kate. Her sister’s experience also makes Sinead wary of choosing anything too unusual, and fearful she may have burdened her daughters with names that could likewise cause them problems.
Sinead has a nice list of possible names that she loves, but almost every one of them makes her pause and wonder if it will be dragged through the mud by her in laws, or end up being more drama than its worth. She has already cut Saoirse, Cillian, Saskia, and Ceridwen for fear they will be “too weird” for people to cope with.
GIRLS
Maeve (her first choice, but their surname is similar to Grove – is Maeve Grove too much?)
Inez (has been told it sounds like a rude word)
Isobel
Astrid
Thea
Marion
Gwen (is Gwen Grove too alliterative?)
Sian
Carys
Middle name would almost certainly be Elizabeth, but Eleanor is a strong contender (both family names). Neither of these names sound right with Isobel, which would probably eliminate it.
BOYS
Alasdair (but feels in laws will only accept Alistair or Alastair)
Euan
Leon
Leo
Theo
Sebastian
Samuel
Lewis
Louis
Dominic
Henry
Anthony
Rowan
The middle name would be John, William, or Gordon.
Sinead feels a bit silly writing in about names for a baby who doesn’t exist yet, but she would love to get some feedback on names which isn’t from her in laws and to feel less anxiety about choosing another baby name.
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Sinead, I think it would be foolish for you to choose baby names based on the opinions of your in laws. As you know, their tastes are very conservative, and they are highly resistant to learning anything new. It’s a big wide world outside the cow paddock, but they don’t seem to want to know about it.
I think their comments have been appalling and unacceptable. Yet I can’t help feeling a bit sorry for your in laws. You’re a bright, highly educated, very successful woman, and without meaning to, I’m sure a hundred times you have made them feel like stupid, unsophisticated bumpkins.
You’re from the big smoke with fancy ways and book learning, and you make them look pretty small pond in comparison. I do think that they use your children’s names as a way to cut you down to size, and put you in your place.
It’s something a lot of families do, and look at this article I found on Clare’s Name News with daft reactions to baby names – even standard names like Poppy and Sebastian get absolutely hammered. I know plenty of people who’ve chosen popular names for their children, and they’re still too “weird” for the older generation.
I hope your inlaws plan to cut this out once your daughters are old enough to understand what they’re saying. However, I’m not too worried about your girls if they don’t. Because look at their parents – a mum who was a feisty little girl ready to stand up for her name, and a thick-skinned dad who says, “We love your names, and we don’t give a hoot what grandma thinks”. Not to mention some very outspoken relatives, so your inlaws might get a taste of their own medicine one day!
Another reason it would be crazy to make name decisions based on what your in laws think is that they are quite simply wrong. There’s nothing bad about the names Orla and Freya, and they don’t seem particularly burdensome. They’re pretty names with an interesting history, and they’re fairly easy to spell and pronounce.
Freya is not far out of the Top 100, so it’s not at all rare – in fact, parents often fret about using it, because “it’s getting too common” (Australian actresses Freya Stafford and Freya Tingley have given it a boost). Orla is much less common, but it’s one of those names you see often enough that it doesn’t seem outrageous: so far this year I have seen one baby named Orla. There’s also the foreign affairs journalist Orla Guerin from the BBC – have your in laws ever seen her on the news?
I wonder if you have been too busy to attend a playgroup or mother’s group in your community, because I would be surprised if you received any rude comments from other parents about Freya and Orla, or that they would have any problems with them. I’m sure they will fit in just fine with the kids in their area – I see baby names from your region quite often, and they have a pretty broad range, with several hip vintage and nature names. Freya and Orla may well have classmates called Elva, Lucian, and Fox!
Your sister’s experience with her name should give you courage rather than add to your fears, because it shows that even if someone doesn’t care for their name, it’s not a big problem. Your smart little sister was able to solve her name woes by the age of five by simply using her middle name. Mind you, I think the name Aoife would have been much harder to cope with when she was a child than it would be today: we’ve moved on so much since then. Okay, not where your inlaws live – but most other places!
I think you should make a list of names that you and William like, and not bother with what your inlaws will think of them. Clearly they’re not going to be happy unless you choose something like Jack or Sophie, and are probably going to make unpleasant comments no matter what name you pick. Besides, they’ve already got to choose their own childrens’ names – why should they get to help choose yours as well?
I feel a bit sad you’ve eliminated Saskia based on some silly comments from your inlaws. It’s such a pretty name, and it’s rather fashionable at the moment. Actress Saskia Burmeister has given it a boost, and there’s also been a popular kid’s TV series featuring a teenager named Saskia. Saoirse isn’t that uncommon either – there’s a couple of young actresses with this name, including Saoirse Ronan. It would probably have a couple of pronunciation issues though.
Maeve seems like a wonderful choice – fashionable, Irish, goes well with Orla and Freya, and easy to cope with. Maeve Grove is a bit awkward, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a dealbreaker. I do think Gwen Grove is too much though: it’s a real tongue-twister, and sounds like Glengrove with a lisp. Inez doesn’t sound like a rude word to me, unless I’m either mispronouncing the name or the rude word! However, I’m never sure how to pronounce this name, as everyone seems to say it differently. All your other choices are great, and I think Carys is a fantastic match with Orla and Freya.
Your boys’ choices are all really handsome, but quite conservative compared to the names you have picked for girls. Is that your natural name style, or have you been scared out of anything more unusual by family? Alasdair, Euan and Rowan all seem like natural matches with Orla and Freya, but any name you love will be fine.
I really think you are worrying too much, and it’s a shame that other people have spoiled what should be a joyful, exciting pastime – dreaming up names for your future baby! Don’t let them spoil it any longer.
Readers, have family or friends criticised your baby names, and if so, how did you deal with it? And what do you think of Sinead’s name choices?
Kate and Daniel are expecting a baby boy later in the year and feeling slightly stuck with names. They both like vintage-style names, but Kate doesn’t want anything too popular.
These are names that Kate loves and Daniel can tolerate:
Arthur Theodore Edward (maybe too common?) Edmund
Daniel loves the name Xavier, and has vetoed Reuben.
The potential middle names they have picked out are Henry, Arthur, Ambrose, and Adam, which are all family names.
Kate and Daniel already have a daughter called Matilda, and don’t want a name that starts with M, or ends in -a or -er that might clash with hers. The family surname begins with H and ends in T eg Hackett, and the name can’t clash with that either.
They’d like feedback on their name list, and are interested in hearing any suggestions people have for them.
* * * * * * * * *
Kate and Daniel, let’s look at your name list.
ARTHUR
I love that this is a family name you would consider moving from the position to the first name. That makes it seem pretty special, and I think Matilda and Arthur sound great together, while Arthur Henry is a handsome name combination. I’m not sure how a name ending in -ur is different to one ending in -er (I say them pretty much the same way), but this is a family name, and you might consider that trumps any name rules you have.
THEODORE
Another fantastic choice that sounds great with Matilda, and has fashionable nickname options like Theo and Ted. Theodore sounds good with all the middle names you are considering, with Theodore Arthur and Theodore Ambrose particularly attractive.
EDWARD
A handsome classic name that is a nice match with Matilda and sounds good with your chosen middle names – Edward Arthur and Edward Henry appeal to me. It isn’t in the Top 50 nationally, but if you are in the south-eastern states and territory, it will probably seem more popular than that in your region. Also, because Edward has almost never been out of the Top 100, that might make it seem too common overall, since it is a popular name in all age groups. On the other hand, that gives it a “timeless classic” status you might approve of.
EDMUND
This is the only name on your list that actually is a non-popular vintage name, and would be a brilliant alternative to popular Edward, while sharing the nickname Ted with both Edward and Theodore (the fact you chose all three makes me wonder if you are working towards having a Ted?). It is a perfect match with Matilda, and based on what you asked for, this should be an automatic winner.
XAVIER
This breaks quite a few of your “names rules” because it’s a modern classic, it’s popular and becoming more popular, and it ends in -er. But I am fully in favour of breaking your own name rules for a name that you love, and this makes a nice, contemporary-sounding match with Matilda, and has more or less the same popularity as Matilda too. I think this sounds best with the middle name Adam, if you planned to use it.
It seems as if there are names that Kate loves and Daniel can tolerate, while Daniel loves a name that Kate can tolerate. In an ideal world you would both love the same names, but it’s possible that in this case you might have to compromise a bit.
It seems as if compromise might be harder on Daniel, because so far, he only really loves one name. And it doesn’t fit with the “name rules”, which makes me wonder if they are rules you came up with together? I think some more negotiation might be necessary here!
Daniel, is it possible there are other names you could love? Or would you be satisfied if Kate chose the first name (as long as you had full veto powers, of course), and you chose the middle name?
I also wonder what would happen if you had a third child, and it was a boy too – would Xavier be on the table for his name, or even be the natural choice if Daniel didn’t get his choice this time? If so, do you need a name now that might go with Xavier further down the track? You also need to bear in mind that Xavier might be even more popular by the time you have a third child.
In a case like this where there isn’t one name that’s both your favourite, I think you should discuss together what things you want in a name, what’s important to you, and how important it is to you. Then be very businesslike and award each name on your list points for how well it fulfils your wants.
Then once you get down to the 2-3 names which seem to best suit your needs, drop the points system and just think about how much you like the name. Which name make you feel warm inside when you say it? Which one makes you smile? Which one can you imagine yelling out on school sports day? Which one makes you feel proud to introduce your son?
Other names you might like:
Felix (a retro name with Xavier’s X-factor)
Frederick (fashionable classic with low popularity)
George (a steady classic like Edward)
Leo
Sebastian
Tobias
Nathaniel
Joseph (another steady classic)
Gabriel
Alfred (another classic with low popularity, shortens to Alfie)
Winston (vintage, low popularity)
Stanley (another classic with low popularity)
Some of these names are popular, but none more popular than Xavier and Matilda.
Kate and Daniel, you’ve got some great names already, and I’m sure you will be able to agree on a name that works for both of you.
Famous Namesake
I think many Australians would readily associate this name with Felix the Cat, the silent film era cartoon. One of the most recognisable cartoon characters in film history, he was the first animated character to become popular enough to attract a cinema audience.
Felix the Cat was created by Sydney-born Pat O’Sullivan, who arrived in the United States in 1910 and began working as a cartoonist. By 1916, he had opened his own cartoon studio, and around 1917 he created Felix the Cat, inspired by a cat his wife Marjorie brought into the office. Under contract to provide one cartoon a month to cinemas, by 1921 Felix was in sixty percent of North American cinemas.
Pat O’Sullivan was fiercely protective of his creation, successfully gained royalties from pirated merchandise, and took action when Walt Disney made a Felix carbon-copy called Julius. Unfortunately for Felix, Disney then went on to create a certain Mickey Mouse, who starred in early talkie Steamboat Willie in 1928. This spelled the beginning of the end for Felix, and by 1931 it was obvious that Walt Disney was going to be the big success story of cartooning.
After Pat O’Sullivan’s death in 1933, his lead animator Otto Messmer took credit for the creation of Felix. Messmer’s claim is still accepted in the United States, even though O’Sullivan was acknowledged as Felix’s creator during his lifetime. Australian film curators have pointed out that it is O’Sullivan’s handwriting on the early Felix sketches, and that kittens in an early film are given Australian accents, saying ‘lo, Mum! ‘lo Ma!
The cartoon cat that Felix was based on was called Thomas or Tom (a fairly obviously cat-related name), but Pat O’Sullivan changed his name to Felix. Apparently this was after the Australian boxer Peter Felix, who was born in the West Indies, and won the heavyweight title in the 1890s – he often wore black and was a flashy dresser. Pat had seen Peter Felix in his last big fight in 1908, shortly before he left Australia. O’Sullivan had a strong interest in boxing, and when he first arrived in New York he himself boxed for prize money.
The name Felix was a very Australian choice, because in 1836 Scottish explorer Thomas Mitchell called the lush pastureland of western VictoriaAustralia Felix, meaning “happy Australia, fortunate Australia”. In 1845 English travel writer Richard Howitt’s lively Impressions of Australia Felix was published, and in 1849 the Australia Felix magazine was founded.
After the colony was named Victoria in 1850, the name Australia Felix gradually dropped out of use. However, 19th century Victorian politician Jonas Australia Felix Levien provides an example of it being used as a name, and he wasn’t born until the 1870s. (I have also found someone named Australia Felix Drake in historical records).
Despite all these Australian references, I can’t help wondering if Pat O’Sullivan was also thinking of Felis, the scientific name for the cat genus, from the Latin word feles, meaning “cat”.
Pat O’Sullivan gave Felix a lucky name, and the cat brought Pat luck and success. He did not have a very happy end to his life though. His marriage became increasingly strained (it probably got off to a rocky start, as they wed while he was on bail for raping a teenage girl; he was subsequently imprisoned for 9 months), and Marjorie fell to her death from their second floor apartment in 1932. O’Sullivan’s mental faculties deteriorated due to syphilis, and he died of alcoholism a year after his wife’s death.
Name Information Felix is a Latin name meaning “lucky, fortunate”. It was first given as a nickname to the 1st century BC Roman general and statesman Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a free translation of the Greek nickname he acquired during his military campaigns – Epaphroditos, meaning “beloved of Aphrodite”.
Whether the goddess Aphrodite was taking care of him or not, Sulla was very successful, holding the position of consul twice, and being awarded the Grass Crown, the rarest and most prestigious Roman military honour, given only to those whose actions saved an entire legion or the whole army. Like Alexander the Great, he achieved many of his victories before his thirtieth birthday, and provided the model for later Roman leaders to gain power by force.
After him, the nickname became a common one for Roman leaders to take, and several emperors adopted it as a title. The Roman procurator Marcus Antonius Felix is mentioned in the New Testament, although not in a positive way – he imprisoned Saint Paul.
Felix was a favourite name amongst early Christians, as the name can imply being in the favour of God, or blessed by God. There are masses of saints named Felix, including quite a few martyrs, and three popes with the name. Saint Felix of Burgundy was sent as a missionary to East Anglia in the 7th century, and there are several churches dedicated to him in Yorkshire and East Anglia. The village of Felixkirk in Yorkshire is named after him, and so might be Felixstowe in Suffolk.
Although more common in Continental Europe, Felix has been in use as an English name since the Middle Ages, in honour of these various saints. It is particularly associated with East Anglia and south-eastern England in general, showing the legacy of Felix of Burgundy.
Felix was #172 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1920s (Felix the Cat didn’t do it any good). It returned in the 1980s at #396 and climbed steadily; it’s been on and off the Top 100 since 2011. Currently it is #89 nationally, #86 in New South Wales, #78 in Victoria, #36 in Tasmania, and #54 in the Australian Capital Territory. It was one of the fastest-rising names in Tasmania and Victoria last year, and one of the nationally fastest-rising names of 2013.
In the US, Felix is #267 and rising steeply, while the UK has a similar popularity to Australia, at #91 and rising. Felix is #66 in New Zealand and fairly stable – the highest popularity of any English-speaking country. Felix is well used in Western Europe and Scandinavia, and is most popular in Austria at #4.
Handsome, intelligent, and upbeat, Felix is a name with an irresistibly positive meaning and strong Australian associations. Once seen as rather hipster, this retro name is growing in popularity, and fittingly it’s rather a favourite in the state of Victoria.
POLL RESULT
Felix received an outstanding approval rating of 93%, making it the highest-rated boys name in the Waltzing With … category for 2015. 45% of people loved the name Felix, and only 3% hated it.
Melissa and Ben are expecting their second child. They already have a daughter named Polly – Ben chose her name. The family surname is a short familiar one beginning with R.
So far Melissa’s name lists look like this:
Girls
Liza
Cleo
Ines
Marguerite
Stella
Boys
Jack (a family name, but more common than Melissa would usually go for)
Fergus
Douglas
Ned
Sidney
If it’s a boy, the middle name will probably be Linton, as this is a family tradition. If a girl, there is no middle name chosen, but Mary is one option that Melissa likes – it’s a family name. Polly also has a family name in the middle.
Generally Melissa prefers names that aren’t highly popular, and she likes names that can be easily shortened or have a nickname eg Liza nn “Lulu“. Melissa and Ben are not fond of overly “girly” names, and don’t want something that will sound “old ladyish” next to Polly.
They are very open to hearing fresh ideas, because so far there is no name that stands out from the pack, or which they really love.
* * * * * * * * * *
It’s tough when you have no shortage of possible baby names, but none that jump up and down in front of you, shouting, “Pick me! I’m the perfect name!”. It’s a problem that especially seems to affect parents expecting their second child.
Naming the first baby is often so easy: you get to use your favourite name since always, or the right name seems obvious from the start. We tend to second-guess ourselves when the second child is due, worry a lot more about it, and also have to think of something that will sound okay with the first child’s name.
I would take the pressure right off yourselves and have some fun. You’re actually in a good position, because you are both in a similar head-space, and not disagreeing with each other. This seems like an opportunity to get creative and open yourselves up to the possibility of all kinds of names.
Why not make a game of it? You could go for the “random name choice” idea where you flip coins or pull names from a hat or open a baby name book at random. Or you could have a “play off” type name where two names compete against each other, and you both eliminate the name you like least – “It’s time to go … Douglas”. Or pretend you’re talent show judges: “Cleo, it’s a yes from me”. Or go on “dates” with your name list, trying them on for size, until one of them gets a rose. Feel free to be as silly as you like!
So I will look at your name list, but I really want you to have a few giggles together as well.
GIRLS
Liza
This is quite different name to Polly. Polly is a relatively uncommon name, but you hear it enough that it seems like a regular name – so far this year I’ve seen three new babies named Polly. On the other hand, I have never met even one person of any age who had Liza as their whole name. So while Polly seems fresh, underused, and up-and-coming, Liza seems extremely rare and possibly a bit dated.
I can also see potential pitfalls, with people mistaking it for the popular Eliza, or reading it as Lisa, or not being sure whether it’s said LIE-za or LEE-za. You seem to want the name so you can use Lulu as the nickname. Could something more obviously Lulu-like be the answer, like Lucia, Louisa, Eloise, or Talullah? (I was going to say Lucinda, but Polly and Lucinda is a bit too much like Polly from the nursery rhyme who sat among the cinders!). Or could you use Lulu itself – Polly and Lulu are utterly adorable together.
Cleo
This is a cool name, and I think makes a wonderful match with Polly. It suits your wish for a name that doesn’t make Polly appear “old ladyish”, because Polly and Cleo seem young and hip, not fusty and vintage. Interestingly, I have seen the exact same number of baby Cleos as baby Pollys, so they feel like a good match popularity-wise.
Ines
That’s a really pretty name, and manages to sound exotic-but-not-too exotic. Weirdly, it doesn’t sound that strange with Polly either. I can foresee pronunciation issues though – I’m not sure myself whether you would say it IN-es, or EE-nes, or ee-NES. It might also be confused with Innes, which is sometimes given to girls.
Marguerite
How elegant and chic! I love Daisy as the nickname for Marguerite, but you might think Polly and Daisy is too old-ladyish, or too cutesy (same with Maisie?). What about Margot? Polly and Margot is a gorgeous sibset.
Stella
A pretty, starry, classic name, and the fact that it’s also popular (which you don’t normally go for) makes me wonder if you like it more than you think? Polly and Stella does have a very strong L sound though.
BOYS
Jack
I wouldn’t worry about the popularity if Jack is a family name that you like and have strong positive connections to. This is a good, solid, unpretentious name that sounds very manly with your surname. Nothing could be more down-to-earth than Polly and Jack, and both being popular nursery rhyme characters adds a touch of whimsy.
Fergus
Very handsome and rather hip. It sounds both aristocratic and rugged, and I love it with your surname. Gus would make a cute nickname.
Douglas
This is the kind of name that parents don’t often consider, but it’s a classic and is still in some use. It’s not hip like Fergus, but has something of the same sturdy vibe.
Ned
This sounds great with your surname, and Polly and Ned is just too cute!
Sidney
This is quite similar to Polly – a vintage-style name that is coming into use more and more, so I think they make a great match.
Other Names You Might Like
Adelaide
Anneliese
Daphne
Marigold (a spin on Mary, but might need a different middle name)
Meredith
Nora
Hugh or Hugo
Campbell
Barnaby
Magnus
Finlay
Alistair
I think the names you have thought of already look pretty good, and maybe one of them is a name that will grow on you until you love it, or one name will suddenly seem perfect once the baby actually arrives.
I hope that blog readers will suggest as many names as possible for you to consider – one of them could be the perfect choice!
Readers, what what do you think of Melissa and Ben’s name lists? What do you think you should do when no name really stands out? And can you suggest any names that go with Polly without seeming old-fashioned?
Famous Namesake
Ramadan finished on July 18, and recently we saw a story in the news mentioning converts to Islam. That gave me the idea to cover one of Australia’s early Muslim converts. Her name was Jane Winifred Oaten, but she always went by her middle name.
Winifred came to Australia from London as a child around 1890, her father making a desperate attempt to break the poverty cycle through migration. Life in Australia got off to rough start before she even left, as her mother walked off the ship prior to sailing. Winifred and her father lived in severe hardship trying to wrest a miserable living from a block of land in Queensland infested with prickly pear. At an early age she was sent out to low-paid domestic service as her father succumbed to alcoholism and depression.
When barely 17 Winifred married an itinerant shearer named Charles Steger. It was an unhappy partnership, and she was forced to desert her husband and their four children after he threatened to shoot her. She worked as a barmaid, then married an “Afghan” cameleer named Ali Nuby (although Muslin cameleers were collectively known as Afghans in Australia, Winifred’s husband was actually Indian).
A kind and decent man, Ali was the great love of Winifred’s life, and she took her husband’s religion to become a Muslim; the marriage would not have been legal, as her first husband was still alive. After Ali’s death, she supported herself and their three children by working as a washerwoman in Oodnadatta, South Australia.
Winifred entered an arranged marriage to another Indian cameleer named Karum Bux, and she and her husband made a pilgrimage to Mecca, through India, in 1927. This was to prove a turning point for her. When she returned, she wrote a series of articles for a newspaper called Arabian Days: The Wanderings of Winifred the Washerwoman, under the pen name of Bebe Zatoom.
According to the articles, Winifred the Washerwoman had a most exciting time on the way to Mecca. She met Mahatma Ghandi and King Ibn Sa’ud of Arabia, and in Bombay (Mumbai), she stayed in the palace of the Khalifat, the supreme Muslim body in India, which appointed her their Australasian secretary. Pretty heady stuff for an Oodnadatta washerwoman.
She soon separated from her third husband, and the very next year after her pilgrimage was asked to become governess to the royal family of Afghanistan. By the time she got there, the king had unfortunately been overthrown, but she travelled to the Afghanistan border to find the king, and escort his queen back to Bombay. Once again, on her return she supplied a newspaper with her “reliable first-hand impressions” of these events.
Winifred the Washerwoman was soon turning out weekly serial stories called Star Dust and Soap Bubbles, and another series in a different paper as a man named Sapphire Bill from the Northern Territory. Winifred wrote 14 unpublished novels based on her life in the outback: three of them were later serialised in newspapers without payment.
In her 1969 autobiography, Winifred claimed she was born in China to unknown parents, and had been raised in a convent where she met her husband Ali. The pilgrimage to Mecca was undertaken with Ali, conveniently deleting two husbands from her life story. Winifred kept writing into her nineties, and died at the ripe old age of 98. However, as she had lied about her age, she received a telegram from the queen commemorating her 100th birthday a year before her death.
At a time when women had few choices, and poor uneducated working class women had even less, Winifred managed to lead the life that she wanted through her writing. Living in poverty and drudgery, Winifred’s make believe helped her survive a harsh environment, and it’s little wonder she preferred fantasy and fiction. Her conversion to Islam brought her romance and adventure, giving her an exoticism and glamour that no other washerwoman has ever matched.
Name Information Winifred is the Anglicised form of the Welsh name Gwenfrewi, meaning “blessed reconciliation”; the name has become known because of a Welsh saint. According to legend, Saint Winifred was the daughter of a Welsh nobleman, while her mother was the sister of Saint Beuno, and related to royalty.
The story goes that as a teenager she was attacked in a fit of drunken lust by a local prince named Caradoc, who began to tear off her clothes. When Winifred fought back, Caradoc became so infuriated that he cut her head off. The head rolled downhill, and where it stopped, a healing spring appeared. Good old Uncle Beuno put her head back on her body, and restored her to life. Seeing Caradoc still lounging around with a “like whatever” attitude, Saint Beuno called on Heaven to punish him, and the ground promptly opened up and swallowed the would-be murderer.
Saint Beuno sat on a particular stone in the pool which had formed around the spring that had opened up from Saint Winifred’s head. Here Saint Beuno made an oath in the name of God that whoever should be in that spot and ask for something three times in the name of Saint Winifred should have their prayer granted, as long as it was good for their soul.
Saint Winifred’s Well is located in the town of Holywell, in the north-east of Wales. It has been known since Roman times, and after Winifred’s supposed decapitation in 660 was a place of pilgrimage. It is called the Lourdes of Wales, as so many remarkable cures have occurred there, and has long been named as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. It features in the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Richard the Lionheart prayed here for the success of his crusade, while Henry V gave thanks at the well for his great victory at Agincourt. James II visited the well with his wife Mary of Modena, after several attempts in producing an heir. Shortly afterwards, Mary became pregnant with James, Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria visited the well as a child.
People of all faiths, or none, are welcome here, whether to pray for help, or to see a place of great historical interest, as it is only site in Britain to be a place of continuous pilgrimage for thirteen centuries.
Although the legend cannot be true, Saint Winifred was a real person who was a nun and abbess. Historical records pay great attention to a prominent scar on her neck, so perhaps Caradoc really did have a go at her. His brother Owain is said to have killed Caradoc in revenge for some hideous crime, and that might be it.
If you are wondering how Gwenfrewi turned into Winifred, when the name became used in England in the 16th century, Gwenfrewi was altered to look like the male name Winfred, which is Anglo-Saxon and means “friend of peace”.
Winifred was #39 in the 1900s, and left the Top 100 in the 1930s. It hasn’t charted since the 1950s. However, this seems like a name which is due for a comeback. It was voted the popular name of the 1900s that blog readers most wanted to be revived, and the short form Winnie is very hip at the moment. I do see an occasional baby named Winifred, and the fashionable Winter must be of help.
International trends suggest that Winifred, although rare, is growing in usage. There were 35 baby girls named Winifred in the UK in 2013, which is only just outside the Top 1000. The numbers of Winifreds are rising briskly in Britain. In the US there were 99 girls named Winifred (about the same number as Cleo, Rosalind and Priscilla), and the numbers are rising there too.
The name Winifred commemorates a saint connected with healing waters and prayers granted. It also recalls one of the outback’s colourful eccentrics who became the heroine of her own adventure story. I think this vintage name is adorable, seeming soft and innocent on a little girl, but mature and intellectual on a grown woman. It deserves serious consideration. Besides Winnie, nicknames include Win or Wynne, Freda, Fred, and Freddie.
POLL RESULTS
Winifred received a decent approval rating of 68%. People saw the name Winifred as strong yet whimsical (18%), a vintage name deserving of a comeback (18%), and hip and different (13%). However, 12% thought it was dated and old-fashioned, and not ready for a comeback (too late!). Only one person thought the name Winifred sounded creepy and evil.
(Picture is of the city of Mecca, where Winifred Steger’s life changed direction)
Austin
Austins Ferry is a suburb of Hobart, named after convict James Austin. Austin and his cousin was transported to Australia in 1803, and after their sentences expired, were given small land grants on the River Derwent near Hobart. In 1818 they established a ferry service across the river, and became very wealthy. You can still visit James Austin’s original cottage. Austin is an Old French shortening of the name Agustin, the equivalent of the English Augustine, and the surname Austin has the same source. Austin was #108 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1950s. It returned in the 1990s at #196, the decade of the Austin Powers spy comedies with Mike Myers in the title role. Groovy, baby! It climbed steeply and joined the Top 100 in 2011. It is currently #61, and was the fastest-rising name in Queensland and a fast-rising name in South Australia last year. It was a fast-rising name in New South Wales in 2013 too, so this retro name is doing very well for itself, and is now more popular than it has ever been before.
Cornelian
Cornelian Bay is a suburb of Hobart, whose bay on the River Derwent provides anchorage for yachts; there are boathouses and a waterside restaurant along its foreshore. The first English navigator to explore the Derwent was Lieutenant John Hayes; he came ashore here in 1793, and named the bay after the semi-precious cornelian stones which he found on the beach. Cornelian (also known as carnelian) is a dark red mineral whose name is from the Latin for the cornel cherry, a flowering dogwood tree which has small dark red fruit just the colour of the gemstone. Cornelian was used in Roman times for signet rings used to seal important documents, as hot wax doesn’t stick to it. It was a gemstone often associated with courage and good luck. Cornelian has been in very rare use as a personal name since the 17th century, and overall has been given fairly evenly to both boys and girls. Not many gemstones work well as boys’ names, but this sounds very similar to Cornelius, yet seems much more up-to-date. This would also make a great middle name, and is suitable for both sexes.
Fitzroy
Fitzroy is an inner-city suburb of Adelaide, and an exclusive area overlooking the North Adelaide Parklands. The houses are mostly 19th century mansions along a few tree-lined streets, as this is where the upper class settlers lived in the city’s early days. It may have been named after Fitzroy in Melbourne, which is named after Sir Charles FitzRoy, the governor of New South Wales in the mid 19th century. Another suggestion is that it was named for historic Fitzroy Square in London, whose name comes from Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, an 18th century politician who was a distant ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales. The English surname Fitzroy (or FitzRoy) comes from the Old French for “son of the king”, and was traditionally given to illegitimate sons and daughters of a monarch, and could be inherited as a surname by their descendants. For example, the father of the 2nd Duke of Grafton was an illegitimate son of King Charles II by his mistress Barbara Villiers. Fitzroy has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, and was sometimes used to indicate a family relationship with illegitimate royalty. Roy- (and royal) names are on trend, and this is one you could consider that has Fitz or Fitzy as the nickname.
Hobart
Hobart is the capital of Tasmania; it is Australia’s second-oldest capital city after Sydney, and is our most southern capital city, serving as a hub for Australian and French Antarctic operations. It is located on an estuary of the Derwent River at the foot of Mount Wellington, and more than half of the city is taken up with bushland, so it contains much natural beauty. A small city with many historical buildings from its colonial past, Hobart has a great deal of charm. Hobart was named after Robert Hobart, 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire: Lord Hobart was the Colonial Secretary at the beginning of the 19th century. The surname Hobart is derived from the personal name Hubert, meaning “bright mind”. Hobart has long use as a personal name, and can be found often in historical records, with it being a bit of a favourite in Tasmania – indeed one example I found was Tasman Hobart. The Ho- at the beginning is rousing yet problematic, but you could use Bart or Barty as a nickname. A patriotic choice that may work better as a middle name.
Holden
Holden Hill is an inner-city suburb of Adelaide. It was named after a road extension called Halden’s Hill in the mid 19th century, as the land the road ran through was owned by a Mr Halden. The name was corrupted into Holden Hill. Holden is an English surname after a small village in Lancashire; it comes from the Anglo-Saxon meaning “deep valley”. Its most famous literary namesake is Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. It’s quite likely that Salinger named the character after a friend called Holden Bowler he met while they were both working on a ship. Mr Bowler went on to run his own advertising business and was godfather to singer Judy Collins. In Australia Holden will remind people of the car company, its name coming from South Australian manufacturer Sir Edward Holden (although it is owned by General Motors). Sadly, Holden will cease production in Australia in 2017. A very uncommon name in Australia because of the car.
Jupiter
Jupiter Creek is a semi-rural suburb of Adelaide which was once part of a gold-mining area, and still a place to go fossicking. Its name was given by gold-miners, possibly after a bull named Jupiter who was fond of running away to graze there. In Roman mythology, Jupiter is king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder, the equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. Ruler of the heavens, he was a divine witness to oaths and the protector of the state and justice; his symbols were the oak tree, the eagle, and the thunder bolt. His name is from an ancient root meaning “O Father Sky-god”, so his name is an invocation: to speak the name of Jupiter aloud is to call upon the god. The Romans named the largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter, and believed those born under its influence to be especially fortunate. As Juno is a hip name for girls, and so is Juniper, Jupiter for boys doesn’t seem too strange. A possible issue is the movie Jupiter Ascending, which has Mila Kunis as a heroine named Jupiter.
Linden
Linden Park is an affluent suburb of Adelaide. It was named after a house and estate which was built by Sir Alexander Hay in 1861. Linden trees (Tilia) are also called limetrees, although they are not closely related to the tree which produces lime fruit. They are tall, shady trees that have great significance in Germany and Eastern Europe, where they were seen as sacred; in German folklore, the linden is said to be the tree of lovers. Lindens have often featured in stories and poems, often as a symbol of love, protection, or resurrection. In Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way, the narrator dips his madeleine cake into a cup of lime-flower tea, which opens up a flood of memories. The word linden is from an ancient Germanic root which may mean “mild, soft”: the timber of the linden tree is soft and easily worked, making it ideal for carving. Linden has been used as a name since the 18th century, overwhelmingly for boys, and is found in Australian records quite often, mostly from around the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although I know a few men around my age named Linden. I haven’t seen it on a young child, but this is a handsome, soft-sounding tree name, not so different in sound from popular Lincoln.
Montrose
Montrose is a northern suburb of Hobart. It is named after Montrose House which was built in 1813 by a Scottish settler named Robert Littlejohn, a renowned painter, botanist and teacher. It is the third oldest house in the state, and is named after Montrose, on Scotland’s east coast. A picturesque resort town, it is regarded as a cultural centre, and known for its sculpture. The town’s name is usually thought to be from the Gaelic monadh, meaning “moor”, and ros, meaning “peninsula”. Folk etymology understands it as “mount of roses”, and the town’s Latin motto is Mare Didat, Rosa Decorat, meaning “the sea enriches, the rose adorns”. Montrose is also a surname, and the Duke of Montrose is a title in the Scottish peerage, held by the Graham family. Montrose has been used as personal name since the 18th century, and first used by the Grahams. It has been used for both sexes, but is more common as a male name. Scottish and aristocratic, this is like a cross between Montgomery and Ambrose, and has Monty as the obvious nickname.
Sorell
Sorell is a historic market town north-east of Hobart, now a dormitory suburb of the city. It is named after William Sorell, the state’s third Lieutenant-Governor. William Sorell did a good job of cleaning up the colony, which he had found in a fairly lawless and untidy position. The English surname Sorell is from the Old French nickname Sorel, meaning “chestnut”, and given to someone with reddish-brown hair. It has been in rare use since the 19th century, and is given to both sexes, although more common overall as a male name. It may be known from Sir Julian Sorell Huxley, biologist and brother of Aldous Huxley. An interesting, intelligent name that may sound too close to the word sorrow for some parents.
Stuart
Mount Stuart is a suburb of Hobart on a ridge with the wonderful name of Knocklofty. The suburb is named because of Mountstuart Elphinstone, a Scottish statesman and historian who was Governor of Bombay (now Mumbai). A ship named in the governor’s honour as the Mountstuart Elphinstone visited Hobart in 1836, bringing the welcome news that the cruel and unpopular Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur was ordered to return to London. In celebration of getting rid of him, two roads were named Mount Stuart Road and Elphinstone Road, and eventually the area became known as Mount Stuart. Mountstuart Elphinstone was probably named after Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute in Scotland, the seat of the Stuarts of Bute. They are descended from Robert II of Scotland, the first of the Stuart kings (the Elphinstones are related to the Stuarts). The name of the Stuart dynasty comes from Stewart, the Scottish form of steward, meaning a governor. The first of this surname was Walter Stewart of Dundonald, High Steward of Scotland. The Stuart dynasty ended up ruling Great Britain for more than a century, and it’s because of them that Stuart was used as a personal name. Stuart was #135 in the 1900s, joined the Top 100 in the 1940s and peaked in 1969 at #31. It left the Top 100 in the 1990s and hasn’t charted since 2010. Stewart was less popular, never reached the Top 100, and hasn’t charted since the early 2000s.
POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Linden, Austin and Holden, and their least favourite were Montrose, Jupiter and Hobart.
Waltzing More Than Matilda 