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Waltzing With … Eve

25 Sunday Sep 2016

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The Spring Equinox has just passed, and I’m planning on doing lots of gardening in the school holidays. So here’s a name suited to the season of new life and growth.

Biblical Namesake
Eve is derived from the Hebrew name Hawwah (in modern Hebrew, Chavah) which comes from both the word for “breath” and for “life”. It can be translated as “she who lives” or “source of life”.

The goddess Asherah, who was the wife of God in early Semitic tradition, held the title Chawat, which is the source of the name. Interestingly the word is from the same root as the word for “snake”, as these creatures are symbols of wisdom, and serpents were sacred to Asherah.

As the first pages of the Old Testament tell us, Eve was the first woman, created by God as a wife for the first man, Adam. God fashioned Eve from Adam’s rib while he slept. The story is quite similar to a Sumerian myth: in this case, the word for “rib” was a pun on the word for “life”, which explains why Eve was made from this body part.

Eve and Adam began in complete harmony with nature, living in the Garden of Eden as caretakers to the plants and animals, and eating only fruit and other plants. The couple were in a state of blissful innocence, and wore no clothes, for the Bible tells us that they were “naked and not ashamed”.

Apart from the simple requirements of daily gardening and animal husbandry, a raw food diet, strict veganism, and total nudity, God really only had one major rule and that was not to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is an impressive way of saying The Tree of Knowledge of All Things, or even just The Tree of Knowledge. He decreed that the punishment for this crime would be an immediate death sentence.

The Tree of Knowledge was right in the middle of the Garden of Eden so you couldn’t avoid seeing it, and it was an especially beautiful tree, laden with the most delicious-looking fruit. This was the start of the original “trouble in paradise”.

The snake was said to be the craftiest and most cunning of all the animals God had created, and in those days it walked upon legs. It was also able to talk, or perhaps Eve and Adam had the innate ability to understand the speech of all creatures.

This crafty, leggy, chatty snake schmoozed up to Eve and, without ever actually suggesting this would be a good idea, or that she should do it, the snake cleverly planted the idea in Eve’s mind that eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge would open her mind to untold wisdom. It would make her the intellectual equal of God, and the experience wouldn’t lead to death after all.

So what with these cunning arguments, and the tree being so delectable and accessible, Eve ate the fruit. She handed it over to Adam, and he ate it as well. It’s worth pointing out that the Bible says that Adam was right next to Eve the whole time, and had presumably heard all the same crafty snake talk without butting in with any counter-arguments, or insisting they’d better leave right now. Nope, he just hoed right in on a forbidden fruit binge.

Their minds now open to all knowledge, the first bit of information they received was they were walking around in the nude, and that made them feel suddenly ashamed. Hastily they sewed themselves loincloths out of fig leaves, and then hid from God, because another vital bit of info they’d gotten was that they’d done something incredibly bad, and now had this horrible gnawing feeling, which was guilt.

Part the knowledge they had imbibed was the ability to pass the buck, because once God started asking them a few probing questions Adam was quick to pin it all on Eve, and Eve was just as fast shifting all the blame on the snake.

Of course when God learned the truth, the proverbial hit the fan and there were major penalties handed out. The snake became legless so he had to crawl in the dust, and from now on humans would hate and fear him. Eve would suffer horrible pain during childbirth so that sexual desire would be its own punishment, and she would be subservient to her husband. The earth itself would turn against Adam, so that he would have to work and suffer for every mouthful he ate.

Finally God banished Eve and Adam from the Garden of Eden, because he was afraid that now they knew everything their next step would be to eat from the Tree of Life, which was right next to the Tree of Knowledge, and gave immortality to those who ate from it. Mysteriously, this tree wasn’t mentioned before and God never warned them off it. But he was worried now, and set some fiery cherubim to guard it.

It was only after all these events that Adam gave Eve her name, to show that she would become the mother of all humanity. Before this, Adam just called her Woman. It’s food for thought that Eve’s name came only after she had lost her innocence, and that Adam only knew her name when he had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge. Eve is a name born out of hard-won wisdom.

According to Christian tradition, Adam and Eve repented of their sin and were forgiven by God. They ascended into Heaven upon the Resurrection of Christ, and have been canonised as saints, with their feast day being Christmas Eve, aptly enough.

There has been a tendency to see Eve as responsible for the Fall of Man. She is often cast in the role of temptress, and the phrase “the wisdom of Eve” refers to feminine wiles. It is further extrapolated that all women are somehow more sinful by nature, and the Bible is sometimes used to justify women being kept in submission, even though hardly anybody seems to think that men as a sex should have to struggle and suffer for every bite of food.

Eve is a fascinating character. Unlike Pandora, she was not given to man to plague him, but made to be his companion, “flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone”. She is the first mother yet she isn’t primarily a fertility figure, but one who is hungry for wisdom and brings knowledge to the world. In a sense, her act made the world as we know it – not the natural world created by God, but the human world of thoughts and ideas, of good and evil, of choices and consequences.

Name Information
Eve has been used as an English name since the Middle Ages, and was introduced by the Normans; there is a French saint named Eve who is the patron of the city of Dreux. The Latin form Eva was more common, but in everyday life the person might have been called Eve. The name has remained in use ever since, and in Ireland was sometimes used to Anglicise the name Aoife.

Eve first joined the charts in the 1950s at #409. The award-winning drama All About Eve came out in 1950, starring Anne Baxter as the scheming Eve Harrington. In the film, the name Eve is deliberately chosen to evoke a sense of deception. Another film of this decade was the 1957 The Three Faces of Eve, with Joanne Woodward winning the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a woman with multiple personality disorder.

The name Eve stayed around the 400 mark for decades, but began climbing steeply in the 2000s. It joined the national Top 100 last year. Currently it is #87 nationally, #95 in New South Wales, #65 in Victoria, and #46 in the Australian Capital Territory Territory. Last year it was one of the fastest-rising names for girls, going up 14 places, and was a fast-rising name in Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

In the US the name Eve was almost continuously on the Top 1000 from the late 19th century until the mid 1980s, peaking in the early 20th century around the 400s. The name went off the charts in 1985, but reappeared in 1998 – the same year that rapper Eve Jeffers-Cooper, who performs under her first name only, began her career. Since then it has risen, and is now #475 and fairly stable.

In the UK, Eve joined the Top 100 in 1999, the same year British actor Clive Owen welcomed a daughter named Eve, and peaked in 2001 at #50. It left the Top 100 in 2010, the same year American rapper Eve began dating British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper, now her husband. It is currently #161. Eve is still popular in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, and is in common use in France.

Eve is an ancient name, but one that has gained a very modern image, as it’s a favourite in sci fi to give to a “first woman” of some kind (the first gynoid or clone, for example), and also works well as an acronym, such as the robot EVE – Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator – in Wall-E.

This is a slim and trim modern classic underused for centuries due to the association with the biblical character, who is both our mother to revere, and blamed for our fall from grace. It is interesting that both Adam and Eve joined the charts in the 1950s, but Adam became popular almost immediately while Eve languished.

It’s never been able to match classic Eva (its Latin form) or popular Zoe (the Greek version), but it feels as if Eve’s day might be arriving. It fits in so perfectly with current trends for names such as Ava and Evelyn, and is a possible formal name for the popular nickname Evie.

Based on overseas trends, you wouldn’t expect Eve to go very much higher than it is already, but as every country has its own profile for Eve, we’ll have to wait and see what happens here.

POLL RESULTS
The name Eve received an overwhelming 99% approval rating, making it the highest-rated name of 2016. 46% of people loved the name Eve, and only one person disliked it. Nobody hated the name Eve.

(Painting is Adam et Eve au jardin d’Eden by Gustave-Claude-Etienne Courtois, 1853-1923)

Famous Name: Esme

21 Wednesday Sep 2016

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Famous Namesake
Last week it was the 122nd birthday of Esme Fink, born on September 15 1894, and known as “Molly” from her middle name, Mary. She was an attractive blue-eyed blonde with a charming, fun-loving personality, and came from a respectable Melbourne family who had fallen on hard times, so her mother was desperate for Esme to meet an eligible bachelor as soon as possible.

While staying in Sydney, Esme caught the eye of of a middle aged Indian rajah who was there for the races and had become part of Sydney’s elite. His name was Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman, and he was the ruler of the princely state of Pudukkottai in British India, today in southern India. Martanda was smitten with Esme, and after a few months proposed marriage.

The happy couple wed almost immediately, and after being sneered at in the Australian press, travelled to India. Right from the start the British authorities were hostile to Martanda’s choice of bride. They had already warned him that a “mixed marriage” would not be formally recognised, and King George V decided that Molly Fink was a dreadful name. The final straw came when Esme became pregnant, and a poisoning attempt was made on her.

Esme and Martanda returned to Australia, where their son Martanda Sydney was born; Martanda became known in racing circles, and Esme as a socialite. They left Australia for London in order to demand recognition of their marriage, but when it became obvious their son would never be acknowledged, Martanda abdicated in exchange for substantial financial compensation.

Esme and Martanda settled in Cannes, where Esme’s friends included the photographer Cecil Beaton, and hostess Elsa Maxwell. Esme loved fashion, and was the first person to ever buy a Schiaparelli evening dress; she known for her extravagance, and eccentricities such as taking a pet tortoise for walkies while dressed to kill.

After her husband’s unexpected death, the Aga Khan proposed marriage to her, but she turned him down in order to live the high life independently. When World War II broke out she travelled to New York with Cecil Beaton and Anita Loos, and with her money frozen because of the war, worked illegally in a department store to make ends meet, while raising funds for Australian and Canadian servicemen.

She was estranged from her son after he was imprisoned for jewel theft, and as her funds dwindled became something of a recluse, taking comfort in alcohol and her Pekingese dogs. She died in 1967, leaving her extensive wardrobe to the Fashion Museum in Bath.

Name Information
Esme is the Anglicised form of Esmé, derived from the Old French word esmer, meaning “esteem, respect, love”, and pronounced EZ-may. It was first given to Esmé Stewart 1st Duke of Lennox, a cousin of King James VII, born in 1542; his mother was French. The name was used for eldest sons in his family for a few generations (the chain was broken after one of the Esmés died young, after which the name wasn’t used again by the family).

Esmé as a boy’s name never really took off, even in Scotland, and by the 19th century Esme was becoming better known as an English name given to girls, although still in some use for boys by the aristocracy, especially those with ties to Scotland.

The reason for its gender switch could have been because it sounds like a cross between Esther and May, or perhaps it became conflated with Ismay, a medieval English girl’s name thought to be derived from the Germanic name Ismagin, meaning “iron strength”. It is better known as a surname (the owner of the doomed Titanic was J. Bruce Ismay), and the surname Esmay is a variant. Ismay and Esme both came into use around the same time in the modern era, and at one time Ismay was usually given to boys – both names became more commonly feminine in the 19th century.

Another possible blow to the name Esmé remaining masculine was the scandalous 1894 novel The Green Carnation, published anonymously but written by Robert Hichens. The lead characters in the novel were Esmé Amarinth and Lord Reginald Hastings, closely modelled on real life lovers Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas. An instant success in both Britain and the US, its readers were shocked and titillated, and a reviewer described it as “impudent … bold … delicious”.

The book had to be withdrawn because it depicted homosexuality, but the damage was done and the novel set the stage for Oscar Wilde’s public disgrace and downfall. The Green Carnation was one of the works used by the prosecution in the case against Oscar Wilde for gross indecency, which saw him sentenced to two years hard labour. Use of the name Esme for boys became extremely rare after the late 19th century, and I can’t help wondering if the book helped cement the idea that the name was not only feminine, but effeminate on a man.

The name Esme has been used several times in literature, quite apart from this scandalising roman-à-clef. J.D. Salinger wrote a short story called For Esmé – with Love and Squalor; Esmé is an orphaned English teenager who befriends an American soldier. The name is referenced in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, which has a nasty piece of work named Esmé Squalor.

Another villainess is mutant Esme Cuckoo in Marvel’s X-Men series, while powerful witch Esmerelda “Esme” Weatherwax in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld  fantasy series is a force for good. In Saki’s darkly comic 1911 short story Esmé, the title character is an animal and the person who bestows the name does not know its sex, so chooses Esmé as suitable for either male or female. Knowing Saki, it’s hard not to wonder if The Green Carnation helped inspire the choice of name.

More recently the name has featured in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, as Esme Cullen is the gentle, caring vampire den mother. Her name is half the basis for her granddaughter’s name, Renesmee.

Esme was #139 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1910s at #120 – the same period Esme Fink was in the papers as a society beauty and putative rani. Esme left the charts in the 1950s. Since then it has made a mild come-back, and is around the 600s.

In the UK Esme did not make the Top 200 during the 19th century. However, it has been rising steadily since the late 1990s, and joined the Top 100 in 2008. It is currently #38 and still going strong. One influence on the name may be the British model, DJ and actress Esmé Bianco, who played Ros in Game of Thrones. The name is popular in Scotland, at #57.

Esme doesn’t have a strong history of use in the US, and only joined the Top 1000 in 2010, two years after the first Twilight movie. Numbers have risen, and it is currently #682.

For many years in Australia this name was associated with gossipy old Esme Watson from A Country Practice, but it has been given a new lease of life. It’s a vintage name that feels contemporary and stylish, and by now its masculine origins are long past, although not forgotten. It’s an artistic name with plenty of literary clout, and popular culture has brought it new admirers.

You can spell it Esmé if your state or territory birth registry will allow it (some won’t), but Esme looks neat and pretty, and by now I think nearly everyone knows how to pronounce the name without the aid of an accent. Adding an extra E to spell it Esmée in an attempt to feminise or Frenchify it is redundant, as by now the name already is feminine, and it’s not a French name but a British one.

POLL RESULTS
The name Esme received an approval rating of 82%. People saw the name Esme as intelligent and artistic (20%), pretty or beautiful (20%), classy and elegant (17%), and cute on a little girl but sophisticated on a grown woman (15%). However, 6% saw it as ugly and frumpy.

(Photo is of Esme “Molly” Fink, taken by Cecil Beaton)

Unique Boys Names from the 2015 Birth Notices

18 Sunday Sep 2016

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These are ten names given to boys which I saw only once in the birth announcements of last year. They are not all rare, but they are at least names you don’t see every day.

Aled
Welsh name, after the River Aled – a small river in Denbighshire in north Wales. Its meaning is not certain, although some have linked it with the Welsh root al-, meaning “wandering”, which suggests the winding flow of a river. Probably more importantly, in modern Welsh aled means “offspring”, making the name seem very suitable as a baby name. A historic namesake is the 15th century Welsh poet Tudur Aled, a nobleman from Denbighshire considered one of the finest poets of his time. Aled has been used as a boy’s name in Wales since perhaps the 18th century, and originated in Denbighshire. Its similarity to the name Allen must have been a help – it basically sounds like Allen with a D at the end instead of an N. A famous contemporary example is Welsh singer Aled Jones, who had a hugely successful career as a young boy, and is now a radio and television presenter. The name is still in use in the UK, although numbers have fallen. A pleasant Welsh heritage choice made familiar through a famous namesake.

Dashiell
English surname which is a corruption of the French surname de Chiel; its meaning is unknown. The de Chiel family were French Protestants who fled to Scotland escaping religious persecution in the 16th century. From here the surname morphed into Da Chiell, Da Shiell, Shiell, and Dashiell – the last seems to be first used in America, when the French-Scottish family migrated to Maryland in the 17th century. Dashiell has been used as a first name since the 19th century and was particularly associated with Maryland. The name has become famous because of the American crime novelist Dashiell Hammett, who wrote such classics as The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man; he received his name because his mother was one of the Dashiell family of Maryland. The name has never been common even in its country of origin, but is now rather fashionable as well as having literary cachet. Actress Cate Blachett welcomed a son named Dashiell in 2001, so this is a celebrity baby name. Pronunciation is a slight issue – Dashiell Hammett said his name da-SHEEL, while these days the name is nearly always pronounced something like DASH-uhl. Said thus, it gives the obvious nickname Dash, as demonstrated by Dashiell “Dash” Parr in The Incredibles.

Eamon
Anglicised form of Éamonn, the Irish form of Edmund. The name became well known because of the American-born Irish statesman Éamon de Valera, who was a force in Irish politics for over half a century. He came to prominence as a leader during the Easter Rising of 1916 and eventually became the country’s president in 1959. Éamon didn’t retire until he was 90, making him the world’s oldest head of state. Éamon de Valera was originally named George, and later had his name changed to Edward, so Éamon was a conscious attempt to give himself an authentically Irish name. Éamon de Valera visited Australia in the 1940s, and had strong links of friendship with the Irish-Catholic community here, especially amongst the priesthood, so the name Éamon or Eamon was very well known here for many years. A famous Australian namesake is the former Olympic swimming champion Eamon Sullivan. An Irish heritage choice which is dated in Ireland, but won’t seem so here, especially as it fits in well with current naming trends.

Gilbert
Germanic name meaning “bright pledge, bright hostage”. The meaning of “hostage” makes some people uneasy, however in the past it was common for political treaties to be accompanied by the exchange of hostages, usually nobles or even royalty, as a guarantee of good faith. The name Gilbert was introduced to Britain by the Normans, and was popular in the Middle Ages. In Scotland Gilbert was sometimes used to Anglicise the Gaelic name Gille Brigte, meaning “follower of Saint Bridget”. There are a few saints with the name, including Gilbert of Sempringham, the son of a Norman lord from Lincolnshire who founded the only English religious order, the Gilbertines; they didn’t survive the Reformation in England. Gilbert was #123 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1990s. It returned in 2011, and is now around the 500s. This is a vintage charmer which L.M. Montgomery fans may connect with handsome Gilbert Blythe, the love interest of red-haired heroine Anne Shirley. Comes with the nicknames Gil, Gib, Bert, and Bertie.

Keanu
Hawaiian name literally meaning “the coolness”, and translated as “the cool breeze”. In Hawaii it has been given to both sexes, but mostly to boys. The name has become famous because of Hollywood star Keanu Reeves, who has some Hawaiian heritage through his American father. He’s made a name as a blockbuster action star through The Matrix series, Speed, and Point Break, but is forever famous for the cult Bill and Ted movies. He has a connection to Australia since he lived here as a baby. The Hawaiian pronunciation of the name is keh-ah-noo; Keanu Reeves says his name more like kay-ah-noo, while many seem to say it kee-ah-noo. The strong identification of the name Keanu with the actor may cause some parents to think of it as a “one person name”, although it’s attractive with a nice meaning. On one hand, the Hollywood connection makes the name familiar and easy to deal with; on the other, prepare for people to assume you are a huge fan of Keanu Reeves.

Leif
Scandinavian name from the Old Norse name Leifr, meaning “descendant, heir”. Depending on which part of Scandinavia a person is from, the name is pronounced either LAYF or LIFE. Leif has a very famous namesake, because Leif Erikson was a Viking chieftain from Greenland, the son of Erik the Red. He was described by contemporaries as a strong, striking-looking man who was wise and considerate, and regarded as lucky. Leif converted to Christianity on a voyage to Norway and preached his new-found religion to the Greenlanders. Leif Erikson is perhaps best known for voyaging to a country he called Vinland, somewhere in modern Canada, where he founded a few Nordic settlements around 1000 AD. Leif Erikson not only pushed back the date of European colonisation in North America, he helped give Scandinavian immigrants to the Unites States a special tie to their adopted country. In the United States, Leif Ericson Day is celebrated every October 9. Leif is a slightly dated name in Scandinavia, but feels fresh here. A famous Australian namesake is music industry graphic designer Leif Podhajsky.

Ptolemy
Anglicised form of the Greek name Ptolemaios, meaning “war-like”, pronounced TOL-uh-mee. The name is mentioned in Homer’s Iliad as one of the Greek warriors. Ptolemy was a common name amongst the aristocracy of Macedonia, and the name was traditional in a line of Macedonian rulers in Egypt descended from one of Alexander the Great’s generals. They were in power for nearly three centuries, and are collectively known as the Ptolemaic Dynasty; one of their most famous members is the ruler Cleopatra. The most famous namesake is Claudius Ptolemy, nearly always known as Ptolemy. He was a Greco-Egyptian Roman citizen who wrote several important scientific treatises on maths, astronomy, geography, and astrology. His work was essential to medieval knowledge, and Christopher Columbus used his work on geography as the map for his famous voyage. There is a Ptolemy mentioned in the New Testament, and two saints with the name. Ptolemy has been used as an English name since the 17th century; it sounds like the English name Tolomy, short for Bartholomew. A rare but very cool name – possibly even a little too cool.

Rayyan
Arabic name meaning “thirst quenching, well-watered, luxuriant”; in the Quran the word is used to mean “splendour”. In Islamic tradition Rayyan is the name of one of the four gates of Paradise, dedicated to those who have fasted often in their lives. A common name in Arabic-speaking countries and communities, this works well in English-speaking countries. Not only is it quite similar to popular Ryan, but the possibility of using familiar Ray as the nickname gives your son the option of complete assimilation in the future. It even sounds very slightly like the English word rain, which fits in with the Arabic meaning. A no-fuss Arabic heritage choice.

Solomon
Hebrew name meaning “peace”. In the Old Testament King Solomon was the son of King David, famed for his enormous political and military power, and fabulous wealth gained through trade partnerships. According to Jewish tradition Solomon used that wealth to build the First Temple in Jerusalem, and his reign was a Golden Age. The Bible tells us that Solomon once prayed for wisdom, and because he did not ask for something selfish, he was granted not only wisdom but many other gifts as well. Legend says he received magical powers, and the ability to control angels and demons! An enigmatic passage in the Bible describes a visit made by the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, and the Ethiopian monarchy claimed descent from Solomon. Solomon is credited with writing Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon – one of the most beautiful works of poetry in the Bible. A central figure in Judaism, Solomon is venerated as a prophet in Islam, and regarded as a saint in Eastern Christianity. Solomon has often been used by Jewish people, East Europeans, and Africans, but has been used as an English name since the Middle Ages in honour of the biblical figure. A wise and peaceful name that might remind people of the Solomon Islands.

Tyrion
A name mostly known through popular culture. Currently it is associated with Tyrion Lannister from A Game of Thrones, played by award-winning actor Peter Dinklage. Born into privilege, Tyrion is despised by his family, and must learn to live by his not-inconsiderable wits. The cynical, debauched, bitterly intelligent Tyrion is a fan favourite, and author George R.R. Martin’s own favourite character from the series. Before that, Tyrion was a High Elf in the the 1980s role-playing game Warhammer, and a wise dragon king in the 1990s German-Australian television series Tabaluga. Tyrion is a variant of the name Tyrian, meaning “of Tyre”. Tyre was a wealthy island-city in ancient Phoenicia whose name meant “rock” because of the formation it was built on; today it is in modern Lebanon. Tyre was famous for its production of expensive purple cloth, only affordable by royalty and aristocracy; the word tyrian can refer specifically to the colour purple, and has connotations of pomp and power. You could also connect the word Tyrian to Tyr, the Norse god of war. Despite these interesting associations, Tyrian and Tyrion have been used only very rarely as personal names; however they seem like fantasy names which can still work in the real world.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Dashiell, Solomon and Eamon, and their least favourite were Rayyan, Aled and Tyrion.

(Picture shows Dashiell “Dash” Parr from The Incredibles)

Unique Girls Names from the 2015 Birth Notices

11 Sunday Sep 2016

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gods-of-egypt-zaya-poster

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)

Requested Names: Estelle and Estella

07 Wednesday Sep 2016

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Estelle is a French name. It became known because of Saint Estelle, a legendary 3rd century martyr from Gaul whose father was a Roman nobleman, and her mother descended from a long line of powerful Druids. After converting to Christianity, her own father condemned Estelle to death for her faith, making her another of those young girl saints with less than supportive dads.

The saint’s name was actually Eustelle, from the Greek for “beautifully adorned”. Over time, the spelling of the name seems to have been altered so that it looked as if it was derived from estela, the Occitan word for “star”. (Occitan is a dialect from southern France).

Although Estelle was apparently a popular saint in the Charente region of southern France, the name doesn’t seem to have received much use until the 18th century. In 1788 the French poet Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian published a pastoral romance called Estelle and Némorin, and although critics didn’t exactly give it rave reviews, it seemed to kick-start Estelle as a baby name.

An early namesake was Estelle Duboeuf, later Fornier, who was born in 1797. The Romantic composer Hector Berlioz met Estelle on a summer holiday in the French Alps and instantly became infatuated with her. He was already a fan of Estelle and Némorin, and perhaps there was some connect between the fictional and real Estelles. He was 12 and she was 18, so this wasn’t a relationship which was going anywhere, and Estelle married a lawyer and had six children.

For the rest his life Berlioz considered her to be his muse and called her his Stella montis (Latin for “mountain star”). One of Berlioz’s early compositions was based on a song in Florian’s Estelle and Némorin, full of despair at having to leave his “star” behind. Its melody wound itself into the violins in his Symphonie fantastique, and his longing for Estelle helped inspire his symphony Romeo and Juliet.

Much later in life Berlioz again encountered Madame Fornier, now an elderly widow, and asked her to marry him. She turned him down and never understood his obsession with her, but they remained friends and he left her an annuity in his will. She was his first love, his last love, and his sweetest love, and the fact that it was almost entirely in his imagination made it all the more powerful.

The name Estelle became a favourite choice in 19th century romance novels in both Britain and America. One of the most famous examples of the name in literature must be the the beautiful but pitifully frozen-hearted Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens’ 1860 novel Great Expectations.

Dickens may have chosen the name Estella because of its similarity to Stella, the unattainable beauty in Sir Philip Sidney’s poem Astrophel and Stella, so the name already signified painful, hopeless unrequited love to a woman far out of reach, cold and distant as a lovely star.

Estella is the Latinate form of Estelle, and it has also been in use since the 18th century. It was originally more popular in Italian and Spanish-speaking countries, although used in English-speaking ones as well.

Estelle was #228 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1920s at #222, the era of American silent screen star Estelle Taylor, regarded as one of the most beautiful women of the silent era. The name fell in popularity after Estelle gave up acting to pursue a singing career, and had an unhappy marriage to boxing champ Jack Dempsey. By the time Estelle passed away in the 1950s, the name had left the charts.

It returned in the 1970s at #625, just after American actress Estelle Parsons won an Oscar for her role in Bonnie and Clyde. It went down in the 1980s, perhaps because Estelle Getty on sitcom The Golden Girls made it seem like an old lady name. Estelle began climbing in the 2000s. Its current position is probably around the 200s, but could be higher.

In the US, Estelle was in the 100s from the late 19th century until the end of the 1920s. It left the Top 1000 in 1964 and returned in 2012. This was the same year that the Swedish royal family welcomed Princess Estelle, daughter of Crown Princess Victoria; Estelle is second in line to the throne of Sweden. The name Estelle is currently #822 in the US.

Estelle has been less popular in the UK, and was only in the Top 500 for a few years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It left the Top 1000 in 2011, but perhaps Princess Estelle brought it back, as it returned the following year. It’s currently #891 and seemingly falling again.

Estelle was a Top 100 name in France in the 1990s and early 2000s, but has been gradually falling in favour and is now #187. It’s still popular in Belgium.

Famous Australian Estelles include journalist Estelle Blackburn, naturalist and wildflower painter Estelle Thomson, and model/dancer Estelle Asmodelle, Australia’s first legally recognised transsexual, billed as “Australia’s first transsexual pin-up” in the 1980s.

In the US, Estella was in the 100s from the late 19th century until 1912, and left the charts in 1974. Like Estelle, it returned in 2012 and is now #873. Estella has never been in the Top 1000 in the UK; last year there were 16 baby girls given the name. Estella is a royal name as well, as Prince Edward of Kent’s daughter Lady Helena Taylor had a daughter named Estella in 2004.

Estelle and Estella are pretty vintage names with a fascinating literary and musical history which have recently gained royal glamour, and fit in with popular names like Isabelle and Stella. They also strike me as names which have great potential as multicultural crossovers – apart from the French connection, Estelle has sometimes been chosen by Jewish families as a spin on biblical Esther, while Estella may appeal to those from Romance language backgrounds such Italian and Portuguese.

Could one of these names be right for your little star?

Thank you to Patricia for requesting the names Estelle and Estella be featured on Waltzing More Than Matilda; Patricia is considering using one of these names.

POLL RESULTS

Estelle received an approval rating of 70%. 35% of people loved it, and only one person thought Estelle was a terrible name. Estella did less well, with an approval rating of 51%. 44% of people weren’t keen on it, although only 6% thought Estella was a terrible name.72% of people preferred the name Estelle to Estella for a baby girl.

Famous Name: Forbes

24 Wednesday Aug 2016

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forbes-carlile

Famous Namesake
Just before the Summer Olympics started this year, we lost our oldest Olympian – Forbes Carlile, who was 95. Forbes was a scientifically-trained pioneer in elite swimming coaching, using many of the training methods we take for granted today in sports physiology and psychology, and writing the first book on modern competitive swimming.

Forbes was Australia’s first Olympian post-war swimming coach, and the youngest Olympic coach when he began at the age of 27. He was the Australian swimming coach at the 1948 and 1956 Olympic Games, and Scientific Adviser at the 1960 Olympic Games; he coached the Dutch team at the 1964 Olympics.

Swimmers coached by Forbes won 12 Olympic medals including 5 gold, and set 31 world records. His greatest success was at the 1973 Swimming World Championships, which produced nine Australian champions, and his most successful student was Shane Gould, who held six world records simultaneously when she was 15.

Forbes is the only person so far to have coached at the Olympic Games, and then gone on to compete at Olympic level. He was the first Australian to compete in the modern pentathlon at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, where he came 25th overall and 10th in the swimming phase.

Forbes went on to receive many awards for his work as a coach and is in three sporting Halls of Fame, both in Australia and internationally. He and his wife Ursula were the first in Australia to open a commercial swimming school, still in operation.

A quote from Forbes Carlile demonstrates the thinking behind his success: Our aim is not to produce champions, but to create an environment where champions are inevitable.

Name Information
Forbes is a Scottish surname which comes from a place name in Aberdeenshire derived from forba, Gaelic for “field”. Clan Forbes claims to have owned land in this area since the 12th century, but the first Forbes on record is Duncan Forbes, in the late 13th century. The Forbes were raised to the Scottish Peerage in the 15th century, so the name has an aristocratic feel.

The name is well known in the United States, as members of the Scottish clan emigrated to America and became one of the wealthiest and most prominent in Boston. Politically influential, one of their best known members today is US Secretary of State John Forbes Kerry. Another Forbes from Aberdeenshire, of more modest origins, emigrated to the US later and is known for founding Forbes business magazine, famous for its rich lists, so either way this name signals money.

In Ireland, the surname Forbes can either be directly related to the Scottish name, as one of the aristocratic Forbes settled here in the 17th century, or can be an Anglicisation of the Gaelic name MacFearbhisigh, with the personal name Firbhsigh from the Celtic for “man of prosperity”. Whatever the origin, Forbes is a wealthy name.

The name is known in Australia from the New South Wales town of Forbes, named after the state’s first Chief Justice, Sir Francis Forbes. Sir Francis was related to the Scottish clan, and because of his family’s business links, had been educated in America and travelled there, which is said to be the source of his politically liberal views.

Forbes the town got bad reviews at first, with explorer John Oxley opining that it was impossible to imagine a worse country, due to the clay soil, poor timber, and swamps. Perhaps these weren’t mentioned on the brochure, as people did settle in the area. Everything changed when gold was discovered in 1861 and the population swelled by more than 30 000. A historic town, the bushranger Ben Hall met his end in Forbes, and Ned Kelly‘s sister Kate died a heroine here.

Forbes has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, where it was originally strongly associated with Scotland, but soon became much more generally used. In America, it was most commonly found in Boston. Although at first girls with the names Forbes weren’t particularly unusual, overall the name is overwhelmingly male.

Forbes is a very uncommon name. In the US, just 5 baby boys were named Forbes in 2015, while in the UK no baby boys are listed as having been given the name since 2008. I have occasionally seen Forbes used as a boy’s first name in Australia, but perhaps more often as a middle name. (This reminds me that a well known person with Forbes as his middle name is mathematician John Forbes Nash, of A Beautiful Mind fame).

Forbes is a rare surname name for boys redolent of success, wealth, power, nobility, and even long life. Although most of us like the idea of names which have positive meanings, namesakes and associations, some parents might feel that this one is almost too much. However, for a name with history and class behind it, Forbes is worth considering for your own future champion – at least in the middle.

POLL RESULTS
The name Forbes received an approval rating of 39%. 28% were reminded too strongly of Forbes magazine, and 15% found the name pretentious. However 11% thought the name sounded strong and powerful.

(Photo from Carlile Swimming)

Waltzing With … Rio

21 Sunday Aug 2016

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Famous City
Today is the final day of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio – can you believe that London was already four years ago? This is the first time the Olympics have been held in South America, the first time the Summer Olympics took place in winter, and only the third time they have been hosted in the Southern Hemisphere. This was the first Olympics that a Refugee Olympic Team took part.

It’s been a rather controversial Olympics (although not as disastrous as the gloomy doomsayers predicted). However Rio has looked beautiful with its views of mountains and beaches, and the famous landmark of Christ the Redeemer overlooking the city and its surrounds. No wonder Rio is one of the most popular cities to visit in the Southern Hemisphere, and why Australian entertainer Peter Allen had to write a song about it!

Congratulations to all the Olympic athletes, and see you all in Tokyo in 2020!

Name Information
The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro means “River of January” in Portuguese, and received its name because Portuguese explorers first sailed into its bay on January 1 1502, mistakenly believing the harbour was the mouth of a river.

The city itself was founded in 1565, and first called São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro in honour of Saint Sebastian, the patron of the Portuguese monarch. Just as the São Sebastião got dropped, the city is now often known as simply Rio (“River”).

Rio has been used as an English name since the 19th century, although it is not always possible to tell from records whether Rio was the person’s nickname. It was given to both sexes, but mostly to males, and in the US may have been influenced by the great south-western river the Rio Grande, or various places named Rio.

In fiction, guys called Rio tend to be tough and gritty, rebellious and sexy, or even butch and bullying. Female fictional characters named Rio include the heroine of the YA undersea novel Atlantia: in the book, the characters all have names connected with water, so a name meaning “river” makes sense.

Rio is also a popular Japanese girl’s name. It can be translated in a variety of ways, including “white jasmine and cherry blossom”, and “village centre of cherry blossom”. An example of someone with the name is Japanese child star Rio Suzuki. You will find the name used fairly often in anime and manga, and confusingly, sometimes for male characters too – an apparent Anglicisation of the Japanese boy’s name Ryu, meaning “dragon”.

If you tend to think of Rio as a masculine name, it’s probably because in Romance languages an O at the end of a name usually signals it’s male – Rio even looks as if it could be short for Mario. Also, the English name River is more popular for boys, so it makes some kind of sense for Rio to be as well.

If you think of Rio as a feminine name, it might be because you’re an older parent or young grandparent, and you’re thinking of the song Rio by Duran Duran where her name is Rio and she dances on the sand. In the song, the girl’s name is linked to the Rio Grande; the band have said that Rio is a symbol of their love for the United States (originally the girl in the song was called Amy, short for America, but Rio sounded more exotic so Rule of Cool won out).

Rio isn’t an unusual name in the UK. It has charted for boys since the late 1990s, around the time English football star Rio Ferdinand began playing for the national team; he went on to captain his side. The name peaked in 2008 at #155, the year after Rio Ferdinand’s autobiography was published. The name Rio is now #213 for boys, and its popularity has almost certainly been influenced by Mr Ferdinand.

Rio also charts for girls in the UK, and before Rio Ferdinand became well known, was actually more common as a female name. This is a good example of how just one high-profile person can cause a less-common name to do a gender switch. Rio has only been in the Top 500 for girls once, in 1997 – ironically the same year Rio Ferdinand joined the English national side. In 2014, 11 baby girls were given the name Rio in the UK.

Rio is less popular in the US, but more common for boys there as well. In 2015, there were 103 boys named Rio, and 38 girls. Numbers are fairly stable for both genders, but it does seem to be gradually falling for girls, and very slightly rising for boys. I have seen Rio on both sexes in Australia, but more boys than girls.

Whether you think of it as inspired by the city, or the Rio Grande, or simply an exotic nature name, Rio is a cool and spunky name for both boys and girls. It will be interesting to see if this year’s Summer Olympics will help bring about an increase in babies named Rio.

POLL RESULTS
As a boy’s name, Rio received an approval rating of 74%. 38% thought it was okay, and only 9% hated it. It was far less successful as a girl’s name, with an approval rating of 47%. 34% disliked it, and only 9% loved it.

(Picture shows a view of Rio’s harbour from Mount Corcovado)

Requested Name: Xanthea

22 Wednesday Jun 2016

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Xanthea is a variant of the name Xanthia, an elaboration of the Ancient Greek name Xanthe, meaning “yellow, yellow-brown”, and often translated as “blonde, fair-haired”. There are several characters in Greek mythology named Xanthe, including a minor sea goddess and one of the Amazons.

You could see Xanthea as a saint’s name too, because in some versions St Xantheas is listed as one of the Forty Martyrs, Roman soldiers who confessed themselves to be Christian and were frozen to death in an icy pond. Although Xantheas is the male form of Xanthe, it would be possible to see Xanthea as a feminine form of Xantheas.

You could also understand Xanthea as a combination of Xanthe and the Greek name Anthea, meaning “flower, blossom”, which was one of the epithets of the goddess Hera, queen of Olympus. If you are one of those people who believe that squishing two names together somehow combines their meanings, Xanthea could be translated as “yellow flower” – reminiscent of our national flower, the wattle.

In fact Xanthea is sometimes used in scientific names to denote something which is of yellow colour, including flowers such as orchids and daffodils.

Xanthea is a modern name which has been used since the 20th century. A famous namesake is Australian cross-country skier Xanthea Dewez who made her international debut last year (in the off-season she plays netball). This may increase interest in the name.

One of the name’s attractions is that it provides fashionable Thea as a nickname, although Xan and Zan are also possibilities.

This is a rare name that is nonetheless familiar, and has no more pronunciation issues than Xanthe does. To me it seems more “namey” than Xanthia, and it fits in well with the trend for names starting with a Z sound, like Zalia. I can imagine many parents being attracted to this pretty and exotic-sounding name.

Thank you to Jessica for suggesting the name Xanthea be featured on the blog.

POLL RESULTS

Xanthea received an approval rating of 62%. 27% of people preferred the name Xanthe, although 20% thought Xanthea was a pretty or beautiful name. Only one person thought the name Xanthea was too modern.

(Photo shows cross-country skier Xanthea Dewez racing in the Australian Championships; she came 2nd in her age class)

Waltzing With … Carter

19 Sunday Jun 2016

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Blonde

Famous Namesake
It’s cold and wet at the moment – just the right weather for curling up with a good book. But what if you want to curl up with a bad book? That’s what pulp fiction is for: cheap, disposable paperbacks that can entertain you for an hour or so.

Australia’s prolific prince of postwar pulp fiction was Carter Brown – the pen name of British-born Alan Yates. He came here during the war, and married an Australian woman he had met on leave. They lived in England for a while, but Alan’s articles and radio scripts kept getting rejected, so they returned to Sydney in 1948.

One of Alan’s jobs was producing the in-flight magazine for Qantas. In the evenings, he wrote a western, and went on to write horror, science fiction, and detective stories. At his publisher’s urging, he wrote his first full-length crime novel, Murder is My Mistress, which came out in 1954. It was so successful that Alan was contracted to become a full-time writer, turning out a novel every month for a weekly income plus royalties.

In the next 30 years, Alan wrote over 200 novels under the pen name Carter Brown, as well as 75 novellas. An individual title could sell up to 200 000 copies, and his total sales were 55 million. His books were second only to the Bible for the number of languages they were translated into.

His detectives included ditzy blonde private investigator Mavis Seidlitz, Hollywood screenwriter Larry Baker and his drunken assistant Boris Slivka, San Francisco lawyer Randy Roberts, and Lt. Al Wheeler, a policeman from fictional Pine County near LA.

The plots had beautiful, dangerous women, plenty of action, a bit of a laugh, and enough sex and violence to keep readers coming back for more. They could expect strippers, starlets, spankings, vampires, ghosts, aliens, witches, Satanists, psychiatrists, sexy Women’s Libbers, deadly yoga instructors, and rampant dwarfs.

There were loads of alliterative titles, like Bullet for My Baby, Honey, Here’s Your Hearse, Darling, You’re Doomed, and Cutie Wins a Corpse. Blondes were a favourite topic, featuring in Blonde Verdict, No Blonde is an Island, Blonde on the Rocks, and Blonde, Beautiful, and – BLAM!

The books were usually set in California, which was what readers expected. Alan hadn’t been to the United States when he first started, so wrote from his imagination, with some comic results. However, this didn’t bother his readership in Australia and Europe, most of whom hadn’t been to America either.

Once his books started being sold in the US in 1958, he did visit America and was able to add more realism. It was also America which fixed his pen name in place: he had sometimes published as Peter Carter Brown or Peter Carter-Brown, but it was felt Carter Brown would do better in the United States. A helpful rumour circulated that Carter Brown was the favourite author of President John F. Kennedy, which boosted sales.

Alan’s life was very different from that of his heroes, as he was a devoted family man who enjoyed a beer and a joke with friends. He spent nearly all his time writing, living in dread of deadlines, and surviving on coffee and Benzedrine to maintain the relentless pace. He dreamed of one day publishing a serious work, a historical novel set in Australia, but there was too much writing to be done.

Alan was no Raymond Chandler, but although he wrote pure pulp, it wasn’t complete trash. He was able to keep readers addicted through constant inventiveness while sticking to the same formula the publisher insisted on, and his humour, puns and literary allusions added sparkle to the text. Some of his works are still in print, and he has a loyal readership among fans of vintage crime fiction.

Alan won his only literary award a dozen years after his death, when he received the Ned Kelly Award for lifelong contribution.

Name Information
Carter is an English occupational surname for someone who transported goods, or who made a living building carts. It’s a very old surname, and may pre-date the Norman Conquest.

There are many people with the surname. Jimmy Carter, former American president; archaeologist Howard Carter who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen; writer Angela Carter; country singer June Carter from The Carter Family, wife of Johnny Cash; Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman; Rubin Carter, the boxer known as “The Hurricane” who later worked to help people wrongfully convicted; and Shawn Carter, the rapper known as Jay Z, married to Beyoncé.

Famous Australian Carters include ornithologist Thomas Carter who found many bird specimens; entomologist Herbert Carter, beetle expert; physicist Brandon Carter, known for his work on black holes; photographer and film-maker Jeff Carter; influential businessman Bruce Carter; and high jumper Doris Carter, the first Australian female track and field athlete to make the Olympic finals.

Carter has been used as a personal name since at least the 17th century, and usually given to males. Famous namesakes include Carter Braxton, one of the signatories to the United States Declaration of Independence, and Carter Woodson, the African-American historian considered to be the father of Black History Month in the US.

An influential fictional character with the surname Carter is John Carter of Mars, an immortal Southern Virginian gentleman created by Edgar Rice Burroughs: practically every sci-fi adventure story since owes a debt to him. There’s also dime novel detective Nick Carter, and mob enforcer Jack Carter, from the cult film Get Carter.

Fictional characters with Carter as a first name include superheroes such as Carter Grayson from the Power Rangers, Carter Hall, otherwise known as the Hawkman, and Carter Slade, the original Ghost Rider. There’s also Carter Kane from Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles, a powerful teenage magician and the human host of the Egyptian god Horus.

In the US, Carter has been on the Top 1000 almost continuously for boys since the late 19th century. It has been climbing since 1980, joined the Top 100 for the first time in 2004, and is currently #24.

Carter began charting for girls in 2013, and is currently #533. Two female Carters from popular culture are tomboy Carter Mason in the Disney movie Princess Protection Program, played by Selena Gomez, and rebellious Carter Wilson, on the teen drama series Finding Carter.

In the UK, Carter has been in the Top 500 since the late 1990s and has been generally rising since 1999, rising steadily since 2010. It is currently #118, so not far outside the Top 100. Carter is a popular name in Northern Ireland, and is most popular in New Zealand, where it is #20 and rising. It only charts as a female name in the US.

In Australia, Carter debuted in the Top 100 in 2014, and last year went up 19 places to #79, making it one of the fastest rising names of 2015. Carter debuted at #83 in New South Wales, being one of the fastest rising names in the state, and was #39 in Queensland.

Carter fits right in with the surname trend, as well as with the other rising AR names, like Archer, Arlo, and Harvey. It sounds sleek and tailored, but also rugged and manly – a tough-talking guy who looks good in a suit. Like Carter? Join the club.

POLL RESULTS
Carter received an approval rating of 71%. 42% of people thought it was okay, but only 8% loved it.

Rare Boys Names From the 1950s

12 Sunday Jun 2016

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The most popular boys names of the 1950s were Peter, John, Robert, and David, 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 are still interesting, and one or two really quite daring.

Blaine
Scottish surname which comes from the Old Gaelic Mac Gille Blaan meaning “follower of St Blaan”. St Blaan (or Blane) was a 6th century Scottish monk who was educated in Ireland and became a bishop in Scotland among the Picts. He must have been popular in his time, as there are so many Scottish towns named in his honour, such as Strathblane. The meaning of his name may be from the Old Irish for “thin, lean”. The name would have been well known in the 1950s from classic 1942 film Casblanca, starring Humphrey Bogart as nightclub owner Rick Blaine: his cynical exterior hides a heart of gold, and he makes a heroic sacrifice. In the 1950s Blaine was a bad-boy yet good-guy name, and today also manages to straddle this romantic divide, sounding similar to tough-guy names like Blade, but fitting in with familiar names like Blair and Blake.

Cormac
Irish name. The original form was Corbmac which seems to mean “son of the wheel” in Irish Gaelic, so is often glossed as “son of the charioteer”. However it could also be understood as “son of the raven”, which might tie the name to the god Bran. Another mythological connection is that Corb was one of the Formorians in Irish legend: these ancient beings were giants and forces of destruction, but Corb was worshipped as a tribal god. It’s possible that Corbmac meant “son of Corb”, perhaps to denote strength, or a tribal relationship. Cormac mac Airt was a legendary High King of Ireland; the story goes that he was raised by wolves, but nevertheless proved a wise, brave, and just ruler. Cormac is a handsome Irish heritage choice which offers fashionable Mac as the nickname.

Crispin
Derived from the Roman family name Crispus, meaning “curly-haired”. The name has become famous because of the saints Crispin and Crispinian, venerated as 3rd century martyrs. According to legend, the saints were twin brothers born to a noble Roman family who fled persecution to northern France. They preached Christianity by day, and by night made shoes; through their sleepless industry they earned enough to help the poor. Their life of hard work and charity irritated the governor enough that they were martyred for their faith. According to English folklore, the twins were British princes who ended up as shoemakers in Faversham, Kent. The English version doesn’t include the saints getting martyred, feeling it a bit of a downer ending, even though without the martyrdom they’re not saints but just a pair of old cobblers. The Battle of Agincourt took place on the saints’ feast day, October 25 1415, which England won, celebrated in a stirring speech in Shakespeare’s play Henry V. There have been numerous other battles on St Crispin’s Day – on this day in 1944, American and Australian forces won the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific. A famous namesake from this decade was Sir Crispin Tickell, one of the famous Huxleys, who first became a British diplomat in this era; today Sir Crispin is an advocate for the environment, perhaps inspired by his work in Antarctica in the 1950s. An elegant upper class but rather crunchy sounding name.

Hercules
Latinised form of the Greek name Heracles, meaning “glory of Hera“, after the queen of the gods who was the wife of Zeus. In Greek mythology, Hercules was a divine hero, the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, a grand-daughter of the hero Perseus. Hercules might have been named in honour of the goddess Hera, but she took a dislike to him before he was even born, by ruining a prophecy that he would be ruler. Heracles grew up to be of prodigious strength, and was also quick-witted and playful. He used his gifts to benefit mankind, establishing the Olympic Games, and creating the Pillars of Hercules in the Strait of Gibraltar to protect sailors. Hercules is famous for his Twelve Labours, spectacular feats of strength and cunning which defied his enemy Hera. Being a divine hero, he had to have a tragic death, and on his funeral pyre all that that mortal in him was burned away, so that he could join the gods: he is set among the stars as a constellation. Hercules has been used as an English name since at least the 16th century, and a famous namesake is Sir Hercules Robinson, a Governor of New South Wales. A favourite character in popular culture, Hercules has recently featured in several films, and made an appearance on the TV series Once Upon a Time. Still in occasional use, this is a powerful and eye-catching name.

Prince
English title for a ruler, or a male member of the royal family. The word comes from the Latin primo, meaning “chief, most distinguished”. As a first name, Prince has probably been influenced by the surname, given as a nickname to those who behaved in a regal manner. The surname originated in Yorkshire, and has been used as a personal name since the 17th century. A famous early namesake was Prince Hall, an English-born 18th century African-American abolitionist who worked towards gaining civil rights for black Americans. The name is probably best known in Africa and the African-American community, and a famous contemporary namesake is pop icon Prince (born Prince Nelson), who passed away this year. A blue-blooded name for those born to the purple, Prince may be hard to get past current Australian birth registries as it’s a title, but its use in the 1950s provides some legal justification for those trying to register it (was it used in this decade in honour of the young Prince Charles?). It will be interesting to see if Prince’s death boosts the name.

Roscoe
English surname which comes from a place name in Lancashire; it’s from the Old Norse meaning “roe buck thicket, deer woods”. The surname not only originated in Lancashire, but is still concentrated in that area today in England. It has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, and does show some association with the Lancashire region, although the name is more popular in the United States. Roscoe was the real name of silent film comic “Fatty” Arbuckle, but the name has quite often been used as a nickname for men. The inspiration for this decade may have been the South Australian cricketer Arthur Richardson, whose nickname was “Roscoe”; a forceful player in his youth, by the 1950s he was a cricket selector and coach known for his strong moral code. Roscoe is a surprisingly hip-sounding vintage name, with both charm and a certain gruff strength to it.

Saul
Hebrew name meaning “asked for, prayed for”. In the Old Testament, Saul is the first king of the Kingdom of Israel, anointed by the prophet Samuel. Tall and good-looking, Saul was a successful military leader, however his disobedience towards Samuel as God’s representative was punished by some sort of madness. Modern psychologists have generally diagnosed him as bipolar, and the Bible certainly depicts him as being very paranoid towards his rival, the hero David. His paranoia was perhaps justified though, as David did become king after Saul’s suicide in battle. In the New Testament, Saul was the original Hebrew name of St Paul. Saul has been used as an English name since at least the 17th century, and seems to have been a Puritan choice. We often think of it as particularly Jewish, remembering famous Jewish namesakes such as Nobel Prize-winning author Saul Bellow and artist Saul Leiter (both successful in the 1950s). However, the name is popular in Spain and Mexico, so it’s also Hispanic. In fiction Sauls tend to be baddies, and there is something rather gloomy about this name, although serious and distinguished.

Siegfried
Germanic name usually translated as “peaceful victory”. In German legend, Siegfried is a hero in the medieval epic poem The Nibelungenlied (“Song of the Nibelungs”). Siegfried is a prince who wins a great treasure and slays a dragon before bathing in its blood. The blood makes him invincible, but during the process a leaf fell on to his back, and he remained vulnerable on this point. He also had an invisibility cloak which gave him the strength of twelve men, so it was hardly a fair fight any time he went into battle. Many more adventures follow, including beating a woman into submission on her wedding night, and it barely comes as a surprise when someone murders him by attacking his fatal weak spot. Richard Wagner wrote a cycle called The Ring of the Nibelung, with Siegfried getting his own opera; he also named his son Siegfried. In Germany, the name Siegfried was in use from the Middle Ages, favoured by royalty and nobility. It only came into use as an English name in the 19th century, after Wagner’s opera – the World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon was named after the operatic hero. However, Siegfried is also the love interest in Swan Lake, and as the ballet was staged several times in Adelaide during the 1950s, this romantic prince may have been the inspiration. A grandiose literary name that comes with the friendly nicknames Ziggy and Freddie.

Torquil
Anglicised form of Torcuil or Torcall, Scottish form of the Old Norse name Þórketill, meaning “Thor‘s cauldron”. Torquil has been in use in Scotland and Ireland since the Middle Ages, and there have been several Scottish clan chiefs with the name. Torquil MacLeod was the founder of the McLeods of Lewis, and the name seems to have been a particular favourite in the Hebrides; one of his clan was Torquil McLeod from Tasmania, who served at Gallipoli in World War I and in the Middle East during World War II. Torquhil Campbell is the current Duke of Argyll in the Scottish peerage, and the name is strongly associated with the upper classes. The name got a slight boost in the 19th century from Sir Walter Scott’s historical novel The Fair Maid of Perth, which has a man named Torquil of the Oak defending his chief in battle. An inspiration for this decade was the classic 1945 film I Know Where I’m Going, with Torquil MacNeil as the romantic Scottish laird, played by Roger Livesy who toured Australia in the 1950s. Contemporary namesakes include actor Torquil Neilson, who was in Love and Other Catastrophes and The Secret Life of Us, and architect Torquil Canning, part of the famous Canning family. An aristocratic Scottish choice linked to a powerful god.

Van
Short form of names with VAN in them, such as Evan, Ivan or Vance, or used to honour a Dutch family name beginning with Van, such as Van Buren or Vanderbilt – in these cases, the Van part of the name simply means “of, from”. Van was in use as an independent name by the 19th century. Famous namesakes from the 1950s include Hollywood star Van Johnson (Van was one of his middle names), known for such films as Brigadoon and The Last Time I Saw Paris, and actor Van Heflin (short for his middle name Evan), who was in the 1953 film Shane. Today it is probably best known from the Irish singer Van Morrison (short for his middle name Ivan). This vintage-style nickname is now extremely hip, and gaining in popularity.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Cormac, Blaine and Roscoe, while their least favourites were Siegfried, Hercules and Prince.

(Picture shows a medal from the 1877 Sydney Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibition with an engraving of Sir Hercules Robinson on it; photo from Museum Victoria)