Tag Archives: name history

Famous Name: Cadel

25 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in Famous Names

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

This blog post was first published on July 25 2011, and revised and updated on July 23 2015.

Famous Namesake
On July 25 2011, Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win the Tour de France in the race’s 108-year history, only the second non-European to officially win it, and at 34, the oldest winner since World War II.

This gruelling 3 600 km (2 200 miles) cycle race lasts for three weeks, and finishes in Paris, with the climax of the final stage along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Traditionally the overall winner wears a ceremonial yellow jersey.

This was a great moment in our sporting history, and in Cadel’s home state of Victoria, everyone was urged to wear yellow to work as a show of support. When Cadel returned to Australia in August, there was a huge homecoming parade for him in Melbourne’s Federation Square, with tens of thousands of people dressed in yellow or waving yellow flags. He was also honoured with a state reception.

Cadel was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2013, and has also been featured on the blog as a celebrity dad. In February 2015, he took part in the inaugural Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and finished fifth, announcing his retirement as soon as the race finished. He is currently Global Ambassador for the BMC Racing Team.

Name Information
As you can probably tell from Cadel’s surname, he is of Welsh ancestry – his great-grandfather was from Wales. Cadel is a variant of the Welsh name Cadell, which is based on cad, the Welsh word for “battle”; there are several related names, such as Cadwalader, meaning “battle leader”. There is a recent fancy that the name is a Welsh form of the Roman name Catallus, although there doesn’t seem to be much evidence to support it.

There were several medieval Welsh kings and princes called Cadell. Cadell Ddyrnllwg was driven from his father’s kingdom by Irish pirates during the chaos of the 5th century. He lived amongst the peasants until a visit from Saint Germanus changed his fortunes. Saint Germanus laid siege to the capital, as it was held by Irish pagans, and Cadell offered the saint his humble hospitality. Saint Germanus had a premonition of disaster, and warned Cadell and his friends to get out of the city. That night the palace was struck by lightning and the resulting fire burned everyone alive, so without any annoying questions from insurance investigators, Cadell was able to regain his throne.

There is a famous explorer in Australian history with the surname Cadell – a Scotsman called Francis Cadell who was the first to explore and navigate the Murray River by steamship. A man who lived a life of adventure, he took part in the New Zealand land wars, where he staged a mutiny against his captain, and also was one of the first to explore the Northern Territory (where Cadel Evans was born), where the Cadell Strait bears his name. Later in life, he took up whaling, pearling, and trading in the East Indies, and was murdered near New Guinea; a fittingly violent end to an exciting life.

A fictional namesake is Cadel Piggot, the protagonist of the Evil Genius series of young adult books by Australian author Catherine Jinks. It’s about a boy who is very small with curly blonde hair and baby blue eyes, and an evil genius with a passion for IT. The series follows his exploits from the ages of 7 to 15 as he gradually develops a sense of right and wrong.

Since Cadel Evans’ historic win at the Tour de France, I have seen quite a few baby boys named Cadel, although the name is still rare in Australia. In the UK, there were 4 baby boys named Cadel in 2013, the name apparently rising slightly after Cadel Evans’ victory. In the US, there were 10 baby boys named Cadel in the US in 2014, down from 19 in 2012 and 17 in 2011. It seems that Cadel Evans did give the name a boost in the US after the 2011 Tour de France, but it has faded, as the name Cadel is now less used than it was in 2010, when there were 12 boys named Cadel.

Cadel fits in quite well with current trends in boy names, looking similar to Caden and Cade. Although at the start of his career, Cadel Evans had his name mispronounced as KAY-del, to sound like cradle without the R, I think by now everyone knows he says his name kuh-DEL (like Adele with a K at the front). This isn’t the British pronunciation, which is more like KAD-el. However, now that Evans has retired, it is unclear whether the name Cadel will continue gathering steam, or run out of puff.

POLL RESULTS
Cadel received an approval rating of 60%. 16% of people thought it was handsome or attractive, but an equal number believed it was too closely associated with Cadel Evans, and felt like a “one person name”. Few were willing to predict the name’s fortunes – 2% thought the name Cadel would continue growing in popularity, while 5% were fairly sure the name was a flash in the pan that would soon be forgotten.

Girls Names That Only Chart in Australia

24 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

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

Recently, Lou at Mer de Noms has had a couple of articles on names that are in the UK Top 150, but fail to make the US Top 500. It’s an interesting look at differences in name popularity between the two countries. I thought about doing the same thing from an Australian perspective, but found the list became too long for my purposes. So I made my conditions a bit tighter – these are names that are on a Top 100 list in Australia, but don’t make the Top 100 in any other country, and aren’t on the US Top 1000.

Asha

Asha has two different origins and meanings. It can be seen as an Indian name from the Sanskrit for “hope, wish, desire”, or an East African name from the Swahili word for “life”. Either way it has a beautiful meaning, and both Indian and Swahili names are becoming fashionable in Australia. It fits in well with other popular Ash- names, such as Ashley, Ash, Asher and Ashton. There’s an attractive TV presenter in Australia called Asha Kuerten (pictured), which has probably helped it gain momentum here. Asha is currently #89 in Victoria, #77 in South Australia, and #68 in the ACT. It’s never been higher than #794 on the US Top 1000 (in 1989), and hasn’t charted there since 2003.

Bridie

This is a pet form of the Irish name Brighid or its anglicised form, Bridget, which means “exalted one”. In Irish mythology, Brighid was the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom. There was a 5th century Irish saint called Brigid, who is the patron saint of Ireland, and whose feast day on February 1 coincides with the pagan festival of Imbolc (possibly this day was sacred to the goddess of the same name). As around 30% of Australians claim Irish heritage, the name Bridie isn’t too unusual here, and there are several well-known women with this name, including Bridie Carter, a popular soap actress. Bridie is #70 in Tasmania, which has a particularly strong Irish community. It doesn’t chart in any other country.

Ebony

This is from the English word for the valuable black wood which comes from the ebony tree; different species are native to India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Mauritius, and West Africa. Although Ebony is often said to be used mostly by African-Americans in the United States, in Australia it is not connected to a person’s skin tone and is just seen as another colour name, like Ruby, Jade or Amber, or a plant name, like Rose or Holly. The exoticism of this name seems to have possessed a strange fascination for Australian parents, and it has been a Top 100 name since the early 1980s. Perhaps popular songs from that decade, such as Ebony Eyes and Ebony and Ivory, helped give it a boost. It’s #63 in South Australia and #55 in Tasmania. In the United States, Ebony got as high as #132 in 1982, and hasn’t been on the Top 1000 since 2005.

Indiana

The name of an American state, it means “land of the Indians”, because of the high Native American population in the area at the beginning of the 19th century (unfortunately, not to last). Indiana was used as a girl’s name (at least in fiction) before the American state was founded: Fanny Burney’s 1795 classic novel, Camilla, features a beautiful but shallow character called Indiana Lynmere. Possibly the name was intended as an elaboration of India, then part of the British Empire. French author George Sand also gave a character this name in her first novel, Indiana (1832). In this book, Indiana is a beautiful, romantic Creole from Reunion, of part-Indian descent. Here, there is a young TV actress called Indiana Rose Evans, and early this year, former NRL player Glenn Hall had a daughter named Indiana Maree. This name has only been Top 100 since last year, and it’s #98 in Victoria. Indiana has not been on the US Top 1000 since the late 19th century.

Jorja

The name Georgia, also an American state name (the state is named after King George II), is more popular in Australia than anywhere else in the world, hovering around the #20 mark on most lists, and Top 100 since the early 1980s. The phonetic spelling Jorja has also proved popular here. It’s currently #88 in Tasmania. Jorja has only been on the US Top 1000 once, in 2006, when it was at #976.

Lucinda

This is an elaboration of the Latin name Lucia, meaning “light”. Always a rather literary name, it was created by Miguel de Cervantes for his 1605 novel, Don Quixote for a character in a farcical romantic subplot. The 17th century Spanish poet Lope de Vega wrote love sonnets to a woman he called “Lucinda” to protect her identity. In more recent fiction, Lucinda is the rather silly fairy godmother in the children’s novel Ella Enchanted, later made into a movie. Australian novelist Peter Carey’s Oscar and Lucinda won the 1988 Booker Prize, and was made into a film directed by Gillian Anderson. Another Australian connection is that Lucinda is the name of a small coastal town in Queensland. As Lucy is so popular, Lucinda seems like a pretty alternative which will allow Lucy/Lucie as a nickname. It was chosen for the name of lifesaver and reality TV star Dean Gladstone’s daughter Lucinda May. It’s # 67 in Tasmania. Lucinda hasn’t been on the US Top 1000 since 1987, and peaked in 1881 at #153.

Tahlia

The name Talia can come from a range of origins. It’s a variant of the Hebrew name Talya, which means “dew from God”; it’s the Italian form of Greek Thalia, which means “to blossom” (Thalia was one of the nine Muses); and it can also be a short form of Natalia, a Latin name which means “Christmas Day”. However, In Australia, Talia is often taken as coming from an Aboriginal word meaning “near water”. Talia has become hugely popular in many parts of Australia; it has a certain patriotic flavour, and is pleasingly multicultural, suiting a variety of backgrounds. Yet it is not found consistently on the Top 100 because it has so many variant spellings. Tahlia is the most common of these variants, and is beginning to overtake Talia because it makes the favoured pronunciation more clear. It’s #47 in New South Wales, #41 in Victoria, #39 in South Australia, #35 in Western Australia, #84 in Tasmania, and #52 in the ACT. Tahlia has never charted in any other country.

Tayla

A specifically feminine form of the popular unisex name Taylor, this may have been coined in imitation of Kayla and related names. However, I can’t help thinking it’s taking off in Australia partly because it looks similar to Talia and Tahlia. It’s #68 in South Australia, #40 in Western Australia, and #94 in Tasmania. Tayla has only been on the US Top 1000 twice – in 1998 and 2006, and was never higher than #924.

Zahra

This is an Arabic name usually translated as “radiance”. The meaning is gorgeous, and Arabic names are becoming increasingly fashionable here with our growing Islamic population. However, almost certainly the reason for its popularity in Australia is due to its similarity to the name Zara. Zara has been used in Britain since the 18th century, where it is the English form of the French name Zaïre, created by the author Voltaire in 1732 for his hugely successful play of the same name, and possibly based on the name Zahra. The drama was soon translated as Zara: A Tragedy, and proved a big hit with English audiences too, being staged well into the 19th century. For some reason, Zara has been a favourite in Australia for over a century, and there are several famous women from Australian history called Zara, including the glamorous wife of former Prime Minister Harold Holt. Zara is more popular in Australia than in any other country, and Zahra is rising on the basis of its success. It’s #82 in the ACT. Zahra has never charted in the United States.

Also Qualifying

Bronte and Lara, which were covered on earlier Name Lists – Bronte in Sydney Suburbs That Can Be Used as Girls Names, and Lara in Girls Names from Video Games. Bronte is #68 in Tasmania. Lara is #43 in New South Wales, #80 in Victoria, #79 in Tasmania and #52 in the ACT. Neither has ever charted in another country.

Close But No Cigar

These names don’t make the top 1000 in the United States, but do chart in countries besides Australia

Freya – #19 in Scotland, #21 in England/Wales, #68 in Ireland, #70 in N. Ireland

Harriet – #89 in England/Wales

Imogen – #32 in England/Wales, #77 in Scotland

Maisie – #34 in England/Wales, #36 in Scotland

Milla – #48 in Norway

Poppy – #22 in England/Wales, #47 in Scotland, #60 in N. Ireland

NOTE

There are some serious statistical issues facing anyone doing comparisons between countries. Australia doesn’t produce a national Top 100, states and territories have different population sizes, not all states and territories provide their Top 100, and one has refused to divulge any of its name data. Countries don’t all release their popularity charts for the year at the same time, so we are still waiting for the ones from England/Wales, for example, and I had to use the one for 2009. I used popularity charts from Behind the Name, and sometimes they are slow in updating their data as well. Not only that, but there is no data available for many countries.

So rather than getting into a mathematical tangle, this is only intended to be of general interest and show a few broad trends.

Bonds Baby Search 2011 – Winners 0-9 Months Category

21 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by in Baby Contests

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

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

Each year, the Bonds underwear label has run a huge annual campaign to find the perfect babies to model for them. Although the prizes aren’t lavish, $250 worth of Bonds merchandise and a free photo, the fame and prestige must be enough of a drawcard, because it is the biggest baby contest in the country, attracting thousands of entrants. Bonds are careful not to identify it as a “cute baby contest”, and say any baby can win, as long as they fit into Bonds baby sizes and interact well with the camera.

I thought we’d look at the names of the winning babies, as an indication of names used recently.

Phoenix Nate

Isabelle

Xanden

Zia

Thomas James (People’s Choice)

Midweek Sibset: The Frugal Family

20 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by in Sibsets in the News

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

It’s been reported in the news a lot recently that Australians, after years of going crazy on credit, have finally started saving money.

Morning television show, Sunrise, featured a story July 15  on a Brisbane family who went on a “financial fast”. Worried by their spiralling credit card debt, Michelle Taylor and her husband, John Tweedy, decided not to use their credit card for a year, and only spent money on essential items, such as food and health needs. During that year they didn’t buy anything new, and by the end of the 12 months, had saved $12 000, which they plan to spend on a backyard swimming pool in order to enjoy more family time together.

Michelle and John have picked our rather interesting names for their three daughters. Lily, aged 12; Scotia, aged 9; and Sappho, aged 3.

While we’re all familiar with popular Lily, the names Scotia and Sappho are more unusual.

Scotia, pronounced SKOH-sha, is the Latin name for Scotland; probably best known from the name of the Canadian province Nova Scotia (Latin for “New Scotland”). It comes from the name that the Romans gave a particular Gaelic tribe who emigrated from Ireland to Scotland, the Scoti. It’s not known what the name means, but “renegade, breakaway, outcast” has been one suggestion. Another is that it comes from the Greek word for “darkness”.

Sappho, pronounced SAFF-oh, is the name of a famous lyric poet from Ancient Greece, born on the island of Lesbos. Most of her poetry has been lost, but it was greatly admired during her own time, and enough survives that her reputation as a brilliant poet continues. She wrote many poems to gods and goddesses for religious purposes, and also wedding poems and love poems which still manage to stun us with their clarity and passion. It’s possible that her name comes from the Greek for “sapphire”.

I find all three names rather beautiful in their different ways, and think this sibset sounds great. Scotia and Sappho both start with the same letter and have a strong OH sound in them, and I think Lily is just one of those names that sounds good with almost any type of sibset.

Whether you want something that sounds old-fashioned (Arthur, Lily and Constance), classic (Henry, Charles and Lily), modern (Lily, Sierra, Jett and Chase), nature-themed (River, Lily and Autumn), cutesy (Beau, Lily, Bella and Toby), or offbeat (Cosette, Blaze, Lily and Phadra), Lily just seems to naturally mix and match. She’s the Universal Sibling.

You can see a video of the family here – just click this link and then press play when the video comes up.

 

Sapphira Jane Sellheim-Moss: A Daughter for Tara Moss and Berndt Sellheim

17 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Celebrity Baby Names

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Tara Moss was a 22-year old model from Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, when she arrived in Australia in 1996 with her husband, Martin Legge. According to Moss, she was on a modelling assignment to Australia and just fell in love with the people and the lifestyle. According to the gossip writers, her husband’s problems with the Canadian IRS were also a factor in their decision to remain in Australia. She has held dual Australian and Canadian citizenship since 2002.

Tara had always wanted to be an author, ever since she penned Stephen-King type stories to thrill her pals at the age of 10. She gained a diploma from the Australian College of Journalism in 1997, and the next year won the Scarlett Stiletto Young Writer’s Award for her story, Psycho Magnet. Her debut novel, Fetish, was written when she was 23, and published in 1999. It went on to win the Sassy Award for Best Novel that year, and was shortlisted for the 2000 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel.

The protagonist of the story is a Canadian model, who is tall, blonde and beautiful. However, modelling is just a way for her to pay her fees so she can gain a degree in forensic psychology. While on a modelling assignment in Sydney, she finds herself caught up in a terrifying hunt for a serial killer who is targeting beautiful models who wear nice shoes.

You can follow the adventures of this tall, blonde and beautiful Canadian ex-model through four more thrillers with snappy one-word titles, and all of them have ended up on the best-sellers list and gained reviews that describe them as “smart and sexy” and compare the author to Patricia Cornwell. Last year she branched into Gothic thrillers with The Blood Countess, about a naive small-town girl who works on a New York fashion magazine where everything turns spooky. It’s been described as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Devil Wears Prada.

Tara takes her writing career extremely seriously, and in the process of researching her novels has been set on fire, choked unconscious, taken polygraph tests, used weapons, and conducted surveillance. She’s toured morgues, prisons, law courts, The FBI Academy at Quantico, and the Hare Psychopathy Lab. She’s a certified private investigator, has passed a firearms test with the LAPD, has a race car driving license, a motorcycle license, and a snake handling certificate (for her pet python, Thing).

As a result of this attention to detail and professional attitude, her career has been successful and even illustrious. A confident, intelligent and unpretentious speaker with a pleasantly deep voice and light accent, she often appears on TV for interviews and opinion pieces. She is a popular guest at literary festivals, has hosted televison series on criminals and crime writing, and reviews other people’s novels. She is the first writer to have a star on the Australia Walk of Fame.

Her private life has been much as you’d expect for a tall, blonde and beautiful ex-model whose beauty and glamour has never waned. She shrugged off the embarassing first husband by the end of 1996 and began dating a well-known actor. She has been romantically linked to wealthy businessmen, multimillionaires, heirs to fortunes, and high-profile athletes and performers. She managed to squeeze in a two-year marriage to a film producer who’s a good friend of Hugh Jackman.

Obviously she was never going to have any problems attracting men, but according to an interview I watched on TV a year or two ago, she said she kept attracting the wrong type of man – wealthy older men who wanted a trophy wife. Not interested in being kept as a display item, she did what any modern single woman would do, and signed up with an online dating site in 2007. (In fact, the story I saw was about how great online dating is for older people).

Well, you can guess what happens when you put up a photo of yourself looking tall, blonde, beautiful and glamorous, and write on your profile you’re an ex-model who is now a famous author. The dating site removes your profile at once, because obviously it’s a fake! Uh yeah … Tara Moss is on our dating site – like, as if!

Now what happens next becomes a bit of a mystery. I distinctly recall Tara saying in the TV interview that she got her agent to contact the dating service, and they confirmed it really was Tara Moss, and her profile was returned to the dating site, where, in the fullness of time, she met her future husband.

However, in this article, Tara is quoted as saying that it was only in the two days before the website removed her profile that she managed to make contact with her future husband, and they began to get to know each other just as she was “booted off”. And in this article, Tara says that her future husband is an old friend that she’d met many years ago through literary circles, and that their relationship had evolved naturally out of their long friendship.

However, whatever the truth, somehow or other Tara met Dr. Berndt Sellheim, an Australian poet and philosophy professor at the University of Technology, Sydney. In February 2009 they got engaged at dawn on the Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris; the city where Dr. Sellheim received his Ph.D. In December that year, they were married at a Margaret River winery, where Tara looked stunning in a scarlet dress and antique jewellery.

On February 22 this year, Tara and Berndt welcomed their first child, a daughter named Sapphira Jane who weighed 3.3 kg. Rather than selling her baby pictures to a magazine, Tara released a photo of she and Berndt cuddling their new daughter on her own website. She describes motherhood as “a blissful experience”.

“I am very content,” she said. “I can’t say how she has changed my life but she has changed everything. My life is bigger; it is full of more joy on so many levels. [Motherhood] is beautiful.”

Sapphira is a name from the Greek, meaning “sapphire”; it’s pronounced suh-FEE-ruh. Apparently, Sapphira Sellheim-Moss received her name because of her blue eyes. In the New Testament, Sapphira is an early Christian who is struck dead by the Holy Spirit for lying – a story I always felt didn’t show the Holy Spirit in a very good light, and no doubt the Holy Spirit took the blame for a harsh justice handed out by humans. It’s a chilling story of crime and punishment oddly suitable for the name of a crime-writer’s daughter.

I think this is a beautiful name – glittering, poetic, evocative, literary, and slightly eccentric. Brought down to earth and given substance by the classic, sensible middle name Jane, it takes on an almost aristocratic feel.

You would expect two writers to devise a great baby name, and Tara and Berndt have come up with a cracker. Two enthusiastic thumbs up from me!

Help, Help, a Girl Stole My Boy Name!, or, How Much Should We Panic About Gender-Bending Names?

10 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Naming Issues

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

A few days ago, Abby over at Appellation Mountain ran an excellent article on unisex names, in which she alludes to the strong emotions many people have on this issue. If you hang out on a few name forums, you’ll almost certainly come across people who are violently against gender-swapping names. Of course we all have our likes and dislikes, but for some at least, you do get the impression that they think unisex names are lower-class or a sign of poor education.

To get a local feel for this topic, I scoped out some Australian parenting sites to see how vehement we were on this issue. I’d have to say, not very. Mostly parents seemed to be pretty relaxed about it, and many were positively enthusiastic about the idea of unisex names. There did seem to be a fairly vocal group who tended to admonish parents who were too timid to use a loved name for their son out of fear it might sound “too girly”.

There could be a movement out there determined to stop “unisex names becoming girls names”, and after all, it really is up to parents. Sometimes you hear people say, “Such and such a name used to be a male name, but now girls have stolen it and it’s a female name”. Well, that’s not possible – it’s parents of boys who threw it away by refusing to use a name once it became “tainted” with femininity.

The impression you get from the more hysterical of the anti-unisex brigade is that practically every traditionally male name is being given to girls, the pool of names available to boys is shrinking alarmingly, and there is a dangerous tide of girls-with-boy-names sweeping down upon us, which will bring about some kind of naming cataclysm.

To test this theory, I had a look at the Top 100 names for boys and girls in New South Wales. If it were true, the Top 100 should be filled with girls called Henry and Benjamin, and many names should appear on both the girls and boys lists.

As far as I could tell, this nightmare scenario they envisage does not seem to have occurred. Rather than Henry and Benjamin becoming widely used as female names, the most popular names for girls seemed to be very feminine: Isabella, Chloe, Ruby, Olivia, Lily, Emily. Nor did there seem to be any lack of names for boys. There were even a couple of new names up there, such as Chase and Phoenix, suggesting that parents of boys are not completely lacking in inventiveness, as the “unisex doomsayers” seem to suggest. As some names for boys lose popularity, they can apparently find new ones to replace them.

Although there were ambiguously-gendered names on the girls list, such as Alexis, Scarlett, Madison, Paige, Mackenzie and Piper, these names have never been popular on boys, so can hardly have been said to have been “stolen”. Far from girls stamping out certain boys names, Blake, Darcy, Cameron, Bailey, Riley, Jordan, Dylan, Jayden, Cody and Luca were sitting comfortably on the male Top 100, but nowhere to be seen on the female Top 100. If there had been some sort of “battle” for these names, then the boys had been victorious.

The only name that girls seemed to have “won” is Taylor, which is on the girls list, but not on the boys. Instead, Tyler was the name of choice for boys. If boys being called Tyler instead of Taylor is your idea of Naming Hell, then yes, Armageddon has arrived. Bunker down with a crate of Georges and Adams to protect them from the onslaught, and pray for mercy upon Cooper. If you just see this as a change in fashions, then you can continue taking it easy.

Because that’s what this about: not some evil plan by parents of girls to steal all the boys names until parents of boys have only the choice of three names to call their sons, but changes in naming fashions. Parents of girls are often parents of boys as well, so it really doesn’t make sense that they would try to limit their own choice of boys names.

Some of you may be unconvinced because you can only see names going one way – from the boys to the girls. You may be wondering why boys are not being called Olivia, for example.

Well, I can’t say there’s many boys called Olivia, or girls called William either. These names are right at the top of the popularity charts, and if you want a name that will be seen as definitely male or female, I recommend the Top 10, as these will be most clearly gendered.

However, just as I know a little toddler girl called Billy, I know a baby boy called Olive. These are often the places where gender-swapping takes place – with less popular names, with nicknames, and name variants. You probably won’t see a baby boy called Ruby or Lily, but it’s not impossible you’ll meet one called Diamond or Oleander.

Anti-unisexers often complain that because of “name stealing”, good solid masculine names like Stacey and Jocelyn are no longer used on boys. They never seem to notice that there are very few baby girls called Stacey and Jocelyn any more either. Once names begin to lose popularity for boys, they sometimes get a second chance as girls names, but inevitably they sink again. Most recently, Ashley, which disappeared from the boys Top 100 in 2000, left the girls Top 100 two years ago.

When popular names like Bailey or Jayden are “poached” on behalf of girls, they are usually spelled a different way, such as Baylee or Jaedyn. Although this might bring a new kind of criticism down upon them, you can’t say they are “stealing” the names, as they obviously wish to differentiate their little girl Baylee from all the little boy Baileys. In fact there wasn’t even one name on the charts that was truly unisex – that is, used equally for both sexes.

When I look at babies born recently, I don’t see the flow of names being only one way, or unisex names only being for girls. Just in this blog, we have seen boys called Kalani Jean, Gem, Lux, Tanami, Poe and Ilo. In the past two years, I have seen baby boys called Marley, Jedda, Kaya, Ariel, Shaya, Shai, Sunny, Dee, Rio, Paris, Sky, Harper, Andrea, Sasha, Laney, Easter, Mackenzie, Ainslie, Jayne, Shelby, Suede, Jade, Jess, Brooke, Winter, Silver, Kelly, Everly, Ever, True, and Blu.

I hope that parents are becoming more confident at choosing names that are truly unisex, and more bold in choosing names for boys that have traditionally been seen as “feminine” sounding. At the very least, ideas for boys names don’t seem to be running out just yet.

NOTES
1. You’re probably thinking I have some vested interest in this topic, and you’d be correct. You see, my own name, Anna, happens to be unisex. As you can read on Mer de Nom’s entry, Anna and Erica, there was once an English male name Anna, which came from the Germanic root word for “eagle” and is therefore related to the name Arnold. I suspect it was pronounced AHN-ah rather than ANN-uh. Anyhow, I just wanted to make it clear that Anna for boys had long died out by the 18th century, when the female name Anna was introduced to Britain. We didn’t steal it!

2. I came across a site which purports to predict whether the blog you are reading is written by a man or a woman. I couldn’t resist typing in my own blog, and was given the diagnosis that the blog was very gender-neutral, but there was a 51% chance I was a man. Clearly someone called Anna with a flower as their avatar babbling about babies and celebrity gossip seems slightly blokey to them … I knew I should have gone with a pink background, curly font, and lots of exclamation marks!!!!!!

So there you go, an entry on unisex names written by someone with an androgynous name on a sexually ambiguous blog. This may be the most gender-neutral thing you read all year.

Midweek Sibset: The Gender-Neutral Sibset

06 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by in Sibsets in the News

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

There has been an international brouhaha over the decision by Canadian couple Kathy Witterick and David Stocker not to reveal the sex of their baby, Storm. As brother Jazz enjoys wearing pink dresses and pigtails, Kathy and David decided it would be better if their child’s sex remained private to their family to avoid any more societal gender issues.

This story got plenty of media time in Australia, as in other countries, and mostly people were very much against the idea of raising a “genderless baby”. This opinion piece in the The Age says that the parents are selfishly putting their own ideological agenda before their child’s welfare, while more forthright articles suggested the parents’ idea was just absurd.

However, Emma Jane in The Australian was one of those who took a more sympathetic view. She believes that gender stereotyping of babies and toddlers has reached a ridiculous level, where even new-born infants are dressed in either pink frills or solid workmanlike blue.

She dressed her daughter Alice in boy’s clothes and gender-neutral primary colours as a baby, which was declared to be “child abuse” by a concerned onlooker. Now 4 years old, Alice can make her own choices, which, it turns out, means a wardrobe full of pink and girly outfits.

Sydney couple Jay Black and Scott Collins are supporters of Witterick and Stocker’s choice to raise a “genderless child”. (I think Jay and Scott are a female-male couple). Jay and Scott are trying to raise their sons, Poe, 4, and Ilo, 22 months, without gender stereotypes. Their boys have ambiguous haircuts, play with dolls, and are supported if they choose to wear skirts and dresses.

In line with this lack of gender demarcation, Poe and Ilo have been given unusual unisex names.

Poe is a surname, most famous as that of the American Gothic writer, Edgar Allen Poe. His surname is a variant of the early English name Peacock, which began as a nickname for someone who was vain or dandified, or from someone who bred peacocks. In a few cases, it may have come from a house distinguished by the sign of a peacock. Poe Ballantine is an American novelist, while Poe is the stage name of American rock singer Anne Danielewski. Poe is also a raven character in the TV series Ruby Gloom.

Ilo is such a rare name that information on it is scarce, and I have turned to Appellation Mountain to discover that it’s the name of an Estonian goddess dedicated to feasting whose name may mean “pleasure”, and possibly a Nigerian boy’s name meaning “joy”. Sylvia Plath’s teenage diaries rather fervently describe a blonde Estonian refugee called Ilo Pill; he was male, so even in Estonia the name of the goddess seems to have been used for both boys and girls. In addition, Ilo is a lake in North Dakota, USA, and a port town in Peru, so you may take it as a geographic name as well. It’s so neutral that you can’t even tell which country the name is from, or what it means! It can either be pronounced EYE-low, or EE-loh (I believe).

Waltzing with … Griffith

03 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Waltzing with ...

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

This blog post was first published on July 3 2011, and revised on July 9 2015.

Famous Namesake
On July 9 it will be Constitution Day, when Australia celebrates the date that our Constitution became law in the year 1900. Well, not so much “celebrates”, as “ignores”. Unlike in many other countries, Constitution Day is not a public holiday here, and only a tiny minority of people know of its existence.

This ignorance is not completely our fault. Constitution Day was only brought into being in 2000, and seems to be have been imagined as a one-off event for the Centenary of the Constitution. However, someone or other must have decided this was a bit slack, and it was revived in 2007, so technically we’ve only had a Constitution Day for a few years.

It is the National Archives of Australia in Canberra who organises events for Constitution Day, which includes ceremonial viewings of the original Constitution document – our nation’s “birth certificate”. It is a good opportunity to educate children and adults about our Constitution, as Australians are often more familiar with elements of America’s constitution.

Sir Samuel Griffith is accepted as the principal author of the Australian Constitution. Born in Wales in 1845, his family emigrated to Queensland when he was eight years old. A lawyer and politician, he became Premier of Queensland, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland.

Always a supporter of Federation, he headed the Queensland delegation to the 1891 Sydney Constitutional Convention, where he was appointed vice-president and took a leading role. “It fell to my lot to draw the Constitution,” he wrote, “after presiding for several days on a Committee, and endeavoring to ascertain the general consensus of opinion.”

Naturally there were several drafts to be submitted to committees, and approved in two referenda by the Australian people. More than half a million people in six colonies voted for the Constitution, the first national constitution anywhere in the world to be put to a popular vote. Finally, it was given royal assent by Queen Victoria on July 9 1900.

Sir Samuel Griffith saw the Constitution he helped write enshrined in law, and the Federation he’d worked toward come into being. He was the obvious choice to be the first Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, where he served admirably and was awarded several honours. In his spare time, he became the first Australian translator of Dante’s Inferno.

After his death in 1920, his name was commemorated by the naming of a suburb of Canberra after him; as well as Griffith University in Queensland (Griffith in New South Wales is named after Arthur Griffith, the state’s first Minister of Public Works). The Samuel Griffith Society is a conservative organisation dedicated to defending the principles of the Constitution.

The Australian Constitution is often praised internationally, because it isn’t the product of war or revolution, but came out of a democratic process of public debate and agreement. Australia had led the way in constitutional development, but unfortunately, we often think of it as rather boring.

It was not so when it was created, but an object of great pride, the beginnings of Australian independence. And many current issues, such as same-sex marriage, the rights of asylum seekers, and the citizenship of terrorism suspects and our prime minister, require an interest in and knowledge of our Constitution.

It’s not a dry old document at all, but a vital, engaging one which is still growing and evolving.

Name Information
The surname Griffith is an anglicised form of the Welsh name Gruffudd, and this spelling has been in use since the Middle Ages. The meaning of Gruffudd is not certain, but is thought to mean something like “lord with a strong grip”, or “strong lord”.

The name Gruffud was commonly used amongst medieval Welsh royalty, and Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was an 11th-century Welsh ruler who fought against England. (Sir Samuel Griffith, always proud of his Welsh heritage, named his son Llewellyn).

Griffith is a name from our Federation history that’s traditional but still stands out from the crowd. It’s strong, but has a pleasantly soft sound; it looks distinguished and sounds smart, yet doesn’t seem elitist or nerdy. I admit it’s a tiny bit awkward to say, which means Griff as a nickname is almost certain to be used on an everyday basis.

POLL RESULT
Griffith received an approval rating of 78%, making it one of the highest-rated names of 2011. 38% of people thought it was okay, while only 2% hated it.

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1930s

26 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

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

This post was first published on June 26 2011, and substantially revised and updated on June 25 2015.

Alfred
Anglo-Saxon name meaning “elf counsel”. The name became famous due to Alfred the Great, 9th century king of Wessex, who defended England against the Vikings, and was the first to call himself King of the Anglo-Saxons. Renowned for his love of learning, he encouraged education and reformed the legal system. Although not officially a saint, he is regarded as a Christian hero, and has a feast day in the Anglican Church. The name Alfred continued to be used even after the Norman Conquest, when many Anglo-Saxon names were discarded. It dwindled after the Middle Ages, but had a revival in the 19th century, and was chosen as the name of one of Queen Victoria’s sons – an earlier Prince Alfred was the son of King George III, and the current British family trace their ancestry back to Alfred the Great. Alfred is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #14 in the 1900s, and #50 by the 1930s. Alfred left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and is currently around the 300s, its position apparently fairly stable. Popular in Scandinavia, Alfie, Fred, and Freddie give this venerable classic several cute nickname options.

Brian
Irish name, possibly from the Celtic bre, meaning “hill”, to suggest “high, great, exalted”. In Irish mythology, Brian is one of three brothers who are sent on a worldwide magical quest. In some versions, Brian is the clever one of the three, while his brothers are bumbling and easily pushed around. A famous namesake is Brian Boru, the first High King of Ireland, and founder of the O’Brien dynasty; he made the name common in Ireland. The name Brian was also used in Brittany, and became quite popular in East Anglia, where it was spread by Breton immigrants, and in the north of England, brought over by Scandinavian settlers who had lived in Ireland. It experienced a revival in the early 20th century. Brian is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #169 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 in the 1920s. Peaking in the 1930s and ’40s at #7, Brian didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1980s – Monty Python’s Life of Brian having turned it into a “joke name” didn’t help its fortunes. However, it’s been reasonably stable for about a decade, and is around the 300s. Brian remains a popular name in Ireland. This is a strong-sounding Irish classic still getting reasonable use.

Colin
Anglicised form of the Scottish name Cailean, meaning “whelp, pup, young dog” in Gaelic. It is also a medieval pet form of Col, short for Nicholas, so it’s an English name as well. Cuilén mac Ildulb was a 10th century King of the Scots, while Sir Colin Campbell (“Colin the Great”) was a 13th century cousin of Robert the Bruce, and one of the earliest known members of the Clan Campbell, ancestor of the Earls of Argyll. The name became traditional in the Campbell family because of him. Colin was #51 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1930s at #14. It left the Top 100 in the 1980s, and although it stayed in use for many years afterwards, now seems to be quite rare. Colin is a traditional name which has a gentle and slightly poetic feel, and works well in the middle.

Edwin
Modern form of the Anglo-Saxon name Eadwine, meaning “rich friend”. The name was traditional amongst Anglo-Saxon royalty and nobility, with the most famous Edwin being a 7th century king of Northumbria who converted to Christianity; it was said that during his reign, the land was so peaceful that a woman with a new baby could walk across the country without being harmed (it tells you something that this was considered remarkable). He was canonised as a saint after his death. The name Edwin sunk in popularity after the Norman Conquest, but was revived in the 19th century during the Victorian enthusiasm for early English names. Edwin is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #52 in the 1900s, and #88 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and is currently around the 400s. A good alternative to popular Edward, while still having Eddie, Ed, Ned, and Ted as nicknames.

Frederick
English form of the Germanic name Friduric, translated as “peaceful ruler”; the modern German version is Friedrich. A favourite amongst European royalty, the name was traditional amongst the Holy Roman Emperors, with Frederick I also known as Frederick Barbarossa, meaning “red bearded” in Italian. Descended from two of Germany’s leading royal houses, he is regarded as the greatest of the medieval Holy Roman Emperors. Handsome, charismatic, and courtly, he was ambitious and skilful, greatly increasing Germany’s power base, and bringing back the Roman rule of law. According to medieval legend, he is not dead, but sleeps in a cave, waiting to return Germany to its former greatness. There are also a couple of medieval German saints named Frederick. The name was brought to England by the Normans after the Conquest, but it didn’t catch on. It was revived in the 18th century when the German House of Hanover inherited the British throne; Prince Frederick was the eldest son of King George II. Frederick is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #8 in the 1900s, and #26 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and sunk to its lowest level in the 1990s, at #459. Since then it has gradually increased in popularity, and is now around the low 200s. A distinguished name with friendly nicknames like Fred and Freddie, Frederick is already popular in the UK.

Ivan
Slavic form of John. A traditional Slavic name, there have been many famous Ivans in history, including six tsars of Russia, and many Croatian and Ukrainian leaders. St Ivan is a legendary hermit from Bohemia, while St Ivan of Rila is the patron saint of Bulgaria. Ivan continues to be a popular name in Eastern Europe, while the Spanish form Iván is popular in Spain and Latin America. Its long-term use in the English-speaking world may come from its similarity to the Welsh form of John, Ifan, so it can be seen as an Anglicised form of the Welsh name. Ivan is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #117 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #97, and was #100 in the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s and is currently around the low 300s, having been reasonably stable since the 1990s. That makes it a great cross-cultural choice which has remained both familiar and underused.

Lawrence
Variant of Laurence, and the usual surname form of the name. St Lawrence of Rome was a 3rd century Spanish saint who was archdeacon of Rome during a time of Christian persecution. There are many stories and legends about him. One is that he spirited the Holy Grail to Spain, where it remains in Valencia. Another is that the Emperor demanded that Lawrence hand over all the church’s goods. Lawrence hastily distributed everything the poor, then presented the city’s suffering, saying that these were the true treasures of the church. For this act of defiance, he was supposedly martyred by being roasted over a gridiron; after hours of pain, he remarked cheerfully: I’m well done. Turn me over! He is one of the most widely venerated saints, and his tomb a favourite pilgrimage site since the 4th century. Lawrence is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #67 in the 1900s, peaked at #55 in the 1910s and ’20s, and was #61 in the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and reached its lowest point in 2010 at #466. Since then it has risen again, and is now in the 200s, outstripping Laurence in popularity. This rugged-sounding classic comes with the nicknames Lawrie and Larry.

Lionel
Medieval pet form of Leon, a Greek name meaning “lion”; it could also be directly from Lion, which was used as a nickname in the Middle Ages. According to Arthurian legend, Sir Lionel was a Breton king, and knight of the Round Table. He features in the Grail Quest, where he is shown to be unworthy of the Grail, and more interested in fighting than the spiritual life. Lionel of Antwerp was a son of King Edward III, and reputedly a giant of a man, almost seven feet tall and of athletic build. It is through him that the House of York claimed the throne of England, and the name was a common one amongst the aristocracy. Lionel was #68 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #66, and was #73 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and hasn’t charted since the 1980s. The name is rising in both the the UK and US, fitting in well with both popular Leo, and the trend for animal names. Definitely a worthy choice that has too often been overlooked!

Rex
The Latin word for “king”, and the title of the ancient kings of Rome (“Rex Romae“) – according to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus. The Roman monarchs did not inherit kingship, but were elected to the role, and held absolute power. The word rex is ultimately from an ancient root meaning “to rule”, and it is related to the Sanskrit term Raja, the German word reich, and the English words rich, right, regal, royal, reign, and realm. Rex has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, but only came into common use in the 19th century. Rex was #138 in the 1900s, and entered the Top 100 in the 1920s. Peaking in the 1930s at #74, Rex left the Top 100 in the 1950s. It left the charts in the 1980s, but returned the following decade at #635. It has continued climbing, and is now around the 300s. No wonder Rex is making a comeback – it’s short and snappy, ends in the fashionable X (like Max), and sounds very masculine and confident.

Walter
English form of the ancient Germanic name Walthari, meaning “ruler of the army”. It was brought to England by the Normans and soon replaced its Old English version, Wealdhere. Mythologist Jacob Grimm theorised that the name may have originally been an epithet of one of the Germanic war gods, and be linked to the Norse god Tyr. The name was especially famous in the Middle Ages because of Walter of Aquitaine, a legendary king of the Visigoths; medieval poems tell of his military exploits, fighting one-handed against his foes. He may be based on a 5th century king of Aquitaine, Wallia – his name is probably from the Old Norse for “slaughter”. There is a 12th century English saint called Walter. Walter was #15 in the 1900s, and #46 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and dropped off the charts in the 1990s. However, it made a comeback in 2011 after the hit TV show Breaking Bad aired in Australia, with ailing chemistry teacher turned criminal Walter White played by Bryan Cranston. His name was inspired by the American poet, Walt Whitman, and he is also often known as Walt. His teenage son is Walter White Jr, giving the name a younger image to match Walter Snr’s villainous smarts. Walter is currently around the 500s, and it is yet to be seen whether it continues rising now the show has finished. I hope so, because this retro name now seems fresh and unconventional.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Walter, Frederick and Alfred, and their least favourites were Lionel, Ivan and Brian.

(Photo of men doing relief work during the Great Depression in 1933 from the National Library of Australia)

Girls Names from the Top 100 of the 1930s

19 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

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

This blog post was first published on June 19 2011, and revised and updated on June 12 2015.

Alma
May be derived from the Latin almus, meaning “nourishing” – an epithet given to several Roman goddesses, including Ceres. Alma mater, meaning “nurturing mother”, is a Latin term often used to refer to one’s college or university: it was originally a title given to mother goddesses, and later to the Virgin Mary. The obscure 4th century Romano-British saint Alma Pompea, married to the semi-legendary King Hoel of Brittany, is an early example of the name. The name was given a boost after being used in Sir Edmund Spenser’s 1590 poem, The Faerie Queen; he seems to have been influenced by the Renaissance Italian word alma, meaning “soul”. The name became popular in the 19th century, after the Crimean War began with the Battle of Alma, when Anglo-French forces defeated the Russians near the River Alma – the river’s name is from a Tatar word meaning “wild apple”. After this date, babies of both sexes (but mostly girls) were named Alma in honour of the military victory. Alma was #24 in the 1900s, and #97 in the 1930s, leaving the Top 100 the following decade, and the charts in the 1960s. Alma made a mild comeback in 2011, and seems very contemporary, as it has been used in Brokeback Mountain and The Hunger Games. Already popular in Europe, Alma would make an interesting alternative to names such as Amelia, Anna, or Emma.

Audrey
Pet form of the Anglo-Saxon name Etheldreda, meaning “noble strength”; it was the name of a 7th century English princess and saint whose feast day is June 23. It became less common after the Middle Ages, because St Audrey Day Fairs sold low-quality necklaces that were disparagingly called tawdries – which is where we get the word for something cheap and tacky from. Audrey was revived in the 19th century when the Victorians rediscovered many Anglo-Saxon names. The name was already familiar, as Audrey is the simple but honest country girl in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. The Victorians were also in the middle of a Shakespeare revival, so Audrey was a dead cert for a comeback. Audrey was #156 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1920s at #32. The name was #36 in the 1930s, but plummeted so that it was off the Top 100 by the following decade. It fell to a low of 0 in the 1980s, but climbed after the death of Audrey Hepburn until it reached the Top 100 again in 2008. Once tawdry Audrey now seems charming and stylish, and is currently #44 and climbing.

Elsie
Often said to be a pet form of Elizabeth, but technically a pet form of Elspeth, the Scottish form of the name, and was originally Elspie. The name Elsie can be found in songs and poems dating to the 17th century, and became a 19th century favourite. Elsie was #7 in the 1900s, #59 in the 1930s, and left the Top 100 in the 1940s. Elsie left the charts in the 1970s, but returned in the early 2000s at #731. It joined the Top 100 in 2013 at #91, and last year rose 26 places to #65 – an impressive performance. Sweet and unpretentious, Elsie is very much back in the game.

Hazel
Named for the hedgerow tree or shrub which produces edible nuts; the Celts equated hazelnuts with wisdom and poetic inspiration, and the Druids made staffs from hazel branches. It was considered to be one of the trees belonging to the fairies, and folk tales tell of its ability to protect from evil. Hazel has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, mostly for girls, and became popular in the 19th century when plant names were fashionable. Hazel was #45 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1910s at #18; by the 1930s it was #55. Hazel left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and the charts by the 1970s, making a return in the late 2000s at #477, after Julia Roberts named her daughter Hazel. Last year Hazel had an outstanding debut as the fastest-rising name of 2014, rising #63 places to #88. One factor must surely be the romantic film The Fault in Our Stars, with its heartbreaking heroine Hazel Lancaster, although there have also been Hazels in the Heroes of Olympus series, and Gossip Girl.

Iris
Greek personification of the rainbow who served as messenger to the gods, and linked them to humanity. The name literally means “rainbow”, which is where the colourful iris flower got its name from – and the colourful irises in our eyes. Irises were used in the Middle Ages as a symbol of monarchy, as the fleur-de-lis pattern depicts. Religious pictures from the medieval period show the Virgin Mary holding an iris to symbolise purity and chastity. Filled with meaning and associations, the name was used by the 19th century British aristocracy for both females and males (because the Greeks called the iris flower a “hyacinth”, and Hyacinth was a male name), but quickly became used by all classes, and nearly always for girls. Iris was #62 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1910s at #31; it was #72 by the 1930s. Iris left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and left the charts in the 1970s, although it returned in the 1980s at #748. Off the charts in the 1990s, Iris came back in the early 2000s at #551, and is now around the mid-200s and apparently stable. Almost always on the charts, Iris manages to be a “normal” name that is still underused. Hip and artistic, it has slightly dark or even punk undertones. It’s a floral name with a bit of bite.

Josephine
Anglicised form of Joséphine, a pet form of Joséphe, a French feminine form of Joseph; by the 19th century Joséphine had become the standard form of the name. It has been used by several of the royal houses of Europe, and is famous as the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Joséphine was born Marie Joséphe, so it was the pet form of her middle name. Classic Josephine has always been on the charts. It was #86 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #76, and by the 1930s was #78. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and sunk to its lowest level in 2011 at #199, so it has never been out of the 200s. In 2012 it made an appearance again in the Top 100 at #93 after the birth of Princess Josephine, the daughter of Australian-born Princess Mary of Denmark, but has since stabilised into its usual place around the mid-100s. Josephine is a solid stayer with royal blood whose nicknames range from the sensible Jo to the cute Josie to the tomboy Joey to the froufrou Fifi to the cool Joss.

Joy
Refers to the emotion of extreme happiness and gladness. It was originally a Puritan virtue name dating from the 16th century, referring to rejoicing for the salvation of God – perhaps most famous from the hymn, Joy to the World, now often used as a Christmas carol. In fact, joy and Christmas have become so entwined that you could even see Joy as a name suitable for a baby born around late December. However, the name Joy has become secularised, and often linked to the joyful experience of welcoming a child into the world: babies have even been called “bundles of joy”. Joy entered the charts in the 1910s at #205, and was in the Top 100 by the following decade. It peaked in the 1930s and ’40s at #60, and left the Top 100 in the 1960s. Joy reached its lowest point in the 1990s at #802, but then increased slightly in popularity, and was stable in the 500s for some time. Its current position is not known for sure, but is in at least occasional use. Quite common in the middle position, Joy is a strong, simple name with a beautiful meaning, and the current trend for virtue names mean that it would be refreshing to see it up front.

Lillian
Most likely a pet form of Elizabeth dating to the Middle Ages: there is a medieval Scottish ballad about a lady named Lillian. The name became greatly more popular in the 19th century, to the point where it could be seen as another Victorian revival of a medieval name, and may have been understood as an elaboration of Lily, which also became fashionable in the 19th century as a flower name. Lillian is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #35 in the 1900s, reached #86 by the 1930s, and left the Top 100 in the 1940s. It reached its lowest point in the 1970s at #562, and then climbed steeply, following in the footsteps of Lily, until it reached the Top 100 again in 2008 at #81. It is currently #86, so its position is stable. However, the high number of Lilys and Lillys (not to mention the Laylas and Lolas) mean that lovely Lillian may feel almost too on trend for some.

Marie
French form of Maria: in France it has sometimes used for males, especially as a middle name, but in English-speaking countries is almost always feminine. The name often reminds people of Queen Marie Antoinette, whose first two baptismal names were Maria Antonia – she was Austrian by birth. In the Middle Ages, Marie was commonly used in England, and predates the use of Mary. The medieval poet Marie de France lived and worked in England, possibly at the court of King Henry II – it is even thought that she may have been Henry’s own half-sister. The traditional English pronunciation of the name was MAH-ree (still used in the 20th century), but it is now usually said muh-REE. A name never out of common use for centuries, Marie was #71 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1930s at #11 – perhaps Irving Berling’s hit song Marie, sung by Rudy Vallee, was an influence on its success at this time. Marie left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and fell off the charts in 2011. It is now only in occasional use, although a common middle name. Marie is still popular in Europe, and this is a pretty, traditional name that still seems very wearable.

Olive
English form of the Roman name Oliva, which refers to both the olive tree and its fruit. There is a legendary Italian martyr called Saint Oliva, known as Blessed Olive. The Crusaders introduced the name Olive to England in the 12th century; returning from the Holy Land, they often gave their children names of Biblical import in honour of their religious duty. Olives play a major role in the Bible, from the dove bringing an olive branch to Noah after the Flood, to Christ ascending to Heaven from the Mount of Olives. It was a name used for both males and females, and in fact I have seen a baby boy named Olive in the past few years – but overall Olive has been more common for girls. Olive became popular in the 19th century, along with other plant names. Olive was #26 in the 1900s, and was #73 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and was off the charts by the 1960s. It returned in the late 2000s, after Australian actress Isla Fisher chose the name Olive for her eldest daughter. After a smooth rise, Olive joined the Top 100 in 2012, debuting at #94. It is currently #76, so rising sedately rather than steeply. Buoyed by the success of Olivia and Oliver, and with a V in the middle like other popular names, Olive should continue to do well.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Hazel, Iris and Josephine, and their least favourites were Joy, Marie and Alma.

(Painting is Moira Madden, later Moira Hallenstein by Arthur Challen (1937); from the State Library of Victoria.