Waltzing With … Anna

08 Sunday Feb 2015

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Anglo-Saxon names, aristocratic names, Biblical names, British names, classic names, Disney names, Disney princesses, Etruscan names, European name popularity, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Greek names, hebrew names, Irish names, Latin names, mythological names, name days, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from films, names of cakes, popular names, Roman names, royal names, unisex names

Famous Namesake
On Thursday February 12, it will be the 134^th birthday of the Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova. At a time when the rules of classical ballet were rigidly enforced, the dainty Anna performed in a graceful, romantic style, with less emphasis on precision and acrobatics. The principal artist with the Imperial Ballet and the Ballets Russes, she formed her own company and became the first ballerina to tour as an international star.

It was during one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s that Anna Pavlova would be honoured with the creation of an iconic Australasian dish, and in the process spark a rivalry between the two Trans-Tasman nations, who both claim it as their national dessert.

A pavlova is a meringue cake which has a crisp outer shell, and a soft marshmallow-y filling; a delectable, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth treat which is traditionally smothered in whipped cream and fresh summer fruit. Supposedly, the fragile pavlova was inspired by light-as-air Anna Pavlova, with its meringue casing designed to emulate the soft folds of her white ballet skirt.

Both New Zealand and Australia have some rather dubious stories as to how the pavlova first came to be made and named, but indefatigable research by a New Zealand food historian shows that it definitely originated in New Zealand, with a 1929 recipe being found in a New Zealand magazine. Meanwhile, it didn’t make an appearance in Australia until the early 1930s. So New Zealand gets the honours for inventing the pavlova, although it really does feel as if Australia has embraced the pavlova more heartily – it is a favourite choice to celebrate Australia Day.

I always have a pavlova for my Name Day cake: it not only reflects my name, Anna, but is perfect for a hot summery February Name Day. It’s also very appropriate, because my dad is from New Zealand and my mum born in Australia, so it symbolises the two countries coming together.

Name Information
Anna is the Latinised Greek form of the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning “favour, grace, graciousness”, sometimes translated more freely as “God has favoured me”, or “the grace of God”. The New Testament uses the Greek form Anna, in contrast to the Old Testament Hannah.

The Gospel of Luke tells of Anna the Prophetess, an old widow perhaps more than a century in age, who was very devout, and spent all her time fasting and praying. At the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, celebrated as Candlemas in early February, she immediately recognised the infant Jesus as the redeemer, and gave thanks to God for having been allowed to see Jesus in her lifetime. Despite having a walk-on role in the Gospels, Anna is recognised as a saint.

According to Christian legend, the mother of the Virgin Mary was also named Anna (or Hannah), but she is usually referred to as Saint Anne in order to avoid confusion with Anna the Prophetess. The use of the name Anna was inspired by Saint Anne rather than the aged prophetess.

In classical mythology, Anna was the sister of Dido, Queen of Carthage; she appears in Virgil’s Aeneid. According to the poet Ovid, this Anna was the same being as the Roman goddess Anna Perenna, whose name refers to the “circle of the year” (per annum, in Latin). Her feast day marked the first full moon of the year, and people offered sacrifices so that the year should be successful.

Ovid relates that Anna escaped from Carthage to Italy, where she accidentally drowned and became a river nymph – he translated her name as meaning “perennial stream” (amnis perennis). Ovid says that the goddess was a tiny old woman who baked cakes, and that crude jokes and songs were sung at her festivals. She may have been a mother goddess, and originally Etruscan – if so, her name might be from the Etruscan nanas, meaning “to bear, to beget (a child)”.

Another mythological Anna is the half-sister of King Arthur, usually referred to as Morgause; in many stories she bears Arthur a son, to his downfall. Morgause seems to be a title, meaning “of the Orkneys”, so Anna would have been her personal name.

It may be that she is based on the Irish goddess Anu, sometimes called Ana or Annan. One possibility is that Anu is another name for the mother goddess Danu/Dana, while the war goddess the Morrigan was sometimes called Anand. The British had a winter storm goddess that they referred to as Gentle Annie or Annis, apparently from terror of her hideous powers (this is another link with the name Agnes in Britain). The name is speculated to come from the ancient Celtic anon, meaning “deity, spirit”.

While we’re looking at the name Anna in different cultures, it is worth mentioning that it is also a man’s name, because Anna (or Onna) was an Anglo-Saxon king. One theory is that his name was a nickname for Ethelmund, meaning “noble protection”, or one of the other Ethel- names. Don’t ask me how Anna is short for Ethelmund!

The name Anna has been in common use in the west since the Middle Ages, and has historically been more popular in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, where it was used by the nobility. It was traditional in the Russian royal family, and the 18^th century Empress Anna of Russia was a nasty piece of work. Apart from Anna Pavlova, another famous Russian Anna is the beautiful Anna Karenina, title character of the tragic novel by Leo Tolstoy, considered one of the greatest works of fiction ever written.

Anna is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #208 in the 1900s, and sunk to its lowest level in the 1920s at #353. After that, it began climbing and joined the Top 100 in the 1950s at #89. The rise into popularity may have been influenced by the 1948 film version of Anna Karenina, starring Vivien Leigh, and helped along by the 1956 film The King and I, with Deborah Kerr in the role of Anna. These movies probably helped give Anna a touch of exoticism.

The King and I was based on the Broadway musical of the same name, in turn based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens about her experiences as a royal teacher in Bangkok in the 1860s (Anna Leonowens lived for a few years in Western Australia). Anna and the King was made into a TV show in 1972, and although it flopped in the US, had a decent lifespan on Australian television as re-runs, giving the name Anna a fair amount of exposure during the 1970s.

Anna peaked at the start of the 1980s at #34, then gradually sank into the bottom half of the Top 100. It has not shown any signs of serious decline, but remained relatively stable. In 2013, Anna was #64 nationally, #60 in New South Wales, #81 in Victoria, #87 in Queensland, where it rejoined the Top 100 and was one of its fastest-rising names, #47 in Western Australia, and #71 in the Australian Capital Territory. Preliminary results for 2014 suggest Anna may have improved its position, and is one of Victoria’s fastest-rising names of last year.

One of the factors helping the name along must surely be Princess Anna from the 2013 hit Disney film Frozen, the younger sister of “snow queen” Elsa. Anna is an attractive heroine who is brave and hopeful, with a strong, loving heart. I know many little girls – and even some not so little ones – who adore Anna for being sweet and genuine, with an endearing awkwardness. I wonder how many baby Annas have had their name suggested by an older sister?

Anna is still popular and stable after many decades, and even shows signs of a recent boost. It is a popular name all over the world, but tends to be most popular in central and Eastern Europe, and is the #1 name in Austria. Last year blog readers voted Anna their favourite internationally recognisable girls’ name.

I have found Anna a very easy name to wear. It’s a common name never out of use, but has never been highly popular, so I don’t actually know many people with my name, although everyone has heard of it. Nobody has had any problems spelling it (I learned to write my name as a toddler in about a minute!), and everyone can pronounce it to my satisfaction, even those who don’t speak English. The biggest issue is that it sounds similar to other names, such as Hannah and Emma, which can cause a slight hold-up over the phone.

I can’t pretend that Anna is a very exciting name, but for such a short and simple one, I don’t think it is completely boring either. It’s a palindrome, which tickled me as a child, and it has quite an interesting history – it fascinates me that so many Annas from legend have been elderly women, sometimes with quite a dark side! Its “foreignness” made it popular in the mid twentieth century, and even now I think it has a slight touch of European exoticism: Disney chose it for a Scandinavian princess, after all.

POLL RESULT
Anna received a frankly unbelievable approval rating of 100%, making it the highest-rated girls name in the Waltzing With … category, the highest-rated girls name overall, and the highest-rated overall name of 2015. 46% of people loved the name Anna, and nobody disliked or hated it. I have trouble accepting that I have the perfect name, and can’t help thinking that everyone was too polite to say they didn’t like it!

(Picture shows a pavlova; photo from Just LilDaisy)

Famous Name: Philip

04 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 3 Comments

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animal names, Biblical names, classic names, Disney names, Disney princes, english names, European name popularity, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Greek names, honouring, locational names, middle names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, nicknames, royal names, surname names, UK name popularity, US name popularity

Famous Namesake
Australia Day is a day not just to celebrate, but to honour Australians for their achievements and service to the community. However, this year even the Australian of the Year was almost completely forgotten as everyone was swept up in a media maelstrom when Prince Philip was named a Knight of Australia.

Former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam replaced the British honours system in 1975 with the Order of Australia, and Knights and Dames were added to it in 1976 by former prime minister Malcolm Fraser. Knights and Dames were then dumped by the Hawke government in 1986.

Last year Knights and Dames were re-instated by the current prime minister, who declared that they would celebrate pre-eminent Australians such as Governors-Generals, chief justices and the like. The prime minister didn’t consult his senior colleagues over the decision, which many felt to be a mistake which could come back to bite him. This is the moment it bit.

There are several reasons why declaring Prince Philip a Knight of Australia went down badly. For one thing, the prime minister didn’t consult any of his colleagues over the decision, which re-ignited fears of an arrogant leader making “captain’s calls” which could alienate his own cabinet. For another, Prince Philip wasn’t a pre-eminent Australian, so the appointment was outside the stated brief.

The prime minister’s decision has been widely criticised, and had scorn poured upon it. The decision has been described as “a time warp” and “ludicrous … cultural cringe” by some in the Opposition, while those on the prime minister’s own side labelled it “April Fool’s Day”, “total craziness”, and “a joke”. High profile supporters of the prime minister, such as conservative commentator Andrew Bolt and media baron Rupert Murdoch thought it was “pathetically stupid” and “an embarrassment”. No wonder the newspapers have dubbed it a “Knightmare“.

Comedian Adams Hills commented that, “Giving a Knighthood to Prince Philip is like giving a Beyonce CD to Jay-Z. Surely he could just pick one up at home”. In fact, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, already has three British knighthoods, and has had knighthoods bestowed upon him numerous times by various countries, including Nepal, Peru, and a whole bunch of others you never knew cared.

So an Australian knighthood isn’t completely bizarre, and Prince Charles is already a Knight of Australia, while Prince Philip is a Companion of the Order of Australia. In fact, in Vanuatu Prince Philip is worshipped as a god, which makes a knighthood look pretty low-key in a “least we could do” sort of way.

The problem is that the prime minister was already floundering in a sea of unpopularity, and when you are in dangerous waters, you cannot afford to make a mistake. The knighthood to Prince Philip was the equivalent of a drowning swimmer cutting his leg open, and now (to continue this laboured metaphor), the sharks have the scent of blood and are circling in a menacing sort of way.

The Coalition have already lost the Victorian state election after only one term, and after the Prince Philip debacle, it performed so dismally in the Queensland state election that it is predicted to have lost its majority from a seemingly unassailable 78 seats, and former premier Campbell Newman has lost his seat and left politics. Many pundits are now predicting a federal leadership spill.

Name Information
Philip is the English form of the Greek name Philippos, meaning “friend of horses”. The name isn’t just about being an animal-lover – in ancient Greece, only the wealthiest people could afford to own horses, so the name proclaims a high status. (In the same way, knights are also high-status and connected with horses). Aptly, Prince Philip is a keen equestrian who still participates in carriage driving, a sport which he helped develop.

The name Philip was traditional in the Macedonian royal family, and Alexander the Great‘s father was named Philip. Because of this, it was a highly popular name in Macedonia, although common in the rest of the Hellenic world. Prince Philip was born in Greece to a prince of Greece and Denmark, so his royal Greek name is very suitable.

There are two saints named Philip from the New Testament. One is the Apostle Philip, who seems to have been a friend of Peter and Andrew; according to tradition, he was martyred by being crucified upside down. The other is Saint Philip the Evangelist, mentioned as being one of the deacons chosen to help care for the poor.

The name Philip came into common use in western Europe by the Middle Ages, and was a traditional name in several royal houses, including France, Spain, and Portugal. Philip was used in England from medieval times too, with a notable example being the Elizabethan courtier Sir Philip Sidney, who created the name Stella for a poem.

However, the name became less common for a time because of King Philip II of Spain, who tried to invade England, and whose Spanish Armada was famously defeated by the English in 1588. Philip had actually been king of England for a short time, due to his marriage to Mary I, and they hadn’t been a popular couple. However, under Philip’s rule Spain reached the peak of its power, and was called “the empire on which the sun never sets”. The Philippines is named after him.

By the 19th century, everyone was over the whole Spanish Armada thing, and Philip was completely rehabilitated, no doubt assisted by Phillip, the surname form of the name – which has an Australian link, thanks to Captain Arthur Phillip, the founder of Sydney (Phillip Island in Melbourne, and the suburb of Phillip in Canberra are named after him).

It’s not hard to think of famous Philips and Phillips, including poet Philip Larkin composer Philip Glass, self-help guru Dr Phil McGraw, novelist Philip Pullman, singer Phillip Everly from The Everly Brothers, actor Philip Seymour-Hoffman, and record producer Phil Spector, to name a few. Funnily enough, when I think of fictional Philips, most of them seem to be cartoons, such as Philip J. Fry from Futurama, Phillip Argyle from South Park, and Prince Phillip (!) from Sleeping Beauty.

Philip was #69 in the 1900s and Phillip was #95; they both peaked in the 1950s at #33 and #19 respectively. Philip left the Top 100 in 1989, while Phillip managed to last slightly longer, until 1996. Philip has fallen more dramatically, with not enough births since 2009 to show up in the records, while Phillip is around the 400s.

Philip is still getting reasonable use in the UK and US, but while Phillip has a similar popularity to Philip in the United States, in the 300s, Phillip (#709) is far less common in the UK than Philip (#288). One can only speculate why we all have taken a different position in regard to Philip and Phillip. Philip is most popular in Denmark and Norway.

As I already covered my brother Edward’s name, I will mention that Philip was the name my dad chose for my youngest brother, named for his cousin and best friend. Philip’s middle name is Andrew, after my mother’s favourite great-uncle, who was from the Scottish Highlands.

However, both these choices turned out to be superfluous, because almost as soon as Philip was brought home and settled into his cot, my dad said admiringly, “He’s so brown – like a little brown bear”, and from then on he was Little Brown Bear, and eventually just Bear. He never goes by Philip.

(I should probably add that my family are otherwise very fair skinned with light hair, so Philip’s handsome olive skin and dark hair seemed like an exciting novelty to us. This colouring turns up in many families of Cornish heritage, and legend has it that they are descendants of the Spanish Armada, or Moorish pirates, which is almost certainly complete fiction).

Philip is a classic name with ancient roots, a royal history, and a biblical heritage. It has become less common than its surname twin Phillip, although neither is used extensively. It has some great nicknames – if you’re not excited about Phil, there’s always Pip, the hero of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, while Philo, Flip and Pippin would also be possibilities.

POLL RESULTS
Philip received an approval rating of 57%. 21% of people saw Philip as too dated and old-fashioned, but 19% thought it was sensible and honest. 10% were put off the name by Prince Philip, while nobody thought the name was snobbish or stuck-up.

(Picture shows Prince Philip with a friend at the Royal Windsor Horse Show last year; photo from The Express).

Names of Australian Prime Ministers

01 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 1 Comment

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Anglo-Saxon names, aristocratic titles, Biblical names, birth notices, Christmas names, classic names, colour names, english names, famous namesakes, Gallo-Roman names, Greek names, holiday names, honouring, Italian names, Latin names, locational names, middle names, name history, name meaning, names of universities, nicknames, Occitan names, Roman names, saints names, Scottish name popularity, Scottish names, surname names, unisex names

Some people say you should give your son the kind of name that will sound good on a prime minister. Here’s ten names borne by prime ministers, as either first names, middle names, or surnames. Maybe one of them is right for your child.

Aloysius
Joseph Aloysius Lyons was the 10th prime minister, swapping from the Labor Party to lead the conservative United Australia Party. Genial and laidback, he was one of the most popular of our prime ministers, and the nation mourned when he died suddenly in 1939, becoming the first PM to die in office. He is the only Tasmanian prime minister, and his widow Dame Enid Lyons became the first woman to sit in the House of Representatives. Aloysius is the Latin form of Aloys, an old Occitan form of Louis, used to Latinise the Italian form, Luigi. Aloysius Gonzaga is a 16th century Italian saint from a noble family, who lost his life caring for plague victims not long after becoming accepted as a Jesuit. Because of the saint, Aloysius is seen as a specifically Catholic name, and is more common in the middle position. It has strong scientific credentials, as Aloysius Lilius was the first to propose the Gregorian calendar, and Dr Aloysius Alzheimer identified the first case of the disease which bears his name. Rich and flamboyant, Aloysius is usually pronounced al-uh-WISH-us in Australia.

Andrew
Andrew Fisher was the 5th prime minister, a Labor leader who served as PM three times. Originally from Scotland, he had a background working for the miner’s union. He was prime minister at the time of the Gallipoli campaign, and ultimately responsible for getting Australian troops out. Andrew is the English form of the Greek name Andreas, meaning “manly, brave”. The name came into common use because of Saint Andrew, one of the Apostles, and the brother of Saint Peter; Andrew was the first Apostle, who led the other disciples to Jesus. Tradition says Andrew preached around the Black Sea, and legend has it that he was crucified on an X-shaped cross, now called the St Andrew’s cross, or saltire. Saint Andrew is the patron of Scotland, where his relics are supposed to have been taken in the 6th century. The place of their safekeeping was renamed St Andrews, and the saltire is on the Scottish flag. Andrew is a classic which has never left the charts. It was #56 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1970s at #4; it only left the Top 100 last year. A handsome classic with ties to Scotland, this name has had some recent bad publicity.

Christmas
Earle Christmas Grafton Page was the 11th prime minister, and leader of the Country Party, the forerunner to the National Party. He is our longest-serving federal parliamentarian, spending nearly 42 years in parliament, but was only prime minister as caretaker for three weeks after the death of Joseph Lyons. Christmas is the holiday in honour of the birth of Jesus Christ, literally meaning “Christ’s mass”. Christmas has been celebrated since the 4th century, with the December 25 date originating in Rome. While a Christian festival in origin, Christmas is commonly seen as a secular holiday that brings everyone together. Christmas has been given as a first name since at least the 16th century, and early examples were born around Christmas time. Originally Christmas was given fairly equally to boys and girls, but overall is historically much more common as a boy’s name. This may be because Christmas is also a surname, perhaps originally a nickname given to someone who organised Christmas festivities. A sweet middle name for a baby born during the Christmas season (although Earle Page was born in August), as a first name it can shorten to Chris, Christy, or Chrissie.

Deakin
Alfred Deakin was a leader in the movement towards federation who became the 2nd prime minister, serving as PM three times. The founder of the Commonwealth Liberal Party, he is honoured as a founding father by the modern Liberal Party. A man liked and admired by almost everyone, he is almost certainly Australia’s most spiritual prime minister. A sincere spiritualist, his diaries show that he prayed constantly for divine guidance, read scriptures and mystical works, and wanted his influence on the world to be one of light and truth. The surname Deakin is a variant of Deacon, an occupational surname for someone who served in the church ranking just below a priest, and whose duties included assisting the priest and carrying out parish work; the word is ultimately from the Greek for “servant”. A very old surname, it originates from Suffolk, and possibly dates to before the Norman Conquest. I have quite often seen Australian boys named Deakin (far more than ones named Deacon), and the prime minister may well be an inspiration, although Deakin University means it could be after an alma mater.

Fraser
Malcolm Fraser was the 22nd prime minister, who came to power after the controversial Dismissal of Gough Whitlam. He won three successive elections for the Liberal Party, and has had a distinguished retirement in roles for the UN and Care International. He is now estranged from the Liberal Party, and often speaks out on human rights issues. The Scottish Clan Fraser trace their origins to France, although the surname’s meaning is uncertain. One theory is that it is derived from a (now lost place name) La Frezeliere in Anjou. Another idea is that it comes from fraise, the French word for “strawberry”, and the Clan Fraser displays strawberries on its coat of arms. Although a charming notion, this is almost certainly folk etymology. Known for their skills as warriors, the Frasers fought with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and took part in the Battles of Bannockburn and Culloden; at the last, they were massacred in great numbers, and a great stone marks where the Frasers fell. This is a handsome name, popular in Scotland, that I quite often see in birth notices.

Grey
John Grey Gorton was the 19th prime minister and a Liberal leader, the only Senator to become PM. Although a popular man with a bit of a larrikin streak, he was a poor public speaker, and the media portrayed him as a buffoon, in contrast to the eloquent Opposition leader, Gough Whitlam. The surname Grey, a variant of Gray, could be a nickname given to someone with grey hair. It can also be a Norman name, coming from the place name Graye in Normandy; this is from the Gallo-Roman personal name Gratus, meaning “welcoming, pleasing”. This second origin seems to be the earliest, and comes from the north of England. Grey can also be given directly as a colour name – the colour grey is associated with modesty and humility, business and professional life, twilight and elves, and also ambiguity (shades of grey). The subdued Grey has been used as a personal name since at least the 16th century, and is historically more common for boys, although it works well in the middle for either sex.

Melbourne
Stanley Melbourne Bruce was the 8th prime minister, a leader of the conservative Nationalist Party. He oversaw the transfer of the national capital to Canberra, became the first PM to live at The Lodge, and modernised federal government administration. He later became an excellent ambassador and highly influential in British politics, taking a key role at the League of Nations. He was eventually raised to the peerage; the royal family attended his memorial service in London, although his ashes are scattered over Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria, and considered our cultural capital. In the 19th century, it became the richest city in the world, and the second-largest after London, gaining the moniker of “Marvellous Melbourne”. Stanley Bruce was from a wealthy Melbourne family, and born in the 1880s when the city was booming and bustling, so the name was a badge of pride. Founded by John Batman from Tasmania, Melbourne was originally called Batmania, but almost immediately someone re-named it after the British prime minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. A member of the Irish peerage, Lamb’s title was after his Derbyshire estate, Melbourne Hall; the nearby town of Melbourne means “mill stream”. A distinguished middle name, although Batmania has its attractions.

Paul
Paul Keating was the 24th prime minister, delivering a shock record fifth election victory for the Labor Party during the recession years of the 1990s. Cultured and intellectual with an acerbic wit and colourful range of insults, he loves Mahler and collects French antique clocks. Paul is the English form of the Roman name Paulus, meaning “small, humble” in Latin; it seems to have begun as a nickname, and gradually become accepted as a personal name. Although common in ancient Rome, the name has become widespread because of Saint Paul, the Apostle most responsible for spreading Christianity throughout the Western world. Both a Jew and a Roman citizen, the saint’s name was Saul, but his Roman name was Paulus. The New Testament tells of his dramatic conversion. A zealous persecutor of Christians, Saul had a vision on the road to Damascus where the resurrected Christ reproached him for his actions, leaving him temporarily blinded. From then on, he became an equally zealous Christian, and in the process, changed history. By tradition, Paul was martyred in Rome. Paul is a classic name which was #132 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 in the 1920s before peaking in 1967 at #3. It left the Top 100 in the early 2000s, and is currently in the mid-200s. A softer-sounding boy’s classic which works well as both a first and middle name.

Reid
Sir George Reid was the 4th prime minister, and leader of the conservative Free Trade Party. A humorous and entertaining orator, audiences flocked to his election meetings, although his enemies viewed him as a clown. After his term in office, he was appointed Australia’s first High Commissioner in London, where he made himself so popular that he was elected to the British House of Commons during World War I. The surname Reid is a variant of Read, Reade and Reed, and generally accepted as a Scottish form, as the reid spelling comes from Northumberland near the Scottish border. It is derived from read, the Old English word for “red”, and began as a nickname for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Reid has been used as a first name since the 17th century, and was first used this way in Scotland. Strong, short and simple, I occasionally see this in birth notices, although more commonly as a middle name: I have even seen it chosen for a girl.

Winston
John Winston Howard was the 25th prime minister, winning a record number of seats for the Liberal Party at the 1996 election so that the party would have been able to govern in its own right. He served four terms as PM, spending almost twelve years in the role. The name Winston is strongly associated with inspirational wartime British prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who John Winston Howard is named for. Churchill was named after his 17th century ancestor Sir Winston Churchill, whose name was his mother’s maiden name: she was Sarah Winston, daughter of Sir Henry Winston of Gloucestershire. After this, the name became traditional in the Churchill family. There is an Anglo-Saxon personal name Wynstan, meaning “joy stone”, usually given as the origin of Winston. The Churchill’s Winston surname is probably from the village of Winstone in Gloucestershire, which means “Wynna’s stone”, with Wynna meaning “joy”, so having much the same meaning. However, if it ultimately comes from the village of Winston in Suffolk, it means “Wine’s settlement”, with Wine meaning “friend”, so “friend town”. Nice either way. This is fast becoming seen as a hip, sophisticated choice.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Winston, Reid, and Fraser, and their least favourite were Paul, Melbourne and Christmas.

(Picture shows a poster for the centenary of Federation at an exhibition at Deakin University in Victoria)

Names of Australian Prime Ministers’ Wives

25 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 5 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Famous Name: Richard

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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aristocratic names, classic names, European name popularity, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, germanic names, medieval nicknames, name history, name meaning, name popularity, nicknames, royal names, saints names, Shakespearean names, surnames, UK name popularity, US name popularity

Famous Namesake
I seem to end up doing names connected with cricket every January, and this year my choice was inspired by seeing The Richies in the stands on Day 2 of the Sydney test against India early in the month – otherwise known as known as Richie Day, which takes place the day before Jane McGrath Day.

The Richies are a group of cricket enthusiasts who dress up as iconic cricket commentator Richard “Richie” Benaud, complete with trademark silver hair, cream jacket, sunglasses, and oversized Channel Nine microphone (it is law that a Richie can only speak on Richie Day if they talk into their microphone).

The Richies were founded in 2010 by Michael Hennessy as a homage to Richie Benaud, who had just announced his retirement from full-time commentating. The first year there were ten Richies, this year there were 350; next year they hope to fill a whole bay, which means 680 Richies.

The group were inspired by comedian Billy Birmingham, who has gained fame for his cricket parodies under the name The Twelfth Man, where he often impersonated Richie Benaud’s distinctive voice. This year Billy Birmingham put The Richies through their paces, and revealed his own sons had dressed as Richie Benaud for the 2013 Test.

As for Richie Benaud himself? He wasn’t just a much-loved commentator, but a great all-rounder who debuted in the 1950s, and was captain for 28 tests between 1958 and 1962 without losing a series. He was the first player to complete the test double of 200 wickets and 2000 runs, and has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Now 84 and battling skin cancer, Richie Benaud will appear with Billy Birmingham in advertisements for Australia Day this year – but don’t expect Richie to fully endorse his comedy double.

Name Information
Richard is a Germanic name which comes from ric (“power, rule”) and hard (“brave, hardy”), usually translated as “brave ruler”. It was introduced to Britain by the Normans, and has become one of the stock of standard English names, while also well known in other European countries.

Richard has been commonly used by English royalty and aristocracy. One of the best known is Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart. Said to be tall, elegant, and extremely handsome with red-gold hair, he had a reputation as a great military leader, and remains an enduring figure of romance.

The last English king with the name was Richard III, whose reputation was so tarnished after his death that the name has never been used for a British monarch since (the child who would have been Richard IV was one of the “princes in the Tower” who disappeared in a sinister way, which didn’t help its fortunes as a royal name).

Richard III is infamous from Shakespeare’s play of the same name, where he is portrayed as a deformed, murderous, power-hungry villain. Recently, Richard III has been back in the news after his skeleton was dug up in a Leicester car park, with signs of many injuries from his death at the Battle of Bosworth Fields. Although the skeleton did have scoliosis, so that one shoulder would have been higher than the other, facial reconstruction shows him as looking young and quite pleasant rather than a hideous monster, and modern historians have been kinder towards him.

There are a number of British saints named Richard, including Saint Richard of Chichester, the patron saint of Sussex. There is a Saxon saint named Saint Richard the Pilgrim, but details of his life are sketchy, and Richard doesn’t seem to have been his real name. There are also several Saint Richards who were martyred for their faith in the 16th century.

Because the name has remained in common use for so many years, it is easy to think of famous men named Richard. You might think of composers Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner, singers “Little Richard” (Richard Penniman) and Richard Ashcroft, Beatles drummer Richard Starkey “Ringo Starr”, comedians Richard Pryor and Rich Hall, actors Richard Burton, Richard Attenborough, Richard Gere, Richard Harris, Richard E. Grant, Richard Wilson, and Richard Dean Anderson, presenter Richard Hammond, scientist Richard Dawkins, charismatic entrepreneur Richard Branson, and disgraced former US President Richard Nixon, who was named after Richard the Lionheart.

Richard is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #26 in the 1900s, and reached its peak in the 1940s at #15. It didn’t leave the Top 100 until the early 2000s, and has gently declined so it is now around the mid-200s. Despite being at its lowest point so far, the name is still in reasonable use and relatively stable. Its popularity is about the same in the UK, and in the US is around the mid 100s. Richard is most popular in the Czech Republic.

Richard has many nicknames, but one thing not helpful to the name is that most of them seem rather dated. Dick, once so common that we could say every Tom, Dick and Harry to mean “every man”, is now frowned upon as an embarrassment, while Dicky reminds older people of “Tricky Dicky” Nixon. Rick and Ricky both peaked in the 1960s, and while I quite like Rich, Richie and Ritchie, Richie Rich, Richie Cunningham, and Ritchie Valens might give them a 1950-ish feel.

You can find medieval short forms of Richard through the English surnames they have inspired. Hick and Hitch led to Hitchens, Higg to Higgins, while Ditch led to Deek and Deex. Dickon was King Richard III’s nickname – also a character in The Secret Garden. Dickon was transformed into names such as Diggin and Diggle, which are quite a lot like fashionable Digby, and make Digger or Digs seem like reasonable vintage-style short forms of Richard. Dix is also a possibility, in line with names such as Max.

With Richard, you get a solid classic name that has never been out of the 200s; a name good enough for kings and saints and celebrities, as well as all manner of ordinary men. It’s a name which matures well, and looks professional on a CV. In fact, as Richie Benaud would say, you might think this name is perfectly “marvellous”!

POLL RESULTS
Richard received an approval rating of 44%. 22% of people were really bothered by the possibility of Dick being given as the nickname for Richard, while 19% saw the name as dated and old-fashioned. However, 14% thought Richard was a name with a solid meaning and history behind it. 3% disagreed with the majority, and thought it was silly and immature to believe there was anything wrong with the nickname Dick.

Famous Name: Duke

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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aristocratic titles, famous namesakes, historical records, honouring, Irish names, middle names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, naming laws, nicknames, screen names, slang terms, stage personae, surname names, UK name popularity, US name popularity, vintage names

Famous Namesake
Last weekend there was a festival at Freshwater, on Sydney’s northern beaches, in honour of Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku. A century ago, Duke introduced surfing to Australia, riding a board he fashioned from Sydney timber on Christmas Eve, 1914. It was so popular that he gave a second demonstration on January 10 1915.

It was Australian swimmer Cecil Healy who brought Duke here. Cecil was one of Australia’s greatest competitive swimmers at the turn of the twentieth century, saving numerous people from drowning as a surf lifesaver, touring Europe to demonstrate the daring new “crawl” stroke, and competing in the earliest modern Olympic Games.

At the 1912 Games in Stockholm, Cecil and Duke both qualified for the semi-finals in the 100 metre event, but because the American team missed the bus, none of the US swimmers qualified for the finals. Cecil intervened, and helped the Americans appeal: because of his assistance, the Americans were allowed to swim another race, and Duke qualified for the finals. In the final, Duke won easily, and Cecil came second.

His good sportsmanship had cost Cecil a gold medal, but it gained him a friend. When Cecil invited Duke to come to Australia and give swimming and surfing exhibitions, he could hardly refuse. Just two years after introducing surfing to California, Duke was at Freshwater to demonstrate the Hawaiian sport. The crowd went wild, and in a heartbeat, Australia’s love affair with surfing had begun.

Today Freshwater boasts the title Home of Australian Surfing. Duke’s board is on display at the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club, and there is a bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku on the headland at Freshwater. Freshwater is a sister city to Waikiki in Honolulu, and every year it celebrates Duke’s Day, to honour the Hawaiian athlete who made such a huge contribution to Australian culture.

Duke Kahanamoku continued to win Olympic medals, and later became a Hollywood actor. In 1940, he married Nadine Alexander, an American dancer whose mother had been an opera singer from South Australia. Sadly, Cecil Healy was killed on the Somme in 1918, the only Australian gold medal-winning Olympian to die in battle.

Name Information
Duke is an aristocratic title, traditionally the highest rank of the nobility, just below a monarch. Dukes can also rule their own countries as monarchs, but today there is only one ruling duke – His Royal Highness Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Although we usually think of dukes as being male, Queen Elizabeth is both Duke of Normandy and Duke of Lancaster.

The word comes from the Latin dux, meaning “leader”. It could be given to a military commander, and also governors of provinces. Later it meant the highest-ranking military officer in a province.

As a slang term, the dukes are the fists, and thus “to duke it out” means to settle a score using your fists. This is probably from Cockney rhyming slang, where Duke of York means “fork”; fork is Cockney slang for “hand”, because they have a similar shape.

The surname Duke could have been given to someone who worked in a duke’s household or was part of his entourage, and as medieval dukes tended to have other nobles around them, many of the early Dukes were of aristocratic origins. The surname can also be derived from the Irish name Marmaduke, meaning “follower of Saint Maedoc”, and it has a long history in Ireland, especially Northern Ireland.

Just as with the surname, Duke can be used as a nickname for the first name Marmaduke, however it is often bestowed or self-chosen as an honorific nickname. Jazz legend Edward “Duke” Ellington was given his nickname in childhood from his elegant manners. Hollywood star John Wayne (born Marion Morrison) also became known as Duke in childhood, because he was always in the company of his dog, Duke. Understandably he preferred Duke to his given name Marion, and when he started out as an actor tried using Duke Morrison as his screen name, but the producers preferred John Wayne. The Thin White Duke was one of David Bowie’s stage personae.

Duke has been used as a personal name since at least the 16th century, and although it originated in England, has historically been more common in the United States. In case you were wondering, Duke Kahanamoku was named after his father, and Duke Kahanamoku Senior was given his name in honour of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was visiting Hawaii in 1869.

Duke has been on and off the US Top 1000 since 1880, and after a break of more than forty years, it returned in 2013 and is currently #718. In England/Wales, there were 21 baby boys named Duke last year.

Duke can be found as a personal name in Australian historical records from the late 19th century onwards. It is much more common as a middle name, and as it was sometimes given to girls in this position, suggests it was inspired by the surname in many cases. It is often found as a common law nickname, and in one case at least, the baby was christened rather humorously, as his name was Duke Wellington.

The name became problematic in Australia during the 1990s when name laws were introduced, because titles as names were not permitted. This wasn’t much of an issue at the time, as the numbers of parents wanting to call their sons Duke were few and far between – flourishing at the turn of the twentieth century, the name Duke was very much out of fashion back then.

However, things have changed. Not only are vintage names firmly back in style, there have been a number of recent fictional Dukes to raise interest in the name, including Duke from GI Joe (played by Channing Tatum in the movies), Duke Crocker from supernatural drama Haven, Duke Nukem from the video games, and maybe even the Dukes of Hazzard, who got a big-screen outing.

As a result, some parents have begun to chafe against this restriction, and in New South Wales, the name Duke was successfully challenged in 2009, so that it is now permitted in this state. Queensland has revealed that it has registered Duke as a baby name, and in South Australia the name Duke was registered 4 times last year. In Victoria, the name Duke was registered 8 times in 2012, and in Tasmania, Duke was registered twice in 2010.

Some parents may still be avoiding the name in the belief it is outlawed (I have seen babies named Juke and Djuke in a possible attempt to circumvent the name laws), but all signs point to it being an accepted choice. So if you want to use this rather cool vintage name for your son – go for it!

POLL RESULTS
Duke received an approval rating of 52%. 22% of people thought the name Duke was strong and masculine, but 12% thought it was inappropriate because it was a title.

Famous Name: Jasper

07 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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American slang terms, Banjo Paterson, Chaldean names, Christmas names, english names, English slang terms, European name popularity, gemstone names, locational names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, New Zealand, Pashto names, popular names, royal names, saints names, unisex names, William Shakespeare

Name Story
Yesterday was Epiphany, which commemorates the Adoration of the Magi in western Christianity. According to The Gospel of Matthew, the magi were learned men from the East who followed a mysterious star to kneel before the baby Jesus, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Although the Bible does not specify a number, it is usually assumed there were three, because there were three gifts. The Magi were Zoroastrian priests from Persia, and the word magi has been traditionally translated as “wise men”, although modern translations of the Bible use the word “astrologers”, as Zoroastrians studied the stars.

Christian legend sometimes calls them the “three kings”, due to a Psalm which says May all kings fall before him. In some countries, January 6 is known as the Feast of Kings, and it is most famous from the Epiphany carol, We Three Kings of Orient Are.

The date of January 6 is purely symbolic – the Magi are supposed to have arrived some time in the two years after the birth of Jesus, and although they are often included in Nativity scenes, the Bible says they visited Mary at her house, not in the stable. Tradition says that after the Magi returned home, they became Christians and were martyred: they are thus regarded as saints.

The Bible being so short on details, legend has filled in the blanks with imaginative flair. The Magi are given names, usually said to be Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. Gaspar is identified as a middle-aged brown-skinned Indian who brings the frankincense; Melchior as an elderly white-skinned Persian who carries the gold; and Balthasar as a young black-skinned Arabian who bears the gift of myrrh.

Perhaps you think it is far-fetched that a group of men would cross the desert (a difficult journey of many months) in order to worship a foreigner of a religion that isn’t even theirs. However, history records that it did happen, at least once.

King Tiridates of Armenia, a Zoroastrian priest of Armenian, Greek, and Persian ancestry, travelled to Rome in 66 AD on a visit to the Emperor Nero with a huge retinue of followers, including his magi. As his tribute king, Tiridates knelt before Nero, proclaiming that he worshipped him as a god (this was mere diplomacy; Tiribates was apparently disgusted by Nero). Unlike the Bible story, it was Nero who gave gifts to Tiridates, and paid for all his travel expenses.

It has been suggested that this state visit may have provided the inspiration for the Adoration of the Magi in the Gospel of Matthew. However, it’s also evidence that the journey of the Magi as described in the Bible has some degree of plausibility.

Epiphany is the traditional date for the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and in the past, its eve was celebrated as Twelfth Night, with much feasting and tomfoolery. William Shakespeare wrote his comedy Twelfth Night as an entertainment for the end of the Christmas season: its theme of cross-dressing is appropriate, for it was the rule that everything had to be topsy-turvy. If you went to a Christmas pantomime, you’ll know this tradition continues.

Most people say your Christmas decorations have to come down by Epiphany, and many people will go back to work by this date. I’m not back at work yet – but I am back at blogging! Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year.

Name Meaning, History and Popularity
Jasper is the English form of Gaspar, derived from the ancient Chaldean word gizbar, meaning “treasurer”; the modern Hebrew word for treasurer is still gizbar. These days the word treasurer doesn’t sound too glamorous (if you’ve ever been treasurer of your local tennis club or something, you’ll know it’s essentially a boring, thankless job), so the name is sometimes translated as “master of the treasure house”.

The traditional names for the three Magi date back to at least the 6th century, and Gaspar is the only one whose name may be inspired by a real person. The apocryphal Acts of Thomas mentions a Zoroastrian king named Gudnaphar, and Gondophares was a traditional name and title in the House of Suren – they were kings of Iranian background who ruled in the area around northern India.

According to tradition, Saint Thomas the Apostle travelled to India as a missionary. Gondophares was identified in medieval texts as the Indian king who brought incense to the baby Jesus as one of the Magi, and was converted to Christianity by Saint Thomas. Gondophares is the Greek form of the Pashto name Gandapur, meaning “may he find glory”.

Jasper is also the word for a gemstone which is usually red, yellow, brown or green in colour. The word comes from the Old French for “spotted stone, speckled stone”, and may be Semitic in origin. It was a favourite gemstone in ancient times, especially the green variety, although the ancients probably called many different minerals “jasper”; it is mentioned in the Bible. Because of the gemstone, Jasper has occasionally been used as a name for girls.

Jasper has been used as an English name since the Middle Ages, in honour of the saint, although it was never highly popular. It has also been used as a slang term – in England, it is an old country term for a wasp (because it sounds a bit similar), and in America, it has been used as slang for a simpleton or hick (perhaps because it sounded a backwoodsy sort of name there).

There is a Lake Jasper in south-west Western Australia; it has very clear fresh water and is popular for picnics. It’s named in honour of Jasper Bussell, who died in infacy, and was the brother of the famous Grace Bussell, who we met earlier. Its use by the wealthy and prominent Bussells suggests a rather upper class image in the 19th century.

There is also a small village in the mountains of New South Wales named Wee Jasper, where Banjo Paterson once had a country home. Folklore relates the village got its name due a Scottish settler who came home with a “wee jasper” in his pocket, the gemstone found in some stream amongst the hills.

Jasper has ranked in Australia since the 1990s, when it debuted at #237. It joined the Top 100 in 2009, at #98, and since then has remained around the bottom of the Top 100. Currently it is #82 nationally, #87 in New South Wales, #77 in Victoria, #87 in Queensland, #22 in Tasmania, and #80 in the Australian Capital Territory.

In the English-speaking world, Jasper is most popular in Australia, as it is not yet Top 100 in the US or UK, although rising, and has just joined the New Zealand Top 100 at #85. It isn’t popular in many other countries, but ranks highest in Belgium, at #55.

Jasper is a handsome and sophisticated choice related to gifts, gems, and treasure that will please many parents for not being overused. It isn’t highly popular anywhere in the world, and in Australia has never been higher than the bottom quarter of the Top 100; nor does it show signs of rising alarmingly. The name has its detractors, due to some image problems from popular culture, but no doubt that’s one of the factors keeping use down. I think it helps make Jasper seem a bit quirkier.

And the name commemorates one of the most beautiful Christmas stories – who could resist the magic of a star guiding your way?

POLL RESULTS
Jasper received an excellent approval rating of 89%, making it the most highly-rated boy’s name in the Famous Name category for 2015. People saw the name Jasper as hip and quirky (29%), handsome or cute (22%), and cool and sophisticated (19%). However, 3% thought the name seemed creepy and evil. Only one person thought Jasper was too old-fashioned, and just one thought it was too posh.

(Picture shows The Adoration of the Magi, an 1890 tapestry by Edward Burne-Jones)

Famous Name: Ava

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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celebrity baby names, english names, famous namesakes, germanic names, modern classics, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, Persian names, royal names, saints names, US name popularity

Today is the 55th anniversary of the release of Stanley Kramer’s On the Beach, starring Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck. Based on the novel by Nevil Shute, the film depicts the aftermath of a nuclear war, set in the near-future of the 1960s. With most of the world’s population dead, the film centres on a small group of people in Melbourne waiting for the lethal fallout to reach them.

Most of On the Beach was filmed on location, and a piece of local folklore is that Ava Gardner described Melbourne as “the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world”. Melbourne was a quiet little place in the 1950s, the first day of filming was abominably hot, and the media was horrible to Ava Gardner, so you could forgive her for being a bit grumpy. However, the quote was actually invented by a Sydney journalist with his tongue in cheek – whatever Ms Gardner’s thoughts about Melbourne, she was too professional to broadcast them publicly.

On the Beach made a financial loss, but was praised by critics, and has become a (slightly neglected) classic. The film created a ruckus in Melbourne, which went so crazy over seeing big Hollywood stars in their little city that they positively frightened most of the cast. Even the Australians cast as extras were mobbed as if they were A-listers. The film’s grim message was considered so traumatic that the Salvation Army, who play a small but significant role in the film, were on hand to provide counselling to people in cinemas.

Another of the film’s achievements was to bring attention to Waltzing Matilda, which is used to great effect during the closing scenes of On the Beach. It also opens the film, used to immediately signify an Australian setting. Waltzing Matilda became more popular after the film – not just in Australia, but overseas as well.

I read On the Beach as a young teenager, and found the story utterly compelling because for once the scenes of horror are set in Australia. The book has sometimes been criticised for showing the end of the world happening so quietly, and the characters going about their daily lives as calmly as possible. But I thought it made the story far more chilling, and far more real; many years later, the story is still vivid in my memory.

Ava was a medieval girl’s name, pronounced AH-vuh. It seems to have been a feminine form of the Germanic name Avo, originally a short form of names starting with Avi-. The meaning of it is much debated, but with no agreement reached. One theory is that it meant “desired”, to indicate a long wished-for child, but other ideas are that it came from aval, meaning “strength, power”, or from alfi, meaning “elf”.

In Norman English, the name produced Aveline, which evolved into Evelina, and is the basis for the surname Evelyn, also used as a first name. Another variant was Avis or Avice, which although it looks like the Latin for “bird”, is an elaboration of Ava. Av- names were quite fashionable in medieval times, thanks to Ava.

Two famous medieval Avas are Saint Ava, a Frankish princess who became a nun after being miraculously cured of blindness, and Ava of Melk, an anchorite and religious poet who was the first known female writer in the German language.

While Ava is still said AH-vuh in Germany and most European countries, in modern English it is usually pronounced AY-vuh. Some people see AY-vuh as a modern continuation of the medieval AH-vuh, while others see it as a completely separate modern English name, perhaps a variant of Eva.

While Ava may well have been understood as a form of Eva by some English-speakers, in continental Europe Ava was often understood as related to the Latin word Ave (said AH-veh), meaning “hail, greeting”, as in Ave Maria, or to similar words and names in modern languages. If we discount the English Ava (AY-vuh) on those grounds, then the European Ava (AH-vuh) must also be brought into question.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Ava has historically been more common in the United States than other English-speaking countries, because America has had significant immigration from Germany and Scandinavia. You could see the English pronunciation of Ava as the American pronunciation of the name. You’ve probably noticed that Americans tend to pronounce AY sounds rather than AH ones – for example, they often say the name Dana as DAY-nuh instead of DAH-nuh.

Just to add another layer, Ava is also a common Persian name for girls, meaning “voice, sound, call”, and said AH-vuh, making this a very multicultural name.

The name Ava was popularised in the United States in the 19th century by the Philadelphia socialite Ava Lowle Willing, who married John Astor IV (called Jack), from the prominent Astor family. They named their daughter Ava Alice Muriel Astor (born 1902), making this an early celebrity baby name. The Astors divorced, and not long after, Jack Astor was drowned during the Titanic disaster, making him the richest person to sail on the Titanic, and probably the richest person in the world at the time.

Ava Alice Muriel Astor married Prince Serge Obolensky (an admirer of Australian beauty Sheila Chisholm, and her husband’s cousin), and their wedding was the social event of the London season. Ava Astor went on to divorce and marry several more times in both England and the United States; pretty, supremely wealthy, and a patron of the arts, her name was well known on both sides of the Atlantic.

The actress Ava Gardner was born at the end of 1922, not long after Ava Astor had been photographed visiting Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt with her fiancé, Prince Obolensky. Unlike many other film stars, Ava Gardner never had to change her name to something more screen-worthy: it was already perfect – glamorous, fashionable, upper-class sounding, and not too common.

Ava Gardner’s film career did not make Ava a popular name in her lifetime. Continuously on the US Top 1000 since the late 19th century, and #751 in 1941 when Gardner first began getting parts in films, it peaked at #376 during the 1950s, at the height of Gardner’s success.

Ava left the US Top 1000 during the 1970s, when Gardner’s career had waned, but returned in the 1980s, after Ava Gardner suffered two strokes and became bedridden. Her serious health problems were widely publicised, putting her name back in the news, and no doubt there was genuine shock and sympathy for the Hollywood star’s condition.

The name Ava began rising after Ava Gardner’s death in 1990, and its popularity was further hastened by celebrities choosing it as a baby name, including Aidan Quinn, Heather Locklear, and Reese Witherspoon – in the last case at least, as a conscious tribute to the late Ava Gardner.

In Australia, the name Ava first ranked in the 1990s at #465, and rose so rapidly that it was in the Top 100 by 2003, debuting at #70. Bad luck to all those parents who called their baby girl Ava in the 1990s because they saw it an an underused name! Or maybe good luck that they jumped on the trend nice and early.

In 2005, Ava made a massive leap forward to #22, as this was the same year Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness welcomed their daughter Ava. In 2011 the name Ava joined the Top 10 at #9, the year after Lleyton Hewitt and Bec Cartright welcomed their youngest daughter and named her Ava.

Currently Ava is #3 nationally, #8 in New South Wales, #2 in Victoria, #8 in Queensland, #3 in Western Australia, #17 in Tasmania, #17 in the Northern Territory, and #2 in the Australian Capital Territory. It was one of the fastest-rising names at Baby Center Australia last year.

Ava is highly popular throughout the English-speaking world, being a Top 10 name in the United States, Canada, England/Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and New Zealand. However, it is slightly more popular in Australia than anywhere else, and has so far peaked higher here than in any other country.

Yes, Ava is very popular – so much so that some parents may be wary of choosing it. But it is also boosting the fortunes of other names, such as sound-alikes Ada, Avery, Aria, Arya and Ayla, and has risen in tandem with Eva, Evie, Evelyn and Ivy.

This modern classic has been very influential on contemporary girls’ name trends. Maybe you won’t use Ava because it is too popular, but you might use one of her style-sisters, like Isla or Maeve. Or perhaps something unusual like Alba, Avalon, Avril or Aveley now seems like a good choice, or an older name like Ida or Maida no longer seems fusty, but pretty and fresh.

The power of Ava is such that we will be hearing her echoes for many, many years to come.

POLL RESULTS
Ava received a respectable approval rating of 64%. 25% of people saw it as simple and elegant, but 19% thought it was too popular. Nobody thought the name Ava was ugly or tacky.

Waltzing With … Paddington

14 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by A.O. in Waltzing with ...

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Anglo-Saxon names, animal names, english names, fictional namesakes, historical records, locational names, middle names, name history, name meaning, names from movies, names of bears, names of railway stations, nicknames, Old English names, surname names

Family movies as a Christmas season treat is a tradition I really look forward to, and already we have been to see two films based on children’s books with Australian stars: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, with Ed Oxenbould as the hero Alexander, and Paddington, with Nicole Kidman as the villain Millicent.

Paddington is surely Britain’s favourite illegal immigrant – a polite stowaway bear from darkest Peru with a penchant for marmalade sandwiches, who is found by the Brown family at a railway station, with a note reading: Please look after this bear. The Browns take the bear home to 32 Windsor Gardens and name him Paddington, after the railway station where they found him (his Peruvian name of Pastuso is apparently too difficult for English-speakers to pronounce).

Michael Bond was inspired to write the Paddington stories by a lonely-looking teddy bear he bought as a present for his wife, and named after the railway station close to their home. The first book was written in the 1950s, and Michael Bond was influenced by his memories of evacuated children during the war, often left at railway stations with a label around their necks to identify them. Surely he was also influenced by increased post-war immigration to London – Paddington’s best friend is a Hungarian shopkeeper.

Without giving away too many spoilers, the movie has all the warm-hearted charm and humour of the books, including lots of jokes for the adults watching. However, it has a touch more darkness and a lot more adventure (much needed, as the books’ big adventures tend to revolve around going to the shops or the cinema). Somehow the movie manages to have some of the books’ sadness, because despite the comedic chaos, there was always a poignancy to Paddington’s situation.

Paddington is a district of central London which began as a Saxon village on the city’s outskirts. Even in the early 19th century, Paddington was surrounded by open fields and meadows.

For many years, the area had a dark connection, because it was in this neighbourhood that the notorious Tyburn Tree, or gallows, was set up. This was the main place for public executions from medieval times to the late 18th century, a spectacle which attracted thousands. A “Paddington Fair Day” meant an execution day, while “to dance the Paddington Frisk” meant to be hanged.

Paddington’s development began in the 19th century, with the canal and the railway station. Paddington Station was designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and today there is a statue of Paddington Bear on platform 1. You can also buy a Paddington Bear stuffed toy from Paddington station, with a label asking you to please take care of this bear. These toys were first created by Jeremy Clarkson’s mother, making enough money to send Jeremy to a private school, and also providing him with his first job as Paddington Bear salesman.

The Victorian era was Paddington’s heyday, when it was described as a “city of palaces”. With its grand terraced houses overlooking Hyde Park, and its garden squares, it became a highly fashionable address. Many famous people have lived in Paddington, including Robert Browning and Winston Churchill, and more recently, Emma Thompson and Tony Blair.

The name Paddington is believed to mean “Padda’s farm”. Padda doesn’t seem to have been a common Anglo-Saxon name, but enough examples exist to show it is genuine. The meaning is not certain (it may be a variant spelling or shortening of another name), but one theory is that it came from the Old English word pad, meaning “toad”. Toads were considered magical creatures in ancient Europe (we still think of witches and wizards as having toads for familiars), and this makes me wonder if the name Paddington is a little more mystical than it might appear at first sight.

Paddington is also an inner-city suburb of Sydney, about 3 km from the CBD, and named after the London area because of its similarly close proximity to the city centre. When the Victoria Barracks army base was built here in the 19th century, the village of Paddington sprung up to house artisans and labourers who worked to build the barracks. It grew rapidly, with large estates filled with terraced housing, and by the early twentieth century was thriving.

During the Great Depression, Paddington became a slum, but after World War II its fortunes changed as European migrants moved in to the suburb, finding it cheap and conveniently located. In the 1960s, students and artists arrived to add bohemian flair, and it also became part of the gay “scene”, with the first Mardi Gras parade marching proudly down Oxford Street in 1978.

As the suburb became gentrified, Paddington’s Victorian architecture meant that it was protected as a heritage area, and these days “Paddo” is fashionable and upmarket. The main streets are filled with art galleries, trendy stores, boutiques, antiques, and interior designers, while artists and craftspeople hawk their wares every weekend at Paddington Market.

There is another Paddington in Brisbane, which is likewise inner city, and has a similar history to the one in Sydney. There is also a gold mine in Western Australia called Paddington.

The name Paddington is not often found in historical records, but use goes back to the 18th century, and is almost certainly prompted by the surname Paddington rather than directly after the place in London. It is much more common as a middle name, and in Australian records, is found extremely rarely, and only as a middle name.

So that’s Paddington – a rare name, but a genuine one, with some history of use even in Australia. It is very closely associated with the famous bear, but that might be exactly the reason a Paddington fan wants to use the name, and Paddington is such a nice bear. In Australia it will remind people of the Sydney suburb, but again, it’s a fashionable area with positive associations.

When I did a couple of minutes idle searching online, I found not just one, but two people considering the name Paddington for a baby – one of them Australian. I have to admit their tentative idea was shot down pretty hard by others, so there doesn’t seem to be much support for the idea of a baby named Paddington.

However, I think it could make an awesome middle name, and if you have your heart set on a little Paddington, Paddy would make a cute nickname. Far be it from me to tell people not to name children after fictional bears.

POLL RESULT
Paddington received an approval rating of 63%. 36% of people didn’t mind the name Paddington, but 24% disliked it. Less than 10% of people loved the name.

(Photo shows terrace housing in Paddington, Sydney)

Famous Names: Heston and Tex

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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American names, birth notices, code names, controversial names, english names, famous namesakes, historical records, locational names, middle names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, names of American states, Native American names, nicknames, Old English names, rare names, screen names, surname names, UK name popularity, unisex names, US name popularity

In 2014 Melbourne was named the world’s most liveable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit for the fourth year in a row. Their annual survey rates 140 cities out of 100 in healthcare, education, stability, culture and environment, and infrastructure, and Melbourne received 97.5 overall, with perfect scores in healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

To celebrate Melbourne’s continuing success, I thought we’d look at two names that have recently made the news there. Melbourne is not only a very cultured city, it’s also rather quirky, so I picked a couple of cultured, quirky guys.

HESTON
Heston Blumenthal is a multi award-winning British chef at the forefront of the “New Cookery”. Inspired by the playful nature of historic British cuisine, he follows a rigorously scientific approach to cooking, and has unleashed on an appreciative public such delicacies as snail porridge, chocolate wine, and bacon and egg ice cream.

Well known from his television shows, Heston has also been a celebrity chef on MasterChef Australia, been a guest at food festivals in Australia, and you can also buy his products through Coles (maybe you have already purchased one of his Christmas puddings). A great admirer of Australia, Heston has told Britons of Aussie food trends they should copy, including charcoal chicken, Tim Tams, quality beef, street food, and good coffee [article expired].

Early this year it was announced his triple Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck, recognised as the best in Britain, will be temporarily relocated to Melbourne’s Crown Casino next February. He made a savvy move taking The Fat Duck to Melbourne, which has a marvellous foodie culture. The tasting menu is $525 per person (not including drinks), making The Fat Duck the most expensive eatery in Melbourne, more than twice as pricey as its current premier restaurant, Shannon Bennett‘s Vue du Monde.

Despite this hefty price tag, demand was so strong that a ballot system was introduced, with potential patrons having to register before the end of October. Unfortunately some scammers managed to hack into the ballot system, and are now scalping reservations for up to $1000 (you still have to pay for your food on top of that). However, never fear people with more than $1500 to spend on one meal, after six months the restaurant will morph into Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Heston is an English surname which comes from a place name; originally a Saxon village, Heston is now a suburb of west London. One of its claims to fame is that British prime minister Neville Chamberlain flew from Heston Aerodrome to Germany in 1938 for uselessly appeasing talks with Adolf Hitler. Naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, who discovered so many species of Australian plants and has the banksia flower named after him, is buried at St Leonards church in Heston.

Heston is usually thought to mean “enclosed settlement” in Old English, because it was part of an area surrounded by forest and woodland. For the same reason, another theory is that it meant “brushwood farm”.

The surname is strongly associated with Hollywood legend Charlton Heston, who starred in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, and Planet of the Apes. Born John Charles Carter, and known as Chuck or Charlie, he created his screen name by combining his mother’s maiden name, Charlton, with his stepfather’s surname.

Heston Blumenthal (who wasn’t rapt with his name as a child) asked his mother if he had been named after Charlton Heston, but she replied that she simply liked the name. When asked about the origins of his name, Blumenthal joked that perhaps his parents had a night out in London and parked at Heston Services (a motorway service station). The headline on the front cover of The Times was Top Chef Named After Parents’ Love of Motorway Services, requiring many apologies from Heston to his mum and dad.

Heston may be unusual, but it is by no means unique, being found thousands of times in historical records going back to the 16th century. There are a few examples of Heston being used as a first name in Australian records, although it is more common in the middle.

It’s a surname name for boys which is is rare yet on trend, and seems pretty cool, although I do think it will instantly remind everyone of the chef. Just like Mrs Blumenthal, you may be required to repeat that you just liked the name. Heston has also highlighted another issue with his name – American actress Tina Fey told him it translates as “shit on you” in Greek, so this is a name which does not travel well, at least not to Greece.

TEX
Tex Perkins is an Australian rock star, best known for fronting The Beasts of Bourbon and The Cruel Sea, but part of many other innovative musical acts. Recently he threw his hat in the ring as an independent candidate for the marginal seat of Albert Park in last month’s state election. His single policy? To get funding for the Palais Theatre in St. Kilda, a heritage-listed concert venue which needs a $40 million refurbishment.

Having gained the sitting Labor candidate’s promise of partial funding if he was elected, Tex directed his preferences to the ALP, then told people not to vote for him, but for Labor instead, and on election day, his How to Vote card instructed them to place the ALP first on the ballot paper. That’s taking self-effacement to a new level. His plan worked – Labor was elected, both in Albert Park and across the state. Let’s hope they honour their promise to the Palais. (Tex still got more than 1000 votes).

Tex is a nickname which is short for Texas, the US state. The state’s name comes from a Native American word in the Caddo language, tejas, meaning “friends, allies”. It was the name the Spanish called the Caddo, and the land they lived on, in today’s East Texas.

There is a Texas in Australia too, a town in southern Queensland. It is said that the name came about because of a territorial dispute between the owners of the land and some squatters – once the legalities were sorted out, the owners humorously called their land Texas because the United States and Mexico had a dispute over Texas, settled by the Mexican-American war. The town of Texas has featured in several country music songs, including one by James Blundell, who has spent quite a bit of time there.

The nickname Tex can be given to someone from the state of Texas, but can also be taken as a code name, and is a favourite for people with a cowboy, country, or Western persona, such as country music stars, cowboy actors, and rodeo promoters.

British soldier Keith “Tex” Banwell was the son of an Australian soldier, and lived in Australia for a few years as a child. A World War II hero who acted as General Montgomery’s double, he helped the Dutch Resistance, and was taken prisoner a few times, spending several months in Auschwitz after refusing to betray his friends. A character straight out of an adventure novel, Tex was his wartime code name.

Tex Morton (born Robert Lane) was a country music pioneer in New Zealand and Australia, and had a career that lasted from the 1930s to the 1970s. Dubbed the Singing Cowboy Sensation, the New Zealand-born yodelling whipcracker and sharpshooter performed at the Grand Old Opry and was a major contributor to the Australian country music scene. Tex Perkins (born Gregory Perkins) followed this lead, as he began in cowpunk, and has taken a Johnny Cash tribute show on the road.

Tex was in the US Top 1000 around the 1940s, but is now a rare name – only 11 boys were named Tex last year, although a further 11 were named Texas, perhaps called Tex on an everyday basis. It’s even less common in the UK, where less than three boys (maybe none) have ever been named Tex, although 19 girls (a meteoric rise) were named Texas, and maybe have Tex as a nickname.

In Victoria, 6 boys were named Tex in 2012, and it’s a name I see fairly regularly in birth notices; to me it seems as if the numbers might even have risen. Perhaps Tex Perkins is helping the name along, although I don’t know if any have actually been named in honour of the rock star. Tex is a great little nickname name, with a cool X-ending like Max, Rex, or Fox. It has a bit of a cowboy feel to it, although Tex Perkins makes it seem a bit rockstar too.

Two cool, charismatic boys names that are a little out of the ordinary – but which one do you prefer?

POLL RESULTS
Both Heston and Tex received approval ratings of 40%, but more people loved the name Tex.

(Picture shows Tex Perkins outside the Palais Theatre; photo from the Herald Sun)

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Waltzing More Than Matilda

~ Names with an Australian Bias of Democratic Temper

Tag Archives: name history

Waltzing With … Anna

Famous Name: Philip

Names of Australian Prime Ministers

Names of Australian Prime Ministers’ Wives

Famous Name: Richard

Famous Name: Duke

Famous Name: Jasper

Famous Name: Ava

Waltzing With … Paddington

Famous Names: Heston and Tex