Tag Archives: name meaning

Kai Erik Lassila: A Son for Lydia and Lauri Lassila

21 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by in Celebrity Baby Names

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Lydia Lassila is an Australian Olympic freestyle skier, who has competed in three Winter Olympics and won gold in the aerials at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver last year.

Winning gold came just five years after she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament and underwent a radical knee reconstruction. In case you are not familiar with the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), rupturing the ACL sometimes spells the end of an elite athlete’s career. By the time their knee recovers from surgery, they are too old or out of condition to get back their previous level of fitness and skill.

However, Lydia was young, still in her early twenties, and determined to make a full recovery to competition fitness. So swift was her return that she was able to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. During the second round of the aerials competition, her knee collapsed on impact after a difficult landing. She was just one jump away from the gold medal when her knee gave way. Onlookers still remember her spine-chilling screams of agony.

Lydia vowed that she would return to ski-ing when her knee recovered again. She took inspiration from her team mates Jacqui Cooper and Alisa Camplin, who had both made come-backs after similar knee injuries. As well as her physical rehabilitation, she gained motivation from internationally renowned sports psychologist Dr Barbara Meyer.

Her time away from competition gave her the opportunity to marry her Finnish boyfriend, Lauri Lassila, a former professional freestyle ski-er whose career highlight was winning silver at the Freestyle World Championships in 1999. Lydia and Lauri were married in a Scandinavian castle in mid-2007. Before her marriage, Lydia’s surname was Ierodiaconou; her mother is Italian and her father Greek-Cypriot.

Sixteen months after re-injuring her knee, Lydia made her come-back at the World Cup in China, where she won silver, and won her first World Cup title the following year. As world number 1, the pressure was on her to succeed at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the beaming Lydia was soon dubbed “golden girl” for winning her medal.

She immediately took a year-long break from competition – this time so she and Lauri could start a family. Everything went to plan, and Lydia says she had a dream pregnancy, with no morning sickness, where she felt extremely healthy, and was able to exercise every day.

On Sunday May 8, which this year was the date of Mother’s Day, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, with his dad’s blonde hair and blue eyes. He caused his happy parents some consternation, because they had elected not to find out the sex so it would be a surprise; however for some reason they were convinced they were having a girl! This is the second celebrity couple this year to be sure they were having a girl but had a boy; the first was Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom. Lydia and Lauri had a nice long list of girl’s names, but no names for boys picked out.

In the end, they chose a thoroughly Scandinavian name for the blonde baby who Lydia calls her “little Viking”.

Kai is a boy’s name commonly used in Finland, where it means “probably”. This may be a case of an existing name coinciding with a word in a modern language, because Kai could be a short form of Caius, or Kaiser, or Nicolaas, or any number of names. It’s one of those useful and simple names that occur in many different cultures and languages, and all of them ascribe a positive meaning to it, so it’s a truly international name that can travel anywhere. It’s currently #85 in Lydia’s home state of Victoria, and February 16 is the name day for Kai in Finland.

Erik is even more recognisable as a Scandinavian name. It’s derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr, and the first element ei either means “single, alone”, or “ever, eternal”. The second element ríkr either means “ruler, prince”, or “powerful, rich”. It’s therefore interpreted to mean “only ruler”, “eternal ruler”, “eternal power”, or something along those lines.

It’s a name that has been heavily used in the royal houses of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the most famous to us being Eiríkr Thorvaldsson, commonly known as Erik the Red. Exiled for three years from his home in Iceland after committing a few murders when neighbourhood disputes got slightly heated, Erik spent the time productively by exploring a little-known land mass to the west.

Showing good sales tactics, he decided to call this country “Greenland” in order to suggest it was rich and fertile; much as modern-day land developers name estates built on reclaimed swamp Gumnut Rise, to suggest it was once a hillside covered with trees, rather than the more accurate Muddy Flatland. To be fair, Greenland is green in bits, at certain times of the year.

When he returned home to Iceland, he spent the winter telling everyone about this fantastic place Greenland, to such good effect that he was able to persuade many people to become the first settlers in the new land. Whether it was quite as good as the brochures or not, the colonies eventually thrived, and Erik became head chieftain of Greenland, enjoying a wealth and respect he hadn’t attained in Iceland.

Erik remained a follower of Norse paganism all his life, but his son Leif Erikson was a convert to Christianity, and the first Viking to explore a country called Vinland, thought to be part of the west coast of Canada. Erik decided at the last moment not to accompany his children on the expedition to Vinland due to a bad omen that occurred on the way (falling off his horse), so he remained safely at home, where he shortly afterwards died in an epidemic brought over by some immigrants from Iceland. Maybe that’s what the omen was trying to tell him about, or perhaps it just means that when your time’s up, it’s up, whether you go or stay.

You may also know this name from Terry Jones’ movie Erik the Viking, starring Tim Robbins. It’s a Pythonesque satire on Viking life, and has nothing to do with Erik the Red, but it does help remind us that Erik is a Viking name.

I won’t pretend Kai and Erik are my favourite names ever (not that I don’t like them), but I am completely loving this name combination. It’s a fantastic way to give Kai a Finnish name that is also popular in Australia and doesn’t sound in the least out of place. I also think Kai Lassila just sounds perfect. A big thumbs up from me!

Waltzing With … Mary

07 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by in Waltzing with ...

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A050199_246x550This blog post was first published on August 7 2011, and revised and updated on August 13 2015.

Famous Namesake
Tomorrow is the solemnity of Saint Mary of the Cross, otherwise known as Saint Mary MacKillop. It’s a special day for Australian Catholics, because Mary MacKillop is the only Australian to have ever been canonised as a saint.

Born in 1842, she was a nun who founded the order of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, as well as several schools and welfare organisations across South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. She had a special interest in educating the poor, especially in rural areas, but the Josephites also cared for parentless and neglected children, unmarried mothers, women escaping domestic violence, the elderly, and the dying, as well as prisoners and juvenile delinquents. The Josephites did not live in convents, but amongst the community, living as they did, and sharing their hard lives. The brown habits they wore gave them the very Australian nickname, “The Brown Joeys”.

Church politics often caused her stress, including a period of a few months when she was excommunicated for speaking out against child sex abuse within the church. During this time, she lived with a Jewish family and was sheltered by Jesuit priests. There was also an ugly smear campaign against her, including accusations that she was a drunkard. In fact, in an age where pain medication options were limited, she took alcohol on doctor’s orders for severe menstrual pain that left her bedridden for days each month.

Even during her lifetime, Mary MacKillop was regarded as a saint for her holiness and charitable works, and after she died on August 8 1909, people took earth from around her grave as a relic, until her remains were placed in a vault in a memorial chapel in Sydney, paid for by an admiring Presbyterian friend.

In 1925 the long process of having Mary MacKillop declared a saint was begun; she was beatified in 1995, and canonised on October 17 2010. She is the patron saint of Australia, and of the city of Brisbane.

Whatever your beliefs, it’s hard not to admire Mary MacKillop for her altruism and determination. She was greatly beloved by the poor, and accepted by the Aboriginal community as one of themselves. She was a fiery-tempered yet affectionate Scottish redhead with big blue eyes who believed in social justice and equality for all, and whose catchphrase was, “Never see a need without doing something about it”.

Name Information
Mary has long been a favourite for girls, due to it being the name of the mother of Jesus. In fact, there are a confusing number of women named Mary in the New Testament, because it was a name used in the royal family of Judea at the time, and extremely common. Mary is an English translation of the Latin and Greek forms of the Hebrew name Miryam.

The original Miryam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron in the Old Testament. It was she who hid Moses in the bullrushes when he was a baby to save his life, and then watched the Pharaoh’s daughter discover and adopt him. She cleverly suggested to this adoptive mother that she hire Miryam’s mother as a nurse, so that Moses was raised within his own family.

As Miryam was born in Egypt, it’s been suggested that her name comes from the Egyptian word for “love” or “beloved”, or even possibly from the Egyptian name Meritamen, meaning “beloved of Amun” – Amun being the chief god of the Egyptians. So this name, now seen as very Christian, may have ancient pagan roots.

Although Mary is a traditional English name, it didn’t become widely used in Britain until after the Conquest, when the Normans introduced the idea of using names of saints as personal names; before that, they were seen as too holy for an ordinary person to bear. It was introduced in the Latin form Maria and the French form Marie; only as the Middle Ages came to an end did Mary became standard.

The name gained royal credentials, with Mary I the first woman to successfully claim the throne of England, and rule as a king as well as queen – she was known as Bloody Mary for her brutal persecution of Protestants. Several kings had queens named Mary, and Mary, Queen of Scots, was an attractive and romantic figure who earns admiration for the brave manner she faced imprisonment and execution. Queen Mary II, of William and Mary fame, was named after her. Australia has its own royal Mary – Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, born Mary Donaldson in Hobart.

Mary was the #1 name of the 1900s and 1910s, and remained in the Top 10 until the 1940s. It left the Top 50 in 1971, and the Top 100 in 1995. Since then, it has remained relatively stable, and is apparently not far out of the Top 100. That makes Mary a very safe choice – a classic name still in common and regular use without being popular.

Mary was even more popular in the US, remaining at #1 from the late 19th century to the early 1960s – a really staggering run of hypersuccess. It left the Top 10 in the 1970s, and the Top 50 in the early 2000s, dropping off the Top 100 in 2009. It is currently #120 and stable, a similar popularity to here.

In the UK, Mary was the #1 name from the middle of the 19th century to the 1920s, and remained in the Top 10 until the 1960s. It left the Top 50 during the 1970s, and was out of the Top 100 by the middle of the 1990s. Mary has fallen slightly faster in the UK than here or in the US, and is now #244, although still relatively stable. The only country where Mary is still popular is Ireland, where it is #81 and falling steadily.

Mary is gracious enough to be at ease in every level of society, as suitable for a saint or a princess as it is for a scientist or a politician, a soprano or a photographer, a sportswoman or a pilot. While it’s unlikely that your daughter will ever be a saint or a princess, it’s nice to think that if she does, her name will sound just fine with either title in front of it.

This is a timeless classic which sounds wonderful whatever your age, from wee baby Mary to great-grandma Mary. It’s short and simple without seeming cutesy or insubstantial, and is strong, wholesome, dignified, and completely unpretentious. As Australian author P.L. Travers taught us in Mary Poppins, it’s a name that carries just a hint of magic and mystery, and is practically perfect in every way!

POLL RESULT
Mary received an excellent approval rating of 85%, making it one of the highest-rated names of 2011. 34% of people loved the name Mary, and only 5% hated it.

Boys Names That Only Chart in Australia

31 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

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Campbell

This is a Scottish surname, which was originally a Gaelic nickname, Caimbeul, meaning “wry, twisted or crooked mouth”. A p was later added to the spelling in the belief the name was from the French for “beautiful field”. I suppose that meaning seemed a lot more appealing. The Clan Campbell was one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans, and the chief of the clan became Duke of Argyll. There are many prominent Australians with this surname. Campbell is #60 in Tasmania, which is very proud of its Scottish heritage, and has a historic town called Campbell. Campbell is on the US Top Top 1000, but only as a girl’s name. As a boy’s name, it has appeared only sporadically, peaked in 1885 at #700, and hasn’t been seen there since 2005.

Darcy

An English surname, from a French place name meaning “town of the bear”, which was introduced by the Normans as the surname of one of William the Conqueror’s barons. It can also be interpreted as an anglicised form of a Gaelic surname meaning “son of the dark one”, and this is a more likely origin in Australia. Although romantics cannot help connecting this to Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the most famous Australian with this surname is probably Les Darcy, the folk hero boxer. There are a number of notable Australian men called Darcy, including D’Arcy Niland, the roving novelist, Darcy Ward, the motorcyclist, Darcy Lussick, the rugby league player, and Darcy Dugan, the notorious bank robber. As you can see, although Darcy is unisex, it’s a very manly name here, and only Top 100 for boys. It’s #94 in New South Wales, #57 in Victoria, #97 in South Australia, #75 in Tasmania and #54 in the ACT. Darcy as a male name hasn’t been on the US Top 1000 since 1970, and it peaked in 1968 at #868.

Eamon

The Irish form of Edmund, this is pronounced AY-muhn. It’s use today is probably influenced by the sprint swimmer Eamon Sullivan (pictured). An Olympic athlete, Eamon is not only a good-looking underwear model, he also proved he was a fantastic cook by winning Celebrity Master Chef. Little wonder that he then went on to claim Cleo‘s Bachelor of the Year Contest. It’s #71 in the ACT, and has never charted in another country.

Flynn

An Irish surname meaning “son of Flann”; the name Flann means “red” and was the name of a 9th century Irish king. In Australia, it’s most strongly associated with the Tasmanian-born Hollywood film legend, Erroll Flynn. His name was bestowed upon Disney prince Flynn Rider in honour of Erroll Flynn, as the character has much in common with the actor. As this name has been given to Miranda Kerr and Orlando’s Bloom’s son, Flynn Christopher Bloom, I can see it gaining further in popularity. It’s #94 in Victoria, #79 in Tasmania and #80 in the ACT. It’s never charted in another country.

Hamish

This is the anglicised form of Seumas, which is the Scottish form of James; it’s pronounced HAY-mish. Its current popularity is almost certainly due to a well-known comedian who stars on both radio and television, called Hamish Blake. Multi-award winning, he was recently voted the most recognisable celebrity, and will be included in this year’s issue of Who’s Who. The name is #60 in New South Wales, #49 in Victoria, #45 in South Australia, #28 in Tasmania and #34 in the ACT. Hamish only just made it onto the list – it’s only recently left the Top 100 for Scotland.

Jai

A Hindi name which means “victory”, it can apparently be pronounced either JAY or JY. Jai has been in use in Australia since the 1970s. Jai Abberton is a former pro surfer who is a member of the notorious Bra Boys Gang. Jai Koutrae is an actor who’s appeared in several popular soap operas. Jai Ayoub plays rugby for Western Harbour. Jai Larkan is the lead singer of folk-rock band, The Wishing Well. Jai Taurima is a retired athlete who won silver at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Lots of guys called Jai! It’s currently #98 in Victoria and #95 in South Australia. It only ever seems to have charted in Australia.

Jed

The short form of the Hebrew name Jedidiah, which means “beloved of Yahweh”. In the Bible, this was a term of endearment given to King Solomon by the prophet Nathan. In use in Australia since the 1980s, there are a number of athletes with this name, including AFL player Jed Adcock (who this year welcomed a daughter named Lily Rose). There’s also some rock singers with the name Jed, including Jed Kurzel, who did the music for the film Snowtown. It’s #99 in Tasmania, whose rural population seems suited to the rustic charms of this name. Jed was on the US Top 1000 from 1947-1989; it peaked in 1978 at #481.

Lachlan

This is a Highland Scottish name from the Gaelic Lochlann, which was used as a nickname for someone from Norway – “the land of the lochs (lakes)”. It’s pronounced LOHK-luhn. There was a strong relationship between the neighbouring lands of Norway and Scotland during the Middle Ages, as both battled for control of the Western Isles of Scotland. There were diplomatic missions between the two nations, and even intermarriage between the royal houses. The name Lachlan has a long history in Australia, owing much to Lachlan Macquarie, a British military officer from the Hebrides who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1810-21, in the period when it was transitioning from a penal colony to a free settlement. He therefore played a major role in the shaping of Australian society, and his liberal views toward ex-convicts and lavish expenditure on public works had a great impact on New South Wales. There are 30 places in Australia named after him, and 6 named after his wife, Elizabeth; on his tomb in Scotland he is called “The Father of Australia”. (American readers may be interested to know that he fought very successfully during the American War of Independence – on the British side of course). When media magnate Rupert Murdoch chose Lachlan as his eldest son’s name, he was perhaps drawing on his own Scottish heritage and honouring a great man from Australian history. Forty years later, this name is still going strong, and there is another generation of well-known Lachlans giving it new impetus, such as soap actor Lachlan Buchanan, and fullback for the Penrith panthers, Lachlan Coote. The name is #6 in New South Wales, #13 in Victoria, #5 in South Australia, #5 in Queensland, #12 in Tasmania and #3 in the ACT. It’s never charted in any other country.

Nate

A short form of Nathan, which is a Hebrew name from the verb “to give”; it can be interpreted as “given”, in the sense that God has given a child. Less persnickety baby name sites often interpret it as meaning “gift”, or “gift from God”, which is a more user-friendly way of putting it. The short form has proved very popular here recently, and I can’t help wondering if that’s partly because Australian baby name sites sometimes list Nate as meaning “little gift”, which I think is taking looseness of interpretation a bit far! Nate has a similar level of popularity to Nathan, and if you’re wondering why I don’t mention Nathaniel as a source of Nate, that’s because it’s not well enough known here to have a nickname yet. A famous Nate is Nate Myles, who plays for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. It’s #60 in Victoria, #52 in South Australia, #44 in Western Australia, #58 in Tasmania and #50 in the ACT. It’s never charted in any other country.

Taj

An Arabic name meaning “crown”, it’s probably best known from the Taj Mahal in India, the name meaning “crown of buildings”. Taj Burrow is an Australian surfer, and as he’s from Western Australia, it’s not surprising that the name is #42 in that state. Taj has only been on the US Top 1000 twice, in 1976 and 1998, and never got higher than #951.

Zac

The short form of Zachary, the English form of Hebrew name Zechariah, meaning “Yahweh remembers”. In the New Testament, Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist. This seems to have done particularly well as a full name here. It’s been around long enough to have some famous Zacs already, such as Zac Dawson, who plays for St Kilda in the AFL, and Zac Drayson, an actor on the popular soap opera, Home and Away. American actor Zac Efron probably isn’t doing it any harm either. Early this year, V8 ute racer Craig Dontas named his second son Zac Michael. It’s #76 in New South Wales, #52 in Victoria, #77 in South Australia and #80 in Tasmania. It hasn’t charted in any other country.

Close But No Cigar

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

Angus – #75 in Scotland

Archie – #24 in England/Wales, #43 in Scotland

Reuben – #67 in N. Ireland, #71 in England/Wales

Tom – #10 in France, #18 in Belgium, #38 in Netherlands, #62 in Ireland, #93 in N Ireland

Harvey – #47 in England/Wales

NOTE

Please also read Girls Names That Only Chart in Australia, as it contains information relevant to this blog entry. Since then, the 2010 list for England/Wales has been released.

Famous Name: Cadel

25 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in Famous Names

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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

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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

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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)

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

17 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Celebrity Baby Names

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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!

Midweek Sibset: The Gender-Neutral Sibset

06 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by in Sibsets in the News

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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

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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

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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)