Fresh Names For Boys

01 Sunday Nov 2015

Tags

American names, angel names, Aramaic names, Biblical names, celebrity baby names, english names, European name popularity, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Greek names, hebrew names, imperial names, Latin names, literary names, locational names, modern names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, names from films, names from television, names of bands, New Zealand name popularity, nicknames, papal names, Puritan names, Romani names, saints names, Spanish names, surname names, UK name popularity, US name popularity

An audit of Featured Names on the site has revealed there are less boys names than girls, so I’m going to cover two lots of boys names this month to give them a chance to catch up. These names seem “fresh” because they don’t have a history of charting in Australia, aren’t popular, and are rising in other countries. They are ones to keep an eye on!

Arlo
May be a variant of the surname Arlow, a corruption of Harlow. Arlo is the Anglicised form of Aherlow, and the Glen of Aherlow is a picture-postcard valley in Ireland. Its name comes from the Irish eathralach, meaning “between two highlands”, as the valley is nestled between major peaks in the Galtee Mountains. The name became part of English literature when Edmund Spenser used Arlo Hill as a place name in his poem The Faerie Queene; Spenser’s estate in Ireland was near the Glen of Aherlow. Arlo has been used as a boy’s name since the 18th century, and originated in the United States: I think probably from Arlow, used at the same time, and in a couple of records the person is listed as both Arlow and Arlo. One of the its most famous namesakes is folk singer Arlo Guthrie, although you may also think of street skater Arlo Eisenberg, and agent Arlo Glass from TV series 24. Around the 200s in Australia, Arlo is climbing steeply in both the US and UK, and is already popular in New Zealand. Arlo fits in with the trends for an AR sound and O-ending, and being chosen for their sons by both Toni Colette and Kasey Chambers can only have helped.

Bodhi
In Buddhism, bodhi is the deep understanding gained about the true nature of reality; this understanding is part of the Buddha’s liberation on the path to Nirvana. It literally means “awakened” in Sanskrit and Pali, but is often translated as “enlightenment”. The great spiritual teacher Gautama Buddha is said to have attained bodhi while sitting under a sacred fig tree in India, now known as the Bodhi Tree, and Bodhi Day is celebrated by Buddhists on December 8. Bodhi has been used as a personal name since the 20th century, with a surge of interest in the 1970s, when all things Eastern became trendy. The name received a notable outing in the 1991 cult film Point Break, with Patrick Swayve as a rebel surf leader named Bodhi. The film ends at Bells Beach in Victoria, which may help explain why Bodhi is such a favourite in Australia, and around the 200s. It is much rarer in other countries, but climbing steeply in both the UK and US. Apart from the spiritual meaning, Bodhi fits in with names like Beau and Brody. Chosen for his son by actor Cameron Daddo, this is a relaxed surf-friendly name.

Casper
A form of the name Jasper, which has a huge number of European spelling variants. It’s been in use since the Middle Ages, when it was most common in Central Europe. Today Casper is a popular name in The Netherlands and Scandinavia, and rising briskly in the UK, where it is in the 200s. It is around the 400s here, and would make a great alternative to popular Jasper – especially as Casper the Friendly Ghost is no longer much of an issue.

Djanjo
Nickname of the great French jazz guitarist, born Jean Reinhardt. Reinhardt was of Romani descent, and his nickname means “I awake” in the Romani language”: it is pronounced JANG-go. There was a revival of interest in his “gypsy jazz”sound in the 1960s, and Django’s musical influence can barely be overstated; he has been an inspiration to generations of guitarists. His music has been used in movie soundtracks, and Djanjo himself is a character in Martin Scorcese’s Hugo, while being referenced in other films. Djanjo is the main character in a popular series of spaghetti Westerns, and got a reboot in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, with Jamie Foxx as freed slave Djanjo Freeman. Django isn’t common in any country, but has been rising in the UK since Tarantino’s 2012 film. Cool and on trend, this is a musical name with a cowboy vibe.

Ezra
In the Old Testament, Ezra was a scribe and priest, and according to Jewish tradition is credited with introducing several of the main aspects of Jewish law and teachings. This makes him a greatly respected figure in Judaism, and also in Islam and Christianity. His name is translated as “help”, although it may be a contraction of the Hebrew name Azaryahu, meaning “God helps”. Ezra has been in use as an English name since since at least the 16th century, and has been more common in the US; a famous namesake is the American poet Ezra Pound, and it’s referenced in the name of rock band Better Than Ezra. Ezra is around the 300s here, but is rising steeply in the US and UK; it is only just outside the US Top 100. This is becoming an increasingly hip choice.

Micah
In the Old Testament, Micah was a prophet of Israel. His name looks a lot like Michael, and has a similar meaning: “who is like Yahweh?”, while Michael means “who is like God?” (in both cases, it it is rhetorical, as nobody is God’s equal). Micah’s prophecies became especially relevant to Christians, as one was interpreted as meaning the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and Jesus referred to the Book of Micah several times in his teachings. Because of this, the prophet is regarded as a saint, and the name Micah has been used since the 17th century, introduced by the Puritans. Micah is around the 100s here, and is even more popular in the US, although not so common in the UK. The name has become a favourite in horror and fantasy works, and will appeal to people who like Michael, but want something with a more contemporary feel.

Rafael
From the Hebrew name Rafa’el meaning “God heals”; the name is often spelled Raphael, with Rafael most common in Spanish-speaking countries. In Jewish tradition, Raphael is one of the seven archangels, and mentioned in the Old Testament. He is an angel of healing and protection from demons, and venerated in Christianity and Islam as well as Judaism. Regarded as a saint in Catholicism, St Raphael is the patron of pilgrims and travellers, as well as of medical workers. The name Rafael has been in use since the Middle Ages and was common in Spain. A well-known contemporary namesake is Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal. Rafael is around the 100s here, and in the 200s in the US and UK. It is a popular name in Europe, especially in Portugal, and is rising in France and Switzerland. Romantic and with strong, positive associations, this comes with the obvious nicknames Raf and Rafe.

Roman
Derived from the Latin name Romanus, which simply means “a Roman” to signify a man from Rome or a citizen of the Roman Empire. There are a number of saints named Romanus, including an early martyr, as well as a pope and several Byzantine emperors. The name is particularly associated with Russia and Eastern Europe, as there were quite a few Russian, Romanian, and Bulgarian leaders named Roman. However use of the name was internationally quite widespread, and can be found in Spain, Germany, and England from early on. There are two famous film directors with this name: Roman Polanski and Roman Coppola, the son of Francis Ford Coppola. Roman is around the 200s here, and is rising very steeply in the US and UK, only just outside the Top 100 in both countries. Rom- names are on trend, and this is a stylish multicultural choice which was selected for her middle son by Cate Blanchett.

Silas
In the New Testament, Silas was an early Christian leader chosen to be a companion of St Paul. The pair were briefly imprisoned together, until a convenient earthquake broke their chains and burst the prison doors open. Paul refers to him by the Roman name Silvanus, which is from the Latin silva meaning “forest”; in Roman mythology, Silvanus was the god of forests. This would identify Silas as the same person as Saint Silvanus, who was one of the disciples of Jesus; tradition says he became a bishop and died a martyr. If so, Silas could be a nickname, or understood as a Greek form of Silvanus. However, Silas is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Saul, meaning “asked for, prayed for”, which was also Saint Paul’s birth name. Whether Silas was two people or one is a question for the scholars, but Silas became an English name by at least the 16th century because of this character. Here the name Silas is around the 500s, but it is far more popular in the US, and rising in the UK. In popular culture, it has become associated with villains – the creepy albino monk from The Da Vinci Code, and serial killer Silas Blisset in British soap Hollyoaks. The wicked factor has actually boosted the name’s popularity.

Thaddeus
In the New Testament, the Apostle Jude is usually identified as being the same person as the Apostle Judas Thaddeus, called so to differentiate him from Judas Iscariot. Thaddeus (said THAD-ee-us) seems to be derived from tadda, the Aramaic word for “breast, heart”, perhaps an affectionate nickname in the same way we might say dear heart or bosom buddy. It could also mean “hearty”, to suggest someone strong-hearted or warm-hearted. Perhaps the closest thing in English is the familiar piratical address my hearty, which has connotations of strength and courage, but also loyalty and camaraderie. Sometimes the name is given as Lebbeus, which could come from leb, the Hebrew word for “heart”, and thus be a translation of Thaddeus. Another theory is that it is from Todos, an Aramaic form of the name Theodore, although this fails to explain why the Bible also translates it as Lebbeus. It is unclear whether Judas Thaddeus is the same person as St Thaddeus, said to be one of the disciples of Jesus who was a missionary in Syria. In use as an English name since the 17th century, and given impetus by American Puritans, Thaddeus has a strong history in the United States. It is in the US Top 1000 and rising, and has been rising steeply in the UK since 2013. It’s very rare in Australia, but this is a handsome traditional name with a great meaning – Thad, Tad, Ted, and Teddy are obvious nicknames.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Arlo, Rafael and Casper, and their least favourite were Bodhi, Thaddeus and Djanjo.

(Picture shows a poster for the movie Django Unchained, with helpful pronunciation guide)

Famous Name: Errol Flynn

22 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

aristocratic titles, Disney names, Disney princes, famous namesakes, Irish names, locational names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from films, Old English names, popular names, Scottish names, surname names, Turkish names, Welsh names

Errol Flynn is one of Australia’s most famous actors, even though he died more than 50 years ago, on October 14 1959. Born in Hobart in 1909, he is seen as a particularly Tasmanian export, although in Hollywood he passed himself off as Irish before he became an American citizen (he also said he was a descendant of a Bounty mutineer, which wasn’t true either).

Flynn became an immediate sensation in Hollywood from his very first role – a 17th century pirate in the 1935 film Captain Blood, although other stand out roles were as Fletcher Christian and Robin Hood. He was typecast as a derring-do swashbuckling action hero, famous for his well-choreographed sword fighting scenes. At the height of his career he was one of the most popular actors in America, and was roguishly handsome, with a dashing, debonair, devil-may-care image.

His reputation was as a womaniser, a highly-sexed, caddish, unscrupulous seducer. The expression in like Flynn is said to have been inspired by the ease at which Flynn was able to obtain women, and dates to 1942, when Flynn was up on charges of statutory rape. Accused of raping two 17-year-old girls, Flynn was acquitted by a jury made of mostly of women: during the trial he flirted with a teenager who he went on to respectably marry, after carefully verifying she was over 18.

Flynn was blunt about his proclivities, saying I like my scotch old and my women young. He was tickled enough by the slang expression that he tried to call his autobiography In Like Me, but the publishers changed it to My Wicked, Wicked Ways.

The rape trial didn’t seriously damage Flynn’s reputation, earning a round of backslaps and you-rascal-yous. He did face criticism for not serving in the US military during World War II. The studio kept secret that he had failed his medical, as their supposedly athletic star was in terrible physical shape. He had multiple heart problems, recurrent malaria, chronic back pain, chronic tuberculosis, and a dizzying array of sexually transmitted diseases.

To self-medicate these various ills, he drank heavily, and sometimes used morphine and heroin. When his career went downhill and he lost most of his money, he became old and bloated, sailing around on his yacht developing hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver. However, he still managed to get a 15-year-old mistress to sail around with (Orry-Kelly had been their go-between), and planned to marry her except that she was barely 17 when he died. She never stopped loving him.

Whatever he had – charm, charisma, sex appeal – he never lost it. Controversial to the end, he became a figure of which almost anything could be believed, and biographies have variously suggested that he was a closet bisexual, a Nazi, a Communist, a sexual predator, a paedophile, a murderer, and a drug-runner (the Nazi claim is definitely debunked; the others are unsubstantiated).

Flynn was one of the original Hollywood bad boys, celebrated in film and song, and still making headlines today. Love him or loathe him, he was unforgettable.

ERROL
Scottish surname, usually said to be from the village of Errol in Perthshire, the meaning of whose name is lost in the mists of time. However, the surname came into use late enough as to cast some doubt on this theory, and it may be a corruption of an earlier surname.

Errol has been used as a first name since the 18th century, originating in Scotland. One of the factors helping its use was probably the aristocratic title the Earl of Erroll, in the Scottish peerage since the Middle Ages. Erroll is the older spelling of the village of Errol, and the first Earl was William Hay, who was born in Errol. The title is still in the Hay family.

Errol was #160 in the 1900s when Errol Flynn was born, and peaked in the 1940s at the height of his career – just outside the Top 100 at #103. After the rape trial, the name fell sharply, and left the charts in the 1970s.

The name has been a favourite in the Caribbean, with a famous example being British singer Errol Brown, who was born in Jamaica. The first prime minister of Barbados was Errol Barrow, an enormously popular leader regarded as a hero of his country, although Errol Flynn lived in Jamaica in the 1950s and was a great boost to the island’s tourism.

Errol joined the US Top 1000 in 1936, the year after Errol Flynn’s Hollywood career began. It peaked in 1941 at #355 – the 1942 rape charges may not have killed off his career, but it did damage his brand as a namesake for babies. It hasn’t been in the Top 1000 since 1985, and last year 20 baby boys were named Errol. In the UK, there were 11 baby boys named Errol in 2014, and numbers are actually rising.

Errol is well known to Harry Potter fans as the name of the Weasley family’s owl. J.K. Rowling may have had in mind the Latin word erro, meaning “to go astray, to wander about, to go amiss”, as Errol is a feeble old owl who often gets lost while delivering the Weasley’s mail. It’s the basis for the English word error.

Errol seems rather vintage and cool, while still lovably eccentric. It could work well cross-culturally, as its similar to the Old English name Eorl, meaning “earl”, the Welsh name Eryl, meaning “a look out post”, and the Turkish name Erol, meaning “brave”.

FLYNN
Irish surname which is an Anglicised form of Ó Floinn, meaning “son of Flann”; the name Flann means “reddish, ruddy of complexion”.

Flann Fína mac Ossu was a 7th century king of Northumbria who was the son of an Anglo-Saxon king and an Irish princess – his English name was Aldfrith. Flann Sinna was a 9th century High King of Ireland, and there are also medieval Irish poets with the name. Flynn has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, mostly for boys: from the beginning the name was used in Ireland as well as other English-speaking countries.

The name Flynn began charting in the 1990s, and was #342 for the decade, although it made the Top 100 in 1997 at #93. This was the year after Flynn was released, a film about the early life of Errol Flynn with Guy Pearce in the title role. Coincidentally, it was also the year that Sean Flynn, the grandson of Errol Flynn, began his acting career.

In 2001 Flynn was back in the Top 100 at #98 – this was the year after David Bret published a salacious biography about Errol Flynn called Satan’s Angel. It had a burst of popularity in 2004, getting to #73: the year before, Flynn’s 1959 autobiography My Wicked Wicked Ways was republished, and the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood was released on DVD.

The next jump for the name was in 2011, when it got to #51: this was the year after the Disney film Tangled, with the Disney prince Flynn Rider based on Errol Flynn himself, and named in his honour. It was also the same year that model Miranda Kerr chose the name Flynn for her son. The name peaked in 2013 at #32 (the same year that Kerr separated from her husband, British actor Orlando Bloom).

Last year Flynn was #45 nationally, #40 in New South Wales, #38 in Victoria, #34 in Queensland, #40 in Western Australia, #37 in Tasmania, and #42 in the Australian Capital Territory.

Flynn is only popular in Australia and New Zealand – it is #48 and stable across the Tasman. It is #137 in the UK, and has been rising steadily since Tangled and the birth of Flynn Bloom, while in the US it joined the Top 1000 in 2011, and is currently #659 and still rising. It will be interesting to see how it fares in other countries since reaching its peak here.

Flynn is a popular name with a strong Australian connection. Unlike Errol, it has gained a cool Disney namesake and become a celebrity baby name, giving it a significant boost. No longer rising in Australia, Flynn seems to have settled in, perhaps on its way to becoming a modern classic. Handsome, Irish, Australian, on trend, and stable, Flynn seems like a popular yet safe choice.

POLL RESULTS
Errol received an approval rating of 27%. 53% of people weren’t keen on Errol, and 8% loved it.

Flynn did much better, receiving an excellent approval rating of 82%, making it one of the top-rated names of 2015. 44% of people thought Flynn was a good name, while only 4% thought it was a terrible one.

Famous Name: Howard

10 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

aristocratic surnames, dated names, english names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, germanic names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from films, names from television, nicknames, Old English names, Old Norse names, saints names, surname names, UK name popularity, US name popularity, vintage names

Famous Namesakes
On September 24 it will be the 117th birthday of Howard Florey, the Australian scientist who was part of the team which developed penicillin for medical use. Although it was Sir Alexander Fleming who discovered the antibiotic properties of penicillin in 1928, it was Howard Florey and his research team who actually made penicillin into an effective medication.

While Professor of Pathology at Oxford, Howard and his team treated their first patient with penicillin in 1941. A police constable named Albert Alexander had been accidentally scratched with a rose thorn in his mouth, and was now suffering from severe infection, to such an extent that one of his eyes had to be removed. Within a day of receiving penicillin Albert began to recover, but due to the difficulties of making enough penicillin to continue treating him, he relapsed and died.

Let’s just take a moment to think about that. When did you ever hear of someone you knew who died from a scratch from a rose thorn? That was what the world was like before antibiotics – simple things like cuts, abrasions, and burns could kill you in prolonged, painful, and particularly nasty ways. If you somehow survived, you might be left chronically ill, crippled, or missing an eye or a limb.

It was too late to save Albert Alexander, but he hadn’t died in vain. Howard interested pharmaceutical companies in the United States in mass-producing quantities of penicillin, and the first patient was successfully treated for septicemia in 1942. By the end of World War II, penicillin had made a significant difference in saving the lives of wounded Allied forces, and Australia was the first country to make penicillin available for civilian use after the war.

In 1944 Howard was made a Knight Bachelor, and in 1945 shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine with his fellow researcher Sir Ernst Chain, and with Sir Alexander Fleming. That same year he received the Lister Medal for contributions to surgical science, and in 1948 the US awarded him the Medal of Merit. Elected to the Royal Society in 1941, he became its president in 1958. In 1962 he became provost of Queen’s College at Oxford, and the college’s residential Florey Building was named in his honour.

In 1965 he was appointed a life peer, and became Baron Florey, as well as being appointed a Member of the Order of Merit. From that year until his death three years later, he was Chancellor of the Australian National University, and after he died he was given a memorial service at Westminster Abbey. The one thing that his discoveries didn’t bring him was money – he never patented penicillin, being advised that it would be unethical.

The discoveries of Howard Florey, along with Alexander Fleming and Ernst Chain, are estimated to have saved more than 82 million lives. Long-serving Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies said: In terms of world well-being, Florey was the most important man ever born in Australia.

I have particular reason to be grateful to Howard Florey, as one of that club with 82 million members. When I was a child, I contracted a serious lung infection, and only just pulled through, even with the assistance of modern antibiotics. Without them, I would have been toast. So if you enjoy reading this blog, give thanks to Howard Florey! It couldn’t exist without him.

Name Information
The English surname Howard could be derived from Huard or Heward: related to the name Hugh, it combines the Germanic elements hug, meaning “mind, heart, spirit” and hard, meaning “brave, tough”. It could thus be translated as “brave heart”. Another possibility is that it is from Haward, an English form of the Old Norse Hávarðr, meaning “high guardian, chief guardian”. The surname Howard is first found in Norfolk.

The Howards are an aristocratic family which have been in the English Peerage since the 15th century, and remain the Premier Dukes of the Realm. The Howard family holds the Dukedom of Norfolk, as well as numerous earldoms and baronies. They hold the title of Earl Marshal, the highest hereditary position in the United Kingdom outside the Royal Family, responsible for organising coronations, state funerals, and the State Opening of Parliament.

The family’s founder was John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk: on his father’s side he was descended from King John, and on his mother’s from King Edward I. John Howard was the great-grandfather of two English queens: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both married to King Henry VIII. Queen Elizabeth I was the first English monarch to be descended from John Howard, and Queen Elizabeth II the first British monarch to be one of his descendants.

After the English Reformation, many of the Howards remained in the Catholic faith, and they are still the highest profile Catholic family in England. Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, has been canonised as a saint and martyr: he was imprisoned for ten years by his second cousin Queen Elizabeth I, and died in the Tower of London. Philip’s grandson William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, was falsely implicated in a fictitious conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II, and executed: he has been beatified as a Catholic martyr.

The Howards dubiously claim descent from Hereward the Wake, a semi-legendary hero who led a resistance against the Normans after the Conquest. Hereward is an Old English name meaning “guardian of the army”. A possibly dodgy old pedigree says the Howards are descended from the Howarth family of Yorkshire – this surname means either “homestead on the hill” or “homestead with hawthorn hedges”. Howard has been used as a boy’s name since at least the 16th century, most likely due to the aristocratic family.

Famous namesakes include Howard Carter, the British archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb; classic film director Howard Hawks; and eccentric tycoon Howard Hughes. Fictional Howards tends to be dads (such as Howard Cunningham on Happy Days, Howard “Ward” Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver, and Howard Stark, the father of Iron Man superhero Tony Stark), or offbeat (like Howard the Duck, Howard Wolowitz from The Big Bang Theory, and Howard Moon from The Mighty Boosh).

In Australia, Howard was #122 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1940s at #101; it hasn’t charted since the 1980s. In the UK, Howard was in the Top 100 from the late 19th century until the 1920s, but never got very high; in 2013 there were 16 babies named Howard born in England/Wales. The name has been much more popular in the United States: it was in the Top 100 from the late 19th century to 1958, peaked during World War I at #25, and has only been off the Top 1000 once, in 2013; it returned last year and is currently #986.

Howard is a dated name, although it has never been popular and might more properly be described as vintage. It sounds sturdy and dependable, has a good meaning, and can be shortened to either Howie or Ward. An issue in Australia is that it’s strongly associated with former conservative Prime Minister John Howard, whose term was from 1996 to 2007, often called the Howard Years or Howard Era; it may not be pure coincidence that the name disappeared from the charts in the 1980s when John Howard was Federal Treasurer.

POLL RESULTS
Howard received an approval rating of 51%. 18% of people thought the name Howard was too dated, while 16% were put off the name by former prime minister John Howard. However, 14% saw it as old-fashioned yet charming.

(Picture shows a scene from the 2009 film Breaking the Mould, with Dominic West as Howard Florey)

Famous Names: Bronwyn and Dolores

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

controversial names, dated names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Harry Potter names, Marian titles, modern names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, names from films, nicknames, Spanish names, UK name popularity, US name popularity, Welsh names

Famous Namesake
Bronwyn Bishop resigned as Speaker of the House two days ago, after a furore over her use of travel allowances. Usually when someone is caught out abusing the system they quickly hand in their notice and quietly slip away before too many questions can be raised. However Ms Bishop refused to admit she had done anything wrong and resisted all pressure to resign for three weeks, which meant we had plenty of time to hear about her extravagant travel expenses.

They included a $6000 private flight from Sydney to Nowra for a Liberal party fundraiser, and more than $1000 on a limo so she could attend a theatre premiere in her home city. There was also the $600 return flight to attend colleague Sophie Mirabella’s wedding in Albury, and $130 000 spent on overseas travel to Europe and Asia, including $1000 a day on private limos.

The one that really left people gobsmacked was a $5000 chartered helicopter to take her from Melbourne to a Liberal party fundraiser in Geelong and back – a trip which takes only about an hour each way by road. Referred to as Choppergate, this was the scandal that brought Ms Bishop down. She wasn’t a first-timer at this: in the 1980s she once hired a helicopter at taxpayer’s expense to transport her from a fete to a dog show.

Ironically, back in the 1990s Bronwyn Bishop rose to fame as the face of public accountability when she was on the Senate estimates and joint public accounts committee. This sounds dull and usually was – an assessment of government departments and where they spent their appropriations. Under Bishop, committee meetings became virtual show trials where senior public servants were routinely interrogated, hectored, and taunted for their spending habits.

When Bronwyn Bishop was appointed Speaker in 2013, the Opposition described her as Dolores Umbridge, after the infamous headmistress from the Harry Potter series. This didn’t refer to a penchant for hair ribbons or interest in fluffy kittens, but indicated a fear she was to be a corrupt tool of government. This turned out to be not unfounded, for in her term of office Ms Bishop showed considerable bias, ejecting 393 Opposition members from the house, but only 7 of her own party.

Bronwyn Bishop was appointed to the role of Speaker by the Prime Minister, who describes her as a close personal friend, and himself as her ideological love child. This has turned out to be yet another damaging captain’s call, and no doubt the next Speaker will be the choice of his party.

It’s been a spectacular fall from grace for the longest-serving woman in Parliament, who once boasted she would be a future Prime Minister. Now the Prime Minister admits her parliamentary career is at an end.

BRONWYN
Bronwyn is a variant of Bronwen, a modern Welsh name meaning “white breasted, fair breasted”. The meaning is possibly less important than the fact it is very similar to the medieval Welsh name Branwen, meaning “fair raven”; in Welsh legend, Branwen was the sister of Brân the Blessed. Both Bronwen and Bronwyn have been used since the 19th century.

There is a popular notion that Bronwyn is the masculine form of Bronwen, since in Welsh the suffix -wyn is usually attached to masculine names. In fact, you can get into some quite nasty arguments about it on baby name forums, with angry people telling you that you have ignorantly given your daughter Bronwyn a specifically male name.

However if you look at the records, Bronwyn was always used as a girl’s name in Wales right from the start, with the -wyn spelling just a variant, not an indication of gender. Interestingly, the few examples of men named Bronwyn I found, dating from the 20th century, were all from outside Wales. I suspect their parents read up on the Welsh language and “corrected” Bronwyn from feminine to masculine, possibly being a bit too clever in the process and giving their sons a traditionally female name.

While Bronwen was originally by far the more common spelling in the 19th century, Bronwyn overtook it in the 20th. It was popularised by the 1941 film How Green Was My Valley, with Anna Lee in the role of Bronwyn, the narrator’s sister-in-law that he loves. The film is based on the 1939 novel by author Richard Llewellyn, and is set in a Welsh mining village. In the book the sister-in-law’s name is Bronwen, and I’m not sure why Hollywood decided to spell her name with a Y. Perhaps they thought it looked more feminine.

The name Bronwyn first joined the charts in the 1940s, coinciding with the release of the film; it made its debut at #143. (Bronwyn Bishop was born in 1942, the year after the film came out). By the 1950s it had joined the Top 100 and peaked in 1964 at #53. It left the Top 100 in 1980, and hasn’t charted since the late 2000s.

For some reason, Bronwyn has only been popular in Australia: it doesn’t seem to have ever been a Top 100 name in the UK, and has never even charted in the US. In 2013, there were 23 baby girls named Bronwyn in England/Wales, and last year there were 49 baby girls named Bronwyn in the US. Numbers of Bronwyns seem fairly stable in both countries.

Bronwen has never charted in Australia. In the UK in 2013 Bronwens and Bronwyns were roughly equal (21 babies named Bronwen), while in the US there were 6 Bronwens, a lot less popular than Bronwyn.

Although Bronwyn is now a dated name, the sound of it seems to have led to the popularity of similar-sounding Bronte, which joined the Top 100 just as Bronwyn slipped off the charts. Perhaps even the rise of Bonnie owe something to Bronwyn, since a common nickname for Bronwyn is Bronnie.

DOLORES
Dolores is a Spanish name meaning “pain, sorrow”. It is taken from one of the titles of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Senora de Dolores, or Our Lady of Sorrows. The title refers to the Seven Sorrows of Mary, which are seven sad events in Mary’s life connected with her son Jesus. They begin with his Presentation in the Temple, and the prophecies made about him, and end with his body being placed in the tomb.

The feast day for Our Lady of Sorrows began in the Middle Ages, and was originally the third Sunday after Easter; today it is September 15. It’s possible that the name Dolores was first given to girls born around this feast day, although I can’t find any evidence for this.

The feast was rarely celebrated until the 16th century, and by the 17th century Dolores had become a common name in Spanish-speaking countries, although occasionally also used by Catholics in other countries. It came into common use in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, and was a particular favourite with Irish Catholics.

Dolores has never charted in Australia. In the United States, Dolores joined the Top 100 during the 1920s, the era when Mexican actress Dolores del Rio flourished as a Hollywood star. The first Latin American actress to become famous internationally, Dolores was exquisite, elegant, and gracious.

The name left the US Top 100 in the 1940s, after Dolores de Rio was accused of Communism during the McCarthy era, and continued her career in her homeland. The name left the charts in the 1980s, after Dolores del Rio’s death, but Dolores is still remembered as one of the classic Hollywood beauties, and a great lady.

During Ms del Rio’s heyday this name must have been exotic and glamorous, but now seems dated and frumpy. The evil Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter has not helped its image: her name was chosen because it sounds similar to the English word dolorous, which can be understood as “causing pain or grief” (it has the same Latin source as the name Dolores). However, Lola is a popular pet form of Dolores, and I can see Lolita, Dolly and Lolly becoming fashionable in the future.

Two names connected with Hollywood beauties which have fallen from favour, but are probably more influential on current trends that we give them credit for. Which one will score higher, I wonder?

POLL RESULTS
Bronwyn received an approval rating of 44%. 39% of people weren’t keen on the name Bronwyn, while 18% loved it.

Dolores received an even lower approval rating of 28%. 40% of people weren’t keen on the name Dolores, while 10% loved it.

(Photo from the ABC website)

Requested Name: Beau

22 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by A.O. in Requested Names

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

english names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from films, names from television, names of bands, New Zealand name popularity, nicknames, popular names, slang terms, surname names, UK name popularity, unisex names, US name popularity

Beau is a French word meaning handsome or attractive: it is the masculine form of belle, and both of these words are from the Latin bellus, meaning “beautiful, pretty, agreeable”. It is directly related to the English word beautiful, and is part of English surnames such as Beauregard (“beautiful view”) or Beaumont (“beautiful mountain”).

You can see Beau as a short form of such surnames, or as directly from the English word beau, which is old-fashioned slang for a man who is a well-dressed dandy, or for a woman’s lover or sweetheart. Both senses of the word go back to the Middle Ages, but it is rare to hear people using these slang terms in everyday modern life.

Some of the most famous namesakes were called Beau as a nickname, to indicate that they were at the very height of fashion. Richard “Beau” Nash was Master of Ceremonies in Bath and Tunbridge Wells in the 18th century, while George “Beau” Brummel was an arbiter of men’s fashions in Regency England, a friend of the future King George IV.

Beau Brummel was famous for his charisma and wit, and his name is synomous with style and masculine good looks. He changed men’s fashions from the wearing of bright colours, lace, jewels, and spangles to elegantly tailored dark clothing with a white shirt – it’s because of him that we consider it “good taste” for a man to dress in an expensively discreet suit.

Both the famous Beaus were middle-class men who had the confidence and personality to mix with the cream of society, and as a direct result, both died in debt (Beau Brummell died raving mad from syphilis, but this has not tarnished his image, just added a tinge of poignancy).

Beau Brummell has inspired several literary portraits, including as a character in Arthur Conan Doyle’s historical novel Rodney Stone. He was also in Georgette Heyer’s Regency Buck, and it became almost de rigeur to include him as a character in regency romances. Recently Beau Brummell has turned detective in a series by Rosemary Stevens, and taken part in homoerotic fiction written by Cecilia Ryan. Beau Brummel has also appeared on stage, radio plays, TV dramas, movies, and an operetta. The latest outing was probably on UK TV in This Charming Man, with James Purefoy as Beau.

The name Beau has been in use since the late 18th century, not long after the death of Beau Nash. Beau Nash was so severely mourned by his former mistress when he died that she supposedly lived in a hollowed out tree on a bale of straw for thirty or forty years: I haven’t the foggiest how that made her feel better, but presume the straw was changed from time to time.

Originally Beau was given fairly equally to boys and girls in Britain, but soon became overwhelmingly male as the name became more common in the United States. Interestingly, this pattern still holds true, as Beau is evenly unisex in the UK, but only charts for boys in the US. In Australia, Beau is usually considered a boy’s name, but you can still encounter the occasional girl named Beau.

In the US, Beau has been in the Top 1000 since the late 1960s. Its appearance then may have been because of the actor Lloyd “Beau” Bridges, the son of Lloyd Bridges. Beau Bridges received his nickname after Ashley Wilkes’ son in Gone With the Wind. During the 1960s Beau Bridges often appeared on his father’s TV show, The Lloyd Bridges Show, and gained parts in TV series such as The Fugitive and Bonanza.

Other 1960s influences were the rock band The Beau Brummells, Roger Moore playing Beau Maverick on the TV show Maverick, and the film Beau Geste, with Guy Stockwell in the title role as an American hero fighting for the French Foreign Legion – his nickname is from the French phrase beau geste, meaning “noble gesture”. In the US, the name Beau is currently #228 and rising.

In the UK, Beau has been in the Top 1000 for boys since at least 1996, and for girls since 2002. Currently Beau is #175 for boys and #169 for girls in the UK, but it is screeching up the charts for girls while staying stable for boys. Furthermore, if you include names like Bo, and double names like Beau-Lily, there are even more girls called Beau in the UK, so this seems to be in pink territory in Britain.

In Australia, Beau joined the charts in the 1970s at #261, and first joined the Top 100 in 1986 at #85. It made the Top 50 in 2011 and 2012 (at #50 and #40), but other than that has been steadily in the bottom half of the Top 100, or just below the Top 100. That makes it a good choice for someone who wants a name that is common, without ever having been highly popular.

Currently Beau is #80 nationally, #61 in New South Wales, #70 in Queensland, #88 in Tasmania, and #48 in the Australian Capital Territory. It has just dropped off the Top 100 in Victoria, and the Top 50 in Western Australia.

The name Beau is more popular in Australia than anywhere else in the world, although it is also Top 100 in New Zealand. Once of the factors in its success is probably the number of sportsmen named Beau, such as cricketer Beau Casson, AFL footballers Beau Maister and Beau Waters, and rugby union footballer Beau Robinson, who plays for the Queensland Reds.

However it is in rugby league that the name Beau really shines, boasting Beau Champion from the Parramatta Eels, Beau Falloon from the Gold Coast Titans, Beau Henry who has just left the Titans to play in the NSW Cup, Beau Scott from the Newcastle Knights, and Beau Ryan, who has retired from the Cronulla Sharks and become a comedian – his segment Beau Knows on the NRL Footy Show a reference to Nike’s Bo Knows ad campaign with American footballer Vincent “Bo” Jackson.

Non-sporting Australian Beaus include actor Beau Brady, who was on Home and Away for several years, and Beau Brooks, from online comedy group The Janoskians.

With Beau you get a simple no-fuss name with a very attractive meaning that is cute on a little boy and rather romantic or even sexy on a grown man. For centuries the name has been associated with masculine taste and style, and it sounds handsome and charming. Although unisex in other places, it is solidly masculine and even sporty in Australia, and has been in the Top 100 for decades without ever becoming highly popular. There is plenty to love about sweetheart Beau!

Thank you to Renee for suggesting Beau be featured on Waltzing More Than Matilda, a name she is considering using.

POLL RESULTS
Beau received an approval rating of 72%. People saw the name Beau as adorable on a little boy and charming on a grown man (18%), and either cute or handsome (15%). However, 13% thought it was too nicknamey for a formal name. 5% found the connection to the old slang meanings of beau a turn off. Only one person thought the name Beau was too popular.

(Picture shows James Purefoy as Beau Brummell in This Charming Man)

From William to Oliver: Life Cycles of the #1 Boys Names in New South Wales

12 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by A.O. in Naming Issues

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

celebrity baby names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, name data, name popularity, names from films, popular names

William 1900s and 2009-2013
Was the #1 name of the 1900s (previous history unknown, but in the UK was #1 for the second half of the 19th century). Left the Top 10 in the 1950s, sinking to its lowest level in 1980 at #50. The name began rising after the birth of Prince William in 1982, and reached the Top 10 in 1997 (the year of Princess Diana’s death, putting her eldest son in the public eye). The name went to #1 during William’s courtship of Catherine Middleton, remaining there during the years of their engagement, wedding, and the birth of their first child. Currently #2. William is the overall #1 name of the twentieth century.

John 1910s, 1920s, 1930s and 1940s
Was #2 in the 1900s, and the #1 name of the following four decades (previous history unknown, but in the UK was stable in the Top 10 for the second half of the 19th century). Left the Top 10 in 1972, and the Top 50 in 2001. It reached its lowest level in 2010 at #100, but then rose again. Currently #93. John is the overall #1 boys’ name in Australian history.

Peter 1950s and 1960-1961
Was #64 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 50 in the 1920s. Top 10 by the 1930s, it was the #1 name of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s; this correlates with the career highlights of British-Australian actor Peter Finch, who starred in A Town Like Alice and The Shirralee. Left the Top 10 in 1982 and the Top 50 in 1997. Left the Top 100 in 2007. 2011 position was #125.

David 1962-1970
Was #28 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 10 in the 1940s – rise coincides with the 1935 film version of David Copperfield, with Freddie Bartholomew as the young David, and the beginning of actor David Niven’s career. The #1 boys’ name for nine years, David was the overall #1 name of the 1960s. It left the Top 10 in 1990 and the Top 50 in 2004. Currently #92.

Jason 1971-1973
First charted in the 1950s at #290, the decade that the popular Italian film Hercules was released, with Fabrizio Mioni in the role of Jason. Joined the Top 100 in 1964 at #97, the year after the release of classic fantasy film Jason and the Argonauts, starring Todd Armstrong as Jason. Reached the Top 50 in 1966, and the Top 10 in 1970 (it may amuse some readers that Kylie and Jason were #1 in the same year, 1973). Left the Top 10 in 1978, the Top 50 in 1999, and the Top 100 in 2006. 2011 position was #133.

Michael 1974-1981 and 1983
Was #44 in the 1900s and joined the Top 10 in the 1940s. Was #1 for nine years, and the overall #1 boys’ name of the 1970s. It was paired with Michelle, the #1 girls’ name of that decade, making them the most similar boy and girl #1 names until Oliver and Olivia last year. Left the Top 10 in 1997. Currently #46.

Matthew 1982-1987 and 1989-1991
Was #89 in the 1900s, falling to its lowest level in the 1940s at #161. It rose again in the 1950s, and by 1960 was #63. It joined the Top 50 in 1961 and the Top 10 in 1971, spending nine years in total at #1, and was the overall #1 boys’ name of the 1980s. Left the Top 10 in 2006. Currently #44.

Daniel 1988
Was #58 in the 1900s, falling to its lowest level in the 1930s at #116. By the 1940s it had returned to the Top 100, and by 1960 was #72. Joined the Top 50 in 1967, and the Top 10 in 1974. Left the Top 10 in 2007. Currently #25.

Joshua 1992-1996 and 1998-2003
First charted in the 1960s at #283. Joined the Top 100 in 1971 at #78, and was in the Top 50 by 1975. Joined the Top 10 in 1982, spending eleven years in total at #1. Not only the overall #1 boys’ name of the 1990s, it is the longest-serving #1 boys’ name since 1960. Left the Top 10 in 2013. Currently #17.

Jack 1997 and 2004-2008
Was #24 in the 1900s, falling to its lowest level in the 1960s at #277. Rejoined the Top 100 in 1986 at #88 (a year after rocker Ozzie Osbourne welcomed his son Jack) and was in the Top 50 by 1989. Joined the Top 10 in 1994, and spent six years in total at #1, the overall #1 boy’s name of the 2000s. Currently #4.

Oliver 2014
Was #83 in the 1900s, falling to its lowest level in the 1960s at #418. It began rising in the 1970s – surge in popularity corresponds with the 1968 release of the award-winning musical film Oliver!, with Mark Lester as Oliver Twist. Rejoined the Top 100 in 1986 at #100, and was Top 50 by 2000. Joined the Top 10 in 2008, and reached #1 last year.

You only need a quick glance at the post to see how it differs from the one on the #1 girls’ names. For a start, it is much shorter, with just 11 #1 boys’ names as opposed to 18 for girls. And although different types of boys’ names got to the top of the charts, nearly all of them are classic names. Jason and Joshua stand out as the only #1 names which were new to the charts before their rise.

Not only are nine of the names classics that have never left the charts, nine of them were Top 100 names in the 1900s, and six of them were in the Top 50 of the 1900s! That extreme conservatism in popular boys’ names tempts one to look at the 1900s Top 100 to see if any more of the popular names of that era could become future #1 names. Could names such as George, Alexander, Harry, Patrick, Edward, Henry, or Samuel be destined for the top spot?

The main trait that #1 boys’ names tended to share with #1 girls’ names is the speed with which they got into the Top 50 (although this is made more difficult due to the fact so many boys’ name started out already in the Top 50). This would make names such as Hudson and Flynn look like possibilities for future #1 names.

The notable exception to this is Oliver, which took 14 years to get from the bottom half of the Top 100 into the top half. Interestingly, Olivia was the exception amongst the girls, taking 12 years to get into the Top 50 once in the Top 100. Both these names made #1 in 2014, which may be a sign that things are changing.

There was a very definite break in the pattern in the girls’ name, which became evident around the mid-2000s. That there is no such obvious break in the pattern of the boys’ names may mean that boys’ name popularity is so much more conservative than girls that they will continue on as they have done so far – or it may mean that change is just slower coming. It may even have already started. We will just have to wait and see!

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite #1 boy’s name was William, gaining 21% of the vote, and Jack was very close behind on 20%. The least favourite was Michael, which only one person voted for.

From Mary to Olivia: Life Cycles of the #1 Girls Names in New South Wales

05 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by A.O. in Naming Issues

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Appellation Mountain, brand names, celebrity baby names, classic names, dated names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, modern classics, name data, name popularity, names from films, names from songs, nicknames, popular names, retro names, royal names, UK name popularity

Recently Abby from Appellation Mountain had a great article on the #1 girls names in the United States – such a good idea that I had to steal it! As we don’t have national data stretching back to the turn of the century, I’ve looked at the #1 girls names in New South Wales, since it is the most populous state, and has the best data. Annual data is only available from 1960, so until then the #1 names are for the decade only.

Mary 1900s and 1910s
The #1 name of the 1900s and 1910s (previous history unknown, but in the UK was #1 for the second half of the 19th century). Left the Top 10 in the 1940s, and the Top 100 in 2009. 2011 position was #101. Mary was the overall #1 girls’ name of the twentieth century.

Betty 1920s
Was #276 in the 1900s. Joined the Top 100 in the 1910s at #62 – sudden increase in popularity correlates with matinee idol Betty Blythe starting her film career. Shot up to #1 in the 1920s, the peak era for Blythe. Left the Top 10 in 1940, and the Top 100 in 1950. Left the charts in the 1990s.

Margaret 1930s and 1940s
Was #6 in the 1900s (previous history unknown, but in the UK had been stable in the Top 10 for the second half of the 19th century). Made #1 for both the 1930s and 1940s, coinciding with the early life of Princess Margaret. Left the Top 10 in the 1960s, and the Top 100 in 1970s; Princess Margaret attracted some controversy at this time. Failed to chart in 2010, but in 2011 was #428 – higher than before the drop. Margaret is the overall #1 girls’ name in Australian history.

Susan 1950s
Was #149 in the 1900s. Joined the Top 100 in the 1940s at #14 – sudden increase in popularity correlates with actress Susan Hayward starting her career. The #1 name of the 1950s, the peak of Susan Hayward’s career. Left the Top 10 in the 1970s, and the Top 100 in the 1980s. Although in steady use for many years, it failed to chart in 2011.

Jennifer 1960-62
Joined the charts and Top 100 in the 1930s at #75. Surged in popularity during the 1940s, correlating to career success of actress Jennifer Jones. Was #1 in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Left the Top 10 in 1970, and the Top 50 in 1995. Left the Top 100 in 2005. 2011 position was 260 and stable.

Karen 1963 to 1966
Joined the charts in the 1940s at #104 and the Top 100 in the 1950s at #13. By 1960 it was Top 10, and overall Karen was the most popular girls’ name of the 1960s. Left the Top 10 in 1977, and the Top 50 in 1983, leaving the Top 100 in 1987. Sudden drop in popularity correlates with the death of singer Karen Carpenter from anorexia nervosa, and the death of Karen Ann Quinlan, who had been in a long-term coma after a radical starvation diet. Left the charts in 2009, but made a slight recovery in 2011, ranking #631.

Michelle 1967-72 and 1974-75
First charted in the 1940s at #248 and joined the Top 100 in the 1950s at #52. By 1960 it had reached #18, and was in the Top 10 by 1961. Reached #1 in 1967, when The Beatles song Michelle won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Michelle reached #1 again in the mid 1970s, the most popular girls’ name of that decade. Left the Top 10 in 1985, the Top 50 in 1995, and the Top 100 in 2003. 2011 position was 233 and stable.

Kylie 1973
Joined the charts and Top 100 in 1965 at #93. Reached the Top 50 in 1968, and the Top 10 in 1970. Left the Top 10 in 1982, but managed to get back into it in 1987, the year of Kylie Minogue’s onscreen wedding to Jason Donovan in soap opera Neighbours. Left the Top 50 in 1989 and the Top 100 in 1990 – sudden fall in popularity correlates with Mary-Anne Fahey appearing as grouchy schoolgirl Kylie Mole in The Comedy Company television show. Left the charts in the late 2000s.

Rebecca 1976 to 1982
Was #179 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1930s. Made a comeback in the 1940s at #366, the same decade that Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rebecca was released. Joined the Top 100 in 1966 at #93, and the Top 50 in 1969. Joined the Top 10 in 1972, and was #1 four years later, staying in the top spot for eight years. Left the Top 10 in 1998, and the Top 50 in 2004. Left the Top 100 in 2008 – sudden fall in popularity correlates with actress Rebecca “Bec” Cartright leaving soap opera Home and Away. 2011 position was 188 and stable.

Sarah 1983
Has been on the charts since the 1900s, falling to its lowest level in the 1940s at #284. Began rising in the 1950s, and joined the Top 100 in 1964 at #98. Joined the Top 50 in 1970, and the Top 10 in 1976. Despite only being #1 for one year, Sarah was overall the most popular girls’ name of the 1980s. Left the Top 10 in 2005. Currently #44.

Jessica 1984-97 and 2000-01
Joined the charts in the 1960s at #437; similarity to Jennifer probably a major factor. Joined the Top 100 in 1976 at #97, and the Top 50 in 1979. Joined the Top 10 in 1982, spending thirteen consecutive years at #1 and managing to get there again at the start of the 2000s. Overall Jessica was the most popular girls’ name of the 1990s. Left the Top 10 in 2008. Currently #40.

Emily 1998-99 and 2002-2004
Has been on the charts since the 1900s, falling to its lowest level in the 1950s at #455. Began rising in the 1960s, and joined the Top 100 in 1977 at #77. Joined the Top 50 in 1981, and the Top 10 in 1989. Made #1 twice for a total of five years between 1998 and 2004, and was overall the most popular girls’ name of the 2000s. Currently #6.

Olivia 2005 and 2014
Joined the charts and Top 100 in 1978 at #65, the year that Newton-John starred as as Sandy in the movie Grease. Joined the Top 50 in 1990, and Top 10 in 1998. Currently #1 again, correlating with a busy period for actress Olivia Wilde.

Chloe 2006 and 2011
Joined the charts in the 1970s at #674, the decade when French fashion house Chloé was at its peak. Joined the Top 100 in 1985 at #98, the same year that actress Candice Bergen welcomed a daughter named Chloe. Joined the Top 50 in 1986 – sudden rise in popularity correlates with the birth of Olivia Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi. Joined the Top 10 in 1996 and was #1 ten years later. Made #1 again in 2011, a key year for young actress Chloe Moretz. Currently #7.

Isabella 2007 and 2009-10
Has been on the charts since the 1900s, dropping off in the 1950s and the 1970s. Came back in the 1980s at #499, after actress Isabella Rossellini began her career in American films. Joined the Top 100 in 1993 at #78 and the Top 50 in 1994 – sudden surge in popularity correlates with actress Nicole Kidman welcoming a daughter named Isabella by adoption. Joined the Top 10 in 1998. Reaching #1 in 2007, it was back again in 2009, the year after the first Twilight film, with Kristen Stewart as Isabella “Bella” Swan. Currently #9.

Mia 2008
Joined the charts in the 1960s at #464 for the decade, the era when Maria “Mia” Farrow, daughter of Australian director John Farrow, began her career on soap opera Peyton Place. It joined the Top 100 in 1997 and the Top 50 in 2003 – sudden massive surge in popularity correlates with The Princess Diaries being released on DVD, with Anne Hathaway as Princess Mia. Joined the Top 10 in 2005, and was #1 for one year. Currently #2.

Ruby 2012
Was #21 in the 1900s and left the charts in the 1950s. Came back in the 1980s, at 548, the decade comedian Ruby Wax began her career on British TV. Joined the Top 100 in 1996 at #100, and the Top 50 in 1998 – sudden surge in popularity correlates with Ruby Wax getting her own interview show. Joined the Top 10 in 2010, just after the name Ruby was chosen for a baby on hit drama series, Packed to the Rafters. Two years later it was #1. Currently #8.

Charlotte 2013
Was #96 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1940s. Came back in the 1960s at #513, just as actress Charlotte Rampling began her career. Joined the Top 100 in 1989 at #86, and the Top 50 in 1998. Joined the Top 10 in 2003, and was #1 a decade later. Charlotte is currently #3.

What do the #1 names have in common? They include classics and retro names, but many had never appeared on the charts before they began their ascent to the top.

The amount of time it took to go from obscurity to popularity varied. Some leaped straight from nowhere into the Top 100, while others took decades – Mia had around 30 years between appearing on the charts and joining the Top 100. The average was 13 years.

One thing that nearly all the names had in common was the swiftness with which they went from the bottom half of the Top 100 into the Top 50: the average amount of time it took was just four years, and some managed it in a single year. The longest was Olivia, which took 12 years to get into the Top 50.

Once in the Top 10, the longest any names took to reach #1 was ten years. It took them at least two years before they reached the #1 spot, with the fastest being Jessica and Ruby. The average was six years.

Having made #1, names tended to stay in the Top 10 for a while, an average of twelve years. It took Kylie 17 years to finally leave the Top 10 for good, while Jessica was gone in just seven.

After they left the Top 10, most names were fairly quick to depart the Top 100, except Jennifer, which had 35 years of further popularity. Kylie had just three. Most of the names remained in reasonable use, so #1 names don’t usually become horribly dated, unless they become associated with something unpleasant or comical.

Can we draw any inferences for the future? It’s apparent that the nature of the #1 name has changed – the days of one name being at the top for several years are over. The change set in around the mid-2000s, which is when we all became a lot more conscious about name popularity. Since then, it seems as if being #1 is a job-sharing position, with several Top 10 names taking it in turns to wear the crown.

Could other current Top 10 names get to #1? Ava reached the Top 10 in 2008 and Amelia in 2009, so they still have until 2018 and 2019 to make the ten year deadline. However, Sophie joined in 2004, so time has run out – she should have been #1 last year if we accept a ten-year time-frame.

Speed of rising is a predictor of potential #1 success. If we look at names currently rising, Aria and Evelyn look like possibilities for the future, taking just 2 years to go from the bottom of the Top 100 to the Top 50. Harper, Isla and Ivy seem even more likely, as they took only one year.

Maybe that’s making parents of Arias and Islas feel a little nervous, but there’s one thing to remember: out of all the names given to babies in New South Wales since 1900, most didn’t get to #1. In other words, whatever name you love, the odds are on your side that it will never become the most popular name of the year.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite #1 girl’s name was Charlotte, gaining 20% of the vote. The least favourite was Michelle, which nobody voted for.

Famous Name: Milo

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

animal names, brand names, European name popularity, famous namesakes, food names, germanic names, Greek names, locational names, name history, name meaning, names from films, rare names, UK name popularity, US name popularity

Famous Namesake
The formula for Milo was changed recently, leading to an outpouring of complaints to the company – but only in New Zealand. Apparently they’ve had the vanilla removed, and this doesn’t affect Australia, as we didn’t have any vanilla to start with. I knew that Milo was sold all over the world (it’s very big in Malaysia, I’ve heard), but didn’t realise that every country gets their own formulation of Milo.

Milo is a cocoa powder and malt drink sold in a bright green tin. It was created by Australian inventor Thomas Mayne and launched at the 1934 Royal Easter Show, in an attempt to improve the diets of Australian children. Rich in carbohydrates and an easy way to add calories, Milo has a host of vitamins added to it – a boon to Depression-era parents worried about their malnourished tots.

Even though our diets are no longer very deficient in calories, carbohydrates and vitamins, Milo is still popular, and marketed as a nutritious energy drink. You can also buy Milo chocolate bars and Milo breakfast cereal, rather less convincingly flogged to parents as a healthy option that will fill your kids with the sort of powerful energy needed to win sporting events sponsored by Milo.

Milo has an appealing crunchy texture which Thomas Mayne tried very hard to eradicate, until he discovered that people liked it. Instead of dissolving completely in milk, Milo will sit on top, forming a crust that can be eaten – in Australia, chocolate milkshakes are already crunchy …. You can use Milo to cook with (Milo banana bread is pretty good), although a favourite way to enjoy Milo is sprinkled on top of vanilla ice cream.

Milo is named after Milo of Croton, an ancient Greek wrestling champion who won six times at the Olympic Games, and numerous other titles. His hometown of Croton, in Sicily, was famous for producing great athletes. A legend in his own lifetime, he was said to be of superhuman strength, and likened to the demigod Hercules – he supposedly took part in a great military victory dressed in a lion-skin.

Just as Milo of Croton was a sporting hero who performed mighty feats of endurance, so too are you supposed to become strong and athletic by drinking Milo. However, its real strength is as a cultural icon that generations of us have grown up drinking. Rather than shuffling into slippers and becoming a nostalgic comfort food, 81-year-old Milo continues to pull on its running shoes and go and go and go!

Name Information
The ancient Greek name Milo, as held by Milo of Croton, and the inspiration for the chocolate drink, is believed to be from milou, a pre-Hellenic word for “sheep”. Could you get a name meaning more appropriate for an Australian or New Zealand child, as sheep farming has been so important to both countries? In modern Greek, Milo means “apple”, and you will sometimes see the name translated that way.

Even if you haven’t heard of Milo of Croton, you must surely have heard of the Venus de Milo, the 2nd century marble statue of Aphrodite which was found on the island of Milos (also called Milo and Melos) in the 19th century. It is now in the Louvre in Paris, admired as the height of feminine grace and beauty, although without any arms.

There are many folk tales as to how the Greek island received its name. One is that it was named after Milos, the son of a river god, who colonised the island under the direction of the goddess Aphrodite. He was so handsome that three goddesses vied for his affection, and he was eventually rewarded with the apple that Paris of Troy awarded to Aphrodite as the most beautiful of all. Another is that he was a handsome young man who was a close friend of the god Adonis: when Adonis died, he hung himself on an apple tree in despair. These both sound like the modern “apple” meaning has influenced the stories.

Another has a feminine source for the name, telling of a Cretan maiden named Melis who threw herself into the sea to escape an unwanted lover. She drowned, but the waves carried her to the island of Milos, where she was worshipped as a nymph. Her name comes from the ancient Greek for “bee”, the source of Melissa: bee goddesses were worshipped on Crete.

Despite these romantic etymologies offered for the island, sheep were a vital part of the island’s economy even in prehistoric times, and a ram was the island’s symbol, used on coins. It is far more likely that the island was named after these important animals. It is unclear to me if people named Milo were named after the island, but given the apparent antiquity of its name, it doesn’t seem implausible.

Milo is also a Germanic name, of uncertain meaning. It may come from an ancient Germanic root meaning “mild, gentle”, or is possibly even related to those Slavic names formed from the root milu, meaning “grace, favour”, or “dear”. The name was introduced to England by the Normans in the form Miles, which was Latinised back to Milo – although a person documented as Milo would presumably have been known as Miles in everyday life.

Milo is #311 and rising in the US, and #159 and rising in the UK. Also rising in France and the Netherlands, it is a popular name in Sweden at #58.

The name Milo is rare in Australia because of the chocolate-flavoured drink, even though there’s nothing negative about the drink Milo, and Coco is a hip name which sounds exactly like cocoa. A straw poll I conducted suggested that many people still connect it with the classic children’s movie, Milo and Otis – not only was that a long time ago now, but Otis is in reasonable use, and very fashionable!

Milo is a boy’s name that sounds rather cute, but has a powerfully masculine namesake, suggesting it could work well on both a little boy and a grown man. I think it makes a hip choice, and suspect that if it wasn’t for the drink in the familiar green tin, it would be rising in line with international trends. Anyone worried about the drink might prefer to give it a more European pronunciation – MEE-lo.

POLL RESULTS
Milo received a decent approval rating of 66%. 24% of people thought Milo was hip and cool, and 21% saw it as a name that was adorable on a little boy and handsome on a grown man. However, 15% believed it was too closely associated with the chocolate drink and associated products. Only one person thought it was strong and sexy, only one thought it was nerdy, and just one thought it didn’t seem masculine enough for a boy’s name.

(Photo from Milo’s Facebook page)

Uncommon Girls Names from the Birth Announcements of 2011-12

14 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

animal names, Arabic names, Australian Aboriginal names, birth notices, celebrity baby names, Celtic names, Chinese names, Cornish names, created names, english names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, French names, Gaelic names, German names, Greek names, honouring, Irish names, Japanese names, Latin names, literary names, locational names, middle names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, names from films, names from video games, names of businesses, nicknames, rare names, surname names, UK name popularity, unisex names, vocabulary names, Welsh names

Althea
Variant of the ancient Greek name Althaea, perhaps derived from the Greek word althos, meaning “healing”. In mythology, Althaea was a queen with a son named Melager. When Melager was a baby, the Three Fates turned up, rather like the fairy godmothers in a certain tale. One said he would be noble, the second that he would be brave, but the third did the usual grumpy godmother routine, and said his life would last only as long as a certain piece of wood burning on the fire. Althaea immediately took the wood and blew it out, burying it secretly so that none should ever find it again. When Melager was grown into the brave and noble prince predicted by The Fates, he got into a quarrel while hunting, and killed his uncles. When Althaea discovered Melager had murdered her brothers, she took revenge by setting fire to the piece of wood, so that her son died. Afterwards she committed suicide. This isn’t the happiest name story ever, but the poet Richard Lovelace wrote To Althea, From Prison while imprisoned for a political protest. The famous poem is very romantic, and the name Althea has been used since the 17th century because of it, while never being very common. One attraction of this literary name is the potential to use fashionable Thea as a nickname.

Carys
Modern Welsh name derived from caru, meaning “to love”, and given the common -ys ending found in Welsh names, such as Gladys and Glenys. It has been in use since the early 20th century, and is currently #328 in England/Wales, although falling in popularity. The name gained interest as a celebrity baby name, when Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta Jones chose it for her daughter. It is meant to be pronounced KAH-ris, but the few people called Carys I know in Australia all say their name to rhyme with Paris, and this pronunciation is even used in Wales sometimes (kuh-REES is really pushing it though). Leaving aside possible pronunciation pitfalls, this is a modern name that is feminine without being frilly.

Isolde
In medieval romance, Isolde the Fair is a stunningly beautiful golden-haired Irish princess with a gift for healing, who is married off to King Mark of Cornwall. Due to a mix-up with a love potion, Isolde falls passionately in love with Tristan, her husband’s nephew and adopted son, with tragic consequences. Tristan actually ends up married to a different Isolde, a Breton princess called Isolde of the White Hands, who he weds for the curious reason that she has the same name as his true love. Their marriage is never consummated, and fed up and jealous, Isolde of the White Hands eventually takes her revenge. The stories originally had nothing to do with Arthurian legends, but became part of them. Adapted by Gottfried von Strassberg in the 12th century, Isolde is a German translation of Iseult, used in French versions of the tale. The Welsh form of the name is Esyllt, and although there are many arguments over the name’s meaning, the most convincing theory is that it is from the Celtic for “she who is gazed upon”, to suggest an overwhelming beauty. The name Isolde has been used since the Middle Ages due to the Tristan and Isolde legend, without ever becoming common: the composer Richard Wagner, who wrote the opera Tristan and Isolde, had an illegitimate daughter named Isolde. A romantic literary name fit for a fairytale princess, you can say Isolde almost any way you like, but common pronunciations would be i-SOL-duh or i-ZOL-duh.

Jamilla
Variant of the Arabic name Jamila, the feminine form of Jamil, meaning “beautiful”. The name became better known in the English-speaking world in 1944 through the romantic fantasy film Kismet, starring Marlene Dietrich as Lady Jamilla, a captive queen who falls in love with a rascally beggar. Set in an Arabian Nightsy type world, at one point, Dietrich does an erotic dance with her legs painted gold, so the name got a rather sexy image. Jamilla works well cross-culturally, and is easy to explain to people, as it is said like Camilla with a J. The popular short form Milla is an added attraction.

Lowenna
Modern Cornish name meaning “joy”, used since the early 20th century, and in rare but fairly steady use in England/Wales. The name is something of a favourite in fiction, even being chosen for historical novels set in Cornwall hundreds of years ago, when it is unlikely the name was in use. Lowenna can be found in the US in the 19th century, where it may be a variant of Louanna, or other names based on Louisa. It was used in the stage version of Rip Van Winkle, written in 1859 (Lowenna is Rip’s daughter; in the original story, his daughter was called Judith). A drawcard is that the name is very similar to the Indigenous name Lowanna, meaning “girl, woman”, giving this name a rather Australian feel.

Lux
Latin for “light”. Lux was used as a male name in medieval Germany, as a short form of Lukas, or a corruption of the German nickname Luchs, meaning “lynx” – this is the origin of the Lux surname. Lux began to be used as an English name by the 17th century, when it was used for girls: in general, English-speakers have preferred it as a female name, although it has been used as a male name too, particularly in North America, which has a history of high immigration from central Europe. The name may be used in a Christian sense, as Fiat lux means “Let there be light”, a famous quote from Genesis to show the beginnings of creation, or even a specifically Catholic context as Lux Aeterna (“eternal light”) is used in Latin prayers to refer to heaven. However, the meaning of light is positive to almost everyone, and the name also has a science-fiction feel to it, because lux is a scientific measurement of luminosity (there is a video game character named Lux, Lady of Luminosity). The name has had publicity from the film The Virgin Suicides, with Kristen Dunst as Lux Lisbon, and from the daughter of One Direction’s stylist – once known in the press as Baby Lux, and almost a celebrity in her own right. A short, cool, luxurious-sounding name that also works well in the middle.

Posy
Can be used as a short form of other names, or with the meaning “a small bouquet of flowers” in mind. The word posy comes from poesy, meaning “poetry”, and has been used to mean a bunch of flowers since the late 16th century – a slightly earlier definition of the word was a motto inscribed inside a ring. Posy has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, and although it sounds very dainty and feminine, it has quite often been given to boys. The reason is because Posy is also a surname, after the town of Pusey in Oxfordshire, meaning “pea island”. Although the name Posy has never been very common, there are a few Posys in fiction to give it some publicity. Posy Fossil is one of the main characters in Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes, a brilliant young dancer filled with ambition. More recently, Posy Hawthorne is a sweet little sister in The Hunger Games, and in the romantic comedy About Time, Posy Lake is the protagonist’s eldest daughter. Although Posy began as a short form of Josephine, you could use it for a wide variety of names, including Sophia and Penelope – British cartoonist Posy Simmonds, from The Guardian, is named Rosemary.

Satine
In the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge!, Nicole Kidman plays the role of Satine, a Parisian cabaret star and courtesan who has never known love until she falls for a poor English writer. Satine, which is presumably a professional or stage name, is French for satin, the familiar glossy fabric – its name comes from the Chinese city of Quanzhou (once a major shipping port for silk), which was called by the Arabic name of Zayton during the Middle Ages. Zayton is the Arabic word for “olive”, to symbolise peace, perhaps due to the mix of cultures living and working in the city. This makes Satin or Satine a possible honour name for Olive, weirdly enough. Satine has been used as a name since the 19th century, and although it is not a traditional French name, it has sometimes been used as a baby name in France since the film came out. A soft, exotic-sounding name with an Australian connection.

Shiseido
The name of a highly successful Japanese cosmetics company, and one of the oldest in the world, being founded in 1872. The company’s name is taken from the classic Chinese text, the I Ching (Book of Changes), and can be translated as “How wonderful is the virtue of the earth, from which all things are born!”. The company believes that this embodies its resolve to create new products that will enhance clients’ well being, and also helps to promote an image which is healthy and environmentally sound. Although there are many brand names used as personal names (such as Chanel and Armani), and some existing personal names used for brands (such as Mercedes and Nike), I have only ever seen one baby given the name Shiseido. That makes it very unusual, but it’s rather attractive, and has a lovely, carefully-crafted meaning. Pronounced shi-SAY-doh, you could use Sadie as a short form, although the baby I saw had Sass as her nickname.

Sorcha
Gaelic name meaning “brightness, radiance”. It can be found in medieval Irish documents, so it has a long history. In Ireland it is sometimes Anglicised as Sarah, because of the similar sound, while in Scotland it is more often Anglicised as Clara, which has the same meaning. The Irish actress Sorcha Cusack, who came to prominence in the 1970s as Jane Eyre, and is still on TV now as the housekeeper in Father Brown, has given it publicity in recent decades, and the name isn’t uncommon in Ireland. The correct pronunciation is SAWR-kuh or SAWR-i-kuh, but in practice a wide variety of pronunciations is tolerated in Ireland and Scotland, including SAWR-sha, which is probably easier for English-speakers, and sounds like familiar Sasha (although liable to be confused with another Irish name, Saoirse). An unusual yet very usable name.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Carys, Isolde and Posy, and their least favourite were Lowenna, Jamilla and Shiseido.

(Picture shows Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge!)

The Fastest Rising Top 100 Names of 2014

31 Sunday May 2015

Posted by A.O. in Naming Issues

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

birth notices, classic names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, name trends, names from films, New Zealand name popularity, nicknames, popular names, retro names, royal names, US name popularity

GIRLS

Hazel
Hazel just joined the national Top 100 as its fastest-rising name, going up 63 places to make #88: the last time it was a Top 100 name was in the 1940s. Hazel was also new to the Top 100 in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, and one of the Apple Isle’s fastest-rising names. The catalyst for Hazel’s debut in the Top 100 is last year’s teenage tearjerker, The Fault in Our Stars, based on the novel by John Green, and with Shailene Woodley in the role of Hazel. A fashionable retro name with a cool Z sound, chosen by several celebrities, Hazel was due for popularity. Just outside the US Top 100, it’s aready in the Top 50 in New Zealand.

Aria
Aria has been on the Top 100 since 2012, and in 2013 was the #1 fastest-rising name nationally. Last year Aria was the #1 fastest-rising name in New South Wales and Western Australia, and also rose significantly in Victoria and South Australia. I saw many more baby girls named Aria in birth notices too, so this pretty name is still going strong.

Ariana
Hard on Aria’s heels is Ariana, which just squeaked into the national Top 100 in 2013. Last year it was the #1 fastest-rising name in Tasmania, and rose 27 places to become one of the fastest-rising names nationally. It was also one of the fastest-rising names in New South Wales and Queensland. The major influence on the popularity of this name is American pop singer Ariana Grande, who has a couple of Australian connections: she dated Jai Brooks from The Janoskians in 2013/14, and her 2014 song Problem featured Iggy Azalea: it was Grande’s first Top Ten hit in Australia. Not only a multicultural choice, Ariana benefits from looking like an elaboration of Aria (it isn’t though).

Eleanor
Eleanor was new to the national Top 100 last year, and one of the fastest-rising names, as it went up 31 places to debut at #84: a classic never off the charts, Eleanor has not been in the Top 100 since the 1900s. It was also one of the fastest-rising names in New South Wales and Queensland. This is in line with international trends, as Eleanor joined the US Top 100 last year, and has been Top 100 in the UK for decades. Elegant Eleanor fits in with the trend for El- names for girls, and can be shortened to Elle, Ella, Ellie, Nell, Nellie, and Nora, among others. Such a lot of popular and fashionable nicknames!

Evelyn
Evelyn has been on the national Top 100 since 2011, and is a classic name which was last on the Top 100 in the 1940s. One of the fastest-rising names of 2013, Evelyn continues its ascent, as last year it was a fast-rising name in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. I saw an increase of Evelyns in birth notices during 2014.

BOYS

Maxwell
Maxwell was new to the Top 100 last year, and was the #1 fastest-rising name nationally, going up 43 places to debut at #97. It was also one of the fastest-rising names in Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. Maxwell is a classic name never off the charts, and was last in the Top 100 during the 1950s. Fitting in with the trend for boys’names that shorten to Max, Maxwell is rising in the both US and UK, but has not yet become popular in either. Because of the Victorian connection, I wonder if the retirement of Nick Maxwell, captain of Collingwood, had any effect.

Fletcher
Fletcher joined the Top 100 last year, and went up 26 spots to make #99. It also joined the Top 100 in Victoria, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory, having already been Top 100 in Tasmania for some time. Although Fletcher was not a fast-rising name in any particular state or territory, that’s because it is so new on the charts that there is no data yet for that to show up. Fletcher has been rising in the charts since the 1990s, and has been a Top 100 name in New Zealand since 2010: it is still quite a way off becoming popular in either the US or UK, so this is a Trans Tasman trend.

Harvey
Harvey debuted on the Top 100 last year, rising 20 places to reach #84; this made it one of the fastest-rising names nationally, and it also rose significantly in Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory – which seem to have a strong influence on the Top 100 for boys’names this year! A retro name which charted from the 1900s to the 1950s, rejoining the charts in the 1990s, Harvey has never been on the Top 100 before. It’s been a popular name in the UK since the late 1990s, so it’s in line with British trends. The death of veteran journalist Peter Harvey in 2013 may have been on influence on its rise.

George
George is a solid classic which has never been out of the Top 100, but last year it joined the Top 50 for the first time since the 1970s. After the birth of Prince George, the name George became one of the fastest-rising names of 2013, and its upwards progress continues. One of the fastest-rising names in New South Wales and Victoria, I saw many more Georges in birth notices, especially from rural and regional areas.

Nate
Nathaniel was one of the fastest-rising names of 2013, and last year more parents opted to go straight for the short form, Nate, which was one of the fastest-rising names in both New South Wales and Victoria. Nate has been in the charts since the early 2000s, and is only popular in Australia, although it once made the bottom of the Top 100 in New Zealand, and is rising in the UK.

NOTE: A quick reminder that the fastest-rising names of 2013 were Aria, Evelyn, Penelope, Samantha and Lola for girls, and Louis, Hudson, Nathaniel, George and Lincoln for boys.

I have chosen those names which increased in popularity in the most number of states and territories, making their popularity widest across the board in Australia. For the positions of each name in individual states and territories, please refer to the Name Data category for more information.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite fastest rising names were Hazel, gaining 38% of the vote, and Maxwell, gaining 27% of the vote (George was close behind on 26%). The least favourite were Ariana (7%), and a tie between Harvey and Nate (15%).

	waltzingmorethanmati… on Zarah Zaynab and Wolfgang…
	Madelyn on Zarah Zaynab and Wolfgang…
	drperegrine on Can Phoebe Complete This …
	waltzingmorethanmati… on Rua and Rhoa
	redrover23 on Rua and Rhoa

Waltzing More Than Matilda

~ Names with an Australian Bias of Democratic Temper

Tag Archives: names from films

Fresh Names For Boys

Famous Name: Errol Flynn

Famous Name: Howard

Famous Names: Bronwyn and Dolores

Requested Name: Beau

From William to Oliver: Life Cycles of the #1 Boys Names in New South Wales

From Mary to Olivia: Life Cycles of the #1 Girls Names in New South Wales

Famous Name: Milo

Uncommon Girls Names from the Birth Announcements of 2011-12

The Fastest Rising Top 100 Names of 2014