Famous Name: Poppy

14 Wednesday Nov 2012

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english names, famous namesakes, flower names, German names, name history, name image, name meaning, name popularity, nature names, nicknames, plant names, popular names, Remembrance Day, surname names, The Wizard of Oz, UK name popularity, unisex names, US name popularity, vocabulary names

Last week I covered the name Bede for Remembrance Day, partly with the idea that it had “been in my Request file for ages”. When I went to cross if off the list, I found it wasn’t there at all – it seems I imagined it. So today I’m going to make up for it by covering a Remembrance Day name that really has been in my Request file for ages (I double checked!).

It has long been tradition to associate November 11 with poppy flowers. During the First World War, red corn poppies (Papaver rhoeas) were among the first plants to spring up on the battlefields of northern France and Belgium, blooming between the trenches and no man’s lands on the Western Front. In soldier’s folklore, the red of the poppies came from the blood of their fallen comrades soaking the ground, and were perhaps a poignant reminder that life went on regardless.

The sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 inspired Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, of Canada, to write the poem In Flanders Fields. An American woman named Moina Michael, who worked for the YMCA, read McCrae’s poem just before the Armistice, and was so moved that she wrote a poem in response, and promised to wear a red poppy as a way of keeping faith.

At an international YMCA conference in 1918, Moina spoke about the poem and the poppies, and Anna Guérin, the French YMCA secretary, took the idea further by selling poppies to raise money for widows, orphans, and needy veterans and their families.

The poppy soon became widely accepted throughout the allied nations as the flower of remembrance to be worn on Armistice Day, and the Australian Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League (the forerunner to the RSL) first sold poppies for Armistice Day in 1921, with the money going to children’s charities and the League’s own welfare work. Today you can still buy a poppy pin from the RSL to help veterans of war.

At the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, it is customary on Remembrance Day to place a poppy on the Roll of Honour, as a small personal tribute to the memory of a particular person. Another ritual is to lay a single poppy flower on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier at the Memorial.

Even before World War I, poppies had a long history as symbols of sleep and death – sleep because poppy seeds have since ancient times been used as sedatives, and death because the colour of poppies reminds people of blood, or possibly because if over-prescribed, a poppy-induced sleep may become permanent. Today, poppies are still grown to obtain opium, morphine and codeine for medicinal use, with Australia being one of the major producers of poppy crops.

In Greek myths, poppies were given as offerings for the dead, with the suggestion that they were also a promise of resurrection in the life to come. The symbol of the mother goddess Demeter, she is depicted carrying both sheaves of wheat and poppies, and it has been theorised that the taking of opium was part of her worship in the sacred Mysteries.

These twin symbols of sleep and death were put to good effect in what must be one of the most famous images of poppies in literature and cinema – the field of scarlet poppies in The Wizard of Oz, the poison scent of which sends Dorothy into such a deep sleep that she is in danger of dying from it.

The English word poppy is ultimately derived from Latin, but the meaning is not known for sure; it may be from the word for “to feed”, because as anyone who has munched a poppy seed muffin or a bread roll topped with poppy seeds can tell you, poppies are yummy.

Poppy can be found as an English name as early as the 18^th century, and the first examples are male, taken from the surname. This is derived from a German name Poppo or Boppo, used as a pet form of the name Bodebert, meaning “bright messenger”. However, by the 19^th century, it was firmly established as a female name and associated with the flower, coming into common use along with other floral names.

Poppy only entered the Australian popularity charts in the 1980s, and in the 1990s was #602. It skyrocketed during the 2000s to reach the Top 100 by 2009, debuting at #69. Last year it was #79, and with such a brief history behind it, it is far too soon to make any predictions about its future.

Poppy is even more popular in the UK, where it has been Top 100 since the 1990s, and is currently in the Top 20. However, it has never been in the US Top 1000 at all. Last year 130 baby girls were named Poppy in the United States.

I think one of my first clues to how differently names are seen in other countries is that I kept reading in name forums from American contributors advising that Poppy might sound adorable on a little girl, but can you imagine a woman in her thirties named Poppy? Um yes, easily – Australian actress Poppy Montgomery must be in her mid-thirties by now. Poppy seems to suit her equally well as it does a toddler.

Another popular Poppy putdown is The name doesn’t sound serious enough, your daughter will never become a businesswoman, doctor or lawyer if you name her Poppy. Oh really? Then how did Poppy King manage to start her own cosmetics company? How did Doctor Poppy Sindhusake become senior lecturer in the school of medicine at the University of Western Sydney? And how did Poppy Matters start her practice in family law? By what occult means did they crash through this poppy-red ceiling to make the grade? Unless such a ceiling does not exist …

Some complain that the name, with its cheeky sound and link to a flaunting red colour, sounds too cute and flippant for a woman’s name – how will she ever be taken seriously, they fret? My own thought is that with its associations to such a solemn day, its death symbolism, and connection to drugs, it’s a jolly good thing that Poppy sounds so cheerful and light-hearted in order to offset what could otherwise seem rather gloomy.

Poppies are colourful, sturdy little flowers that bloom and blow easily in our gardens and the “pop” sound in their name makes us think of pop music, pop art and pop-up books – things that seem bright and lively and youthful. But beneath it is something dark and ancient and powerful. It stands for death, and life rising again, and the blood of heroes, and eternal flame, and rows of crosses in northern France, and keeping the faith. It is a memory in honour of those who died in foreign fields.

Do not underestimate Poppy. She is spunky and sprightly, but also strong and deep and enigmatic. She can survive almost anywhere, and, not content in being merely decorative, is useful too. She can feed the hungry, she can allay pain, she can understand sacred mysteries. Sometimes she can even be dangerous.

She can run her own business, or become a doctor, or lawyer, or politician, or anything else she wants to be. And she will sound fabulous when she is forty!

(Picture is of poppies growing in the Somme, northern France; photo from Keynsham People)

Team Pink, Team Blue, or Team Lavender?

11 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by A.O. in Your Questions Answered

≈ 13 Comments

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dog names, english names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, French names, Gaelic names, locational names, mythological names, name meaning, name popularity, names for budgies, nature names, nicknames, popular culture, popular names, Sanskrit names, surname names, unisex names, US name popularity, vocabulary names

I wasn’t going to do another one of these, but it turned out the list of questions on unisex names could almost be eliminated if I did just one more, so I couldn’t resist doing an end-of-year clean up.

Some names are easy for most of us to assign to Team Pink or Team Blue – for example, a straw poll would probably show strong support for Amelia as a girl’s name, and Archibald as a more masculine moniker. But there are quite a few others that we have to think about a bit more, and some seem to be both feminine and masculine in such equal measure that we could probably call them Team Lavender.

Of course, for practical purposes, all names are unisex, so this is only designating them according to linguistic meaning, historical use, and current popularity.

I. ARE THESE GIRL NAMES?

Sydney as a girl’s name

Sydney is historically a unisex name in Australia, but hasn’t charted at all since the 1960s. I think it’s up for grabs by either gender, and is a definite member of Team Lavender.

Rory girl name popularity Australia

According to the data at hand, the popularity of Rory as a girl’s name in Australia is zero. It’s charted as a boy’s name since the 1940s and is currently #159; it’s never charted as a girl’s name. This makes it (for the purposes of this question) Team Blue.

Is Indiana a girl’s name? (multiple asks)

Yes, historically it is, for the first people named Indiana in the records are female. It’s only since the Indiana Jones movies that the name has widely been seen as potentially masculine – although the movie’s protagonist is named Dr Henry Walton Jones. From Utah rather than the state of Indiana, we learn in The Last Crusade that he took his nickname from the name of the family dog. I’m not sure whether the dog was male or female. Indiana has only ever charted as a girl’s name, and is currently #78 and climbing steeply. I call Team Pink.

Bodhi as a girl’s name

Bodhi is a Sanskrit word meaning “awakened”, referring to the enlightenment of the Buddha. As men and women are equally capable of spiritual enlightenment, I think this is for both boys and girls and can join Team Lavender.

Can Russell be a female name?

The surname Russell simply means “red” or “reddish”, and there’s nothing specifically masculine about it. However, Russell has a reasonable history of acceptance as a male name. Currently it doesn’t chart for either gender, and I think it could be used for a girl’s name. You could also use the vocabulary word Rustle. Maybe a Deep Indigo?

Is Campbell a girl name?

In Australia it is accepted as a male name, and has charted for boys since the 1950s, being now at #384. In the US it is more common as a female name. The surname means “crooked mouth”, which doesn’t sound at all pretty to me, but isn’t technically masculine. In Australia, I think it’s still Team Blue.

II: ARE THESE BOY NAMES?

Marlo as a boy’s name

Marlo Hoogstraten is a Dutch-born Australian DJ; he works under the name MaRLo. Marlo Stanfield is a character in the TV show, The Wire, who is head of his own drug crew. There seem to be more references to Marlo as a male name than a female one. This may be a pale Blue-Toned Lavender.

Is Riley a boy’s name in Australia?

Yes, it’s charted as a male name only since the 1970s, and is currently #20. Team Blue.

Can Autumn be a boy’s name?

There’s no reason why not, except that it is widely accepted as a female name. In Australia, Autumn is a fairly rare name for either sex, so it might be easier to be a boy named Autumn here than elsewhere. It would be unusual though. A very pale Pink-Toned Lavender.

Boys name Kirra

The town in Queensland is nearly always given as a female name in Australia. Besides sounding similar to girl’s names Keira and Kira, part of the reason may be because in Greek mythology, there are a couple of nymphs named Kirra, giving it a distinctly feminine vibe. I’m assigning this one to Team Pink.

Tahgan boys name

I only know of Taghan as a place name in the Middle East, which sounds unisex to me. It looks similar to boy’s name Teagan and girl’s name Tegan, so I’m calling this for Team Lavender.

Bay as a boy’s name

Although this nature name could be either male or female, in practice I’ve only seen this given to boys in Australia – maybe because it sounds like it could be short for Bailey. I guess it could be seen as Blue-Toned Lavender.

III: ARE THESE BOY OR GIRL NAMES?

Is Lyndall male or female?

Historically, it’s a girl’s name. Lyndall charted as a female name only from the 1930s to the 1990s. It currently doesn’t chart for either sex. Pink, or at least Pinkish.

Jordan – boys name or girls name?

Jordan has charted as a boy’s name since the 1960s, peaked in the 1990s at #23, and is currently #63. It has charted as a girl’s name since the 1980s, peaked in the 1990s at #85, and is currently #389. So it’s both a boy’s name and a girl’s name, but more boyish, since it’s been used longer as a boy’s name, hit a higher peak as a boy’s name, and is still Top 100 for boys. Deep Blue-Toned Lavender.

Is Jagger more a boy or girl name?

I’d say it’s more of a boy name, just by usage. I have seen people use Jagga or Jaggah for girls though. Blue, at present.

Kayley “unisex name”?

I think technically Kayley is two separate names, one unisex or male, and the other one female. The surname Kayley can be from several origins, and if English or French, it refers to place names (unisex). On the other hand, if Gaelic, it means “son of Caollaidhe” (male). It’s been overwhelmingly used as a girl’s name though, probably with the idea it’s an elaboration of Kay, a pet form of Katherine. There have been a very few men named Kayley. Confusingly, I think this is Pink, Blue and Lavender all at the same time.

IV: ADVICE NEEDED

What boy’s name can Gigi be short for?

There’s a few choices. According to Wikipedia, famous men using Gigi as their nickname have Luigi, Luigino, Gianluigi or George as their full name – although my own first thought was Giglio. Another possibility is that in the story Gigi, the protagonist’s full name was Gilberte, so maybe a boy called Gilbert could be a Gigi.

Will people automatically assume someone called Kelly is a girl?

I would probably assume an adult named Kelly to be a woman, but I could easily adjust if it turned out to be a man instead. For a new baby, I wouldn’t assume it was either a boy or girl.

Are guys put off by women with male names?

There are quite a few studies on what names men and women find sexy, but these name-image polls are useless in real life, when you are confronted with a living breathing human being. I don’t believe any man would turn down a beautiful woman because her name was John; conversely, no matter how alluring and feminine your name, if you look and smell like you’ve been living in a sewer, I don’t think you are going to be besieged by suitors. Just from my own observations, I’ve noticed a lot of guys say they are intrigued by girls who have unisex nicknames, like Jamie, Charlie or Teddie.

A good unisex name for a budgie

You could use a nickname that could be short for either a girl or boy name, such as Charlie, Joey or Sam, otherwise I think a nature name would be nice, such as Ash, Blueberry, Midnight, Sky, Sunny, or Snowflake. You could also use a cutesy sort of name such as Pippet, Peep, Peck, Pixel, Tweety, Chirp, Happy, or Fidget. Apparently budgies can’t say words with a hard G sound in them, so avoid Giggles, Goldy or anything like that if you’re hoping to teach it to talk.

Names of Australian Female Paralympic Medalists

21 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 8 Comments

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Arabic names, Arthurian legends, Arthurian names, astronomical names, Biblical names, english names, ethnonyms, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, French names, gemstone names, germanic names, Greek names, hebrew names, honouring, Indian names, Irish names, Latin names, locational names, military events, mythological names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names of dolls, nature names, nicknames, Norman-French names, Old French names, popular names, royal names, saints names, Sanskrit names, street names, surname names, unisex names, vocabulary names

Amber (Merritt)

Amber Meritt was born with a club foot, and is originally from England; she came to Australia as a child (she’s now 19). She started playing wheelchair basketball in 2007, and won silver at the London Games. Amber is fossilised tree resin, and since prehistoric times has been valued as a gemstone. The word amber is derived from Arabic, and means ambergris, the waxy substance regurgitated by the sperm whale; it was only later realised these were different substances. Amber has been used as a girl’s name since the 17^th century, but wasn’t popular until the 20^th. The name became notorious in 1944, when the racy historical romance, Forever Amber, was published, with its heroine the sleep-her-way-to-the-top Amber St. Clare. Despite being condemned, and even banned here until 1958, the book was a bestseller, and made into a film. Amber was in rare use in the 1950s, and during the 1960s made #647 (about one Amber per year). It absolutely skyrocketed during the 1970s up to #135, peaked in the early 2000s at #49, and is now #91. This pretty gemstone name is still popular, and it’s all thanks to a “dirty” book! If looking for a nickname, Miss Merritt goes by Bambi.

Danae (Sweetapple)

Danae Sweetapple was blind from birth, and started swimming in 1990. She won a silver and two bronzes at the 1992 Paralympics. In Greek mythology, Danaë was a Greek princess and the mother of the hero Perseus. Her father shut her up in a bronze tower due to a prophecy that he would be killed by her son, but she was impregnated by Zeus, who came to her in the form of golden rain. The king had Danaë and Perseus cast into the sea, and they washed ashore onto an island, where a kind fisherman raised Perseus as his own son (as an adult, the prophecy was fulfilled when Perseus did kill his grandfather). Getting it on with a godly shower of gold was either supremely satisfying or very traumatising for Danaë, as she had no interest in mortal men afterwards, and never married or had further children. Her name is derived from the Danaans, one of the names the Greeks used for themselves, with the idea that they were partly descended from Danaus, a mythical prince of Egypt. I’m not sure how the Greeks would have said her name (nobody seems to agree), but not like the way it is usually said in Australia, which is dan-AY.

Elaine (Schreiber)

Elaine Schreiber won a bronze in table tennis, a gold in club throw, and a silver in javelin at the 1964 Paralympics, and a silver in table tennis at the 1968 Games. Elaine is a name shared by several characters in Arthurian legend, who are occasionally confused with each other. One of the most famous is the fair Elaine of Astolat, who dies of unrequited love for Sir Lancelot. The story inspired Tennyson’s poem, The Lady of Shalott, and it was only after the popularity of his poem that Elaine became a commonly-used English name. Elaine is an Old French variant of Helen. Elaine was #254 in 1900, joined the Top 100 in the 1920s, and peaked in the 1930s at #18. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and reached its lowest point in the late 2000s, when it was in rare use. Since then, it has been very gently rising, and is currently #457.

Gloria (Pascoe)

Gloria Pascoe developed epilepsy at the age of 9, and became totally blind by 55. At 61, she attended the 1980 Paralympics, where she took gold in lawn bowls. Gloria is the Latin for “glory, fame, renown”, and in Christian tradition it denotes the manifestation of God’s presence, often associated with a divine light. The name Gloria has been in use since at least the 16^th century, but received a boost in popularity in the 19^th from two literary works. One was Gloria, a romantic novel by popular American novelist E.D.E.N. Southworth in 1891; the other was George Bernard Shaw’s 1897 comedy of errors, You Never Can Tell. Both these works feature very attractive heroines who seem to have done the name more good than all of God’s glory. Gloria was #257 in 1900, Top 100 by the 1920s, and peaked in the 1930s at #23. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and hit its lowest point in 2009 when it was in rare use. Since then it has risen again, and is currently #427. If you’ve been paying attention, you will see this makes it the virtual twin of Elaine in terms of popularity.

Jemima (Moore)

Jemima Moore became paraplegic at the age of 6 from a virus, and is now 20. She won a silver medal in the 100 metres relay at the 2008 Paralympics, and attended the London Games. In the Bible, Jemima was the eldest of Job’s three daughters, and she and her sisters are described as being the fairest in the land. The name Jemima literally means “warm” in Hebrew, and can be translated as “day”. The name could actually be derived from Arabic, as there is an ancient land in Arabia who had a queen called Jemama; if so, Jemima from the Bible could be inspired by the queen of Arabic folklore. This does fit in with the Biblical story, because Job and his family were said to be from an Arabic country. The name Jemama means “turtledove”. It first charted in the 1960s, the same decade children’s show Playschool first broadcast, which has a rag doll named Jemima. Never in the Top 100, it peaked at #196 in the late 2000s and is currently #254 and stable. This is a fashionable name which has never gained popularity or lost cachet.

Lorraine (Dodd)

Lorraine Dodd became paraplegic at the age of 13, after contracting transverse myelitis. She attended the 1968 Paralympic Games, where she won three golds for swimming, and a silver and a bronze in athletics. Lorraine is a region in north-eastern France; its name comes from an earlier kingdom named Lotharingia, meaning “Lothar’s kingdom. Lothar I was a Frankish king and a great-grandson of Charlemagne; his name is Germanic and means “famous army”. As a personal name, Lorraine has been used since the 18^th century, a century in which Lorraine first became part of France. It’s sometimes said to be a Catholic name, since St Joan of Arc was also known as The Maid of Lorraine. There was a World War I Battle of Lorraine, which probably boosted numbers, and the area’s importance during World War II reflects a peak in popularity at this time. Lorraine was in rare use in the 1900s, and reached the Top 100 in the 1930s. Peaking in the 1940s, it left the Top 100 in the 1970s, and hasn’t charted since the 1990s. You can see how Lorraine helped Lauren appear feminine, and Lauren also seems to have replaced Lorraine.

Madison (de Rozario)

Madison de Rozario became paralysed by a rare neurological condition at the age of 3 and is now 18. She won silver in 2008 as the youngest Paralympian on the team, and was also at the London Games. Madison is a surname meaning “son of Matthew“, although in some rare cases it may be derived from “son of Maddy”, with Maddy being a pet form of Maud. It’s been used as a personal name since the 18^th century, and seems to have been given almost exclusively to boys in the beginning. Although certainly used in England, it was much more common in America, where it may often have been given in honour of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States (I only found one man named Madison in Australian records). Madison is famous in baby name circles for only becoming popular, and only becoming common for girls, after the movie Splash in 1984. This romantic fantasy, a rewrite of The Little Mermaid, stars Daryl Hannah as the mermaid, who chooses her “human name” from a street sign for Madison Avenue in New York City, named after the former president – although Tom Hanks’ character tells her this isn’t a “real name”. Madison was #606 for the 1980s, with about three born each year. It then absolutely screeched up the charts to make #52 for the 1990s, and peaked in the early 2000s at #22. It sunk to #44 in 2010, then rose last year to make #41. It’s been a real success story, with its nickname Maddie fitting in with Madeline.

Priya (Cooper)

Priya Cooper was born with cerebral palsy, and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. She began swimming competitively while still at school, and is one of our greatest disabled swimmers, winning nine gold medals and breaking world records at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Paralympics. She was twice team co-captain, and twice a flag-bearer at closing ceremonies. She has received many honours, and since retiring has become a spokesperson and fundraiser for several charities. Priya is an Indian girl’s name which means “dear, beloved” in Sanskrit. In Hindu legend, Priya was one of the daughters of King Daksha, a son of the god Brahma. The name is pronounced PREE-yuh, and has been rather a favourite in Australia for many years.

Siobhan (Paton)

Siobhan Paton is an intellectually disabled swimmer who holds thirteen world records, and won six gold medals at the 2000 Olympics. She was named Paralympian of the Year in 2000, and also received an Order of Australia. Siobhán is the Irish form of the Norman-French name Jehanne, a variant of Jeanne. There were several medieval queens named Siobhán. It is said that the twentieth century popularity of Siobhan owes a great deal to the actress Siobhán McKenna, who was born in Belfast. She was most famous as a stage actress, but also appeared in King of Kings (playing Mary), Of Human Bondage, and Dr Zhivago. Ms McKenna’s son, Donnacha O’Dea, was an Olympic swimmer for Ireland in 1968. Siobhan first charted in the 1950s, and during the 1960s was #571, which represents about one Siobhan a year. Use of the name increased sharply during the 1970s and ’80s, and it peaked in the 1990s at #211. It hasn’t charted since 2009, so this is another attractive name which has never made the Top 100. Pronunciation is an issue, because the usual Irish pronunciation is SHIV-on, but in Australia it’s usually said shi-VAWN.

Ursula (King)

Usula King was a swimmer who won a silver and two bronze at the 1984 Paralympics. The name Ursula means “little she-bear”, derived from the Latin ursa (which we know from constellations Ursa Major and Minor – the Great and Little Bears). According to legend, Saint Ursula was a Romano-British princess who was sent by her father to marry the pagan governor of Armorica (Brittany). Possibly to stall proceedings, she got all bridezilla and declared that before the wedding she must go all over Europe on a pilgrimage, taking an unbelievable 11 000 virgins with her as her handmaids. On their way to Cologne, they were besieged by Huns, who had a busy day beheading the lot of them. The story doesn’t fit with any known historic facts, and one theory is that Ursula is a Christianised form of the goddess Freya. However, Cologne has a magnificent basilica dedicated to St Ursula and her companions, and a little village in Wales also has a church in their honour, in the belief that Ursula was originally from Wales (in the legend, she is from the West Country). Because of the saint, the name came into use in medieval times, and got a little boost in the 20^th century from beautiful Swedish actress Ursula Andress, who was the first Bond girl, in Dr No. It’s clunky by contemporary standards, but strangely alluring.

(Photo of Madison de Rozario from her Twitter account)

Meanings of Names

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by A.O. in Your Questions Answered

≈ 3 Comments

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There’s many different ways to choose baby names. Some people pick out a name they like, and perhaps quickly check to make sure it doesn’t mean something horrible, like “he who has the face of a deranged warthog”, or maybe not even care what it means. Others think of a meaning they would like to associate with their baby, and then hunt around for a name that fits that meaning.

These are all the web searches people used to get to the blog this year, looking for names with particular meanings. I don’t know if I’ve always come up with a name they wanted to know about, and I’m not even completely sure that I’m correct on each one, but I did my best.

NAMES WITH MEANINGS RELATED TO STARS

Boys name that means “star”

The English word Sterling, referring to sterling silver, is said to most likely mean “little star”, as some early Norman pennies were imprinted with a small star. The Old French word for the pennies is Esterlin. We also use the word sterling to mean “excellent, of high quality”, so you get another layer of meaning from it.

Latin boy’s name meaning “star”

The Latin for star is Astrum. Astro is a Latin prefix meaning “pertaining to the stars”, as in the word astronomy. I have seen this used as a name.

Swedish girl’s name that means “star”

Stjarna.

A boy’s name that means “bright star”

Nayyar is an Arabic boy’s name which is understood as meaning “bright star”. It also refers to the sun, which of course is our nearest, and thus brightest, star.

Male name meaning “bright star in the southern hemisphere”

There’s isn’t a star name which means that, but Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, and is visible in both hemispheres. However, Canopus, the second brightest, is more often connected with the southern hemisphere; it is always visible from some parts of Australia. It is occasionally called Soheil in English, and the Maori name for it is Atuatahi, meaning “stand alone”.

Spanish girls name that means “constellation”

I’m not sure there is one, but the Spanish for constellation is Constelación. I haven’t heard of it being used as a person’s name, but Constelacia might look a bit more name-like. I don’t speak Spanish, so apologies if this looks absurd to Hispanophones.

Boy name that means “many constellations”

The Japanese name Ikuto has this meaning, although I’ve only seen it used as a fictional surname.

A constellation name which means “small”

All the constellations have names which are nouns or “things”, not adjectives, so there isn’t one. A few have Minor as part of their name, to indicate they are the smaller of two eg Ursa Minor. The closest I could find was Equuleus, meaning “little horse, foal”.

Name meaning “starry sky”

In Japanese, Hoshizora means “starry sky”. It’s used as a surname in the Japanese anime Smile Pretty Cure!

Boys name that means “galaxy”

I have seen Galaxos as a character name in online games, and Galaxian would mean “of the galaxy” or “from the galaxy”.

NATURE NAMES

Boys name that means “beach”

Beach, Bay or Cove.

Names that mean “songbird”

Hebrew has both a male and female name with this meaning. Efrona for a girl (meaning “lark”), and Zalmir for a boy.

Flower name that means “peaceful”

There’s a native plant from Western Australia called the Gunniopsis pax – it’s a succulent, and it does have small flowers. There is also the Peace Lily, and the Peace Rose, and a type of guzmania (a bromeliad) called Pax. The White Poppy, the Lotus and the Daisy have all been used as symbols of peace.

Boy name meaning “otter”

In Japanese, Rakko means “sea otter”. That seemed to be the most usable word for otter in another language I could find.

POSITIVE MEANINGS

Indian boy’s name meaning “one who cannot be defeated”

It seems to be a popular meaning for boy’s names in India, for there are several. I managed to find Adityendra, Ajay, Ajeenkya, Ajeesh, Ajit, Aparajita, and Durjaya. Take your pick!

Viking name meaning “prince”

Balder is translated as meaning “lord, prince, king”, and it was used as an epithet for heroes. In Norse mythology, Balder was the son of Odin and Frigg.

Girl name that means “independence”

Liberty or Freedom.

Sanskrit girl’s name meaning “bright, happy”

Nandita.

Girl’s name that means “beautiful”

There’s a lot. A few you may not be familiar with are Mei (Chinese), Shayna (Yiddish) and Ziba (Persian).

Name that means “bewitching”

Mohana is an Indian unisex name which means “bewitching, infatuating, charming” in Sanskrit. It is used as an epithet of several gods and goddesses.

The word for “lovely” in some other language

Delightfully vague! I pick French – Jolie.

NEGATIVE MEANINGS

Baby name that means “spiteful”

I hope this is for a story and not a real baby! The German surname Sauer means “spiteful” (related to the word sour, acid), and it can be Anglicised as either of the unrelated names Sawyer or Sayer, so I guess those are possible options.

Hindi word for “proud”

Ooh there’s quite a few. Garvi, Garvit and Nidar look the most like names, to me.

DOESN’T EXIST

Name that means “daughter of a princess”

Hmm, seems a bit narcissistic as a baby name, somehow! Anyway, there’s no term for a princess’ daughter, and the daughter of a princess doesn’t necessarily have any special status – Princess Anne’s daughter Zara is just Mrs Tindall. I would choose a name that simply means “princess” or is royal-related. However, the Indonesian name Putri means both “daughter” and “princess”.

Norse name which means “female knight”

Vikings didn’t generally fight with a cavalry, and although there were some female warriors, it’s very unlikely they would have ridden horses, as this was usually reserved for leaders of a warband. It does make me think of the Valkyries, who were mythological women of the afterlife, always depicted on horseback. Valkyrie means “chooser of the slain”.

Norse name meaning “hunter”

There isn’t one. The Old Norse word for hunter is Veiðimaður, and some think this word is the basis of the English surname Waitman. This is occasionally used as a first name.

Name for a girl that means something

More specific, please!

NAMES FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Name that means “perfect time”

I know it’s not quite right, but I keep thinking Serendipity. Also Season, because of the saying that “For everything there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven”. The Japanese girl’s name Aya means “design”, suggesting a planned pregnancy. Musical names like Rhythm or Cadence come to mind, as music must be perfectly timed. Ogechukwukama is an Igbo girl’s name meaning “God’s time is the best” – good for a surprise, but very welcome, baby.

Name that means “beating the odds”

Lucky or Chance.

Boy’s name that means “when two souls join”

I’d probably be thinking of names that mean “bliss, joy”. Anand is a Sanskrit name meaning “bliss”, while Anglo-Saxon has Wynn, meaning “joy, bliss”. The word Bliss itself can be used for both sexes. The Chinese unisex name Zheng or Zeng means “harmony, union”, which seems to describe the state of soul togetherness.

Zulu name for boys that gives hope for the future

Mduduzi is a Zulu boy’s name that means “bringer of hope”.

Boy’s name meaning “not meant to be”

Oh how sad, and what a sad meaning. I’m so sorry. I thought long and hard about this one, and it seems to me that the concept behind “meant to be” and “not meant to be” is the same, that is, some idea of Fate, Fortune or Destiny. We usually think of it as feminine (“Dame Fortune” etc), but the Ancient Egyptians had a god of fate, named Shai or Shay, meaning “that which is ordained”. I think that’s a nice name for a boy, and has the sense of the meaning you’re looking for.

(Picture shows the Milky Way above Lake Moogerah in south-east Queensland; photo from Perth Now)

Can You Suggest Any Vintage Baby Names for This Couple?

29 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by A.O. in Naming Assistance

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

choosing baby names, classic names, flower names, middle names, nature names, nicknames, plant names, popular names, retro names, sibsets, The Baby Name Wizard, vintage names

Anya and Tom are expecting their second child in about three or four weeks, and although they have dutifully compiled a little list of names for each gender, they don’t have strong feelings about any of the names, which is making it hard for them to decide.

Girls List

Elsie
Belle
Lily
Rose
Anya likes the names Pearl and Mabel
Tom likes the name Josie

Boys List

Stanley
Reggie
Jack
Anya likes Monty, Billy and Eddie
They have also considered Albie, Archie and Alfie

Anya and Tom’s Preferences

Vintage names
Nicknames, and names that can be shortened to a nickname
Short names
Not too fussed about popularity, and would prefer a popular name to something obscure
Something which is a good match with their daughter, who is named Is**la

Anya and Tom would love suggestions of other names that fit their naming style, and their surname begins with E and ends with S eg Eadens. They don’t mind alliterative names, such as Elsie Eadens. They are also looking for middle names.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations, Anya and Tom – you’re well-prepared, second-time-around parents-to-be who have done all their homework! You’ve drawn up your name lists, you know what you like, yet you are open to thinking of new names. Best of all, you have a positive, relaxed attitude to finding a baby name, and willing to have some fun in the process.

It sounds like you’ve already received some criticism for your name choices, and although I’m sure you handled it diplomatically, you do need to be able to make your decision without being swayed by others (including me!).

Because none of the names you’ve picked seems to have won your heart, I think it’s a good idea to keep looking, but don’t think that a name you don’t “love” should be crossed off. Sometimes we find the perfect name right away, but it takes a while for us to get emotionally attached to it. It’s amazing how many parents will end up going with a name they didn’t warm up to at first.

Even though you only have a few weeks to go, you don’t need to choose the name right now. I’d suggest that you finalise your name lists, and keep all your options open until after the birth. Once your new son or daughter is born, don’t be afraid to follow your heart, because chances are the right name will come to you intuitively if you’re patient and don’t try to force it.

(Middle names: I’ve written a short guide to middle names that might interest you).

GIRLS NAMES

It’s interesting you’re looking for a vintage name to match your daughter’s, because your little girl has quite a modern name, in that it’s only become popular quite recently. Because of that, I’d suggest that you might want to go with a classic or retro name that’s already popular or gaining rapidly in popularity.

Elsie and Lily are quite similar in sound to your daughter’s name – Elsie also has a vowel-L-S-vowel pattern, while three of Lily’s letters can be found in I’s name, and they both end in vowels. That makes me wonder if you would like a sister-name match that sounds a lot like your daughter’s? I actually think you and your daughter have quite similar names, so another one like that could make a “family set”. I notice you seem to like girl’s names with a strong L sound in them, so I’ve tried to find names that fit that pattern.

Rose and Belle are both really pretty, feminine names. I think classic Rose is my favourite of your names under consideration – sounds lovely with your surname, makes a good sibling match, and has a nice level of popularity. The Baby Name Wizard actually has Belle listed as a sister for Is**la! The two names together make me think of Belle Isle, a popular place name; they seem to make the phrase beautiful island. If you don’t end up using them, either name could become a middle name.

Suggestions

Alice (sweet popular classic name, sounds similar to Elsie)
Violet (elegant popular vintage flower name, same long I sound as her sister)
Millie (vintage name rising rapidly in popularity, similar to Mabel and Lily)
Molly (popular vintage name, similar to Mabel and Lily)
Daisy (cute vintage flower name as an alternative to Lily and Rose)
Tilly/Tillie (nickname alternative to Lily)
Eva or Eve (pretty popular names that bring the nickname Evie, similar to Elsie)
Lola (everything you asked for, but may seem too similar as a sibling name match)

BOYS NAMES

You seem to have considered quite a few boy’s names that got rejected, although I’m not sure if Albie/Alfie/Archie has been eliminated or is still in the running. Stanley and Jack are both classics, while Reggie is just coming in to fashion as a fresh alternative to Archie. I’m finding it hard to pick a front-runner, as they are all subtly different and have their points to offer.

Stanley has never gone out of use, and yet isn’t popular, although he is on the rise and pretty hip; while Jack and Reggie are laddish, Stanley nn Stan is sturdy and manly. Reggie is cute, and makes quite a daring choice – he seems like he has the potential to become the new Archie. Perennial favourite Jack never goes out of fashion, even though his popularity is currently slipping. I think Jack probably sounds best with your surname and as a brother to your little girl, but as you well know, he will be one of many Jacks (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I might be leaning slightly towards Stanley, but I think any of these names would make a fine choice.

Suggestions

Will (a softer alternative to Billy; I think it would sound nice with his sister)
Fred or Freddie (a cute but more surname-friendly alternative to Eddie)
Percy (seems similar to Reggie)
Gus (very hip old-style nicknamey name)
Lenny (similar to both Stanley and Reggie, becoming very fashionable)
Rex (short, strong vintage name; similar to both Reggie and Jack)
Kit (similar to Jack, but with a touch of the west)
Barnaby nn “Barney” (seems similar in feel to Monty)

NOTE: The baby’s name was Jack!

A Quick Guide to Choosing Middle Names

29 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by A.O. in Naming Issues

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

choosing baby names, honouring, middle names, nature names, unisex names, virtue names

Sometimes you easily choose the perfect baby name, but then get stuck on the middle name. This is especially the case if you don’t have any particular middle name ideas in mind, and feel that almost anything would do. If anything will do, that’s an awful lot of names to consider! Here’s a quick run through your major options:

Reuse and Recycle

If you made a list of baby names, after you’ve made your choice, you could choose one of the other names you loved but now can’t use as the middle name. This only works if you had different-sounding names on your list: if you were deciding between Kayla and Kaylee, or Tom and John, this option is probably not for you.

Genealogy

If you’re passionate about your family history, you may want to use names and surnames from generations ago, or the town/region that your ancestors came from.

Family and Friends

This is one of the most common middle name choices – using the name of someone important in your life as your child’s middle name. For beloved relatives who passed on before your child was born, it’s a lovely way to give your son or daughter a connection to them. You can also use your own name (including a mother’s maiden name) as a child’s middle name.

Cultural Heritage

If you identify with a particular culture, you may want a name that reflects that. You may not want to call your child Dmitrios or Sumi as their first name, but in the middle might be the perfect way to let them know their roots while still blending in.

Heroes

Is there someone you admire or who has been an inspiration in your life? Their name or surname could make a meaningful middle name. Be aware that if it’s someone very famous, your child may not necessarily welcome being identified with this person for life, so think carefully. Your hero may not be a person – one of my friends is a practitioner of Raja Yoga, and her son’s middle name is Raja.

Personal Associations

Recently we saw Brandi welcome her twin girls. One of her daughters has a middle name which means “blackberry” in Spanish, as this fruit has a very special meaning to Brandi and her husband. I think something like this is a great choice, because it’s a beautiful name story to share, and is private enough that other people won’t be able guess at what’s behind it.

Good Old Standards

These are those oft-used middle names, such as Anne, Elizabeth, Grace, Jane, Marie, May or Rose for girls, or Charles, James, John or Michael for boys. Although it’s fashionable to bag these out as “filler” names, let’s face it, they get used so much because they work so well. If you have absolutely no idea what middle name to use, these can be very useful, although they probably work best if they are also a family name or have some personal meaning to you. They’re also good for toning down an unusual first name.

Cool New Middles

There’s a new generation of “filler” names, often nature names like Bay, Bee, Frost, Lark, Plum, Snow, Star, Winter, Wren or virtue names like Love, Pax, True, and so on. Just as handy as the old standards, in that they go with a wide range of names, and many can be used for both genders. As with the old standards, I think these work best if they have some personal meaning to you.

Daring and Unusual

You might be too timid or commonsensical to use an unusual name for your child, but deep down you really love the idea of using something out of the ordinary – like Angel, Awesome, Cinderella, Danger, Hummingbird, Loveday, Magic, Miracle, Neo, Pirate, Sparkle, Tulip,or Rainbow. I feel that when it comes to the middle name position, almost anything goes, and you can really set your imagination free. These would be great for jazzing up a common or highly popular first name – there are many girls called Ava Rose, but not so many called Ava Sunshine.

Initialise It

If you have thought and thought until your brain hurts, and absolutely NO middle name comes to mind, you can always just use an initial, or two initials. Another solution is to spell the initials out, such as Fabian Cee Tee. Think about it carefully though – nobody wants to be named Jessie Pee or Jayden BJ. Make sure it doesn’t end up being an unwanted acronym, like BC or TV, and you may also want to check it’s not being used by a rapper, if only to avoid being asked, “Did you name him after the rapper?”.

Let Someone Help

Still stuck? Ask someone else to choose the name for you. Maybe your mum, or your pastor, or the baby’s older sibling, or put up a poll on Facebook. Everyone, even total strangers, will be flattered to be asked for their opinion. If they pick something awful, you’re not obligated to go with it, but it could get awkward if you reject their suggestion, so choose your helper carefully.

No Middle Name

Not an option. Okay, technically it is an option, since there is no legal obligation to provide one. But come on. Try harder.

NOTE: This isn’t a guide to choosing the perfect middle name, it’s just to get a middle name on the birth certificate, for parents who’ve been so busy choosing a name that the thought of choosing a second name is too overwhelming.

The People’s Choice of Boy’s Names

23 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

African-American names, alphanumeric names, American slang, anagram names, Anglo-Saxon names, animal names, aristocratic names, Australian Aboriginal names, Australian slang terms, banned names, bird names, birth notices, Bonds Baby Search, celebrity baby names, computer hacker names, controversial names, created names, english names, famous namesakes, germanic names, Google, Greek names, historical records, Indian names, J.R.R. Tolkien, locational names, Maori names, meteorological names, middle names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, nature names, nicknames, Old English names, Old Norse, polynesian names, popular culture, royal names, saints names, scandinavian names, slang terms, Spanish dialect words, surname names, tree names, unisex names, US name popularity, vintage names, vocabulary words, Welsh names

Adolf

A form of the Germanic name Adalwolf, meaning “noble wolf”. The Old English form is Æthelwulf, and there are a few famous men of this name in English history, most notably the father of Alfred the Great. The name was often used amongst the royal houses of northern Europe, and the Latinised form Adolphus turns up in the monarchy of the United Kingdom. There is a saint called Adolf of Osnabrück, a 9^th century German monk. Up until the mid-twentieth century, the name was common in central and northern Europe, and can be found in Australia due to immigration from Germany and Scandinavia. The reason this name has been included is because barely a day goes by without someone Googling: “Is it legal to call your child Adolf?”, to which I can say, yes, it is legal here, and you can find quite a few Australians in the records with this name – including ones born during and shortly after World War II. I have met a man named Adolf (born around the early 1960s), and I believe he was named after his grandfather. The other chestnut is, “Is it legal to call your child Adolf Hitler in Australia?” to which I reply, Why would you want to do that? Seriously, why? As the name Ned Kelly is banned because he is considered too wicked, I’m pretty sure Adolf Hitler would also be illegal here.

Buster

This spunky name has more history than you might think. In England, it was first used in the middle position; Buster is a variant of the surname Bustard, after the bird. In 18^th century America, it seems to have been more common for African-Americans, and may have started as a pet name in the sense of “breaker”. Later it took on the meaning of “unusual, prodigious, amazing”. Buster is used to address males in the same way as pal or fella (“Now listen up, buster”). This comes from the Spanish dialect busté, meaning “you”. It’s gone on to have negative connotations. One of the most famous men with this name is actor Joseph “Buster” Keaton, who started his career in vaudeville as a small child. He claimed to have received his nickname as a toddler from Harry Houdini, after falling down a flight of stairs unhurt. Houdini allegedly remarked, “That was a real buster!”, meaning “a fall with the potential to cause injury”. So Keaton’s name indicated he was tough enough to take a tumble. Buster Brown was a cartoon strip boy who was an angelic-looking blond prankster. In Australian slang, come a buster means to fall or fail by misfortune, while buster is a term for a strong wind – especially the Southerly Buster. This is a name Sydneysiders give to the abrupt cool change that sometimes blows in from the south during the warmer months. Vintage name Buster has recently become rather an Australian favourite for boys, although in the novel, The Shiralee, by D’arcy Niland, Buster is a little girl.

Chester

Chester is a city in Cheshire, England, founded by the Romans as a fortress in 79; its size has led some historians to speculate that the Romans intended it to be the capital, rather than London. Its current name comes from the Old English Ceaster, meaning “Roman fort”, and its early history was very military, with wars seemingly constant. Even King Arthur is supposed to have won a major battle here, and it was the last city to fall to the Normans during the Conquest. Today it’s a thriving modern city which still tries to preserve its historic buildings. Chester has been used as a personal name since the 16^th century, probably after the surname, although early births in Cheshire suggest they may have been named directly for the city itself. Although it’s been a popular name in the US in its time, and only left the Top 1000 in the mid-1990s, for some reason it never caught on in a big way here. I was surprised to see it on a baby in the Bonds Baby Search Competition this year. For some reason, this baby name is often Googled, although the slang term chester is an impediment to its use.

Digby

An English surname from a place name meaning “settlement by the ditch”, derived from a combination of Old English and Old Norse. The name seems to have been first given in honour of the aristocratic Digby family, Anglo-Irish peers whose family seat in Coleshill, Warwickshire was granted to them by Henry VII. It is from the town of Coleshill that the personal name originates in the 17^th century. One of the most famous of this clan was Sir Kenelm Digby, a Catholic philosopher considered a great eccentric for his exuberant personality and fascination with science, which extended to studying alchemy, astrology and magic (not considered incompatible with science then); he was the first person to note the importance of oxygen to plants. A man of action as well as thought, he became a privateer, and killed a man in a duel; he also wrote several cookbooks, invented the modern wine bottle and managed to fit in a secret romance to a famous beauty which led to their marriage. A true all-rounder. This name regularly appears in birth notices here, especially from Victoria, and may be encouraged by comedienne Cal Wilson, who welcomed a son named Digby a few years ago. People seem to either loathe this name or find it irresistibly cute; I must confess to being in the second category.

Elfyn

This is the Welsh form of the Old English name Ælfwine, meaning “elf friend”; it went out of use after the Norman Conquest. J.R.R. Tolkien liked to think of the name as meaning “friend of the elves”, and invented two fictional characters with this name who formed close bonds with elves. Modern forms include Alvin and Elvin, both taken from the surname form of the name. There are several famous people in Wales with Elfyn as either their first name or surname, including young rally driver Elfyn Evans and poet Menna Elfyn. For reasons I cannot explain, it is Googled several times a week.

Jharal

Jharal Yow Yeh is an NRL star who plays for the Brisbane Broncos. An Aboriginal Australian from the Margany people of Queensland, he also has Torres Straits Islander, Vanuatuan and Chinese heritage. Now aged 22, he has been playing for the Broncos since 2009, for the Indigenous All-Stars since 2010, and for both the Queensland state team, the Maroons, and the Australian national side, the Kangaroos, since last year. Early this season he sustained a serious leg injury, and is still recovering. People Google Jharal’s name all the time, asking for its meaning, and often querying whether it’s of Indigenous origin. In fact, his name was created for him by his grandmother. His mother couldn’t decide what to call him, so she asked nana Iris to name him. Iris cleverly arranged the letters of all the strongest men in her family into a name, and came up with Jharal. It is taken from the initials of James, Harold, Anthony, Reece, Arthur and Linc. The name is pronounced JHUH-rahl, and Iris says that most people think it is an Indian name. In fact, by coincidence, a jharal is a mountain goat from India. Names created for celebrities often seem too unique for others to use, but I have seen Jharal a few times in birth notices recently. Looking for a nickname? Jharal is known to his family as Joe.

Koa

This unisex name has several different origins. There is a Hawaiian male name Koa meaning “strong, brave, fearless”, and it’s also the name of a Hawaiian tree, the Acacia koa. The wood was traditionally used to make dug-out canoes and certain types of surfboards. In Maori, the word koa means “happiness”. In the Kaurna language of South Australia, the word koa means “crow”, and the Koa people come from south-east Queensland, so it’s also a tribal name. There has been a sudden proliferation of this name in Australian birth notices, and that might be because Tom Dumont from No Doubt welcomed a son named Koa last year. However, I am beginning to see far more girls named Koa in birth notices than boys. This may be because of model and actress Koa Whelan, a contestant on this year’s dating show, Please Marry My Boy. I think this works equally well for boys and girls, although the first meaning is male only.

Neo

This is from an Ancient Greek prefix meaning “new, young, fresh”. It turns up in words such as neonatal, meaning “pertaining to the newborn”, or neologism, meaning “a freshly coined word”. The name has become well-known since 1999 because Neo is the protagonist of the cyberpunk Matrix film series. In the films, the character’s name is Thomas Anderson, and Neo is his computer hacker identity (Anderson does have the letters N, E and O in it). Neo is also an anagram of One, and the films seek to discover whether Neo is “The One”, a Messiah-like figure who will be able to rescue humanity. The films have become cult classics, and intermingle a range of philosophical and spiritual ideals from the East and the West – it’s even spawned its own religion, Matrixism. From the amount of times that people have Googled neo baby name or neo for a boy, there are quite a few parents considering using this name. Neo fits right in with current trends, and doesn’t sound any stranger than Leo. It is very strongly associated with the film character though. However, Australians have a solid history of gaining name inspiration from the movies, and most of The Matrix series was filmed in Sydney, giving it an Australian connection.

Rune

A Scandinavian name derived from Old Norse meaning “secret”. The runes are the letters of the runic alphabets, which were used to write different Germanic languages, dating from at least the first or second century AD. Runic inscriptions seem to have been for magical and divinatory use, and perhaps their knowledge was restricted to an elite in early times. According to Norse mythology, the runes were originally stolen from the god Odin. They are part of English history, because the Anglo-Saxons had their own runic alphabet. If you have read The Hobbit, you will have seen Anglo-Saxon runes used on a dwarven map; Tolkien later invented his own runic alphabet which appears in The Lord of the Rings. Rune stones are used for divination today, often in a similar way to tarot cards. The name isn’t unusual in Scandinavia, and you may know the name from the Polish speedway rider Rune Holta, born in Norway. I think this is a simple, attractive name with layers of history and meaning.

Zephyr

A zephyr is a light, warm wind. It comes from the name Zephyrus, who was the Greek god of the west wind – the gentlest of breezes, which served as a harbinger of spring. He married both Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, and Chloris, the goddess of flowers – who is also seen as a deity of spring (and named Flora by the Romans). Children may know the name as that of a bat in the Silverwing book series, and, in the form Zephir, as the monkey in the Babar the Elephant stories. Grown ups may be reminded of The Zephyr Song by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. If you take the name as derived directly from the god, then it is male, but if you accept it as a nature name and vocabulary name, it is unisex. It only seems to be Googled to my blog as a male name however. Pronounced ZEF-uhr, this name is unsual but not outrageous; it seems like a breezy alternative to popular Z names like Zachary, Zeke or Zane. The obvious nickname is Zeff or Zeffy.

(Picture shows actor Keanu Reeves in his role of Neo from The Matrix; Sydney skyline in background)

Famous Name: Sapphire

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

celebrity baby names, english names, gemstone names, Greek names, historical records, name history, name meaning, name popularity, nature names, nicknames, opinions on names, popular culture, popular names, rare names, stripper names

The Australian movie The Sapphires was released here on August 9, after making it’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it received a resounding ten-minute standing ovation. The film is set in 1968, and the plot involves four sisters from a remote Aboriginal mission who are given the opportunity to go to Vietnam as entertainers to the troops – billed as The Sapphires. It’s based on a true story, with the screenwriter’s mum and auntie serving as the inspiration, as they performed as part of a quartet during the war. The “original Sapphires” are thrilled by the film’s portrayal of them, and the movie is making the Indigenous community they work in proud of their achievements.

The Sapphires has received mostly warm reviews from critics, and became the highest-earning Australian film on its opening weekend. I can see why it’s winning the hearts of audiences, because it’s charmingly unpolished, and is one of those feel-good movies where you end up laughing, crying, singing and tapping your feet. Serious topics such as racial prejudice are touched on (in fact are essential to the plot), but they don’t overshadow what is basically a light-hearted comedy-drama. Chris O’Dowd is hilarious, Jessica Mauboy’s singing fantastic, and Deborah Mailman is, as always, luminously charismatic.

If you are a fan of these warm-hearted underdogs-put-on-a-show stories and also love soul music, I urge you to check this movie out when it comes to your own part of the world. It’s being compared to Dreamgirls, but I can’t actually see they have much in common – the movie is probably closer to The Commitments. Of course what I spent most of the movie doing (in between laughing, crying, singing, tapping my feet, and trying to make sure no major popcorn disasters took place) was wondering how Sapphire could work as a name.

The name Sapphire is after the gemstone, which comes from the Greek meaning “blue stone”. However, the Greeks were most likely referring to lapis lazuli. Sapphires can actually come in a range of colours, but never red – red sapphires are called rubies.

In ancient Persia, sapphires were said to be a manifestation of heaven, and there is a tradition that the original Ten Commandments given to Moses by God were written on sapphire (although the Bible itself merely says that God could be seen standing on something that looked like a pavement of “clear sapphire”). In the Middle Ages, sapphires were said to have healing properties, and they have long been popular as royal jewels. Sapphires are favourites amongst the British royal family for their personal jewellery, as well as the Crown Jewels; Princess Anne and Princess Diana both had sapphire engagement rings, and Diana’s was inherited by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Sapphires have been mined in Australia for over a century, and commercially for more than fifty years. Australia was once the leading source of gem-quality sapphires, but we were overtaken by Madagascar; even today, many sapphires sold as coming from Asia are actually from Australia. Many Australian sapphire mines are in central Queensland, and indeed there is a mining town in that state named Sapphire, although the best are said to be found in the New England region of New South Wales. You can also have a go fossicking for your own sapphires – in New South Wales, you don’t even need a license to do so.

Sapphire has been used as an uncommon personal name for centuries, and got a boost in popularity around the early twentieth century, when other gemstone names such as Ruby and Emerald became fashionable. Not surprisingly, records show that most Australians named Sapphire came from New England or central Queensland, so here it seems to have local significance connected to the mining trade.

If you look online for opinions on the name Sapphire, you are almost certain to find the phrase “stripper name” attached to it. Granted, there are strippers with the stage name Sapphire – then again, there are strippers named Ruby, Lola, Angie, Madison, Abby, Victoria, Lucy, Alicia, Katie, Sarah, Rebecca, Elizabeth and basically any vaguely “girly” contemporary name you can think of. There are strippers using my own name, and nobody has ever assumed I simply must be a stripper with a sexy name like Anna, or shoved money down my bra and asked me to dance around a pole.

In fact, when Ruby became fashionable a few years ago, some of the most common complaints about it was that it sounded “trashy”, “stripperish”, and “too sexy”. Well, guess what? Ruby is now one of the most popular name for girls, being in the Top 10 of every state, and #1 in several states; it’s also been used as a baby name by several celebrities. It seems more like a cute little girl name that a sexy one, and the chances of all those thousands of young Rubys growing up to become strippers is statistically improbable.

If you love Ruby, but worry it’s too popular, you might might want to consider this beautiful gemstone name. Whether you have an attachment to Indigenous culture, Australian film, soul music, the gemstone trade, fossicking, sapphire mining areas, the Sapphire Coast in southern New South Wales, or simply love these deep blue jewels, Sapphire makes a lovely and unusual choice. Some may like Saffy as a nickname.

NOTE: Information on stripper’s names from Australian businesses online.

Names of Australian Female Olympic Medalists

12 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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Chantal (Meek)

Chantal Meek is originally from Britain, and won a bronze medal in 2008 for sprint canoeing. The name Chantal was originally given in honour of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (her non-saint name was Jeanne-Françoise Frémiot, Baronne de Chantal). Jeanne-Françoise was of the nobility, and married a baron; she devoted herself to prayer and charity, and later in life founded a religious order. Not only kind and sensible, she was known for her great sense of humour. The place name Chantal is from Old Provençal cantal, meaning “stony”, but people often imagine it is from the French word chant, meaning “song”. Chantal was first used as a personal name in France in the 1920s, and was most popular there during the 1940s-60s. The name entered the US Top 100 in 1968, the same year Marie-Chantal Miller was born to American millionaire and socialite, Robert Warren Miller (Marie-Chantal later became Crown Princess of Greece). Chantal (shan-TAHL) has never charted in Australia, with the preference here being for the variant Chantelle (shan-TEL).

Clover (Maitland)

Clover Maitland has won gold twice for hockey, in 1996 and 2000. Although usually thought of as a nature name, Clover was originally from the surname. It was an occupational name given to an official mace-bearer (a mace was called a clavia), or to a timber-worker, with the origin being from the word cleave. This accounts for boys named Clover. The plant of this name plays a role in folklore, for it is said that to find a four-leafed clover is lucky. The shamrock is a clover variety which is one of the symbols of Ireland, and proudly displayed on Saint Patrick’s Day. The word clover ultimately goes back to a Proto-Indo-European word meaning “sticky” – quite apt, as white clover flowers make excellent honey. Clover is also used in farming and gardening to enrich the soil, and so good for stock to eat that we say someone is living in clover if their life is one of ease and prosperity. So many positive things attached to this fresh green plant – another one is that it contains the word love. Clo, Cloey, Clove and Lola could all be used as nicknames.

Maree (Fish)

Maree Fish is a hockey player who won gold at the 1988 Olympics. The name Maree is typically Australasian, and so little known elsewhere that Abby at Appellation Mountain even asked about it, as she was puzzled why so many baby girls in Australian birth announcements had Maree in their names. There are several possibilities. The original pronunciation of Maree was MAH-ree, so it could be an Anglicisation of the Scottish Màiri, which is a form of Mary, and can be pronounced the same way. On the other hand, MAH-ree is how the name Marie was pronounced in England until the early twentieth century, and is also a common Gaelic and Irish pronunciation of the name. There is a Loch Maree in the Scottish Highlands, named after Saint Maree – however, he was a man, and his name is the Anglicised form of Máel Ruba, which roughly means “red haired monk” (sometimes it’s Anglicised as Rufus). These days, Maree is usually pronounced muh-REE, as a variant spelling of Marie. Maree entered the charts in the 1920s and was Top 100 by the 1940s. It peaked in the 1960s at #62, and left the Top 100 the following decade. It hasn’t charted since 2009. Like Marie, it’s much more common as a middle name.

Nova (Peris-Kneebone)

Nova Peris began her sporting career in hockey, becoming the first Indigenous Australian to win an Olympic gold medal when the Australian team won at the 1996 Olympics. She then switched to athletics, and although she won gold twice at the Commonwealth Games as a runner, she never received another Olympic medal. The name Nova is from the Latin word for “new”, and the word nova is well known in astronomy to describe a nuclear explosion in a white dwarf star. This makes it another “star” name. Although a rare name here, it has been on the US Top 1000 since the 1880s, and last year returned at #882, after not being seen there since before World War II. It now seems very usable, with its fashionable O and V sounds – it fits right in with popular girls’ names such as Ava and Eva, and can also be seen as an unusual nature name. It may remind some Australians of the radio station, Nova FM, but I’m unsure whether that would bother anyone.

Rohanee (Cox)

Rohanee Cox is a basketball player with the national women’s team who won silver at the 2008 Olympics. She is the first Indigenous Australian to win an Olympic medal in basketball. She has been awarded many sporting honours, including NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year in 2010. Rohanee, pronounced ro-HAH-nee, is an Indian girl’s name which is a variant of Rohane, based on Rohana, meaning “sandalwood”. Sandalwood trees are native to southern India, and incense made from the tree is used in Hindu ceremonies, while devotees wear a paste made from it on their bodies, so the name has spiritual connotations. Another person with the name is Rohanee Walters, the sister of actor Brandon Walters, who served as his stand-in during the making of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. Like Ms Cox, Miss Walters is from Broome in Western Australia, and I think is young enough to have been named after local sports star Rohanee Cox – although I don’t know if that’s what happened.

Shirley (Strickland)

Shirley Strickland is one of our most famous athletes, gaining more Olympic medals than any other Australian woman in track and field. She won silver and two bronze at the 1948 London Olympics, gold and bronze at the 1952 Olympics, and two gold at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Shirley is a surname from a common English place name meaning “bright clearing”. It was a rare male name until Charlotte Brontë’s 1848 novel Shirley was published. In the story, the lively young heiress Shirley Keeldar has been given a boy’s name, because her parents had no son to pass the family name on to. The US Top 1000 shows Shirley as a unisex name from the 1880s onwards, with 1957 being the last year it appears as a male name. The name began steadily rising just before World War I, coinciding with the 1908 publication of L.M. Montgomery’s novel, Anne of Green Gables, with its imaginative red-haired heroine, Anne Shirley (in a later book, Anne calls her youngest son Shirley). In Australia, Shirley was in rare use in the 1900s, and skyrocketed in popularity to be #10 for the 1920s. It peaked in the 1930s at #3, and had left the Top 100 by the 1960s. It hasn’t charted since 2009.

Taryn (Woods)

Taryn Woods was a member of the women’s water polo team which won gold a the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Taryn is a name popularised by Hollywood matinee idol, Tyrone Power, and his second wife, Linda Christian. They gave the name to their second daughter in 1953, and the name Taryn first appears on the US Top 1000 in 1955. Her name is presumed to be a feminised form of the name Tyrone, which is the name of an Irish county. Taryn is found in ultra-ultra-rare use before that as a unisex name, and similar-sounding names such as Taren, Terrian, Toreen and Torunn were common in the 1940s and ’50s, so the Powers did seem to be tapping into a mid-century zeitgeist. Many of these names look to be inspired by Scandinavian links to the Norse god of thunder, Thor, or perhaps combinations of names, such as Terri and Karen. Taryn first entered the Australian charts in the 1960s, and peaked in the 1980s, at #230. It hasn’t charted since 2009. The name seems to have been more popular in Australia than anywhere else, although its only tenuous Aussie connection is that Linda Christian was one of Erroll Flynn’s lovers.

Tatiana (Grigorieva)

Tatiana Grigorieva was a national hurdler in Russia, but when she migrated to Australia in 1997 she took up pole vaulting. Within a year of picking up a pole for the first time, she won a medal at an international competition. After winning silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she became a household name, and her blonde good looks made her very marketable. Tatiana is the feminine form of Tatianus, derived from the Roman family name Tatius. The name may be of Sabine origin, and the meaning is unknown. Saint Tatiana is supposed to have been a 3^rd century Roman Christian who was martyred for her faith. She was venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and her name has been commonly used in Russia and surrounding areas. Although Tatiana is unusual in Australia, its forms Tania and Tanya both peaked in the 1970s in the Top 100. Last year, NRL star Akuila Uate welcomed a baby girl named Tatianna, and its short form Tiana peaked in the early 2000s.

Virginia (Lee)

Virginia Lee is a rower who won bronze at the 1996 Olympics. The name Virginia is the feminine form of the Roman family Verginius; the meaning may be “bend, turn toward”, but modern writers often spell it Virginius, to make it seem as if it is derived from virgo, Latin for “virgin”. According to legend, Verginia was a beautiful Roman girl murdered by her father to protect her honour. Virginia was the name of the first English colony in North America. In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh’s expedition to what is now North Carolina brought word of a Native American chief named Wingina. The first Native American leader to meet English settlers, he died by their hand soon after, setting an unhappy precedent for future cultural relations. Queen Elizabeth I called the new colony Virginia in her own honour, due to her status as Virgin Queen; it is thought that Wingina’s name may have helped inspire her choice. The original colony stretched from North Carolina into Canada, but the modern American state of Virginia is of more modest proportions. The first child born in the Americas to English parents was Virginia Dare, named after the colony, and her fate is a mystery, for all the colonists disappeared a few years later. Because of its origins, Virginia has been more popular in the United States than elsewhere. In Australia, it first charted in the 1920s, and peaked in the 1950s at #94 – the decade when Virginia McKenna starred in A Town Like Alice. It hasn’t ranked since the early 2000s.

Wendy (Schaeffer)

Wendy Schaeffer is an equestrian who won gold in eventing at the 1996 Olympics. The early history of the name Wendy is rather murky, and it’s usually suggested that it began as a pet form of Gwendoline or Wanda. Unfortunately for this theory, the first Wendy I can find was born in 1615 in Cambridgeshire, and was male. He may have been named after the Cambridgeshire hamlet of Wendy, meaning “island on the river bend”. In fact, boys named Wendy in 18^th century England did tend to come from Cambridgeshire. The earliest woman named Wendy I can find died in Essex, and is estimated to have been born around 1711. Wendy is also a surname which is most commonly found in Essex – as this county is next to Cambridgeshire, could it be inspired by the place name? Leaving aside this mysterious origin, the name’s popularity is due to author J.M. Barrie. He knew a wee lass called Margaret Henley, and she called Barrie “fwendy”, as a childish way of saying “friend”. Margaret died aged five, and Barrie named the heroine of his 1904 play, Peter Pan, Wendy Darling; the novelisation of the play was published in 1911. In Australia, Wendy first entered the charts in the 1920s, and was Top 100 by the following decade. It peaked in the 1950s at #15, and left the Top 100 in the 1980s. It is still in rare use.

(Photo shows Tatiana Grigorieva after winning silver at the Sydney Olympics in 2000)

Famous Name: Gale

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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On August 6 the Curiosity rover, which had been launched by NASA at the end of November last year, successfully landed on the planet Mars. As with the 1969 moon landing, Australian scientists played a crucial role in this international endevour, and NASA administrator Charlie Balden made special mention of the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex at Tidbinbilla, which is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. Tidbinbilla was the only space station which was facing Mars for the descent, making it uniquely positioned to transit data from Mars to the Earth.

Curiosity landed on the Gale crater, which is believed to be more than 3 billion years old. The main goal of the mission is to determine whether life could ever have existed on Mars, and it is thought by some scientists that the Gale crater could have contained water at some point. If they are correct, this would make life on Mars a real possibility.

The Gale crater is named after Walter Frederick Gale, an early twentieth century amateur astronomer from Sydney. A banker by profession, Walter Gale made several important astronomical observations, including discovering seven comets. He also examined the surface of Mars, and was a keen supporter of the idea that the planet could contain life.

The surname Gale can be from an Old English nickname for someone who was cheerful, merry or fun-loving by nature. The Normans had a male personal name Geil, meaning the same thing, and that can be another source of the name. Another possibility is that is from the Norman-French word for “gaol”, perhaps denoting someone who worked as a gaoler, or even lived near a gaol. The surname Gale is mostly found in the southern coastal areas of England, but it is also commonly found in Yorkshire, leading to the possibility that there it may be from the Norse word geil, meaning “deep ravine”.

As a vocabulary word, gale has more meanings than you may suspect. It is an old dialect word meaning “to sing”, with connotations of “charm, enchant”, but also referring to birdsong. Gale Day is an old legal term, meaning the day that a tenant’s rent was due to be paid. Sweet gale is another name for the bog myrtle (Myrica gale); a shrub which typically grows in peat bogs. Its sweet scent has seen it used to flavour beer, and to make perfumes, and it’s one of the plants traditionally used in Royal wedding bouquets.

Of course, when we hear the word gale, we most likely think of a strong wind, especially those which feature in storms. It may also remind us of the phrase gales of laughter, which seems to tie in pretty neatly with its original meaning of “cheerful, merry”.

Gale was originally a male name, and taken directly from the surname. It isn’t found as a female name on the US charts until the 1930s – not surprisingly, this correlates with the rise in popularity of the female Gail, used as a short form of Abigail (Gail was also used for boys as a variant of Gale). In the US, despite the popularity of Gail as a girl’s name, male and female Gales existed together until the name disappeared from the charts for both sexes around the same time – 1969 for boys, and 1970 for girls.

In Australia, Gail was a popular girl’s name which peaked in the 1950s at #26, and I suspect for people born around that era, and perhaps a decade or so later, Gale would sound feminine to their ears. However, Gail hasn’t been on the charts since the 1990s, and Abby is the popular short form of Abigail today. If you look on the current Top 100 for the name that sounds most like Gale, it’s a male one – Gabriel.

Gale is an interesting name that by meanings, associations and sound, manages to present itself as both masculine and feminine, depending on how you think of it. I do like the idea of using it as a boy’s name, because English names are lacking male forms which have connotations of joy and happiness, compared to the numbers of female ones. Perhaps also because the Gale Crater is on the planet Mars, a name associated with masculinity for thousands of years.

However, this name is up for grabs by both genders, and does honour a great Australian star-gazer. If you can only think of this as meaning “a strong wind”, it would be on trend as one of the one-syllable nature name, which go so well in the middle position.

UPDATE: Blue Juniper from Baby Name Ponderings has reminded me that of course, Gale Hawthorne is one of the main characters in The Hunger Games trilogy. The best friend and hunting partner of protagonist Katniss Everdeen, Gale is played by Australian actor Liam Hemsworth in the film version. (Liam is the younger brother of Chris Hemsworth).

As Blue Juniper points out, this gives a current-day Gale much more of a masculine edge.

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Famous Name: Gale