Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1950s

08 Sunday May 2016

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Adrian
From the Roman name Hadrianus, meaning “from Hadria”. Hadria (now called Adria) is a town in northern Italy. Its name may be from the River Adria, named from the Venetic word adur, meaning “water, sea”. It has given its name to the Adriatic Sea, to which the river was once connected. A famous Roman namesake is Publius Aelius Hadrianus, otherwise known as the Emperor Hadrian, well known for the wall he built across northern England. There have been many saints named Adrian, including Adrian of Canterbury, an African-born English scholar famous for his learning. There have also been six popes named Adrian. The name Adrian has been used in Britain since the Middle Ages, but only became common in the 19th century. Adrian was #144 in the 1900s and joined the Top 100 in the 1940s; by the 1950s it was #94. It peaked in 1976 at #38 and left the Top 100 in 2004; it is currently around the 100s so still in reasonable use. This is a classic which has been superseded by Aidan, but a reliable choice which is still widely popular around the world.

Christopher
From the Greek name Christophoros, meaning “bearing Christ”; it was a name chosen by early Christians to indicate they held Jesus Christ in their hearts. The legendary St Christopher is said to have carried the Christ Child across a river, making the name’s meaning literal. Christopher seems to be a title or epithet of the Egyptian martyr St Menas, and the story is very similar to one told of the hero Jason in Greek mythology. Christopher is a hugely popular saint, and you may even know someone who has a St Christopher medal to keep them safe, as he is the patron of travellers, athletes, surfers, and sailors. Christopher has been used as an English name since the Middle Ages, and has remained in constant use for centuries. Famous Australian namesakes include poet Christopher Brennan, winemaker Christopher Penfold, Federal Minister Christopher Pyne, statistician Professor Christopher Heyde, and actor Chris Hemsworth. Christopher was #97 in the 1900s and left the Top 100 in the following decade. It returned in the 1940s and by the 1950s was #11, peaking at #2 in the mid 1980s. Christopher just left the NSW Top 100 in 2015, so is still common here, and popular in the English-speaking world.

Darryl
Variant of the English surname Darrell, from the Norman-French D’Airelle, meaning “from Airelle”; Airelle in Normandy means “courtyard”. Although Darrell has been used since the 17th century, the variant Darryl didn’t come into common use until the 19th. Darryl entered the charts in the 1930s at #174, and was on the Top 100 by the 1950s, when it was #80 for the decade. This corresponds to the period when Darryl F. Zanuck was head of Twentieth Century Fox. That was also its peak, and it left the Top 100 in 1969; it hasn’t charted since the 1990s (Daryl has a similar history, but slightly less popular). A famous fictional namesake is cheerful battler Darryl Kerrigan from The Castle, voted the favourite Australian film character of all time. Is that enough to give Darryl another go around the block? Some would say you’re dreaming to think it.

Denis
From a medieval French form of Dionysius, derived from Dionysos, the Greek god of wine. The god’s name combines his father’s name, Zeus, with Nysa, the mythological region where he was raised. Dionysius was an extremely common name in ancient Greece, and the name continued to be used in the Christian era. There is a Dionysius in the New Testament, a judge of Athens converted by St Paul. A number of saints have the name, and a pope as well. However, the most famous is the Dionysius who became bishop of Paris in the 3rd century and was martyred; he is known as St Denis and is one of the patrons of France. According to legend, after being decapitated he picked up his head and walked several miles with it, preaching sermons the whole way. He seems to have started a trend, as after that it became fashionable for saints, especially French ones, to carry their own heads. St Denis was very popular, and his name was introduced to England by the Normans. It became a great favourite in Ireland. Denis was #109 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 in the 1930s. It peaked in the 1940s at #41, and by the 1950s was #73. It left the Top 100 in 1957, and hasn’t charted since the late 2000s. The surname form Dennis has always been more popular, and this spelling is still in use.

Gary
Surname usually said to be a variant of the surname Geary, a medieval English nickname for names such as Gerard and Gerald, and thus another form of Gerry or Jerry. In Ireland Geary is used to anglicise the Gaelic name O Gadhra, meaning “son of Gadhra”, with the name Gadhra meaning “dog”. The surname Gary is more common in Ireland as a contraction of McGarry, from the Gaelic name Mag Fhearadhaigh, meaning “son of the brave”. Gary has often been understood as a pet form of Gareth, even though that isn’t its origin. Gary has been used as a boys name since perhaps the 16th century, coming into common use by the 19th. Gary entered the charts in the 1930s when Gary Cooper began his Hollywood career in films such as A Farewell to Arms. The name Gary was in the Top 100 by the 1940s and peaked in 1952 at #8, the year Gary Cooper starred in classic Western High Noon. Gary left the Top 100 in 1985, and hasn’t charted since the early 2000s. Its downfall is usually attributed to the numerous child sex offence charges against British pop star Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) although it had already left the Top 100 long before he was first arrested. Garry had a similar history, but was a bit less popular.

Glenn
Scottish surname meaning “narrow valley”. It has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, becoming more common in the 19th. Glenn joined the charts in the 1940s, just as Hollywood star Glenn Ford was making his name known in war drama So Ends Our Night, and appearing in early film noir Gilda. It was in the Top 100 by the 1950s when it made #40 for the decade, peaking at #17 in the early 1960s, around the time Glenn Ford starred in epic Western Cimarron. It left the Top 100 in 1987, and hasn’t charted since the 1990s. There are a number of Glenns in the field of music, including pianist Glenn Gould, jazz star Glenn Miller, Glenn Frey from The Eagles, heavy metal guitarist Glenn Hughes, and Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze. In Australia there is cricketer Glenn McGrath, and rugby league star turned politician Glenn Lazarus. Glenn is a simple nature name that could still appeal – in a discussion I had with other parents, Glenn was the 1950s boy’s name most people wanted revived. Glen had a similar history, but was less popular.

Keith
Scottish surname from the lands of Keith in East Lothian, whose name is said to come from a British word meaning “wood”. In the 11th century, the lands were supposedly given to a Germanic warrior of the Chatti tribe who helped defeat invading Danes, and some believe the name may be German in origin. The Clan Keith held a hereditary title as protector of the King of the Scots, and took leading roles in the Scottish Wars of Independence. One of the most powerful of the Scottish clans, various Keiths have been appointed ambassadors and keepers of the crown jewels, so have always had close ties with royalty. Keith has been used as a personal name since the 18th century; from the beginning it had strong associations with Scotland. The name became popular in the 19th century, perhaps due to George Elphinstone, Baron Keith, an admiral during the Napoleonic Wars. Keith was #43 in the 1900s, peaking in the 1920s at #8. By the 1950s it was #44 for the decade; it left the Top 100 in 1970, and hasn’t charted since the late 2000s. I do see the occasional baby named Keith (could country singer Keith Urban be an influence?), so this name is still going long past its peak, and could experience a revival in the future.

Neil
Based on the Irish name Niall, perhaps derived from the Old Irish word niadh, meaning “champion, warrior”, or from nel, meaning “cloud”. The most famous Niall in history is the semi-legendary 5th century Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages. The name Niall was popular in medieval Ireland and Scotland. It was adopted by the Vikings, who had strong ties with Ireland in the Middle Ages, and the name was taken to Scandinavia in the form Njall. The Normans, who were of Viking stock, brought the name to England, although the name already existed in the north, where it had been introduced from Ireland or by Scandinavian settlers. Neil was in use by the 17th century, and originated in Scotland, perhaps influenced by the surname McNeil, meaning “son of Niall”. Neil was #110 in the 1900s and joined the Top 100 the following decade. It peaked in 1955 at #33 and left the Top 100 in 1986. It is currently around the 600s, and the Indian name Neel, meaning “blue”, is more common. Neil is still a pleasant Gaelic choice with some cool namesakes, including astronaut Neil Armstrong, singer Neil Young, and Beat muse Neal Cassady.

Shane
Anglicised form of Séan, the Northern Irish version of Seán, pronounced SHAYN rather than SHAWN, and an Irish form of John. Shane has been in common use since the 19th century, and was strongly associated with immigration from Ireland. The name became famous because of the classic 1953 Western film Shane, with Alan Ladd in the title role as the mysterious stranger who rides into a little Wyoming valley and becomes a guardian, teacher, and inspiration to a family of settlers still unskilled in the ways of the West. The name Shane rocketed into the Top 100 from nowhere in 1954, and was #69 for the decade. It peaked in 1973 at #12 and left the Top 100 in 1997 (cricketer Shane Warne doesn’t seem to have helped, even at the peak of his success). It is now around the 500s and drifting away like its famous namesake – will anyone ever cry out, Come back, Shane!, I wonder?

Wayne
English occupational surname for a wagon-driver or wagon-maker, from the Old English waegn, meaning “cart, wagon”. It has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, and was more common in the United States – probably because of Anthony Wayne, who was General in Chief of the Army during the American Revolutionary War. The name Wayne first charted in the 1930s, the decade when Hollywood star John Wayne began his career in Western films; he hit the big time in 1939 with Stagecoach. Interestingly, 1939 was also the year that superhero Batman first appeared, the alter ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne; this seems significant, although the creators named him after Anthony Wayne. Wayne was in the Top 100 by the 1940s and peaked in 1955 at #11, the year after John Wayne starred in airline disaster flick The High and the Mighty. It left the Top 100 in 1987 and hasn’t charted since the 1990s, the name disappearing after the Wayne’s World movies with Mike Myers as partying slacker Wayne Campbell. This name is no longer excellent, which is bogus and sad.

POLL RESULTS

The public’s favourite 1950s names were Adrian, Christopher and Neil, and their least favourites were Darryl, Denis and Gary.

(Picture shows At Newport, 1952, by classic Australian photographer Max Dupain; now held at the Art Gallery of NSW)

Fresh Names For Boys

01 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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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)

Waltzing With … Felix

02 Sunday Aug 2015

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

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Famous Namesake
I think many Australians would readily associate this name with Felix the Cat, the silent film era cartoon. One of the most recognisable cartoon characters in film history, he was the first animated character to become popular enough to attract a cinema audience.

Felix the Cat was created by Sydney-born Pat O’Sullivan, who arrived in the United States in 1910 and began working as a cartoonist. By 1916, he had opened his own cartoon studio, and around 1917 he created Felix the Cat, inspired by a cat his wife Marjorie brought into the office. Under contract to provide one cartoon a month to cinemas, by 1921 Felix was in sixty percent of North American cinemas.

Pat O’Sullivan was fiercely protective of his creation, successfully gained royalties from pirated merchandise, and took action when Walt Disney made a Felix carbon-copy called Julius. Unfortunately for Felix, Disney then went on to create a certain Mickey Mouse, who starred in early talkie Steamboat Willie in 1928. This spelled the beginning of the end for Felix, and by 1931 it was obvious that Walt Disney was going to be the big success story of cartooning.

After Pat O’Sullivan’s death in 1933, his lead animator Otto Messmer took credit for the creation of Felix. Messmer’s claim is still accepted in the United States, even though O’Sullivan was acknowledged as Felix’s creator during his lifetime. Australian film curators have pointed out that it is O’Sullivan’s handwriting on the early Felix sketches, and that kittens in an early film are given Australian accents, saying ‘lo, Mum! ‘lo Ma!

The cartoon cat that Felix was based on was called Thomas or Tom (a fairly obviously cat-related name), but Pat O’Sullivan changed his name to Felix. Apparently this was after the Australian boxer Peter Felix, who was born in the West Indies, and won the heavyweight title in the 1890s – he often wore black and was a flashy dresser. Pat had seen Peter Felix in his last big fight in 1908, shortly before he left Australia. O’Sullivan had a strong interest in boxing, and when he first arrived in New York he himself boxed for prize money.

The name Felix was a very Australian choice, because in 1836 Scottish explorer Thomas Mitchell called the lush pastureland of western Victoria Australia Felix, meaning “happy Australia, fortunate Australia”. In 1845 English travel writer Richard Howitt’s lively Impressions of Australia Felix was published, and in 1849 the Australia Felix magazine was founded.

After the colony was named Victoria in 1850, the name Australia Felix gradually dropped out of use. However, 19th century Victorian politician Jonas Australia Felix Levien provides an example of it being used as a name, and he wasn’t born until the 1870s. (I have also found someone named Australia Felix Drake in historical records).

Despite all these Australian references, I can’t help wondering if Pat O’Sullivan was also thinking of Felis, the scientific name for the cat genus, from the Latin word feles, meaning “cat”.

Pat O’Sullivan gave Felix a lucky name, and the cat brought Pat luck and success. He did not have a very happy end to his life though. His marriage became increasingly strained (it probably got off to a rocky start, as they wed while he was on bail for raping a teenage girl; he was subsequently imprisoned for 9 months), and Marjorie fell to her death from their second floor apartment in 1932. O’Sullivan’s mental faculties deteriorated due to syphilis, and he died of alcoholism a year after his wife’s death.

Name Information
Felix is a Latin name meaning “lucky, fortunate”. It was first given as a nickname to the 1st century BC Roman general and statesman Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a free translation of the Greek nickname he acquired during his military campaigns – Epaphroditos, meaning “beloved of Aphrodite”.

Whether the goddess Aphrodite was taking care of him or not, Sulla was very successful, holding the position of consul twice, and being awarded the Grass Crown, the rarest and most prestigious Roman military honour, given only to those whose actions saved an entire legion or the whole army. Like Alexander the Great, he achieved many of his victories before his thirtieth birthday, and provided the model for later Roman leaders to gain power by force.

After him, the nickname became a common one for Roman leaders to take, and several emperors adopted it as a title. The Roman procurator Marcus Antonius Felix is mentioned in the New Testament, although not in a positive way – he imprisoned Saint Paul.

Felix was a favourite name amongst early Christians, as the name can imply being in the favour of God, or blessed by God. There are masses of saints named Felix, including quite a few martyrs, and three popes with the name. Saint Felix of Burgundy was sent as a missionary to East Anglia in the 7th century, and there are several churches dedicated to him in Yorkshire and East Anglia. The village of Felixkirk in Yorkshire is named after him, and so might be Felixstowe in Suffolk.

Although more common in Continental Europe, Felix has been in use as an English name since the Middle Ages, in honour of these various saints. It is particularly associated with East Anglia and south-eastern England in general, showing the legacy of Felix of Burgundy.

Felix was #172 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1920s (Felix the Cat didn’t do it any good). It returned in the 1980s at #396 and climbed steadily; it’s been on and off the Top 100 since 2011. Currently it is #89 nationally, #86 in New South Wales, #78 in Victoria, #36 in Tasmania, and #54 in the Australian Capital Territory. It was one of the fastest-rising names in Tasmania and Victoria last year, and one of the nationally fastest-rising names of 2013.

In the US, Felix is #267 and rising steeply, while the UK has a similar popularity to Australia, at #91 and rising. Felix is #66 in New Zealand and fairly stable – the highest popularity of any English-speaking country. Felix is well used in Western Europe and Scandinavia, and is most popular in Austria at #4.

Handsome, intelligent, and upbeat, Felix is a name with an irresistibly positive meaning and strong Australian associations. Once seen as rather hipster, this retro name is growing in popularity, and fittingly it’s rather a favourite in the state of Victoria.

POLL RESULT
Felix received an outstanding approval rating of 93%, making it the highest-rated boys name in the Waltzing With … category for 2015. 45% of people loved the name Felix, and only 3% hated it.

Rare Boys Names from the 1940s

12 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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The most popular boys names of the 1940s were John, Peter, Robert, and David, but what were the least popular names? Here are ten names which were only chosen once in any year between 1944 and 1949 in South Australia, making them unique names for their time and place. Still rare, some feel surprisingly contemporary, while one or two have perhaps had their day.

Aston
English surname of multiple origins. It can be from a common place name meaning “east settlement”, to indicate a village to the east of a larger town, although occasionally it seems to be a corruption or variant of Ashton, meaning “settlement near the ash trees”. It can also mean “at the stone”, to indicate someone who lived near a prominent stone. Finally, it can be a contraction of a personal name such as Aethelstan, meaning “noble stone”, and there are examples of men with Aston as a first name in the Middle Ages from this derivation. Sir Aston Cockayne, 1st Baronet, was a 17th century writer who was on the Royalist side during the English Civil War, and a close friend of the future Charles II. The name might remind you of Aston Villa Football Club, in the English Premier League, or Aston Martin luxury cars – both familiar in the 1940s as well. I see the name Aston name sometimes in birth notices, perhaps inspired by Aston Merrygold from English boy band JLS.

Bramwell
English surname from an unknown place name meaning “stream surrounded by broom” – broom is a hardy European shrub with yellow flowers. The name has a strong connection with the Salvation Army, because Bramwell Booth was the second General of the Salvation Army who served during World War I, the eldest son of its founder, William Booth. We know the name was used by Salvationists, because Bramwell Tillsley, a Canadian who was the son of British Salvationists, was the 14th General of the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has a strong history in South Australia, with the first official Salvation Army corps formed in Adelaide in 1880. Booth was also used as a baby name during the 1940s, with the Salvation Army’s support of the troops being greatly appreciated. Bramwell is an attractive, little-used surname that has the appealing nickname Bram.

Cosmo
Form of the Greek name Kosmas, meaning “order”, and thus the opposite of “chaos”. The Greeks also used the word to mean “the world”, because they believed the world was perfectly put in order. We use the word cosmos to mean “the universe, all of creation”. According to tradition, Saint Cosmas was a skilled doctor; along with his twin brother Damian, he performed many miraculous cures before his martyrdom. The name Cosmo was introduced to Britain by the Scottish peer Alexander Gordon, 2nd Duke of Gordon, when he named his son Cosmo in 1720. Cosmo’s name was in honour of his father’s close friend Cosimo di Medici – Cosimo is the Italian form of Kosmas. The name has always had a rather exotic and aristocratic image, and Scottish associations. There were several famous Cosmos that could have inspired the name in the 1940s, including popular British playwright Cosmo Hamilton, and Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang. Cosmos is also a type of daisy, whose name comes from the same Greek origin, so with some imagination, the name Cosmo could honour someone named Daisy.

Denzil
Variant of Denzel, a Cornish surname. The name was traditional in the aristocratic Holles family, with one of the earliest and most famous of their number to bear the name Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, a 17th century statesman who is best known for being part of a group who attempted to arrest King Charles I, sparking the Civil War, but also took a leading role in bringing about the Restoration. The Denzel spelling came first, as Denzil Holles’ grandfather was Denzel Holles. These Denzils and Denzels were named in honour of their ancestor John Denzel, who had large estates in Cornwall in the 16th century and was Attorney-General to Elizabeth of York, queen of Henry VII. John Denzel took his surname from the Denzell manor house in St Mawgan, Cornwall, and the meaning of its name is not known for sure, although perhaps from the Celtic for “hill fortress in open view”. A 1940s Australian namesake is Sir Denzil Macarthur-Onslow, a World War II general regarded as a “cracker of a bloke”. Denzil still seems contemporary because of American actor Denzel Washington, and is very usable.

Everard
Derived from the ancient Germanic name Eberhard, often translated as “brave as a wild boar”. The name was introduced by the Normans to Britain, where there was already an Old English form of the name, Eoforheard. A famous namesake is Sir Everard Digby, who was executed for his part in the failed Gunpowder Plot, and another was Everard Calthrop, a railway engineer who helped develop the modern parachute. Although in use since the Middle Ages, modern usage has probably been influenced by the surname, as the Everards are an aristocratic family who have been created baronets in both Ireland and England. Everard Park is a suburb of Adelaide, named after the prominent pioneer Sir Charles Everard, said to have the best orchard in the colony, giving this a strong South Australian feel. Everard is an interesting twist on classic Evan, and the trend for girls’ names starting with Ev- may also be a help.

Garfield
English surname referring to someone living near a triangular field; the word gar means spear in Old English, and a gar field is one that is shaped like the point of a spearhead. The surname is well known in the United States, as their 20th president was James A. Garfield, and his sons also went on to have illustrious public careers – there is a town in Victoria named Garfield in honour of the American president. A namesake from the 1940s was Hollywood actor John Garfield, while one with Garfield as his first name is Garfield “Gar” Wood, an American inventor, showman, and record-breaking motorboat racer – the first to travel over 100 miles an hour on water. An Australian namesake from this era is Sir Garfield Barwick, a barrister who came to prominence during a 1943 court case involving the Archibald Prize. He later became a Liberal MP, Attorney-General, and Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. He was the legal advisor to Sir John Kerr during the controversial dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (an old enemy of Barwick’s), so he well and truly made history. Garfield would be a charming and unusual vintage name, except for one thing – the obese cartoon cat!

Linus
In Greek mythology, Linus was a Thracian prince who was so musically talented that he was said to have been the son of Apollo, god of music, and Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. According to legend, Linus invented melody and rhythm, and taught music to his brothers Orpheus and Heracles. Unfortunately, Heracles didn’t appreciate the music lessons, and killed Linus with his own lyre after he tried to give Heracles some constructive criticism. Although the meaning of the name is not certain, there was a type of dirge in classical Greece called a linos, and it’s possible that the mythological character was a personification of this song of mourning. The name has a Christian association because Linus is said to have been a Bishop of Rome in the early church, and is listed as the second pope. The name Linus is especially popular in Scandinavia, although many people will connect it to Linus Pauling, the American scientist who won both the Nobel Chemistry Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize, and whose work was aleady known by the 1940s. The name might also remind you of security blanket-hugging philosopher Linus from the Peanuts comics. A sweet, smart name with a mythological musical connection.

Neon
Greek name meaning “new”. It wasn’t an unusual name in ancient Greece, and there are several prominent men named Neon from history. However, in modern times the name is strongly associated with neon lighting – bright electrified glass tubes often used for signs. They are named after neon gas, which is used to give off a bright orange light, but other gases provide different colours. Neon has has the same meaning as the name Neon. Neon lighting was invented in 1910, and was in its heyday between 1920 and 1940, the bright colours suddenly bringing dark streets to life. It’s probably not a coincidence that the name Neon peaked in the 1940s and ’50s, usually given to boys. Neon feel both space age and vintage, and has been used as a comic book hero name, for both a male and female character. As neon is often used in an artistic context today, you might think of this as an arty name, and it’s otherwise bright and energetic.

Revel
A revel is a festive celebration, while to revel is to make merry. The word comes from Old French, and is directly related to the Latin rebello, from which our word (and name) Rebel is derived. This is probably because we think of celebrations as tending to be rather unruly or disorderly, and sometimes they can even get out of hand! This fun-loving word has been used as a personal name since the Middle Ages in both England and France, and was also given as a nickname to people who were known for partying particularly hard. It is from this that the surname derives, and it is especially associated with Yorkshire. A famous Australian namesake is Western Australian Indigenous artist Revel Cooper, whose career began in the 1940s. Although he was just a child then, he was one of a number of children in state care who were given specialised art training, and their artwork exhibited in Perth, New Zealand, India, and Europe. Unlike many of the children, Revel continued his art career into adulthood. Revel is a boisterous medieval boys’ name that still sounds contemporary.

Rollo
Rollo was a powerful 9th century Viking leader who was the founder and first ruler of the area of France now known as Normandy. He was the great-great-great grandfather of William the Conqueror, and through William, is the ancestor of the present day British royal family, as well as all current European monarchs. His name is a Latinised form of the Old Norse name Hrólfr, which in modern times is known as Rolf. It’s a shortened form of Hrodulf, now known as Rudolf, meaning “famous wolf”. Rollo is also a Scottish surname, the Clan Rollo being descended from the Normans, and in particular the nephew of William the Conqueror, Erik Rollo. Because the Lords Rollo is a title in the Scottish peerage, the name gains further aristocratic credentials. Rollo fitted in well with 1940s name trends, when Rolf and Roland were fashionable, and Australian artist Rollo Thompson flourished in this decade. Like Cosmo, it fits in with current trends for boys names ending in -o, and this is a fun yet blue-blooded choice.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Linus, Aston and Bramwell, and their least favourite were Neon, Denzil and Garfield.

(Picture shows Denzil Macarthur-Onslow, on the right, supervising a training exercise in Queensland in 1942; photo from the Australian War Memorial)

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1940s

08 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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Anglo-Saxon names, animal names, aristocratic names, aristocratic surnames, aristocratic titles, Biblical names, Breton names, CB radio voice procedures, classic names, english names, ethnonyms, fictional namesakes, French names, Gaelic names, germanic names, Greek names, Irish names, Latin names, locational names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, name trends, names from television, names from video games, names of flags, nicknames, Norse names, papal names, Roman names, royal names, saints names, Scottish names, slang terms, surname names, US name trends, Welsh names

Alan
Breton name, common amongst aristocracy, introduced to England by the Normans, where it became one of the most popular names. The meaning is uncertain – the word alan was used in Brittany to mean “fox”, but evidence suggests it originally meant “deer”. The two meanings may both refer to someone with red hair, or to indicate speed. There is also an Irish name Ailin, meaning “little rock”, very similar to the Irish/Scots Gaelic word alainn, meaning “handsome”, while the Welsh Alun may mean either “nurturing” or “wandering”. When the Normans brought Alan with them, the name spread to Scotland as Breton lords gained lands there – perhaps partly because the Scots already had similar names. Another theory is that the name comes from the Alans, Indo-Iranian peoples who settled in parts of France and Brittany in the Middle Ages; their name has the same origin as Aryan, meaning “noble”. There are several saints named Alan. Alan is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #55 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1940s at #20, leaving the Top 100 in the 1980s. It has recently had a small rise in popularity, and is around the 300s. Surname variants Allan and Allen have also been popular; Allen is back on the charts, while Allan has disappeared. I have seen a few babies named Alan and Allen lately.

Cecil
English form of the Roman family Caecilius. The Caecilii traced their ancestry back to the mythical figure Caeculus, a son of the smith god Vulcan. According to legend, Caeculus had mastery over fire, and was unharmed by it, although the smoke damaged his eyes, which were smaller than usual – his name means “little blind boy” in Latin. Another story is that the Caecilii were descended from Caecas, a follower of the legendary Roman hero Aeneas: his name means “blind” as well, although it also can be translated as “dark, secret”. Of course both these tales are just folklore. The name Cecil has been used since the Middle Ages, and it was also given in honour of the noble Cecil family, whose surname comes from the name Seisyll, Welsh form of the Roman name Sextilius, from Sextus, meaning “sixth”. Cecil was #18 in the 1900s, and was #89 in the 1940s. It left the Top 100 the following decade, and dropped off the charts in the 1970s. I recently saw a baby Cecil, and I think this name seems pretty hip.

Clifford
English surname, from a village in Herefordshire meaning “ford at the cliff”. The Cliffords are a noble family who originally came over with the Normans, and were prominent in medieval England. One of their members was Rosamund Clifford, “The Fair Rosamund”, who was the mistress of Henry II. Clifford has been used as a first name since at least the 16th century. Clifford was #61 in the 1900s, peaking in the 1910s and 1920s at #59. It was #92 in the 1940s, left the Top 100 the following decade, and was off the charts by the 1990s. This name will remind many parents of the classic children’s book series, Clifford the Big Red Dog. It seems strong and solid.

Desmond
Anglicised form of the Irish surname O’Deasmhumhnaigh, meaning “son of the man from Desmond”. Desmond is the original name for South-West Munster, and means “south Munster”. Munster means “land of Muma”; Muma was a goddess associated with writing. Desmond became prominent as an aristocratic title, as the Earls of Desmond were lords of Ireland, related to royal houses in England and France. Their family name was FitzGerald, and US President J.F. Kennedy is believed to have been descended from them. Desmond has been used as a personal name since the 18th century, and originated outside Ireland. Desmond was #127 in the 1900s, joined the Top 100 in the 1920s, and peaked in the 1940s at #66. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and dropped off the charts in the early 2000s. This name is rising in popularity in the US, and I wonder if that could happen here too? Desmond Miles from the Assassin’s Creed video game series, and Desmond from Lost are contemporary namesakes.

Gregory
From the Greek name Gregorios, meaning “watchful”. Because the Latin for “flock” is grex, it became understood as “shepherd”, the idea being that the shepherd would keep watch over his flock. Because of this, it became a popular name for monks and bishops to adopt, and there have been dozens of saints and 16 popes with the name Gregory. Pope Gregory I was known as Gregory the Great, and he is famous for sending Christian missionaries to England to covert the Anglo-Saxons, and for the Gregorian chant, which is attributed to and named after him. Because of him, Gregory has been a common English name since the Middle Ages. Gregory is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #143 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 in the 1930s. It was #34 in the 1940s, and peaked in the 1950s at #7 (when Gregory Peck was big in Hollywood). It didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1990s, and is currently around the 600s and fairly stable. It may not be stylish, but this is a solid choice.

Maurice
French form of Roman name Mauritius, derived from Maurus, meaning “man from Mauretania”. Mauretania was a region of the Roman Empire where north Africa is today, so the name is often understood as “dark-skinned”, and sometimes translated as “a Moor” (the old name for someone from northern Africa). The name became commonly used because of St Maurice, a 3rd century Egyptian who served in the Roman army. According to legend, he was part of a Christian legion who refused to kill other Christians, and were martyred together. As a Roman soldier, St Maurice was patron of the Holy Roman Emperors and many of the royal houses of Europe, so his name became used by royalty and nobility. Prince Maurice of Battenberg was Queen Victoria’s youngest grand-child; he was killed in action during World War I. Maurice was #71 in the 1900s and peaked in the 1920s at #52. It was #82 in the 1940s, and left the Top 100 the following decade; it dropped off the charts in the 1990s. Maurice has a rather nerdy image, although AFL fans may be reminded of footballing great Maurice Rioli. It can be said muh-REES or MOR-is, with Reese or Morrie as the nicknames.

Norman
Germanic nickname or surname meaning “north man”, referring to Vikings. The Normans were descendants of Vikings who had taken over and settled the region of northern France now known as Normandy. Later a Norman duke named William conquered England, so that the Normans became an important part of British history and culture. The name Norman or Normant was used in England even before the Conquest, and became more common after 1066, although dropped off again in the late Middle Ages. It never went out of use, but became much more popular in the 19th century, due to the Victorian love of anything antique-sounding. In Scotland, it was used to Anglicise the Norse/Gaelic name Tormod, meaning “courage of Thor”. Norman was #19 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1920s at #14. It was #46 in the 1940s, left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and disappeared from the charts in the 1990s. There are many Australian namesakes, from artist Norman Lindsay to comedian Norman Gunston to pop star Normie Rowe. Many people still remember Norm, from the Life. Be in it fitness campaign, representing a pot-bellied man as “the norm”.

Raymond
The Germanic name Raginmund is composed of ragin, meaning “advice, counsel” and mund, “protection”; it is sometimes translated as “protected by good counsel”. The Normans introduced it to England in the form Reimund, where it became very common in the Middle Ages. It was a traditional name amongst medieval nobility, and there are several medieval saints called Raymond. Never out of use, Raymond is a classic name which has always remained on the charts. It was #33 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1940s at #9. It left the Top 100 in the 1990s, and hit its lowest point in 2009 at #326. Since then it has improved its popularity ranking, and is currently in the 200s. With Roy- names so fashionable, Ray- names cannot help getting a boost as well, and Raymond is not only a solid classic choice, but one which has recently gained some cachet. Plenty of parents love Raymond!

Roger
From a Germanic name meaning “famous spear”. The Normans introduced the name to England in the form Rogier, where it replaced the Anglo-Saxon form, Hroðgar or Hrothgar, which is found in the poem Beowulf as the name of a Danish king. The name was common in medieval England, heavily used by the aristocracy, and there are a couple of saints named Roger. It has never gone out of common use, even though roger was a slang term for “penis” – possibly because of the spear connection. More recently, roger has become understood as “to have sexual intercourse”. It has often been chosen for comic characters, such as the Beano‘s Roger the Dodger, Roger Ramjet, Roger Rabbit, Roger the alien from American Dad, and Roger the Shrubber from Monty Python’s Holy Grail (not to mention “Welease Woger” in The Life of Brian). Roger was #155 in the 1900s, joined the Top 100 in the 1930s and peaked in the 1940s at #57. It left the Top 100 in the 1970s, and dropped off the charts in the late 2000s, albeit with a sudden burst of use in 2009, when it got up to #384. Although perhaps too many jokes have been made at its expense, the pirate flag of the Jolly Roger, and radio procedure call of Roger give it a rollicking feel.

Stephen
English form of the Greek name Stephanos, meaning “wreath, crown”, to denote the laurel wreath worn by those who achieved victory in contests. In the New Testament, St Stephen was a deacon of the early church who was martyred by stoning. As the first martyr, St Stephen’s name seems apt, and he is often said to have won his martyr’s crown. There are several other saints with the name, and nine popes. The name Stephen became more popular in England after the Norman Conquest, and although it is a common name for royalty in eastern Europe, there has only ever been one English king with the name. Stephen of Blois was a grandson of William the Conqueror who took the throne in controversial circumstances; his rule marked a period of anarchy as he fought the Empress Matilda for the right to rule. In the end he failed, and his name has never been used again for a British king. Never out of common use, Stephen is a classic name which has remained on the charts. It was #72 in the 1900s, was #36 in the 1940s, and peaked in the 1950s at #5. It didn’t leave the Top 100 until the early 2000s, and is currently fairly stable around the 300s. The variant Steven, in use since the Middle Ages, is more popular than Stephen, around the 200s.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Desmond, Stephen and Gregory, and their least favourite were Roger, Maurice and Norman.

(Picture shows the famous “dancing man” from the joyous celebrations in the streets of Sydney which marked the end of World War II in August 1945)

Waltzing With … Lucius

05 Sunday Oct 2014

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

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aristocratic names, Arthurian names, Biblical names, Etruscan names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Harry Potter names, imperial names, Latin names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, papal names, rare names, Roman names, royal names, royal titles, saints names, Shakespearean names, UK name popularity, US name popularity

Today is the start of Daylight Saving Time in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. Clocks went forward at 2 am this morning, so if you forgot, you are now an hour behind.

Because daylight saving becomes more pointless the closer you are to the equator, states which have tropical regions do not have daylight saving, and this means Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. For everyone else, it’s a reminder we are moving towards summer and increasing hours of daylight, so it seems the perfect opportunity to look at a name connected with light.

Lucius was the most common name in ancient Rome times across all classes; it is usually said to be derived from the Latin word lux, meaning “light”. One theory is that it was given to children who were born at dawn, but the sheer number of people called Lucius makes this untenable. Another theory connects it to loukus, which originally meant “bright, shining”, although by the classical period it had come to mean “a cleared grove”.

Lucius is the name ascribed to an early Roman king, but it is probably a misunderstanding of Lucumo, the Etruscan word for “king”, which would be his title; the name Lucius was traditional in his family, suggesting another origin for the name. The Roman dictator Sulla, who served as an inspiration for Julius Caesar, was named Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix. There were at least two Roman Emperors named Lucius: Lucius Dominitius Aurelianus (called Aurelian), and Lucius Aurelius Commodus (called Commodus).

Commodus was the son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, and grandson of an emperor: he was the first emperor to be “born in the purple” (during his father’s reign). He is probably best known to us as the wicked emperor in the movie Gladiator, killed by Russell Crowe in the role of Maximus: although a fictional story, the real Commodus was eccentric and cruel, and assassinated by his wrestling partner, Narcissus.

The name Lucius was a favourite choice amongst early Christians because of the meaning of “light”, and there are several saints with the name. Saint Lucius of Cyrene is mentioned in the New Testament as a founder of the church in Antioch. There have been three popes named Lucius, and Pope Lucius I is also a saint.

Another Saint Lucius is a legendary 2nd century King of the Britons, who tradition credits with introducing Christianity to Britain by writing to the pope asking to be converted. His story became well known after it was included in the histories of Venerable Bede, and embellished by Geoffrey of Monmouth. For centuries it was an important myth of British Christianity, and although there’s no solid evidence he existed, some feel there must be a grain of truth to the legend. The church of St Peter Under Cornhill in London claims St Lucius as its founder.

The Roman philosopher and statesman known to us as Seneca had the full name Lucius Annaeus Seneca. He wrote many of his famous works while in exile, and later became an advisor to the Emperor Nero. This didn’t end well for him, as he was (probably wrongly) implicated in a plot against Nero, and forced to commit suicide. Early Christians greatly approved of him, and virtually hailed him as a humanist saint. According to medieval legend, he was converted to Christianity by Saint Paul, and is mentioned by writers such as Dante and Chaucer.

Despite all this heavy-duty Christian background, and even a British connection, Lucius has never been a common English name. It does seem to have had some history of use in Yorkshire, which has strong ties to the legendary Saint Lucius.

The name Lucius is a traditional one in the aristocratic Cary family, who bear the title Viscount Falkland. The 2nd Viscount fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War and was killed in action. The current Viscount Falkland is named Lucius, and so is his son (a writer who goes by his middle name, Alexander), and his grandson.

Lucius has probably been used more often in America, and there are a number of famous politicians from the United States bearing this name. It’s also known from American writer and bon vivant, Lucius Beebe, and American sci-fi author Lucius Shepard.

Lucius isn’t too unusual a name in Australian historic records. Dr William Harvey, who was featured on the blog earlier this year, had a father named Lucius who was also a doctor, and it was his father’s death from tuberculosis which led Dr Harvey into specialising in thoracic medicine. A famous Australian with the name is musician Lucius Borich, the son of Kevin Borich, who was in the band The Party Boys.

Lucius doesn’t chart in Australia. 14 baby boys were named Lucius in England/Wales last year, while in the US (where Lucius peaked at #257 in the 19th century), 125 boys were named Lucius in 2013 – the same number as those called Hollis and Zephaniah.

If there seems a lack of real life Luciuses, fiction has stepped into the breach, for they abound in books, movies, TV programs, and video games. It’s no new phenomenon, for Lucius is the narrator of The Golden Ass by African author Apuleius; written in Latin in the 1st century, this comedy is sometimes regarded as the world’s first novel. Lucius is also in Arthurian legend, a fictional Emperor of Rome who King Arthur defeats, thus becoming not just King of Britain, but Emperor over all the West.

Lucius has been used as a character name twice by William Shakespeare, in Titus Andronicus and Julius Caesar. In fact, pretty much anyone who writes a story set in Roman times will include a Lucius somewhere, as it was the #1 name.

One of the best known fictional Luciuses of contemporary times is the slippery Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter series. Upper crust, corrupt, bigoted, and ready to slip over to the Dark Side whenever convenient, Lucius is a dyed-in-the-wool villain and general Mr Nastypants for most of the series. Only towards the end does he receive a lukewarm redemption.

His name, although suitably aristocratic, brings to mind Lucius from The Golden Ass, which is a book about witchcraft and magic – not to mention someone (literally) making an ass of themselves. However, just as Malfoy’s son’s name, Draco, means “serpent” and reminds us of the Devil, Lucius’ name is reminiscent of Lucifer, a name related to Lucius, meaning “light-bringer”, and which is often understood by Christianity as Satan’s name before his fall.

Unfortunately, some people think Lucius and Lucifer sound too similar for comfort. Stories that make the connection don’t help, such as the video game Lucius, Son of Lucifer, or the horror novel The Haunting of Sister Mary Francis, which has a character named Lucius Lucifer. On the plus side, that gives Lucius a bit of a “bad boy” edge.

An alternative is Lucian, which is derived from Lucius. Lucian is more popular in Australia than Lucius, being around the 500s, and fits in with the trend for boy’s names ending in N – Lucian almost seems like a fancier version of Lachlan.

Lucius can be pronounced either LOO-see-us, or LOO-shus. The ancient Romans said it more like LOO-ki-us, which perhaps suggests the three syllable pronunciation is more “correct”. Obvious nicknames are Lucky, Luke, Luc, Luca, Luce, Loosh, Lou, and Louie. I have seen a baby Lucius nicknamed Luci or Lucy by his family, which startled me, even though it makes perfect sense.

Handsome, intelligent, and with a rather upper-class image, Lucius does have a few issues, but seems like a name that someone could really fall in love with. It’s quite seductive – even luscious! I’ve noticed this name is often favoured by dads, suggesting that many guys appreciate the richness and power that stand behind it.

This is a rare boy’s name that is perfectly balanced between elegance and strength, brightness and darkness, history and magic, with lashings of Ancient Roman street cred and a bit of sex appeal to boot. Lucius could well be the name that lights up your life.

POLL RESULT
Lucius received a very good approval rating of 77%. 37% of people loved the name Lucius, while 25% of people didn’t mind it. Only around 5% of people hated the name.

(Photo shows daybreak at Delderfield, Marysville, in country Victoria)

Waltzing with … Benedict

11 Sunday Aug 2013

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

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famous namesakes, honouring, Latin names, middle names, name combinations, nicknames, papal names, rare names, saints names, sibsets

On Thursday August 15, it will be Victory in the Pacific Day, which commemorates the day that Japan surrendered in 1945, effectively ending World War II. In Australia, Labor leader and Prime Minister Ben Chifley announced the news in a radio broadcast at 9.30 am on Wednesday August 15 1945, with the words, Fellow citizens, the War is over. Australian cities and towns erupted into spontaneous celebration, and by evening, the jubilant crowds were the largest to have ever gathered in the nation’s history.

One of Australia’s iconic images from history is the “dancing man” who was filmed by MovieTone News dancing happily in Elizabeth Street in Sydney on August 15 1945. Several men have claimed to be the Dancing Man, and the image remains an enduring symbol of the nation’s joy that the war was over at last. A well-attended church service of thanksgiving was held in the Domain that afternoon, and with the next two days declared holidays, there were Victory parades all over the country.

When Ben Chifley announced the war was over, he had only been Prime Minister for a month. He led Australia into the post-war era, with the promise of “sane and progressive government” and was successful in moving us to a peace-time economy. Servicemen and women were eased back into civilian life, and public works such as the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electricity Scheme meant that unemployment was virtually nil. This demand for labour opened the door for assisted migration schemes, which were to change Australia forever.

Chifley brought in many welfare initiatives, including unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, fairer pensions and, against a legal challenge by doctors, what was to become the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which subsidises the cost of essential medicines. His promises to improve equality in wealth, income and opportunities came to fruition during the prosperity of the 1950s and ’60s.

Ben’s full name was Joseph Benedict Chifley, and his second name was suggested by the Mother Superior of Saint Benedict’s Convent in Queanbeyan, where his mother Mary had worked as a servant. He grew up in a Catholic community, but defied the papal decree that Catholics could not marry outside their religion when he wed Elizabeth McKenzie, a Presbyterian. Although he continued attending mass, he considered himself to be outside the Catholic church, and labour politics became his true religion – one which he followed with an evangelical zeal.

He is most famous for his “Light on the Hill” speech, which he gave at a Labor conference in 1949, towards the end of his term as Prime Minister (and not long before his life ended). He spoke of the many people in the labour movement, including himself, who worked not for personal gain, but in order to bring better conditions for others.

He said: I try to think of the Labor movement … as a movement bringing something better to the people, better standards of living, greater happiness to the mass of people. We have a great objective – the light on the hill – which we aim to reach by working for the betterment of mankind.

For his idealism, his humanity, and his vision, Ben Chifley is counted amongst the nation’s greatest Prime Ministers. So much of the Australia we know today began with Chifley’s aspirations for a future he would never live to see.

Benedict is derived from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning “blessed”. It was a name commonly chosen by Christians for its meaning, and there are several saints named Benedictus or Benedict.

The most famous of these is Benedict of Nursia, a 6^th century saint, who, according to tradition, was the son of a Roman noble. While still a very young man, he turned away from the pleasures of the world and became a hermit in a cave in the Subiaco region. He attracted many disciples, and eventually founded the famous monastery of Monte Cassino, which is in the mountains halfway between Rome and Naples.

Near the end of his life, he wrote his Rule of Benedict, which lays down the precepts for the organisation of communities of monks under an abbot. Compared to other works of this nature, Benedict’s is notable for its moderation and practicality, which made it very popular. He wrote a Monasteries for Beginners, and (unlike more zealous Rules which barely allow food or sleep), his Rule is possible for anyone to follow.

Benedict’s Rule has been used for 1500 years; the foundational document for thousands of religious communities in the Middle Ages, it is still in use today, and is the most common Rule used by monastries and monks. As the father of Western monasticism, Benedict’s importance to history can hardly be overstated. During the early medieval period, monasteries became respositories for learning, and centres of education. Because of Benedict’s influence, when the Middle Ages ended, there was enough knowledge retained to build on for the future.

Due to Saint Benedict of Nursia’s importance, many others entering the religious life (especially Benedictines) chose Benedict as their name, and it has been a favourite choice for popes. There have been sixteen Pope Benedicts, the most recent being the current Roman Pontiff Emeritus, Benedict XVI, who chose his papal name in honour of Benedict of Nursia, and of Pope Benedict XV, who had worked for peace during the First World War.

Pope Benedict said in one of his early sermons that with his life and work, Saint Benedict exercised a fundamental influence on the development of European civilisation and culture, and helped Europe emerge from “the dark night of history” that followed the fall of the Roman empire. For his role of preserving European culture, Saint Benedict was named patron protector of Europe by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

Benedict has never charted in Australia, so if you would like a rare name with a positive meaning that can mingle with the crowds as simple Ben, then Benedict seems like a good choice. It’s weighty and dignified, and honours one of the great Prime Ministers, who changed Australia, as well as a saint who changed western civilisation. It’s a name heavy with significance and history, yet actor Benedict Samuel reminds us how well this name can suit a young person.

Name Combinations for Benedict

Benedict Alexander, Benedict Jude, Benedict Leonard, Benedict Nathaniel, Benedict Sebastian, Benedict Vincent

Brothers for Benedict

Constantine, Dominic, Felix, Gabriel, Ignatius, Xavier

Sisters for Benedict

Agnes, Caroline, Eloise, Genevieve, Lucia, Margaret

POLL RESULT: Benedict received an approval rating of 80%. 33% of people liked it, and 27% of people loved it.

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1910s

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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aristocratic surnames, aristocratic titles, Arthurian legends, Biblical names, British names, celebrity baby names, Celtic names, classic names, english names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, French names, Gaulish names, germanic names, hebrew names, Idylls of the King, King Arthur, Latin names, locational names, Lord Tennyson, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from movies, nicknames, Norman-French names, Old Norse names, papal names, Roman names, royal names, saints names, Scottish names, surname names, unisex names, Welsh names

Arthur

Arthur‘s fame comes from the legendary King Arthur, a British hero of the Dark Ages who became much celebrated in medieval romances. The meaning of the name isn’t known; some popular theories derive it from the British for “bear king” or, less convincingly, the Welsh for “bear man”. Another theory is that it is from the Roman surname Artorius, which would make King Arthur a Romanised Briton; this does fit in with some of the earliest versions of the tales. Unfortunately, it isn’t known what Artorius means, so leaves us no wiser. It’s a name we often think of as Victorian, as the 19th century was so keen on reviving medieval names, and Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King made the Arthurian legends popular once more. Queen Victoria’s favourite son was named Arthur, and Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, and detective writer Arthur Conan Doyle were two other famous Victorian namesakes. Arthur was #6 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1910s at #5. It didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1960s, and reached its lowest point in the early 2000s at #334. Since then it has been rising gently, and is currently #216. Handsome and noble, this is a classic which isn’t overused and the nickname Artie is a good alternative to popular Archie.

Clarence

Clarence seems to have started out as a girl’s name, presumably an elaboration of Clare or variant of Clarice. In the 19^th century, although given to both sexes, it was much more common as a boy’s name, due to Queen Victoria’s son Leopold, the Earl of Clarence. The title is said to originate from the town of Clare in Suffolk, owned by the first Duke of Clarence, Lionel of Antwerp, in the 14^th century. The town’s name was originally Clara, from Roman times – this was either from the Latin for “clear” because of the Chilton Stream which flows through the town, or a Latinisation of a Celtic word, but scholars seem to currently lean towards the first explanation. Clarence was #30 in the 1900s, #42 in the 1910s , and left the Top 100 in the 1940s. It hasn’t charted since the 1960s. Famous as the angel in It’s a Wonderful Life, this might seem like an “old person name”, but actor Clarence Ryan, who has starred in kid’s TV shows Lockie Leonard and Dead Gorgeous, gives us a chance to see the name on a young man. The classic nickname is Clarry, but Ren would be neat.

Ernest

Ernest is a Germanic name meaning “vigour, strife”, only very distantly related to the English word earnest. It was a name used by German royalty and nobility, and introduced to England in the 18^th century when the Hanoverians inherited the British throne. Famous men named Ernest include New Zealand-born physicist Ernest Rutherford, British explorer Ernest Shackleton, American author Ernest Hemingway and Australian TV host Ernest “Ernie” Sigley. The name also reminds us of Ernest Worthing, from the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Ernest was #16 in the 1900s, #17 in the 1910s, and left the Top 100 in the 1950s. It hasn’t charted since the 1970s. Ernest seems like one of those granddad names that could easily be used again; it’s strong and appealing, almost sounds like a virtue name, and Ernie makes a cute nickname. In a recent poll on the blog, Ernest was voted the male name from the 1900s that people most wanted to be revived.

Horace

Horace is the name by which the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus is known in English. He was a member of the Horatii, an ancient noble family of Rome. The family name Horatius is said to go back to a legendary hero named Horatus; the meaning of his name is unknown. The poet Horace used to make puns on his own name and its similarity to the Latin hora, meaning “hour”, and from this exhorting to “seize the day” and make the most of time. The elegant and witty poetry of Horace was a great influence on English literature from the Middle Ages onwards, but to modern eyes his love poetry appears brutally unromantic (he seized the day with an awful lot of people). The name Horace was #45 in the 1900s, #57 in the 1910s, and had left the Top 100 by the 1930s. It hasn’t charted since the 1940s. Unfortunately for the name, Horace always seems to be used for comic characters in fiction, often overweight ones, such as barrister Horace Rumpole of the Bailey and Horace Slughorn from Harry Potter. Indeed, the Roman poet himself was short and rotund, giving this name a portly sound. However, it also seems sturdy and reliable – and you could use Ace as a contemporary nickname.

Joseph

Joseph is a form of the Hebrew name Yosef. In the Old Testament, Joseph was the son of Jacob and his favourite wife Rachel. The meaning of the name appears to be “Yahweh shall add (a son)”, but the Bible makes a pun about Joseph also “taking away” his mother’s shame of being barren – a little mathematical joke. Jacob spoiled Joseph terribly, gave him some fancy duds, and his jealous brothers sold him into slavery after he unwisely shared a dream he had about being way better than them. Through a series of adventures where his dream skills were more appreciated, he became the most powerful man in Egypt after the Pharaoh, and was reunited with his family, who he received with love and forgiveness. In the New Testament, Joseph was the husband of Mary, and the earthly father of Jesus; he is regarded as a saint. Joseph was #17 in the 1900s, and #23 in the 1910s. A sturdy classic which has never left the Top 100, the lowest it’s ever been is #68 during the 1940s. Currently it is #52 in New South Wales. Although last year it fell somewhat, Joseph is an extremely safe choice with Joe as the standard and popular nickname.

Laurence

Laurence is the English form of the Roman surname Laurentius, meaning “from Laurentum”. Laurentum was an ancient city near Rome whose name may mean “laurel tree”. The Romans wore laurel wreaths to symbolise victory, so it’s a very positive meaning. (In France, Laurence is the feminine form of Laurentius). Laurence became well known because of Saint Lawrence, a 3^rd century martyr put to death for not handing over the church’s money to the Emperor. According to legend, he was roasted on a gridiron, cheekily saying, “I’m done – turn me over!”. He is one of the most popular saints, and widely venerated. Laurence was #87 in the 1900s and #72 in the 1910s; it peaked in the 1920s at #62, and didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1960s. Laurence hasn’t charted in New South Wales since 2009, but in Victoria it is #494. This name is sleek and handsome, but presently much more popular in the middle than up front.

Maxwell

Maxwell is a Scottish surname which comes from a place named Maccus Well or Maxwell on the Scottish Borders. The name came about when a Norman lord named Maccus obtained land on the River Tweed, with a salmon pool soon known as Maccus’ Wiel – Maccus’ pool. Maccus is from the Old Norse name Makkr, a form of Magnus, meaning “great”. A grandson of Maccus became chamberlain of Scotland, and through him many branches of the family grew through south-west Scotland. Clan Maxwell was a very powerful Lowland clan who operated as one of the great noble houses of Scotland, holding titles of high esteem. Maxwell has been used as a first name since the 17^th century, and in Scotland was sometimes given to girls. Entertainer Jessica Simpson raised eyebrows when she named her daughter Maxwell last year. Maxwell was #118 in the 1900s and #79 in the 1910s. It peaked at #29 in the 1930s, and left the Top 100 in the 1960s. Maxwell hit its lowest point in the 1970s and ’80s, when it plateaued at #318. After that it climbed, and was just outside the Top 100 when it fell to #139 in 2011. The retro nickname Max makes this a very attractive choice.

Percy

Percy is an aristocratic surname used as a first name. William de Percy was a Norman who arrived in England in 1067; he may have lived in England before the Conquest, but been expelled and returned when it was safe. He was granted large tracts of land, and it is from him that the House of Percy descends. The Percys were the most powerful noble family in the north of England during the Middle Ages, and rivals to the Nevilles. Various Percys did all the usual noble things – signed the Magna Carta, took leading roles in wars and battles, governed Virginia. George Percy, Earl Percy, the current heir to the Dukedom of Northumbria, was Pippa Middleton’s housemate, and is close friends with her. The name Percy comes from the manor of Perci-en-Auge in Normandy; it’s derived from the Roman personal name Persius, of unknown meaning, and may be a Latinisation of a Gaulish name. Percy was #41 in the 1900s, #48 in the 1910s and had left the Top 100 by the 1930s. It hasn’t charted since the 1940s. Because Percy can be used as a nickname for Percival or Perseus, it fits in well with the trend for old-fashioned nicknames like Ned or Ollie.

Ronald

Ronald is a Scottish form of Ragnvaldr or Rognvaldr, an Old Norse name meaning something like “well-advised ruler, decisive ruler”. The Gaelic form of the name is Ragnall, and this was Anglicised as either Ranald or Ronald (the Latinised form is Reginald). The Norse name was introduced to Scotland by settlers from Scandinavia, and there were several powerful Norse rulers of northern England and Scotland named Ragnall. Ronald was #34 in the 1900s, #10 in the 1910s, and peaked in the 1920s at #3. It didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1970s, and only stopped charting in the late 2000s. There are two likeable fictional sidekicks which remind me of this this name – Ron Weasley, red-headed best mate of wizard Harry Potter, and Ron Stoppable, bestie of crime fighter Kim Possible. Both are played for laughs, yet are brave, loyal, and manage to get the girl. I have seen a few babies in birth notices called Ron or Ronnie, but so far I haven’t seen a full-blown Ronald. I suspect the familiar hamburger clown Ronald McDonald might hamper it – the name Ronald took a definite dive after McDonalds became established in Australia.

Victor

Victor is a Roman name meaning “victor” in Latin, which is easy enough to understand. It was a very popular name amongst early Christians, symbolising victory over sin and death. There are several saints named Victor, and three popes with the name – Saint Pope Victor I was the first African pope. Victor was commonly used as a name amongst Continental European nobility and royalty, and in the 19^th century received a boost in England due to Queen Victoria. There are quite a few Victors in fiction, but the most widely-known often has his first name forgotten – Victor Frankenstein, the young Swiss scientist who brings a nameless creature to life. Writer Mary Shelley based Frankenstein on her husband Percy Shelley, who used Victor as a pen name and had been a keen science student while at university. Victor was #31 in the 1900s and #38 in the 1910s. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and reached its lowest point in the charts in 2009, when it dipped to #478. Currently it is #333. This is a strong, honest-sounding classic which seems rather hip.

POLL RESULT: People’s favourite names were Arthur, Joseph, and Maxwell, and their least favourite were Clarence, Ronald, and Horace.

(The photo shows Australian soldiers in the trenches at Bois-Grenier near Armentières on the Western Front, 1916. Image held by the Australian War Memorial)

Waltzing With … Pasco

24 Sunday Apr 2011

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

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birth notices, Cornish names, Easter names, famous namesakes, holiday names, locational names, name history, name meaning, papal names, saints names, surname names

This blog post was first published on April 24 2011, and revised on April 9 2015.

Today is Easter Sunday, the beginning of the Paschal season, also known as Eastertide. The word Paschal is the Latinised form of the Hebrew Pesach, which refers to the Jewish festival of Passover, commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. Because the events celebrated by Christians as Easter took place during Passover, the same word is used for both Easter and Passover in languages derived from Latin. (As many of you will know, the famous Last Supper that Christ held with his Apostles was their Passover feast).

I have chosen a Cornish name to celebrate this Easter, because people of Cornish descent have made a valuable contribution to Australian culture, right from the start of British discovery and settlement.

There has been a long tradition of Cornishmen in the British Navy, and the first Cornish people to reach Australia were naval officers sailing with Captain James Cook. Cook’s second-in-command was Cornishman Zachary Hicks, who spotted the east coast of Australia at first light on April 19 1770 (just a few days after Easter), so that the most south-eastern tip of Australia is called Point Hicks in his honour. Zachary Hicks was the first of the party to set foot on Australian soil when they landed at Botany Bay.

Although some 600 convicts came from Cornwall, it was after the 1840s that emigration from Cornwall sharply increased, since there was a potato famine and slump in the mining industry in Cornwall at that time. There was a vigorous campaign to attract Cornish people to Australia, with free passage to South Australia offered to Cornish miners.

As a result, a thriving Cornish community sprung up on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, which became known as “Little Cornwall”. The Yorke Peninsula is still intensely proud of its Cornish heritage, and the Cornish cultural festival held in the area is the largest of its kind in the world.

During the gold rush era, Cornish miners were naturally drawn to gold mining towns in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. Cornish miners founded the first trade unions in Australia, and were instrumental in forming the Australian Labor Party. Two of Australia’s most well-known Prime Ministers, Robert Menzies and Bob Hawke, have Cornish ancestry, while numerous politicians have been of Cornish descent.

Leggo’s foods and Fletcher Jones menswear are two successful businesses founded by people from Cornish families in Australia. (Leggo is often wrongly thought to be an Italian name rather than a Cornish one). It is even said that our chant of Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi comes from the Cornish Oggy oggy oggy, oi oi oi. An oggy is a Cornish pastie, in case you were wondering.

Happy Easter everyone – or, in Cornish, Pask Lowen oll!

Name Information
The surname Pasco is a variant of Pascoe, a Cornish form of Pascal, meaning “relating to Easter”. Because Easter is the most sacred and joyous period of the Christian calendar, from early on Christians chose names such as Paschalis, Paschal, or Pascal for boys born between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. There have been two popes named Paschal, and a 16th century Saint Paschal, a mystic born in Spain on Pentecost.

The personal name and surname Pascal was introduced to England by the Normans, and the surname Pascoe has been used in Cornwall since the Middle Ages. Now the 6th most common surname in Cornwall, Pascoe has the spelling variants Pasco, Pascho, Pascow, and Pascowe. Pasco has been used as a personal name since at least the 16th century, originating in Cornwall and Devon.

A famous member of the Pasco family is Rear-Admiral John Pasco, who served on the Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, and sent the well known signal from Lord Nelson: England expects that every man will do his duty. After being injured during the battle, he spent some time in New South Wales with his family, and his son Crawford Pasco sailed to Australia on the third voyage of HMS Beagle; the Pasco Islands near Tasmania are named after him, as are several other features. He retired to Victoria and became a police magistrate.

Around 4% of Australians claim Cornish ancestry, making Cornish the fourth-largest Anglo-Celtic group in the country, after English, Irish, and Scottish, and the fifth-largest ethnic group overall. However, 10% of South Australians claim Cornish ancestry, and six of the top ten surnames in the state are Cornish in origin. In 2011, there was a campaign to encourage Australians filling in their census forms to report their Cornish ethnicity, and encouraging Cornish pride in general, hence this blog post.

Many Australians are proud of their ethnic origins, and will choose baby names to reflect that. I often see birth notices where babies are given names to reflect their parents’ cultural heritage, yet I rarely see Cornish names. Fitting in with the trend for boys’ names ending in -o, Pasco would be a great Cornish heritage choice, especially for a boy born during the Easter season.

POLL RESULT
Pasco received an approval rating of 66%. 29% of people disliked it, but only 6% hated it.

Waltzing With … Valentine

13 Sunday Feb 2011

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

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birth notices, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, French name popularity, French names, historical records, holiday names, Latin names, locational names, middle names, name combinations, name history, name meaning, names from films, papal names, rare names, Roman names, saints names, Shakespearean names, UK name popularity, unisex names, US name popularity

Name Story
As tomorrow is St. Valentine’s Day, I thought I would focus on the name connected with this day for lovers.

The history of how the name became associated with a day for sweethearts is rather murky. The feast of Saint Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, and he freely admitted that nobody had a clue who Valentine was or what he had done apart from give up his life for his faith and been buried on February 14; traditionally in 269.

There were so many martyrs called Valentine that the compilers of hagiographies didn’t know which Valentine Gelasius meant – hardly surprising as he didn’t either – but managed to whittle it down to two candidates: a bishop and a priest. Saint Valentine seemed doomed to be relegated to the ranks of the obscure minor saints.

Then the Italian archbishop and chronicler Jacobus de Voragine compiled The Golden Legend around 1260. This bestseller of the Middle Ages gave the reader a little story about each saint on the liturgical calendar. It included a brief biography of Saint Valentine which portrayed him as a priest who refused to deny Christ before the Emperor Claudius in the year 280.

Before he was decapitated for his obstinacy, he restored the sight of his gaoler’s blind daughter as a show of Christ’s power. (The daughter was also deaf, but The Golden Legend remains mute as to whether that was similarly healed). This legend became more and more romantically embroidered until Saint Valentine was a priest imprisoned for marrying Christian couples, was in love with the blind daughter he healed, and sent her a card signed, “From your Valentine.”

A popular notion is that the church introduced Valentine’s Day as a Christian substitute for the pagan festival of Lupercalia. You will read this all over the place as if it is an established fact. Actually it has pretty much zero evidence to support it, and was first suggested by two 18th century antiquarians (one a priest).

The idea that Saint Valentine’s Day was a day set aside for lovers dates back to a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382, in which he pretended it was an ancient tradition. Fake ancient traditions being all the rage in medieval Europe, it quickly became fashionable to write poems and perform other romantic acts for your beloved on February 14.

Older Australians sometimes grumble about the Americanisation of Valentine’s Day, but if that means you get a card, flowers, and a box of chokkies instead of nothing, then hurray for Americanisation say I! The big event that happened here on Valentine’s Day was the decimalisation of our currency in 1966 – mm, romantic.

I wish you all a happy Saint Valentine’s Day, for although the whole thing turns out to be as fake as a decimalised three dollar bill, it’s as real as really real to everyone who gets a flutter in their heart when they receive a poem, card or SMS signed, From your Valentine.

Name Information
Valentine is from the Roman name Valentinus, derived from the Latin valens, meaning “strong, vigorous, healthy, powerful.” The name was popular in ancient Rome; you can tell how common it was from the fact that there are eleven saints called Valentine, and three called Valens. There has also been a Pope Valentine, a member of the Roman nobility who died just five weeks after being consecrated.

The medieval romance Valentine and Orson tells of twin brothers who are abandoned in the woods as babies. While Valentine is brought up as a knight at a royal court, Orson is raised by bears and becomes a wild man of the woods, until he is tamed by Valentine, and becomes his servant. There are two Valentines in the plays of William Shakespare: one a main character in Two Gentlemen of Verona, the other a bit part in Twelfth Night. Valentine is the sort of romantic, fairy-tale name which has seen it chosen for sci-fi, fantasy, and video games.

In use as an English name since the Middle Ages, Valentine is more often given to boys, although girls named Valentine are relatively common (relative to the number of overall Valentines, I mean). In France, Valentine is a girl’s name, the feminine form of Valentinus, said with the accent on the last syllable instead of the first. It is a Top 100 girl’s name in France, and may have been given a boost from the character named Valentine, a student and model, in the film Three Colours: Red.

Valentine was on the US Top 1000 for boys from 1880, and didn’t leave it permanently until the mid-1950s. It’s only charted twice for girls – once in 1885, and once in 1917. In 2013, there were 32 baby girls given the name Valentine, and 35 boys, making the name almost evenly unisex in the United States. The same situation exists in the UK, where there were 9 girls and 8 boys named Valentine in 2013.

Valentine has never charted in Australia, and is in rare use (the Italian form Valentino is far more common), but I do see it as a middle name for both sexes in birth notices, especially around Valentine’s Day. There are thousands of Valentines in Australian historical records, mostly male, although as a middle name more evenly given to both sexes. The name seems fairly multicultral, given to men with British, Italian, German, and Jewish surnames.

Some romantic name combinations from Australia which took my eye were Valentine Orson, Valentine Giovanni, Cecil Endymion Valentine, Percival Valentine, Capel Arthur Valentine, Lemuel Reginald Valentine Fitzgerald, Ethelbert Valentine, Valentine Aubrey Hamilton, and Saint Valentine, and for girls Evangeline Valentine, Delice Frances Valentine, Lila Valentine, Fairy Valentine, Queenie Valentine, and Valentine Lovely.

Famous Australians named Valentine include war hero Valentine Stacy, scientist Valentine Anderson, and radio and TV pioneer Valentine McDowall (born on Valentine’s Day). Convict Valentine Marshall was transported to Tasmania as a teenager for taking part in political riots, but sadly for romance, he later got in trouble for spouse abuse.

More recently, Valentine Trainor invented the sport of Ironman, and Valentine Jones was the guitarist for Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Of course, you will see the name of a famous Valentine every time you go the movies at a Hoyts cinema – Val Morgan, the head of Val Morgan Advertising. He handed his name down to his son, William Valentine Morgan.

The suburb of Valentine in Lake Macquare is named after Henry Valentine Joseph Geary, a property developer and mine owner in the area. Meanwhile Valentine Creek in the Snowy Mountains may have been discovered on a Valentine’s Day – the Valentine Hut nearby was originally painted red with white hearts, a motif which even went as far as the toilet seat.

A famous female Valentine was Valentine Leeper, an eccentric teacher born in Melbourne on February 14 in 1900. She became known for writing influential letters on subjects such as education, the ordination of women, international politics and indigenous affairs. She had her own radio show for many years, where she shared little-known facts and her own opinions in equal measure, and if alive today, would surely be a busy blogger and tireless tweeter.

Ms Leeper’s birth date is important in Australian cultural history, because Valentine’s Day in 1900 is the date on which the main events occur in Joan Lindsay’s 1967 novel, Picnic at Hanging Rock. An unsolved mystery about the disappearance of three schoolgirls and their eccentric teacher at Hanging Rock in Victoria, it was made into a successful and much-loved film by Peter Weir. Much later, Lindsay published the final chapter which was to explain everything, although it is still an ambiguous ending, open to interpretation.

Valentine is a name that has a strong meaning, but an elegant and slightly fanciful image. It is a name that will always be associated with love and romance, and would be a perfect choice for a baby born on or near Valentine’s Day. It can be given to both boys and girls, and many parents would probably prefer it tucked away in the middle. Nicknames include Val, Valley or Valli, Nina, and Tina, although the fashionable Lenny also seems possible.

POLL RESULT
Valentine received an excellent approval rating of 84%, making it one of the highest-rated names of the year. 31% of people thought it was a great name, and only 6% of people hated it.

(Photo shows Heart Reef in the Whitsunday Islands)

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~ Names with an Australian Bias of Democratic Temper

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Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1950s

Fresh Names For Boys

Waltzing With … Felix

Rare Boys Names from the 1940s

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1940s

Waltzing With … Lucius

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Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1910s

Waltzing With … Pasco

Waltzing With … Valentine