Popular Names for Girls

29 Sunday Apr 2012

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acronyms, Appellation Mountain, band names, Biblical names, celebrity baby names, created names, english names, Etruscan names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, flower names, French names, gemstone names, germanic names, Greek names, Italian names, Latin names, Linda Rosenkrantz, locational names, mythological names, name data, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, Nameberry, nature names, nicknames, Norman names, popular culture, popular names, retro names, royal names, Shakespearean names, ship names, tribal names, vocabulary names

In honour of the name data being released, I thought I’d do lists of the most popular names in Australia for last year. I admit this was something of a last-minute decision, but it seemed like a good opportunity to cover some of the best-loved names.

People often ask how popular names got to be popular. I’m not sure there’s really a good answer to that – clearly people like the sound of them, and they fit in with current trends. Yet there must be many names, equally as nice-sounding and trend-friendly, that lurk around the 200s and don’t seem as if they are going anywhere much.

Although I cannot tell you what events caused these names to become popular, I can tell you some of the events which accompanied their rise. I’m definitely not trying to say that they were the cause of a name’s popularity, just that they coincide with it (and really sometimes it seems more than merely coincidental). Feel free to add other events you can think of, or any theories of your own!

Note: I’ve used data from New South Wales, but it must be broadly accurate for the rest of the nation too.

Lily

Lily seems to have begun as a pet form of Lilian, but must soon have become thought of as a flower name. The lily is sacred to the Virgin Mary, and Jesus urged his followers to “consider the lilies of the field” as a model in trusting Divine Providence. Lily has been almost continuously in the charts, only dropping out during the 1960s. It began rising in the 1980s – a decade when Princess Lily was the main female character in fantasy film Legend, and when Phil Collins and Kevin Costner welcomed daughters named Lily. A Top 100 name in the 1990s, it continued climbing, as Kate Beckinsale welcomed a daughter named Lily, while Johnny Depp named his baby girl Lily-Rose. By the early 2000s, Lily was already a Top 20 name, and during this decade, Lilly was the main character’s best friend in The Princess Diaries movie, Lily Potter was Harry’s mum in the Harry Potter movies, and pop singer Lily Allen released her first hit. Last year Lily was the most popular name for girls, once combined with the spelling Lilly. Delicate and pure, yet with several spunky namesakes, pretty Lily became a favourite.

Ruby

Ruby is named after the precious gemstone, whose name from Latin simply means “red”. Retro Ruby was popular during the 1900s, then dropped out completely during the 1960s and ’70s, despite being a popular name in songs; notably Ruby Tuesday and Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town. It began rising in the 1980s, as comedienne Ruby Wax barged her way onto our TV screens, and singer Rod Stewart welcomed a daughter named Ruby. The name climbed steeply during the 1990s, and turned up in more songs: Ruby Soho by Rancid, Thru’ the Eyes of Ruby, by The Smashing Pumpkins, and Ruby Wednesday by Eskimo Joe. By the early 2000s, Ruby was a Top 50 name, and by the late 2000s, it was Top 20. During this decade, the song Ruby was a hit for The Kaiser Chiefs, Renee Zellweger played Ruby in the movie Cold Mountain, and Ruby Buckton was a free spirited teen on popular soap, Home and Away. Charlotte Church, Tobey Maguire, and Harry Kewell all welcomed daughters named Ruby. Last year it was #2 for girls, once combined with the spelling Rubi. Flaunting Ruby sparkles, and is a name worth singing about.

Chloe

Chloe means “young green shoot” in Greek, and was one of the epithets of the earth goddess Demeter. From early on, it was a favoured literary name; Chloe is the heroine of the pastoral romance Daphne and Chloe, by the Ancient Greek writer Longus. The name was also considered suitable for use by the Puritans, because Chloe is an early Christian mentioned in the New Testament. Chloe first appeared on the charts in the 1970s; a decade when an arty French film, re-titled Chloe in the Afternoon, was released to English-speaking audiences. Chloe stormed up the charts and was Top 100 by the 1980s. During this decade, actress Candice Bergen and singer Olivia Newton-John both welcomed daughters named Chloe, and Chloe Jones was one of the characters in long-running soap, A Country Practice. By the 1990s it was Top 20, and Logie-winning actress Kristy Wright played the tragically troubled Chloe Richards on popular soap, Home and Away. Chloe was Top 5 by the early 2000s; it reached #1 in 2006. Fresh and spring-like, Chloe has been recommended at Appellation Mountain, and Linda Rosenkrantz from Nameberry named her daughter Chloe – some serious name-guru approval.

Mia

Mia seems to have become popularly known through actress Mia Farrow, the daughter of Australian film director John Farrow, and Irish actress Maureen O’Sullivan. Mia is short for Ms Farrow’s real name, Maria. Mia first appeared on the charts in the 1960s, after Mia Farrow began her career, but rose in popularity very gradually. An interesting link with another name on the list is that Princess Lily in Legend was played by actress Mia Sara; is it a coincidence that both names began climbing at the same time? It started making significant gains in the 1990s, a decade when Uma Thurman played Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction. Although not yet Top 100 in the 1990s, by the early 2000s it was already Top 20. In this decade, we met Amelia “Mia” Thermopolis, heroine of The Princess Diaries movie, and Mia Toretto from The Fast and the Furious films. It was chosen as the name for their daughter by actress Bec Cartwright and tennis champion Lleyton Hewitt. Top 10 by the late 2000s, it reached #1 in 2008. Simple and cute, Mia has another Australian connection – it is an acronym for Made in Australia.

Olivia

Olivia is a name invented by William Shakespeare for a character in Twelfth Night. Olivia is a beautiful noble lady in mourning for her brother; through an amusing misunderstanding, she falls in love with a woman named Viola disguised as a man. Through another amusing misunderstanding, she marries Viola’s twin brother Sebastian by mistake, but fortunately he is so much like his sister in looks and personality that she is happy with the outcome. Famous Olivias include actress Olivia de Havilland and Olivia Arias, the widow of Beatle George Harrison. Olivia first appeared on the charts in the 1960s, just as singer Olivia Newton-John began her career, and rose steadily. Her popularity took off in the 1980s (perhaps by coincidence, the era when Ms Newton-John enjoyed her greatest success), and by the 1990s she was already a Top 20 name. During the 1990s, Denzel Washington and Lance Armstrong welcomed daughters named Olivia. In the early 2000s, Mariska Hargitay was playing Olivia Benson on Law and Order: SVU, and by 2005 Olivia had reached #1. Shakespeare had a knack with names, and this one is elegant; I picked it to be the Jessica of our time, and equally resilient.

Isabella

Isabella is a Latinate form of the name Isabel; it was a favourite amongst European royalty from the Middle Ages onwards. Isabella is a stock character in the Italian commedia dell’arte, the flirtatious and alluring female lover that men make fools of themselves over. She is named in honour of the actress, playwright and poet Isabella Andreini, who became famous in the role. Isabella has been on the charts almost continuously, although her last time in the Top 100 was in the 1900s. She dropped out completely during the 1950s, and then again in the 1970s. She made a recovery in the 1980s just as Italian actress Isabella Rosselini became internationally known, and then skyrocketed. Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise adopted a daughter in the early 1990s and named her Isabella, and the name was comfortably Top 50 for that decade. When Stephenie Meyer’s novel Twilight was published in 2005, its heroine named Isabella “Bella” Swan, Isabella was already #7; Isabella reached #1 in 2009, the year after the Twilight film was released. Ornate and ultra-feminine, it is an Australian royal baby name, as Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark named their first daughter Isabella.

Charlotte

Charlotte is a French feminine form of Charles; a common name amongst European royalty, it was introduced to Britain in the 17^th century by the Hanoverians. The Charlotte was one of the ships of the First Fleet, who reached Australia in 1788. Charlotte has been almost continuously on the charts, only disappearing in the 1950s. She began climbing gradually in the 1960s, a decade when English actress Charlotte Rampling’s film career began. The name grew steeply in the 1980s, a decade in which Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, played by Kelly McGillis, is the love interest to Tom Cruise’s Maverick in the movie Top Gun. It made the Top 100 by the 1990s, when actress Sigourney Weaver welcomed a daughter named Charlotte, and when the band Good Charlotte began their career. It was Top 20 in the early 2000s, while we got to know the romantically optimistic Charlotte York in Sex and the City, played by Kristin Davis; by the end of the decade it was Top 10, as as singer Charlotte Church progressed her career from classical to pop. Sophisticated yet sensible, with the option of a tomboy nickname, Charlotte has yet to make #1.

Sophie

Sophie is the French form of Sophia; the name was used in several European royal families. Sophie first entered the charts in the 1950s, and through steady growth, made the Top 100 by the 1980s. It was during this decade that William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice was made into a film; Meryl Streep won an Oscar for her performance as Zofia “Sophie” Zawistowski, the beautiful Polish immigrant with a tragic secret. The same year the film came out, Roald Dahl‘s book, The Big Friendly Giant was published; the heroine is called Sophie, named after Roald Dahl’s grand-daughter (later fashion model Sophie Dahl). During the 1990s Sophie took off, and was a Top 20 name during that decade. It was during the ’90s that the best-selling novel, Sophie’s World, was published, and actress Sophie Lee and singer-actress Sophie Monk both began their careers this decade. At the end of the 1990s, Sophie Rhys-Jones joined the British Royal Family when she married Prince Edward. Sophie was Top 10 by the early 2000s, and many are tipping sweet and simple Sophie to become the #1 name within the next few years.

Sienna

Sienna is the English name for the Italian city of Siena,in Tuscany. As a word, it refers to a type of clay used to make oil paints, and a shade of yellow-brown, after the hue of said clay. The city’s name comes from the Etruscan tribe who originally inhabited the area, the Saina, but the Romans derived it from the Latin for “old” (the same Latin root which gives us the word senile). Sienna first entered the charts in the 1980s, and climbed steeply during the ’90s. I think the name suited the aspirational nature of that era. Italy was very “big”; pizza was becoming a mainstream food, and the adults around me were guzzling Chianti and buying time-shares in Tuscan villas. British model-actress Sienna Miller is not responsible for the name’s popularity, because it had been climbing for some time, but can it be purely coincidental that it first joined the NSW Top 100 in 2002, the year after Ms Miller’s career began? From that point, its climb was so vertiginous that it was Top 10 by 2006. Smooth, modern Sienna seems certain to go higher still.

Ella

Ella is the Norman form of the Germanic name Alia, a short form of names with the element ali, meaning “other”. However, it can also be used as a short form for Eleanor, Ellen, Elizabeth or any name starting with El, and also the many names ending with -ella. It’s hard not to connect this name with jazz great, Ella Fitzgerald. Ella has been on the charts almost continuously, with her last time in the Top 100 in the 1900-10s. She was soon in rare use, although she only disappeared completely during the 1960s. She climbed slowly during the 1980s, and steeply during the 1990s. It was during the ’90s that Ella got a new singing namesake – Ella Hooper from rock band Killing Heidi. Ella was Top 20 by the early 2000s. She received several boosts around this time, for the movie Ella Enchanted was released, a re-telling of the Cinderella story. Warren Beatty, John Travolta, Mark Wahlberg and Ben Stiller all welcomed daughters named Ella, giving the name a distinct celebrity flavour. Top 5 in the second half of last decade, Ella feels as if she may have peaked, and is possibly on her way down again.

(Picture shows Princess Lily and unicorn, from Ridley Scott’s 1985 cult fantasy film Legend)

Ethel and Chester: Old School Names from the Bonds Baby Search

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by A.O. in Baby Contests

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

classic names, name popularity, retro names

Some of these names are from an earlier time; some had a sharp peak in popularity and then fell dramatically, tieing them firmly to a particular era; some may sound “old-fashioned”, but never went out of common use, or in fact are soaring up the popularity charts like you wouldn’t believe. And some, for an undefinable reason, simply sound like old school names.

Originally, I was going to tell you which names were which – but then I decided it would be more fun for you to work that out for yourselves.

Do these blasts from the past make you inwardly cringe, or are you delighted to see them on new babies? Cosy, sturdy, elegant, classics, still cool, going stale, or utterly daggy – you decide!

GIRLS

Adelaide

Agatha

Annette

Brenda

Candice

Cheryl

Christine

Coralie

Courtney

Daphne

Edith

Esme

Ethel

Francine

Gillian

Gwendoline

Hazel

Heather

Iris

Jeanette

Joanna

Jocelyn

Julie

Kylie

Lynda

Mabel

Marnie

Mary

Melissa

Michelle

Millicent

Mona

Monica

Monique

Nicole

Norah

Rachel

Rebecca

Stacey

Susan

Valerie

Vera

BOYS

Albert

Arthur

Barry

Bertrand

Bruce

Chester

Craig

Darren

Dean

Donald

Douglas

Edwin

Elroy

Eugene

Floyd

Frank

Garry

Gavin

Glenn

Harvey

Keith

Kevin

Perry

Ralph

Roy

Stanley

Sylvester

Theodore

Travis

Vincent

Walter

(Photo shows Ginninderra Public School in the ACT, 1905)

Girls Names From the Top 100 of the 1900s

25 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 18 Comments

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Anglo-Saxon names, Arabic names, classic names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, flower names, gemstone names, germanic names, Google, honouring, Italian names, K.M. Sheard, Latin names, locational names, mythological names, name data, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, nature names, nicknames, Old English names, Old French names, Old Norse names, plant names, popular names, retro names, royal names, saints names, Shakespearean names, Victorian names

There have been many Googled requests for names from the 1900s, so this is my selection of ten girls names that were Top 100 in the 1900s which I think are usable today. I’ve tried to get a balance between names which are currently rising in popularity, and those which haven’t charted for many decades. All the data comes from New South Wales – the only state which has made public its data kept since Federation.

Amelia

A variant of Amalia, the Latinised form of Germanic Amala, a pet form of any name beginning with Amal-, and meaning “work”. This was one of the many names introduced to Britain by the Hanoverians; part of its easy acceptance was that it was considered a variant of the unrelated Emilia, and indeed Princess Amelia of Hanover was called Emily in everyday life. In the 1900s, Amelia was #95, and it had left the Top 100 by the following decade. It has been on the rankings almost continuously, dropping out in the 1940s and ’50s. Rejoining in the the 1960s, it grew steadily in popularity, until it was in the Top 100 by the 1990s. It’s currently stable at #10. Famous Australians named Amelia include Amelia Best, who was one of the first women elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly, and opera singer Amelia Farrugia. Amelia was under-appreciated for many years, but is now extremely popular, with a host of nicknames such as Amy, Melia, Millie, Mia and Lia. Pretty and unpretentious, it has a ready-to-wear quality that makes it a handy choice.

Bessie

A short form of the name Elizabeth, in use since the 16^th century. The name Bessie was #78 in the 1900s, and grew in popularity during the 1910s. It took a nosedive in the 1920s, left the Top 100, and hasn’t been in the rankings since the 1940s. Famous Australians named Bessie include portrait painter Bessie Davidson, who was celebrated in France in the pre-war era, and Bessie Guthrie, a designer of the 1920s who was an ardent feminist and early proponent of solar energy and ecological balance. She founded the Viking publishing house, and in later life was a crusader for the rights of abused children, before finally, in old age, being able to join a movement of feminist political protest she had waited all her life for. Bessie is such a sweet yet spunky name for a girl, and one I saw recently mentioned as having been given to a baby in 2011. I think it’s one which is ready to shed its “old lady” image and be used once more.

Edith

Based on the Old English name Eadgyð, meaning “rich war”, this was popular amongst Anglo-Saxon royalty; Saint Edith was the illegitimate daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful, and Edith of Wessex was the wife of King Edward the Confessor. Unlike many Anglo-Saxon names, it remained in use after the Norman Conquest, and didn’t fall out of favour until the 16^th century. It was revived in the 19^th century by the Victorians. The most famous Australian with this name was Edith Cowan, the social campaigner and first woman elected to parliament; she was part of the group which helped give women the vote in 1899 (her picture is now on the $50 note). The name Edith was #16 in the 1900s, and remained Top 100 until the 1940s, leaving the rankings in the 1970s. Very recently, it has had a revival, and is now increasing in popularity in the 500s. Strong, patriotic, and still aristocratic-sounding, it’s fast becoming a fashionable favourite. The short form Edie seems to be even more popular.

Ida

This name was introduced to England by the Normans; it may come from the Old Norse word for “work”, or be related to the Norse goddess of youth, Iðunn. Folklorist Jakob Grimm theorised that her name may come from idis, a divine female being in Germanic mythology, meaning “respected woman”. Ida died out in the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19^th century. This may have been partly inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem on female education, The Princess, where the heroine is named Ida. Gilbert and Sullivan parodied the poem in their operetta, Princess Ida. Tennyson probably took the name from Mount Ida; there is one in Crete and one near ancient Troy, and both were sacred to the Mother Goddess Rhea or Cybele. According to K.M. Sheard, the name is from the Greek for “woodland”. Ida was #42 in the 1900s and fell rapidly, leaving the Top 100 in the 1920s. It hasn’t been on the charts since the 1950s. Ida Standley was a pioneering schoolteacher in Central Australia. Ida is similar to popular names such as Ivy, Eva and Ava; it can also be used as a form of the Irish name Ita.

Leila

This variant of the Arabic name Layla was introduced to English-speakers by Lord Byron, who used it in his poems The Giaour and Don Juan. In Don Juan, Leila is a little Turkish girl rescued and adopted by the hero; in The Giaour, Leila is a member of a Turkish harem who falls in love with a non-Muslim, and is punished for adultery by being sent to a watery grave (vampires also get a mention). As such, it seems exotic, romantic, Gothic, and literary. Leila was barely Top 100 in the 1900s at #99, but has remained in continuous use, although very rare in the 1950s and ’60s. It’s never managed to join the Top 100 since, but has been climbing sharply since the 1990s, and is currently only just outside it in the very low 100s. Famous Leilas include Leila Hayes, who was in soap opera Sons and Daughters, and Leila Mackinnon, Channel 9 journalist. Leila fits perfectly with current related favourites Layla and Lila, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was back in the Top 100 soon. Pronunciations vary, and as far as I’m aware, LAY-luh, LY-la and LEE-la are all considered correct.

Louisa

A Latinate feminine form of Louis, this was another name introduced to Britain in the 18^th century by the Hanoverian royal family. The most famous woman named Louisa from Australian history is undoubtedly Louisa Lawson, the mother of national poet, Henry Lawson. A poet and publisher in her own right, Louisa was also a leading feminist who was called The Mother of Suffrage in New South Wales, and helped bring women in her state the vote. It is generally believed that she is the prototype for all the kind, capable, and hard-working country women who appear in Henry Lawson’s stories. Louisa manages to be a classic, remaining constantly on the charts, while being underused, for it has not been Top 100 since the 1900s, when it was #79. It’s currently around the #500 mark. You really can’t go wrong with Louisa – it’s never been in vogue, yet never been out of style either, so it doesn’t sound old-fashioned. It’s pretty and sensible, and honours one of Australia’s heroines. Nicknames can range from brisk Lou, to cutesy Lulu, and anything in between.

Maud

This is another form of Matilda. The Old Germanic Mahtild became Maheud in Old French, and Anglicised as Maud. Matilda was thus the Latin and written form of the name, while Maud was the way the name was said aloud. For example, Matilda of England, the first female ruler of the English kingdom (her reign was brief), was known as Maud in everyday life. Although the name may remind you of the word maudlin, that is actually from the name Madeline (its original pronunciation). Maud became rare at the end of the Middle Ages, but was another old name which Alfred, Lord Tennyson helped revive, due to his tragic and enigmatic love poem, Maud. Maud McCarthy was a nurse who served with distinction during the Boer War and World War I, receiving several medals. Maud was #94 in the 1900s, and slipped off the Top 100 the following decade. It hasn’t charted since the 1930s. It’s a genuine antique, and if you are determined on Maddie as a pet name, Maud would make a far more distinguished “proper name” than Madison.

Myrtle

Myrtles are graceful, fragrant flowering evergreen bushes, which in ancient times were sacred to Aphrodite or Venus, the goddess of love. Perhaps because of this, they are traditionally included in wedding bouquets; they are always used at weddings amongst the British royal family, a custom began by Queen Victoria. Myrtle has been used as a name since the 19^th century, when other flower and plant names became the fashion. A famous person with this name is Myrtle White, who wrote books describing her life on a remote outback station. Myrtle was #47 in the 1900s, and had left the Top 100 by the 1930s. It hasn’t charted since the 1950s. I added Myrtle to the list, not only because we have myrtle species native to Australia, but because Baz Luhrman’s remake of The Great Gatsby will be released soon. There is a character named Myrtle in it, and this may give the name a new image than that of Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter books and films.

Pearl

Pearls are produced by molluscs such as oysters and mussels; they are essentially calcium carbonate or limestone in crystalline form. Ones occurring naturally in the wild are very rare, so that they are considered extremely valuable gemstones. Pearl became used as a name in the 19^th century, when other gemstone names became fashionable. It probably also had religious connotations, because pearls are mentioned in the Bible, and Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to “a pearl of great price”. Australia still has a significant pearling industry in Broome, Western Australia. A famous Australian with this name is Pearl Gibbs, an Aboriginal leader and activist who focused on women’s and children’s rights. Pearl was #87 in the 1900s, and left the Top 100 the following decade. It did not chart in the 1960s and ’70s, but staged a comeback in the 1980s, and has been climbing precipitously in recent years. It’s currently in the mid 200s, and this name from the sea still has plenty of lustre. It’s similar to the more popular Ruby, but seems more delicate and lady-like.

Sylvia

A variant of the Latin Silvia, meaning “of the woods”. The mother of the legendary Romulus and Remus was called Rhea Silvia (Rhea of the woods), because it was supposedly in the woods that she was seduced by the god Mars. Saint Silvia was the mother of Pope Gregory the Great, famous for her great piety; according to her portrait made during her lifetime, she was beautiful with large blue eyes. A common name in Italy, Silvia was introduced to England by Shakespeare, in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Famous Australians with this name include Sylvia Harper, a tennis champion of the 1920s, and Sylvia Breamer, who was a Hollywood actress from the silent film era. Sylvia is a classic which has never left the charts. It was #58 in the 1900s, and didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1950s. It hit its lowest point in the early 2000s, and is currently gently rising in the 500s. It’s lovely seeing this pretty name gaining in use; it almost seems like a nature name, because of its woodsy meaning and silvery bell-like sound.

(Photo used is of a bride in 1906; image is held by Culture Victoria)

MYTH: Very Popular Names Should be Avoided, Because in Thirty Years They Will Sound Dated and Embarassing

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by A.O. in Baby Name Mythbusters

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

classic names, name popularity, name predictions, name trends, nicknames, popular names, retro names, Shakespearean names

Along with all the articles on popular names that came out with the 2011 name data, there were several which warned parents not to give their baby a name from the Top 10 , because in thirty years it will sound old and frumpy.

I don’t know why they all decided thirty years was the point at which this would occur – I would have thought by the age of thirty, you would be too mature to care if you had a fashionable name or not anyway. Seriously, if you are over the age of thirty, and thinking ZOMG my name is like totally lame and uncool now! all I can tell you is Get a grip! You’re not in high school any more. Also, nobody has used ZOMG since 2007.

Of course, it’s kind of silly, because if everyone stopped using the Top 10 names because they were too popular, then they wouldn’t be Top 10 any more, ten other names would be. The only way you can avoid some names being at the top of the popularity lists is to have a law that each name can only be used once per year. In which case, pity the kids born in December, who will be named Farqui-Neemehoor or Exmayhemaliah.

However, putting that rather obvious objection aside, I decided to take a look at the Top 10 of 1982, to see if those names really had dated as badly as the Commodore 64, Bucks Fizz, and puffed shoulders, or were still going strong, like Angelina Jolie, environmental activism, and deely bobbers.

GIRLS

1. Sarah: Classic name which has never left the rankings. Has been Top 100 since the 1960s. Currently gently declining at #31.

2. Rebecca: Almost continually in the rankings, only dropping off in the 1930s. Was Top 100 from the 1960s until the late 2000s. Currently gently declining in the mid 100s.

3. Melissa: Has charted since the 1950s, and was Top 100 from the 1960s to the 2000s. Currently stable in the mid-300s.

4. Jessica: Has charted since the 1960s, and was Top 10 by the 1980s. It kept climbing, and became the #1 name of the 1990s. Currently stable at #20.

5. Nicole: Has charted since the 1950s, and was Top 100 from the 1960s until the late 2000s. Currently stable in the low 200s.

6. Lauren: Has charted since the 1940s, and was Top 10 by the 1980s. It continued to climb, and peaked in the 1990s. Lauren has only just left the Top 100, and is probably in the very low 100s.

7. Michelle: Has charted since the 1940s, and was Top 100 from the 1950s to the 2000s. Currently stable in the mid-100s.

8. Kate: Ranked in the 1900s, but dropped off the charts from the 1930s to the 1950s. Was Top 100 from the 1970s until the very end of the 2000s. Currently stable in the low 100s; however I believe this name is not finished, and may rejoin the Top 100.

9. Emma: Almost continuously in the rankings, only dropping off in the 1940s. Has been Top 100 since the 1970s. Currently #17 and on a slight rise.

10. Lisa: Has charted since the 1940s, and was Top 100 from the 1960s to the 2000s. Currently declining in the mid-500s.

BOYS

1. Michael: Solid classic that’s never left the Top 100, and was Top 10 from 1940 to the 2000s. Currently stable at #35.

2. Mathew: Classic name that has never left the rankings, and has been Top 100 since the 1950s. Currently gently declining at #32.

3. Andrew: Solid classic that’s never left the Top 100, and was Top 10 from the 1960s to the 1990s. Currently stable at #70.

4. David: Solid classic that’s never left the Top 100, and was Top 10 from the 1940s to the 1990s. Currently stable at #78.

5. Daniel: Solid classic that’s never left the Top 100, and was Top 10 from the 1970s to the late 2000s. Currently gently declining at #24.

6. Christopher: Classic name that has never left the rankings. It was Top 100 in the 1900s, and returned to it in the 1940s. Currently stable at #84.

7. Benjamin: Classic name that has never left the rankings, and has been Top 100 since the 1970s. Currently on a decline at #11.

8. James: Solid, enduring classic that has never left the Top 20. It was Top 10 from the 1900s to the 1940s, and then again from the 1980s to the late 2000s. Currently on a slight decline at #12.

9. Mark: Classic name that has never left the rankings, and was Top 100 from the 1940s to the late 2000s. Currently stable in the low 200s.

10. Luke: Has charted since the 1940s, and been Top 100 since the 1970s. Currently declining at #33.

From the girls’ list, three of them are still in the Top 100, and from the boys’ list nine of them are still Top 100. Of the names that have left the Top 100, most of them are stable, rather than becoming ever less popular. Michelle and Nicole may not sound the freshest, but the 100s and 200s are not the dim backwoods of the popularity charts (they are where where Mary and Clara live). Melissa and Lisa are probably the most dated-sounding of the names, but they are on the charts, which means that parents are still using them. Based on the data above, I think that’s pretty much a BUSTED.

However, another theory I’ve seen on baby name forums is that the names of thirty years ago have become so firmly entrenched that they now seem a little … well, boring. This idea does have some merit, because although names such as Emma and Andrew are absolutely great, and nobody will criticise you for using them, nobody is going to say, “Oh what a stunningly beautiful and unusual name; I’m sure there’s a fascinating story behind your choice of it,” either. Which is fine, not everyone wants their child’s name to be a constant source of comments and questions. But I’d be edging towards a PLAUSIBLE on that one.

So where will our current Top 10 be in thirty years? Some would say it’s foolish to speculate, but on the basis that the best predictor of the future is the past, I’ll have a stab at it. That’s how I do my footy tipping anyway.

The average time that a popular girl’s name spent in the Top 100 was 46 years, which means about half the girls’ names from the current Top 10 are contenders for staying in the Top 100 until 2042. Of the names from 1982 which have lasted, Sarah and Emma had a long history of being on the charts, while Jessica was still gaining in popularity. Based on that, I’d say classics Charlotte and Amelia have the best chance for being stayers, while another Shakespearean coinage, Olivia, could keep going and going.

Chloe, Isabella and Sophie seem as if they will at the very least remain relatively stable in the 100s, like Rebecca, Michelle and Lauren. I’m picking Ava to be the Nicole of our times (200s), and Sienna to be another Melissa (300s). Because Lisa was the least successful name, and a cute nickname form of a longer name, perhaps Mia will also not fare so well long term. Ruby and Kate are retro names that have gone in and out of fashion, and I think both are quite unpredictable.

As far as the boys names go, chances are that 90% of them will still be in the Top 100 by 2042. I’m picking Joshua to be the name that doesn’t go the distance, as it is currently in the same decline that Mark was in 1982. Two of the names from 1982, Benjamin and James, are barely outside the Top 10 today, and I would back Ethan and Lucas as the most likely to mimic that success.

Results are unscientific and for entertainment purposes only. Baby Name Mythbusters is not affiliated with the television show, “Mythbusters”.

Waltzing With … Daisy

16 Sunday Oct 2011

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

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Aboriginal names, english names, famous namesakes, floral names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, names from songs, nature names, nicknames, plant names, retro names, UK name popularity, US name popularity

This blog post was first published on October 16 2011, and completely rewritten on October 15 2015.

Famous Namesake
Today it is the 152nd birthday of ethnographer Daisy Bates, who was born October 16 1859. Daisy migrated to Australia from Ireland as a young woman, and like many other immigrants, took the opportunity to reinvent herself. Her story was that she was born as Daisy O’Dwyer into a wealthy Irish Protestant family, and after being orphaned, was brought up to be a “lady” by her grandmother. Adopted by an aristocratic family, she seemed destined to lead a life of leisure, until a brush with TB sent her to Australia in order to recover her health.

In fact she was Margaret Dwyer, born into a poor Irish Catholic family, and brought up in an orphanage, where she was educated to be a governess. It may have been a sexual scandal that sent her across the world to Australia, and she seems to have been keen to seek a husband. Good looking with lovely dark eyes, a lively manner, and the gift of the gab, Daisy had little trouble attracting men, and she married three of them in rapid succession, including “Breaker” Morant (she didn’t bother getting divorced, so she was a serial bigamist). She took the surname of her second husband, Bates.

An unplanned pregnancy resulted in her son, and the process was so traumatic that she ever after had only distant relations with her husband and child. Her husband became even more estranged from her when she developed what was considered a bizarre interest in Aboriginal culture, and she finally left him to take up what was to be her life’s work.

Daisy spent forty years studying Aboriginal language, history, rituals, beliefs, and customs, and for much of that time lived in isolated areas, apparently always dressed in heavy dark Edwardian clothing. The usefulness (and even truthfulness) of her anthropological work has been much debated, but she was a pioneer in the field, being one of the first to live among the people she was studying and observe them at first hand, without trying to “educate” them or convert them to her own beliefs.

Although she was never sentimental or high-minded in any way about it (she was brutally frank that her interest in Aboriginal culture was a sport more than anything else), she did work towards Aboriginal welfare. She wrote with great feeling of their suffering at the hands of Europeans, and was able to identify that much of their misery was compounded by a lack of cultural awareness towards them.

She helped pave the way for greater attention to Indigenous health, and was prepared to defend Aboriginal women from sexual exploitation by white males, with a gun if necessary. She could be kind and generous towards Aboriginal people, paying for their needs from her own limited funds. Most importantly, her work has been an invaluable resource for those seeking Native Title claims.

In her lifetime, Daisy Bates was famous, but also seen as a stubborn, publicity-seeking eccentric, and remains a deeply controversial figure to this day. Many of her ideas about Indigenous Australians were paternalistic – one of her books is titled My Natives and I. She also saw Aborigines as a doomed race, and had an appalling hatred of people with mixed black and white ancestry, believing them to be completely worthless.

A staunch monarchist and imperialist, and a social-climbing, gossipy old snob, she loathed feminists, socialists, Catholics, and Germans – her views, not abnormal for her time, are now so out of fashion that they have alienated many, and this has helped lead to her neglect.

An interesting question is what the Aboriginal people themselves thought of her. She claimed that they called her Kabbarli, a word that can be translated as “grandmother”, to suggest a relationship that was both affectionate and respectful. It can also be translated as “crazy old bat”.

Name Information
Daisies are members of the aster family which grows widely over the world – everywhere except the polar regions. The word daisy comes from the Old English for “day’s eye”, as the English Daisy (Bellis perennis) opens when the sun rises, and closes in the evening. An English saying is that spring has not arrived until you can set your foot on a dozen daisies, while a Celtic tradition says that daisies are formed whenever a child dies so that they might comfort their grieving parents.

A well known divination is to discover if someone truly loves you by plucking daisy petals: he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me! Daisies were the flower of the love goddesses Freya and Venus, and it may not be a coincidence that daisies and daisy chains have long been gifts between sweethearts. In Roman legend, the wood nymph Belides transformed herself into a daisy to escape the attentions of Vertumnus, the god of seasons and plants, so that daisies are associated with chastity.

A Christian legend says daisies sprung from the tears wept by Mary Magdalene when she was forgiven of her sins. In Christian iconography, daisies symbolise the Virgin Mary; they were a favourite in medieval paintings and tapestries of the Virgin. Later they were used to symbolise the Christ Child. The purity of the Virgin Mary and the passion of Venus often seem to combine in medieval literature, so that daisies were used to symbolise the “good woman” who was equally sweet and sensual.

Daisy has been used as an independent girl’s name since at least the 17th century, and became popular in the 19th, along with other floral names. It is also used as a nickname for Margaret, because the French name for the Ox-eye Daisy is the marguerite. Because of this, it was used as a royal device by Marguerite de Navarre, the sister of Francis I of France, Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI, and Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII. King Louis IX of France wore a daisy engraved on his ring as a tribute to his wife, Marguerite of Provence.

Daisy was quite a popular nickname among the upper classes during the Edwardian era, as evidenced by Princess Margaret “Daisy” of Connaught, who became the queen of Sweden; society beauty Mary “Daisy”, Princess of Pless; fashion icon and heiress Marguerite “Daisy” Fellowes; and Frances “Daisy” Greville, the mistress of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), whose love for the bicycle craze of the 1890s is popularly believed to have inspired the music hall song about Daisy with a bicycle built for two.

Literary Daisys include Daisy Buchanan who arouses a life-long obsession in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and the enigmatic Annie “Daisy” Miller, from Henry James’ novella. Sweet Meg from Little Women is sometimes called Daisy, and when she has a daughter named Margaret, she is known as Daisy to differentiate her from her mother. All these fictional Daisys are American, and two more American sweethearts are Disney’s Daisy Duck and sassy Southern belle Daisy Duke, from the Dukes of Hazzard.

The name Daisy was #58 in the 1900s, and left the Top 100 in the 1920s. It dropped from the charts in the 1940s, made a minor come-back in the 1950s, then dropped out again the following decade. Daisy returned to the charts in the 1980s at #646, and climbed fairly steadily. It rejoined the Top 100 in 2013 at #90, making it one of the fastest-rising names of that year. Last year it left the national Top 100, although it still made the Top 100 in Queensland and Tasmania.

Daisy is most popular in the UK. It was in the Top 100 there from 1880 until the 1930s, then made a comeback in the 1990s, peaking in 2010 at #15. Currently it is #24. In the US, Daisy has never left the Top 1000. It was in the Top 100 from 1880 to 1908, and reached its lowest point in 1972 at #629. It is currently #180. Australia’s Daisy popularity may be closer to New Zealand, where Daisy has made the bottom of the Top 100 a few times without any signs of climbing.

Daisy is a wholesome retro name which manages to sound both pure and innocent, and cute and spunky. There is something demure about little Daisy, but also rather sexy: Venus has given her a certain sweetness that blows like a fresh spring breeze across the fields. Daisies may be common flowers, but the name Daisy is not overused, and shows no signs of shooting up in popularity. You may use Daisy as a nickname, but it is just fine as a name in its own right.

POLL RESULT
Daisy received an approval rating of 88%, making it one of the highest-rated names of 2011. 37% of people loved the name Daisy, and only one person hated it.

(Painting is Daisy Bates at Ooldea, by Sidney Nolan, 1950)

Hazel, What’s With the Retro Name?

11 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by A.O. in Guest Bloggers

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

celebrity baby names, colour names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, gemstone names, Hazel Edwards, plant names, retro names, vocabulary names

Best known for There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake, which was recently translated into Chinese, Hazel Edwards writes across media, for adults and children. Pocket Bonfire Production’s Hippo film premiered at St Kilda Film festival for the 30^th anniversary, and is screening internationally at Edinburgh Film Festival and beyond. As ambassador, Hazel is involved with the 2012 National Year of Reading, and the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge.Hazel has two grandsons, for whom she writes stories each birthday. Her latest books include ‘Sir Edward ‘Weary Dunlop’ (Aussie Heroes series) and ‘f2m:the boy within.

(This was first written in 2004/05 and read on ABC Radio LifeMatters)

My name is Hazel.

Until now, I’ve been in a fairly select name grouping. Ex-PM’s wife Hazel Hawke and I have been a minority with the name Hazel. But there are a couple of other authors called Hazel Edwards; one writes Mills & Boon romance novels, and another is an English historian. There’s also a Hazel Edwards’ gravestone image on Google. And I’ve been “dead” a couple of times.

To quote from news of actor Julia Roberts’ twins being called Hazel and Phinnaeus:

“…Hazel is retro by at least a couple of generations. The world stopped having Hazels around the time it stopped having Berthas and Gladyses and Mildreds. The last time Hazel was heard from was 1961, when Shirley Booth played a busybody maid of that name in a sitcom of that name, based on a cartoon strip of that name. Phinnaeus is even more retro, as in Old Testament retro, and more obscure than such OT running mates as Methuselah and Obadiah.

But that’s probably the point. Celebrity baby names these days are very … different. We say this not to pass judgment, but to point out one more way celebrities are not like the rest of us….”

I’ve never thought of myself as retro nor a celebrity. I was named after my mother who was Hazel Grace, but known as Grace. My father suggested they use one of her names for their only daughter, so I became Hazel. That was lucky because I’m NOT graceful but neither was my mother. Names are not always accurate.

As a children’s author, I’m conscious of names for my characters, and tend to choose either symbolic ones, or those which are common with the age group and that they can pronounce. Ironically, Grace is the most popular girls’ name with the under-fives. My Hand Me Down Hippo character called Mini was illustrated by Mini Goss, who has a young daughter called Hazel, so that’s another coincidence and a “young” Hazel.

My neighbour alerted me to the Happy Hazel Society which meets annually at Hervey Bay, and these Hazels are mainly in their 70s, married to Rons, and sing I’m a Happy Hazel to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot. I don’t fit that group either, nor the shortened version Haze which sounds like a fog.

My husband Garnet is named after an uncle, and his name is a semi precious stone. Recently I spoke with a dentist mother of five daughters who had named each after a stone, and intended giving the appropriate jewel on each daughter’s 21st birthday. Garnet was one of her daughters. Opal, Ruby, Emerald and Topaz were the others. Being given hazelnuts on a significant birthday doesn’t have quite the same flair.

Also it was pointed out that Garnet and Hazel were both colours, a fact which had escaped us for decades.

I’ve always loved the name Quentin, but my husband doesn’t agree, so my character “Bad Luck Quentin” scored that one. It was a trade-off so our daughter would NOT be called Brunhilda after Wagner’s opera. But our son gained the real middle name Quest.

While I was a guest on ABC National talkback on the ‘Hazel’ issue of names, a caller rang with the following anecdote.

At the christening, the Irish priest asked the parents for the baby’s name.

“Hazel,” they said.

The priest’s reply was, “With 365 saints names available for each day of the year, you have to call your daughter after a nut?”

P.S.

In the newspaper babies’ names of 2005, Hazel was very popular and grouped with other colours like Ruby and Scarlet. I didn’t anticipate that.
In 2007, my mature aged College of Advanced Education students “exies” gave me a “Hazelnuts Roast” which was a satirical afternoon of fun, the name taken from an earlier student publication, A Bunch of Hazelnuts. We drank hazelnut coffee.

My view is that you should ‘lease’ your parent- given name until 21, and then be allowed to trade it in for your own choice. But after 21, that would be your label for life. But I do have a shared pseudonym, A.K. Aye, for crime writing.

Hazel Edwards

Email: hazel@hazeledwards.com

Website: www.hazeledwards.com

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1930s

26 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Anglo-Saxon names, animal names, aristocratic names, Arthurian names, Celtic names, classic names, english names, epithets, European name popularity, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, Gaelic names, German names, germanic names, Greek names, Irish name popularity, Irish names, Latin names, mythological names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, names from films, names from television, nicknames, Old English names, Old Norse names, retro names, royal names, royal titles, saints names, Scottish names, Slavic names, Spanish names, UK name trends, US name trends, Welsh names

This post was first published on June 26 2011, and substantially revised and updated on June 25 2015.

Alfred
Anglo-Saxon name meaning “elf counsel”. The name became famous due to Alfred the Great, 9th century king of Wessex, who defended England against the Vikings, and was the first to call himself King of the Anglo-Saxons. Renowned for his love of learning, he encouraged education and reformed the legal system. Although not officially a saint, he is regarded as a Christian hero, and has a feast day in the Anglican Church. The name Alfred continued to be used even after the Norman Conquest, when many Anglo-Saxon names were discarded. It dwindled after the Middle Ages, but had a revival in the 19th century, and was chosen as the name of one of Queen Victoria’s sons – an earlier Prince Alfred was the son of King George III, and the current British family trace their ancestry back to Alfred the Great. Alfred is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #14 in the 1900s, and #50 by the 1930s. Alfred left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and is currently around the 300s, its position apparently fairly stable. Popular in Scandinavia, Alfie, Fred, and Freddie give this venerable classic several cute nickname options.

Brian
Irish name, possibly from the Celtic bre, meaning “hill”, to suggest “high, great, exalted”. In Irish mythology, Brian is one of three brothers who are sent on a worldwide magical quest. In some versions, Brian is the clever one of the three, while his brothers are bumbling and easily pushed around. A famous namesake is Brian Boru, the first High King of Ireland, and founder of the O’Brien dynasty; he made the name common in Ireland. The name Brian was also used in Brittany, and became quite popular in East Anglia, where it was spread by Breton immigrants, and in the north of England, brought over by Scandinavian settlers who had lived in Ireland. It experienced a revival in the early 20th century. Brian is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #169 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 in the 1920s. Peaking in the 1930s and ’40s at #7, Brian didn’t leave the Top 100 until the 1980s – Monty Python’s Life of Brian having turned it into a “joke name” didn’t help its fortunes. However, it’s been reasonably stable for about a decade, and is around the 300s. Brian remains a popular name in Ireland. This is a strong-sounding Irish classic still getting reasonable use.

Colin
Anglicised form of the Scottish name Cailean, meaning “whelp, pup, young dog” in Gaelic. It is also a medieval pet form of Col, short for Nicholas, so it’s an English name as well. Cuilén mac Ildulb was a 10th century King of the Scots, while Sir Colin Campbell (“Colin the Great”) was a 13th century cousin of Robert the Bruce, and one of the earliest known members of the Clan Campbell, ancestor of the Earls of Argyll. The name became traditional in the Campbell family because of him. Colin was #51 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1930s at #14. It left the Top 100 in the 1980s, and although it stayed in use for many years afterwards, now seems to be quite rare. Colin is a traditional name which has a gentle and slightly poetic feel, and works well in the middle.

Edwin
Modern form of the Anglo-Saxon name Eadwine, meaning “rich friend”. The name was traditional amongst Anglo-Saxon royalty and nobility, with the most famous Edwin being a 7th century king of Northumbria who converted to Christianity; it was said that during his reign, the land was so peaceful that a woman with a new baby could walk across the country without being harmed (it tells you something that this was considered remarkable). He was canonised as a saint after his death. The name Edwin sunk in popularity after the Norman Conquest, but was revived in the 19th century during the Victorian enthusiasm for early English names. Edwin is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #52 in the 1900s, and #88 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and is currently around the 400s. A good alternative to popular Edward, while still having Eddie, Ed, Ned, and Ted as nicknames.

Frederick
English form of the Germanic name Friduric, translated as “peaceful ruler”; the modern German version is Friedrich. A favourite amongst European royalty, the name was traditional amongst the Holy Roman Emperors, with Frederick I also known as Frederick Barbarossa, meaning “red bearded” in Italian. Descended from two of Germany’s leading royal houses, he is regarded as the greatest of the medieval Holy Roman Emperors. Handsome, charismatic, and courtly, he was ambitious and skilful, greatly increasing Germany’s power base, and bringing back the Roman rule of law. According to medieval legend, he is not dead, but sleeps in a cave, waiting to return Germany to its former greatness. There are also a couple of medieval German saints named Frederick. The name was brought to England by the Normans after the Conquest, but it didn’t catch on. It was revived in the 18th century when the German House of Hanover inherited the British throne; Prince Frederick was the eldest son of King George II. Frederick is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #8 in the 1900s, and #26 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and sunk to its lowest level in the 1990s, at #459. Since then it has gradually increased in popularity, and is now around the low 200s. A distinguished name with friendly nicknames like Fred and Freddie, Frederick is already popular in the UK.

Ivan
Slavic form of John. A traditional Slavic name, there have been many famous Ivans in history, including six tsars of Russia, and many Croatian and Ukrainian leaders. St Ivan is a legendary hermit from Bohemia, while St Ivan of Rila is the patron saint of Bulgaria. Ivan continues to be a popular name in Eastern Europe, while the Spanish form Iván is popular in Spain and Latin America. Its long-term use in the English-speaking world may come from its similarity to the Welsh form of John, Ifan, so it can be seen as an Anglicised form of the Welsh name. Ivan is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #117 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #97, and was #100 in the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s and is currently around the low 300s, having been reasonably stable since the 1990s. That makes it a great cross-cultural choice which has remained both familiar and underused.

Lawrence
Variant of Laurence, and the usual surname form of the name. St Lawrence of Rome was a 3rd century Spanish saint who was archdeacon of Rome during a time of Christian persecution. There are many stories and legends about him. One is that he spirited the Holy Grail to Spain, where it remains in Valencia. Another is that the Emperor demanded that Lawrence hand over all the church’s goods. Lawrence hastily distributed everything the poor, then presented the city’s suffering, saying that these were the true treasures of the church. For this act of defiance, he was supposedly martyred by being roasted over a gridiron; after hours of pain, he remarked cheerfully: I’m well done. Turn me over! He is one of the most widely venerated saints, and his tomb a favourite pilgrimage site since the 4th century. Lawrence is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #67 in the 1900s, peaked at #55 in the 1910s and ’20s, and was #61 in the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and reached its lowest point in 2010 at #466. Since then it has risen again, and is now in the 200s, outstripping Laurence in popularity. This rugged-sounding classic comes with the nicknames Lawrie and Larry.

Lionel
Medieval pet form of Leon, a Greek name meaning “lion”; it could also be directly from Lion, which was used as a nickname in the Middle Ages. According to Arthurian legend, Sir Lionel was a Breton king, and knight of the Round Table. He features in the Grail Quest, where he is shown to be unworthy of the Grail, and more interested in fighting than the spiritual life. Lionel of Antwerp was a son of King Edward III, and reputedly a giant of a man, almost seven feet tall and of athletic build. It is through him that the House of York claimed the throne of England, and the name was a common one amongst the aristocracy. Lionel was #68 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #66, and was #73 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and hasn’t charted since the 1980s. The name is rising in both the the UK and US, fitting in well with both popular Leo, and the trend for animal names. Definitely a worthy choice that has too often been overlooked!

Rex
The Latin word for “king”, and the title of the ancient kings of Rome (“Rex Romae“) – according to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus. The Roman monarchs did not inherit kingship, but were elected to the role, and held absolute power. The word rex is ultimately from an ancient root meaning “to rule”, and it is related to the Sanskrit term Raja, the German word reich, and the English words rich, right, regal, royal, reign, and realm. Rex has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, but only came into common use in the 19th century. Rex was #138 in the 1900s, and entered the Top 100 in the 1920s. Peaking in the 1930s at #74, Rex left the Top 100 in the 1950s. It left the charts in the 1980s, but returned the following decade at #635. It has continued climbing, and is now around the 300s. No wonder Rex is making a comeback – it’s short and snappy, ends in the fashionable X (like Max), and sounds very masculine and confident.

Walter
English form of the ancient Germanic name Walthari, meaning “ruler of the army”. It was brought to England by the Normans and soon replaced its Old English version, Wealdhere. Mythologist Jacob Grimm theorised that the name may have originally been an epithet of one of the Germanic war gods, and be linked to the Norse god Tyr. The name was especially famous in the Middle Ages because of Walter of Aquitaine, a legendary king of the Visigoths; medieval poems tell of his military exploits, fighting one-handed against his foes. He may be based on a 5th century king of Aquitaine, Wallia – his name is probably from the Old Norse for “slaughter”. There is a 12th century English saint called Walter. Walter was #15 in the 1900s, and #46 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1950s, and dropped off the charts in the 1990s. However, it made a comeback in 2011 after the hit TV show Breaking Bad aired in Australia, with ailing chemistry teacher turned criminal Walter White played by Bryan Cranston. His name was inspired by the American poet, Walt Whitman, and he is also often known as Walt. His teenage son is Walter White Jr, giving the name a younger image to match Walter Snr’s villainous smarts. Walter is currently around the 500s, and it is yet to be seen whether it continues rising now the show has finished. I hope so, because this retro name now seems fresh and unconventional.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Walter, Frederick and Alfred, and their least favourites were Lionel, Ivan and Brian.

(Photo of men doing relief work during the Great Depression in 1933 from the National Library of Australia)

Girls Names from the Top 100 of the 1930s

19 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

Anglo-Saxon names, Biblical names, celebrity baby names, Christmas names, classic names, english names, European name popularity, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, flower names, French names, Greek names, honouring, Italian names, Latin names, locational names, middle names, military events, mythological names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, name trends, names from movies, names from songs, nature names, nicknames, plant names, popular names, retro names, Roman names, royal names, saints names, Scottish names, Shakespearean names, Tatar names, unisex names, virtue names, vocabulary names

This blog post was first published on June 19 2011, and revised and updated on June 12 2015.

Alma
May be derived from the Latin almus, meaning “nourishing” – an epithet given to several Roman goddesses, including Ceres. Alma mater, meaning “nurturing mother”, is a Latin term often used to refer to one’s college or university: it was originally a title given to mother goddesses, and later to the Virgin Mary. The obscure 4th century Romano-British saint Alma Pompea, married to the semi-legendary King Hoel of Brittany, is an early example of the name. The name was given a boost after being used in Sir Edmund Spenser’s 1590 poem, The Faerie Queen; he seems to have been influenced by the Renaissance Italian word alma, meaning “soul”. The name became popular in the 19th century, after the Crimean War began with the Battle of Alma, when Anglo-French forces defeated the Russians near the River Alma – the river’s name is from a Tatar word meaning “wild apple”. After this date, babies of both sexes (but mostly girls) were named Alma in honour of the military victory. Alma was #24 in the 1900s, and #97 in the 1930s, leaving the Top 100 the following decade, and the charts in the 1960s. Alma made a mild comeback in 2011, and seems very contemporary, as it has been used in Brokeback Mountain and The Hunger Games. Already popular in Europe, Alma would make an interesting alternative to names such as Amelia, Anna, or Emma.

Audrey
Pet form of the Anglo-Saxon name Etheldreda, meaning “noble strength”; it was the name of a 7th century English princess and saint whose feast day is June 23. It became less common after the Middle Ages, because St Audrey Day Fairs sold low-quality necklaces that were disparagingly called tawdries – which is where we get the word for something cheap and tacky from. Audrey was revived in the 19th century when the Victorians rediscovered many Anglo-Saxon names. The name was already familiar, as Audrey is the simple but honest country girl in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. The Victorians were also in the middle of a Shakespeare revival, so Audrey was a dead cert for a comeback. Audrey was #156 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1920s at #32. The name was #36 in the 1930s, but plummeted so that it was off the Top 100 by the following decade. It fell to a low of 0 in the 1980s, but climbed after the death of Audrey Hepburn until it reached the Top 100 again in 2008. Once tawdry Audrey now seems charming and stylish, and is currently #44 and climbing.

Elsie
Often said to be a pet form of Elizabeth, but technically a pet form of Elspeth, the Scottish form of the name, and was originally Elspie. The name Elsie can be found in songs and poems dating to the 17th century, and became a 19th century favourite. Elsie was #7 in the 1900s, #59 in the 1930s, and left the Top 100 in the 1940s. Elsie left the charts in the 1970s, but returned in the early 2000s at #731. It joined the Top 100 in 2013 at #91, and last year rose 26 places to #65 – an impressive performance. Sweet and unpretentious, Elsie is very much back in the game.

Hazel
Named for the hedgerow tree or shrub which produces edible nuts; the Celts equated hazelnuts with wisdom and poetic inspiration, and the Druids made staffs from hazel branches. It was considered to be one of the trees belonging to the fairies, and folk tales tell of its ability to protect from evil. Hazel has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, mostly for girls, and became popular in the 19th century when plant names were fashionable. Hazel was #45 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1910s at #18; by the 1930s it was #55. Hazel left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and the charts by the 1970s, making a return in the late 2000s at #477, after Julia Roberts named her daughter Hazel. Last year Hazel had an outstanding debut as the fastest-rising name of 2014, rising #63 places to #88. One factor must surely be the romantic film The Fault in Our Stars, with its heartbreaking heroine Hazel Lancaster, although there have also been Hazels in the Heroes of Olympus series, and Gossip Girl.

Iris
Greek personification of the rainbow who served as messenger to the gods, and linked them to humanity. The name literally means “rainbow”, which is where the colourful iris flower got its name from – and the colourful irises in our eyes. Irises were used in the Middle Ages as a symbol of monarchy, as the fleur-de-lis pattern depicts. Religious pictures from the medieval period show the Virgin Mary holding an iris to symbolise purity and chastity. Filled with meaning and associations, the name was used by the 19th century British aristocracy for both females and males (because the Greeks called the iris flower a “hyacinth”, and Hyacinth was a male name), but quickly became used by all classes, and nearly always for girls. Iris was #62 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1910s at #31; it was #72 by the 1930s. Iris left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and left the charts in the 1970s, although it returned in the 1980s at #748. Off the charts in the 1990s, Iris came back in the early 2000s at #551, and is now around the mid-200s and apparently stable. Almost always on the charts, Iris manages to be a “normal” name that is still underused. Hip and artistic, it has slightly dark or even punk undertones. It’s a floral name with a bit of bite.

Josephine
Anglicised form of Joséphine, a pet form of Joséphe, a French feminine form of Joseph; by the 19th century Joséphine had become the standard form of the name. It has been used by several of the royal houses of Europe, and is famous as the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Joséphine was born Marie Joséphe, so it was the pet form of her middle name. Classic Josephine has always been on the charts. It was #86 in the 1900s, peaked in the 1910s at #76, and by the 1930s was #78. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and sunk to its lowest level in 2011 at #199, so it has never been out of the 200s. In 2012 it made an appearance again in the Top 100 at #93 after the birth of Princess Josephine, the daughter of Australian-born Princess Mary of Denmark, but has since stabilised into its usual place around the mid-100s. Josephine is a solid stayer with royal blood whose nicknames range from the sensible Jo to the cute Josie to the tomboy Joey to the froufrou Fifi to the cool Joss.

Joy
Refers to the emotion of extreme happiness and gladness. It was originally a Puritan virtue name dating from the 16th century, referring to rejoicing for the salvation of God – perhaps most famous from the hymn, Joy to the World, now often used as a Christmas carol. In fact, joy and Christmas have become so entwined that you could even see Joy as a name suitable for a baby born around late December. However, the name Joy has become secularised, and often linked to the joyful experience of welcoming a child into the world: babies have even been called “bundles of joy”. Joy entered the charts in the 1910s at #205, and was in the Top 100 by the following decade. It peaked in the 1930s and ’40s at #60, and left the Top 100 in the 1960s. Joy reached its lowest point in the 1990s at #802, but then increased slightly in popularity, and was stable in the 500s for some time. Its current position is not known for sure, but is in at least occasional use. Quite common in the middle position, Joy is a strong, simple name with a beautiful meaning, and the current trend for virtue names mean that it would be refreshing to see it up front.

Lillian
Most likely a pet form of Elizabeth dating to the Middle Ages: there is a medieval Scottish ballad about a lady named Lillian. The name became greatly more popular in the 19th century, to the point where it could be seen as another Victorian revival of a medieval name, and may have been understood as an elaboration of Lily, which also became fashionable in the 19th century as a flower name. Lillian is a classic name which has never left the charts. It was #35 in the 1900s, reached #86 by the 1930s, and left the Top 100 in the 1940s. It reached its lowest point in the 1970s at #562, and then climbed steeply, following in the footsteps of Lily, until it reached the Top 100 again in 2008 at #81. It is currently #86, so its position is stable. However, the high number of Lilys and Lillys (not to mention the Laylas and Lolas) mean that lovely Lillian may feel almost too on trend for some.

Marie
French form of Maria: in France it has sometimes used for males, especially as a middle name, but in English-speaking countries is almost always feminine. The name often reminds people of Queen Marie Antoinette, whose first two baptismal names were Maria Antonia – she was Austrian by birth. In the Middle Ages, Marie was commonly used in England, and predates the use of Mary. The medieval poet Marie de France lived and worked in England, possibly at the court of King Henry II – it is even thought that she may have been Henry’s own half-sister. The traditional English pronunciation of the name was MAH-ree (still used in the 20th century), but it is now usually said muh-REE. A name never out of common use for centuries, Marie was #71 in the 1900s, and peaked in the 1930s at #11 – perhaps Irving Berling’s hit song Marie, sung by Rudy Vallee, was an influence on its success at this time. Marie left the Top 100 in the 1960s, and fell off the charts in 2011. It is now only in occasional use, although a common middle name. Marie is still popular in Europe, and this is a pretty, traditional name that still seems very wearable.

Olive
English form of the Roman name Oliva, which refers to both the olive tree and its fruit. There is a legendary Italian martyr called Saint Oliva, known as Blessed Olive. The Crusaders introduced the name Olive to England in the 12th century; returning from the Holy Land, they often gave their children names of Biblical import in honour of their religious duty. Olives play a major role in the Bible, from the dove bringing an olive branch to Noah after the Flood, to Christ ascending to Heaven from the Mount of Olives. It was a name used for both males and females, and in fact I have seen a baby boy named Olive in the past few years – but overall Olive has been more common for girls. Olive became popular in the 19th century, along with other plant names. Olive was #26 in the 1900s, and was #73 by the 1930s. It left the Top 100 in the 1940s, and was off the charts by the 1960s. It returned in the late 2000s, after Australian actress Isla Fisher chose the name Olive for her eldest daughter. After a smooth rise, Olive joined the Top 100 in 2012, debuting at #94. It is currently #76, so rising sedately rather than steeply. Buoyed by the success of Olivia and Oliver, and with a V in the middle like other popular names, Olive should continue to do well.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Hazel, Iris and Josephine, and their least favourites were Joy, Marie and Alma.

(Painting is Moira Madden, later Moira Hallenstein by Arthur Challen (1937); from the State Library of Victoria.

Waltzing With … Florence

29 Sunday May 2011

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

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

celebrity sibsets, english names, famous namesakes, French names, Latin names, locational names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, New Zealand name popularity, nicknames, retro names, saints names, UK name popularity, unisex names, US name popularity

This blog post was first published on May 29 2011, and almost completely rewritten on May 28 2015.

Famous Namesake
Autumn is the traditional time of year for farm produce fairs, and on the last Sunday in May is held the Goomeri Pumpkin Festival. Goomeri is a small country town in southern Queensland; quiet and pleasant, it is known for its gourmet food industries.

The highlight of the Goomeri calendar is its Pumpkin Festival, in which they do almost everything to pumpkins, including eat them. There is the pumpkin shot-put, a pumpkin beer brewing competition, pumpkin judging contests, and the Great Australian Pumpkin Roll, in which up to 1000 pumpkins are rolled down Policeman’s Hill. There will of course be cooking demonstrations, food stalls, and all kinds of pumpkin-related culinary delights, including that old favourite, pumpkin scones.

Wen you see “pumpkin scones” and “Queensland” in the same paragraph, the name of only one person can come to mind – Florence Bjelke-Petersen. The widow of Queensland’s longest-serving Premier, Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen has been a force in conservative politics, a part of Queensland history, and an Australian icon.

Florence was the wife of peanut farmer and Country Party member Johannes “Joh” Bjelke-Petersen, and after Joh became Premier of Queensland in 1968, Florence began to take on a bigger public role. The Queensland National Party increasingly promoted a Bjelke-Petersen “personality cult”, and Florence was a vital part of that.

Her down-to-earth sayings and common-sense attitudes became widely quoted by the media, and she published a cookbook which contained a recipe for her famous pumpkin scones. She was a Senator from 1981-1993; she worked for issues that affected Queensland and was popular with both sides of politics. When Joh Bjelke-Petersen was knighted in 1984, she became Lady Bjelke-Petersen – affectionately known as Lady Flo.

Lady Bjelke-Petersen is now in her nineties and still going strong. Although she no longer makes pumpkin scones, she reads the newspapers every day and has strong opinions on politics, as well as attending church every Sunday, and playing the organ each week for a local nursing home. In her youth, she always vowed she would be known by her full name, Florence, as she hated the short name Flo, but history intervened, and as often happens, she didn’t get much say in it.

Name Information
Florence began as the medieval English form of the Latin name Florentius, from florens, “flowering, flourishing, prospering”. There are several saints named Florentius, with the earliest being a 3rd century Roman soldier who was martyred in Italy. Florence could also be used as a French form of the female name Florentia; St Florentia was a 4th century hermit who was martyred in France.

In the Middle Ages, Florence was used as a name for both males and females, but by the 16th century had become overwhelmingly feminine in usage. Its connection with “flowering”, and similarity to the female name Flora were probably responsible.

Although the name Florence was already in reasonable use, it received a huge boost in the mid nineteenth century because of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Florence Nightingale came to prominence during the Crimean War of 1853-56, when she was hailed as a ministering angel, and called The Lady with the Lamp. It is notable that during the 1850s, the name Florence, which was steadily increasing in popularity at the time, suddenly skyrocketed, and continued rising for the rest of the century.

Florence Nightingale was born in the city of Florence, in Italy, and named after her birthplace. It was something of a family pattern, because her older sister, Frances Parthenope, was similarly named after the place of her birth, Parthenopolis, now part of Naples.

The city of Florence was established by the Romans, and originally named Fluentia, meaning “flowing” in Latin, because it was situated between two rivers – the Arno and the Greve. Later its name was corrupted to Florentia, meaning, as we already know, “flowering, flourishing”. Its new name suited it, because the city did indeed flourish and prosper, and by the 15th century was one of the largest and wealthiest cities of Europe. It is considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, and called “The Athens of the Middle Ages”; a beautiful city rich in history and culture, famous for its Renaissance art and architecture.

The name Florence was #5 in the 1900s, and fell until it left the Top 100 in the 1940s. It disappeared from the charts in the 1960s, making a minor comeback in the 1990s at #800, before dropping off the charts again in the early 2000s. In the late 2000s, Florence returned at #528 – this was the time that British indie band Florence + the Machine began its career, headed by flame-haired lead vocalist Florence Welch (Florence’s mother is a Professor of Renaissance Studies, so perhaps she was named with the Italian city in mind).

Since then, Florence has continued to rise, and is now in the 100s, almost certainly headed for the Top 100; it joined the New Zealand Top 100 in 2013. In the UK, Florence is even more popular, rising steadily through the 1990s to join the Top 100 in 2008, and is currently #29 and still rising. In the US, Florence hasn’t charted since the early 1980s; however the name is steadily rising, and last year 182 baby girls were given the name Florence.

Fashionable Florence is rising under the influence of British trends, and making friends everywhere – even people who profess to detest place names on people will forgivingly make an exception for Florence. As lovely as a Renaissance statue and as wholesome as pumpkin scones fresh from the oven, this retro name makes a stylish choice, and little wonder parents are eagerly snapping it up while it’s still hot.

POLL RESULTS
Florence received an approval rating of 80% from the public, making it one of the highest-rated names of the year. 40% of people loved the name Florence, while only 6% hated it.

(Photo of pumpkin scones from The Daily Telegraph)

Girls Names from Songs

06 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 39 Comments

Tags

American names, aristocratic names, Australian slang terms, British name trends, created names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, food names, French names, fruit names, gemstone names, germanic names, Hawaiian names, hebrew names, Latin names, name history, name meaning, name trends, names from films, names from songs, nature names, nicknames, Old Norse names, patriotic names, plant names, polynesian names, popular names, retro names, royal names, saints names, scandinavian names, Turkish names, UK name popularity, unisex names, vintage names, Yiddish slang

This list was first published on March 6 2011, and substantially revised and updated on March 12 2015.

Astrid
Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye) was a 1979 single for popular rock band Cold Chisel, written as an energetic set finisher. Songwriter Don Walker didn’t know anyone named Astrid, and thinks he probably heard of the name because of Bill Wyman’s partner, Astrid Lundstrom. Astrid is the modern form of Ástríðr, an Old Norse name which can be translated as “beloved of God”, or more freely as “divine beauty”. A traditional name amongst Scandinavian royalty since medieval times, it was the name of Canute the Great’s sister, giving it a slender English connection. It became well known in the English-speaking world because of popular Swedish children’s novelist Astrid Lindgren, the author of the Pippi Longstocking books, and has received fresh attention from Astrid Hofferson in the film How to Train Your Dragon. The name is often understood as being related to the word “star”, because it sounds like the Greek aster, which was exploited in a Dr Who special where Kylie Minogue played star-loving Astrid Peth. This attractive name is currently around the 500s.

Ayla
Ayla was a 1987 single for New Wave duo Flash and the Pan, comprised of music industry powerhouses and ex-Easybeats, Harry Vanda and George Young. The name Ayla has several possible origins. It can be a variant of the Hebrew name Elah, meaning “terebinth tree”, pronounced eh-LAH, or a Turkish name meaning “halo of light around the moon”, and often translated as “moonlight”. In Turkey, it is pronounced to sound like the name Isla. The name Ayla was also used for a beautiful, inventive, and spiritually gifted palaeolithic superwoman in the popular Earth Children novel series by Jean M. Auel. In the books, Ayla is a Neanderthal attempt at the character’s real name, which isn’t given, but much longer; it is said like Kayla without the K. The name Ayla first joined the US Top 1000 in 1987, a year after Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear was made into a film, starring Daryl Hannah. Despite being a flop, it seems to have catapulted Ayla to #593, and to have helped inspire the Flash and the Pan song. In Australia, Ayla joined the Top 100 in 2013, fitting in with popular names like Layla and Ava.

Clementine
Col Joye’s 1959 #1 hit single (Rockin’ Rollin’) Clementine is a hip retelling of the folk ballad, My Darling Clementine. In this version, the miner’s daughter Clementine is a jeep-driving “real down chick” who meets up with a “cat from the city” in a jumping joint where she hops, bops, and “digs that crazy rhythm”. Clementine is a French form of Clementina, the feminine form of Clement, from the Latin name Clemens, meaning “merciful, gentle”. Clement is a saint’s name, so Clementine would originally have been given with this in mind, and the name dates to the Middle Ages. It has a rather aristocratic image, with several French princesses named Clémentine, and Sir Winston Churchill’s wife was also called Clementine. A clementine is a small citrus fruit, but that isn’t an issue in Australia, where they are nearly always sold as mandarins. Clementine was quite a popular name in Australia in the 19th century, but has never been in the charts since Federation. There has been renewed interest in the name recently, with the quirky Clementine children’s book series by Sara Pennypacker, Clementine the moral compass in The Walking Dead video game, and free spirit Clementine in the film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Expect to see more of this elegant vintage name in the future.

Evie
Stevie Wright is the former lead singer of legendary 1960s rock band The Easybeats. Australia’s first international pop star, he was the first forced to deal with the pressures of being famous and beautiful at a very young age, and the first to blaze, burn out, and come crashing down in spectacular fashion. Evie is his 1974 rock ballad of young love and new life blossoming, blooming, and then going appallingly wrong, and is the only 11-minute song to become a #1 hit. Evie is a pet form of Eve, or a short form of names like Evelyn. It’s been used as an independent name since the 18th century in America, and may have a Dutch influence. Evie first joined the charts in the early 2000s, after the song was covered by one-off supergroup The Wrights in 2004. It climbed so steeply that it was in the Top 100 by the late 2000s, and was #22 in 2013. It’s even more popular in the UK, so you can see this as part of the British nicknamey trend, as much as a tribute to an Australian classic.

Georgy
The Seekers were a folk group, and the first Australian band to achieve major success in the UK and US. Georgy Girl was the title song to the 1966 British movie of the same name, a Swinging Sixties coming-of-age tale about a naïve, frumpy young girl and her unconventional love affairs. The song went to #1 in Australia, and was The Seekers’ highest-charting single in the US, where it got to #2 and was used to advertise mineral water. Georgy can be used as a pet form of either the male name George, or the female names Georgia, Georgette, or Georgiana – the “Georgy Girl”in the song is named Georgina. Although Georgy has a long history of use for both sexes, it is far less common that the variant Georgie, which has charted for girls since the 1990s and is rising steeply in the 200s.

Leilani
Leilani, released 1982, was the début single by quirky rock group Le Hoodoo Gurus (later Hoodoo Gurus). The song’s narrative is loosely based on the plot of 1951 B-grade movie Bird of Paradise, and combines an exotic South Pacific setting with an oddly suburban mindset, and a fun faux-Polynesian chorus filled with Australian place names. Leilani is a Hawaiian name meaning “heavenly garland of flowers”, but often understood as “heavenly child”, pronounced lay-LAH-nee. It fits in with the trend for L-l names, such as Lillian, and is currently around the 300s. A very pretty Polynesian heritage choice which has the fashionable nickname Lani.

Matilda
Waltzing Matilda was written by Banjo Paterson in 1895. The Matilda in the song isn’t a dancing girl, but is what swagmen called the bundle that they carried; to “waltz Matilda” is to walk while carrying a bundle. It is said that the swagman in the song was a real person called Samuel Hoffmeister who was involved in the Shearer’s Strike of that year, so it’s a political protest song (unintentionally). Waltzing Matilda is our unofficial national song and the lyrics are written on every Australian passport. Matilda is a Germanic name meaning “mighty in battle”. A traditional name amongst European royalty, it was literally brought over with the Conqueror to England, as it was the name of William I’s wife, the mother of William II and Henry I. Her grand-daughter was named after her, and she was married to a Holy Roman Emperor, so was the Empress Matilda. She tried to claim the throne of England as her father’s heir, but was never crowned queen, being named Lady of the English – her son instead became King Henry II. Saint Matilda was a medieval German queen whose son became a Holy Roman Emperor; she is the patron saint of large families. Matilda was #144 in the 1900s, and disappeared from the charts in the 1930s. It made a comeback in the 1980s, after Matilda the Kangaroo was chosen as the mascot for the 1982 Commonwealth Games, held in Brisbane and won by Australia. Matilda joined the Top 100 in the early 2000s, peaked in 2009 at #16, and by 2013 had only fallen to #18. A patriotic retro name choice that is extremely stable in the charts.

Rosie
Founded by the brothers of one of the Easybeats, AC/DC is Australia’s most successful rock band, and one of the most successful world-wide. Whole Lotta Rosie is their cheeky 1978 single, allegedly based on Bon Scott’s real life encounter with an obese Tasmanian woman. Rosie is a pet form of Rose which has a long history as an independent name; it can be used as a short form of any Rose- name, such as Rosalie, Rosamund, Rosetta, or Rosemary. Rosie was #229 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1930s. It made a come-back in the 1980s, reaching #749 and climbing steeply. It was in the mid-100s in Victoria in 2012. A sweet, fresh-faced retro name that is already Top 100 in Britain.

Ruby
Ruby Wednesday is an early song by rock band Eskimo Joe, released in 1999. A whimsical re-take on the Rolling Stones’ Ruby Tuesday, it made the Triple J Hottest 100 the year it came out. Ruby is a precious gemstone, whose name comes from the Latin for “red”. It’s been used as a girl’s name since the 17th century, but became popular in the 19th, when gemstone names became fashionable. Ruby was #21 in the 1900s, and had left the Top 100 by the 1930s. It disappeared from the charts in the 1950s, but came back in the 1980s at #548. It reached the Top 100 in 1996, peaked at #1 in 2012, and and by 2013 was #2. A spunky retro choice which has already reached maximum popularity, and is therefore expected to gradually fall.

Sadie
Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) was a 1967 novelty song and the first solo single for pop idol Johnny Farnham; it hit #1 and was the biggest-selling single by an Australian artist in the 1960s. Sadie is a pet form of Sarah, which seems to have originated in 18th century America. The name gained an especially Jewish image in 19th century England, where in Yiddish slang, a Sadie was a low status Jewish girl, sometimes with connotations of prostitution. It’s interesting how often Sadie is linked with that profession, such as Sadie Thompson in the W. Somerset Maughan’s Rain, while The Beatles’ Sadie adds another “sexy” image to the name. Sadie was #145 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1940s. It returned in the late 2000s at #566, and in Victoria is in the mid-100s, a similar popularity to that in the UK, while it is already a Top 100 name in the US. This sassy retro name looks set to go places.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Evie, Matilda, and Clementine, and their least favourite were Ayla, Leilani, and Georgy.

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

Waltzing More Than Matilda

~ Names with an Australian Bias of Democratic Temper

Tag Archives: retro names

Popular Names for Girls

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Girls Names From the Top 100 of the 1900s

MYTH: Very Popular Names Should be Avoided, Because in Thirty Years They Will Sound Dated and Embarassing

Waltzing With … Daisy

Hazel, What’s With the Retro Name?

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1930s

Girls Names from the Top 100 of the 1930s

Waltzing With … Florence

Girls Names from Songs