Tag Archives: virtue names

Underused Names for Girls

03 Sunday Feb 2013

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sabine women detailLast week we had names from Victoria which were used less than ten times in 2012. Those names are uncommon – but what if you wanted something even rarer? These are names which don’t appear even once in the Victorian data from last year, and have never charted in Australia. However, they are not strange or obscure, and all of them can be found in Australian historical records.

Angharad

Angharad is an Old Welsh name meaning “greatly loved”. It was reasonably common in medieval times, and there are several Angharads in Welsh history. In Welsh mythology, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of Peredur, one of King Arthur’s knights. Angharad Morgan is a main character in How Green Was My Valley, and in the film version was played by Maureen O’Hara. Actress Angharad Rees became well known in the 1970s for playing the role of Demelza in the TV series Poldark. Lots of famous Angharads, yet I could find only one woman named Angharad in Australian records. The pronunciation, ang-HAH-rad, may have caused some concern. This is a strong and unusual name with a lovely meaning. It would definitely stand out.

Beatrix

Beatrix is based on the name Viatrix, the feminine form of the Latin name Viator, meaning “voyager, traveller”. Early on, the spelling was altered to associate it with the Latin word beatus, meaning “blessed”, and it was common amongst early Christians. Some baby name books sandwich these two meanings together and interpret it as “blessed traveller”. Saint Beatrix was an early Roman martyr; according to legend, she was strangled by her servants. The name became less common in England after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. One of the most famous people with this name is Beatrix Potter, the children’s writer and illustrator, who gave us such delightful characters as Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, Squirrel Nutkin and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. As well as these talents, she was also a scientific researcher, conservationist, farmer, and sheep breeder. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands helps give this name a royal touch, and a famous literary character is Beatrix “Trixie” Belden, girl detective. To me, this charming name seems spunkier and more eccentric than her sister Beatrice.

Cressida

In Greek mythology, Chryseis was the daughter of a Trojan priest named Chryses, and she was captured by the Greek champion Agamemnon as part of the spoils of war; he refused to give her back even after being asked nicely. Chryseis’ dad prayed like blazes to the god Apollo, who obligingly sent a plague through the Greek soldiers until Chryseis was returned. A later legend says that she bore Agamemnon a son. Her name given in the Iliad simply means “daughter of Chryses”; appropriately for a priest of Apollo, Chryses’ name means “golden”, perhaps in reference to sunlight. Some writers say Chryseis’ real name was Astynome, meaning “possessor of the city”. When medieval authors retold the tale of the Trojan War, this story had a complete rewrite. Chryseis became Cressida (KRES-ih-duh), and one corner of a tragic love triangle; she is made the epitome of the false woman and the whore. Some authors were sympathetic to Cressida’s plight, and in Shakespeare’s version, Cressida is complex, highly intelligent and witty. A famous Australian with this name is the artist Cressida Campbell. I find this literary name quite bewitching.

Emmeline

Emmeline is the Old French form of the Germanic name Amelina, based on the word for “work”; it is therefore related to the name Amelia, and not to Emily. The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans, and many people prefer to give it a slightly French pronunciation as EM-uh-leen, while others seek to Anglicise the way it is said as EM-uh-line (like Caroline). My experience is that the British tend to say leen, Americans tend to say line, and Australians have a bob each way and can usually cope with either. There were several prominent suffragists named Emmeline, including Emmeline Pankhurst, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence and Emmeline Wells. Australia mountaineer Emmeline Du Faur was the first woman to climb Mount Cook (in record time), and the first person to climb several peaks – always dressed in a skirt. Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence was a keen hiker and woodcrafter, and to me the name Emmeline sounds vigorous, healthy, and practical. Emmeline has a solid history of use in Australia, being commonly found in old records, and today its nickname Emmie means it fits in with popular names such as Emily, Emma and Emmerson.

Isadora

Isadora is a variant of the name Isidora, the feminine form of Isidore, from the Greek for “gift of Isis”; the Egyptian goddess Isis was worshipped widely in the ancient world, and she was also important to the Greeks and Romans. Saint Isidora was a 4th century Egyptian nun, considered to be a “holy fool”, and treated with contempt by the other nuns for her eccentric ways, such as wearing a dirty dishrag on her head instead of a veil, and eating only leftovers instead of proper meals. When a visiting saint came to the nunnery, he immediately picked out Isidora as the only person holier than himself; upset by the praise and attention, Isidora ran away into the desert to be a hermit, and nothing more is known of her. The most famous Isadora is the American dancer Isadora Duncan, who developed her own unique style of dance, based on the natural movements of the human body. Like the saint, she was considered eccentric and radical, and danced to the beat of her own drum. Isadora is a beautiful, glamorous and individualistic name!

Lavender

Lavender has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, and was given to both sexes. It may have originally been derived from the surname, which is Norman-French and based on the word lavandier, referring to a worker in the wool industry who washed the raw wool (this is an occupation that both men and women had). Even in the middle of the 20th century, you can still find boys named Lavender. By now, however, it is almost entirely thought of as a girl’s name, and considered to be from the flower. The flower name comes from the Old French lavendre, possibly from the Latin for “blue-coloured”, lividius, but also influenced by lavare, meaning “wash”, because lavender was used in washing clothes. Lavender is often used to scent soaps and beauty products, and has been used as a relaxation aid for thousands of years. The colour lavender is associated with sensuality and decadence, and at one time, was considered symbolic of homosexuality. Like Rose, this is a pretty old-fashioned flower name that is more complex that it first appears.

Sabine

Sabine is a French and German form of Sabina, the feminine form of the Latin name Sabinus, meaning “Sabine”. The Sabines were an Italian tribe who inhabited the region where the city of Rome stands today, and some of them fought against Rome for their independence. According to legend, the Romans abducted Sabine women to populate the city of Rome; the war between the Romans and Sabines ended when the women threw themselves and their children between the armies of their fathers and those of their husbands. The history behind the legend is that the conquered Sabines assimilated with the Romans, beginning a new line of inheritance. Many of the noble Roman families traced their ancestry to Sabine origins, and at least some of the deities and rituals of Rome came from the Sabines. The Sabines were said to have taken their name from the hero Sabus, who was worshipped as a deity. Although it is too long ago to be sure, one theory is that the tribal name Sabine meant “us, ourselves, our own people”. You can either say this name the French way, sa-BEEN, or the German way, za-BEE-nuh; most English-speakers use the French pronunciation. There is at least one famous man named Sabine – the writer Sabine Baring-Gould, whose name was after the surname (derived from the personal name). You can find both men and women named Sabine in Australian records. Sabine is smooth and sophisticated, but comes with a cute nickname – Bean.

Theodora

Theodora is the feminine form of the Greek name Theodoros, meaning “gift of God”. The name pre-dates Christianity, but its meaning appealed to early Christians, and there are a few saints with this name. One of them was Saint Theodora, who as punishment for her pious celibacy, was dragged into a brothel. Her first “customer” was a Christian man, who had came to save her; they were both martyred, but their virtue remained intact. This story is probably fictional, and may have been inspired by sacred prostitution, of which Christians obviously disapproved. An Eastern Orthodox Saint Theodora disguised herself as a man and joined a monastery. Her identity as a woman was only discovered after her death. The name was a very popular one for Byzantine empresses, and Theodora I is also regarded as a saint. A Roman Theodora was a senator, and supposedly the lover of one of the early popes. She was harshly condemned for daring to “exercise power like a man”. The hussy! The image you get from these historical Theodoras is of very strong, independent, determined women – which might explain why Disney has chosen this name for the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz: The Great and Powerful. Pop star Robbie William welcomed a daughter named Theodora Rose last year, called Teddy; he wanted a dignified full name for the cuddly nickname, and Theodora fit the bill perfectly.

Verity

Verity is an English word meaning “truth”, especially in regard to religious truth or doctrine. It has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, and would have been given as a virtue name by the Puritans. However, it was most likely also given in honour of the surname, for births of Veritys in Yorkshire are suggestive, given that the Verity family is a prominent one in that county. The surname is Anglo-Norman, and has the same meaning as the personal name. Originally, Verity was a unisex name, and in early records is given equally to boys and girls. The first Verity I can find born in the United States was a boy, and his family were Puritans in Massachusetts. You can find the name Verity given to both sexes in Australian records, but only as a middle name for boys, and it has never been very common here. Famous Australian women named Verity include the politicians Verity Barton and Verity Firth, the ABC presenter Verity James, and the actress Verity Hunt-Ballard, who played Mary Poppins in the Australian version of the musical. This is a crisp, clean name which sounds intelligent and upper-class to me.

Zia

Zia is a variant of the Arabic name Ziya, meaning “light, shine, splendour” – more specifically, it refers to light which shines by its own illumination, and is connected to the sun and sunlight. Traditionally, Zia is a male name, but Arabic baby name sites usually list it as female, and the name charts in France only for girls. There are quite a few people called Zia in Australian records, and they are not all Arabic men. There are women called Zia from different cultures, including Italian, where Zia may be short for a name such as Annunzia (zia means “aunt” in Italian, but this doesn’t seem to have been a hindrance to its use by Italians). Most women called Zia in the records seem to be of British descent, and I’m guessing either it was seen as a short form of other names, or parents just liked the sound of it. I can imagine parents today also liking the sound of it, because it is so similar to popular names such as Zara and Mia – indeed, it almost seems like a cross between these names. This is a zippy name which sounds a bit different, but won’t seem out of place in the playground.

POLL RESULT: People’s favourite names were Beatrix, Emmeline, and Isadora, and their least favourite were Lavender, Zia, and Angharad.

(Picture shows a detail from The Intervention of the Sabine Women (1799) by Jacques-Louis David)

Names Spotted at Home and Abroad (Spring Edition)

22 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

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528324_419521648119669_1365182918_nA nurse saved the life of her daughter’s guinea pig Snowflake by giving it mouth-to-mouth. Her little girl is named Fauve, which in French literally means “wild beast”. In the early twentieth century, les Fauves were avant-garde artists whose style was characterised by wild brushstrokes and vibrant colours. Fauve as a name is as bold as the art it is named after, but still seems on trend.

A bittersweet baby story. Nei Nei Anderson, daughter of Pippin, is just about to have her first Christmas, but she never got to meet her father Jahminn, who died from cancer before she was born. Nei Nei is named after her Maori grandmother; neinei is the Maori word for a New Zealand tree whose Latin name is Dracophyllum traversii. These small trees can live up to 500-600 years.

Elvina Robson [pictured] was born very prematurely, and her little life hung in the balance for a while, but she is ready for her first Christmas too. Elvina’s mum and dad are Emma and Brendan, and her siblings are Marguerite, 16, Gilbert, 12, Lucy, 10, Walter, 4, Angelique, 3 and Stella (deceased). A very lovely and original sibset.

A baby who arrived in a great hurry was named Patience Mezzino. Her name was chosen before her birth, and turned out to be rather ironic.

I have been hoping to see a baby Diamond born in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Year, and finally I have. Diamond Andre Thomas Thompson arrived very unexpectedly, but that did not stop his mum Regine from attending her graduation ceremony the next day. Regine now has a Masters in Maritime and Logistics Management. Diamond’s dad is named Paul, and his big sister is Herleen, aged 3.

Hermione Quinn Penning was born just outside the local rubbish tip. Not the most glamorous start to life, but what a beautiful name parents Kelly and Travis picked out. Hermione’s older sister is Elena, aged 3.

Kellie-Anne, and her ex-partner Trent Ford, came up with their son’s name when they saw the back of of a Holden Commodore ute with Storm written on the back of it. They couldn’t afford the ute, but they could name their son after it, so they named him Storme Hunter Ford. Storme’s younger brother is Levi Ryder, who was named after a pair of jeans. Name inspiration can be found everywhere!

A gym for babies aged 2 months and over has opened on the Sunshine Coast. One of its first clients was a baby boy named Horizen Earle. The name seems to ask that he reach for the horizon – but in a totally Zen way. It somehow seems very Sunshine Coast!

A couple who each run their own winery have welcomed their first child, and their daughter is named Peggy Mignonne. Mignonne is French for “cute”, and I think this is an adorable name combination. Charles Mignon is a famous brand of French champagne, and Peggy’s Hill is a wine produced in Australia, but I don’t know whether they put two wine names together or not.

A gorgeous sibset I saw in the paper – Sebastian, Raphael and Augustine, sons of Emily and Mark Wolfenden. Emily and Mark have both donated kidneys to save Sebastian and Raphael’s lives; unfortunately Augustine did not survive.

Names of Adults

Peter Drouyn was a champion surfer in the 1960s and 1970s, but always felt different. Today she is Westerly Windina – she chose her new name because she had such happy memories of surfing in westerly winds. Ms Windina is now a lawyer.

Supreme Court Judge, Justice Emilios Kyrou, has a name which came as a shock to his parents. Born in a small Greek village, it was tradition there that the godparent would choose the baby name and have it baptised, and the name would be kept secret from the parents until announced by the local priest. Traditionally, the first-born son would be named after his paternal grandfather. However, Emilios’ godmother had other ideas, and named him after the hero of a best-selling romantic novel. Parents not pleased. His younger brother, now a doctor, was named Theodoros after grand-dad instead.

Names from Television

Did you watch Life at 7 on the ABC? The series has been following a group of children since they were babies, and now in this series they are seven years old, and for the first time, speak for themselves to us as they learn to navigate the world. The boys are Wyatt, Declan, Joshua, Jara’na and Daniel, and the girls are Haleema, Shine, Anastasia, Sofia and Loulou.

On the news, there was a young man who was the unfortunate victim of some white collar crime. He was called Armand d’Armagnac, and he was as romantic and exotic-looking as his name – but his Australian accent made it clear he probably wasn’t a French count after all.

Another news story: it was announced that the new head of Swimming Australia was a businessman named Barclay Nettlefold. His first name is said BARK-lee, like the British bank founder. I feel that just by telling you his name, you automatically know he is from a prominent family and a keen yachtsman.

Names from Real Life

I was persuaded to escort two young ladies to a posh hotel which throws children’s high tea parties each afternoon during the school holidays. I was informed by some mummy blog or other that only the hippest mothers and their progeny would be there (fathers, and most sons, seem to give it a miss). I was interested to see what the cool people are naming their kids; mostly they just seemed to have the same names as everyone else. However, I did manage to overhear a Bee/Bea, an Aspen, and a pair of sisters named Cleo/Clio and Isis. A rare and very small boy was named Roland.

Two brothers I met elsewhere were called Ziggy and Dash, which struck me as pleasingly zippy.

I also encountered a baby boy named Urban; I was too shy to ask his parents if he was named after the popes, or the cityscape, or the musical style, or Keith Urban.

Do some baby names seem controversial to you? I met a little boy named Aryan, which simply means “noble”, and is related to the Sanskrit name Arya. It refers to the Indo-Iranian languages, which together have one billion speakers, stretching from Russia to Sri Lanka. It really shouldn’t be any different from calling your daughter India or Persia. And yet …

I did part of my Christmas shopping with my friend Claire, who is in her 30s. As we joined the queue to pay, we heard someone talking to their baby girl in her stroller – the baby’s name was Claire. The plump grey-haired lady who served us had a name badge that said “Claire”. When I got home, I switched on the news and a pretty young reporter named Claire was covering the story. And the name Claire suited ALL of them perfectly! Go classic names.

On Twitter, Name Sociology mentioned the name Evolet, which is a character from the movie 10, 000 BC, and is “t(h)e love” written backwards. It reminded me of a woman I used to work with whose name was Evol, which is Love backwards. Sounds like a nice idea, except that until I saw her name written down, I thought she was called Evil.

Names of Babies Born to People I Know or Know Of:

Girls: Mary, Phoebe, Roma, Sanna

Boys: Boaz, Castel, Phoenix

If you are able to read this, it means the world probably hasn’t ended, yay! However, something has started – Christmas holidays – and I won’t be around much until January 7. Have a very merry Christmas season, and a happy New Year!

(Photo from The Blue Mountains Gazette Facebook page)

Celebrity Baby News: Heather Garriock and Mat Louchart

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Celebrity Baby News

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Soccer player Heather Garriock, and her partner Mat Louchart, welcomed their first child last month, and have named their daughter Kaizen Rose. Kaizen Louchart’s birth was announced on Facebook.

Heather started out playing for Australian teams, before playing overseas for clubs in the United States and Denmark. In 2008, she was drafted into the prestigious Women’s Professional Soccer League in America, where she played for the Chicago Red Stars. On her return to Australia, she went back to Sydney FC. She has played for the women’s national team, the Matildas, since she was a teenager, and attended two Olympic Games with them. Heather runs the Macarthur Youth Football Academy in Camden.

Mat is originally from France, and he and Heather met in Abu Dhabi while she was playing in a tournament.

Kaizen is the Japanese word for “improvement, change for the better”. The word has entered the English language to refer to the Japanese philosophy of continuous small improvements in business processes in the workplace, and applied to almost any industry. The word is pronounced KY-zen, and makes for an interesting modern virtue name.

A Quick Guide to Choosing Middle Names

29 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in Naming Issues

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

Reuse and Recycle

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

Genealogy

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

Family and Friends

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

Cultural Heritage

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

Heroes

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

Personal Associations

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

Good Old Standards

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

Cool New Middles

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

Daring and Unusual

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

Initialise It

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

Let Someone Help

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

No Middle Name

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

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

Melbourne Suburbs That Could Be Used as Boy’s Names

15 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

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Albion

Albion is right next to the suburb of Sunshine, and was developed by H.V. McKay as part of his Sunshine Estate. His own house was in Albion, showing that he was not too proud to live alongside his workers. Albion is the oldest known name for the island of Great Britain. The meaning, which comes from Ancient Celtic, may either mean “white”, perhaps referring to the white cliffs of the southern shores, or “hill”. According to K.M. Sheard, it should be interpreted as “white upper world”, to distinguish it from the dark Underworld (and thus similar to the Midgard of Norse mythology, which became the Middle Earth of Tolkien’s fantasy world). It’s related to a Welsh word which simply means “earth, world”. The Ancient Greeks and Romans knew of Albion, and even in their time, it was considered a name of great antiquity. Today Albion is often used as a poetic term for Britain, such as in our national anthem – “when gallant Cook from Albion sail’d”. In British mythology, Albion was a giant who ruled Britain and gave his name to the island. It’s an imposing heritage choice, very suitable for a baby born in a Jubilee year.

Baxter

Baxter is a rural locality on the Mornington Peninsula, and received its name because it was founded by pastoralist Benjamin Baxter, who came here as a member of the 50th Regiment. The property he owned, and the cottage he and his wife Martha lived in, are both still in existence today. The township developed in the late 19th century once the railway arrived. Baxter is an occupational surname from the English word bakester, originally referring to a female baker, as opposed to the male baker, but very soon accepted as meaning both men and women, and then as masculine only. The surname is most common in Scotland, and the northern counties of England, especially Yorkshire. There are several famous Australians with the surname Baxter, including the explorer John Baxter, who was killed on the expedition across the Nullarbor Plain. With its fashionable X and nickname Bax fitting in with Max and Jax, this now seems a pretty cool option as a boy’s name. This was chosen as a celebrity baby name last year by radio host Kate Dimond.

Brighton

Brighton is a beachside suburb named after the English seaside town. Brighton is from the Old English, meaning “Beorhthelm’s farmstead” (Beorhthelm is a man’s name meaning “bright helmet”). The suburb was bought by an Englishman named Henry Dendy in 1840, who got it for 1 pound an acre, sight unseen. He chose the name Brighton, hoping this would also become a fashionable seaside resort. Unfortunately, there was a depression at the time and Dendy was forced to sell the land to his agent. Dendy died a pauper, but his dream did come true, because very soon Brighton began attracting wealthy residents, and it remains a very exclusive address, full of luxury mansions. One of its most notable sights is the 82 colourful bathing boxes, which have been on Dendy Street Beach since the 19th century. These can only be owned by rate-paying residents, and will set you back at least a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Brighton is the home of many of the rich and famous, including former athlete Catherine Freeman. I’ve been seeing this bright, right-on name quite a bit lately in birth announcements for boys, and the suburb does give it a swanky air.

Elwood

Elwood did not have the most glamorous beginning. A piece of swampland, the first settlers came here because of fever. It was Victoria’s first quarantine station, and the area’s first cemetery. Elwood became a working class suburb with such lovely features as an abattoir, a very smelly canal, and, before sewage, a dumping ground for human waste. However, today the Art Deco houses, pleasant beach, leafy streets, and busy cafe strip make it a very upmarket suburb. It’s thought to have been named after the Quaker poet Thomas Ellwood, because Governor La Trobe, who named it, had a thing for Quakers. The surname can be after Ellwood in Gloucestershire, which means “elder wood”, or derived from the Anglo-Saxon man’s name Aelfweald, meaning “elf ruler”. As elder trees play a big part in folklore, and The Harry Potter books feature the Elder Wand, it’s a very magical sort of name. I saw this at Mer de Noms and in a birth announcement, then it was covered by Upswing Baby Names, and then at Appellation Mountain. Perhaps because of the Blues Brothers, this name is seemingly now very hip. Please do not match it with a brother named Joliet or Jake though.

Fingal

Fingal is a rural suburb that may be named after the Irish county of Fingal; the county’s name means “foreign territory”, because the Vikings settled in the area. However, Fingal is also the Anglicised form of the Gaelic name Fionnghall, meaning “white stranger”. This also refers to the blonde Viking settlers, and Fingal mac Gofraid, a ruler in the Scottish Hebrides, was part of this same Norse dynasty. The name has a distinct literary air, as Fingal is the hero of James McPherson’s epic poem Fingal, and Irish author Oscar Wilde had Fingal as one of his middle names (Oscar is another name from McPherson’s poetry). McPherson claimed to have based Fingal on the legends of Irish folk hero, Fionn mac Cumhaill – Fionn’s name simply means “white”, and was a nickname; his real name was Deimne (meaning “sureness, certainty”). Fingal’s Cave in the Hebrides is named for the epic hero, and the sea echoes there so melodiously that it inspired a piece by composer Felix Mendelssohn. Irish names starting with Fin- are very fashionable right now, but I haven’t really seen Fingal in use. It seems poetic, musical, and quite fairytale to me.

Gilderoy

Gilderoy is a rural locality in the outer suburbs; it’s a rare variant of the Irish surname Gilroy, an Anglication of two possible Gaelic names which either mean “son of the red haired servant” or “son of the king’s servant”. As a first name, Gilderoy was used by British Gypsies, and a man who rejoiced in the name Gilderoy Scamp was King of the Kentish Gypsies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Of course, this name will remind many of Gilderoy Lockhart, the vain and boastful fraud from the Harry Potter books. J.K. Rowling apparently named him after the handsome Scottish highwayman, Patrick Macgregor, whose nickname was Gilderoy (from the Gaelic Gillie Roy – “red-haired lad”). Both Lockhart and Macgregor had reputations for winning women’s hearts undeservedly, and one of Macgregor’s smitten female fans is supposed to have written the song Gilderoy about him. Perhaps Rowling was also thinking the name sounds like the English word gild, meaning to give a thin veneer of gold (to cheaper materials). I don’t know if anyone will actually use this name, but it’s a pretty fabulous one, with some very colourful namesakes.

Harkaway

Harkaway was settled by German immigrants, and is now an attractive suburb with large distinguished houses and extensive parkland. I first saw this name given to a minor character in Stella Gibbons’ hilarious novel, Cold Comfort Farm, and found it fascinating. Another famous literary Harkaway was Jack Harkway, from the Victorian era “penny dreadfuls” – a schoolboy who ran away to sea and had a life of adventure. There is also the novelist Nick Harkaway, although it’s a pseudonym; he’s a son of writer John Le Carre, and his real name is Nicholas Cornwell. Hark away! is a cry traditionally used in hunting to encourage the hounds; to hark means “to hear, heed, listen”. It’s a genuine, although rare, surname, and I presume an occupational one to denote someone who worked with fox hounds. I have seen this used as a man’s name in old records from the United States; I’ve only seen it used as a middle name in Australia. This is a really unusual vocabulary name which, with its meaning of “to listen”, almost qualifies as a virtue name as well. It isn’t much like any name on the Top 100, but it continues to fascinate me.

Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe is a suburb with many old homes and an Art Deco town hall, famous for the extravagant Christmas lights display it puts on each year. It was named by a Scottish settler after Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel, Ivanhoe. The book is a romance about one of the few remaining Saxon noble families at a time when the English nobility were almost all Norman. The protagonist is the Saxon Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who has sworn allegiance to King Richard I, and amongst the many characters are Robin Hood and his merry men. The novel is credited for starting the medieval revival of the 19th century – hence the number of Victorian babies named Alfred or Edith. Although the book is set in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, the English village of Ivinghoe is in Buckinghamshire. The village’s name is Anglo-Saxon, and means “Ifa’s hill spur”. The Anglo-Saxon Ifa later merged with the Norman Ivo, both names meaning “yew bow”. It’s dashing and looks like Ivan with a fashionable OH sound, but will the -hoe at the end prove problematic? If you are stuck for sibling ideas, Elea at British Baby Names has many suggestions!

Skye

Skye is named after the Isle of Skye in Scotland, the largest island in the Inner Hebrides. It was at one time ruled by Vikings, and even the Gaelic clans who were chieftains here have Norse ancestry. The island’s name is an etymological tangle of several languages. However, the Norse referred to it as skuyö – “the isle of cloud” – and this looks a lot like the English name for the island. The ruggedly beautiful Isle of Skye has spectacular Highland scenery and abounds in wildlife such as red deer and golden eagles; a popular tourist destination, it was recently voted the fourth best island in the world. It is known for its castles, including Dunvegan, which has an ancient flag supposedly gifted by the fairies, and is the oldest Scottish castle continuously occupied by a single family (since the 13th century). The island features in the lovely Skye Boat Song, which tells of the Jacobite heroine Flora McDonald helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape “over the sea to Skye”, after the defeat of the Jacobite rising. This attractive unisex name is more often given to girls, but to me it seems equally suitable for boys.

Yannathan

Yannathan is a rural area in the Shire of Cardinia, and its name, from a local Aboriginal language, is translated as “to walk about, wander, travel, journey, roam”. Walkabout is a term from Indigenous culture which is understood to mean a journey undertaken as a rite of passage; a deeply meaningful spiritual quest which involves connecting with the traditional land and understanding cultural obligations. Australians of British descent also use the term loosely and colloquially to mean anything from going on holiday to escaping your customary obligations to disappearing without apparent cause (as in “the scissors seem to have gone walkabout”). I am not sure if yannathan was meant in any other way than just to take a walk or go on a journey, but it’s a word which may resonate with many Australians. Pronounced YAN-a-thun, it sounds like a variant of Jonathan, and seems very usable. It’s yet another name you could get the popular nickname Nate from.

(Photo shows the iconic bathing boxes in Brighton)

Saturday Sibsets: Four Families from Tasmania

12 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in Sibsets in the News

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THE CIRCUS TROUPE

Kristy and Mark Sands run the Sands Family Circus. They began performing together in the mid-1990s, and initially planned on having two children, but ended up with a few more than that. All the children naturally learned circus skills, and became part of the act.

Jiemba (15) BOY – means “morning star” in the Wiradjuri language

Tohua (13) BOY – in Maori means “egg”; in Polynesia, a Tohua is a ceremonial meeting place

Spida (11) GIRL

Rain (9) BOY

Ooliki (3) BOY – I don’t know what his name means

Next child (due in July)

THE BABYSLING MUMPRENEUR

Anita Lincolne-Lomax turned her passion for attachment parenting into a business when she founded Babes in Arms several years ago. Babes in Arms sells baby carriers and baby slings throughout Australia and New Zealand, and last year Anita was named 2011 Mumpreneur of the Year by parenting website connect2mums.com.au, and Babes in Arms is a finalist in two categories of this year’s Australian Small Business Champion Awards. Her husband Ralph now works full-time in the company.

Tilli (8)

Jontae (5) – a variant of Jonte, a pet form of Jonathan

Aviya (3) – Hebrew name meaning “my father is Yahweh” (unisex)

Grace (7 months)

THE COOKS WHO COOK

Jo Cook is a chef and market curator, and food is her passion. A member of Slow Food Hobart, she runs Flavour Workshops for children, and volunteers at a primary school to work in their kitchen garden. Next she hopes to link up with the university to inspire a new generation to eat more mindfully and healthily. Of course, at home, the family connects around growing food, cooking meals and enjoying them together around the table.

Nina (10)

Charlie (8)

A FRESH START

Sarra Elradi came to Tasmania from Sudan with her four children to give them a better start in life. She had separated from her husband, and the family spent two years in Egypt, which they describe as “very tough”, because there was no one to help them. When they arrived in Australia, only Sarra’s eldest son could speak English, so they were on a steep learning curve; however they appreciate the education they are receiving and the opportunities that are available to them. Sarra’s daughters are both members of the Glenorchy Young Women’s Multicultural Group.

Elsawi BOY Arabic name meaning “servant of God”

Hanadi (15) GIRL Arabic name meaning “lovely fragrance”

Zeinab (12) GIRL Arabic name meaning “desert flower”

One other child

(Photo and story from The Hobart Mercury, May 11 2012)

Names That Reach Beyond the Worldly from the Bonds Baby Search

05 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by in Baby Contests

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I’ve included names of Gods and Goddesses, mythological beings, religious and spiritual terms, and virtue names. I’m sure there are many I have missed, but please attribute this to my ignorance, and not to any wish to offend.

GIRLS

Amity

Angel

Aurora

Avalon

Bliss

Carmen

Chai

Charity

Cherish

Destiny

Durga

Eden

Ever

Faith

Felicity

Fidelia

Halo

Haroseta

Honor

Hope

Isis

Juno

Kali

Lorelei

Lucina

Luna

Nevaeh

Nirvana

Patience

Piata

Pixie

Selena

Serana

Serenity

Shiloh

Soham

Taufa

Temperance

Torah

Trinity

Uma

Veda

Venus

Verity

Vrinda

Zaria

 

BOYS

Apollo

Ares

Bodhi

Creed

Daemon

Deacon

Dios

Gryphon

Infinity

Justice

Kesh

Loki

Maxim

Odin

Orion

Phoenix

Soul

Thor

Talisyn

Tao

Titan

Zen

Zephyr

Zeus

Zion

Names Spotted Over the Summer, at Home and Abroad

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Names Spotted at Home and Abroad

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Interesting names of babies I spotted in the papers over the summer:

When the popular name lists came out, newspapers also liked to dwell on the less popular names (more coming on that score). One of the babies with an uncommon name was the splendidly Arthurian Lancelot Palmer, from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. Lancelot is named after his mother’s grandfather, who passed away a few years ago.

To publicise Australia Day events in Tasmania, The Examiner had a photo of an eight-month-old baby girl named Uma Paech, from Lauceston (pictured). It’s a celebrity name, because of Hollywood actress Uma Thurman, but also shows the growing popularity of names from Asia. Uma Thurman was raised in a Buddhist household, and her father was the first Westerner to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Her name is taken from the Tibetan phrase Dbuma Chenpo, meaning “Great Middle Way”; one of the guiding principles of Buddhist practice. (The Db is silent). Uma is also one of the titles of the Hindu goddess Parvati.

In early February, an official report on publicly funded home births was prepared by the Homebirth Advisory Group from the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales. The story interviewed Jade Trapp of Lismore, who gave birth to her son Django at home with a midwife two years ago. This is another name which comes from a famous person. It was the nickname of Belgian jazz guitarist Jean Baptiste Reinhardt, and it is Romani for “I awake”. Although Django died in the 1950s, his gypsy jazz is still hot, and he has been portrayed or alluded to in several films, including The Triplets of Belleville and Martin’s Scorscese’s Hugo. His music has been used for the soundtrack of movies such as The Matrix, Chocolat, Kate and Leopold and Stardust Memories. This is a hyper-hipster name oft suggested on Nameberry, and one with a cheery sound to it.

Meme and Soemyint Theloep are recent refugees from Burma who live in the Illawarra region surrounding the city of Wollongong in New South Wales. This month, they were caught in the floodwaters that flowed into their flat, and Soemyint had to carry his three-week-old daughter to safety in a baby sling. Although their English is still only basic, they knew enough to give their baby an English name – Blessing. What a beautiful tribute to their new home and refuge (despite the occasional flood). It’s a name that makes me smile and smile.

Monica Carduff Gonzalez, professionally known as DJ Monski Mouse, has been playing classic vinyl tracks at events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for ten years now. She is now starting up an event called Baby Disco Dance Hall, which plays funky tunes suitable for the under-five crowd. Monica’s own daughter is named Monalisa (didn’t you just somehow guess her baby wouldn’t be named Emily or Mia?). Apart from the famous painting by da Vinci, Mona Lisa is also an award-winning Nat King Cole song, and it was playing while Monica and her husband, magician Tony Roberts, were choosing baby names; the new baby smiled, and they took that as her seal of approval. I love this cool name and the story attached to it (which I got off her website).

And an interesting name attached to an adult:

I read a short article on parenting about the myths of motherhood. It’s good advice telling us not to worry so much about being perfect. What interested me more was the author’s name, which was Benison O’Reilly. Her name is a vocabulary word which means “blessing, benediction”. According to her website, it’s a favourite name amongst the O’Reilly family. I think it’s a great name and obviously has a very positive meaning.

Names of babies encountered over the summer in real life:

Annabel: the original form looks crisp, classic and very English after so many Frenchified Annabelles.

Cael: I always thought this Irish name was said like the word keel, but Cael’s family say his name like the word kale.

Lacey: I feel as if the long-term popularity of Lucy is helping the rise of pretty Lacey.

Purity: this name reminded me of purity rings, but her name was chosen with the idea of purity in the sense of “pure and natural, uncontaminated by the artificial”. Purely herself!

Zeke: not short for Ezekiel, just plain Zeke. Very cowboy.

Names of new babies welcomed by people I know (family/friends/colleagues/neighbours etc) over the summer:

Bethany

Brock

Eleanor

Finn

Isla

Laila

Leilani

Stella

According to a new article Abby has at Appellation Mountain, the baby names chosen by the people around you will likely tend to be similar, and also not unlike the names you are apt to choose yourself (leading to much angst and accusations of name stealing and so forth – see Lou at Mer de Noms, as to whether to “call dibs” or not).

I think some of these names do “go together”, as in I can imagine Finn and Isla as siblings, and also Eleanor and Stella. There’s a strong L sound in all of them except Bethany, Brock and Finn, who thus also seem to be matched. Laila and Leilani are particularly similar.

Saturday Sibset: The Children Born of Elvis and Silence

25 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in Sibsets in the News

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Just as I began writing this article, Nameberry tweeted: Did you hear a name today you’d never heard before? Most days, my answer would be, Nope, pretty much the same old, but that day I could proudly say, Yes indeedy. Well actually I didn’t tweet back because I was too busy writing this, but I’m saying it now.

The Australia Day citizenship ceremonies are always a wonderful source for discovering new names. This is one where some of the childrens’ names were new to me, but the parents’ names were familiar. And yet it was the parents’ names that knocked me for six.

The Matanhire family moved here from Zimbabwe in 2006; they came from the predominantly Shona-speaking city of Mutare, whose name translates as “gold”. They started off in Melbourne, but are now happily settled in Adelaide.

The Matanhire family admit to being motivated by a spirit of adventure, loving to travel and see new places. Mrs Matanhire used to tour African countries as a nurse, educating other healthcare professionals about HIV and AIDS. When a relative who lived in Sydney told them how beautiful Australia was, it seemed like another adventure for them.

Mr Matanhire said becoming a citizen was like “taking a step into a new life”. “It feels very good, you feel like you can plan your life,” he said. Mrs Matanhire said becoming a citizen meant “you belong to the country; you belong to Australia”.

Elvis (aged 45): This is Mr Matanhire’s first name, which was covered as a Famous Name around the time of The King’s birthday anniversary. Once I would have thought this was too over-the-top for a regular person’s name, but now I actually love seeing it in general use. You pretty much assume the parents of anyone called Elvis were massive Presley fans, and this (rightly or wrongly) is how I am picturing Mr Matanhire’s mum and/or dad.

Silence (aged 41): Mrs Matanhire’s first name is a virtue name I saw covered at Names from the Dustbin. When I saw it, I admit to being quite horrified, because as a parent, the thought of your baby becoming completely silent is your worst nightmare. And as a Puritan name almost exclusively given to girls, it has connotations of women being forced into silence in an oppressive way. However, seeing it on an attractive, confident, well-travelled adult, who is clearly not being kept silent and in fact had to do a lot of talking as part of her career, I have softened a little. Now I can see a certain beauty in it, and it makes me think of the inner silence that comes through prayer and meditation.

Caroline (19): Usually the name Caroline doesn’t stand out in a family, but in this case it seems unusual compared to the others. Being the eldest born, I wonder if Caroline was given a family name.

Anesu (15): This is a Shona name which can be given to both boys and girls. For boys, it is the pet form of Isheanesu; for girls, the pet form of Anesuishe. In either case, it means “God is with us”. This Anesu is a boy.

Rumbidzai (4): A female name which means “praise”. I have read that it was originally a royal name, but don’t know if that’s correct. Rumbidzai was born in Australia, so is already a citizen.

Edret: Edret is Elvis’ sister who lives with the family; it’s possible she was the person who first suggested they come to Australia. Her name is a complete mystery to me, mostly because the Edrets I found online tended to be Hispanic men. Perhaps it is short for a longer name. Elvis and Edret make an impressive sibset.

Names of Convicts on the Second Fleet

22 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in Name Themes and Lists

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The Second Fleet arrived in Sydney in June 1790, and proved something of a disaster. The colony founded by the First Fleet was already struggling and in the grip of starvation, and the Second Fleet was sent partly to aid them with further supplies. The first ship to arrive was the Lady Juliana, which contained female convicts. It took such a leisurely route that although it left months before the other ships, it arrived only a couple of weeks before them.

The convicts on the Lady Juliana provided Australia with its first sex scandal, because the women and ship’s crew consorted freely together, some of the women sold themselves for money or alcohol, and whenever the ship made a port of call, the women entertained men from other ships. Several gave birth on the ship, and many were pregnant by the time they reached Australia.

The women were well treated on board, but on arriving in Sydney, the Lady Juliana was called “a floating brothel”, and its female occupants “damned whores”. A cargo of more than 200 women when provisions were wanted, the ladies couldn’t have been more unwelcome.

Worse was to follow. While the First Fleet had been an effort of the British government, and generally well-organised, the Second had been handed over to private contractors. They had little concern for the convicts’ welfare, and although only a small number died on the first voyage (the unfortunate Ishmael Colman being the exception rather than the rule), the mortality rate on the second was 40%. The ship carrying the majority of the supplies, such as livestock, hit an iceberg en route and was wrecked.

When the remaining convicts reached Sydney, the colonists were horrified to see that the new batch was in terrible condition – starved, filthy, sick with scurvy, covered in lice, and bearing the marks of cruelty on their emaciated bodies. Instead of being the saviours of the colony, the people of the Second Fleet were instead a great drain on its resources. A Third Fleet had to be sent (amazingly, they chose to use the same private contractors again).

More than 165 000 convicts were sent to Australia over eighty years. This is a tiny number compared to the number of free settlers. For many years, convict ancestry was something of which people were deeply ashamed, and it was hidden from the family histories. These days, people are proud of their convict ancestors, and there’s a wealth of information available to them.

WOMEN

Dorcas (Talbot)

At the age of 39, Dorcas was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing sixty yards of material from a shop, and sentenced to seven years transportation. Dorcas was sent to the penal colony on Norfolk Island, a place of untold horror and abject misery. In 1804 she married John Hatcher, who had arrived on the First Fleet. She died on Norfolk Island in 1811. The name Dorcas is a Greek translation of the Aramaic name Tabitha, meaning “gazelle”. In the New Testament, Dorcas (or Tabitha) was one of the disciples of Jesus; the Bible makes her seem important, and she may have been a leader in the early church. It is said that she was a widow who did charitable works, and Dorcas Aid International is an organisation which raises money for the poor and needy. Dorcas is regarded as a saint in some denominations. Often used in fiction, Dorcas is a shepherdess in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. She has also given her name to a species of gazelle – the dorcas gazelle, meaning “gazelle gazelle”.

Isabella (Manson, aka Isabella Smith)

At the age of 28, Isabella was convicted at the Old Bailey for stealing clothes and sentenced to 7 years transportation; she seemed to have a male partner, but took full responsibility for the crime. She married John Rowe in Sydney in 1790. John had arrived on the First Fleet, and there was a scheme of marrying off the “best” Second Fleet convict women to the “best” remaining First Fleet men and giving them farmland to work. John and Isabella ran a farm together without much success, and had three children named John, Joseph and Sarah, and possibly another named Mary. They have many living descendants. Isabella died a widow in Gosford in 1847. The name Isabella is the Latinate form of Isabel, a medieval Provencal form of Elizabeth. It was commonly used by royalty, and is the name of Princess Mary of Denmark’s eldest daughter. Isabella has been on the charts since 1900, dropping from it in the 1950s and ’70s. In 1900 it was #75, and today it is #1; its big jump in popularity occurred in the 1990s, although rising since the 1980s. Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise naming their daughter Isabella in 1992 may have assisted.

Phoebe (Williams)

At the age of 41, Phoebe was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing 5 yards of cloth and sentenced to seven years transportation. She married Edward MacLean, a First Fleeter, in 1790, and they ran a farm together in Parramatta. Edward died in 1794 and Phoebe died in Parramatta in 1798. The name Phoebe is from the Greek for “bright, shining”. In mythology, Phoebe is one of the Titans, a moon goddess who was the grandmother of Artemis; her name was given to one of the moons of Saturn. Phoebe was also one of Artemis’ titles, and there are several Phoebes in legend, including an Amazon, and the sister of the beautiful Helen of Troy. In the New Testament, Phoebe was a deacon in the early church regarded as a saint by several denominations. It was used by Shakespeare for another of his shepherdesses in As You Like It. Phoebe was #148 in the 1900s and by the 1930s was off the charts altogether. It made a comeback in the 1960s, and climbed at such a rate that it was in the Top 100 by the 2000s. It is maintaining its position around the #50 mark.

Rosamond (Dale, aka Rosina Dale, aka Mary Woods)

At the age of 22, Rosamond was convicted at the court in Lincoln, and sentenced to seven years transportation. She married James Davis from the First Fleet, and they were sent to the penal colony on Norfolk Island, where she died. The name Rosamond is a variant of Rosamund, a Germanic name meaning “horse protection” which was introduced to England by the Normans. From early on, the name was associated with the Latin phrases rosa munda (“pure rose”) and rosa mundi (“rose of the world”), referring to the Virgin Mary. Rosa mundi was transferred from the cult of the goddess Isis who was worshipped throughout the Roman Empire; roses were sacred to her, as they became for Mary as well. There is a heritage rose called the Rosa Mundi which has existed since the 1500s. One of the old Gallica roses, it has red and white striped petals.

Violetta (Atkins)

Violetta was a servant. She was convicted of stealing from her employer at the Old Bailey and sentenced to seven years transportation. I think Violetta must have either died on the voyage, or soon after her arrival in Sydney. Violetta is the Italian form of Violet. Violetta Valéry is the main character in Verdi’s 1853 opera La Traviata, based on the play adapted from the novel La Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. It’s a romantic and emotionally wrought tale of a courtesan who finds true love, but tragically dies of tuberculosis.

MEN

Ephraim (Lindsay)

Ephraim was convicted by the court in Northampton and sentenced to seven years transportation. In the Old Testament, Ephraim was a son of Joseph, born during his years in Egypt. Ephraim’s mother was a priest’s daughter named Asenath; their marriage was arranged by the Pharaoh. A Christian story is that she converted from paganism to the worship of Yahweh; it’s a fanciful tale involving an angel and some magical bees. According to Jewish tradition, she was actually Joseph’s half-niece, conceived in rape. How she got to Egypt involves yet another angel who leaves her under a bush wearing a necklace inscribed with an explanation of her origins; the priest finds and adopts her. You can see there is some discomfort with the idea of Joseph’s bloodline being “besmirched” by an Egyptian. Ephraim can be pronounced several ways, including EE-free-im and EE-fruhm. It seems like a good alternative to popular Ethan.

Janus (Everard)

Janus was convicted at the Middlesex Guild Hall and sentenced to transportation for life. Janus was the Roman god of beginnings, and thus all points of transition, such as gates and doors. He is famously depicted as having two faces, to indicate that he looks forward to the future and backward to the past simultaneously – a rather neat visualisation of the flow of time, which Janus oversees. The Latin name for “door”, janua, is named after him, and thus doorkeepers and caretakers of building are sometimes known as janitors. Janus was an important deity, and when the Roman calendar was regulated, the first month of the year was called Januarius in his honour. We still start the year off in January, making Janus suited to this month.

Ormond (Burcham)

Ormond was convicted of stealing five bushels of barley and sentenced to death by the court of Norfolk. This was commuted to seven years transportation. Ormond is an Irish surname named after the ancient Irish kingdom in Munster. It simply means “east Munster”, and was a hereditary title within the Irish aristocracy. It may also have become (perhaps deliberately) confused with the Irish surname O’Ruadh, meaning “son of the red one”. Francis Ormond was a philanthropist who founded the college which later became the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, as well as endowing Ormond College at the University of Melbourne. There is a 6th century French abbot named Saint Ormond, however, this is an Anglicisation of Armand, the French form of Herman.

Traverse (Spileye)

Traverse was convicted of attempting to steal five dozen tallow candles by the court in Nottingham and sentenced to seven years transportation. This may be a Puritan virtue name, very interesting if so, because they are rarely found in Australia compared to the United States. As the word traverse means to travel, it could refer to pilgrimage, or the soul’s journey through life, or perhaps even the Israelites traversing the desert for forty years. However, I can’t help wondering if it is just a variant of the surname Travers, coming from the French for “to cross”; it was an occupational name for someone who collected tolls at crossing places such as city gates and river fords. There is a Puritan connection with this surname, because Walter Travers was an English Puritan theologian.

Uriel (Barrah, aka Uziel Baruch)

Uriel was a Jewish butcher with a long history of being convicted for debt and theft, although he had also been a constable. His wife’s name was Judith. He was convicted of theft by the Old Bailey and sentenced to seven years transportation. He was originally going to be sent to a penal colony in Africa, an idea the British tried which didn’t work out, so he was sent to Australia instead. When he completed his sentence he returned to England; a relative seems to have taken over his butcher shop during his absence. Uriel is one of the archangels in Jewish and Christian tradition; he isn’t mentioned in the scriptures. He is given several interesting roles, one of which is to guard the gates of Eden with a flaming sword so that none living may enter; he is said to have buried Adam and Abel there. In Jewish mystical tradition, he is called the Angel of Poetry. Uriel appears several times in literature, including Milton’s Paradise Lost. His name means “light of God”.