Unique Boys Names from the 2015 Birth Notices

18 Sunday Sep 2016

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These are ten names given to boys which I saw only once in the birth announcements of last year. They are not all rare, but they are at least names you don’t see every day.

Aled
Welsh name, after the River Aled – a small river in Denbighshire in north Wales. Its meaning is not certain, although some have linked it with the Welsh root al-, meaning “wandering”, which suggests the winding flow of a river. Probably more importantly, in modern Welsh aled means “offspring”, making the name seem very suitable as a baby name. A historic namesake is the 15th century Welsh poet Tudur Aled, a nobleman from Denbighshire considered one of the finest poets of his time. Aled has been used as a boy’s name in Wales since perhaps the 18th century, and originated in Denbighshire. Its similarity to the name Allen must have been a help – it basically sounds like Allen with a D at the end instead of an N. A famous contemporary example is Welsh singer Aled Jones, who had a hugely successful career as a young boy, and is now a radio and television presenter. The name is still in use in the UK, although numbers have fallen. A pleasant Welsh heritage choice made familiar through a famous namesake.

Dashiell
English surname which is a corruption of the French surname de Chiel; its meaning is unknown. The de Chiel family were French Protestants who fled to Scotland escaping religious persecution in the 16th century. From here the surname morphed into Da Chiell, Da Shiell, Shiell, and Dashiell – the last seems to be first used in America, when the French-Scottish family migrated to Maryland in the 17th century. Dashiell has been used as a first name since the 19th century and was particularly associated with Maryland. The name has become famous because of the American crime novelist Dashiell Hammett, who wrote such classics as The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man; he received his name because his mother was one of the Dashiell family of Maryland. The name has never been common even in its country of origin, but is now rather fashionable as well as having literary cachet. Actress Cate Blachett welcomed a son named Dashiell in 2001, so this is a celebrity baby name. Pronunciation is a slight issue – Dashiell Hammett said his name da-SHEEL, while these days the name is nearly always pronounced something like DASH-uhl. Said thus, it gives the obvious nickname Dash, as demonstrated by Dashiell “Dash” Parr in The Incredibles.

Eamon
Anglicised form of Éamonn, the Irish form of Edmund. The name became well known because of the American-born Irish statesman Éamon de Valera, who was a force in Irish politics for over half a century. He came to prominence as a leader during the Easter Rising of 1916 and eventually became the country’s president in 1959. Éamon didn’t retire until he was 90, making him the world’s oldest head of state. Éamon de Valera was originally named George, and later had his name changed to Edward, so Éamon was a conscious attempt to give himself an authentically Irish name. Éamon de Valera visited Australia in the 1940s, and had strong links of friendship with the Irish-Catholic community here, especially amongst the priesthood, so the name Éamon or Eamon was very well known here for many years. A famous Australian namesake is the former Olympic swimming champion Eamon Sullivan. An Irish heritage choice which is dated in Ireland, but won’t seem so here, especially as it fits in well with current naming trends.

Gilbert
Germanic name meaning “bright pledge, bright hostage”. The meaning of “hostage” makes some people uneasy, however in the past it was common for political treaties to be accompanied by the exchange of hostages, usually nobles or even royalty, as a guarantee of good faith. The name Gilbert was introduced to Britain by the Normans, and was popular in the Middle Ages. In Scotland Gilbert was sometimes used to Anglicise the Gaelic name Gille Brigte, meaning “follower of Saint Bridget”. There are a few saints with the name, including Gilbert of Sempringham, the son of a Norman lord from Lincolnshire who founded the only English religious order, the Gilbertines; they didn’t survive the Reformation in England. Gilbert was #123 in the 1900s, and left the charts in the 1990s. It returned in 2011, and is now around the 500s. This is a vintage charmer which L.M. Montgomery fans may connect with handsome Gilbert Blythe, the love interest of red-haired heroine Anne Shirley. Comes with the nicknames Gil, Gib, Bert, and Bertie.

Keanu
Hawaiian name literally meaning “the coolness”, and translated as “the cool breeze”. In Hawaii it has been given to both sexes, but mostly to boys. The name has become famous because of Hollywood star Keanu Reeves, who has some Hawaiian heritage through his American father. He’s made a name as a blockbuster action star through The Matrix series, Speed, and Point Break, but is forever famous for the cult Bill and Ted movies. He has a connection to Australia since he lived here as a baby. The Hawaiian pronunciation of the name is keh-ah-noo; Keanu Reeves says his name more like kay-ah-noo, while many seem to say it kee-ah-noo. The strong identification of the name Keanu with the actor may cause some parents to think of it as a “one person name”, although it’s attractive with a nice meaning. On one hand, the Hollywood connection makes the name familiar and easy to deal with; on the other, prepare for people to assume you are a huge fan of Keanu Reeves.

Leif
Scandinavian name from the Old Norse name Leifr, meaning “descendant, heir”. Depending on which part of Scandinavia a person is from, the name is pronounced either LAYF or LIFE. Leif has a very famous namesake, because Leif Erikson was a Viking chieftain from Greenland, the son of Erik the Red. He was described by contemporaries as a strong, striking-looking man who was wise and considerate, and regarded as lucky. Leif converted to Christianity on a voyage to Norway and preached his new-found religion to the Greenlanders. Leif Erikson is perhaps best known for voyaging to a country he called Vinland, somewhere in modern Canada, where he founded a few Nordic settlements around 1000 AD. Leif Erikson not only pushed back the date of European colonisation in North America, he helped give Scandinavian immigrants to the Unites States a special tie to their adopted country. In the United States, Leif Ericson Day is celebrated every October 9. Leif is a slightly dated name in Scandinavia, but feels fresh here. A famous Australian namesake is music industry graphic designer Leif Podhajsky.

Ptolemy
Anglicised form of the Greek name Ptolemaios, meaning “war-like”, pronounced TOL-uh-mee. The name is mentioned in Homer’s Iliad as one of the Greek warriors. Ptolemy was a common name amongst the aristocracy of Macedonia, and the name was traditional in a line of Macedonian rulers in Egypt descended from one of Alexander the Great’s generals. They were in power for nearly three centuries, and are collectively known as the Ptolemaic Dynasty; one of their most famous members is the ruler Cleopatra. The most famous namesake is Claudius Ptolemy, nearly always known as Ptolemy. He was a Greco-Egyptian Roman citizen who wrote several important scientific treatises on maths, astronomy, geography, and astrology. His work was essential to medieval knowledge, and Christopher Columbus used his work on geography as the map for his famous voyage. There is a Ptolemy mentioned in the New Testament, and two saints with the name. Ptolemy has been used as an English name since the 17th century; it sounds like the English name Tolomy, short for Bartholomew. A rare but very cool name – possibly even a little too cool.

Rayyan
Arabic name meaning “thirst quenching, well-watered, luxuriant”; in the Quran the word is used to mean “splendour”. In Islamic tradition Rayyan is the name of one of the four gates of Paradise, dedicated to those who have fasted often in their lives. A common name in Arabic-speaking countries and communities, this works well in English-speaking countries. Not only is it quite similar to popular Ryan, but the possibility of using familiar Ray as the nickname gives your son the option of complete assimilation in the future. It even sounds very slightly like the English word rain, which fits in with the Arabic meaning. A no-fuss Arabic heritage choice.

Solomon
Hebrew name meaning “peace”. In the Old Testament King Solomon was the son of King David, famed for his enormous political and military power, and fabulous wealth gained through trade partnerships. According to Jewish tradition Solomon used that wealth to build the First Temple in Jerusalem, and his reign was a Golden Age. The Bible tells us that Solomon once prayed for wisdom, and because he did not ask for something selfish, he was granted not only wisdom but many other gifts as well. Legend says he received magical powers, and the ability to control angels and demons! An enigmatic passage in the Bible describes a visit made by the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, and the Ethiopian monarchy claimed descent from Solomon. Solomon is credited with writing Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon – one of the most beautiful works of poetry in the Bible. A central figure in Judaism, Solomon is venerated as a prophet in Islam, and regarded as a saint in Eastern Christianity. Solomon has often been used by Jewish people, East Europeans, and Africans, but has been used as an English name since the Middle Ages in honour of the biblical figure. A wise and peaceful name that might remind people of the Solomon Islands.

Tyrion
A name mostly known through popular culture. Currently it is associated with Tyrion Lannister from A Game of Thrones, played by award-winning actor Peter Dinklage. Born into privilege, Tyrion is despised by his family, and must learn to live by his not-inconsiderable wits. The cynical, debauched, bitterly intelligent Tyrion is a fan favourite, and author George R.R. Martin’s own favourite character from the series. Before that, Tyrion was a High Elf in the the 1980s role-playing game Warhammer, and a wise dragon king in the 1990s German-Australian television series Tabaluga. Tyrion is a variant of the name Tyrian, meaning “of Tyre”. Tyre was a wealthy island-city in ancient Phoenicia whose name meant “rock” because of the formation it was built on; today it is in modern Lebanon. Tyre was famous for its production of expensive purple cloth, only affordable by royalty and aristocracy; the word tyrian can refer specifically to the colour purple, and has connotations of pomp and power. You could also connect the word Tyrian to Tyr, the Norse god of war. Despite these interesting associations, Tyrian and Tyrion have been used only very rarely as personal names; however they seem like fantasy names which can still work in the real world.

POLL RESULTS
People’s favourite names were Dashiell, Solomon and Eamon, and their least favourite were Rayyan, Aled and Tyrion.

(Picture shows Dashiell “Dash” Parr from The Incredibles)

Famous Name: Patrick

16 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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British names, classic names, english names, Irish names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, popular names, Roman names, saints names, Scots Gaelic names, UK name popularity, US name popularity, Welsh names

Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day, a worldwide celebration of Irish culture. With such a strong Irish heritage in Australia, you would think that St Patrick’s Day would be special here, and you would be right. As early as 1795, Irish convicts were celebrating March 17 in raucous fashion, and these later became more respectable dinners held by colonials of Irish descent. Parades began to be organised in the 1800s, and had become established institutions by the 1920s.

St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and people are sometimes surprised to learn he wasn’t Irish; he was a 5th century Romanised Briton from an aristocratic family on the west coast of Britain. Although his father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest in the Christian church, as a youngster Patrick wasn’t very interested in religion.

According to his own testimony, when he was a teenager he was kidnapped by pirates and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he worked taking care of farm animals in what he describes as a very cold and wet climate. During this time he learned the Irish language and converted to Christianity; after six years he managed to escape and return to his family.

Patrick wrote that a few years after his return, he had a vision of the Irish people begging him to help them. After training as a priest, he went as a missionary to Ireland and became a bishop. Here he converted many people, not only slaves and the poor, but also noblemen and women who became monks and nuns (this may not seem very liberating to us, but the church provided an attractive career path for educated medieval women).

Very little is actually known about Patrick’s life and work, and doubt has even been cast upon his claim of enslavement in Ireland. He wasn’t the first missionary to Ireland – that was St Palladius. Some of the details of Palladius’ Irish mission seem to have got mixed up with Patrick’s story, and Palladius’ role in Ireland may have been minimised to give Patrick the spotlight.

However where facts are thin on the ground, myths and legends flourish. A favourite is that St Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to illustrate the Trinity, so that the shamrock is a popular symbol on St Patrick’s Day. Another is that St Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland – an incredibly easy miracle to perform, as they were never there. It is even said that he introduced whiskey to Ireland, and used the drink as a teaching aid: thus drinking alcohol is traditional on St Patrick’s Day.

St Patrick overcame his slightly boring saintliness to become a colourful figure of folklore, and over the centuries a symbol of Irish identity and culture that transcends Catholicism, and even Christianity. And that’s why we all feel just a little bit Irish on St Patrick’s Day!

Name Information
In his autobiography, St Patrick always refers to himself as Patricius, a Roman name meaning “nobleman” (it is the source of the word patrician). It is possible that he chose this himself, because the name is linked with the Latin for “father” – pater – to suggest he was the father of his people. However, Patricius was in regular use among the Romans, and in fact the name of St Augustine’s dad.

It is often said that Patrick’s birth name was Maewyn Succat, a British translation of the Roman name Magonus Succetus, and translated with great optimism as “famous war god”. (Succetus was supposedly a Celtic god of war, although nobody seems to have heard of him, which doesn’t help the translation overmuch).

This already seems like something his followers might have invented, and looks even less convincing as it appears that the name comes from British and means “servant swine-herd” – a clear reference to Patrick’s period of slavery. If St Patrick had another name as a child, we do not know it.

Patrick is the Anglicised form of Patricius, with the Irish form being Pádraig, the Scots Gaelic Phádraig, and the Welsh Padrig. Due to the fame of St Patrick, Patrick was used in Britain by the Middle Ages (sometimes with Patricius as the official name), where it was especially popular in the north of England. It was also taken up with enthusiasm in the west of Scotland, where it was seen as a form of Peter.

Although we think of Patrick as a typically Irish name, it did not come into common use in Ireland until the 17th or perhaps even 18th century, when it was introduced by Scots immigrants to northern Ireland. Before this, the Irish felt that the name of their national saint was far too sacred to be given as a baby name, although they did use names such as Gilla Pátraic, meaning “servant of St Patrick”.

However, once the Irish gave in to peer pressure and decided Patrick was okay to use, it became a great favourite. Patrick was so popular as a boy’s name in Ireland by the 19th century that the nickname Paddy became a (rather disparaging) term for an Irishman.

With strong Irish immigration to Australia, there have been many Australian Patricks. Some examples include the Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick White; pioneering farmer Patrick Durack, who founded the famous Durack dynasty; Patrick Hannan, whose discovery of gold sparked the gold rush in Western Australia; Presbyterian minister Patrick Murdoch, progenitor of the famous Murdoch dynasty; and Patrick Sullivan, creator of Felix the cartoon cat.

It thus comes as little surprise that the name Patrick is a solid classic in Australia, never out of the Top 100, and rarely out of the Top 50. It was #36 in the 1900s, and reached its lowest point in 1978 at #71. Its peak was in 1994, when it reached #30. It is now stable around the lower end of the Top 50.

Currently it is #40 nationally, #51 in New South Wales, #26 in Victoria, #46 in Queensland, #36 in South Australia, #46 in Western Australia, #46 in Tasmania, and #29 in the Australian Capital Territory. In 2014 it was the fastest-rising name in Tasmania, and one of the fastest-rising in South Australia.

In the US, Patrick has constantly charted on the Top 1000, and never been lower than #166, which it reached in 1919. It was a Top 100 name at the turn of the 20th century, and again from 1936 to 2003, peaking at #30 in the 1960s. Currently it is #153 and fairly stable.

In the UK, Patrick has likewise been a long-time favourite. It was in the Top 100 from the mid-19th century until 2006, and is now #115 and stable. Patrick is a Top 100 name in New Zealand, and in Northern Ireland, where its popularity is similar to Australia’s. It is most popular in Ireland, where it is in the Top 20, and very stable.

Patrick is a strong, handsome name that is a timeless classic while remaining stylish. It’s popular, but has always been so, and its position on the charts is is extremely stable. It’s a traditional name with ties to Irish history and culture, and in Australia often considered a rather upper class choice. Traditional nicknames like Pat, Patsy and Patty are out of favour, but Paddy is still going strong, and Patch perhaps deserving of a mention.

POLL RESULTS

Patrick received an approval rating of 79%, making it one of the highest-rated names of 2016. People saw the name as handsome and charming (24%), a stylish classic (21%), and a name which ages well (17%). However 9% thought it was too common and boring. Only 1 person thought Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants made the name too embarrassing to use.

Famous Name: Errol Flynn

22 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Famous Name: Ceridwen

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

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Arthurian names, famous namesakes, fictional namesakes, mythological names, name history, name meaning, nicknames, rare names, Welsh names

Famous Namesake
Author Ceridwen Dovey was born in South Africa, raised both there and Australia, and was educated at Harvard University, doing postgraduate work at New York University. Living in Sydney, Ceridwen says Australia feels like home, but South Africa remains part of her, and she has ties to the United States as well.

Ceridwen’s book Only the Animals was published last year, has just come out in the UK, and will be released in the US later this month. It’s very unusual, with the souls of ten animals who have died in human conflicts telling their own stories. Each beast also pays tribute to a particular writer who has written about animals, from Henry Lawson to Virginia Woolf to Ted Hughes, and these can be playful as well as moving (imagine a mussell’s journey to Pearl Harbour in the style of Jack Kerouac, for example).

Only the Animals has been shortlisted for numerous awards, and won the Steele Rudd Award for a short story collection at the 2014 Queensland Literary Awards. It’s a beautiful, wise book which really gets under your skin and remains with you, long after you turn the last page. Hopefully it will be appreciated overseas as well.

Name Information
In Welsh legend, Ceridwen was an enchantress. According to a medieval tale, Ceridwen had a son named Morfran who was hideously ugly, and she sought to make him wise since he was never going to coast along on his looks.

She mixed up a magical potion in her cauldron which would give the gift of wisdom and poetic inspiration, and a long drawn-out process it was. The potion had to be boiled for a year and a day, and she outsourced the workload, having the fire tended by a blind man while a young boy named Gwion kept stirring it. Only the first three drops of the potion would confer wisdom: all the rest was deadly poison.

Three drops of the hot potion spilled onto Gwion’s hand as he stirred, and instinctively he put his thumb in his mouth to cool the burning. As soon as he did, he gained all the wisdom and knowledge that had been meant for Morfran. The first piece of knowledge he gained was that he’d better scram as Ceridwen was going to be peeved beyond belief. Correct! She was furious.

Gwion turned himself into a hare so he could run fast, but Ceridwen became a greyhound and ran even faster. He jumped into a river to swim away as a fish, but she transformed into an otter. When he turned into a bird to fly away, as quick as thought she was an eagle chasing after him.

Finally he turned himself into a grain of wheat. I know what you’re thinking: all the wisdom in the world, and the best he can come up with is wheat? I mean, come on, at least turn invisible or something. For some reason, Ceridwen turned herself into a chicken and ate the wheat. Not sure why she had to be a chicken to eat wheat; probably showing off.

When Ceridwen became pregnant, she knew it was that crafty little Gwion growing inside her. (I know wheat doesn’t go into your uterus when you eat it; you have to throw all rational thought out the window, because magic). Ceridwen planned to kill the baby as soon it was born, but he was so beautiful that she just couldn’t do it. Due to her wonderful nurturing instincts, she chucked him into the ocean instead, wrapped in a bag.

The bag washed up on shore, and a prince who was fishing caught him instead of a salmon, and took him home. He knew the kid was something special, because he recited poetry all the way back to the castle. He named him Taliesin, and Taliesin became the greatest of the Welsh bards, and later the chief bard at King Arthur’s court.

Ceridwen never bothered making another potion for Morfran, but if you’ve been worried about him all this time, don’t be. He became one of King Arthur’s warriors, had a beautiful white horse, and survived Arthur’s final battle because he was so hideous that people thought he must be a demon, and ran away in panic.

The oldest known version of the name is Cyrridven, translated as “crooked woman”, because cyrrid means “crooked, bent, hooked”, and ben or ven means “woman, female”. A popular theory is that the name is a corruption of cerdd, meaning “poetry, music”, and gwyn, meaning “white, blessed”, to be understood as “sacred poetry”. I find this etymology too convenient to modern sensibilities to be convincing.

In many ancient traditions, travelling in a crooked or winding path is considered a powerfully magical thing to do (think of labyrinths, for example), so “crooked woman” might be understood as meaning “woman of magic power” – spot on for an enchantress.

Ceridwen is a very magical figure, and her story has several ties to mythology. The thumb sucking leading to great, yet unlooked for, wisdom, reminds us of the Irish hero Finn McCool, who sucked hot oil off his thumb while cooking the Salmon of Knowledge. Is it just coincidence that the prince caught Taliesin while fishing instead of a salmon?

Another is the magical duel, where two sorcerers turn themselves into a succession of creatures until one takes a form the other cannot defeat. There is a faint echo of shamanism here, and it might remind you of the Irish legend of Fintan the Wise, who was able to turn himself into a salmon in order to escape the Great Flood. Another connection to salmon and wisdom!

Ceridwen really appealed to people’s imaginations, and she became seen as not just an enchantress but a goddess of poetry and wisdom. The Victorians identified her as an early pagan goddess, and in modern Paganism she is a goddess of rebirth, knowledge, and inspiration. This is a meaningful modern mythology for Ceridwen, although Welsh scholars tend to get a bit sniffy about it as a 19th century invention.

While the character was known in medieval literature, the name was not used in everyday life, and the form Ceridwen dates to the 16th century. Ceridwen has only been in use since the 19th century revival of old British names, and originated in Wales.

The name Ceridwen features is the novel How Green Was My Valley; Ceridwen is the narrator’s sister. The book is set in the Victorian era, and it is barely possible that a Welsh girl of that time would be called Ceridwen, as it was just coming into use. The author Ceridwen Dovey is named after the literary character.

Ceridwen is in sporadic use as a baby name in the UK, and in 2013 less than three babies were given the name Ceridwen. In the US last year, less than five babies were named Ceridwen.

Ceridwen is a genuine but rare name, and something of a contradiction, as it has medieval origins but is essentially modern – something which causes no end of trouble for the Renaissance Fair crowd, or at least the bodies which approve their names.

To me it seems like a “cool mum” name, which sounds wild and artistic on someone of around my generation, but is hard for me to imagine on a new baby. Perhaps it’s because it fits in so well with the name trends of the 1960s and ’70s, as it sounds rather like a cross between Kerry and Bronwen.

However, this is a name from Welsh legend which will appeal to those wanting a strong, unusual girl’s name which is magical and imaginative. The pronunciation is ker-ID-wen, but English-speakers may prefer KER-id-wen, which gives the obvious nickname Ceri.

POLL RESULTS
Ceridwen received a very good approval rating of 70%. 18% of people thought the pronunciation of Ceridwen was too much of an issue, but 17% saw it as wild and magical, 15% as powerful yet feminine, and a further 15% as a great Welsh heritage choice.

(Photo of Ceridwen Dovey from The Australian)

Famous Names: Bronwyn and Dolores

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 5 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo from the ABC website)

Famous Name: Winifred

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 8 Comments

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Anglo-Saxon names, famous namesakes, middle names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, nicknames, pen names, saints names, UK popularity, vintage names, Welsh names

Famous Namesake
Ramadan finished on July 18, and recently we saw a story in the news mentioning converts to Islam. That gave me the idea to cover one of Australia’s early Muslim converts. Her name was Jane Winifred Oaten, but she always went by her middle name.

Winifred came to Australia from London as a child around 1890, her father making a desperate attempt to break the poverty cycle through migration. Life in Australia got off to rough start before she even left, as her mother walked off the ship prior to sailing. Winifred and her father lived in severe hardship trying to wrest a miserable living from a block of land in Queensland infested with prickly pear. At an early age she was sent out to low-paid domestic service as her father succumbed to alcoholism and depression.

When barely 17 Winifred married an itinerant shearer named Charles Steger. It was an unhappy partnership, and she was forced to desert her husband and their four children after he threatened to shoot her. She worked as a barmaid, then married an “Afghan” cameleer named Ali Nuby (although Muslin cameleers were collectively known as Afghans in Australia, Winifred’s husband was actually Indian).

A kind and decent man, Ali was the great love of Winifred’s life, and she took her husband’s religion to become a Muslim; the marriage would not have been legal, as her first husband was still alive. After Ali’s death, she supported herself and their three children by working as a washerwoman in Oodnadatta, South Australia.

Winifred entered an arranged marriage to another Indian cameleer named Karum Bux, and she and her husband made a pilgrimage to Mecca, through India, in 1927. This was to prove a turning point for her. When she returned, she wrote a series of articles for a newspaper called Arabian Days: The Wanderings of Winifred the Washerwoman, under the pen name of Bebe Zatoom.

According to the articles, Winifred the Washerwoman had a most exciting time on the way to Mecca. She met Mahatma Ghandi and King Ibn Sa’ud of Arabia, and in Bombay (Mumbai), she stayed in the palace of the Khalifat, the supreme Muslim body in India, which appointed her their Australasian secretary. Pretty heady stuff for an Oodnadatta washerwoman.

She soon separated from her third husband, and the very next year after her pilgrimage was asked to become governess to the royal family of Afghanistan. By the time she got there, the king had unfortunately been overthrown, but she travelled to the Afghanistan border to find the king, and escort his queen back to Bombay. Once again, on her return she supplied a newspaper with her “reliable first-hand impressions” of these events.

Winifred the Washerwoman was soon turning out weekly serial stories called Star Dust and Soap Bubbles, and another series in a different paper as a man named Sapphire Bill from the Northern Territory. Winifred wrote 14 unpublished novels based on her life in the outback: three of them were later serialised in newspapers without payment.

In her 1969 autobiography, Winifred claimed she was born in China to unknown parents, and had been raised in a convent where she met her husband Ali. The pilgrimage to Mecca was undertaken with Ali, conveniently deleting two husbands from her life story. Winifred kept writing into her nineties, and died at the ripe old age of 98. However, as she had lied about her age, she received a telegram from the queen commemorating her 100th birthday a year before her death.

At a time when women had few choices, and poor uneducated working class women had even less, Winifred managed to lead the life that she wanted through her writing. Living in poverty and drudgery, Winifred’s make believe helped her survive a harsh environment, and it’s little wonder she preferred fantasy and fiction. Her conversion to Islam brought her romance and adventure, giving her an exoticism and glamour that no other washerwoman has ever matched.

Name Information
Winifred is the Anglicised form of the Welsh name Gwenfrewi, meaning “blessed reconciliation”; the name has become known because of a Welsh saint. According to legend, Saint Winifred was the daughter of a Welsh nobleman, while her mother was the sister of Saint Beuno, and related to royalty.

The story goes that as a teenager she was attacked in a fit of drunken lust by a local prince named Caradoc, who began to tear off her clothes. When Winifred fought back, Caradoc became so infuriated that he cut her head off. The head rolled downhill, and where it stopped, a healing spring appeared. Good old Uncle Beuno put her head back on her body, and restored her to life. Seeing Caradoc still lounging around with a “like whatever” attitude, Saint Beuno called on Heaven to punish him, and the ground promptly opened up and swallowed the would-be murderer.

Saint Beuno sat on a particular stone in the pool which had formed around the spring that had opened up from Saint Winifred’s head. Here Saint Beuno made an oath in the name of God that whoever should be in that spot and ask for something three times in the name of Saint Winifred should have their prayer granted, as long as it was good for their soul.

Saint Winifred’s Well is located in the town of Holywell, in the north-east of Wales. It has been known since Roman times, and after Winifred’s supposed decapitation in 660 was a place of pilgrimage. It is called the Lourdes of Wales, as so many remarkable cures have occurred there, and has long been named as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. It features in the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Richard the Lionheart prayed here for the success of his crusade, while Henry V gave thanks at the well for his great victory at Agincourt. James II visited the well with his wife Mary of Modena, after several attempts in producing an heir. Shortly afterwards, Mary became pregnant with James, Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria visited the well as a child.

People of all faiths, or none, are welcome here, whether to pray for help, or to see a place of great historical interest, as it is only site in Britain to be a place of continuous pilgrimage for thirteen centuries.

Although the legend cannot be true, Saint Winifred was a real person who was a nun and abbess. Historical records pay great attention to a prominent scar on her neck, so perhaps Caradoc really did have a go at her. His brother Owain is said to have killed Caradoc in revenge for some hideous crime, and that might be it.

If you are wondering how Gwenfrewi turned into Winifred, when the name became used in England in the 16th century, Gwenfrewi was altered to look like the male name Winfred, which is Anglo-Saxon and means “friend of peace”.

Winifred was #39 in the 1900s, and left the Top 100 in the 1930s. It hasn’t charted since the 1950s. However, this seems like a name which is due for a comeback. It was voted the popular name of the 1900s that blog readers most wanted to be revived, and the short form Winnie is very hip at the moment. I do see an occasional baby named Winifred, and the fashionable Winter must be of help.

International trends suggest that Winifred, although rare, is growing in usage. There were 35 baby girls named Winifred in the UK in 2013, which is only just outside the Top 1000. The numbers of Winifreds are rising briskly in Britain. In the US there were 99 girls named Winifred (about the same number as Cleo, Rosalind and Priscilla), and the numbers are rising there too.

The name Winifred commemorates a saint connected with healing waters and prayers granted. It also recalls one of the outback’s colourful eccentrics who became the heroine of her own adventure story. I think this vintage name is adorable, seeming soft and innocent on a little girl, but mature and intellectual on a grown woman. It deserves serious consideration. Besides Winnie, nicknames include Win or Wynne, Freda, Fred, and Freddie.

POLL RESULTS
Winifred received a decent approval rating of 68%. People saw the name Winifred as strong yet whimsical (18%), a vintage name deserving of a comeback (18%), and hip and different (13%). However, 12% thought it was dated and old-fashioned, and not ready for a comeback (too late!). Only one person thought the name Winifred sounded creepy and evil.

(Picture is of the city of Mecca, where Winifred Steger’s life changed direction)

Uncommon Girls Names from the Birth Announcements of 2011-12

14 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boys Names from the Top 100 of the 1940s

08 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by A.O. in Name Themes and Lists

≈ 4 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Famous Name: Owen

26 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Arthurian names, classic names, famous namesakes, Frankish names, French names, Greek names, Irish names, name history, name meaning, name popularity, popular names, royal names, saints names, Shakespearean names, Welsh names

Owen Glendower Howell-Price was one of a family of brothers from the greater Sydney region who served with distinction during World War I. Owen was studying agriculture when war broke out, and he was commissioned second lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion of the Australian Imperial Forces.

Appointed assistant adjutant, he was immediately promoted when the adjutant was killed on the first day of the Gallipoli landing. Promoted to captain, he won the Military Cross for his fighting at Lone Pine, and due to heavy casualties, was temporarily in charge of the whole battalion. A fine trainer and organiser, he continued fighting even when wounded.

After the evacuation from Gallipoli, Owen was sent to northern France where his courage set a magnificent example during those bloody battles, always placing himself in the most dangerous positions. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Order for his leadership abilities, and promoted to lieutenant-colonel.

In 1916 Owen was shot in the head, and died the following day; his last words were: “Give my love to the battalion”. The young officer, just 26 when he died, was perhaps too serious and responsible for real popularity, but behind his stern manner lay a deep loyalty to his men, and his final thoughts were for them.

Owen’s brothers Philip and Richmond were also killed in France, so of their six boys, five of whom served overseas during World War I, the Howell-Prices lost half.

Owen is the modern form of the medieval Welsh name Owain. One of the most famous of its namesakes is Owain mab Urien, a 6th century prince from one of the kingdoms of northern Britain who fought valiantly against the Angles, and was killed in battle, thus ending any hope that the kingdom could continue.

So celebrated were the victories of he and his father, King Urien, that they were given a place in Arthurian mythology as Knights of the Round Table, despite being more than a generation too late to be contemporaries of any historical King Arthur. In Arthurian legend, Owain is often said to be King Arthur’s nephew, and the son of Morgan le Fay.

There have been several other British and Welsh kings and princes named Owain. Owain ap Gruffudd was known as Owain the Great, and the first to be known as Prince of Wales. Owen of the Red Hand was a Welsh soldier who fought with the French against the English during the Hundred Years War, and was a claimant of the title Prince of Wales until his assassination. Like King Arthur, he is supposed to be merely sleeping until he can become king of the Britons.

Owen Glyndŵr (or Glendower) was the last native Welshman to hold the title of Prince of Wales, and instigated the Welsh revolt against Henry IV. His uprising was fiercely fought, long-running, and initially quite successful, but ultimately the Welsh were defeated. Owen Glyndŵr evaded capture, ignoring offers of a royal pardon from Henry V, and was never betrayed, despite having a large reward on his head.

He features in William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, and is an important figure in Welsh nationalism, on par with King Arthur, and has the same familiar theme of simply waiting until Wales is threatened so that he can once again rise to its defence. It was this Welsh national hero that Owen Howell-Price was named for: his father was born in Wales, and his mother was of Welsh heritage.

Owen Tudor, a courtier of Henry IV whose father had been one of Owen Glendower’s rebels, fought for the English at Agincourt. He secretly married Queen Catherine Valois, the widow of Henry V, and became the founder of the Tudor dynasty, which included the powerhouse Henry VIII, and reached its final flowering in Elizabeth I.

There is a 7th century Saint Owen, a man of high rank who became a Benedictine monk in England, and a French Saint Owen, or more correctly Ouen, who was a Frankish bishop of Rouen. Ouen is based on the Frankish name Audoin, perhaps based on a Germanic name such as Odwin. Yvain is the usual way of transliterating Sir Owain’s name in medieval French chronicles.

The origin of the name Owain is not known for sure. It is often said to be a Welsh form of the Greek name Eugenius or Eugene, but another theory is that it is a Welsh form of the medieval Irish name Éoġan (modernised as Eoghan), which is said exactly the same as Owen. Unfortunately, it is not quite sure what this means either – some say it means “born from the yew tree”, although others are of the opinion that this is also a form of Eugenius, bringing us back full circle.

Although etymologists cannot agree among themselves, what is clear is that Owain shares a similar sound with several other names, like Eoghan and Eoin, and may have been understood as their Welsh equivalent, even if of a different origin.

Owen is a classic name which has never left the charts in Australia. It was #112 in the 1900s, and joined the Top 100 the following decade, remaining there until the 1950s. It reached its lowest point in the 1990s at #166, then began climbing steeply. It reached the Top 100 again in 1997 at #85, then returned in 2003 at the same level. Currently it is #73 nationally, #90 in New South Wales, #81 in Victoria, #86 in Queensland, #46 in Western Australia, #47 in Tasmania, where it was the fastest-rising boys’ name last year, and #67 in the Australian Capital Territory.

This is a handsome, solid classic which has never been out of the Top 200. It has a rich royal history which has become intertwined with romantic legend, yet it feels very modern. Rising gently in the charts, it is now at its highest level of popularity, and fits in perfectly with contemporary name trends. It’s a softer-sounding boys’ name that is still very masculine, and even heroic, which might make it easy for parents to agree upon it. It is certainly a very easy name to own, and if you choose it, you will be owin’ nobody an explanation. Oh, when it’s time to pick a baby name, it’s Owen for the win!

POLL RESULTS
Owen received an outstanding approval rating of 85%, making it one of the highest-rated names of 2014. People saw the name Owen as cute on a little boy but dignified on a grown man (28%), handsome and classic (23%), and strong and masculine (14%), while 12% loved its connection to Arthurian myth and Welsh legend. However, 6% thought it was too popular. Nobody thought the name Owen was cutesy or wussy.

(Picture shows the officers of the 3rd Battalion; Owen Howell-Price is second from the right in the second row from the front. Of these 26 men, 14 of them were killed in battle. Photo from the Australian War Memorial).

Famous Name: Gough

12 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by A.O. in Famous Names

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

choosing baby names, famous namesakes, historical records, middle names, name history, name meaning, rare names, surname names, Welsh names

November 11 is Remembrance Day, but it’s important in Australian history for another reason: the constitutional crisis of 1975, when Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was dismissed from office by Governor-General Sir John Kerr. The Opposition had used its control of the Senate to block supply bills which had been passed by the lower house – a move which was within the letter of the law, but went against parliamentary tradition. Without supply, the government was unable to finance itself, and effectively stymied.

The Governor-General took the highly unusual step of breaking the deadlock by dismissing Gough Whitlam without any warning, and installing Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser as caretaker prime minister until an election could be held. Known as “The Dismissal”, Tuesday November 11 1975 was a day of high drama, with the proclamation read from the steps of Parliament House to a crowd of angry ALP supporters, all booing furiously, until it finished with the traditional sign-off, “God save the queen”.

Gough Whitlam then made his famous speech, which began, Well may we say “God save the queen”, because nothing will save the Governor-General, went on to call Malcolm Fraser Kerr’s cur, and ended by urging his followers to maintain the rage until polling day. These statements became Labor catch phrases, even battle cries, although as it transpired, not enough people maintained sufficient rage, as the Coalition won the pre-Christmas election in a record victory. By some accounts, the Coalition senators would have eventually caved in, rendering The Dismissal unnecessary.

Edward Gough Whitlam, always known by his middle name, was the 21st Prime Minister of Australia, and an enduring icon of the Labor Party. Tall, cultured, articulate, and witty, he modernised the ALP, and after it had spent 23 years in the political wilderness, was able to turn the party from one of protest into a viable alternative government.

Elected in 1972 under the simple but effective slogan It’s Time, Gough Whitlam was a whirlwind of change in the nation, enacting a record number of bills during his three years in office. Troops were withdrawn from the Vietnam War, and draft-dodgers released from prison; a universal health care system was brought in, now called Medicare.

The Family Court was created, Legal Aid established, the death penalty abolished, and no-fault divorce brought in. The Department of Aboriginal Affairs was established, the Racial Discrimination Act enacted, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act passed, and the prime minister handed back traditional lands in the Northern Territory to their original owners. Whitlam was the first prime minister to visit communist China, granted independence to Papua New Guinea, changed Australia’s stance on South Africa’s apartheid policy, and fought against nuclear testing in the Pacific.

His list of achievements roll on and on like the credits of an epic movie. He supported women’s rights, appointing a women’s advisor to the Prime Minister, pushing for equal pay, bringing in welfare for mothers, and increased access to contraception. He supported young people, ending conscription, lowering the voting age to 18, introducing youth radio 2JJ, and abolishing university fees. He supported the arts and the environment, gave us our own national anthem, dumped the out-dated system of knights and dames, got rid of radio and TV licenses, and connected homes to sewerage. Gough brought Australia into the modern age.

After they had both left parliament, former prime ministers Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser made friends and even worked together on political causes, but Whitlam never spoke to Kerr again. Gough Whitlam became an elder statesman in the ALP, and was the first person to be given life membership of the party. The oldest Australian former prime minister thus far, he passed away this year on October 21 aged 98, and his state memorial service was held on November 5, attended by the current, and six former living prime ministers.

Gough is a Welsh surname meaning “red”; the name would have been given to someone with a ruddy complexion or red hair. The surname may pre-date the Norman Conquest, and originates from the Powys region. It is pronounced to rhyme with cough.

Gough has been used as a personal name since the 17th century, mostly for males. It isn’t uncommon in Australian historical records, although far more frequently found as a middle name than a first (just as with Gough Whitlam). Although it isn’t particularly strange, it is very closely associated with the former prime minister, and some Australians may think of it as a “one person name”.

I am sure that at this point I would have warned parents of the obvious pitfalls of using the name Gough on a baby – except that I know someone, have known them very well for a long time in fact, named Gough. He was born during Gough Whitlam’s term of office, and his parents named him in honour of the prime minister, for whom they had an enormous respect.

As it turned out (and this is something else I would have warned about), their son did not share their ideals when he grew up, and his politics are much further to the right than theirs. It sounds as if Gough’s parents did everything wrong, making a foolish and perhaps even selfish decision to saddle their son with a name which might cause him embarrassment in the future.

But the truth is that Gough loves his name, and although he has a perfectly serviceable middle name that he could have used instead, nothing would induce him to be called anything but Gough. Like many people with unusual names, he finds it a wonderful ice-breaker, and nobody ever forgets his name. And because it’s such a famous name, everyone knows how to spell and pronounce it too, which isn’t always the case with unusual names.

That he more or less views Gough Whitlam as a blot on the politico-historical landscape is a source of great amusement to him, and he says people no more expect him to be left-wing than they would expect someone named Elvis to be a great singer. He doesn’t feel that he is under any pressure to emulate Gough Whitlam in any way, but I suppose some might wonder if he has unconsciously fought against his name by taking a very different path (although he has a strong ethic of service to his community, like the former PM).

So I can’t in all conscience warn you that you are making a mistake in choosing the name Gough for your baby. It might have more advantages than you’d initially imagine, and there is no evidence that it will ruin your child’s life or cause name bullying. Perhaps now that Gough Whitlam has passed away after a long and honourable lifetime of public service, it seems even more usable than it did in the early 1970s.

However, I am still fairly sure that even if you insist that your son is named for your great-grandfather Frank Gough who married his cousin Annie Gough and called his first child Gough Gough, everyone will assume that he is really named after Gough Whitlam and that you have outed yourself as a “true believer”. Not that there’s any dishonour in that.

POLL RESULTS
Gough received an approval rating of 46%. 36% of people thought it sounded too much like cough or off, but 15% saw it as strong and unforgettable. 4% of people were put off the name by Gough Whitlam.

(Photo of Gough Whitlam from the Sydney Morning Herald)

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~ Names with an Australian Bias of Democratic Temper

Tag Archives: Welsh names

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