eponymia

Friday Faves

2012-03-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a pretty song with a pretty name — September's always been a blah month, one of my least favorites, but I think that as a name it has potential. Though it's the 9th month, the word means "seventh month," because that's where it fell in the Roman year.

Of the "-ember" names I think this one and November have the most potential (though November's nickname Nova outranks September's ... what, Seppy?) — forget August and May, why aren't all month names fair game?

born of the sea

a thousand miles away from me

a court of angels, a ward of the sun

a future forming, a curse undone

under our softly burning lamp

she takes her time

telling stories of our possible lives

and love is the ink in the well when her body writes

let's talk about: Sabine

2012-03-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

detail from a fresco by Cavalier d'Arpino in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, via dirk huijssoon on Flickr

The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy. Legend has it that Roman soldiers kidnapped Sabine women in an attempt to get them to marry Romans and populate their new city, but the women refused, throwing themselves between the Roman army and the Sabine men trying to defend them — in some versions of the story, the women were able to make peace between the two sides. This event has been depicted by many artists, including the sculptor Giambologna and painters Nicolas Poussin, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacques-Louis David, John Leech and Pablo Picasso. A short story parody of the legend was adapted into the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Sabina is version of the name closest to Latin Sabinus, but I prefer the French and German version, Sabine, for its simplicity and refined look. (There's something very unattractive about the "-bina" sound, personally, plus it looks a little incomplete, like Sabrina, missing an R.) Sabine has never been popular in the US, and does not appear in the top 1,000 for the past 120 years. There were around 100 Sabines born in 2009 and 2010, making it a very uncommon choice. However, I think its familiar elements and rich history make it quite usable.

It makes the top 500 in the Netherlands, and is also found as a surname (physicist Wallace Sabine is credited with the discovery of the Sabin, a unit of sound energy absorption). It is a place name in Australia, the US (Texas and Louisiana), Canada, Greenland and New Zealand, as well as the region in Italy. In pop culture it is most recognizable from the 1991 best-selling novels in The Griffin and Sabine Trilogy by Nick Bantock, and in 2011 the name appeared in two films: Léa Seydoux's character in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was named Sabine Moreau, and Keira Knightley's character in A Dangerous Method was based on Russian psychoanalyst Sabina Speilrein.

Italian variant Savina is a softer choice, and other lovely choices include Dutch Sabien, Hungarian Szabina, and masculine forms Savino and Sabinus. Some names of ancient Sabines that I found interesting were (these are all male) Numa, Ancus, Quintus, Attius, Clausus, Crispus and Varro. Names of Sabine gods also include some gems: Feronia, Salus (feminine), Lucina, Flora and Fortuna.

Inspired By: Bob Dylan

2012-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Bob Dylan at St. Lawrence University in New York, November 1963 via Joe Gratz

So there's this singer-songwriter guy, I don't know if you've heard of him — Bob Dylan? Bit of a namer himself, since he forsook his given surname (but Zimmerman's delightful!) in favor of one that comes off a little more hip and edgy. From an interview in Playboy magazine in March 1966:

Playboy: This comes under the category of setting the record straight: By the time you arrived in New York, you'd changed your name from Robert Zimmerman to Bob Dylan. Was it because of Dylan Thomas?

Dylan: No. I haven't read that much of Dylan Thomas. It's a common thing to change your name. It isn't that incredible. Many people do it. People change their town, change their country. New appearance, new mannerisms. Some people have many names. I wouldn't pick a name unless I thought I was that person. Sometimes you are held back by your name. Sometimes there are advantages to having a certain name. Names are labels so we can refer to one another. But deep inside us we don't have a name. We have no name. I just chose that name and it stuck.

...

Dylan: Well, that name changed me. I didn't sit around and think about it too much. That is who I felt I was.

Like a lot of namers, he knows the power of a name — how taking on a new one can change not just the way people see you, but how you see the world. And though I might disagree with the idea that we have no true name, I definitely see the beauty in the idea that we are all nameless. Sometimes names do serve as masks or labels in a way that needlessly separates people from one another, and choosing your own name can be a way to assert control over that.

I've had this list of names from Dylan song titles on my desktop since I started Eponymia, and it seems like time to share them. He's absolutely one of my favorite poets and his songs are great places to draw inspiration of all sorts — I almost used Johanna for my daughter's middle name because of a Bob Dylan song — so there's something here for everyone, I'm sure.

Male

Achilles ("Temporary Like Achilles")

Albert ("Frankie & Albert")

Arthur ("Arthur McBride")

Augustine ("I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine")

Davey ("Blackjack Davey" and "Who Killed Davey Moore?") — I've never been a huge fan of David, but Davey/Davy just seems fun. I think it could be fresh and sweet on a girl, too, like this sweetheart blogger-kid

Dink ("Dink's Song")

Emmett ("The Death of Emmett Till")

Hollis ("Ballad of Hollis Brown") — I'd love to see Hollis get some love

Homer ("Open the Door, Homer")

Huck ("Huck's Tune")

Judas ("The Ballad of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest") — can't forgive him? Too bad, I think Judas is a great opportunity to use Jude as a nickname

Montgomery ("Tiny Montgomery") — this gets fairly regular use in British birth announcements, but is rare on this side of the pond

Percy ("Percy's Song")

Quinn ("Quinn the Eskimo")

Ruben ("Ruben Remus")

Silvio ("Silvio")

Woody ("Song to Woody") — after Woody Guthrie, a huge influence musically and karmically for Dylan. Father of the original Arlo

Female

Alberta ("Alberta #1" and "Alberta #2") — I love feminine forms of Albert. French Alberte, longer Albertine, call her Bertie and you've got an adorable, unique old-lady name

Angelina ("Angelina" and "Farewell, Angelina")

Canadee ("Canadee-i-o") — I've taken a bit of artistic license with this one, but doesn't Canadee seem like a perfect contestant on America's Next Top Model, or something?

Eden ("Gates of Eden")

Delia ("Delia")

Hazel ("Hazel")

Isis ("Isis") — I dare you to listen to this song and not come away loving Isis

Jane ("Queen Jane Approximately")

Johanna ("Visions of Johanna")

Lily and Rosemary ("Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts") — Jack and Jim are the boys from this song, but the girls got better names

Maggie ("Maggie's Farm")

Ramona ("To Ramona")

Sara ("Sara") — this super-depressing song is about his wife, it's beautiful. It'll make you totally forget about Sarah-with-an-H

Shenandoah ("Shenandoah") — for bold & daring namers only, a girl nicknamed Shen would be so cool

And just for a bit of fun, enjoy this rather silly Bob Dylan tune. It's all about naming, of course, and it even inspired a children's book.

Name Reads

2012-03-04T19:20:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I come across name-talk in whatever book I'm reading. I'll start chronicling those finds here, in Name Reads —

"Don't you feel it's this very feverishness that is preventing you from being properly satisfied with the real names of things, and that now, in your frantic haste, you're just pelting them with any old names? You can't do it fast enough. But hardly have you run away from them when you've forgotten the names you gave them. The poplar in the fields, which you've called 'Tower of Babel' because you didn't want to know it was a poplar, sways again without a name ..."

~ from the short story "Description of a Struggle," by Franz Kafka

Rare Dutch Boys: Part Three

2012-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

illustration by Benjamin Rabier via janwillemsen on Flickr

After this installment of Dutch boy names used only once in the Netherlands last year, we'll move up the list to names used twice — and trust me, there are tons of amazing names to come.

Aiswin

Atlantis

Broïn

Binx — Hocus Pocus, anyone?

Caíque

Danvi

Edion

Esper — like Jasper and Casper, this one's intriguing

Fálki

Hopper

Jahlito — something about the "-lito" ending makes me smile

Kaïs

Levaï

Lowán

Maroen

Migo

Neles

Oktay

Phelim

Qays

Revo

Riveney

Roxas

Savi

Seryl

Tenzin — from the given name of the 14th Dalai Lama, a super cool choice

Uveys

Vicien

Yuma — reminds me of the city in my home state, Arizona. I think it's nice on a boy

Zienna — another slightly feminine one. The right kid could pull it off

Leap Names

2012-02-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Early love days -- I had black hair for a year

It's extremely difficult for me to believe, but I first met my husband on Leap Day 2004 — so today is our 2nd/8th dating anniversary. Here are ten names from my favorites list that would be a real leap for me to actually use in real life:

Boys

Earnest — I prefer this variant spelling of Ernest, for some reason. I like that it's the way the word is spelled, and maybe it's less likely to get Ernie as a nickname (I'd prefer just Ern). From a Germanic root meaning "serious," its literary connections are appealing. There's Hemingway, of course, and Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." Some pretty cool variants, too: feminine French Ernestine, Dutch & German Ernst, Finnish Erno and Spanish Ernesto

Indus — taken from the name of the river (which flows from Tibet through India and Pakistan), Indus is a derivative of the word Hindu, which is why it seems a little too weighted-down to use on an actual child, though I love the sound and the connection with nature and early human civilization

Makepeace — one of my favorite name-smushes, Makepeace was the middle name of writer William Thackeray. I love to use a daring middle name — so many times the middle name choice is an afterthought, when really they are the perfect opportunity to use something more adventurous. Who wouldn't want their middle name to be Makepeace? For a pacifist like me it's got a pretty solid meaning

Spintho — no idea where I found this, but I think it has something to do with the term spinto, which means "pushed" in Italian and refers to a certain type of soprano or tenor. It read kind of new-wavey to me and I think it would work really well for a character in a story

Wycliffe — Wycliffe has been up and down on my list since I added it. I can never decide where it falls, and it's impossible to pair it with anything suitable (suggestions welcome!)

Girls

Almira — a variant of Elmira, this name comes from Germanic elements meaning "noble" and "famous," though I wonder if it might be connected to Alma, from the Latin almus, meaning "nourishing," or the Spanish word for "soul." I prefer the "AL-meer-ah" pronunciation to one with a long "I" sound

Anca — a diminutive of Ana, this name is pronounced like Bianca, without the Bi. I'm a sucker for sharp, succinct, yet feminine names, and this is one of them. There's also a town in Portugal called Ançã, though I assume the pronunciation is different

Dovima — 1950s fashion model Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba created a stage name by taking the first two letters of each of her given names. The result is an exotic, unusual name that is totally created (not all namers are averse to making up names, after all, most names were made-up at some point or another). Such great nickname possibilities here: Dovi, Vim, Mimi ...

Ivalo — another river name! The Ivalo river is in Finland's Lapland province, and it's also the name of a town. The little Danish Princess Josephine has Ivalo as one of her middle names. It's actually a Greenlandic name meaning "tendon, thread," or "sinew"

Vilde — this one is currently quite high on my list. It's a short form of Alvilde, which is a variant of an Old Norse name (Alfhild) meaning "noble," which belonged to a warrior maiden from Norse legend

Panning for Name Gold: 2000

2012-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

the deer at Nara, by lomonowski via Flickr

Welcome to the new millennium, and 10 new names from the very bottom of the popularity chart. Only one more decade left!

Boys

Cephas — I almost mentioned Cephas for my Lithium post, because Cephas means "rock" in Aramaic. Simon the apostle was called Cephas by Jesus, and in most versions of the New Testament, it is translated into Greek as Petros. It's a little clunky, and the "Ceph-" is not he most attractive sound, but there's something to its unusual makeup that appeals

Cully — I've seen Sully as a boys' nickname (for Sullivan, most of the time) but Cully seems a cleaner, fresh variant. With the popularity of Cullen on the rise (there's one namers will be watching when the stats for 2011 come out in May) Cully could make a sweet short form

Django — the most well-known bearer of this name is probably guitarist Django Reinhardt, whose real name was Jean. The name means "I awake" in Romani. I think we could see it get a little attention when Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Django Unchained is released later this year

Eero — a Finnish form of Eric, architect Eero Saarinen is where most non-Finnish people recognize this name. It also belongs to Finnish interior designer Eero Aarnio and is a super-cool choice for parents looking for something in the Milo/Arlo vein, but worry about the future popularity of those trendy choices

Erasmus — from the Greek for "beloved," Saint Erasmus is also known as Saint Elmo (of "fire" fame) and was the patron saint of sailors. I like its vaguely hickish sound and its many nickname possibilities -- wouldn't a kid called Rasmus be kind of amazing?

Girls

Dulcinea — in Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, Dulcinea (which means "sweetness") is the subject of Quixote's undying obsession. Though she's really a peasant girl named Aldonza, Quixote sees her as a superhuman beauty. In the musical The Man of La Mancha, he sings, "Dulcinea, Dulcinea/ I see heaven when I see thee, Dulcinea/ And thy name is like a prayer an angel whispers"

Eugenie — this is the French form of Eugenia, and the name of Napoleon III's wife, though its most famous modern bearer is probably Princess Eugenie of York, daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. I particularly like it as Eugénie, with the French spelling and pronunciation

Hero — Hero's one I've seen used a few times (British celebrities Myleene Klass and Aaron Johnson have new daughters named Hero) recently. I like it for its strong sound and mythological associations. In Greek myth, Hero was the lover of Leander, who swum the Hellespont each night to be with her. It's also the name of a character in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing"

Malin — Swedish-Canadian actress Malin Åkerman has brought this name into popular awareness and I think it could begin to be used more often. Though it hasn't been in the top 1,000 for the past 132 years (at least) it has elements that should appeal to the modern American parent -- particularly the "-lin" ending. It's a Swedish and Norse (it's in the top 100 in Norway, and on the decline in Sweden) short form of Magdalene, a name rich with history

Nara — this one caught my eye because of the city of Nara, on Honshū island, in Japan. Nara is home to many ancient temples and shrines, and is most famous for its deer. According to the legend of Kasuga shrine, a mythological god named Takemikazuchi came to Nara on a white deer to guard the capital. Deer are regarded as heavenly creatures that protect the city, and they roam freely, pestering tourists for snacks and being generally very magical

And The Oscar Goes To ...

2012-02-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

photo by Alan Light via Flickr

Movie credits are always a great place to find new names — I particularly like older movies for dusty throwback finds. The Academy Awards are taking over town tomorrow, so I thought I'd look through the list of cast and crew of the nominees for Best Picture.

from The Artist —

Basil, Cleto, Tasso, Uggie, Wiley
Bérénice, Bitsie, Maize, Penelope, Peppy

from The Descendants —

Laird, Milo, Stanton, Waldo, Zoel
Amara, Fileena, Kaui, Shailene, Tiare

from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close —

Boris, Hamlet, Harlan, Hector, Oskar
Aurelia, Hazelle, Mona, Ryka, Viola

from The Help —

Coyt, Hughes, Jeno, Raleigh, Tate
Aibileen, Constantine, Hilly, Roslyn, Yule Mae

from Hugo —

Asa, Django, Gulliver, Mihai, Sacha
Belles, Hovette, Lisette, Mathilde, Nuria

from Midnight in Paris —

Gad, Jaume, Marcial, Sava, Serge
Inez, Léa, Marie-Sohne, Mimi, Zelda

from Moneyball —

Cabran, Grady, Kerris, Onesimus, Vyto
Francine, Gretta, Sian, Solange, Suzaine

from The Tree of Life —

Cayler, Finnegan, Goro, Laramie, Shay
Erma, Fiona, Irene, Leora, Rue

from War Horse —

Albert, Anian, Brandt, Hinnerk, Manex
Anayanzi, Chamia, Malwina, Revel, Rose

Elemental Names: Beryllium

2012-02-24T16:54:00.001-08:00

Periodic Table, found via UNIFORM on Tumblr

Atomic number 4 belongs to brittle Beryllium, a chemical component found in some gemstones. It takes its name from the gem Beryl, a clear or pale-green precious stone — "beryl" is derived from a Sanskrit word that may refer to the name of a place in India, and came into use as a given name in the 19th century. Veruliya, a Prakrit word from its etymology, stood out as particularly lovely.

Beryl was in the SSA top 1,000 in 1880, when it was #518, and stayed on the list until 1957, when it last appeared at #913 before disappearing entirely. It was most popular in 1920, when it reached #372 (the modern day equivalent would be Kenzie) and was a pretty steady presence in the 400-600 range for most of its run, until the early '50s, when it started to fall.

Aquamarines and emeralds contain beryllium — a deep-blue version of aquamarine is called Maxixe. The Middle English and old French versions of emerald would make beautiful, very unusual choices — they are Emeraude and Ésmeraude, respectively.

The English word "brilliance," is derived from beryl, and some names with shiny meanings include Cassandra, which comes from Greek elements and means "to shine upon man" — Castor comes from the same roots. The "-dra" ending of Chandra puts me off, but it means "moon" in Sanskrit, and is derived from the element Chand, meaning "to shine," which I find much more intriguing on its own. Dai, a Welsh diminutive of David, also means "to shine."

Unisex Hebrew name Zohar means "light," or "brilliance," and has great variants, including Zahara, Zaahir and Zaahira. Arabic name Sana means "radiance" and currently cracks the French top 200. One of the three Graces of Greek mythology was named Phaenna, which means "shining." Russian form Faina is also nice. Another mythological name is Taliesin, which means "shining brow," and was the name of a wizard-prophet of Welsh lore.

One can also find inspiration in the color of the gemstones themselves. Irish male name Odhrán (pronounced "O-rawn") means "little pale green one," and variants Orin and Odran are quite handsome. Even the word "green" itself might offer some name possibilities when translated, if you don't mind venturing into "naive" or "immature" territory — like Éretlen (Hungarian), Vert or Verte (French), Verdura or Novellino (Italian) and Midori (Japanese).

Rare Dutch Boys: Part Two

2012-02-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

postcard from 1947, by Jan Willemsen on Flickr

After a short hiatus for the holiday weekend, here's the second installment of rare Dutch boy names. Enjoy!

Ailo

Alstone

Beau-Luc — thought this was a fun, unexpected double name

Carar

Corniël

Díto-Rùben

Ellex

Helix

Isil

Kaimoon

Lavi

Lotijn

Manouk — the male Anouk?

Minnow — I'm looking at you, Nicole Richie

Nòvo

Orlan

Pymon

Rauliën

Ringo

Rouvien

Samba

Serafin-Xavi

Sybolt — found this one particularly appealing, maybe because of my love of Sibyl

Tryfon

Vanroy

Xavio

Zalyth

Valentine's Day Name Game

2012-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Another holiday, another name game. For this one, the names were randomly selected from my list of married couples gathered from the New York Times wedding announcements. To play:

Leave a comment, and choose 4 numbers, from 1 through 50. You may repeat numbers if you like.

Specify whether you'd prefer a male/female pairing or a same sex couple, and I'll do a post tomorrow with your new Valentine's day matches.

In the meantime, feel free to get weepy and/or warm 'n gooey whilst listening to this pretty deep Stevie Wonder song.

the many sounds that meet our ears

the sights our eyes behold,

will open up our merging hearts,

and feed our empty souls

I believe when I fall in love with you

it will be forever,

I believe when I fall in love this time

it will be forever

Update: Thanks to everyone who played! Here are your happy couples —

Lou — Rémy Harris and Gwen Jaya

Anonymous 10:41 — Tick Basile and Simone Lela

breakingthenight — Ambrose Guy and Rose Edith

Caitlin — Rahul Hays and Heath Gillian

Chelsea K — Sophien Archibald and Christiane Yael

Anonymous 8:33 — Raphael Javit and Molly Caroline

appleteeth — Heath Constance and Marion Marcella

let's talk about: George

2012-02-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

George-lovers Orwell and Eliot, aka Eric and Mary-Anne

Sometimes I get obsessed with a set of names and start seeing them everywhere. After I posted about Edith, I thought how lovely another featured name, Nina, sounded next to it. Then, at the playground, I met a little Nina with a brother called George. There three sound so well-suited, as a group. Nina, Edith & George, classics with some edge, interesting sounds, grown-up yet workable for a small child.

George has been in the top 200 for as long as the SSA list is available (it goes back to 1880 online) and its recorded peak was at #4, a position it held steadily from 1884 to 1909. That's quite a chunk of time, enough to ensure its popularity for years to come — George is currently at #164, still very high. On the decline since 1926, in recent years it's gone up and down a few points, off and on. This indicates that, in the US at least, George is on the verge of either giving up entirely and going out of style, or hanging on, pulling through and remaining a regularly-used classic. I wonder if it'll settle at a lower or higher spot, or just keep falling until it's no longer in the top 1,000.

George's rich history of use is why it's managed to be such a presence on the charts for so long. It's a name associated with saints, royals (I counted 21 king Georges from at least 3 countries, and 12 princes), writers and artists.

It's comprised of Greek elements meaning "earth" and "worker," often translated as "farmer." Some great variants include Croatian Juro, Dutch Joeri, Finnish Yrjö, Frisian Joris, Galician Xurxo, German Jürgen (say that 10 times fast), medieval German Jurian, medieval Scandinavian Yrian, Swedish Örjan and Welsh Siôr. Some feminine variants include Georgia, Georgiana, Georgina, Georgeta and Georgette.

Rare Dutch Boys: Part One

2012-02-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Plukkie Pluisstaart by Willy Schermele, via Jan Willemsen on Flickr

I did three installments of my favorite picks from the dregs of the Dutch girl statistics, now here are my favorites of the boys. Enjoy —

Aël

Aulon

Brunon

Cahil

Chess

Djevi

Elaye

Faeron

Gilliam — Monty Python fans?

Ianto

Jasha

Juro

Kors

Lolke

Lütfi

Maylo

Millem

Niru

Orfei

Phileas — intriguing!

Quinsley

Rikus

Sachin

Sem-Luca

Vallanor — quite gallant

Vip — "the vipper of Vip"

Panning for Name Gold: 1990

2012-02-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Best name-change ever? You decide.

It's the beginning of the end — of a millennium, and here are 10 names from the very bottom of the charts.

Boys

Macaulay — Macaulay Culkin was 10 years old in 1990, and coincidentally this is the same year that Home Alone was released. I wonder if the sudden arrival of Macaulay on the popularity charts (there were 5 born in '90, and a name must be used at least 5 times to get listed) can be credited entirely to his pop culture emergence — it certainly seems so. His parents chose interesting names for their brood — Macaulay's siblings are Shane, Dakota, Kieran, Quinn, Christian & Rory

Ruffin — almost always found as a surname, possibly derived from Rufus, which means "red-haired." It's also the name of a town in North Carolina which is named after Edmund Ruffin, who seems to have been a pretty despicable human being, and is credited with firing the first shot of the civil war … weirdly, I had no idea about this connection when I chose it along with Sojourner, mentioned below

Tolliver — derived from an Italian surname meaning "iron cutter," Tolliver struck me for its similarity to trendy/new classic Oliver, which I see all over the place here in LA. I like the idea of it as an Oliver-spinoff and the nickname "Toll" or "Tolly" for a young boy is pretty cute

Wing — obviously a word name, I was surprised to see Wing listed on the boy side of things, then wondered, why not? It's a nature name and I like the images it conjures up of angels and other mythical beings and beasts. It's fun to say, sharp and quick, and, paired with the right middle and surname, could be something quite special — could work as a choice for parents interested in sailing, aviation or nature

Zephan — probably a short form of Biblical name Zephaniah, which means "Yahweh has hidden," and is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. Zeph's a pretty cool nickname, dontcha think?

Girls

Fanchon — a diminutive of the name Françoise, which means "from France," Fanchon Moreau was an opera singer at the turn of the 17th century. Who knew operas have such great names in them? Moreau sang the parts of Astrée, Oriane, Sidonie, Créuse and Hésione, to name just a few

Leota — there's a place called Leota Township in Minnesota, and town lore says that it was named for a young Native American woman, though its similarity to names like Leta and Leona make me think that might just be a story

Moya — I've found Moya listed as a variant of Maia, Moira and as a Hebrew name. However it seems to be found mostly on Irish and British women as a first name, or as a Hispanic surname. It's also a place name, and can be found in the Canary Islands, Comoros, Peru, Niger and Spain. There's a municipality in Catalonia, Spain called Moià, which I think makes a very attractive spelling. It's a term found in Japanese architecture, as well (referring to the core of a building, which is a nice added meaning)

Sojourner — the dictionary definition of this word name is "a person who resides temporarily in a place" and its most famous bearer was abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth, whose birth name was Isabella Baumfree. A bold choice but what a fantastic namesake she would be

Tehani — Tehani is one I've come across in real life -- it's a Tahitian name meaning "the sweet smelling caress of flowers," though I've also seen it listed as meaning "celebration," from various sources. In any case it gets some regular use in the US, though it's very uncommon, and it has a lovely musical sound

Elemental Names: Lithium

2012-02-06T17:39:00.000-08:00

Periodic Table, found via UNIFORM on Tumblr

Lithium takes its name from the Greek word lithos, meaning "stone." Perhaps the most famous stone-related name is Peter, which means "rock." Peter was the name given to the apostle Simon by Jesus. Saint Peter is widely believed to have been the first Pope, the "rock" upon which the foundation of the Catholic church was built. Peter has some great variants, including medieval French Piers, Dutch Piet, Basque Peio, Macedonian Pece and Swedish Pelle and Per. For girls, Peta and Petra are nice, unexpected choices.

Some other names with stone meanings include old English Dunstan, which means "dark stone," Arabic male name Fihr, which means "stone pestle," Finnish girl name Pinja which means "stone pipe," Old Norse Sixten, from elements meaning "victory" and "stone," and Old English Wystan, which means "battle stone." Another Norse choice is Torsten, which means "Thor's stone," and refers to a place in England that is said to have been an early Viking settlement and religious ceremonial ground.

Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal — Sterling comes to mind. It means "little star," and also carries meaning as an English word meaning "excellent."

Lithium is represented by the symbol Li, which is a name in its own right. It is a unisex Hebrew name meaning "to me." It is also a unisex name in Chinese — for boys, it is usually represented by the symbols for "reason" or "logic" (理), "stand" (立), "dawn" or "black" (黎) or "strength/power" (力). For girls, it usually means "beautiful" (丽) ... because that's the best you can hope for with a girl? Blah!

"I'm so happy/ 'cos today I found my friends/ they're in my head" Chemical salts of lithium are sometimes administered as a mood-stabilizing medication for various conditions including bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. Some cheerful names: Alaia, which means "joyful" in Basque, Eija, a Finnish name taken from an exclamation of happiness (eijaa), Obrad, a Serbian name meaning "to make happy," and Nandita, a Sanskrit name meaning "happy." And some depressed: Dolores means "sorrows," Tristan is from the Latin tristis, meaning "sad," and Mahzun is a Turkish male name that also means "sad."

Friday Faves

2012-02-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

Jane for Friday

he don't like his boring job, no

Jane for Saturday

all the girls look the same

and Janes for Sunday, too

anyone who ever had a heart

all of the flower ladies

Jane seems the perfect name to fit any kind of story, less a blank-Doe slate than an inspiring, mysterious classic. Jane gets more love as a middle name than a first, and I think it's less common than people assume, at least in the US — it's currently at #384 on the charts, and last peaked at #35, in 1946.

It's a feminine form of John, of course, and has lots of lovely variants — my favorites include sweet, retro Janet, Dutch diminutive Jantine, underrated Janine, Icelandic Jóna, punk rock Sheena and Welsh Siân ("SHAH:N").

Rare Dutch Girls: Part Three

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam, 1937 by janwillemsen on Flickr

Here's the final installment of super-rare Dutch girl names. These names were used only once in the Netherlands last year, and I'll be posting my list of favorites from the boy list next.

Anneloïse

Antine

Bisou

Clelia — I went to elementary school with a girl called Clelia. Pronounced "clay-lee-ah"

Eloïne

Eylül — this is a Turkish name that means "September"

Fleurance

Isaloe

Jomi

Lèmoni — can't resist this

Lio

Lylwenn

Maéva

Marisanne

Mayreau

Motiënna

Nevine

Pippien

Romaïsa

Sephine

Suze-Roos — total crafty-hip vibe here

Truke

Violaine

Xanne-Lou

Yulanne

Zuske

let's talk about: Edith

2012-01-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

Two girls and their props: Edith Piaf and Edith Head

"In reality they all lived in a kind of hieroglyphic world, where the real thing was never said or done or even thought, but only represented by a set of arbitrary signs."

~ from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Like the rest of the bourgie-TV-watching world, I've been enjoying Downton Abbey lately. I'm afraid I can't even say I liked it before it started getting brought up at every dinner party ever, but I was really just too busy being cool to notice. For reals. So busy.

Anyway there are three sisters in the show and they all have nice names. Mary's, well, Mary, so it's not that interesting, Sybil is really great and stylish and I only like it spelled Sibyl, and then there's Edith. A grand old name with a sweet hipster-ready nickname (Sedgwick fans probably dig Downton, right?) that happens to be totally accessible and usable today.

It brings to mind a great troupe of wonderfully talented and interesting women. There's French singer Édith Piaf (born Édith Giovanna Gassion), Academy Award-winning costume designer Edith Head (she's Edith Claire) and writer Edith Wharton. Edie Sedgwick did a lot to give the name a chic, sophisticated, dramatic girl vibe, and the nickname "Edie" is certainly charming enough.

Edith is derived from an Old English name containing elements meaning "riches/blessed" and "war." It is used regularly in some Scandinavian countries including Sweden, where it's in the top 100. In 2010, Edith was at #820 in the States, 22 spaces up from its 2009 position. I'll be interested to see where it lands for 2011, since pre-09 it had been in a straight-up downward spiral since the 1880s (it was once in the top 30). It seems to have had a few years of regaining a teensy bit of lost popularity, so it's hard to predict where Edith will wind up, though if it manages to stay in the top 1,000 for a bit longer, I think it'll stay there for quite some time, and probably enjoy a real resurgence.

I usually stick to the oldest spelling when it comes to names, but I have to admit I'm won over by alternate spelling Edythe. Some other nice forms are Edita, Danish Ditte, Italian Editta, Finnish Eedit, Hebrew Idit and Tongan Iteti.

Friday Faves

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Arthur's a name-creep — it was at the top of my list for a while, then dropped off entirely, and now is working its way back into my naming favor. In the US, Arthur's currently at its lowest point in popularity since 1880. It once ranked as high as #14 (its 2010-equivalent would be Andrew) but now sits at #389 — higher than I expected, but it's not looking too good.

I'd like to see it used more. It has strong literary ties — fans of Arthurian legend are responsible for its first burst of popularity — and great nickname opportunities, including Art, Archie and Artie. It has many lovely variants, like Dutch Tuur, Finnish Arttu, Lithuanian Artūras, Scottish Artair and Spanish Arturo. Wouldn't Turo make a cool nickname?

Then there's this song by ridiculously great band The Kinks, which spells out Arthur as a plain, simple man. And maybe he is, but the name has depth created by centuries of regular use, famous bearers who've served it well, and just the right amount of dust to keep things interesting.

all the way he was overtaken

by the people who make the big decisions

but he tried and he tried for a better life

and a way to improve his own condition

don't you know it, don't you know it

you can cry, cry all night

but it won't make it right

don't you know it, don't you know it

Arthur, we know and we sympathize

don't you know it, don't you know it

Arthur, we like you and want to help you

somebody loves you, don't you know it?

Rare Dutch Girls: Part Two

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Volendam, the Netherlands, 1925 by janwillemsen on Flickr

Here's a new group of rare Dutch girl names. I'm working on the boy names now and they are seriously tripping me out. So far, I've seen Broadcast, Blitz, Bramble and Buick — and those are only from the Bs.

Hope you enjoy these —

Anemoon

Annewil — this and Willien (mentioned below) are so much sharper than Willa or Willow, I feel

Bibiche

Cavatala

Elianthe

Evi-Marlène

Fenne-Beau

Idyl — why not!

Jacomine — new Jac- names are always intriguing, and you know I love an "-ine" ending

Leanour

Leysae

Lusevana

Maelief — so charming

Marilotte

May-Britt

Minoe

Nele-Fleur

Phillou — this one totally gets me

Quilla

Sannefleur

Suara

Tessely

Veralí

Willien

Yslide

Zoéline

Elemental Names: Helium

2012-01-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

Periodic Table, found via UNIFORM on Tumblr

Helium takes its name from the Greek god Helios, son of Hyperion and Theia, who drove a sun-bearing chariot across the sky each day. Helios means "sun," and is the root source of the feminine name Helene, which has many sunny variants that would make great homages to the second element on the periodic table — Scandinavian form Elin has been in the news thanks to Tiger Woods' Swedish ex-wife, Alyona is a softer Russian diminutive of Yelena, Romanian Lenuța ("le-NOOT-sah") is intriguing and fun to say, and nickname-of-a-nickname Nella is a good alternative to uber-popular Ella. There's also cool Hungarian Ilonka, retro sweetheart Elaine and German short form Leni.

The formal discovery of Helium was made in 1895 by well-named Swedish chemists Per Teodor Cleve and Nils Abraham Langlet, though it was first detected in 1868 by French astronomer Pierre "Jules" César Janssen, who observed a yellow spectral line signature in the sunlight during a solar eclipse. English scientist and astronomer Joseph "Norman" Lockyer shares this credit and is responsible for Helium's name — let's all be glad he was a classical namer and not a narcissist — or we'd all be filling birthday balloons with Lockyerium.

There are many names with sunny meanings — Japanese Youko/Yoko can be written with the characters for either "sunlight" or "ocean" combined with the suffix "-ko," meaning "child." Haru is a Japanese male name that can be written with the character for "sunlight," and Haruki adds the suffix "-ki," which can mean "to shine/radiance" or "life." Heulwen ("sunlight") and Tesni ("warmth of the sun") are pretty, feminine Welsh names, and Solveig ("sun strength") and Sunniva ("sun gift") are Norwegian. I love the look of variant Synnøve, too.

Names with a plain "sun" meaning include French Soleil, Lithuanian Saulė, masculine Ravi (a Hindu god of the sun) and Croatian Sunčana. Speaking of other sun gods and goddesses, Arinna was a Hittite sun goddess, and Surya (also called Aruna) is the Hindu equivalent of Greek Helios. Étaín (also found as Éadaoin) is the name of a sun goddess and heroine of Irish myth, and let's not forget the French sun-king name Louis, which I've previously featured.

Panning for Name Gold: 1980

2012-01-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

Here are 10 names to ponder, taken from the bottom of the popularity charts in 1980.

Boys

Amory — I've liked this name since reading it in F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel, This Side of Paradise. The main character, Amory Blaine, is a lovelorn college student, totally self-absorbed except when it comes to pretty, stuck-up debutantes. It embodies a "literary/unusual" style that I see more and more of in the naming world — under-heard classics ready for comebacks. I pronounce it with a long "A" (AY-mer-ee) but have heard it pronounced with the "am" sound at the beginning, too

Elston — the name of a small village in Nottinghamshire, England. Elston was originally named Elveston, for an early leader named Elva, the Anglicanized form of Irish name Ailbhe, meaning "white"

Fenton — also a place name (it means "marsh town"), there are cities/towns called Fenton in Canada, the US and Britain. More common as a surname, I think Fenton could appeal to those looking for a trendy-sounding name that has actual history. The "-ton" ending makes it accessible and familiar

Severin — German and Scandinavian form of Severinus, from the Roman family name Severus, meaning "stern," Severin makes a chic and striking boy name. I can't hear it without singing, "I am tired/ I am weary/ I could sleep for a thousand years"

Shem — Biblical Noah (of Ark fame) had 3 sons, and the best-named one was Shem. His name means "name" (that's so meta) and I think it's perfect for people looking for something Biblical but not too common

Girls

Easter — from the name of the holiday, which comes from the Germanic pagan goddess of the spring, Ēostre (also called Ostara). Eostre is from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine." As far as holiday-names go, I think Easter is sweetest

Fleur — this group of girl names feels very "springtime" to me. Fleur is the French word for "flower," and it ranks in the top 40s of Belgium and the Netherlands, and in the 400s in France. I like a lot of its variants, including Welsh Fflur, Dutch Floortje, English Floella, cute nickname Florrie, and masculine Florian

Jonquil — see, it's a theme! Jonquil is an unusual flower name, from the Latin iuncus, meaning "reed." I like alternate spelling Jonquille, as well as possible nicknames Joni or Quil

Oona — variant of Úna, meaning "lamb," I think this one has comeback written all over it. I've met two young Oonas and both wore their names with sass and sweetness. Oona O'Neill was the daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill and writer Agnes Boulton — she dated Orson Welles and JD Salinger before meeting Charlie Chaplin, whom she married before she turned 18, despite the fact that her parents disapproved of their 36-year age difference. Charlie and Oona were married for 35 years and had 8 children: Geraldine, Michael, Josephine, Victoria, Eugene, Jane, Annette & Christopher

Philomena — from the Greek philos, meaning "friend" and menos, meaning "strength." The name of a matryred 4th-century princess saint whose bones were discovered in the Catacombs of Priscilla in 1802. I like French form Philomène just as much

Rare Dutch Girls: Part One

2012-01-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam, 1900 by janwillemsen on Flickr

My recent post on early medieval names from the Netherlands and Flanders got me interested in what modern Dutch parents are choosing for their children. A little searching around led me to the list of names used on Dutch babies for 2011 — it's a great collection (full of surprises, too — Jayden's in the top 10!) and gets particularly interesting towards the bottom.

These names were used on only one baby in 2011, so they're as rare as it gets. The list is very long (and much longer for girls than for boys), so I've chosen ones that appealed to my taste, stood out for some reason, or that I thought might have some chance of use in English-speaking countries. Enjoy!

Améline

Anne-Phine — there are lots of lovely "Josephine" variants

Ariska

Catalana — perfect for Jordan Catalano-obsessors

Diëlla

Everdine

Fayèn

Fritzi

Isri-Lara

Katoo

Leonieke — always looking for new Leo-names

Lucewen

Lyris-Vera

Majella

Marlenthe

Mesa

Nadiëne

Novavie

Pommelot

Roseriet

Solanche

Talieta

Vallènce

Virtue

Yaëlla

Zélie

Elemental Names: Hydrogen

2012-01-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

Periodic Table, found via UNIFORM on Tumblr

Though I often look to nature and astronomy to find new, unusual names, I don't generally think of chemistry as a potential name-mining zone. I love the order and simple beauty of the periodic table, though, and thanks to a suggestion from my husband, have decided to take a look at it as a possible source for names.

Up first — Hydrogen

In Greek, hydrogen means "water former." Some names with aquatic meanings are Damla (a Turkish name with a great meaning: "water drop"), Dalit ("to draw water" in Hebrew, particularly appropriate), Enki (the Sumerian god of water and wisdom, and keeper of the divine laws), Neith (Greek form of an Egyptian girls' name meaning "water") and Chinese unisex name Shui, which means "water" (the term feng shui translates to "wind-water"). Another interesting one is Finnish Virva, which is from the word virvatuli, meaning "will o' the wisp," which appears in Finnish folklore as a ball of light that floats over water.

Hydrogen is the lightest element, and Vayu is the name of the Hindu god of the air and wind. Another name for him is Anil — Anila is the very pretty feminine form. Ilma is a Finnish name meaning "air." Ilma comes from Ilmatar, who in Finnish mythology was an androgynous goddess of the heavens, and the mother of Ilmarinen, the creator of the sky. Ilmari is the short masculine form of his name.

Qi or Chi is an ancient Chinese concept, defined as a life force or spiritual energy that is part of every living thing, literally translated as "air" or "breath." I've seen Chi used as a middle name before, and it always surprises me. In ancient Sumer, Enlil was the god of air, and in ancient Egypt, he was called Shu. Shu's husband was the goddess of moisture, Tefnut, which makes for a rather clunky name, but I love the idea of air and moisture getting paired up — perfect for hydrogen. In Greek mythology, Aether was the personification of the bright, upper air of the sky, the substance of light. It means "pure, fresh air" or "clear sky" and is where we get the English word ether.

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element in the universe, found in stars and gas giant planets. The gas giants are also referred to as Jovian planets — the word refers to the planet Jupiter, but I've always though Jovian could make an attractive name.

In its plasma state, hydrogen gives off a purple color. Sigal is a feminine Hebrew name meaning "purple." Names meaning "violet" include Yolanda-variant Iolanthe, first used by Gilbert & Sullivan in an 1882 comic opera, and Calfuray, a feminine Mapuche name.

And on a totally different note: here's a great sermon given by a Nobel Prize-winning nonviolent civil rights activist who shares a name with a 16th-century German protestant reformer. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. day!

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice.

Say that I was a drum major for peace.

I was a drum major for righteousness.

And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind.

And that's all I want to say.

Sad-Eyed Naming of the Low Lands

2012-01-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

misty, placid creatures in the Dutch countryside, by Herm_B on Flickr

I came across a fabulous onomastic niche recently — Names in the Low Lands before 1150 is a wealth of data compiled on names used in the Netherlands and Flanders in early medieval times. Before you're off to peruse the lists yourself, here are the ones that caught my eye.

Male
Avuko

Avutet

Craft

Etto

Folquin — romantic, could be called Quin, sounds like "falcon"

Foravot

Illehere

Maluin

Raingod — would make a killer surname

Sahso

Saxamer — another lovely sound

Tangrad

Vocco

Witter

Wolfrer — this is a new-to-me "wolf" name

Female
Athela

Baue
Bessela

Duvin — I'm (mis)-pronouncing this one with a French "-vin," and I like it

Esacha

Geva

Lievilt — girl names ending in "T" are so unusual

Maruui

Otgive

Uuitta

Vdonis

Volcent — something about this appeals to me. Like an evil twin to Millicent, maybe?

So many of them seem like they'd be right at home in a science fiction novel. I love these little time-travelers — they're so old and unfamiliar, yet they're comprised of elements that still hold meaning. It's a nice connection to our (human) past.

A little Eponymia-update: to the right, you'll notice a link to my Twitter feed. I'll be using it to post names I hear when out and about here in LA. I almost always hear something worth mentioning!

Graduates

2012-01-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

These are some of the more interesting combos I found while looking over a list of the people my grandfather graduated college with (in June, 1956) —

Albert Lowell

Arthur Albert Emil

Burney John

Coldevin Bruce

Dimmitt Otto

Everett Armistead

Garland Wilson

Henry de Forest

Horace Cecil

Julius Lobe

Kohen Ellis

Louis Wilmer

Mayes Ervin

Murff Franklin

Odus Edgar

Oliver Price

Otis Thornton

Porter King

Sigsby Keefer

Tesson Joseph

Urvine Ellsworth

Van Bryan

Alma Louise

Annot Faye

Genevieve Pyle

Hazel Leah

Jane McIver

June Anita

Leona Emilene

Marienne Adele

Marion Rozzelle

Mildred Maxine

Nancy Corinne

Sybil Dingle

Some interesting ones, right? A lot of people had surnames as their middles -- especially the women. There was a girl named Louette, too, and I really like that.

Panning for Name Gold: 1970

2012-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

I've looked at the lists for every decade from 1880 to 1960 so far, staring at the bottom of the naming ocean as it slowly shifts from old-fashioned, to dated, to modern and back again. It's surprised me how little the lists really change. From 1880 to 1950 many of the same names appeared — even the unusual names I've been featuring in these posts often appear for decades and decades as regular, if rarely-used, characters.

But looking at the lists for 1960 and 1970, I saw a larger picture start to develop. I was struck by how many "new" names I was seeing. Compared to previous decades, the lists were very different. Though I totally haven't attempted to quantify this (I don't have that much time on my hands), if I had to guess, I'd say the biggest change in the list happened between '60 and '70.

One thing I love about names is how they often reflect what's happening in a particular place. Looking at the 1970 list, I could read in it new references to Eastern religions and philosophies, African tribal cultures, mythology, nature, pop culture and music. Perhaps I'll take a closer look and investigate further, but for now, here are 10 that stood out.

Boys

Calixto — Spanish and Portuguese form of a Latin name (Callistus) derived from Greek, meaning "most beautiful." You generally hear more about the feminine forms of this name — Calista, for instance, or intriguing Calixta — but I like the "Calix-" sound on a boy best. Other nice forms include French Calixte and alternate spelling Calisto

Clive — an Old English name meaning "cliff." I appreciate the snappy sound and shortness of this one. It's masculine without sounding ridiculously dude-ish, and it could definitely ride the trendy-train to hipsterville, no problem

Jolyon — a medieval form of Julian, Jolyon is one that appeals to me because of its slightly-awkward look. Still regularly (though it's rare) used in Britain, author John Galworthy used it in his The Forsyte Saga, where Jolyon is a cousin of the main character, Soames

Quint — a numerical prefix meaning "five," Quint would suit a fifth-born child particularly well, though I think it's perfectly usable on a firstborn, too. It even has shark-hunting (a character in Jaws) and evil-robot (the Mega Man games) connotations — what's not to like?

Sylvan — derived from the Latin silva, meaning "wood." Silvans, forest-dwelling deities, spirits or elves, appear in CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia and JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth books, as well as in many other fantasy novels and games. Though Sylvia and Sylvie are more popular forms, I think Sylvan's really pretty cool. I have a vague memory of Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi having a son named Silvan with his wife, Amanda de Cadenet (Silvan's twin sister is Ella and his half-sister is nicely-named Atlanta)

Girls

Anouk — I chose these names back when I started the blog last September, and it's funny how names I chose (and forgot about) 4 months ago have already shown up here. I mentioned Anouk last Friday. Since then, I was reminded of where I first came across the name — it was used in the movie Chocolat, as the name of Juliette Binoche's little daughter. I think more Anouck Lepere and Anouk Aimée now, but if Anouk seems weird, hearing it on a cute kid for 2 hours might convert you

Delta — the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (Δ), a "delta" is also the term for an island formed at the mouth of a river. It's more Delta Burke than Delta Goodrem here in the US, but I am really digging it lately. Just let it sit for a few days, it'll grow on you

Ianthe — "The chains of earth's immurement/ Fell from Ianthe's spirit;/ They shrank and brake like bandages of straw/ Beneath a wakened giant's strength./ She knew her glorious change, And felt in apprehension uncontrolled." (from Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Queen Mab") A personal favorite, Ianthe is Greek, means "violet flower," and was the name of a mythological ocean nymph. Popular with poets, apparently — Lord Byron and Walter Savage Landor both used the name to refer to their unattainable lady-loves

Ilse — German and Dutch diminutive of Elisabeth, Ilse is perhaps my favorite form of the name. Casablanca really made me love it and I think it's chic and sophisticated. Ranks in the top 100 for Netherlands

Lucienne — feminine form of Lucien, I like that this can sound either sweetly Southern or totally Frenchy. I've seen Vivienne around, and Lucy's always a popular classic, so this also feels like a bit of a mash-up of two lovely choices. I'm surprised I haven't seen it used yet

Natural History Names

2012-01-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

Zuni Pueblo, 1873 byTimothy H. O'Sullivan

Jotted down between bug inspecting and dinosaur petting, these names were found on a recent trip to the Natural History Museum —

Mimus — from the scientific name of the Northern Mockingbird

Olivella — a name-smush I can totally see working, a combination of Olive + Ella, I found this in a collection of seashells. It's also the name of a village in Catalonia

Ovis — from the scientific name of the Dall's sheep

Semele — another one taken from the shell section, Semele was also the mother of Dionysus in Greek mythology. The name is derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "earth"

Skolai — the name of an alpine pass in the Wrangell Mountains of southeastern Alaska

Velero — taken from a species of sea snail, this is the Spanish word for "sailboat"

Violacea — shells again. This one was named for its resemblance to violet flowers

Zuni — from the name of a tribe of Pueblo Native Americans. This particular exhibit focused on their beautiful, netsuke-like fetish carvings

Friday Faves

2011-12-30T20:16:00.000-08:00

Name dreams: I have them. Often, too, though most of the time they involve a stressful situation where I've named someone the wrong thing, and I'm trying to explain to someone my good intentions to uninterested blob-people. I'm filing the name dreams for when I'm in my 30s and realize that I need therapy. In the meantime, I'm enjoying them.

Annina featured prominently in a recent name dream. Though Annina is my preferred spelling, I also like German Anina and Finnish Anniina. I do love how the Finnish double-up their "I"s. They are diminutives of Anna, a truly classic name (currently 28# on the US charts) that is pretty hard to dislike — I mean, it's a palindrome, after all.

Here are some other lovely Anna variants — Dutch Anouk and Annelien, Finnish Anneli, Annikki and Annukka, Hungarian Anikó, Anca and Anka, Norwegian Anniken, brilliant French Anaïs and Breton Annick.

Aleph & Phyllon

2011-12-28T08:49:00.001-08:00

Sin Aleph in wood type, by M J M on Flickr

With the exception of sharp, short Delphi, I don't find the "ph" element very aesthetically pleasing, for girls. When it comes to Philippa vs. Filippa, for instance, I much prefer the look of Filippa. In Sophia vs. Sofia, Sofia always wins. But for boys, it's growing on me. On a boy, the "ph" is refreshing, but on a girl, it can get lost in frilly-sweet pretty quickly.

As 2011 comes to an end, I've been seeing a lot of posts about the best and worst celebrity-used baby names. It occurred to me that the two celebrity names I found most memorable this year both contain the "ph" element.

Aleph Millepied, born last June, is the son of Natalie Portman and her French ballerino boyfriend Benjamin Millepied. She's gotten a lot of flack for the name, but I think it's interesting. Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is tied to many words, with varied meanings — including "ox," "tame," "teach," "ruler," and "one/thousand." It is pronounced "AH-lef," and makes for a pretty rare name with rich mystic, religious and even mathematical connections. For a firstborn son it seems a pretty fitting choice, one that stands out from a pack of Henrys and Jacks without being too ostentatious. It has nice variants, too — my favorite is Elif, a Turkish girl name popular in France and the Netherlands.

Dutch model Doutzen Kroes (her name is derived from a Frisian name meaning "dove") had a baby boy last January. His name is Phyllon Joy, and that, my friends, is probably my favorite celebrity name of the year. Predictably, it did not get a very warm reception — but I kind of love it. Joy is just a word, and though as a name it's generally reserved for girls in the US, it's not specifically feminine, and I don't see why it can't be used for boys as well. As far as virtue names go, it's one of the lighter ones, and, paired with Phyllon, whose meaning is probably tied to the Greek word phileo ("to love"), makes for a super-sweet combination. I'm not sure if Kroes and her husband Sunnery James are pronouncing it with a long "I' sound or more like a mashup of Philip + Dylan, but either way I think it's a standout choice.

There were a couple other naming highlights this year — Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr's son Flynn comes to mind, and so does Selma Blair's new son Arthur Saint. I'd do a post about my favorite girl names, but really, there weren't very many that wowed me. Agnes Lark, used by Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly, is very nice, and Tina Fey's second well-named child, Penelope Athena, was a crowd-pleaser. But both of those lose me somewhere. Model Sophie Dahl had a Lyra, but without a middle name, it's hard to get excited about. Is there something out there I've missed, or was this year kind of a dull one in celebrity-baby-name land?

Christmas Eve Name Game Families

2011-12-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, namers! I hope everyone's had a lovely day and is busy breaking in all sorts of new goodies with loved ones and cookies everywhere.

Thanks to those who played the Christmas Eve Name Game — it brought back memories of playing it with my sisters, and I even got them to join in, too.

To come up with the names, I used the full list of statistics for the year 1925 (in the US) and randomized them. I then generated a random number for every name I chose. There are some pretty weird finds here, but I think the retro vibe suits the holiday.

Here are your results!

Nicole Trager
Georgina Brooke and Aelred Mathias
-- Mariam Fayette & Wilma Annabel
-- Cary Halvor
-- Eleonora Roseanna

Anonymous @ 12:55PM
Lona Parthenia and Jame Prospero
-- Teofilo Lambert & Eufemia Elyse
-- Abbott Levin
-- Nana Zane
-- Eustolia Arnette

breakingthenight
Lorna Kate and Alfonse Hayne
-- Frieda Daphne
-- Erla Barbara
-- Myla Ottilie
-- Camilo Harold

Meg C.
Phoebe Laurice and Fowler Penrose
-- Denver Thurlo
-- Shafter Marshall
-- Achille Edd
-- Bessie Corona

Smallgood
Hyacinth Eloise and Jesse Jacobo
-- Viola Yvonne
-- Cresencia Ysabel
-- Wilmer Marcos

jess s
Lovis Demetria and Eutha Palestine
-- Daniel Corbit
-- Mozel Cornelius
-- Mazie Avo

Elea @ BBN
Louisa Arlene and Everal Durrell
-- Eva Carlotta
-- Veria Minnette
-- Waylon Yutaka
-- Nero Solomon

Kristin
Aleta Goldine and Vester Pierce
-- Hercules Yancy
-- Rolfe Byrne
-- Maggie Corinne
-- Burke Timothy & Carlton Atley
-- Truly Royce

Morgan
Nena Runette and Lincoln Hendrix
-- Adela Clarice
-- Hoyt Erastus
-- Beryl Aurelia

CC B.
Lella Marilyn and Dolph Mordecai
-- Russel Kilbourne
-- Zina Pauline
-- Keller Geoffrey

Rebecca
Viola Palmina and Culver Montgomery
-- Goldie Garnet
-- Benno Roosevelt

Kelsey
Rosalina Dainty and Thornton Eldo
-- Ansel Foy
-- Drexel Gleason
-- Mabel Carmen

Anonymous @ 3:16AM
Zenona Imogen and Llewellyn Bailey
-- Rowland Buck
-- Nilo Vesper
-- Merrel Aristide
-- Gretna Constance
-- Evajean Venice

A Christmas Eve Name Game

2011-12-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

our Christmas tree

I have two younger sisters (hi, Morgan and Rebecca!) and as kids, one of our holiday traditions was that we'd all sleep in the same bedroom on Christmas eve. We did lots of silly things as we tried to fall asleep, of course, but one thing we always did was play a names game. (Having a namer for an older sister = hours of fun.) I enjoyed doing the Thanksgiving name game so much that I thought I'd extend our little holiday tradition to this blog, as well.

In our version of the Christmas Name Game, we created imaginary families by shutting our eyes and choosing random names out of name books. For this version, you leave a comment with the size and shape of your desired family (for example: mother, father, two daughters and one son) and I'll use the same method to randomly choose their first and middle names from the full list of names used on babies born in 1925.

Your families will be revealed tomorrow, on Christmas day, in a new post.

Happy holidays, everyone!

let's talk about: Frances/Francis

2011-12-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

the Francis B-Foods: Frances Bean and Francis Bacon

Francis is the English form of Franciscus, a Late Latin name referring to a Frenchman. It gained popularity in the middle ages, perhaps due to the influence of Saint Francis of Assisi, who was christened Giovanni, but nicknamed Francesco by his father. However, the name wasn't regularly used until the 16th century, in Britain. Interestingly, the Francis spelling was used for both genders until the 17th century, when the "-es" spelling became more common for girls.

In the US, Francis was at its most popular in 1915, when it cracked the top 30. It stayed consistently around the 30-50 range from the 1880s until the 1940s, when it began to lose ground. Steadily falling since 1949, it had fallen to the 200s by 1970, and today it rests at #669. The days are not long for Francis in the top 1,000, I fear. Some hope rests in Spanish and Portuguese form Francisco, currently at #196, though it's falling, too.

Frances is even less popular (it's #782), though it was once a top 10 name — from 1912 to 1921, it held the #9 spot. Its downfall began a decade earlier than Francis', in 1937, so perhaps we can look to Frances to see where Francis might be headed.

Some other forms of Francis that appeal are Basque Paxti, Croatian and Serbian Franjo, Italian Franco, Hungarian Ferenc, Aragonese Francho, Asturian Xicu, and Limburgish Frens. Some more female forms are Czech Františka, Francisca (I prefer it with a "K," as Franciska), Franca, Franciele, Francine and, of course, popular Francesca. I like nickname Fran for a girl or a boy, and lots of the feminine diminutives are sweet — I can never choose between Franny, Sissy or Frankie.

Olympic Names IX

2011-12-18T19:13:00.000-08:00

This will be the final installment of Olympic Names — I'll be sure to start again this summer, using names of athletes competing in the London '12 games!

Male

Alo (Estonia)

Antipass (Zimbabwe)

Flavius (Romania)

Gergo (Hungary)

Ignatas (Lithuania)

Jagson (Brazil)

Kurban (Uzbekistan)

Leony (Cameroon)

Roel (Netherlands)

Savvas (Greece)

Susumu (Japan)

Wolfram (Germany)

Zaur (Russian Federation)

Female

Aluissa (Romania)

Bronwen (Australia)

Eliska (Czech Republic)

Fanni (Hungary)

Franciela (Brazil)

Ieva (Latvia)

Kabran (Côte d' Ivoire)

Lindita (Albania)

Nanthana (Thailand)

Nike (Israel) — very appropriate for an athlete, don't you think?

Noeki (Netherlands)

Paulini (Greece)

Peoria (Palau)

Sarolta (Hungary)

Smaro (Greece)

Un-Sil (DPR Korea)

Villo (Hungary)

Combonymia

2011-12-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

As the year draws to an end, I'm thinking of all the names I've mentioned since the inception of this blog in September, and wondering how they work not as a random, eclectic jumble of styles and sounds, but as a group.

These are some combinations I've been fiddling with, trying to find something to inspire my own favorites list. The master list is here, feel free to come up with a few mismatched matches yourself —

Alfred Philo

Horatio Crosby

Ingus Delphin

Jethro Crake

Louis Rodion

Malo Raphael

Otto Luluk

Percival Beau

Rens Frederick

Winston Worth

Deva Violante

Gala Maialen

Ilune Tassadit

Isola Vedette

Iver Romaine

Lieselot Elleve

Maris Halcyon

Nieves Ludivine

Thora Nandelle

Zoia Lailatou

Panning for Name Gold: 1960

2011-12-13T23:12:00.000-08:00

Awkward virgin statue

All right, finally, the '60s. We can all relax, right? The hippies'll figure everything out.

Boys

Eamon — a variant spelling of the Irish form of Edmund (Éamonn), pronounced "AY-mon," this name means "rich protector." Irish names are reliably popular choices here in the US and though Eamon hasn't made the top 1,000 like, ever (at least in the past 131 searchable years on the SSA list) I think it's ready for a bit of attention

Imre — almost unheard-of in the US, Imre ranks in the top 100 for Hungary. It's the Hungarian form of the German name Emmerich, a name that's also due for some consideration. The meaning is wonderful ("universal power") and its unusual (for English) elements make it a real standout choice. Musician Alanis Morrissette recently chose it as a middle name for her son, Ever

Kjell — pronounced "chell," Kjell is the Swedish and Norwegian form of an Old Norse name meaning "kettle," or "cauldron." It has quite a history as a popular name in those countries (it's also used regularly in the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland). Other forms include Ketill, Kjeld and Keld

Ogden — "the cow is of the bovine ilk/one end is moo, the other, milk" Ogden Nash is probably the most well-known bearer of this name. It's from an Old English surname meaning "oak valley"

Remy — from the Latin name Remigius, meaning "oarsmen." Remy is a name I'll be watching when the SSA releases its statistics for 2011. It appeared on the list in '09 at #968 and jumped to #874 in 2010. It's hard to say whether or not it'll advance further, but I hope it does, as it's an interesting name with a great, unusual masculine sound

Girls

Lyra — sometimes I'm such a space-freak that names I might not like seem intriguing just because they're connected to outer space. Lyra is one of them — Lyra is a constellation in the northern sky, named by Ptolemy for its resemblance to the shape of Orpheus' lyre, which was thrown into the Hebrus after his death. Its principal star is Vega, and it's sometimes referred to as Aquila Cadens, meaning "falling eagle"

Minna — a Finnish short form of Vilhelmina, Minna currently makes the top 100 in Sweden. I like a lot of the short forms of this name, like Mimmi, Helmi, Vilhelmi and Willemijn. Minna was a rather steady presence in the US top 1,000 from (at least) 1880 'til 1916. The highest it ever rose was #369 in 1889 (the current-day equivalent of Bethany) — it's also the name of a city in Nigeria

Nieves — I love names that mean "snow," or that have snowy meanings. Perfect for a winter baby (though I've never had a snowy winter) — Nieves is a Spanish name referring to the Virgin Mary as she's known as Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, or Our Lady of the Snows. A variant is Nieve, a name I first came across as a child (it was one of the first names of someone I met that surprised and delighted me because I'd never heard it before)

Tanis — from the Greek name Tanith, this name means "serpent lady," and was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars (and all that good stuff) — also found as the Greek name of Djanet, a city in the Nile delta. A lovely variant is Tanit

Trilby — a literary name, Trilby is the title of a popular novel by George du Maurier and an 1822 novel by Charles Nodier. Both novels have ballets based on them, and the du Maurier novel is probably more famous for its hypnotist/musician character, Svengali. du Maurier's heroine, Trilby O'Farrell, is often depicted in stage-form wearing a short-brimmed hat now called a "trilby," a type of fedora

Not-So-Friday Faves

2011-12-11T22:22:00.001-08:00

I spent the weekend visiting my in-laws in Sonoma, where there is no internets, and the air smells like air.

I watched the lunar eclipse in the clear sky above the dark forest, with a friendly hooting owl (and my husband) for company. 'Twas a lovely time, but not one conducive to name-blogging.

Sonoma is said to mean "the valley of the moon." I'm from outside Phoenix, Arizona, a place often referred to as "the valley of the sun," so I've always liked the connection.

And speaking of valleys, here's a name — Echo. I've met two under the age of 5 here in LA. Pretty song by Blitzen Trapper, too.

if you knew what a fool i've been

you'd strike a match for every day that's been lost

what I wouldn't give to see you make a living breaking even

or just counting the cost

'cos every day is like a newborn, still as the sun

and if no one is watching does our love leave any trace

or just an echo out in space

Happy Sunday night, all.

Names from Jordan

2011-12-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

textile detail from Petra, Jordan, by Carl Welsby

Recently, I came across a site which lists (in Arabic) the top 49 names for girls and boys in Jordan for the year 2009. I love finding lists from countries whose naming culture I know little to nothing about, because I always learn something. Beautiful new sound combinations, popular suffixes (like "-as" and "-een") or prefixes (like "Gh-" and "Lam-") that are almost unheard of in the US, and lyrical meanings that refer to images I've never seen and stories I've never heard.

Information like this is why I can't understand it when someone says, "Oh, but ________ is such a weird name." Rimas might seem unfamiliar to you, but it's the #1 girls' name in Jordan, a country of nearly 6.5 million people. Once you're aware of that, it's hard to look at a name you've never seen and automatically write it off as bizarre or unusable. So broaden those naming horizons, open your mind to new sounds — you never know where you might find something you really love.

Here are a few of the names I loved from the list. I asked a friend with knowledge of the country and language for some background. Thank you, Laura (and Trad!) —

Boys

Laith — means "young lion." I also like the similarity it bears to the English word "lathe," which, on a totally nerdy note, I find to be a very aesthetically-pleasing word

Malek — means "owner," or "proprietor." I see Malik more often, but somehow switching the "I" for an "E" makes a world of difference, for me. I love the "-lek" ending — it manages to sound soft and strong at the same time

Saleh — related to an Arabic word meaning "fixed," but refers to someone who is upstanding and virtuous

Tareq — similar ending here, though the "Q" lends it a bit more bite. Means, "knocking," or, "the one who knocks"

Other boy standouts: Aiham, Fares, Qais and Wissam

Girls

Batoul — another name for the Virgin Mary, I love the look

Jude — I was surprised to see Jude listed at #18 on the girls' list, but apparently it is a name commonly used for both boys and girls in Jordan, and it means "the highest generosity" (and is pronounced more or less like it is in English)

Layan — may be from the name Lena, meaning "soft," or "tender"

Lojain — the sound here is so fresh and sweet, like a name smush of Lo and Jane. Its meaning is lovely, too ("silver")

Mais — this one reminded me of the Greek name Thais/Thaïs which also enjoys some popularity in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, as Thaís. It has a great meaning: "to walk swaying side to side"

Malaak/Malak — listed at numbers #14 and #15, respectively, Malak has actually been a favorite of mine for quite some time (I do slightly prefer that spelling). I may have first heard it as the name of comedian Chris Rock's wife (whose name is, therefore, Malaak Rock — greatness). It means "angel"

Other girl standouts: Aseel, Mayar, Roa and Touleen

Olympic Names VIII

2011-12-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

Male

Ara (Armenia)

Badou (Gambia)

Bakary (Gambia)

Bayano (Panama)

Cadeau (Liberia) — the French word for "gift"

Devoe (Canada) — his brother, also an athlete, is named Cregan

Helio (Brazil)

Idir (Algeria)

Iljo (Belgium)

Ingus (Latvia)

Kew (Netherlands)

Klete (United States)

Milko (Bulgaria)

Movses (Armenia)

Sakaria (Botswana)

Sunbae (Korea)

Taesul (Korea)

Tariel (Georgia)

Toureano (Bahamas)

Trinko (Netherlands)

Urs (Germany)

Zaza (Georgia)

Female

Arantxa (Great Britain)

Cvetelina (Bulgaria)

Elvira (Russian Federation)

Helalia (Namibia)

Kaie (Estonia)

Karishma (Nepal)

Lasma (Latvia)

Liene (Latvia)

Luuka (New Zealand)

Mariami (Georgia)

Mineka (Sri Lanka)

Nesria (Tunisia)

Paschalina (Greece)

Sutiya (Thailand)

Thilini (Sri Lanka)

Triantafyllia (Greece)

Ulunma (Nigeria)

Friday Faves

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

For this week's Friday Faves, another song's stuck in my head. This is Andrew Bird singing "Sovay," which takes its title from a traditional English folk song about a woman who dresses as a highwayman to test her love's loyalty. In disguise, she robs him, and he gives up all his belongings except his ring, which he refuses to part with. Since he proves the depths of his love, there's a happy ending, but if he'd let her take the ring, she says, "I'd have pulled the trigger and shot you dead."

The names Sophie and Sylvie appear in some versions of the original song, and Sovay's probably a lyrical variant. I like its folksy sound, and there's something simple and sweet about it, too.

then you realize

that you're riding on a para-success

of a heavy-handed metaphor

and a feeling like you've been here before

because you've been here before

and you've been here before

then a word washed ashore

a word washed ashore

then a word washed ashore

Sovay, Sovay, Sovay

all along the day

What names are on your mind, today?

Names from Folk Songs

2011-12-01T15:39:00.000-08:00

Cicely Sweet, you do me wrong/ my legs be straight, my arms be strong
Sødskærm (Myrrhis odorata) by Line Sabroe

In researching another post, I came across a great resource. FolkInfo.org is a folk song database, and it's full of great names. Here are some I came across —

Arbutus — the title of "My Love's an Arbutus" gave me a little chuckle, though I do think Arbutus could be a pretty righteous boy name. It's got a bit of a backwoods, country vibe going on, and refers to a genus of small, flowering plants that produce red berries

Cicely Sweet — this is the name of the song, and I like the combination, though you might be tempting fate giving a girl the middle name Sweet. Cecily seems to get more attention than Cicely, but I prefer its softer, more unusual sound. Both names are variants of Cecilia that date back to the Middle Ages. Sweet Cicely is also a plant, whose leaves are sometimes used as an herb, and are similar in flavor to anise

Flora — from "Flora, the Lily of the West" Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, and the wife of Zephyr, the west wind. I really like its variants, like Floretta, Dutch Floor, French Fleur and Welsh Fflur. Flora ranks highly in Hungary (where Flóra is #30) and France (#140)

Idumea — though it's quite a depressing little ballad, I was drawn to Idumea as a name. It's the Latin cognate of the Hebrew name Edom, which means "red," and refers to a region south of Judea and the Dead Sea

Kalinka — it's a sweet Russian folk song but I had no idea where Kalinka came from. Imagine my surprise when I did some digging around and discovered it's a pet form of the name Kalina, which means "rowan tree." Kalina itself doesn't really appeal to me, but I love the "-linka" ending of the nickname

Lulajze — this is simply the Polish word for "lullaby," but I like its look. The "ajze" is refreshing, and you could call her Lula for short. From the Polish folk song, "Lulajze Jezuniu"

Maranoa — from "Maranoa Lullaby," which FolkInfo.org notes was found in a pamphlet listed as "Australian Aboriginal Tune." Maranoa is a region in southwestern Queensland, Australia, and is also the name of a river there. While I don't know much about its meaning, Mara means "bitter" in Hebrew, and Noa means "motion" in Hebrew, or "love," or "affection" in Japanese. I think "bitter love" is a pretty intense meaning, even if I did just totally make it up

Saro — the "Pretty Saro" of the song was probably really named Sarah, but I think Saro stands on its own, and is much more interesting. I like taking a classic girl name (Caroline, for example) and pairing it with an unusual, more modern-sounding nickname (Caro). On an entirely different note, Saro is also a village in Mali

Tyne — the song refers to the River Tyne in northeast England. Though its origin is unclear, it's probably an ancient Celtic name, most likely connected to the word "river." It's used as a surname, mostly (actress Tyne Daly's first name is actually Ellen). I like it as a first name. It sounds like "time," and is an ancient nature name. Pretty solid points, there

Panning for Name Gold: 1950

2011-11-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

Thora and Steve play Enid and Seymour, in Ghost World

Head for your fallout shelters, it's the 1950s. Here are some names that just barely snuck onto the charts, used less than 10 times in the first year of the decade.

Boys

Leonidas — like most "Leo-" names, Leonidas means "lion." I was surprised to find that it broke into the US top 1,000 in 2008, and has stayed on the list ever since (it's currently at #927). I should do a post about Leo itself, but I find its variants so much more interesting. Leonidas has the strongest sound of the bunch, but I'm also drawn to its obscure feminine counterparts, like Léonide, Leonille and Leontine

Merrick — an English surname, Merrick is comprised of Germanic elements which mean "fame" and "power." It may also be connected to Marek, the Polish and Czech form of Mark, which is from the name Mars. I think it's a surname that transitions particularly easily to first-name status

Rafe — Rafe is an alternate spelling of Ralph, reflecting a variant pronunciation that is hardly ever used in the US. (I'm looking at you, Mr Fiennes — PS: the Fiennes family is full of wildly great names.) So, Ralph is derived from Norse elements meaning "counsel" and "wolf," which is pretty wicked. Wolf Counsel. If they were a band, I'd listen to 'em

Selwyn — also spelled Selwin, this name means "friend of the castle." It's a place name in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and remains quite unusual as both a first and last name

Truitt — I don't know much about Truitt that I can confirm with a cursory Internet search, but what's most important or notable about it is its sound. A sonic combination of True + Wyatt, I often see it grouped with "cowboy" sounding names like Colton, Cooper, Beau, Garrett and Tex, and that's where it may find a niche, I think

Girls

Elodie — I mentioned this one when I wrote about choosing my daughter's name. It was a very serious contender for us, and still holds a special place in my heart. It is a French form of Alodia, which is a name derived from Germanic elements meaning "other" and "riches." Saint Alodia (and her sister, Nunilo) were child martyrs in 9th-century Spain. Though I dismissed the name due to meeting one in real life, Elodie has never been popular in the US, and hasn't appeared in the top 1,000 since 1886. However I wouldn't be surprised if this one is a quick-climber in the coming years, given its popularity with namer-types and its familiar "rhymes with Melody" sound. In France, once-popular Élodie (pronounced with the first syllable "ay") is now at #189, and seems to be falling steadily

Faustine — I first came across Faustine in a book I read elementary school, somewhere, and it's stuck in my mind ever since. Speaking of French popularity, who'd have thought that Faustine is currently more popular than Elodie, and, at #68, is on the rise? It comes from the Roman name Faustus, which means "auspicious," or "lucky," though its literary ties (Faust is a legendary German character connected to plays by Christopher Marlowe and Goethe) carry a much darker connotation, which isn't a bad thing

Freya — Freya is the goddess of beauty and love in Norse mythology. Extremely popular in England and Scotland, where it's in the top 20, Freya has yet to crack the US charts, though I wouldn't be surprised if it does. Freja Beha Erichsen is a successful fashion model whose name has been used on designer handbags and shoes. Alternate spellings include Freyja and Frea, and masculine form Freyr is pretty cool

Thora — a modern form of an ancient Scandinavian name, Thora is the feminine form of Thor, which means "thunder" (great meaning for a girl) — actress Thora Birch has a younger brother named Bolt

Vivica — Vivica is an alternate spelling of the Swedish name Viveka, which comes from a Frisian name meaning "war," and not from popular, similar-looking Vivian, as you might guess. It's also similar in sound to the Sanskrit male name Vivek, meaning "distinction," which makes for a nice cross-cultural sounding name that is distinctive yet not too weird (and actress Vivica A. Fox helps with the familiarity factor)

Friday Faves

2011-11-26T00:13:00.001-08:00

Nevermind that it's early Saturday morning — here's a Friday tune.

"Mamunia," the title of this Paul McCartney & Wings song, was the name of a house in Lagos, Nigeria, where most of the album Band on the Run was recorded. It's from an Arabic word meaning "safe haven."

the rain comes falling from the sky

to fill the stream that fills the sea

and that's where life began for you and me

so the next time you see rain it ain't bad

don't complain, it rains for you

the next time you see LA rain clouds

don't complain, it rains for you and me

I can totally see this one working as a name — can you?

A Thanksgiving Name Game

2011-11-23T15:36:00.001-08:00

the harbor at Plymouth, Massachusetts, by janhatesmarcia

For those of you about to celebrate the harvest by stuffing your faces (or pondering genocide), I thought a good old-fashioned name game might be a bit of holiday fun.

I've taken the list of pilgrim passengers from the Mayflower, Fortune, Anne and Little James — the first ships bound for Plymouth, Massachusetts — and numbered them. If you pick two numbers, anywhere from 1 to 90, I'll give you a "Pilgrim Name."

Just leave a comment with your desired numbers and I'll reply with your new name. If you don't celebrate, feel free to play along anyway!

Think of it as my contribution to your Thanksgiving feast. (I'm in charge of bourbon pumpkin cheesecake with pecan gingersnap crust and maple nutmeg cream pie, too.) Wear it proudly, 'cos it's going to be a rough winter.

Olympic Names VII

2011-11-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Male

Athif (Maldives)

Bunting (Cambodia) — aww

Cosmin (Romania)

Dauda (Nigeria)

Idulio (Mexico)

Izzet (Turkey)

Jussi (Finland)

Leos (Czech Republic)

Margus (Estonia)

Paris (Chile)

Ponloeu (Cambodia)

Promise (Nigeria) — Promise and Bunting!

Quintino (Guinea-Bissau)

Reto (Switzerland)

Taufik (Indonesia)

Till (Germany)

Vaezi (Iran)

Vegard (Norway)

Visa (Finland)

Zwede (Trinindad & Tobago)

Female

Cvetanka (Bulgaria)

Flora (United States) — her surname is Hyacinth

Hanae (Japan)

Katinka (Hungary)

Liezel (United States)

Ludivine (Belgium)

Melek (Turkey)

Olimpiada (Russian Federation)

Orsolya (Hungary)

Pulum (Korea)

Sevil (Ukraine)

Svenja (Germany)

Tawa (Nigeria)

Vafa (Azerbaijan)

Virgil (St. Kitts & Nevis) — wouldn't expect this one to "go to the girls"

Vitiny (Cambodia)

Xeniya (Kazakhstan)

Zomilla (Hungary)

Aomame

2011-11-19T23:26:00.000-08:00

Recently, I talked about Haruki Murakami's latest book, 1Q84, mentioning the names of two characters. One, Aomame, appealed to me immediately.

Leave it to Murakami to get to the meaning of a name right away. I started the book this weekend, and on page 4, he writes about the background of the offbeat name:

"'Aomame' was her real name. Her grandfather on her father's side came from some little mountain town or village in Fukushima Prefecture, where there were supposedly a number of people who bore the name, written with exactly the same characters as the word for "green peas" and pronounced with the same four syllables, 'Ah-oh-mah-meh" ...

Telling people her name was always a bother. As soon as the name left her lips, the other person looked puzzled or confused.

'Miss Aomame?'

'Yes. Just like 'green peas'.'"

She goes on:

"Some people would get the name of the plant wrong and call her 'Edamame' or 'Soramame,' whereupon she would gently correct them: 'No, I'm not soybeans or fava beans, just green peas. Pretty close though. Aomame.' How many times in her thirty years had she heard the same remarks, the same feeble jokes about her name? My life might have been totally different if I hadn't been born with this name. If I had had an ordinary name like Sato or Tanaka or Suzuki, I could have lived a slightly more relaxed life or looked at people with somewhat more forgiving eyes. Perhaps."

"Green peas" seems like a perfectly noble meaning, don't you think? And it has such a pleasant look, written in English, and a cheerful sound. Somehow, I'm sure the story I'm about to read will make it even more appealing, annoying as Aomame herself finds it.

Friday Faves

2011-11-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know 'bout you, but the only thing on my mind this sweet fall Friday is Johanna.

inside the museums, infinity goes up on trial

voices echo, "this is what salvation must be like after a while"

but Mona Lisa 'musta had the highway blues

you can tell by the way she smiles

see the primitive wallflower freeze

when the jelly-faced women all sneeze

hear the one with the mustache say, "geez

I can't find my knees"

oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule

but these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel

In the last days before my daughter was born, I was driving to art school every day, an hour each way. I tend to circle through albums obsessively, and during that intense time, it was Blonde on Blonde. Ottilie arrived the day after I graduated — and now she recognizes Dylan songs before he even starts singing. (Secret naming plan: if she'd been born on his birthday, May 24th, I would have used Johanna as a middle name.)

Johanna's a form of John, which means "god is gracious." It has a ton of sweet diminutives and variants — Polish Joasia, medieval French Johanne, Scottish Shona or Seonag, Welsh Siwan and Finnish Hannele are just a few.

let's talk about: Salvador

2011-11-17T13:51:00.001-08:00

Salvador is a relative newcomer to my list, but it's fast becoming one of my top middle name contenders. It bridges the naming gap between light and strong, carrying with it deep historical and political roots, and balancing a heavy religious meaning with a soft, unusual sound.

Salvador is from the Late Latin name Salvator, which means "saviour." Since the 1920s, it has been a steady presence in the US top 1,000, hovering around the 300-400 mark. It's currently on a bit of a downturn, resting at #459. Its relatively constant level of popularity combined with its familiarity as a word (and a country) means that while a little Salvador won't be one of multiples in his class, his name most likely won't get strange looks, either.

I like its two most famous associations — surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, and the first democratically elected Marxist president in Latin America, Salvador Allende of Chile (his three daughters have a lovely sibling set — Beatriz, Carmen Paz, and Isabel). Guitarist Carlos Santana has a son named Salvador, and so do Canadian musicians Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk (they have three sons, Rowan, Lucca and Salvador).

Italian form Salvatore is appealing though it lacks the "-or" ending that I'm drawn to. In Spanish, a nickname for Salvador is Chava, but I like good old-fashioned throwback Sal.

A few people have brought up the idea that it might be a little odd to use a name from a culture you're not a part of. I think, for most, this is a personal decision. As a name lover, I would never dream of limiting myself that way. My favorite names come from all over the world, and I love the idea of using Salvador with my husband's surname, which is Japanese. That's when things start to get really interesting in the name universe.

What do you think — are you drawn to names from a certain country or ethnic group, and would you consider using one for your own child? Or do you think it's somehow wrong or insensitive?

Olympic Names VI

2011-11-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

From Mads to Nami, Dashdavaa to Evdokia, here's the sixth installment of Olympic Names —

Male

Asley (Cuba)

Breaux (United States)

Dashdavaa (Mongolia)

Faris (Belgium)

Franson (Palau)

Gable (Botswana)

Harmon (New Zealand) — Harmon's so nice, they named him twice (his surname is also Harmon)

Lasha (Georgia)

Luluk (Indonesia) — adorable

Mads (Denmark)

Othmane (Algeria)

Phaisan (Thailand)

Rawle (Guyana)

Rossano (Italy)

Shalva (Azerbaijan)

Soslan (Russian Federation)

Suren (Ukraine)

Suso (Spain)

Female

Beate (Germany)

Evdokia (Russian Federation)

Iciar (Spain)

Ilune (Spain)

Jala (Germany)

Leiliane (Brazil)

Nami (Japan)

Rosibel (Colombia)

Rosselia (Italy)

Sheena (Barbados) — is a punk rocker, now-eyow-eyow?

Sinan (China)

Sivan (Israel)

Tobin (United States)

Wenna (China)

Yoanka (Cuba)

Zhanna (Belarus)

Zoia (Ukraine)

Fellow Scorpios

2011-11-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna eat you

I have something in common with the people on this list -- today is our birthday. Enjoy this list of mysterious Scorpios as I sip champagne and try not to think about my rapidly-disappearing youth.

twins Amalie Auguste and Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria (1801, queens of Saxony and Prussia, respectively)

Amory Lovins (1947, American environmentalist and author)

Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams (1869, Russian feminist)

Asdrúbal Cabrera (1985, Venezuelan baseball player)

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354, North African theologian)

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969, Dutch author)

Bertel Thorvaldsen (1768, Danish sculptor)

Buck O'Neil (1911, American baseball player)

Cyril Lucaris (1572, Greek theologian)

Dack Rambo (1941, American actor)

Dorothea Erxleben (1715, first female medical doctor)

Esaias Tegnér (1782, Swedish writer and professor)

Hermione Baddeley (1906, English actress)

Idris Muhammad (1939, American jazz drummer)

Iskander Mirza (1899, first president of Pakistan)

Ivica Dragutinović (1975, Serbian footballer)

Kumi Koda (1982, Japanese singer)

Leon Leonwood "L.L." Bean (1872, American inventor)

Motoo Kimura (1924, Japanese geneticist)

Quim (1975, Portuguese footballer)

Rivkah (1981, American cartoonist)

Samkon Gado (1982, Nigerian American football player)

Teodora Ungureanu (1960, Romanian gymnast)

Toy Caldwell (1947, American guitarist)

Whoopi Goldberg (1955, American comedienne)

Friday Faves

2011-11-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

the gloaming (blue nights), in the Scottish highlands, by Drew Withington

As far as numbers go, it's pretty hard to beat 11.11.11. A few eleven-related names are on my mind today.

The 11th moon of Jupiter is Himalia, named for a favorite nymph of Zeus. In the Basque language, the word for eleven is Hamaika, which also means "infinite." In blackjack, an Ace card can function as either a 1 or an 11, depending on which is more advantageous for the player. A straight translation yields some interesting name prospects — Elf (Danish/German), Ellefu (Icelandic), Elleve (Norwegian), Elva (Swedish) and Onze (French/Portuguese).

My birthday is this Sunday, and my lovely husband bought me an early present — three books I've been dying to read. One is Haruki Murakami's latest, 1Q84. Murakami pays great attention to the names he chooses for his characters, and a glance at the inside cover reveals two very interesting ones — a girl named Aomame, and a man named Tengo. In Joan Didion's Blue Nights, she writes about the death of her only daughter, Quintana Roo, named for the Mexican state on the eastern part of the Yucatán peninsula. Margaret Atwood's In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination should be an interesting read. She is the author of one of my favorite works of science fiction, Oryx and Crake. The Oryx in the title takes her name from the African antelope, and Crake takes his from the name of a small bird. I love finding names in literature — a great character can make me love a name I never thought to consider.

There were many great suggestions for the names of the two mystery colors featured in my Polished Jewels post. My favorites were Night's Altum, Midwinter Names' Zelda, and Dearest's Lumina.

Mer de Noms and Waltzing More than Matilda guessed correctly! The green polish is actually named Apple, a choice that is obviously obvious. The pearly white color is named Celeste, whose "heavenly" meaning isn't too far off from the "light" meaning of Lumina. Thank you to everyone who played along!