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Some finds from the GRO Birth Records for England and Wales in 1843. All are first names and middle names -- the surnames are not included unless indicated by "sn" -- and have been checked against census records.
I do admit to taking some license in the choosing by not only adding "quirky" names but also ones that I happen to take a fancy to.
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Aeddan |
Adela Wilhemine Saint Lo |
Plus twins Aurelia Josephine Emilia and Charles Joseph Emilius.
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A short and sweet Victorian darling. It can be used as a nickname,
or on its own as an intriguing alternative to the popular Ava.
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Origin: |
A Germanic name derived either as a pet form of names such as Adalheidis, which contain the element adal 'noble', or as a form of the Old German name Eda, cognate with the Old English Eadu (from ead 'prosperity, happiness'). Not to be confused with the Hebrew Adah (ah-DAH), which has a different meaning, origin and pronunciation. |
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Usage: |
The name came over to Britain from Germany at the end of the 18th century. One of the earliest well known examples is Lord Byron's daughter Augusta Ada Byron (known as Ada), Countess of Lovelace. It can occasionally be found in records from earlier centuries, but generally as a misspelling of Adah. |
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Famous Bearers: |
* Augusta Ada, Countess Lovelace "Lady Ada" was a mathematician who is often credited as the First Computer Programmer. * St Ada was a 7th century abbess at Soissons, France, and niece of St Engelbert. In France she is considered the patroness of nuns. * The 8th century Carolingian gospel book, The Ada Gospels or Ada Codex, is named for "Lady Ada", abbess of St. Mesmim and reputed sister of Charlemagne. * A few 12th and 13th century noble women were called Ada, including Countess of Northumbria and Huntingdon (also Adelaide, Adeline), Countess of Holland (also Adelaide), and Countess of Atholl. * Ada of Caria is an obscure figure from the 4th century BC who governed the Anatolian region of Caria, She succeeded power over to Alexander the Great after he invaded in 344 BC, but remained regent until her death. Ada is also a genus of orchid and the title of a 1961 film starring Susan Hayward and Dean Martin. |
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Pronunciation: |
AY-də (UK) [key] |
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Possible longer forms: |
Adela, Adelaide, Adelina, Adeline, Adelita, Adorinda, Adrasteia, Adriana, Adrienne, Alexandra, Alexandrina, Amedea, Andromeda, Caridad, Leocadia |
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Sibling Names: |
Clara Rose Pearl Flora Martha Lena |
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Name Lists: |
Vintage Victorian Darlings Saintly & Stylish Short & Sweet Dickensian Gilbert & Sullivan Names |
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If you like Ada you may also like: |
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Vintage is a hard term to pin down. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives four definitions including: "used to describe something that is not new but that is valued because of its good condition, attractive design, etc." Vintage names, in this instance, are, for me, like a lovely object found in a charity shop. It looks just like all the items of its kind currently in fashion, but has the added bonus of being somewhat more unique, and has a story of ownership behind it. Therefore a 'vintage' name is an old-time moniker that looks and feels like those in fashion, but isn't nearly as popular. Back in the 70s Leah and Joshua were Vintage names of their day. Having fallen out of fashion by the turn of the century, they were decidely "old" sounding by the 1950s. A few decades later they started to look fresh again and hit the Top 100 by the 1980s, where they remain still.
Last week I described 'Funky-Clunky' names as being like the family silver -- rather heavy but dignified. Not the type of thing you get from your local supermarket. Vintage names are more akin to a second-hand 1960s shift dress that looks remarkably like ones your friends have bought on the highstreet, but this is one-of-a-kind!
My distinction between 'Funky-Clunky' and 'Vintage' is a little bit subjective, and indeed some of the names on the previous list had me deliberating at length. You may feel that some names on the Funky-Clunky list belong on here, and vice versa. What the 'Vintage' choices below do have, that the Funky-Clunkies do not, is either growing popularity (generally within the 150-500 range) giving them much more fashionable edge; a very similar sound to current top 30 favourites, and an overall more lighter feel.
| Albert Alfred Alistair Angus Anton Arlo Asher Atticus Barnaby Barney Benedict Casper Conrad Douglas Eddie Edmund Elias Elijah Enzo Everett Ezra Fabian Felix Fletcher |
Francis Frank Fraser Hector Hugh Hugo Isaiah Ivan Jasper Jesse Jonah Jonas Jonty Josiah Julian Kit Laurence / Lawrence Leland Lenny Lincoln Lloyd Malachi Maxim Maximilian |
Maxwell Miles Milo Montgomery Monty Ned Niall Otto Ralph Reggie Rex Robin Ronnie Rudy Rufus Rupert Sidney Ted Theodore Victor Vincent Vinnie Wilbur Wilfred |
Ada Adele April Angelina Annie Arabella Beatrix Belle Betsy Bonnie Clara Claudia Clementine Constance Connie Cora Delilah Edie Edith Elsa Emmeline Esther Evangeline Felicity |
Fleur Flora Genevieve Georgina Hazel Hermione Honor Iris Ivy Jemima Josephine Kitty Lena Leona Lilia Lillian Lois Lottie Louisa Louise Mabel Maggie May Minnie |
Miriam Nancy Nell Ottilie Pearl Penelope Penny Philippa Pippa Polly Rosa Rosemary Roxanne Roxy Sadie Stella Sylvia Sylvie Tabitha Thea Vanessa Verity Vivienne Willa |
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Some names just seem to appear out of nowhere, although in reality they have been rapidly leaping up the ranks throughout the preceding decade. Isla, for example, was known-but-not-often-heard when it ranked #297 in 2000; but by 2006 it had rocketed all the way to #93 and still continues to rise. It now sits at #22.
Here are eight names that have had a large upward curve over the last decade and are now sitting just under the top 100, ready to make a breakthrough.
Elijah - An old Biblical name that would fit easily alongside Top 100 hits like Noah, Isaac, Reuben and Gabriel. In 2001 Elijah ranked #279 with 98 births. By 2005 it had risen to #155 with 300 births. It is still on an upward curve and in 2010 it ranked #120 with 523 births.
Frankie - Riding on the back of the wave of diminutive names, Frankie is on the rise. Back in 2001 it ranked #222 with 137 births; 314 boys were given the name in 2005 when it ranked #150, and as of 2010 it reached #108 at 598 births, having increased by 110 births from 2009.
Jackson - Jack was the number one name for over a decade, and now sits proudly at #2. Jackson is an obvious variation on the popular name, and it is growing steadily. In 2001 it ranked #227 with 134 births. By 2006 it reached #192 and 229 births. In 2010 it increased by 162 births from the previous year to a count of 434, ranking #139.
Seth - Another biblical name that has the swiftness of Sam and Zack. Back in 2001 Seth ranked #241 with 119 births. In 2005 242 boys were given the name (rank #181), and as of 2010 it has risen all the way up to #114 with 551 births.
Beatrice - With Florence, Eliza, Matilda and Martha all having moved into the top 100 in the last five years, Beatrice has a smooth route through into the top ranks. In 2001 it ranked #271 with 143 births. It kept climbing swiftly up to #185 in 2005 (272 births), and has continued its curve up to #116 in 2010 when 492 girls were given the name.
Bella - This name may have been popularised by Twilight, but Bella already has a lot of precedence as a popular name. Similar sounding Ella has been in the Top 30 for well over a decade; and relatives Isabelle, Isabella and Annabelle can all also boast popular status. In 2001, Bella ranked way down at #710 with only 35 births. In 2006, when the books were beginning to get some fame, 108 girls were registered with the name, giving a rank of #388. As of 2010 she sits just below the top 100 at #104, with a birth count of 575.
Elsie - She's antique like Ruby and sounds like a cross between Ellie and Kelsey, all of which give Elsie a familiar edge. In 2000 Elsie ranked #627 with 41 births. The count had almost tripled by 2005 when 110 girls were registered with the name, ranking #361. As of 2010, Elsie now sits at #108 with a grand count of 535.
Violet - Of all the names listed, Violet has come the furthest, rising from near obscurity, to sitting just below the top 100. In 2000, Violet was all the way down at #764 when 30 girls were given the name. By 2005 it had made huge leaps to #273 and a count of 161. It's now at #123 as of 2010 with 466 births.
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As we finally have the name data for 2010 in England and Wales I've been busy compiling all the hyphenated names listed. Some of you may remember the post where I looked at the popular trend for hyphen names in 2009. Well, here is the 2010 update, and it looks clear that the trend is growing.
Growing popularity:
In 2009, 1194 boys were given a hyphenated name from a choice of 198 names. In 2010 the number registered with a hyphen name increased to 1574 across 240 names.
The increase was even more marked for the girls. In 2009, 7264 girls received a hyphenated name from a selection of 747 names. In 2010 this had increased to 9045 girls receiving a hyphen name from a choice of 897 names.
Most popular hyphen names:
For boys the most popular hyphen name is Tyler-James with 55 registrations. Following are Alfie-James with 32, Jayden-Lee with 31, Jayden-James with 28, and Tommy-Lee with 24.
The most popular hyphen name for girls is Ellie-May with a count of 243, followed closely by Lily-Mae with 234, Ellie-Mae with 190, Lily-Rose with 184, and Lilly-May with 180.
Most commonly hyphenated first name:
Alfie and Abdul both have ten different hyphenated second names recorded. Tyler follows with nine different variations, and then Riley with six.
Lily has twenty-two second hyphen names (including 3 spellings of May/Mae/Mai), Ruby has twenty, Lacey has eighteen and Maisie and Lexi both follow with seventeen variations each.
Most common second name:
Lee, James and Jay are the most popular second name that appears for boys.
Ann/e, Grace, Lea/Lee/Leigh, Louise, Marie, May/Mae/Mai, Rae and Rose are the most popular for girls.
Unisex hyphen names:
These names appear on both boys and girls:
Bailey-Ray/Bailey-Rae
Billy-Joe/Billie-Jo
Bobby-Lee/Bobbie-Leigh
Cody-Lee/Codie-Leigh
Frankie-Lee
Jamie-Lee
For the complete list of all the hyphen names found in the 2010 data take a look at Hyphen Names 2010.
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I have selected a few plant genera beginning with the letters G, H, I and J, along with any of their interesting species names, that I think could have potential use as a name choice.
Plant names:
A I B to C I D to F I G to J I K to M I N to O I P I R to S I T to V I W to Z
Gilia - Named after Spanish botanist Felipe Gil. Gilia was used as a feminisation of Giles in the Middle Ages.
Gillenia - Arnold Gille was a German physician who wrote on horticulture in the 17th century.
Gloriosa - Tropical climbing plants, from the Latin word meaning 'glorious'.
Greyia - Named after Sir George Grey, explorer and governor of South Australia. As a name it is very close in sound to the Manx name Graihagh, meaning "lovable".
Haberlea - Named after botanist Carl Constantin Haberle.
Halesia - Commonly known as Silverbell or Snowdrop tree and named after botanical author Dr Stephen Hales. Carolina is a species name.
Hedera - The Latin name for Ivy. Cypria and Helix are species names.
Heliophila - Delicate blue flowered plants, derived from the Greek helios 'the sun', and phileo 'to love'.
Hesperis - From the Greek hesperos 'evening' as the purple or white flowers are often more fragrant at that time. Aspera (L. "rough"), Kitiana and Persica (G. "Persian") are species.
Holcus - "Soft grass", the genus of eight species of grass. Derived from holkus, the Greek name.
Idesia - A flowering plant native to East Asia, named after E.Y.Ides, a Dutchman who travelled to China in the 17th century.
Ilex - The holly genus. The Latin name is derived from Quercus Ilex (Holm Oak) which was thought to resemble holly. Species include Amara (L. "bitter"), Cassine, Collina (L. "hill"), Corallina (L. "coral"), Perlata (Med L. "pearly").
Inula - Considered to be a Latin corruption of the Greek helenion. The name relates closely to Helen in Greek mythology, and several myths associate the flower to her. It was often written as Enula by medieval writers.
Itea - Derived from the Ancient Greek name for the willow, as the leaves are considered to be similar.
Ixia - Commonly known as the Corn Lily. From the Greek name for birdlime, in reference to the plants' sticky nature.
Ixora - Commonly believed to be derived from Iswara, the name of a Malabar deity to whom the flowers were dedicated.
Jacaranda - Tropical trees native to South America with vivid purple foliage. Believed to be derived from the Tupi name referring to the trees' hard wood.
Jamesia - Named after American botanist, Dr Edwin James.
Hebe and Ismene are plant genus that take their names from characters in Greek mythology.
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Riding the current nicknames-as-fullnames trend, Reggie is more
popular than you might think.
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Origin: |
Standard diminutive form of Reginald, ultimately derived from the Germanic elements ragin 'advice, council' and wald 'rule, might'. |
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Usage: |
Reginald has been a popular name since the Normans. It declined in the 15th century but saw a revival in the 19th century. It is difficult to tell how long the diminutive Reggie has been in use but one of the earliest examples comes from C.Reade's Love me Little, Love me Long in 1859. Given that it is an obvious abbreviation we can assume it has had long use in nickname form. It can be found used as a full name as early as 1862, but Reginald, as the formal name, was by far the more common registration in the 19th and 20th centuries. The name's current rank probably owes much to young TV presenter and radio DJ Reggie (Reginald) Yates. It ranked #200 in 2010 which has risen from #216 in 2009, #281 in 2008 and #290 in 2007. Reginald ranks #854. |
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Famous Bearers: |
* Reginald "Reggie" Yates is a presenter on television and radio. Reggie (Reginald) Perrin is a TV character that has been played by Leonard Rossiter in the 1970s, and Martin Clunes in 2009. |
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Variants: |
Raginald (Old Germanic) Reinald, Reynaud (Norman) Reynold (Middle English) Reginald (Latinised) Ronald (Scottish) Rheinallt (Welsh) Raghnall (Irish & Scottish Gaelic) Reino (Finnish) Renaud (French) Reinhold (German) Rinaldo (Italian) Reinaldo, Reynaldo, Ronaldo (Spanish & Portuguese) |
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Pronunciation: |
REJ-ee (UK) [key] |
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Possible longer forms: |
Amerigo, Gervaise, Peregrine, Reginald, Remington, Reynold, Reynaldo |
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Sibling Names: |
Effie Nell Betty Edith Sadie Hetty |
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Name Lists: |
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If you like Reggie you may also like: |
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Some finds from the GRO Birth Records for England and Wales in 1842. All are first names and middle names -- the surnames are not included unless indicated by "sn" -- and have been checked against census records.
I do admit to taking some license in the choosing by not only adding "quirky" names but also ones that I happen to take a fancy to.
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Adam Adolphus Nicholas |
Ada Philippine Anna |
Clemo, Kitto, Jago, Pascoe and Jenefrid are of note because they are native Cornish first names.
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The extremely rare and semi-mythical name of an Anglo-Saxon heroine.
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Origin: |
From Old English name Godgyfu, composed of the elements god and gyfu "gift" -- "god's gift". Godiva is the Latinised form of the name. |
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Usage: |
The Anglo-Saxon name Godgyfu / Godgifu is found on some of the few noble women women who are listed in surviving texts. It was pronounced god-yee-vuh (the stress usually falling on the first syllable, the 'f' becoming 'v' when between two vowels and the 'g' becoming a 'y' when followed by a front vowel). The name was often found latinised as Godiva on official documents The most famous bearer of the name is Lady Godiva (Countess Godifu), wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia who is said to have famously rode "naked" through the streets of Coventry to save the people from harsh taxation. Historians believe that "naked" refers not to her riding with no clothes on but taking off her finery, uncovering her hair, and wearing a simple shift -- removing all trace of her aristocracy. |
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Famous Bearers: |
There are a few notable Anglo-Saxon noble women recorded with the name Godifu/Godiva: * Princess Godgifu (1004-c1047) was the daughter of King Aethelred and Queen Emma, sister to King Edward the Confessor. * Godgifu was a wife of Siward, Earl of Northumbria. Tennyson wrote a poem titled "Godiva" after the countess of Mercia. There is also a brand of chocolate that bears her name and image. |
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Variants: |
Godgyfu , Godgifu, Goda, Godife, Godgyue (Anglo-Saxon) |
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Pronunciation: |
god-Ī-və (UK) god-eev-a (France, Spain) [key] |
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Possible diminutives: |
Diva, Gida, Ida, Iva, Ivy, Viva, Vy |
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Sibling Names: |
Cynewyn Hawise Merewen Nerienda Endelyn Melangell |
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Name Lists: |
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If you like Godiva you may also like: |
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'Twas Ever Thus...
In the last 'Twas Ever Thus we looked at banned names in France in the 1880s. This time we move forward to 1938 in Germany, where the dictation of names takes a decidely more sinister turn. A powerful argument against the banning of names.
NAMES FOR JEWISH CHILDREN
GERMAN OFFICIAL LIST
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
BERLIN, Aug 23
In order that there shall be no confusion in the application of the new law under which Jewish children must in future be given only Jewish personal names, the authorities today issued to all registrars a circular in which names "regarded by the German people as typically Jewish" are set forth. Henceforward Jewish parents will be obliged to choose names for their offspring from this list, which at least has the merit of offering plenty of choice.
The conscientious official, whose task it was to select "typically Jewish names," has done his task thoroughly, and the Old Testament has been combed for material. Jewish boys are given 185 names from which a choice may be made, though the girls fare worse with a mere 91. Besides such common names as Abel, Gideon, Isaac and Saul, "non-Aryan" boys may legally recieve more fantastic appellations, of which Awrum, Chananja, Itzig, Orew, and Schoachana ae a few examples. Their sisters, if their parents so desire, may be named Bilba, Frommet, Jachewad, Riwki, Scheindel, or Zorthel, among othe equally "non-Aryan" names, apart from the more usual Abigail, Judith or Rachel.
In this way a Jewish child is now assured that it will be made conscious of its alien race from the moment that it begins to mix with other children, and the natural result of this law, as of other anti-Jewish measures, will be the creation, after a generation, of ghettoes, in which such Jews as have been unable to escape from the country will live in complete isolation from other inhabitants of Germany -- a consummation which is desired by those in power in this country.
The Times
Wednesday, Aug 24, 1938
Posted at 12:21 AM in Historical Name Commentary | Permalink | Comments (2)
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