British Baby Names

Name of the Week

 

She's a beautiful and intelligent warrior queen, with an exotic sound
and more potential nicknames than you can shake a stick at. 

  

Origin:

On the face of it, the meaning of Zenobia is very straightforward: a combination of the Greek Ζηνο (Zeno) – a poetic name for Zeus – and βιος (bios) "life".   The masculine form, Zenobios (or Zenobius in Latin) is found not infrequently in Ancient Greece. There was a 2nd century sophist named Zenobius, and from the 3rd century we can also find mention of Hieromartyr Zenobios, Bishop of Aegea.  The most famous ancient Zenobia is the 3rd century queen of Palmyra. She was the daughter of Julius Aurelius Zenobius, strategos of Palmyra, who was known by his Semitic name Zabdila. Zenobius was the Hellenized form and, as with Roman tradition, his daughter was named Julia Aurelia Zenobia in reflection of his. Zenobia's Semitic name, however, and the form she used to sign documents, was Bat-Zabbai "daughter of Zabbai." It is most likely Zabbai was the family's clan name, which was translated into Greek as Zenobios.   The name Zabbai itself (and the variant forms Zabdila, Zabeida and Zabda) can be found several times in Palmyran texts and is thought to mean "gift, dowry (of god)"** It also makes a few appearances in the Old Testament (Ezr 10:28; Neh 3:20).  The picture is convoluted further by Zenobia's name sometimes being written in Arabic as Zainab – the name of a fragrant flowering plant, and a well known feminine name. It is quite possible, however, that Zainab evolved later as an altered form of Zenobia.

Usage:

Up until the 19th century, British Zenobias are very difficult to find. Mysteriously, however, there are several examples dating from the late 16th century in Cornwall and Devon, where the name was locally popular. It was used, at this time, in several variant forms such as Zonoby, Senobia and Synobie, while Siney was used as the name's short-form.  Although not hugely popular, the name has been used consistently since the early 19th century, averaging around 5 births a year up until the 1930s. Zenobia was given to 3 girls in both 2004 and 2000 in England and Wales. As the released data does not record births below a count of 3, it is difficult to tell how often the name has been used since.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Queen Zenobia (c.240 – c.274) was a ruling queen of Palmyra after her husband's death. She went to war with Rome, and captured Egypt. Leading her army as a "warrior queen" she went on to conquer Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. She was finally defeated by the Roman Emperor Aurelian and taken as hostage to Rome. Legend has it that Aurelian was so impressed by her that he granted her freedom, and she went on to become a prominent philosopher and socialite. * Zenobia was the daughter of Mithridates of Armenia and wife of Rhadamistes, prince of Iberia in the 1st century AD. Tacitus recorded a romantic story of her love and sacrifice for her husband, which was recreated in Johann Adolf Hasse's opera, Zenobia (1761).  * St Zenobia (d.285) was martyred alongside her brother St Zenobios, bishop of Aegea. According to Symeon Metaphrastes "By order of Licius, they nailed him to a cross and began the torture. The bishop's sister, seeing him suffering, wanted to stop it. She bravely confessed her own faith in Christ before the governor, therefore, she also was tortured."* * Zenobia Camprubí Aymar (1887 – 1956) was a Spanish writer and poet. * Zenobia Powell Perry (1908 – 2004) was an American composer. Literature: * Zenobia is a character in The Blithedale Romance (1852) by Nathaniel Hawthorne. * Zenobia "Zeena" Frome is a character in the novel Ethan Frome (1911) by Edith Wharton.  * Zenobia is the name of a heroic slave in Robert E. Howard's fantasy novel The Hour of the Dragon (Conan the Conqueror) (1935). Other: * Zenobia pulverulenta is a flowering plant known as Honeycup.  Celebrity-babies: * Alice Zenobia (2005) is daughter of Tina Fey.

Variants:

Zenobie (French), Zenovia (Greek), Zinoviya (Russian)

Pronunciation:

zen-O-bee-ə (UK) [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Bee, Bia, Nia, Nobie, Zena, Zeno, Zee, Zeena, Zeba, Zia, Zizi, Zoe, Zobie

Sibling Names:

Mireia      Electra      Ianthe      Roxana      Lysandra      Ximena Augustus     Leonidas     Thaddeus     Darius     Lazarus     Constantine

Name Lists:

Strong Names for Girls Part 1

 

If you like Zenobia you may also like:   Zahara, Cryseis, Cassiopeia, Alexandria, Cleopatra, Tamara, Livia, Xanthe, Dido, Selene

 

7 Ways To Create An Edwardian Baby Name

Are you looking for a perfectly proper Edwardian style name? Perhaps you are a fan of Downton Abbey or Titanic, or are simply looking for a name that captures that elusive quality of class and comeliness discovered by British Edwardian parents? This handy guide of seven simple steps will take you through all the requirements for an authentic Edwardian baby name. 

 

1. What was 'Hot'?

The first step to finding an authentic Edwardian name is to look at the most popular names of that era. Click the links to browse the Top 100 Names in England and Wales in 1904 and 1914.

The most popular names for boys included John, William, George, Thomas, Arthur, James, Frederick, Albert, Charles, Alfred, Ernest and Edward. Top of the girls names were Mary, Florence, Doris, Margaret, Edith, Dorothy, Alice, Elizabeth, Elsie, Winifred, Ethel and Gladys. 

 

2. Rhyme, Alliteration & Assonance

A particularly interesting quirk of Edwardian parents is their love of rhyme, assonance and alliteration. First names, middle names and surnames were all used to gain this effect, and it didn't matter if that meant using a variant of the same name twice.  Beatrice Bessie Battiscombe and Donald Ronald Sayer are two Edwardian babies who demonstrate this trend perfectly.

Below are a few samples of Edwardian alliterative and assonantal names:

Alexander Alexis Arnold Donald Bertram Bernard Clarence Lawrence Clifford Claude Edward Edwin Francis Frank Harold Harry Herbert Gilbert Joseph Josiah Leopold Leonard Norman Nelson Percival Percy Robert Herbert Roland Ronald Sidney Leslie Lawrence Valentine Vincent Victor

Adelaide Ada Aurelia Amelia Cordelia Celia Dorothy Doris Eleanor Ella Eva Evelyn Frances Freda Ida Ada Iris Idalia Ilene Lilian Linda Martha Bertha Pamela Penelope Pearly Persis Primrose Primula Ophelia Adelia Rosina Lena Winifred Wilfreda

For an even further step, you could use the Edwardian trick of creating a completely alliterative set. See Alliterative Edwardian Siblings for some examples of this in use. 

 

3. Flowers & Gems

One of the biggest trends of the Edwardian era is the use of nature names. It was around the 1880s that these names came into popular usage, and by the Edwardian period they were one of the most prevalent trends.in.names. Daisy, Holly, Iris, Ivy, Lily,lOlive, Primrose, Rose, Rosemary, Violet, Beryl, Pearl and Ruby were at the forefront of this fashion.

Here are some interesting plant and gem names used for Edwardian children:

Acacia Amaryllis Amarynth Azalea Blossom Bluebell Camellia Carnation Chrysanthemum

Daffodil Dahlia Eglantine Eucharis  Freesia  Honeysuckle Jasmine Jessamine Laurel

Lavender Lilac Mimosa Myrtle Narcissus Orchid Poppy Rosebud Snowdrop

Amethyst Diamond Emerald Garnet Opal Peridot Sapphire Topaz

4. Celtic Revivals

The another big trend particularly prevalent in the Edwardian period was the use of Celtic names. Many “new” discoveries were made by Late Victorian parents from a rich choice of Scottish, Welsh and Irish names including Blodwen, Brenda, Ceridwen, Dilys, Eileen, Evan, Gwendoline, Gladys, Ioan, Ivor, Kathleen, Maureen, Owen, Sheila, Trevor. This was actually quite a cultural breakthrough as the Celtic languages had been suppressed by the English for centuries. Welsh children in the Victorian period, for example, were forbidden from speaking Welsh at school and punished harshly if they did.

Late Victorian Welsh parents, in particular, became very bold in their naming habits.They revived many long lost gems from Welsh mythology – such as Eleri, Eluned, Emrys, Olwen, Rhiannon, Caradoc, Hywel, Gareth, Gwenfyl, Gwenfron, Merlin/Merddyn – which went on to become big hits for Edwardian parents. The Edwardians themselves also created many new names from Welsh vocabulary, 

Examples of Edwardian Welsh creations:

Brynmor – "large hill" Euros – "gold" Haulfryn – "sun hill" Islwyn – "under grove"  Rhydwyn - "white ford" Tegfryn – "fair hill"

Briallen  – "primrose" Eurwen – "white gold" Glenys – "fair, holy" Gwyneira – "white snow" Heulwen –"sunshine" Lilwen – "white lily" Mwynwen – "fair & gentle"

 

5. Commemorative & Patriotic

One of the quirkiest trends of Edwardian names is the use of commemorative names. The Edwardians were a patriotic bunch, and they loved to record events and honour notable British figures with their children's names. The Royal family were big namesakes, but so were contemporary politicians and public figures. 

National as well as international events can be found commemorated in these names. The Diamond Jubilee in 1897 caused a peak of use in the names Victoria/Victor, Diamond and Jubilee for both boys and girls with many parents going all the way by naming their children Diamond Jubilee or Victoria Diamond Jubilee / Victor Diamond Jubilee.

Battles were also used. The Second Boer War in 1899 - 1902 throws up several ‘battle baby names’ including Bloemfontein, Colenso, Johannesburg, Ladysmith, Mafeking, Pretoria, Talana and Tugela. One baby, born in 1900, was called Magersfontein Paardeberg after two such battles, while a little girl, in the same year, was named Ladysmith Shamrock and Thistles. 
Pretoria was the most popular of these (most likely due to its similarity to Victoria) and was used on many girls. Popular middle names include intriguing pairings such as Victory, Peace, Royal and Surrender.

Below are some of the more interesting ‘commemorative’ names used for both boys and girls as first and middle names: 

Coronation – used in 1902 and later in 1911. Alexandra and Edward were popular middle names used. 

European – This name was used from 1914-1915 after Britain formally declared war on Germany.

Livingstone – David Livingstone was a popular missionary and explorer. 

Peace – There was a spike in this name in 1902 (the end of the Boer War) and again in 1918 (the end of WW1). Peaceful was also used. This commermorative name was also combined with the Coronation in 1902. We find several Peace Edwards and Peace Alexandras, as well as one Peace Coronation. One Peace Albert even had a twin brother named Coronation Edward. 

Rhodesia – British colony established in 1889.

Transvaal – British colony established in 1889.

 

6. Social Aspiration

What marks Edwardian names as distinct from previous generations is the lack of social divisions between names. In previous centuries, "fanciful" names were reserved for the aristocracy and you can clearly see this in the "upstairs" and "downstairs" names on census records. By the Edwardian era many previously rare names, and the use of two or three names, had permeated through all the social classes. For example, Constantia Beatrice Sophia, born 1905, was the daughter of a furniture mover and Lancelot Frederick Charles, born 1907, was a nurseryman’s son. Such examples show that in the Edwardian era these previously ‘upper class’ names were now being enjoyed throughout the social classes. 

More than at any time before, the gap between the names of the upper classes and those of the lower was considerably contracted. The 1911 census shows that many wealthy household members shared the same names as the domestic servants who worked for them. One of the main reasons for this was the increased literacy of the nation: the Education Act of 1880 made school attendance compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 10. Knowledge was no longer held by the upper class, and one way for aspirational parents to demonstrate their education was to use names taken from classical texts and contemporary literature. 

Far from being pretentious, grand and elegant names were considered to be a sign of social aspiration and culture. 

 

7. Nicknames

By now you may have discovered a dignified name like Edward Emrys for your little Edwardian gentleman – but he's not quite perfect yet. For real authenticity, he should have the affectionate petforms of Ned or Teddy for home. 

The Edwardians loved their classics and "stately" names – but they equally loved abbreviating them with familial nicknames. Most children at this time grew up with a nickname, even if they dropped it in later life. The stately Margaret will leave you spoiled for choice: Maggie, Meggie, Peggy, Maisie, Daisy, Molly...or go a bit continental and call her Greta.

There is a wealth of nicknames to choose from for any given name, or, feel free to be a bit creative, as the Edwardians did themselves. To get you started, here are some of the Edwardian nicknames in regular use, and the full names that they were used for:

Albie (Albert Alfie (Alfred) Archie (Archibald) Arnie (Arnold) Artie (Arthur) Bertie (Albert, Herbert, Hubert, Gilbert) Billy, Willie (William, Wilfred) Bobby (Robin, Robert) Charlie (Charles)  Dick (Richard) Ernie (Ernest)  Frank (Francis) Freddie (Alfred, Frederick, Wilfred)  Harry (Henry)  Herbie (Herbert) Jack, Johnny (John) Jem (James, Jeremy) Jim (James) Joe (Joseph, Josiah) Larry (Lawrence) Lenny (Leonard) Ned (Edward, Edmund, Edwin)  Reggie (Reginald) Teddy (Edward, Theodore) Tommy (Thomas)

Annie (Ann, Anna) Bessie (Beatrice, Elizabeth, Elspeth) Betty, Betsy (Elizabeth) Connie (Constance, Cornelia) Dolly, Dottie (Dorothy, Dorothea) Edie (Edith) Elsie (Elsa, Elspeth) Evie (Eva, Evelyn, Evelina, Evangeline) Flo, Flossie (Florence, Flora) Hattie (Harriet, Henrietta) Hetty (Harriet, Henrietta, Hester) Jenny (Jane, Jean) Kate, Katie (Katherine, Kathleen) Lizzie (Elizabeth) Lottie (Charlotte) Maggie, Meggie, Peggy (Margaret, Margery) Mattie (Martha, Matilda) Millie (Millicent, Mildred) Minnie (Wilhelmina, Millicent, Minerva) Molly (Mary, Margaret) Nancy (Ann) Pattie, Patsy (Martha, Patricia) Polly (Mary, Pauline) Rosie (Rose, Rosemary, Rosina, Rosetta) Sadie, Sally (Sarah)

 

Hopefully this guide has shown you that there is a lot more to Edwardian names than simply using stalwart classics like William and Florence -- lovely though they are. Whether you add a little bit of alliteration, choose a Celtic name, or use an elaborate or downright quirky name with a familial nickname, you will be reviving a small piece of Edwardiana.

 

April Names

Fluffy chicks and bunnies, practical jokes, chocolate, hot cross buns, decorated eggs...there are a lot of associations with April, but there is a lot more to it than you might think. 

 

April

The name of the month derives from the Latin Aprilis, the fourth month in the Gregorian Calendar. There are two theories for its origin. It possibly derives from the Latin aperire "to open" -- as spring is a time when flowers open up -- but another stronger theory suggests that the name is taken directly from Venus, the Roman goddess of love and fertility. The Romans held the month of Aprilis as sacred to Venus and her festival, the Festum Veneris et Fortunae Virilis, was celebrated on the first day of the of the month in the Roman liturgical calendar. Aprilis therefore could derive from her Greek name, Aphrodite, or the Etruscan form, Apru. 

April has many continental translations, including: Abril (Spanish), Aprilo (Esperanto), Avril (French), Aprili (Sicilian) Ebrel (Cornish) and Ebrill (Welsh).

 

Dawn and Fertility

The Anglo-Saxons called April Ēosturmōnaþ "the month of Eostre". Eostre, Bede tells us, was a Pagan goddess to whom the Anglo-Saxons held feasts for during April. Her name is also found as Eastre or Ostara and Oestara in Old High German. The name derives from the Old Germanic austron "dawn", implying that her function was as Goddess of the Dawn as with Aurora (Roman), Eos (Greek) and Usha (Hindu).

Other "dawn" names include: Agim (Albanian), Alba (Italian, Spanish), Aušra (Lithuanian), Gry (Norwegian), Gwawr (Welsh), Hajna, Hajnalka (Hungarian), Koit (Estonian), Li (Chinese), Nishant (Sanskrit), Roxana (Persian), Sahar (Arabic), Shahar/Shachar (Hebrew), Taner (Turkish), Zora (Slavic) and, of course, Dawn. 

Little is known about her worship, but it is most likely that, much like Venus, she was a fertility goddess associated with Spring. In this way the images of eggs, new chicks and rabbits, far from being just a comercial racket, are rather apt symbols for this time of year.

 

Easter 

Ēosturmōnaþ, sacred to Eostre, became replaced during Christianisation with the remembrance of the Resurrection of Jesus. Although the Pagan rites faded and the Christian festival took its place, the name still stuck, and "Easter" became instead associated with the "Paschal month". 

There are several names that actually mean "Easter". The Latin word Pascha was used as the basis for the Late Roman name Paschalis used for children born at Eastertide.
Many other languages use a inheritance of Pascha as their word for Easter - and so too a derived name. In France they use Pascal, with Pascale and Pascaline as feminine forms. Pascual and Pascuala are the Spanish forms and Pasquale, Pasqualino and Paqualina are the Italian. Paskal is used in Slavic countries.
On our own British shores Pasco / Pascow / Pascoe has been traditionally used in Cornwall, a cognate of the Breton Pascou. Pasca, Pascatte and Pascowes have been used as feminine forms. 

Easter itself was once the traditional name given to children born at Easter in England. It was used for both boys and girls, although, probably due to it's similar sound to Esther, it was mostly used for girls.

In other countries, names are used to commemorate the Crucifixion. Cruz, meaning "cross" is a unisex name used in Spain and Portugal, that is used in reference to the cross of the crucifixion. Similarly, Stavros "cross" is used in Greece and Krastyo in Bulgaria.

 

Clearings and Ashes

In Finland, April is called Huhtikuu -- huhtu referring to a forested area cleared for agriculture. In days of old, April was a time when Finnish farmers would clear areas of forest for new land to grow rye. The trees would be burnt, and it is thought that the ashes increased the soil's fertility.
The Old English leah "clearing" has been used in many place names, which later became surnames and, consequently, first names. Lea, Lee, and Leigh have been used as a unisex name for much of the last two centuries. Place names containing the leah element are numerous, and many have been used as first names. Popular forms are Ashley, Bradley, Dudley, Hayley, Shelley, Shirley and Stanley. Other options include: Abberley, Ainsley, Audley, Aveley, Bentley, Bexley, Farley, Hadley, Harley, Keighley, Kempley, Morley, Presley, Raleigh, Riley, Ripley, Thorley, Waverley, Wiley. 

For "ash" inspired names we could look to Ash, Ashbrooke, Ashby, Ashley and Ashton. 

 

Symbols

Diamond is the birthstone for April. Its name comes from the Greek ἀδάμας (adamas) meaning “unconquerable, invincible”. Diamond has had usage as a unisex name in Britain, particularly in 1897 when it was used to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Diamante, Diamantina, Diamantino and Diamando can also be found as variants. In other languages we can find Almas, a unisex Arabic name, Diamanto (Greek), Elmas (Turkish and Intan (Indonesian).

The Daisy and Sweet Pea are April's birth flowers. In Victorian floriography the daisy symbolised innocence, and the sweet pea symbolised delicate pleasures. Daisy has enjoyed much popularity as a name since the late 19th century in Britain. In other countries, the flower name is similarly found in names such as: Ivančica (Croatia), Madelief (Dutch), Margarida (Portuguese), Margarita (Spanish), Marguerite (French) and Margherita (Italian).

Aries, the ram, is the astrological sign that runs from March 21 - April 20. His Greek name is Krios "ram" and appears in ancient mythology as one of the Titan sons of Ouranos "sky" and Gaia "earth". He and three of his brothers represented the four pillars of the earth: Krios was the South. He was married to Eurybia, a goddess of the sea.  

 

Name Days

Many different countries have names associated with days of the year; most often they are the feast days of saints. Below are some of the names associated with the days in April around the world. 

1 = Hugh / Hugo, Harald, Theodora / Teodora, Valeric
2 = Aron, Francis, Sandra / Sandrine, Urban, Zita
3 = Agape, Ferdinand, Nicetas, Richard
4 = Ambrose, Benedict, Isidore, Marianne, Plato
5 = Beccan, Irene, Gerald, Miroslava, Vincent
6 = Celestine, Celestina, Sixtus, Timothy, William
7 = Allan, Finian, Herman Joseph, Jean-Baptiste, Zinaida
8 = Albert, Beate, Dionysius, Julia, Walter
9 = Elias, Gautier, Otto, Ottilia, Waltrude
10 = Antoni, Apollonius, Engelbert, Ezekiel
11 = Aedh, Isaac, Leo, Stanislas, Ulf, Ylva
12 = Constantine, Damian, Julius, Odo, Victor, Zeno
13 = Artur, Hermenegild, Ida, Justin, Martin
14 = Ellinor, Ludivine, Maximus, Tiburtius, Valerian
15 = Anastasia, Basilissa, Helena, Olympia, Ruadhan
16 = Benedict, Bernadette, Joachim, Magnus, Patrick
17 = Anicetus, Leonidas, Robert, Rudolf, Stephen
18 = Ancia, Eleutherius, Laura, Valdemar
19 = Anthony, Daniel, Emma, Gerold, Leon
20 = Agnes, Amalia, James, Marcel, Odette, Simon
21 = Alexandra, Anastasius, Anselm, Feliks, Konrad
22 = Alfred, Caius, Leonidas, Nathaniel, Rufus, Theodore
23 = Adalbert, George, Gerard
24 = Albert, Egbert, Elizabeth, Ervina, Fidelis, Wilfrid
25 = Erwin, Franco, Ivo, Marek, Mark
26 = Alida, Cletus, Odo, Theresa
27 = Charles, Jaroslav, Klementine, Zita
28 = Louis, Peter, Tyra, Valeria, Vivian
29 = Augustin, Catherine, Hugh / Hugo, Robert, Tyko
30 = James / Jacob, Liliana, Miriam, Pius / Pio, Sophia