If any name was both sunny and solid at the same time
Georgina would fit the bill.
Origin: |
A feminine form of George, the Anglicised form of the Greek name Γεωργιος (Georgios). The name is taken from the Greek word γεωργός (georgos) "a farmer, husbandman" or, more literally, "earth-worker," derived from γῆ (ge) "earth" and έργο (ergo) "to work." The Ancient Greeks had two principle words for "earth" or "ground": γῆ (ge) and χθων (khthon). Ge (from which Georgina derives) refers more specifically to the fertile, arable earth that sustains all life. Khthon is the cold, hard earth associated with the underworld. |
Usage: |
George feels like a quintessentially British name, yet, compared to other staples which have been popular since before or just after the Norman invasion, George's popularity was much later by comparison. Saint George, an ancient patron of soldiers, was a fourth century martyr who had long been popular in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Legend has it that the crusaders had a vision of St. George at the siege of Antioch during the First Crusade (1096-1099) which was attributed to the defeat of the Saracens. Richard I later placed his army under the protection of St. George during the Third Crusade (1189–1192), and it was these crusaders that brought the name George back to Britain with them. His feast day, April 23, was made a holiday in 1222. Redmonds calculates it to have been the 34th most popular name from 1377-1381, though, given the small size in population, that actually only equates to a small percentage, making it still quite a rare name. St. George was given a further boost in prestige when Edward III established the Order of the Garter with St George as its patron in 1348. By 1415 (when Archbishop Chichele made his feast day one of the major events of that year) St George had emerged as England's principle patron saint. This prominence is reflected in the popularity of the name George, which ranked in the Top 10 most popular boys' names from the 1530s to the 1930s. Georgiana was used as a feminised form from the 18th century, during the eponymous Georgian era, and was used most notably among the aristocracy. Georgina was a simpler form of the name, and some early records use Georgiana and Georgina interchangeably. The same can be seen with Christiana and Christina. During the 19th century, Georgina (like Christina) emerged as the more standard form of the name, and was particularly popular in the second half of that century. Queen Victoria (b.1819) was intended to have Georgina (or Georgiana) as one of her given names. However several of her proposed names (Georgina, Charlotte and Augusta) were rejected by the Prince Regent, who only agreed to Alexandrina Victoria. The 1841 UK census lists 2,887 women and girls named Georgina, and 3,315 named Georgiana. By 1861 the number named Georgina had risen to 8,766 and Georgiana to 5,452, showing the shift between the usage of the two forms. In the 1881 and 1901 UK censuses, the precedence of Georgina and the decline of Georgiana is particularly notable: Overall in 1890 Georgina ranked #100 with 542 births in England and Wales, and was #108 with 558 births in 1900. Georgina stayed just below the Top 100 until 1944 when it rose to #84. It reentered again in 1974 at #79, was #84 in 1984 and #35 in 1994. The name reached a peak when it ranked #33 in 1997 (1700 births), and again in 1998 (1624 births). The name slowly dropped in usage from that point on until it ranked #94 in 2004, and out of the Top 100 after that. In 2011 the name ranked #157 with 335 births. It is interesting to note that 90s favourite Georgia (#10 in 1997) is also on a slow decline (#60 in 2011). Georgina found greater popularity in Scotland at the beginning of the century. In 1900 it ranked #23 and was still in the Top 100, at #67, in 1950. Its popularity waned from that point as it did not rank in the Top 100 in 1975. The name ranked #257 (15 births) in 2010, and #316 (11 births) in 2011. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Georgina Ward, Countess of Dudley (1846—1929), noted beauty of her time, Red Cross worker and Mayfair nursing home director. Contemporary: * Georgina Hale (b.1943), a British film and television actress. Literature and Other Media: * Georgina Kirrin "George", a character in Enid Blyton's Famous Five series Other: * Georgina, a town in south-central Ontario, Canada. |
Variants: |
Georgiana, Georgia; Georgine (French), Giorgina (Italian) Jiřina (Czech) |
Pronunciation: |
jor-JEE-nə [key] |
Possible |
Ena, Genie, George, Georgie, Geri, Gigi, Gina, Ginny, Nina, Rina |
Sibling Names: |
Sophia Alexandra Adeline Henrietta Louisa Katherine |
Name Lists: |
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Thanks to Nicki for requesting Georgina as this week's NotW.