British Baby Names

Name of the Week

With her youthful zest, Chloe has gone from ancient appellation,
to literary favourite, and now modern classic. 

 

Origin:

Chloe is the Latinised form of the Ancient Greek name Khloe (Χλόη), which in Greek meant "green voliage, tender verdure, young green shoot" and was a relative of khloros ""greenish-yellow, fresh." The poetic feminine form of khloros was Khloris (greenness, freshness), a name used for the goddess of flowers. Khloe was used, very appropraiately, as an epithet of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and basically all things horticultural. In her case, it was used in the context of "Demeter the Verdant."

Usage:

The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names has nineteen examples of Khloe (Χλόη) in use. The majority of citations come from Central Greece, followed by the Aegean Islands and Cyprus.  Its use within Greek society led to its appearance in the New Testament; in 1 Corinthians 1:11, Chloe is mentioned as a Christian woman of Corinth who opened her home to other Christians. Similarly, the tale of Daphnis and Chloe was a 2nd century AD romance written by Aegean-native author Longus.  In Britain, Chloe first came into use in the 16th century. It was uncommon initially -- and quite often spelt Cloe -- though it picked up more usage by the 18th century. This increase was in a large part thanks to its use in literature, particularly by the pastoral poets. The romance of Daphnis and Chloe was translated several times from the 17th-19th centuries and also became a familiar subject of art.   Alexander Pope's famous narrative poem The Rape of the Lock (1712) featured a character named Chloe, thought to be based on his friend Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (1689-1767). Similarly, Jonathan Swift's poem Strephon and Chloe (1734) made both names archetypes names for a pair of lovers in pastoral poetry. Births in England and Wales show how, across the 19th and 20th century, Chloe went from uncommon literary choice to mainstream favourite: 1840-9: 1 birth 1850-9: 7 births 1860-9: 9 births 1870-9: 25 births 1880-9: 40 births 1890-9: 36 births 1900-9: 44 births 1910-9: 36 births 1920-9: 44 births 1930-9: 71 births 1940-9: 88 births 1950-9: 79 births 1960-9: 171 births It wasn't until the 1970s that Chloe really began to make its mark in naming circles, becoming mainstream by the 1980s. This can be seen by Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name Chloe in every 10,000 births in England and Wales over the 20th century:  1900 1925  1935 1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990    -     -      -    -     -     -      -     4      10     18    18    112   In 1984, Chloe entered the top 100 of England and Wales for the first time at #97. Ten years later, in 1994, it had shot up in a meteoric rise to #11 and by 1997 it was #1, where it stayed for the next five years. It remained in the top 10 until 2010.  In the same way, in Scotland, Chloe was #1 from 1998 to 2002, and remained in the top 10 until 2011.  Similarly, in Northern Ireland, Chloe was also #1 from 1997 to 2002 and has fluctuated within the top 20 since.  In 2013, Chloe ranked #18 in England and Wales, #12 in Scotland and #18 in Northern Ireland.   Chloe has also made its mark internationally in recent years. In 2012, Chloe ranked #3 in France, #5 in New South Wales, #7 in Canada, #11 in New Zealand, #14 in the USA, #15 in Ireland and Belgium and #95 in Spain.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Chloe Ardelia (b.1931), birth name of American author Toni Morrison. * Chloë Annett (b.1971), British actress. * Chloe Hooper (b.1973), Australian author. * Chloë Sevigny (b.1974), American actress. * Chloe Moss (b.1976), British playwright. * Khloé Kardashian (b.1984), American TV personality. * Chloë Agnew (b.1989), Irish singer and member of Celtic Woman. Literature and Other Media: * Aunt Chloe, a character in the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe. * Chloe, the heroine of the poem The Fable of the Bees (1705) by Bernard Mandeville. * Chloe, character in the operetta Orpheus in the Underworld (1858) by Jacques Offenbach

Variants:

Khloe, Chloé, Cloé (French), Cloe (Spanish), Cloé (Portuguese)

Pronunciation:

KLŌ-ee [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Clo, Chlo, Coco, Lolly

Sibling Names:

Sophie     Ruby     Ella     Freya     Georgia     Bethany  Adam     Joshua     Jack     Callum     Ethan     Nathan

Name Lists:

Dulcet Dainties   Popular Biblical   Names from Austen  Names of Roses   Green Names

 

If you like Chloe you may also like:  Zoe, Cleo, Sienna, Olivia, Clelie, Ava, Lola, Aoife, Emily, Leonie

 

Thanks to Chamali for requesting this post. 

 

Ancient Greek K Names for Girls

And now for the "K" (kappa) names! 

Kappa is the tenth letter of the Ancient Greek alphabet, which sounded pretty much the same as out hard K in English. Many Greek K names are more familiar to us beginning with a C, however, thanks to the way they were commonly transliterated into Latin. 

All the names below were used for women in Ancient Greek society. Most of the names have been taken from inscriptions and grave stele (like the one of a lady named Kalliarista, right).

As usual, I've opted for the more unusual choices, omitting the likes of Kassandra, Kleopatra, Kalliope and Kallisto.

The first nine letters can be found in these previous posts: 

A  B/G  D  E  Z  H  TH  I 

 

Kabeiro / Kabiro 
Of the Kabeiros deities or of Mount Kabeiros.

Kalareta 
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + aretê "excellence, virtue, courage"

Kallianassa
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + anassa "queen"

Kalliarista
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + aristos "best, very good, noble"

Kallibia
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + bios "life"

Kallidika 
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + dikê "justice"

Kallikleia
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + kleos "glory, fame, praise"

Kallikrateia
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + kratos "power"

Kallinikê / Kallinika / Kallippis
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + nikê "victory"

Kallippê / Kallippa 
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + hippos "of horses"

Kallithea 
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + podos "foot"

Kallithea 
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + thea "goddess"

Kallis 
kalos "beautiful, beauty"

Kallo / Kallio
kalos "beautiful, beauty"

Kalisthena / Kallistheneia / Kallisthenia
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + sthenos "strength"

Kallistaretê / Kallistareti / Kallistareta
kallistos "most/very beautiful" + aretê "excellence, virtue, courage"

Kallistokleia 
kallistos "most/very beautiful" + kleos "glory"

Kallistomakhê / Kallistomachi
kallistos "most/very beautiful" + machê "battle"

Kallistonassa 
kallistos "most/very beautiful" + anassa "queen"

Kallistrata / Kallistratê
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + stratos "army"

Kallitykhê / Kallitycha 
kalos "beautiful, beauty" + tyche "fortune, luck"

Kallo
kalos "beautiful, beauty"

Kathara
katharos "clean, pure, unstained"

Kephisia 
of Kephisos (the river)

Kephisodora
Kephisos (the river) + doros "gift"

Kleainetê / Kleaineti
kleos  "glory" + ainetos "praiseworthy"

Kleareta 
kleos "glory" + aretê "excellence, virtue, courage"

Klearista
kleos  "glory" + aristos "best, very good, noble"

Kleito 
kleos  "glory"

Kleo 
kleos  "glory"

Kleodora 
kleos  "glory" + doros "gift"

Kleokrateia
kleos  "glory" + kratos "strength, might"

Kleolais 
kleos "glory" + laos "the people"

Kleonika 
kleos "glory" + nikê "victory"

Kleophanta 
kleos "glory" + phantos "visible, revealed"

Kleotima 
kleos "glory" + timê "honour, respect"

Klymenê / Klymenis
klymenos "fame"

Kosmia
kosmos "order, the world, the universe, ornament, adornment"

Krateia
kratos "power"

Kratesiklea / Kratesikleia 
krastistos "strongest, most noble"" + kleos "glory"

Kratista
krastistos "strongest, most noble"

Kyriakê
kyriakos "of the Lord"

Kyrilla
kyria "lady"

 

All of the names above would be spelt with a C in Latin. 

UK Birth Announcements 27/10/14 - 2/11/14

A compilation of names from BAs announced in newspapers in the last week, including a national paper (Telegraph) and a broad range of local newspapers from across England, Wales and Scotland.

Sibling names are in brackets. 

 

Boys:

Albie Tomas

Alfie Jack

Angus Alan (Archie)

Archibald Alan Bruce

Ben Edward (Leo)

Bobi Garmon (Caio Wyn & Tomi Wyn)

Carlo Tommaso

Charles Stirling (Flora Elizabeth)

Deacon Jack (Elise)

Elliot Paul David

Ethan Isaac

Finlay Nairn

Finlay Warner

Gabriel James (Joshua Jacob)

George Anthony Victor

George Christopher Edward

Harry John Robert (Eilidh Lois)

Hugh Christopher Wyatt (Alexander James Wyatt)

Hugo Zane Edward

Innes Eric

Jack Alexander Vartan

Jackson Paul (Annabelle & Bryce Maximus)

Jacob William

James Andrew (Jessica Rose & Lucy Matilda)

Jamie Alexander (Archie)

Jasper Christopher George (Meredith & Lilah)

(Hon) John Alexander Ladi

Kobe James Thomas (Kehl)

Lucas Robert George

Ludvig Augustine (Fredrik Leopold & Oskar Horatio)

Math Owen (Aron Huw & Erin Gwen)

Montgomery Cameron Frederick

Montgomery James "Monty" (Rafferty George & Willa Rose)

Murray David

Oscar Anthony (Jessica Joy)

Samuel Christopher (Ciara Amy)

Samuel William Ernest (Vanessa Grace, John Simon Atkins "Jack" & Oliver Miles Edward)

Sebastian Henry

William Maurice Edward (Elliot Jayden William)

 

Girls:

Aian Geeta Georgiana

Amber Jane

Amelia Eva

Amelia Rose

Anest Caroline (Rhion Wyn)

Annie Maria (Arthur Herbert)

Ayda Kathleen Mary

Ayla Anne

Bayleigh Louise

Bella Margaret

Bonnie Beau

Clementine Beatrix Anna 

Clementine Maude Raewyn

Eleanor Victoria (Francesca Lily)

Elizabeth Annabelle

Ellie Marie

Emilie Elizabeth

Emily Francesca

Florence Rose

Grace Autumn

Harriet Sophia Mary

Harriett Grace

Iona Audrey Myra (Ruaridh Stewart Frank & Hamish)

Isabella Rose (Sienna Melis)

Isla Rachel (Kenny)

Lilah Ann-Marie

Maisie Jane

Matilda Ann (Gabriel Stephen)

Pixie

Rachel Margaret Beverley (George John David)

Ruby Mae

Samantha Elaine

Sofia Margarita (Julia)

Sophie Iris (Liam James)

Thea Susan (Aston)

 

Twins:

Isobel Anna & Thomas William

Name of the Week

^.


Saintly Francis is solid and respectable but
uncommon enough today to make it a bit daring.

 

Origin:

Francis derives from the Old French Franceis, which came from the Latin Franciscus, a term which originally meant "Frankish, of the Franks" but later came to mean "a Frenchman." Frank - the name of the tribe - almost certainly derives from the old Germanic word *frankon "javelin, lance," and was later used to mean 'free, generous, sincere, forthright'. From this came the Old Germanic given name Franco "a Frank" which was in use from the early Middle Ages. Francis itself was orginally used as a byname, or nickname, as the adjective Franceis "Frenchman," and swiftly became a surname. It only really came into use as a given name, however, until the hugely popular cult of St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) spread across Europe. Born while his father (a wealthy merchant) was away on business in France, his mother had baptised him with the name Giovanni. On his return however, his father preferred to call him Francesco "Frenchman," either because of his travels and admiration for France, and possibly because his wife was from Provence.

Usage:

Use of the surname Franceis "Frenchman" in Britain dates from at least the 12th century. A few examples of its use as a given name, such as Francais de Irtona from Whitby c.1230, can be found from the 13th century. Despite St Francis being canonised two years after his death in 1228, the name Francis wasn't especially common at first. In Redmond's poll of top 50 names from 10 counties in 1377-81, for example, Francis does not rank at all. However, by the end of the 14th century, Francis really began to take off. This was perhaps because the cult of the saint had spread further by this point thanks to the Franciscan Order, but also its use by royalty in Europe. The first King of France, Francis I, succeeded his cousin Louis' throne in 1515 and became a staple among French aristocracy thereafter. His grandson, Francis II, also became King Consort of Scotland as a result of his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1558. This coincided with the canonising of several other saints named Francis in the 16th and 17th century. In my poll of the most popular Elizabethan names of Norfolk, Francis ranks #14 overall. This corresponds nicely to Smith Bannister rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 which shows how consistently popular the name was for nearly two centuries:  1538-49: #16; 1550-9: #14; 1560-9: #13; 1570-9: #10; 1580-9: #12; 1590-9: #11; 1600-9: #10; 1610-9: #11; 1620-9: #10; 1630-9: #12; 1640-9: #12; 1650-9: #13; 1660-9: #13; 1670-9: #13; 1680-9: #12; 1690-1700: #12. By the turn of the 19th century, Francis was still in good and steady use, declining only slightly by the end of the century. It ranked #24 in 1870, #24 in 1880, #26 in 1890 and #28 in 1900. Though Frank was originally a distinct name, by the 19th century both Frank and Frankie had become regarded as a diminutive of Francis. Other occasional nicknames in use included Fay and Fran, though these were more often reserved for the feminine form Frances.  During the 20th century in England and Wales, Francis started from it's Victorian high-point of #28 in 1904 and held its ground in the top 50 through the 1930s. Gradually it declined, falling out of the Top 100 after 1964 when it ranked #82. The name was more popular in Scotland, ranking #19 in 1900, #27 in 1950 and #66 in 1975.  In Northern Ireland however, Francis was still #100 as late as 1997.  Since 1996 in England and Wales, Francis has had very steady use, with a birth count of between 150 and 190 births per year. In 1996, it ranked #188 with 172 birth had only fluctauted slightly after that point.  In 2013, Francis had its highest birth count in England and Wales of the last few decades of 210, giving it a rank of #241. In Scotland, it ranked #247 (17 births) and was #208 (10 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Francis I (1414–1450), Duke of Brittany. * Francis II (1433–1488), Duke of Brittany. * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France. * Francis of Denmark (1497-1511), Prince of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. * Francis I (1517–1545), Duke of Lorraine. * Francis III (1518–1536), Duke of Brittany. * Francis II (1544–1560) King of France and King Consort of Scotland. * Francis I (1541–1587), Grand Duke of Tuscany. * Francis I (1629–1658), Duke of Modena. * Francis I Rákóczi (1645–1676), Prince of Transylvania. * Francis II (1662–1694), Duke of Modena. * Francis II Rákóczi (1676–1735), Prince of Transylvania. * Francis I (1708–1765), Holy Roman Emperor. * Francis III (1737–1780), Duke of Modena. * Francis II (1768–1835), Holy Roman Emperor, also Francis I, Emperor of Austria. * Francis of Spain (1822–1902), Duke of Cádiz, King Consort of Queen Isabella II. History: * St. Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226), Italian Catholic friar and saint. * St Francis of Paola (1416–1507), Italian (Calabrian) founder of the Order of the Minims. * St Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Spanish Catholic friar and saint. * St Francis Borgia (1510–1572), Spanish Jesuit priest; third leader of the Jesuits. * Sir Francis Drake (c.1540-1596), , an English sea captain, privateer and navigator. * St Francis Solanus (1549–1610), Spanish Franciscan missionary to South America. * Francis Bacon (1561–1626), English philosopher, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. * St Francis Caracciolo (1563–1608), Italian priest who co-founded the Congregation of the Minor Clerics Regular. * St Francis de Sales (1567–1622), French Catholic bishop and saint. * St Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (1607–1648), Castilian Dominican missionary; first Roman Catholic martyr killed in China. * St Francis de Geronimo (1642–1716), Italian Jesuit priest. * Francis Fontaine (1845-1901), American poet and novelist. * Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), American Novelist and short story writer. Contemporary: * Pope Francis (b. 1936), the current titular leader of the Roman Catholic Church. * Francis Ford Coppola (b. 1939), American film-director, producer, and screenwriter. Literature and Other Media: * Francis, a character from TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle played by Christopher Masterson. * Francis, a character from Disney and Pixar's film, A Bug's Life.

Variants:

Frantzisko, Patxi (Basque), Frane, Franjo, Franko, Frano, Fran (Croatian), František (Czech), Frans (Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish), Franz, Fränze, Franzi (German), Ferenc (Hungarian), Proinsias (Irish), Francesco, Franco (Italian), Frens, Frenske (Limburgish), Pranciškus (Lithuanian), Franciszek (Polish), Francisco, Chico (Portuguese), Frang (Scottish), Franjo (Serbian), Franc, Frančišek,(Slovene), Francisco, Curro, Paco, Pancho, Paquito (Spanish), Ffransis (Welsh)

Pronunciation:

FRAN-səs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Frank, Frankie, Franz, Fritz, Fin

Sibling Names:

Clara     Agnes     Josephine     Edith     Roberta     Maria   Ralph     Lionel     Stephen     Philip     Jonathan     Richard

Name Lists:

Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Royal Names of Europe   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Francis you may also like:   Patrick, Franklin, Peter, Benedict, Wilfred, Robin, Martin, Alistair, Timothy, Simon

 

Thanks to Aure, Lucie and Kaia for requesting this post.