British Baby Names

UK Birth Announcements 1/6/15 - 7/6/15

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, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Sibling names are in brackets. 

 

Boys:

Alexander Cooper (Ethan)

Algernon Peter William Panton (Arabella Alice Sibley)

Archie Eric (Skye Elizabeth)

Arthur Henry

Elliot Samuel (Amber & Noah Daniel)

Fergus William Richard

Finn Bear Robin

Finn Thomas

Gregor Coutts (Braelyn Louise)

Harry Richard

Henry George William

Herbie Chandler (Lola Rose)

James Faolan

James Henry

Keir Joseph (Ryan & Eva)

Laurence William Leonard "Laurie"

Max Harry (James)

Maximilian Lewis Archibald 

Noah Alastair

Oscar James (Matilda Emily)

Rory James (Max William)

Rory Thomas Malise

Sebastian Alexander (Celeste Rose)

Walter Edward David (Harry Thomas David)

Wilfred Finbarre (Grace Jane)

William Henry James

William Thomas Duncan "Will" (Archie)

 

Girls:

Amy Rachel

Ava Joan

Caroline Elizabeth Arabella "Carrie" (Robert Michael Oliver "Bobby")

Charlotte Carolyn

Chloe Anne Christine (Ebony Harriet)

Chloe Rita

Elizabeth Claire

Elsa Margaret (Ewan David)

Emma Louise (Isla Grace)

Hope Lily (Tyler)

Isabelle Grace (Oliver Winston & William)

Isadora Sophie Emilia (Ottilie Jemima Alethea)

Isobel Diana

Jax Edna Gleed (Ava Kathleen McKenzie)

Jemima Jane (Barnaby Gerald)

Jorgie Rose

Kate Isabella (Seumas Alasdair)

Katie Jean

Kitty Isabella Primrose (Beatrice)

Lauren Lesley

Leela Diane

Liberty Ahimsa (Maverick Apollo)

Louisa Rachel (Marshall)

Louise Tekla (Kate & Emma)

Lyla Belle

Màiri Eibhilin

Millie Grace (Jessica Lily)

Phoebe Annalise (Lily May & George Lukas)

Sophia Sylvia (Annaleigh)

Tilia Clementine Mary

Zara Agnes

 

Name of the Week

A quirky biblical name with a strong artistic streak.
A great choice for those looking for a rare,
yet recognisable name with history.

 

Origin:

Thaddeus is an Anglicised form of the Hellenised Biblical name Θαδδαίος (Thaddaios), which became Thaddaeus is Latin. All signs point to Thaddaios being a Hellenised form of the Aramaic Thaddai, the meaning of which is uncertain.  The most famous Thaddeus is St Jude Thaddeus, one of the Twelve Apostles. He is known by many names, including Jude of James, Judas Thaddaeus, Judas Lebbaeus and even Thaddaeus Lebbaeus.  A longstanding theory is that Thaddaeus and Lebbaeus are interpretations, variant readings, or cognates, of the same name. Lebbaeus looks likely to come from the Hebrew leb "heart"; some have reconstructed the Hebrew form of the name as Levaviy "my heart," or Levaviyah "heart of Yahweh."* Thaddaeus, meanwhile, has been derived from the Aramaic tad meaning "breast, chest," and has therefore been considered cognate.  For this reason, Thaddeus is often listed under a variety of related (if tenuous) meanings such as heart, braveheart, courageous, dear heart or beloved. Scholars are divided over this theory, however.* It is worth noting that the Aramaic word for "heart" is leb, just like the Hebrew, so using tad instead as a 'translation' seems curious.  The other most prominent scholarly theory is that Thaddai/Taddai is the Aramaic form of a Greek name such as Theodoros, Theodotos and Theodosios (all derived from the Greek theos "God" and doros "gift, that which is given"). Thaddai was then translated back into Greek as Thaddaios. Richard Bauckham points out that Theodoros, Theodotus and Theodosios were quite common names for contemporary Jews, and it is not unusual to find examples of Palestinian Jews bearing both Semitic and Greek names.* There is, then, plenty of precedent for Aramaic -Greek cross overs. One other possibility is that Thaddai derives from the Aramaic tawdi meaning "praise, thanks."

Usage:

The Italian form, Taddeo, was not an uncommon name in medieval Italy. In the Catasto of Florence in 1427, 33 Taddeos are listed, putting it at a rank of #40. Notable bearers include Taddeo Gaddi (c. 1300–1366) and Taddeo di Bartolo (c. 1363–1422), both renowned painters during the Renaissance, and later Taddeo Zuccari (1529–1566), also an artist.  Lingual variations of Thaddeus can be found across Europe from the 14th century.  The Polish form, Tadeusz, has historically been well used in Poland. One famous bearer is Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Kościuszko (1746–1817), a national hero of Poland and major general in the Polish–Russian War of 1792 and the American War of Independence.  Pan Tadeusz ("Sir Thaddeus" in English) is an epic poem by Adam Mickiewicz, first published in 1834, that is considered one of Poland's finest literary works. Thaddeus has been in use in Britain since the 16th century, though has always been uncommon. It was used most in Ireland as an 'Anglicised' form the Irish name Tadgh (meaning "poet").  Registration of births in England and Wales show that Thaddeus was uncommon but in consistent use in the 19th century: 1840s: 13 births 1850s: 11 births 1860s: 15 births 1870s: 10 births 1880s: 20 births 1890s: 17 births 1900s: 13 births 1910s: 13 births 1920s: 7 births 1930s: 2 births 1940s: 5 births 1950s: 5 births 1960s: 9 births 1970s: 11 births click to enlarge Since 1996, Thaddeus has ranked (with 3 births or more) in England and Wales twelve times in eighteen years. It peaked in 2005 at #1991 with 5 births.  Having not ranked for the previous four years, Thaddeus ranked #3315 with 5 births in 2013.  The Polish form, Tadeusz first ranked in 2005. Up until 2011, it was given to no more than 3 boys per year, but since then has been rising. In 2013, Tadeusz ranked #1706 with 13 births in England and Wales, reflecting its rising popularity in native Poland where it currently ranks #77. In Scotland, Thaddeus has only ranked four times from 1974-2014 (1994, 2000, 2004 and 2009), given to only one boy in each year.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Jude Thaddaeus (d.c.65), one of the Twelve Apostles.  * Saint Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the seventy disciples of Christ. * Taddeo Gaddi (c. 1300–1366), an Italian Renaissance painter. * Taddeo di Bartolo (c. 1363–1422), an Italian Renaissance painter. * Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy (1455-1497), Bishop of Ross and Bishop of Cork and Cloyne.  * Taddeo Zuccari (1529–1566), an Italian painter. * Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Kościuszko (1746–1817), a Polish and American Revolutionary General and national hero. * Tadeusz Romer (1894-1978), a Polish diplomat and politician. * Thaddeus S. C. Lowe (1831–1913), American scientist and inventor. * Thaddeus Cahill (1867–1934), an American inventor and inventor of the first electromechanical musical instrument. * Thad Jones (1923–1986), an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Contemporary: * Thaddeus O'Sullivan (b.1947), Irish director and screenwriter.  * Thaddeus Young (b.1988), American basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Literature and Other Media: * Thaddeus "Thad" Peabody, a character in J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Variants:

Thaddée (French), Tadeo (Spanish), Taddeo (Italian), Tadeusz (Polish), Tadeu (Portuguese), Faddei, Faddey (Russian), Tadeáš (Slovak), Tadej (Slovene), Tadeáš (Czech), Tadija (Croatian)

Pronunciation:

THAD-ee-əs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Thad, Thaddy, Thady, Tad, Teddy

Sibling Names:

Juliana     Aurelia     Sabina     Helena     Amalia     Clarissa  Matthias     Quentin    Nathanael    Simeon     Casimir    Raphael

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance   Saintly and Stylish   Operatic Appellations   Harry Potter Names

 

If you like Thaddeus you may also like:    Theodore, Ignatius, Atticus, Barnabas, Magnus, Laszlo, Tobias, Lazarus, Finnian, Erasmus

 

Thanks to Rosamund for requesting this post.

'Twas Ever Thus: Sensible 1940s Names

Here is an article, written only three years after WWII, which sheds a light on fashions in Essex — most especially Chelmsford — in names. Change the names and many of these phrases can easily be found in modern magazine articles concerning names. 

The following article was written by Gilbert Saunders and appeared in the Essex Newsman on Friday 16th April 1948. 

All the spellings are exactly as they are printed in the original scanned newspaper page. Merilyn, I believe, should be Marilyn, given that it was #54 in 1944. 

 

Is your name SANDRA?    If it is, you have the most popular name of 1948. There are more Sandras being registered these days than any other name, although the CHRISTINEs, JAQUELINEs, and CAROLs are close runners-up.    Among boys' names the trend is less well defined.     The accent is on the short, manly, and old-fashioned names, which are coming back into favour again — JOHN, ROBERT, MICHAEL, DUNCAN -- with an occasional GARY, LANCE, and STEWART to relieve the monotony.     One feature for which Registrars are truly thankful is the fact that the recent war had hardly any influence on the names given to children.    Essex to-day has many middle-aged folk named REDVERS, BULLER, and KITCHENER; a sprinkling of MONS and HAIG, some ten to 15 years younger; and at least two ZEPPELINAs, from an obvious source.  FEW WINSTONS    But World War II. produced no Roosevelts or Arnhems, at least in Chelmesford. History went unrecorded except for a WINSTON here and there.     A spate of ELIZABETHs was expected after November's Royal Wedding, but it failed to materialise.    Although Registrars may make a mild remark about unsuitability when faced with a particularly combination of names, there is no law which governs either the types of names or the number of them.    Technically, there is nothing to stop you bestowing the complete Bible as the names of you son or daughter.     Extremes, however, are rare, and there are always second thoughts.     A Chelmsford mother not long ago insisted on " GEORGEOUS de" for her little girl. Later she changed her mind—but it was too later, and "GEORGEOUS de" it will officially be for life.    Once the wheels of registration are fully turned there is nothing anyone can do about it.     A man's name, intended to be JAMES, was once entered as JANE and the mistake was noted too late to have it altered.    Officials report that the humbler the circumstances of the family the more exotic some of the names given to children.  FILMS INFLUENCE    NICOLA, LOIS, MARIEANNE, BRIONY, CHERILE, GLORIA DAWN,  and RUBY DAWN (the last named an increasingly popular choice), have been registered in Chelmsford lately.     So, too, have ROSANN (which I am told is a "fine old Essex name"), PINA VIVIENNE, ERICA, and MAXINE ROBERTA.    Where do parents get some of the names from? Magazines, romantic novels, and the films supply many of the most glamorous selections. But at least one names was dubbed APPLEDORE after the Devon retreat in which his parents spent their honeymoon.     Some of the most common names in use a few decades ago seem to have gone for ever. Rare indeed to-day is a GLADYS, GERTRUDE, ALICE or MARJORIE.     They have been replaced by DIANE, MERILYN, LINDA and JENNIFER.   POPULAR ANN    MARION, too, is often chosen for girls, although the parents are probably unaware that, in that form, it is a male name. The correct female version is MARIAN.    Easily the most popular second name for girls just now is ANN. CAROL ANN had a prodigious run during the war, but it is now dropping off in favour, as is PENELOPE ANN.     Abbreviations and corruptions are beginning to appear more frequently, such as VICKY, TONY and PEGGY.     But a recent parent played safe in this respect and gave his son the names of TONY ANTHONY.                                       The Newsman, Essex                                              16 April 1948

.

The Birth Index has record of a Georgeous J De G.Birch in Chelmesford in the first quarter of 1943.