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My annual post about the British naming trends of 2015 is now up at Nameberry. Click the link to find out about some of this year;s hottest sounds, plus the TV influences we've been observing, and, of course, this years name controversy.
Please swing by and let me know what you think.
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A round-up of names from birth announcements announced in British newspapers in the last week.
Sources include a national paper (The Telegraph) and a broad range of local newspapers from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sibling names are in brackets.
Boys:
Daniel Beckett
David Tom
Geordie Francis D’Arcy
George Howard
Harrison Ian Stewart
Henry Maximilian
James Harry (Joshua & Max David)
Jaxon
Jayden
Joey
Joshua David Christopher
Lennon John Joseph (Taylor & Mason)
Leo William (Annabelle Lucille)
Leon Simpson
Lewis Samuel
Manny Thomas (Coby Douglas & Arlo Harold)
Mark Adam
Oliver Alexander (William George & Thomas Richard)
Oliver Francis
Ronnie Nicholas
Spenser Mateo Edward
Thomas Oliver (Marc Andrew)
Toby John (Grace Evelyn)
William Oscar (Oliver Michael)
Girls:
Alayna
Beatrice Katherine Cecily (Henry Rafe Nevill & Charles Ptolemy Nevill)
Beatrix
Darcey Helen Edna (Rory Michael)
Freya Joan Georgie
Helena Alexandra Kirsty
Lily Rose Scarlett (Oscar, William James Waterbury & Felix Patrick Barnaby)
Lucia Caterina
Olivia Grace
Robyn Elizabeth
Rose Monica (Amber Anne & Frank Thomas)
Zara Janice (Amelia)
Twins:
Ava & Alanna (Jessica "Jessy" & Finley)
Lochlan Stuart & Willam Edward
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Origin: |
Noel derives from the Old French noël "Christmas," a variant (and later a replacement) of nael which itself derives from the Latin natalis "birth." The term natalis dies (birth day) was long used in Church Latin in reference to the birthday of Christ -- or in other words: Christmas. In modern English, a Noel can also be used to refer to a Christmas carol. |
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Usage: |
Like Christmas, Noel has been in use as both a given name and a surname since the 12th century. It has been traditionally given to children born over the Christmas period, and most early baptisms of the name took place in December or early January. Even the surname is thought to have originally been given to someone born at Christmas, though it soon became a hereditary name passed down the generations. For example, the founded of Ronton Prior is named as Thomas Noel in 1182, but his father was listed earlier in c.1150 as Robertus Noelli showing he inherited the surname* As spellings were not fixed, the surname develope many alternate forms such as Noell, Nowell, Nowill and Noale. In the 15th and 16th century, Noel became more established as a given name, and wasn't just confined to the Christmas period as it became passed down generations. It was well used in France and Belgium, and was used moderately in Britain as well. Generally, it was a unisex name, but was more commonly used for boys than girls, often in the spelling "Nowell" which in some instances may have been thanks to an adoption of the surname. However, during this period, it should be noted that it was much more common for British children to be called "Christmas" if they were born during the festive season. It was in the 19th century that Noel really began to increase. It was still used occasionally for girls, but was prominently masculine in use. And although it was registered throughout the year, it is notable that the most common birth quarter for registrations was January-March, suggesting many children were born at the end of December. Birth registrations in England and Wales demonstrate its dramatic rise in the second half of the 19th century: 1840s: 41 births
Since 1996, Noel has mostly ranked between top 500-800 most popular boys names in England and Wales. It's lowest point was #953 (16 births) in 2000. However, since 2011, Noel name has been steadily rising in both England and Wales and Scotland. In 2014, Noel ranked #374 (109 births) in England and Wales, #322 (12 births) in Scotland, and #346 (4 births) in Northern Ireland. |
| Famous Bearers: |
History: * Nowell Salmon (1835-1912), British Admiral of the Fleet and recipient of the Victoria Cross. Contempory: * Noel Edmonds (b.1948), British television presenter. |
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Variants: |
Noël, Noelle |
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Pronunciation: |
NŌL / NŌ-əl [key] |
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Possible Diminutives: |
Nolly |
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Sibling Names: |
June Vera Mavis Audrey Olive Hazel |
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Name Lists: |
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If you like Noel you may also like: |
Thanks to Dawn for requesting this post.
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A round-up of names from birth announcements announced in British newspapers in the last week.
Sources include a national paper (The Telegraph) and a broad range of local newspapers from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sibling names are in brackets.
Boys:
Charlie James
Emrys Jorge
Ethan Mark Anthony
Freddie Anthony James (Seren Lily & Aoife Mae)
Harry Stephen
Hayden Andrew
Jack Henry
Jacob Maxwell (Olivia & Abigail)
Joseph Hassan Taher
Joseph James (Poppy & Lilly Elizabeth)
Lucas Benjamin Thomas (Hollie)
Max Neil John (Oliver Lloyd Colin)
Nico Andreas
Peter James
Rafferty Ian
Ronnie Thomas
Samuel Henry
Samuel John
Sebastian John
Shay Ellis (Cole Alfie)
Thomas William (Sophie)
Girls:
Alannah Georgie
Ally Grace
Amanda Elinor Robyn (Arwen Annabel)
Angelina Louise (Paloma Elizabeth)
Arabella Rose
Caitlin Genevieve
Cassia Ludmila
Cleo Xanthe (Lila Mae)
Eliza Stephanie
Eliza Zoe (Joseph)
Florence Daisy (Jack Finley)
Florence Molly Serena
Gia Kaur
Grace Allura Rose (Alexandra Josette Mimi)
Grace Clementine (Jackson James)
Isabella Florence (Ava Flora)
Lea Pearl
Leyla Jane Alison (Bobby)
Lily Elizabeth (Megan)
Penelope Margaret Rose
Persephone Imogen May (Humphrey Arthur Edward)
Rebecca Janice
Rosie Grace
Violet Isabel Dorothy (Eliza Rose Diana)
Violet Rosebud
Twins:
Abbey & Arran
Jaxson James & Finley Malcolm (Cohen & Charlie)
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Origin: |
Loveday is the Middle English form of the Anglo-Saxon name Léofdæg, derived from the Old English lēof '"dear, loved"+ dæġ 'day'. The term "loveday" is also a literal translation of dies amoris, a day of reconciliation on which enemies met to settle disputes. A famous example in British history is the Loveday of 1458 when Henry VI attempted to reconcile the two squabbling factions of his nobility. In a symbolic act of reconciliation, he lead a prossession to London's St. Paul’s Cathedral where the sons of the noblemen who had been killed at the Battle of St Albans walked arm in arm with the men responsible for their fathers’ deaths. It is thought that, from the Middle Ages, the name Loveday was given to children born on such a day. |
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Usage: |
Léofdæg was in use before the Conquest of 1066 and managed to survive it to good use in the Middle Ages as Loveday and the vernacular form Lowdy. Leuedai appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the name of two lords who owned land in Wiltshire, and Essex and Somerset*, while a Leofdæge, wife of Healthegen is mentioned in a charter dated from approximate 1026.* A Luveday Bidua can be found in the 1205 Curia Regis Rolls of Northumberland and, in 1381, Loveday, wife of Robert Christemasse, is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk. This early use lead to the name becoming a surname, which became the name of a notable family in Suffolk. One of the earliest examples of the name's surname use can be found in the Feudal Documents from the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk dated c. 1095 which has record of an Æluric Leuedey. By the 16th century, the given name was predominantly used in Cornwall and Devon and mostly for girls -- though some use for boys remained, perhaps whenever a loveday occured. By this point it was recorded in the vernacular form Lowdy. The Surname Atlas (click to enlarge)
Data from the 1881 census shows how confined the given name was to Cornwall and Devon at that time, though the surname was more common in the East of England, especially in Norfolk. The spellings Lovedy, Lovedey and Lovdie, while not as common as Loveday, were in good use, demonstrating the alternative pronunciation, closer to Lowdy, as LƏV-dee. Over the course of the 19th century, Loveday was fairly consistent in use, averaging around eight births per year. It declined by the 1930s as births per decade in England and Wales show: Since 1996, Loveday has been appeared in the official data for England and Wales (3 births or more) twelve times in nineteen years and has always been below the top 1000. It peaked in 2001 at #1728 with 10 births and in 2014 ranked #4003 with 5 births. |
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Famous Bearers: |
Contemporary: * Loveday Jenkin (female), Cornish nationalist politician. Literature and Other Media: * The Loveday series, a series of romantic fiction by Kate Tremayne. |
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Variants: |
Lovedy, Lowdy, Lovdie |
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Pronunciation: |
LƏV-day / LƏV-dee [key] |
| Possible diminutive: |
Lovie, Love, Dovie |
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Sibling Names: |
Morwenna Cicely Kerensa Primrose Beatrix Romilly |
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Name Lists: |
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If you like Loveday you may also like: |
Thanks to Steph for requesting this post.
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Here are the provisional figures for the top 100 names in Scotland in 2015 based on data for births that were registered in the first eleven months (or so) of the year.
According to the National Records of Scotland, the #1 names in 2015 were none movers Emily (for the second year running) and Jack (#1 since 2008).
New to the top 100 are Reuben, Lachlan, Sonny, Henry, Elliot, Harvey, Lyle, Olly, Thea, Elsie, Beth, Maria, Arya, Sadie, Carly, Georgie, Hope, Nina and Penelope.
Jaxon and Jackson showed the largest rise within the top 100 for boys. George, Ollie, Theo , Caleb, Aidan and Fraser were also high climbers within the top 100.
Aria showed the largest rise within the top 100 for girls. Willow, Harper, Maisie, Esme, Alice, Emilia and Lola were also high climbers within the top 100.
Top 100 Boys' Names 2015 |
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Top 100 Girls' Names 2015 |
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The full official statistics for Scotland's top 100 for 2015 will be available in March.
The statistics on this page are supplied by the National Records of Scotland.
These tables were coded and formatted by me.
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A round-up of names from birth announcements announced in British newspapers in the last week.
Sources include a national paper (The Telegraph) and a broad range of local newspapers from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sibling names are in brackets.
Boys:
Alby Daniel Bradley
Arthur John Dunstan
Carlos George
Caspar Rudolf Penrice (Hubert James Lyons)
Charlie James
Damien Lucian Demetri
Edward Francis McLaren (Beatrice Alice Bennett)
Edward Patrick Richard
Ewan George (David Lindsay)
Finlay James
Finley Francis
Frederick Arthur "Freddie" (Isobel Alice Jane)
Frederick John Onslow (Grace Willow, Willow May & Gus Robert Donald)
Gregor Robert
Harry Sebastian Nathan
Henry George Brindley
Joseph George
Kit Hamilton
Oliver James
Oscar Mark
Rory John
Ross Innes (Ben)
Toby John (Noah & Ellie)
Tommy George
Victor Miles Robin (Alfred Victor Christopher "Alfie", Grace Melita June & Wilbur)
Wilfred James (Thomas Alexander & Poppy Elizabeth)
William Edmund Alexander
William Edward Nicholas (Henry & Peter)
Girls:
Antonia Mae
Arwen Joyce
Celia Dorothy
Edith Alice (Frederick Wallace "Fred")
Edith Rose
Elin Mari (Lewis, Cet, Teagan, Hari George & Elwyn Neil)
Eliza Alexandra
Elsie Rebecca (Constance Alice "Connie", Beatrice Charlotte, Elias Charles & Jedediah)
Georgina Ruth "Georgie" (Imogen Anne)
Hermione Bruce (Lilah Heather Bruce)
Holly Elizabeth
Holly Jane
Jemima Charlotte Salisbury (Oscar)
Kirstin Kathleen (Euan)
Lara Elizabeth Lesley (James William Andrew & Eva Jillian Charlotte)
Lexi Jane
Millie Jessica (Connor David)
Nora Catherine
Phoebe Olivia (Lewis Edward)
Rebecca Janice
Savannah Rose
Scarlett Emily Joan
Sienna Maria (Logan-James & Amelia)
Sophie Christina (Alfie James)
Twins:
Charlotte Jane & Eleanor May
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Origin: |
Augustus is a Latin word meaning "venerable, majestic, magnificent, noble." It was a religious term originally, though either to derive from augur -- a religious official in ancient Rome who foretold events by interpreting omens -- or the Old Latin *augos "increase" i.e the 'augmentation of that which is religious'. Augustus first became a name when it was bestowed upon Caius Octavius as an honorary cognomen (an epithet or nickname) by the Roman Senate on January 16, 27 BC after his victory at the battle of Actium. He therefore became Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus [Imperator = Commander; Caesar Divi Filius = Divine Son of Caesar; Augustus = The Venerable] and by 12 BC the sixth month of the Roman calendar (Sextilis) was renamed Augustus (August) in his honor. Afterwards, the cognomen Augustus was adopted by other emperors, and came to mean something akin to "His Majesty" in today's terms. Augusta was similarly bestowed upon women of the Julian line and came to become a title for an empress. |
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Usage: |
As a titular name, Augustus was used by emperors and rulers through the Roman Empire, through the succeeding Byzantine Empire and even into the Middle Ages -- Philip II of France (1165–1223) was known as Philip Augustus, while Sigismund II of Poland (1520–1572) was similarly Sigismund Augustus. As such, it is difficult to pin down when Augustus was actually used as a given name and not as a title. There is a St Augustus of the sixth century, a friend of St Germanus of Paris, who was abbot of Bourges. It isn't clear whether Augustus was his given name, however, as he is also called Aout -- the French name for the month August -- so Augustus may simply have been a latinisation. One of the earliest examples we have of Augustus being used as a given name as opposed to a titular name is for Augustus, Elector of Saxony (1526–1588), the son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony. There are a few other examples of Augustus used in the early 16th century in Britain -- usually in the East of England in Norfolk, Essex and Lincoln -- but overall it was rare at first, gradually gaining more use in the 17th century. Augustine on the other hand was not uncommon at the time thanks to two warly saints. The name itself was the English form of the Roman name Augustinus meaning "belonging to Augustus" and as such was early on used in Antiquity. Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430), a Doctor of the Church, was a theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity. His fame and veneration helped spread the usage of the name across Europe. In Britain, Augustine was furthered by the popular veneration of Saint Augustine of Canterbury (d. 604), the first Archbishop of Canterbury who is regarded as "Apostle to the English." Augustine became quite a popular name in the Middle Ages, the vernacular for of which was Austin. The name Augustus was given a significant boost in the 18th century by the new Hanovarian dynasty. When George I succeeded to the British throne in 1714 his son George Augustus became Prince of Wales and later George II. George II (1683-1760) himself was likely given this second name in honour of his paternal grandfather Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover (1629-1698). The Hanovarians were fond of reusing names, so Augustus (along with George, William, Frederick and Henry) were well used along the royal line. George II named one son William Augustus [Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765)] and also had a grandson with the name: Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany (1739-1767). George III was particularly fond of the name. Five of his nine sons had the name: 1. George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales (1762-1830), later King George IV; 2. Frederick Augustus, Duke of York (1763-1827); 3. Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent (1767-1820); 4. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1771-1851), later King Ernest of Hanover; 5. Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773-1843). With this royal seal of approval it is little wonder that by 1860 Augustus ranked #83 in England and Wales. It remained steady in the middle of the 19th century, ranking #78 in 1870. By the latter half of the century, the name began to wane. It was tied to the Hanoverian age, was no longer being used by royalty and, as with all names, fashion moved on. Augustus ranked #94 in 1880, #116 in 1890 and #139 in 1900. The name contined in similar use in the first half of the 20th century, but fell into sharp decline by 1940. Only 44 boys were given the name across the whole of the 1940s in England and Wales, a figure which fell to 27 in the 1950s.
Its lowest rank during that period has been #1828 (11 births) in 2008. Its peak was #850 (27 births) in 2005, which coincided with the release of Tim Burton's film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, featuring the character Augustus Gloop. In Scotland, Augustus has only been registered three times since 1974: once in 2000, 2001 and 2005. Similarly, in Northern Ireland, the name was only registered once in 1998 and 2005. In 2014, Augustus ranked #1486 (16 births) in England and Wales. |
| Famous Bearers: |
History: * Augustus (63 BC–14 AD), the first Roman emperor. Literature and Other Media: * Augustus Waters, a character from John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars (2012). |
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Variants: |
August (German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Catalan), Auguste (French), Augusto (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese), Avgust (Russian, Ukrainian) |
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Pronunciation: |
or-GUS-təs / ə-GUS-təs [key] |
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Possible Diminutives: |
Augie, Gus, Austin |
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Sibling Names: |
Clementina Honoria Thomasina Seraphina Henrietta Rosetta |
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Name Lists: |
Upright Elegance Funky-Clunky Saintly and Stylish Resonant Roman Gorgeously Georgian Victorian Darlings British Royalty Dickensian Names Jane Austen Names Bronte Names |
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If you like Augustus you may also like: |
Thanks to Kitty for requesting this post.
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Below are a selection of birth announcements from The Times newspaper that were published in 2002.
Also added are siblings' names (older and younger) where I have found them.
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Albemarle Mark Barnaby (Henry Carleton Richard, Eleanor Mary Rose & Carleton George Walter) |
Agatha Bunny (Tom Tiger StJohn) |
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A round-up of names from birth announcements announced in British newspapers in the last week.
Sources include a national paper (The Telegraph) and a broad range of local newspapers from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sibling names are in brackets.
Boys:
Ayden Peter (Ryan & Shannon)
Callum Samuel (Elayna)
Casimir David Nicholas
Elon Gregory
Finn David (Jake)
Finn James (Rowan & Erin Niamh)
Fletcher Eric Stanley
George Anthony
Harrison Alaric
Hugo Douglas
Hugo Robert
Joshua Rory
Matthew Alastair (Alexander William)
Matthew Edward (Alexander Lawrence)
Noah James (Theodore Daniel)
Ollie Malcolm (Jake Mark & Luke William)
Olly James
Theo Arthur Edward
Thomas Alexander (Dominic)
Thomas James Winslow
Thomas Muir (Emily Kathryn & Matthew James)
Toby George Bartholomew (Rory David Ned)
Toby Robert
William David "Will" (Joey)
Zolbayar David (Kimberley Narangoo)
Girls:
Abigail Rose
Amber Jane (Andrew John)
Anya Danielle (Owen & Priya Louise)
Georgia Margaret
Isabella Millie (William George)
Isobel Orlaith
Jemima Eleanor Nancy
Lana Evelyn
Lauren Katie (Hannah)
Lilia May
Lucy Eve (Oliver James)
Lydia Islay
Maddison Dorothy
Maisie Jessica
Mia Lily May
Molly Vivien
Myrtle Hero Matilda
Octavia Paula Noelle
Olivia Isabel (Rupert William)
Orla Catherine (Tiegan & Darcey)
Rose Charlotte
Rosie Sue (Dee)
Winnie Rose
Twins:
Arlo James & Henry Joseph (Madison & Isla-Grace)
Trixie Jean & Talia Ruth (Tyler John)
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