British Baby Names

Name of the Week: Oliver

 

 

Origin:

Oliver is the anglicised form of the Old French Olivier which became famous thanks to the 11th century epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Oliver was Roland's closest friend and one of Charlemagne's twelve peers. The origin of Oliver is much debated. Traditionally, it has been derived from the Latin olivarus "olive tree," a symbol traditionally associated with peace and divine wisdom. It is possible that the form of Olivier was altered to reflect this meaning, but, given that Charlemagne's paladin was most likely Teutonic, a Germanic origin seems more likely. One theory is that the name originates from the same source as Olaf via the Old Norse Anleifr -- anu "ancester" and leifr "heir, descendant, legacy, inheritance." Others link it to the Middle Low German Alfihar (alf "elf" and hari "army), cognate with the Old English Ælfhere which later bacame Alvar.

Usage:

Olivier was brought to Britain by the Normans. An Oliverus features in the Domesday Book as a landowner in Devon in 1086 and it was in good use from that point on. It was never wildly popular (in fact, it seems to have been more of a "well known but not popularly used" name), but was in decent enough use to be the source of the surname Oliver, Olivier and Ollivers etc, and create the short-form Noll.  Perhaps the most famous bearer of the name in Britain before the 20th century was Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), military and political leader and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland (1653-1658). He is most famous for being a key figure in the Civil War, being both a commander in the parliamentary army and one of the MPs who opposed King Charles I and signed his death warrant. Still, to this day, he is a controversial figure: sometimes vilified as a military dictator, and other times heralded as a paragon of liberty. A popularist theory, propagated by E.G.Withycombe*, is that Oliver was moderately common in the Middle Ages up until the 16th century but became rare during and after the Restoration due to Oliver Cromwell's fall from favour. However, as George Redmonds* points out, this claim is unsubstantiated in the data. In fact, the popularity of Oliver saw very little change from the 15th to the 18th century. It does not appear in Smith-Bannister's top 50 name rankings from 1538-1700*, and my poll of the top 100 names in Elizabethan Norfolk has only two instances of Oliver, and only five instances in Restoration-era Norfolk.  In short, the name Oliver was consistently used from the Middle Ages in Britain but remained an uncommon choice both before and after Oliver Cromwell's reign as Lord High Protector.  It wasn't until the 19th century that Oliver came into more popular use. Names from chivalric medieval romances were all the rage during this period, and some of this success may also have been thanks in some part to the serial publication of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1837-1839).  Oliver had reached the top 100 of England and Wales by the mid-19th century, falling out after 1904: 1860: #63 1870: #64 1880: #68 1890: #71 1900: #90 The name did not return to the top 100 in England and Wales until 1974 when it ranked #83. Oliver Twist may once again have played a part in this given that the hit musical film Oliver! was released in 1968, winning six Oscars. The film also starred actor Oliver Reed (1938-1999) who, by 1974, was starring in several major Hollywood films.  By 1984, Oliver ranked #48, was #23 by 1994 and #7 by 2004, joining the top 5 the following year. It has taken the number one spot every year since 2009, with the exception of 2011 and 2012.  In Scotland, Oliver first reached the top 200 in 1975 (#167) but didn't rank in the top 100 until 2000 (#83) It has been rising ever since, reaching #10 in 2011 and #4 in 2013.  In 2015, Oliver ranked #1 (6941 births) in England and Wales and #2 (448 births) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), military and political leader and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. * Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Irish Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, last martyr of the Popish Plot * Oliver Goldsmith (1730–1774), Irish novelist, playwright and poet. * Oliver Evans (1755–1819), American inventor. * Oliver Heywood (1825–1892), English banker and philanthropist. * Oliver Lodge (1851–1940), British physicist and writer. * Oliver W. F. Lodge (1878-1955), English poet and author. * Oliver Wallace (1887–1963), British composer and conductor. * Oliver Hardy (1892–1957), American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy. Contemporary: * Oliver Reed (1938–1999), English actor * Oliver Knussen (born 1952), British composer and conductor * Oliver Hudson (born 1976), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Oliver de Vienne, character in the 11th century epic La Chanson de Roland. * Oliver Twist, the protagonist of Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1837-1839)

Variants:

Olivier (French), Oliwier (Polish), Oliviero (Italian)

Pronunciation:

OL-ə-və [key]

Possible diminutives:

Ollie, Olly, Lev, Noll

Sibling Names:

Amelia     Isabelle     Ella     Charlotte     Ava     Sophie  George     William     Theo     Henry     Joshua     Alexander

Name Lists:

Victorian Darlings   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Oliver you may also like:    Edward, Oscar, Finlay, Frederick, Toby, Jude, Gabriel, Elliott, Louis, Max

 

UK Birth Announcements 28/11/16 - 4/12/16

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:

Archie Julian David Francis (Octavia Rebecca Lorna "Tavie" & Clementine Harriet Kathleen "Clem")

Benjamin Timothy

Blair Alexander

Bobby Butler (Betsy Delilah & Trixie Violet)

Casper Louie (Molly & Oscar)

Dylan James (Liam Joseph)

Frank Raymond Martin (Martha Mary-Anne)

Henry Edward Richard Zedekiah (Samuel Charles & Anna Victoria)

James William

Luca Owen

Michael Bain

Nathaniel William

Oliver George (William Joshua)

Rex Jones Jackson (Sally Eivissa & Max)

Ruben George

 

Girls:

Alba Beatrice

Arabella Jillian Muriel

Daisy Jane (Molly)

Ella Louise

Georgina Mary Ella

Holly Rose (Grace Louise)

Honor Posy Elizabeth (Allegra Kitty Frances)

Louisa Katherine Philippa

Marnie

Niamh Margaret

Primrose Orla

Seren Louisa Mei (Jacob John)

Sienna Leonie (Kerys)

Sophia Florence (Aimee, Adam & Elsie)

Sophia Marie

 

Twins:

Hazel Mckenzie & Emily Mae

Wilfred James Masefield & Henry Alastair McCann (Archibald Richard Morris)

  

Name of the Week: Holly

 

 

Origin:

Holly is an evergreen shrub, native to Europe, which is one of the few plants to bear fruit in wintertime. Due to this, the plant has a strong association with winter and Christmas-time.  The association dates back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia, in which the holly was sacred to the god Saturn, and was used to decorate halls and homes, even images of Saturn himself. Holly wreaths were given as gifts.  Similarly, the Ancient Celts revered the Holly King, who ruled the winter months from the summer solstice up until the winter solstice. The Winter Solstice marked the changeover from the Holly King's rule (the waning year) to the Oak King's (the waxing year).  Holly has been also used as a Christmas decoration in Britain for centuries. Today it is found most commonly in holly boughs or wreaths. In some parts of England the old custom dictated that holly be left up in the house until Candlemas in February. To take it down earlier was considered unlucky. This tradition relates back to the ancient practice of bringing evergreen plants indoors to give shelter to the spirits of nature who would bless the home. In many parts of Europe the holly's evergreen properties were thought to ward off evil spirits, and so was used to decorate doorways and window-frames.  In some traditions in Britain, certain types of holly was referred to as "he" or "she". Prickly leaves were considered to be male, while smooth leaves were female. The type of leaf that was brought into the home first at Christmastime was considered to determine whether the man or the woman would rule the home in the new year.  The common name of holly derives from the Old English holegn "holly," from Proto-Germanic *hulin-, cognate with the Welsh celyn and Gaelic cuilionn "holly." The most likely source of these is the Proto-Indo-European root *kel- "to prick," in reference to the plant's leaves.  In Victorian floriography, the holly represented foresight.  The surname Holly/Holley derives from three different sources: the habitational surname from the Old English hol and lēah meaning "dweller by the clearing in the hollow"; the descriptive hol-ēage "hollow-eye"; and also (along with Hollis, Hollins and Holling) from Old English holegn itself meaning "dweller by the holly."

Usage:

Holly was first used as a given name in the 17th century. It was unisex in use, most likely thanks to adoption of the surname Holly.  It continued to be used as a unisex name in the 19th century. However, as most births in England and Wales for Holly from 1838 were registered mostly in the Jan-Mar quarter, followed by the Oct-Dec quarter, this suggests that the inspiration for the name was increasingly the holly shrub and its strong winter associations. If a child at this time had been born at Christmas, the name would not likely have appeared in the official register until January, explaining the high number of births in the January-March quarter.  As the 19th century progressed, the name became used more and more for girls as a first name, as UK census records show: 1841: 4 male; 8 female 1851: 4 male; 5 female 1861: 4 male; 3 female 1871: 9 male; 34 female 1881: 10 male; 49 female 1891: 31 male; 113 female 1901: 50 male; 159 female Births for Holly in England and Wales show how it reached a peak in the 1890 to 1910: a period when botanical names where at the height of fashion.  1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s:  1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 4 births 1 birth 8 births 27 births 83 births 177 births 218 births 156 births 65 births 13 births 36 births 71 births 210 births This corresponds to Leslie Dunkling's sample for girls named Holly and Hollie in every 10,000 births:   1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 Holly   1   2    -    -    -    -    -    -    7    6   56   82 Hollie   -   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   20   26 The revamp in the 1960s may well have been influenced by the film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) staring Audrey Hepburn as iconic character Holly Golightly. Holly first entered the top 100 in England and Wales in 1984 at #59, rising to #22 in 1994 when the spelling Hollie also ranked #72.  Since that time, both Holly and Hollie have stayed in the top 100. Holly peaked in 2002 at #12 and Hollie peaked at #54 in 2012.  In 2015, Holly ranked #44 (1248 births) and Hollie ranked #94 (589 births) in England and Wales. With all the variant spellings added together, Holly et al ranked #35 overall.  Since 1996, Holly has ranked in the top 5 names in England and Wales for December: Dec 1996: #2; Dec 1997: #2; Dec 1998: #4; Dec 1999: #2; Dec 2000: #2; Dec 2001: #1; Dec 2002: #1; Dec 2003: #1; Dec 2004: #1; Dec 2005: #1; Dec 2006: #1; Dec 2007: #1; Dec 2008: #1; Dec 2009: #1; Dec 2010: #1; Dec 2011: #2; Dec 2012: #3; Dec 2013: #5; Dec 2014: #5 In Scotland, Holly was first in the top 100 in 1985 at #91 and Hollie reached #92 in 1992. Holly peaked in 2002 at #15 (320 births) and Hollie peaked in 2014 at #42 (113 births). In 2015, Holly ranked #31 (157 births) and Hollie ranked #42 (112 births).

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Holly Hunter (b. 1958), American actress. * Holly Robinson Peete (b. 1964), American actress, singer and author. * Holly Black (b. 1971), American writer. * Holly Marie Combs (b. 1973), American actress. * Holly Willoughby (b. 1981), British television presenter. * Holly Valance (b. 1983), Australian actress, singer and model. Literature and Other Media: * Holly Golightly, the heroine in Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958), made into a film starring Audrey Hepburn in 1961. * Holly Short, a character in the Artemis Fowl children's book series. * Holly Kennedy, the main character in Cecila Ahern's Novel PS, I Love You (2004), later made into a film starring Hilary Swank.

Variants:

Hollie, Holley, Holli

Pronunciation:

HOL-ee [key]

Possible  longer forms:

Holliday, Hippolyta, Holda, Yolantha, Iolanthe

Sibling Names:

Lucy     Megan     Amy     Grace     Chloe     Emily  Jack     George     Luke     Adam     Lewis     Max

Name Lists:

Arboreal Names

  

If you like Holly you may also like:   Ebony, Ivy, Amber, Molly, Lily, Zoe, Bethany, Georgia, Robyn, Sophie

 

Name Musings: November 2016

 

So, November is over. Advent is here and the nights have been drawing ever more in. But, luckily, I've had a few new name discoveries and rediscoveries to keep me going this month. 

 

Loria

Looking though the 1381 Poll Tax for Cirencester, I came across John Porcas, Brewer, and Loria his wife. Most likely Loria is a form of Laura -- the form Lora and Lorra can be found during this period -- but it is pretty unusual, and not many citations for it exist. Given how fashionable Olivia, Amelia et al are currently, Loria fits in beautifully. 

  

Selah

Selah is a pretty name that comes from the Bible. It is actually a musical term in the Old Testament, referring to a pause for reflection. I have seen it pronounced SEE-la before but the Hebrew is SEH-la. I tend to pronounce it the latter way, but it often comes out so quickly that it sounds like I'm saying "seller." Then, a few weeks ago I listened to Emeli Sande's new album for the first time. The first track is Selah. It is used almost as an invokation in the song and is sung euphorically as "SAY-LAAH". I think I like it even more now, 

The name is rare in Britain, but has ranked twice since 1996: 3 births in 2009 and 4 births in 2014. 

 

Iphigenia

Speaking of pronunciation, I've been thinking recently of names which I like equally pronounced in multiple languages. So, Beatrice and Alice are equally pleasant to my ears in either English, French or Italian. I settled on Iphigenia -- the mythical daughter of Agamemnon whose name meant "strong born" -- as the winner for the most languages I like it equally in. There is, of course, the English if-ee-JEE-nee-a, but equally pleasing is the Italian if-ee-JEN-ya or Portuguese (if-ee-ZHYEN-ya). I once heard a Russian archaeologist (talking about the mythical character) say "if-ee-GEN-ya" with a hard g sound which I like as well.

 

Rustic

I love a new name find, and The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (DMNES) is an ever abundant source. Recently, I've discovered Rustic -- yes, it means exactly what we think it means -- in medieval Italy. It's certainly avante garde, but with it's sound between Russell and Patrick, it's not completely crazy. 

 

Goldcorn

Another recent find is the surname Goldcorn. You might be forgiven for thinking this was once given to a miller, or someone who dwelt by a corn field, but it actually is a surname that comes from a feminine given name. Turns out, Goldcorn -- sometimes Goldcorna -- was a Middle English feminine name, used from the 13th century. 

 

Puck

I know I've seen this before, but another look at the top names in the Netherlands has had me once again marvelling at the use of Puck for girls in Holland. In 2015, Puck ranked #107 for girls in the Netherlands. The reason why remains a mystery to me, though my instincts say it is probably a short form for something as it ranks alongside the likes of Gussje (Augusta), Cato (Catharina) and Yfke (Yvonne). In Britain, Puck is a surname (also Pook, Pucke and Pucker) as well as a name used by Shakespeare for his character in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1600) which was based on a familiar figure in English folklore, also called Robin Goodfellow. Both the surname and the character derive from the Old English puca "sprite, goblin, imp," and was probably used as a descriptive surname for someone who acted impish or whimsically. 

 

Kemuel

The Bible is an eternal source of new or rediscovered names for me, and one that has caught my eye recently thanks to some 18th century baptisms is the Hebrew Kemuel, borne by three minor figures in the Bible. Most likely, it derives from the Hebrew qum "to rise, be uphold," and 'el "of God." With it's sound so close to Samuel and Daniel, there is no reason that Kemuel wouldn't make for a usable choice in 2016. 

 

Audren

Audren is the later/modern form of the Old Breton name Altroen, borne by an early medieval Breton saint, and composed of the elements alt "high" and roen "king's lineage, nobility." With it's A beginning and -n ending, it has all the ingredients for a stylishly modern name.