Leigh and James are awaiting the arrival of a son: a brother to join their daughter Beatrice.
Leigh writes: "We have gone through so many names and the main problem is that we never seem to agree on one.
For around 4 months we were completely set on Edward, but we have now decided against this due to it being to much of a royal theme when paired with Beatrice. However we do feel Edward is a lovely name.
We really like Benedict but we just know he will end up Ben, which we don't want.
I really like Jonas but my husband feels its to feminine.
We liked Albert /Alfred but didn't like the idea of them being shortened to Al.
Our ideal name would be:
- hard to shorten
- more then one syllable
- be historical/biblical/meaningful
- strong and old fashioned
- go well with and compliment the name Beatrice
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I can see your predicament. You love classic, timeless and old-fashioned names, but many that fit this bill have already been bagged by royalty (it's part of the reason these names have become classics). Fortunately, there are plenty of names that are historic without being too royal:
Edmund – Between Anglo-Saxon staples Edward and Alfred is Edmund. It's still historic, vintage and classic without being too popular -- it's #691 to Edward's #23 rank. Edmund has been used by Saxon kings and was used for a few medieval royal princes, but it's royal credentials are much less prevalent than with Edmund.
Edwin (at #493) is another Anglo-Saxon gem to consider.
Felix – With the wonderfully upbeat meaning of happy, lucky, blessed," Felix is a quirky retro vintage choice which hearkens back to Ancient Rome and even features in the New Testament. It ticks all the boxes: hard to shorten, more then one syllable, historical/biblical/meaningful, strong and old fashioned and compliments the name Beatrice.
Theodore – Sharing Benedict's Late Roman saintly heritage, Theodore is a gentlemanly name which exudes strength and style.
Rufus – Quirky and retro, Rufus (just like Beatrice) is a name that hails back to ancient Rome with both a medieval and Victorian twist. King William II was known as William Rufus thanks to his red hair, but this link to royalty is a subtle one.
Jasper – A stylish vintage name with Biblical heritage. An anglicised form of Casper, the traditional name given to one of the three wise men of the Nativity, Jasper most likely derives from the Persian khazāndār meaning "treasurer".
Rupert – Like Edmund and Rufus, Rupert has a dash of royalty but it isn't overpowering. Rupert is a vintage form of classic Robert. Actors such as Rupert Penry-Jones and Rupert Friend give the name a refined quality.
Gabriel – A solid Biblical name meaning "strong man of God" which has been in use since the Middle Ages in Britain.
Ralph – Friendly Ralph has Viking heritage and links to the mighty and majestic wolf. It's use in Britain is truly ancient and only fell out of the top 100 after 1944 giving it a perfectly retro vibe.
Joel – A Biblical cousin to Jonas with a rugged and boyish charm.
Milo – Both a Latinised Greek and Old Germanic name which has been in use in this country since the Normans brought it over. Milo was used as the Latinised form -- but most would have answered to Miles. Milo however, ticks the box of being more than one syllable and hard to shorten.
Hugo – Much like Miles was Latinised as Milo, medieval Hugh was Latinised as Hugo. It has a cute vintage-retro vibe which compliments Beatrice well.
Ezra – Speaking of hard to shorten, Ezra is a stylish Biblical choice which ranked just below the top 100 for much of the 19th century.
Leon – The Ancient Greek name meaning "lion" which was used interchangeably with Leo in Britain in the Middle Ages. It is hard to shorten, historical, strong and old fashioned so it ticks a lot of boxes.
Reuben – A friendly and gentlemanly Biblical name which has Victorian credentials. It doesn't naturally shorten either which is a bonus.
Tristan – A truly ancient heroic Celtic name which dates back to at least the 4th century. It has a refined style while still retaining some of its warrior edge.
Wilfred – If Alfred is out because of Al, how about the equally vintage/retro choice of Wilfred? It dates back to the Anglo-Saxons so it's origins are ancient and was also a favourite with the Victorians.
David – David is a classic Biblical name that has never been out of the top 100. Despite this, it doesn't feel overused and a little David (like Michael and Robert) is actually quite refreshing. It wears very well (as I can attest from the few young Davids I have taught in my career as a teacher) and long gone are the days when Davids are automatically "Dave". In fact, all the young Davids I know are just David, and no-one ever thinks to shorten it.
Elias – The sleek and stylish Greek and Latin form of Biblical Elijah which was widely used in the Middle Ages and was a top 100 favourite up to the mid-19th century.
I hope this has been of use. Best wishes for finding the perfect name.
'Twas Ever Thus: Naming from an Edwardian Woman's Perspective
In the early 20th century, The Bystander published a series of articles entitled "The World of Women" written by a woman under the nom de plume Calpurnia with a decided feminist outlook. The header prefacing the articles speak for themselves.
The article below, published on Wednesday 24 August 1904, discusses fashions in names, how they shift in generations, and the (all too modern sounding) dilemma of naming with a partner.
On Christian Names
I went to see a friend the other day who was puzzling her brains to find a name for a small daughter who had just come into the world. If it had been left entirely to her she would not have had much difficulty, but she was blessed with a husband— a gentleman whom I do not like and invariably escape if possible — and her husband was troubled with ideas which made the choosing of a name a matter of some difficulty. In the first place, he refused to have any of his children called after anybody else. No reason was given for this remarkable fad. "John didn't like it," and there was nothing more to be said. I suggested "Mary," which I think is the most beautiful of women's names, but "John says that sounds like servants'," was the objection here, and John being the sort of snob indicated by that remark — all the simple, old-fashioned English names were barred out. "Well, what sort of name does John like I asked. He would like to call baby Theodora,' said my friend he says it means the gift of God."' "Then why doesn't he?" I asked. Because he says all the children are gifts of God," was the reply, "and it wouldn't be fair to give the name to this one only." This objection seemed to me so fatuous that I refrained from offering any further suggestions, and the child was eventually christened "Yseult," a charming name in itself, but not one that goes well with the surname of Diggle, which was John's patronymic — or something like it.
Girls' Names
I wonder if my readers have ever noticed how names, especially women's names, go in generations. Our grandmothers were called Anne, and Emma, and Susan, and Ellen our mothers Adelaide, Louisa, Henrietta, Caroline our own con temporaries--I am speaking of women in middle-age are Winifreds, Hildas, Ethels, and Muriels; our daughters are mostly Dorothys, Dorises, Veras, and Sheilas while for the little grandchildren who are beginning to appear on the scene, we are getting back again to the old-fashioned names of Betty, Nancy, Joan, and the like. To say that one prefers the names that are being conferred on the rising generation is nothing more than to acknowledge one's self influenced by the current fashion, but the taste does rest on a worthy love of simplicity and directness, old English virtues, which the fancy collection of names of the Yolande variety does not. I think that the taste will go further still, and we shall get back to Elizabeth, Sarah, and Anne again. We may leave it to people of the habit of mind of my friend's husband to object to these names, because they sound like servants'." All the servants will be christened Victoria by that time.
Boys' Names
Boys' names do not seem to exhibit the same change as those of girls. There always have been, and always will be, plenty of Johns, Edwards, Williams, Richards, and Roberts. I have the greatest objection personally to christening boys with fancy names, however allowable it may be in the case of girls. But, perhaps, this is only a fad, as foolish as John's objection to naming children after somebody else. It is curious to notice how many men's names come out of the Bible. All the Bible names of men are far more used than those of women but here is another curious fact, that all the names used to-day are those of good men those of the questionable characters are seldom, if ever, copied. 'Jude' is sometimes found, but Judas never. There have been plenty of Abels, but no Cains, and nobody has ever heard of an Ahab or a Balaam, or a Naboth or a Pilate.
The Bystander
24 August 1904
Posted at 09:59 AM in Historical Name Commentary | Permalink | Comments (4)
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