British Baby Names

Name of the Week: Rhiannon

Origin:

Rhiannon is an Old Welsh name, derived from the Proto-Celtic route *r-gan "great queen" and was famously borne in Welsh mythology by one of the key female figures in the Mabinogion. In the Welsh prose, Rhiannon is portrayed as a strong-willed, intelligent, generous and beautiful woman who comes from the Otherworld. The name Rhiannon is thought to be the later Welsh form of the reconstructed Brythonic Celtic name Rigantona, thought to have been an earlier Celtic goddess. The meaning of her name suggests that (like Maeve and Guinevere) Rhiannon was once a sovereignty goddess. Rhiannon was also notably connected with horses. When she is introduced in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is first seen riding a beautiful white horse. Pwyll, the Prince of Dyfed, sends his best horsemen after her two days, but she always stays ahead of them, even though her horse never goes faster than a trot. Eventually, Pwyll himself goes after her. He, too, cannot catch up with her, and eventually entreats her to stop. When she does so, she chastises him for no doing so earlier, explaining that she arrived in the first place as she had decided to marry him rather than her current betrothed (this supports the ideas of her as a sovereignty goddess who confers leadership through marriage). Pwyll and Rhiannon's son, the hero Pryderi, not only grows at a super-human rate but also shows a remarkable affinity with horses, like his mother.  Some scholars equate Rhiannon, therefore, with the Gaulish horse-goddess Epona (whose name literally meant "horse"). It is interesting to note that Regina (Latin meaning "queen") is often found as an epithet of Epona's.*

Usage:

Like several other mythological Welsh names, Rhiannon was not used as a proper given name until the late 19th century when many Old Welsh names were revived. This was partly thanks to the Victorian love of medievalism and also a rise in Welsh nationalism.  It was very rare in use, and only confined to Wales, but started to see the beginnings of solid use in the early 1900s and boomed in the 1920s.  Birth records for Rhiannon in the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 0 births 0 births 1 birth 0 births 0 births 1 birth 11 births 19 births 93 births 140 births 197 births 230 births 403 births 961 births Even up to the late 1960s, Rhiannon was mostly confined solely to Wales, and those in England often had at least one parent with a Welsh surname. The boost in the 1970s⁠—and Rhiannon's wider use outside of Wales thereafter⁠—can be traced to Fleetwood Mac's 1976 song Rhiannon. Writer Stevie Nicks took the name from a character called Rhiannon in Mary Leader's 1973 novel Triad. According to Nicks, it wasn't until after she had written the song that she found out about the mythological Rhiannon and was struck by how well the song fit her story.   Rhiannon first entered the top 100 of England and Wales at #91 in 1994. Although there is no official data to prove it, it is likely that Rhiannon ranked in the top 100 of Wales alone prior to this. For example, in 1997, (according to official data from the ONS) Rhiannon ranked #36 in Wales alone with 88 births, while it was #94 in England. In 1983, however, there were approximately 120 girls born in Wales with the name Rhiannon, and there were around 100 in 1979 (according to the Birth Index) Though Rhiannon was likely popular in Wales much earlier, the early 1990s are distinguishable because popular Welsh names such as Megan, Sian, Bethan and Rhiannon all moved into the top 100 in England, also.  The table below shows the rankings for Rhiannon in England and Wales, Wales (alone) and England (alone). A * indicates that no data is available for that year:   E&W Wales England 1994: 1995: 1996: 1997: 1998: 1999: 2000: 2001: 2002: 2003: 2004: 2005: 2006: 2007: 2008: 2009: 2010: 2011: 2012: 2013: 2014: 2015: 2016: 2017: #91 * #84 #86 #83 #91 #97 #113 #121 #113 #164 #167 #188 #215 #295 #363 #438 #692 #844 #944 #1094 #1088 #1327 #1457 * * * #36 #32 #31 #46 #55 #46 #52  #97 #74 #96 #82 #95 * #101 #208 #242 * #301 #306 #423 #358 * * * #94 #88  #97 #99 #122 #132 #125 #167 #182 #194 #238 #341 * * * * * * * * * As we can see, Rhiannon ranked in the top 100 of Wales up until 2009, seeing a sharp decline in 2011. Currently, Rhiannon remains far more common in Wales than England.  In 2018, Rhiannon ranked #1170 with 29 births in England and Wales.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Rhiannon Giddens (born 1977), American musician. * Rhiannon Lassiter (born 1977), British writer. * Rhiannon Jeffrey (born 1986), American swimmer. * Rhiannon Roberts (born 1990), Welsh footballer. Literature and Other Media: * Rhiannon, a 1975 Fleetwood Mac song. * The Song of Rhiannon, a 1972 fantasy novel by Evangeline Walton. * The Sword of Rhiannon, a 1942 science fiction novel by Leigh Brackett. * Rhiannon's Ride, a 2004–06 series of novels written by Kate Forsyth. * Rhiannon Marcus, a character on TV's "Party of Five". * Rhiannon Abernathy, a character in film "Easy A". * Rhiannon Bates, a character on Australian soap "Neighbours". Other: 16912 Rhiannon, an asteroid discovered in 1998.

Variants:

Rhianon, Riannon

Pronunciation:

rhee-AN-non (Welsh), ree-AN-nən (English) [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Rhi/Ree, Annie, Ronnie, Non

Sibling Names:

Eleri     Catrin     Bethan     Tamsin     Lowri     Carys  Owen     Lloyd      Emrys     Ioan     Osian     Griffith

Name Lists:

Cosy Celtic    Demi-Gods and Mortals of Mythology

 

If you like Rhiannon you may also like:   Gwenan, Angharad, Branwen, Demelza, Fenella, Olwen, Arianwen, Briallen, Betsan, Aneira

Thanks to Rhiannon for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Dexter

Origin:

Dexter is a Latin word meaning "on the right hand, right side" but also "skillfull", "proper" and "favourable". Our words dextrous and dexterity derive from this source. It was used in Biblical Latin to refer "the right hand" (mentioned 166 times) often symbolic in biblical verses for strength. The right hand of God, in particular, represents power, authority and judgement.  The surname Dexter, however, is a variant of Dyster meaning "a dyer". It originates from the Old English deagstre meaning "a female dyer" though the term later was used for men also. Early forms of the surname include Dygestre and Deystere.

Usage:

Dexter appears as a surname from the 13th century and was particularly notable in Essex, Leicester, Suffolk and Warwickshire. One of the earliest examples is of a John and Ralf Dextere in the Friary Rolls of Leicester in 1262. Later we find a William Dexter in the Assize Rolls of Warwick in 1378. As was common, Dexter became used as a given name as a direct adoption of the surname, usually because it was a family surname.  Births in the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 1 birth 3 births 3 births 5 births 3 births 4 births 5 births 9 births 11 births 14 births 35 births 56 births 126 births 125 births As we can see, Dexter was rare as a given name in the 19th century but picked up in the early 20th century. There was a noticeable jump in 1957 when Dexter went from an average of three births from 1950-1955 to 20 alone in 1957. The most likely impetus for this was the release of the film High Society in 1956 featuring Bing Crosby in the main role of C. K. Dexter Haven "Dex". This was a musical remake of the 1940 film The Philadelphia Story in which C. K. Dexter Haven "Dex" was portrayed by Cary Grant. High Society also had a significant impact on the name Tracy for girls at this time and helped boost the name Samantha.  From 1996 to 2004, Dexter ranked just above the top 500 in England and Wales in moderate use. In the space of five years, however, Dexter had not only moved up to #295 (109 births) from #408 in 2005 but had rocketed into the top 100 at #98 (676 births) by 2010.  A few things in popular culture may have helped this swift rise. Firstly, the Cartoon Network's popular children's animation Dexter's Laboratory was produced from 1995 to 2003 and was shown in reruns in Britain afterwards as well. From 2006 to 2013, we also had the Emmy award-winning American crime drama Dexter which, in 2013, The Guardian described as "one of most talked-about television programmes of the past decade."  In 2009, the year before it entered the top 100, singer Charlotte Church and rugby player Gavin Henson welcomed their son Dexter Lloyd Henson. Throughout the year, the Henson family were featured several times on the front pages of British magazines such as OK and Hello.  Initially, from 2010-2012, Dexter was more common in England than in Wales. However, at Dexter's combined peak of #63 (1019 births) in 2013, Dexter individually ranked at #44 in Wales and #64 in England.  In 2018, Dexter ranked at #95 (676 births) in England and Wales—#87 in Wales and #95 in England individually.  In Scotland, Dexter also saw a marked rise from 2008 onwards, however, it has never managed to break into the Scottish top 100. It peaked at #160 (36 births) in 2012 but has since declined. In 2018, Dexter ranked at #288 (13 births) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Dexter Horton (1825–1904), founder of the first bank in Seattle. * Dexter Curtis (1828-1898), American inventor and politician. * Dexter M. Ferry (1833–1907), American businessman. * Dexter Gordon (1923–1990), American jazz tenor saxophonist. Contemporary: * Dexter Brown (born 1942), British painter. * Dexter Fletcher (born 1966), British actor. * Dexter Blackstock (born 1986), English football player. * Dexter Fowler (born 1986), American baseball player. * Dexter Roberts (born 1991), American country music singer. Literature and Other Media: * C.K. Dexter Haven "Dex", a main character in the 1939 play and 1940 film The Philadelphia Story. * Dexter Morgan, a fictional serial vigilante and blood spatter analyst created by writer Jeff Lindsay. * Dexter "Dex" Barrington, a character in The Country Bears. * Dexter Walker, a character in the Australian TV soap opera Home and Away (2009-2013). * Dexter Mulholland, a character from EastEnders (2009). * Dexter Hartman, a character from EastEnders (2013-2015). * Dexter, the main character from Dexter's Laboratory.

Variants:

Dex

Pronunciation:

DEK-stə [key]

Possible diminutives:

Dex, Dec

Sibling Names:

Luna     Delilah     Thea     Margot     Robyn     Eloise Elliot     Zachary     Ezra     Rowan     Blake     Finn

Name Lists:

Lively Lads

 

If you like Dexter you may also like:   Wyatt, Layton, Fletcher, Rex, Rhys, Archer, Jasper, Milo, Roman, Sonny

Thanks to Amy for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: Lucy

Origin:

Lucy is the anglicised form of Lucia, the feminine form of the Roman praenomen Lucius.  Both Lucia and Lucius are derived from the Latin lux meaning "of light".

Usage:

Lucius was one of the three most common praenomina in the Roman world, and, as such, Lucia was also abundant in antiquity.  Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), known as Saint Lucy or Saint Lucia, was a Christian martyr who died during the reign of Diocletian. She is one of eight women, including the Virgin Mary, explicitly commemorated by Roman Catholics in the Canon of the Mass. Her traditional feast day on 13th December is still widely observed across Europe. As her feast once coincided with the Winter Solstice, so St Lucia's Day has become a festival of light.  It is mostly thanks to Saint Lucia that her name became so prevalent in the Middle Ages. Lucia itself later became the Italian, Spanish, German and Portuguese form of the name. In Britain, Lucia was used in Latin records but women were known by the vernacular form Luce, Lucy and Lucie. The surnames Luce, Lucy and Lucey derive from this source.  By the 14th century, Redmonds calculates that Lucy was #28 for women living in 1377-81 amongst ten English counties which puts it in moderate use.  Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England shows that Lucy was in consistent moderate use: 1538-49: #30; 1550-9: #33; 1560-9: #45; 1570-9: #25; 1580-9: #42; 1590-9: #29; 1600-9: #29; 1610-9: #44; 1620-9: #41; 1630-9: #45; 1640-9: --; 1650-9: #31; 1660-9: #43; 1670-9: #33; 1680-9: #46; 1690-1700: #46.  Dunkling puts Lucy at #36 in 1700 and #22 in 1800. The Latinised form Lucia came into its own usage in the 16th century alongside the elaborated form Lucinda.  The name remained at top 30 staple right up to the mid-19th century. It was in the top 100 of England and Wales up until 1924, falling below until it triumphantly returned in the 1970s.  Records for Lucy from the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: 1984: 1994: #27 #24 #25 #28 #36 #45 #48 #50 #61 #92 __ __ __ __ #38 #24 #13 In England and Wales, Lucy ranked in the top 20 from the early 1990s, reaching the top 10 by 2001 where it stayed for six years. It peaked in births in 1998 when it ranked #10 with 4515 births.   Lucy declined in usage from 2010 onward. In 2018, Lucy ranked #61 with 910 births in England and Wales. In Scotland, Lucy was later to catch on, but it has seen a longer period in the top 10 than in England and Wales. Lucy reached the top 100 of Scotland in 1979 and the top 50 in 1993.  Lucy first reached the Scottish top 10 in 2003 where it remained for fourteen years until 2016.  In 2018, Lucy ranked #14 in Scotland with 221 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Lucy Barnes (1780-1809), American writer. * Lucy Clementina Davies (1795-1879), British writer. * Lucy Hooper (1816–1841), American poet. * Lucy Atkinson (1817-1893), British explorer. * Lucy Stone (1818–1893), American activist. * Lucy Larcom (1824–1893), American teacher, poet, author. * Lucy Virginia French (1825-1881), American author. * Lucy Hayes (1831–1889), First Lady of the United States. * Lucy Hamilton Hooper (1835–1893), American poet, journalist, editor, playwright. * Lucy Hall Washington (1835–1913), American poet and social reformer. * Lucy Morris Chaffee Alden (1836-1912), American author, educator, hymnwriter. * Lucy M. Hall (1843-1907), American physician and writer. * Lucy Wheelock (1857-1946), American educator and writer. * Lucy Burns (1879–1966), American suffragist and women's rights advocate. Contemporary: * Lucy Fisher (born 1949), American film producer. * Lucy Turnbull (born 1958), Australian businesswoman, philanthropist, former local government politician, and former First Lady of Australia. * Lucy Lawless (born 1968), New Zealand actress and singer. * Lucy Liu (born 1968), American actress. * Lucy Alexander (born 1971), British television presenter. * Lucy Davis (born 1973), British actress. * Lucy Worsley (born 1973), British historian. * Lucy Punch (born 1977), British actress. * Lucy Boynton (born 1994), British actress.  * Lucy Fallon (born 1995), British actress. Literature and Other Media: * Lucy Pevensie, a character in the Chronicles of Narnia book series and the film series adaptation. * Lucy Steele, a character in Sense and Sensibility (1811) by Jane Austen. * Lucy Honeychurch, the protagonist of A Room with a View (1908) by E.M. Forster. * Lucy Westenra, a character in the novel Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker. * Lucy Snowe, the heroine of Villette (1853) by Charlotte Brontë. * Lucy van Pelt, a character in the Peanuts cartoon series and broader franchise. * Lucy Ricardo, the star character of I Love Lucy. * "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles.

Variants:

Lucie (French), Lucia (Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak), Lleucu, Liwsi (Welsh), Liusaidh (Gaelic)

Pronunciation:

LOO-see [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Lu, Luce

Sibling Names:

Emma     Charlotte     Grace     Alice     Emily     Sophie       Jack     Harry     Thomas     James     Daniel     Samuel

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Austen Names   Enid Blyton Names

 

If you like Lucy you may also like:   Rose, Amy, Eliza, Phoebe, Isabel, Lydia, Clara, Sadie, Eve, Harriet

Thanks to Andrea for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Reginald

Origin:

Reginald is a later form of Reynold based on the Latinised form Reginaldus. Reynold was the medieval English form of the Old Germanic name Raginald, made up of the elements ragin "advice, counsel" and wald "rule, might". Reginald became Reinald, Reynaud in Old French which was then brought over to Britain by the Normans where it became Reynold and later Reginald.  Raginald was cognate with the Old Norse Rögnvaldr and Old English Rægenweald.

Usage:

The Old English Rægenweald can be found in a handful of examples in Anglo-Saxon England. However, it is the Old Norse Rögnvaldr (later Ragnall) which is found most prominently across Britain thanks to overlordship by several notable Viking jarls. Ragnall ua Ímair (died 921), was a King of Waterford and York; Ragnall mac Gofraid (died 1004/1005) was King of the Isles and Rognvald Brusason (died c. 1046) was Earl of Orkney.  Many later examples abound, but it is these early records which show that cognates of the name were present in Britain before the Normans prominently brought over their own form: Reinald/Reynaud.  Several notable Anglo-Norman barons bore the name including Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall (c. 1110–1175), writer and monk Reginald of Canterbury (died c. 1109) and Reginald, Bishop of the Isles (died c.1226).  By the 14th century, Redmonds calculates that Reginald/Reynold was #19 for men living in 1377-81 amongst ten English counties which puts it in moderate use. It was in good enough use to create a number of surnames including Reynold, Reynolds, Reynoldson, Rennell, Reynell, Renaud and Renaut.  Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England shows that Reynold was in moderate use up until the 17th century, but then it saw a decline: 1538-49: --; 1550-9: #44.5; 1560-9: #42; 1570-9: #37; 1580-9: #36; 1590-9: #38; 1600-9: --; 1610-9: --; 1620-9: --; 1630-9: --; 1640-9: --; 1650-9: --; 1660-9: --; 1670-9: --; 1680-9: #49; 1690-1700: --.  Reginald itself came into proper established use in the 16th century, but it wasn't common until it was revived in the mid-19th century.  Records for Reginald from the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: 1984: 1994: #176 #134 #103 #66 #39 #31 #22 #20 #24 #31 #41 #71 __ __ __ __ __ The diminutive Reggie dates from the 19th century—one of the earliest examples of Reginald "Reggie" comes from C.Reade's Love me Little, Love me Long in 1859 Later, Rex also became used as a diminutive of Reginald—presumably a play on the genitive and dative form of the Latin rex: regis and regi. A well-known example is British Hollywood actor Sir Reginald "Rex" Harrison.  From 1996 to 2008, Reginald ranked below the top 1000 in England and Wales. Since then, it has seen a steady rise, peaking at #280 with 185 births in 2017.  During this peak year, Reginald was significantly more popular in the South East (#183) and the South West (#186).  The diminutive form Reggie has had even more success, entering the top 300 in 2005 and the top 100 by 2015. It has been rising ever since.  In 2018, Reginald ranked #284 with 177 births in England and Wales and #897 with 2 births in Scotland. Reggie, meanwhile, ranked at #45 (1356 births) in England Wales—its highest rank to date—and #168 (32 births) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Reginald I, Count of Burgundy (986–1057), second Count of the Free County of Burgundy. * Reginald I, Count of Bar (1105–1149), Count of Bar.  * Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall (c. 1110–1175), also High Sheriff of Devon. * Raynald of Châtillon (c. 1125–1187), a knight in the Second Crusade and Prince of Antioch. * Reginald of Sidon (1130s–1202), Count of Sidon and an important noble in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. * Reginald de Braose (1182–1228), Norman nobleman. * Reginald of Piperno (c. 1230–c. 1290), Italian Dominican, theologian and companion of St. Thomas Aquinas. * Reginald of Burgundy (died 1321), Count of Montbéliard from 1282 to 1321. * Reginald Pole (1500–1558), English Archbishop of Canterbury and cardinal. * Reginald Fessenden (1866–1932), Canadian-American inventor who conducted pioneering experiments in radio. * Reginald Punnett (1875–1967), British geneticist. * Reginald Owen (1887-1972), British character actor. * Reginald "Rex" Warner (1905–1986), English classicist, writer and translator. * Reginald "Rex" Whistler (1905–1944), British artist, designer and illustrator. * Sir Reginald "Rex" Harrison (1908–1990), British film and stage actor. * Reginald "Rex" Ingamells (1913–1955), Australian poet. Contemporary: * Reginald Askew (1928–2012), British-Anglican priest and academic. * Reginald "Reggie" Kray (1933–2000), one of the Kray twins. * Reginald Fleming (1936–2009), National Hockey League player. * Reginald Dwight (born 1947), birth name of Elton John. * Reginald D. Hunter (born 1969), American comedian. * Reginald "Reggie" Yates (born 1983), British actor, television presenter and radio DJ. Literature and Other Media: * Reginald "Rumty" Wilfer, a character in Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend (1864). * Reginald Bunthorne, the main character of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera Patience. * Reginald Jeeves, the personal servant to Bertie Wooster in a series of short stories and novels by P. G. Wodehouse. * Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford, the protagonist in a series of mysteries by Ruth Rendell. * Reginald Perrin, the main character of a series of novels by David Nobbs, and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, the popular BBC-commissioned 1970s comedy based upon it.

Variants:

Raginald (Old Germanic) Reinald, Reynaud (Norman) Reynold (Middle English) Reginald (Latinised) Ronald (Scottish) Rheinallt (Welsh) Raghnall (Irish & Scottish Gaelic) Reino (Finnish) Renaud (French) Reinhold (German) Rinaldo (Italian) Reinaldo, Reynaldo, Ronaldo (Spanish & Portuguese)

Pronunciation:

REJ-i-nəld [key]

Possible diminutives:

Reg, Reggie, Rex

Sibling Names:

Constance     April     Georgina     Millicent     Audrey     Emmeline Gilbert     Raymond     Laurence     Ernest     Leonard     Vincent

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites   Victorian Darlings   Roaring Twenties   Upright Elegance   Funky Clunky   Dickensian Names   Tennyson Names   Gilbert and Sullivan Names

 

If you like Reginald you may also like:   Malcolm, Clifford, Kenneth, Franklin, Sidney, Eric, Douglas, Ronald, Gregory, Winston

Thanks to Meghan for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: Jodie

Origin:

Jodie is a modern coinage which developed in America in the 19th century where Jody was used as both a masculine and a feminine name. There are several possible origins for the name: There are several examples of Jody being used in America as a nickname for Joseph.**** Similarly, Jody can be found as a nickname for the feminine form Josephine*** such as Holywood actress Jody Lawrance (1930-1986) whose birth name was Josephine Goddard. Joseph is the Anglicised form of the Hebrew name Yosef meaning "He will add" usually referring to children as the first Biblical Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob.  Jodie/Jodie is also considered to be a variant of Judy, the traditional diminutive of Judith. Judith itself derives from the Hebrew name Yehudith meaning "Jewish (woman)". Indeed, Jody can be found as a nickname for any Jo- beginning name (such as Joel** or Joan**) and was likely adopted independently in 1950s America because of its similarity to sound-a-like names such as Joe, Judy, Joan, Joanne, Sandy, Randy, Wendy, Cindy, Andy, Trudy, Rudy etc.

Usage:

Jody—especially the spelling Jodie—seems to have been used as a rare independent name from the 1880s onwards in America. In 1900, Jodie ranked #816 for boys in America.  However, it wasn't until the 1940s that Jody for both boys and girls and Jodie for girls began to rise in use, as we can see from these charts from Nancy's fabulous site:  One boost to Jody's use as a girls' name was the 1946 film To Each His Own starring Olivia de Havilland as the heroine Josephine “Jody” Norris. Jody went from #891 in 1945, to #770 in 1946 and #544 in 1947. Jody saw its first peak a decade later at #170 in 1958.  During this period, actress Jody Lawrance (1930-1986) was also starring in Hollywood movies which may have helped to boost the name for girls.  Jody also started rising for boys in the 1950s. At its peak of #161 in 1971, Jody for girls was #162—the closest the two ever came for both genders. In 2013, a survey suggested that Jody was the 6th most unisex baby name in the U.S. since 1930. Several male American Jodys abounded in the 1960s, including rock and roll singer Jody Reynolds (1932-2008) who had a U.S. top-ten hit in 1958, and the young character Jody Davis on American sitcom Family Affair from 1966 to 1971.  Jody reached a second peak in America in 1970 at #153. This was followed by the introduction by Ideal (the largest US toy manufacturer at the time) of Jody The Country Girl Doll. Interestingly, neither Jody nor Jodie ever broke into the American top 100 for boys or girls. The same cannot be said for Britain. Though late to the party, Jodie began rising steeply for girls in Britain in the early 1970s. Jody also grew in use during the same period, but it was much more unisex in use.  For example, in 1974 in Scotland, Jody had 5 births for both boys (#248) and girls (#389). In Scotland, Jodie went from #613 (2 births) in 1976, to #301 (9 births) in 1977 and #226 (16 births) in 1978, which may have owed something to Jodie Foster's Holywood debut in Taxi Driver (1976) and Bugsy Malone (1976). Jodie first entered the top 100 in Scotland at #77 in 1989 and peaked at #44 with 168 births in 1993. It had a second peak at #41 with 138 births in 2001, after which it began to decline.  In 2018 in Scotland, Jodie ranked #809 (3 births) for girls. Jody was unranked in 2018, but one girl (#1537) and one boy (#1301) did receive the name in 2017.  Jodie entered the top 100 in England and Wales for the first time in 1984 at #53 peaking at #43 in 1996. Jodie left the top 100 in 2005 when it dropped to #132. It remained in the top 500 until 2012 but left the top 1000 three years later in 2015.  In 2018, Jodie ranked #1586 with 19 births. Jody was unranked.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Joseph "Jodie" Beeler (1921-2002), American baseball player. * Josephine "Jody" Lawrance (1930–1986), American actress. * Ralph Joseph "Jody" Reynolds (1932–2008), American singer and guitarist. * Joel "Jody" McCrea (1934–2009), American actor. * Jody Payne (1936–2013), American country musician and singer. * Jody Williams (born 1950), American political activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. * Jody Davis (born 1952), American Major League Baseball catcher. * Jody Azzouni (born 1954), American philosopher, short fiction writer and poet. * Jodie Fisher (born 1960), American actress. * Jodie Foster (born 1962), American actress, film director, and producer. * Joseph "Jody" Byrne (born 1963), Irish retired footballer. * Jodhi May (born 1975), English actress. * Jody Gerut (born 1977), American former Major League Baseball player. * Jody Cundy, OBE (born 1978), English cyclist and former swimmer. * Jodie Kidd (born 1978), English fashion model, sports woman, television personality and actress. * Jody Morris (born 1978), English footballer. * Jody Lavender (1979), American racing driver. * Jodie Connor (born 1981), British R&B and soul musician. * Jody Latham (born 1982), English actor. * Jodie Whittaker (born 1982), English actress. * Jodie Broughton (born 1988), English rugby league player. * Jodie Comer (born 1993), English actress. Literature and Other Media: * Josephine “Jody” Norris, a character in the 1946 film To Each His Own. * Jodie Landon, a cartoon character in the television show Daria. * Jodie Morton, a character in the soap opera Coronation Street. * Jodie Nash, a character in the soap opera Hollyoaks. * Jody Lynch, a character from American TV series "Party of Five"

Variants:

Jody, Jodi

Pronunciation:

JŌ-dee [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Jo, Joey

Sibling Names:

Gemma     Louise     Hayley     Paige     Nicole     Amber  Cameron     Jamie     Callum     Kieran     Ryan     Connor

Name Lists:

N/A

 

If you like Jodie you may also like:   Jasmine, Jenna, Kelly, Zoe, Natalie, Jade, Marie, Leanne, Lauren, Julie

Thanks to Joolz for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Atticus

Origin:

Atticus is a Roman cognomen meaning "from Attica". Attica was the ancient region that encompassed the city of Athens. Its etymology is not clear but most likely it shares its origins with Athens itself, and therefore ultimately derives from the city's patron, Athene, goddess of wisdom and war.  Cognomen denoting a person's place of origin were not uncommon and survive in the names Lydia, Luke, Sebastian, Alban, Laurence, (H)adrian and many others.

Usage:

Atticus was a fairly common cognomen in the Roman world. Famous examples include philosophers Titus Pomponius Atticus (112–32 BC) and Herodes Atticus (101–177), and later figures in the Christian Empire such as Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople (406–425) and a 4th-century Christian martyr.  As Atticus did not feature in the New Testament, like many other Latin names, it fell out of use in the Middle Ages across Europe. It was revived in the 16th century, especially around Bottesford in Leicestershire.  However, the name was always rare in use. In fact, there are no records for Atticus as a first name at all in the England and Wales Birth Index from 1838 to 1963. Be wary of 19th-century census records on Ancestry: an examination of the original records show that most are mistranscriptions of 'Arthur'.  The first use of Atticus in 1964 coincides with the release of the film To Kill A Mockingbird, released in 1963 in Britain, starring Gregory Peck as lawyer Atticus Finch. This was based on Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.  Even with the film's success, Atticus was still a very rare name, only coming into regular yearly use by the late 1990s.  Atticus saw a small increase in use in 2003 in England and Wales when it moved from #3225 with 3 births to #1513 with 10 births.  It entered the top 1000 in 2010 at #942 (30 births) and, to date, peaked at #451 with 93 births in 2017.  In this year, regional data shows that Atticus was most common in the East of England, Wales and the South, excepting London: N. East N. West Yorkshire E. Midlands W. Midlands East London S. East S. West Wales --  #522 #533 #494 #441  #323  #597  #375  #362  #345 In 2018, Atticus ranked #471 with 86 births in England and Wales and #516 with 5 births in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Titus Pomponius Atticus (112–32 BC), ancient Roman philosopher, and correspondent with Cicero. * Herodes Atticus (101–177), Greek rhetorician and philosopher. * Atticus (fl. c. 175), Platonist philosopher. * Atticus (d. 310), Christian martyr. * Atticus of Constantinople (406–425), Archbishop of Constantinople. * Atticus Greene Haygood (1839–1896), Methodist bishop and president of Emory University. Contemporary: * Atticus Ross (born 1968), British musician. * Atticus Browne (born 1991), West Indian cricketer. * Atticus Mitchell (born 1993), Canadian actor and musician. * Atticus Shaffer (born 1998), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Atticus, a character in Cicero's De Legibus. * Atticus Finch, the central character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. * Atticus Aldridge, a character in Downton Abbey. * Atticus Cody, the title character in Atticus by Ron Hansen. * Atticus Fetch, a character in the television series Californication. * Atticus Kodiak, a character in novels by Greg Rucka.

Variants:

Attikos (Ancient Greek)

Pronunciation:

AT-i-kəs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Atty, Gus

Sibling Names:

Verity     Romilly     Livia     Evangeline     Sylvie     Octavia Rafferty     Elias     Benedict     Maxim     Sullivan     Josiah

Name Lists:

Vintage Names   Resonant Roman

 

If you like Atticus you may also like:   Atlas, Darius, Orion, Evander, Magnus, Ezekiel, Solomon, Caspian, Lysander, Everett

Thanks to Alice for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: Hilda

Origin:

Hilda is the Latinised form of Hild, an Anglo-Saxon name derived from the Old English hild meaning "battle". In some cases, Hild may have been a hypocoristic form of longer names (both masculine and feminine) containing the element hild such as Hildgýð, Hildegard or Hildebehrt and Hildulf. Hilda also served as a Latinised form for the Norse cognate Hildr and Germanic cognate Hilde.

Usage:

The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE) database has four examples of Hild in use in Anglo-Saxon Britain; one female, three male.  Unlike many Anglo-Saxon names, Hilda managed to survive the Norman Conquest as a feminine name, mostly thanks to the veneration of Saint Hild (or Hilda) of Whitby (c. 614-680).  Hild's story is quite a remarkable one. Born to a noble family, she was baptised at 13 and made the decision to become a nun in her 30s. She soon became the Abbess of Hartlepool and spent seven years building a new monastery (for both men and women) at Whitby which she was in charge of for thirty years. Under Hild's guidance, many members of her monastery went on to become important clerical figures. Five of her monks became bishops, and she was so respected, that kings and princes are said to have sought her counsel. "She [...] taught there the strict observance of justice, piety, chastity, and other virtues, and particularly of peace and charity; so that, after the example of the primitive church, no person was there rich, and none poor, all being in common to all, and none having any property. Her prudence was so great, that not only indifferent persons, but even kings and princes, as occasion offered, asked and received her advice" (Ecclesiastical History, Book 4, Chapter XXIII).* In 664, Hild hosted the Synod of Whitby which sought to resolve issues between the Celtic and Roman religious calendars. This Synod, which Hild presided over like an Archbishop, shaped the way Christianity developed in England.  The main source for Hild's life is recorded by Bede who describes her life as "an example of the works of light."* His final words about her were: "Thus this servant of Christ, Abbess Hilda, whom all that knew her called Mother, for her singular piety and grace, was not only an example of good life, to those that lived in her monastery, but afforded occasion of amendment and salvation to many who lived at a distance, to whom the fame was brought of her industry and virtue."* The veneration of Hild as a saint dates to the 8th century when Bede wrote of her. Accordingly, several legends grew up around her such as a miraculous dream that her mother had when she was a baby, or how she turned a plague of snakes at Whitby into stone [these later turned out to be fossils on the coast].  She is considered one of the patron saints of learning and culture, and her feast day (depending on which denomination) is the 17th, 18th or 19th November.  Though Hilda was not especially common in the Middle Ages, it was in enough use to leave us with the surname Hild.  The Lincolnshire Danelaw Documents of 1154-89 list a Hilda de Tidintun and the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire has a Hilda de Gay in 1192.  It became uncommon after the 13th century but remained in use in the Whitby area thanks to Saint Hilda.  Elsewhere in the world, Hilda also saw use in Scandinavia. Nordic Names tracks the earliest recorded use for Hilda in Norway in the 14th century. It was well used in Sweden in the 19th century and many of the earliest famous Hildas are Swedish.  In the 19th century, Hilda has a revival in Britain in the late 19th century, rocketing in popularity by the 1890s. Much of this was thanks to the Tractarian Movement which popularised saints names, and the Victorian love of Medievalism.  Data from the 1881 census (see image, right) shows Hilda was well established across England and the South of Wales, but less common in Scotland. In 1900, Hilda was #94 in Scotland and #16 in England and Wales.  Records for Hilda from the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: 1984: 1994: >#300 >#300 #261 #128 #71 #27 #16 #14 #15 #26 #61 __ __ __ __ __ __ Since 1996 in England and Wales, Hilda has been rare, ranking below the top 1000.  It has seen a moderate rise in use since 2009, peaking at #2341 with 11 births in 2017.  In 2018, Hilda ranked #3985 (5 births) in England and Wales. It had no births in Scotland or Northern Ireland.  Elsewhere, Hilda ranked #99 in Sweden and #37 in Finland in 2018.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Hilda of Whitby (c. 614-680), a significant figure in the history of English Christianity. * Hilda Sandels (1830-1921), Swedish opera singer. * Hilda Sjölin (1835–1915), Swedish photographer. * Hilda Caselli (1836-1901), Swedish educational reformer. * Hilda Petrini (1838–1895), Swedish clockmaker and first female master of mechanics in Sweden. * Hilda Lund (1840–1911), Swedish ballerina. * Hilda Sachs (1857-1935), Swedish journalist and women's rights activist. * Princess Hilda of Nassau (1864–1952), the last Grand Duchess of Baden. * Hilda Hewlett (1864–1943), first British woman aviator to earn a pilot's licence, and aviation entrepreneur. * Hilda Käkikoski (1864-1912), Finnish politician, writer and schoolteacher, one of the first nineteen women elected to parliament. * Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford (1869–1956), British politician. * Hilda Borgström (1871–1954), Swedish actress. * Hilda Phoebe Hudson (1881-1965), English mathematician. * Hilda Ross (1883-1959), New Zealand politician. * Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961), Australian painter. * Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961), American poet, novelist and memoirist. * Hilda Geiringer (1893–1973), Austrian mathematician and professor. * Hilda "H. F. M." Prescott (1896-1972), English author, academic and historian. * Hilda Conkling (1910–1986), American poet. * Hilda Ellis Davidson (1914–2006), English antiquarian and academic. * Hilda Fenemore (1914–2004), English actress. * Hilda Bernstein (1915–2006), South African author, artist, and anti-apartheid and women's rights activist. Contemporary: * Hilda Braid (1929–2007), English actress. * Hilda Hilst (1930–2004), Brazilian poet, playwright and novelist. * Hilda de Duhalde (born 1946), Argentine politician. * Hilda Ramos (born 1964), Cuban discus thrower. * Hilda Gaxiola (born 1972), Mexican beach volleyball player. * Hilda Kibet (born 1981), Dutch long-distance runner. Literature and Other Media: * Hilda Spellman, a principle character in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. * Hilda Suarez, a character from the American television series Ugly Betty. * Hilda, the title character in Luke Pearson's Hilda series. * Hilda Ogden, a character from the British soap opera Coronation Street (1964-1987). * Hilda, the female protagonist of Pokémon Black and White. * Princess Hilda of Lorule, a character from The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Variants:

Hilde (German, Dutch, Norwegian), Hildr (Norse)

Pronunciation:

HILD-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Hildy, Hillie

Sibling Names:

Agnes     Freda     Maud     Avril     Kathleen     Ingrid  Lloyd     Gilbert     Francis     Edwin     Wilbur     Percival

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky    Victorian Darlings    Roaring Twenties    Scandi-Familiars    Enid Blyton Names

 

If you like Hilda you may also like:   Phyllis, Doris, Muriel, Tilda, Rita, Ethel, Priscilla, Rhoda, Mildred, Zelda

Thanks to Stephanie for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Emmett

Origin:

Emmett is taken directly from the English surname Emmett, which derive from two sources: 1. During this Middle Ages, the vernacular English form of Emma was Em/Emm/Emme*. This gained the diminutive ending -ot creating Emmot(a), (which was not an uncommon name in its own right during the Middle Ages) and led to the creation of the surname Emmett.  Emma itself is an Old Germanic name, originating as a hypocoristic form of names containing the first element ermin "whole, universal". 2. In some cases, especially the spellings Emmot and Emmott, the surname may have derived from Emmot in Lancashire near Colne. This is thought to be the source of most of the Lancashire and West Yorkshire surnames (the two counties where the surname was most common). This place-name derives from the Old English eagemot meaning "junction of streams".

Usage:

Emma was a common name in the Middle Ages. George Redmond puts Emma at #7 in his rankings from ten English counties in 1377-1381, which he classifies as "Very Popular."  There are several medieval examples of Emma and Emmot being used interchangeably. For example, in the Ancient Deeds of Middlesex, 'Emma wife of Adam faber' is also called Emmota in 1353. Similarly, the Ancient Deeds of Kent has 'Emma alias Emmote Bochere' in 1413.  Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 in England shows Emma/Emme ranking in 9 out of 16 decades:  1538-49: #30; 1550-9: #24; 1560-9: #29; 1570-9: #23; 1580-9: #42; 1590-9: #32; 1600-9: #47; 1610-9: #44; 1640-9: #43.  Emmat, separately, also ranks twice in this data: 1550-9: #33; 1590-9: #36.  Emmot continued to be used as a girls' name until the 17th century. Adoption of surnames as given names at this time (especially to honour god-parents of family members), led to the Emmett becoming used for boys as well.  Data from the 1881 census demonstrates that the surnames Emmet(t), Emmot(t), Emmit(t) etc were most common in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, indicating that the origin was not from the feminine name Emmot, but from the locational name Emmot near Colne.  It is interesting to see that Lancashire and West Yorkshire were also the areas where Emmett (and variants) were most common as a given name, demonstrating that the surname was being directly adopted as a given name.  Robert Emmet (1779-1803) was an Irish Republican who led a rebellion against British rule in Ireland in 1803, for which he was tried for high treason.  It is notable that the name Emmet(t) was combined with that of Chartist leaders Feargus O'Connor (1796-1855) and John Frost (1784-1877) during the Chartism movement of 1836-1848, indicating that Robert Emmet was used as a revolutionary namesake.  Boys named Emmet Frost O'Connor [surname] or Emmett Fergus O'Connor [surname] in the 1840s attest to this. Most of the use of Emmet(t) as a given name in the 19th century was masculine in use, though it was used occasionally for girls.  Records for Emmet(t) as a first name in the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 43 births 29 births 32 births 36 births 28 births 16 births 12 births 7 births 7 births 4 births 3 births 7 births 50 births 82 births Though Emmett became more common in the 1960s and 70s, it was always rather rare. It had far more success in America ranking #176 in 1880, #136 in 1890 and #175 in 1900.  In fact, all the famous bearers with Emmett as a first name who were born before the 1970s (below) are American. The US is also responsible for the most recognisable characters in film, such as the key character Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future series from 1985 to 1990 and Emmett Forrest, the love interest from the Legally Blonde films (2001 and 2003). The biggest impact on the name Emmett from popular culture was undoubtedly the Twilight series of books and films, featuring the young character Emmett Cullen. The books were released from 2005 to 2008 but this had very little impact on the name. However, the release of the films from 2008 to 2012 had a noticeable effect.  In 2008, Emmett ranked #3,687 with 4 births in England and Wales. This more than doubled in 2009 to #1981 (10 births). By the release of the final film, Emmett moved into the top 1000 for the first time at #821 (37 births).  The name has continued to rise ever since in England and Wales, reaching #572 with 65 births in 2018.  In Scotland, Emmett has been much rarer. From 1974 to 2007, Emmett only ranked once in 1977, 1987, 1992 and 2000. It became more common after 2008 but its highest peak to date was at #442 in 2017 with 7 births.  In 2018, Emmett rank #897 with 2 births in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Emmett Dalton (1871–1937), an American outlaw. * Emmett J. Hull (1882–1957), American architect. * Emmett Kelly (1898-1979), was an American circus performer, who created the memorable clown figure "Weary Willie". * Emmett McLoughlin (1907-1970), American ex-priest and housing activist. * Emmett Morrison (1915–1993), American basketball player. * Emmett Barrett (1916-2005), American football player. * Emmett Till (1941-1955), African-American youth whose lynching was one of the key events leading up to the American Civil Rights Movement. Contemporary: * Emmett Leith (1927-2005), American scientist and electrical engineer. * Emmett J. Scanlan (born 1979), Irish actor who plays Brendan Brady in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. * Emmett Skilton (born 1987), New Zealand actor. Literature and Other Media: * Dr. Emmett Brown, a character in "Back to the Future" films.  * Emmett Cullen, a character from the "Twilight" series. * Emmett Forrest, a character from the "Legally Blonde" series. * Emmet Brickowski, the main character in the "Lego Movie" series.

Variants:

Emmet, Emmott, Emmitt, Emmatt

Pronunciation:

EM-ət [key]

Possible diminutives:

Em, Mets, Mitt

Sibling Names:

Romilly     Juliet     Sylvie     Adele     Vivienne     Gwen Vincent     Atlas     Gideon     Silas     Rafferty     Sullivan

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance  Funky-Clunky

 

If you like Emmett you may also like:   Everett, Bennett, Fergus, Phineas, Emrys, Beckett, Digby, Ewart, Evander, Roderick

Thanks to Laura for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: Evelyn

Origin:

Evelyn is a later form of the early medieval name Avelina, a diminutive form of the Old Germanic name Avila. The spelling Evelyn was particularly established as a surname. Avila itself derives from the Old Germanic name Ava, the origins of which are very mysterious.  It is generally thought that Ava is the feminine form of Germanic Avi or Avo, which could either be connected to the Germanic tribe of the Aviones or from the Old Germanic alfi "elf." This developed into the diminutive forms Avila and the double suffixed Aveline (Ava + el + in). This unknown element of av, aw was also used as the first element in dithematic feminine names such as Avagisa, Avuldis and Avigerna.* Another possibility is that Ava developed as a variant of Eve, a Hebrew name meaning "life". The two names have been conflated constantly over the centuries and, certainly, the surname Eveling is considered to be derived either from diminutives of Eve (Eve + el + in) or as a form of Aveline, depending on which source you choose. For example, The Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames lists an example of the given name Evelune (1218) as a variant of Eve and Avelyn (1379) as a variant of Aveline. Both look like they could easily be sources for the surname Evelyn.  Avelina and Evelyn are often further confused with avellana, the Latin name for the hazel tree. In modern French, aveline means "hazelnut."

Usage:

Aveline, the Old French form of Avelina, was brought over to Britain by the Normans who had already been using it for centuries. One notable early bearer was Avelina Duceline de Crépon, the sister of Gunnor, wife of Richard I of Normandy (932-996). The name was not very popular in Britain overall, but it was used regularly across the Middle Ages. Records include instances of Avelina, Avelin, Avelyna and Avelyn in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1189, 1200, 1273 and 1430, and the Norfolk Poll Tax of 1379. It was certainly used enough times to create the surname Aveline, Aveling and, in some cases, Evelyn. Variants of Eve were also in use in the Middle Ages and diminutive forms such as Evelune (from the 1218 Pipe Rolls in Leicestershire) and Evelot (in the 1305 Assize Rolls of Wiltshire) suggest a further source for the surname Evelyn. George Redmonds puts Eve at #37 in his top 50 national totals for women living in 1377-81 in England. He classifies this as "infrequent" in use.  By the 16th century, Avelina was very uncommon, only used sporadically in areas such as Berkshire, Kent and Norfolk; Ava was all-but-extinct and Eve was also in rare usage. Evelina was rekindled a little with the publication of Frances Burney's novel Evelina in 1778. Burney no doubt based her choice for the name Evelina on her first manuscript, The History of Caroline Evelyn, which she had earlier destroyed, by having her fictional Evelina as the daughter of said Caroline Evelyn. The novel was a huge success, and with that came a rise in popularity for the name Evelina.  By the 17th century, Evelyn, however, had become established as a masculine name (particularly amongst the aristocracy) thanks to the adoption of the surname Evelyn. Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull (1655-1726) was a key member of the House of Lords and a "prominent figure in the fashionable society of his day"*. He was given his name because Evelyn was his mother's surname. Interestingly, the Duke named one of his daughters Lady Evelyn Pierrepont (died 1727), but it was his grandson, General Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull (1711-1773), who inherited the title.  Sir Evelyn Alston, 5th Baronet (1692–1750) also received his name because it was his mother's maiden name. His son, the 6th Baronet, was also named Evelyn.  It is important to note that, during this period, Evelyn as both a surname and a given name was pronounced EEV-lin.  This pronunciation of "EEV-lin" continued to be used among the upper classes (especially for boys) into the 20th century, even as EV-ə-lin had become established again for girls amongst the working classes. Famous examples of men to use the EEV-lin pronunciation include athlete Evelyn Aubrey Montague (1900–1948) and author Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) who both came from well-heeled families.  Waugh's first wife was also named Evelyn [The Hon. Evelyn Gardner (1903-1994), an aristocrat and socialite]. They were known as "He-Evelyn" and "She-Evelyn" to their friends, so we can presume that she was also EEV-lin. Purely anecdotally, I can relate a family story told to me by my grandmother. Her female cousin (born between 1910-1920) was named Evelyn which the family pronounced EV-ə-lin. When she was older, this cousin announced that she wanted her name to be pronounced EEV-lin as it sounded "more upper-class." Though all were in modest use, in 1840 Evelina was the most common form of the name for girls, followed by Eveline and then Evelyn. Eveline moved into the top 100 first by 1880, and it is this use of Eveline which seems to be one of the reasons why Evelyn became re-adopted for girls in the 19th century, rising swiftly over the course of the century.  Records from the England and Wales Birth Index:   Evelyn Eveline Evelina 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: 1984: 1994: >#300 #204 #148 #107 #97 #82 #46 #31 #28 #34 #45 #71 __ __ __ __ __ >#300 #259 #171 #113 #80 #63 #79 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ #270 #226 #204 #205 #193 >#250 >#250 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ When I compiled the rankings for birth index records pre-1904, Evelyn proved a bit complicated, as the birth index does not list gender. The image below from FreeBMD shows all the entries for Evelyn in Jan-Mar 1850. The use of middle names shows that four are clearly female and two are obviously male. The remaining four entries could be either gender, so in most cases, I had to check against census records.  What we do know for certain is that Evelyn ranked at #31 for girls in 1904 in the Office for National Statistics data. Evelyn was still used for boys at this time, but examples were much less common.  Official data from Scotland puts Evelyn at #84 in 1900.  By 1954, Evelyn had dropped out of top 100 in England and Wales. However, it was #36 in Scotland in 1950 and had only dropped below by the 1970s indicating that it was later to catch on in Scotland, and later to fall out of favour.  Like many Edwardian favourites (Florence, Elsie, Ivy etc), Evelyn has enjoyed a 100-year rule revival in recent years.  From 1996 to 2000, Evelyn was very consistent in use, ranking #371 with 87 births in 2000.  In 1999, Hollywood revamped the classic The Mummy franchise followed by a sequel in 2001. Rachel Weisz played the principal character Evelyn "Evie" Carnahan, giving a young face to the name. The character was actually based on real-life Lady Evelyn Beauchamp (1901-1980), the daughter of Lord Carnarvon who was present at the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb.  Interestingly, Evelyn doubled in birth count from 87 births in 2000 to 161 births in 2001 (#246). This was the beginning of Evelyn's inevitable rise and return to favour, but perhaps shows that The Mummy films help to kick-start the process.  In England and Wales, Evelyn returned to the top 100 in 2008 at #89 (660 births) and continued to rise ever since. In 2018, Evelyn ranked #19 with 1902 births.  In Scotland, Evelyn doesn't fit the criteria for a 100-year-rule rival (as it was still common in the 1950s), however, since 2012 it has seen a marked rise. It re-entered the Scottish top 200 in 2014 and by 2018 was #109 with 44 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull (1655-1726), British politician. * General Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull (1711-1773), British peer.  * Evelyn Stuart (1773–1842), British soldier and Tory politician. * Evelyn Pierrepont (1775–1801), British (male) Member of Parliament. * Evelyn John Shirley (1788–1856), British politician. * Evelyn Denison, 1st Viscount Ossington (1800–1873), British statesman. * Evelyn Philip Shirley (1812–1882), British politician, antiquary and genealogist. * Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth (1819–1889), British horse breeder. * Evelyn Ashley (1836–1907), British (male) barrister and Liberal politician. * Evelyn Wood (1838–1919), British Field marshal and Victoria Cross recipient. * Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer (1841–1917), Consul-General of Egypt from 1883 to 1907. * Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh (1843–1906), English (male) classical scholar. * Evelyn Whitaker (1844–1929), English (female) children's writer. * Evelyn De Morgan (1855–1919), English Pre-Raphaelite (female) painter. * Evelyn Greenleaf Sutherland (1855–1908), American (female) journalist, author and playwright. * Evelyn Everett-Green (1856–1932), English (female) novelist. * Evelyn Beatrice Hall (1868–1956), English writer and biographer of Voltaire. * Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1870–1960), Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary from 1910-1916. * Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874–1954), American sculptor elected as a full member of the National Academy of Design. * Evelyn Vida Baxter (1879-1959), Scottish ornithologist. * Evelyn Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset (1882–1954), British peer and army officer. * (Lucy) Evelyn Cheesman (1882–1969), British entomologist and traveller. * Evelyn Barker (1894–1983), British Army officer in World War I and II * Evelyn Preer (1896–1932), African-American actress and blues singer. * Evelyn Booth (1897–1988), Irish (female) botanist. * Evelyn Wells (1899–1984), American (female) biographer. * Evelyn M. Anderson (1899–1985), American (female) physiologist and biochemist. * Evelyn Laye (1900–1996), British theatre actress. * Evelyn Brent (1901–1975), American film and stage actress. * Evelyn Dove (1902–1987), British singer and actress. * Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966), English satirical novelist. * Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale (1903–1973), Governor of Kenya from 1952 to 1959. * G. Evelyn Hutchinson (1903–1991), British (male) ecologist. * Evelyn King (1907–1994), British (male) member of Parliament. * Evelyn Holt (1908–2001), German film actress. * Evelyn Bryan Johnson (1909–2012), American (female) pilot with a world record number of flying hours. * Evelyn Ankers (1918–1985), American actress. * Evelyn Berezin (1925–2018), American (female) computer designer best known for designing the first computer-driven word processor. Contemporary: * Evelyn Lear (1926–2012), American soprano and opera singer. * Evelyn de Rothschild (born 1931), British (male) financier. * Evelyn Hart (born 1956), Canadian ballerina. * Evelyn Ashford (born 1957), American female sprinter, gold medalist of the women's 100 meters running during the 1984 Summer Olympics. * Evelyn Lau (born 1971), Chinese-Canadian poet and novelist. * Evelyn García (born 1982), Salvadorian cyclist. * Evelyn Sharma (born 1986), German-Indian actress and model. Literature and Other Media: * Evelyn Carnahan/O'Connell, a character The Mummy franchise, portrayed by Rachel Weisz. * Evelyn Robin, the wife of Christopher Robin in Disney's "Christopher Robin". * Th Hon. Evelyn Napier, a character from Downton Abbey, portrayed by Brendan Patricks. * Evelyn Cross Mulwray, a character played by Faye Dunaway in the noir film, Chinatown. * Evelyn Tremble, a character played by Peter Sellers in the James Bond satire Casino Royale.

Variants:

Evelina, Eveline

Pronunciation:

EV-ə-lin; EEV-lin [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Eve, Evie, Evvy, Ellie

Sibling Names:

Charlotte     Alice     Florence     Amelia     Phoebe     Clara       Oscar     Arthur     Oliver     George     Sebastian     Edward

Name Lists:

N/A

 

If you like Evelyn you may also like:   Esme, Isabella, Matilda, Emilia, Imogen, Eleanor, Penelope, Violet, Annabelle, Harriet

Thanks to Magda for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Dimitri

Origin:

Dimitri is the French and Russian of the Ancient Greek name Demetrios meaning "devoted to Demeter", later Latinised as Demetrius.  Demeter was the Greek goddess agriculture, grain and all growing things, and one of the principle Olympian deities.  The most famous myth regarding Demeter concerns the abduction of her daughter, Persephone, by Hades. Demeter searched the whole world for her missing daughter and despaired when she couldn't find her. Helios, the sun god, told Demeter of her daughter's abduction and that Zeus, in conspiracy with Hades, had allowed it to happen. Demeter was furious with this deceit and, in retribution, refused to let the earth fruit until her daughter returned.  In Demeter's grief, the world endured perpetual famine. Eventually, Zeus had no choice but to capitulate and brokered a deal between Demeter and Hades: Persephone would spend half the year with her mother and the other half with Hades. For the half of the year that her daughter was in the Underworld, Demeter grieved and the crops did not grow (Autumn/Winter). When her daughter returned, the world became fruitful again (Spring/Summer).  Alongside her daughter, Demeter was worshipped in the ancient Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the most important, sacred religious rites of ancient Greece—reenacted for thousands of years — which promised initiates happiness in the afterlife.  The second element in the name Demeter is almost certainly the Greek μητηρ (mêtêr) "mother". The first element—the Doric dialect word da—is a little murkier. The traditional theory is that da is the Doric form of γη (gê) meaning "earth." Thus Demeter literally meant "earth-mother."  Another theory suggests that the first element derives from the Cretan word dêai meaning "barley" which still reflects Demeter's function as a fertility goddess.  Alternatively, it has been suggested that Da is the vocative form of Dan, a Doric form of Zen/Zeus. While it is unlikely that Demeter's name meant "mother of Zeus" (according to mythology, she was his sister), this second element could derive from the same source as Zeus name: the Proto-Indo-European deyw-o- "a God". Demeter, therefore, could mean "mother goddess" and she may have originally been a female counterpart to Zeus in pre-history. Intriguingly, another name for Demeter was Deo.

Usage:

Demetrios was in good use in Ancient Greece. Data from the Lexicon of Greek Personal Names ranks Demetrios at #2 in Attica; #2 in Macedonia Thrace, Northern Shores of the Black Sea; #3 in Coastal Asia Minor; #4 in the Aegean Islands, Cyprus, Cyrenaica; #8 in Inland Asia Minor; #8 in The Peloponnese, Western Greece, Sicily, Magna Graecia; #9 in Central Greece. These names were taken from "all available sources (literature, inscriptions, graffiti, papyri, coins, vases and other artefacts), within the period from the earliest Greek written records down to, approximately, the sixth century A.D." Demetrios was also a royal name, born by Macedonian, Bactrian and Seleucid kings which may be one of the reasons it was so well documented in Antiquity. One reason that Demetrius continued in use in the Christian Western Empire and into the Middle Ages was the many early saints to bear the name, most of whom were either early bishops or martyrs. The most famous saint to bear the name was St Demetrius of Thessaloniki, a 4th-century Greek-born deacon martyred at Sirmium, in the former Yugoslavia.  During the Middle Ages, Saint Demetrius became regarded as one of the principal military saints. He was often paired with Saint George and the two were both regarded as the patron of the Crusades. In Greece, Saint Demetrius also became the patron of agriculture and shepherds which were transferred to his cult from Demeter with the decline of the Eleusinian Mysteries.  Saint Demetrius was especially venerated in the Eastern Orthodox and is even patron of Thessaloniki in Greece, Siberia, Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia and Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo. This explains why variants of the name (such as Demetrios and Dimitri) became so common in Greece, Russia and Hungary.  An 11th-century king of Croatia and Dalmatia, a 12th-century king of Georgia, a 14th-century grand prince of Moscow, and a 15th-century tsar of Russia bearing the name also promoted the use of the name in Eastern Europe.  In Britain, however, variants of Demetrius were always rare. Much of its use in the 19th century was thanks to Eastern European immigration, and by the 1950s and 1960s, Greek immigration was the main source.  Records for Demetrius and Dimitri as a first name in the England and Wales Birth Index:   Demetrius Demetri/Dimitri/y 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s 14 births 18 births 25 births 30 births 26 births 21 births 13 births 13 births 19 births 0 births 6 births 48 births 155 births 0 births 0 births 0 births 1 birth 1 births 5 births 7 births 9 births 4 births 3 births 4 births 6 births 12 births Dimitri has been used in small but consistent numbers in England and Wales since 1996, only once breaking just into the top 1000.  Variants Dimitrios and Demetrius are in rarer use.  In 2018, Dimitri ranked #1455 with 17 births; Dimitrios ranked #1875 with 12 birth and Demetrius ranked #2445 with 8 births.  In France, Dimitri ranked in the top 100 from 1980 to 2000, peaking at #47 in 1989.  Other variants also currently rank internationally. In 2017, Dimitar ranked #4 in Bulgaria. Demetre ranked at #7 in Georgia in 2016 and Dmitry ranked #7 in 2014 in Russia.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Demetrius of Alopece (4th century BCE), Greek sculptor noted for his realism. * Demetrius of Phalerum (c. 350–280 BCE), Athenian orator.  * Demetrius I of Macedon (337–283 BCE), King of Macedonia. * Demetrius II Aetolicus, King of Macedonia. * Demetrius of Pharos (c. 222 – 219 BC), King of Pharos.  * Demetrius the Chronographer (late 3rd century BCE), Jewish chronicler. * Demetrius I Soter (185–150 BCE), king of Syria. * Demetrius I of Bactria (d. 180 BCE), Greek king of Bactria. * Demetrius III Eucaerus (d. 88 BCE), Seleucid King. * Demetrius the Cynic (1st century), Cynic philosopher. * Pope Demetrius I of Alexandria, ruled in 189–232. * Demetrius of Thessaloniki (d. 306), Christian martyr and saint. * Demetrius Zvonimir (died 1089), King of Croatia. * Dmitry Donskoy (1350–1389), Russian prince and saint.  * Demetrius the Neomartyr (1779–1803), Orthodox Christian martyr and saint. * Dimitrije Avramović (1815-1855), Serbian painter. * Pope Demetrius II of Alexandria, ruled in 1861–1870. * Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907), Russian chemist, creator of the first periodic table. * Dimitrije T. Leko (1863-1914), renowned Serbian architect and urbanist. * Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), Russian composer. Contemporary: * Dimitar Berbatov (born 1981), Bulgarian footballer.. Literature and Other Media: * Demetrius, a main character in William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. * Demetri, a fictional character in the Twilight fantasy series. * Dmitri Kissoff, a character in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Variants:

Dmitri, Dmitry (Russian), Dimitar (Bulgarian, Macedonian), Demetrio (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese), Dmitar (Croatian, Serbian), Demetre (Georgian), Dymitr (Polish)

Pronunciation:

də-MEE-tree [key]

Possible diminutives:

Demi, Dit, Dima, Mita

Sibling Names:

Viveka     Anastasia     Varvara     Ekaterina     Veronika     Laetitia Constantin     Quentin     Raphael     Xavier     Emmanuel     Maxim

Name Lists:

October Names

 

If you like Dimitri you may also like:   Florian, Johannes, Moritz, Andreas, Viktor, Aleksandar, Artem, Mikhail, Vladimir, Stefan, Nikodem

Thanks to Marina for requesting this name.