British Baby Names

Name of the Week

^.


The miserly-yet-redeemed Scrooge for many Brits,
but dig a little deeper and Ebenezer is not only a deeply 
spiritual symbol, but also an act of defiance against oppression.

 

Origin:

Ebenezer derives from the Hebrew Eben Ha-Ezer, derived from eben "stone" and ezer "help" therefore "stone of help." It was, however, never intended as a given name. Instead it was term given to to a stone erected by Samuel in the Old Testament.  The story goes that the Israelites had begun to worship local pagan deities while suffering heavy defeats from the Philistines including losing the Ark of the Covenant. Samuel prayed for divine intervention and sacrificed telling the Israelites: ""If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths that are among you, dedicate yourselves to the Lord, and worship only Him. Then He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines." (1 Samuel 7:3). The Israelites were successful in defeating the Philistines, and so Samuel erected a stone in commemoration:  Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us' (1 Samuel 7:12). The Ebenezer stone, and the place it stood which was also named Ebenezer, is for Christians a symbol of God's help, eternal presence and faithfulness, and also a symbol of a new beginning. For some Christians, and 'ebenezer' can be anything (a cross, a hymn, the Bible) which reminds them of God's love and presence.

Usage:

Given the the Ebenezer was a religious and symbolic object and not the name of a Biblical character, it isn't very surprising that Ebenezer has no use as a given name either in the ancient world, or into the Middle Ages.  What is interesting is how Ebenezer came to be used as a given name in the 17th century, as it is very much tied to the non-conformists'dissenters: that is Christians who separated from the Church of England such as the Puritans and the Quakers, many of whom emigrated to the New World.  Some of the earliest records come from non-conformist registers, such as the burial listed in the Quaker Death register of a fifty year-old man named Ebenezer Golledge in 1681 (putting his birth c.1631), or the birth of Ebenezer Barber in 1622, the son of a non-conformist who emigrated to America. Then there is Ebenezer Erskine (1680-1745), a Scottish minister who founded the Secession Church, whose father Henry Erskine was ejected from his parish in Northumberland and imprisoned from several years for being a dissenter.  It is interesting to note that there several 17th century examples of non-conformists using Ebenezer for their daughters as well as their sons. These include the baptism of a girl named Ebenizer Bretherton in Croston, Lancashire in 1843; the Quaker burial record of an infant baby girl in 1667 named Ebenezer Tennison in Hull, Yorkshire and more notably, Ebenezer Crofton, the tenth child of Zachary Crofton (1626–1672), an Anglo-Irish nonconforming minister and controversialist whose baptism in 1660 in London lists her as female. Given that it was the name of a biblical place and object, and not already a 'Christian' name, it is perhaps not too surprising that it was used initially equally as often for girls as for boys. Most of the 17th century records for Ebenezer occur after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 and the Act of Uniformity in 1662 which required Anglican episcopal ordination for all clergy in which they had to swear an oath. Over 2,000 clergymen refused to take the oath and were consequently expelled from the Church of England in 'The Great Ejection' of 1662.  The use of Ebenezer, therefore, by non-conformists during a time of such religious upheaval is notable. Clearly Ebenezer, already a symbol of divine aid and intervention and new religious beginnings, was very apt and significant for non-conformists; so much so that we can directly pinpoint the time and circumstances under which the name Ebenezer was 'born'.  As Ebenezer wasn't used as a given name in the Middle Ages, it was not around at the time when most surnames were being established. Ebenezer however, does have some limited usage as a surname, thanks to its adoption in the 17th century. Some have suggested that some dissenters may have deliberately changed their surnames to honour their faith (even they they were already doing that by bestowing it as a given name), but the evidence clearly shows that it is actually all thanks to the Welsh patronymic system of using the fathers name as a 'surname'.  This was a tradition that carried on through to the 18th century and even, in some pockets of Wales, even longer. This is why Ebenezer Jones of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, baptised his children as Mary Ebenezer in 1792, and Sarah Ebenezer in 1794. By the 18th and 19th centuries, Ebenezer had become firmly established as a bona fide given name. It was mostly male, but still had some feminine use. The 1841 UK census, for example, lists 4,828 males with the name Ebenezer and 74 females. Data from the 1881 census (right) shows that the name was used across England, Wales and Scotland. It was most notably used in Cardiganshire in Wales, which is also where there was a concentration of the surname (again, indicating the Welsh use of passing on the father's given name as a surname). In 1843, Charles Dickens used the name for his famous character Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. It seems likely that Dickens chose the name deliberately thanks to its symbolic connotations. Like the biblical Israelites, Scrooge has lost his way at the beginning of the story but thanks to divine intervention and help throughout the story, he is redeemed at the end and is offered a new beginning.  Ebenezer was already in good use -- ranking in the bottom half on the top 100 of England and Wales -- when the novella was published, and initially had only a little effect on the name's usage. Ebenezer peaked in the 1860s, after which it declined in use: 1840: 197 births 1850: 221 births 1860: 234 births 1870: 195 births (#89) 1880: 160 births (#121) 1890: 97 births (#172) 1900: 56 births (#214) During the 20th century, Ebenezer fell very much out of fashion with only a handful of births per decade, and, from the 1960s onward, Ebenezer was being used almost exclusively by African-migrant families in Britain.  Since 1996 in England and Wales, Ebenezer has been continually outside of the top 1000. In 1996, it ranked #1591 with 7 births. It's lowest point was #3036 (3 births) in 2000 and its highest was #1125 (21 births) in 2007.  Short-form Eben once ranked concurrently with Ebenezer but since 2006 has been on the rise. In 2013, Eben ranked #544 with 67 births. In 2013, Ebenezer ranked #1796 with 12 births in England and Wales. It did not rank at all in either Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Ebenezer Cooke (c. 1665–1732), London-born American poet. * Ebenezer Erskine (1680–1754), Scottish minister and founder of the Secession Church. * Ebenezer Rhodes (1762–1839), English topographer. * Ebenezer Cobb Morley (1831–1924), English footballer, regarded as the father of the Football Association and modern football. * Ebenezer Beesley (1840–1906), writer and composer of Mormon religious music. * Ebenezer Howard (1850–1928), British urbanist who helped the founding of the garden city movement. Contemporary: * Ebenezer Obey (b. 1942), Nigerian pop musician. * Ebenezer Ekuban (b. 1976), American football player. * Ebenezer Assifuah (b.1993), Ghanaian football player Literacture and Other Media: * Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843). * Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws, a character in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Kidnapped (1886). * Ebenezar McCoy, a character from The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

Variants:

Eben, Benezer

Pronunciation:

e-ben-EE-zə [key]

Possible diminutives:

Eben, Ben, Bez, Benz, Ebby

Sibling Names:

Damaris     Hephzibah     Cornelia     Philomena     Priscilla     Theodosia  Theophilus     Bartholomew      Sylvester     Augustine     Octavius     Cuthbert

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky   Quirky Biblical   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Ebenezer you may also like:    Ezekiel, Cornelius, Zephaniah, Nicodemus, Hezekiah, Lazarus, Septimus, Eleazar, Nehemiah, Solomon

 

Thanks to Winter for requesting this post.

Name of the Week: James

^.


Having been in the top 10 (with the exception of only two decades)
for the last 500 years, James is arguably
Britain's most successful and consistent boys name.

 

Origin:

James is essentially an anglicised form of the Hebrew Ya'aqov, a name which appears frequently in the bible and was, by the 1st century BC, one of the the most popular Jewish names.  There is some debate about the etymology of Yaaqov (Jacob). The meaning put forward by Genesis is "hand on the heal," referring to the fact that he was born holding his brother's heel. If so, it would relate to the Hebrew yad "hand" and aqeb "heel." By extension, aqeb is thought to mean also "supplanter" in reference to Jacob supplanting his brother in their father's affections. Another theory is that the Hebrew Yaaqov represents an older Babylonian name meaning "the God rewards."*  In Greek, Ya'aqov became Iakobos (Ιακωβος) which was then transliterated into Latin as Iacobus (Jacobus) and, in Late Latin, Iacomus (Jacomus).  Jacobus became Iago in Spanish, Jacques in French and Jacob in English, while Jacomus became Jaime in Spanish and James in Old French and English. When the King James Bible (1611) translated the Latin bible into English, Jacob (Jacobus) was used in the Old Testament and James (Jacomus) in the New Testament for figures such as  James the Just, brother of Jesus, considered the author of the Epistle of James; James the Great, apostle, brother of John the Apostle, and James, son of Alphaeus, an apostle.

Usage:

James has been in use in Britain from at least the 12th century. It was often Latinised as Jacobus, indicating that James was the favoured rendering of Jacobus/Jacomus into English. Jacob, on the other hand, was a common name among Jews.  The use of James rather than Jacob in the Middle Ages may have been due to the cult of St James the Great, one of the twelve apostles who became the patron saint of Spain and whose cult was focused at Compostela in Galicia-- one of the most important pilgramage centres in medieval Christendom. The earliest recorded pilgramage from England to Compostela is in 1148 and by the end of that century instances of the name James appear in British records -- a Jam' de Sancto Hylario is mentioned in a Northamptonshire charter of 1173-6, and James, son of Lambin is mentioned in the Loudoun Charters in Scotland (1162-1190) for example. Of the 440 churches named "St James" in England, 414 are dedicated to St James the Great (St James of Compostela). The Spanish Jaime, therefore, may have been more influential in Britain than Jacob and its variants thanks to the saint's popular cult. In The Shipman's Tale (late 14th century) Chaucer makes reference to "Seint Jame" in Galicia, while the Ancren Wisse (c.1225) mentions "Seint Iame," clearly showing a link between the Spanish Jaime and English James.  The instances of both Jacobus and Jacoba in Latin records suggests that James was used as a unisex name in the Middle Ages, much like Philip (for Philip and Philippa) and Christian (for Christian and Christiana). There is mention of Jacoba Emelden (d.1333), daughter of Richard Emelden, after her marriage as "Sir Alan and James, his wife," and the Calendar of Inquisitions (1339) mentions that her godfather Lawrence de Dunelm recalled her baptism as something wonderful to him "because he called the said Jacoba by a man's name."* The vernacular form of James in the Middle ages was Jem (Jemme, Jimme, and Gemma) which can be found in records for both men and women. The Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1286 mentions Jimme, wife of Robert Feysant, while Gemme, brother of Gilbert is listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1251. Jem also led to the diminutive Jemot, Jemett. All these led to the surnames James, Jaymes, Jameson, Jamieson, Gem, Gemson, Gimson, Jemmett, Jemnett, Jemson and Jimpson.  It is also interesting to note that James was pronounced with two syllables during the Middle Ages.  In terms of popularity, James was used in moderate use from the 12th to 14th century. In a poll of 1000 names from ten different English counties in 1377-81, Redmonds calculates that James was #22 (between Laurence and Edmund) making it "infrequent." It caught on quicker in Scotland, where it was borne by several Scottish Kings. The first King James was born in 1394 and from him was a continual succession of King James in Scotland up until King James V (1512–1542). His grandson, James VI (1567–1625) then became James I of England. The Scots Gaelic form of James is Seumas, by which King James I and his successors were known in Scotland, and was anglicised as Hamish. Many Scottish Jameses were called Jamie or Jaikie familiarly, while Jim(my) became the favoured petform in England.  It would be easy to assume the crowning of King James I (already James VI of Scotland) in 1603 boosted the name in England, however, James had already caught on in England by then as well, no doubt thanks to the cult of the saint.  This is shown by Smith Bannister rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 in England which shows how consistently popular the name was for nearly two centuries:  1538-49: #10; 1550-9: #10; 1560-9: #10; 1570-9: #9; 1580-9: #9; 1590-9: #9; 1600-9: #9; 1610-9: #8; 1620-9: #7; 1630-9: #9; 1640-9: #7; 1650-9: #6; 1660-9: #6; 1670-9: #7; 1680-9: #6; 1690-1700: #7. The crowing of King James I seems to have little impact on the name, as it was already popular, however the name took on a greater meaning after 1688 when James II was deposed. The Stuart supporters of James and his heirs, known as the Jacobites, incurred a series of uprisings (fourty-five in all!) from 1688 and 1746. Their strongholds were situated in the Scottish Highlands, Northern England and Ireland, and it was common for Jacobites to name their sons James.  James's popularity was maintained for the following centuries. Dunkling ranks it at #5 in 1700 and #4 in 1800 in England and Wales. Roll on a few decades and it was #5 in 1870, 1880, 1890 and 1900. The 1881 UK census lists over 110,000 men named James, spread across Britain. When we look at the figures per 100,000 people in each county, James was notably popular in the Scottish Highlands.  click to enlarge In the 20th century, James was consistently in the top 10 most popular names in England and Wales, with the exception of 1954 and 1964 when it moved down a little into the top 20. No other name has managed this consistency. Even the perennial favourite William, was out of the top 20 from the 1960s to the 1990s. Since 1996, James has decreased slightly in usage, but still maintained it's top 10 status.   Even more successfully, in Scotland, James was #2 in both 1900 and 1950 and #4 in 1975. Since 2000, James has consistantly been in the top 5 most popular names in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 2013, James ranked #2 in Scotland, #2 in Northern Ireland and #9 in England and Wales.

Famous Bearers:

History: * 23 blessed, 20 saints including: St James the Great St James the Just James the Less James the Deacon * 7 Kings of Scotland (and the United Kingdom) * 5 British Prime Ministers. * 6 American presidents. * James I "Jaime the Conqueror" (1208-1276), king of Aragon. * James II "Jaime the Just" (1267-1327), king of Aragon. * Captain James Cook (1728-1779), a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. * James Grant (1899–1918), World War I flying ace. * James Stewart (1908-1997), American actor. * James Merrill (1926–95) American poet. * James Dean (1931–55), American actor. Contemporary: * James Garner (1928-2014), American actor. * James Franco (b.1978), American actor. * James McAvoy (b.1979), Scottish actor. Literature and Other Media: * James Bond, the eponymous hero of the James Bond franchise, created by Ian Fleming. * James "Jay" Gatsby, the main character from The Great Gatsby. * James Potter, the name of the father and son of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter franchise, created by J.K. Rowling. See more here.

Variants:

Jaymes (English), Jaimie (Spanish), Jacques (French), Seuman, Hamish (Scottish), Jago (Cornish)

Pronunciation:

JAYMZ [key]

Possible diminutives:

Jamie, Jim, Jimmy, Jay, Jaikie, Jem, Jemmy, Jazz

Sibling Names:

Charlotte     Lucy     Amelia     Kate      Grace     Emily  William     Matthew     Daniel     Luke    Thomas    Alexander

Name Lists:

Slim Softies   Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   British Royalty   Shakespearean Names   Dickensian Names   Austen Names   Bronte Names   Tennyson Names   Golden Ages Hollywood   Names of Roses   Disney Names

 

If you like James you may also like:   Amos, Owen, George, Jude, Samuel, Hamish, Ewan, Jonas, Benjamin, Adam

 

Thanks to Monia for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

Sweet, sparky Sophie has been a perennial British
favourite for decades.

 

Origin:

Sophie is the Anglicised, French and Dutch form of the Ancient Greek name Sophia (σοφία) meaning "wisdom, insight, intelligence" and from which we get English words sophistication and philosophy. To the ancient Greeks, Sophia was personified as a goddess and was one of Plato's four cardinal virtues. For early Christians Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom" was a personification and attribute atrributed to Jesus Christ.

Usage:

Originally in Britain, Sophie (or more commonly Sophy) was adopted in the 17th century as a diminutive for Sophia -- which was traditionally pronounced so-FĪ-ə in Britain (and still is in some areas).  Good examples of this can be seen in Jane Austen's Persuasion (1817), in which Captain Wentworth's sister Sophia Croft (so-FĪ-ə) is affectionately called "Sophy." There is also Sophia "Sophy" Wackles in Charles Dicken's The Old Curiosity Shop (1840) or Pre-Raphaelite muse Sophia "Sophy" Gray (1843–1882).  Before this, Sophie was used as a variation of Sophia in Europe, particularly among German and Dutch aristocracy and royalty, with the final 'e' pronounced much like we would say Sophia today.  According to Leslie Dunkling, Sophia was #50 in the most popular girls names in England and Wales in 1700 and #21 in 1800. It is almost impossible to tell how popular Sophy/Sophie was at this time as it was often used as a shortform of Sophia rather than as the formal given name. Data from The Surname Atlas In the 19th century Sophie and Sophy never made it into the top 200 most popular names though both forms were used consistently (if uncommonly) in their own right, averaging around 40 births each per year in England and Wales. By the end of the century, perhaps thanks to French influence, Sophie was the more common spelling.  The 1881 UK census listed 2492 females with the name Sophie and 996 with the name Sophy. In terms of distribution, the name was used particularly in the South East of England and Southern Scotland around Fife and Midlothian.  In the 20th century, Sophie was still uncommon for several decades until it began to pick up usage in the 1970s. This can be seen in Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name Sophie in every 10,000 births in England and Wales over the 20th century:  1900 1925  1935  1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990     -    2     -     -     -     2     -     9    10     20    36   164 In 1974 Sophie moved into the top 100 in England and Wales for the first time at #85. By 1984 it was #38 and hit the top 10 at #6 in 1994, reaching #1 in 1996.  Since then, Sophie has stayed within the top 10 reaching its lowest rank of #9 in 2012 and 2013.  Sophie was not in the top 100 of Scotland in 1975 (when it had been rising in England) and had only just hit the #10 by 1999. However, it flourished in the 2000s, ranking #1 from 2005 to 2013.  [Provisional data for 2014 suggests that Emily has replaced Sophie at #1 but this will be confirmed in March]. In Northern Ireland, Sophie first hit the top 10 in 2004 at #3, rising to #2 in 2008 and 2009, and was #1 in 2010, 2011 and 2012. In 2013 it ranked #3.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1628-1685), Queen consort of Denmark-Norway. * Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (1759–1828), second wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia. * Sophie Blanchard (1778-1819), French balloonist. * Princess Sophie of Bavaria (1805–1872), mother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. * Sophia "Sophy" Gray (1843–1882), Scottish-born model for her brother-in-law, the pre-Raphaelite painter, John Everett Millais. Contemporary: * Sophie, Countess of Wessex (b. 1965), wife of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. * Sophie Marceau (b.1966), French actress. * Sophie Dahl (b.1977), British fashion model and author. * Sophie Ellis-Bextor (b.1979), British singer. Literature and Other Media: * Sophia "Sophy" Croft, a character in Jane Austen's Persuasion. * Sophia "Sophy" Wackles, a character in Charles Dicken's The Old Curiosity Shop. * Sophy Crewler, a character in Charles Dicken's David Copperfield. * Sophie, the main character in Roald Dahl's The BFG, named after his granddaughter Sophie Dahl.

Variants:

Sophy (English), Sofie (Dutch, German, Scandinavian), Žofie (Czech), Sohvi (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

SŌ-fee [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Fifi, Soph

Sibling Names:

Olivia     Emily     Lucy     Amelia     Grace     Charlotte   James     Luke     Oliver     Harry     Joshua     George

Name Lists:

Royal Names of Europe   Jane Austen Names   Dickensian Names   Bronte Names   Enid Blyton Names

 

If you like Sophie you may also like:  Lily, Amelie, Isabelle, Ava, Chloe, Ruby, Leah, Freya, Ella, Poppy

 

Thanks to K for requesting this post. 

 

Name of the Week

^.


Playful Barnaby has all the old-style homeliness of Harvey
combined with the polish Percival.

 

Origin:

Barnaby is an anglicised form of Barnabas, the Greek form of an Aramaic name.  It appears in the New Testament as the name (or surname) given to Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus who was one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem and a companion of St Paul. The origin of the Aramaic name is unclear. Many have linked it to the Aramaic elements bar "son" and nebi "prophet, prophesy" however according to Acts 4:36, Barnabas is translated as Υἱὸς παρακλήσεως (Bios "son of" paráklēseus). In Ancient Greek, paráklēsis has several meanings including "exhortation, entreaty, encouragement, comfort, consolation" and was used to refer to a man gifted in teaching or the spreading of Gods message -- in the New Testament, most specifically the preaching of the apostles. St Paul also made a specific link between "prophesy" and "encouragement" in 1 Corinthians 14:3. Therefore, though Barnabas is listed differently under the meanings "son of a prohet," "son of encouragement," "son of consolation" and "son of exhortation," they can all be seen as related to the meaning of a person who teaches and spreads a divine message. Quite an appropriate name for St Barnabas who was a missionary and companion of St Paul.  An alternate British source for Barnaby comes from the hamlet of Barnaby in West Yorkshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the place name as Bernodebi which points to it being made up of the name Beornwald (beorn "young warrior" + wald "rule") and the Old Norse byr "settlement, farmstead, enclosure."  There are also several places named Barnby, such as Suffolk, North Yorkshire and Nottingham, which were recorded as Barnebi in the Domesday Book. These most likely come from the Norse name Bjarni (from bjorn "bear") + byr or the Old Norse barn "children" + byr.

Usage:

St Barnabas was a popular saint in the Middle Ages and a multitude of churches were dedicated in his honour. Barnabas, therefore, was used as a name in Britain from at least the 13th century --a Barnabas is mentioned on the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201. The forms Barnaby and Barnabe are found in the 14th century. This, and the placename Barnaby, led to the development of the surnames Barnaby, Barnabe and Barneby.  Barnaby and Barnabas were both maintained through the Tudor period, though they was not especially common. In Smith-Bannisters popularity rankings from 1538-1700, Barnaby only ranked from 1570-9 at #37 putting it among Nathaniel, Abraham, Geoffrey and Reynold.  The short form Barney is attested from the mid-16th century. The name, unsurprisingly, was most common in places with churches dedicated to the saint, such as Cambridgeshire, Warwick, Kent, Suffolk, London, Wiltshire, Norfolk and the Isle of White. It even ranked #40 in the most common names of Elizabethan Norfolk.   Both Barnaby and Barnabas survived through to the 19th century, when it was used consistently in low numbers in England. It was rare in Scotland and Wales, however.  Barnaby did see a brief and small spike in 1842 and 1843 most likely thanks to the serialisation in 1841 of Charles Dickens' novel Barnaby Rudge.  Data from the Surname Atlas Data from the 1881 census (right) shows that both Barnaby and Barnabas weremostly confined to England and, interestingly, most highly concentrated in areas such as East Anglia and the Isles of White where the name had historic use.  Barnabas was most common with 533 males given the name, followed by Barnaby with 88 males.  Barnaby in particular declined in use in the first half of the 20th century to only a handful of births per year. It began to pick up more use in the 1950s and became more established by the 70s, as can be seen by Dunkling's data for the number of boys registered with the name Barnaby in every 10,000 births in England and Wales over the 20th century:  1900 1925  1935  1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990                   1     1     2     4     2 Since 1996, Barnaby has sat within the top 300 in England and Wales and has gradually been rising. In 1996 it ranked #251 with 113 births. By 2006 it was #236 (162 births) and reached #211 (258 births) in 2012. Traditional short-form Barney has had a similar upward curve to Barnaby lower down the ranks, while Barnabas has stayed outside the top 1000 but, nevertheless has still been rising.  In 2013, Barnaby ranked #212 (251 births), Barney ranked #382 (106 births) and Barbabas ranked #1147 (22 births).

Famous Bearers:

History: * Barnaby Bernard Lintot (1675-1736), English publisher. Contemporary: * Barnaby Conrad (b. 1922), American writer and artist.  * Barnaby Metschurat (b. 1974), German actor. Literature and Other Media: * Barnaby Rudge, titular character of the novel by Charles Dickens. * Barnaby Grimes, series of children's books by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. * Barnaby Jones, television detective series (1973-1980). * Barnaby Tucker, character in Hello Dolly! (1969). * "Barnaby Bear" the name of several children's TV characters.

Variants:

Barnabas, Barney (English), Barnabé (French, Spanish), Barnaba (Polish), Barnabás, Barna (Hungarian), Varnava (Russian)

Pronunciation:

BARN-ə-bee [key]

Possible diminutives:

Barney, Baz, Bo

Sibling Names:

Clementine     Tabitha     Clara     Ottilie     Florence     Margot  Jasper     Rupert     Gulliver     Everett     Montgomery     Wilfred

Name Lists:

Vintage Names   Terrifically Tudor   Upright Elegance   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Barnaby you may also like:   Casper, Bertram, Hector, Magnus, Benedict, Wilbur, Rufus, Malachi, Josiah, Abram

 

Thanks to Pia for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

^.


Preppy surname with a hit of cowboy
and a big dollop of Hollywood.

 

Origin:

Bradley is adopted from the English toponymic surname and derived from a number of villages named Bradley. It is composed of the Old English words brad "broad, flat, open, extended," and leah "open field, meadow, piece of untilled ground."

Usage:

As a first name, Bradley has been in use in Britain since the 17th century. In most cases it was used because it was the surname of a family member or, most often, a godparent. Because Bradley is such a common surname, Bradley fared moderately well as a first name through the 18th and 19th century. From 1838 to 1900 in England and Wales, Bradley had a mean average of 5 birth registrations every year. Charles Dickens even used it as a name for a character in Our Mutual Friend in 1864.  For centuries, Bradley mulled along with moderately low but consistant usage in Britain. Its fortunes began to change in the 1950s, rising to around 50 registrations per year, thanks undoubtedly to influence from America where Bradley was a rising fashionable favourite. It had gained much favour there post-WWII thanks to general Omar Nelson Bradley, known as Brad.  Bradley reached the top 100 in the US in 1960 at #90 -- Brad alone was #134 that year -- and stayed there until 1998.  As this American influence began to spread across Britain, Bradley grew ever more popular. It finally cracked the top 100 in England and Wales in 1984 when it debued at #92. Ten years on, it had been increasing apace to #34 in 1994. There it stayed in the top 50 until 2006, after which it declined rapidly, reaching #100 in 2010.  In 2013, Bradley ranked #117 in England and Wales with 510 births. In Scotland, it ranked #150 with 38 births and in Northern Ireland, it ranked #231 with 8 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Francis Herbert Bradley (1846–1924), English philosopher. * Bradley Allen Fiske (1854–1942), American naval officer and inventor. * Omar Nelson "Brad" Bradley (1893–1981), U.S. general. * Bradley Walker Tomlin (1899–1953), American painter. Contemporary: * William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born 1963), American actor. * Bradley Cooper (born 1975), American actor. * Bradley Wiggins (born 1980), British professional cyclist. * Bradley James (born 1983), British actor. Literature and Other Media: * Bradley Headstone, a character in Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend (1864/5)

Variants:

Bradlee, Bradleigh, Bradly

Pronunciation:

BRAD-lee [key]

Possible diminutives:

Brad, Lee

Sibling Names:

Holly     Megan     Caitlin     Amber     Erin     Nicole  Corey     Layton     Harrison     Tyler     Sean     Mason

Name Lists:

Dickensian Names

 

If you like Bradley you may also like:   Bailey, Kyle, Brodie, Oakley, Blakeley, Hayden, Brandon, Riley, Brogan, Kieran

 

Thanks to Chantelle for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

From dashing literary heartthrob to principle ballerinas,
 the dapper surname has taken off as a 
stylish 21st-century first name.

 

Origin:

Before it was adopted as a given name, Darcey was a toponymic surname -- written in many forms -- derived from Arcy in La Monche, Normandy. The earlier form of the place name was Adreci, the origin of which is unclear. There have been some attempts to link it with the Gallic ars "bear," but these claims are unsubstantiated. It was first brought to Britain by Norman knight by the name of Norman de Adreci (de Areci), who was a follower of William the Conqueror. As such, he was granted thirty three lordships in Lincolnshire as well as the wealthy Abbey of St Mary in York. From him a baronial line was established, the name morphing from de Adreci to Daresci, Arsi, D'Arcy and eventually Darcy, Darcey and Darsey. In the 14th century, some of the Darcy family were appointed to senior postions in Ireland and there name went with them. There it was used to render the already establish clan name Ó Dorchaidhe, meaning "descendant of Dorchaidh." Dorchaidh itself was a byname derived from the Old Irish dorchae "dark," most likely originally used to describe someone with dark hair or features.

Usage:

Darcy, Darcey, Darcye, Darsie and numerous other spellings have been in use as a given name since the 17th century in Britain when it was adopted from the surname. Most of the examples are masculine, though a few are feminine.  It was consistently used across the 19th and 20th century with a mean average of 10 births per year. The 1881 census, for example, listed 122 people with the name Darcy. Of those, 108 were male and 14 were female.  click to enlarge Change to the name's fortune occurred during the 1990s, partly thanks to the BBC's fabulous adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in which Colin Firth charmed audiences as Mr Darcy, and the fame of ballerina Darcey Bussell, Darcey, in all spellings began to rise. In England and Wales, Darcy was, at first, the more common spelling, though it has since been preceded by Darcey.  Interestingly, despite rising rapidly for girls, Darcy also rose for boys up until 2008, after which it has plateud.  A breakdown of the variant spellings can be seen below:   Darcey Darcy  Darcie  Darci  Darcy  Darcey 1996 #753 (30) #327 (107) #549 (45) #1755 (9) #853 (17) - 1998 #418 (73) #286 (145) #425 (72) #1571 (11) #1055 (13) - 2000 #313 (110) #288 (130) #427 (73) #1389 (13) #1048 (14) - 2002 #316 (114) #249 (159) #308 (117) #1066 (20) #546 (38) - 2004 #295 (139) #226 (201) #354 (108) #912 (29) #906 (23) - 2006 #176 (301) #168 (316) #248 (189) #855 (35) #793 (32) #2538 (6) 2008 #119 (438) #128 (412) #195 (269) #663 (56) #684 (43) - 2010 #126 (454) #115 (503) #150 (349) #601 (65) #832 (35) - 2012 #89 (632) #107 (528) #122 (476) #614 (68) #1021 (27) - 2013 #84 (651) #93 (588) #103 (540) #712 (56) #1001 (28) - Not only were both Darcey (#84) and Darcy (#93) in the top 100 in 2013 (see above), also ranking were Darcie-Mae, Darcy-Mae, Darcie-Rae, Darcie-Mai, Darcee, Darcy-Leigh, Darcy-May, Darcie-Leigh, Darcie-May, Darcey-Rose, Darcie-Rose, Darcey-Mai, Darcey-Leigh, darcey-Mae, Darcey-May, Darcey-Rae, Darci-Mae, Darcie-Louise, Darcy-Rae and Darcy-Rose which, when all are added together, give a combined rank of #32. Similarly, Darcey et al have also been rising in Northern Ireland and Scotland. In 2013, Darcy ranked #102 , Darcey #140 and Darcie #188 in Scotland, and in Northern Ireland, Darcy ranked #83, Darcey #103 and Darcie #116. This makes an interesting contrast to our Commonwealth breathren in Australia, who much prefer Darcy for boys. According to recent research, combined data for Australia puts Darcy at #88 for boys in Australia in 2014.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Henry Darcy (1803–1858), French scientist who made several important contributions to hydraulics and hydrogeology and for whom the unit of permeability is named. Contemporary: * Darcey Bussell (b.1969), retired British prima-ballerina. * Darci Kistler (b. 1964), principal dancer, New York City Ballet. * Darcy Blake (b. 1988), Welsh footballer. * Darcy Rose Byrnes (b. 1998), an American actress and singer-songwriter. Literature and Other Media: * Fitzwilliam Darcy, the hero of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  * Darcy Tyler, a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Mark Raffety (2000-2005).

Variants:

Darcy, Darcie, Darci

Pronunciation:

DAR-see [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Didi, Dars

Sibling Names:

Layla     Maya     Sienna     Freya     Mila     Ruby  Blake    Sonny    Jackson    Zachary    Theo    Austin

Name Lists:

Names from Jane Austen

 

If you like Darcey you may also like:  Macey, Lexi, Esme, Lacey, Ayla, Zara, Skye, Lyla, Neve, Isla

 

Thanks to Nicola for requesting this post. 

 

Name of the Week

Literary Lorna has long been one to fluctuate
back into fashion. Currently it's more likely to be mum's name than baby's,
but soon it will have the same retro vibe as Hazel or Gemma.

 

Origin:

Put Lorna in the same group as Fiona, Miranda and Pamela - a name coined and popularised by an author. In Lorna's case it was used in 1869 by Richard Doddridge Blackmore for his highly popular novel Lorna Doone.  Blackmore is most likely to have derived the name from the surname Lorne -- taken from the Scottish place. Indeed, in the the novel, the Earl of Lorne is Lorna's maternal grandfather. Her true lineage is, for most of the novel, a mystery and in coining Lorna from Lorne, Blackmore gave his readers a heavy hint.  Lorne itself is an ancient district in the west of Scotland, said to derive its name from a legendary figure Loarn mac Eirc, who was ruler of the Scottish Kingdom of Dál Riata and was also known as Loarn Mor "The great fox." Lorna could therefore simply be traced back to the Proto-Celtic *luφerno / *loferno "fox." However, K.M.Sheard puts forward the theory that the figure of Loarn was simply invented to explain the already existing place-name and could possibly be derived from the name of the Celtic goddess Latiaran.

Usage:

Generally, Blackmore is credited with having invented Lorna. What we can definitely say is that he popularised it. When the first edition of Lorna Doone was published it sold poorly, but the release of the second edition happily coincided with the announcement of the highly publicised engagement of the Marquess of Lorne to Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise. When people assumed the novel was about the Marquess' family, its popularity sky-rocketed. Transcribed records for Lornas pre-1869 can be found dotted around the internet, such as on FreeBMD, but when I have examined some the actual scanned pages, they are clearly misreadings of Lorena/Lorina which had been in moderate use since the 17th century. Certainly, when Charlotte Mary Yonge wrote History of Christian Names in 1863, no mention was made of Lorna. If Lorna was used before (which isn't unlikely), we can assume it was purely by the parent's own design and not because the name was previously 'established' before the novel.  After the novel's publication, we can see clear evidence of Lorna in use. Some girls were even given the name "Lorna Doone," pointing directly to the influence of the novel.  Data from The Surname Atlas Data from the 1881 census shows that, with 127 examples, Lorna by that time was low in use but widely spread across England. It also saw some use in Scotland, where Lorne was used as a family surname-firstname.  Birth registrations in England and Wales also show how the name gradually saw wider use: 1860-9: 0 births 1870-9: 28 births 1880-9: 128 births 1890-9: 479 births In 1900 alone, 88 girls were registered with the name, putting it at around #216. Over the course of the 20th century, Lorna's popularity grew further, as can be seen in Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name  Lorna in every 10,000 births in England and Wales over the 20th century:  1900 1925  1935  1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990    3   20     4    14    20    13    24    21    14    20    30    28 Lorna never managed to make the top 100 during this time in England and Wales, but it did have fluctuating peaks in the late 1960s and late 1980s.  In Scotland, Lorna saw greater popularity across the 20th century. It did not rank in the top 100 at all in 1900, but had moved to #57 by 1950, and had risen to #34 by 1975.  Since the late 1990s, Lorna has been declining in both England, Wales and Scotland.  In 1996, Lorna ranked #161 (274 births) in England and Wales. It dropped below the top 500 in 2006 to #526 (69 births) and at its lowest point of #1177 in 2013 with 29 births.  In Scotland, Lorna has had a birth count of between 6 (#441) and 2 births (#1035) every year since 2005. In 2013, Lorna ranked #816 with 3 births.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Lorna Hill (1902-1991), British children's author. * Lorna Luft (b.1952), American singer and actress, daughter of Judy Garland. * Lorna Patterson (b.1956), American actress. * Lorna Fitzgerald (1996), British actress. Literature and Other Media: * Lorna Doone, protagonist in Richard Doddridge Blackmore's 1869 novel. * Lorna Dane, alter-ego of the female X-Men member Polaris.

Variants:

Lorne

Pronunciation:

LOR-nə [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Lola, Lori

Sibling Names:

Cara     Hazel     Clare     Fallon     Tiegan     Zoe  Sean     Craig     Kieran    Cameron    Scott    Curtis

Name Lists:

Cosy Celtic   Names of Roses

 

If you like Lorna you may also like:  Fiona, Leona, Tara, Loren, Bonnie, Orla, Sian, Robyn, Shona, Bronya

 

Thanks to Nicola for requesting this post. 

 

Name of the Week

^.


Theodore is a name of tailored refinement,
with everyman Theo and adorable Teddy built in as nicknames.
No wonder it's on the rise.

 

Origin:

Theodore is the Anglicised form of the Ancient Greek name Theodoros (Θεόδωρος), composed of the elements theos "a god" and doron "gift"

Usage:

Theodoros was a well used name in the Classical and Hellenistic periods of Ancient Greece and can be found in a variety of variant forms such as Thedoros, Theodouros, Theudoros, Thiodoros and Thiodouros. The LGPN ranks it at #4 in the Aegean islands and Cyprus, #9 in Attica, #10 in The Peloponnese, Western Greece and Magna Graecia, #11 in Central Greece and #15 in Macedonia, and it was born by several notable ancient Greeks including the 6th century BC inventor Theodorus of Samos, and 5th century mathmatician Theodorus of Cyrene.   The meaning of the name was cleverly reinterpreted by the early Christians of the Byzantine Empire, from the Pagan "gift of the god(s)" to Christinised "gift of God." It, and the feminine form Theodora, therefore continued to flourish and was used by many early saints, bishops and even popes.  It's prevalent use among early saints and popes of the Eastern Christian Empire meant it was continued through the Eastern Orthodox Church and later Russian Empire quite popularly for centuries, with three Russian Tsars using the name and several religious figures.  It was, however, little used in Britain until the 16th century when it garnered some moderate use in pockets of the country, particularly London which had high influence from immigration.  One boost to the name came in 1768 with Horace Walpole's novel The Castle of Otranto, considered to be the first 'Gothic' novel -- a genre that would become massively popular and influential. Theodore was also supported by the Tractarian Movement (1833-1845) which promoted the names of early saints.  Thus, by the mid-19th century, Theodore had been established as a fashionable choice, ranking #148 in 1870, #149 in 1880, #150 in 1890 and #175 in 1900 in England and Wales. Theo was coined as a nickname, as well as Teddy which was already in common used for popular Edward.  Over the course of the 20th century, the name went into decline, as birth records for England and Wales show: 1890: 135 births 1900: 104 births 1910: 123 births 1920: 82 births  1930: 56 births 1940: 17 births 1950: 16 births 1960: 18 births 1970: 19 births click to enlarge Since 1996 however, Theodore has been on a steady upward curve in England and Wales, from its rank of #209 (152 births) in 1996, to #158 (292 births) in 2005, to breaking into the top 100 for the first time ever at #97 (655 births) in 2012. Diminutives Teddy and Theo have also been on a similar upward curve. All three names were listed in Upswing Boys' Names of 2012, and as of 2013, all were in the top 100: Theo #41, Theodore #78 and Teddy #86.  In both Scotland and Northern Ireland, Theodore has remained below the top 200 in recent years, ranking #280 and #343 in 2013 respectively.

Famous Bearers:

History: * 13 Saints and 1 Blessed including:   - St. Theodore of Tarsus (602-690), archbishop of Canterbury.   - St. Theodore the Studite (759-826), monastic reformer, opponent of iconoclasm, and hymnographer. * Theodorus of Samos (6th-century BC), inventor and architect. * Theodorus of Cyrene (5th-century BC), mathematician. * Theodorus the Atheist (c. 300 BC), philosopher of the Cyrenaic school. * Theodore of Mopsuestia (c.350–428), Syrian Christian theologian and bishop of Mopsuestia. * Theodorus I of Milan, bishop of Milan (475-490) * Patriarch Theodore I of Alexandria, Greek Patriarch of Alexandria (607-609) * Pope Theodore I (642-649). * Pope Theodore II (897) * Theodore (Tewodros) I, Emperor of Ethiopia (1413–1414). * Tsar Feodor I (1557-1598) Tsar of Russia. * Tsar Feodor II (1589-1605), Tsar of Russia. * Tsar Feodor III (1661-1682), Tsar of Russia. * Théodore Géricault (1791-1824), influential French artist. * Fyodor Tyutchev (1803-1873), Russian poet. * Theodore Parker (1810–1860), American theologian and social reformer. * Sir Theodore Martin (1816-1909), Scottish poet * Theodor Mommsen (1817–1903). German historian who win the 1902 Nobel Prize in Literature. * Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881), Russian novelist. * Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th President of the United States. * Theodor Seuss Geisel "Dr. Seuss" (1904-1991), American author * Theodore "Teddy" Wilson (1912–1986), American jazz pianist. Contemporary: * Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria (b.1954), current Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa. * Theodore Raymond "T. R." Knight (b.1973), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Theodore, the hero in Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764) * Theodore Seville, one of the brothers in "Alvin & the Chipmunks" * Theodore "Teddy/Laurie" Laurence, a character in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (1868). * Theodore "Theo" Nott, character from the "Harry Potter" series. * Theodore "Ted" Logan, a character in the Bill and Ted movie franchise. * Theodore "Theo" Huxtable, character on the television series The Cosby Show. * Theodore "Ted" Mosely, character on the television series How I Met Your Mother.

Variants:

Theodoros (Ancient Greek), Theodorus (Latin), Theodor (German, Scandinavian), Teodor (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian), Feodor, Fyodor (Russian), Tivadar (Hungarian), Teuvo (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

THEE-ə-dor [key]

Possible diminutives:

Theo, Teddy, Ted, Thor, Otto, Todd, Odo, Doro

Sibling Names:

Jemima     Felicity     Elodie     Beatrice     Annabelle     Violet       Dominic     Gabriel     Felix     Sebastian     Frederick    Jasper

Name Lists:

Vintage Names   Victorian Darlings   Names from the Brontes

 

If you like Theodore you may also like:   Edmund, Benedict, Maxwell, Phineas, Lucas, Edward, Thaddeus, Nathaniel, Tristan, Rupert

 

Thanks to Melinda for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

With her youthful zest, Chloe has gone from ancient appellation,
to literary favourite, and now modern classic. 

 

Origin:

Chloe is the Latinised form of the Ancient Greek name Khloe (Χλόη), which in Greek meant "green voliage, tender verdure, young green shoot" and was a relative of khloros ""greenish-yellow, fresh." The poetic feminine form of khloros was Khloris (greenness, freshness), a name used for the goddess of flowers. Khloe was used, very appropraiately, as an epithet of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and basically all things horticultural. In her case, it was used in the context of "Demeter the Verdant."

Usage:

The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names has nineteen examples of Khloe (Χλόη) in use. The majority of citations come from Central Greece, followed by the Aegean Islands and Cyprus.  Its use within Greek society led to its appearance in the New Testament; in 1 Corinthians 1:11, Chloe is mentioned as a Christian woman of Corinth who opened her home to other Christians. Similarly, the tale of Daphnis and Chloe was a 2nd century AD romance written by Aegean-native author Longus.  In Britain, Chloe first came into use in the 16th century. It was uncommon initially -- and quite often spelt Cloe -- though it picked up more usage by the 18th century. This increase was in a large part thanks to its use in literature, particularly by the pastoral poets. The romance of Daphnis and Chloe was translated several times from the 17th-19th centuries and also became a familiar subject of art.   Alexander Pope's famous narrative poem The Rape of the Lock (1712) featured a character named Chloe, thought to be based on his friend Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (1689-1767). Similarly, Jonathan Swift's poem Strephon and Chloe (1734) made both names archetypes names for a pair of lovers in pastoral poetry. Births in England and Wales show how, across the 19th and 20th century, Chloe went from uncommon literary choice to mainstream favourite: 1840-9: 1 birth 1850-9: 7 births 1860-9: 9 births 1870-9: 25 births 1880-9: 40 births 1890-9: 36 births 1900-9: 44 births 1910-9: 36 births 1920-9: 44 births 1930-9: 71 births 1940-9: 88 births 1950-9: 79 births 1960-9: 171 births It wasn't until the 1970s that Chloe really began to make its mark in naming circles, becoming mainstream by the 1980s. This can be seen by Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name Chloe in every 10,000 births in England and Wales over the 20th century:  1900 1925  1935 1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990    -     -      -    -     -     -      -     4      10     18    18    112   In 1984, Chloe entered the top 100 of England and Wales for the first time at #97. Ten years later, in 1994, it had shot up in a meteoric rise to #11 and by 1997 it was #1, where it stayed for the next five years. It remained in the top 10 until 2010.  In the same way, in Scotland, Chloe was #1 from 1998 to 2002, and remained in the top 10 until 2011.  Similarly, in Northern Ireland, Chloe was also #1 from 1997 to 2002 and has fluctuated within the top 20 since.  In 2013, Chloe ranked #18 in England and Wales, #12 in Scotland and #18 in Northern Ireland.   Chloe has also made its mark internationally in recent years. In 2012, Chloe ranked #3 in France, #5 in New South Wales, #7 in Canada, #11 in New Zealand, #14 in the USA, #15 in Ireland and Belgium and #95 in Spain.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Chloe Ardelia (b.1931), birth name of American author Toni Morrison. * Chloë Annett (b.1971), British actress. * Chloe Hooper (b.1973), Australian author. * Chloë Sevigny (b.1974), American actress. * Chloe Moss (b.1976), British playwright. * Khloé Kardashian (b.1984), American TV personality. * Chloë Agnew (b.1989), Irish singer and member of Celtic Woman. Literature and Other Media: * Aunt Chloe, a character in the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe. * Chloe, the heroine of the poem The Fable of the Bees (1705) by Bernard Mandeville. * Chloe, character in the operetta Orpheus in the Underworld (1858) by Jacques Offenbach

Variants:

Khloe, Chloé, Cloé (French), Cloe (Spanish), Cloé (Portuguese)

Pronunciation:

KLŌ-ee [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Clo, Chlo, Coco, Lolly

Sibling Names:

Sophie     Ruby     Ella     Freya     Georgia     Bethany  Adam     Joshua     Jack     Callum     Ethan     Nathan

Name Lists:

Dulcet Dainties   Popular Biblical   Names from Austen  Names of Roses   Green Names

 

If you like Chloe you may also like:  Zoe, Cleo, Sienna, Olivia, Clelie, Ava, Lola, Aoife, Emily, Leonie

 

Thanks to Chamali for requesting this post. 

 

Name of the Week

Homely, soft Sarah is eternally enduring
and arguably one of the most successful girls'
names in British history.

 

Origin:

In the first book of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis, Sarai is the wife of Abram. In Genesis 17, God comes to Abram and makes his covenant with him, changing Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah. The Bible explains the shift from Abram to Abraham — the first means "exalted father," the second means "father of nations" — but there is no explanation for why Sarai became Sarah, as both names derive from the same Hebrew route: sarar "to rule," "to hold authority." The term sarah itself seems to have been more specifically a title used for royal women; the feminine form of sar, a title meaning "lord, prince, chieftain, chief, ruler, commander, leader." Noble lady, queen and mistress would all be appropriate translations. The most common translation of Sarah that has prevailed, however, is "princess." Greek translations of the Bible used the form Sarra, which became Sara in Latin. In other some languages Sara also has meaning. In Kazakhstan, Sara is a feminine name meaning "yellow" and symbolic of the sun, and in Sanskrit, Sara means "power, energy, strength."

Usage: and Sara

The Latin form Sara and Greek Sarra came into use in Britain from the twelfth century as the influence of the Church increased throughout Western Europe. Sara was one of the many Biblical names such as Michael, Joseph, Paul and Eve which were added to the pool of British nomenclature at that time. According to Redmonds' poll of names from ten counties in 1377-81, Sara ranked #20 with 78 instances, making it "quite popular." During this time, Sara, Sare, Sarra and Sarre also came into use as surnames.  The spelling Sarah was revived in 16th century and was used interchangeably with Sara and Sarra. It continued to be used popularly, as can be seen in my most popular Elizabethan names of Norfolk, where Sarah ranks #15 overall, and in Smith Bannister frequency tables from 1538-1700: 1550-9: #43; 1560-9: #40; 1570-9: #16; 1580-9: #15; 1590-9: #14; 1600-9: #15; 1610-9: #13; 1620-9: #12; 1630-9: #7; 1640-9: #7; 1650-9: #6; 1660-9: #4; 1670-9: #4; 1689-9: #4; 1690-1700: #4. In much the same way as Mary became Mally (later Molly), from an early period, Sally was an established diminutive of Sarah. Another diminutive, Sadie, came later in the late 18th century.  In Ireland, Sarah was used to render both Sadb and Sorcha into English. For such a long period, Sarah never seemed to tire. Perhaps it was thanks to its being borne by a prominent and revered woman in the Bible (one of the four Hebrew matriarchs), but also it was considered to be a homely, honest name — "stately and neat."  Dunkling ranks Sarah at #4 in both 1700 and 1800 and #3 in 1850 and 1875. It was still #4 in 1880, #8 in 1890 and #13 in 1900.  According to data from the 1881 UK census, Sarah was the 9th most common name (both male and female) and Sara the 371th. When the records are standardised to every 100,000 people, we can see that Sarah was pretty well evenly distributed across Britain, with the exception of Northern Scotland. Remarkably, Sarah can boast being one of the very few names to consistently be in the Top 100 in every decade from 1800-2010. Though there are several boys' names eligible, the only other girls' name that can claim the same is Elizabeth, which overall has had slightly higher ranks, dubbing Sarah as the second most successful British girls' name of all time. From ranking #21 in England and Wales in 1904, Sarah declined to its lowest point of #86 in 1944. It inclined rapidly after that, claiming the #1 spot in both 1974 and 1984. Sara followed Sarah's success, joining the top 100 from 1964 to 1994. In Scotland, Sarah ranked #14 in 1900, #34 in 1950 and #20 in 1975. Sara did not rank at all. Perhaps the reason the spelling Sarah lagged behind was due to its pronunciation issues. Though Sara is a variant spelling of Sarah (SAIR-a), thanks to its similarity to Cara, Mara, Tara, Lara and Zara, from the 20th century, Sara has in many cases been pronounced SAHR-a.  Since ranking #18 in 1996, Sarah has been steadily declining in England and Wales. Sara, however, is marginally rising. In 2013, Sarah ranked #96 and Sara ranked #100. Similarly, in Scotland, Sarah has also been on a decline in recent years, though not so starkly. From ranking #22 in 2005 it has gradually declined to #61 in 2013, with Sara ranking at #107. Sarah is currently most popular in Northern Ireland where it ranked #7 in 1997, #8 in 2003, #7 in 2007 and #29 in 2013.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660–1744), confidante of Queen Anne. * Sarah Kemble Siddons (1755–1831), British actress. * Sarah Wentworth Morton (1759–1846), American author. * Sarah Moore Grimké (1792–1873), American abolitionist and advocate of women's rights. * Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923), stage name of Rosine Bernard, a French actress. * Sara Teasdale (1884–1933), American poet. * Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990), American jazz singer. Contemporary: * Sara Lidman (b.1923), Swedish writer. * Sarah, Duchess of York (b.1959), former wife of Prince Andrew. * Sarah Jessica Parker (b.1965), American actress. * Sarah Millican (b.1975), British comedian. * Sarah Michelle Gellar (b.1977), American actress. Literature and Other Media: * Sarah, Plain and Tall, a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan * Sarah Jane Smith, companion of"Doctor Who", played by Elisabeth Sladen. * Sarah Connor, a character in "The Terminator", played by Linda Hamilton. * Sarah Manning, main character in sci-fi thriller "Orphan Black."

Variants:

Sara, Sarai (Biblical), Kala (Hawaiian), Sára, Sári, Sárika (Hungarian), Sarita (Spanish), Sassa (Swedish), Suri (Yiddish)

Pronunciation:

SAIR-ə [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Sally, Sadie

Sibling Names:

Charlotte     Emma     Lucy     Grace     Julia     Anna  Alexander     Daniel    James     Andrew    Thomas    George

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical   Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   Names from Jane Austen   Names from Dickens   Names from the Brontes   Names of Roses

 

If you like Sarah you may also like:  Lydia, Clara, Eliza, Louise, Hannah, Rachel, Laura, Martha, Leah, Harriet

 

Thanks to Mabel for requesting this post. 

Completely coincidentally, this post coincides with Abby's post about Sarah over at Appellation Mountain this week. I would recommend giving it a read for more information about Sarah state-side.