British Baby Names

Name of the Week: Leo

 

Origin:

Leo is a Byzantine Roman name, deriving from the Latin leo "lion." Prior to its use as a given name, Leo was already established as the name of a constellation. The ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians recognised the constellation as a lion and revered it greatly as the sun passed through it during the Summer Solstice. Thus the lion constellation was connected from an early date to the sun. The Greeks believed that the lion-shaped constellation represented the Nemean Lion which was slayed by Hercules for his twelve labours. As king of all beasts, the goddess Hera placed the lion amongst the stars forever more as the constellation.  The constellation became the zodiac sign Leo, attributed to those born between July 24th and August 23rd. It is a fire sign associated with the colour gold and the ruby gemstone.

Usage:

Leo began use as an name in the Byzantine Age (The Eastern Roman Empire). An early 3rd century Christian saint from Lycia who was martyred in 260 for protesting against a Pagan festival is attributed with the name Leo, but otherwise, the name does not appear in records until the 5th century when it was borne by two key figures: Pope Leo I (400-461), now known as Saint Leo the Great, and Emperor Flavius Valerius Leo (457-474), known as Leo I the Thracian, Byzantine emperor and founder of the Leonid dynasty.  Both these two man established the name amongst the papacy and nobility. In total, 12 popes (four of whom were canonised) and six Byzantine emperors followed bearing the name. The name was later also adopted by the kings of Armenia, most notably Leo I the Magnificent (1199–1219).  In Britain, Leo was used sparingly during the Middle Ages, though at least enough to create the surnames Leo and Leon. The name "Leo camerarius" (Leo the chamberlain) appears in the Feudal Documents of Bury St Edmunds 1121-48, and one Leo appears in the Warwickshire Hundred Rolls of 1279-80. During this period, Latin Leo and Greek Leon were often interchangeable as Leon was also used as the Old French form.  After the Reformation, Leo continued to be used occasionally among Roman Catholic families, but not frequently enough to make Smith-Bannister's top 50 rankings for 1538-1700. Leo and Leon were also adopted by Jewish families as a translation of the Hebrew Arye "lion." Leo came into more general use over the course of the 19th century. It was, however, never popular enough to crack the top 100 in England and Wales, as rankings show: 1860 #237 1870 #259 1880 #204 1890 #169 1900 #124 The rise to the top 200 in 1890 was most likely influenced by the papacy of Pope Leo XIII from 1878-1903. A search through 19th century newspaper databases shows that this Pope as the most common subject of articles for the name Leo during this period. It is also worth noting that, unlike today, Leo was a little short for Victorian taste: Leonard and Leopold were much more popular during this period than Leo alone.  Leo continued to be used under the radar for much of the 20th century, as Dunkling's data for the number of children registered with the name Leo in every 10,000 births in England and Wales demonstrates:  1900 1925  1935  1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990     6    8     -     -     -     -     2     -     -     -     2    6 The turn in Leo's fortune came at the turn of this century. In 1996, Leo ranked at #210 (149 births) in England and Wales, much as it had done in the 19th century. It gradually began to rise, taking a marked leap and doubling in birth count between 2000 and 2001, reaching #101.  Leo entered the top 100 in 2002 at #88 (601 births). By this point, Leonardo DiCaprio had gained even more media attention from the release of the film The Beach (2001) after his success in Titanic (1997) and the supernatural series Charmed, featuring the principle male character Leo Wyatt, was at a peak (notably 2002 also saw a large upward spike in the name Piper).  The name continued to increase apace, reaching #33 in 2006 and #20 in 2012. In 2014, Leo ranked #16  with 3414 births.  In Scotland, Leo first entered the top 100 at #81 (80 births) in 2004 and was in the top 50 by 2011. In 2015, Leo ranked #13 with 275 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * 13 Popes, 6 considered saints * 7 Byzantine emperors * 5 kings of Armenian Cilicia * Saint Leo of Catania (709-789), Catholic and Orthodox saint. * Leo of Constantinople (fl. 1134-1143), Patriarch of Constantinople. * Leo Tolstoy (1826–1910), Russian novelist. * Leo von König (1871–1944), German painter. * Leo G. Carroll (1886–1972), English actor. * Leo Arnaud (1904–1991), French-American composer. * Leo Fender (1909-1991), maker of electric guitars. * Leo Gorcey (1917–1969), American actor. Contemporary: * Leonardo "Leo" DiCaprio (b.1974), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Leo Wyatt, a character from the television series Charmed (1998-2006). * Leo Kovalensky, a character from the novel We the Living (1936) by Ayn Rand. * Leo McGarry, a character in the television series The West Wing.

Variants:

Leon (Greek), Lev, Lyev (Russian), Léo (French) Levon (Armenian)

Pronunciation:

LEE-ō [key]

Possible longer forms:

Leonardo, Leopold, Leonard, Leonidas, Leontius, Leonid, Leander, Leandro, Leandros, Leofric, Leofwin, Leontine, Leontin, Leoline, Leolin, Lionel, Lorenzo, Leodegar, Leodegrance, Alessandro, Alejandro, Valentino, Aurelio

Sibling Names:

Sophia     Isla     Ella     Grace     Sienna     Ava   Oliver     Luca     Jude     Oscar     George     Owen

Name Lists:

Slim Softies  Ripe Renovations  Short and Sweet  Saintly and Stylish   Astronomical Names    Golden Age Hollywood

 

 

If you like Leo you may also like:    Levi, Theo, Milo, Rex, Arlo, Ivo, Seth, Ludo, Hugo, Lev

 

Thanks to Chamali for requesting this post.

Name of the Week: Emma

 

Origin:

Emma is an Old Germanic name, originating as a hypocoristic form of names containing the first element ermin "whole, universal," such as Ermintrude, Ermingard and Erminhilt. Emma, and variants Imma and Ymma, quickly established themselves as given names in their own right by the tenth century.

Usage:

An early bearer of the name from the 7th century is Emma of Austrasia (d. 642), daughter of Theudebert II and wife of the Anglo-Saxon king Eadbald of Kent. The most notable early Emma -- for Britain at least -- was Emma of Normandy (c.985–1052), twice English queen consort to both King Aethelred, and his Danish successor, King Cnut. Emma was born in Normandy in around 985, the daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy. Her mother, Gunnora, was Richard's mistress and, later, his second wife; his first had also been named Emma -- Emma of Paris (943–968) who died childless many years before Emma's birth. It is hard for us in modern times to reconcile the idea of having the same name as your father's deceased first wife, but it clearly didn't bother the medieval mind, and is perhaps testament to how common the name was for the Normans. When she arrived in England to be married to Aethelred, however, Emma was promptly given the "English" name Aelfgifu. Confusingly, it just so happened that Aelfgifu had been the name of Aethelred's first wife, and one of his daughters (yet again Emma received the name of a former wife). Although there were no etymological links between the names, "Aelfgifu" was as common to the English as "Emma" was to the Normans.  Emma and Cnut present a cross to Hyde Abbey. The lettering says ÆLFGYFV REGINA and CNVT REX Emma bore Aethelred three children and, though Aethelred already had at least nine children by his first marriage, Emma fought like a lioness to get her children good positions. This was a period of heavy raiding from Scandinavia and Aethelred struggled to keep hold of his kingdom under the Viking onslaught. In 1015, Cnut the Great, a Danish prince, invaded England and the English just couldn't hold out against his armies. Aethelred died in April 1016, and his eldest surviving son Edmund became king (despite the efforts of Emma to have her eldest son, Edward, made heir). However, Edmund died that November after being defeated comprehensively by the Danes, leaving Cnut as king.  As Cnut was keen to have all rival claimants to the throne removed, Emma stepped in to protect her children by marrying Cnut herself, ensuring her children's safety in Normandy. Through her marriage, Emma was once again Queen of England, and later Queen of Denmark and Norway. When, Cnut died, Emma once again stepped in to promote her children. She ensured that her son with Cnut, Harthacnut, became king of Denmark, and acted as regent of Wessex on his behalf in England. She also invited her eldest son, Edward, over from Normandy in an attempt to oust power away from her step-son Harold Harefoot. Needless to say, after much political wrangling, Emma succeeded in instating both her son Harthacnut as king of England, followed by her son Edward, whom we now know as Saint Edward the Confessor.  It is difficult to assess the impact that Emma herself had on the name Emma in England, as all the citations for the name in common use date from after the Norman Conquest when Emma''s great nephew, William the Conqueror, established the widespread dominance of Norman culture and language in England.  Also, for much of her time as Queen Consort, both to Aethelred and Cnut, Emma was known as Aelfgifu (see image right). The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE) have 52 citations for Emma's recorded name. Of those, only 18 are spellings are of Emma/Imma/Ymma and most of these come from Emma's own biography Encomium Emmae Reginae which she commissioned herself after Cnut's death. The rest are all spellings of Aelfgifu or "Aelfgifu Emma." It may be that being known as Aelfgifu Emma helped pave the way for the name before the Norman Conquest. Equally her impact may have been very little, and the name subsequently became common thanks to the influx of Norman noblemen who flocked to England after the conquest. The Domesday Survey shows that by 1086, 48.5% of English land was in the hands of Norman barons, with only 5.5% owned by English lords.  What we can at least argue is that, without Emma, the Norman invasion may never have happened. It was actually thanks to Emma that William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy had a claim to the English throne -- something which is often overlooked in the history books. Emma was William's great aunt and therefore he was Edward's first cousin once removed. So, if only in a roundabout way, we can credit Queen Aelfgifu Emma with bringing the name Emma to Britain.  A cousin and close friend of William I, William FitzOsbern, became one of these great Norman magnates. His daughter Emma de Guader, Countess of Norfolk (1059 -1096) is also known for her strong character, having defended Norwich Castle when it was under siege for three months while her husband was away, negotiating safe passage for herself and her troops when the castle was eventually seized. Later she accompanied her husband of the First Crusade.  Redmond puts Emma at #7 in his rankings from ten English counties in 1377-1381, which he classifies as "Very Popular." During this period, the vernacular English form appears to have been Em/Emm/Emme* (with Emma/Imma as the Latinised form). This gained the diminutive ending -ot creating Emmot, which was not an uncommon name during the Middle Ages (often interchanged with Emma itself), and led the the creation of the surname Emmett.  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.  Emma was also the 31st most common name in Elizabethan Norfolk and the 27th most common during the Restoration Period.  Moving into the 18th century, latinised forms became more popular. Maud gave way to Matilda, Joan to Joanna and Emm to Emma. Many sources credit Matthew Prior's poem Henry and Emma (1709) with reviving the name. This was perhaps a factor in increasing its use, however, Dunkling's rankings for England and Wales shows that Emma ranked at #40 in 1700 and again a century later in 1800, showing a consistency of the name's use both before and after the poem's publication.  The name maintained its popularity right through the 19th century, gradually declining by the end of the century. This article from 1892 mentions the decline in "good old family appellatives" such as Amelia, Charlotte, Caroline, Emma, Harriet, Julia and Matilda which had previously been Georgian and Regency favourites.  Data from the Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) Data from the 1881 census shows that Emma was most common in England, particularly in the South, but had limited use in Scotland.  Rankings for the name Emma in England and Wales were as follows: 1850: #7 (according to Lesie Dunkling's ranks) 1860: #6 1870: #9 1880: #14 1890: #21 1900: #36 1904: #51 1914: #79 **Out of the top 100 for six decades** 1974: #4 1984: #4  1994: #10 After falling out of the top 100 after 1914, Emma made a dramatic comeback in the 1970s, when it ranked #4  in both 1974 and a decade later in 1984. It is very difficult to believe that Emma wasn't #1 at least once between '74 and '84, but unfortunately there is no official data for us to be completely sure. Leslie Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name Emma in every 10,000 births in England and Wales, however, has the name peaking around 1980, and actually lists it with the highest number for all girls that year (suggesting it was, in fact, #1):  1900 1925  1935 1950 1955 1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990   67     8     2    2    -    -     20   114   283   362   246   266 This data also shows that the name began to rise in the mid 1960s. Some of this may be thanks to the popularity of the television show The Avengers which featured Diana Rigg in the role of feisty pin-up Emma Peel from 1965-68.  click to enlarge Having been in the top 10 in England and Wales from 1974 to 1994, Emma has been on a steady decline since, falling out of the top 50 in 2013.  In Scotland, Emma was a little later to take off. It was only #76 there in 1900 and had fallen out of the top 100 by 1950. By 1974 (when it was #4 in England), it had risen to #41. It grew from strength-to-strength after that, however, reaching #5 in 1981 and was #1 in 1990-93, 1996-97 and 2003-04. After 2010 it fell back out of the top 10 once more.  In 2014, Emma ranked #57 (1071 births) in England and Wales. In 2015, Emma ranked #16 (224 births) in Scotland and #20 (104 births) in Northern Ireland.  Emma is also popular around the world ranking #1 currently in America, Belgium, Denmark, France and Norway; #2 in Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland; #3 in Ireland; #4 in Austria and Italy; #5 in Finland; #6 in Hungary and Iceland.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Emma of Austrasia (d. 642), daughter of Theudebert II and wife of Eadbald of Kent. * Emma of Normandy (c.985–1052), twice Queen consort of the Kingdom of England by marriage. * Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1858–1934), Queen consort of William III of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. * Emma of Hawaii (1836–1885), queen consort of King Kamehameha IV. History: * Saint Emma of Gurk (c. 980–1045) a noblewoman and founder of religious houses in Austria. * Emma de Guader (1059 -1096), Countess of Norfolk.  * Emma Willard (1787–1870), an American women's rights activist who dedicated her life to education. * Emma Sandys (1843–1877), a 19th-century British painter. * Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), American poet. * Emma Churchill (1862–1957), founder of the Salvation Army in Newfoundland. Contemporary: * Emma Bonino (b. 1948), Italian politician and human rights activist. * Emma Thompson (b. 1959), award-winning British actress and screenwriter * Emma Bunton (b. 1976), British singer and a member of the Spice Girls. * Emma Willis (b. 1976), British television and radio presenter. * Emily "Emma" Stone (b. 1988), American actress. * Emma Watson (b. 1990), British actress. * Emma Roberts (b. 1991), American actress and singer. Literature and Other Media: * Emma Woodhouse, principle character in Jane Austen's novel Emma (1815). * Henry and Emma, a 1709 poem by Matthew Prior. * Emma Peel, fictional spy played by Diana Rigg in the British 1960s television series The Avengers. * Emma Swan, protagonist in the Once Upon a Time television series. * Emma Frost, Marvel comic book character. * Emma Pillsbury, a character in American television series Glee. Other: * HMS Queen Emma, a troopship of the Royal Navy during the Second World War

Variants:

Ema (Spanish, Portuguese, Slavic)

Pronunciation:

EM-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Em, Emmy

Sibling Names:

Charlotte     Lucy     Alice     Isabel     Amelia     Grace  Matthew     Jack     Luke     Harry     Samuel     Daniel

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites  Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian  British Royalty   European Royalty  Jane Austen Names  Dickensian Names  Bronte Names  Names of Roses

  

If you like Emma you may also like:   Matilda, Harriet, Lydia, Emily, Sarah, Eden, Amy, Sophie, Louise, Emilia

 

 

Name of the Week: Noah

 

Origin:

Noah is the Anglicised form of the Hebrew name Noach (נֹ֫חַ) which derives from nuach (נ֫וּחַ) "rest, calm, comfortable." Famously, it features in the Old Testament as the name one of the great patriarchs whose story of building an ark, collecting animals two-by-two, to survive an apocalyptic flood is widely told.   Noah is also the transliterated form of the feminine name No'ah (נֹעָה) who features in the Old Testament as one of the five daughters of Zelophehad in the time of the exodus. In this case, it derives from the Hebrew verb noa (נ֫וּעַ) which refers to movement. This verb can be translated variously as "wave," "wander," "shake,""totter," and "sway." To avoid confusion, sometimes this feminine form is spelt Noa.  Noah is also an English surname, but in this case it is a variant of Noar/Nore which derives from the Old English ōra "shore bank, steep slope."

Usage:

Noah first came into use in Britain in the 16th century when parents began to turn to the Old Testament for name inspiration, with Abraham in the vanguard. Noah, however, was never especially popular, and several early baptisms prefer the Greek spelling Noe. Much like Ezra and Jonah, it was uncommon in use during this period but with enough biblical status to keep it moderately going.  It was not used frequently enough to rank among Smith-Bannister's top 50 names from 1538-1700.  Examples of Noah in baptism records increase into the 18th century, though some of this is simply thanks to the fact that more baptism records survive from this century than previously. It does not appear in Leslie Dunkling's top 50 rankings for England and Wales in either 1700 or 1800, but I suspect that by this later period it was touching into the top 100. During the 19th century, Noah was in much more regular use, and was in the bottom end of the top 100 in England and Wales. By the end of the century, however, Old Testament names gave way to other favourites such as Norman, Clifford, Ethel and Iris, as the ranks in England and Wales show:   . Data from the Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) 1860 #97 1870 #112 1880 #142 1890 #173 1900 #--  Data from the 1881 census (right) shows that Noah was most common in the North East of England, especially Staffordshire. It has some moderate use in Wales, especially in the South and the border counties, but very little usage in Scotland. Noah continued to be used under the radar for much of the 20th century, as Dunkling's data for the number of children registered with the name Noah in every 10,000 births in England and Wales demonstrates:  1900 1925  1935  1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990     1    1     -     1     1     2     2     1     -     -     -    - The turn of this century saw several popular culture boosts to the name Noah; the impact had a direct impact on the name's popularity.  Actor Noah Wyle played Doctor John Carter in the huge TV hit ER from 1994-2009 -- in 1995, Noah hit #99 in the USA. Television soaps also had characters with the name including Noah Lawson in Home and Away (2000-2004) and Noah Dingle in Emmerdale (2004-5; 2009-).  In Hollywood, the huge hit film The Notebook saw Ryan Gosling in the lead male role as Noah Calhoun in 2004 and the biblical story of Noah's Ark was given an epic cinematic revamp in 2014 with Russell Crowe in the title role, followed by a BBC adaptation in 2015.  Back in 1996, Noah was only #225 (137 births) in England and Wales. It first hit the top 100 in 2003 at #94 (597 births), was in the top 50 by 2008 and reached #18 (3084 births) in 2010.  Noah for girls has only ranked (i.e. given to three children or more) once during that period: #5742 (3 births) in 2013. Noa on the other hand, has consistently ranked during that period, usually averaging between 20-40 births per year. In 2014, the different name variants ranked as followed: Noah #11 (4085 births) Noa #1061 (26 births) Noah didn't rank Noa #715 (55 births) In Scotland, Noah reached the top 100 in 2005 at #87 (73 births) and was #7 (321 births) in 2014. In 2015, Noah ranked #15 (265 births). In America, Noah has been in the top 5 since 2011 and has been #1 in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Noah Mann (1756–1789), a famous English cricketer. * Noah Worcester (1758–1837), American Congregational clergyman influential figure in American pacifism. * Noah Webster (1758–1843), American lexicographer and philologist. * Noah Porter (1811–1892), American educator and philosopher. Contemporary: * Noah Gordon (b. 1926), American novelist. * Noah Gordon (b. 1971), American country music singer and songwriter. * Noah Hathaway (b.1971), American actor. * Noah Wyle (b. 1971), American actor. * Noah Eli Gordon (b. 1975), American poet. * Noah Gray-Cabey (b.1995), American child actor. Literature and Other Media: * Noah Bennet, character in the NBC drama Heroes. * Noah Calhoun, main character in the film The Notebook (2004). * Noah Lawson, character in the Australian soap Home and Away (2000-2004). * Noah Dingle, a child character in the ITV soap Emmerdale (2004, 2005 & 2009-2016).

Variants:

Noach (Hebrew, Dutch), Noe (Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin), Noé (French, Spanish, Portuguese), Nuh (Arabic, Turkish) Noak (Swedish), Nooa (Finnish), Nojus (Lithuanian)

Pronunciation:

NŌ-ə [key]

Possible diminutives:

N/A

Sibling Names:

Daisy    Phoebe    Maisie     Freya    Ruby     Grace  Toby     Samuel     Oliver     Lucas     Max     Isaac

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical  Slim Softies  Ripe Renovations  Short and Sweet  Dickensian Names  Bronte Names

 

 

If you like Noah you may also like:    Noam, Moses, Amos, Owen, Seth, Zachary, Reuben, Jude, Caleb, Elijah

 

This post is in honour of the release of the US top names of 2015 in which Noah was #1. The top girls' name -- Emma -- will be the feature next week. 

Name of the Week: Laurence

 

Origin:

Lawrence and Laurence are English forms of the Roman nomen Laurentius meaning "of Laurentium." Laurentium was an ancient city in Latium about sixteen miles from Rome. Most likely the name derived from the Latin laurus "bay laurel tree." In ancient Greece and Rome, the leaves of the bay laurel were made into crowns and placed upon the head of a victor in either a competition (athletic or artistic/poetic) or a martial commander. Thus, the laurel became associated as an emblem of victory.

Usage:

Laurentius was a well established Roman surname, and some bearers are still known to us today. Most notably is Lawrence of Rome (d. 258) or Saint Lawrence, a 3rd century deacon of Rome who was martyred during the persecution by Emperor Valerian in 258 when he presented the poor of the city when commanded to offer up the treasures of the church. He is one of the most widely venerated saints in Christianity and a patron of the city of Rome. The name can not be found in use in Anglo-Saxon England apart from Saint Laurence of Canterbury (d. 619), the second Archbishop of Canterbury. No doubt named after Lawrence of Rome, he was an Italian monk who accompanied Augustine on his mission to Christianise the Anglo-Saxons and later succeeded him as archbishop. The veneration of Saint Lawrence of Rome became widespread after the Norman Conquest -- perhaps bolstered by St Laurence of Canterbury -- and over two hundred churches were dedicated to him in England.  In a study of 1000 names from 10 counties from 1377-81, Redmonds calculates that Laurence held a rank of #21. This use led to a multitude of diminutive forms including Laurie, Lawrie, Lowrie, Larry, Lorry, Law, Low, Larkin and Lorkin. Alongside Lawrence/Laurence, many of these diminutive forms became surnames alongside Lawrenson, Lawson, Lowson, Lawes and Lorie.   The diminutive Lorkin is perhaps one reason why Laurence was used to render the Irish name Lorcán into English. The Irish saint Lorcán Ua Tuathail (1128–1180), Archbishop of Dublin is also known by the English rendering Saint Laurence O'Toole.  Laurence never reached the heights of extreme popularity within the top 10 but it was enduring throughout the following centuries, as can be seen by Smith Bannister's top 50 frequency tables from 1538-1700: 1538-49: #18; 1550-9: #25; 1560-9: #36; 1570-9: #27; 1580-9: #27; 1590-9: #42; 1600-9: #36; 1610-9: #37; 1620-9: #46; 1630-9: #38; 1640-9: --; 1650-9: --; 1660-9: #42; 1670-9: --; 1689-9: --; 1690-1700: 39. It was the 17th most common name in Elizabethan Norfolk and 34th during the Reformation. Leslie Dunkling also ranks Laurence at #37 in 1700 and #48 in 1800.  By the 19th century, Lawrence had taken precedence as the more common spelling as we can see from their individual rank in the latter half of the century.    Lawrence Laurence 1860 #96 #167 1870 #81 #157 1880 #78 #134 1890 #70 #112 1900 #70 #104 In Scotland, Lawrence ranked #61 in 1900 while Laurence was #69. Both spellings stayed in the top 100 until 1950, ranking #76 and #84 respectively, after which it fell out.  In England and Wales, both Lawrence and Laurence ranked in the top 100 until 1924. Laurence at that time ranked #100 and fell out after. Lawrence (at #62) remained for another two decades, falling below after 1954 when it ranked #77.  Since 1996, the two spellings have been very closely matched. Up until 2000, both were just within the top 200; since they have both maintained a steady rank within the top 400.  In 2014, Laurence ranked #359 (116 births) and Lawrence ranked #395 (103 births) in England and Wales.  In Scotland in 2015, Lawrence was #470 (6 births) and Laurence #529 (5 births).

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Lawrence of Rome (d. 258), deacon of Rome and Catholic saint. * Lawrence I (d.511), bishop of Milan. * Saint Laurence of Siponto (d. c. 545), bishop of Siponto. * Saint Laurence of Canterbury (d. 619), second Archbishop of Canterbury. * St Laurence O'Toole or Lorcán Ua Tuathail (1128–1180), Irish Catholic Saint. * Brother Lawrence de la Résurrection (d. 1691), a Carmelite monk. * Laurence Sterne (1713–1768), Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. * Lawrence Hargrave (1850-1915), Australian inventor, explorer, astronomer, engineer and aeronautical pioneer. * Thomas Edward Lawrence CB DSO "Lawrence of Arabia" (1888–1935), British archaeologist, military officer, and diplomat. * Laurence Olivier (1907–1989), British actor and director * Laurence "Laurie" Lee (1914–1997), British poet and novelist. Contemporary: * Laurence Fishburne (b.1961), American actor. * Lawrence Brownlee (b. 1972), American opera singer. * Laurence Fox (b.1978), British actor. Literature and Other Media: * Lawrence Boythorn, a character in Charles Dickens' Bleak House (1852)

Variants:

Lawrence; Labhrainn (Scottish), Laurent (French) Lorenzo (Italian, Spanish), Labhrás (Irish), Lorens, Lars (Scandinavian), Laurens (Dutch), Lavrentios (Greek), Wawrzyniec (Polish), Vavřinec (Czech)

Pronunciation:

LO-rəns [key]

Possible diminutives:

Laurie, Lawrie, Larry, Lorry, Lance, Lol, Lal, Lanty, Lonny, Larkin, Lorkin, Lars, Enzo, Lenz

Sibling Names:

Iris     Josephine     Lois     Vivienne     Arabella     Verity  Toby    Sebastian     Ivo     Edmund     Maximilian    Angus

Name Lists:

Vintage Names   Upright Elegance  Medieval Favourites  Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian    Victorian Darlings   Dickensian Names   Disney Names

 

 

If you like Laurence you may also like:    Theodore, Gabriel, Julian, Ralph, Alastair, Fraser, Arthur, Hamish, Jonathan

 

Thanks to Clementine for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week: Taryn

 

 

Origin:

Taryn came into use as a given when Hollywood actor Tyrone Power Jr. gave the name to his daughter, Taryn Power, as a version of his own name. Tyrone’s own name was a family surname, passed down through his famous acting Irish family, taken from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Tyrone of course is the Anglicised spelling of the Irish Tír Eoghain, meaning "land of Eoghan." Eoghan itself is an ancient name -- brother to Welsh Owen and Scottish Ewan -- which for centuries was thought to be the Celtic form of the Greek name Eugenios (Eugene), derived from eu "good, well" and genios "born."  Modern scholarship, however, now favours a Celtic origin for Owain, Eoghan and Ewan, reconstructing a Proto-Celtic form of the name: Esugenios, made from the elements *wesu- “excellent” and *geno- “born.” This first element could be meant for Esus, a prominent Celtic god whose name was most likely derived from *wesu. Alternatively the first element may derive from the Proto-Celtic *yewo- “yew,” a tree which was sacred to the Celts.   Not only is Taryn a variant of Tyrone, it has now become associated with, and used as an alternate feminine spelling of the Celtic boys’ name Taran “thunder”. Taran mac Ainftech was a seventh century King of the Picts and also a character in the legendary Welsh epic The Mabinogion. Both names were descended from Taranis, the ancient Celtic god of thunder.

Usage:

Taryn came into use as a given name immediately after 1953 when actor Tyrone Power Jr. and Linda Christian gave then name Taryn Stephanie Power to their second daughter.  Births in England and Wales show the immediate usage of the name after 1953. The variant Taryna briefly came into use in 1958 after the publication of Lights of Love, a novel by popular author Barbara Cartland in which the romantic heroine was named Taryna.    Taryn Taryna 1951:  1952:  1953:  1954:  1955:  1956:  1957:  1958: 1959:  1960:  1961:  1962:  1963:  1964:  1965:  0 births 0 births  0 births 1 birth 3 births 10 births 6 births 9 births 21 births 6 births  14 births 7 births 11 births 7 births 6 births 0 births 0 births  0 births 0 births 0 births  0 births 0 births 19 births 14 births 3 births 2 births 2 births 1 birth 1 birth 0 births Taryn Power herself became an actress in the 1970s, starring most notably in The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), giving the name continued exposure. click to enlarge Since 1996, both Taryn and Taran have been used as unisex names, though Taryn is predominantly feminine and Taran masculine.  For much of the past two decades, Taryn has been registered on average for around thirty births per year. It peaked in 2002 at #616 (45 births).  In 2014, Taryn ranked #1798 (16 births). Taran was #959 (30 births) and Taran was #4684 (4 births). It did not rank in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Taryn Power (b. 1953), American actress. * Taryn Fiebig (b. 1972), Australian opera and musical theatre soprano and cellist. * Taryn Manning (b. 1978), American actress, singer-songwriter, and fashion designer. * Taryn Heather (b. 1982), Australian racing cyclist. * Taryn Southern (b. 1986), American singer, actress, comedian, and YouTube personality. * Taryn Marler (b. 1988), Australian actress. Literature and Other Media: * Taryn Blake, character in American soap opera Paper Dolls (1984)

Variants:

Taran, Taryna

Pronunciation:

TA-rin [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Tarry

Sibling Names:

Paige     Sierra     Alexa      Seren      Fallon     Briar  Shea     Lorcan     Brogan     Keagan     Quinlan     Kai

Name Lists:

N/A

  

If you like Taryn you may also like:   Erin, Aderyn, Farrah, Robyn, Clodagh, Tamsin, Teagan, Kirsten, Brynja, Carys

 

Thanks to Chamali for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week: Timothy

 

Origin:

Timothy is the Anglicised form of the Greek name Timotheos (Τιμόθεος), made up of the words timé (τιμή) "to value, accord honor, pay respect" and theos (θεός) "(a)God, godly." The name became established thanks to Saint Timothy (d.c. 97), a resident of Lystra, whose father was a Greek and mother a Jew. He was a trusted friend and companion of Saint Paul to whom two epistles (letters) of the New Testament are written.  Timothy is also the common name of the perennial grass plant Phleum pratense, also known as herd's grass or meadow cat's-tail. It is thought to have got its name from American farmer Timothy Hanson who widely promoted the plant as a source of hay in the 18th century.

Usage:

Timotheos was not uncommon in Ancient Greece. Data from the LGPN shows it was in moderate use, and was borne by a noted musician and poet in the court of Alexander the Great. It continued use in to the Christianised Byzantine Empire, when Greek was the official language, and there were also five more saints bearing the name Timotheus/Timotheos, martyred in the 3rd and 4th century.  In Britain, the name was rare until after the Protestant Reformation. It was first used in the 16th century, rarely at first, but then with increasing frequency. In the name frequency tables from 1538-1700 by Smith-Bannister, Timothy doesn't rank at all in the top 50 for the first century. It debuts at #48 in 1640-9, after which it moves to #29 (1650-9), #33 (1660-9), #48 (1670-9), #35 (1680-9), #34 (1690-9).  Around the same time, the feminine form Timothea also came into use, particularly for girls whose fathers were named Timothy. This may also explain the occasional instances of "Timothy" used for girls. It is more likely that "Timothy" in these cases was being used as a vernacular form for Timothea (as with Philip /Philippa, Julian/Juliana and Christian/Christian) than that they were "gender-bending."  The name continued to be a top 50 staple for the following two centuries. Leslie Dunkling's ranks for England and Wales puts it at #45 in 1700 and #37 in 1800. By the end of the 19th century, as with many other biblical names, Timothy began to decline, leaving the top 100 by 1890: click to enlarge 1860: #68 1870: #77 1880: #99  1890: #136    1900: #152   It stayed out of favour until the mid-20th century, reaching #77 in 1944 and peaking at #24 twenty years later in 1964. After that time it began to decline, leaving the top 100 after 1999.  Since 2004, the name has plateaued between #200-#300.  In 2014, Timothy ranked #274 (178 births) in England and Wales, #680 (3 births) in Scotland and #281 (6 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Timothy (d.c. 97), early Christian evangelist and the first first-century Christian bishop of Ephesus. * Pope Timothy II of Alexandria (d. 477), Patriarch of Alexandria. * Timothy I (d. 523), Patriarch of Constantinople. Contemporary: * Timothy West (b. 1934), British actor.  * Timothy Dalton (b.1944), British actor.  * Timothy "Tim" Curry (b.1946), British actor.  * Tim Allen (b. 1953), American actor. * Sir Timothy Berners-Lee (b. 1955), British computer scientist and inventor of the World Wide Web. * Timothy Spall (b. 1957), British actor. * Tim McGraw (b. 1967), American country singer. * Timothy Olyphant (b. 1968), American actor. * Timothy Omundson (b. 1969), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Timothy Cratchit "Tiny Tim", a character from Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol (1843). * Tim Drake, the third character to go by the name of "Robin" in the DC Universe comics. Other: * Timothy-grass, a type of a grass.

Variants:

Timothée, Timothé (French), Timotheus (German, Dutch), Timoteo (Italian, Spanish), Timoteo (Portuguese),  Timofei, Timofey (Russian), Timotej (Slavic), Tymoteusz (Polish)

Pronunciation:

TIM-ə-thee [key]

Possible diminutives:

Tim, Timmy, Timo, Theo, Tom

Sibling Names:

Rachael      Phoebe      Caroline      Lydia      Teresa      Joanna  Jonathan     Stephen     Christopher     Anthony     David     Elliott

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical   Gorgeously Georgian  Victorian Darlings  Bronte Names   Disney Names

 

If you like Timothy you may also like:    Simon, Tobias, Thaddeus, Gideon, Philip, Moses, Robin, Hamish, Laurence, Josiah

 

Thanks to Dawn for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week: Samantha

 

Origin:

Samantha is a given name with obscure origins. The common meaning often given is that it is a feminine form of the Hebrew name Samuel. This doesn't however seem very likely, given that Samuelina or Samuela have often been preferred as feminisations. Some suggest that it is a blending of Hebrew Samuel and Greek Anthea, but blendings of this kind usually start and are popularised in literature -- especially poetry -- and no such reference for Samantha is apparent.  The place where Samantha is most prevalent early on is the states of New England in America, and this may be the clue to its origins. New England was home to Dutch settlers as well as English, and Dutch influence (and even the language) remained even after the British gained control.  The most convincing theory for Samantha's origin* lies with the Dutch name Sijmentje, likely brought to New England and later anglicised. Sijmentje is the feminine form of Sjimen, itself the Dutch form of the Germanic name Sigismund -- sigi "victory" and mund "protection, defence." Samantha is also a (completely unrelated) Sri-Lankan masculine name, taken from the indigenous god Saman (also Samantha and Sumana) whose name means "the rising morning sun".

Usage:

Burial in Westbury On Severn, 1697 (click to enlarge) A handful of transcribed records for Samantha in 17th century England date from 1633, however these are a little suspect. Whenever I have looked at original scans for these transcribed records, the name has clearly been misread by modern eyes. Early modern English was not only consistent in its spelling, the letters used were different to what we use now. As we can see from the image (right) the top name, that has been transcribed as Samantha Shing, clearly starts with a 'J', as it matches that of John below and James at the bottom, and ends with an 'e'. Bristol Mercury - Saturday 16 May 1863 (click to enlarge) We do most certainly find Samantha in established use in America by the 18th century, especially in New England. Most of the few references to the name "Samantha" in British newspapers in the 19th century are in articles concerning New England states (see right).  The earliest point of data for America is in 1880, at which point Samantha ranked #365. It declined after that to #538 in 1885, #720 in 1890, #814 in 1895 and #701 in 1900.  One possible influence is a series of ten books (1873-1914) by American satirist Marietta Holley featuring the adventures of a woman named Samantha Allen. The novels were published in Britain, but contemporary reviews aren't particularly favourable, mostly, it seems, because Brits struggled to understand the American dialect which much of the novels were written in.  It is for this reason perhaps that Samantha didn't take off here at the same time. Births in England and Wales show that it was used sparingly over the 19th and early 20th century, only being registered once in 1855, 1860, 1861, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1889, 1892, 1895, 1903, 1921 and 1951. Thirteen times in 120 years.  It wasn't until the late 1950s that Samantha began to rise, and did so remarkably quickly thanks to references in popular culture. The 1956 film High Society featured Grace Kelly in the role of Tracy Samantha Lord and included the song I love you, Samantha; British actress Samantha Eggar (born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar to a half-Dutch mother) had a few TV and film roles from 1961; and the name was also featuring in popular novels.  Then, of course, came Samantha Stephens, the principle character in the hit American TV show Bewitched in 1964 which ran successfully until 1972. This more than anything is what catapulted the name Samantha to stardom.  The Observer; Jan 15 1961 Births in England and Wales: 1955: 0 births 1956: 0 births <- High Society was released. 1957: 2 births 1958: 7 births 1959: 10 births 1960: 24 births 1961: 65 births 1962: 116 births 1963: 305 births 1964: 717 births <- The year Bewitched aired.  1965: 2417 births 1966: 4394 births 1967: 5525 births 1968: 5001 births 1969: 5294 births 1970: 6177 births Is it any wonder then, that Samantha reached #9 in 1974, despite not ranking in the top 100 at all in 1964. It was still at #8 a decade later in 1984, after which it gradually declined, reaching #20 in 1994, #51 in 1999 and #105 in 2004.  At the same time, Samantha was also in the top 20 in Australia in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.  Strangely, in its native home of America, Samantha had only risen gradually to #128 by 1974 (when it was #9 in England and Wales) and didn't reach the US top 10 until 1988. However, it stayed there until 2005, peaking at #3 in 1998. It is now also on a slow decline there, but still remains up at #33.  In 2014, Samantha ranked #300 (156 births) in England and Wales, #282 (15 births) in Scotland, and #573 (2 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Samantha Eggar (b. 1939), British actress. * Samantha Bond (b. 1961), British actress. * Samantha Power (b. 1970) is an Irish-American academic, author and diplomat. * Samantha Morton (b. 1977), British actress. * Samantha Cole (b. 1978), American dance-pop singer/songwriter. * Samantha Ruth Prabhu (b. 1987), prominent Indian actress and model. Literature and Other Media: * Samantha Allen, the principle character in Marietta Holley's novels.  * Samantha Stephens, the principle character in the TV show Bewitched. * Samantha Jones, character in the television show Sex and the City * Samantha Carter, character in the television show Stargate SG-1. * "Lady Samantha" (1969), a song by Elton John

Variants:

Samanta (Spanish, Italian)

Pronunciation:

sə-MAN-thə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Sam, Sammy

Sibling Names:

Claire     Natalie     Laura     Rachel      Victoria     Fiona  Nicholas     Andrew     Michael     Callum     Matthew     Jonathan

Name Lists:

N/A

  

If you like Samantha you may also like:   Amanda, Gabrielle, Jennifer, Danielle, Melissa, Rebecca, Stephanie, Heather, Susannah, Abigail

 

Thanks to Maisie for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week: Benjamin

 

Origin:

Benjamin is the Anglicised form of the Hebrew name Binyamin, derived from ben "son" and yamin meaning both "right (hand)" and "south." In the Old Testament, Benjamin is the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel who, according to the Jewish Talmud, was one of four biblical figures who lived his life without sin. Just before she died giving birth to him, Rachel named her son Benoni "son of sorrow" but he was renamed by his father -- Genesis tells us -- so that Jacob wouldn't be continually reminded of his grief every time he said his son's name. Benjamin has been interpreted in several different ways. The most popular derivation is "son of the right hand" which has great symbolic meaning in the Bible. The right hand (mentioned 166 times) is often symbolic in biblical verses for strength. The right hand of god in particular, represents power, authority and judgement.  Some scholars in rabbinical literature prefer the interpretation "son of the south," as he was the only son born to Jacob in Caanan while the others had been born in Aram to the north. It is interesting to note also that the tribe of Benjamin was the most southern tribe of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, further strengthening the link. In the Samaritan Pentateuch the name is consistently written as Binyaamem (Benjamim) which renders the name as "son of days". Some rabbis argue that this refers to Jacob's advanced age when Benjamin was born.

Usage:

As the name of a prominent Patriarch, Benjamin has been a well used Jewish name for centuries. The name was little used in Britain in the Middle Ages outside of the Jewish community, but was used enough to establish Benjamin as a surname by the 13th century.  It wasn't until the 16th century, when Old Testament names became fashionable, that Benjamin became more widely used. While it was only the 40th most popular name in Elizabethan Norfolk, it was the 17th most popular by the Restoration-era.  Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 in England, shows how the name gradually increased over the course of the 17th century:   1538-49: N/A; 1550-9: N/A; 1560-9: N/A; 1570-9: N/A; 1580-9: N/A; 1590-9: #42; 1600-9: #45; 1610-9: #46; 1620-9: #31; 1630-9: #33; 1640-9: #29; 1650-9: #24; 1660-9: #15; 1670-9: #15; 1680-9: #15; 1690-1700: #14. These later ranks remained quite consistent over the following centuries; in Dunkling's rankings for England and Wales, Benjamin ranks #15 in 1700, #13 in 1800 and #17 in 1850.  Data from the 1881 census shows that the name was most common in England and Wales in the 19th century. Interestingly, per 100,000 people, it was most popular in Wales which corresponds nicely with the distribution of the surname Benjamin.  Given that the Welsh held on to their patronymic tradition of adopting the father's name as a surname for centuries after the English dropped it, it is little wonder that the given name and surname flourished hand in hand in Wales. After 1850, Benjamin ever so gradually declined over the following century. Birth ranks in England and Wales are as follows: 1860: #23 1870: #26 1880: #27 1890: #35 1900: #40 1904: #53 1914: #63 1924: #83 1934: Out of the top 100 1944: Out of the top 100 1954: Out of the top 100 1964: Out of the top 100 1974: #34 1984: #16 1994: #15 By the 1950s, Benjamin (as with other Old Testament names like Joshua, Jesse and Matthew) was in "old man name" territory. Its huge leap back into favour came in the mid-1970s. According to Leslie Dunkling's figures, per 10,000 births, Benjamin went from not ranking at all in 1960, to 6 in 1965, 30 in 1970 and 119 in 1975.  Some of this may be attributed to the fame of British composer Benjamin Britten as well of the success of the film The Graduate in 1967, in which Dustin Hoffman played the lead role, Benjamin Braddock. By 1996, Benjamin was back to its 18th and 19th ranking, and by 2002 it reached the top 10 for the first time. It has since plateaued around the #30 mark.  In 2014, Benjamin ranked #28 (2490 births) in England and Wales, #47 (141 births) in Scotland and #53 (56 births) in Northern Ireland.  It is also popular across the English-speaking world, ranking #6 in British Columbia, #12 in the USA and #19 in New South Wales.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Patriarch Benjamin, the last-born of Jacob's twelve sons. * Martyr Benjamin (d. 296), martyred during the reign of Diocletian. * Saint Benjamin the Deacon and Martyr (329-424 ), martyred by the Persian King Varanes V. * Pope Benjamin I of Alexandria (590-661), Coptic Pope. * Pope Benjamin II of Alexandria (1327–1339), Coptic Pope. * Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), polymath and a Founding Father of the United States. * Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), British Prime Minister and author. * Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), British composer. Contemporary: * Benjamin Zephaniah (b. 1958), poet and writer. * Ben Stiller (b. 1965), American actor. * Ben Affleck (b. 1972), American film screenwriter, director and actor. * Ben Barnes (b. 1981), British actor. Literature and Other Media: * Benjamin Allen, character in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers (1836). * "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," F. Scott Fitzgerald story and film. * Benjamin Braddock, main character in film "The Graduate" (1967). Other: * Benjamin tree, a tree that produces benzoin that can be used in perfumery.

Variants:

Binyamin (Hebrew, Arabic), Veniamin, Venyamin (Russian), Benjamim (Portuguese), Beniamino (Italian)

Pronunciation:

BEN-jə-min [key]

Possible diminutives:

Ben, Benji, Benny, Jim, Jamie, Jem

Sibling Names:

Sophie     Abigail     Rebecca     Elizabeth      Hannah     Emma      Daniel     Matthew     Joseph     Nicholas     Thomas     Samuel

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical  Gorgeously Georgian  Dickensian Names

 

If you like Benjamin you may also like:    Elijah, Bennett, Joshua, Christopher, Joel, Gabriel, Jonathan, Edward, Zachary, Alexander

 

Name of the Week: Luna

 

 

Origin:

Luna was the Roman personification and goddess of the moon, equivalent to the Greek goddess Selene, who travelled across the sky in her horse-drawn chariot. Her siblings were Sol (Helios) "the sun" and Aurora (Eos) "the dawn."  Luna is a Latin word for "moon" derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leuksna- "shining, gleaming." The Shining One seems to have been an ancient epithet for the moon as it was adopted in several languages as a name for the moon (Old Church Slavonic luna "moon," Armenian lusin "moon," Middle Irish luan "light, moon"). Similarly, the Greek equivalent Selene relates to the word selas "light, brightness, bright flame." The Roman writer Varro (116 BC–27 BC) categorises Luna as one of the twenty principal gods of Roman religion (Di selecti) and also one of the twelve deities who are vital to agriculture (De re rustica). As Apollo was often identified as Sol/Helios, the sun, so too his twin sister Diana (Artemis), the goddess of the hunt was often identified with Luna; the temple dedicated to Luna on the Aventine Hill in Rome was just below Diana's. Juno, the goddess of childbirth and the home, also had Luna as an epithet: "The name Apollo is Greek; they say that he is the Sun, and Diana they identify with the Moon . . . the name Luna is derived from lucere 'to shine’; for it is the same word as Lucina, and therefore in our country Juno Lucina is invoked in childbirth, as is Diana in her manifestation as Lucifera (the light-bringer) among the Greeks. [...] She is invoked to assist at the birth of children, because the period of gestation is either occasionally seven, or more usually nine, lunar revolutions..." Cicero, De Natura Deorum 2. 27 (trans. Rackham)* Luna was also used as a name for silver by ancient alchemists.

Usage:

As Latin became the basis for many languages in Europe, so luna, and variants thereof, were adopted across the Continent (luna in Spanish and Italian, lune in French and Danish, laune in German, lua in Portuguese). As such, by the 17th century, Luna was not only considered to be a Classical name of Roman mythology, but also one adopted to personify the moon in poetry. Luna can be found in a handful of baptisms across Europe, including England, from the late 16th and early 17th century.  The Italian fairy tale Sole, Luna e Talia (1634) by Giambattista Basile tells the folk story of a beauty named Talia who is put into a deep sleep by a splinter of flax. In the tale, Talia's son and daughter are named Sole "sun" and Luna "moon." This later became the basis for the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty which we know today. In the 19th century, Luna was used moderately for girls and occasionally for boys. The 1891 UK census lists 4 males with the first name Luna and 79 females. Births in England and Wales show that it averaged two births per year in the 19th century, but became rare in the mid-20th century: 1840s: 10 births 1850s: 15 births 1860s: 22 births 1870s: 22 births 1880s: 17 births 1890s: 15 births 1900s: 11 births 1910s: 5 births 1920s: 10 births 1930s: 2 births 1940s: 2 births 1950s: 5 births 1960s: 9 births 1970s: 13 births click to enlarge From 1996 up until 2006, Luna was registered no more that twenty times in any given year, putting it firmly below the top 1000. Since then, however, it has been on an upward curve, reaching #639 (50 births) in 2006, #526 (76 births) in 2010, #337 (144 births) in 2012 and #225 (224 births) in 2013.  By this point, Luna had received media attention with the Harry Potter character Luna Lovegood who first appears in the novel The Order of the Phoenix (2003) and her character continued to develop up to the final installment of the series in 2007. The character, portrayed by Evanna Lynch, first appeared in film versions in 2007 and continued the role up to the final film in 2011.  2012 saw the birth of Uma Thurman's daughter Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence, known simply as "Luna," and the following year Penelope Cruz also named her daughter Luna.  In 2014, Luna ranked #146 (380 births) in England and Wales, #246 (18 births) in Scotland and #255 (7 births) in Northern Ireland.  Demonstrating its international appeal, in the same year Luna ranked # 43 in Denmark, #44 in both Belgium and the Netherlands, #50 in France, #65 in Croatia, #67 in Portugal, #81 in Switzerland, #90 in Slovenia, #94 in Spain and #99 in Sweden.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Luna Leopold (1915–2006), American (male) scientist. Contemporary: * Luna (b. 1993), a South Korean singer. * Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson "Luna" (b. 2012), daughter of Uma Thurman. * Luna Encinas Cruz (b. 2013), daughter of Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Literature and Other Media: * Adeline Luna, a character in Henry James' novel The Bostonians (1886). * Luna Lovegood, a character in J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter novels.  * Princess Luna, a character in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Variants:

Lunar

Pronunciation:

LOO-nə [key]

Possible  longer forms:

Albulena, Aluna, Calluna, Emmanuella, Luciana, Lucina, Lucinda, Lunaria, Lunette, Lunetta, Melusine, Melusina, Ursulina

Sibling Names:

Aria     Belle     Penelope     Maia      Esme     Iris   Seth     Milo     Roman     Enzo     Rex     Arlo

Name Lists:

Dulcet Dainties   Slickly Continental   Gods and Goddesses    Butterfly Names

  

If you like Luna you may also like:   Lyra, Orla, Juno, Lois, Mila, Ariana, Lila, Hebe, Thea, Nova

 

Thanks to Stephanie for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week: Roy

 

Origin:

Roy is a given name derived from two distinct sources: Roy is found as an English surname . It was a patronymic surname, derived from the given name Roi -- most likely actually a byname (descriptive nickname) -- from the Old French roi king, chief." It has been suggested that it may have been used as a nickname for a person with a regal bearing, or a sporting victor.* Roy is an anglicised form of the Gaelic name Ruadh, from the Old Irish rúad "red, reddish." It is found as a medieval byname in Ireland and Scotland, most likely denoting a person with red hair.

Usage:

The Norman Roi/Roy has used since at least the 12th century. Roi de Scallebi can be found listed in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1188, while, as a surname, Adam le Roy is found in the Feet of Fines of Suffolk in 1268, and Simon Roy in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279. Roy continued to be used in England into the 16th and 17th century small numbers, most likely thanks to adoption of the surname as a given name.  There are several instances of the Old Irish Rúad in use as a by name since at least the 11th century. There are seventy-eight citations found in the Irish Annals between 1039 to 1597.  One of the most famous bearers of this nickname is the Scottish legend Robert MacGregor (1671-1734) who was known as Rab Ruadh (Red Robert), or "Rob Roy" in English. Chief of the MacGregor Clan, Rob Roy became a prosperous cattle dealer who is said to have helped his neighbouring tenants who were unable to fend for themselves. When his chief herder defrauded him, he got on the wrong side of the Duke of Montrose and was made an outlaw. Several escapades ensued which were published during his lifetime in The Highland Rogue (1723), earning him the reputation as the "Scottish Robin Hood." Walter Scott further added to Robert MacGregor's fame in 1817 with his novel Rob Roy, which was a huge success. Several boys in Scotland and elsewhere around Britain where called "Robert Roy" -- especially if their surname was MacDonald! Data from the 1881 census shows that, as a given name, Roy was spread around Britain in use. Much of this was as a middle name, which was influenced by the surname.  The surname, however, was most common in Scotland, and this reflects the given name's usage when we look at population per 100,000 (see right). As a first name exclusively (not counting middle names), Roy took a while to increase in usage, but then exploded in popularity, as we can see from births in England and Wales: 1840s: 0 births 1850s: 3 births 1860s: 6 births 1870s: 58 births 1880s: 381 births 1890s: 1509 births 1900s: 3683 births By 1890, Roy reached #181 and by 1900 was #118.  By the 1870s, "Rob Roy" was put on as a play in many theatres across the county, which may have influenced the rise in the name.  Roy first reached the top 100 in 1914 at #64. It had a steep incline from that point to its peak at #17 in 1934, after which it fell down just as quickly, leaving the top 100 after 1964.  From 1996 to 2000, Roy steadily declined from #399 (53 births) to #751 (23 births). It has since plateaued, averaging between 20-30 births per year.  In Scotland, Roy was last in the top 100 (at #91) in 1975, after which it steadily declined. After 2003 it dropped below the top 500 (6 births) where it has also plateaued. In 2014, Roy ranked #1035 (27 births) in England and Wales, and #1258 (1 birth) in Scotland. It did not rank in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Robert MacGregor "Rob Roy" (1671-1734), Scottish folk hero. * Roy Chapman Andrews (1884–1960), American naturalist and explorer. * Roy Campbell (1901–1957), South African poet and satirist. * Roy Wilkins (1901-1981), American civil rights activist. * Roy Rogers (1911–1998) American Western film star. * Roy Castle (1932-1994), British dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. * Roy Orbison (1936-1988), American singer-songwriter and musician. Contemporary: * Roy Hodgson (1947), British former football player and current manager of the England squad. * Roy Keane (1971), Irish former football player and current manager. Literature and Other Media: * Roy Race, protagonist of British comic strip, Roy of the Rovers. * Roy Harper, a superhero in the DC Comics universe.

Variants:

Ruadh (Gaelic)

Pronunciation:

ROY [key]

Possible Longer forms:

Royston, Leroy, Elroy, Conroy, Kilroy, Fitzroy

Sibling Names:

Edie     Vera     Olive     Hazel     Nora     Greta  Fred     Iain     Walter     Eric     Clive     Dean

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky  Resurrected Retro  Red Names

 

If you like Roy you may also like:    Glenn, Ryan, Bryn, Ray, Ralph, Giles, Roland, Lyle, Craig, Guy

 

Thanks to Kirsti for requesting this post.