British Baby Names

Name of the Week

A Spartan princess, an ancient city and
an intelligent muggle-born witch.

 

Origin:

Hermione is the transliterated form of the Ancient Greek name Ἑρμιόνη. In Greek mythology, Hermione was the daughter of King Menelaus and Queen Helen of Sparta who was caught between two suitors: Orestes son of Agamemnon and Neoptolemus son of Achilles.   Hermione was also, and arguably more notably in ancient times, the name of a port town in the Peloponnese which, by the 8th century, was a city state in control of neighbouring towns. It was the site of many dedicated temples and was an important site of trade, shipbuilding and production of the sought-after red dye porphyra. Pausanius described it as "a city which I found afforded much to write about." Hermione is undoubtedly derived from Hermes, the name of the god of transition, boundaries and the divine messenger. Scholars are divided as to where the name comes from. Certainly, it is an extremely ancient name, possibly pre-Greek. Even ancient scholars were at a loss to account for the name's origin. Plato suggested "that the name Hermes has to do with speech, and signifies that he is the interpreter," thanks to its similarity to ερμενηυς (hermenus) "interpretor." However, it is now believed that hermenus was derived from Hermes, not the other way around.  Most scholars feel it likely that it derives from ἕρμα (herma) meaning "heap of stones, boundary marker," which ties in very nicely to his duty as the God of Boundaries.

Usage:

There are several examples of Hermione in use in the Classical and Hellenistic Greek eras. The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names has recorded 107 examples of the name in use, many of them in Asia Minor where it was around the 11th most popular name for women.  Hermione was also not uncommon in the Roman Empire, often found in the Latinised form Hermiona. St Hermione (d.117) was a Christian martyr of Ephesus, while Pompeii sports the tomb of a Lollia Hermiona.  On British shores, Hermione didn't have much use until the 17th century, when it was used in literary circles. Most notably, Shakespeare used the name for his beautiful and virtuous queen of Sicily in A Winter's Tale, which was first published in 1623. In 1673, Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera Cadmus et Hermione was first performed, which was based on the ancient Greek myth of Cadmus. However, according to the myth, Cadmus's wife was the goddess Harmonia, not Hermione. Lully was not the only one to make the mistake; Milton wrote "...those that in Illyria changed Hermione and Cadmus." Most likely the confusion started with the Latin form Hermiona, and later medieval texts adopted the forms Harmonie, Harmiona and Hermonia. In terms of usage, Hermione appears on baptism records in the late 17th century. It was rare initially, but by the 19th century, Hermione (while still uncommon) had established regular use. It gradually, gained in use by the end of the century, averaging 5-6 births per year. Birth in England and Wales: 1840s: 5 births 1850s: 5 births 1860s: 16 births 1870s: 21 births 1880s: 53 births 1890s: 61 births 1900s: 69 births 1910s: 89 births 1920s: 79 births 1930s: 78 births 1940s: 102 births 1950s: 36 births 1960s: 54 births In the the 1990s, Hermione was just sitting within the top 1000. It's fortunes changed however, when J.K.Rowling used the name for the principle female character in her Harry Potter series, the first of which was published in 1997. The first film was released in 2001.  Click to enlarge In 1996, Hermione ranked #974 in England and Wales with 21 births. After the publication of the first Harry Potter book, the name slowly began to rise in usage up to #637 (40 births) in 2000. It was the year after the first film hit the cinemas however that Hermione really began to move ranking #394 (84 births) in 2002, #265 (158 births) in 2003 and #265 (162 births) in 2004. Since its peak in 2004, Hermione has seen a sporadic and gradual decline in use, but it still remains in more use than its pre-Potter status.  In 2013, Hermione ranked #542 with 77 births in England and Wales.  It is less common in Scotland where it ranked #1021 (2 births) in 2014. It did not rank in Northern Ireland at all.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Hermione of Ephesus (d. 117 A.D.), early Christian martyr. * Hermione Gingold (1897–1987), British actress. * Hermione Baddeley (1906–1986), British actress. * Hermione Hammond (1910–2005), British painter. Contemporary: * Hermione Norris (b. 1968), British actress. Literature and other Media: * Queen Hermione of Sicily, a character in The Winter's Tale (1623) by William Shakespeare. * Hermione, a character in the opera Cadmus et Hermione (1673) by Jean-Baptiste Lully. * Hermione Granger, a main character in the Harry Potter novels and films by J.K. Rowling.  * Hermione Bostock, a character in the fiction of P. G. Wodehouse. * Letter to Hermione, a song from the album Space Oddity by David Bowie. Other: * HMS Hermione, four ships of the Royal Navy.

Variants:

Ermioni, Ἑρμιόνη (Greek) Hermiona (Latinised)

Pronunciation:

hər-MĪ-ə-nee (UK) er-mee-Ō-neh (Greek) [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Hermie, Mimi, Minnie, Hera, Hero, Mione, Marni

Sibling Names:

Cassandra     Penelope     Emmeline     Beatrix      Ophelia     Rosalind  Dominic     Alexander     Sebastian     Maxim     Theodore     Benedict

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance   Vintage   Saintly and Stylish   Shakespearean   Harry Potter Names   Mythological Names    Ancient Place Names   Butterflies

 

If you like Hermione you may also like:   Ottilie, Persephone, Thessaly, Arabella, Phaedra, Jemima, Sabina, Venetia, Perdita, Theodora

 

Thanks to Arabella for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week

A rare and sprightly Welsh name
used by Disney for a plucky princess.

 

Origin:

Eilonwy is a Welsh name, coined in the 19th century -- a time of cultural revival when many Welsh names were being readopted from Welsh history and mythology and many new names were created from vocabulary words and common name elements.  On first glance, it looks as if Eilonwy is made up of eilon + wy. The word eilon is a homonym, meaning both "melody, song" and "deer, hart, stag," while -wy is a suffix found in several Welsh names such as Goronwy, Myfanwy, Cadwy and Daronwy.  It may have been inspired by the Old Welsh name Eluned/Eiluned which had been revived several years before and was derived from eilun "image, likeness, icon," referring to cult statues.

Usage:

There is a rather obscure mention of a 7th century Welsh (male) saint named Eilunwy.* This would most certainly be derived from eilun "image, icon," and is very reminiscent of Creirwy -- the name of the beautiful daughter of Ceridwen -- whose name derives from creir "sacred object, relic" + -wy.  Early Welsh history also has mention of Eilon the Crythwr (Harpist) a bard of Lord Rhys who won the music chair in the first eisteddfod in 1177. In his case, his name was probably meant to represent eilon "stag." However, neither name can be found in any other instance and was not revived in these forms in the 19th century.  Eilonwy was first used as a proper name in the late 1800s. It was, from the beginning, only used for girls -- Eilunwy and Eilon were not revived -- which suggests that eilon "melody, song." was the intended meaning.  The earliest reference I can find is a girl named Eilonwy Hughes on the 1881 UK census, born in Manchester in 1874 to Welsh-born parents. The second was a girl (also born to Welsh parents) in Liverpool in 1892.  From that point Eilonwy was confined almost exclusively to Wales and by 1911, there were 10 girls bearing the name. Sibling names included Caswallon, Iorworth, Morfudd, Gwerfyl and Ceinfron, all names from early Welsh history and legend. It is curious these parents didn't use other "new" Welsh names, which suggests that Eilonwy was at least considered at the time to have been an old Welsh name.  Welsh newspapers from the 1880s-1890s make mention of a hymn tune named 'Eilonwy' being performed in North Wales, though I cannot find a copy of the lyrics to ascertain what it was about. There is also a brief mention in John Rhys' Celtic Folklore: Welsh And Manx (1901) in The Fairies' Revenge of a girl named Eilonwy whose mother was a mermaid. Perhaps, then, Eilonwy was a name that had passed down orally through local Welsh folklore. Births for Eilonwy per decade in England and Wales: 1890s: 2 births 1900s: 5 births 1910s: 5 births 1920s: 4 births 1930s: 7 births 1940s: 1 birth 1950s: 1 birth 1960s: 1 birth (middle name)  1970s: 1 birth (middle name)  1980s: 3 births (middle name)  1990s: 3 births (middle name)  2000s: 4 births (middle name)  From 1964 to 1968, Lloyd Alexander used the name in his five children's fantasy novels The Chronicles of Prydain, for his principle character named Princess Eilonwy. The second book The Black Cauldron was made into an animated film in 1985 by Disney.  Despite this exposure by Disney and the high praise the books received, it did not boost the name Eilonwy. In fact, after the 1950s, Eilonwy was only used as a middle name, making it a rare literary and Celtic choice.

Famous Bearers:

Literature and Other Media: * Princess Eilonwy, a character in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydainseries (1964-8). * Princess Eilonwy, a character in Disney's The Black Cauldron (1985).

Variants:

Eilona

Pronunciation:

ay-LON-wee, ī-LON-wee [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Eili, Eila, Lonny, Lola

Sibling Names:

Ceridwen     Tegwen     Morfydd     Morwenna     Arianrhod     Melangell  Iorwerth     Rhydderch     Teilo      Rhisiart      Emrys       Taliesin

Name Lists:

Disney Names

 

If you like Eilonwy you may also like:   Eluned, Gwenonwy, Ealasaid, Eilithyia, Iolanthe, Esyllt, Myfanwy, Eirwen, Aeronwy, Elowen

 

Thanks to Olwen for requesting this post. 

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

Stately and sweet, Florence is a proper little lady.
It isn't a royal name -- but it feels like it should be.

 

Origin:

Florence is the Anglicised form of both the Roman names Florentius and Florentia, meaning "belonging to Florens," which was a common Roman cognomen. Florens itself means "blossoming," derived from floreo meaning "to blossom, flower, flourish." Florence is also the English name given to the Italian city of Firenze. There are several theories as to how the city came by its name. The most plausible are either that it derived from the Latin Colonia Florentia meaning "flowering colony" (possibly as a figurative term) or that it was a corruption of Fluentia -- from fluens "to flow" -- owing to the fact that it was situated between two rivers.

Usage:

In the Middle Ages, Florence was used as both a masculine and a feminine name, most likely thanks to its use by saints or to denote a person being "of Florence". There are several Saints Florentius, including a 3rd century Roman martyr, and a St Florentia (d. c. 303). Latinised forms included Florentius, Florentia and Florencia, though all were called by the vernacular Florence. Also in use was similar Floria, derived from the Old French flur "flower," which were used in the vernacular form Flur/Fluri and often used with the epithet 'sweet'. Florkin was used as a diminutive.  Florence was never wildly common, but it was used enough for it to engender the surname Florence. Notable namesakes include Florence of Worcester (d. 1118), a renowned monk and chronicler, Florence (or Floris) of Holland (d.1210), a 13th century nobleman and cleric, and Florence Wilson "Florentius Volusenus" (c. 1504–1547), a Scottish humanist.  After the 15th century, Florence became far less common as a masculine name, but it maintained better use as a female name. There were exceptions of course, which mostly depended on local area. In Midlothian, Cumbria and Hereford, for example, it clung on as a masculine name for quite a while and eve in my poll of the most popular Elizabethan Norfolk names, Florence was only used once -- for a male.  Overall however, Florence became more common for girls, especially among the peerage. For example, Florence Poulett (b.1612), daughter of politician John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett had a niece named after her, which was then passed down from mother to daughter for several generations.  In his top 50 rankings from 1538-1700, Smith Bannister lists Florence four times for girls: 1590-9: #38; 1600-9: #47; 1610-9: #44; 1640-9: #47. In Ireland, Florence was maintained for much longer as a masculine name thanks to its being used to render several Irish names such as Flaithrí and Fingin. Notable examples include Fláithrí Ó Maolchonaire "Florence Conroy" (1560– 1629), an Irish Franciscan and theologian and Florence "Flurry" Knox, a pub landlord in the novel Some Experiences of an Irish RM (1899) by Somerville and Ross.  In the first half of the 19th century, Florence was in moderate use. Initially wasn't especially popular -- it doesn't appear in Dunkling's top 50 girls names for England and Wales in 1700, 1800 or 1850 -- but it was used continually, and still occasionally for boys. Dickens used the name for his character Florence Dombey in Dombey and Son (1846) which seems to have given the name considerable boost, and author Elizabeth Gaskell named one of her daughters Florence Elizabeth in 1842. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was so named because she was born in the city of Florence in Italy, as was and this was perhaps the influence for other parents as Florence was a fashionable destination for wealthy English Victorians.  A further boost to Florence's fortune came with the event of the Crimean War from 1853-1856. Parents clamoured to give their children eventful names. Battles led to several babies being named Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol and names notable figures were also used. Thanks to her part in the war effort and her being used as by the British government as a poster girl, Florence Nightingale became an overnight sensation and national treasure. Births in England and Wales: 1838: 26 births 1840: 21 births (at least 3 males) 1842: 63 births (at least 5 males) 1844: 50 births  1846: 86 births  -- The year Dombey and Sons was published.  1848: 256 births 1850: 247 births 1852: 398 births 1854: 545 births -- The year Florence Nightingale went to the Crimea.   1856: 1677 births 1858: 1522 births Click to enlarge As we can see, effect of both Dickens and Florence Nightingale the name Florence was marked and it went from strength to strength. From not ranking in the top 50 in 1850, it was #14 by 1870, #6 in 1880, #3 in 1890, and #2 in 1900. Data from the 1881 census shows that it was most prevalent in England, especially in the southern counties, though it did reach #49 in Scotland by 1900.  It maintained it's popularity initially in the 20th century, but gradually began to decline. It was #2 in 1904, #6 in 1914, #23 in 1924 and #49 in 1934, after which it fell out of the top 100.  This can be seen in Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name 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   394   142    44    10    4     -     -      4      -      -    6    - From 1996 to 2003, Florence bobbed along comfortably in the bottom quarter of the top 200 in England and Wales. It gradually began to pick up from 2004, bursting into the top 100 in 2008 at #94. Since then it has risen steeply, ranking #54 in 2010, #34 in 2012 and #29 in 2013. As it was in the 19th century, Florence proves it's still very much an English rose. Individually, Florence is much less popular in Wales than England (#71 in 2013 compared to #29 in England) while it has yet to reach the top 100 in Scotland and Northern Ireland in recent years.  In Scotland, the name has ranked consistently between #100-#300: #233 in 2010, #142 in 2011, #203 in 2012 and #155 in 2013.  In Northern Ireland, Florence has had no more than 8 births in any given year, peaking at #229 in 2012 and ranking #284 in 2013.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Florence of Worcester (d. 1118), a renowned monk and chronicler. * Florence Wilson "Florentius Volusenus" (c. 1504–1547), a Scottish humanist.  * Fláithrí Ó Maolchonaire "Florence Conroy" (1560– 1629), an Irish Franciscan and theologian. * Florence Caddy (1837–1923), English writer. * Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), pioneer of modern nursing. * Florence LaBadie (1888-1917), Canadian silent movie actress. * Florence Lawrence (1890-1938), inventor and actress, referred to as "The First Movie Star." * Florence Marjorie Robertson "Dame Anna Neagle" (1904-1986), British actress and singer. Contemporary: * Florence Bjelke-Petersen (b.1920) Australian politician and writer. * Florence Henderson (b.1934), American actress and singer. * Florence King (b.1936), American author. * Florence Welch (b.1986), British singer and frontwoman of Florence & the Machine. Literature and Other Media: * Florence Dombey, a charcter in Dicken's novel Dombey and Son (1846). * Florence "Flurry" Knox, a pub landlord in the novel Some Experiences of an Irish RM (1899) by Somerville and Ross.

Variants:

Florentine, Florentina; Florentia, Florentius (Late Roman), Florenz (German), Floor, Floris (Dutch), Fiorenza, Fiorenzo (Italian)

Pronunciation:

FLOR-rəns [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Flo, Florrie, Flossie, Floy, Fen, Ren, Fee, Lorrie, Cherry

Sibling Names:

Charlotte     Matilda     Imogen     Amelia     Isabelle     Eliza  Oscar     Archie     Samuel     Arthur      Stanley     Albert

Name Lists:

Victorian Darlings   Upright Elegance   Dickensian Names   Names of Roses

 

If you like Florence you may also like:  Alice, Clementine, Grace, Eleanor, Martha, Beatrice, Constance, Eloise, Rose, Annabel

 

Thanks to Julia for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week

^.


A name with ancient Irish ties that was once extremely
rare, only to rocket to stardom as a 90s favourite.

 

Origin:

Kieran is an Anglicised form of Ciarán, an Old Irish name derived from ciar "black, dark" and the diminutive suffix -án -- essentially "little dark one."  Completely separate, but sometimes spelt the same way, is the Sanskrit unisex name Kiran, derived from किरण (kirana) meaning "ray of light, sunbeam, dust, thread."

Usage:

According to early Irish chronicles, there were at least 26 saints named Ciarán. Some of these may well be apocryphal, but the most famous are Saint Ciarán of Saigir (Ciarán the Elder) and Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (Ciarán the Younger), both of whom died in the 6th century and are counted among the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. Despite the fact that it appears in the early saintly annals, Ciarán wasn't especially popular. It doesn't rank at all in this study of the top 100 most popular names in early medieval Ireland (pre-Norman) and the Irish Annals only have six citations of the name from 512 to 1061. Even by the 17th century, examples of Ciaran are hard to find. This is most likely because names of the saints were for a long time considered too holy to use as a given name for children. Instead, parents wishing to reference a saint in their child’s name would often give their child a devotional name formed from that saint’s name. Parents wishing to reference Saint Ciarán would use Gilla Ciaráin "servant of Ciarán" or Máel Ciaráin "devotee of Ciarán" rather than simply Ciarán.  The anglicised spelling Kieran came into more steady (though still rare) usage at the end of the 18th century in Ireland. This coincides with a Celtic revival that took place in the country at that time which also brought names like Niall and Brian into fashion. Thanks to immigration, Kieran spread across to Britain in the 19th century, but it was quite uncommon in Victorian Britain -- even in fellow Gaelic country Scotland. The 1871 UK census lists only 7 males named Kieran, two of whom were born in Ireland.  It wasn't until the 1920s (after the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922) that Irish names were more consciously revived, and this certainly had a gradual impact on Kieran across Ireland and Britain over the preceding decades.  Sadly, there is a severe lack of data for names used in Ireland at this time. We known from Patrick Woulfe's Irish Names and Surnames (1921) that 80% of Irish male names were "foreign" with John, Patrick, Michael, James, William, Thomas, Martin, Peter and Timothy leading the way.  Births for Kieran in England and Wales however, do demonstrate the change in Kieran's fortune, especially among Irish families: 1850s: 1 birth 1860s: 1 birth 1870s: 0 births 1880s: 2 births 1890s: 2 births 1900s: 5 births 1910s: 7 births 1920s: 8 births 1930s: 16 births 1940s: 105 births 1950s: 454 births 1960s: 839 births This corresponds to Dunkling's data for the number of boys registered with the names Kieran and Kieron in every 10,000 births in England and Wales:   1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 Kieran    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    10    16   40  Kieron    -    -    -    -    -     4    -    -     2    14     8 Kieran first entered the top 100 in 1984 at #90 and by 1994 had moved up to #34. It reached a peak in 1996 at #26 (2882 births) but after that has been on a steady decline.  click to enlarge In 2013 in England and Wales, Kieran ranked #190 (294 births), Ciaran was #489 (78 births), Kieron was #676 (49 births), and the Indian Kiran was #837 and #1291 respectively for boys and girls. With all the spellings added together, Kieran ranked #140.  In Scotland, both Kieran and Ciaran have seen even more success in the last two decades, though they are now also seeing a decline: 1998 - Kieran #17; Ciaran #77 2000 - Kieran #14; Ciaran #75 2002 - Kieran #19; Ciaran #75 2004 - Kieran #22; Ciaran #62  2006 - Kieran #40; Ciaran #76  2008 - Kieran #47; Ciaran #115  2010 - Kieran #70; Ciaran #99  2012 - Kieran #100; Ciaran #166  2013 - Kieran #101; Ciaran #167 Not surprisingly, in Northern Ireland Ciaran is the preferred spelling. In 1997, Ciaran ranked #29 while Kieran was #94. By 2004 Ciaran was #30 and Kieran #112 but both spellings have since declined to #97 and #200 respectively. In the Republic of Ireland, Ciarán has moved from #40 in 2008 to #74 in 2013.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Ciarán of Saigir (5th century–c. 530), Irish saint. * Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (c. 516 – c. 544), Irish saint. * Kieron Moore (1924–2007), Irish actor. * Ciarán Bourke (1935–1988), Irish musician. Contemporary: * Ciaran Carson (b. 1948), Northern Irish poet and playwright. * Ciarán Hinds (born 1953), Irish actor. * Kieran O'Brien (born 1973), British actor. * Kieran West (born 1977), Olympic gold medal winning rower. * Kieran Culkin (born 1982), American actor. * Kieren Webster (born 1986), Scottish musician.

Variants:

Ciarán (Irish) Kerran (Manx) Cieran (Welsh) Piran (Cornish)

Pronunciation:

KEER-ən [key]

Possible diminutives:

Keir/Ciar, Kian/Cian

Sibling Names:

Georgia     Caitlin     Amber     Leah      Millie     Erin  Callum     Lewis     Cameron     Brandon    Marcus    Brody

Name Lists:

Cosy Celtic   Lively Lads

 

If you like Kieran you may also like:   Connor, Sean, Curtis, Logan, Declan, Reece, Liam, Ethan, Aidan, Gavin

 

Thanks to Emily 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

^.


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

^.


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

^.


Saintly Francis is solid and respectable but
uncommon enough today to make it a bit daring.

 

Origin:

Francis derives from the Old French Franceis, which came from the Latin Franciscus, a term which originally meant "Frankish, of the Franks" but later came to mean "a Frenchman." Frank - the name of the tribe - almost certainly derives from the old Germanic word *frankon "javelin, lance," and was later used to mean 'free, generous, sincere, forthright'. From this came the Old Germanic given name Franco "a Frank" which was in use from the early Middle Ages. Francis itself was orginally used as a byname, or nickname, as the adjective Franceis "Frenchman," and swiftly became a surname. It only really came into use as a given name, however, until the hugely popular cult of St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) spread across Europe. Born while his father (a wealthy merchant) was away on business in France, his mother had baptised him with the name Giovanni. On his return however, his father preferred to call him Francesco "Frenchman," either because of his travels and admiration for France, and possibly because his wife was from Provence.

Usage:

Use of the surname Franceis "Frenchman" in Britain dates from at least the 12th century. A few examples of its use as a given name, such as Francais de Irtona from Whitby c.1230, can be found from the 13th century. Despite St Francis being canonised two years after his death in 1228, the name Francis wasn't especially common at first. In Redmond's poll of top 50 names from 10 counties in 1377-81, for example, Francis does not rank at all. However, by the end of the 14th century, Francis really began to take off. This was perhaps because the cult of the saint had spread further by this point thanks to the Franciscan Order, but also its use by royalty in Europe. The first King of France, Francis I, succeeded his cousin Louis' throne in 1515 and became a staple among French aristocracy thereafter. His grandson, Francis II, also became King Consort of Scotland as a result of his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1558. This coincided with the canonising of several other saints named Francis in the 16th and 17th century. In my poll of the most popular Elizabethan names of Norfolk, Francis ranks #14 overall. This corresponds nicely to Smith Bannister rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 which shows how consistently popular the name was for nearly two centuries:  1538-49: #16; 1550-9: #14; 1560-9: #13; 1570-9: #10; 1580-9: #12; 1590-9: #11; 1600-9: #10; 1610-9: #11; 1620-9: #10; 1630-9: #12; 1640-9: #12; 1650-9: #13; 1660-9: #13; 1670-9: #13; 1680-9: #12; 1690-1700: #12. By the turn of the 19th century, Francis was still in good and steady use, declining only slightly by the end of the century. It ranked #24 in 1870, #24 in 1880, #26 in 1890 and #28 in 1900. Though Frank was originally a distinct name, by the 19th century both Frank and Frankie had become regarded as a diminutive of Francis. Other occasional nicknames in use included Fay and Fran, though these were more often reserved for the feminine form Frances.  During the 20th century in England and Wales, Francis started from it's Victorian high-point of #28 in 1904 and held its ground in the top 50 through the 1930s. Gradually it declined, falling out of the Top 100 after 1964 when it ranked #82. The name was more popular in Scotland, ranking #19 in 1900, #27 in 1950 and #66 in 1975.  In Northern Ireland however, Francis was still #100 as late as 1997.  Since 1996 in England and Wales, Francis has had very steady use, with a birth count of between 150 and 190 births per year. In 1996, it ranked #188 with 172 birth had only fluctauted slightly after that point.  In 2013, Francis had its highest birth count in England and Wales of the last few decades of 210, giving it a rank of #241. In Scotland, it ranked #247 (17 births) and was #208 (10 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Francis I (1414–1450), Duke of Brittany. * Francis II (1433–1488), Duke of Brittany. * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France. * Francis of Denmark (1497-1511), Prince of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. * Francis I (1517–1545), Duke of Lorraine. * Francis III (1518–1536), Duke of Brittany. * Francis II (1544–1560) King of France and King Consort of Scotland. * Francis I (1541–1587), Grand Duke of Tuscany. * Francis I (1629–1658), Duke of Modena. * Francis I Rákóczi (1645–1676), Prince of Transylvania. * Francis II (1662–1694), Duke of Modena. * Francis II Rákóczi (1676–1735), Prince of Transylvania. * Francis I (1708–1765), Holy Roman Emperor. * Francis III (1737–1780), Duke of Modena. * Francis II (1768–1835), Holy Roman Emperor, also Francis I, Emperor of Austria. * Francis of Spain (1822–1902), Duke of Cádiz, King Consort of Queen Isabella II. History: * St. Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226), Italian Catholic friar and saint. * St Francis of Paola (1416–1507), Italian (Calabrian) founder of the Order of the Minims. * St Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Spanish Catholic friar and saint. * St Francis Borgia (1510–1572), Spanish Jesuit priest; third leader of the Jesuits. * Sir Francis Drake (c.1540-1596), , an English sea captain, privateer and navigator. * St Francis Solanus (1549–1610), Spanish Franciscan missionary to South America. * Francis Bacon (1561–1626), English philosopher, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. * St Francis Caracciolo (1563–1608), Italian priest who co-founded the Congregation of the Minor Clerics Regular. * St Francis de Sales (1567–1622), French Catholic bishop and saint. * St Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (1607–1648), Castilian Dominican missionary; first Roman Catholic martyr killed in China. * St Francis de Geronimo (1642–1716), Italian Jesuit priest. * Francis Fontaine (1845-1901), American poet and novelist. * Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), American Novelist and short story writer. Contemporary: * Pope Francis (b. 1936), the current titular leader of the Roman Catholic Church. * Francis Ford Coppola (b. 1939), American film-director, producer, and screenwriter. Literature and Other Media: * Francis, a character from TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle played by Christopher Masterson. * Francis, a character from Disney and Pixar's film, A Bug's Life.

Variants:

Frantzisko, Patxi (Basque), Frane, Franjo, Franko, Frano, Fran (Croatian), František (Czech), Frans (Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish), Franz, Fränze, Franzi (German), Ferenc (Hungarian), Proinsias (Irish), Francesco, Franco (Italian), Frens, Frenske (Limburgish), Pranciškus (Lithuanian), Franciszek (Polish), Francisco, Chico (Portuguese), Frang (Scottish), Franjo (Serbian), Franc, Frančišek,(Slovene), Francisco, Curro, Paco, Pancho, Paquito (Spanish), Ffransis (Welsh)

Pronunciation:

FRAN-səs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Frank, Frankie, Franz, Fritz, Fin

Sibling Names:

Clara     Agnes     Josephine     Edith     Roberta     Maria   Ralph     Lionel     Stephen     Philip     Jonathan     Richard

Name Lists:

Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Royal Names of Europe   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Francis you may also like:   Patrick, Franklin, Peter, Benedict, Wilfred, Robin, Martin, Alistair, Timothy, Simon

 

Thanks to Aure, Lucie and Kaia for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

^.


Riding on the success of Harrison and Jenson,
new lively lad Grayson is one to watch.

 

Origin:

Grayson is a surname which literally means "son of the reeve" or "son of the "steward". A reeve, or steward, was an official with local jurisdiction under the king or a person in charge of property. The term reeve, itself, comes from the Old English gerefa "king's officer." Grayson however is specifically from the Middle English grayve which actually descends from the cognate Old Norse word greifi “a count, earl, steward.”

Usage:

Britain in 878 The Norse origin of Grayson (as opposed to the Anglo-Saxon) is easy to understand given that the surname traces its origins to Lancashire and Yorkshire: counties which were once part of the Viking region of Danelaw and therefore had a strong Norse influence. In the Domesday Book of 1086, we also find the Norse Griefi (Greue) used as a personal name in Lincolnshire. This most likely represents the occupational term for a steward being used as a byname. Later, in the 1130 Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, there is record of a Turstin filius Greue "Turstin son of Greifi" and, in some forms, fillius Graive "son of the grayve" may have been a precursor to Grayson.  One of the earliest attestations of the surname is a Richard Grayveson in 1327 Wakefield, Yorkshire, which preserves the original spelling. In the same century, spellings from the Yorkshire Poll Taxes include Graiveson, Graveson an Grayfson.  The first example of the spelling Grayson dates from 1426 in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York.  Grayson came into use as an uncommon surname-firstname in the 18th century and had steady but low use — on average 5 births per decade — up to the mid-20th century. In the 1970s, Grayson was being used consistently each year for a handful of babies, but it was still far from common. For the most part, it was used for boys thought there were some instances of its use for girls. Grayson's recent popularity is thanks largely to American influence. In the US, surnames have long been fashionable as first names, and -son names in particular, such as Mason, Madison,  Jackson, Addison, Hudson and Carson have been popular for quite some time. These names, and other American surname-firstnames such as Carter, Hunter and Chase are now making waves on this side of the pond. Grayson currently ranks #73 in America and has been in the top 100 since 2011 and top 500 since 1995. In England and Wales, Grayson did not rank at all until 2005, when only 4 babies (#3208) were given the name. It has been on a steep upward inclide ever since.  Its first big jump was in 2010 when it went from #972 (27 births) to #503 (70 births). It broke into the top 500 the following year in 2011 at #392 (100 births). In 2013, Grayson ranked #231 with 224 births. Greyson ranked #882 (33 births) and Graysen ranked #3315 (5 births). In Scotland, Grayson is on a similar upward curve. It did not rank at all in 2005, 2006 or 2008, however it began to pick up in 2011 (#475: 5 births) moving up to #361 (9 births) in 2012 and #299 (13 births) in 2013.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Henry Joseph Grayson (1856–1918), British scientist. * Grayson Hall (1922–1985), American actress, formerly known as Shirley Grayson.  Contemporary: * Grayson Perry (b. 1960), British artist. Literature and Other Media: * Grayson Barrett, character in Robin Constantine's novel The Promise of Amazing. * Richard "Dick" Grayson, the civilian identity of the original Robin, and later Nightwing, in the DC comics.

Variants:

Greyson, Graysen, Graison, Grason

Pronunciation:

GRAY-sən [key]

Possible diminutives:

Gray, Gun, Sonny

Sibling Names:

Lyla     Harper     Darcey     Mila     Ayla     Skyla  Blake     Carter     Flynn     Rhys     Wyatt     Vaughn

Name Lists:

Lively Lads

 

If you like Grayson you may also like:   Jenson, Parker, Layton, Carson, Harrison, Logan, Keegan, Oakley, Brody, Hunter

 

Thanks to Holly for requesting this post.