British Baby Names

Princess Eugenie: The Ultimate Sibling Name Matcher?

 

 

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank have recently announced the birth of their second child. They are now proud parents to August Philip Hawke Brooksbank -- affectionately called Augie -- and now Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank.

And whether you are a fan of matching or complimentary sibling names, it's hard not to agree that Eugenie has done it extremely well. 

 

Firstly, there are the obvious similarities between August and Ernest: they are both two-syllables, both begin with vowels and end with -st. So far, so matchy.

Both names also share a Victorian style-era. Ernest was a top 20 name for five decades, from 1870 to 1924, in England and Wales. August, however, was little used in Britain — the forms Augustus, Augustine, and even Austin, were more common. But in Germany, where August was the standard form of Augustus, the name was also in the German top 20 at the end of the 19th century. 

Another element to the vintage name choice is nickname. Princess Eugenie has already revealed that they call August "Augie" and the standard nickname for Ernest is Ernie. Both -ie names fit perfectly with the grandpa nickname trend that has been dominating in England and Wales for the last decade. 

Digging a little deeper, both August and Ernest are adjective names. And, yes, thousands of names derive from adjectives — Asher ("happy"), Rhys ("ardent"), Finn ("fair-haired"), etc — but not many are adjectives in English like august and earnest. August means 'dignified and impressive' and earnest means 'serious and determined'. 

Looking at the above, we can see clearly that August and Ernest have an awful lot in common onomastically. Yet we haven't even touched on the reasons that Eugenie herself has given in choosing her sons' names.

In August's birth announcement on her Instagram stories, the princess stated,  "He is named after his great-grandfather and both of his great x5 grandfathers". Royal enthusiasts were quick to realise that one of those great x5 grandfathers was Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, whose birth name was Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel. 

Ernest's birth announcement states, "He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald." The great x3 grandfather in question is George V, whose full name was George Frederick Ernest Albert. 

So, both August and Ernest are the middle names of prominent royals in Princess Eugenie's family tree.

Interestingly, Ernest and August as a name combo and as sibling names litter the royal family tree, starting with Ernest Augustus (Ernst August in German), Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1629-1698) who was the father of George I and was followed by three more royal Ernest Augustus princes.

 

The balance in the two names doesn't just extend to the first names. Equal balance has been given to middle names. Both boys have a middle name from both their father's and their mother's family. Philip and Ronnie are in honour of Princess Eugenie's grandfathers — Prince Philip and Major Ronald Ferguson. Hawke and George are from the Brooksbanks family tree. George is in honour of Jack's father, George Brooksbanks, and Hawke is one of the above-mentioned great x5 grandfathers. 

 

According to the latest data for England and Wales (2021), August ranks at #461 and is on a steep upward curve. Ernest ranks at #305 and has plateaued since 2015. Perhaps a new royal baby will give it a boost.

 

My Top Guesses Baby Name for Princess Eugenie's Son

 

 

There's a new royal baby! Yesterday, it was announced that Princess Eugenie had given birth that morning to a baby boy. 

With no announcement on the name just yet, let's have a go speculating. As a minor royal, the field is wide open. Will they go for a royal traditional like James, or a more romantic peerage-esque name like Leander or Barnaby?

 

Arthur --  Stylish and royal. Both Jack Brooksbank and his brother Thomas have family names. Arthur would follow this tradition, after his great great grandfather, Sir Arthur Holland.

Christopher / Kit -- I've had Kit in mind for them for a while. It's a hot favourite among the upper echelons and also has the snappy ring to it that Jack has. Then, I found out that it is Jack's own middle name, which makes me think it even more likely. 

Oliver -- A please-all name which has oodles of charm and historic precedence. Even though Oliver Cromwell makes it an almost anti-Royal name, I think Eugenie's son is removed enough from the succession for it not to be an issue.. Like Jack, it is also a name which transcends social class. 

Alfred -- Alfred the Great makes this a royal choice, but it is also an up-to-date pick. I'm tempted to add Albert also for the same reasons but it's a little tricky to say with Brooksbank.

Theodore -- Like Oliver, Theodore is an elegant and historic name which is a hit up and down the country in all stratas of society.

Wilfred -- Fashionable and quirky. Historic yet contemporary. Wilfred has gained a lot of attention as a stylish choice recently.  Ooops. Mental block. Wilfred is Jack's seven-month-old nephew who's BA I covered here. 

Philip -- The bookies are thinking that the couple might honour Princess Eugenie's grandfather Philip -- and I agree that it's about time he got a namesake. Pip would be a sweet preppy way to distinguish him from the elder Philip.

Stamp -- While possibly not a contender as a first name, Stamp is a Brooksbank name. Captain Stamp Godfrey Brooksbank is Jack's grandfather, named for their ancestor Stamp Brooksbank (1694–1756), a Governor of the Bank of England. For this reason, Godfrey is also a possibility.

 

What is your guess for Master Brooksbank?

 

Name of the Week: Caroline

Origin:

Caroline is the Anglicised form of Carolina, an Italian diminutive form of Latin Carola which itself was the feminine form of Carolus.  Carolus is the Latinised form of the Germanic name Karl which meant "man, husband."  The word karl itself is thought to stem from the Proto-Germanic *karlaz "little man, young man"; a term which extended through languages across Europe. In Old English, ceorl (later a carl or churl) referred to a freeman: a status between a noble and a serf. They held the right to bear arms, attend local courts, and payed dues directly to the king. In Slavic languages, the word came to mean "king" thanks to the Carolingian dynasty (e.g. Polish krol, Lithuanian karalius, Czech and Slovak král, Russian король).

Usage:

The Italian Carolina spread into Germany, and from there into Britain in the late 16th century. I have been able to find baptism records online for Caroline Chompfield in 1571, Carolina Bayly in 1588 in Dorset, Caroline Miller in Norfolk in 1589, Caroline Barnes in 1600 in Hampshire, a Caroline Stocke in 1605 in Somerset.  It was rare at first, but baptism records increase across the 17th century. It was most likely adopted in further numbers in honour of King Charles I (1600-1649) whose Latin regnal name was Carolus Rex. The Province of Carolina, named in his honour, was established in 1629 which later became the A North and South Carolina. Smith Bannister's rankings for 1538-1700 from forty English parishes does not have the name ranking within the top 50 during this period, however, Leslie Dunkling's rankings for 1700 puts Caroline at #48.  In 1714, George I came to the British throne, starting the Hanoverian age. George I already had adult children and young grandchildren when he became king. His son and heir, George Augustus (later George II) had married Caroline of Ansbach (1683–1737), daughter of Margrave John Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1705 and, by 1714, the couple had four children (Frederick, Anne, Amelia and Caroline). Caroline came to Britain in 1714 and was invested as Princess of Wales: the first woman to bear the title since Catherine of Aragon. She became queen consort in 1727.  Queen Caroline was known for her intelligence and compassion and was widely mourned when she died in 1737. In 1733, Voltaire wrote of her, "I must say that despite all her titles and crowns, this princess was born to encourage the arts and the well-being of mankind; even on the throne she is a benevolent philosopher; and she has never lost an opportunity to learn or to manifest her generosity."* Here is Lucy Worsley's take on Caroline in the BBC series The First Georgians: Queen Caroline had a daughter—Princess Caroline of Great Britain (1713–1757)—and a granddaughter—Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (1751-1775) named in her honour, which firmly cemented the name into British royalty in the 18th century.  In 1795, another German princess, Caroline of Brunswick (1768–1821)—whose mother was the granddaughter of George II and Caroline of Ansbach—married George, Prince of Wales (later George IV). She became queen consort in 1820, but died in the following year. Caroline and her husband had a very strained marriage, and while her husband was extremely disliked by the public, Caroline was immensely popular.  England and Wales All of these royal Caroline's had a direct impact on the popularity of the name; by 1800, the name ranked #32 according to Leslie Dunkling.  The name continued to grow in usage, as registration records for Caroline (as a first name) in the England and Wales Birth Index show: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: 1984:  1994: #16 #19 #22 #27 #40 #54 #68 #81 *out of the top 100* *out of the top 100* *out of the top 100* #95 #62 #15 #19 #46 *out of the top 100* Caroline fell out of the top 100 after 1904, but had returned again by 1944 at #95. This makes Caroline quite unusual, as many of the other names that fell out after 1904 (such as Lydia, Harriet, Eliza, Ella) didn't return until the 1990s at the earliest—an affect of the Four Generation Rule.  One of the most likely reasons for Caroline's early return was the popularity of other variant names which had all appeared in the top 100 between 1934 and 1943. By 1944, Carol ranked #12, Carole ranked #27 and Carolyn ranked #76. Carole and Carolyn fell out after 1964, while Carol lasted until 1974. Caroline, on the other hand, rose to a peak of #15 in 1964 and only fell out of the top 100 in 1994—interestingly, just as Caroline entered the top 100 in America for the first time. Click to enlarge Thanks to Caroline's 1960s peak, the name is currently in its nadir—credit it's being in the "Second Generation" (i.e. the names of the mothers of new parents) of the Four Generation Rule alongside Karen, Deborah and Diane.  From 1996 to 2007, Caroline was on a steady decline in England and Wales, falling from #182 to #716. Since then, it has more or less plateaued just into the top 1000.  In 2017, Caroline ranked #1063 with 33 births in England and Wales. Interestingly, this overall rank in England and Wales of #1063 is quite polarised regionally. In several regions, Caroline did not rank at all as it was given to fewer than three children in these regions in 2017. Indeed, Caroline only ranked in four regions, and was most common in the North West and London:  N. East N. West Yorkshire E. Midlands W. Midlands East London S. East S. West Wales --  #729 -- -- --  #887  #771  #1105  --  -- Scotland Caroline had much the same story in Scotland. It ranked #74 in 1900, #52 in 1950 and #21 in 1975. Click to enlarge From 1974 to 1986, Caroline ranked in the top 50 of Scotland. As with England and Wales, it fell out of the top 100 in 1994. In 2018, Caroline ranked 1571 with 1 birth in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Caroline of Ansbach (1683–1737), queen consort of George II of Great Britain. * Princess Caroline of Great Britain (1713–1757), third daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. * Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (1751-1775), Queen consort of Christian VII of Denmark and Norway and daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales.  * Caroline of Brunswick (1768–1821), queen consort of George IV of the United Kingdom. * Caroline of Baden (1776-1841), Queen consort of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. * Caroline Bonaparte (1782–1839), queen consort of Joachim, King of Naples and sister of Napoleon I.  * Caroline Gibert (1793–1879), Princess Consort and regent de facto of Monaco. * Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1796–1881), queen consort of Denmark. * Caroline, Princess of Hanover (born 1957), eldest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Grace Kelly. History: * Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), German astronomer. * Caroline Bardua (1781–1864), German painter. * Lady Caroline Lamb (1785–1828), Anglo-Irish aristocrat and novelist.  * Caroline Ridderstolpe (1793–1878), Swedish composer. * Caroline Howard Gilman (1794–1888), American writer. * Caroline Clive (1801–1873), English writer. * Caroline Chisholm (1808–1877), English social reformer in Australia. * Caroline Leigh Gascoigne (1813-1883), British poet, writer. * Caroline Chesebro' (1825–1873), American writer. * Caroline Shawk Brooks (1840–1913), American sculptor. * Caroline Brown Buell (1843-1927), American activist. Contemporary: * Caroline Graham (born 1931), English author and screenwriter. * Caroline Herzenberg (born 1932), American physicist. * Caroline Kennedy (born 1957), author, attorney and daughter of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. * Caroline Stoll (born 1960), American former tennis player. * Caroline Aherne (1963–2016), British comedian, actress and writer. * Caroline Rhea (born 1964), Canadian actor. * Caroline Byrne (1970-1995), Australian model. * Caroline Dhenin (born 1973), French tennis player. * Caroline Flack (born 1979), British television presenter. * Caroline Delas (born 1980), French rower. * Caroline Shaw (born 1982), American Pulitzer Prize-winning composer. * Caroline D'Amore (born 1984), American chef, model and actress. * Caroline Winberg (born 1985), Swedish model. * Caroline Burckle (born 1986), American swimmer. Literature and Other Media: * Caroline Bingley, a character from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813). * Caroline Forbes, one of the protagonists on the TV series The Vampire Diaries. * Caroline Ingalls, mother of Laura Ingalls in the Litte House books and Little House on the Prairie TV show.  * Caroline Mathers, a character in John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars (2012).

Variants:

Carolina (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish), Karolina (Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Lithuanian, German), Karoline (German, Danish, Norwegian), Karoliina (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

CA-rə-līn (UK), ka-ro-LEE-nə (German), KA-rər-leen (French) [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Carrie, Cara, Caro, Callie, Caddy, Cora, Carol, Carly, Lina, Linny, Ro, Kaja

Sibling Names:

Josephine     Catherine     Alexandra     Henrietta      Philippa     Helena  Robert     Stephen     Frederick     Nicholas     Jonathan     Laurence

Name Lists:

Royal British Names   Royal European Names   Gorgeously Georgian  Jane Austen Names   Bronte Names   Dickensian Names   Tennyson Names

 

If you like Caroline you may also like:   Madeleine, Cassandra, Rosanna, Louisa, Cecilia, Susannah, Constance, Lavinia, Marianne, Georgiana

Thanks to Caroline for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Wilhelmina

 

Origin:

Wilhelmina is the feminine form Wilhelm, the German form of William composed of the Old Germanic elements willio "to wish, desire; be willing; be used to," and helm "helmet, protection, covering."

Usage:

There are a few examples in Latinised records of Williamina in the Middle Ages in England. Other feminised forms appear elsewhere on the Continent including Guillelma in Italy*, Guialma in Spain*, Willelma in Switzerland* and Guillelma, Guillemette and Guillemine in France*. It is quite possible that, as was the case with Philip, girls whose name was Latinised as Williamina in Britain were actually called simply "William" as the vernacular English form. Certainly, the diminutive form Wilmot was used not only for boys named William, but also for girls. By the 16th century, it was predominantly feminine in use, perhaps indicated that Wilmot had become the standard feminine form of William by that time. Given that William was so extremely common from the 11th century onwards, it is surprising that feminised forms of the name didn't see more use. In German-speaking countries, Wilhelmina became established in the 17th century when it was used by royalty. Wilhelmina properly came into its own in Britain in the 18th century, perhaps of the back of other fashionable latinised feminine forms such as Caroline, Christiana, Georgiana and Thomasina, but most likely as it was the first name—though not the regnal name of—King George II's wife, Queen Caroline (1683-1737), born Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline. Oliver Goldsmith used the name for the character Miss Carolina Wilhelmina Amelia Skeggs inThe Vicar of Wakefield (1769) which Goldsmith took from his earlier publication work Citizens of the World (1760) in which there is mentioned a "sweet pretty creature" named Carolina Wilhelmina Amelia Tibbs, most likely after Queen Caroline and her second daughter Princess Amelia. The short-form Wilma came into use in the 19th century. It was rare as an independent name at first, but it became more common at the turn of the 20th century, peaking in the 1940s. Wilhelmina was the dominant spelling of the name in the 19th century in England. It was never especially common, but it was used regularly, as records in the England and Wales Birth Index show: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900:  #296 #225 #199 #174 #187 #189 #178 click to enlarge In Scotland, Wilhelmina was much more commonly used than it was in the rest of Britain in the 19th century. The spelling Williamina was especially common thanks to the Scottish tradition for adding -ina to feminise masculine names: examples in use include Hughina, Magnusina, Andrewina and Donaldina.  As we can see from data from the 1881 UK census (see image, right) both Wilhelmina and Williamina were most popular in Scotland, with the spelling Williamina more common in the Highlands, and Wilhelmina more common in southern Scotland.  In 1900, Williamina ranked #25 and Wilhelmina ranked #60 in Scotland. Also ranking in the Scottish top 100 that year was Christina, Georgina, Robina, Alexandrina, Davina, Alexina and Thomasina. By 1950, Wilhelmina had fallen out of the Scottish top 100, replaced by short-form Wilma at #66. The spelling Williamina was still going strong at #77.  In 1974, Williamina ranked #311 with 8 births, but after that fell steeply out of the top 500 and was rarely used after by the 1990s.  In the last few decades, Wilhelmina has been rare across Britain. In 2017, it ranked #2706 (9 births) in England and Wales and #1537 (1 birth) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Princess Wilhelmina Ernestine of Denmark (1650–1706), daughter of Frederick III of Denmark and wife of Charles II, Elector Palatine. * Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick (1673–1742), empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, Queen of the Germans. * Wilhelmine of Bayreuth (1709–1758), German princess, sister of Frederick the Great, and composer * Princess Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark and Norway (1747–1820), daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and wife of William I, Elector of Hesse. * Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange (1750–1820), German princess and consort of William V of Orange. * Wilhelmine of Prussia (1774–1837), German princess and first queen of the Netherlands. * Princess Wilhelmine of Baden (1788–1836), German Grand Duchess of Hess and the Rhine. * Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark (1808–1891), daughter of Frederick VI of Denmark and wife of Frederick VII of Denmark. * Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (1880–1962), Reigning Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. History: * Wilhelmina Krafft (1778–1828), Swedish painter and miniaturist. * Wilhelmina Gravallius (1809–1884) Swedish writer. * Wilhelmina Drucker (1847–1925) Dutch politician and writer. * Wilhelmina Pruit (1865-1947), American poet. * Wilhelmina von Bremen (1909–1976), German American gold medalist in the Olympics. * Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski (1910–2007), American classical archaeologist. * Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004), British abstract artist. Contemporary: * Wilhelmina Cooper (1939–1980), Dutch-American high-fashion model and founder of Wilhelmina Models. Literature and Other Media: * Wilhelmina "Bill" Robinson, a tomboy character in Enid Blyton's Mallory Towers series.   * Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott, character from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). * Wilhelmina Slater, character from Ugly Betty. * Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank, character from the Harry Potter book series. Other: * 392 Wilhelmina, a large main-belt asteroid. * Wilhelmina Bay, a bay in Antarctica.

Variants:

Williamina, Willamina (English), Guglielma, Gulielma (Italian), Guillemine (French)

Pronunciation:

wil-ə-MEE-nə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Billie, Millie, Mina, Minka, Minna, Minnie, Willa, Willow, Wilma, Winnie

Sibling Names:

Gwendoline     Theodosia     Georgiana     Euphemia     Ursula     Isadora  Valentine     Archibald     Percival     Ferdinand     Quentin      Cornelius

Name Lists:

Royal Names of Europe    Gorgeously Georgian  Victorian Darlings  Upright Elegance   Funky-Clunky   Enid Blyton Names

 

If you like Wilhelmina you may also like:   Philomena, Thomasina, Minerva, Honoria, Philadelphia, Dorothea, Roberta, Millicent, Rowena, Araminta

Thanks to Prue for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Victoria

 

Origin:

Victoria is a Latin name meaning "victory." In Roman mythology, Victoria was the winged-goddess of Victory, equivalent to the Greek goddess Nike.

Usage:

Victoria had some use in the early Roman Christian Empire. The mother of the Gallic Emperor Victorinus was named Victoria (d.271) and there was a 1st century martyr named Victoria, the servant of St Edistus. There is also record a 3rd century martyr and two 4th century martyrs, and a Saint Victoria of Albitina (d.304). Despite being the names of early saints, there is little evidence that Victoria was used as a given name in the Middle Ages. We find the first examples in the 16th century, no doubt thanks to a rising fashion for classical names. Even then, however, the name was uncommon in Britain.  By the 18th century, Victoria (and French and Prussian cognate forms Victoire and Viktoria) was in good use amongst French, German and Prussian aristocracy.  One of the first royals to bear the name was Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria (1660–1690) – known as Dauphine Victoire – a Bavarian princess who married Louis of France, Le Grand Dauphin. She was most likely given the name in honour of her maternal grandfather Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy.  Princess Victoire of France (1733–1799) and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1786–1861) followed.  In Britain, the name came to prominence thanks to Queen Victoria (1819–1901). Queen Victoria was the only daughter of the Duke of Kent (the fourth son of George III) and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After the death of George III's only legitimate grandchild, Princess Charlotte, in 1817, a succession crisis occurred forcing the Duke of Kent and his unmarried brothers to marry and provide heirs. Victoria was the only surviving legitimate child to be born to the brothers. At her baptism, her parents proposed the names Georgi(a)na, Charlotte and Augusta, but all where rejected by the Prince Regent – who, according to royal precedence, held the power of veto. He only agreed to Alexandrina, after her godfather Emperor Alexander I of Russia, and Victoria, after her mother. There was no love lost between the Regent and his brother, and one get's the impression that George was expressly forbidding the use of 'traditional' British Georgian royal names, accepting only names of foreign royal houses. Little Princess Alexandrina Victoria went by the name "Drina" as a child, but she preferred Victoria, and was generally known as "Princess Victoria" by the British public.  In 1831, when Victoria was 12, it was debated in Parliament whether the princess's name should be changed to something "more accordant to the feelings of the people" such as Elizabeth as "there would be no difficulty in handing down the name of Elizabeth, instead of Victoria, as the Queen of this country."* Later, her uncle, William IV approved a proposal to change her name to Charlotte. Victoria recalled the event to her Uncle Leopold (widower of Princess Charlotte) in 1836 stating that: "about a year after the accession of the present King there was a desire to change my favourite and dear name Victoria to that of Charlotte, also most dear, to which the King willingly consented. On its being told me, I said nothing, though I felt grieved beyond measure at the thought of any change. Not long after this, Lord Grey, and also the Archbishop of Canterbury, acquainted Mamma that the country, having been accustomed to hear me called Victoria, had become used to it, enfin, liked it, and therefore, to my great delight, the idea of a change was given up."* Indeed, Victoria was clearly proud of her name – or at least determined enough to see it firmly established as "royal". Not only did she name her eldest daughter Victoria, 17 of her 22 granddaughters were given the name, with 7 of them receiving it as a first name.  Despite the name being so dominant in British royalty in the 19th century, it was surprisingly underused among the general population. With the exception of key patriotic years such as 1837/38 (Victoria's succession/coronation), 1840 (Victoria's marriage), 1897 (the year of the Diamond Jubilee) 1900 (during the Boer War) and 1901 (Victoria's death) Victoria rarely ranked in the top 100.  Records for Victoria as a first name in the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900:  1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: 1984: 1994: #67 #154 #153 #168 #168 #183 #88 — — — — — — — #18 #7 #27 After falling out of the top 100 at the beginning of the 20th century, Victoria saw a triumphant revival in the later 1960s. By 1974, it ranked at #18 in England and Wales: its highest ever rank in Britain up to that point. It rose to #7 by 1984 and gradually began to decline from that point.  Victoria ranked in the top 50 until 2000 and left the top 100 for the first time in 2004.  Between 2004 and 2012, Victoria stayed, for the most part, just below the top 100. It started to rise again in 2013, and has been in the top 100 since.  Most of this usage is focused in England, especially in London (where Victoria ranked #33 in 2016 versus #91 nationally).  In 2017, Victoria ranked #92 in England alone but only #219 in Wales.  Historically, Victoria has also been less common in Scotland, also. It does not rank in the Scottish top 100 of 1900 or 1950, and in 1974 (when Victoria was #18 in England), Victoria ranked #48 in Scotland. It peaked at #16 in 1983 and remained in the top 100 until 2002. It has since continued to decline in use, ranking #149 in 2017.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Dauphine Victoire of France (1660–1690), also known as Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. * Princess Victoire of France (1733–1799), daughter of Louis XV of France. * Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1786–1861), Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria's mother. * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India. * Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), daughter of Queen Victoria and later Empress of Germany. * Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1822–1857), wife of Louis, Duke of Nemours. * Victoria of Baden (1862–1930), Queen consort of Sweden. * Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (1863–1950), wife of Prince Louis of Battenberg. * Princess Viktoria of Prussia (1866–1929), daughter of Victoria, Princess Royal.  * Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (1868–1935), daughter of Edward VII. * Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. * Princess Victoria Margaret of Prussia (1890–1923), daughter of Frederick Leopold of Prussia. * Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia (1892–1980), daughter of Wilhelm II of Germany. * Princess Victoria of Prussia (born 1952), daughter of Prince Frederick of Prussia. * Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden (born 1977), heir apparent to the Swedish throne. History: * Victoria (died 271), mother of Gallic Emperor Victorinus. * Saint Victoria of Albitina (d.304), venerated as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Church. Contemporary: * Victoria Wood (1953-2016), English singer, writer and comedian. * Victoria Fuller (born 1970), American model and actress. * Victoria Coren Mitchell (born 1972), English writer, presenter and professional poker player. * Victoria "Tori" Spelling (born 1973), American actress * Victoria Beckham (born 1974), member of the Spice Girls and fashion designer. * Victoria Silvstedt (born 1974), Swedish model and actress. * Victoria Crawford (born 1986), WWE professional wrestler and model. * Pixie Lott (born 1991), British singer, given name Victoria Louise Lott. Literature and Other Media: * Victoria, a vampire in the Twilight series. * Victoria Newman Abbott, a character on the America soap opera The Young and the Restless. * Victoria Anne Sugden, a character on the British soap opera Emmerdale. * Princess Victoria (aka Princess Tori), character from 2012 film Barbie: The Princess and The Popstar.

Variants:

Viktoria (German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian), Victoire (French), Vittoria (Italian), Viktoriya (Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian), Wiktoria (Polish)

Pronunciation:

vik-TOR-ee-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Cora, Ria, Rory, Thora, Tori, Toria, Tovi, Vita, Queenie, Cherry, Plum

Sibling Names:

Rebecca     Elizabeth     Francesca     Matilda     Felicity     Abigail  Alexander     Thomas     Samuel     Sebastian     Benjamin     Joseph

Name Lists:

Resonant Roman   Royal British Names   Royal European Names   Names of Roses

 

If you like Victoria you may also like:   Harriet, Alexandra, Zara, Georgina, Catherine, Beatrice, Alice, Clara, Eleanor, Imogen

Thanks to Julia for requesting this name.

Name of the Week: Magnus

Origin:

Magnus derives from the Latin magnus "great, mighty, important."  Magnus was used in ancient times originally as a cognomen: a nickname which eventually became hereditary, often used much like a surname to distinguish a certain branch of a Roman clan (gens).  Magnus was also used to Latinise the Old Norse name Magni, derived from the Old Norse magn "might, strength." In Norse mythology, Magni was a son of the god Thor.

Usage:

A famous early example is Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (106 BC -148 BC), whom we know as Pompey the Great. Magnus "the great" was added in adulthood by Roman statesman Sulla as an honorific surname after Pomepey's victory in Africa.  In later centuries, we find it more as an established hereditary name, as with Flavius Magnus Maximus (c.335-388 AD), the Roman Emperor of the Western Empire. In the post-Roman period, the first attested use of it as a given name was when King Olaf II of Norway (c. 995-1030) gave the name to his son, King Magnus I of Norway and Denmark. It is said that he was named after Olaf's idol, Charlemagne — Karla Magnus "Charles the Great." However, the Norse name Magni, from the Old Norse magn "might, strength," was already in use, so Magnus may have served as a Latinised form of Magni.  There are some early saints with the name Magnus but most had their hagiographies recorded after the 10th century.  From Magnus I followed seven medieval kings of Norway, four kings of Sweden, one Danish king and Dukes of Saxony and became an established name across Scandinavia.  From Scandinavia, the name passed to Scotland via the Shetland islands. The Shetlands are 168 km from the British mainland and 280 km from the Faroe Islands and its early history was dominated by Norse influence. They only officially became a part of Scotland in 15th century. Even today, Nordic names such as Magnus, Thorfinn and Signe are still in use in Shetland. The surname Magnusson became Manson in the Shetlands. In Scotland, Magnus developed the Scots Gaelic form Manas/Manus, creating the surname McManus.  At the same time, the Normans introduced the name to England as well. A Magnus de Weitecroft is recorded in The Social and Economic Documents of the Danelaw around 1100, and a Hugo Magnus appears in The Burton Chartulary of Staffordshire c.1114.  St Magnus-the-Martyr is a church in London which was established shortly after the Norman Conquest and may explain some of the later use in London. Over the centuries, Magnus remained in good use in Shetland and the North of Scotland and in some pockets of Northern England. Elsewhere, it was much rarer, as we can see from data from the 1881 UK census (see image, right). By 1900, Magnus was #93 in Scotland, but dropped below the top 100 by 1950.  In England and Wales, Magnus was much lesson common, and only really established itself in the 1960s. Births in England and Wales:  1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 25 births 48 births 30 births 50 births 53 births 53 birth 65 births 37 births 38 births 20 births 18 births 19 births 98 births 166 births In Scotland, Magnus was in the top 200 from 1974 to 1980 after which it ranked consistently between #190-#300 up until 2014.  In 2016, Magnus ranked #143 (41 births) in Scotland which rose to #136 with 43 births in 2017.  In England and Wales, Magnus has been gradually rising over the last 20 years. It entered the top 1000 in 1998 and rose steadily (if a little intermittently) from that point.  In 2014, Magnus moved into the top 500 at #489 (80 births) and it has continued to rise.  In 2017, Magnus ranked #397 in England and Wales with 111 births.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Magnus I of Norway (1024–1047), King of Norway. * Magnus II of Norway (1048–1069), King of Norway. * Magnus the Good of Denmark (1042-1047), King of Denmark. * Magnus, Duke of Saxony (c. 1045–1106). * Magnus III of Norway (1073–1103), King of Norway. * Magnus I of Sweden (c. 1106–1134), King of Sweden. * Magnus IV of Norway (c. 1115–1139), King of Norway. * Magnus II of Sweden (died 1161), King of Sweden. * Magnus V of Norway (1156–1184), King of Norway. * Magnus VI of Norway (1238–1280), King of Norway. * Magnus III of Sweden (1240–1290), King of Sweden. * Magnus VII of Norway (1316–1374), King of Norway and Sweden (as Magnus IV of Sweden). * Magnus the Pious (c.1318–1369), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. * Magnus II (1324–1373),  Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. * Magnus I (1488–1543), Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg. * Magnus of Livonia (1540–1583), also Duke of Holstein. History: * Saint Magnus of Avignon (died 660), bishop and governor of Avignon. * Saint Magnus Erlendsson (1080-1115), Earl of Orkney. * Magnus Beronius (1692-1775), Swedish Archbishop. Contemporary: * Magnus Arvedson, Swedish ice hockey player. * Magnus Bahne, Finnish footballer. * Magnus Bäckstedt, a Swedish road cyclist. * Magnus Betnér, a Swedish comedian. * Magnus Carlsen, Norwegian chess grandmaster. * Magnus Larsson, former professional tennis player from Sweden. * Magnus Lekven, Norwegian footballer. * Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic-born BBC personality and Mastermind quiz-master. * Magnus Samuelsson, a Swedish strongman and former World's Strongest Man. Literature and Other Media: * Magnus Bane, a character in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. * Magnus Chase, the main protagonist in the fantasy series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. * Magnus Pym, the central character of A Perfect Spy. * Magnus, a character in The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. * Magnus Honey, a character in the film Matilda, based on the book by Roald Dahl.

Variants:

Manus, Manas (Scots Gaelic), Måns (Swedish), Magne (Norwegian), Mogens (Danish), Maunu (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

MAG-nəs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Gus, Mag, Mags, Mack, Max

Sibling Names:

Astrid     Evelina     Aurelia     Linnea     Athena     Ophelia  Barnaby     Jasper     Benedict     Evander     Rhoderick     Raphael

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance   Slickly Continental   Scandi Familiars

 

If you like Magnus you may also like:   Fergus, Linus, Xavier, Casper, Lucian, Rasmus, Willem, Laurence, Otto, Ralph

Thanks to ccmdjdonoho for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: Albert

Origin:

Albert is the modern English form of two cognate names: the old Germanic Adalberaht (Adalbert) and the Anglo-Saxon Æðelberht (Ethelbert). The former was introduced to Britain by the Normans where it largely replaced its Old English counterpart. Both names were descended from the Proto-Germanic elements *athala- "noble" and *berhta- "bright."

Usage:

Æðelberht was not at all uncommon among Anglo-Saxon royalty in England. Kings to bear the name include two 7th and 8th century kings of Kent, a 7th century king of Hwicce, an 8th century king of Sussex, two 8th century kings of East Anglia and a 9th century king of Wessex. The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE) database has records of three Adalberts (the Latinised form of the Germanic name) from the 6th to the 11th century. Added to this, there are also 32 records for Æthelberht (several of them Anglo-Saxon kings or nobles) as well as five Æthelbeorhts and one Æthelbert.  Both Saxon and Norman forms of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. Adalbert is found commonly latinised as Albertus, while Æthelberht is found as Ailbertus / Ailbriht.  It is from the Germanic Adalbert from which Albert emerged, reinforced by the Old French form Aubert, and both Albert and Aubert are found as surnames from the 12th century. Ailbriht (the later form of Æthelberht) was used as a given name to at least the 14th century, and created the surname Albright/Allbright.  Overall, however, Albert in any form was not common in Britain. It does not rank at all in George Redmonds' top 50 names from the poll tax returns of ten English counties 1377-81, nor does it appear in Smith-Bannister's top 50 name rankings from 1538-1700.*  It is also absent from Leslie Dunkling's top 50 rankings for England and Wales in both 1700 and 1800. It was common, however, on the Continent, being the name of several medieval saints, as well as kings of Germany, Sweden, Austria, Saxony and Bohemia. There are many medieval records for variants of the name in France, Germany and Italy from the 7th to the 15th century.  The name really took off in Britain with the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on the 10th February 1840.  There were 260 boys named Albert in the Oct-Dec quarter of 1839. This almost quadrupled to 809 births in the Jan-Mar quarter of 1840 at the time of the royal wedding.  The name saw a further boost in 1861 — the year of Prince Albert's death. So determined and domineering was Queen Victoria in passing on the name Albert to all her male descendants that all of her children used the name Albert as a first or middle name for one of their sons. Of her eighteen grandsons, twelve bore the name Albert as one of their names.  Upon the birth of Prince Albert Victor in 1864, the eldest child of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), Queen Victoria, announced his name as "Albert Victor" publicly before even consulting his parents. The Prince and Princess of Wales added the names Christian (after King Christian IX of Denmark, his maternal grandfather) and Edward. Perhaps in some form of protest, they always called their son "Eddy" throughout his life.  The royal use of the name had a massive impact on the popularity of the name in England and Wales. It was especially popular in the South of England, as data from the 1881 census shows (see image below, right). click to enlarge Births in England and Wales:    Rank Births 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900:  1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: #18 #21 #19 #14 #11 #9 #9 #9 #8 #13 #35 #61 #93 -- 1973 births 1660 births 3415 births 9053 births 12928 births 14116 births 14715 births By 1964, Albert had fallen out of the top 100 in England and Wales. In Scotland, Albert was #35 in 1900, #66 in 1950 but had fallen to #206 by 1974.  From 1996 to 2005, Albert ranked consistently between #200-#300 each year.  From 2006 onward, the name started to rise steadily, taking a more marked leap after 2010 when it went from #159 (353 births) to #130 (493 births).  Albert first entered the top 100 again in England and Wales in 2013 at #99 and in 2017 ranked #59 with 1066 births.  Individually, Albert ranked #58 in England (1046 births) and #157 (20 births) in Wales in 2017.  Following the success of Alfie and Archie, the traditional short forms of Albert — Albie and Bertie have also seen a rise during this time. Albie first joined the top 500 in 2003 and saw a swift rise through the top 200 from 2012, reaching the top 100 by 2016, overtaking Albert in 2017.  Bertie was below the top 100 for most of the decade from 1996 to 2006, but reached the top 500 in 2011 and has been rising since.  In 2017, Albie ranked #57 with 1114 births and Bertie ranked #308 with 162 births.  In Scotland, Albert is much more uncommon, having no more than 7 births in any given year between 1975 to 2011. In 2014, it rose to #336 (11 births) and peaked in 2015 at #224 with 21 births. In 2017, Albert ranked #383 with 9 births.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Albert I of Brandenburg (c. 1100–1170) Margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 to 1170 and duke of Saxony from 1138 to 1142. * Albert I of Germany (1255–1308), King of Germany and Duke of Austria. * Albert II of Germany (1298–1358), Duke of Austria. * Albert of Sweden (1338–1412), king of Sweden. * Albert III of Germany (1349–1395), Duke of Austria. * Albert IV of Germany (1377–1404), King of Germany and Duke of Austria. * Albert II of Germany (1397–1439), King of Germany, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, Duke of Austria as Albert V. * Albert VI of Germany (1418–1463), Archduke of Austria. * Albert, Duke of Saxony (1443–1500), the younger son of Frederick II the Gentle. * Albert VII, Archduke of Austria (1559–1621), Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. * Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1798–1869), former head of state of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. * Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen (1817–1895), Austrian General. * Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), husband and consort of Queen Victoria. * Albert, King of Saxony (1828–1873), the eldest son of Prince John. * Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (1841–1910), later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. * Albert I, Prince of Monaco (1848–1922), former head of state of Monaco. * Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1864–1892), son of Edward VII. * Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1869-1931), grandson of Queen Victoria; son of Princess Helena.  * Albert I of Belgium (1875–1934), former head of state of Belgium. * Prince Albert, Duke of York (1895–1952), later King George VI of the United Kingdom. * Albert II of Belgium (born 1934), former head of state of Belgium. * Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco. History: * Albert of Aix (c. 1100), historian of the first crusade. * Saint Albert of Montecorvino (d. 1127), Norman Bishop of Montecorvino. * Saint Albert of Chiatina – also known as Alberto di Colle (1135–1202), Italian archpriest. * Blessed Albert Avogadro (1149–1214), Italian canon lawyer, Bishop of Bobbio, Bishop of Vercelli and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. * Saint Albert of Louvain (ca. 1166–c.1192), Brabantine Prince-Bishop of Liège. * Saint Albert of Genoa (d. 1239), Italian lay brother and hermit. * Saint Albert of Trapani (ca. 1250–1306), Sicilian priest. * Albert Alcibiades (1522–1557), Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. * Albert L'Ouvrier (1815–1895), French socialist statesman of the French Second Republic. * Saint Albert Chmielowski (1845–1916), Polish founder of the Albertine Brothers. * Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born theoretical physicist. * Albert Camus (1913–1960), French philosopher and novelist. * Albert Ayler (1936-1970), American jazz saxophonist. Contemporary: * Albert Finney, (born 1936), English actor. Literature and Other Media: * Albert Tatlock, a character in Coronation Street (1960-1984). * Albert Ingalls, character in the Little House on the Prairie series. * Albert, character in "Yesterday's Child" by Barbara Wood. * Albert, character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. * Albert "Al" Calavicci, character in TV show "Quantum Leap. * Albert de Parmagnan, main character in French animated series "Albert the Fifth Musketeer".

Variants:

Albrecht (German), Aubert (French), Alberto (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese), Alpertti (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

Al-bət [key]

Possible diminutives:

Al, Albie, Bert, Bertie

Sibling Names:

Florence     Evelyn     Harriet     Beatrice     Elsie     Hazel  Stanley     Frederick     Arthur     Wilfred     Louis     Ralph

Name Lists:

Victorian Darlings

 

If you like Albert you may also like:   Alfred, Reginald, Percy, Francis, Walter, Hugo, Edwin, Gilbert, Victor, Franklin

Thanks to June for requesting this name.  

 

Royal Bridesmaids and Page Boys in the Last Decade

 

All these Royal Weddings have got me thinking about the adorable bridesmaids and pageboys that briefly steal the limelight at these prestigious events.

Starting from the most recent, here are the three Royal Weddings that have taken place this decade, and the names of the bridesmaids and page boys.

 

The Wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank - October 2018

 

Bridesmaids:

Savannah Anne Kathleen Phillips, aged 7 - daughter of Peter Phillips and great-granddaughter of the Queen.
Sibs: Isla Elizabeth

Isla Elizabeth Phillips, aged 6 - daughter of Peter Phillips and great-granddaughter of the Queen.
Sibs: Savannah Anne Kathleen

Theodora Rose "Teddy" Williams, aged 6 - daughter of Robbie Williams and Ayda Field.
Sibs: Charlton Valentine "Charlie" & Colette Josephine "Coco"

Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina Windsor, aged 5 - granddaughter of Prince Michael of Kent, goddaughter of Princess Eugenie (and classmate of Prince George).
Sibs: Isabella Alexandra May

Mia Grace Tindall, aged 4 - daughter of Zara Tindall and great-granddaughter of the Queen.
Sibs: Lena Elizabeth

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, aged 3 - daughter of Prince William and great-granddaughter of the Queen.
Sibs: George Alexander Louis & Louis Arthur Charles

Page Boys:

Louis de Givenchy, aged 6 - son of Olivier de Givenchy.

Prince George Alexander Louis, aged 5 - son of Prince William and great-grandson of the Queen.
Sibs: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana & & Louis Arthur Charles

Attendants:

Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary, aged 30 - Maid of Honour
Sibs: Eugenie Victoria Helena

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Windsor, aged 14 - daughter of Prince Edward.
Sibs: James Alexander Philip Theo

James Alexander Philip Theo Windsor, Viscount Severn, aged 10 - son of Prince Edward.
Sibs: Louise Alice Elizabeth

 

The Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - May 2018

Bridesmaids:

Rylan Litt, aged 7 - goddaughter of Meghan, sister of Remi.

Remi Litt, aged 6 - goddaughter of Meghan, sister of Rylan.

Isabel Veronica "Ivy" Mulroney, aged 4 - goddaughter of Meghan.
Sibs: Brian Gerald Alexander & John Benedict Dimitri

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, aged 3 - daughter of Prince William and great-granddaughter of the Queen.
Sibs: George Alexander Louis & Louis Arthur Charles

Florence van Cutsem, aged 3 - goddaughter of Prince Harry.

Zalie Warren, aged 2 - goddaughter of Prince Harry.
Sibs: India (twin)

Page Boys:

Brian Gerald Alexander Mulroney, aged 7 - godson of Meghan, twin of John.
Sibs: John Benedict Dimitri & Isabel Veronica "Ivy"

John Benedict Dimitri Mulroney, aged 7 - godson of Meghan, twin of Brian.
Sibs: Brian Gerald Alexander & Isabel Veronica "Ivy"

Jasper Dyer, aged 6 - godson of Harry.
Sibs: Isabella Kristin Jane

Prince George Alexander Louis, aged 4 - son of Prince William and great-grandson of the Queen.
Sibs: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana & & Louis Arthur Charles

 

The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton - April 2011

Bridesmaids:

Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones, aged 8 - granddaughter of Princess Margaret.
Sibs: Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Windsor, aged 7 - daughter of Prince Edward.
Sibs: James Alexander Philip Theo

Grace Emilie Clare van Cutsem, aged 3 - goddaughter of Prince William.
Sibs: Rafe Michael Waldorf & Charles Hugh Valentine

Eliza Lopes, aged 3 - granddaughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Sibs: Gus & Louis (twins)

Page Boys:

William George D. "Billy" Lowther-Pinkerton, aged 10 - son of Prince William's former aide.
Sibs: Tatiana Lucy, Alexandra Katinka & Dare Athena

Tom David Pettifer, aged 7 - son of Prince William's former nanny.
Sibs: Frederick William

Attendants:

Philippa Charlotte "Pippa" Middleton, aged 28 - Maid of Honour
Sibs: Catherine Elizabeth & James William

 

 

Name of the Week: Eugenie - Royal Wedding Special 2018 #2

 
 

 

Origin:

Eugénie is the French form of Eugenia, itself the feminine form of Eugene.   Eugene and Eugenia are both derived from the Ancient Greek names Eugenios (Eugenius in Latin) and Eugeneia, composed of the elements eu  "good" and genos "birth." It essentially means "well born."

Usage:

Early European Use The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names (LGPN) has 29 examples of Eugeneia and 2 examples of Eugenia in use from the earliest Ancient Greek written records to the 6th century A.D. This puts it in the 'moderate' range of use: not especially popular - but not unheard of either.  Eugenia can also be found in inscriptions from the Roman Catacombs* and was used within the Byzantine Empire (in which Greek was the official language). Saint Eugenia of Rome (d. 258) is a semi-legendary early Christian martyr. Legend had it that she disguised herself as a man and became an abbot.  Eugenia was used in small numbers in the Middle Ages in Britain and in Spain and Italy.* Eugénie was used in France since at least the 16th century.  Royalty Eugénie became a royal name in the early 19th century. First came the birth of Princess Eugénie of Sweden and Norway (birth name Charlotta Eugenia Augusta Amalia Albertina) in 1830, the daughter of King Oscar I of Sweden. She was named in honour of her grandfather Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, the stepson of Napoleon I. This Princess Eugénie was active as a philanthropist, composer, painter, sculptor and writer.  Then, in 1853, Napoleon III of France married Spanish noblewoman María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox y KirkPatrick, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales (known as Eugénie de Montijo in France). Empress Eugénie took refuge in Britain from 1870, after her husband was deposed with France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, where she lived until her death in 1920, aged 94. In 1887, Empress Eugénie became the godmother of Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), later Queen of Spain, the daughter of Princess Beatrice and granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  In 1990, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York named their second daughter Eugenie Victoria Helena.  Pronunciation The French pronunciation of Eugénie is OO-zhə-nee [key]. However, Eugenie's pronunciation is more confused in Britain. The most common pronunciation here is often yoo-ZHAY-nee, with a French-style g, but the stress on the middle syllable. Then there is also yoo-JAY-nee or yoo-ZHEE-nee.  For Princess Eugenie of York? It's YOO-zhə-nee, with the stress on the the first syllable. Her mother, Sarah Ferguson, describes it as "YOO-junnee".  Hear it said here, by Princess Eugenie herself, in her marriage vows: Princess Eugenie's name pronunciation was actually the second blog post to appear on this website way back in 2011, when there was still no consistency in the media as to how to pronounce her name. However, with her wedding, media outlets have recently been more conscious of pronouncing her name correctly.  The problem stemmed right back from her birth in 1990, with confusion from both the palace — who "requested the name be pronounced “U-jay-nay,” with a French inflection"* — and the newspapers who offered "everything from “Ur-je-knee” to “Uzhaynee.”"* The Sun Newspaper even set up a hotline offering their readers the Palace pronunciation and received 40,000 calls in two days. The 'jay-nay' part of the request from Buckingham Palace seems to have caused some of the confusion as this implies that the second part of the names has the stronger vowels.  France In 1900, Eugénie ranked #14 in France. Though we have no French name data prior to this, it is reasonable to assume that Eugénie had risen in popularity over the 19th century in France, most likely thanks to the fame of Empress Eugénie.  The name gradually declined over the 20th century, leaving the top 30 in 1910, the top 50 in 1921, and the top 100 in 1932.  It dropped out of the French top 500 in 1961, but saw a revival in the 1980s and 1990s when it plateaued at the #180 mark.  In 2017, Eugénie ranked #429 in France.  England and Wales As a deposed Empress living in Britain, Empress Eugénie became a household name from the 1850s onwards. This article from 1877 features a poem bemoaning "fanciful" names among the working classes, of which Eugenie is mentioned as one such name.   The name saw a huge boost in the second quarter of 1855 in England and Wales when Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie made a state visit to Queen Victoria.  The name went from 3 births in 1850, 5 in 1852 to 153 in 1855 alone. The visit also seemed to have an influence on the English variant, Eugenia, as well. Births in England and Wales:   Eugenie Eugenia   Eugenie  Eugenia 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900:    -- -- #192 #217 #211 #281 #293 -- -- #253 #227 #237 #301 #297 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 1980s: 22 births 598 births 415 births 453 births 452 births 392 births 497 births 332 births 321 births 154 births 97 births 68 births 62 births 77 births 12 births 44 births 209 births 190 births 354 births 332 births 240 births 246 births 190 births 150 births 90 births 66 births 76 births 66 births 51 births 21 births At the time of Princess Eugenie of York's birth, the name was at it's lowest point since the 1840s. The birth of the princess saw the name rise a little in use, but not in any great number.  Since 1996, Eugenie has had no more than 11 births in any given year. Eugenia has had fewer than 8.  In 2017, Eugenie ranked #3583 (6 births) and Eugenia ranked #5765 (3 births) in England and Wales.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Empress Eugénie (1826–1920), Empress Consort to Napoléon III. * Princess Eugenie of Sweden and Norway (1830–1889), daughter of King Oscar I of Sweden. * Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark (1910–1989), daughter of Prince George of Greece and Denmark. * Princess Eugenie of York (born 1990), daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. History: * Eugénie D'Hannetaire (1746–1816), French actress. * Eugénie Servières (1786–1855), French painter. * Eugénie de Guérin (1805–1848), French writer. * Eugénie Potonié-Pierre (1844–1898), French feminist. * Eugenie Besserer (1868–1934), French silent film actress. * Eugenie Bonaparte (1872–1949), French aristocrat. * Eugenie Schwarzwald (1872–1940), Austrian philanthropist. * Eugenie Forde (1879–1940), American silent film actress. * Eugénie Söderberg (1903–1973), Swedish-American writer and journalist. * Eugenie Anderson (1909–1997), US ambassador, first woman appointed chief of mission at the ambassador level in US history. * Eugénie Henderson (1914–1989), British linguist and academic. * Eugénie De Keyser (1918–2012), Belgian writer. Contemporary: * Eugénie Le Sommer (born 1989), French female footballer. * Eugenie Bouchard (born 1994), Canadian tennis player. Literature and Other Media: * The principal character of La Philosophie dans le boudoir (1795) by the Marquis de Sade. * Eugénie Danglars, character in The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.  * Eugenie Grandet, the eponymous novel by Honoré de Balzac in 1833.  * Eugenie Victoria Butler, the given name of "Bonnie Butler" in Gone with the Wind (1936).

Variants:

Eugenia (English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish), Evgenia, Zhenya (Greek, Russian, Bulgarian), Eukene (Basque), Uxía (Galician)

Pronunciation:

yoo-ZHAY-nee, yoo-JAY-nee, YOO-jən-ee (UK) ; OO-zhə-nee (French) [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Booj, Eugie, Eug, Genie, Ginny, Janie, Jennie, Una

Sibling Names:

Delphine    Ottilie     Heloise     Cosima     Felicia     Christabel  Montague     Guy     Cedric     Julius     Ambrose     Leopold

Name Lists:

EU Beauty   Victorian Darlings   Upright Elegance

 

If you like Eugenie you may also like:   Euphemia, Celestine, Eulalie, Henriette, Euphrasie, Seraphine, Eumelia, Octavia, Theodora, Sabine

Name of the Week: Sophia

 

 

 

Origin:

Sophia derives from the Ancient Greek name Σοφία meaning "wisdom, insight, intelligence" and from which we get English words sophistication and philosophy. To the ancient Greeks, Wisdom (Sophia) was personified as a goddess. Alongside  temperance, courage and justice, wisdom (sophia) was also one of Plato's four cardinal virtues — basic virtues regarded for a virtuous life.  For early Christians Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom" was a personification of divine Wisdom and attributed to Christ. The famous church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was dedicated to Christ by Constantine the Great. Veneration of a Saint Sophia and her three daughters — Faith, Hope and Charity — dates from the 6th century. Most scholars believe that this was they were allegorical figures who personified the three theological virtues and hagia sophia.

Usage:

Early European Use The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names has a modest number of 23 instances of name Sophia in use in Antiquity. Empress Sophia, or Aelia Sophia (c. 530–c. 601), was the Byzantine Empress consort of Justin II and niece of the famous Empress Theodora.  The name was widely used across continental Europe in moderate numbers during the Middle Ages, particularly among the nobility. British Royalty Sophia was introduced to British royalty thanks to the marriage of James VI & I to Anne of Denmark. They named their last child Sophia after Anne's mother Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1557–1631) Queen consort of Denmark and Norway [at this time, the German Sophie was pronounced much like we pronounced Sophia now].  Sadly, little Princess Sophia survived only for a day. However, James and Anne's eldest daughter, Elizabeth Stuart, also used her grandmother's name for her fifth daughter, Sophia of Hanover (1630–1714).  As a Protestant and granddaughter of James I, Sophia of Hanover became the heir to the throne when the English Parliament passed the Act of Settlement in 1701. It decreed that, in the event of no legitimate issue from William III or Anne, the throne of Great Britain would pass to Sophia and her Protestant heirs, cutting off the Catholic Stuart line.  So why was there no Sophia I of Great Britain? Sadly, Sophia died just less than two months before Queen Anne, so her claim to the throne passed on to her eldest son, George Louis, Elector of Hanover, who ascended as George I on 1 August 1714. By the time of his accession, George I's mother, wife, sister and daughter were all named Sophia, firmly putting the name into British royalty. Other Georgian royals also bore the name in later years. George II named his second daughter Amelia Sophia Eleanor (1711-1786), and George III's daughter Princess Sophia Matilda of the United Kingdom (1777-1848) was very close in age to her first cousin Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester (1773-1844), daughter of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. The name became little used in British royalty when Victoria came to the throne. When her eldest daughter, Vicky, named one of her daughters Sophie in 1870 [Princess Sophie of Prussia (1870-1932)] in the German style, Queen Victoria wrote to her: "Poor good Sir C. Lewis would have been delighted at the idea of one of my grandchildren being called Sophia on account of the Electress Sophia. Else I think the name ugly."* Given Queen Victoria's legal right to approve names of all the royal children born in Britain, and the changing fashion in names, Sophia gradually fell out of use in the immediate British royal family. Pronunciation From the 18th century onward, Sophia was traditionally pronounced sə-FĪ-ə in Britain, rhyming with Mariah (as in Mariah Carey). Sophy was used as the typical short-form.  This has, in recent decades, been largely replaced by the European pronunciation sə-FEE-ə (perhaps promoted by the fame of actress Sophia Loren, whose birth name was Sofia Scicolone) though the traditional British pronunciation does survive in small pockets. Actress Sophia Myles has her name pronounced sə-FĪ-ə, for example. Even E.G. Withycombe was still listing Sophia as being pronounced sə-FĪ-ə in the third edition of The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names in 1977.  England and Wales Sophia did not appear at all in Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England, but the name was in use in small numbers.  According to Leslie Dunkling, Sophia was #50 in the most popular girls names in England and Wales in 1700 — before George I ascended with all his Sophia relatives — and had risen to #21 in 1800. The name also had a literary boost. It was used in for the character Sophia "Sophy" Western ("model of virtue, beauty and all good qualities"*) in The History of Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding and also a character in Oliver Goldsmith's popular novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1776) in which it was regarded as a "romantic name." Jane Austen used Sophia "Sophy" in her 1818 novel Persuasion and there is also Sophia "Sophy" Wackles in Charles Dicken's The Old Curiosity Shop (1840). Sophia stayed in the top 50 of England and Wales up until 1870, after which it began to decline, leaving the top 100 at the turn of the 20th century: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900:   #28 #40 #44 #61 #75 #96 #127 Data from the 1881 census (see image, right) shows that Sophia was most common in the South East of England. Throughout the 20th century, Sophia was outside of the top 100 in England and Wales. The French form Sophie moved into the top 100 in England and Wales for the first time at #85 in 1974 By 1984 it was #38 and hit the top 10 at #6 in 1994, reaching #1 in 1996. It remained in the top 10 until 2014. This can be seen in Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name Sophia and Sophie in every 10,000 births in England and Wales over the 20th century:    1900 1925  1935  1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990 Sophia    10    2             4     2     2     2     4     20 Sophie     -    2     -     -     -     2     -     9    10     20    36   164 Sophia reentered the top 100 in 1996 when it ranked #95. It steadily rose up the top 100, reaching #49 in 2006 and #18 in 2011. It has been in the top 20 ever since.  Sofia, too, has also been rising during the same time period. It broke into the top 200 in 2000 and the top 100 in 2005 when it ranked #96. It has been in the top 30 since 2013.  In 2016, Sophia ranked #11 with 2,636 births and Sofia ranked #29 with 1,683 births in England and Wales. However, when all the different spellings are added together, Sophia/Sofia et al ranked #4 overall.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Sofia of Bavaria Wittelsbach (1376–1425), Queen of Bohemia. * Sophia Palaiologina (1455–1503), Grand Duchess of Moscow. * Sophia of Hanover (1630–1714), the Electress of Hanover from 1692 to 1698; granddaughter of James I and heir to the English throne. * Sophia Alekseyevna (1657–1704), Russian regent. * Sophia Dorothea of Celle (1666–1726), Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, wife of George I of Great Britain. * Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (1668–1705), Queen consort in Prussia, sister of George I. * Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (1687–1757), Queen consort of Prussia, daughter of George I of Great Britain. * Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1700–1770), Queen consort of Denmark-Norway. * Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (1719–1765), daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. * Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1736–1798), Duchess of Württemberg. * Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1758–1794), Princess and Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. * Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom (1777–1848), daughter of George III. * Princess Sophia of Gloucester (1773–1844), daughter of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh and niece of George III. * Sophia of Nassau (1836–1913), Queen consort of Sweden and Norway. * Countess Sophia Ignatyeva (1850–1944), Russian noble. * Sophia of Prussia (1870–1932), Queen consort of Greece. * Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (1914-2001), later Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hannover. * Queen Sofía of Spain (born 1938), Queen consort of Spain. * Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland (born 1984), wife of Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland. * Infanta Sofía of Spain (born 2007), second child of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. History: * Saint Sophia of Milan, 2nd century saint. * Saint Sophia of Rome, 4th century martyr, often conflated with the above. * Sophia Brahe (1556–1643), Danish astronomer. * Sophia Baddeley (1745–1786), English actress. * Sophia Lee (1750–1824), English novelist. * Sophia Dussek (1775–1831), Scottish composer. * Sophia Peabody Hawthorne (1809–1871), American painter. * Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912), British physician. * Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850–1891), Russian mathematician. * Sophia Karp (1861–1904), Romanian actress. * Sophia Eckerson (1880-1954), American botanist and microchemist. * Sophia Yakovlevna Parnok (1885–1933), Russian poet. * Zofia Kossak-Szczucka (1889–1968), Polish writer. Contemporary: * Sophia Loren [born Sofia Scicolone](born 1934), Italian actress. * Sofia Shinas (born 1968), Canadian artist. * Sofia Milos (born 1969), Swiss actress. * Sofia Coppola (born 1971), American actress and director. * Sofía Vergara (born 1972), Colombian model and actress. * Sophia Bush (born 1982), American actress. * Sofia Essaïdi (born 1984), Franco-Moroccan singer. * Sophia Abrahão (born 1991), Brazilian actress. * Sofia Vassilieva (born 1992), American actress. * Sofia Richie (born 1998), American fashion model, daughter of Lionel Richie. Literature and Other Media: * Sophia Western, main heroine of Henry Fielding's novel The History of Tom Jones (1749). * Sophia Primrose, a character in Oliver Goldsmith's novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1776). * Sophia Croft, a character in Jane Austen's Persuasion (1818). * Sophia Wackles, a character in Charles Dicken's The Old Curiosity Shop (1840). * Princess Sofia, main character from the Disney Junior television series Sofia the First. * Sofia Serrano, a character from the film Vanilla Sky (2001). * Sofia Dupre, a character on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless.

Variants:

Sofia (Spanish, Italian, Ger,an, Scandinavian, Russian, Slavic, Portuguese), Sofiya (Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian), Sofija (Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Lithuanian, Latvian), Sophie (French, German, Dutch), Zofia (Polish)

Pronunciation:

sə-FEE-ə ; sə-FĪ-ə  [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Soph, Sophie, Sosie, Fee, Fifi

Sibling Names:

Olivia     Amelia     Bella     Eliza     Isabella     Esme  George     Noah     Leo     Oliver     Max     Theo

Name Lists:

Gorgeously Georgian   Royal Names of Europe   Latinate Lovelies   Names from Jane Austen   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Sophia you may also like:   Emilia, Lucia, Eva, Clara, Lydia, Julia, Mia, Sienna, Thea, Freya

Thanks to Danielle for requesting this name.