British Baby Names

Name of the Week: Royal Wedding Special 2018

 

Hip hip hooray! It's the wedding day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex! 

To celebrate (in true British patriotic style), today I'm going to delve deeper into the names of the happy couple. 

 

Prince Harry's full name is Henry Charles Albert David. 

Henry is a name borne by no fewer than eight kings of England; Charles honours his father; Albert was the first name of his great-grandfather (Queen Elizabeth's father, George VI) and David was one of the names of King Edward VIII — and the name he was known by in the Royal family. 

 

Origin:

Though, in the Prince's case, Harry is used as a diminutive of Henry, it was originally Henry's standard English vernacular form. 

The name started out as the Old High German name Heimerich, composed of the elements heim "home" and rīhhi "ruler". It was Latinised as Henricus, from which came the French Henri. The Normans brought Henri with them to Britain where it was pronounced "Harry" or "Herry" in Middle English.

By the 19th century, Harry and Henry had distinct pronunciations, and Harry was being used as a diminutive of both Henry and Harold. There are, however, still parts of Britain today where the local dialect turns Henry into "Herry" or "Harry."

 

Usage:

As Harry was the standard English vernacular form of Henri/Henry, it is rarely found in written documents. The great number of surnames derived from it however, such as Harris, Harrison and Parry, attest to its usage. Henry's medieval petform Hal, and its diminutive Halkin, also preserves Harry's 'a'. 

For Harry's popularity then, we need to look at Henry. Redmond's popularity ranking, puts Henry at #6 in England from 1377-81 and Smith Bannister's popularity rankings have it consistently ranking between #6 and #11 from 1538 to 1700. [For more information see the Name of the Week post on Henry]. 

By the 16th and 17th century, Harry has more of a presence in written documents, and was beginning to see more use in its own right — most likely as Henry began to develop a separate pronunciation — though the two were still closely linked.

Data from the Surname Atlas (click to enlarge)

Harry's popularity was very consistent in the 19th century. Mostly, it sat happily in the top 20 in England and Wales, ranking #25 in 1850, #18 in 1860, #16 in 1870, #18 in 1880, and #15 both 1890 and 1900.
It also ranked #38 in Scotland in 1900. 

Data from the 1881 census (right) shows that, although Harry was in good use in Scotland and Wales, most of its usage was in England. 
Its popularity per 100,000 people shows that it was also very evenly distributed across England.

It is fair to say that, as it was so extremely popularly there, Harry became a quintessentially English name. No wonder Harry was listed alongside Tom and Dick in the well known phrase meaning 'men in general'. 

The fate of both Harry and Henry were very similar in the 20th century. 

 

click to enlarge

In 1904, Harry was #18 in England and Wales, while Henry was just above at #17. Both saw a steep decline, and by 1954 Henry was #84 and Harry was clinging on to #100. After that, both names fell out of the top 100.
In Scotland, Harry ranked #68 in 1950, but had also fallen out of their top 100 by 1975. 

This is not very surprising. By the 1960s Harry had moved into the "old man name" category. In 1958, for example, rock and roll star Harry Webb changed his common old-fashioned name for the much more edgy "Cliff Richard". The men born in Harry and Henry's turn-of-the-century height were, by that time, the First World War veterans, and quite literally the "grandfathers" of the young generation.

 

From not ranking at all in the top 100 at all in 1984, Harry had miraculously leapt to #30 in 1994. The reason almost certainly lies with the birth of the Prince Harry in September 1984. 

Harry was steadily rising in England and Wales in the 1990s and this rise was further helped by a famous British wizard named Harry Potter. the first book of which was published in 1997 and the first film was released in 2001. 

click to enlarge

In 1996, Harry ranked #17 with 4434 births. By 2001, 5662 boys were given the name (#6) and 6143 by 2009 (#3). It reached the number #1 spot in both 2011 and 2012. 

In 2012, 7168 boys were given the name, ranking at #1.

In Scotland, Harry was also on the rise. It ranked #58 in 2005, #43 in 2007, #30 in 2009, #9 in 2011, #8 in 2012 and #10 in 2013 with 299 births.  

After ranking at #3 in 2014 and 2015 in England and Wales, in 2016, Harry moved up again to #2 with 5284 births. 

 

 

Meghan's full name is Rachel Meghan Markle. She was born in Los Angeles, California in 1981. 

Her name is a variant spelling Megan which, in 1981 when she was borb, was #33 in America, while Meghan was #116.

While Megan became a fashionable choice in the 1910s and 1920s in Britain, it took a while to be exported over to America, first ranking in their top 1000 in 1952.

From that point on, however, Megan's rise was dramatic: reaching the top 100 in 1975 and was in the top 15 from 1984 to 2002. Meghan was also in the American top 100 from 1983 to 1994, though its highest rank was #63 in 1985. 

After 2002, Megan began to decline in America, leaving the top 100 in 2009. In 2017, Megan ranked #499 and Meghan was #883.

 

Origin:

Megan is a Welsh diminutive form of Margaret. itself an anglicised form of the Latin Margarita, from the Greek margarites "pearl." 

The medieval short form Megge -- in use from the 13th century --  was given the Welsh feminine diminutive -an, also found in Bethan, Betsan and Pegan. 

 

Usage: 

By its nature as a diminutive, paper evidence for Megan in use is hard to come by, as many early Megans would have been formally registered in records as Margaret.
The spelling Megen, however, can be found as early as 1547, appearing in Wyllyam Salesbury's A Dictionary in Englyshe and Welshe. 

The name also became the title of a romantic Welsh folk song Merch Megan or Wyres Megan, often translated into English as Megan's Fair Daughter or The Daughter of Megan, which tells the tale of a man's adoration and unrequited love for Megan's daughter. It appeared in John Parry's Twelve Airs for one and two Guitars in 1781 and Edward Jones' The Bardic Museum in 1802. 

By the 19th century, when diminutive forms began to be given in their own right, we see Megan in more and more use. As a standalone name it was rather uncommon, and was seemingly much more used as an actual nickname than records suggest. It was mostly confined to Wales, though there were a few registrations in England.

Births in England and Wales:

1840s: 0 births
1850s: 3 births
1860s: 1 birth
1870s: 4 births
1880s: 7 births
1890s: 18 births
1900s: 151 births
1910s: 2918 births
1920s: 3845 births
1930s: 1960 births
1940s: 1524 births
1950s: 840 births
1960s: 565 births

Megan picked up more independent usage in the 1890s, ramped up in use in the early 1900s, exploded in the 1910s, and peaked in the 1920s. This coincided with not only the revival of Celtic names in Wales (some would have preferred Welsh Megan to anglicised Margaret), and the increased use of registering diminutive forms.

London Daily News - 17 Nov 1910

It is interesting to note that, though already rising, Megan saw a marked increase after 1908 when Welsh politician David Lloyd George became Chancellor of the Exchequer, and another increase again when he became Prime Minister in 1916.
His youngest daughter was named Megan, born in 1902, most likely after her mother Margaret. His other children were named Richard, Mair, Olwen and Gwilym, clearly showing a preference for Welsh-heritage names.

Megan was a sweet little girl, and was often photographed on outings with her parents and mentioned in newspaper reports.

Megan herself went into politics, becoming the first female Member of Parliament for a Welsh constituency in 1929, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party 1949-1952. She campaigned for a Welsh Parliament and was named a Companion of Honour posthumously in 1966.

The 1920s also saw the fame of celebrated Welsh mezzo-soprano opera singer Leila Megane, born Margaret Jones (1891-1960) who may well also have glamourised the name.

Dunkling's data per 10,000 births in England and Wales shows how Megan saw a dramatic rise by the end of the 20th century:

1900	1925	1935	1950	1955	1960	1965	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990
-	4	2	-	-	8	-	2	-	2	8	52

 

click to enlarge

From that time, in England, the name began to decrease in use, which has had a big effect on the overall rankings of England and Wales. However, in Wales individually, Megan increased in use, ranking #1 in 2004, 2005 and 2006.In England and Wales, Megan joined the top 100 in England and Wales at #17 in 1994. It was #5 by 1997 and peaked at #3 from 1998 to 2001. 

In the combined rankings of England and Wales, Megan left the top 10 in 2004 and the top 20 in 2009. However, in Wales alone, Megan was still in the top 10 until 2011. 

In Scotland, Megan reached the top 100 at #87 in 1987 and was in the top 10 by 1994. It peaked at #2 in 1998 after which it steadily declined. 

In 2016, Megan ranked #31 in Wales (84 births), #90 in England (574 births) -- #89 combined. In 2017, it ranked #75 (60 births) in Scotland.

 

Name of the Week: Edwin

 

 

 

Origin:

Edwin derives from the Old English name Eadwine, composed of the elements ead "'prosperity, riches, fortune, inheritance, property" and wine "friend."  A Nordic cognate of the name – Auðun – was used as a byname for the Viking chief god Odin (who was worshipped as Woden by the Anglo-Saxons).

Usage:

The name Eadwine was a common one in Anglo-Saxon England. The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE) has over fifty pre-11th century examples while the 1066 Domesday entries have a hundred more. The Nordic cognates were also in use in the Danelaw, leading to the Anglo-Scandinavian variants Oðin and Ouðen (Othin) being recorded on the Domesday Book, too.  Notably, Eadwine was not uncommon among royal Saxon families. Edwin of Northumbria (c. 586-633) was King of Deira and Bernicia in the 7th century whose conversion to Christianity led to his being venerated as a saint. Later royals include a son of King Edward the Elder (son of Alfred the Great). This fit a family pattern: his siblings included Æthelstan, Ælfweard, Æthelhild, Eadgifu, Eadflæd, Eadhild, Eadgyth, Ælfgifu, E(a)dmund, Eadred and Eadburh which shows just how prolific Ead-, Ælf- and Æthel- names were amongst Saxon nobility. By 1066, Edwin, Earl of Mercia (d. 1071) and Edwin, Abbott of Westminster* were among the top 20 landowning lords in England according to the Domesday Book. After the Norman Conquest, most of the land formerly belonging to lords named Edwin was in the hands of Norman lords.* This political and social upheaval saw the decline of many Anglo-Saxon names, but Edwin – perhaps because of its prolific and royal use – was one that didn't completely disappear.  The surnames Edwin, Edwing and Edwyn, all of which derive from the given name Edwin, have been in use since the 13th century. Much like Alfred (another Anglo-Saxon royal powerhouse), Edwin was not in enough use to make Smith Bannister's rankings of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England, or Leslie Dunkling's top 50 in either 1700 or 1800. Both however, saw a huge revival in popularity in the 19th century, most likely thanks to the Victorian Gothic Revival which swept the nation.  However, Edwin's lack of prominence from the 15th to 18th century did not mean the name was not still in use in England and, though small in number, we can find plenty of records** for Edwin throughout this period.  click to enlarge By the mid-19th century, Edwin had rocketed in popularity, as birth records in England and Wales (see table below) show. Data from the 1881 census (see image, right) also shows that Edwin's popularity was mostly in England and Wales (especially the south of England), but was not nearly as common in Scotland.  1850: 1860: 1870: 1880: 1890: 1900: #18 #20  #23  #26  #30  #38 click to enlarge In the first half of the 20th century, Edwin remained in the top 100 though it gradually declined over the period – down to #54 in 1924, #74 in 1934 and #89 in 1944, falling out of the top 100 by 1954.  Since 1996, Edwin has ranked (with the exception of 1997) below the top 400. However, over the last two decades, Edwin has been gradually increasing in use.  In 2016, Edwin ranked #493 with 82 births. Regionally, it ranked highest in Yorkshire and the Humber at #355 (11 births), followed by Wales at #391 (5 births).  In Scotland, Edwin has had no more than 6 births in any given year since 1979.  In 2017, Edwin ranked #532 with 5 births in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Edwin of Northumbria (c. 586-633), King of Northumbria and Christian saint. * Edwin (died 933), son of King Edward the Elder. * Eadwine of Sussex (died 982), Ealdorman of Sussex. * Eadwine of Abingdon (died 990), Abbot of Abingdon. * Edwin, Earl of Mercia (died 1071), brother-in-law of Harold Godwinson. * Edwin Sandys (1519–1588), Archbishop of York. * Edwin Booth (1833–1893), Shakespearean actor. * Edwin M. Gardner (1845–1935), American painter. * Edwin Alfred Rickards (1872–1920), British architect. * Edwin Hubble (1889–1953), American astronomer for whom the Hubble Telescope is named. * Edwin Howard Armstrong (1890–1954), American inventor. Contemporary: * Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (born 1930), American astronaut. * Edwin McCain (born 1970), American musician. * Edwin Jackson (born 1983), American baseball player. Literature and Other Media: * Edwin Drood, Main character in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, final unfinished novel of Charles Dickens. * Edwin Jarvis, fictional Marvel Comics supporting character.

Variants:

Edwyn; Edvin (Scandinavian), Etvi (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

ED-win [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Ed, Eddie, Ned, Denny, Win

Sibling Names:

Camilla     Henrietta     Claudia     Sybil     Lavinia      Elspeth  Walter     Francis     Calvin   Sidney     Victor     Otto

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Edwin you may also like:   Richard, Edgar, Winston, Basil, Oswin, Dorian, Reginald, Gwilym, Darwin, Gethin

Thanks to Alex for requesting this name.  

 

Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge: A Royal Name Analysis

 

 

The wait is over! Kensington Palace have finally announced the name of the new Prince of Cambridge. 

George Alexander Louis and Charlotte Elizabeth Diana's brother is named Louis Arthur Charles!

 

Here is a rundown of the royal significance to his names:

 

Louis

In an unexpected twist, the Cambridges have chosen to re-use a name that they had already given to Prince George. 

Louis is significant to Prince William as it is, not only one of his own middle names but honours Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979), born "Prince Louis of Battenberg," uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, British naval officer, last Viceroy of India (1947) and the first Governor-General of independent India (1947–48). Lord Mountbatton was a mentor to both Prince Philip and Prince Charles and was a key figure in both of their lives. 

Louis is predominantly seen as a French royal name –  having been borne by no less than 18 Kings of France from 815-1830. However, the name does have use in the British royal family. 

George I's full name was George Louis (Georg Ludwig in his native German) and Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, was the eldest son and heir of King George II. When he predeceased his father, his son, George (III), became king instead, making him a "king we never had". His name in English was written interchangeably as Frederick Louis and Frederick Lewis in Britain, demonstrating the old English pronunciation of Louis as LOO-is. 

Louis has been a British staple since the 1990s when it returned to the top 100. It has remained there ever since, with the addition of the spelling Louie rising. Louis currently ranks at #71 in England and Wales with Louie at #47 (#46 in England alone). 

Read more about the name Louis here. 

 

Arthur

This was the bookies’ favourite for a boy and it wasn’t hard to see why. If the Duke and Duchess’s choice of George and Charlotte showed us anything, it’s that they prefer not only traditionally royal names (not currently bagged by other royals) but also popular ones. If we discount the names currently used by the royal family (Charles, Henry, Edward, William, James etc), then Arthur is the highest ranking of all the royal names left over at #27 in England (#30 overall in England and Wales combined) and rising rapidly.

Not only is it famous for the legendary King Arthur, we almost had an actual “King Arthur” when Henry VII gave it to his eldest son. Sadly, we were deprived when he died aged 15, leaving his brother Henry (later Henry VIII) to take the throne.

Queen Victoria later reintroduced the name to British royalty when she gave it to one of her sons, giving the name a quirky Victorian charm that is so fashionable right now. This Prince Arthur (1850-1942) was so named because he was born on the birthday of national hero Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852), who also acted as the prince's Godfather. 

Most likely the main reason the Duke and Duchess chose this name as a middle name is because it has more immediate family connections as it is one of the middle names of both Prince Charles and Prince William as well as the Queen’s father, King George VI.

Read more about the name Arthur here. 

 

Charles

Charles is a clear nod to William father, Prince Charles. Just like Charlotte who received Diana as a name from her grandmother, so too has her brother.

A perennial classic since at least the 16th century, Charles is a name born by royalty right back to the early Frankish kings. Most notably, it was borne by two British Kings -- Charles I and Charles II. 

Despite being such a staple (and in the top 10 for most of the 18th and 19th centuries) the name had little use in the British royal family once the Georgians came to the throne and was only revived as a royal name when the Queen gave it to Prince Charles in 1948. 

Read more about the name Charles here. 

 

 

Shared Sibling Names:

If we think of Charlotte as a variation of Charles, then young Prince Louis Arthur Charles shares a name link with both his elder brother and sister. 

 

 

Unlike his siblings, whose names were announced just two days after their birth, this announcement has kept us waiting four days. 

It isn't unusual for royal announcements to take their time. Prince Charles' name was announced a full month after his birth, while Prince William's took a week. On the other hand, Prince Harry's name was announced less than 24 hours after he was born

There are a few reasons why I think this announcement took longer than for Prince George or Princess Charlotte.

Firstly, two days after Prince Louis's birth, happened to be ANZAC day – an incredibly important day of memorial in Australia and New Zealand which commemorates the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) who fought and died at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire on behalf of the Commonwealth during World War I. The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth and has strongly supported the union throughout her reign. Prince Charles gave a reading at the ANZAC day service in Villers-Bretonneux in France. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle laid a wreath on behalf of The Queen at the Cenotaph, and were joined by Prince William for a service of commemoration in Westminster Abbey. 

With such an important memorial day for the Commonwealth, it was clear that the Palace didn't want to overshadow it with the release of the the new royal baby name. 

Secondly, it is traditional for the Queen to visit the newborn herself before an official announcement, and Prince Charles himself was in France before he was able to visit his grandson. 

 

Name of the Week: Thomas

 

 

Origin:

Thomas is the Greek form of the Aramaic name Ta'oma (תאומא) derived from the word תאמא tāma "twin". According to Biblical tradition, it was created as a byname for the one of the apostles named Judah. This Judah was given the epithet Didymus ("twin" in Greek) and therefore also Thomas in Aramaic, presumably to distinguish him from the other two apostles named Judah.

Usage:

Thomas established itself in Britain after the Norman Conquest. Prior to this, it was only found as the name of an Anglo-Saxon priest, but, thanks to its Biblical pedigree, came into general use by the 11th century. Two of the first Norman Archbishops of York — Thomas of Bayeux (d. 1100) and his nephew Thomas of York (d.1114) — bore the name, as well as Archbishop of Canterbury and later saint Thomas Becket (1118−1170). Becket's opposition to his good friend King Henry II's plans to curb the power of the church and clerical privilege led to his murder, when four overzealous knights acted on, what they assumed, to be the King's will. Very soon after Becket's death, he was hailed as a martyr and miracles were said to occur at his tomb. Soon, Canterbury became one of the principal pilgrimages in Europe — Henry II built the great Dover Castle chiefly to court European nobility who made their way to England for this pilgrimage — and, two years after his death, Becket was canonised.  It was the martyrdom (and hugely popular cult) of Thomas Becket, E. G. Withcombe argued, that led to Thomas becoming one of the commonest men's names of the Middle Ages, pointing out that: "Most of the church dedications in this name were originally to St. Thomas of Canterbury, but Henry VIII, who had a special dislike to the memory of the recalcitrant archbishop, had them altered to St. Thomas the Apostle."* Whether Becket was the main reason for the name's popularity or not, what is indisputable is that, but the 14th century, Thomas was one of the most popular names in Britain. Redmonds' survey of 1000 names from ten English counties 1377-81 puts Thomas at #3 behind John and William and before Robert and Richard, though the latter three, he notes, could change order depending on the region.  Three further saints bearing the name were canonised in the 13th century (two English, one Italian); two in the 14th century, and three in the 15th century. Thomas also had some use among English royalty (though it wasn't commonly used). The fifth son of Edward I was Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk (1300–1338). The story goes that, when he was born, his mother had prayed to Thomas Becket during her difficult labour and so he was named for the saint. Thomas of Brotherton was Keeper of England when his brother Edward II was away fighting in Scotland, and was later a principle advisor of his nephew Edward III. Perhaps it was for his uncle that King Edward III named his youngest son Thomas of Woodstock (1355–1397). Thom, Thome, Tome, Tom, and Thomlyn are all recorded as diminutives in 1379* and the French diminutive Mace/Masse (which was both a nickname for Matthew and occasionally Thomas) and Tam were also in use.  The numerous surnames derived from Thomas include Thomas, Thoms, Tomes, Thomason, Thomazin, Thompsett, Thompson, Tomkin, Tompkins, Tomkinson, Tomlin, Tomblin, Tomlinson and MacThomas to name just a few. Furthermore, Thomas was so common that it formed many common phrases in the English language. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable has over twenty entries under "Tom" in which is described as indicating an "ordinary sort."* Examples include Tom-cat, Tom Tiller, Tom-boy, Tom-tit, Tom Foolery and "Every Tom, Dick and Harry."   Like Philip and Nicholas, Thomas was also used occasionally for girls in the Middle Ages, such as the woman named Thomase found in the Wills in the Court of Probate, London in 1395. Withycombe points out that both Thomasinus and Thomasina can be found in the Feudal Aids of 1346, but that the diminutive Thomasin eventually became the usual feminine form of the name. In France, the diminutives Massine and Massiotte can also be found.* Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England puts Thomas consistently in either 2nd or 3rd place, interchanging with William behind John:  1538-49: #2; 1550-9: #3; 1560-9: #2; 1570-9: #2; 1580-9: #3; 1590-9: #3; 1600-9: #2; 1610-9: #3; 1620-9: #2; 1630-9: #3; 1640-9: #2; 1650-9: #3; 1660-9: #3; 1670-9: #3; 1680-9: #3; 1690-1700: #3.  This top three status continued through to the 19th century. Dunkling puts Thomas at #3 in England and Wales in both 1700 and 1800, and this top 5 status continued up until the 1930s though it was never out of the top 50: 1850: #3 1860: #3 1870: #4 1880: #4 1890: #4 1900: #4 1904: #4 1914: #4 1924: #5 1934: #12 1944: #19 1954: #24 1964: #24  1974: #40  1984: #11 1994: #1 Click to enlarge From reaching #1 in 1994, Thomas remained in the top 3 (as it had done from the 14th-20th century) up until 2009 when it fell to #6. Throughout this period, the birth count gradually declined year on year even as the rank remained steady. For example, Thomas was #2 in 1999 with 9454 births and #2 in 2007 with 6530 births.  In Scotland — having ranked at #7 in 1900 and #6 in 1950 — Thomas has been within the top 30 since 1974, but only twice (2005 and 2006) has ranked in the top 20.  In 2016, Thomas ranked #9 (3898 births) in England and Wales, #23 (225 births) in Scotland and #14 (117 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Thomas Becket (1118–70), English martyr, archbishop of Canterbury. * Thomas of Erceldoune (fl. 1220?–1297), Scottish seer and poet. * Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–74), Italian philosopher and theologian, Doctor of the Church. * Prince Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk (1300–1338), fifth son of King Edward I and principle advisor of his nephew Edward III. * Prince Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Buckingham, 1st Earl of Essex (1355–1397), son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. * Thomas à Kempis (ca. 1380-1471), German priest, monk and writer. * Sir Thomas Malory (d. 1471), English author of Morte d'Arthur. * Sir Thomas More (1478–1535), an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. Venerated by Roman Catholics as Saint Thomas More. * Thomas Erastus (1524–83), Swiss Protestant theologian and physician. * Thomas James (1593–1635), English navigator and explorer. * Thomas Gray (1716–71), English poet. * Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88), English portrait and landscape painter. * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. * Thomas Moore (1779-1852), Irish poet. * Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), English novelist and poet. * Thomas Edison (1847–1931), an American inventor. * Thomas Mann (1875–1955), German novelist and essayist. Contemporary: * Thomas "Tom" Brady, American football player for the New England Patriots. * Thomas "Tom" Chaplin, British singer of band Keane. * Thomas "Tom" Clancy, American author. * Thomas "Tom Cruise" Mapother, American actor. * Thomas "Tom" Felton, British actor and singer. * Thomas "Tom" Fletcher, British singer of McFly.  * Thomas "Tom" Hanks, American actor. * Edward Thomas "Tom" Hardy, British actor. * Thomas "Tom" Hiddleston, British actor. * Sir Thomas Woodward "Tom Jones", Welsh singer.  * Thomas "Tom" Petty, American musician and singer-songwriter. Literature and Other Media: * Thomas the Tank Engine, a locomotive character from The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. * Thomas Barrow, the underbutler on the series Downton Abbey. * Thomas, the main character from the novel and film The Maze Runner.

Variants:

Tomos, Twm (Welsh), Tomás (Spanish, Portuguese, Irish), Tàmhas/Tavish, Tòmas (Scottish), Tommaso (Italian), Tuomas (Finnish), Tomáš (Czech, Slovak)

Pronunciation:

TOM-əs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Tom, Thom, Tommy, Tam, Mace

Sibling Names:

Sophie     Emily     Charlotte     Emma     Lucy     Olivia  William     George     Harry     Oliver     James     Joseph

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor  Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   British Royalty   Shakespearean Names   Austen Names   Dickensian Names   Tennyson Names   Bronte Names   Beatrix Potter Names   Disney Names   Gilbert & Sullivan Names

 

If you like Thomas you may also like:   Charles, Jacob, Lewis, Samuel, Daniel, Benjamin, Matthew, Luke, Joshua, Nicholas

Thanks to Chris for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: Alice

 

Origin:

Alice is a younger form of the Old Germanic name Adalheidis, from the word adalheit "nobility" — literally adal "noble" and heit "sort, kind, type."  Adalheidis was such a prolific name that it was used in multiple forms and variants. By the early Middle Ages, it became Adelaide and Adeliza (Adelisa, Adelise, Adelais) and the latter was further shortened to Aliz (Alis, Aalis) in Old French, later becoming Alice.

Usage:

Adeliza and Adelaide were brought over to Britain by the Normans in the 11th century. Adeliza of Louvain (1103-1151) — also known as Adelaide, Adelais, Aleidis and Alice —  was Queen of England from 1121 to 1135, as the second wife of King Henry I. The figure of Bele Aaliz or Bele Aelis "Fair Aelis" was a common theme in medieval courtly romances and chansons. As Sylvia Huot puts it: "Beautiful, amorous, and inclined to song, Fair Aelis appears in numerous pieces; her behaviour generally involves rising early, getting dressed up in her finery, and going outside to gather flowers or meet her lover." Fair Aelis was a common subject for both popular and courtly dance-singers* and, in one of his sermons, Stephen Langton (d.1228), Archbishop of Canterbury interpreted Bele Aelis allegorically as the Virgin Mary.* Perhaps it is not surprising then that it was the most successful and popular girls' name of the Middle Ages. Redmonds' survey of 1000 names from ten English counties 1377-81 puts Alice at #1 and it was still in the top 5 by the early 16th century, as Smith-Bannister's rankings show below: 1538-49: #4; 1550-9: #3; 1560-9: #4; 1570-9: #5; 1580-9: #7; 1590-9: #7; 1600-9: #5; 1610-9: #7; 1620-9: #5; 1630-9: #6; 1640-9: #6; 1650-9: #7; 1660-9: #8; 1670-9: #9; 1680-9: #9; 1690-1700: #12. By the 13th century, Alice had emerged as the standard English vernacular form, but was most commonly Latinised as Alicia in official documents. As spelling was not standardised at this time, Alys, Ales and Alis are also frequently found. By the 16th century, the short form Alse (Alce, Als, Allse) is also prevalent in records.  Unsurprisingly, Alice gained several diminutive forms using the French diminutive suffixes -el, -in, -on, -ot etc. The surname Allott and Allettson come from adding the -et/-ot suffixes, and Alison and Ellison comes from Alis + on. The hypochoristic form Nalle was also used as a pet-name.  This popular usage continued throughout the following centuries and had only declined slightly by the 18th century. According to Leslie Dunkling's ranks, Alice was #11 in 1700 and #19 in 1800.  In 1843, Queen Victoria reclaimed the name for royalty when she named her second daughter Princess Alice Maud Mary. Writing to her uncle, King Leopold I, in May 1843, she said: "Our little baby, whom I am really proud of, for she is so very forward for her age, is to be called Alice, an old English name, and the other names are to be Maud (another old English name and the same as Matilda) and Mary, as she was born on Aunt Gloucester's birthday." Princess Alice proved herself to be an admirable and practical woman. She nursed her father in his final months, acted as secretary to her mother, championed women's causes and nursing, managed field hospitals during the Austro-Prussian war and scandalised her mother by breastfeeding her children herself.  One of her nieces, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (1883-1981), was named for her, as was one of her granddaughters, Princess Alice of Battenberg (1885-1969), who married Andrew of Greece and Denmark and is mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The latter seems to have inherited her grandmother's passion for nursing and good works. She devoted herself to charity works in Greece, particularly the Red Cross, organised shelters for orphans and soup kitchens, sheltered Jewish refugees during WWII, and later founded an Orthodox nursing order of nuns. By 1860, perhaps thanks to the influence of Princess Alice, the name had risen to the top 10 in England and Wales. It rose further, to #4, in 1870 after the publication of Lewis Caroll's popular Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865 which was a publishing sensation, beloved by children and adults alike (including Queen Victoria) and to this day, it has never been out of print.  Birth rankings in England and Wales: 1850: #13 1860: #8 1870: #4 1880: #3 1890: #5 1900: #5 1904: #8 1914: #13 1924: #30 1934: #66 After so many centuries barely out of the top 10 in England, Alice began to decline in popularity in the 1920s and was out of the top 100 by 1944. In Scotland, Alice had earlier been less popular than in England and Wales (ranking #21 in 1900) but this perhaps helped its longevity, as it was still #53 in 1950, falling put by 1975. Interestingly, Scotland was also early to embrace Alice's medieval diminutive form, Alison. In 1900, Alison ranked #66 in Scotland while it was barely scraping into the top 300 in England and Wales. By 1950, Alison was #40 in Scotland and, in 1975, Alison was #17 and Allison #93.  In England and Wales, Alison began to grow in popularity once Alice had waned first entering the top 100 at #53 in 1954 and rising to #14 in 1964, #21 in 1974 and #54 in 1984, after which it left the top 100. And, in a reversal of roles, just as Alison waned, Alice itself began to rise again, reaching the top 100 once again at #83 in 1984 and rising sharply in popularity to #18 in 1994.  click to enlarge From this point, Alice fell gradually each year until it reached #50 (1212 births) in 2009. From this point on, however, its fortunes reversed and Alice began to rise once again, reaching #24 (2006 births) in 2015.  In Scotland, Alice returned to the top 100 at #85 (72 births) in 1992. Its popularity fluctuated in the bottom half of the top 100, never ranking higher than #72, up until 2013.  It rose to #48 (98 births) in 2015 and #46 (106 births) in 2016.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Alice of Champagne (c. 1193–1246), Queen consort and later regent of Cyprus. * Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (1843-1878), Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine; third child of Queen Victoria. * Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (1883-1981), granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  * Princess Alice of Battenberg (1885-1969), granddaughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (above) and mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. * Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1901-2004), wife of Prince Henry. History: * Alice Cary (1820–1871), American poet. * Alice Bunker Stockham (1833-1912), American suffragist and the fifth woman to become a doctor in the United States. * Alice Mary Smith (1839-1884), English composer. * Alice Meynell (1847-1922), British suffragist and poet. * Alice Duer Miller (1874-1942), American author and poet. * Alice Wilson (1881-1964), Canada’s first female geologist. * Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980), American writer and prominent socialite; daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. * Alice Brady (1892-1939), American actress. * Alice Calhoun (1900-1966), American silent film actress. * Alice Faye (1915-1998), American actress and singer. * Alice Babs (1924-2014), Swedish singer and actress. Contemporary: * Alice Adams (1926-1999), American author. * Alice Munro (b.1931), Canadian author and Nobel Prize winner. * Alice Malsenior Walker (b. 1944), American novelist and activist. * Alice Cooper alias Vincent Furnier (b. 1948), American rock musician. * Alice Coote (b. 1968), British opera singer. * Alice Evans (b. 1971), British actress.  * Alice Roberts (b. 1973), British anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, television presenter, and author. * Alice Eve (b. 1982), British actress. Literature and Other Media: * Alice, the eponymous heroine of the Lewis Carroll novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871). * Alice, lady-in-waiting to French princess Katharine in Shakespeare's Henry V (1599). * Alice Tate, main character in Woody Allen's film Alice (1990), portrayed by Mia Farrow. * Alice Cullen, vampire character in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

Variants:

Alis, Alyce, Alys, Alissa, Alyssa (English), Alys (Welsh), Ailis (Scottish), Ailís (Irish), Alicia (Latin), Alix (French), Aalish, Aelish (Manx)

Pronunciation:

AL-is [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Ali, Liss

Sibling Names:

Charlotte     Lucy     Grace     Emily     Isabel     Eleanor  Edward     George     William     Nicholas     Oliver     Matthew

Name Lists:

British Royalty   Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Shakespearean Names   Jane Austen Names   Dickensian Names    Tennyson Names   Operatic Appellations

  

If you like Alice you may also like:   Matilda, Florence, Evelyn, Sophie, Rose, Elsie, Iris, Beatrice, Eloise, Harriet

Thanks to Kaela for requesting this name.

 

Name of the Week: Louis

 

 

Origin:

Louis is the French form of Clovis and Ludovicus, both Latinised forms of the Old High German name Chlodovech and its Frankish counterpart Hludowig.  Both names derive from the Proto-Germanic elements *hluda- "heard of, famous" (from which we get the English word 'loud') and *wiga "war, battle."

Usage:

The founder of the Merovingian Dynasty of Frankish kings, Chlodovech I (466-511) — commonly known as Clovis I — was the first Frankish king to unite all the Frankish tribes together, establishing a Frankish Merovingian kingdom for two centuries. Soon after his death, he was considered a hero and a model king*. For the French, he is the founder of France* and so it is little wonder that Louis became not only the most common regnal name for later French kings, but also the most successful of all French names.  Not only was Chlodovech (and its many variant forms) borne by several early Frankish tribal kings and three 9th century Frankish kings, during the Middle Ages, it was also borne by six Holy Roman Emperors, twelve French kings, two kings of Hungary and two French saints (one was Louis IX of France (1214–1270) and one was bishop Louis of Toulouse (1274–1297)).  By the early modern period, variant forms of Chlodovech had firmly established themselves across Europe: Louis in France, Ludwig in Germany, Luis in Spain and Portugal and Luigi in Italy.  The Old French form Loois was introduced to Britain by the Normans and quickly became spelt phonetically in English as Lewis and Lowis. The Red Book of the Exchequer in Essex in 1166 mentions a Lowis le Briton and the Curia Regis Rolls of Rutland in 1205 record a cleric with the Latinised name Lodowicus.  However, Lewis was never common in the Middle Ages. It does not rank at all in George Redmonds' survey of 1000 names from ten English counties 1377-81 or later in Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England. It does appear once in my survey of names used in Elizabethan Norfolk, which shows it was in some use, even though it was uncommon.  Lewis was at least used enough to create the surname Lewis, Lewes, Lowis, Lowes and Lewison, however. Significantly, Lewis was used from an early date in Wales as an anglicised form of Llewelyn. As patronymic system of being called "son of" (ap) was the norm in Wales, when English surnames were enforced, any man known as "ap Llewelyn" (i.e. son of Llewelyn) would have been 'translated' as Lewis, and eventually these became hereditary surnames. Even today, Lewis is still a very common surname in Wales*.  From the 16th century, the surname encouraged the use of the given name — particularly in Wales where the practice of doubling names (i.e. Evan Evans) and adopting surnames as first names, like the old patronymic tradition, was common.  A survey of personal names used in Glamorgan in the 1851 census puts Lewis at #18 overall and #14 among men born before 1800. Data from the 1881 census also shows that both the surname Lewis and the given name were most common in Wales.  Data from the Surname Atlas In 1714, Georg Ludwig, King of Hanover, became King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Louis was used to render Ludwig and thus his regnal name became George Louis. This, arguably, "introduced" Louis to Britain. However, rather than replacing Lewis, or being used alongside it, Louis and Lewis became amalgamated together for a long time. The reason for this is that the English pronunciation of Louis was not the French LOO-ee, but the anglicised LOO-is, just like Lewis. During the 18th and 19th century, Louis and Lewis were used interchangeably as spellings. For example, Prince Frederick of Wales, son of King George II, was known both as "Frederick Lewis"* and "Frederick Louis"* equally. Similarly, many census records from the 19th century record the same person as "Lewis" in one decade and "Louis" in another, demonstrating how Louis was pronounced as Lewis at this time.  Even E.G.Withycombe's Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (first published in 1945) puts Lewis and Louis together and notes that: "The French pronunciation is used in Lowland Scots e.g. Robert Louis Stevenson." The implication being that the English pronunciation of Louis at this time is not the same as the French one. Louie was used as a given name in the 19th century, but this was largely a girls name — a diminutive for Louisa and Louise.  It would be wrong, however, to conclude that Louis in the French pronunciation was not used in Britain, especially given that it was such a common French name (notably used by a further six French kings from the 17th-19th century), as author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) bears out.  Birth rankings for England and Wales in the 19th century show that Lewis was always the more common form, and gradually declined with the turn of the 20th century.    Lewis Louis 1850: 1860: 1870: 1880: 1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: #45  #46  #40 #49 #55 #62  #70 #78 #98 — #96 #73  #63 #57 #68 #80 #78 #79 — — Both Lewis and Louis fell out of the top 100 by 1934. Lewis returned to the top 100 in 1984 at #66 and was #22 in 1994. Louis returned in 1994 at #66.  Both Lewis and Louis have been in the top 100 in England and Wales ever since. Lewis peaked in 2001 at #10 and Louis reached a peak in 2004 at #38.  By the end of the 20th century, the French pronunciation of Louis became more common in Britain. However, even today, Louis is still pronounced as Lewis in some cases. Perhaps that is why the spelling Louie has risen sharply in the last two decades, and now outranks Louis itself.    Louis Louie Lewis 1996: 1997: 1998: 1999: 2000: 2001: 2002: 2003: 2004: 2005: 2006: 2007: 2008: 2009: 2010: 2011: 2012: 2013: 2014: 2015: #61 (1001 births) #54 (1325 births) #50 (1433 births) #49 (1397 births) #46 (1516 births) #39 (1864 births) #41 (1721 births) #41 (1699 births) #38 (1976 births) #43 (1611 births) #54 (1350 births) #60 (1338 births) #59 (1205 births) #66 (1067 births) #69 (957 births) #68 (961 births) #81 (815 births) #77(827 births) #68 (999 births) #78 (854 births) #255 (112 births) #206 (161 births) #152 (230 births) #144 (240 births) #141 (268 births) #127 (338 births) #116 (415 births) #111 (470 births) #91 (637 births) #107 (534 births) #102 (579 births) #96 (668 births) #93 (729 births) #84 (757 births) #74 (904 births) #74 (887 births) #79 (832 births) #71 (868 births) #67 (1015 births) #63 (1002 births) #24 (3569 births) #21 (4065 births) #18 (4518 births) #13 (4916 births) #13 (4574 births) #10 (4636 births) #14 (4273 births) #13 (4056 births) #14 (3850 births) #19 (3343 births) #21 (3238 births) #16 (3468 births) #14 (3482 births) #21 (3008 births) #27 (2565 births) #39 (2035 births) #43 (1654 births) #46 (1329 births) #46 (1236 births) #56 (1148 births) In French-speaking countries, Louis remains popular: #1 in Belgium, #4 in France and #12 in Switzerland.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * 18 Kings of France from 815-1830.  * 6 Holy Roman Emperors. * 10 Dukes and 3 Kings of Bavaria.  * 2 Kings of Holland. * 2 Kings of Hungary. * 1 King of Portugal * Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979), born "Prince Louis of Battenberg," uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, British naval officer, last Viceroy of India (1947) and the first Governor-General of independent India (1947–48). Prince William (and -either directly or indirectly- Prince George) have Louis as a middle name in honour of him.  * Prince Louis of Cambridge (b.2018), second son of Prince William and fifth in line to the British throne. History: * Louis Gallodier (1734–1803), ballet master and choreographer. * Louis Spohr (1784–1859), German composer. * Louis Braille (1809–1852), inventor of braille. * Louis Vuitton (1821–1892), French fashion designer. * Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), French microbiologist and chemist. * Louis Sullivan (1856–1924), American architect. * Louis Blériot (1872–1936), French aviator and inventor. * Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), racing driver and the founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. * Louis Jouvet (1887–1951), French actor and director. * Louis de Broglie (1892–1987), French physicist and Nobel Prize laureate. * Louis Calhern (1895–1956), American actor. * Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), American jazz musician. * Louis Leakey (1903–1972), British paleontologist. * Louis Jordan (1908–1975), pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician and songwriter. * Louis Van Lint (1909–1986), Belgian artist. Contemporary: * Louis C.K. (born 1967), American comedian. * Louis Theroux (born 1970), British television broadcaster. * Louis Smith (born 1989), British Olympic gymnast. * Louis Tomlinson (born 1991), British pop singer. * Louis Almond (born 1992), British footballer. Literature and Other Media: * Louis de Pointe du Lac, main character in Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. * Louis Tully, character in the "Ghostbusters" movies. * Captain Louis Renault, character in the film Casablanca.

Variants:

Louie, Lewis (English), Loïc (Breton), Luigi (Italian), Luis (Spanish, Portuguese)

Pronunciation:

LOO-ee (UK, France); LOO-is (UK) [key]

Possible diminutives:

Lou, Lee

Sibling Names:

Harriet     Amelia     Eleanor     Sophia     Matilda     Imogen  Oliver     Frederick     Charles     Hugo     Oscar     Albert

Name Lists:

European Royalty   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Slim Softies   Bronte Names   Operatic Appellations

 

If you like Louis you may also like:   Harvey, Elliott, Stanley, Gabriel, Hugh, George, Albert, Sebastian, Philip, Leon

Thanks to Rach for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: George

 

Origin:

George is the Anglicised form of the Greek name Γεωργιος (Georgios) which derives from the Greek word γεωργός (georgos) "a farmer, husbandman" or, more literally, "earth-worker," derived from γῆ (ge) "earth" and έργο (ergo) "to work." Zeus Georgos "Zeus the Farmer" was a form of Zeus worshipped in Athens as god of crops and ploughing. His festival was on the 10th day of Maimakterion (November/December) which was the time of plowing and planting of grain.  It is possible that Georgios was used as a theophoric name (which were common in Ancient Greece) in honour of Zeus Georgos, but there is little evidence of it in use in Antiquity. The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names (LGPN) has no citations of Georgios or any variant in use from the 8th century B.C. down to the late Roman Empire.  Some historians have conjectured* that Saint George is in fact a later Christianised form of Zeus Georgos, especially given that the saint was often connected to crops and agriculture.* And, while Zeus Georgos may not have garnered any namesakes in the ancient world, Saint George certainly did later.

Usage:

George feels like a quintessentially British name, yet, compared to other staples which have been popular since before or just after the Norman invasion, George's popularity was much later by comparison. George's eventual introduction to Britain was all thanks to the veneration of Saint George which was established during the Crusades. According to legend, Saint George (280-303) was a Greek-born Roman soldier (from Lydda in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina), who served as an officer in the Guard of Roman emperor Diocletian. When an edict was issued to kill all Christians in the Emperor Diocletian’s army, George proclaimed his faith and refused to be converted. He gave away his money to the poor and was martyred for his faith. His reputation as the epitome of bravery and champion of Christ and the defenceless* saw his veneration spread quickly from Syria Palaestina to the rest of the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Orthodox Church) in the fourth century. By the fifth century, his cult had spread to the Western Roman Empire. In Britain, George was first referenced in writing in the 7th century* and the Venerable Bede (673-735) included him in his martyrology in the 8th. Regarded as ancient patron of soldiers, George was considered one of the most important military saints, so it is little wonder that he was adopted by the Crusaders. Legend had it that the crusaders had a vision of St. George at the siege of Antioch during the First Crusade (1096-1099) which was attributed to the defeat of the Saracens. Richard I later placed his army under the protection of St. George during the Third Crusade (1189–1192), and it was these crusaders that brought the name George back to Britain with them. Despite the saint's growing veneration, the name George was still rare during this period. Redmonds calculates it to have been the 34th most popular name from 1377-1381. Given the small size in population, that actually only equates to a small percentage, making it still quite an uncommon name. St George's feast day, April 23, was made a holiday in 1222 and the saint was given a further boost in prestige when Edward III established the Order of the Garter with St George as its patron in 1348. The English army carried banners displaying St George’s arms into battle at Halidon Hill (1333) and Agincourt (1415) and the saint’s name was used as a battle cry before defeating the French at Poitiers in 1356.* ― a cry that was immortalised by Shakespeare in Henry V as "Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George!" Further, in 1415, Archbishop Chichele made St George's feast day one of the major events of the liturgical year. St George was firmly established as England's principle patron saint.  Medieval legends had George slaying a dragon, which some say is actually symbolic of him defeating Satan and remaining true to his faith. This legend had mass circulation when it was printed in 1483 by Caxton in a book called The Golden Legend which detailed the lives of saints.  There is a commonly held view that George was little used in Britain until George I ascended the throne in the 1714. This, however, is simply not the case. In fact, George ranked within the top 10 most popular boys' names in England from the early 1500s at least, as we can see from Smith-Bannister's rankings below: 1538-49: #9; 1550-9: #9; 1560-9: #10; 1570-9: #7; 1580-9: #8; 1590-9: #8; 1600-9: #7; 1610-9: #9; 1620-9: #8; 1630-9: #7; 1640-9: #6; 1650-9: #7; 1660-9: #7; 1670-9: #6; 1680-9: #7; 1690-1700: #6.  This popular usage continued throughout the following centuries. According to Leslie Dunkling's ranks, George was #10 in 1700 and #5 in 1800. during which time Britain had three successive reigning kings bearing the name.  Throughout the the 19th century, George was a top 5 staple in England and Wales. From 1870 to 1934, it was the third most popular name after William and John: 1850: #4 1860: #4 1870: #3 1880: #3 1890: #3 1900: #3 1904: #3 1914: #3 1924: #3 1934: #10 1944: #21 1954: #35  1964: #54  1974: #83  1984: #71 1994: #21 As we can see, George remained in the top 100 in England and Wales throughout the 20th century, despite its gradual decline by the 1970s.  In Scotland, George (a staple in the 19th century) remained popular for longer than in E&W but its fall from favour came later. From ranking #6 in 1900 it was still #8 in 1950 and #36 in 1975 (when it was #83 in E&W). However, from that point on it gradually declined to #73 in 1989 and #97 in 1999. From 2004 to 2011, George hovered around the #100 mark, gradually picking up from 2012 onwards.   click to enlarge On the other hand, from 1996, George was a top 20 staple in England and Wales. Strangely, the number of boys given the name was often inverse to the name's rank. For example, from ranking #18 in 1997 (4586 births), the rank increased in rank to #12 by 2007 but decreased in birth count to 3939 births.  It first reentered the top 10 in 2010 at#9 (4542 births ― a number almost equivalent to 1997 when it was #18) and dropped to #12 again in both 2011 and 2012.  2013 saw the high profile birth of Prince George of Cambridge, first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Much was made about the name George 'becoming popular' because of the little prince, but the numbers don't quite bare this out. It should be noted though that though the rank increased in 2013 to #10 and again in 2014 to #7, the number of boys named George in those years were less than in 2011 and 2012 when it ranked at #12.  That, of course, is not to say that Prince George has had no impact at all on the name's usage. We've had four years to date of seeing the prince grow up in the spotlight and the British public are ever eager for a glimpse of the Cambridge children. At the same time, George featured as a character in the hugely popular children's TV program Peppa Pig. In 2015, George rose to #4 in 2015 with 4869 births ― a notable increase in both rank and birth count. In Scotland, George ranked #53 (127 births) in 2015 and #62 (107 births) in 2016.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * George I of Great Britain (1660–1727), King of Great Britain and Ireland 1714–1727. * George II of Great Britain (1683–1760), King of Great Britain and Ireland 1727–1760. * George III of the United Kingdom (1738–1820), King of the United Kingdom 1760–1820. * George IV of the United Kingdom (1762–1830), King of the United Kingdom 1820–1830. * George I of Greece (1845–1913), King of the Hellenes 1863–1913. * George V of the United Kingdom (1865–1936), King of Great Britain and Ireland 1910–1936. * George II of Greece (1890–1947), King of the Hellenes 1922–1924, 1935–1947. * George VI of the United Kingdom (1895–1952), King of the United Kingdom 1936–1952. * Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013), third in line to the throne of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  * 12 kings of Georgia starting from George I of Georgia (999-1027), King of Georgia 1014-1027. History: * Patriarch George of Antioch (758-790), Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church. * George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), German-British Baroque composer. * George Washington (1732-99), first president of the United States 1789-97. * George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (1788–1824), "Lord Byron," an English poet, peer, politician, and a leading figure in the Romantic movement. * George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish playwright. * George Washington Carver (1864-1943), American scientist and inventor. Contemporary: * George Harrison (1943-2001), British musician of The Beatles. * George Lucas (b.1944), American film director. * George Clooney (b.1961), American actor.  * George Ezra (Barnett) (b.1993), British singer/songwriter. Literature and Other Media: * George Plantagenet, character in Shakespeare's "Henry VI". * George Knightley, character in Jane Austen's "Emma". * George Wickham, character in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". * George Bailey, main character in film "It's A Wonderful Life". * George Weasley, character in J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series, twin of Fred Weasley. * George, Peppa's little brother on "Peppa Pig".

Variants:

Georges (French), Georg (German, Scandinavian), Giorgio (Italian), Jorge (Spanish, Portuguese), Yury, Yuri (Slavic), Siôr, Siôrs (Welsh), Seòras, Seòrsa, Deòrsa (Scottish Gaelic), Seóirse (Irish Gaelic), Shorys (Manx), Jordi (Catalan), Joris, Sjors (Dutch), Gorka (Basque)

Pronunciation:

JORJ [key]

Possible diminutives:

Georgie, Geordie, Jory

Sibling Names:

Alice     Emily     Amelia     Sophia     Lucy     Rose  Henry     William     Edward     Thomas     James     Arthur

Name Lists:

Royal British Names   Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Slim Softies   Shakespearean Names   Jane Austen Names   Bronte Names   Dickensian Names   Enid Blyton Names   Tennyson Names

 

If you like George you may also like:   Samuel, Harry, Louis, Oliver, Max, Owen, Joseph, Charles, Miles, Hugo

Thanks to Harry for requesting this name.  

 

Name of the Week: Theodora

 

Origin:

Theodora is the anglicised form of the ancient Greek name Θεοδωρα (Theodora), and the feminine form of Theodore/Theodoros, composed of the elements theos "a god" and doron "gift."

Usage:

The masculine form, Theodoros, was a well used name in the Classical and Hellenistic periods of Ancient Greece, ranking in the top 20 in the Aegean islands and Cyprus, Attica, The Peloponnese, Western Greece and Magna Graecia, Central Greece and Macedonia. It was also borne by several notable ancient Greeks including the 6th century BC inventor Theodorus of Samos, and 5th century mathematician Theodorus of Cyrene.   The feminine form was less common in Antiquity, but it was #20 in Macedonia and Thrace, and #31 in The Peloponnese, Western Greece and Magna Graecia according to the LGPN database.  When the early Christians of the Byzantine Empire cleverly reinterpreted the meaning of the name from the Pagan "gift of the god(s)" to the Christianised "gift of God," Theodora took on a new life.  Not only has it been borne by several early Christian saints, but by a multitude of Byzantine empresses and princesses. One of the most famous of these was Empress Theodora (c. 497-548), wife of the emperor Justinian I who reigned 527–565. She was a woman of great intelligence and political acumen, who became Justinian's chief advisor. Hers was a real rags to riches story. She was undoubtedly the most powerful woman of her age, carving a path for herself in a masculine world, and she is now considered a saint by the Orthodox Church.  Her importance and influence can be seen in this clip from the third programme of The Ascent of Woman, written and presented by Dr. Amanda Foreman: Another notable Empress Theodora (c. 815–c. 867) was the wife of Theophilos who acted as regent for her son after her husband's death and brought an end to iconoclasm. She, too, is also venerated as a saint.  Its prevalent use among early saints and empresses of the Eastern Christian Empire meant Theodora was continued through the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Russian form Feodora (or Fyodora) was notable among the Russian aristocracy, and also German nobility. Fyodora Alexeevna (1674–1677) was a daughter of Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich of Russia,  for example, and Princess Feodora of Leiningen (1807-1872) was the elder half-sister of Queen Victoria -- the queen gave the name to her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice as a middle name and it continued among Victoria's descendants. Theodora came into use in Britain in the 16th century, but it was always uncommon. By the 19th century, its use was steady and regular, but never common enough to make the top 200, as we can see from its ranks in England and Wales: 1850: <#300 1860: #233 1870: #265 1880: #245 1890: #243 1900: #264 It is interesting to note, however, that Dorothy (which has the same elements as Theodora, only in reverse) was consistently in the top 100 during this period, reaching #20 in 1890 and #8 in 1900. The short for Dora also ranked within the top 100 from 1880 onwards.  During this century, Theo can also be found in use for both boys and girls, indicating that Theo not only developed as a short form of Theodore, but also Theodora.  By the mid-20th century, Theodora was still in regular use, but had nevertheless declined, from 53 births in 1900, to 28 in 1920, 5 in 1940 and 10 in 1960.  click to enlarge From 1996 to 2011, Theodora was consistently below the top 1000 in England and Wales (with the exception of 2000 and 2001 when it was #897 and #992 respectively). In 2012, it rose #955 (38 births). This was the year that Robbie Williams welcomed his daughter Theodora Rose "Teddy," and may be one reason why the name rose again to #750 (52 births) in 2013.  2013 was also the year that Oz the Great and Powerful was released in cinemas, featuring Mila Kuniz in the lead role of Theodora, so it is perhaps not surprising that the name peaked at #516 (82 births) in 2014.  In 2015, Theodora ranked #708 (56 births) in England and Wales. In 2016, it ranked #798 (3 births) in Scotland but did not rank at all in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * 5 Saints, including:   - Saint Theodora, 2nd-century Christian martyr and saint.   - Saint Theodora of Alexandria, 5th century Eastern Orthodox saint.   - Saint Theodora of Arta, 13th century Empress of Epirus * Flavia Maximiana Theodora, 3rd century, daughter of the Roman Emperor Maximian and second wife of the Emperor Constantius I Chlorus. * Theodora of Emesa, 5th-century Neoplatonist. * Empress Theodora, wife of Byzantine emperor Justinian I, considered a saint by the Greek Orthodox Church. * Theodora of Khazaria, 7th-century empress, wife of Justinian II. * Theodora, wife of Theophilos, 9th-century Byzantine empress.  * Theodora, wife of Romanos I, 10th-century Byzantine empress. * Theodora, Byzantine 10th-century Byzantine empress, daughter of Constantine VII, , wife of John I Tzimiskes. * Theodora Porphyrogenita, Byzantine empress who ruled 1055-1056. * Theodora Palaiologina, 13th-century Byzantine empress, wife of Michael VIII Palaiologos. * Theodora of Trebizond, empress regnant from 1284 to 1285. * Theodora Cormontan (1840–1922), Norwegian American pianist, music publisher and composer. * Theodora Kroeber (1897-1979), American anthropologist and author.  * Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (1906–1969), elder sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. * Theodora Keogh (1919-2008), American novelist. Contemporary: * Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (b.1983), daughter of King Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark. * Theodora Richards (b. 1985), American model and daughter of musician Keith Richards. Literature and Other Media: * Theodora, character in film ''Oz the Great and Powerful.'' * Theodora Lynn, main character in 1936 film "Theodora Goes Wild." * Theodora 'Teddy' Altman, character on TV's "Grey's Anatomy.' * Theodora, an opera by Thomas Morell. * Theodora "Theo" Dane, character in book "Ballet Shoes"

Variants:

Theadora; Teodora (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Serbian), Feodora (Russian)

Pronunciation:

thee-ə-DOR-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Thea, Theo, Teddy, Dora, Dori, Thora, Theda

Sibling Names:

Alexandra     Cecily     Verity     Philippa     Antonia     Henrietta  Benedict     Edmund     Rafe     Dominic      Felix      Sebastian

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance

  

If you like Theodora you may also like:   Leonora, Tabitha, Isadora, Rosamund, Primrose, Cassandra, Penelope, Josephine, Hermione, Gwendolyn

Thanks to Prue for requesting this name.

 

Name of the Week: Edith

 

Origin:

Since the 12th century, Edith has been the standard English form of the Old English name Ēadgӯð, composed of the elements ēad "riches, prosperity, happiness, bliss" and gyð "war, battle, fight." Edith has also sometimes been conflated with, and used to render, two similar Anglo-Saxon names: Ēaldgӯð (eald "old, ancient" + gyð) and Ēadgifu (ēad + gifu "gift"), as we can see with Ealdgyð (b.c.992), wife of King Edmund Ironside, who is known in Modern English as "Edith" and Edith Swan-Neck (1025-1086), famous beauty and hand-fasted wife of Harold Godwinson who is sometimes recorded with the name Ēadgifu Swanneshals.*  Though these three names were distinct Anglo-Saxon names, the later spellings in the 12th century could often be confused.*

Usage:

Ēadgӯð was a fairly common Anglo-Saxon name and well attested among royalty. One of the most famous is St Edith of Wilton (d.984), daughter of King Edgar the Peaceable and St Wulfthrith. She became a nun like her mother and was known her "her learning, her beauty, and her sanctity."* She was regarded as a saint shortly after her death.  At the time of the Norman Conquest, two notable Ediths were making their mark: Edith Swan-Neck (or Edith the Fair) (1025–1086) was the hand-fasted wife of King Harold II (the fateful short-reigning English king who was defeated by William the Conqueror) who was widely regarded as a great beauty. Legend has it that it was she who identified Harold's body on the field of Hastings.  Edith of Wessex (1025–1075), was the previous queen-consort as the wife of Edward the Confessor (she was also the sister of Harold II), and — unusually for the time — she was crowned.* She is one of the few women to be depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry and managed to survive the conquest without the protection of her husband and brother by cleverly promoting the cult of Edward the Confessor. As Rowena Willard-Wright points out, "this was a shrewd move, as the Doomsday book reveals that she was one of very few English landowners to keep all of their lands, most English nobility having been killed or sent into exile."* Like Queen Edith herself, the name Edith survived the Norman conquest, unlike the majority of Anglo-Saxon names. In George Redmonds' survey of 1000 names from ten English counties 1377-81, Edith — ranked at #15 — is the only Anglo-Saxon feminine name in the top 50. Similarly, for boys, only Edward and Edmund rank. It is significant that these were all prominent royal figures who were regarded as saints and widely venerated in the Anglo-Norman period, accounting for the names' survival. Overall, 21 English churches were dedicated to St Edith in England.* Matilda of Scotland (1080-1118), the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and the English princess Saint Margaret, was originally Christened "Edith," but was later known as Matilda during her marriage to King Henry I of England.  From the 12th century, Eda can be found as a hypocoristic and Edekin as a diminutive. These forms, combined with the popularity of Edith itself, led the the creation of many surnames, including Edith, Eday, Edy, Edye, Edkins, Eakin, Ekins, Ead, Eade, Eades and Edes. However, Reaney and Wilson attribute the similar Eadie, Eady and Eadey to Ēadgifu, demonstrating just how similar the later forms of the names were.* Edith continued through to the 17th century though it gradually began to dwindle in use, as we can see from Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England: 1538-49: #10; 1550-9: #24; 1560-9: #16; 1570-9: #21; 1580-9: #28; 1590-9: #26; 1600-9: #41; 1610-9: #39; 1620-9: --; 1630-9: #37; 1640-9: #47; 1650-9: --; 1660-9: --; 1670-9: --; 1680-9: --; 1690-1700: #46. During the 18th century, Edith was still in use, but by this time it was very uncommon and does not appear in Dunkling's top 50 rankings for either 1700 or 1800.  Data from The Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) Edith's revival came in the mid-19th century, when Victorian Medievalism was in full swing, and was a top ten name from 1880 to the 1910s, as we can see from its ranks in England and Wales: 1850: #56 1860: #36 1870: #15 1880: #7 1890: #6 1900: #4 1904: #4 1914: #8 1924: #22 1934: #46 1944: *out of top 100* Data from the 1881 census (image, right) shows that the name was especially used in England, particularly in the South East, but was rare in Scotland. It is during this century, also, that Edie came into use as the standard diminutive for Edith.  Lots of intelligent and pioneering women, involved in education and political activism, named Edith hail from the Victorian era: Edith Cavell (1865–1915), was a famous British nurse who, during WWI, treated soldiers on both sides alike indiscriminately and set up escape routes for hundreds of Belgian and allied fugitives, for which she was arrested and and shot by the Germans. She is now venerated as a martyr in the Church of England. Edith Pechey (1845–1908), was one of the first female doctors in Britain as well as a campaigner for women's rights. Edith Abbott (1876–1957), was an American economist and a pioneer in the profession of social work and a leading activist in social reform.  Edith Durham (1863–1944) was British writer and anthropologist who travelled extensively in Balkans, advocating the rights of the Albanian people and working in various relief organisations.  This newspaper poem from 1877 uses Edith as an example of a "fine name" (i.e. one used by the upper classes) being adopted by the working class at this time, and gives an indication of the name's widespread appeal.  click to enlarge What goes up, must come down, however, and by the mid-20th century, Edith began to decline in use, falling out of the top 100 by 1944 and dropping rapidly out of use in the 1950s.  In 1996, Edith ranked #1112 (17 births) in England and Wales and diminutive Edie ranked #1168 (16 births). Both Edith and Edie have gradually risen at the same time and consistently at a similar rank each year.  Both Edith and Edie rose to #578 (51 births) and #595 (49 births) respectively in 2003, which may be in part attributed to the rising fame of radio and television presenter Edith Bowman.  By 2007 (when Bowman was the sole presenter of the highly popular BBC Radio 1 afternoon show), Edith had risen to #291 (162 births) and Edie #300 (156 births).  Rising still further, Edith was given a further boost by the characters of Lady Edith Crawley in ITV historical drama Downton Abbey (2010-2015) and Edith Gru in the films Despicable Me in 2010 and sequel Despicable Me 2 in 2013.  In 2015, Edith ranked #122 with 480 births (an increase from the 456 births in 2014 when it held the same rank) and Edie ranked #150 with 358 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Edith of Wilton (961–984), English saint and daughter of King Edgar.  * Edith of Wessex (1025–1075), Queen of England and wife of King Edward the Confessor.  * Edith the Fair/Swan-Neck (1025 – 1086), the hand-fasted wife or mistress of King Harold II of England. * Edith Pechey (1845–1908), British doctor and suffragette. * Edith Nesbit (1858–1924), British children's author and political activist. * Edith Roosevelt (1861–1948), American first lady and wife of Theodore Roosevelt. * Edith Wharton (1862–1937), Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer. * Edith Durham (1863–1944), British writer and anthropologist. * Edith Cavell (1865–1915), British nurse and humanitarian, venerated in the Church of England.  * Edith Hamilton (1867–1963) American classicist and educator. * Edith Wilson (1872–1961), American first lady and wife of Woodrow Wilson. * Edith Abbott (1876–1957), American economist, social worker, educator, and author. * Edith Dimock (1876–1955), American painter. * Dame Edith Evans (1888–1976), British actress.  * Edith Head (1897–1981), American costume designer. * Dame Edith Pitt (1906–1966), British politician. * Édith Piaf (1915–1963), French singer. Contemporary: * Edith "Edie" Sedgwick (1943–1971), American model and actress. * Edith Bowman (born 1974), British television and radio presenter Literature and Other Media: * Lady Edith Crawley, fictional character in the British television series Downton Abbey.  * Edith Gru, fictional character in the film Despicable Me.

Variants:

Edythe (English), Édith (French), Edit (Swedish), Edita (Slavic)

Pronunciation:

EE-dith [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Edie, Didi, Dee, Ditte

Sibling Names:

Clara     Beatrice     Iris     Bonnie     Harriet     Lilian  Felix     Albert     Frederick     Isaac     Reggie     Arthur

Name Lists:

Vintage Names   Royal British Names   Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor   Victorian Darlings  Dickensian Names   Gilbert and Sullivan Names  Tennyson Names

  

If you like Edith you may also like:   Eliza, Audrey, Elsie, Ada, Vera, Olive, Alice, Violet, Betsy, Connie

Thanks to Lisa for requesting this name.

 

Name of the Week: Amelia

 

 

Origin:

Amelia is a form of the Old German name Amalia, derived from amal "work", or a diminutive of Germanic names containing amal, such as Amalburg.  Over the centuries it has been much conflated and confused with (and perhaps even influenced by) the Latin Aemilia (Emilia), the source Emily. Though the two have the same sound, the Latin Aemilia is the feminine form of Aemilius, the name of a notable Roman gens. It has often been connected with the Latin aemulus "rival." However, the Roman gens traced it to their 'ancestor' Aemylos — from the Greek aimulos "wily, persuasive, flattering." Though the two have separate origins, Emily was often used as an anglicised or familiar form of Amelia in the 18th century.

Usage:

An early example of Amelia in use is Saint Amelia of Maubeuge (or Amalburga), a 7th century Merovingian saint. From then on it was in some use in Germany, and German-speaking countries**, and was brought to Britain in the Middle Ages. Its use was uncommon but it no doubt became confused with Emilia. Both forms can be found in some use in the 16th and 17th century, particularly in the South West of England. The name was sparked into popular use in Britain thanks to the Hanovarians in the 18th century when two British princesses were given the name. The first of these was Princess Amelia Sophia Eleanor (1711-1786), daughter of George II, who was the main reason for the initial revival. She was born in Hanover as a German princess, but moved to Britain when she was three years old when her grandfather George I was crowned King of Great Britain and she became HRH Princess Amelia.  Amelia (known as Emily by her family) was, by all accounts, not a typical princess of her age, though she was regarded as the prettiest of her sisters. She loved music, was a bit of a tomboy, liking to ride and hunt (scandalously attending chapel in riding clothes); was highly intelligent and outspoken*; she never married (though she is said to have been the mother of composer Samuel Arnold from an affair with a commoner), and Lady Pomeroy described thus: "The Princess Amelia is the oddest, or at least one of the oddest princesses, that ever was known ; she has her ears shut to flattery, and her heart open to honesty. She has honour, justice, good-nature, sense, wit, resolution, and more good qualities than I have time to tell you, so mixed, that (if one is not a devil) it is impossible to say she has too much or too little of any ; yet all these do not in anything (without exception) make her forget the King of England's daughter, which dignity she keeps up with such an obliging behaviour, that she charms everybody."* This Amelia was followed by her great-niece Princess Amelia (1783-1810), daughter of George III, also called Emily, who added to the name's popularity, alongside the publication of Henry Fielding's novel Amelia in 1751.  By the beginning of the 19th century, Amelia had rocketed up into the top 100 in England and Wales, and, as with almost all popular names, gradually declined in use by the end of the century: 1850: #25 1860: #30 1870: #35 1880: #47 1890: #57 1900: #74 1904: #85 1914: #98 The name fell out of the top 100 in the 1920s, until it returned again in the 1990s. This corresponds to Leslie Dunkling's sample for girls named Amelia in every 10,000 births: 1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990  18   2    -    -    4    -    -    2    2    4   4   24 Amelia's popularity grew again in the 1980s, returning back to the top 100 in England and Wales in 1994 at #75. From that point on, it steadily marched up the top 100, reaching #10 in 2007, #5 in 2010, and #1 the following year in 2011, where it has ranked ever since.  It peaked in 2012, when it went 5054 in 2011 births to 7061 births in 2012 and back down to 5570 births the following year. This corresponds to both the popularity of the character Amelia "Amy" Pond on Doctor Who and contestant Amelia Lily on The X Factor in 2011.  In Scotland, Amelia was much later to catch on, ranking below the top 200 through the 1970s to the end of the 1990s. It first reached the top 100 in 2005 at #88. It quickly rose in the ranks and saw a significant leap from #29 in 2011 to #9 in 2012. It has been in the top 10 ever since.  In 2015, Amelia ranked #1 in England (4,877 births), #1 in Wales (281 births) and #7 in Scotland (352 births).

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Amelia of Maubeuge (d. 690), Belgian saint.  * Princess Amelia of Great Britain (1711-1786), daughter of George II. * Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom (1783-1810), daughter of George III. * Amelia Earhart (1897–1937), American aviator. Contemporary: * Amelia Lily (born 1994), British singer. * Lady Amelia Windsor (born 1995), granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, currently 36th in line to the British throne. Literature and Other Media: * Amelia, title character in Henry Fielding's novel Amelia (1751). * Amelia "Amy" Pond, companion of the Eleventh Doctor in the television series Doctor Who. * Amelia Thermopolis Renaldo (Mia Thermopolis), the protagonist of The Princess Diaries novels by Meg Cabot.

Variants:

Amélie (French), Amalia (Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Dutch, German), Amálie (Czech), Amalija (Lithuanian, Slovene, Croatian)

Pronunciation:

ə-MEE-lee-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Amy, Ammy, Emmy, Millie, Meelie, Mia

Sibling Names:

Charlotte     Alice     Isabella     Eleanor     Grace     Sophia  Frederick     George     Oliver     Alexander     William     Edward

Name Lists:

British Royalty   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings  Jane Austen Names   Bronte Names

  

If you like Amelia you may also like:   Olivia, Arabella, Caroline, Eliza, Clara, Catherine, Matilda, Harriet, Victoria, Louisa