British Baby Names

Name of the Week: Frederick

 

Origin:

Frederick is the Anglicised form of the Old Germanic name Frithuric. It was popular on the Continent and brought to Britain by the Normans where it merged with the Old English form Friðuric. Both names were composed of the elements derived from the same Proto-Germanic etymological route: *frithu "peace, friendship" and *rīkia- "mighty, distinguished, rich, ruler, leader."  It was Latinised from at least the 9th century as Fridericus and Fredericus.

Usage:

Though it is generally accepted that the Normans reinforced the name Frederick -- already well used in Europe thanks to St Frederick -- Britain, there are some examples that show the Old English Friðuric was already in use. Documents between 675 and 691 show that when the church of Breedon, Leicestershire was founded, a Mercian ealdorman named Friduric, gave some land there to the abbey of Medeshamstede, to provide for a minster and a priest. The Domesday Book of 1086 also lists two 1066 landowners (i.e. pre-Norman) with the names Frederic and Fredri which suggests the Old English cognate was used. There is also record of an abbott of St Albans around 1072 named Fredericus, and a Frari fillius Willelmi in the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1198.  Frari seems to have developed as a shortform; in Assize Rolls we find the nam latinised not only as Fredericus but also Fraricus, Frarinus and Frarius. By the 13th century, examples of the name can be found in surname form (Fretheryk, Frereric, Fretherik, Frary) though they are quite uncommon, and Bardleys points out that instances are generally on the East coast with family connections to the Low Countries* suggesting European influence.  Despite this use, Frederick never had the same exposure in Britain that it did in Europe, where it had early on been established among the nobility. The name had been borne by a 9th century bishop, Frederick of Utrecht, who was canonised as a saint shortly after his death and was quickly established as a hereditary name of the House of Hohenstaufen, a dynasty of German monarchs. The first of the house was Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050-1105) who was named after his father.  The Hohenstaufen dynasty was mighty, ruling over Swabia, Italy and Sicily. Three of its line were crowned Holy Roman Emperors -- two of whom were named Frederick. The most famous is Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (1122-1190), also known as Frederick Barbarossa "redbeard," who is considered one of the greatest medieval emperors thanks to his political acumen, organisational and tactical skills, prowess on the battlefield, and charisma.  Consequently, Frederick has been borne by monarchs of Prussia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Saxony.  Frederick was used moderately in Britain up until the 18th century, when its use by the new Hanoverian royal family in Britain brought the name to public attention. Prince Frederick Louis (1707-1751), eldest son and heir of George II. Like his father and grandfather, he was born in Hanover but came to Britain in 1728 after the succession of his father and was created Prince of Wales in January the following year.  Frederick was politically (and in general) opposed to his father. He was patron of the arts, a sportsman and a supporter of the Jacobites. Unlike his father, he was a popular figure with the public, and many mourned his death in 1751 aged 44 as the forward-thinking king they never were to have.  While the Prince of Wales was gaining attention in Britain, Prussia also had a high-profile figure with the name, in the form of Frederick II of Prussia(1712–1786), who became known as "Frederick the Great." The Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) Undoubtedly, Frederick increased in use during this period, especially in the South of England and among the aristocracy who aligned themselves with the Prince of Wales' political stance. It rose gradually over the following century and by 1860 it was firmly established at #9 in England and Wales.  It remained steady over the following decades. By 1870 it was #10, #9 in 1880, #8 in 1890 and #7 in 1900.  Data from the 1881 census (right) shows that Frederick was proportionally most popular in the South of England, and little used comparatively in Wales and Scotland.  click to enlarge Frederick remained popular for much of the first half of the 20th century, ranking in the top 10 in England and Wales until 1924. After that it began to decline, falling out of the top 100 after 1954 when it ranked #64.  By 1996, Frederick had gradually risen back and was lurking just under the #100 mark for much of the early 2000s. It finally came back into the top 100 in 2005 when it ranked #98. It stayed around that mark until 2010 when it began to rise upwards to #81 in 2014.  Some of Frederick's rising fortunes can be attributed to the success of its diminutive form Freddie, which joined the top 100 in 2004 and has been on an upward curve ever since, ranking #20 in 2014.  In Scotland, Frederick remains rare, and hasn't ranked below #200 in the last twenty years. In 2014 it ranked #252.

Famous Bearers:

History: * St Frederick (d.838), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick de la Roche (d. 1173), the sixth Latin archbishop of Tyre. * Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (1125–1190), king & emperor. * Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (1196–1250), king & emperor. * Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (1415–1493), German ruler. * Frederick II of Prussia "Frederick the Great" (1712–1786), King of Prussia. * Ten Kings of Prussia. * Nine Kings of Denmark. * Frederick Douglass (1818–1891), American abolitionist, author and statesman. * Frederick Varley (1881–1969), artist. * Frederick Banting (1891–1941), Canadian doctor who co-discovered insulin. Contemporary: * Frederick Forsyth (b. 1938), British novelist. * Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (b. 1968), Crown Prince of Denmark. * Frederik Magle (b. 1977), Danish composer. Literature and Other Media: * Frederick Wentworth, the hero of Jane Austen's Persuasion (1817).

Variants:

Frederik (Danish, Dutch), Fredrik (Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish), Frédéric (French), Federico (Spanish, Italian), Friedrich (German), Frederico (Portuguese)

Pronunciation:

FRED-ə-rik [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Freddie, Freddy, Fred, Rick, Fritz

Sibling Names:

Victoria     Isabella     Amelia     Eleanor     Beatrice     Phoebe  Arthur     George     James     Edward    Theodore     Alexander

Name Lists:

British Royalty   European Royalty   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Shakespearean Names  Austen Names   Dickensian Names   Bronte Names   Enid Blyton Names

 

If you like Frederick you may also like:    Nathaniel, Robert, Edmund, Francis, Sebastian, Laurence, Gabriel, Ernest, Hugo, Nicholas

 

Thanks to Mia for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

A symbolically majestic name with a cosy-crusty vibe.
Now given new life in the European pronunciation thanks to 
a superstar football player.

 

Origin:

Lionel is a medieval diminutive form of the Old French Leon, itself a form of the Latin name Leo "lion," using the diminutive suffix -el. Because of this suffix, several sources fancy the meaning of Lionel as "little lion."

Usage:

We can trace the name Lionel right back to Arthurian legend. Sir Lionel was a son of King Bors of Gaul and double cousin of Lancelot. When his father died, legend has it that Lionel and his brother were raised with Lancelot by the Lady of the Lake and, like his cousin, later became a Knight of the Round Table.  There are a few smatterings of the name in use in the early Middle Ages, but, overall, they are difficult to come by. A Lunell Wodeward is mentioned on the 1273 Essex Hundred rolls, and a Lionet (another diminutive of Leon analogous to Lionel) is found on a London Subsidy Roll of 1292. Posterity also remembers a Lionel de Bradenham who laid seige to Colchester in 1350. Overall however, the name was very rare until it was used by Edward III for his third son. It is well known that Edward III was fascinated by knightly chivalry and was always keen to emulate King Arthur. He specifically adopted for himself the lion passant guardant, known as a leopard in heraldic terms, and used the symbol in a very effective form of early royal propaganda -- he even kept real leopards and lions at the Tower of London. The lion was king of beasts and a symbol of Christ, used as a archetype of kingship for many generations so it made for an obvious kingly metaphor for Edward.  Intriguingly, in 1334, Edward entered a tournament at Dunstable under the name 'Sir Lionel' with his own newly created arms. Historians such as Juliet Vale* have suggested that Edward specifically assumed the name Lionel, not only because it gave him an Arthurian knightly association but also served as a symbolic 'royal persona' which didn't demote him socially to the lower rank of knight.  Essentially, through the name Lionel "little lion," Edward became the embodiment of his royal symbol during the tournament. Four years later, in 1338 he gave the name to his son, Lionel of Antwerp, and still seems to have been attached to the name himself, using the 'Sir Lionel' arms once again in a tournament in 1342.  As Caroline Shenton put's it, "This, more than any other example, strikingly indicates how imaginative was Edward III's manipulation of the traditional imagery of English kingship. The diminutive coinage, 'Lionel', was not simply an affectionate play on words. 'Lyonellus' or 'little lion' - the meaning intended at the 1334 tournament - can also, obviously, be interpreted as 'son of the lion.' [...] From then on, Edward had a living metaphor, in the form of his son, to embody his view of kingship and the role of his family in sustaining that image.* The name seems to have caught on, at least a little, after this royal namesake. By the 16th century surname forms Lynell, Linell, Lunel and Linnell appear in records, while the contracted form Lyall/Lyell was common in North England and the Scottish lowlands. It was in low-moderate use from the 16th to 18th century, appearing twice in Norfolk baptism from 1585-1603 and twice again from 1660-1702.  In Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 in fourty English parishes, Lionel appears in the top 50 in only one decade: #46 in the 1630s.  Lionel was well used among the peerage. The name is notable among the earls of Middlesex, the first of whom was Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex (1575–1645), and also frequently by the Tollemache family, later earls of Dysart. Most famous among name fans is the Reverend Ralph William Lyonel Tollemache-Tollemache (1826-1895) who not only named his eldest son Lyonel (later Sir Lyonel Tollemache, 4th Baronet), he also have his other children a series of eccentric names, all based on the name Lyonel. His four youngest daughters were Lyonesse, Lyona, Lyonella, Lyonetta, and all but one of his sons had a related name: Leo, Leone, Lyunulph and Lyulph Ydwallo Odin Nestor Egbert Lyonel (the initials of which spell "LYONEL"). Thanks to the Victorian love of the medieval, Lionel had a surge in popularity in the latter half of the 19th century. In 1860 Lionel ranked only #169, but had risen to #122 in 1870, #95 in 1880, #81 in 1890 and #97 in 1900.  Data from the 1881 census shows that Lionel was most popular, relative to population size, in the South of England.  It remained in the top 100 in England and Wales up until the 1930s -- #86 in 1904, #81 in 1914 and #90 in 1924 -- after which it fell out. From 1996 to 2006, Lionel had no more than 10 births in any given year in England and Wales. Since then, it has been sporadically rising, most likely thanks to football star Lionel Messi. It is impossible to tell from the data how many of these little Lionel's share Messi's European pronunciation of the name (lee-ō-NEL) as opposed to the British pronunciation, but I have met and know of little Lionel's who were named for the footballer.  Lionel was not in the top 100 in Scotland in 1900, 1950 or 1975 and since 1974, has only been registered on nine boys.  In 2013, Lionel ranked #1339 (18 births) in England and Wales, and did not rank at all in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338-1368), son of King Edward III of England. * Lionel Woodville (d. 1484), Bishop of Salisbury, brother of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen consort of England. * Lionel Duckett (1511–1587), Lord Mayor of London. * Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex (1575–1645), English merchant and nobleman. * Lionel Barrymore (1878–1954), was an American actor. Contemporary: * Lionel Hampton (1908-2002), American jazz musician. * Lionel Jeffries (1926-2010), English actor. * Lionel Bart (1930-1999), British composer. * Lionel Cox (1930–2010), Australian cyclist. * Lionel Blair (b. 1931), British dancer and actor. * Lionel Richie (b. 1949), American singer, songwriter. * Lionel Messi (b.1987), Argentine footballer. Literature and Other Media: * Sir Lionel, a knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend.

Variants:

Lyonel, Lyell

Pronunciation:

LĪ-ə-nel / LĪ-nəl (UK) lee-ō-NEL (Europe) [key]

Possible diminutives:

Leo, Lio, Lyle

Sibling Names:

Agnes     Blythe     Contance     Sybil     Audrey     Wilhelmina  Virgil     Eugene     Reginald     Giles     Sylvester     Cedric

Name Lists:

Funky Clunky   Upright Elegance   British Royalty   Victorian Darlings   Golden Age Hollywood   Gilbert and Sullivan Names

 

If you like Lionel you may also like:    Linus, Alphonso, Leopold, Inigo, Leoline, Eustace, Leonard, Randolph, Chester, Llewelyn

 

Thanks to Paula for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

 

Origin:

Charlotte is a feminine form of Charles, itself an old French form of the Germanic name Karl. The Latin form Carola (the feminine form of Carolus) developed the diminutive suffix -ot which became Charlotte in French and Carlotta in Italian.   Karl itself was a Germanic word meaning "man, husband" which stemmed from the Proto-Germanic *karilaz "little man, young man", a word that can be found in use in many languages throughout Europe. In Old English, for example, 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 Slovakkrál, Russian король).

Usage:

Many onomasticians -- including the indomitable Charlotte M. Yonge and Elizabeth G. Withycombe -- track the first Charlotte back to Charlotte of Savoy (1411-1483). She married Louis XI of France, thereby 'introducing' the Italian Carlotta to French court, which was Frenchified as Charlotte.  However, a deeper delve shows a more complex picture, and not one that necessarily started with Carlotta and ended with Charlotte. The Duchy of Savoy, where Charlotte was born, ruled territory between France, Switzerland and Italy which made for a language melting pot. Early records in Italian* do call her Carlotta, but, as her family were of French nobility, she may have been called Charlotte also. Her immediate family tree was also littered with other Charlottes, and she certainly wasn't the first. Another Charlotte was her first cousin and later sister-in-law Charlotte of Lusignan (1444– 1487) who was born only three years after Charlotte of Savoy. She was heir to the throne of Cyprus and later reigned as queen in her own right. Charlotte de Bourbon (1449–1478), was another distant member of the de Bourbon line who was born soon after. Both Charlotte of Savoy and Charlotte of Lusignan were, in all likelihood, named after their mutual grandmother Charlotte de Bourbon-La Marche (1388–1422), Queen consort of Cyprus. This Charlotte was born in France in 1388, daughter of John I, Count of La Marche, and is known for bringing about a revival of French culture to the Cyprian court. Though she may have been 'Regina Carlotta' to her people, it is more likely that her French family called her Charlotte. It is possible that she was named in honour of King Charles VI of France, whom her father fought with on campaign in Flanders in 1382. From the 14th century onward, then, Charlotte/Carlotta was well established among French royalty and the houses they married into. It took a little longer to travel to British shores. In 1626, the 7th Earl of Derby married French aristocrat Charlotte de La Trémoille (1599-1664) (yet another branch of the de Bourbon tree). Charlotte is famous for having withstood an eleven-week Parliamentarian siege of Lathom Castle in 1644, with only 300 men. Her bravery was immortalised in romantic novels of the 19th century, including one by Sir Walter Scott. Following that, in 1682, the Duke of York, later James II named his daughter Princess Charlotte Maria of York. Sadly, however, she died aged only two months old.  In the aftermath of the Civil War (1642-49), culminating in the beheading of Charles I, royalist families began to increase their honorific use of Charles as a given name, moving it up to the top 15 most popular names in the latter half of the 17th century. Charlotte may also have been used as an honourific royalist name, as Dunkling ranks it #41 for girls in England and Wales in 1700. This made it by no means popular, but it does show it was in regular use by that time. A century later, in 1800, Charlotte had shot up to #10 and was still a respectable #19 by 1850. The most likely influence was thanks to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of George III, who was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1716-1818, and also its use as the name of the heroine in Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774) which was a huge international success.  Queen Charlotte is remembered for being a passionate supporter of arts and science and for founding many orphanages. She was mother to fifteen children and took an active part in their upbringing, ensuring that her daughters were highly educated. She also founded a maternity hospital, which is now known as Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, one of the oldest of its kind in the world.  Charlotte, Princess Royal (1766–1828), her eldest daughter, followed, as did Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales (1796–1817) her granddaughter, and the only daughter and heir of George IV.  This latter Charlotte was the People's Princess; deemed as a breath of fresh air for the British public, compared to her perfidious father and ailing grandfather (who was widely thought to be insane). When she died, aged only 21, in 1817, the country went into an intense period mourning. Linen-drapers ran out of black cloth and shops, law courts and docks were closed for two weeks. She was certainly the Diana of her day. Her death caused a crisis of succession. King George III's (by then middle-aged) bachelor sons scrabbled to provide the next heir, and, as a result, Princess Charlotte of Clarence was born in March 1819 to William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV). Tragically, she died within hours of her birth, denying the country another ruling Queen Charlotte.  Two months later, Princess Alexandrina Victoria was born, the future Queen Victoria. Charlotte was one of the names which she was supposed to be given, but was rejected by the Prince Regent. Perhaps this pettish act is why Victoria did not use the name Charlotte for any of her own children. When her eldest daughter Vicky, used the name for her first born in 1860 (Princess Charlotte of Prussia "Charly"), the queen was vocal in her dislike of the name.  Charlotte was not used as a given name by the immediate British royal family until the birth this year of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. The one royal exception is Charlotte the parrot, the beloved pet of George V who he took everywhere with him.  This lack of royal namesakes, combined with it eventually being considered a "grandmother" name, saw the name gradually decline in use over the course of the 19th century: #20 in 1860, #25 in 1870, #35 in 1880, #50 in 1890 and #64 in 1900.  Charley and Lottie were well established as nicknames, and C.M. Yonge also lists Chatty as a variant. E. G. Withycombe makes the intriguing observation that, although the 17th spelling "Charlet" shows that the name was pronounced the same then as it is today, in the 19th century it occasionally became three syllables: Charlotty. Though they may, in some cases, be transcription errors it is interesting to note that the 1881 census has 47 instances of Charlottee, 35 of Charlottie and 18 of Charlotty.  Charlotte was still in the top 100 in England and Wales at the beginning of the 20th century, ranking #75 in 1904 and #96 in 1914, after which it fell out of the top 100 until it returned again in the 1970s. Dunkling's data (births per 10,000) shows that Charlotte was at its lowest usage of '2' in 1955, but increased swiftly from '39' in 1970 to '74' in 1975.  In 1974, Charlotte was back in the top 100 at #41 and was #22 by 1984.  It peaked at #4 in 1994 and remained in the top 10 until 2006. Though the rank has fluctuated, the birth count has been steadily decreasing each year. Time will tell if the recent birth of Princess Charlotte will boost the name up again.  In 2013, Charlotte ranked #21 with 2242 births in England and Wales. It ranked #21 (213 births) in Scotland and #35 (73 births) in Northern Ireland in 2014.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Charlotte de Bourbon-La Marche (1388–1422), Queen consort of Cyprus and titular Queen consort of Armenia and Jerusalem. * Charlotte of Savoy (1441–1483), Queen consort of France, wife of Louis XI. * Charlotte of Lusignan (1444– 1487), Queen of Cyprus, Princess of Antioch and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia. * Charlotte de Bourbon (1449–1478), Countess of Buchan. * Charlotte d'Albret (1480–1514) Duchess of Valentinois and regent for her daughter after her husband's (Cesare Borgia) death. * Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (1650–1714) Queen consort of Denmark and Norway, * Princess Charlotte Maria of York (1682-1682), daughter of James, Duke of York, later James II.  * Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (1700–1761), wife of Francesco III, Duke of Modena. * Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744–1818), Queen consort of Britain and Ireland, wife of George III. * Charlotte, Princess Royal (1766–1828), Queen consort of Württemberg and eldest daughter of George III. * Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales (1796–1817), daughter of George, Prince of Wales, later George IV. * Charlotte (Carlota) of Mexico (1840–1927), daughter of Leopold I of Belgium and Empress of Mexico. * Princess Charlotte of Prussia (1860–1919), Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen.  * Charlotte of Nassau-Weilburg (1896–1985), Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. * Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois (1898–1977), daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and Hereditary Princess of Monaco. * Archduchess Charlotte of Austria (1921–1989), daughter of Emperor Charles I of Austria. * Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b.2015), Fourth in line to the throne of the United Kingdom.  History: * Charlotte de La Trémoille (1599-1664), Countess of Derby and royalist heroine. * Charlotte Lennox (c. 1730–1804), Scottish author and poet. * Charlotte Smith (1749–1806), English Romantic poet and novelist. * Lady Charlotte Guest (1812-1901), translator of The Mabinogian.  * Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855), English novelist and poet. * Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823–1901), English novelist. * Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935), American feminist and reformer. Contemporary: * Charlotte Gainsburg (b. 1971), Anglo-French actress and singer. * Charlotte Dujardin OBE (b. 1985), British dressage rider and Olympic gold medallist. * Charlotte Church (b. 1986) is a Welsh singer-songwriter Literature and Other Media: * Charlotte "Lotte", the heroine of Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774). * Charlotte Lucas, a character in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813). * Charlotte "Charley" Neckett, a character in Charles Dicken's Bleak House (1852/3).

Variants:

Charlene, Charlize; Carlotta (Italian), Carlota (Spanish, Portuguese)

Pronunciation:

SHAR-lət   [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Char, Charlie, Charley, Charles, Charla, Chattie, Lotte, Lottie, Lotta, Lola

Sibling Names:

Amelia     Emily     Lucy     Harriet     Eleanor     Victoria  Thomas     Louis     Edward     Oliver     George     Frederick

Name Lists:

Gorgeously Georgian   British Royalty   European Royalty   Austen Names   Bronte Names   Dickensian Names   Disney Names   Names of Roses

 

If you like Charlotte you may also like:   Clara, Matilda, Emma, Julia, Caroline, Florence, Isabelle, Catherine, Eloise, Imogen

 

Thanks to Charlotte for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week

An artistic perennial favourite for centuries, now at a nadir.
If you are looking for a historic, friendly traditional name that's underused,
Christopher is worth a second glance.

 

Origin:

Christopher is an Anglicised form of the Greek name Christophoros, composed of the the elements Χριστος (Christos) and φερω (phero) "to carry, to bear," meaning "bearing Christ." Evidence suggests that early Christians adopted the term to refer to themselves, and as a symbolic name for converted Christians, meaning that they carried Christ with them in their lives and hearts. By the 7th century the name, however, was applied to an early Christian martyr whom legend describes as a giant man who carried the Christ-child across a dangerous river — thus "Christ-bearing."  Though historical evidence for St Christopher is shaky (his rank was lowered in the liturgical calendar in 1969) he has long been a widely popular saint and venerated as the patron of travellers. Traditionally, the sight of his image was thought to bring protection and, still today, St Christopher medallions are commonly carried by Christians as talismans.  Some historians, such as Dr David Woods, argue that St Christopher was in fact St Menas, an Egyptian martyr who is regarded in Coptic tradition as the patron of travellers. After Menas, a soldier, was martyred in far away Antioch his body was returned to Egypt. The theory proposes that when the church in Antioch collected what they knew about the martyred foreign solider, they were unable to gather his real name, therefore giving him the honorific title 'Christophoros' to show that he was a Christian convert.*

Usage:

As a given name proper, Christopher can be found in use from the early 13th century in Britain. Both the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201 and 1220 list a Christopherus, though examples were rare.  The short form Kit (Kytt/e) also appears in use from 13th century, engendering the surnames Kitt, Kitts and Kitson.  By the 14th century, St Christopher's cult was at a height, and the saint was a popular depiction in church wall paintings. This seems to have had a profound impact on the usage of Christopher as a given name. Redmonds notes that the name was among the top dozen names of Yorkshire and Lancashire by the 1430s.  The name continued to flourish as a top 20 name for almost another three centuries, as we can see from Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 in England: 1538-49: #14; 1550-9: #17; 1560-9: #12; 1570-9: #13; 1580-9: #13; 1590-9: #13; 1600-9: #13; 1610-9: #13; 1620-9: #17; 1630-9: #14; 1640-9: #16; 1650-9: #14; 1660-9: #17; 1670-9: #16; 1680-9: #23; 1690-1700: #21.  This was an age of notable namesakes such as Christopher of Bavaria (1416-1448), King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway; Christopher Columbus (1451-1506); Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564-1593), playwright; Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), architect; Christopher "Kit" Smart (1722-1771), poet. As we can see, Kit was the go-to diminutive at the time, and there is evidence to suggest that Kester was used as the vernacular form.   Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) While Christopher fell out of the top 20 from the 18th century, it still maintained good use. Dunkling ranks Christopher at #21 in England and Wales both 1700 and 1800 and fell to a steady rank between #40 and #60 throughout the 19th century: #44 in 1860, #43 in 1870, #47 in 1880, #60 in 1890 and #60 in 1900.  Data from the 1881 census (see right) indicates that Christopher was most popular in the North of England and, when we factor in population differences, the Scottish Highlands.  At the beginning of the 20th century, Christopher maintained a fairly consistent rank in the bottom half of the top 100, by which time, Kit had been superseded by Chris.  click to enlarge Its fortunes took an upturn in the 1940s, when Christopher went from #57 in 1934 (E&W) to #16 in 1944. From there it rose to the top 10 in the 1950s, ranking #9 in 1954, #6 in 1974 and peaking at #1 in 1984.  Of course, reaching the top spot, the only way left to go was down, and Christopher has been declining gradually ever since, dropping out of the top 50 in 2002 and the top 100 in 2010. Currently, Christopher is at its lowest historical point in England and Wales at #132.  In Scotland, Christopher's fortunes have followed a similar curve. It reached a peak of #2 from 1982 to 1991, after which it gradually declined reaching #30 in 2000, #45 in 2005, #69 in 2010 and #80 in 2014.  Similarly, Christopher has fallen gradually in Northern from #13 in 1997 to #86 in 2014.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Christopher Lekapenos (d. 931), Byzantine co-emperor. * Christopher I (1219–1259), King of Denmark. * Christopher II (1276–1332), King of Denmark. * Christopher of Bavaria (1416–1448), union king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), navigator, explorer. * Blessed Christopher Wharton (1546–1600), English Roman Catholic priest. * Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), British playwright. * Christopher Wren (1632–1723), British architect. * Christopher Smart (1722–1771), British poet. * Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1888–1940), son of George I, King of Greece. * Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986), British-American novelist. Contemporary: * Christopher Fry (1907–2005), British dramatist. * Christopher Lee (1922-2015), British actor. * Christopher Plummer (b.1929), Canadian actor. * Christopher Lloyd (b.1938), American actor. * Christopher Walken (b. 1943), American actor. * Christopher Reeve (1952–2004), American actor. * Christopher Eccleston (b. 1964), British actor. * Sir Christopher "Chris" Hoy, MBE (b. 1976), British Olympic cycling triple gold medalist. * Christopher Froome (b. 1985) British professional road racing cyclist and winner of the 2013 Tour de France. * Christopher "Kit" Harington (b.1986), British actor. Literature and Other Media: * Col. Christopher Brandon, a character in Emma Thompson's adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1995). * Sir Christopher Sly, a character in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew (1593). * Sir Christopher Urswick, a character in Shakespeare's Richard III (1633). * Christopher Robin, character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne.

Variants:

Criostal, Chrystal (Scots Gaelic), Críostóir (Irish Gaelic), Christophe (French), Christoph (German), Cristóbal (Spanish), Kristoffer, Christoffer (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian), Cristoforo (Italian), Cristóvão (Portuguese), Christoffel (Dutch), Krzysztof, Krzysiek (Polish), Krištof (Slavic)

Pronunciation:

KRIS-tə-fər [key]

Possible diminutives:

Chris, Kit, Kitts, Kitto, Kester, Topher, Ric, Frisco, Keir, Risto

Sibling Names:

Hannah     Melissa     Laura      Abigail      Rebecca      Georgina  Michael     Andrew     Robert     Stephen     Laurence      Jonathan

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical Names   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   European Royalty   Shakespearean Names   Dickensian Names   Bronte Names

 

If you like Christopher you may also like:    Anthony, Martin, Kester, Richard, Damian, Timothy, Daniel, Benjamin, Dominic, Nicholas

 

Thanks to Dawn for requesting this post.

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge: A Royal Name Analysis

The wait is over! As with their son Prince George of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess only made us wait two days to hear the name they have chosen for their daughter:

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Unlike last time, the royal couple did not wait until they introduced their new arrival to the Queen and Prince Philip before announcing the name to the rest of the world. But, as (presumably) the name has Her Majesty’s nod of approval, what are we to make of their choice?

Here is my royal analysis of their three choices:

 

Charlotte

Charlotte was second-in-running to Alice as the bookies favourite this time around and it seems they were right!

Charlotte is the feminine of Charles, a French form of the Germanic Karl meaning “man.” 

Though Charles had long been in good use, Charlotte itself was unheard of in this country until the 17^th century when it gained some ground. It shot to fame, however, in 1761 when King George III married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Queen Charlotte was known for her kindness; she founded several orphanages and was a champion of women’s education.

Her eldest daughter, Charlotte, Princess Royal (b.1766), bore the name and also her granddaughter Princess Charlotte of Wales (b.1796), daughter of King George IV. Princess Charlotte was the nation’s darling and when she died, tragically, in childbirth at the age of 21, the country went into a period of intense mourning never seen before.

As Princess Charlotte of Wales was the only legitimate heir, this also caused a crisis of succession. The next heir to be born was the future Queen Victoria. Her parents intended her to have the names Charlotte, Augusta, Georgina but the Prince Regent (who had the power of veto) rejected those choices.

Queen Victoria’s first granddaughter was also Princess Charlotte of Prussia (b.1860). Victoria disapproved of the choice – she wanted the baby to be called “Victoria.”

For a closer family connection, Charlotte is also the middle name of Catherine’s sister Pippa, whose full name is Philippa Charlotte Middleton.

Charlotte ranked #41 in 1700 and then, after the royal wedding of 1761, shot up to #10 in 1800.
It was still a steady #19 in 1850 but fell to #64 in 1900 and was out of the top 100 by the 1920s.
Charlotte moved back into the top 50 in the 1970s and was in the top 10 from 1994-2005.
It currently ranks #21.

 

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is arguably our strongest royal female name. Borne by two reigning queens, Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II, as well as queen consorts and princesses.

Elizabeth is also Catherine’s middle name, so just like George and William both share Louis in their names, Catherine and her daughter both share Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is the English form of the Latin Elizabetha which itself comes from the Hebrew name Elisheba meaning “God is my oath.”

Elizabeth first became a royal name in Scotland in 1306 when Elizabeth de Burgh married Robert I (The Bruce). In England it was 1464 when Elizabeth Woodville became Queen of England upon her marriage to Edward IV. Their daughter, Elizabeth of York, also became queen herself as the wife of Henry VII.

This second Queen Elizabeth was mother of Henry VIII, and it was for her that Elizabeth I – arguably one of nations most successful and notable monarchs -- was named.
Already in good use since the 12^th century, Queen Elizabeth I’s reign ensured that Elizabeth was the #1 name for a century.

After the succession of the Stuarts and later the Hanoverians, Elizabeth was little used by the royal family (George III had a sister and one middle daughter with the name), but was still extremely popular among their subjects for whom it was second only to Mary.

Elizabeth was revived by the royals for our present queen, who was named after her mother Queen Elizabeth (nee Bowes-Lyon).

Elizabeth ranked #1 in 1600,  #2 in 1700, #3 in 1800 and #6 in 1900. Although its overall popularity has declined gradually and sporadically since that point, it has never been out of the top 50.
It currently ranks #39.

 

Diana

There has been much speculation as to whether William and Catherine would pay tribute to his late mother in their daughter’s name. It was unlikely that it would be used as a first name – a little too much to live up to – but the middle spot is perfect territory.

Diana is the Roman goddess of hunting, women, childbirth and the moon, equivalent to the Greek goddess Artemis. Her name most likely derives from the same route as Dio and Zeus “a god(dess).”

Diana has been used as a name in this country since the 15^th century, but was never especially popular. It only really gained ground in the early 20^th century, ranking #80 in 1934, #51 in 1944 and #79 in 1954. After that it fell out of the top 100. It currently ranks #358.

 

Middleton Trend?

It is interesting to note that Mrs Middleton is Carole Elizabeth, the Duchess is Catherine Elizabeth, and now her daughter is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, showing a continuation of Catherine's family trend of "C. Elizabeth."

 

Honouring

Unlike with Prince George, the Duke and Duchess have included so many people to honour with this name. 

Charlotte -- Charlotte is the feminine form of Charles, so a nod to Prince Charles and is also the middle name of Catherine's sister Pippa Middleton. Carole is also a name related to the "Charles" group. 

Elizabeth -- Obviously Elizabeth is the first name of William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II but is also the second name of Catherine herself and her mother Carole Middleton.

Diana -- Diana of course is in honour of Prince William's late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. 

 

 

Name of the Week

Solid, stately, royal and refined
Eleanor is perfectly proper name with a raft of cute nicknames.

 

Origin:

Look in any baby name book and you'll most likely see Eleanor listed as "The French form of Helen" or simply meaning "Light."  True, the Greek Helen has long been associated with the Greek helene "torch," but Eleanor's origins are far more convoluted, and all seemingly pinpointed to one person: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France and Queen of England.  Eleanor, or more properly Alienor, was born in 1122 in Southern France as the eldest daughter of William, Duke of Aquitaine and his wife Aenor de Châtellerault. Back in the 1970s, author Marion Meade wrote a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine in which she made the connection between Alienor and Aenor, speculating that Alienor most likely came from the Latin phrase alia Aenor meaning "the other Aenor." Basically Aenor Junior or Little Aenor. Thus an alternate theory for Eleanor's etymology took route.  To add to this, the name has also picked up extra etymological ties along the way. The spelling Elinor corresponds to the Hebrew for El "God" and or "light" (God's Light). Though this is a coincidental association, it is quite likely that some parents are choosing the name because of this connection.  J.R.R. Tolkien has also coined the variant Elanor from his created Elvish language Sindarin, made from the words el "star" and anor "sun." He gave it to a star-shaped flower which Samwise Gamgee liked so much he named his daughter after it.  So which theory is the correct theory? There may be an element of truth to the "other Aenor" idea -- if only as a deliberate association made by William and Aenor. A charter dated from 1130, when Eleanor was only eight, lists her and her mother separately as Aenordis and Alienordis showing that their names were regarded as differing slightly by their contemporaries. But "the other Aenor" link can have only been a coincidental quirk on the part of her parents.  The fact is, we cannot credit William and Aenor with "creating" Alienor, as the name was already in use beforehand. Aenor's own paternal grandmother was Alienor de Thouars (c.1054-c.1093) and she herself also had a paternal grandmother of the same name: Aenor de Blois (b.c.990). Alienor de Thours is contemporarily recorded as Adenordis, Adenors, Aenoris, Ainors, Ainora and Adenorde.* Her grandmother was listed by the names Adenordis, Adamardis, Aynor and Ainor(a).  Adenorde almost certainly looks to be a Germanic name, composed of either adal "noble" or alda "ancient" and nord "north." The curious form of Adamardis may simply be a spelling mistake, but it is very suggestive of a feminine form of Ademar (Audamar), from aud "wealth, fortune" and meri "famous." However, let's not dismiss Helen just yet. St Helena (or St Helen) was a very popular saint in medieval times, especially in Britain, and we do know that Elena was used as an Occitan form of Helen in Aquitaine. It was brought over to Britain by the Normans and for centuries Helen, Ellen and Eleanor were interchangeable.  Eleanor itself was perhaps used by the Normans themselves pre-Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Normandy (c.1011) was an aunt of William the Conqueror [though there is some doubt about her name as there is no record of it in contemporary accounts] and Eleanor of Champagne (1104-1147) was a granddaughter of William the Conqueror. Eleanor of Aquitaine was also recorded by the name Helienordis during her lifetime and other Eleanor's are later listed as Helienor, showing how easily Hel- could also be El- and Al- in medieval France.  It is interesting to note that most of the early Aenors/Adenordes -- who were never recorded as Alienor/Eleonore/Eleanor etc in their lifetimes -- have been known almost exclusively by these later forms since the 13th century, indicating a definite conflation between the two names. It is quite possible that Eleanor of Aquitaine's nearly extinct family name Adenordis/Aenor became merged with the more usual Provencial forms of Helen during her lifetime and thanks to her fame, the two have been intertwined ever since.

Usage:

Eleanor of Aquitaine had it all: beauty, brains, position, power – and wit enough to learn quickly how to use them to her advantage in a world totally dominated by men.  When her father died, Eleanor was an extremely wealthy heiress and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. Her guardian, the King of France, quickly had her married off to his son and heir and within months she was Queen consort of France. The marriage was not a happy one and after fifteen years produced only two daughters. Frustrated and unhappy, Eleanor campaigned to have her marriage annulled and within eight weeks was married to the dashing Henry Plantagenet, then Duke of Normandy, later Henry II, King of England who was nine years her junior. Together they had eight children in quick succession and their descendants married into all the royal houses of Europe. You can find out more about this fascinating woman in this video [BBC documentary - She Wolves: England's Early Queens]. As the grandmother of Europe, Eleanor’s name passed down through several royal lines. Her daughter Eleanor of England (1162-1214), described by her great-grandson as "noble and much loved," became Queen consort of Castile, and thus the Spanish form Leonor passed down Spanish and Portuguese royalty. Castile’s Queen Eleanor had three daughters who passed the name through other royal houses: * Eleanor (1202-1244) became Queen consort of Aragon. * Urraca, Queen Consort of Portugal, had a daughter named Eleanor (Leonor of Portugal) who became Queen of Denmark. * Berengaria, Queen of Castile and Queen consort of Leon, had a granddaughter Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290) who became Queen consort of England herself when she married Edward I. Back in England, the country soon had a second Queen Eleanor when Henry III married Eleanor of Provence (1223-1291). Their son, Edward I, also married an Eleanor: Eleanor of Castile (see above). By all accounts they had a very happy marriage, and, upon her death, Edward had twelve magnificent stone monuments erected, known as the Eleanor Crosses, marking the nightly resting-places along the route of her funeral procession. In terms of popularity, Eleanor became established regularly by the 12th century but it wasn't especially common outside of the nobility. By the 15th century however, it became more established among all strata of society. We can see this in Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 in England: 1538-49: #11; 1550-9: #11; 1560-9: #12; 1570-9: #10; 1580-9: #12; 1590-9: #13; 1600-9: #13; 1610-9: #14; 1620-9: #16; 1630-9: #15; 1640-9: #15; 1650-9: #12; 1660-9: #10; 1670-9: #14; 1680-9: #17; 1690-1700: #18. According to Leslie Dunkling, Eleanor ranked #13 in 1700 and #24 in 1800 in England and Wales, demonstrating its consistency.  It was often used interchangeably with Ellen, which also ranked within the top 20. Nell or Nellie were the most common diminutive forms from the 16th century, epitomised by Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn (1650-1687), the famous mistress of Charles II.  Data from the Surname Atlas. Click to enlarge. By the Victorian era, Eleanor wasn't quite as common as it had been from the 16th-18th centuries, but stayed solidly in the top 50. It ranked #34 in 1860, #37 in 1870, #39 in 1880, #48 in 1890 and #53 in 1900 in England and Wales. In comparison, it was #82 in Scotland in 1900.  Data from the 1881 census shows that, of the 54,845 Eleanors listed, most were situated in the north and south east of England. Comparatively, it was much less common in Scotland.  Elinor, the less common but well established spelling variant, numbering 2126, was more common in Wales.  By the end of the century, longer, more stately names like Catherine, Harriet, Amelia and Charlotte declined in favour of new shorter abbreviations like Ada, Maud, Eva, Ida and Minnie. Eleanor was one such who declined in favour of these shorter forms, while Nellie, Nora and Ella became more common as stand alone names.  At the beginning of the 20th century, Eleanor was still going strong in the top 100 in England and Wales: #52 in 1904, #67 in 1914 and #89 in 1924. But after that it fell out of the top 100 until it came triumphantly back in 1984, ranking #76, rising to #32 in 1994. Scotland, on the other hand, saw Eleanor at #44 in 1950, but it was out of the top 100 by 1974, and has been out ever since.  Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the names Eleanor and Elinor in every 10,000 births in England and Wales, however, suggests an earlier revival in the 1960s:   1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985  1990 Eleanor   34   14   14    4    8    4   22    4   10    18    24    60 Elinor    1    -    -    1    -    1    2    -    -    -    2    8 click to enlarge In the 1990s, Eleanor was well and truly back in favour in England and Wales. It peaked at #18 in 1999 and gradually declined in popularity up until 2008 when it hit a steady plateau between #55 and #65.  In 2013, Eleanor ranked #57 (1039 births) -- #55 in England; #88 in Wales. Elinor was #1098 with 32 births.  In 2014, Eleanor ranked #182 (25 births) in Scotland and #327 (5 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Eleanor of Champagne (1104-1147), granddaughter of William the Conqueror by his daughter Princess Adela.  * Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204), Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France (wife of Louis VII) and Queen of England (wife of Henry II).  * Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (1161–1214), daughter of Henry II of England, wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile. * Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (1184–1241), daughter of Geoffrey, son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II. * Eleanor of Castile, Queen of Aragon (1202-1244) (1202–1244), wife of James I of Aragon and daughter of Eleanor of England. * Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Denmark (1211–1231), daughter of Afonso II of Portugal and wife of Valdemar, co-King of Denmark. * Eleanor of Leicester (1215–1275), daughter of King John of England. * Eleanor of Provence, Queen of England (1222–1291), wife of Henry III. * Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England (1241–1290), wife of Edward I. * Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (1269–1298), daughter of Edward I. * Eleanor of Anjou, Queen of Sicily (1289-1341), daughter of Charles II of Naples and wife of Frederick III of Sicily. * Eleanor of Castile, Queen of Aragon (1307–1359), daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and wife of Alfonso IV of Aragon. * Eleanor of Woodstock (1318–1355), daughter of Edward II. * Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Aragon (1328–1348), daughter of Afonso IV of Portugal and wife of Peter IV of Aragon. * Eleanor of Sicily, Queen of Aragon (1349-1375), wife of Peter IV of Aragon. * Eleanor of Castile, Queen of Navarre (c.1365–1416), wife of Charles III of Navarre. * Eleanor of Alburquerque, Queen of Aragon (1374–1435), wife of Ferdinand I of Aragon. * Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (1402–1445), wife of Edward I of Portugal  * Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress (1434-1467), wife of Emperor Frederick III. * Eleanor of Austria (1498–1558), Queen consort of Portugal (1516–1521) and of France (1530–1547). * Eleanor of Viseu, Queen of Portugal (1458–1525), wife of John II of Portugal. * Countess Palatine Eleonora Catherine of Zweibrücken (1626-1692), sister of King Charles X of Sweden. * Leonor, Princess of Asturias (b.2005), daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain an d first in line to the Spanish throne. * Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland (b. 2014), Swedish princess. History: * Eleanor of Arborea (1347–1404), Sardinian judge. * Eleanor "Nell" Gwynn (1650-1687), mistress of Charles II.  * Eleanor Marx (1855–1898), British writer and daughter of Karl Marx. * Elinor Glyn (1864–1943), British novelist. * Eleanor Porter (1868–1920), American novelist. * Eleanor Rathbone (1872–1946), British politician. * Eleanor Farjeon (1881–1965), British writer. * Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), First Lady of U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt * Eleanor Lansing Dulles (1895–1996), American economist and diplomat. * Elinor Wylie (1885–1928), American writer. * Eleanor Boardman (1898–1991), American actress. * Elinor Fair (1903–1957), American actress. * Eleanor Audley (1905–1991), American actress. * Eleanor Hibbert (1906–1993), British novelist. * Elinor Smith (1911–2010), American aviator. * Eleanor Powell (1912–1982), American tap dancer and actress. Contemporary: * Eleanor Parker (1922-2013), American actress. * Eleanor Helin (1932–2009), American astronomer. * Elinor Ostrom (1933–2012), American political scientist and Nobel prize winner. * Eleanor Duckworth (b. 1935), Canadian psychologist and educator. * Elinor Donahue (b. 1937), American actress. * Eleanor Bron (b. 1938), British actress and author. * Eleanor McEvoy (b. 1967), Irish musician, singer/songwriter. * Eleanor Tomlinson (b. 1992), British actress. Literature and other Media: * Elinor Dashwood, heroine of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811). * Eleanor Tilney, a character in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey (1817). * Elanor Gardner, daughter of Samwise Gamgee in J.R.R.Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga. * Eleanor Rigby, a song by The Beatles (1966). * Elenore, a song by The Turtles (1968). * Lady Eleanor, a song by Lindisfarne (1971). * Eleanor Put Your Boots On, a song by Franz Ferdinand (2005).  Other: * Eleanor Crosses, twelve stone monuments erected by Edward I for his wife, Eleanor of Castile.

Variants:

Elinor, Eleanora (UK), Alianor, Alienor, Alianora, Alienora, Elienor, Helienor (Medieval French), Eléonore (French), Leonor (Spanish, Portuguese), Eleonora (Danish, Bulgarian, Dutch, Finnish, German, Italian, Polish, Swedish), Eilionoir, Eilidh (Scottish), Leonora (Italian), Eleonore, Leonore (German)

Pronunciation:

EL-en-ə (UK) [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Ellie, Ella, Elea, Nell, Nel, Nellie, Nelw, Nora, Lena, Lora, Lenny, Nen

Sibling Names:

Beatrice     Charlotte     Florence     Alice      Imogen      Julia  William     Alexander     Charles     James     Theodore     Edward

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance   Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   Jane Austen names   Tennyson Names

 

If you like Eleanor you may also like:   Marianne, Constance, Georgina, Matilda, Amelia, Cecily, Philippa, Rosalind, Harriet, Caroline

 

Thanks to Harmonie for requesting this post. 

Name of the Week

^.


A heroic Welsh staple, borne by Arthurian knights, kings and saints,
in use for over a millennium and still going strong. 

 

Origin:

Owen is an anglicised form of the Old Welsh Ouein/Owein (modern Owain), cognate with the Irish Eoghan and Scottish Ewan.  There have been several etymologies proposed for the name over the centuries. One was that it was derived from the Welsh oen "lamb," while another that it was from the Irish eoghunn "youth." Given the name's longevity however, these both seem unlikely.  Most prevalent of all is the theory that Owain, Eoghan and Ewan are Celtic forms of Eugene, derived from the Greek Eugenios (eu + genos) "well born." All three forms were Latinised as Eugenius in medieval records, and earlier forms Ougein, Eugein, Euguen and Iguein also give weight to the theory.  Modern scholarship, however, now favours a Celtic origin for Owain, Eoghan and Ewan. Their reconstructed Proto-Celtic form of the name is Esugenios (which is actually cognate with the Greek Eugenios) made from the elements *wesu- “excellent” and *geno- “born.” This first element could be meant for Esus, a prominant Celtic god whose name was most likely derived from *wesu. Another theory currently gaining the most weight behind it, is that Owen derives from the Proto-Celtic *yewo- “yew” and *geno- “born.” The yew tree was a sacred tree to the Celts and several other names such as Ivar, Ivo and Iobhar also derive from this common route.

Usage:

Owen/Owain has had remarkably steady usage, having been used consistently for at least 1500 years. Legend has it that Owain Finddu (Black Lips), born c.355, was a son of the famous Emperor of Britain and Gaul, Magnus Maximus (Macsen Wledig) who became king of Mid-South Wales. One early notable bearer that is almost certainly historic is Owain Ddantgwyn (White Tooth), a 5th century king of Rhos in North Wales who some scholars have connected as the "real man" behind the legend of King Arthur. There is also Owein mab Urien (d. c. 595) the son of Urien, king of Rheged. He was incorporated into the Arthurian legends as Ywain/Yvain, the main character in Chrétien de Troyes's Yvain, the Knight of the Lion and the Mabinogian tale Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain. It wasn't only Wales where the name was in use. As the Celtic kingdoms were interconnected across the British isles in the early Middle Ages, we also find the name appearing in other kingdoms, sometimes with the form Owein/Eugein, Eoghan and Ewan interchanging. Eugein I was king of Aut Clut of Cumbria in the 7th century, while Owen I (Ywain) was a 10th century king of Strathclyde. Owen even counts among the saints names. St Owen (d.c.680), or Owin, was a Benedictine monk who served as chamberlain to Queen Etheldreda and studied under St Chad. He is often conflated with St Ouen (the Breton spelling of Owain), who also lived in the 7th century, and who was Archbishop of Rouen. Owain was very common in the Middle Ages and numerous Welsh royals bore the name: Owain ap Gruffydd (c.1100–1170), a king of Gwynedd, is considered one the most successful of all the north Welsh princes; Owain Cyfeiliog (c.1130-1197), was a prince of Powys and a notable poet; and then there is the great hero Owain Glyndŵr (1359–c. 1416), or Owen Glendower to the English, last Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales who almost managed to beat the English for control of Wales. Owen was, from an early date, used as an anglicised spelling, but also arose as in South Wales from the habit of the colloquial dialect to change -ai to -e. It was used not only in Wales but also common in the Marches -- the Anglo-Norman borderlands of England and Wales. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists the name four times (spelt Ouen, Ouuin and Owine) in the areas of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Essex and Herefordshire. The popularity of the given name meant that several surname forms cropped up including Owen, Owens, Owenson, Owan, Howen and Bowen.  Data from The Surname Atlas. Click to enlarge According to Leslie Dunkling's rankings for England and Wales, Owen was #43 in 1700 and #49 a century later in 1800, demonstrating its consistency. Owen was #53 by 1860, #57 in 1870, #65 in 1880, #76 in 1890 and #88 in 1900.  Data from the 1881 UK census shows that, although Owen was most common in North Wales, it was quite well distributed across Britain.  Rank-wise, Owen declined below the top 100 in the mid 20th century. It was #94 in 1904, #98 in 1914, and #99 in 1924, after which it fell out of the top 100 until it returned to #99 in 1994.  However, Dunkling's data for the number of boys registered with the names Owen  in every 10,000 births in England and Wales shows that Owen maintained fairly good use, even picking up a bit in the 1970s:  1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985  1990    6    2    6    4    2    7    6    5   14    2    10    14 In Scotland, Owen fluctuated in rank between #108 (1988) and #148 (1984) from 1974 to 1990 and first moved back into the top 100 in 1991 at #94. It rose steadily from that point, peaking at #33 in 2009.  In England and Wales, Owen moved swiftly and sharply from #100 in 1996 to #35 in 1999. It peaked at #31 in 2002 and has since been declining.  In 2013, Owen ranked #85 in England and Wales -- separately, #55 and #89 in Wales and England respectively. Owain was #91 in Wales but only #1286  in England.  Owen was also #70 in Scotland in 2014 and #118 in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Owain Ddantgwyn, 5th century prince of North Wales, proposed as possible candidate for the "real" King Arthur. * Owein mab Urien (d. circa 595), son of Urien, king of Rheged.  * Owain ap Gruffydd (c.1100–1170), a king of Gwynedd. * Owain Cyfeiliog (c. 1130 - 1197), prince of part of Powys and a notable poet.  * Owain Glyndŵr (1359–c.1416), last Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. * Owen Tudor (c. 1400–1461), grandfather of Henry VII and founder of the Tudor dynasty. * Owen Wister (1860–1938), American author. * Owen Davis (1874–1956), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.  * Sir Owen Willans Richardson (1879–1959), British physicist.  Contemporary: * Owen Wilson (b. 1968), American actor. * Owen Garvan (b. 1988), Irish footballer. Literature and Other Media: * Sir Yvain, a figure of Arthurian legend based on Owain mab Urien.  * Owen Lars, a character in the Star Wars universe, adopted uncle of Luke Skywalker. * Owen Meany, title character in John Irving's novel A Prayer For Owen Meany (1989). * Owen Hunt, a character in Grey's Anatomy. * Owen Harper, a character in Torchwood. Other: * Owen Falls, a waterfall on the Victoria Nile.

Variants:

Owain (Welsh), Eoghan (Irish), Ewan (Scottish)

Pronunciation:

Ō-ən [key]

Possible diminutives:

Owie

Sibling Names:

Eva     Lucy     Anna    Thea    Carys     Esme      Leo     Rhys     Ellis     Max     Dylan     Luke

Name Lists:

Slim Softies   Terrifically Tudor

 

If you like Owen you may also like:    Rory, Evan, Jowan, Ioan, Eoin, Rowen, Leon, Noah, Jonah, Lowen

 

Thanks to Dawn for requesting this post.

Name of the Week: James

^.


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

 

Origin:

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

Usage:

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

Famous Bearers:

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

Variants:

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

Pronunciation:

JAYMZ [key]

Possible diminutives:

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

Sibling Names:

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

Name Lists:

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

 

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

 

Thanks to Monia for requesting this post.

Name of the Week

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

 

Origin:

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

Usage:

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

Famous Bearers:

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

Variants:

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

Pronunciation:

SŌ-fee [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Fifi, Soph

Sibling Names:

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

Name Lists:

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

 

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

 

Thanks to K for requesting this post. 

 

Name of the Week

^.


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

 

Origin:

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

Usage:

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

Famous Bearers:

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

Variants:

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

Pronunciation:

FRAN-səs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Frank, Frankie, Franz, Fritz, Fin

Sibling Names:

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

Name Lists:

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

 

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

 

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