Skip to main content

Cymbeline & Cymbelina


Today's name: Cymbeline

Gender note: Cymbeline was originally a male name, used a long, long time ago, but it is ripe for female takeover, just like Kimberly and Lindsay have been overtaken by the girls. However, if you don't want to mess around with that, try Cymbelina, the female form.

Alternate spelling: Cymbelline, Cymbaline, Cymballine

Potential nicknames: Cym, Cymbelle, Cymbellie, Bell, Belle, Belline, Bellina, Lina, Cy, Cybil, Ellie

Pronunciation: modern is SIM-bell-een, occassionally KIM-bell-een, the original pronunciation

Origin: (1) Gaelic, from the sun god Belenus, meaning "sun lord." (2) An English and Celtic female form of Cunobelinus, meaning "Lord of Belinus," or just "war lord." This name can also mean "dog of the god Belenus," because the beginning four letters of Cunobelenus mean "hound." (3) Possibly from the Greek word kyme, meaning "hollow vessel," in reference to a cymbal, which is a percussion instrument.

Popularity: U.S. census records show that whenever Cymbeline has been used, it has almost always been for girls. In 2010, Cymbaline/Cymballine, Cymbeline/Cymbelline, and Cymbellina/Cymbelina did not rank at all in the U.S., meaning there were less than five baby girls born in 2010 and 2011 with this name.

Fun fact: (1) There is a book called "Cymbelina and The Cat With No Name." (2) Shakespeare wrote a play called "Cymbeline" in 1609, about King Cunobelinus of Britain. (3) There is a wedding dress company named Cymbeline USA.


.
Labels:

Comments

  1. merdenomsnamesSeptember 8, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    I love the name Cymbeline, I think the name likely has more potential to work nowadays as a female name, unless you're a really gutsy namer.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Massimo

Today's name: Massimo (male) Pronunciation: MAH-see-moh Potential nicknames: Masi, Simo, Max Origin: Along with Massimiliano, Massimo is the Italian variant of the Latin name Maximilian (which was the name of three Roman emperors and a few saints), meaning "greatest." Popularity: Massimo did not rank on the top 1000 baby names in 2010, but there were 148 baby boys born named Massimo and 5 named Massimiliano. In 2011 there were 107 named Massimo. Fun fact: (1) The name Maksim is also a variant of Maximilian. (2) Massimo has been the surname of many powerful Roman families. (3) Saint Massimo, a 5th century bishop. (4) Massimo D'Alema, Italian Prime Minister. (5) Massimo Capra, Canadian celebrity chef. .
Post a Comment
Read more

Galician Baby Names

I grew up on a street that was named an Italian variant of Roger. When I got married and we bought our first house, it turned out to be on Roger Street. Once noting that coincidence, I started searching for other variants of the name. However, female variants turned out to be pretty nonexistent. Save for Roxeria, which I later discovered was the Galician female form, possibly pronounced rohz-AIR-ee-uh. That led me to a few lists of female Galician names, ranging from common to rare. Here is a sampling of names not often heard here in the states... Albina Alda Alma Alodia Aloia Amada Amadora Amalia Amparo Anisia Antia Araceli Aranzazu Artemisa Avelina Azucena Baia Balbina Baltasara Beatriz Benvida Berenice Bieita Branca Braulia Caetana Carola Casilda Casimira Ceferina Celsa Cipriana Cira Clorinda Coralia Cornelia Cosima Davinia Delfina Desideria Dionisia Dominga Dorinda Dorotea Dositea Edelmira Edenia Elba Elvira Emiliana Etelvina ...
2 comments
Read more

Elowen

Elowen is a recent Cornish baby name meaning "elm." It may not take off in America like the last Cornish hit, Jennifer, but it's certainly pretty. She's part of a "linguistic revival," as Appellation Mountain puts it  here . Her nickname could be Ellie, Elle or Ella, or a more unusual choice, Wendy. The pronunciation of Elowen is "ell-LOH-en," though most Americans will probably stick with "ELL-oh-wen." Please note that it is not spelled Elowyn. There is a similar name, Eowyn, but if you spell it Elowyn it will no longer be the Cornish name meaning elm tree, just some creative name. Other great Cornish names include Penrose, Chesten (the Cornish form of Christine), Demelza, Denzel, Hammitt, Kerensa/Kerenza, Meraud (very similar to French gem name Emeraude, both meaning emerald, but Meraud is pronounced "meh-row"), Merryn, Morwenna, Tremain, Emblyn, Jory, Massen, Treeve and Cotton. Here's 's a link to a post on Cornish n...
2 comments
Read more