Once Upon a Time Baby Names

  Princess Cordelia Abidaoud and Hilary Clinton Today's headline: "Grab it while it's hot!" If the amount of labels under this post are any indication, Cordelia's a modestly rising, historically rich, beautiful trend-setter. The first time I saw Cordelia (kor-DEEL-ya, kor-DELL-ee-uh) was in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and I'm sure most people in my age bracket can say the same. However, these days I'm seeing the name everywhere online. It's become a very popular option for new parents, and has a long list of namesakes, both in real life, literature and media. From the comic book character Cordelia Swan to the real life Phoenician princess Cordelia Abidaoud, it should be a lot of fun looking through all the various Cordelia's out there, past and present. Nameberry reports that two "Babyberries" named Cordelia were born just recently. Cordelia is a Latin name most likely meaning "heart," from the names Cordula (as in Sai...

Mercade (murr-KAYD) is quite the interesting boy's name. It was used by Shakespeare in "Love's Labour's Lost." The character Mercade is a lord who attends the princess of France, and he has a total of four lines (I believe), but Shakespeare chose his character's names well, so Mercade is not just any afterthought. There is a book called Shakespeare's Comic Commonwealth s that tells us his name is no coincidence: "Several critics have noted connections between Mercade and Mercury," the author says, "as the messenger of the gods and the god of oratory, but they have not commented on Mercury as the divine messenger recalling people to their social responsibilities." The similarities between the character Mercade's messenger duties, the importance of his message, and the affect of his message, even being only four lines total, is not a coincidence - Shakespeare most definitely intended him to be a Mercury-like character. From Latin merc...

Ingela is a variant of Angela in some countries, like German (from engel ), but means "Ing's protection" or "guarded by Ing" in Scandinavian/Old Norse. Ing, the Norse goddess, was also the foundation for Ingrid, meaning "Ing's beauty." Ingela dates back to at least 1692 in Northern Europe, but world wide may date as far back as any record of Angela. There were no babies named Ingela in 2011 or 2010, and my guess is you won't find more than a small handful of Ingela's in U.S. records of birth, and even White Pages tells us there are only 118 in the U.S. Ingela Olsson was a Swedish actress from the 90's, Ingela Forsman a popular lyricist, and Ingela Klemetz was responsible for an art gallery exhibit on Northern Women in Chanel. There was also Ingela Gathenhielm, known as the "Shipping Queen," a Swedish privateer and pirate during the 1700's with her husband Lars. There actions were sanctioned by King Charles XII of Sweden.

I decided to do a quick name interview with my husband. Although his name, Shawn, is not as popular as it once was - #27 in 1973, people still might want to consider it. Other variants are still popular, such as Sean and Shaun. All three spellings are Irish variants of John, meaning "God is gracious." Sean is the Irish version, while Shawn and Shaun are the Anglicized versions from Irish. In 2011 Shawn ranked at #248, Shaun at #588 and Sean at #125. What is your name?  (Include middle if you’d like) Shawn Anthony Do you have any nicknames? As a child, Shawnie What is your ethnic background? Polish What decade were you born in? mid 80's How did you feel about your name growing up? I liked it How do you feel about your name now? It's alright How often do you run into other people with your name? Not too often, but it happens What are some names of your family members? Mitch, Eddie (not Edward, just Eddie), Cynthia, Brian, Rochelle If you have any kids, what are t...

December  remains rare as a baby name, but parents do sometimes use it --33 times in 2011. It probably helps that Ember, a top 1000 name, can be its nickname. The same can be said of November, but Nova would probably be the go-to nickname for that one. Season  is another word name turned rare baby name, used only 6 times in 2011, but it would make a great alternative to overused Christmas names, while still being appropriate all year long. Angela  is being heard less these days, but also consider Angelia, Ingela, Angelus and Argelia. You might want to avoid Angel for a few reasons. Rudolpha  at first seems to scream "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but it actually seems very sweet and wholesome. It's also good for parents looking for frilly, feminine names with masculine nicknames: Rudy. Emmanuelle  could make a great alternative for Noelle this time of year, and it has a religious meaning fitting for Christmas. Natale  is much less heard than Natalie, Nat...

Yes, Matilda. We're all aware of her popularity. But what other names end in -ilda? The list is fairly long. Quenilda Casilda Hilda Clotilda Gilda Marilda Otthilda Romilda Serilda Swanhilda Somerilda Estrilda Sunilda Thorilda Reinhilda Gunilda Farilda Lovilda Merilda Tilda

Goodbye, 2012. You've brought the world some amazing baby names, and some amazingly bad baby names. Let's take a look at some rare names that made the headlines this year... Severine - the name of the latest Bond girl gets more use in France, as well as the name of the actress that plays her -  Bérénice Marlohe,   but I'm just a tiny bit surprised that hardcore Harry Potter fans didn't show interest in it as an alternative for Severus, as they both mean... Matilda - for the simple reason that this name is everywhere , but also the new magazine. Malala - this poor girl was shot by the Taliban for wanting girls to have equal education rights, but unfortunately her name means "grief stricken." Blake - Lively. Debuted at #815 in 2011 for girls. Grey - first name, middle name, boys name, girls name, mothers are going nuts for Grey ever since 50 Shades of Grey came out and took over the world. In 2011 Greysen made the top 1000 at #940. Christian has also be...

What is the difference between "uncommon" and "rare?" Is there a difference? And are rare names still acceptable/nice? Yes. Uncommon names are those we are familiar with, but don't hear often. However, uncommon names, unlike rare names, can be popular enough to sometimes rank, or may not be common where you live. Examples include names from the bottom of the Social Security Administration's annual top 1000. In 2011, some of those names were Nova, Willa, Stacy, Esme, Gwyneth, Blair, Jewel, and Dorothy for girls, and Miller, Reuben, Flynn, Maksim, Hendrix, Corban and Pierre for boys. Rare names, on the other hand, are generally unheard of (but not all the time, as familiar names like Rosalind are considered rare because they are not being used, most times because parents favor names that sound and look like what is currently popular). Some rare names given to less than 20 babies in 2011 include Alva, Astoria, Merrick, Quorra, Palmira, Rowena, Temple, Tanith, ...

Alysiana Feliciana Sebastiana Abyssinia Tiodoria Alianora Eleonora (as el-ay-oh-nor-uh) Iphigenia Victoriana Vittoriana Anastasia (as an-ah-stah-see-uh) Cassiopeia Alexandria Alexandrina Apollonia Elisabetta Elizaveta Agraciana Evangelica Evangelina Evangelia Feodosia Alessandria Illuminata Viridiana Emmanuella Basiliana Desideria Moschatellina Stelliferina Cyparisia Fiorentina Imogenia Januaria Louisiana Philadelphia Octaviana Aureliana Lazariana Artemisia Serendipity Valeriana Emiliana Theodosia Catharinella Catarinella Giovanina Dionysia Leocadia Ekaterina Estephania Silveriana Callianeira Fernandina Anatolia Elizabella Altagracia Altalunette Caledonia Annunciata Annunziata Candelaria Emerentia Emerenzia Innocentia Bartolomea Aloysiana, Aloysia Isabellina Isabellita Isabettina Iosefina (as ee-oh-sef-ee-na) Capitolia Capitolina Columbiana Kaligenia, Caligenia Amarinthia Amazonia Amphelisia Oliviera Olimpia...

  Vesper is Latin, meaning "evening star," and shares part of its meaning with the religious term evening vespers , meaning "evening prayers." The name's been around a long, long time, but started picking up more interest in 2006 because of Casino Royale, and the Bond girl called Vesper Lynd. Vesper Vivianne Ruck is the daughter of Alan Ruck and Mirielle Enos, there was a character in a Lloyd Alexander adventure series named Vesper, and she also featured in the Batman comic series as a TV and radio newscaster named Vesper Fairchild (pictured above), who had a romantic relationship with Bruce Wayne. There are about 160 people named Vesper in the U.S. according to White Pages, 33 of which were born in 2011, and 24 in 2010. To be more accurate, Vesper is the unisex and Vespera the feminine, and the religious term came after. (See  here .) Vespertine is a lesser known variant meaning "of the evening." Vespertine is more French-chic, similar in looks...

You might first recall Matt Bellamy, who just welcomed a child with Kate Hudson, when seeing this name. Or maybe actor Ralph Bellamy, the Bellamy Mansion, or The Bellamy Brothers, or Francis Bellamy, who created the Pledge of Allegiance. And it did start as a surname. Bellamy means "beautiful friend" from belle ami in Old French, and originally pronounced BAY-lah-mee in French, but most people in America are more inclined to pronounce it BELL-uh-mee. As a first name it's been picking up a bit of attention as both a substitute for Isabella and as a surname-name, but also for its trendy "ee" ending sound. On the show "9 By Design," one of the children is named Bellamy, chosen for a connection to France, and there is a lesser-known American actress named Bellamy Young. As a surname not defined by either gender in its meaning, the name is unisex, but no boys were given the name in 2011. On the girl's side, the name was given 53 times, and in 2010 just...

  Jessamine (JESS-ah-meen, JESS-uh-min), thankfully, has been getting attention in recent years. I credit that to baby naming websites that have message boards, but who knows. Jessamine is the archaic French, medieval English, and Persian for "jasmine,” although there is a strong case that she comes from Ismenia, Isemene, which is a Greek name meaning “knowledge.” Variants that became obsolete included Jessamy, from Jessamie, Jessima, Jacamine, and Jessamyn. Jesmond is likely related, and she comes with her own variants, including Jessimond, Ghismond, Ghismonda, and Jesmaine. Jessamyn is probably the most used variant. Jessamyn West was an American Quaker and writer best known for The Friendly Persuasion in 1945. Another Jessamyn West is a librarian and blogger. Like Clary, she's also a character in a Cassandra Clare series which is rapidly gaining popularity. Nicknames can range from Jessica's "Jessie" or "Jess," to Jasmine's "Minnie,...

  Art by Susan Seals Nicolai is the Scandinavian and Slavic form of the Russian boys name Nikolai, said the same, with only the c and k changed. This baby name means "people of victory," a very symbolic name, but can also be roughly translated as "victorious people" or "victor of the people." The origin is the Greek name Nicholas (Nikolaus), but Nicolai puts a fresh spin on an old favorite, updating it with a new nickname: Nico. Niklaus/Niclaus and Nikolaus/Nicolaus are two other rare variants, and Niccolai is an alternate spelling. The spelling Nikolai currently ranks at #641, Nicholas at #42, Nickolas at #551, Nicolas at #168, and Nikolas at #473. This spelling, Nicolai, remains unranked, and a total of 47 boys were given the name in 2011, which is down by 13 boys from 2010 and down 12 from 2009, but up quite a bit overall. Good old St. Nick, who's favorite holiday is just over a week away, is still the most famous namesake. He was a 4th centu...

  Lucania is a fun way to get Luca as a nickname for a girl, without having to use Luca alone, since Luca is an Italian boys name. Like Atticus, Lucania is a place name, the ancient district in southern Italy, which spread from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. Today the modern region is known as Basilicata. Since changing the region's name, Lucania can be found as a surname as well. There are only a handful of place names that are no longer places, such as Abyssinia and Anatolia, and if we're talking rare (which we're always talking about on this blog) these names have you covered - rarity, history, and beauty. Lucania is derived from one of two sources: either the Greek leukos , meaning "white," from lux , or the more likely source of the Latin word lucus , meaning "Sacred Wood," but also from the root of the Latin word  lux , meaning "light." The meaning "chaste light" or "sacred light" can also be given. It...

Atticus (AT-ik-uss) has been gaining popularity recently, thanks to Atticus Finch, the well-named main character of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird . (My theory is that some parents searching for a literary name thought of this first, as almost all high schools require reading this.) Mr. Finch was a strong enough character to change the law community as a fictional role model for lawyers. His character in the 1962 film adaptation was voted the "greatest hero in American film." However, there are other notable people named Atticus, dating all the way back to 112 BC. Titus Pomponius Atticus may have been the first namesake, an ancient Roman philosopher/author, one of two ancient philosophers with the name. Around the same time, Herodes Atticus was a rhetorician, and later namesakes include Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople, Saint Atticus (5th century, Armenia), musician Atticus Ross, and actor Atticus Shaffer. In the literary world, authors Greg Rucka, Ron Hansen, Cic...

This list of strange baby names  is exactly why I don't advocate the popular advice to use any name you love. It's good advice, for sensible people. Call me harsh, call me too opinionated, I don't care. I'm pretty sure all of the names listed have indeed been used on real babies, as scanning through this list was like going through the SSA's extended list a second time. If not, it's just a gentle reminder of what's really out there, kind of like a warning - "think twice before you use Shadiamondd." Not all the names here are bad, but you can definitely point out those that make you do a double-take.

  There's a lot of fuss over Clare/Claire and Clara/Claira, but Clary (KLAIR-ee) first caught my eye when news came that Adele had a baby, and Clary was the name of the father's ex. I'm still not sure what Adele named her baby, but Clary remains a fascinating name. It is a variant of Claire, meaning "bright, clear , famous" and is the name of the clary sage plant, a member of the mint family known for thriving in adverse conditions. Clary has also been used as a surname, some from the Irish surname McClary, others from being herb-sellers or living near places where clary sage grew. One such namesake was Desiree Clary, the ex-fiancee of Napoleon. She became queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIV John. Claire has a good deal of variants that some are not familiar with. Claritza, Claribel, Clarice, and Clarette stand out, as well as Clary, which may have started as a nickname. There is also a possibility Clary was its own name, used since medie...

  Aspen is a name we're all familiar with, whether from Aspen, Colorado, the name of the tree, or as a baby name. Aspen trees are known for shaking, quivering or fluttering in the breeze. As such, the bark has been used to treat palsy. They are also known for their heart-shaped leaves and rich fall color. The Colorado ski resort, on the other hand, is known for being very high class. Spell it Aspyn or Aspin and the name goes from seeming high class or nature-y to low class and trendy. The general public has continued to use Aspen as a female baby name, currently #519 after an up/down period on the top 1000, but it has not ranked for boys. There were 57 boys named Aspen in 2011, compared to 558 girls. If you can look past the unfortunate first syllable, this name might be for you.

  These two Welsh beauties both mean "snow white," from the elements eir , "snow," and wen , "white." Neither was used in the U.S. in 2011 (or ever, I'm certain). White Pages tells me there are no living people in the U.S. named Eirawen and only 4 named Gwyneira. Eirawen is pronounced EYE-rah-wen, Gwyneira is pronounced gwin-EYE-rah. The South Wales pronunciation for Gwyneira is gwin-AY-rah, and a lesser used spelling is Gweneira. The girl's name Eirwen also means "snow white" in Welsh. Eirwen is AYR-wen in South Wales, and IYR-wen in North Wales. The Old Norse female name Eir (AYR, rolled-tongue on the R) belonged to the goddess of healing in the Norse pantheon, and the name meant "mercy, healing." It is still used in Iceland and Norway. The variant Eira, separate from the Welsh name, is also used in Finland, Norway and Sweden. In Norway, she last ranked at #99 in 2013, as well as Sweden and Finland. The goddess Eir was ...