Sunday, August 30, 2015

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Dora/Dolly/Dotty

I know, it seems weird to group those together. But, Dolly & Dotty were nicknames for Dorothy thanks to that R-to-L/T/D shift that Middle English pulled (see also: Sarah --> Sadie; Mary --> Molly), so I think they could also work for any 'Dora' name. :)
The usual full names for Dora include Dorothy/Dorothea, DorisTheodora, & Isadora, although none are at all common today.
(I would also like you all to know that I now have the "Dora the Explorer" theme song stuck in my head. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah.)

  • Adora (ah-DOR-ah, English, Spanish)--from Spanish adoración. Catalan form is Adoració.
  • Adorinda (ah-doh-REEN-dah, Esperanto)--"adorable"
  • Anesidora (ah-nee-sih-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"sender of gifts"
  • Cassiodora (kahs-see-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)
  • Christodora (kris-toh-DOR-ah), [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Christ"
  • Cleodora (kleh-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of glory"
  • Devorah (deh-voh-RAH, Hebrew)--form of Deborah
  • Dinorah (dee-NOR-ah, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Diodora (dee-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Zeus"
  • Doralice (doh-rah-LEE-cheh, Italian; doh-rah-LEE-see, Portuguese)--poss. from Greek, "gift of the dawn". Other forms include Doralys (Spanish) & Doralise (English).
  • Doriane (doh-ree-AHN, French)--feminine of Dorian. Another form is Doriana (Italian, Portuguese).
  • Dorina (doh-REE-nah, Hungarian, Romanian)
  • Dorit (DOR-it, Scandinavian)--form of Dorothea
  • Eldora (el-DOR-ah, English)
  • Eudora (yoo-DOR-ah, English)--from Greek, "good gift"
  • Halldóra (HAL-doh-rah, Icelandic)--another form is Aldora (Norwegian)
  • Heliodora (ay-lee-oh-DOR-ah, Portuguese, Spanish)--from Greek, "gift of the sun"
  • Medora (meh-DOR-ah, English)
  • Menodora (men-ah-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of the moon". Romanian form is Minodora.
  • Metrodora (met-roh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of the mother"
  • Midori (mee-doh-ree, Japanese)--"green"
  • Nicodora (nee-koh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of victory"
  • Polydora (pol-ee-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"many gifts"
  • Teodora (teh-oh-DOR-ah, Bulgarian, Italian, Spanish, Scandinavian)--form of Theodora. Other forms include Feodora (Russian) and Deodora (Norwegian).
  • Zenodora (zee-noh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Zeus"

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

British vs. American, Part 2 (2014)

Time for the next part of my comparison: the "most American" names.
(come on America; don't embarrass me!)

First off: the most popular names in the US that don't appear at all on the full ONS list:

Boys:
  1. Brantley
  2. Jayceon
  3. Collin
  4. Garrett
  5. Waylon
  6. Josue
  7. Lane
  8. Messiah
  9. Trenton
  10. Grady
  11. Barrett
  12. Major
  13. Nash
  14. Gerardo
  15. Brycen
  16. Braylen
  17. Gannon
  18. Landyn
  19. Jamison
  20. Moises

Girls:
  1. Jordyn
  2. Kinsley
  3. Ximena
  4. Londyn
  5. Emery
  6. Kylee
  7. Daleyza
  8. Brynlee
  9. Brynn
  10. Raelynn
  11. Makenna
  12. Journey
  13. Ashlynn
  14. Haven
  15. Leslie
  16. Kyleigh
  17. Alondra
  18. Yaretzi
  19. Addyson
  20. Kamryn

Hmm. Yeah, definitely not what you think of when you think "British"! Here are the most "American" names that were used in England & Wales last year:

Boys:
  1. Jesus
  2. Weston
  3. Easton
  4. Tucker
  5. Iker
  6. Paxton
  7. Bennett
  8. Angel
  9. Landon
  10. Brooks
  11. Grant
  12. Remington
  13. Gunner
  14. Holden
  15. Emiliano
  16. Gage
  17. Braylon
  18. Gunnar
  19. Gael
  20. Kolton

Girls:
  1. Allison
  2. Brooklynn
  3. Adalynn
  4. Makenzie
  5. Haley
  6. Delaney
  7. Lyric
  8. Kinley
  9. Camila
  10. Madilyn
  11. Adalyn
  12. Mckenna
  13. Allyson
  14. Jaylah
  15. Avery
  16. London
  17. Adelynn
  18. Genesis
  19. Hailey
  20. Allie

Surnames and -lyns! Not terribly shocking. ;)
Still too "weird"? The most American names in the British Top 1000:

Boys:
  1. Gavin
  2. Colton
  3. Nolan
  4. Silas
  5. Avery
  6. Brayden
  7. Kenneth
  8. Ian
  9. Wyatt
  10. Giovanni
  11. Colin
  12. Wesley
  13. Emmett
  14. Jayce
  15. Braxton
  16. Maverick
  17. Conner
  18. Ryder
  19. Jace
  20. Julian

Girls:
  1. Addison
  2. Claire
  3. Aubrey
  4. Kaylee
  5. Caroline
  6. Serenity
  7. Zoey
  8. Riley
  9. Brooklyn
  10. Trinity
  11. Aubree
  12. Paisley
  13. Ashley
  14. Kimberly
  15. Jocelyn
  16. Mariah
  17. Melanie
  18. Lillian
  19. Brianna
  20. Audrey


Gavin and Claire surprise me. Perhaps they're rather out-of-date now? It's interesting to see Avery as an "American" boys' name--it's waaaaaaay more popular for girls here!


So far I've been concentrating on differences. For interest's sake, here are the names (from the Top 1500 or so) given to about an equal % of babies in the US & UK. :)

Boys:
  1. Kobe
  2. Solomon
  3. Josef
  4. Devon
  5. Avi
  6. Malaki
  7. Bernard
  8. Dion
  9. Curtis
  10. Lawson
  11. Terence
  12. Kane
  13. Malakai
  14. Kenny
  15. Benjamin
  16. Jaydon
  17. Quinn
  18. Kristian
  19. Chace
  20. Jamil

Girls:
  1. Frances
  2. Farrah
  3. Faith
  4. Mercedes
  5. Kara
  6. Evelyn
  7. Shyla
  8. Alana
  9. Amaya
  10. Sofie
  11. Anita
  12. Sofia
  13. Isabella
  14. Elora
  15. Heather
  16. Nahla
  17. Laila
  18. Ananya
  19. Alissa
  20. Charley
Wow--a list where I actually like the girls' side more than the boys! Yay for both sides of the pond. ;)

Sunday, August 23, 2015

British vs. American, Part 1 (2014)

Yep, it's time for this again. The British ONS released their top names of 2014, so of course we must compare. :)

First up--the "most British" names! Here are the most popular names used in England & Wales that didn't appear at all on the full SSA lists:

Boys:
  1. Albie
  2. Harri
  3. Osian
  4. Bertie
  5. Dougie
  6. Kenzie
  7. Tomos
  8. Barney
  9. Matas
  10. Gethin
  11. Rudi
  12. Oliwier
  13. Wiktor
  14. Frazer
  15. Ralphie
  16. Nojus
  17. Ieuan
  18. Tyler-James
  19. Alby
  20. Tommy-Lee

Girls:
  1. Amelia-Rose
  2. Lily-Mae
  3. Lily-Rose
  4. Lilly-Mae
  5. Ffion
  6. Ella-Rose
  7. Ellie-Mae
  8. Lilly-Rose
  9. Lilly-May
  10. Isla-Rose
  11. Ava-Rose
  12. Bethan
  13. Fleur
  14. Fearne
  15. Ellie-May
  16. Lily-May
  17. Mia-Rose
  18. Poppie
  19. Bella-Rose
  20. Gracie-Mae
Wow. Yay for hyphens! Since in the US, those would appear as either one name (e.g. Ameliarose) or first & middle, let's take them out:

Boys:
  1. Albie
  2. Harri
  3. Osian
  4. Bertie
  5. Dougie
  6. Kenzie
  7. Tomos
  8. Barney
  9. Matas
  10. Gethin
  11. Rudi
  12. Oliwier
  13. Wiktor
  14. Frazer
  15. Ralphie
  16. Nojus
  17. Ieuan
  18. Alby
  19. Bartosz
  20. Kajus

Girls:
  1. Ffion
  2. Bethan
  3. Fleur
  4. Fearne
  5. Poppie
  6. Orlaith
  7. Jorgie
  8. Eadie
  9. Esmai
  10. Dolcie
  11. Dulcie
  12. Kornelia
  13. Hettie
  14. Lowri
  15. Cadi
  16. Nel
  17. Weronika
  18. Blanka
  19. Ferne
  20. Neive

Any of these names would certainly be distinct in the US! I'd wager that most are pretty much unknown here. So let's narrow down to the most British names (based on %) that were actually used in the US last year:

Boys:
  1. Alfie
  2. Olly
  3. Freddie
  4. Barnaby
  5. Archie
  6. Fraser
  7. Vinnie
  8. Rupert
  9. Teddie
  10. Nikodem
  11. Finlay
  12. Franciszek
  13. Georgie
  14. Harry
  15. Jac
  16. Teddy
  17. Ollie
  18. Elis
  19. Dawid
  20. Jago

Girls:
  1. Darcey
  2. Darcie
  3. Isobelle
  4. Orla
  5. Poppy
  6. Wiktoria
  7. Nieve
  8. Pixie
  9. Nikola
  10. Neave
  11. Oliwia
  12. Ottilie
  13. Niamh
  14. Zuzanna
  15. Xanthe
  16. Alicja
  17. Emilija
  18. Lottie
  19. Florence
  20. Seren
Still too...."out there"? Let's narrow to the most British names in the US Top 1000:

Boys:
  1. Harry
  2. Frankie
  3. Reuben
  4. Theo
  5. Tommy
  6. Harley
  7. Toby
  8. Bobby
  9. Stanley
  10. Charlie
  11. Lewis
  12. Sonny
  13. Jamie
  14. Finley
  15. Callum
  16. Ronnie
  17. Harvey
  18. Kian
  19. Oscar
  20. Billy

Girls:
  1. Rosie
  2. Evie
  3. Freya
  4. Esme
  5. Maisie
  6. Matilda
  7. Millie
  8. Amelie
  9. Martha
  10. Phoebe
  11. Holly
  12. Mollie
  13. Isla
  14. Thea
  15. Sienna
  16. Jessica
  17. Nancy
  18. Elsie
  19. Lara
  20. Erin
*is jealous*


Next time: the most American names! I'm scared.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Triple Goddesses!

No, that's not an anime (that I know of, anyway).
Goddess-trios are a common theme in mythology, and while the Greeks are most famous for them, they do exist in many ancient pantheons. And many of them have fun names! (perhaps better for cats than human babies, but still fun!)

The Charites (Greek) [sing.: Charis, "grace"]; goddesses of beauty and creativity:
  • Aglaea (ah-GLYE-ah, ah-GLEE-ah) "glory"
  • Euphrosyne (yoo-FROS-in-ee) "mirth"
  • Thalia (THAHL-yah) "festivity"

The daughters of Maderakka (Sami); goddesses of childbirth and children:
  • Sarakka (SAH-rahk-kah) "separating woman"
  • Juksakka (YOOK-sahk-kah) "bow [archery] woman"
  • Uksakka (OOK-sahk-kah) "door woman"

The Erinyes (Greek) [sing.: Erinys, poss. "angered" or "dark"]; goddesses of vengeance:
  • Alecto (ah-LEK-toh) "unceasing"
  • Tisiphone (tis-IF-oh-nee) "avenging murder"
  • Megaera (meh-JEER-ah) "grudge"

The goddesses of Mecca (pre-Islamic Arabian):
  • Allat (al-LAT) poss. "the goddess"
  • Al-‘Uzzá (al-OOZ-ah) poss. "the mightiest"
  • Manat (man-AT) poss. "fate"

The Gorgons (Greek) ["terrible"]; personifications of the dangers of the sea:
  • Medusa (meh-DOO-sah) "queen"
  • Euryale (yoo-RYE-ah-lee) prob. "wide step" or "wide sea"
  • Stheno (STHEN-oh) "strength"

The Graeae (Greek) [sing.: Graea, "gray woman, old woman"]; personifications of sea foam:
  • Pemphredo (pem-FREE-doh), poss "alarm" or "guide"
  • Enyo (EN-yoh) "warlike"
  • Deino (DEE-noh) "dread"

The Hesperides (Greek) [sing.: Hesperis, "of the evening"]; personifications of the evening:
  • Aegle (EG-lee) "shining"
  • Erytheia / Erytheis (eh-REETH-ay-ah / eh-REE-thays) "red"
  • Hesperethousa (hes-pehr-eh-THOO-sah) "swift evening"; sometimes replaced with Hespere (HES-peh-ree) or Hesperia (hes-PEHR-ee-ah)

The Horae (Greek) [sing.: Hora, "hour" or "season"]; goddesses of nature, or of law and order:
  • Thallo (THAH-loh) "blossom"
  • Carpo (KAR-poh) "fruit"
  • Auxo (OWKS-oh) "growth"

  • Dike (DYE-kee) "justice"
  • Eunomia (yoo-NOH-mee-ah) "good order"
  • Eirene (eye-REE-nee) "peace"

The Hyperboreiai (Greek) [sing: Hyperboreia, "beyond the North Wind']; Artemis' archery attendants:
  • Oupis (OO-pis) "sighting"
  • Hecaerge (heh-SEER-jee) "distancing"
  • Loxo (LOKS-oh) "angling"

The Moirai (Greek) [sing.: Moira, "portion"]; controllers of each person's fate:
  • Clotho (KLOH-thoh) "spinner"
  • Lachesis (LAK-eh-sis) "allotter"
  • Atropos (AT-rop-ohs) "inevitable"

The Morrigna (Irish) [sing.: Morrigan, prob. "phantom queen"]; war & sovereignty goddesses:
  • Badhbh (BIVE) "crow" 
  • Macha (MAH-khah), prob. "field"
  • Neamhain (NYAV-an), prob. "poison" or "seizer"; sometimes replaced with Anand or Morrigan

The (three original) Muses (Greek); goddesses of the arts:
  • Aoide (ah-EE-dee, ay-EE-dee) "voice"
  • Melete (MEL-eh-tee, mel-ET-ee) "practice"
  • Mneme (NEE-mee) "memory"

The Norn (Norse) [prob. "whisper" or "twine"]; goddesses of destiny:
  • Urd/Urth (OORD / OORTH [hard 'th', like "the"]) "fate"
  • Verdandi/Verthandi (VEHR-dahn-dee / VEHR-thahn-dee [hard 'th']) "becoming"
  • Skuld (skoold ['oo' like in "foot"]) "future" or "blame"

The Parcae (Roman) [sing.: Parca, prob. "frugal" or "slight"]; equivalent to the Greek Moirai:
  • Nona (NOH-nah) "ninth"
  • Decima (DES-ee-mah) "tenth"
  • Morta (MOR-tah) "death"

The patron goddesses of Ireland:
  • Éire (EHR-eh) poss. "abundant"
  • Banbha (BAHN-uh-vah) poss. "unplowed land" or "sow"
  • Fodhla (FOH-lah) poss. "sod"

The Praxidicae (Greek) ["exacting justice"]; goddesses of justice:
  • Praxidike (prak-SID-ik-ee) "exacting justice"
  • Arete (EHR-eh-tee) "virtue"
  • Homonoea (hoh-MOH-nee-ah) "unanimity"

Thursday, August 13, 2015

A Few Little Updates

Every now and again I discover a name that would fit perfectly in a previous list, or find out that I had something really wrong! Here are pages that have had relatively recent additions/corrections, so if you only read them the first time around, you might find some changes. :)

Monday, August 10, 2015

The Other Fairy Tales

Before books and movies and urban legends, there were fairy tales. Many were, of course, adapted to the new mediums, but for some reason, others just never caught on in the modern world.
And so, just because, here are some fairy tale names you've probably never heard of. :)


Thursday, August 6, 2015

Son of a---!

I blame Alison & Madison. Despite "son" written straight out, many -son names are now trendy on girls. And while most of course mean "son of ____", not all do, and I set out to find them.
So if you're looking for a unisex (or "unisex") name, here are some -son names that are neither patronymics nor overwhelmingly more common on boys, as well as some -san/sen/sin/sun sound-alikes.

  • Aeson (EE-son, [Ancient] Greek)
  • Alison/Allison/Alyson (AL-is-on, English)--from French, diminutive of Alice. Another form is Alson.
  • Chanson (SHAHN-sohn, French [surname])--"singer"
  • Chryson (KRIS-on, KREE-sohn, [Ancient] Greek)--prob. "gold"
  • Crimson (KRIM-son, English)
  • Essan (ES-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Ester, Estrid, or Elisabeth
  • Gerson (GEHR-son, Dutch; JEHR-son, Portuguese; HEHR-son, Spanish)--form of Gershom
  • Kajsen (KYE-sen, Swedish)--diminutive of Karin/Katarina
  • Lisen/Lissen (LEE-sen, Swedish)--diminutive of Elisabeth, Alice, Melissa, or Louise/Lovisa
  • Lison (LEE-zohn, French)--diminutive of Elisabeth
  • Louison (loo-EE-zohn, French)--diminutive of Louis or Louise
  • Majsan (MYE-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Maja. Norwegian form is Maisen.
  • Mossen (MOHS-sen, Norwegian)--diminutive of Margareta or Maria
  • Orison (OR-is-on, English)--from Latin, "prayer"
  • Reason (REE-zon, English)
  • Season (SEE-zon, English)
  • Sessan/Sessen (SES-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Cecilia
  • Tamsin (TAM-sin, English)--feminine of Thomas
  • Tessan (TES-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Teresa/Teresia
  • Visen (VEE-sen, Swedish)--diminutive of Louise/Lovisa