Thursday, June 28, 2018

Throwback Thursday: Giselle

Hello, readers!

I'm bringing back my Throwback Thursdays series this week with names from Giselle. 177 years ago today, the romantic ballet premiered in Paris and was instantly successful, prompting dozens of revivals across multiple continents. In addition to contributing the art world, Giselle is also chock full of names that haven't quite yet caught on in the US - let's take a look!

Carlotta Grisi as Giselle, 1841

Giselle 
Though it sounds like a member of the Isabelle-Gabrielle-Annabel group, Giselle actually comes from the German gisil, or "pledge." According to Behind the Name, the word may have originally referred to "a child given as a pledge to a foreign court." While the French form, Gisèle, has been in use since the Middle Ages, the name didn't garner attention from English speakers until the debut of the ballet. Today, Giselle is more likely to be linked to supermodel Bundchen or Amy Adams' character in Enchanted, but the tragic heroine of the ballet is inspiring in her own right.

Hilarion
One part of the ballet's love triangle is Hilarion, whose passion for our heroine takes a dark turn upon her death. The name is derived from Greek, and means "cheerful" - and bound to be related to "hilarity" in modern English usage. It's an unexpected choice, but I think it could work under the right circumstances - try the mid-century nicknames Hal or Larry, or something more contemporary, like Rio or Rion.

Myrtha
The evil queen of the story, Myrtha leads a group of female spirits called the Wilis, exclusively formed of maidens who have been betrayed by men. The name is an uncommon form of Myrtle, a plant which has long been associated with feminine goddesses Aphrodite and Demeter. While the English form seems unable to be revived, the Spanish Mirta remains quite pretty and usable.

Théophile
One of the librettists of Giselle, Théophile Gautier was a prolific writer in nineteenth-century France, creating volumes of poetry, plays, and art criticism. The name comes from the Greek Theophilus, meaning "friend of God," but in French is pronounced "Tay-oh-feel." This could work as a long form route to the nickname Theo, if Theodore isn't your style.

Jules
The other librettist for Giselle was Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges (quite a mouthful), a French author known for dozens of operas and plays. The French form of Julius, Jules has long been a nickname for a number of masculine and feminine English names - Julian, Julie, etc. With short forms back in fashion - think Charlie, Jack, or Leo - Jules might be ripe for a return.

Carlotta 
The role of Giselle was created in part for the ballerina Carlotta Grisi, an Italian dancer who often worked with Giselle choreographer Jules Perrot (another Jules!) (Her birth name was Caronna Adela Giuseppina Maria Grisi, and her two daughters were named Marie-Julie and Leontine, for any fans of Italian and French names). The name Carlotta is a form of Charlotte, but with a little extra attitude - and potential for nicknames! Carlotta hasn't been used often in the United States, and could appeal to anyone looking to honor a familial Carl or Carly.

Which name is your favorite? Tell me in the comments!

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Literary Names: Sharon Creech

Hello, readers!

One of my favorite YA fiction authors when I was growing up was Sharon Creech, best known for her novels Walk Two Moons and Love That Dog. In addition to writing fabulous books for tweens and teens, Creech is a master at choosing character names - and definitely one of my early inspirations!


Here are some particularly memorable character names, organized by each work.

Absolutely Normal Chaos

Mary Lou, Carl Ray, Beth Ann
Double names shine in Absolutely Normal Chaos, with three of the main characters sporting "four-letter, three-letter" names. Names like these were once more common in the middle and southern United States, but are few and far between these days (with one issue being that American name records don't keep track of second or middle names). Still, double names are especially attractive for those who LOVE names or those who want to honor multiple family members in one child's name.

Walk Two Moons

Salamanca Tree Hiddle (or Sal)
One of my favorite fictional names of all time, Salamanca Tree Hiddle's name is explained early in the novel - her parents wanted to name her after the Seneca tribe, but mixed up the names, and her mother loved trees. Salamanca is actually a city in Spain with an obscure etymology, housing one of the oldest universities in the world. Despite its  simplicity, I think Tree would be a great nature option in the middle spot for a real-life kiddo.

Chanhassen "Sugar" Hiddle
Sal's mother, a mysterious figure in the novel, is nicknamed Sugar because of the meaning of her true first name - Chanhassen comes from a Dakota word meaning "sugar-maple tree." Chanhassen is also the name of a city in Minnesota, and a nickname for a card game.

Phoebe Winterbottom, Margaret Cadaver, Ben Finney
I included these three character names because of their fabulous surnames, and overall "vibes": one can tell a lot about Phoebe Winterbottom just by reading her name!

Chasing Redbird

Zinnia Taylor (or Zinny)
An exquisite flower name that should be used far more frequently, Zinnia is the main character's name in Chasing Redbird. Zinnia flowers are associated with "thoughts of absent friends" in floriography, which is fitting for our heroine - her thoughts often center around lost family members and reappearing friends.

Bloomability

Domenica Santolina Doone (or Dinnie)
After reading this book, I desperately tried to convince my parents to send me to boarding school in Switzerland - but they wouldn't budge. Shy Dinnie is given this opportunity in Bloomability, and ends up making friends from around the globe (with great names!) Domenica is the Italian feminine form of Dominic, meaning "belonging to the Lord."

Peter Lombardy Guthrie III (or Guthrie)
While this outgoing friend of Dinnie's is referred to by his last name, it got me thinking - could Guthrie work as a first? At least one person has proven this: Guthrie Govan, an accomplished guitarist, was born into a musical family in 1971. It's a Scottish surname originally, but could shine in the first spot for fans of Arlo, Woody, or even Govan.

Stella and Crick
Dinnie's oft-mentioned siblings are Stella and Crick. Stella was given another Italian name like Dinnie, honoring their mother's heritage. Crick, on the other hand, was named by his father "after a clear little crick that ran beside the house they'd lived in at the time." I like that both names are honor choices, in a way, but I can't decide if Crick is too concise to work as a first.

Ruby Holler

Dallas and Florida
The novel centers on troublesome twins Dallas (boy) and Florida (girl), whose names look coordinated on the surface. In fact, Dallas ranks among the top 300 names for boys in the U.S., while Florida hasn't ranked on the top 1000 since the 1930's. Still, with place names popping up from all kinds of sources, it wouldn't surprise me if Dallas rose further and Florida got more attention.

Tiller and Sairy
A kindly old couple who adopts the twins, Tiller and Sairy have names that suit their offbeat, country personalities. While Sairy may be harder to explain - a nickname for Sarah, perhaps? - Tiller seems like an ideal addition to modern occupational names like Tucker or Miller.

I won't include all of Sharon Creech's books here (just my favorites!) but I would love to hear if any readers are also fans. Which names do you like best?

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Honorific Names: Baby Boomers

Hello, readers!

One of my favorite "types" of names is the honor choice - naming one's child after a family member, friend, or personal hero. Being in a close-knit family myself, I love the idea of including a nod to those that matter most when picking a name for my future child (sorry, Mom, not yet).

Honorific choices used to be fairly straightforward - a father Joseph might have a Joseph Jr, or a mother Nicole might have a son Nicholas - but these days, variety is in demand. Plus, if five cousins want to honor Grandma Mary with the fourth generation, there can be fighting within families (if you don't believe me, read more advice columns).

This blog post series is designed to spark conversations about honor names - do you think an honor name should be a straightforward Junior or III? What's more important, seeing a familiar name on paper or recreating it altogether? Does naming a child something that means the same thing as another name count? Your answers may vary!

I've divided the posts by generation - now that Baby Boomers fall closer to the "grandparent" category, they'll be included first. I've listed the top 20 names for each gender during the 1950's (the middle of the generation date range), along with two sets of names: other popular variants of the name, and name variants that aren't in the current US Top 1000.

Boys:

1. James - "supplanter" or "holder of the heel"
Current contenders: Jacob, Jake, Jamie, Diego, Jay
Below the charts: Giacomo, Akiva, Jago, Seamus, Jem

2. Michael - "who is like God"
Current contenders: Miguel, Mitchell, Micheal, Mikael
Below the charts: Misha, Mickey, Mika, Mitch, Mykolas

3. Robert - "bright fame"
Current contenders: Roberto, Bobby
Below the charts: Rupert, Robbie, Berto, Hopkin, Robin

4. John - "God is gracious"
Current contenders: Jack, Ian, Juan, Evan, Owen, Sean, Ivan, Giovanni, Shane
Below the charts: Jens, Yanick, Keoni, Giannino, Jovan

5. David - "beloved"
Current contenders: None other than David!
Below the charts: Daveth, Dewey

6. William - "resolute protection"
Current contenders: Liam, Billy, Will, Willie, Guillermo
Below the charts: Willem, Pim, Gwilym, Vilko, Illiam

7. Richard - "brave ruler"
Current contenders: Ricardo, Ricky
Below the charts: Rico, Dickon

8. Thomas - "twin"
Current contenders: Tomas, Tommy
Below the charts: Toma, Teoma

9. Mark - "warlike"
Current contenders: Marcus, Marc, Marcelo, Marco, Marcel
Below the charts: Marek, Mars

10. Charles - "free man"
Current contenders: Charlie, Carlos, Carl
Below the charts: Chaz, Karol, Kalle, Chip, Carlo

11. Steven and 20. Stephen - "garland" or "crown"
Current contenders: Esteban, Stefan
Below the charts: Stefanos, Etienne, Stevie

12. Gary - "spearman"
Current contenders: None at all!
Below the charts: Geary, Gearing, Gerrins

13. Joseph - "God increases"
Current contenders: Jose, Joey, Joe, Yosef, Yousef
Below the charts: Joss, Giuseppe, Ze

14. Donald - "proud chief"
Current contenders: None at all!
Below the charts: Domnall, Donnie, Donal

15. Ronald - "ruler's counselor"
Current contenders: Ronnie
Below the charts: Reginald, Reynaud, Reinhold, Reino

16. Kenneth - "handsome" or "born of fire"
Current contenders: Kenny
Below the charts: Kennet, Kenith

17. Paul - "small"
Current contenders: Pablo
Below the charts: Paolo, Pavel, Paulus, Pavo

18. Larry - "from Laurentum"
Current contenders: Lawrence, Lorenzo
Below the charts: Lars, Larkin, Lorencio, Laurent

19. Daniel - "God is my judge"
Current contenders: Danny
Below the charts: Dan, Danko

Girls:

1. Mary - "bitter"
Current contenders: Mia, Maria, Molly, Miriam, Malia
Below the charts: Meike, Mariska, Ria, Marietta, Moira

2. Linda - "beautiful"
Current contenders: None other than Linda!
Below the charts: Lindy, Linette, Lynna

3. Patricia - "nobleman"
Current contenders: None other than Patricia!
Below the charts: Patrice, Patrika, Pattie

4. Susan - "lily"
Current contenders: Lily
Below the charts: Susannah, Suzanne, Suzette, Sukie, Shoshana, Zuza

5. Deborah and 7. Debra - "bee"
Current contenders: None other than Deborah!
Below the charts: Devorah

6. Barbara - "foreign woman"
Current contenders: None other than Barbara!
Below the charts: Varvara, Varya, Basia, Bara

8. Karen and 15. Kathleen - "pure"
Current contenders: Katherine, Catherine, Kate, Katie, Katelyn, Catalina, Kaylee, Kailyn, Kaia
Below the charts: Katya, Kitty, Ekaterina, Kateri, Catriona

9. Nancy - "grace"
Current contenders: Anna, Hannah, Anika, Anya, Annie, Ana, Grace
Below the charts: Anouk, Anais, Ninon, Anita, Annetta

10. Donna - "lady"
Current contenders: None at all!
Below the charts: Donella

11. Cynthia - "woman from Kynthos"
Current contenders: None other than Cynthia!
Below the charts: Kynthia, Cinzia

12. Sandra - "defender of men"
Current contenders: Alexandra, Alexa, Alexia, Lexi, Alessandra, Sasha, Alexis, Alejandra
Below the charts: Sandrine, Zandra, Sanya, Aleka, Alexandrine

13. Pamela - invented in the 16th century, "all honey"
Current contenders: None at all!
Below the charts: Pamelia, Pamelina

14. Sharon - "plain, expanse"
Current contenders: None at all!
Below the charts: Sharona

16. Carol - "free man" (see Charles)
Current contenders: Charlotte, Charlie, Caroline, Carly
Below the charts: Lottie, Carola, Carlotta

17. Diane - "divine"
Current contenders: Diana, Dayana
Below the charts: Dinah

18. Brenda - "sword"
Current contenders: Brenna
Below the charts: Brenn

19. Cheryl - invented in the 20th century
Current contenders: None at all!
Below the charts: Cherie, Cherette

20. Janet - "God is gracious" (see John)
Current contenders: Jane, Joanna, Johanna, Gianna, Giovanna
Below the charts: Ivanna, Siobhan, Jovana, Jean, Joan

Here are some great articles about honor names from other writers:
Named after Grandma
The Namesakes Everyone is Hunting For
6 Great Reasons to Use Family Names
9 Creative Ways to Honor Loved Ones With Your Child’s Name
Family Names: Why They’re Most Important for Parentless Parents

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Arroyo Grande Cemetery, Part 2

Hello, readers!

Another list of fabulous names collected at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery!

Word names: Council, Saint, Floss, Squire, Bliss, Constant

Place names: Louisiana, Columbia, Vienna, Nevada

Japanese Names

Chota
Eiko
Eju
Emi
Emiko
Ippei
Ito
Jozo
Jutaro
Juzo
Harue
Hide
Hirojiro
Hiroshi
Heigo
Kaoru
Kataro
Kazuko
Kimiko
Kinzo
Kumataro
Masahichi
Masano
Momoju
Sada
Saheji
Sanaye
Sei
Senzo
Setsugo
Shige
Suya
Takao
Tatsuishi
Tsuya
Yoshi
Yoshie
Yoshiko

Non-Japanese Names

Adelbert
Alonzo
Alpha
Alzina
Analee
Arah
Arminda
Audie
Avanell
Bento
Biatriz
Birdella
Bliss (M)
Bothilde
Brazzle
Brusie
Burr Zill
Burton
Carroll (M)
Celestia Adella
Clem
Cleon
Clother
Conceicão
Council
Columbia
Constant
Cramer
Cyril
Delcie
Denzell
DeWitt
Elberta
Elby
Elinore
Ellamay
Elov
Elva
Emrine
Ertie
Estaguio
Ester
Ethel Addie
Ethlyn
Eudora "Dodie"
Euphemia
Eugenia
Fanny
Filippo
Filomena
Floss
Gabino
Gwenyth
Hearold
Heladio
Hermine
Inca
Judson
Kennis
Kermit
Lakie
Lemual
Leora
Lestra
Letha
Linnie
Louisiana
Lottie June
Louella
Loyia
Ludi
Lula
Maude Verena
Marieanna
Maybell
Melvina
Metta
Monty
Murrilla
Nasario
Neasley
Nelia
Nevada
Olla
Orval
Purn
Saburt
Saint
Sayde
Serafin
Serren
Sevellon
Sibbie
Socrates
Squire
Tammen
Terraleigh
Thelise
Thome
Thurza
Tillman
Turalee
Ulta
Vernie
Vida Grace
Vie Jane
Vienna
Viola
Weisner
Wencil
Wilmot
Zenith
Zerva
Zola
Zora

Friday, June 1, 2018

Yet Another Post About Cemeteries - Arroyo Grande Cemetery

Hello, readers!

You may have not read the first post I made about my new hobby - combing the local cemetery headstones for unexpected names. My first few forays into this world were less fruitful - but today's visit to the Arroyo Grande Cemetery proved to be an amazing look at local history!


I only went through two segments of an incredibly large area, but I found dozens of first names I hadn't seen before, as well as some I rarely see these days. Many Latino, Filipino, Italian, and Portuguese families were represented in this area, from as far back as the late 1800's. My own family emigrated from the Azores (Portugal) around 1900 or so, and I recognized many of the last names as local Portuguese families.


Common themes:
  • Feminizations of traditionally male names: Albertine, Loydene, Haroldeene, Aloisia
  • Unusual Marian names: Purificacion, Encarnacion, Rosarie, Epifinia
  • Double names for women: Della Mae, Jimmie Lou, Lindy Lou, Wilda Rose
  • Latinized forms of Greek names: Nemesio, Apolonio, Achille, Tranquillino
  • Spanish virtue names: Esperanza, Felicitas, Modesta, Prudencio

What trends of yesteryear can you find?

Achille
Albertine
Albinia
Aloisia
Alta
Amacias
Amelda
Anella
Anetha
Apolonio
Aquilina
Areli
Arminta
Arvilla
Arza
Attilio
Balbino
Battista
Beden
Belford
Belmeda
Belmira
Bernabe
Bibiano
Bridie
Brigitte
Bulayong
Carmina
Castor
Cataldo
Catharina
Ceferina
Cipriano
Cleto
Clotilda
Cornelio
Crispina
Crispolo
Dalmacio
Darlyne
Della Mae
Delpha
Elario
Eleuteria
Eluira
Emeterio
Encarnacion
Endia
Enedina
Epifinia
Epitacio
Erlinda
Ernestine
Esabelo
Esperanza
Eugenie
Eustaquio
Felicitas
Fermin
Ferminia
Fidensio
Florencio
Fragedio
Gean
Genoveva
Geronimo
Glenna
Godofredo
Goldie
Gonzalo
Gregoria
Hameed
Hardie
Haroldeene
Herminia
Herschel
Honorio
Ildefonso
Ita
Jermana
Jesuina
Jimmie Lou
Jolynn
Jovita
Kennan
Kerwin
Lavonne
Lazaro
Lenwood
Leonardus
Leoncia
Leone
Leonora
Lidia
Lilla
Lindy Lou
Lodoska
Loramae
Loydene 
Ludovina
Maddalena
Marcial
Mariegold
Marquis "Marq"
Martiniano
Massey
Melitona
Millian
Modesta
Nedra
Nemesio
Nicanor
Nicolasa
Oda
Olegario
Oma
Ona
Oren
Orestes
Orvill
Ottavio
Pacifico
Pantaleon
Pasincia
Patrocinia
Perfecto
Prentiss
Primitiva
Pructoso
Prudencio
Purificacion
Reanee
Rizzie
Rodit
Roque
Rosarie
Rosendo
Rosina
Sabas
Saturnino
Selderico
Senon
Severiana
Shandon
Sidone 
Telesfora
Teodocia
Teodorico
Teodulo
Theophile
Tiburcio
Tirso
Tomasa
Tranquillino
Trenney
Tressia
Venancio
Umblino
Waldo
Waldron
Wilda Rose
Zelma
Zelpha
Zoilo

Tell me your favorites in the comments!

Somber cemetery selfie