Literary Names #5: The Stravaganza series

As a lifelong reader, I get very excited when other people reference my favorite books, especially the ones that are relatively obscure. Imagine my enthusiasm when I saw the Stravaganza shout out in Appellation Mountain's Sunday Summary!

This excellent series by Mary Hoffman takes place in an alternate version of Renaissance Italy, called Talia. The series is written for pre-teens and teens, but the story is fun for readers of any age. Check out the official site here!

Instead of my usual format of mixing up character names, I'll just be focusing on the cool names already found in the series. Let's begin!

Female Names

Silvia - "from the forest"
This original spelling of Sylvia dropped off the top 1000 in 2006, but its sister spelling seems to be rising up the charts again. To me, the sound is more "silvery" and Italian than the popular version. It's also a great nature-name choice for anyone near the woods! In Stravaganza, Silvia's character is powerful and positive, protecting daughter Arianna and pursuing her own passions.

Leonora - "the other Aenor"
This Italian variation of Eleanor might be ideal for anyone who loves the English version but is turned off by its popularity - Eleanor is at #78, while Leonora hasn't made the list since the 1940's. Feminine and strong, Leonora has the cute nickname options of Leo or Nora. It could also be a great way to honor a familial Leonard.

Giuditta - "woman from Judea"
In the age of Gia, Giselle, and Giovanna, why not Giuditta? It's the Italian form of Judith, but much prettier and more exotic. In the series, the character is a talented artist and sculptor - and with a name like Giuditta, your child could be the next Michelangelo!

Raffaella - "God has healed"
The feminine form of Raphael, this spelling definitely has more ruffles. But it's so friendly and beautiful, who would want to be friends with a Raffaella? It also lends itself to the Ella nickname (or even Raffi if you're a children's music fan). The angelic connotations are also positive, but the character associations in Stravaganza keep this name down to earth.

Male Names

Lucien/Luciano - "light"
Without giving too much away, I'll say that this character uses both names at different points in the series. And with such lovely iterations, why not? This updates popular Luke and lightens Leonardo at the same time. The meaning is great, and the sound of each name is pleasing. As for the character? Lucien/Luciano is the hero we love to root for!

Aurelio - "golden"
I'm sure Aurelio/Aurelia/Aurelius has come up in my posts before, and it will continue - such a great sound and meaning for a name! Nicknames Ari or Leo are among the possibilities. As for a guilty pleasure set, why not Aurelio and Argento ("silvery")?

Gaetano - "man from Gaeta"
While you may be familiar with the English name Guy, this version makes it less of an identity and more of a name. Pronounced "guy-TAN-o", has both the trend "ae" combo in the name next to the also-trendy "o" ending - but it's highly doubtful you'll see this name anywhere else in the US. Nickname Tano is a cute possibility.

Sky/Celestino - "heavenly"
Nevaeh, Skylar and Celeste have gotten popular - why not Sky or Celestino? The character in the series is a shy but talented artist, and a nature-name like Sky is perfect for any free spirit. While Sky/Skye is currently charting on the girls' lists, this name is definitely great for a little boy with stars in his eyes.

To learn more about the series, check out the above links and the Wikipedia page!

All You Need Are Beatles Names, Part One

As a Beatles fan, I am only too aware of the four-name recitation "John, Paul, George, Ringo". While they aren't all immediately recognized by their first names (Ringo excluded), these four men are instantly known when put together.

With over 200 original songs and over 300 recorded songs, they managed to slip in a few names over the band's career. For this post series, I'll be focusing on only their original compositions and only songs with names in the title. Perhaps a name homage to the greatest band ever can be found in their lyrics?

For more cool Beatles name lists, check out Appellation Mountain and Nameberry.

Eleanor Rigby
Eleanor has always been a favorite name, and this is one of my favorite Beatles tunes! While the namesake in the song comes to an untimely end, there are a few real-life Eleanor's that were much stronger - Eleanor Roosevelt and Eleanor of Aquitaine, for example. It also allows for two cute (albeit popular nicknames) - Ellie and Nora. The only drawback is that the meaning isn't great - it translates to "the other Aenor", which isn't exactly inspirational.

Lovely Rita
A diminutive of Margarita, which means "pearl", Rita is an excellent cross-cultural choice - it's found in dozens of languages. Rita sank from its height of #42 in 1930 all the way to #919 in 2002 before dropping off the list. But with other 1930s names getting popular - Frances, Evelyn, Ruby - perhaps it's time for a comeback?

Sexy Sadie
Sadie has jumped over the past few years into the top 50. It's got a great sound and a great meaning - "princess" - that any little girl would love. The only drawback is probably its popularity; I for one can see this name continuing to rise up the charts. But don't let the song fool you - Sadie isn't just "sexy", it's also sweet and spunky.

Julia
Another name that's been rising up the charts, Julia's enduring popularity might mean that it's time for a break. But since it has a feminine sound and pretty meaning - "youthful" - why not try other related names? Juliet is more romantic; Juliette is more romantic and French; Julianne is elegant; Juliana/Giuliana is flowery and exotic; July is unique. And then there are the male versions - Julius, Julian, Jules and Julio, to name a few.

Dear Prudence
I'm rather conflicted on Prudence - I love the song and the strong meaning, but the sound is a little crotchety. It doesn't lend itself to nickname either - Pru sounds too much like "prune" to me! I would focus more on other, more modern, virtue names - Amity, Honor, Prosper, Felicity, Serenity.

What are your favorite Beatles-related names? Be on the lookout for two more posts in the near future!

Beatles Names - Part 2

Beatles Names - Part 3

The Name Community!

Hi all!

Today, in an effort to educate myself on others in the naming community, I'll be posting links to other cool blogs about names. Here's a short list if you want to find more cool articles and opinion pieces!

Appellation Mountain - Abby Sandel

I've mentioned this site before, as an AM fangirl, but I think Abby's articles deserve more readers. Check out this fantastic article about gender and heritage baby naming - the comments provide more (often heated) opinions too: Why I Never Say "Save the Name for a Son"

Waltzing More Than Matilda - Anna Vivian

Here's an Australian perspective on naming in the English world. Check out this encouraging article on defending name choices from judgmental friends and family: Family Criticism Has Made Her Anxious About Baby Names

The Beauty of Names - Bree

A lovely blog with an emphasis on beautiful, elegant and historical names. I myself can never resist a Romanov sisters' shoutout: Long and Luxurious

Nameisms - Laura Emerson

Really cool in-depth looks at different names each day - etymology, history and celebrity namesakes included! Laura has a great article on the recent controversy over Atticus: Atticus: To Kill a Name

Baby Name Pondering - Brooke Cussans

Interesting a varied articles on names - this is what I hope one day to achieve! A recent article by Brooke is just badass: Post Apocalyptic Naming

Also sidenote: it looks like I accidentally appropriated the title of a Nameberry article from a couple weeks back: Name Trend: The I's Have It for Girls. Whoops! I'll try harder to avoid overlap.

Name Reference Sites

Here are some of my favorite sites to use when looking up names, meanings, and statistics!

Nameberry - My favorite baby name website, it has a fantastic, beautiful interface with interesting articles posted daily. Name information includes origin, famous people with the name, nicknames, related names, and comments for each. It's always my first stop when I hear a new name!

Behind the Name - This site is excellent or looking up origins, especially for obscure names not found on your average baby name site. They have excellent statistics by country, and really in-depth backstories for names. They also have a related site just about last names!

Social Security - Baby Names - The SSA collects the top 1000 names in the USA every year, which feeds statistics on most baby name websites. You can search by year, name, decade, etc. Not super user-friendly, but if there are statistics, this is the place to find them.

Baby Name Wizard - Name Voyager - This incredible interactive online graph lets you compare name popularity and statistics, search by beginning letters, and more! Want to see which decade had the most J-names? Or see whether the "El" beginning of names is on the decline? Check it out here!

Appellation Mountain - This site is run by Abby Sandel, a contributor to Nameberry and a professional name consultant. She puts up excellent lists, names of the day, and more!

What are your favorite name sites? Tell me in the comments!

Hello there!

So I've been inspired by Appellation Mountain and Nameberry to create my own name blog, where I'll post cool name ideas, name origin stories and the like. Hopefully this will be cool and not at all weird or narcissistic. Hopefully.

To start: my name is Emily Grace. I was born in 1992, when Emily was at number 7 and Grace was at number 127. My parent's hadn't known that Emily was so popular, and to be honest it was the only name they could agree on. My dad tended towards Barbara or Lisa, and my mom tended towards Celeste or Quinn. My middle name comes from a play both my parents acted in prior to my birth, "Amazing Grace," as well as the fact that my mom's name means "grace" (I'll talk more about family names in a later post).

I really like my name, despite its popularity - it hit #1 in 1996 but is now back at #7 - and despite its meaning - "rival", which to me is a little negative. It would explain my competitiveness, though.

I really do believe that a person's name can tell you a lot about them - from when and where they were born, to the types of parents they had, to the experiences with it they had growing up. Those who pick their own names often have a story of why, too. Ultimately, when I eventually name my own children, I hope to have a knowledge of names that will help me pick something fitting. (And if they want to choose a new name later, maybe they'll let me help).

Do you know your name story? Do you like your name or wish it could be something else? What's your current favorite name? Tell me in the comments!