Martin Luther King Jr. Day Names

Hello, readers!

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I've made a list of names associated with activists in the Civil Rights Movement. These names represent strong, remarkable individuals who paved the way for our world today - and their sacrifice and message stands today.

Maya Angelou

Ella Baker

Unita Blackwell

Stokely Carmichael

Medgar Evers

Myrlie Evers-Williams

James Farmer

Prathia Hall

Fannie Lou Hamer

Lorraine Hansberry

Jesse Jackson

Coretta Scott King

Martin Luther King Jr.

John Lewis 

Thurgood Marshall

Robert Parris Moses

Diane Nash

Eleanor Holmes Norton

Rosa Parks

A Philip Randolph

Malcolm X

Whitney Young

Name Roundup!

Hello, readers!

Today I'll be looking at unusual names I've heard in the past few weeks - some way or another, they always find me!

Melaniece

A combination of Melanie and Berniece, Melaniece stood out to me because of it's aural similarities to Anneliese. It's also not too far from 80's darling Melissa! I haven't been able to find any origins, which suggests to me it might be a modern invented name. And one drawback - any little Melaniece will be asked about their aunts and uncles more than the average kid. 

Ladawn (or LaDawn)

Ladawn has a lot of positive traits: a similar meaning to the trending Aurora and classic Dawn, an ends-in-N sound like London or Lauren, and a French La-beginning. It sounds more Southern to me - and country singer Toby Keith agrees (his daughter is Krystal Ladawn). There's also something about it that's confident - but that could be my bias towards its namesake!

Irish

I recently spoke with a customer service representative who had this name, not long after my International Names post was published. I will say, I prefer Irish to Ireland - it seems more friendly and accessible. It could also be an honorific for family heritage or for an Irene or Ira in the family. 

Olwen

As Welsh names are trending upwards again - Bronwen, Tegan, Bryn - Olwen comes along to join the fun! It means "white footprint" and can be found in medieval romance stories. The nickname Ollie is also enticing, and variants Olwin and Olwyn add more options. It's not currently ranked in the UK or the US, but I think it might show up soon!

Sumei

Mei is a pretty name already popular in the US, though it originated in China - it means "beautiful". Sumei adds an extra layer, meaning "very beautiful". With Maya and Mae shooting up the top 1000, I think Sumei could fit in well - alternate spelling Sue May is another Southern option. 

Audrina

A more feminine variation of classic Audrey, Audrina keeps the sound concise and pretty, without the extra vowels of Audriana or Audrielle. The original name means "noble strength" - a real blessing for a little one. One drawback is that the most famous Audrina is a character on reality TV, but the name stands on its own with or without a namesake. 

Have you heard any unusual names recently? Tell me in the comments!

Throwback Thursday Series - American Given Names, O, P + Q

Hello, readers!

It's Thursday again! Which means it's another American Given Names post :)

Also, I'm collecting name-related books, so please let me know your favorites! Baby name collections, books on the history of names, even books with cool names in them!

Onesimus - "beneficial"

Onesiphorus - "beneficial"

Oriana - "golden" or "dawn" (Thanks, DMNES, for Orienta!)

Ozias - "salvation"

Pelatiah - "God-delivers" or "refugee of God"

Peleg - "division"

Penuel - "face of God"

Perez - "burst forth"

Persis - "Persian woman"

Preserved - virtue name

Quash, Quashey - "born on Sunday"

Name News: 1/13/16

Zoo Names New Baby Penguin After David Bowie - Marie Lodi, Jezebel
The day after David Bowie's death was announced, this little penguin was named in his honor. I'm predicting that Bowie will skyrocket as a name this year, as many fans honor the glam rocker who performed his way into our hearts and minds.

Name of the Year 2015: Caitlyn Jenner - American Name Society
The word of the year may be "they", but the American Name Society has announced that its name for the year honors trans individual Caitlyn Jenner. Check out the other honorees: Star Wars was also influential, and a few hashtags have made the list, too!

Baby names since the 1900s: the endangered, the resurrected and the long gone - Inga Ting, Sydney Morning Herald
An interesting look at name trends in New South Wales! It's interesting that a lot of news reports will say a name is "endangered", when I see a lot of members of the name community who love pulling names from obscurity! Who knows, maybe in 50 years, John will be unique!

Sorry, Person Named Chanel, You Can’t Use Your First Name As An Instagram Handle - Laura Northrup, Consumerist
Who wins when corporations and individuals are vying for the same social media recognition? The billion-dollar corporation, of course :( I hope Chanel-the-person strikes back!

Google Your First Name and Glamour Shot: Best Funny Photos - Sam Prince, Heavy
This game is too fun! Love some of the 90's pics I came across with "Emily Glamour Shots"!

Names from the plays of Tennessee Williams

Hello, readers!

Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was one of the biggest playwrights of the twentieth century- he wrote such classics as The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. Today, I'll be including a list of the names in his more famous plays. Check out this Southern, midcentury style!

The Glass Menagerie, 1944

Amanda

Laura

Tom

Jim

A Streetcar Named Desire, 1947

Blanche

Stella

Stanley

Harold

Steve

Pablo

Eunice

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1955

Brick

Margaret (Maggie)

Mae

Trixie

Sonny

Lacey

Dixie

Brightie

Buster

Daisy

Small

Sookey

Suddenly, Last Summer, 1958

Catharine

Sebastian

Violet

The Night of the Iguana, 1961

Lawrence

Maxine

Hannah

Charlotte

Judith

Jonathan

What are your favorites? Tell me in the comments!

Names for Hard Times

Hello, readers!

Today's post is a bit more reflective than my normal style, so heads up!

Something I've come across since beginning my foray into the world of baby names is the concept of a "rainbow baby" - a baby born after a previous miscarriage or otherwise unsuccessful pregnancy. I've seen parents use the names Rainbow or Iris (meaning "rainbow") in their new baby's name, to honor their experience.

It got me thinking - in this exciting community where names are equated with new life and births, there's often an element of loss or death included. We honor now-gone relatives with our new baby's names (I've learned a bit about the Jewish traditions around this idea), we honor our past familial homes with origin names; in a way, we even reinvigorate names from eras we've never experienced - Emma is a prime example.

It's not as "fun" to think about these concepts, but I think it definitely is helpful, even therapeutic, to use names to act as transitions between darkness and light. For without our past, our hard times, we would not be able to appreciate the hope ahead.

So, for my own personal reference and for any of you readers who might be interested, I've compiled a list of names whose meanings are more solemn, sad, or reflective. There's a reason so many of these names exist in the first place - for generations, we've been honoring the bad times as well as the good. I believe that these names don't portend a negative future for their recipients; rather, they remind us that the most happy, hopeful things - like new babies - can spring from unexpected places.

Brenna - "descendent of the sad one"

Brennan - "descendant of the sad one"

Deirdre - "sorrowful"

Diggory - "lost one"

Dolores - "lady of sorrows"

Duald - "darkness"

Jabez - "borne in pain"

Layla - "night"

Lilith - "of the night"

Malala - "sad"

Mirra - "sea of sorrows"

Morana - "death"

Perdido - "lost"

Perdita - "lost"

Rajani - "dark, of the night"

Shivani - "life and death"

Thana - "death"

Tristan - "sorrowful"

Saturday Jams: Can't CHARLIE Wait

Songs about Charlie! (And only one about Charlie Brown, I promise!)

"Champagne Charlie", originally by George Leybourne, 1866

Performed by Leon Redbone, 1978

"Charlie", Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2006

"Charlie Brown", the Coasters, 1959

"Charlie Darwin", the Low Anthem, 2009

"Charlie Don't Surf", the Clash, 1980