Baby Names 2013: Our Latest Finds
We’re always adding new names to the database, and here are Nameberry’s ten newest baby names 2013:
Sunniva — Thanks, Mom2Seven, for urging us to add the ancient saint’s name Sunniva to the Nameberry database. Saint Sunniva was born in Ireland but fled to Norway when an invading heathen king wanted to marry her. With her followers, she hid in a cave on a Norwegian island. After her death, miracles on the island led to an excavation of the cave, where Sunniva‘s body was found intact. Sunniva, pronounced SOON-ee-va, is the patron saint of Western Norway, making this a distinctive choice for a family with Norwegian ancestry. That’s her above on a Norwegian stamp.
Swithin — Saint Swithin, whose name is also spelled Swithun, is well-known throughout Britain for his July 15 feast day, which is believed to determine the weather for the next 40 days. The original Swithin was the bishop of Winchester, where his remains are interred in the famous cathedral.
Wrecker — We’re resisting indulging actor Cam Gigandet, who introduced this Bad Boy baby name to the lexicon via his kree8tiv spelling Rekker. We entered the name in Nameberry under both spellings. Proceed with either at your own peril.
Kasiani — This has to be our favorite of all the new names we’ve added to Nameberry for a long time. Also spelled Kassiani or Cassiane, the ancient Greek saint’s name appeals to the senses in a variety of ways. Not only does the name mean cinnamon, but the original Kasiani was one of the few female hymnographers whose most famous hymn is chanted during Easter week.
Maxon — This newly-styled variation on Max highlights the trendy letter X and establishes itself as a cousin of Jaxon. But we can’t help preferring the more classic Maxfield, Maxwell, or just plain Max.
Bean — A better nickname for an unborn child than proper name for a baby, Bean was featured in one of the wonderful Louise Penny mysteries as the name of a strange child of indeterminate gender.
Tuvia — Though Tuvia is a Biblical cognate of Tobiah or Tobias and is used in Israel as a boys’ name, it was the name of a female character in the film “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.”
Mailer — The rise of occupational names like Archer and Gardener has opened this field wide enough to accommodate choices like Mailer, which signifies an enameler not a postal worker. Mailer might also be considered a literary name for fans of macho writer Norman.
Keverne — Another ancient saint’s name new to Nameberry, this more distinctive Kevin substitute was the name of a (male) saint with a town named for him on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula.
New — New is one of the, uh, new middle names with meaning, appropriately enough for a child fresh to the world. Might be a good choice for a baby given an ancestral name, with the New signifying that he or she is not a junior or a IV but a brand new individual who happens to carry a family name.