Category: Nature, Place and Word Names
Arctic Baby Names: Icy cold but cool
I have this fascination with the Arctic Circle. I think it stems from my love of Christmas movies, as most of them feature scenes set in the magical North Pole. Rudolph, Elf¸ The Santa Clause, The Polar Express…they all show snippets of what I believe to be real-life documentary footage from the Northernmost regions of our globe, complete with the striped peppermint stick that is the North Pole. What a haven of whimsy and charm that polar region is.
In all seriousness, the real Arctic Circle that I have visited on Google Earth is, of course, nothing like the sparkling, colorful Santa Land featured in those films, but it has a breathtaking beauty and splendor all its own. It may not feature singing snowmen or dancing elves, but it is magical in its own right. Its bleakness is eerie and mystifying. Its simplicity is elegant. Crisp, clean, untouched. I have never been there in person, though I would love to visit someday (any Alaskan Berries have a guest bedroom??), but I have had a lifelong fascination with the frozen North. I have seen the Northern Lights twice from my hometown in Pennsylvania, and no scene on earth compares to that sublime light show that hails from the skies above the North Pole. For us name enthusiasts, things like that inspire us in the area we love best: naming.
Nature Names: What are your favorites?
Nature names can mean a lot of different things, as our all-inclusive nature baby names list demonstrates.
There are flower names, long used for girls but newly in style now. These include familiar choices like Rose and Lily along with fashionable exotic blooms such as Dahlia and Magnolia.
Then on the botanical side, there are newer tree names, spice names, and fruit names, from Oak to Sage to Banana.
Australian Baby Names: Focus on Banjo
By Anna Otto of Waltzing More Than Matilda
February 17th is the birthdate of Andrew Barton Paterson, affectionately known as “Banjo” Paterson. He was named Andrew after his Scottish-born father, and his middle name Barton was a family name from his mother’s side; he was related to Edmund Barton, who would later become Australia’s first prime minister. Because he and his dad had the same name, Paterson went by his middle name, and was always known as Barty to his friends and family.
Paterson lived with his grandmother while he was attending the prestigious Sydney Grammar School, and she encouraged in him a love of poetry. He was 21 when he first began submitting poems to The Bulletin, under the pseudonym of “The Banjo” (sometimes shortened to a simple “B”). Full of fierce nationalism and a desire for a fairer society, he had some aspirations to write fiery polemic, and had even written a political pamphlet. However, The Bulletin had other ideas.
In the late nineteenth century, there was a movement towards the British colonies of Australia becoming one country, a feeling that Australia should be a united nation, and Australians a united people. In the effort to provide Australia with a unifying mythology that would instill nationalistic pride, it seemed that the Australian bush and outback would be the symbol to draw everyone together.
A Spring Flowering of Greek Names
Angel Thomas, best-known to the Nameberry community as Dantea, is an expert on Greek names. Today she brings us an authoritative look at Greek names that relate to the spring season.
Spring is the time of year for gentle rains and soft winds, the greening of leaves and the growing of flowers. The animals are all awakening and the season of rebirth starts. It’s probably the most romanticized season. Historically, Spring has been known as the time for having babies, for birth and fertility and in recent studies, Spring and mid-Summer have statistically had more births. If you’re looking for a name that represents the springtime and all its lovely flowers and greenery, I have a list of generally underused Greek names just for you.
Goddesses of the Spring
Persephone – Persephone is pronounced per-SEF-oh nee and she’s the queen of the underworld, wife of Hades and goddess of spring growth. While Persephone generally has a bad rep, it’s really a very lovely name. She’s the reason we have flowers and green things during the Spring and Summer. Though her name has been attributed to having a negative meaning, it’s really an unknown as the words for ‘dark blue’ and the word for ‘sound’ both appear in her name.
Easter Baby Names: From Sunday to Susanna
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