Mardi Gras Names: Baby names from the bayou
Posted February 15th, 2010
To celebrate New Orleans’s triumphant Super Bowl victory, as well as today’s Shrove Tuesday launch of Mardi Gras, here is the fascinating blog created for us last year by guest blogger Elisabeth Wilborn of ”You Can’t Call It It.” Elisabeth is a writer, artist, and mother who lives in Brooklyn, New York.
An inspiration for everything from vampires to voodoo, from zydeco to the Krewe of Zulu, Louisiana has been a colorful melting pot of divergent cultures for centuries. Cajuns from Canada, Creoles and others of Haitian, African, Italian, Spanish, or Native American descent, all come together to form a mélange of backgrounds, and in point of fact, names. Most share a history of French language and Catholicism, even if it’s not by blood. While these may not be the choices in use today in the Bayou, they have been culled from historical documents, maps, and folklore from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries. The majority are either French proper, or my favorite, Frenchified. Still more trace their roots to Classical Greco-Roman civilization, deep Southern culture, or are somewhere farther afield and include a curious preponderance of the letter Z.
So come on! Allez-y! Chew on these names (and some maque choux), prepare to bare all for those beads, and laissez les bon temps roulez!
LADIES
Acadia- The word Cajun itself has its origins in Acadian
Alzophine
Ambrosine
Arzilla
Avoyelles- This Cajun Parish might be picked up as a first name, piggybacking on the current Ava and Ellie love
Berangere
Bernadette- A much beloved Catholic saint, and one of the prettiest songs in the native New Orleans Neville Brothers repertoire
Cezelia
Clotille
Delphine- While Delphine is a lovely and lilting name, Delphine La Laurie was a famous socialite and sadist who tortured her slaves
Dixie- Used to refer to the South at large, this may have originated in New Orleans on the ten dollar bill, upon which a local bank printed “dix”, the French for ten.
Dolucila
Eugenie- Napoleon’s first love
Evangeline- An epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow recalling the 1755 deportation of Acadian Canadians to the newly Spanish Louisiana
Ezora
Josephine- Napoleon’s (second) love
Lougenia
Magnolia- The state flower of Louisiana
Mahalia- Mahalia Jackson is a gospel and blues singer from the area, with a name worth borrowing
Marie- Marie Laveau was a reknowned Voodoo Queen who was visited by slaves and owners alike
Maxzille
Mellette
Oatha
Onezie, Onezime
Philomine, Philonese
Sabine- The Sabine River runs through Louisiana
Tammany- Parish north of New Orleans
Ysabeau
Zenobia (also spotted as Senobia)
Zerilda
GENTS
Amos- Amos Moses is a song by Jerry Reed about a fictional one armed alligator-hunting Cajun man
Bartheleme
Beau, Beauregard- Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was the most famous Civil War soldier from New Orleans and fought in the Battle of Shiloh; his ghost is said to roam the streets of New Orleans whispering “Shiloh“, which means “place of peace”
Bernard- Parish east of New Orleans
Charles- Geographically, Charles is everywhere, from a street in NOLA to the western city of Lake Charles to St. CharlesParish in the east
Cleophas
Cyriaque
Dagobert- Pere Dagobert was a well-respected 18th century priest who is still said to be heard singing “Kyrie” while keeping a watchful eye over the city of New Orleans.
Gustave –2008’s Hurricane Gustav (yes, that’s the way the storm was spelled) may have dampened enthusiasm for this name.
Jean-Baptiste- Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville foundedNouvelle-Orleans in 1718
Landry- St. Landry Parish is home to many a Cajun
Leon, Leontel
LeRoy- Leroy is originally from “le roi” or, “the king”
Louis -Louis Armstrong and Louis Prima are both Louisiananatives
Philippe- The city was named for Philippe II, Duc d’Orleans
Pierre- Pierre Augustin Charles Bourguignon Derbigny was among Louisiana’s Creole governors
Theodore, Theodule, Theophile, Theophilus
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"You can't call it it", baby name blog, baby names, bayou names, Boys' Names, Cajun names, Creole names, Elisabeth Wilborn, ethnic baby names, French baby names, French names, girl names, guest blog, guest bloggers, Hispanic baby names, historic names, holiday names, international baby names, jazz names, jazzy names, Louisiana names, Mardi Gras names, name history, New Orleans names, regional name trends, Spanish baby names, Uncategorized, unusual baby names, vampire baby names, voodoo names, Youcan'tcallititcomments
12 Responses to “Mardi Gras Names: Baby names from the bayou”
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Ashley Says:
February 16th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Again, my husband’s favorite, Clovis, is on the nameberry blog! I am trying really hard to see the appeal of this name…haha.
I like a lot of these. We considered Magnolia for our first daughter.
ewaggenspack Says:
February 16th, 2010 at 10:54 am
What about Pierre and Boudreaux? My father-in-law is full of Pierre and Boudreaux jokes.
My husband is from a huge family that has been in deep Louisiana for generations. (aka. FirstName LeBeau lives on LeBeau Rd). Some other names from the area he is from:
Elton
Alphage
Babette
Ollie
Lynois
Necia
Raymond
Acklin
Enell
JNE Says:
February 16th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Really like a lot of these, especially: Beatrice, Eugenie, Emeline, Ezora, Leonie, Otis, Ollie, Amos, Charles, Julius, Theodore.
Courtney W. Says:
February 16th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I would have liked to have seen the boys’ name Trosclair on the list. I discovered this name in a Louisiana themed children’s picture book called “Trosclair and the Alligator.” However, I do think that Trosclair was a surname first.
Courtney W. Says:
February 16th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I would have liked to have seen the boys’ name Trosclair on the list. I discovered this name in a Louisiana themed children’s picture book called “Trosclair and the Alligator.” However, I do think that Trosclair was a surname first.
Sorry, should have said great post! Can’t wait for the next one!
Kathleen Says:
February 17th, 2010 at 1:34 am
anyone going to do an Olympics names post? I’ve have been seeing some great ones!!
Jennie Says:
May 17th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
i think that u have great baby names but i am so bad at pronunciations sometimes and putting it along with the names would be FANTASTIC
Isa Trosclair Says:
August 4th, 2010 at 2:19 am
Trosclair IS still a VERY popular surname in New Orleans.
Also popular first names:
Colleen
Nicolette
Mignon (‘ming yaw’ is the best i can do. google it!)
André
Sinclair
Leigh (lee) (and variations Kaleigh, Haleigh, Ashleigh Ryleigh)
Genevieve
Celeste
Marguarite
Madeleine
Sophie
Isabelle
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Another appealing girls’ name is Marigny, from the district in New Orleans. A friend who is a New Orleans native used it for her daughter.