What could be a greater gift to bestow on your daughter than a name with a heroic namesake, someone with an inspiring story to add a layer of pride to your little girl’s  feelings about her name–and give her great material for a school report?

The following is a list of mostly American women of great courage, perseverence and accomplishment—many of whom broke barriers for women– that could fill this bill.  And of course, this being nameberry, the name’s the thing, so apologies to all the equally distinguished Marys, Elizabeths, Sarahs and Anns who haven’t been included: the following  ladies were picked (almost) as much for their interesting names as for their  achievements.

ABIGAIL Adams – The first First Lady to occupy the White House and an  ntellectually equal partner of her husband, President John Adams.

ADA LOVELACE – daughter of the poet Byron whose work in mathematics was (probably) a precursor of the modern computer.

AMELIA Earhart — the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. (more…)

Today’s guest blogger, Mike Campbell, creator of the popular, authoritative and highly respected site behindthename.com, explains what he continues to find intriguing about the subject of names.

My website started as a simple experiment, turned into a hobby, and then morphed into a full-blown obsession.  It is a bit of a “lonely” obsession; none of my offline friends share my passion for the subject.  I often neglect bringing it up, since the usual reaction I get when someone first learns that I run a website about names is a blank stare, followed by “oh, like for babies?”  I hate that.  Names aren’t just for babies.  In fact I had little interest in babies before I had one of my own a couple of years ago.

So why am I so fascinated by names?   Since you’re reading this blog chances are you have at least a passing interest in the subject yourself, so maybe you’ve been posed with the same question. Personally, I don’t have an easy answer since names have so many interesting facets, but what follow are five features of onomastics that keep me intrigued.

The subject is universal, and by that I mean it touches every person. All of us have a name. All of us use names on a daily basis. Most parents have had to dwell for at least a while on a suitable name for their child. This is not quantum physics, it’s accessible, relevant, and fun.

Names provide a snapshot of culture. Meanings of names can reveal the values of the time, from pious Hebrew names to warlike and proud Germanic names. Many people find history dry, but I eat the subject up, and names can provide some fascinating insights.  A neat  example of this occurs after the onset of the Roman Christian period, when the somewhat functional and restrictive Classical praenomina start to lose ground to more gracious offerings such as Amatus “beloved,” Benedictus “blessed” and Clemens “merciful”.

Names connect us to the divine. So many names reference gods and goddesses. The Hebrew god Yahweh, whose name was at times considered blasphemous even to be spoken, appears in dozens of common names of today, such as Joshua and John. Allah is referenced in  Abdullah, as well as many other names that combine Abdul,  “servant of …” with one of his titles.  In names coming from the ancient Greco-Roman world, Marcus and Martina both refer to the war god Mars, Denis ultimately comes from wine god Dionysus, and even the name of my daughter Isidora derives from the Egyptian goddess Isis. Numerous other examples can also be found in Phoenician names (Hannibal references  the god Ba’al), Egyptian names (Tutankhamun references Amun), Hindu names and Norse names.

Names link us to historical giants. Thus, the dim-witted Homer Simpson shares a name with a lion of Greek poetry. The Xanders of the world can look to Alexander the Great, Chucks to Charlemagne, and Eleanors to Eleanor of Aquitaine. The simple fact that  names are shared means most of us have a namesake of note.

The subject is dynamic, new trends are always emerging. Multicultural influences, creative spellings, and the ever-pervasive sway of popular culture means that the “pool” of names has changed noticeably even from when I was a child.. For this I’m thankful, since it keeps the subject fresh, alive, and something that will always enthuse me.

Mike Campbell, who lives in Victoria, British Columbia, and is the father of a two-year-old daughter, launched his site in 1996, seeing the subject of names as combining his interests in history and language.

You may have read that the last living link to the Titanic tragedy of 1912, a British woman named Millvina Dean, died last week at the age of 97.  She was only nine weeks old when she was lowered into a lifeboat in a canvas mail bag and, along with her mother and two-year-old brother, was rescued by another ocean liner and taken to New York, the youngest survivor of the world’s worse ever maritime disaster.

Millvina. Now that’s a name that hasn’t been heard much since 1912.  (She was actually christened Elizabeth Gladys, but for some reason was always called Millvina.) This started me  wondering what other long-lost names might be found on the ship’s passenger list. Since the records are recorded by class  (Millvina’s family was traveling in Third Class), it offers some  insight into class differences among names as well.

Here are some more unusual names that stand out:

FIRST CLASS MALES (the majority of whom were American)

ALGERNON

ARCHIBALD

COSMO

ENGLEHART

FLETCHER

HUDSON

PERCIVAL

QUIGG

RODERICK

THORNTON

WASHINGTON

WYCKHOFF

FIRST CLASS FEMALES

CHRISTIANA

HEDWIG

KORNELIA

LEILA

LEONTINE

MAHALA

MALVINA

MARGARETTA

NELLA

OLIVE

ORIAN

SIGRID

SECOND CLASS MALES (more of these were British)

ALDEN

DENZIL

EDWY

ENNIS

ESCOTT

PERCY

REGINALD

SERAFINO

SHADRACH

SIBLEY

SINAI

VILO

SECOND CLASS FEMALES

ANTONINE

ARGENE

CLEAR

FLORENTINA

IMANITA

LULU

LUTIE

LYYLI

MARTA

OLGA

ROBERTHA

SIMONNE

THIRD CLASS MALES (much more multi-cultural, including a number of Austro-Hungarians, Bulgarians, Swedes, and Syrians.)

ANDERS

BARTOL

FILIP

JOVAN

JOVO

KANIO

LALIO

MILAN

NESTOR

ROSSMORE

THOR

WOOLF

THIRD CLASS FEMALES

ALFRIDA

ALOISA

BANOIURA

EBBA

ELIINA

HANORA

LATIFA

MALAKE

MARIJA

SELINI

SULTANA

THAMINE

SERVANTS (ladies’ maids, etc.)

ALBINA

AMELIE

AUGUSTE

BERTHE

DOLLINA

ENCARNATION

EUGENIE

PIETA

SAIIDE

SANTE

VICTORINE

WENDLA

P. S. Thanks to Nephele for the inspiration.

First there was the era of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, then there was the second (Kennedy) coming of Camelot, and now it’s been suggested that we might conceivably be entering a third, this seems like a good time to look back at the names of the original Knights, their fair damsels and their cohorts.

We look at these names through the prisms of several sources: Sir Thomas Malory created the image of the castle and court of Camelot in his 15th century Le Morte d’Arthur, then Lord Tennyson composed the popular and influential Idylls of the King, and then the 1960 Broadway musical and film Camelot was based on T. H. White’s tetrology The Once and Future King.

From these varied interpretations, here are some of the Arthurian names that could still work today:

ARTHUR–King Arthur was the legendary leader who led the defense of Britain against the Saxon invaders. His name, of Celtic origin and unknown meaning, most popular a century ago, is showing signs of a revival.

AZREAL –An obscure Knight found only in the Malory version

BALAN and BALIN –two brothers who accidentally killed each other in a duel

BLANCHEFLEUR — the pretty floral name of the sweetheart of Percival.

CAI — The Welsh version of the English Sir Kay–which is now totally feminized.

CONSTANTINE — He became King after Arthur’s death; his powerful names means “steadfast.”

ELAINE — A rare French name in the mostly-Celtic Arthurian lexicon, Elaine is showing new life in its Elena form.

ENID –the wife of Geraint; a name that is not next in line for revival.

GALAHAD — One of the three achievers of the Holy Grail, renowned for his purity and gallantry, to the point where his name symbolizes these chivalrous qualities so strongly it precludes use for a modern boy.

GARETH –This Welsh name, meaning “gentle,” became popular in Britain in the 1970s, and is now starting to find favor here.

GAWAIN — A friend to young knights, a defender of the poor and a consummate ladies’ man, Gawain was also a great healer, via his knowledge of herbs.

GERAINT –A character in Welsh folklore as well as Arthurian legend, probably most famous via the Welsh tale Geraint and Enid. Might not be the easiest name for a 21st century lad.

GILLIMER –An unusual name found in Mallory’s version.

GUINEVERE — The beautiful Queen consort of King Arthur, in love with Lancelot; an interesting namesake for a godmother Jennifer.

LANCELOT — The finest swordsman and one of the most trusted of King Arthur’s knights–despite the fact that he was the lover of Queen Guinevere.

LIONEL — One of the few Arthurian names to survive in contemporary times. Could be due for a revival.

MERLIN –The wizard who served as the King’s sage advisor.

MORGAN –Morgan le Fay was a powerful sorceress and antagonist of Arthur and Guinevere. Set the path for Morgan as a unisex name.

OWAIN — Sir Owain was also called Ywain, Yvain, Ewain and Uwain–take your pick.

PERCIVAL– One of two knights who accompanied Galahad on the quest for the Holy Grail. A name that has become sissified over the years.

TRISTAN — A Round Table Knight as well as the star of the Tristan and Iseult romance; has been growing in modern popularity since the 70s.  We recently met a girl Tristan too, so it can make kind of an updated Kristen.

TURQUINE — a rogue knight. Definitely not a good guy.

Lots of parents-to-be are searching for “unique baby names,” but  when you Google that term, the site that pops up first is babyhold.com, a serviceable but far from unique baby name destination.  Another site that promises to deliver unique baby names offers such ridiculous choices as Gimm and Sinley for a boy and Hemi Skye for a girl.

A better source for names that are distinctive and unusual as opposed to truly one-of-a-kind — what most parents are really looking for when they search for unique baby names — might be an old-fangled one like E.G. Withycombe’s 1945 Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. This classic guide contains some names with deep historic roots that are rarely used today.  Some of the most intriguing choices:

girls

ALETHEA — Greek name that means “truth” was fashionable in the 17th century.

AMBROSIA — Heavenly female equivalent of Ambrose.

ANCILLA — Ann meets Priscilla.

AVERIL — Might make fresh spin on Ava.

BRILLIANA — Invented for his daughter by the governor of the Dutch city Brill.

CHRYSOGON — A male saint’s name transferred to the girls.

CLARIMOND — Clara meets Rosamond.

ELUNED — Luminous Welsh name.

EVADNE — Tragic Greek heroine name that may be revived with the craze for all Ev- and Av- names.

GRACILIA — Meaning “slender,” could substitute for the overused Grace.

HAIDEE — Lord Byron used this name in Don Juan.

HERO — The name of three female figures in Greek mythology.

IDONEA — Derived from the name of the goddess of spring.

ISMAY — Found throughout the British isles.

KINBARRA — Old name related to that of a saint named Kyneburg.

LALAGE — Latin name used by Horace.

MELIORA — Romantic old Cornish name of legend.

MERAUD — Cornish name related to the emerald.

ORIEL — There’s an Oriel College at Oxford.

PENTECOST — Old religious day name used for both males and females.

PROTASIA — Ancient saint.

SANCHIA — Spanish name that means “holy” and gave rise to Cynthia.

TACE — Also spelled Tacy and Tacye, closer to the pronunciation, common in the 17th century and used by the Puritans.

TROTH — Old word name.

VESTA — The Roman goddess of fire.

ZILLAH — Hebrew name that means “shade” and is, according to Withycombe, a “favorite gypsy name.”

boys

ARETAS — A dynasty of kings mentioned in the bible.

CYRIACK — Name of an infant martyr sometimes shortened to Cyr.

DIGGORY — A Cornish name that goes back to the medieval romance of Sir Degore.  Cool modern nickname: Digg.

DURAND –Related to the Latin word for “lasting.”

EDRED — Old English king’s name.

ELKANAH — Biblical father of the prophet Samuel.

EUDO — Old German name sometimes spelled Udo.

GERSHOM — A Biblical name that means bell.

GIFFARD — All the rage in the 11th century.

IOLO — A Welsh name that may have sprung from Julius.

JEVON — Welsh relative of Evan.

KENELM — Name of an ancient king and saint.

MANASSES — Biblical name used by the Puritans.

ORIGINAL — Once used for first sons.

OSWIN — Might make an alternative to Owen.

PAGAN — Popular name that died out during the Reformation.

PASCOE –Name used for children born at Easter.

RAYNER — Old German name that inspired several surnames.

SAYER — Also spelled Saer, very popular in medieval England.

SERLE — Norman favorite that means “armor.”

THURSTAN — Danish name that means “Thor’s stone.”

WYSTAN — From Wigstan, name of an ancient king and saint.