Notable Namesakes for April Babes
By Meagan Burke, TulipByAnyName
April is a time for planting, planning, and spring cleaning. The second month of spring, April is budding with hope and offers a lovely bouquet of notable names to draw inspiration from. This month we’ll look at a varied array of April baby names, from a comedian to a poet to a sweet springtime flower.
Fitting for a baby born in April, Avril is the French form of April, meaning to open. Avril is a fresh alternative to April which peaked in the 1970s. Singer Avril Lavinge helped make this a household name in 2002 with the success of her popular debut album Let Go. A few other interesting variations of April include Abril in Spanish, Ebrel in Cornish, and Ebrill in Welsh. Avril was only given to 102 little girls last year.
Comedian and late-night host Conan O’Brien adds another candle to his birthday cake on April 18th. Conan is an Irish name with the adorable meaning, little wolf. Conan may also remind you of fictional hero Conan the Barbarian, or Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan has never been in the Top 1,000, though it is Number 666 amongst name enthusiasts on Nameberry. He gave his children the Irish names Neve and Beckett. (shown with daughter Neve)
Award-winning poet and activist Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928. Angelou’s birth name was Marguerite, though she later adopted the name Maya from her brother who affectionately called her “mya sister.” The Hebrew meaning of Maya is water. Maya peaked in popularity in 2008, though it is still widely used, currently ranking at Number 74. Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman used the name Maya Ray for their daughter in 1998.
On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gargarin, a Russian cosmonaut, became the first human in space. Yuri, pronounced YOOR-ee, is a Russian form of the name George, meaning farmer. The name Yuri is perhaps most familiar as Yuri Zhivago, the protangist of Boris Pasternak’s modern classic novel Doctor Zhivago. Spelling variants of Yuri include Yury, Youri, Yurii, Yuriy, Yurij, Iurii, and Iouri.
Spring lends itself to many beautiful flower names. Daisy is the cheerful, bright birth flower for the month of April. Daisy began as a nickname for Margaret, but has long been used as a name on its own, currently ranked at Number 180. The Old English translation of Daisy is “day’s eye” because its petals open at daybreak. Actor Meg Ryan and Chef Jamie Oliver both used the name Daisy for their daughters.
American founding father and third US President Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743. An English surname meaning son of Jeffrey, Jefferson would be a great way to honor a Jeffrey and makes a cool alternative to the much more popular Jackson. Jefferson peaked in 1901, never reaching too high in the charts, it is currently ranked at Number 609.
Actor and singer Leighton Meester celebrates her birthday on April 9th. Leighton comes from an Old English name meaning meadows town. Currently Number 540, Leighton got a boost in popularity in 2007 when Meester introduced it to audiences on her hit TV Show Gossip Girl. Leighton is a unisex name, a bit less popular for boys at Number 893.
On April 1, 1778 merchant and financier Oliver Pollack changed how currency was viewed with his creation of the U.S. dollar sign. At Number 32 in popularity, Oliver is now more popular than ever in the US and even more so in the UK. Berries in particular love Oliver: it is the Number 5 name on Nameberry. Several celebrities, including Goldie Hawn, Fred Savage, and Ginnifer Godwin, have all used this stylish name for their sons.
Actor Hayden Christensen, best known for his Star Wars performances, turns 35 this year on April 19th. Hayden is a unisex English surname that is almost equally used for boys and girls. It is still a bit more popular for boys at Number 142, though the girls are close behind at Number 199. A female namesake is actress Hayden Panettiere.
Saoirse Ronan, a lovely actress with an equally lovely name, celebrates her birthday on April 12th. Saoirse is an Irish Gaelic name meaning freedom. Though Saoirse hasn’t yet entered the Top 1,000 in the U.S. it has been a popular name in Ireland for the last century, currently ranking there at Number 23. Saoirse is the main character is the Irish animated film Song of the Sea.