Virtues / Words

Since the mid - late 90's, virtue and other "spiritual" ideas and words have been gaining in popularity. Some are feeling outdated and stale - Trinity, Destiny, Hope, Faith, and Heaven all spring to mind - not to mention Nevaeh (blech). In the past 3 or 4 years, I've seen a resurgence of the more classical "puritan" style virtues on the naming boards and birth announcements - Verity, Constance, Amity, Temperance, and Prudence, i find these more refreshing and I quite life a few of them. While a lot of these are decidedly masculine or feminine, I feel that words are unisex.

Honor
Empathy
Valor
Cameo
Mercy
Prosper
Bravery
Pax ("peace", I've seen this on census records for both genders since the 1300's, at least)
Bliss
Felicity
Liberty
Maverick
Noble
Justice
Clarity
Solace
Unity

Trying to keep with the one's that haven't been mentioned as often on the naming boards and haven't hit the popularity lists too hard in the past decade. 

Inspiration From Eastern Europe

 I have a personal fondness for names hailing from Eastern Europe. I feel that they have a certain exotic appeal and many have beautiful meanings. I left out ethnic variations of popular names, mainly focusing on names deriving from specific languages, often actual words that are used for names.

The ladies.....

• Darina - "gift" - Bulgarian
• Kalina - "rowan tree" - Bulgarian
• Lala - "tullip" - Bulgarian
• Mira - "peace" - Bulgarian
• Zora - "dawn" - Bulgarian
• Eha - "dusk" - Estonian
• Kaja - "echo" - Estonian (kah-yah)
• Laine - " wave" - Estonian (lah-eh-neh, from what I understand
• Luule - "poetry" - Estonian (From what I understand, looh-leh might be a close pronunciation, I'm not positive, I couldn't find an official one anywhere).
• Ilma - air" - Finnish (eel-ma)
• Minttu - "mint" - Finnish (meen - too)
• Satu - "fable" - Finnish (sah-too)
• Hella - "gentle" - Finnish 
• Kielo -"lily of the valley" - Finnish (key-a-low, from what I'm understanding"
• Taru - "legend" - Finnish ( Tar-oo)
• Lumi - "snow" - Finnish (loo-mee)
• Sirpa - "small piece" - Finnish (seer-pa)
• Lempi - "love" - Finnish (lehm-pay)
• Rahva - "peace" - Finnish 
• Ansa - "virtue" - Finnish (ahn-sa)
• Kirsikka - "cherry" - Finnish (keer-seek-ah)
• Paiva - "day" - Finnish (pie -va. Pie as in the yummy kind)
• Hilja - "silence" - Finnish (heel-ya)
• Aamu - "morning" - Finnish (ah-moo)
• Ilta - "evening" - Finnish (eel-tah)
• Lahja - "gift" - Finnish (lah-heeyah)
• Suvi - "summer" - Finnish (sue-vee)
• Meri - "the sea" - Finnish (mare-ree)
• Radana - "care" - Slovene 
• Vesna - "messenger" - Slovene (vehs-na)
• Cvetka - "blossom" - Slovene (svet-kah)
• Ziva - "alive" - Sloene
• Nada - "hope" Slovene 
• Mileca - "gracious" - Slovene (mil-eh-ka)
• Jasna - "clear" - Slovene (yahs-na)
• Danica - "morning star" - Slavic (dah-neet-sa)
• Dagny - "a new day" - Scandinavian ( dahg-nee)
• Dagrun - Scandinavian - dagr "day" and run "secret lore" (dahg-roon)
• Gry - "dawn" - Scandinavian 
• Jorunn - Scandinavian - jor "Stallion" and  unna "to love"
• Liv - "protection" - Scandinavian (leev)
• Sigrid - sigr "victory" and fridr "beautiful / fair" 
• Sunniva - "sun gift" - Norwegian, sunne "sun" and giefu "gift". (Soon-eev-ah)  

The gentlemen.....

• Kamen - "stone"  - Bulgarian (kah-men, though I worked with a guy who pronounced it Kay-man)
• Koit - "dawn" - Estonian 
• Avlis - "willing" - Finnish (ahv-lees)
• Jarek - Slavic - jury "fierce/ strong"
• Radek - Slavic - rad "care"
• Kalju - "rock" - Estonian (kahl-yu)
• Grozdan - Slavic - grozde "grape"
• Arvo - "value / worth" - Finnish
• Pyry - "snowstorm" - Finnish (pair-ree)
• Nayden - "found" - Bulgarian 
• Veselin - Slavic - vesel "cheerful"
• Armas - "beloved" - Finnish (arm-us)
• Alvar- from Old Norse Alfarr "elf army"
• Krasimir - Slavic - kras "beauty" / mir "peace"
• Rumen "ruddy / red" - Bulgarian 
• Mirek - Slavic - mir "peace"
• Jalo - "noble / gracious" - Finnish (yah-lo)
• Aimo - "generous amount" - Finnish (eye-mo)
• Milan - Slavic - mil "gracious" (mee-lon)
• Dragan - "precious" - Slavic (drah-gan)
• Ensio - Slavic - ensi "first"
• Damir - Slavic - dati "to give" / mir "peace"
• Miran - Slavic - mir "peace"
• Zoran - "dawn" - Bulgarian
• Almos - sleepy" - Hungarian
• Terho - "acorn" - Finnish (tare-ho)
• Javor - "maple tree" - Slavic 
• Goran - Slavic - gora "mountain"
• Davor - "joy" - Slavic

Surnames as First Names

The past decade has brought to life a new trend - surnames as first names. Surnames have been used as first names for a very, very long time  but until recently, the trend was used mainly for men and was generally limited to specific names that were popular at the time and maiden / family names. Now, everywhere I look, I see bolder, more unusual choices - even on girls. I've seen monikers such as Wallace, Campell, and Ripley turning to the feminine side and Bowie, Edison and Fletcher for the boys. I personally do not care for surnames on girls - not even a little bit. The huge majority sound profoundly masculine and don't even provide the benefit of a feminine nicknames. Wallace - Wally? Ripley - Rip? No thanks. For a boy, it harkens back a kind of traditional, vintage charm for me. I also feel like there are a lot of surnames that have "gone girl" the past few years that would make nice choices for boys - Avery, Madison, Addison, Aubrey, Mackenzie, Morgan, Kennedy, Emery and Emerson. I think they sound a bit tired and uninspired for girls, but would make stylish and handsome picks for a boy. I think if you want to stay on trend, but want to stay within the realm of "traditional", a surname may be the way to go.

A few ideas...

Burke
Rafferty
Darwin
Connelly
Wilson
Abbott
Niles
Reeves
Fletcher
Tierney
Norwood
Flannery
Benson
Gilliam
Lowrey
Alston
Keller
Norris
Collier
Ellison
Murphey                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Telegraph Announcements

I want to do a post every once in a while showcasing names taken from The Telegraph birth announcements section. If your not sure what this is, The Telegraph is a UK based newspaper and the Birth Announcement's that are generally to be found in this particular paper tend to be on the quirky / stylish side. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)


Girls:

• Margot Elizabeth Ursula
• Willow Amelie Grace
• Matilda Marion Dora
• Molly Rose Ghislaine
• Tabitha Bo
• Isolda Claudia Maria
• Ottilie Monica Selda
• Lucy Alice
• Theodora Verity
• Lily Estelle Emma Mary 
• Evie Alison Mary
• Cecilia Altea
• Elizabeth Mary
• Alice Carolyn Elizabeth
• India Amelie
• Sophie Ann
• Georgina Mary Beatrice
• Orla Sophia Margot
• Frances Leigh
• Willa Jemima
• Sophie Anne Ella
• Katie Emma
• Sophia Joanna
• Agnes Rose
• Amelia Jasmine
• Camilla Claire Elizabeth
• Nell Constance
• Grace Elizabeth Jean
• Eliza Georgina Georgina
• Emilia Clementine
• Rosanna Mary
• Elizabeth Florence Victoria
• Clementine Florence Mary
• Felicity Martha Elizabeth
• Allegra Octavia Hope
• Emily Grace
• Molly May
• Sienna Amelie
• Olivia Rose Cato
• Allegra Florence Mary
• Indiana Alice
• Jessica Elizabeth
• Francesca Lilibet
• Morvoren Elizabeth

Boys:

• Egan David Reid 
• Alexander Matthew and Harrison James
• Archibald Nicholas Christopher
• Anselm Charles Fitzwilliam
• Conrad Nicholas Oppenheim
• William John
• Percy Edward
• Mervyn James Glassbrook
• Blake Laurent
• Alfred Jack
• George Alfred Thomas
• Ethan Conway
• William Thomas
• Jude Harrison
• Johnathan Arthur
• Arthur James
• Thomas Everard
• Harry Thomas Albert
• Oliver William
• Ernest Merlin
• James Anthony
• James Ranald Arthur
• Henry John Hunter
• Wilfrid Alec Ferrand
• Charles Ludwig Langton
• Daniel John Joseph
• Edward Louis Julius
• Rupert Dorrien Aloysius George
• Louis Oliver Alan
• Conor Raymond
• Edward John Michael
• Alasdair John Drummond
• Philip Hunter Errington
• Patrick Windham
• George Fredrick Stewart
• Peter William
• Elliot Jude
• Alistair Colwyn Edward

Thought some of you might enjoy this. I wonder where Florence and Mary sit on the UK popularity lists?

A Trip Back In Time

I found a great list of names from Valencia, Spain from 1549 - the language spoken was Valencian (a dialect of Catalan).

Masculine names:

Alonso
Andreu
Antoni
Arnau
Baltasar
Benet
Benito
Bernat
Bertran
Cosme
Damia
Diego
Esteve
Francesc
Gabriel / Gabriell
Genis
Geroni
Guillem
Jaume
Joan
Lorens
March
Marti
Matheu
Melchior
Miquel / Miquell
Monserrat
Nadal
Nicolau
Nofre
Perdiguer
Pere
Ramon
Raphell
Sebastia
Thomas / Tomas

Feminine:

Alberta
Anastasia
Angela
Anguera
Anna
Aragonesa
Barbara
Catalina
Caterina
Chaterina
Chiteria
Gostansa
Esperansa
Fransina
Genisa
Gila
Isabet
Jeronima
Joana
Leonor
Loysa
Magdalena
Margalida
Monserrada
Olivera
Philipa
Quiteria
Raedora
Raphella
Salvadora
Sebastiana
Sibilia
Sicilia
Ursola
Violant
Ysabel
Ysabet

(Sources - http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/FTP_Files/ValencianNames1549. )