My sister Annelise is having a baby and I send her so many texts suggesting names. This is probably a replay of the time she wanted me to help her pick out curtains. We went to World Market and I talked her into a pair of red poppy curtains and they were on sale!! After putting them up in their house, she and Andrew decided against it and they've continued to have (lovely) muted blue living rooms. So for the next four months, unless you know Annelise quite well, consider these names fair game.
(not all these names are historical figures, but enough of them were that it became a mini theme by the time I'd finished)
Casmira (Kaz meer uh)
It came to me in a dream, a name I've never heard, as far as I know. When I looked it up, it seemed to mean both "destruction of peace" and "declaration of peace" in Spanish, which I found quite interesting and profound.
Calafia
Similar (also Spanish) and I just learned that it's the root or inspiration of California. Calafia was a
Moorish warrior queen of an imaginary island from Spanish mythology. Calafia is likely a derivative of the Arabic "khalif", meaning "ruler."
Soraya
Soraya was the second wife of the Shah of Iran in the 1950s. If you love heartache, this is a great name for you. There's a French song called, "I want to cry like Soraya" and although I don't love the song, I do love that title. There was also a Queen Soraya of Afghanistan in the 1920s. Soraya Tarzi was really incredible, you can read about her here. Soraya means "a very bright light." (It's also an NPR name, which we all know is a wealth of unique names. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is the head corespondent in Berlin).
Sardius
A friend of mine on Instagram named her son Sardius and I've always thought it was so neat. Sardius is a kind of stone that actually appears in Exodus and Revelation, if you need to convince an ornery spouse who is set on a Bible name.
Saladin
Saladin was another incredible figure from Middle Eastern history (Iraq, Syria, Egypt). He led the Muslim armies against invading Crusaders, and unlike the crusaders, he had a reputation for being very merciful toward his captives and was generally respected by all. He also gave much of his personal wealth to his subjects. Saladin is actually a westernization of Salah ad-din, an epithet meaning "righteousness of the faith."
Hedy
Hedy Lamarr is largely known as one of the most beautiful women of all time, but what a lot of people don't know is that she invented technology that made Bluetooth possible. You can learn a lot more in the Netflix documentary called Bombshell. Besides Lamarr, I like the other connotations of "hedy" (heady). It makes me think of Nina Simone/Jeff Buckley's song "Lilac Wine", which I love. Hedy is a form of Germanic names like Hedwig (hello great subtle nod to Harry Potter!), Hedda, and "hadu" meaning "battle" or combat". I probably would have shied away from names meaning anything remotely violent in the past, but I'm loving these powerful names that body justice and dissent these days.
Idris
This name has appeared on other name lists I've made, but I'm resubmitting it as a girl's name as well. One of the reasons I like it is that it goes with my boys' names (Ishmael and Ira). "I" can make a lot of sounds and both Idris and Immanuel are an "I" sound that we haven't already used. Idris also has both Welch and Arabic roots, so I like it for those reasons too. Idris means "ardent lord". Ardent means passionate, if you, like me, weren't totally sure.
Marcel/Marcellus
Again, I've listed Marcella before, so Marcel or Marcellus are the male forms. Though they could easily work for a girl too. Marcellus means "hammer" which reminds me of that fantastic song "If I had a Hammer" written by Pete Seeger. Marcel means "a wave in the hair" which is pretty goofy, so I'd just carry over the Marcellus meaning.
Zora
Meaning "dawn" in Slavic languages. I like the vintage sound of this name. To me it sounds feminine and powerful. Haters will say it sounds too much like "Zoro", but to some people that might also be a plus. Zora Neale Hurston was an American author and anthropologist in the 1940s. I think I studied her briefly in a class, but I can't do her justice here with my current knowledge.
Greta
I am anticipating this will have a bump in popularity thanks to Greta Thunberg. To me, Greta is a name that is stereotypical of heavyset Germanic women in costumes, but if I just listen to the sound of the name, I think it has potential beyond my mind tricks. It means "pearl".
Augustine
Another friend named her newest son Augustine and I love it so much. It can be shortened to August too, of course. I really like words that have meanings beyond their most common ones and August is one of those. As an adjective, August means "respected and impressive."
Beatrice
Meaning "bringer of joy, blessings" (how great is that!), it can also be spelled Beatrix like Beatrix Potter, the author of Peter Rabbit. I like Beatrix better than Beatrice (who I think was one of the bad sisters in Cinderella?), but I'm not wholeheartedly in love with either name just yet. For your consideration as a classic but unusual name.
Lola
My love for Lola also comes and goes, and I do think it has potential to become trendy. It can sound both stuffy and fresh to me, alternately. Of course there's that weird and wonderful song by the Kinks about Lola, but its etymology definitely sways me in favor of the name, too. It's a derivative of Delores (Spanish) meaning "sorrows", inspired by Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores) which is one of the Virgin Mary's titles, and one close to my heart.
Whether or not you're having a baby any time soon, what are some of your favorite names these days? And what historical figures most inspire you?
(not all these names are historical figures, but enough of them were that it became a mini theme by the time I'd finished)
Casmira (Kaz meer uh)
It came to me in a dream, a name I've never heard, as far as I know. When I looked it up, it seemed to mean both "destruction of peace" and "declaration of peace" in Spanish, which I found quite interesting and profound.
Calafia
Similar (also Spanish) and I just learned that it's the root or inspiration of California. Calafia was a
Moorish warrior queen of an imaginary island from Spanish mythology. Calafia is likely a derivative of the Arabic "khalif", meaning "ruler."
by Norman McCreary
Mural of Queen Calafia by Maynard Dixon and Frank Van Sloun
Soraya
Soraya was the second wife of the Shah of Iran in the 1950s. If you love heartache, this is a great name for you. There's a French song called, "I want to cry like Soraya" and although I don't love the song, I do love that title. There was also a Queen Soraya of Afghanistan in the 1920s. Soraya Tarzi was really incredible, you can read about her here. Soraya means "a very bright light." (It's also an NPR name, which we all know is a wealth of unique names. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is the head corespondent in Berlin).
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary
Soraya Tarzi
Sardius
A friend of mine on Instagram named her son Sardius and I've always thought it was so neat. Sardius is a kind of stone that actually appears in Exodus and Revelation, if you need to convince an ornery spouse who is set on a Bible name.
Saladin
Saladin was another incredible figure from Middle Eastern history (Iraq, Syria, Egypt). He led the Muslim armies against invading Crusaders, and unlike the crusaders, he had a reputation for being very merciful toward his captives and was generally respected by all. He also gave much of his personal wealth to his subjects. Saladin is actually a westernization of Salah ad-din, an epithet meaning "righteousness of the faith."
Hedy
Hedy Lamarr is largely known as one of the most beautiful women of all time, but what a lot of people don't know is that she invented technology that made Bluetooth possible. You can learn a lot more in the Netflix documentary called Bombshell. Besides Lamarr, I like the other connotations of "hedy" (heady). It makes me think of Nina Simone/Jeff Buckley's song "Lilac Wine", which I love. Hedy is a form of Germanic names like Hedwig (hello great subtle nod to Harry Potter!), Hedda, and "hadu" meaning "battle" or combat". I probably would have shied away from names meaning anything remotely violent in the past, but I'm loving these powerful names that body justice and dissent these days.
Hedy Lamarr
Idris
This name has appeared on other name lists I've made, but I'm resubmitting it as a girl's name as well. One of the reasons I like it is that it goes with my boys' names (Ishmael and Ira). "I" can make a lot of sounds and both Idris and Immanuel are an "I" sound that we haven't already used. Idris also has both Welch and Arabic roots, so I like it for those reasons too. Idris means "ardent lord". Ardent means passionate, if you, like me, weren't totally sure.
Marcel/Marcellus
Again, I've listed Marcella before, so Marcel or Marcellus are the male forms. Though they could easily work for a girl too. Marcellus means "hammer" which reminds me of that fantastic song "If I had a Hammer" written by Pete Seeger. Marcel means "a wave in the hair" which is pretty goofy, so I'd just carry over the Marcellus meaning.
Zora
Meaning "dawn" in Slavic languages. I like the vintage sound of this name. To me it sounds feminine and powerful. Haters will say it sounds too much like "Zoro", but to some people that might also be a plus. Zora Neale Hurston was an American author and anthropologist in the 1940s. I think I studied her briefly in a class, but I can't do her justice here with my current knowledge.
Zora Neale Hurston
Greta
I am anticipating this will have a bump in popularity thanks to Greta Thunberg. To me, Greta is a name that is stereotypical of heavyset Germanic women in costumes, but if I just listen to the sound of the name, I think it has potential beyond my mind tricks. It means "pearl".
Augustine
Another friend named her newest son Augustine and I love it so much. It can be shortened to August too, of course. I really like words that have meanings beyond their most common ones and August is one of those. As an adjective, August means "respected and impressive."
Beatrice
Meaning "bringer of joy, blessings" (how great is that!), it can also be spelled Beatrix like Beatrix Potter, the author of Peter Rabbit. I like Beatrix better than Beatrice (who I think was one of the bad sisters in Cinderella?), but I'm not wholeheartedly in love with either name just yet. For your consideration as a classic but unusual name.
Beatrix Potter (photo via MessyNessyChic)
Lola
My love for Lola also comes and goes, and I do think it has potential to become trendy. It can sound both stuffy and fresh to me, alternately. Of course there's that weird and wonderful song by the Kinks about Lola, but its etymology definitely sways me in favor of the name, too. It's a derivative of Delores (Spanish) meaning "sorrows", inspired by Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores) which is one of the Virgin Mary's titles, and one close to my heart.
Whether or not you're having a baby any time soon, what are some of your favorite names these days? And what historical figures most inspire you?
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