The Lovely Miss Hestia

Ysa, you dope.

You’re not allowed to take enormous breaks from blogging until you’re settled down! You start one, then take a wee month-long break? Bah!

Ok, I’m so sorry everyone. I’ve been consumed in such activities as crunch time, orchestra performances, and all round madness, so I’ve neglected to keep up the blog. I am hopefully  back to posting for the time being, up until finals in two weeks, and then it’s smooth sailing. 

And guess what else? I lied about Lucasta; we’re doing Hestia instead! She’ll appear in a different post, I think.

So, on to Hestia. She’s the Greek goddess of the hearth and home- daughter of Chronos and Rhea. In Rome, she was known as Vesta, where she had this grand temple constructed in her honor. It was the place for keeping wills of estate and such, guarded by the vestal virgins. (Yay, ancient civ! I didn’t need to look that up.) Too domestic for today’s empowered women? Eh, I think not. It’s like the lack of culinary education in schools: people are striving so hard to get away from that docile image of the housewife, and we miss out on a lot. I don’t mind a bit of domesticity nowadays!

Hestia sounds far from tame; borderline wildchild, even. I think of hexagons, quirky shapes with their own style. Also, that hefty “H” up at the front adds tons of oomph to the name, yet quickly feminises at the end with the more delicate -tia ending. She does sound quite quirky, and less streamlined than Vesta (which is also ever-awesome).

So, here are the combinations I pulled from my head. It’s a mad assortment of names with personal meaning and complete and utter GPs. So, here we go!

Hestia Calliope Myrtle

Hestia Josephine Sarai

Hestia Lilias Hydrangea/Hestia Lilias Eugenie

Hestia Pauline Elowen

Hestia Morag Yael

Hestia Emmeline Pearl

Hestia Meredith Colette

Hestia Julianne Eluned

As a post-script: Is it tacky to mention other sites? I’ve been hanging out at inthenameof.freeforums.org recently (they finally gave me my account!). There’s tons of traffic, and inspiring name choices. I recommend you check it out! (I’m Ysabeau over there).

Little Felicity is doing well. She’s finally weaned, which took her long enough! Very stubborn kitten, but sweet as can be. I’ll try to have a picture of her up sometime before she goes. I’ve also got two new fosters who I need to name. I’ll update when I find the proper monikers.

Thanks for being so patient with this frazzled teenager.

Super-Short Post

Ah, drat. I’m back in school, meaning I can’t blog my little heart out as I’d like to.

Just stopping by to say that I got to name something! We’re fostering a 2.5 week-old kitten- she has longish fuzzy black fur with a white chest and paws, and round blue eyes! (I’m enjoying the eyes for now. Once they get older, they narrow and turn green or yellow, and then direct them at you and glare..) I’ve named her Felicity. It’s a pretty name, and I feel giving her a name with a positive on-the-surface meaning will inspire good feelings toward her and get her adopted more easily. Yeah, I’m weird.

Anyway, next post will be on Lucasta! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on her.

Rosalba

I am infatuated with Rosalba. She’s floral (meaning “white rose”), lush, yet not overly frilly and feminine. The ‘-ba’ ending is so unusual and kicky, and even slightly sultry. Along with Rosalind she’s my favorite of the Rose names. I’ve got some combinations for her; one relatively old, and six new creations.

Rosalba Melantho-  Ah! I want to break out in song when I see or say her. So utterly lush, she’s like dark chocolate ganache cake with raspberries. I’ve had her on my short list for a month or two, and I’m liking her.  Melantho may sound sinister, as she was a very minor villain in The Odyssey, but I don’t think most will make the connection. Nontrendy girls’ “O” endings are so hard to come by! Melantho is possibly for one of my mother’s best friends, Melanie, who is very kind to us. Another thing I just noticed- the names are slightly

Rosalba Ursuline- Is this taking the villain thing to far, with Ursula the Sea Witch? Even without the connection she may be a little dark for a girl to carry, but she’s graceful and pretty to look at.

Rosalba Valentine- She does look very cutesy, and the only significant connection I have to Valentine other than her sound is the character from Ender’s Game. *Blushes at blatant geekiness* Too much?

Rosalba Georgianne- Significantly lighter than the previous three, Georgianne reminds me of Jane Austen and the countryside (I think this is because of Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana).

Rosalba Leonore- Leonore is for my grandma Nora, which has more meaning than nearly all of my other combinations here. Leonore reminds me of Poe’s Lenore, a bit broodin. She’s also a little medieval; I think castles and chivalry and the like!

Rosalba Constance- Here, Constance does what she appears to be- constant and stabilizes Rosalba. Another slightly medieval one, she’s really cool too. Constance was the mother of King Frederick II Hohenstaufen, whom she left with Pope Innocent III for his own protection. Minor character in history, yes, but as we learn more in Ancient Civ I’m finding a greater appreciation for some of these names!

Rosalba Julianne- Everyone will agree with me when I say this is the most “normal” and mainstream of the options. Julianne is my auntie’s name, so I think it would be great to include her in there. Perhaps too mundane?

German Clunkers (The Jungen!)

Jungen is “boys” in German, if that wasn’t too clear.. I cheated on this one and asked my mom for a few vocabulary words, since she lived in a German speaking country for a number of years. Short (-er) post today, in a few minutes I’m off to the Turkish Festival and then on to ride elephants at the zoo! Ah, spring break. 

So! I’ve been investigating a few German boys’ names, and I’ve been really drawn to them. I quite like their solid clunkiness and -m and -and endings. First up is Anselm. Well, he’s probably one of the less clunky here, really polished. He reminds me of light colored wood like oak. A thought came to me last night- since I’m trying to pair Malcolm correctly, why not Malcolm Anselm? They both end in “m,” but is it that bothersome? Additionally, Anselm seems to be the most wearable options of these.

Then we’ve got Bertram. The question is, Bertram or Bertrand? Frankly, I find either to be awesome. I’m just not sold on the “Burt” part. Can you creative namers think of something more appealing as a nickname, or am I stuck here?

Ferdinand! Yes, he is German, in fact, though familiar to people as Spanish because of the explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The name is distinctly red. This is probably because I associate him with Ferdinand the Bull in a children’s story I used to read, leading me to the red flags they wave in front of bulls to get them angry. A lively sort of name! Another one that is difficult to nickname, however. Ferd? Ach, I’m not good at this. Any suggestions?

And the rest- Alphonse and Armand are quite sleek and handsome. Then Lothar, which is so very cool and fun to say- “LO-tar.” Reminds me a little of Reptar from the Rugrats from when I was younger, but that shouldn’t get in the way of using it! 

As a little experiment, what do you think of these as middles for Malcolm? I’m still working on him.

Malcolm Anselm

Malcolm Bertram/Malcolm Bertrand

Malcolm Ferdinand

Malcolm Alphonse

Malcolm Lothar

Malcolm Armand

 

I think I may be on to something here… thanks for reading, and I’d love some thoughts and advice!

Name Trends in the Netherlands

 

The tulip, inches above the rest! Could it be a sign for the Netherland's naming style?

I got thinking about the Netherland’s names about a year ago, actually. My dear friend Semna was visiting with her father who was on a student exchange here in America. Before she went back to Amsterdam, she had a few of her friends from home come to visit her. By coincidence, both of their names were Isa! Being an Ysa, I thought it most peculiar to have a sudden onslaught of girls sharing my name, when I had ever only known one other Isa. Well, turns out Isa is nearly the counterpart to Isabella here in America, popularity-wise. Take a look at the top names:

 

Girls-

1. Sophie

2. Julia 

3. Lieke

4. Emma

5. Sanne

6. Anna

7. Lotte

8. Eva

9. Anne

10. Lisa

11. Isa

12. Noa

13. Maud

14. Jasmijn

15. Fleur

16. Sara

17. Iris

18. Anouk

19. Tess

20. Amber

 

Well, it hasn’t reached Isabella status yet. But #11, I never knew! So let’s look at the boys, too.

 

Boys-

1. Daan

2. Tim

3. Sem

4. Jayden

5. Thomas

6. Thijs

7. Jesse

8. Ruben

9. Lars

10. Milan

11. Lucas

12. Stijn

13. Finn

14. Sven

15. Luuk

16. Bram

17. Levi

18. Nick

19. Max

20. Sam

 

It’s pretty clear that there is a huge using short, sweet nicknames for full ones trend going on there. From the girls- Sanne for Susanne, Lotte for Charlotte, Isa for Isabel, and I believe Tess is a nickname as well. For the boys, we’ve got Daan which seems like it should be from Daniel, Tim for Timothy, Finn for one of his many full names, Bram I assumed to be from Abraham, Nick from Nicholas, Max from Maximillian or similar, and Sam from Samuel. Phew! I really like some of these short forms of names, and I would use them in a flash (Sanne and Lotte come to mind), but only as nicknames for their full counterparts. But you know, this gets me thinking. What do people think of names like Molly, Ruby, Kate, and Lily which used to be nicknames as well, but are now used as is? The nicknames for names sector has expanded in America, too. 

It was interesting to see names like Lisa and Amber up there, which are thoroughly dated in America, right up next to modern sounding Jayden (Gah! That one stuck out like a sore thumb! Tryndeeeee!), Jasmijn, Iris, Noa and Finn, also alongside ancient Maud and Bram! It’s a very interesting compilation of sweetness from a variety of time periods. 

I thought that the Dutch and Scandinavian names on the list were some of the most charming. If only I could use something like Daan or Luuk, with their interesting double vowels… sigh. I find Lars to be super cool as well, along with Sven, which sound like they could pass as some sort bird. Anouk was my very favorite on the girls list. She manages to be enchanting while ending in a “k” sound, which I’ve never seen a name pull off (I think? It’s fairly rare). She’s the Dutch form of Anna/Anne. How funny, then, to see both Anna and Anne on the list, yet both significantly more popular!

I read a very interesting source on the patterns of naming in the Netherlands, which is right here:

 http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:pY6T7k4KnQIJ:www.let.uu.nl/~Gerrit.Bloothooft/personal/Publications/First%2520names%2520in%2520The%2520Netherlands.ppt+Popular+Names+in+The+Netherlands&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari

It’s very interesting, and if you’re into linguistics I would definitely take a look. Here is are the naming trends according to their survey and calculations (all very fancy stuff):

24% Foreign

12% Traditional Dutch

11% Pre-Modern

11% Short

6% History and Culture

2% Frisian

This corresponds to the top names quite well. In addition, my own Netherlandic friend, Semna, has a Foreign name, too- her parents say it’s Egyptian. I can’t verify this, since Google has failed to find it’s origin and meaning (ah, how lazy I am). If it’s true, she certainly fits into the 24% with foreign names!

 

Thank you for reading!

Susan, Susanna, and Azucena

I’ve got three names with the same meaning. I’m not considering Lily, which is the English meaning of the names, but way too popular and not nearly as interesting! Which to choose?

First runner up: Susan. I’ve had her on my short list for ages as Susan Mimosa Thayer (Thayer being a family last name). But is she too musty? I know I would call her Sanne, Sanna, or Sukie most of the time, but Susan in full is quite nice, too. Susan from The Chronicles of Narnia is a pleasant connection. 

Next is the one all the revolutionaries are raving about, Susanna. She seems considerably more light and floral than Susan, like a breezy Summer’s day. The connection everyone is familiar with is the song “Oh, Susanna,” which is a cheery, light hearted Southern song. Upon wikipedia-ing the name (the notoriously not-so-trusty online encyclopedia), I found out that Willie Shakespeare named his first daughter Susanna. Very random, but based on the characters in his plays, I’d say he has great naming taste! On my list, I’ve got her down in some new brain babies- Susanna Judith Morag, Susanna Ceridwen Morag, and Susanna Bronwen Morag. I don’t believe there is any family or personal connection to any of the names, they’re for fun and I like them. :] As for nicknames, I like Susanna alone, but Sanne and Sanna are two popular Dutch nicknames that I’m starting to really like. 

Here’s one I had never heard of until very recently: the Spanish form, Azucena. I think she’s muy bonita! Really funky, I could call her Zuzu, Azu, or similar. Cena is “dinner” in Spanish, no? ;] What do you think of her? Too far fetched? Maybe even more so with the middle names I’ve been toying around with- Azucena Melisande and Azucena Ursuline! 

 

Once again, thanks for reading! I’d love feedback on some of my options.

School Alumni Names

A few days ago, I was at school while struck by a stroke of name nerd enthusiasm. It was the last day before spring break, and I had free period last portion of the day. I was sitting outside on a bench under a tree, when I reexamined a wall with the names of alumni benefactors carved into the bricks. Having nothing better to do at the time, I decided to jot down some of the more interesting, uncommon, and just plain weird names that I saw. So, without further ado, the ladies!

(Arranged by decade of graduation)

1900s-

Edna

Alleen

 

1910s-

Rosamond

Beatrice

Byrd

Highland

Olga

 

1920s-

Josephine

Susanna

Rosalie

Ida

Adalaide

Gertrude

 

1930s-

Jeanette

Priscilla

Leanore

Marion

 

1940s-

Kilbee

Hortense

Letitia

Frances

Marcia

Constance

 

1950s-

Judith

Gretchen

Cynthia

Norine

Penne

Janice

Lois

Gweneth

 

1960s-

Kee

Geraldine

Maribeth

Lindalee

Fonza

 

1970s-

Lenna Lettice *

Maureen

Vickilyn

Denise

Carolina Florice *

Elita

 

1980s-

Marjie

Virginia

Gia

Falis Susanne *

Vigdis Ilona *

Seeley

Polyn

Marlena

Naomi

Georgianna

Jamelle

Jolie Lynn *

Roxanne

Elna

Suda

Marchelle

Yvonne

Ranlyn

Anastasia

Demian

(* With these, I took the liberty of saying that the second name was the middle name, but I can’t be sure.)

 

Certainly a mixed basket, huh? Quite a few of the names from longer ago, paricularly the Twenties and Thirties seem to be growing popular around the name communities I visit (e.g. Beatrice, Josephine, Susanna, Rosalie, Ida, Adalaide, and even Rosamond). This makes sense; the revolutionary namers tend to have grown tired of names from their own time and after, and start exploring the names of their parents and grandparents age, or stick to the uncommon classics. Also in the early 1900s (based off of this microcosm which can’t accuratley reflect the naming trends of all of America), there seemed to be some dabbling in giving last names or as first names for girls and oddly feminised male names: Byrd, Alleen, or Highland, anyone?

During the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s we seem to have quite a few shmushes and names ending in “Lyn”- Maribeth, Lindalee (wow, sounds oddly similar to the whole “-lee” infestation we’ve got going on right now! Maybe they helped set the trend.), Vickilyn, Polyn, Jolie Lynn, and Ranlyn. None of these appeal to me, I personally think Maribeth was the luckiest, if marginally!

And then there were the (for lack of a better phrase) “wtf” few scattered throughout the decades. Most of these were from the Eighties, but I was really suprised to see Kilbee all the way back in the Forties, much less used at all! A name beginning with “kill?” Nuh uh. o_O Anyhow, the double E ending is characteristic of the very late part of the century, to my knowledge, and is still running rampant today. What a surprise to see her nestled in with Letitia, Constance, and Frances! Penne took me a moment to grasp- I thought of the pasta before “Penny.” I have an aunt Jenne (yes, she does have the ful name Jennifer), so it wasn’t such a shocker for me. Now Kee I couldn’t understand. I’m not sure if this was a nickname, or what. Key? Kay? Blegh! Elita sounds pretty at first, but it also sounds very similar to “elite,” which I don’t like. Then came the 80s.. Falis and Vigdis? They sound like a pair, but I don’t believe they shared the same last name! Vigdis sounds like a medicine brand, and Falis seems pretty trendy to me. (As a side note- did you know that being the one to come up with names for medicine brands pays surprisingly well? I did not. I think us name enthusiasts could put our knowledge and creativity to good use at that. But isn’t it a shame when they ruin perfectly pretty names for people, like Allegra? What happened there? Hmm.. I seem to be putting these parentheses to work today! Ok, back on topic.) Seeley is very informal sounding, and the double E bugs me, even in the middle. I think there was a Pokemon called Seel or Seely or something; I can’t remember. And then we have Polyn. Yes, Polyn. I think this was the name that drove me to write all of these down, I just found it so ludicrous. My guess as to how this oddball cam about was that the parents were “updating” a family name. Caroline to Carolyn, Pauline to Polyn? Who knows. All I think is, “Pollen! Atchooo!”

“Enough derisive comments and snarky critiques of these girls! Give them a break,” you may be thinking. All right, I’ll relent. There were actually many names here I thoroughly enjoy, and some uncommon ones which I thought were quite pretty. I enjoy Rosamond and Rosalie, although I prefer Rosalind and Rosalba. All the 20’s names here charm me (minus Gertrude.. sorry, Gerty!). Jeanette, Marion, Leanore, Constance, Judith, Gweneth, Virginia, Marlena, and Ge0rgianna are all great classics that I smile upon hearing. Say.. I’ve covered most of the list! As for the unusual ones, I was actually quite taken with Suda. Maybe as a nickname for Susan/Susanne/Susanna? She does sound similar to Sudafed… blast you, medicine companies! Gia and Fonza both had Italian last names, and I thought they sounded pretty spunky.

That’s it, I’ve typed my opinions to death! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.

Introduction and Top Names

Hello, all! I’m Ysa, a high school student and avid name nerd. Although not expecting children for at least another decade, exploring names is one of my great hobbies. I can’t quite pin down my style; I enjoy names from all backgrounds and cultures, provided they have a culture and haven’t been made up on the spot (the infamous “Nevaeh”)! Here are my top combinations, which should give you a taste of my preferences:

Chicas:

1. Rosalind Olive Thayer- 
Rosalind (ROZ-uh-lind) has steadily risen to the top of my list. Rosalind Franklin is a hero for me, and it could also indirectly honor my aunt Linda who recently passed away. I would probably call her Lindy and/or Roz. Miriam looked good in place of Olive, but Olive is meaningful for me because of my great grandma Olive and my good friend Olivia. Thayer is a family name. 

2. Beatrice Helena Massey- 
Beatrice is soft and pretty while remaining outside the frilly zone. Bea is charming as a nickname. Helena is for my younger sister, and Massey is another family name. 

3. Paloma Olive Ingram- 
Paloma’s image completely matches her meaning, in my mind (dove). You know the deal on Olive, and Ingram is another family name. 

4. Petra Calliope Ingram- 
Both Petra and Calliope have no other meaningful ties other than that I like them! I think they sound nice together, and I tried to put in a family name at the end. 

5. Pauline Willa- 
Haven’t got a second middle for it yet. Pauline is for my great grandfather, Paul.

6. Miriam Linda Thayer- 
Linda is for my recently deceased aunt, and Thayer is a family last name. Does this give out a musty feel together?

7. Rosalba Melantho- 
Melantho is for a family friend, Melanie, who has been very kind to me. Rosalba is the greatest, she sounds so lush! Pretty meaning, too.

8. Winifred Flora Ingram- 
Winifred would most likely be Winnie (unless she had the personality of a Freda), and since she sounds slightly floral, I put her with Flora, which is for my cousin and great great grandmother Flora. 

9. Maeve Winifred Tweedie- 
This is my ultra-tartan name combo.  I thought Maeve and Winifred, being from around the same region, sounded best with one of my family’s Scottish surnames. 

10. Susan Mimosa Thayer- 
I like Susan. I think most underestimate her potential. I’m really liking the idea of Sukie, Sanne, or Sanna as nicknames. Mimosa is a flower, indirectly honoring my dad (mimosas originate in South Africa, where he grew up). Susan is nice paired with flower names, as black-eyed-Susans are a type themselves. 

11. Alice Vespera Tamar- 
This is something I threw together a few days ago, and so far it’s stuck. Initially I had Alice Vespera, which I really like (she sounds like a fairy!). Then I thought Tamar, which could be for my mother, Tamara. Like? Is it a little too flighty?

12. Hestia Julianne-                                                                                                                                                                                                         I haven’t gotten a family last name in there for the second middle, but Julianne is for my aunt. Hestia seems pretty artsy to me, but not so much that she couldn’t shake the image. 

 

Chicos- (Not nearly as many of these!)

1. Malcolm Rowan Massey- To me, Malcolm is smooth and and fun to say. Rowan is there almost temporarily; while I think he’s awesome and completes the smooth look, I might want to replace it with something else. 

2. Lloyd Everett Massey- Again, another one that might need revising. Lloyd gives the friendliest image, and he’s dark green like a frog or a forest. Everett might not be “The One” for this combo, but he’s a placeholder until I find something better.

3. Julian Alexander Ingram- Other than Ingram, no particular meaning here! Julian Alexander seems very handsome. 

4. Christopher Gabriel Ingram- You may be thinking, “Christopher is the sixth most popular boys’ name in America..” He is for my uncle Christopher, called Kit. I think Kit is cool, and I would like to use it, too (No more Chris’s, please!). Gabriel is for my cousin, and Ingram is another family name. 

5. Edmund Evander Tweedie- Yup, Tweedie’s another last name (not Tweety Bird ). 

6. Peter Emmett Massey- I like the repeating “M” sound here. M’s are one of my favorite consonants. Emmett is not Twilight related, I’ll have you know! 

7. Glen William Thayer- Glen or Glenn? Glenn seems rather old-man-ish, but I’m not quite accustomed to Glen yet, it seems like there’s a letter missing. Hmm..

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! It’s spring break for me, so look forward to plenty of posts in the next few weeks. :]