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Posts Tagged ‘Alfie’

Nook’s Pick of the Grandpas

Posted in Baby Names, Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names, Name Rankings, Names, Pagan-friendly, Popularity, Fashion and Style, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 16, 2012 | 5 Comments »

With the trend for adopting the names of our great-grandparents showing signs of gathering pace, last week I shared my pick of “Granny names.”

Today it’s Grandpa’s turn.

Just as with the girls, some, like Arthur, Frederick, George, Oscar and Stanley have already become mainstream in Britain again while still languishing in America (though I’d be surprised if Arthur doesn’t reveal a pick-up in the 2011 rankings when they come out).

It’s a curious phenomenon that in the last few centuries, fashions in girls’ names have always changed more quickly than boys’, and that there have always been more girls’ names in circulation.

True to form, the rehabilitation of the great-grandpa names isn’t showing quite so much energy. It does seem the case that, with the exception of those names which didn’t sink that far down the popularity charts, such as Henry, Edward and William, people are more ready to take up the granny names than the grandpas.

These then, are the Grandpas which I think really deserve to be dusted off and put back into short-trousers.

Albert – Albert is already rising fast in Britain, ranked 159th last year. With short forms Al, Albie, Bertie and Bert, Albert, with its great meaning “noble-bright,” is a great-grandpa name that is going places, and definitely one to keep an eye on.

Alfred — a true Old English name with character, combining ælf “elf ” with rǣd “counsel” (i.e. “advice”). In the medieval period, it also absorbed another marvellous Old English name, Ælfriþ — æl “all” + friþ “peace.” Its friendly, cheerful pet-form Alfie is currently in the British top 5, but the more formal Alfred lies well outside the top 100, though in America, it’s barely in the top 1000.

Arnold — Arnold was at its most popular in the UK in the first decade or so of the 20th Century, reaching 75th place; in America, it peaked in 89th place in 1916. On both sides of the Atlantic it now lies outside the top 1000, even though it has a short-form not that dissimilar to Alfie with the chirpy Arnie. Time to forget Schwarzenegger; with the meaning “eagle-power” (or “power of an eagle” if you prefer) in Old German, surely Arnold deserves reconsideration?

Cecil — Cecil is usually treated as the English form of the Roman family name Caecilius (deriving ultimately from a nick-name meaning “little blind one”), and thus the male form of Cecilia. However, its use in the English-speaking world is actually more down to the aristocratic English family of Cecil. This may in fact derive ultimatley through the Welsh Seisyllt, which probably derives from another Roman family name, Sextilius (“little sixth one”).

Edgar — Old English Edgar is actually healthier in America at the moment (216th in 2010), than in Britain (759th). However, it is rising in Britain, and falling in America. Time to arrest the fall! With the meaning “spear of wealth/riches” (or “rich/wealth-spear”), it carries connotations of prosperity and protection and, like all the Ed- names, has the simple and charming short-forms Ed and Ned.

Edmund — Edmund has been one of my personal favorites for twenty years. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for the anti-hero, and Edmund’s borne by two of the best — Edmund Pevensie of the Chronicles of Narnia and the immortal Edmund Blackadder. Another Old English name, it has the fabulous meaning of “rich-protection.” Only 42 baby boys were called Edmund in England and Wales, and 93 in America.

Eugene — Eugene was at its most popular in America in the early twentieth century, though it remained in the top 100 until the 1950s. In Britain, however, it has always been inexplicably rarer. Its longevity in the first half of the twentieth century may preclude its general revival just yet, but if you want your son to have the name everyone’s talking about for their babies when he’s in his twenties or thirties, give Eugene a thought. It has the great, auspicious meaning of “well-born” too.

Harold – Old English names dominate the Grandpa names, and like so many of the others, Harold drips with clunky old-fashioned charm.  If it’s strong meaning you want, Harold has it; it can be interpreted as “army-power,” or “power of an army” or “power of the army.” The name of the last Saxon king of England, Harold also shortens to trendy Harry and attractive Hal. In decline since its heyday during the First World War, it was up on the year before in 2010, though in 745th place, it still has a long way to go.

Herbert — Herbert has Old English and Old German roots, coming from cognate names meaning “bright army.” It has some great short-form options; Herbie and Bertie, which ooze nobbly-knee charm, Herb, which has quite a hippie vibe, and no-nonsense Bert.

Horace — I took rather a shine to Horace many moons ago when I contemplated what a great nick-name Azzo would make for it. These days, I probably lean more towards the more romantic Horatio, but I still have a soft-spot for Horace. As the name of one of Rome’s greatest poets, Horace has gravitas in abundance. Another great short-form is, of course, Ace.

Leonard — With the current American preference for giving babies “long-forms” of the names really intended for use, Leonard (as the “long-form” of Leo) did see a rise in 2010. The name actually has nothing really to do with lions at all, translating from the Old German as “people-hard.” In the past, it was more often shortened to Len and Lenny.

Lionel — a name of medieval romance, adopted for the name of a younger son of a medieval English king, Lionel was one of the names re-embraced by the Victorians, and is pretty much what it looks like — a diminutive of Lion, essentially meaning “little lion.” It remains a great rarity in the UK; only ten little boys were called Lionel in 2010, but it did re-enter the US top 1000. I think it’s got a lot of potential, and now’s the time to start re-considering it. Put it this way, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if William and Kate used it for a younger son in years to come…

Reginald — Unsurprisingly, in Britain, the cute Reggie, on the rise, is much more popular than its formal long-form Reginald, though it, too, is rising. Reginald was actually at its most popular in America in the 1960s, though it never made the top 100, though in Britain it was 20th in 1904. Reginald is the same name as the rarer Reynold, meaing “might-power.” Another traditional short-form is Rex…

Roland — An Old German name meaning “fame-land,” its literary Italian form Orlando is currently more popular, but Roland, most popular in Britain in the 1890s, is worthy of reconsideration. Although Rolly is often the default short-form, there are other options, such as Ro, Rollo, and Lan — you could even use Lance, whose roots really do lie with Roland and other Germanic names containing the element landa “land.”

Sidney — the charms of Sidney, with its solid short-form Sid, has already started to recapture the hearts of British parents. Like Cecil, it was one of the surnames which Victorians fell in love with. It probably comes from a place name meaning “broad island,” but the aristocratic Sidney family traditionally derived it from Saint-Denis in France.

Wilfred — Yet another Old English name, this time meaning “will/determination-peace.” Wilfrid is a variant spelling and in the past it was invariably shortened to Wilf, but it also lends itself well to Will, Bill, Billy, Freddie and Fred. Another which is already rising steadily in Britain.

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Harry Potter (and the Deathly Hallows) Names (Part II)

Posted in Alternative Names, Baby Names, Harry Potter, Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names, Magical Names, Names, Pagan Names, Popularity, Fashion and Style, Unusual Names, Wiccan Names, Witch Names, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 15, 2011 | 6 Comments »

Engraving of the solar deity Abraxas on an ancient amulet

The last installment (for now)!

Here, as promised, are some of my favoritest favorites of the obscure names that are to be found within (and in some cases, without) the pages of Harry Potter:

Abraxas. A name with its roots in Gnosticism, Abraxas is a solar deity, who came to be regarded as a demon in Christian demonologies. The original spelling is Abrasax. According to Gnostic belief, the seven letters which make up the name represent the seven classic ‘planets’ known in antiquity — i.e. the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. In ancient times, the name was engraved upon stones used as amulets and charms, and numerous examples have been unearthed by archaeologists. As well as getting a mention in Harry Potter  as the name of Draco Malfoy’s grandfather, Abraxas has also shown up as a demon in Charmed.

Alphard. Sirius Black’s uncle — and the only member of his family who didn’t disown him. Alphard is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Hydra – the great water-serpent — deriving from the Arabic al-fard ‘the individual (one)’ — a reference to the fact it is the only bright star in that part of the sky. Shortens beautifully to Alfie and offers an interesting alternative to Alfred.

Doris. Two characters in HP are called Doris — Doris Crockford, who introduces herself to Harry in the Leaky Cauldron on his first visit to Diagon Alley (I always expected her to pop up again, but she never did) and Doris Purkiss, who gets a passing mention in Order of the Phoenix.  In Greek mytholog, Doris is one of the Oceanids — the sea-nymph daughters of the God Oceanus. In Greek, it is Dôris means ‘a (female) Dorian’  — though it may derive from dôron ‘gift’. It was first used in the early 19th Century, and became hugely popular in the early 20th Century. I suspect it is one of those name just waiting for that spark to return it shooting back into favor.

Hesper. Hesper Gamp appears in a genealogy, and Hesper Starkey, features on a wizard card.  Hesper is a poetic name for the Evening Star, from the Latin Hesperus, itself from the Greek Hesperos ‘of evening’, ‘evening’ and ‘Evening Star’. Closely related to Hespera, meaning simply ‘evening’ in Greek, which is the name of one of the Hesperides, the nymphs who guard Hera’s golden apples and the grove where they grew, on islands somewhere in the far west of Greece. Hesper itself is found as a genuine given name from the mid 19th Century. Makes an interesting variation on Hester.

Loxias. One of the previous owners of the imfamous Elder Wand. Loxias is an epithet of Apollo; in Greek, it means ‘the ambiguous’, ‘the oblique’ and ‘the obscure’, deriving from loxos ‘slanting’ or ‘aslant’ and ‘ecliptic’. It is often taken to be a reference to the cryptic prophecies delivered by his oracles, most notably at Delphi, but it could be interpreted as a reference to the fact the sun – identified with Apollo – also traverses the ecliptic obliquely.

The French actress, Musidora

Musidora. Occurs only on a famous wizard card, but nevertheless is part of the HP universe. Essentially meaning ‘gift of the muses’, The earliest Musidora I have encountered is a painting by William Etty (d.1849). The name also appeared as a character in the 1914 opera Béatrice, by André Messager, but it is best known as the stage name of French actress Jeanne Roques (1889-1957), not quite the original vamp, but not far from it; her most famous role was Irma Vep in Les Vampires (1915). Used as a genuine given name since the 19th Century, it shortens beautifully to Musie and Dora.

Myron. In Harry Potter’s world, Myron Wagtail is the lead-singer of The Weird Sisters. A rock star who can do magic too — how cool is that? Myron is an Ancient Greek name meaning ‘sweet oil’ and ‘perfume’. The historic Myron of Eleutherae (fl. 480-440 BCE) was a celebrated sculptor.

Orion. Another of my absolute favorites. Ever since I was a child, gazing up at the constellation of Orion, glittering in a winter-dark night sky, I have thought Orion was a seriously good name. Orion was a legendary Greek huntsman who, after being struck either by a blow from Artemis or from a Scorpion (which became the constellation Scorpio) was placed among the stars — he may have been chasing the Pleiades at the time, though, so it might have been deserved. He was also reputedly a lover of Aurora, and the most handsome mortal who ever lived. The etymology of his name is uncertain, but it possibly derives ultimately from the Akkadian: Uru-anna — urru ‘light’ + anu ‘sky’; this was the constellation’s name of the constellation in Ancient Mesopotamia. As a given name in more recent times, it makes an appearance around the 17th Century, and currently seems to be gaining popularity — how much has yet to be seen; in 2010, it ranked 466th in the US, so it has a way to go before reaching ten-to-the-dozen proportions just yet.

Walburga. The name of an 8th Century English-born saint, also known as Wealdburg and Wealdburh, whose cult was established in Germany from the Middle Ages. She is also probably the first known woman writer in England and Germany. Her name derives from the Old English weald ‘power’ and ‘dominion’ + burh ‘fortress’. Because her feast-day was held on May 1st, folklorists have proposed that she was either a pre-Christian fertility Goddess or became conflagrated with a Germanic fertility Goddess — the latter seems most likely, since Walburga as a person does seem to be rooted in historic fact. In Germany, she is also known as Valderburg and Walpurgis. Walpurgisnacht — usually translated to ‘Walpurgis Night’ in English — is famous for its celebrations with bonfires, and its association with Witches. It is fairly well-known that Rowling originally intended to call the Death-Eaters ‘the Knights of Walpurgis’.

 

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A Peake into Gormenghast

Posted in Alternative Names, Baby Names, Fiction, Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names, Names, Pagan-friendly, Unusual Names, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2011 | 7 Comments »

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of British novelist Mervyn Peake, author of the magnificent Gormenghast trilogy. To mark the occasion, here are some of the best names (and characters!) from the trilogy:

A Sketch by Peake of Fuchsia and Steerpike; as well as being an author, Peake was a highly regarded artist (Official Gormenghast Website).

Titus. Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Groan is the hero of the series, and Titus Groan is the title of the first book, despite the fact that Titus is only a baby in it. He becomes the major protagonist, however, in the following novels, and though he doesn’t actually do much in Titus Groan, he is the pivot around whom the story unfolds. Titus was a Roman praenomen — i.e. the closest thing Romans had to a first name. Probably the best known bearer was the Emperor Titus (39-81 CE). The origins are very obscure; it may possibly be related to Latin titulus ‘title’ or titio ‘fire-brand’. It was first used as a given name in the English-speaking world in the 16th Century.

Fuchsia. Lady Fuchsia Groan is Titus’s sister, a girl on the cusp of womanhood. Virtually ignored by her parents, she is half-feral,  fiercely proud and passionate. Her name is taken from the delicate, ballerina-like flower, named in the 18th Century in honor of the 16th Century German botanist Leonhard Fuchs — a surname meaning ‘fox’ in German. Fuchsia is first found as a given name in the 19th Century, when ‘flower names’ first came into fashion.

Gertrude. Countess Gertrude, whom Peake described as ‘of huge clay’, is the flame-haired, distant mother of Titus and Fuchsia. Though she cares more for her cats than her children, she is a good ally when the chips are down. She definitely suits her name; deriving from the Old German gêr ‘spear’ + drudi ‘strength’. The original bearer was one of the Valkyrie, and Peake was clearly giving a nod in the direction of the earliest of the 7th Century German saints of the name, who is the patron saint of cats (and mice). The 12th Century St Gertrude — St Gertrude the Great — was a famous mystic. The name didn’t really take of in England until the 15th Century, when the cult of St Gertrude (the cat and mouse one), spread to Britain from the Continent. Although Gertrude is still quite a heavy name, its pet-forms Gertie and Trudy both have charm.

Alfred. Alfred Prunesquallor is the kindly doctor at the vast and ancient Gormenghast Castle. Alfred is one of a small number of Old English first names which is still in regular use – at least in the UK, and in the pet-form Alfie. This has actually been immensely popular in recent years, largely because of popular character of the name in the soap Eastenders.  Alfred could barely be less popular in the States, and Alfie is completely off the radar. Most people don’t realise that the modern Alfred actually represents two  Saxon names: is Ælfræd, from ælf ‘elf’ + rǣd ‘counsel’ — as borne by one of the most famous of all the Kings of Anglo-Saxon England, King Alfred the Great of Wessex (849-99) — and Ælfriþ, æl ‘all’ + friþ ‘peace’.

Clarice. Lady Clarice Groan is the twin of Lady Cora, the snobbish, very simple spinster aunts of Titus. The machiavellian Steerpike uses them in his plans to gain control of the castle — and is responsible for their very sorry end. These days, Clarice is mostly associated with Clarice Starling and The Silence of the Lambs. It is a very old name, a medieval elaboration of Clara (meaning ‘clear’ and ‘famous’ in Latin). The US pronunciation is ‘clah-REES’, but the traditional UK way is ‘CLAH-ris’.

Cora. Lady Cora Groan — the other twin. Identical to her sister. It is essentially a Latinized form of the Greek korê ‘maiden’, but the form demonstrates influence from Corinna and Coralie, both already around at the time it first appeared at the end of the 18th Century. It became popular in America during the 19th Century after it featured in James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, The Last of the Mohicans (1826). There is also the Inca mother and fertility Goddess Mama Cora Ocllo.

Irma. Irma Prunesquallor is the doctor’s spinster sister. Her name is German, originating as a short form of names beginning with Irm-, representing the Old German element ermen ‘whole’.

Keda. Keda is Titus’s wet-nurse, the widow of one of the ‘bright carvers’ who live in the shanty town beneath the walls of Gormenghast. The names seems to be pure invention on Peake’s part.

Barquentine is the elderly and and rather repulsive Master of Ritual. A barquentine is a small boat, deriving from bark, itself from the French barque and ultimately from Latin barca ‘small boat’.

Sepulchrave. The 76th Lord Groan, and father to Titus. He is a sad, lonely man, worn down by years of attending to the pointless ritual which accompanies his position as Lord Groan. The name is another of Peake’s inventions, based on English sepulchre ‘tomb’, emphasizing how completely Sepulchrave is trapped by stagnant tradition — a major theme of the trilogy.

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