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Posts Tagged ‘Jack’

Today’s sneak peek is Jack — which was the most popular boy’s name in the UK for over fifteen years, until yesterday’s Oliver knocked it off the top spot in 2009.

Jack

Pet-form of JOHN, used since the Middle Ages. It developed from the earlier medieval pet-form Jankin (which gave rise to the surnames Jenkin, Jenkins, Jenkinson, Jenks and Jinks, etc). It was very common in the late medieval period, and came into use as a generic name for a man or male creature, such as Jack Tar. Some uses have become so engrained the fact that the name Jack is involved almost goes unnoticed, such as steeplejack, jackass and JACKDAW. The name features particularly highly in folklore. Jack Frost is frost personified; a spirit of Winter who draws fern-patterns on icy glass-panes. Jack-in-the-green is a name of the Green Man, and jack-olantern is another name for the will-o’-the-wisp. Several surnames derive from it, including Jack, Jacks, Jaggs, Jakes, Jeeks, Jacket, Jacklin, Jackman and JACKSON. Before the 20th Century, most Jacks were baptized John, even if they only ever used Jack all of their lives. Dim: Jackie, Jacky. Bearers: Jack Parsons (1914-52) – whose birth name was Marvel – was a notable American Thelemite, who is also known for the work he did at Caltech in rocket propulsion.

John

The English form of Hebrew Johanan ‘Yahweh has favored’; John developed from the Latin form Iohannes, later Johannes, from the Greek Iôannês. Johanan was an extremely common name amongst Jews in the 1st Century CE, and, as the name of the John the Baptist and the Evangelist responsible for one of the Gospels and the Book of Revelation, it was always going to become a popular name among the Christians. St John the Baptist was regarded as second only to Jesus — so it should come as no surprise that when Jesus got the festival of the Winter Solstice for his feast day, John was apportioned the summer one. The name wasn’t used much in Western Europe until the 1st Crusade (1095-99), after which hundreds of churches were dedicated to St John, and the name was bestowed upon countless baby boys. Variants: Jon (modern). Diminutives: JACK, JAKE, JOCK, Johnny, Johnnie, Jonny, HANK; Hankin, Hancock, Jankin, Jenkin (historical). Manx: Ean, Irish Gaelic: EOIN, SEÁN, Italian: Giovanni, Gianni, Gino (diminutive), Albanian: Gjon, German: Hans, Johann, Johannes, Finnish: Hannu, Jani, Joni, Jukka, Maori: Hoani, Armenian: Hovhannes, Scots Gaelic: IAIN, Seon; Seonaidh (diminutive), Bulgarian, Welsh: IOAN, Greek: Ioannis, Giannis, Yannis, YANIS, Welsh: IEUAN, IFAN,  Iwan, SÎON, Basque, Romanian: Ion Russian, Czech, Serbian, Croatian: Ivan, Dutch, Polish: JAN, Estonian: Jaan, Slovenian: Janez, Latvian: JANIS, Hungarian: János, French: JEAN, Danish: Jens, Portuguese: João, Catalan: Joan, Dutch, Danish, German, Swedish: JOHAN, Macedonian: JOVAN, Cornish: Jowan, Icelandic: Jón, Dutch: Joop (diminutive), Spanish: Juan, Hawaian: Keoni, Galician: Xoán, Arabic, Turkish: Yahya, Breton: Yann; YANNICK (diminutive). Bearers: King John of England (1167-1216); John Dee (1527-1608), the astrologer and ceremonial magician – among many other things; John Aubrey (1629-97), the English antiquarian, was one of the first people to study Stonehenge; John Toland (1670-1722), the Irish philosopher, founded the Ancient Druid Order in 1717; John Keats (1795-1821), the English poet; John Galsworthy (1867-1933), the English novelist; John Adams (1735-1826) and John F. Kennedy (1917-63), US Presidents Numerous men tried and executed for Witchcraft have borne the name John, including John Proctor (c.1632-92) and John Willard (bef. 1672-92) at Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, and John Lindsay (c.1688-97), who was one of those convicted and executed at Paisley, Scotland, in 1697, aged just 11 years old.

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In Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Names: For Pagans, Witches, etc, etc, I recommend that when you’re in the process of choosing a name, you keep your eyes peeled and look for inspiration everywhere. I happen to be in the middle of choosing some new paint colors for my bedroom and hall, and while pondering whether to plum for Arsenic or Faded Malachite, Chartreuse or Garden City, it struck me that some of the names which the paint companies have come up actually have great potential as names for other projects too…

Some really are quite weird, like Crew Cut Cream and Elephant’s Breath, whil many are very humdrum, standard colours, like plain Cream and Beige, but there are some absolute gems. A great many do actually feature in The Book, but not all, by any means (I’ll leave you guessing which!), and some are definitely better suited to pets than people (I’ll leave that to your discretion!).

The colors below are all the part or full name of paints currently on sale in the UK, manufactured by Crown Paint, Craig and Rose, Dulux, Farrow and Ball, Fired Earth and Little Greene — only a tiny fraction, therefore, of all the paints out there. If you’re stuck for a name for someone or something non-commercial (many of these names are registered, so you couldn’t use them for a retail product), you might find more than what you were after down your local DIY store!

Absinth, Absinthe, Aconite, Acorn, Acre, Adriatic, Adventurer, Alabaster, Alizarin Earth, Almond, Alouette, Amber Gris, Amber Spirit, Amethyst, Andaman Sea, Antimony, Antique, Antique Earth, Apple, Apple Mist, Apple Tree, Apricot, Aqua, Aqua Source, Aquamarine, Archive, Arctic Grey, Armagnac, Armoise, Arsenic, Ashes of Roses, Aspen Silver, Aubusson, Avantgarde, Babouche, Bamboo Leaf, Bamiyan Blue, Barley, Basket, Basswood, Beauty Queen, Beauvais, Beeswax, Belladonna, Berber, Berry, Bespoke, Bianco, Biscotti, Black, Blazer, Blossom, Blue Ashes, Blue Ciel, Blue Grass, Blue Gravel, Blue Monday, Blue Moon, Blue Mosel, Blue Reflection, Blueberry, Bone, Bone China Blue, Bonnet, Botanic, Box Tree, Brassica, Brinjal, Brioche, Bronze Red, Brown Sugar, Burgundy, Burnt Juniper, Buttermilk, Button, Caenstone, Café au Lait, Calamine, Calico, Calke, Calluna, Calvados, Cane, Canton, Canvas, Carbon Blue, Carnaby, Carragheen, Cascade, Cashmere, Celadon, Celebrity, Celestial Blue, Chalk, Chalk Violet, Chamois, Champagne, Charcoal, Charleston, Chateau, Chelsea Girl, Chemise, Cherry, Chestnut, Chic Shadow, Chiffon, China, China Clay, Chocolate Chaude, Chocolate Comtesse, Chocolate Fondant, Chocolate Suede, Chrome, Chromium, Churlish Green, Cinder Rose, Cinnabar Red, Cirrus, Citrine, Citron, Clay, Clay Pale, Clove, Clunch, Coastal Glow, Cobble, Cochineal, Cocoa, Coffee, Copper Canyon, Copper Mine, Coral, Coral Flair, Coraline, Cord, Cornfield, Cornflower, Cornforth, Cotton Field, Cotton Twill, Coumarin, Cream Silk, Crimson Kiss, Crimson Silk, Crochet, Custard, Cyan, Daffodil, Damson, Day Dream, Dazzle, Dead Salmon, Deep Ivy, Delicate Cream, Denim, Desert Wind, Diamond Dust, Dimity, Dorset Cream, Dragon’s  Blood, Dragonfly, Dramatic, Dream Time, Drummond, Dusted Damson, Eastern Light, Eau-de-Nil, Echo, Ecru, Enamel Green, Espresso, Essential, Etiquette, Etoile, Etruscan Red, Euphoria, Expectation, Fairy Dust, Faithful, Fallow, Fawn, Fawn Suede, Felt, Festival Orange, Fine Silk, Firefly, Fireside, First Dawn, First Frost, First Light, Flake, Flame Red, Flamingo, Flawless, Flawless Faun, Folly, Footprint, Forest Pine, Free Love, Fresco, Frosted Dawn, Frothy Coffee, Full Moon, Gallery, Gamboge, Garden, Garnet, Gauze, Gentian Violet, Gentle, Genuine, Gesso, Glass Samphire, Gold Dusk, Gold Leaf, Gold Sparkle, Golden Glow, Golden Silk, Golden Suede, Granite, Graphite, Grey Lace, Gypsum, Hague, Hammock, Happy Daze, Hardwick, Hay, Heavenly Haze, Hedgerow, Hemp, Herb Garden, Hessian, Hollyhock, Honesty, Honey, Honey Cream, Hound Lemon, Incarnatino, Incarnadine, Incense, India, Indigo, Innocence, Intense Aqua, Ivory, Ivory Lace, Ivory Pearl, Ivory Shimmer, Ivory Suede, Jack Black, Jade White, Jardin Vert, Jasmine Shimmer, Jersey, Jet Black, Juniper Ash, Just Plum, Lady Jayne, Laguna Bay, Lait, Lake, Lancaster, Lapis, Lavender, Lemon Pie, Lemon Punch, Lichen, Lido Blue, Lilac Echo, Lime Green, Lincoln Green, Linen, Linnet, Liqueur, Lola Plum, London Stone, Lotus, Lulworth, Lunar Falls, Lupin, Luscious Lime, Mackintosh Mauve, Madder Red, Mademoiselle, Magnolia, Mahogany, Maison Blanc, Malachite, Malm, Malt, Mambo, Manna Ash, Marble, Marine Blue, Marram, Mascarpone, Mean Mustard, Mellow Green, Mellow Sage, Melon Sorbet, Menthe, Mercury, Mezereon, Middleton, Midnight Kiss, Milliner, Mimosa, Mineral Mist, Mink, Mint Whisper, Mirage, Mischief, Mizzle, Mocha, Mojito, Moonlight Bay, Moonstone, Morning Light, Morris Blue, Mortlake, Moulin Rouge, Mulberry, Mushroom, Natural Wicker, Nickel, Nordic Spa, Normandy Grey, Northern Lights, Nursery Rhyme, Nutmeg, Oak Apple, Oak Fern, Ocean Ripple, Ochre, Olive, Opal, Ophelia Plum, Orange, Orange Aurora, Orangerie, Orangery, Orchard Pink, Orchid Leaf, Orchid White, Osborne Maroon, Oxford Blue, Oxygen, Oyster, Pacific Breeze, Palatine, Pale Citrus, Pale Gilt, Pale Gold, Pale Hound, Palest Blue, Palladian, Palm Honey, Papyrus, Parchment, Parfait, Parma, Parsley, Parthenon White, Pashmina, Passion Flower, Pavillion, Pea Green, Peachblossom, Pearl, Pearl Ashes, Pebble, Pelt, Penny Black, Perfectly Taupe, Perfume, Periwinkle, Persian Rose, Pewter, Pigeon, Pink Sugar, Pitcairn, Platinum, Plum Suede, Plummett, Polar Blue, Polished Pebble, Pompadour, Porcelain Blue, Porphyry Pink, Portland Stone, Powder Blue, Prairie Gold, Pretty Pink, Primrose, Primrose Yellow, Pumice, Purity, Purple Heart, Purple Pearl, Purple Pout, Quince, Ra Ra Red, Race, Radicchio, Raspberry, Raspberry Bellini, Raspberry Diva, Raw Earth, Rebel, Red Dark, Red Earth, Red Ochre, Redcurrant, Regal Blue, Regency Fawn, Regent Green, Ringwold, Rocky, Rodeo Drive, Rolling Fog, Roman, Roman Ocher, Rosaraie, Rose Mallow, Rose Pink, Rosy Cheeks, Royal Gala, Ruby Starlet, Rusling, Russet, Safflower, Sage Green, Sahara Star, Sail White, Salix, Sanctuary, Sand, Sapphire, Saracen, Sari, Sash Red, Satin Bow, Satin Jade, Savage, Saxe Blue, Saxifrage, Saxon, Scarab, Scarlet Ribbon, Scooter Red, Sea Blue, Sea Lavender, Secret Shell, Sepia, Serpentine, Serrano Red, Seville Orange, Shell, Sienna Earth, Silica, Silk Gown, Silt, Silver Heather, Silver Lustre, Silver Mine, Siren, Skimming Stone, Sky Blue, Sky High, Skylon Grey, Slate Grey, Smalt, Smock, Smoke Blue, Smoky Mist, Smoulder, Snowdrop, Snowfall, Soft Peach, Sorbet, Soya, Spire, Spring Blush, Stargazer, Starling, Starlight, Steel, Stock, Stone, Stony, Straw, Striking, Stucco, Sudbury, Summer Lichen, Summer Pudding, Summer Yellow, Sumptuous Silk, Sun Yellow, Sunday Best, Sunlight, Sunrise, Surpar Red, Sweet Almond, Sweet Cicely, Sweet Pink, Tallow, Tan Suede, Tanner, Tapestry, Taupe Suede, Teal Tension, Tempting, Terra Cotta, Terra di Sienna, Terre, Thai Sapphire, Tibetan Gold, Timeless, Tiramisu, Toffee Apple, Travertina Crema, Trellick, Triomphe, Truffle, Tudor Rose, Tufa, Tundra, Turquoise, Tuscan Earth, Tuscan Olive, Tuscan Red, Tuscany, Tusk, Twiglet, Tyrian Rose, Ultramarine, Umber, Urban Obsession, Vanilla, Vellum, Velvet, Velvet Plum, Venetian Red, Verd Antique, Verdigris, Verdilith, Verditer, Vert de Terre, Violet Slate, Vivid, Walnut, Wasabi, Wax Myrtle, Weald Green, Welcome Pale, Weld Yellow, Welkin Blue, Wellbeing, Wheatgrass, Wharf, Whisper of Pashmina, Whisper of Snowfall, Whisper of Sunrise, White Mist, Wild Olive, Wild Primrose, Wildwood, Willow Tree, Wimborne, Winchester Green, Wind Chime, Windsor Blue, Winterbloom, Woad Blue, Woodbine, Zangar, Zenith Blue, Zinc

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