Reworking Girls Combos

Just reworking some of my girls combos that I'm dissatisfied with. Trying to decide on middle names for some of these:

• Jocelyn - Jocelyn Opal, Jocelyn Ruth, Jocelyn Opal Ruth, Jocelyn Ruth Opal
• Clara Jeanette - was Clara Rosemary, I adore Clara and Jeanette is after a favorite aunt of my mom's who I've been wanting to honor.
• Jane Sophia Elinor - trying to decide how to pair these. I like Jane Elinor and Jane Sophia but I also really like Sophia Elinor so I'm thinking about Jane Sophia Elinor since I'm not sure I'd use Sophia as a first name but I adore Jane in that position.
• Julia Rosemary - I used to love Julia Mary but I'm thinking it a bit plain and since I'm trying to get Rosemary away from Clara why not Julia Rosemary.
• Cora Beatrix - I rather like Cora and I thought about Cora Jeanette but I've also been wanting to use Beatrix.
• Mary Helena - I had Mary Adelaide but I changed Adelaide to a first name so I'm back to really liking Mary Helena (prn. heh-lay-nah).
• Esme - I love the sweet sound of this name and am trying to keep some of the Scottish/Irish connections by using names with those origins: Esme Fiona, Esme Kathleen, Esme Caitriona, Esme Sorcha.
• Maisie - I think this name is really cute and so I'm thinking Maisie Caroline or Maisie Violet.
• Liliana - this is so beautiful and I rather like virtue names paired with it. Liliana Faith is pretty but plain and I like Liliana Grace better but I'm already using Grace as a first name. My friend Karis' parents made her name from the Greek word for 'grace' which is translated Charis most often. Liliana Karis is rather pretty but I'm still not quite sure or Liliana Charis.

Just some combos I'm working on. Some I've already changed are:
Sadie Emmeline
Adelaide Cecilia
Phyllis Evelyn "Lyss"
Annika Sage
Millicent Imogen "Millie"
Felicity Ann

WDYT? Any opinions or suggestions?

~

Phyllis

I've been almost liking Phyllis lately since I've been using it regularly in my job with an elderly lady by that name. I also just recently watched an adaptation of 'The Railway Children' by E. Nesbit in which there is a young girl named Phyllis.

I've been struck by its similar sound to Phoebe which I adore. I also just looked up the meaning "foliage" and rather like it as autumn is my favorite season.

Taken all together I can't really make up my mind whether I like the name Phyllis or not. I used to think it so old sounding but now I'm starting to think it's not that bad, especially the combo Phyllis Evelyn.

So WDYTO Phyllis and Phyllis Evelyn? What are your opinions on the nn Phyl or Lis?

Adelaide

Above is a photo of my little second cousin Adelaide. It surpised me very much when my cousin used this name for his first child because it's elegance is in great contrast to the names of other cousins and even his own name and sibling's names which tend toward the trendy and popular.

I had recently started to love the name Adelaide when I found out my cousin had used it. Not too much to say about the name, it's sweet and elegant and really underused. I think it will gain more popularity as older names keep coming out of the woodwork!

I've recently been liking Adelaide when paired with Celia or other C names. Adelaide Cecilia is very appealing to me at the moment. Adelaide Mary or Mary Adelaide is also lovely.

Do you know anyone named Adelaide or even Adeline? What are your impressions of the name? Any nickname needed or fine on it's own? What about Adelaide Cecilia?

Nicknames From Novels

Just three nicknames, from novels written and set in Victorian England, which I thought were quite lovely, WDYT?

Nicodemus "Noddy" - from Our Mutual Friend

Dorothea "Dodo" - from Middlemarch
Celia "Kitty" - from Middlemarch
Theresa "Tess" - from Tess of D'Urbevilles

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My Thoughts:

I'm liking Nicodemus more and more, it's rather a guilty pleasure of mine like Solomon and other old Biblical names. Though the nn Nicky is cute it's also rather popular and too connected with Nicholas.

I think Dorothea is just lovely and Dodo is a cute childish nickname, not sure I like it or not.

Celia was prn. seel-ee-uh in the film adaptation instead of seel-yuh. My pastor's wife had family who prn. her name see-lah their from the southern USA so their accents most likely have something to do with it. Kitty just says Katherine to me but it is cute, I recently met an older lady named Kittie and the name suits her perfectly.

I've been liking Tess recently since seeing Tess of D'Urbevilles and her full name was Theresa. I've never been very fond of Theresa / Teresa but Tess and Tessa are rather cute.

So what do you think? Any you like?

My Top 100 Favorite Girls Combos

Reworking my extended favorite girls combos. There are a few in my top 20 that I changed a bit and decided on which Lydia Sadie combo and which Juliana combo.
Without further ado here they are:

1. Amy Joyce Irene
2. Eleanor Mary Frances "Lena"
3. Sally Stone Elizabeth
4. Lena Beatrice Viola
5. Lydia Sadie Hope
6. Catherine Davia
7. Jocelyn Pearl "Jocie"
8. Emma Beatrix Claire
9. Juliana Chloe
10. Phoebe Evangeline
11. Mary Adelaide
12. Leah Crystal
13. Beatrice Elena
14. Marjorie Florence "Marjie"
    
15. Clara Rosemary
16. Leanna June
17. Margaret Fiona "Maggie"
18. Felicity Evelyn "Lissy"
19. Lillias Arabella
20. Jane Isabella
21. Grace Abigail
22. Evangeline Mercy "Evie"
23. Julia Mary
24. Cora Imogen
25. Lily Charlotte
26. Juliet Hermione
27. Stella Iris
28. Alea Ruby
29. Annora May
30. Cassandra Isolde "Cassie"
31. Molly Susannah
32. Margot Eloise
33. Gretchen Helena
34. Annika Dagmar
35. Edith Amelia "Edie"
    
36. Nora Clementine
37. Esme Seraphina
38. Marguerite Solange "Margie"
    
39. Philippa Antonia "Pippa"
40. Ireleigh Paige
41. Aurelia Sonet
42. Eimear Kathleen
43. Matilda Hazel "Matty/Tilly"
44. Georgiana Eve "Georgie"
45. Millicent Sophie "Millie"
46. Liesel Wilhelmina
47. Tabitha Esther "Tibby"
48. Eithne Maeve
49. Ceana Rose (prn. Kenna)
50. Adeline Cecilia
51. Brigid Sorcha "Biddy"
52. Amity Karis
53. Sophia Elinor
54. Maisie Emmeline
55. Verity Ann
56. Charity Ruth
57. Lalage Emilia "Lalla"
58. Isabella Sage "Bella"
    
59. Elinora Mabel
60. Priscilla Opal "Cilla"
    
61. Kirsten Lee "Kirstie"
62. Michael Naomi / Michal Naomi
63. Miriam Dorcas "Miri"
64. Eliana Ophelia
    

Yep, only 64, but I haven't formed any more yet. It's not too important to me to reach 100. It's nice to be able to express my favorite names this far.

Top 100 Favorite Boys Combos

My top 100 favorite boys combos, I've been reworking my extended favorites list and here's what I've come up with:

1. Ciaran Douglas
2. Eamon Laurence
3. Nathaniel Henry Welcome
4. Simon Matteson
5. John Kenneth Crepaux "Jack"
6. Colin Stone
7. Aidan Silas Pearce
8. Jack Michael
9. Henry Buffington-Geer
10. Owen Jasper
11. William Ezra
12. Sebastian Luke
13. Gideon Micaiah
14. Caspian Miles
15. Titus Andrew
16. Ezekiel Peleg "Zeke"
17. Crispin Lee
18. Josiah Abel
19. Nathan Shippee
20. Cianan David
21. Finbar Liam
22. Matthias Oliver
23. Callum Dermot
24. Micah Joel
25. Ian Archibald
26. Tristan Evander
27. Milo Spencer
28. Soren Dominic
29. Cassius Alexander
30. Tobias Griffin
31. Asa Benjamin
32. Skander Willem
33. Dylan Lucas
34. Willoughby James "Will"
35. Roman Frederick
36. Lucian Maxwell
37. Maximilian Lucius "Max"
38. Roderick Theodore "Roddy"
39. Julian Darcy
40. Sinjon Tertius
41. Bartholomew Amos "Ollie"
42. Jonah Gabriel
43. Ronan Bryce
44. Elias Jephthah
45. Amadeus Leopold
46. Elijah Keegan "Eli"
47. Noah Wyatt
48. Oisin Declan
49. Angus Niall
50. Gilbert Tavish "Gibby/Gilly"
51. Andrew Jonathan
52. Jonas Finley
53. Ellis Vaughan
54. Hamish Charles
55. Malachi Jeriah
56. Ewan Trace
57. Jolyon Edmund "Jo/Jolly"
58. Jeremiah Seth
59. Ebenezer Jacob "Eben"
60. Archibald Roger "Archie"
61. Zachariah Jude
62. Brody Rhys

Yes, there's only 62 but it's as far as I've got so far.

What do you think? Any you like?

Alethea

Alethea is an English name derived from Greek αληθεια (aletheia) meaning "truth". This name was coined in the 17th century and may be related to Althea.

I didn't find very many refrences when I looked up famous Aletheas but here are a few ladies by that name that you might have heard about or might find interesting:


In Greek mythology, Alethea (or Altheia) was the daughter of Zeus and Arete, the personification of truth and the nurse of the infant Apollo.


Alethea Howard, Countess of Arundel (1585-1654) was the wife of Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel (1585-1646) who was an ardent art collector (having over 700 paintings in his collection) and prominent English courtier during the reigns of James I and Charles I. She was born Lady Alethea (or Alatheia) Talbot the youngest daughter of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Mary Cavendish; and the sister of two other countesses: Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and Elizabeth Grey, Countess of Kent. She married in September 1606 and gave birth to four children: James Howard, Baron Maltravers (1607-1624), Henry Frederick Howard, 22nd Earl of Arundel (1608-1652), William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford (1614-1680), and Lady Mary Anne Howard (c. 1615-1658).
Along with her sister Elizabeth, and their cousin Arbella Stuart, she performed in a masque celebrating the investiture of Henry Stuart as Prince of Wales in 1610.
Alethea's husband bought many pieces from her art collection using her money and left the collection of over 600 paintings and 200 sculptures to her on his death. Like her sister, Elizabeth, Alethea was interested in the use of herbs and other foodstuffs for medical purposes. Her recipes were published under the title Natura Exenterata. Little else is known about this fascinating lady.


Alethea McGrath is an Australian actress who played the role of Jocasta Nu in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. She is also known for her roles on television, playing Dot Farrar in Prisoner and two parts in Neighbours: Mary Crombie from 1989 to 1990 and Lilly Madigan in 1998.
Alethea McGrath is an Australian actress who played the role of Jocasta Nu in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

I never used to like the name Alethea until I met a girl who did not pronounce her name like uh-LEE-thee-uh but like uh-LAY-thee-uh. Then I thought the name was just beautiful and fitted the girl's sweet and bubbly nature.

I added Alethea to my favorites list where it currently resides outside of my top 20 favorite combos as Alethea Spring, just a bit of beauty and whimsy and one of my guilty pleasures! :)

Know anyone named Alethea? What do you think of the name? Will this name ever catch on - why or why not?

"I" Love Names!

"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!"

I've been hearing a several names starting with the letter I recently. I'm in general not too wild about I names as I gravitate more towards A, E and the constanants (especially C, S, L and J).
But as I hear these names used, weather on people I've met, on TV, or online, I've been thinking of all the names I do like that begin with I. Here's just a sampling:

Boys:

• Ira - I've heard this name on two different men recently and rather like it. We don't see it used much anymore and I think it could gain as much popularity as Isaac or Isaiah have.
• Ike - I met an quirky, off the wall teen boy by this name at camp this summer. His bright eyes and lively personality were totally different than the image I've always had of Ike being a stodgy old farmer or old time politician. I don't think Ike was his real name (probably something like Richard), but it actually suited him and the short spunk of the name came across to me. I now like it as a nickname for Isaac / Isaak and hope to see more of it.
• Irving - a friend's husband is named Clarence Irving, isn't that awful but so totally old-fashioned and charming at the same time? For some reason that even his wife doesn't know, he's always been called Mike. Mikey when he was young and the name just stuck so he's Mike now which really suits him much better! I'm not a big fan of this name but it certainly had a strong sound.
  
• Ian - I've always loved this name and was very pleased to hear it being used more in my social circle, once as a middle name, once as a first name. My friends who I worked with this summer named their first son Ian William last year and he had just turned a year old when I saw them in June. Their last name is Walker and the mother told me that she had seriously considered naming her son Luke Skye! I think it actually would have been cute never mind the Star Wars connection. I really like Ian William and I think they might possibly have chosen a W for his middle name because his paternal grandfather's first name begins with W. Little Ian changed the image of the name a bit for me, from bold handsome Scotsman with unruly dark hair, to a blond haired boy with big ears, bright blue eyes, a big smile and a personality all his own. :)
  

Girls:

• Ivy - I've seen Ivy a couple times this summer. My mom's friends have a little granddaughter named Ivy Dawn who I saw recently, she just turned four. I also admire her cousin's names Peter Ian and Joy Abigail, they're so...normal! :) Ivy is sweet but I always think poisin ivy and an exotic dancer when I hear this name so I tend to prefer Evie to Ivy.
• Isabelle - I know it is popular but it is pretty. A friend just named her 8th child Chloe Isabelle. She had mentioned to me that she liked Isabella because it came from Jane Austen's novels. But when she mentioned the name to her 10-year-old daughter she said "Not Isabella mommy. In books Isabella is always the bad lady!" But she must have liked the name enough to have used Isabelle anyway. I think it's pretty and as a middle name it's nice. By the by I'm liking Chloe more and more now, scary!
  
• India - I heard this name on a Jepordy contestant. In general I dislike this name and Indiana because they are place names. India to me would seem to belong to a forein woman with dark hair, bright eyes and a sense of adventure or to a trendy designer so on this lady the name had an odd appearance as she was 40ish with plain brown hair and nothing very interesting about her, kind of a quiet sort. Funny what people name their kids even if it's unpopular, not at all befitting their lifestyle or especially doesn't suit their child at all!
• Ireleigh - a little girl at church has this name. She's so cute at four with her blond hair and wide blue eyes and ever charming smile and speech inpediment. Her mother said a friend named Leigh had said it was her favorite that she didn't get to use only she spelled it Ireley. So the mother changed the spelling to Ireleigh to honor her friend who suggested it. I think it's cute though it is made up, it sounds pettier than it looks.
  
  
  "So?...what?...no ice cream then?"
  
  

So, some of my favorite I names, most of which I probably won't ever use:

Boys:
Iain
Ioan
Israel
Ignatius
Ichabod (crazy, I know)
Ishmael
Innis

Girls:
Irene (which I might use)
Isolde
Irina
Imogen "Immy"
Imelda "Immy"
Iris
Isabella
Isobel
Iliana
Isla
Ireland (yes, a place name but it's the place I like)

What are your favorite name that begin with the letter I? Have you met or do you know someone with and of these names? How do they like their names? What other I names have you heard recently?

Lydia Sadie

This summer I met a couple little girls named Sadie and one had a sister named Lydia. These are two names I really love, they both have such sweet sounds and that lovely old-fashioned charm (I'm beginning to think I should rename my blog Old-Fashioned Charm!... that gives me "furiously to think" like Hercule Poirot, perhaps a new blog is in order...anyway) .
Not too long ago I was playing a name game on the Behind the Name boards and used the combo Lydia Sadie. I really loved the sound and the combo stuck in my head.

"Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia? Lydia The Tattooed Lady. She has eyes that folks adore so, and a torso even more so. Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia. Oh Lydia The Queen of Tattoo. On her back is The Battle of Waterloo. Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus too. And proudly above, waves the red, white, and blue. You can learn a lot from Lydia!

La-la-la...la-la-la. La-la-la...la-la-la."

Jocelyn Sadie is currently on my top 10 because my mom loves Jocelyn and it sort of honors her mom Joyce and Sadie is a nickname/short form of Sarah like my other grandma Sally's name. But I've really wanted to but Sadie as a first name but I keep using it as a middle name!

I like the sound of Lydia Sadie much better than Jocelyn Sadie, the sound and flow just seems to work better. And if I use Sadie as a middle name for Lydia I can use Pearl for Jocelyn maybe. But I also like the sound of Lydia Sadie Pearl and my top four favorite combos all have 3 names except for Lydia Pearl so I really want it to have three names too.

So here are some of my thoughts on middle names for Lydia:

• Lydia Sadie Pearl
• Lydia Sadie Michael / Michal
• Lydia Sadie Claire (which would mean I'd have to change my Emma Claire combo, maybe to Emma Beatrix)
• Lydia Sadie Karis (honors my friend)
• Lydia Sadie Abigail
• Lydia Sadie Grace
• Lydia Sadie Opal
• Lydia Sadie Rose (too plain I think)
• Lydia Sadie Kirsten (honors my sis but too long)
• Lydia Sadie May / Mae (I'm liking May recently, it's actually very pretty, not sure I'd really use it though)
• Lydia Sadie Hope (means I'd have to change Juliana Hope which I am hoping to do in future)
• Lydia Sadie Ruth
• Lydia Sadie Ann (e) (I'm really liking the Ann spelling lately, it's on my family tree too)

"It's Anne with an E!"

Obviously Lydia Sadie is already quite long in sound so I'm trying to pair it with a one or two syllable name.

I'm really hoping Sadie won't become too popular because I like it a lot and now I'm liking it more than Sally! (sorry mom-mom!)

One of the Sadies I met was actually Mercedes but she was called Sadie or maybe they spell it Cede?

I'm also liking Chloe's charm as well but that's too popular so I've got to get that out of my mind! But maybe as a middle name like Juliana Chloe.

So I'm still not sure what Lydia Sadie combo, but I am leaning more towards Lydia Sadie Pearl, Lydia Sadie Hope, or Lydia Sadie Ann.

Any thought, opinions, comments or suggestions are welcome. I know probably no one actually reads my blog yet but if you do I'd love to hear your opinion!

Silas

Silas is a short form of the Romas name Silvanus which is derived from Latin silva "wood, forest". Silvanus was the Roman god of forests. Silvanus appears in the New Testament belonging to one of Saint Paul's companions who was also called Silas.





Several literary characters bear this name including George Elliot's title character Silas Marner, Charles Dicken's Silas Clegg in Our Mutual Friend, and William Dean Howells' protagonist in his classic novel The Rise of Silas Lapham.


Ben Kingsley stars as Silas Marner in BBC's Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe

Authoress Lori Wick has a character by this name in A Song for Silas. And author D.H. Bates's My Uncle Silas was filmed as a BBC TV series in 2000.


Actor Albert Finney stars as My Uncle Silas

I have heared Silas used more often lately at least in my small social circle. It only ranked #346 in America for 2007.
I enjoy the old-fashioned charm of this name (you'll find I use this phrase a lot!) and the strong masculine sound of it. It's lack of use over the years also helps to give is a fresh unused sound.

I first started to like this name a couple years ago when I gained a fad for masculine names ending in -as or -us (such as Jonas, Zacharias, Elias, Josias, Atticus, Titus, Nicholas, Tertius, Septimus, Cassius, Amadeus) .
When I also found it on my family tree I added it to my favorites list. I combined it with names such as William, Abel, Welcome, Ciaran, Andrew, Pearce and Geer. My current favorite Silas combo is Silas Abel but that is subject to change at any time.
Silas is on my short list of names I'd actually use for a son though it currently ranks outside my top ten favorite combos.

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." -Acts 16:25 KJV

Silas, a handsome name, and despite it's old Biblical connections and literary usage, a fresh choice for parents today.

What are your thoughts on Silas? New and fresh or old and outdated? Used too much or not enough? More likely to me a first name or middle name?

Evangeline

Evangeline is from English origin and means "good news" from Greek ευ "good" and αγγελμα (angelma) "news, message". It was perhaps first used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his epic poem 'Evangeline' (1847).

"Fairest of all the maids was Evangeline, Benedict's daughter! "

Other famous names sakes are Evangeline Cory Booth, daughter of William and Catherine Booth founders of The Salvation Army. She was the youngest of their 8 children and a great missionary in her own right.
There's also actress Evangeline Lily who stars as Kate Austen on the TV show Lost.


Salvation Army missionary Evangeline Cory Booth

“It’s not your circumstances that make or break your day. It’s your attitude!” - Evangeline Lily

Actress Kelly Macdonald as Evangeline

I first really started liking this name after I saw the movie Nanny McPhee and the image of the young maid Evangeline. (This movie also included other great names such as Simon, Sebastian, Lily, Christianna, Agatha "Aggie" and Adelaide.)
This was also the first time I hear the name pronounced ee-van-jah-leen instead of ee-van-jah-line and I infinitely prefer it.

So I added it to my favorites and have grouped it with names such as Mercy, Phoebe, Phebe, Mary, Ophelia, Clara and Adelaide.
My current favorite Evangeline combos are Evangeline Mercy and Phoebe Evangeline.

Though I don't think I'd ever use Evangeline I think it's a very elegant name with that charming old-fashioned touch.

What are your thoughts on Evangeline? What nicknames do you prefer? What middle names? Do you know anyone with this name? Have you ever considered using it yourself?

First Blog!

Wow! So this is my first blog and my first post. So let's see...
I am the name enthusiast the blog speaks of. I am very interested in names, their meanings, origins, usages, popularity and associations. I enjoy all types of names but especially Biblical, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and virtue names. I have a top ten favorite names list which mostly include names from my family tree, names I really want to use some day for my own children.

So this blog is my own personal rambling spot to discuss everything names! Perhaps I'll even do a name a day.

I'll start off by mentioning some of my favorites:

Girls: Amy, Eleanor, Sally
Boys: Ciaran, Eamon, Nathaniel