Boys Name: Henry

From the Germanic name Heimirich which meant "home ruler", composed of the elements heim "home" and ric "power, ruler". It was later commonly spelled Heinrich, with the spelling altered due to the influence of other Germanic names like Haganrich, in which the first element is hagan "enclosure".

Heinrich was popular among continental royalty, being the name of seven German kings, starting with the 10th-century Henry I the Fowler, and four French kings. In France it was rendered Henri from the Latin form Henricus.

The Normans introduced this name to England, and it was subsequently used by eight kings, ending with the infamous Henry VIII in the 16th century. During the Middle Ages it was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. Notable bearers include arctic naval explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611), British novelist Henry James (1843-1916), and American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947). - quoted from Behind The Name

Henry has always been quite common, especially in the 1880's when it ranked as high as #8 in the USA. Currently it ranks #15 in England and Wales, #21 in Australia, #30 in New Zealand, #33 in the USA, #33 in Canada, #51 in  Northern Ireland, #76 in Sweden and #91 in  Ireland.

Henry has been a favorite of mine for a long time. It is on my family tree so I could definitely use it to honor Henry Geer or Henry Buffington while at the same time honoring my favorite Jane Austen hero Henry Tilney from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. I'd use Henry William, Henry Oliver, Henry Thomas or even Henry Tilney. I'd also use Henry as a middle name as in Callum Henry, Benjamin Henry, Alexander Henry and Miles Henry.

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Girls Name: Greta

Short form of Margareta a cognate of Margaret. A famous bearer of the name Greta was Swedish actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990).
Margaret is derived from Latin Margarita, which was from Greek μαργαριτης (margarites) meaning "pearl", probably ultimately a borrowing from Sanskrit मञ्यरी (manyari). Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world. Other saints by this name include a queen of Scotland and a princess of Hungary. It was also borne by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the 14th century. Famous literary bearers include American writer Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), the author of 'Gone with the Wind', and Canadian writer Margaret Atwood (1939-). - quoted from Behind The Name entry

Old-fashioned sounding names have revived in recent days but Greta hasn't been as popular as I think it could become. In recent years it has ranked #594 in the USA, #11 in Italy, #22 in Hungary and #68 in Sweden.

Not too long ago I met two little sisters named Greta and Cora. I loved their names and their sweet blond curly heads! Since then Greta has been a favorite of mine. I've loved Gretchen and Gretel and similar sounding names such as Petra for awhile so loving Greta wasn't hard!

I like the combo Greta Lucy and also Greta Lucille, Greta Frances, Greta Ruth, Greta Louise and Greta Irene. Anyway, I love the name Greta and would definitely consider using it for a daughter.


What do you think of the name Greta? 

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