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Showing posts from 2017

On My Mind: 12-22-17

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The Cast of "The Last Jedi" Star Wars Names - I'm going to remain mum on my opinion on The Last Jedi (I'm still conflicted) however I will comment on some of my favorite names from the Star Wars universe! From the common Rey , Finn , Luke , and Leia , to the more unusual but just as lovely Ahsoka ,  Padmé Amidala (both usable  if you're brave!), Kylo , Phasma , Bail , and Poe . In latest installment they introduced a new character named Admiral Holdo - her first name being the attractive  Amilyn . Creeley - I've been watching USA's new show "Damnation". One of the characters, a mysterious strike-breaker played by Logan Marshall-Green, is named Creeley . I can see the appeal for some people, especially those who like that sort of southern boy sound. Creeley is an Irish surname, derived from Mac Raghallaigh by way of Crawley or MacCrawley. Robin - I've always loved the name Robin for a boy, but after catching "Gunpowder", th

Romantic: Girls

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"Women in a Garden" by Claude Monet My definition of a romantic name is something usually long, frilly, sometimes a little heavy and dusty or sometimes whispery and soft, a name I could imagine on a lady walking through a garden in Victorian clothes, or at a ball, dancing in pink, lilac, or blue. Maybe even on a girl with hair cropped to her chin, wandering outside barefooted, a notepad in her hand, drawing butterflies and getting caught in the rain. The smells I imagine are petrichor, linen, and roses. Sounds are water in a fountain, rustling of leaves, pencil on paper. What do you consider a "romantic" name? Do any of the ones I listed make you feel the same? Please let me know in the comment section below. Cassandra Theodosia Gwendolen and Guinevere Helena Marguerite Georgette Francesca Winifred Euphemia Thomasina Louisa Marisol Fenella Esmeray Pernille Violette Josephine Giosetta Veronique Lilias Cecily and Cecile Philomena and  Philom

Austėja

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Origin: Lithuanian Gender: Female Meaning: "To weave" Pronunciation: N/A Other forms:  Austė Hello everyone! Sorry it's been such another long break, but I'm back today with a beautiful name from Lithuanian Mythology.  Austėja is the Goddess of bees, primarily, but also blossoms, honey, and fellowship. She is also said to protect families, brides, and pregnant women. A Lithuanian tradition called " biciulyste", which is about making friends through bees. People had to share hives, and because of this became good friends, and sometimes families ended up related through marriage. Bees were thought to be able to tell a person's personality, whether they were good or bad, and were said to sting angry or jealous people. Bees and beekeeping are extremely important in Lithuanian culture - there is even a museum dedicated to it - "The Lithuanian Museum of Ancient Beekeeping". During the " Bičkopis", a honey gathering feast, people wo

On My Mind: 7-16-17

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Statue of Libuše in Prague Gus, Theo, and Ruby - At work I recently heard of a sibset consisting of eldest brother Gus, and then Theo, and a little sister named Ruby. It's so unusual (especially in my small southern town) to hear such stylish names that I was pretty floored when I heard it. Augustine - Another name sighting from work - a little boy was calling for his friend all across the arcade - his name was Augustine. Libuše - I've really been into Czech names here lately, and this one is one of my favorites. It comes from the Czech lib - which means "love". In legend,  Libuše, also sometimes called   Lubuše, Libussa, or Lubossa, was the name of a Princess and the founder of Prague.

Tui

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Origin:  Māori Gender: Unisex Meaning: The name of a bird native to New Zealand Pronunciation: TOO-ee Other forms: N/A I know there aren't that many, but I'm a person who is totally obsessed with birds of all kinds. I myself own a cockatiel named Icarus (but just called Birdie), have owned a parakeet, and plan on owning birds for the rest of my life. I also love wild birds, and have recently discovered the name Tui, which is used as a name, and is also the name of a bird from New Zealand. The Tui, which was called the "parson bird" by European colonists, is one of the largest birds in the honeyeater family.  At first glance they may appear to be solid black, but they actually have a beautiful iridescent sheen, and some brown feathers on the back and flanks, along with a collar of lacy white feathers around the neck.  Tui have two voice boxes, and along with being as intelligent as many parrots, are able to make an assortment of noises and calls, and even imi

Names à la mode: Interesting Picks from France's Most Popular Names, 2015 (Boys)

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art by frédéric  bazille 2. Jules - The French are so stylish (especially when it comes to names!) and I was so happy to see something like Jules at number two. Jules is the French form of Julius, which is thought to mean "downy-bearded", and was a Roman family name. It is pronounced "ZHUYL" 95. Marceau - Known to me, and probably to most of the English-speaking world, as the surname of French actress and Bond girl/villainess Sophie Marceau, I was surprised to see this name being used as a first. It is apparently a medieval French form of Marcel. Marcel comes from Marcellus, a Roman family name which started out as a diminutive of Marcus. 113. Lilian - I never knew that Lilian was used as masculine name in France! Count me as pleasantly surprised. 133. Corentin - This gorgeous name possibly means "hurricane" in Breton, and is the name of a 5th-century Saint. 177. Sofiane - A Maghrebi transcript of Sufyan, which could have a meaning relating to

Names à la mode: Interesting Picks from France's Most Popular Names, 2015 (Girls)

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art by georges de feure Note: I know I haven't posted anything in forever, but I'm hoping to try and at least get to posting a few things every month. Work has been hectic, especially now since it's summer (the perks of working at an amusement park/arcade), so I apologize! While France doesn't release name stats every year, we do have the one from 2015 to give us an idea of what's popular at the moment. I chose only the names I found beautiful, or interesting, to highlight. Hope you enjoy! 22. Louna - I love this possible variant of Luna. I think it adds a sort of gravitas that Luna may be lacking. In Finland, this name is pronounced "LO-nah" and comes from the word lounas , meaning "southwest". 50. Capucine - A guilty pleasure of mine, this lovely name means "nasturtium". The nasturtium, or tropaeolum, is a genus of about 80 species of flowers, most often bright in color. Along with some of them being edible, with a pepper

On My Mind: 4-25-17

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Jessica Chastain (left) with Shira Haas in "The Zookeeper's Wife" Bora - Recently my father met a woman from Albania. Her name was Alba, but she also revealed her sister's name - Bora. She explained that it meant "snow", and it was chosen for her because she was born during the month of January. Shira - I saw "The Zookeeper's Wife" just a while ago (I highly recommend it!) and one of the most fascinating characters was played by a young woman from Israel by the name of Shira Haas. Shira means "singing" or "poetry" in Hebrew. Efrat - Another actress in the film is another Israeli actress named Efrat Dor. Efrat is the Hebrew form of Biblical Ephrath, meaning "fruitful place". Ephrath was not only the name of one of Caleb's wives, it was also the name of the place where Rachel is buried. Iddo - Actor Iddo Goldberg was born in Israel but his family moved to London when he was ten. Before starring

Model Names: Girls, no. 3

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Jorji Zimmatore - America Noa Vermeer - The Netherlands Soekie Gravenhorst - Bonaire (An island in the Dutch Caribbean) Darby Jones - America Wayne Booth - Jamaica Lorna Foran - Ireland Emelyn Bridges - America Leomie Anderson - Britain Somalia Knight - America Veridiana Ferreira Assunção - Brazil Agnes Anjou Olofsson - Sweden Peyton Knight - America Ludivine Dumort - France Bebe Howell - America Frida Melhorn - Germany India Tuersley - Britain Cakie Richardson - America Austria Ulloa - The Dominican Republic Aqua Parios - America Jip Boxstart - The Netherlands Brogan Loftus - Britain Ash Walker - America

On My Mind: 1-30-17

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French actress Suzanne Bianchetti Suzanne - I'm really intrigued by this name here lately, after first coming across it in this post on Jolis P rénoms , and then realizing it was quite popular in France. Could it work over here? Gustaf - I was really pleasantly surprised when I saw this name in this post The Best Gift of Life , where it was this woman, Emelie's, husband's name. Gustaf is an absolute guilty pleasure of mine, and I love seeing it in use. They also have a equally wonderfully named daughter,  Nico Anaïs Rio Belle - she goes simply by her second middle name. Colter - At my job I meet a ton of kids. The other day I met a little boy named Colter (not sure on the spelling). I wonder if it was a family name? Possibly inspired by explorer John Colter? I can only hope it wasn't after a certain Ms. Coulter...

Model Names: Boys, no. 1

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Kit Butler - Britain Elvis Jankus - Germany Lestat McCree - Britain Golo Fischer - Switzerland Marlon Nicolaisen - Germany Oliver Kumbi - Sweden Merlin Watts - Britain Albin Ekblad - Sweden Sven de Vries - The Netherlands Barclay Bram - Britain Flint Louis Hignett - The Netherlands? Sholto Price - Britain Loup-Divi Fayard - France Tuur Sikkink - The Netherlands Ossian Fjordefalk - Sweden Corentin Renault - France Bart Grein - The Netherlands Luis Dzidzornu - Britain Hamilton Seguin - Monte Carlo Keisuke Asano - Japan Chariffe Greaves - Britain Keon Smith - America Senna van Plateringen - The Netherlands Huw Mitchell - Britain

Free to a Good Home: Girls, pt. 2

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Anouk Aimée Anouk - Origin: Dutch and French Gender: Female Meaning: A diminutive of Anna, "favor" or "grace" Pronunciation: ah-NOOK Other forms: Anna, Anke, Anneke, Ninon Combos: Anouk Meraud, Anouk Evangeline, Penelope Anouk, Marianne Anouk, Sophie Anouk Anouk is another one of those "if I was French/Dutch I would totally use that" sort of names. While I think Anouk would fit in swimmingly in America, it's just not for me to use. French actress Anouk  Aimée   was born Nicole  Françoise Florence   Sorya Dreyfus to actor Henri Murray (Henry Dreyfus) and actress  Geneviève Sorya. She made her film debut at age fourteen, playing "Anouk" in La Maison sous la mer , and kept the name. Later, while writing  Les amants de  Vérone specifically for her,   Jacques Prévert suggested she take the last name  Aimée (which means "beloved" in French)  "that would forever associate her with the affective power of her screen roles

Model names: Girls, no. 2

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Vittoria Ceretti - Italy Andie Arthur - America Sora Choi - Korea Priscila Uchoa - Brazil Nova Orchid - Australia Kiki Willems - The Netherlands Odette Pavlova - Russia Roos Abels - The Netherlands Charlene Högger - Germany Malaika Firth - Britain/Kenya Estelle Chen - France Ruth Bell - Britain Nejilka Arias - America Ellen Rosa - Brazil Tess Hellfeuer - Germany Iris Strubegger - Austria Ulrikke  Høyer - Denmark Adut Akech Bior - Sudan Londone Myers - America Zhenya Migovych - Ukraine Gwenola Guichard - France

On My Mind: 1-16-17

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Nolwenn Leroy Nolwenn - This charming Breton name is said to come from the phrase " Noyal gwenn", meaning "holy one from Noyal" (though some claim it means "white lamb"), is one I can't get my mind off of. It would fit in perfectly in America, and is unusual without being too strange. Breton singer Nolwenn Leroy is also beautiful in a mystical, Arthurian way that only adds to name's charms. Ellis - I watched the WWII film "Black Book", which tells the story of Rachel Stein who, in order to survive, starts working for the Dutch resistance under the name of Ellis de Vries. I can't find any information on the name's use among the Dutch but I think it's really lovely. Mahershalalhashbaz and Amatus - I recently watched a clip of actor Mahershala Ali on Jimmy Kimmel talking about the baby he's expecting, and how they want something unique, but maybe not as unusual as their names. They talk some about his name, and ho

August

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The American Girl, August 1935 Yikes, I got sidetracked again! I'm so sorry and I'm definitely finishing these this time! August is the eighth month of the year. Originally called Sextillis , as it was the sixth month of the original Roman calendar, it wasn't until 8 BC that it became the eighth month and was renamed after Augustus . It was a month of many festivals, like Tiberinalia, which honored the god "Father Tiber" or Tiberius, and celebrated agricultural bounty, or Nemoralia, the "festival of torches", which celebrated the goddess Diana Nemorensis or Diana of Nemi , "Diana of the woods". This festival was later adapted into The Feast of Assumption. During August there are several meteor showers that are visible, like the Kappa Cygnids, and the Southern Delta Aquariids, named after the brightest star, Delta Aquarii in the constellation Aquarius. The birthstones of August are peridot and sardonyx, a type of red onyx. Flowers are