The Beauty of Names

Prince Henri and Princess Isabelle Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris  was born Henri Robert Ferdinand Marie d'Orléans to Prince Jean, Duke of Guise and Princess Isabelle of Orléans . He married  Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza. Their children were: Isabelle Marie Laure Victoire, " Princess Isabelle of  Orléans ", later " Isabelle, Countess of Schönborn-Buchheim " Henri Philippe Pierre Marie, " Prince   Henri, Count of Paris, Duke of France " Hélène Astrid Léopoldine Marie, " Princess Hélène of  Orléans ", later " Hélène, Countess of  Limburg-Stirum " François Gaston Michel Marie, " Prince François, Duke of France " Anne Marguerite Brigitte Marie, " Princess Anne of  Orléans ", later " Princess Anne of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Dowager Duchess of Calabria " Diane Françoise Maria da Gloria, " Princess Diane of  Orléans ", later " Diane, Duchess of Württemberg " Michel Joseph Benoît Ma...

Mariana Victoria of Spain Mariana Victoria of Spain was born Mariana Victoria de Borbón y Farnesio to Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese . She married Joseph I of Portugal . Their children were: Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana, later "Maria I of Portugal " Maria Ana Francisca Dorotea Josefa Antonia Gertrudes Rita Joana Efigenia, "Infanta Maria Ana Francisca of Portugal " A stillborn daughter Maria Francisca Doroteia Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana Efigénia, "Infanta Maria Doroteia of Portugal" A stillborn son A stillborn son A stillborn son Maria Francisca Benedita Ana Isabel Antónia Lourença Inácia Teresa Gertrudes Rita Rosa, "Infanta Benedita of Portugal"

Origin: Welsh Gender: Female Meaning: "River Song" or "Deer River" Pronunciation: ay-LON-wee, eye-LON-we Other Forms: N/A Though I was born in 1996, I had a wealth of movies, especially cartoons, dating back much further. All of it was thanks to my parents, who usually got me movies from their own childhood and teen years. One of those older movies was The Black Cauldron , and I remember it being a favorite (and who knows, it may have sparked my love of all things fantasy!). Little did I know then that the movie was based on a book series called the The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. One of the main characters was a Princess named Eilonwy, a name that I've been deeply enchanted by! While many believed Eilonwy to be an invention by Prydain, it actually has roots dating back at least to the 19th century. In a tale by Owen Wynne Jones, known more commonly by his bardic name of Glasynys, Eilonwy is the name of a mermaid's daughter. Another bard, Talha...

The Cottages of Auvers by Paul Cézanne For those that aren't in the know, Cottagecore is a type of style that has taken the world by storm. Here's what the dictionary has to say on the word: "an aesthetic or imagery inspired by an old-fashioned, rural lifestyle, characterized by rustic décor and fashion, a revival of traditional handicrafts, etc.: For many, cottagecore can seem like a respite in our overstimulated world."  Cottagecore is a style I like for myself very much, and reminds me of Little Women + Studio Ghibli , reading by the fireplace, tending to the chickens, wearing vintage clothing and baking endless loaves of bread. Now, I've been pondering what sort of names could fit that style, and these are what I've come up with! What are your thoughts on Cottagecore , and do these names fit it? For similar names to these, check out Names from Brambly Hedge ! Little Women: Alice Alma Amaryllis Aster Autumn Beatrix Billie Blythe Briar Bridget Clover Cora/C...

Infanta Blanca and Archduke Leopold Salvator with their ten children Infanta Blanca of Spain was born to Infante Carlos, Duke of Madrid and Infanta Margherita of Bourbon-Parma, Duchess of Madrid . She married Archduke Leopold Salvator, Prince of Tuscany . Their children were: Maria de los Dolores Beatrix Carolina Blanca Leopoldina, "Archduchess Dolores of Austria" Maria Immaculata Karoline Margarethe Blanka Leopoldine Beatrix Anna, "Archduchess Immaculata of Austria" , called "Mac" Margarita Raineria Maria Antonia Blanka Leopoldine Beatrix Anna Josephina, "Archduchess Margaretha of Austria" , called "Meg" Rainer Karl Leopold Blanka Anton Margarete Beatrix Peter Joseph Raphael Michael Ignaz Stephan, "Archduke Rainer of Austria" . Died age 34 of blood-poisoning. Leopold Maria Alfons Blanka Karl Anton Beatrix Michael Joseph Peter Ignatz, "Archduke Leopold of Austria, Prince of Tuscany" Maria Antonia Roberta Blanka Leopo...

Johnna and one of her daughters ( credit ) Social Media Babies - I've been obsessively scrolling through @emdoodlesandstuff's account on TikTok. She is a name lover like so many of us, and she also makes the most spot-on predictions for celebrities and influencers. It's thanks to her that I came across several interesting influencer baby names! Here are the ones that stood out the most to me: Solveig Heartsong - This is the name chosen by Johnna @foxmeetsbear on Instagram for her fourth daughter! She has a great style, a little cottagecore meets farm-chic, and I think this name is the perfect choice for her. Her other daughters are named Luella, Minoux and Juniper. Zaza Princeton - The Skinny Confidential's founder Lauryn Evarts Bosstick's daughter. She is named after Zsa Zsa Gabor, only based on a mispronunciation of her name. Broederlow Jay - This is JayCee Wall's newest baby. It is her husband's mother's maiden name and they shared they will be calli...

Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad as Elsa of Brabant in Lohengrin , circa 1929 Hello everyone, back again with another of my posts where I suggest alternatives to popular names! Today's choice is Elsa, a name which has always had a bit of popularity, but skyrocketed to fame after Frozen came out in 2013. One of the best qualities of Elsa, in my opinion, is its universality--it's used in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, English and many more countries, making it a great choice for a multilingual family. Elsa is soft but strong, and calls to mind snow and Northern lights. Asta - Short, sweet and full of strength, Asta is a perfect alternative to Elsa. Asta is a Swedish, Danish and Norwegian short form of Astrid, which comes from Old Norse elements  áss, meaning "God", and  fríðr, which means "beautiful" or "beloved". While popular in Denmark, where it sits comfortably at #14, Asta is practically unused in other countries, making it ripe for...

  (From L-R) Rosalind Harris as Tzeitel, Neva Small as Chava and Michele Marsh as Hodel from Fiddler on the Roof When I very first saw Fiddler on the Roof , a 1971 film adaption of the musical based on a series of Yiddish stories written by Sholem Aleicham from 1894 to 1914, I fell in love. History has always been my passion, one my family kept stoked through books and movies. My mother always made sure my sister and I were exposed, especially to films, that would widen our cultural horizons. Ever since then, I've had a love and admiration for the Jewish culture, and of course that love connects to my other passion--names! Combining the two has led to this (very fun for me) post, featuring information about the names of Tevye's five strong-willed daughters. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Here they are, from oldest to youngest: Tzeitel - Origin: Yiddish Gender: Female Pronunciation: SZIGH-tull Meaning: A diminutive of Sarah; "Princess" Other F...

Art by Elsa Beskow Origin: Finnish Gender: Male Meaning: "Bear" Pronunciation: ott-SOH Other Forms: N/A Today's name is a favorite nature name of mine -- Otso! In Finnish mythology, Otso, also sometimes called Ohto, Kontio, mesikämmen (honeypalm), or metsän kuningas (the king of the forest), is a bear spirit that is never given an official name. Some traditions remembered the bear spirit as a relative that fled into the forest and was transfigured by its powers. If a bear was to be killed, a sacred ritual called Peijainen  was performed, wherein a feast was held for a slain animal. It's skull, which was believed to house its spirit, would then be kept in a sacred clearing, where it would bring tributes to it. The bear was the most revered figure in ancient Finnish culture. Throughout history bears have been both worshipped and feared. In several Native American cultures, the bear is a symbol of rebirth because of its long hibernation and eventual re-emergence. I...

Princess Ileana with two of her children ( credit ) HRH Princess Ileana of Romania, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen  was born to Ferdinand I of Romania and Marie of Edinburgh . She married Archduke Anton of Austria , and later Dr. Stefan Nikolas Issarescu . All six of her children are from her first marriage. They are: Archduke Stefan of Austria Archduchess Maria Ileana of Austria , called "Minola" Archduchess Alexandra of Austria, called "Sandi" Archduke Dominic of Austria, called "Niki" Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria, called "Magi" Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, called "Herzi"

Detail from 15th century miniature featuring Timarete Names from The Wolf Den - I recently had the pleasure of reading The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper, which releases on the 29th of this month (look for a review from me around that time on the other blog ). It is set in Ancient Rome, Pompeii to be exact, and follows the life of a prostitute. The main character is given the name Amara (her pimp tells her it is half way between love and bitter -- amare and amarum ), but was born Timarete, in Aphidnai. Timarete means comes from the elements τιμη, meaning "honor, esteem", and ἀρετὴ, which means "virtue or excellence". It is also the name of a famous artist from Ancient Greece, who is sometimes credited as Thamyris. Other characters are Dido, Cressa, Victoria, Beronice, Fabia, Drusilla, Drauca, Attice, Paris, Gallus, Felix, Rufus, and Menander, whose real name is Kallias. Mikey, for a girl - I've always been a huge fan of a boy's nickname for a girl, like Freddie f...

Ronan - Origin: Irish Gender: Male Meaning: "Little seal" Pronunciation: ROW-nahn, ROW-nen Other Forms:  Rónán, Ronen Combos: Nathaniel Ronan, Ronan Tiberius, Wilfred Ronan, Ronan Percival I've been a lover of Irish names my whole life -- I was even gifted a book all about them when I was younger, and marked so many that I wanted to remember (both for future children and pets). So it's no surprise that I am constantly trying to foist Irish names on everybody! Ronan is a favorite of mine and I love that it sounds both soft and strong, with the lovely unisex nickname of Ro. And I think the meaning is adorable: "little seal". It comes from the Old Irish  rón (meaning seal) combined with a diminutive suffix. Recently, Ronan has seen a bit of an uptick in the US; in 2020 it ranked #269. It also has a bonus bit of charm for Catholics -- There are several early Saints named Rónán, one of the most famous being one who built the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th centu...

Wilhemine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia was born Frederike Luise Wilhelmine to Frederick William II of Prussia and Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt . She married William I of the Netherlands . Their children were: Willem Frederik George Lodewijk, " William II of the Netherlands " A stillborn son Willem Frederik Karel, " Prince Frederick of the Netherlands " Wilhelmina Frederika Louise Pauline Charlotte, " Princess Pauline of Orange-Nassau ", or "Polly" - Died at age six A stillborn son Wilhelmina Frederika Louise Charlotte Marianne, " Princess Marianne of the Netherlands "

Anya Taylor-Joy Origin: Russian (Possibly Kurdish, Igbo and Amazigh) Gender: Female Meaning: Diminutive of Anna, "Strength, power", "Eye", "Rhythm, Melody" Pronunciation: AHN-ya, ANN-ya Other Forms: Anna, Hannah, Annushka, Ania, Anouk, Anneke, Annika, Anke, Antje Today's name is that of one my favorite actresses -- Anya Taylor-Joy! She's become a sort of go-to "It Girl" for many directors, and I have no doubt her name will start to receive star treatment, too. Anya is most simply a diminutive of Anna, which comes from the Hebrew Channah , meaning "favor, grace", by way of Russia. It is also said to be an old Kurdish name meaning "strength" or "power", and might mean "rhythm, melody" in the Amazigh languages, and "eye" in Igbo. It's been sporadically on and off the top 1000 since 1980, ranking highest in 2009 at #362 and lowest in 1983 at #996. Currently, it sits in that sweet spot betw...

Kaori Sakamoto, who won bronze for her team As I've mentioned before, I absolutely love watching the Olympics, mostly for all the interesting names! Here are some of the ones I liked the best or found the most unusual at this year's winter games. Have you noticed any that aren't on this list that you think should be? Let me know down below! Men: Aoxibofu Dannisi (China) Beat Feuz (Switzerland) Candy Bauer (Germany) Dorian Hauterville (France) Dusty Henricksen (USA) Emilien Jacquelin (France) Enkhtuul Ariunsanaa (Mongolia) Espen Bjoernstad (Norway) Gael Blondeau (France) Irineu Esteve Altimiras (Andorra) Janosch Brugger (Germany) Korbinian Holzer (Germany) Loan Bozzolo (Norway) Nicolae Ciprian Daroczi (Romania) Peppe Femling (Sweden) Pontus Holmberg (Sweden) Romed Baumann (Germany) Sivert Guttorm Bakken (Norway) Szczepan Kupczak (Poland) Teal Harle (Canada) Uvis Janis Balinskis (Latvia) Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (Norway) Wojciech Chmielewski (Poland) Zbigniew Brodka (Polan...

Today we're going to be focusing on a style I like to call "plucky heroine"; names for girls who are mystery-solvers, whose favorite toy is a microscope and favorite stories feature Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Think Harriet the Spy, Nancy Drew or Flavia de Luce. What do you think of this sort of style? It's personally one of my favorites, and I love the mix of quirky, studious and vintage! Ada Agatha/Aggie Alice Beatrice/Beatrix Bernadette Cora Cordelia/Cornelia Dorothea/Dorothy/Dora Edith/Edie Esme Esther Frances Frieda Harriet Henrietta Hester Iris Ivy Jerusha Josephine Juno Louise/Louisa Lucille Lucinda Mabel Margot Matilda Maxine Millicent Nora Penelope Perdita Petra Susanna/h Theodora/Thea Thomasina Vivian Winifred Zelda

Ferdinand I of Bulgaria Ferdinand I, Tsar of Bulgaria  was born Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold to Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and  Princess Clémentine of Orléans . He married thrice, firstly  Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma , then  Princess Eleonore Reuss of Köstritz , and finally  Alžbeta Brezáková . All of his children were a product of his first marriage. They were: Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver, " Boris III of Bulgaria " Kyril Heinrich Franz Ludwig Anton Karl Philipp, " Kiril, Prince of Preslav " Eudoxia Augusta Philippine Clementine Maria, " Princess Eudoxia of Bulgaria " Nadezhda Klementine Maria Pia Majella, " Princess Nadezhda of Bulgaria "

The mice of Brambly Hedge at the naming ceremony for Poppy's babies Brambly Hedge is a gorgeous series of eight books for children, all written and illustrated by Epping-born Jill Barklem. They feature anthropomorphic animal characters, mostly mice, and they all have such adorable names, so I thought I would list them all here! At the bottom, I added a list of names that I think fall into that Brambly Hedge "style". Bonus question, for fun: if you lived in Brambly Hedge with your mouse family, what would your names be? You can use names I've listed below or from your own imagination! Let me know in the comments. Brambly Hedge Characters: Alf Toadflax Betony Toadflax Clover Toadflax Catkin Toadflax Wilfred Toadflax Teasel Toadflax Lord Quercus Woodmouse Lady Daisy Woodmouse Primrose Woodmouse Dusty Dogwood Poppy Eyebright Rose Dogwood Buttercup Dogwood Pipkin Dogwood Pip Apple Flora "Flo" Apple Basil Brightberry Names inspired by Brambly Hedge: Angelica Aste...

Māori Names - I came across this amazing article in The Guardian  talking about how there has been a resurgence of parents from New Zealand using Māori names, especially within the past ten years. It's a fascinating read and one that will interest anybody with a love for names. Two babies are featured in the article, one is named Ruataupare Te Ropuhina Florence Whiley-Whaipooti and the other is called Hinekōrako. The latter's father had this to say about choosing her name: "Hinekōrako’s name came to Dice as he was navigating a waka, a large traditional Māori sailing vessel, from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands back to Aotearoa. 'It was coming up to midnight. We came into a little storm. The temperature had dropped … there was thunder … Once we got through the storm we all turned around and just behind us there was this massive white rainbow … It was a lunar rainbow.'" “'I told our navigator about it and he goes’ 'oh yeah, that’s a tohu (sign), that’s Hi...

Nara and Lucky Blue Models Lucky Blue Smith and his wife, Nara Pellman, have welcomed their second child together, a boy they named Slim Easy Smith. Their other child is a girl named Rumble Honey. Lucky Blue has another daughter from a previous relationship named Gravity Blue.