The Beauty of Names

"Ilmarinen Ploughs a Field of Vipers" by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1916 Nella - I'm getting around to reading one of my most anticipated books of the year: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. So far I'm loving it (expect a review on my book blog !) and the name of one of the protagonists -- Nella. I can really see it taking off. It fits in perfectly among the ever popular Ella-Bella crowd and would be an excellent choice for parents looking for an alternative with a similar sound and none of the spotlight. It brings to mind the author Nella Larsen, who famously wrote Passing , which was just made into a film starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. In her case, it was short for Nellallitea! Miskweminanocsqua - November was Native American History month, and I always want to highlight some Native American names, but struggle with my lack of knowledge on them. I feel like I never know if they are legitimate or not, and I would hate to post something that isn't authenti...

Winter is one of my favorite seasons, runner up only to Autumn, and so I have a special affinity for names relating to winter, or snow, or frost! This year I've decided to list some of my favorites from around the world, just in time for Christmas. What are some of your favorite wintry names, and do you see any here? Girls: Aneira - This lovely Welsh name is pronounced "uh-NYE-ruh" and comes the elements an, an intensifying prefix, and eira , meaning "snow". To put it poetically it means "much snow" or "very snowy". Bingbing - Comes from the Chinese bing , meaning "cold, ice". Actress Fan Bingbing is a famous bearer. Drífa - In Norse mythology, Drífa is the daughter of king Snær. Her name means "snowdrift". Flykra - A Faroese name meaning "snow flake". Frostrós - From the Old Norse elements frost , meaning "frost" and  rós , "rose". Used in Iceland. Kaniehtiio - This name is of Kanienʼkehá꞉ka ...

The Thornton-Gosper Family Smokey - Did you see the story about the Australian family that welcomed a new baby while their home was being destroyed by the bush-fires? They named him Smokey Thomas Gosper. They had originally wanted to name him Smokey after an ancestor of the father, Danny Gosper's, who name was Thomas Roker Gosper ( and in honor of their deceased dog). Roker means "smoker" in Dutch, and the mother, Rachael Thornton, felt like it was providence. They have an older daughter as well named Mima. Blu - I'm really excited for "The New Mutants" to come out, it seems like such a fresh take on the superhero genre. One of the main characters, Dani Moonstar, is being played by actress Blu Hunt. She's only 24, and has had roles in "The Originals" and "Another Life", and is of Lakota ancestry. I've always had a soft spot for Blu/e, especially for a girl. From Lowell to Chris - I've been reading Duana Taha's b...