The Beauty of Names

Marie Anne de Mailly-Nesle by Jean-Marc Nattier Louise Julie de Mailly, Countess of Mailly - Louis XV - Similar to the Mancini girls (Hortense Mancini was her their great-grandmother), Louise was one of the famous de Nesle sisters, four of whom were mistresses to the King. They were Pauline Félicité, Diane Adelaide, Hortense Félicité, and Marie Anne. Pauline Félicité de Mailly, Marquise of Vintimille - Louis XV - She died of convulsions after giving birth to a son by Louis. Her corpse was mutilated by a mob. Her son, Louis, was said to resemble his father so much that he was called "Demi-Louis" or "small Louis". Diane Adélaïde de Mailly, Duchess of Lauraguais - Louis XV Marie Anne de Mailly, Duchess of Chateauroux - Louis XV Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise of Pompadour - Louis XV - Probably one of the most famous mistresses of all time, she was not only his lover but a trusted advisor. She was not only beautiful but intelligent and accomplished, an...

Hortense Mancini by Jacob Ferdinand Voet I'm so sorry this took so long to post! I had had it written out and then I accidently deleted it and was too lazy to rewrite it until now. I hope you all still enjoy it! Diane d'Andoins - Henry IV Françoise de Montmorency-Fosseux - Henry IV Esther Imbert - Henry IV Antoinette de Pons - Henry IV Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort  - Henry IV - Had children by him named César de Bourbon, duc de Vendome, Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, and Alexandre de Bourbon, Chevalier de Vendôme. Henriette d'Entragues, Marquise de Verneuil - Henry IV - Had children by him named Gaston Henri, duc de Verneuil also known as Henri de Bourbon, and Gabrielle Angelique de Bourbon, Madame Verneuil. Jacqueline de Bueil, Countess of Moret  - Henry IV - Had a son by him named Antoine, Count de Moret. Charlotte des Essarts - Henry IV - Had daughters by him named Jeanne Baptiste, and Marie Henriette. Charlotte Marguerite de ...

"Christmas in America" by Alphonse Mucha I can't believe December is already here! I'm one of those people who absolutely love Christmas and anything associated with it. I'm also so excited it is finally cold- really cold! As we start our countdown to Christmas, here are some names to keep your holiday spirits up. Wintery Names: Eira - Welsh, "Snow" Nicholas Lumi - Finnish, "Snow" Frostine Haukea - Hawaiian, "white snow" Natalie - "Christmas Day" Rudolph Bora (b) - Albanian, "snow" Fannar - Icelandic, "snow drift" Decima/Decimus Noelle/Noel Isolde - Possibly "ice battle" Zuzu - Nickname for Susan; daughter in "It's a Wonderful Life" Yuki - Japanese, "snow" Hollis - English, "holly trees" Gwyneira - Welsh, "white snow" Vetr - Norse personification of winter Nieves - Spanish, "snow" Words: Icy Winter/Wintry Frost ...

Michelle Pfeiffer as Isabeau in "Ladyhawke" I sabeau - I watched a bit of "Ladyhawke" the other day, the cheesy fantasy film with Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer. I love fantasy films, especially the ones made in the 80s and 90s. Isabeau is the name of Michelle Pfeiffer's character, and one I've seen thrown around a lot on name forums. In the film it is said "EE-sah-bo", though it can also be said "IZ-uh-bo". For a historical figure, there is Isabeau of Bavaria, who was Queen of France from 1385-1422.     Manu - I first came across this name on actor Manu Bennett of "Spartacus" fame, who is of Maori descent on his father's side. He says it is a Maori name meaning "bird", and that it is in honor of his uncle who was the Bishop of New Zealand.   Fernway - Going through Lena Horn's filmography, I came across this unusual choice. I'm really loving it, and I think it would make an especially grea...

"Pavonia" by Lord Frederic Leighton Lord Frederic Leighton was an English artist who lived from 1830 to 1896. He was also the bearer of the shortest lived peerage ever; it was a hereditary title, and he had it only one day before he died. Female: Phoebe May Actaea Clytie Psamathe Acme Venus Persephone Nausicaa Andromache Ida Pysche Antigone Sibyl Electra Clytemnestra Andromeda Iphigenia Hero Pavonia (A genus of plants) Male: Icarus Daedalus Septimus Elijah Richard Frederic Dante Perseus Henry Cymon Hercules Agamemnon Alcestis Jonathan David

Origin : French Gender : Female Meaning : Diminutive of Marie Pronunciation : muh-NOH, muh-NAWN, MAN-on Other forms : N/A This is one of those names where I can't decide my feelings on it. I like the way it looks, I like that it is unusual and French, but I'm not sure if I'm keen on the pronunciations. I think the first time I heard it said aloud was when Damian Lewis was talking about his daughter Manon, and he used the "MAN-on" pronunciation, which sounded nice when he said it, but I sound very stilted when I attempt it. Manon is a diminutive for Marie, and is used in France and the Netherlands. The first Manon I think of is from "Manon of the Spring" or "Manon des Sources", the sequel to the critically acclaimed "Jean de Florette". It is about Jean de Florette's daughter who is named Manon after her mother's favorite opera role, "Manon Lescaut". The opera was adapted from the 1731 book by Abbé Prévost, wh...

"Landing of the Pilgrims" by Michele Felice Cornè *I totally forgot to post this yesterday, so here it is a little late. Happy Thanksgiving! Today the post is some of the names of passengers on the Mayflower, both those from the Holland congregation and the London one. Isaac Allerton - Mary Allerton (wife) - Bartholomew Allerton (7, boy) - Remember Allerton (5, girl) - Mary Allerton (3, girl; She was the last passenger of the Mayflower to die) William Brewster - Mary Brewster (wife) - Love/Truelove Brewster (9, boy) - Wrestling Brewster (6, boy) Moses Fletcher Degory Priest Desire Minter Stephen Hopkins - Elizabeth Hopkins (wife) - Giles Hopkins (12, boy) - Constance Hopkins (14, girl) - Damaris Hopkins (1-2, girl) - Oceanus Hopkins (Born during the voyage) William White - Susanna White (wife) - Resolved White (5, boy) - Peregrine White (Boy, born on board in Cape Cod) Humility Cooper Jasper More Elias Storey Roger Wilder