The Beauty of Names

I just saw "Jupiter Ascending" and while it was not a cinematic masterpiece it was exactly what I wanted it to be: fun. It was great to just go and see something and not have to worry about taking it too seriously. It also had an abundance of weird and wonderful names, though I think my favorite is undoubtedly that of the heroine, Jupiter Jones. Women: Kalique Abrasax Diomika Tsing Gemma Chatterjee Razo Aleksa Nino Famulus Katharine Dunlevy Jupiter Jones Kiza Irina Lyudmila Men: Titus Abrasax Vladie Maximilian Jones Caine Wise Nesh Phylo Percadium Greeghan Stinger Apini Balem Abrasax Ibis Chicanery Night Malidictes Vassily Bolotnikov Zeno Falque Moltka Dante Rothemere

 Aubrey Beardsley I think, in our day and age, we should be able to reclaim some names for the boys that have been previously taken over by girls. Some of these are also pretty genderless, like Wren or Rowan, but seem to be exclusively used for girls, which I think is a shame. Which ones do you think could be used again, or should start being used? Which ones are lost forever? Aubrey Emerson/Emery Mackenzie Ashley Robin Teagan Sawyer Rory Hadley Shannon Amory Eden Cassidy Rowan Sidney Madison Hollis Marlowe Arden Monroe Kelly Wren Sage Phoenix Nikita Greer/Grier Loren Sascha Quinn Francis Kennedy Page Leigh/Lee Cary

Mimi Thorisson Marie-France - I've recently discovered the blog of Mimi Thorisson , mother to seven kids, cookbook author, and caretaker of fourteen dogs. The blog is full of beautiful photos of food and her life, taken by her husband photographer Oddur Thorisson, who is Icelandic. Mimi is really Marie-France Valentine, possibly one of the prettiest names I have heard. And her kids? Mia, Hudson, Louise, Audrey (middle name May), Gaïa (middle name Johanna), and step-kids Gunnhildur and Thorir (or Þórir). Sindri - Moving on to more Icelandic names. I was doing a bit of research on Bjork, and discovered her kids have really great names; her son Sindri Eldon Þórsson and daughter Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney. Sindri means "sparkling" in Old Norse, and in mythology was the name of a dwarf who made magical objects for the Gods with his brother, and the name of the hall were the good would go after Ragnarök. Florestine - This is one I've never seen before. Princess Fl...

Robie and Rosamund With already one child with her boyfriend Robie Uniacke, a boy named Solo, I was highly anticipating the name she would choose for her next. Well, she's finally revealed that his name is Atom. (I kind of like them!)

Lucy's Room I'm back with one of my favorite series, names from Apartment Therapy! Girls: Ninka Elizabeth Juniper Essley Cora Eva (Sister to Owen) Nina James Finley and Juniper Alessandra (Sister to Adriano) Colette Ruby Blythe Elise Pearl Vivian Rooney Frances Lucy James Julip Boys: Jasper Noah Owen (Brother to Eva) Jack Felix Mika Dylan Jagger Waits Conrad Adriano (Brother to Alessandra) George León Archer Mac Kingston Rock Holden Milo and August Xavier Max and Lincoln Boris Hudson Noah's Room

"Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel" by John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent was a leading painter of portraits during his time, and painted the famous "Madame X", showing the pale, red haired Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau in a black dress, the strap having fallen down her shoulders. It caused a great scandal, leaving the model humiliated as well as Sargent, though it may have helped further his career in America and Britain. He lived from 1856 to 1925. Female: Elsie Rosina Beatrice Mabel Veronica Nancy Ruth Dorothy Caroline Ena Leonora Emily Gladys Suzanne Flora Betty Rachel Mary Catherine Ana Sylvia Elizabeth Helen Olivia Gigia Edith Louise Ida Alice Frances Winifred Margaretta Essie Florence Adele Claire Annabel Caroline Rose Marie-Louise Gretchen Ruby Cicely Mathilde Sybil Cara Alexandra Teresa Rose-Marie Henrietta Maud Etta Marie-Louise Sally Theo Ada Millicent Judith Char...

"Atlas and the Hesperides" by John Singer Sargent Origin : Greek Gender : Male Meaning : "Not enduring" Pronunciation : AT-les Other forms : N/A Atlas is one of my favorite mythological names for boys, and I'm not alone; Edward Norton just chose it for his son, and Anne Heche chose it for her's back in 2009. Although the story is not an especially cheery one, it is still not as morbid as a lot of Greek myths. Atlas comes from the Greek prefix α , which was negative, and tlao , meaning "to endure". Atlas was a Titan and is sometimes credited as the son of Iapetus, also a Titan, and the Oceanid Asia, or Clymene; other times he is the son of Aether and Gaia. He was punished for siding with the Titans during the war against the Olympians, and while the others were sent to Tartarus, Zeus sent him to the western edge of the Earth where he was to hold up Uranus, Father Sky, and keep him from Gaia or Mother Earth, who was his mother and wife. Som...