The decline of the middle name...

Here is an interesting article about middle names, which appeared in Adelaide's The Advertiser. Apparently in South Australia last year, one of the biggest naming trends was not giving newborns a middle name. With all the crazy names and spellings out there at the moment, one name is probably enough for many of them anyway! As you would have previously read here on The Naming Game, the most popular middle names for girls are currently Rose and Grace, while for boys it is James and John (in Australia that is).

What are your thoughts about middle names?

Love,
The Name Dame

'Wise Words' about names...

I have a confession to make. I absolutely heart the ABC television programme Can We Help? I particularly like the segment about language with expert linguist Kate Burridge (well I am a writer after all!). On last Friday night's episode, Kate spoke about names! I think that deserves some more !!!!!! She discussed how names are so personal that in some cases they can lose their capital letter and become every day words. Some examples include 'the jack of all trades', and 'a sheila'. I also found it interesting that up to 40 000 English words are based somehow on someone's name. FORTY THOUSAND! I was so excited about this story that I have included the transcript here. You know, just incase you missed the show because you were too busy with Friday night work drinks or something...

Love,
The Name Dame

Naming it up with the World Cup!

Like many Australians, I too have caught World Cup fever. While I'm not usually into soccer, it's hard not to be swept up by all the hype in South Africa. I must admit, I did set my alarm for 4:30am to watch the Socceroos in action against Germany. But let's not go into details about that game...
What I am interested in, however, are some of the soccer stars' names (it is a naming blog after all). Here is a sample, indicating a true international flavour. Enjoy!

ANDRES Iniesta (Spain)
BASTIAN Schweinstieger (Germany)
BRETT Emerton (Australia)
CRISTIANO Rinaldo (Portugal)
DIDIER Drogba (Ivory Coast)
FERNANDO Torres (Spain)
HARRY Kewell (Australia)
LIONEL Messi (Argentina)
LUCAS Neill (Australia)
LUKAS Podolski (Germany)
MARK Schwarzer (Australia)
MESUT Ozil (Germany)
MICGHAEL Essein (Ghana)
MIROSALV Klose (Germany)
PHILIPP Lam (Germany)
STEPHEN Gerrard (England)
THOMAS Muller (Germany)
TIM Cahill (Australia)
WAYNE Rooney (England)
WINSTON Reid (New Zealand)

Go the Socceroos!

Love,
The Name Dame

London Lovelies

London. It's certainly a city I would like to travel to someday. Buckingham Palace, Shakespeare's home, Trafalgar Square, and (of course) Harrods. I also like to peruse London's newspapers online for up-to-date trends on the naming front. I have found that British people are still using traditional and classic names for their children, rather than the type of names some people label as "made up" or "American". Have a look through this latest list, as there may be one that takes your fancy...

Girls
Alice Cecilia
Amelie Rose
Annina Esme Mary
Caroline Marylena
Dixie Tallis
Emelia
Evelyn Franka
Evie Anne
Flora Eleanor
Florence Eve
Grace Ellen
Hazel Frances Carlina
Hermione
Iola Rose
Isla Chloe Rosalind
Isabella Juliet - very pretty.
Jemima - definitely one of my favourite names in this list!
Kate Alexandra Sophia
Lola Blossom
Lottie Constance
Lucy Beatrice
Mercedes Benedicta Eleanora Gold - seriously? A little tacky...
Miranda
Poppy
Rose Eliza Edith
Saffron Charlotte
Scarlett Olivia
Sienna Eden
Sophia Grace
Viola

Boys
Albert James
Benedict Christopher
Conor William
Cosmos Jack
Diamantis Christopher - what the?
Edward William
Ethan
George Oscar John
Hector Anthony Francis - Hector certainly hasn't made an appearance for awhile. It's nice to see it's getting some use!
James Paul Alfred
Magnus
Maximilian Quint Raphael - what a mouthful! Maximilian did appear a couple of times this week.
Mungo Campbell - mango?
Oliver Charles Francis
Oscar Alexander
Otis James Paul
Ptolemy Samuel Tandy - his brother's name is Horatio...
Rafe
Sam Aled Peter
Stanley Harrison
Thomas Patrick
Toby William

Twins
Hugo and Charlotte
George and Isabella

George and Isabella are certainly common in this list. It is also nice to see some 'O' names being used - Oscar, Oliver, Otis, Olivia. My friend Olga, who has a thing for 'O' names for obvious reasons, will be most impressed!

I'll leave you with a photo of Buckingham Palace.

Love,

The Name Dame

Scarlett Fever!

I was talking to my friend, who is a junior primary school teacher, and she told me this year she has three girls in her class with similar names - Scarlet, Scarlett and Scarlette! Talk about confusing! I had a think about her comments, and realised Scarlett is being used more often at the moment. Two of my friends both have a two-year-old Scarlett!

So why does it seem the name Scarlett (or those with similar spellings) is becoming more and more common? It would seem that the ever-popular actress Scarlett Johansson is helping to increase its popularity, particularly in recent years. Or perhaps some are being influenced by old school glamour (Scarlett O'Hara), or even simply admire its meaning (fiery red).

But nothing beats how my friend chose her daughter's name - The Scarlet Bar from television show Neighbours (although she admits to adding an extra 'T' onto the name)!

On another note, congratulations to my friend Amy, who gave birth to Grace Lily, and another friend, Peta, who gave birth to Vienna Lily. Could Lily overtake Grace as the most popular middle name?

Love,
The Name Dame

Some interesting articles...

Newspapers provide a great source for names and naming trends. Here is a small sample of some interesting articles I have read over the past few weeks.

Diamond Sparckle - a child's name was inspired by her mother's iPhone...

Jack and Ella Top Names - although it's rather old (published 2008), it highlights creative spelling as reaching 'epidemic proportions'. What do you think about creative spelling?

SA's most popular names in 2009 - it is interesting to see Charlotte and Jack were the most popular names in SA last year. Would you go with the flow, and name your child Charlotte or Jack? Or would you choose something completely different so your child stands out from the crowd?

Twilight names - the influence of the Twilight saga in naming trends.

WA's most popular names in 2009 - Mia and Jack are the most popular.

Read any other interesting articles about naming trends lately? Let me know!

Love,
The Name Dame

The First of 2010

What will the naming trends of 2010 be? Here is a sample of the latest birth announcements from January 2010!

From Australia, the names so far have included:

Boys
Henry Francis
Henry James
Jack Lindsay Graham
Jacob Joseph - nice alliteration!
Kade Arnel
Koda Ellis - sounds more female than male.
Lachlan Patrick
Leonard Archie
Liam Roy
Luke Christopher
Noah Jackson
Sunny Owen - eek!
Tyler William
Zane Anthony Scott

Girls
Abbey Mackenzie
Alyssa Mia
Claire Nicola
Ella Grace
Emily Rose
Eve Lily
Gizelle Mikayla
Hannah Ann
Harper Lonsdale
Imogen Tamara
Milla Marian
Nakia Louise
Sage Shillin
Siobhan Nell

And presenting a few more names from the UK...

Boys
Albert Francis Mycroft
Alexander James
Auberon Isacc
Caspian George Anthony
Charles Pieter Malcolm
Kian William
Montague Ignatius
Oliver Peter - please sir, can I have some more?
Walter
William Peter Robert

Girls
Alexa Jane
Alice Elisabeth
Alice Esme
Aliena
Anya Grace
Arabella Grace
Cecilia
Evie Grace
Gisele Alethea
Henrietta Karolina
Isabella Ava Mimi - Mimi in Japanese means 'ears'.
Ivy Florence
Jemima Mary Matilda
Kali Violet
Louisa Anna
Marisa Chloe Rosalie
Natalia - how festive!
Orla Margaret
Phoebe
Poppy Sasha Alice
Tabitha
Yuuki

Will unusual names be the major trend this year? And will another name ever replace 'Grace' as the most popular middle name? Why not find out by subscribing to this blog for past, present and future posts?

Love,
The Name Dame

Miracle win at the SCG!

The Australian cricket team pulled off an amazing comeback to beat Pakistan by 36 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) yesterday. With Pakistan set a small total of 176 to chase with 1 and 1/2 days left, the Australians bowled the tourists out for just 139. This unbelievable win certainly deserves a mention on my blog! But, because it is a naming blog and not a sporting one, I thought I would provide you all with a list of the names of the victors, as well as a list of great Australian cricketers.

Yesterday's players included:
Ricky Ponting - The captain of the Australian Cricket Team.
Doug Bollinger
Michael Clarke - The vice-captain, and well-known for his relationship with (I guess you'd call her a socialite) Lara Bingle.
Brad Haddin - The wicket-keeper, who took an amazing one-handed catch yesterday!
Nathan Hauritz
Phillip Hughes
Michael Hussey - The man-of-the-match scored an unbeaten test century to lead the Aussies to victory.
Mitchell Johnson - A favourite among the ladies!
Marcus North - A lovely name for a relatively quiet man.
Peter Siddle
Shane Watson - Made his first test century during this match.

And some of the Australian cricketing legends include:
Allan Border - a famous Australian captain, he held the record of most test runs scored until Brian Lara passed the total in 2005.
Adam Gilchrist - an recently retired Australian wicketkeeper, who also made runs in no time!
Dennis Lillee - a Western Australian fast-bowler.
Sir Donald Bradman - the best player the cricketing world has ever seen.
Glenn McGrath - nicknamed pigeon, Glenn holds the record of number of test wickets taken by a fast bowler. He continues to work for the McGrath Foundation, a charity created with his late wife Jane to raise funds for more breast care nurses. Jane sadly passed away from breast cancer in 2008.
Richard 'Richie' Benaud - now a respected commentator, Richie is just as famous for his beige suits and light pink shirts!
Rodney Marsh - a wicket-keeper who debuted and retired at the same time as Lillee.
Shane Warne - one of the greatest leg spin bowlers in the history of the game. He is also known for many off-field scandals, including marital infidelities and a postitive drug test for a banned substance.
Steven Waugh - one of the most successful Australian captains, he lead his team to 16 consecutive test match wins. He was also named Australian of the Year in 2004. His twin brother Mark also played cricket for Australia.

Bowl yourself over by at least considering these names. Remember, you may be naming the next cricketing legend!

Love,
The Name Dame

Names that mean new

Happy New Year everyone! To tie in with the new year theme, I thought the first post in 2010 should be about names that relate to the start of something new. Most are quite unusual, so if you're after a unique name this may be the list for you!

Aurora - female, Latin for 'dawn'. I like the French alternative Aurore.
Dawn - female. Obvious association here!
Dagny - female, Scandinavian for 'new day'.
Idony - female meaning 'new'. I like the Scottish variant Idonea.
Nasima - female, Arabic for 'fresh air'.
Navin - male, Hindi for 'new'.
Neo - male, Latin for 'new'. Perhaps an alternative for the increasingly popular Leo.
Neoma - female, Greek for 'new moon'. This could be a sly way of dedicating your child's name to Twilight!
Oriana - female, Latin for 'dawn'.
Raanan - male, Hebrew meaning 'fresh'.
Roxanne - female, Persian for 'dawn'. I prefer the similar sounding Roxana, which is Persian for 'little star' and was also the name of the wife of Alexander the Great.
Sahar - female, Arabic for 'dawn'.
Zara - female, Hebrew/Arabic for 'dawn'.
Zelenka - female, Czech meaning 'fresh', 'new' and 'green'.
Zera - female, Hebrew for 'beginnings'.
Zora - female, Slavic for 'dawn's light'.
Zorina - female, Slavic for 'golden dawn'.

And I thought I'd finish this post with a small list of celebrity babies born in late 2009/early 2010. I'm sure these baby names will rise in popularity now that they're good enough for celebrities!

Cheyenne Genevieve - the daughter of rocker Chris Robinson and his wife Allison Bridges. The second child for Robinson, who also has son Ryder Russel with ex Kate Hudson.

Rocko Akira Clapp - son of Johnny Knoxville (Jackass fame) and girlfriend Naomi Nelson. Not really my taste but it will be interesting to see if Rocko takes off like Cruz.

Vida Alves McConaughey - the daughter of  actor Matthew McConaughey and his model girlfriend Camilla Alves. As Matthew announced, Vida is Portuguese for life. A little sister for Levi.

Do any of these names take your fancy?

Happy New Year!

Love,
The Name Dame