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