Lavinia

 

Italian actress Lavinia Longhi, who looks just like my mom

Lavinia (lah-VIN-ee-ah) is a Latin name possibly meaning "purity," but the name is so old that no specific meaning can be given. It could simply mean "woman from Lavinium," which was an ancient town in Rome/more ancient than Rome/Etruscan. Lavinia was known as the "Mother of Rome." In Virgil's Aeneid, Lavinia was betrothed to a man named Turnus, King of the Rutuli, but when the hero Aeneas came to town her father, King of the Latins, changed his mind and wanted Lavinia to marry Aeneas. The two men then fought for her hand, but Aeneas won. Aeneas then built the town of Lavinium for her. Shakespeare had Lavinia as a character in Titus Andronicus, but her story is an unfortunate one not worthy of repeating and not true to Virgil's Lavinia. Ursula le Guin later wrote more in depth about their relationship in her 2008 novel Lavinia. And she's been a character in many more stories, including The Hunger Games. In all likelihood, Lavinia was probably created to explain how the town of Lavinium came to be.

Aristocrats used this name in medieval times, then it boomed in the 18th century, which is now why Lavinia is considered very vintage. Back then it could be found in various forms, from Louvenia to Lovina. Vinnie could be one nickname, but Lavie gives it more of a European flair. Lavinia probably ranked well before 1880 when records started being kept as we know them today, but she was officially on the charts between 1880 (starting at #360 and the highest ranking she had) and 1929 (never to be seen again). In 2011 the name Lavinia was given to 39 baby girls, not including various other spellings. This mythological Victorian name is ready for a comeback! (Think: Olivia, less popular.)

Cordelia

 

Princess Cordelia Abidaoud and Hilary Clinton

Today's headline: "Grab it while it's hot!" If the amount of labels under this post are any indication, Cordelia's a modestly rising, historically rich, beautiful trend-setter. The first time I saw Cordelia (kor-DEEL-ya, kor-DELL-ee-uh) was in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and I'm sure most people in my age bracket can say the same. However, these days I'm seeing the name everywhere online. It's become a very popular option for new parents, and has a long list of namesakes, both in real life, literature and media. From the comic book character Cordelia Swan to the real life Phoenician princess Cordelia Abidaoud, it should be a lot of fun looking through all the various Cordelia's out there, past and present. Nameberry reports that two "Babyberries" named Cordelia were born just recently.

Cordelia is a Latin name most likely meaning "heart," from the names Cordula (as in Saint Cordula) and/or Creiddylad, although Creiddlad supposedly has a meaning that relates to the sea according to this source. Cordelia last ranked in 1950. Our records start in 1880, when it ranked at #204, which was it's highest recorded placing and suggests that she once ranked even higher. The short name Delia comes from Cordelia, as do the longer names Cordelle, Cordella, Cordellia and Cordia. In 2011 the name was given to 177 baby girls, the largest amount ever given. Nicknames do not have to be limited to Cordy - Cora, Corda, Delia, Della, Coco, Lia and Cory can be nicknames as well.

Cordelia dates back to about 1100 AD. From King Lear she was the sympathetic daughter, the youngest, and her father's favorite. The two other daughters have less desirable names - Goneril and Regan, and are also dishonest and greedy. Cordelia is killed at the end of the original play, but has reconciled with her father. Cordelia of Britain was a legendary and brave queen often confused with the character from the play because her father's name is Leir, and although there are bold similarities, the story line is much different, and is the original story Shakespeare and Spencer based their versions of King Lear on. She supposedly ruled around the late 8th century. Early Welsh mythology has their own Cordelia, spelled Creiddylad. In these stories she is a lady in King Arthur's court, and said to be the most beautiful girl in the British isles. Two of Arthur's knights fight for her for eternity. Creiddylad has been compared to Persephone and her story compared to the Holly King myth. I mention Creiddylad also because some scholars believe Geoffrey of Monmouth based his Queen Cordeilla on Creiddylad, and Shakespeare on Monmouth's queen. Other scholars believe he took the name from Hollished's Chronicles, where the name originally came from Monmouth anyway. Supposedly, Cordelia was not used as a given name until Shakespeare's play.

Cordelia also features in Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and Cordelia by Winston Graham. In real life, the town of Cordele, Georgia was named for Cordelia Hawkins, daughter of the president of SAM railroads, and there was an American suffragist, philanthropist and physician named Cordelia Agnes Greene in the 19th century. In 2005, a woman named Cordelia Scaife May was recognized as "the single most generous person in the United States." One last mention is that Anne of Green Gables wanted to be called Cordelia.

Other than Saint Cordelia, this is also a moon of the planet Uranus, the name of an asteroid, and a genus of butterfly.

Clary

 

There's a lot of fuss over Clare/Claire and Clara/Claira, but Clary (KLAIR-ee) first caught my eye when news came that Adele had a baby, and Clary was the name of the father's ex. I'm still not sure what Adele named her baby, but Clary remains a fascinating name. It is a variant of Claire, meaning "bright, clear, famous" and is the name of the clary sage plant, a member of the mint family known for thriving in adverse conditions. Clary has also been used as a surname, some from the Irish surname McClary, others from being herb-sellers or living near places where clary sage grew. One such namesake was Desiree Clary, the ex-fiancee of Napoleon. She became queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIV John.

Claire has a good deal of variants that some are not familiar with. Claritza, Claribel, Clarice, and Clarette stand out, as well as Clary, which may have started as a nickname. There is also a possibility Clary was its own name, used since medieval times like other y-ending names, or from the Old English word sclarea. There were no girls named Clary born in the U.S. recently.

Get ready to spot Clary in the near future - it's the name of the heroine in Mortal Instruments, the book series-turned-new movie (February).

Philippa

 

Is it any coincidence Phillipa and filly have the same sounds? Maybe (since filly comes from Old Norse), but Phillipa does mean "lover of horses" in Greek, composed of philos (friendly love) and hippos (horse). It is the feminine version of Phillip/Philip, brought back to life in the 19th century. However, it seems Phillipa has never charted in the U.S. The strange thing is, everyone around the world was introduced to Pippa Middleton during the royal wedding coverage, and Philippa has been ever fashionable in England, but Phillipa was only used 10 times in 2011 in the U.S., the spelling Philippa used 53 times, Pippa used 69 times, and Felipa 8 times. That's pretty rare for a name everyone was raving about. But chances are these names will be used more in 2012, since the numbers did rise from 2010, when there were only 25 Phillipa's and 16 Pippa's born.

As for pronunciation, fil-LEE-pah is the most common, fil-IPP-ah the second most common, although it seems to make more sense phonetically that the spelling Philippa would make for a fil-IPP-ah pronunciation, and the spelling Phillipa would mean a fil-LEE-pah pronunciation. FILL-ip-ah is the third most common pronunciation. Pippa can be a nickname to either, as well as Flip or Filly/Philly. Pippa Middleton spells her full name Philippa. Both Pippa and Philippa have been used for literary characters: Robert Browning's poems "Pippa's Song" and "Pippa Passes," Libba Bray's character in "A Great and Terrible Beauty," "Pippi Longstocking," and a book by Rebecca Miller that Brad Pitt turned into a movie, "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee." Any spelling with an F - Filippa, Fillipa, Fillia, Fillipina, etc, and the variant Phillipine, Felepita, and Pelipa, are exceptionally rare.

 

In medieval times, Philip was fairly unisex, so the spelling Phillipa/Philippa, on paper, was used to determine which were female. Philip and Philippa also carried a note of wealth, as one had to be wealthy in order to own a horse or participate in horse related activities, which was true even in ancient Greece. One of the earliest namesakes was Philippa of Hainault (above), the queen consort of King Edward III of England, whose coronation was in 1330. There is some beautiful artwork of her and a story, "The Uncrowned Queen" by Anne O'Brien. She was well loved by her people, known for her kindness and compassion. She was also an excellent leader, serving as regent from time to time. Her name is a perfect example of Phillip being a unisex name at the time, because she was best known as Phillipe, not Phillipa. Fun fact: Chaucer's wife may have been named for Philippa of Hainault. A second medieval namesake was Philippa of Lancaster, queen consort of Portugal. She was born into royalty in England one decade after Philippa of Hainault died. Her marriage to King John I of Portugal secured the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, and her children became so famous that they were known as the "Illustrious Generation." You can also find the name Philippa on a Duchess and a Countess.

Saint Philippa was martyred and crucified along her her son, Theodore, and others during the reign of Elagabalus, a Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. Blessed Philippa Mareri was strongly influenced by St. Francis and lived as Mother Superior in a covent in Italy. Blessed Philippa de Chantemilan and Blessed Philippa of Gheldre both lived in the late 1400s.

This name could appeal to those who like Lidia, Lydia, Portia, Phoebe, Fiona and the like, while Pippa could appeal to those who like Piper, Pepper, Poppy, or Fifer.

Zenobia

 

Queen Zenobia's Last Look Upon Palmyra by Herbert Schmalz

Here is an appellation that name lovers and history buffs can't stay away from. Zenobia (zen-OH-bee-ah) is a Greek name that is often listed as meaning "life of Zeus, strength of Zeus" due to the components zen, zeno, (Zeno being the poetic name of Zeus), and bia, meaning "strength." The etymology seems a bit forced in this case, but Nook of Names has a different suggestion:

Zenobia — although interpreted as “life of Zeus” in Greek, the name is probably from the Palmyrean form of Arabic Zaynab, the name of a fragrant flowering plant, as the original Zenobia was a 3rd C Queen of Palmyra who defied the Romans. Although she was ultimately defeated, she was said to have lived out her days in Rome as a respected philosopher and socialite. Used since the 16th C, but always a rarity. (Source)

Zaynab means "desert flower" or "ornamented tree" in Arabic. Wikipedia suggests Zaynab is an altered form of Zenobia, not the other way around. Her Aramaic name was Bat-Zabbai, meaning "daughter of Zabbai," and this is how she signed her name every day, although she was also known as Septimia Zenobia after her marriage, and Julia Aurelia Zenobia to the Romans, as tradition to reflect her father's and family's name. Although, Zenovia seems to be the Latin form. The Semitic name Zabbai means "gift of God."

British Baby Names says more on her name, that Zenobia is composed of zen, as stated above, and bios, meaning "life." Therefore it is safe to say zen + bia = "strength of Zeus," and zen + bios = "life of Zeus." Bat-Zabbai and Zainab (Zaynab) being the Aramaic family clan name of disputed meaning. It is said Zenobia was a Hellenistic transcription of the Aramaic name, and she was almost definitely of Arabic descent. Her relation to Cleopatra is only rumor and cannot be proved. Zenobia believed she was a descendant of Cleopatra Thea through Drusilla of Mauretania. Through Drusilla's grandfather, Zenobia would also be a descendant of Dido from Carthage.

 

Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra by Warwick Goble 

Zenobia, born 240 AD, the second wife of King Septimius Odaenathus, was a 3rd century queen of Palmyra, ruling the Palmyrene Empire in Roman Syria after the death of her husband. Zenobia expanded the territory as an independent ruler, captured Egypt and Anatolia, was able to speak four languages, and was well loved by her country. In fact, she was known as the "Warrior Queen," which is charming, considering an obvious nickname is Zena, as evidenced in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. If it isn't obvious, the reference implied is "Xena, Warrior Princess." Queen Zenobia was most famous for leading a revolt against the Roman Empire, and as stated above, was defeated in 274 AD, which thus ended her career. Emperor Aurelian took her as a hostage, but rumor has it she was able to live the rest of her life peacefully, and possibly in luxury as a socialite. Her cause of death is not known for sure. Some say she died soon after her capture, others say she married a senator and had several daughters. You can read more about her life and capture in these translated diary entries, which I did not find out if they were accurate, but still a fun read.

 

Zenobia Captive by Sir Edward Poynter

There are two other well known namesakes of Zenobia. The first is St. Zenobia, who was martyred with her brother St. Zenobios, for their religion. The second is Princess Zenobia, wife of Prince Rhadamistes of Iberia, who lived in the 1st century, around 50 AD. The two were cousins, and although Rhadamistes was a valiant man at first, he turned into a murderer and vicious ruler. They became King and Queen of Armenia after the murder of Zenobia's father and brothers, yet Zenobia remained loyal. After enemies attacked Armenia, a pregnant Zenobia and her husband fled the kingdom, and unable to bear the long ride, and afraid of being captured, Zenobia begged Rhadamistes to kill her. He stabbed her and left her behind, b ut she survived and was saved by shepherds, who took her to the court of Tiridates, where she was received kindly. Her husband returned to his father and was beheaded. This Zenobia's tale was retold by the Roman historian Tacitus, then made into a play called Zenobia in 1761.

Three lesser-known namesakes include comedienne/actress Tina Fey's daughter Alice Zenobia, Zenobia Powell  Perry, a composer, and author Zenobia Camprubi Aymar. The name also features in other literature, include The Blithdale Romance, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1852, and The Hour of the Dragon (also known by Conan the Conqueror) by Robert E. Howard in 1935. Most recently, Amazon currently sells Zenobia - Birth of a Legend by Russ Wallace, which is about the Queen of Palmyra. It has strong reviews. There was also a 1939 film titled "Zenobia," in which Zenobia is an elephant, a 1975 film called "Madame Zenobia," and Anita Ekberg played Zenobia in the 1959 film "The Sign of Rome."

A non-person namesake is Zenobia pulverulenta, a pretty white-blossomed plant as shown below, a clothing line, and the name of a ship. Do some digging and Zenobia pops up in quite a few places. It's even the name of a hotel and a ballet.

 

Nook of Names and British Baby Names tell us Zenobia was used sparingly until the 16th century, and then rarely until the 19th century, including variant forms such as Senobia. In 2011 there were only 22 baby girls named Zenobia in the U.S., and in 2010 there were 18, plus 7 named Zenovia. It ranked low on the charts every few years, on and off, between 1881 and 1925. Zinovia is also a rarely used variant.  Zenaida and Zinaida are related names. Zenobia's name day is October 30th.

One more fun read on Zenobia as a mistaken "black" name can be found at Zenobia: Empress of the East, since I am rapidly running out of room for this post. And be sure to Google more artwork of Zenobia, as there was a bit too much for this baby name blog to hold.

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Once Upon a Time Baby Names

The TV show Once Upon a Time is setting two different trends right now: 1) fashion trends (the main character's jackets are constantly being talked about) and 2) baby names. Fans have been looking forward to season 2, which began yesterday. From this first episode we are introduced to Mulan, Aurora (sleeping beauty), and Sleeping Beauty's Prince Phillip.

A lot of thought went into character names for this show. Emma Swan is the main character, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming aka James aka David Nolan. Emma is played by Jennifer Morrison, Snow White aka Mary Margaret Blanchard is played by Ginnifer Goodwin, and Charming is played by Josh Dallas. Ms. Swan's story involves a son she gave up for adoption when she was young, and that son had been adopted by the Evil Queen, Regina Mills. Emma's son Henry is played by Jared S. Gilmore, and Regina is played by Lana Parrilla.

Here's a little on the name meanings:
Emma - a royal name in medieval England, "entire, all, universal"
Swan - ...swans are white, carries on the fantasy surname
Mary Margaret - a double name of Biblical Virgin Mary and Saint Margaret to fit her pure character, Mary means "star of the sea" (and alternate meaning is "rebellion") and Margaret means "pearl," (as in "pearl-white")
Blanchard - surname, "white" and "brave, strong"
James - the name of a king, "he who supplants" (in reference to replacing the previous James in the show)
David - the name of a king, "beloved"
Nolan - "champion"
Regina - "queen"
Henry - another royal name, "home ruler"

Other characters:
Mr. Gold aka Rumplestiltskin
Kathryn Nolan, David's wife aka Princess Abigail
Sheriff Graham aka the huntsman
Archie Hopper aka Jiminy Cricket
August Booth aka Pinocchio
Ruby aka Red Riding Hood
Sidney Glass aka the Magic Mirror
Jefferson aka Mad Hatter
Marco aka Geppetto
Ashley Boyd aka Cinderella
Nova, a fairy
and Belle

Also, if anyone knows how to make blog buttons, I'm trying to learn how.

Name Interview with Ingrid

What is your name? 
Ingrid.

What decade were you born in? 
Late 90's.

How did you get your name?
My parents wanted a Norwegian name, and they eventually settled on Ingrid.

How did you feel about your name growing up?
I'm still a teenager, but I like having an unusual name.

How do you feel about your name now?
The same, I guess.

If you have any kids, what are their name(s)? 
No kids. :)

What is the name of your best friend?
Katarina.  Occasionally Kit-Kat.

What are some common names for your age group?
Emily, Hannah, Caitlin, Mackenzie...

If you had to give yourself a new first name, what would it be?
Either Theadora or Hermione!

Of the kids you've met most recently, which are your favorites and least favorites?
I know a Aurora who's a toddler. I really like that name a lot.

What are your favorite names at the moment?
Theadora, Genevieve, Isadora, Lumina, Rosalia, Hermione, and Lavender.

What advice would you give expecting parents looking for the perfect name?
Remember to look everywhere--from street names to name websites to people you know.  You never know how you'll find the perfect name.

Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid is a Scandinavian girl's name meaning "Ing's beauty" or "beautiful Ing," in Old Norse. Ing (modern Inga is more popular) was the Old Norse goddess of the earth's fertility. She would ride over the land each year to get it ready for spring planting. The goddess Ing's name was apparently a trancription of Freyr, an important Old Norse god, or she was his ancestor. The name's popularity can be traced back to the "queen mother" of Denmark named Ingrid. This Queen of Denmark and Princess of Sweden's full name was Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta. Currently, there is a Princess Ingrid Alexandra in Norway, heir apparent. There was also Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, an astronomer, and a noble woman named Ingrid Ylva, known as the White Witch. Inga would make a nice nickname, and Astrid the perfect sister.

Today, the most well known namesake is Ingrid Bergman, an actress from Sweden. Ingrid was a character used in Janet Fitch's novel White Oleander, and a children's book called Ingrid and the Wolf. A quick search indicated that it was not a character in The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson (that was Gerda), as other baby name sites have suggested.

The name Ingrid has ranked on the U.S. top 1000 every year since 1913, starting low at #934, going up to #456 in 1946, then #404 in 1966, and ending back down at #856 in 2011. There were 305 baby girls given the name Ingrid in 2011. Five different spellings of Isabelle ranked above it, as well as Ivy, Iris, Imani, Isla, Isis, Itzel, Irene, Iliana, and Ivanna. Whitepages tells me that Ingrid was most popular in 1967, where I have it as 1966. It also says Ingrid was introduced in the 20th century and that 41,189 people living in the U.S. have this name, 47% between the ages of 30 and 54. 26% are under 12, 13% over 55, and 13% between 13 and 29. There were 21 baby girls named Inga in 2011.

Andromeda

Perseus and Andromeda by Anton Raphael Mengs

Andromeda is a name that most people admire, but find too unusual or extreme to use in real life, therefore they put it away on their "guilty pleasures" list of names they're not brave enough to use. Which is a shame, really, since it's such a gorgeous mythological gem. But I do agree, it does come on strong, which is why it's on my own GP list. I have thought an easy and accessible nickname would make it more useable, though.

Nickname possibilities: Andie, Anna, Anne, Annie, Andra, Andrea, Dru, Dre, Drama, Mei/Mae, Meda

There were 31 baby girls given the name Andromeda in 2011 (only 5 were given the name of her mother, Cassiopeia) and only 20 named Andromeda in 2010.

The Rock of Doom by Edward Burne-Jones

So many are familiar with Andromeda's tale: her mother, Queen Cassiopeia (another great name, meaning "she whose words excel"), was arrogantly proud of her daughter's beauty and boasted that she and Andromeda were both more beautiful than the Nereids. Poseidon, god of the sea, demanded King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia sacrifice their daughter to a sea monster named Cetus as punishment for Cassiopeia's vanity and arrogance, or else he would destroy their country, Aethiopia (Ethiopia). After hesitating and visiting the Oracle, they eventually tied Andromeda to a rock at the seashore, awaiting her demise to save the country. Perseus, who had just finished killing Medusa, was riding home on his horse Pegasus when he came upon Andromeda chained to the rock. He figured out what was going on and rescued Andromeda by killing the sea monster, supposedly in disguise. Then Perseus married Andromeda, which was the second great thing to happen after he saved her, since she was promised in marriage to her uncle Phineus. In fact, Phineus was so angry about this that he came to the wedding, and as an end result, he was turned to stone by the gorgon Medusa's head (which Perseus either just had lying around or became part of his shield as depicted in the art). They traveled around, Perseus saved more people, and they had seven sons and two daughters, none with names worth mentioning. (Sorry.) They say Perseus is the ancestor of the Persians, since his children (the family of the Perseidae) kept rule over Mycenae for such a long time. As for Andromeda, when she died, Athena turned her into a constellation in the northern sky, next to her mother and husband. Other characters turned constellations include the sea monster Cetus, her father King Cepheus, the winged horse Pegasus, and even the mother of Perseus, Danae.

Perseus and Andromeda by Gustave Moreau

They say there is a place in Jaffa, Tel Aviv where Andromeda was really chained to the rocks. Her story is still the subject of great art to this day, including movies. I also want to comment on the fact that she had a good relationship with her mother despite the horrible outcome of her mother's actions. Cassiopeia was not a bad person, just proud. However, Poseidon made her into a constellation with the specific torment of being tied to a chair, upside down half the time.

Perseus and Andromeda by Joachim Wtewael

From Rare Fairy Tales

Prunella - Prunella & Bensiabel, whom she marries.

Melisande - Malevola (who is in this story is supposed to also be Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and cursed the grandmother of Melisande), Fortuna, Florizel (the Prince)

The Beautiful Catharinella

The White Cat (my favorite) - Blanchette

The Fair Angiola - Angiola

Persinette

Petrosinella

All stories mentioned can be found here.

Melusina, Melusine

Jessie Bayes, The Marriage of La Belle Melusine

Before 2011 I had never heard the names Melusine or Melusina before, which is weird since Starbucks is so popular and the legend is more well known and widespread than I could have guessed. Maybe it's because I'm American, the the legend is more well known abroad? I've found that these legends are usually specific to Northern Europe. Anyway, Melusine is the mermaid featured on the logo of Starbucks, although sometimes the Starbucks mermaid is simply referred to as the twin-tailed siren or alchemical siren, and the image has been altered a few times from its original form (see this). She is a fresh water spirit, including rivers and springs, sometimes half fish and sometimes half serpent, occasionally with wings, and occasionally considered a fairy. She appears on many Coats of Arms because she was supposedly the water spirit from the Vistula River in Poland who identified the place to build for Boreslaus (Boleslaw) in Masovia in the 13th century.

Jean d'Arras wrote an extensive literary musing of Melusine around 1382 based on oral tales. In these stories her mother was Pressyne, discovered by a Scottish king, and they were married. When the king disobeyed her marriage condition - not to view her giving birth or bathing their three female triplets, she left the kingdom for Avalon. Melusine and her sisters Melior and Palatyne grew up in Avalon, later taking revenge on their father (who would be mad that they grew up in Avalon???) but their mother punished them, and this is how Melusine took on the shape of a mermaid (half serpent or half fish). Later, similar to her mother's tale, Melusine is discovered by a man named Raymond of Poitou and he proposes marriage. Melusine agrees upon the same condition her mother laid out, and she builds them a castle overnight with her magic. Raymond (of course) breaks his promise and sees her true form (on a Saturday), but she forgives him until he insults her in court. She takes the shape of a dragon, leaves him two magic rings, and flees. Melusine was considered the Queen of Columbiers. In Sir Walter Scott's version, Melusine's husband is named Guy de Lusignon, Count of Poitou. In all version mentioned thus far, Melusine and her mother seem very family oriented, and Sir Walter Scott even mentions that Melusine protects her descendants. In some versions she would act like an Irish banshee, warning her descendants that their death was near.


This tale is very similar to that of Lamia and makes me wonder if every European culture had their own version of this tale. Other notable mentions: Martin Luther called her a succubus, and meluzina in Czech refers to a gust of wind heard through the chimney, said to be the wailing of Melusina looking for her children.

Julius Hubner - Melusine

The legend above was so influential that it became connected to Luxembourg through Guy de Lusignon, and in 1997 Luxembourg issued a postage stamp for her. (A few very powerful royals have tried to claim Melusine was their ancestor, including Eleanor of Aquitaine, being that she descended from Raymond of Poitou's line.) In fact, the name Melusine may come from mere lusigne, meaning "mother of the Lusignans," although some believe it came from the Latin mal lucina, meaning "dark light," possibly in reference to Juno, which would make the siren-fairy-mermaid older than medieval times or at least connect Melusine to similar Greek and Roman myths, perhaps Lamia or the sirens.


Additionally, there is the Tour Melusine in Vouvant, the keep of a former castle of the Lords of Lusignan, that locals believed was truly built by Melusine. Other than that, there have been various sculptures and engravings of twin-tailed sirens internationally, including the exterior of the Lapidary Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and one in my hometown at a restaurant (The B.O.B.).

Other than the myths, there was Countess Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg of Walsingham, the illegitimate daughter of Ehrengard Melusine, Baroness von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal and Munster, Princess of Eberstein (among other titles), mistress of King George I of Great Britain. It is widely believed her middle name of Melusine was given in reference to the Melusine legends. Petronilla was named for her grandmother Petronelle Oddie de Schwenken. Besides Petronilla Melusina, Ehrengard Melusine also had two other daughters, Anna Luise Sophie and Margaret Gertrude. King George did have a wife, Sophia, whom he had two daughters with, but they both preferred the attention of others. After Sophia's lover was murdered for fear of scandal, their marriage was dissolved, Sophia was imprisoned for more than thirty years until she died. It is unfortunate to know he merely died of a stroke at 67.

There is also a main belt asteroid named 373 Melusina (as almost all things in space are named after mythological figures or Shakespearean characters), a Belgian comic book, a song called Melusine by a metal band called Leaves' Eyes, an animation company called Melusine Productions, and quite a few literary references, including Melusine by Sarah Monette, Lady of the Rivers by Phillipa Gregory, The Fair Melusina by Felix Mendelssohn, The New Melusine by Goethe, The Wandering Unicorn by Manuel Mujica Lainez, and Possession by A.S. Byatt. Many stories told of Melusine can be seen as the medieval opinion on female sexuality and the duality of women.

Melusine by Maxine Gadd

This might have been my longest post so far, so I'll end it by suggesting that spelling the name Melusine or Melusina is a personal choice and that there would be little difference in getting your point across - the connection to the legends would still be obviously recognizable, and both have been used countless times without too much favor falling on one or the other. There were no babies born in 2010 or 2011 named Melusine or Melusina. Also, there's a little more information and pictures if you hunt for it.

Gwen

This post has been edited on August 24, 2012.
I'll be blunt. I am at a point where I love Guinevere and Gwendolen so much, as individual names, that if I have to see Gwen as a nickname for Guinevere one more time, I'll scream. I understand that Guin and Gwen share the same root, but the spelling for each nickname is so different, and Guin is pronounced gwin, and Gwen, obviously gwen. It's not Gwenivere, thanks, and no better than smushes. Gwendolyn is barely tolerable, in my opinion. On another note, Gwenna is pretty interesting, as is Gwendoline.

Belle

Belle, as we're all aware thanks to Beauty and the Beast, is French for "beautiful." It's an underused, simple yet elegant name. It can be a good alternative to Isabelle, which is seeing extreme popularity, and can be a nickname for any number of names ending in -belle, such as Rosabelle, Claribelle, Bluebell, Amabel or Arabelle. She can be a Southern Belle or Belle of the Ball. She is close to Bella yet miles away. The name ages well and gets rave reviews. There was also a Confederate spy named Belle Boyd, a World War II bomber plane called the Memphis Belle, and a character from Gone with the Wind.

Belle has not ranked in the past decade. In 2010 there were 154 baby girls named Belle, and in 2011 there were 139. I see a lot of people passing this name up because of Isabella, thinking Belle is more popular than it is. Maybe they're getting it confused with Bella, which was #60 in 2011.

Regina

Regina Cordium or Queen of Hearts by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Regina sounds regal for a reason - it means "queen," from Latin, was the name of a saint (whose day is September 7), and one of the other names of the goddess Juno. Raina/Raine and Reina/Reine are variants of the same meaning. Nicknames include Gina, Ginny and Reggie. There are a few well known actresses and singers with this name, and it is the name of a city in Saskatchewan. Regina can be used in reference to the Virgin Mary, but also Queen Victoria. More recently, Regina is the name of the evil queen in a new TV show called Once Upon a Time.

In 2010 there were 493 baby girls named Regina, ranking at #588, jumping from 713 the year before. There were also 97 Reginae, 8 Regginae, and 5 Reginea, however the heck they intend you to pronouce those. Both Reina and Raina also ranked. If you want to take it up a step further, Rhiannon, a Welsh name that sounds similar, means "great queen." Rhiannon was a legendary goddess.

Juno Regina

Lamia & Lamya

Lamia and the Soldier by John William Waterhouse (1905)

Although Lamia (LAH-mee-uh) means "glitter," or "glisten" in Swahili, she is a lesser known part of Greek mythology. Lamia was a queen and descendant of Poseidon, and had children with Zeus, but Hera kept killing all of them. Eventually Lamia went crazy over it and started eating as many children as she could. This turned her into a demon, some say half serpent, half woman, most likely because of her grief. The meaning of Lamia supposedly means "gullet," which is a bird's throat, but the more appropriate and logical meaning is "to devour," from the Phoenician word lahama. Her story differs depending on who is telling it.

The city of Lamia, Greece may have been named for the mythological character. There was a courtesan named Lamia of Athens, and John Keats wrote a poem about her in 1820. In modern times, people see her mythological history as an excuse to use her name for vampire fiction, even though she was never connected to vampire myths, and the connection actually comes from the Greek word lamiae. In Basque mythology a lamia was a charming woman who helped those who gave her food.

The most common Lamia is as an Arabic name, meaning "shining," "radiant," "brilliant." It is very close to another Arabic name, Lamya, meaning "she who possesses brown lips." Then there's Princess Lamia Solh, daughter of former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Riad as-Solh.

In 2010 there were 26 baby girls named Lamia, 108 Lamya, 46 Lamiya, 19 Lamyah, and 8 Lamyia.

Olympia

Olympia (oh-LIM-pee-uh), which can also be spelled Olimpia or Olympe, is an old European classic that the world should be familiar with, given the title of the Olympic Games. (The actual site of the ancient Olympic games is named Olympia, Greece.) Both the games and the name Olympia are in reference to the Olympian gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. In fact, it is Greek, meaning "from Mount Olympus."

There are a few well known Olympia's out there. Alexander the Great's mother, actress Olympia Dukakis, Senator Olympia Snowe, French playwright and political activist (feminist and abolitionist writing) Olympe de Gouges, and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark (born in 1967). Not to mention several ships, buildings, songs, art, and even an oyster.

Olympia was last seen on the SSA's charts in 1925 at #984. In 2010 there were only 28 baby girls named Olympia (and none with the Olimpia spelling). Talk about an underused classic. It even comes with cute nicknames like Pia, Ollie, and Olympie. More of a stretch but definitely possible: Lily, Lia, or Polly. Also try variations such as Olympiana, Olimpiada, and Olympienne.

Odette

Today's name: Odette (the only other variant being Odetta)

Pronunciation: oh-DET

Potential nicknames: Odie, Oda, Detta, Dottie, Etta, Ettie

Origin: French and Old Germanic, meaning "wealth."

Popularity: In 2011 there were 48 baby girls named Odette, and in 2010 there were 19 (compare to 48 Odessa and 23 Odelia in 2010), which does not rank on the U.S. top 1000. It ranked #967 in 1899 and #843 in 1905. Perfect for your little ballerina or graceful swan.

Fun fact: (1) Odette was the name of the white (good) swan character in the famous ballet "Swan Lake," which recently inspired a movie. Odile was the name of the black (bad) swan. You might be more or less familiar with Princess Odette from the animated movie "The Swan Princess." (2) Folk singer Odetta. (3) Actress Odette Justman. (4) Actor Mark Ruffalo's daughter. (5) Odette de Crecy was the wife of Charles Swann in Proust's "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu."

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Rowena

Today's name: Rowena

Artwork of the beautiful Rowena and King Vortigern.

Pronunciation: row-EEN-ah, row-ENN-ah, ROW-enn-ah, row-AY-na

Potential nicknames: Row, Rowie, Rowen, Rona, Rena, Wendy

Origin: (1) Old English from Old German, meaning "fame and happiness." (2) Possibly Welsh, meaning "slender and fair" or, less likely, the Saxon form of Celtic Rhonwen, meaning "white skirt," "bright spear," or "fair lance."

Popularity: Rowena is a very rare name, although it did rank toward the bottom of the SSA list until 1963. There were only 7 baby girls named Rowena in 2010, slightly increasing to 15 births in 2011.

Fun fact: (1) One of two heroines in Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" from 1819. In the movie her name is pronounced the traditional way, row-EE-nah. (2) Geoffrey of Monmouth claims Rowena was the daughter of Saxon chief Hengist, therefore making her a princess. This was supposedly the first mention of the name Rowena. She was also married to King Vortigern, therefore making her a queen. (3) Rowena Jackson, a prima ballerina from New Zealand. (4) Rowena is a character in Edgar Allen Poe's "Ligeia." (5) Rowena Ravenclaw is one of the four founders of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.

A still of Rowena from the 1982 "Ivanhoe" movie, played by Lysette Anthony.

Millicent

Today's name: Millicent

Pronunciation: MIL-ih-sent

Potential nicknames: Mil, Millie, Milla, Milcie, Missy, Min, Minnie, Lissa, Lissie, Penny

Origin: Used since the Middle Ages, Millicent is Old French and was brought to England by the Normans in the French form of Melisent and Old Germanic form of Melisende, meaning "brave strength," and "strong at work." The names Melisande and Melisanda could be part of Millicent's beginnings, or they could be from Melissa. Either way, Melisent and Melisende came from the Old Germanic name Amalasuintha, which become Malasintha, and then Melisenda.

Popularity: Not in the top 1000 for at least 45 years, there were 67 baby girls named Millicent in 2010 and 64 in 2011.

Fun fact: (1) Dame Millicent Fawcet was an early British suffragist and feminist. Coincidentally, Millicent Preston-Stanley is an Australian feminist and politician, and another politician is Millicent Fenwick. (2) A double Harry Potter name: Millicent Bagnold, former Minister of Magic (another politician position, although fictional), and Millicent Bulstrode, a Hogwart's student. (3) A character in Sylvia Plath's "Initiation," a short story. (4) Barbie the iconic doll's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. (5) Princess Amalasuintha, daughter of Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostragoths. (6) Crown princess Melisande, later Queen of Jerusalem.

I also happen to think Millicent would pair spectacularly with Winifred.
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Zelda

Today's name: Zelda (which I thought would be perfect to post today since it is a little witchy, and Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D came out just a few months ago)

Pronunciation: ZEHL-dah

Potential nicknames: Zell, Zellie, Ellie, or maybe even Zsa-Zsa or ZiZi

Origin: (1) The German diminutive of Griselda/Grizelda, meaning "dark battle" or "grey battle maiden," but can also come from a word for stone or gravel. (2) Yiddish cognate of German name Salida, meaning "joy" or "luck." (3) Old English variant of Selda, meaning "companion."

Popularity: Zelda first appeared on the SSA charts in 1880 when records of names first started being kept by the Social Security Administration, and it ranked at #834. It worked its way up to #379 in 1911, then worked its way back down to #997 in 1967, where it was last seen. When the first Zelda video game came out there were a handful of babies each year between 1985 and 1991 presumably named for her, but no more than 22 baby girls in one year. Read more about it here. In 2010 there were 69 baby girls named Zelda, zero or less than five babies named Selda, 7 girls named Gricelda, 15 Grisel, 59 Griselda, 5 Griselle, 5 Grissel and zero or less than five Grizelda. In 2011 there were 80 baby girls named Zelda.

Fun fact: (1) Robin Williams and his daughter were featured in the latest Zelda video game commercial because he named his daughter Zelda, after the video game princess. (2) The Zelda in the video game, however, got her name from F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife Zelda, a Jazz Age/Roaring 20's icon and celebrity "flapper," who was a sophisticated and beautiful artist/writer, but was said to have mental issues. (3) "The Patient Griselda" is a well-known folkloric story about a patient and obedient woman, who endures emotionally painful incidents at the whim of her husband or fiancee, depending on which version you're reading. She has been written about by Boccaccio, Chaucer, Marie de France and others. It is interesting to note that while Zelda Fitzgerald became a feminist icon after her death, Griselda was the true "Angel of the Household," a Victorian term meaning "an obedient wife who knows her place." (4) This person is not as well-known but I thought it was interesting enough to mention: Griselda Blanco was a female drug lord for the Medellin Cartel. (5) Due to the video game association, and the connection to Zelda Spellman from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the name Selda may be more to your liking. Zelda is actually the variant of Selda, not the other way around. And doesn't Zelda seem like the perfect twin or sibling name for Stella, or maybe Phoebe? I think so.

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Persephone

Today's name: Persephone

Pronunciation: per-SEPH-oh-nee

Potential nicknames: Perri, Persie, Seph, Sephie, Steph, Stephie, Penny

Origin: Greek, possibly with a pre-Greek origin as there were so many ways the Greeks said Persephone's name, including Kore, Persephassa, Persephoneia, and Phersephassa, meaning it could  have been brought to the Greeks by a Proto-Indo-European language. She was brought over to Roman mythology as Prosperina. While Kore, from which Cora comes from, means "girl, maiden," Persephone, in its most literal form from Proto-Indo-European, means "to bring death." Because of this, Persephone is associated with death, destruction, and rebirth, although death and rebirth were not always considered negative things, as we think of death today. Death was a new beginning. I would also like to point out, however, that "phone" in Greek means "sound, voice." Persephone's name is not purely negative, as a commenter pointed out. However, the first part of the name does not come from "perse," (which would mean "dark grayish-blue), it comes from "pertho," which means "to destroy."

Popularity: In 2010 there were 110 baby girls named Persephone, 8 named Persephonie and 9 named Persephanie in the U.S. In 2011 there were 134 girls named Persephone, along with 8 Persephanie, 6 Persephany and 5 Persephonie.

Fun fact: Persephone is often regarded as the personification of spring, nature and rebirth. Once Hades took her to the Underworld, she had to stay there for about four to six months per year, and she could go home for the other months, which symbolizes the rebirth of nature, or spring. They have said that when Persephone returns to the Underworld, winter begins. Persephone was worshipped with her mother, Demeter, as "the maidens" in the Eleusinian Mysteries and by cults. As the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, she is a diety in her own right, and was called a goddess of vegetation and nature, and the seasonal cycle of the death and rebirth of nature. She was captured by Hades and brought to the Underworld, therefore being known as "Queen of the Underworld." (Hades was not a king, nor was Persephone a queen, but being that the God Hades ruled the Underworld, this title from centuries ago fits her image.) Demeter, Persephone, and Zeus were sometimes called "the two mistresses and the king."

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