If Ivy and Ava are so popular, why not Iva?

Iva is a lost vintage name that was once mildly popular in America. Originally from Ivana, meaning "God is gracious," from the male form Ivan, which is an international variant of John (which means Iva is a version of Jane). In 2011 there were 58 girls named Iva. (Ida was not too ahead, with 92 births in 2011, and similar three and four letter vintage names were around the same ranking - Ama with 10 births, Alva with 13).

Thanksgiving Name: Isannah

Isannah (eye-SANN-uh) is my "Thanksgiving name" this year because this Colonial appellation was the name given to one of Paul Revere's daughters, who unfortunately only lived a year. But Paul Revere, who warned the residents of Concord, Massachusetts of the coming British military, was a key part in the American Revolutionary War. His famous alert was recorded in (slightly non-factual) poetic legend by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in "Paul Revere's Ride." Isannah's name was later found in a book by Esther Forbes called Johnny Tremain in 1943, about the American Revolution. Her fictional character meets the historical Paul Revere, and the character Isannah Lapham may have been inspired by Revere's real daughter's name. At least in my mind, Isannah is a patriotic name because of the legacy of her father.

Isannah was not a very uncommon name at the time, as there is record of an Isannah born in 1690 and several more around the birth of Revere's daughter. Isannah may have been one of the first examples of Americans "changing" traditional names. There is a strong possibility Isannah comes from one of the -annah ending names, such as Hannah or Susannah. I'm doubtful that it could be a combination of Isabella and Hannah/Susannah because Isabella and Isabelle not in heavy useage at the time, but it remains a possibility. There is even a possibility it comes from Hosannah. But my best guess, considering Revere's wife was named Sarah, and two other daughters were named Deborah (after Paul's mother) and Sarah (after his wife), is that Isannah was named after his grandfather Isaac Rivoire, but kept the -annah ending like the other two girls. If I'm wrong, Biblical names were big in Colonial America, and nicknames were starting to be (leading up to Mamie, Susie, etc), so Isannah could have just been from Hannah or Susannah after all. But Isaac is Biblical as well, meaning "laughter." Isanna (spelled this way and Isana) is also a Germanic name meaning "a strong-willed woman."

Although Isannah Revere was born in 1772, the government didn't have its Social Security Administration's name records until 1880. A quick look at 1880's charts reveal Isannah had sort of died out, and no girls were given the name. It was still used sparingly, though, as I've found record of an Isannah Winslow born 1838, an Isannah Edwards born 1840, and an Isannah Bertha White born 1861. After Johnny Tremain was released, it doesn't seem like Isannah picked up much more attention. White Pages claims there are only 9 living Isannah's.

Susannah

Susannah York

Possibly best known for the song "Oh Susannah," which most of us knew as kids, Susannah's got a lot of history besides that. The original Hebrew version of the name was Shoshana, meaning "lily." This and the Persian version may have roots with the Egyptian word for lotus. This Biblical name was not widely popular until after the 17th century, but was used regularly enough since at least the Middle Ages. The song "Oh, Susannah" was written by Stephen Foster in 1848 and widely associated with the gold rush. (By the way, you can hear one variant form, Shushana, in the movie Inglorious Basterds.)

The spelling including an "h," as opposed to Susanna, was the form used in the Old Testament, the story of a woman was was falsely accused of adultery by two old perverts, found in the book of Daniel and omitted from some texts. On the other hand, the spelling without the "h" is more European. Susan, popularized shortly afterwards, is a vintage-sounding literary gem possibly best known from The Chronicles of Narnia. This variant was in the top 10 for over two decades, Suzanne ranked in and around the top 100 for about three decades, and it might be good to know that Susanna has only been off the charts since 1997, but Susannah has not been in the top 1000 since 1978 and hasn't ranked above #800 since 1880.

Oddly enough, one late namesake is Susannah York, a British actress, which you might remember from the 1978 movie Superman. Also the name of an opera, a Saint Susanna, and the name of one of William Shakespeare's daughters. Other than that, there haven't exactly been any stand-out namesakes. Susannah of the Alamo and some famous daughters, but that's about it.

Potential nicknames: Sue, Susie, Sosie, Sookie, Sukie, Sukey, Sunny, Susa, Sun, Sana, Hanna/h, Anna, Anne, Nana, Nan, Zuzu, Zsu Zsu, Zsa Zsa (and Susie Q if it floats your boat)

Variants: There is a slight possibility that Isannah is a variant (see here) but for sure, variants include Susanna, Susan, Suzanne, Suzannah, Suzette, Susette, Sanne, Zanne, Shoshannah, Shoshana, Zsuzana, Zsuzannah, Shanna, Sosana, Susanka, Sosannah, Sousana (and Azucena is of similar origin, can have most of the same nicknames, and also means "lily"). Chochana is a spelling variant used in France.

Here are all the variants and number of births per name for the different versions used in 2011.
Susannah 78
Susana 197
Susanne 17
Susanna 167
Shoshana 111
Shoshanna 22
Susan 346
Suzanna 78
Suzanne 68
Suzette 37
Susette 5
Suzannah 19
Suzana 12
Suzan 9
Sanna 8
Susie 80
Suzie 25
Suzy 17
Susy 5
Sue 19
Sookie 6
Sosie 6
Sukie 6

Ezra

Ezra might sound like a female name, but it is actually a Hebrew boy's name meaning "helper." I believe it initially came from the name Azariah. Besides Ezra Pound, the famous poet, and Ezra Jack Keats, the children's lit author, the most well known Ezra is from the 5th century b.c. and wrote the Book of Ezra and two chronicles. He was a Jewish priest, copyist, scholar and historian who began compiling and cataloguing the Old Testament. He led a group of Israelites out of exile in Babylon. A little lesser known are Ezra Cornell and Ezra Taft Benson. I believe it has been getting more recent attention due to the character named Ezra on the TV show "Pretty Little Liars." This character, Ezra Fitz, bears a strong resemblance to Abercrombie & Fitch's Ezra Fitch. There is also the 90's band Better Than Ezra, and you might not remember them until you search for their song "Good" on YouTube.

There were 1,416 baby boys born in 2010 with the name Ezra, ranking at #243, and 55 born spelled Ezrah. There were also 88 baby girls named Ezra in 2010, and 16 spelled Ezrah. Although Ezra comes with a masculine nickname of Ez, many people see or hear the "a" ending and assume Ezra is a female name.

Emmanuelle

Today's name: Emmanuelle

Pronunciation: eh-MAHN-yu-ELL

Potential nicknames: Emmy, Em, Emma, Elle, Ella, Ellie, Mandy

Origin: Hebrew, meaning "God is with us." This is the feminine form of Emmanuel, from the Hebrew name Immanuel. Emmanuella is another variant. Emmanuelle is known for being a French name.

Popularity: In 2010 there were 11 baby girls named Emmanuel (the male spelling, but said nearly the same), 26 girls named Emmanuela, 43 Emmanuella, and 47 Emmanuelle. As for nicknames, there were 272 Emmy's along with serveral other different spellings, 17,179 Emma's, 747 Elle's, 9,796 Ella's and 2,886 Ellie's. It seems that if you want to get these nicknames (or Emma, not necessarily a nickname) the best way to go is using a longer full name. Emmanuelle is considered rare, but can still get you Elle or Emmy. In 2011 there were 21 Emanuela, 21 Emmanuela, 36 Emmanuella, and 37 Emmanuelle.

Fun fact: (1)Ffashion designers Emmanuel Ungaro and Emmanuelle Khanh. (2) In the Bible Immanuel was a name title applied to the Messiah. (3) Emmanuelle (Emmy) Rossum, American actress. Emmanuelle Seigner, French actress. Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian actress. (4) In the 70's Emmanuelle was known for being a soft-core erotic movie with a main character of the same name. Younger people will never make this connection, I know I sure didn't, but older people will still remember.

Abel

Today's name: Abel

Pronunciation: AY-bel

Potential nicknames: Abe, Bello

Origin: Hebrew, meaning "breath." It is said this name comes from the Hebrew name Hevel and implies vanity, but it could also come from an Assyrian word meaning "meadow."

Popularity: Used since the 6th century, Abel has a long history of use. In 2011 there were 1,497 baby boys named Abel, which means it ranked at #237 on the U.S. top 1000, a slow rise from a decade ago, and also from 1880. In 2010 there were 1,119 baby boys named Abel, #292. It is even more popular in Hungary.

Fun fact: (1) In the Bible, Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve. He was murdered out of jealously by his brother Cain because Abel had pleased God more than Cain. He was also said to be the first shepherd. The Christian Church claims he is a pre-Christian martyr, thus a saint. There is also a Saint Abel of Reims from the 8th century. (2) Tasmania was named in honor of explorer Abel Tasman. (3) The Abel Prize is an international mathematics award named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel. (4) Amy Pohler and Will Arnett chose this name for their baby. (5) There are two movie directors with this name: Abel Fererra and Abel Gance. (6) Abel is a Dickens character and a Trollope character.

Bram

Today's name: Bram

Pronunciation: brahm

Potential nicknames: While Bram seems more like a nickname itself, it produces feminine nicknames such as Brammie. However, Bram is the short form of Abraham and can be a great nickname for Bertram.

Origin: (1) Scottish, Irish and Gaelic, meaning "bramble," "a thicket of wild gorse," or "raven." (2) As the short form of Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude of nations."

Popularity: In 2010 there were 38 baby boys named Bram, and 5 of the variant Bran. In 2011 there were 5 Bron, 7 Bran, 17 Brahm and 37 Bram.

Fun fact: (1) Legendary Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula.

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Asher

Today's name: Asher (male)

Potential nicknames: Ash, Ashy

Pronunciation: AH-shur, or ASH-er

Origin: (1) Hebrew, meaning "blessed, happy." (2) Biblical - Asher, the 8th son of Jacob, was promised a life full of abundance. (3) Old English, meaning "ash wood" or "lives near an ash tree."

Popularity: In 2010 Asher was #139, and in 2011 it was #113. It has only been moving up.

Fun fact: The name Asher was brought into Enlish usage by the Puritans.

Nina

Today's name: Nina (female)
Alternate spellings: Neena, Neenah, Nena, Nyna
International spellings: Finnish: Niina, Eastern European & Hungarian: Ninacska, French: Ninon, Spanish: Nenah, Neenah, Ninah

Potential nicknames: Nana, Ni, Nine, Nin, Ni-Ni, Ina, Ninoshka

Pronunciation: NEE-nah (and occassionally NYNE-ah)

Origin: (1) Spanish, meaning "little girl." (2) Hebrew, meaning "great grand-daughter." (3) A Russian and Polish nickname for Anne and Antonia, or names ending in -nina. (4) Swahili, meaning "mother." (5) Hindi use suggests the meaning "beautiful eyes." (6) A Babylonian goddess of the seas. (7) An Incan goddess of fire.

Fun Fact: (1) The Nina was one of Christopher Columbus's three ships. (2) Nina is very multi-ethnic - you will find that many countries use this name equally.

Popularity: There were 994 baby girls named Nina in 2010 in the U.S., ranking at #318, moving up to #304 in 2011.

Male version: Nino, meaning "God is gracious," which can be a pet form of John and names ending in -nino, typically used in Italian and Spanish.


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