Gerard

 

Gerard is a name you don't hear every day. I'm not entirely sure which category it fits in - vintage? This Old English name has an interesting meaning, "spear brave," partly sharing in the definitely vintage boy's name Gerald, meaning "spear ruler," which was also a 19th century revival name. Both come from Old German origin, but in the late Middle Ages, Gerard was more popular. The Normans introduced the name Gerard to England in the 11th century. "Spear brave" may seem a little obscure, but the meaning can be translated to "brave with the spear." It's common to hear this name in France, where actor Gerard Depardieu is from. The name can also be found on poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and painter Gerardo Richter, although I think most Americans are more familiar with the [very hot] Scottish actor from Hollywood, Gerard Butler (pictured above). There were also a few St. Gerard's, though the most well known, Gerard Majella, is the patron saint of pregnant women, often pictured as a young teen. St. Gerard of Brogne was of Belgian nobility, St. Gerard of Toul was of German nobility, and St. Gerard of Lunel was of French nobility.

Gerry is the most common and obvious nickname, while Geraud, Gerhardt, and Girault are a few variant forms. Herb-Gerard is a plant also known as gout-weed.

Gerard continuously ranked from 1889 until 2000, then once more in 2002 at #999. It ranked mainly between the mid 800s and high 200s, most popular in the 1950s. In 2000 it was #823, and we haven't seen it since. Since it never reached the top 100 and White Pages reports that 38% of all men named Gerard are between the ages of 30 and 54, I do hesitate to label it strictly vintage. It still has quite a bit of charm and sophistication. Being a familiar name, yet off the charts for over a decade, it seems like the perfect unusual find for parents searching for that elusive "everyone knows it, but no one uses it" name. It is also a multi-national name, common for Dutch, French, Irish, Scottish and English speakers, but also for Spanish and Italian speaking countries as Gerardo. The Hungarian form, Gellert, and the Polish form Gerik, are nearly unrecognizable to English speakers. In America today, Gerard remains popular among Roman Catholics.

Tarragon

I was a little hesitant to use Tarragon (TARE-ah-gon) for my baby name of the day, as some may find it to be too word-name, too unusual, but I would definitely suggest it for those wanting to continue a spice/herb/flower/nature name theme, as it's difficult to find boy names in those categories. Also, this blog celebrates rare names of all kinds, and why should Tarragon be any different than Juniper or Forest? This spice name has potential as a baby name thanks to its familiar feel, being similar to Aragon and some T names for boys like Terrance, and also being in the same category as spice and herb names gaining in popularity, like Sage, Bay, Cassia and Saffron, and those that have been popular before, such as Basil, Ginger and Rosemary.

As a plant, tarragon looks a little bit like rosemary, but more leafy, like blades of wild grass. It has been used for culinary purposes for quite a long time, and tastes like aniseed. As a name, it sits alongside other undiscovered herb name possibilities, such as Chervil, Marjoram, Chamomile, Lovage, Oregano, Sorrel and Coriander. White Pages affirms that there are 3 living people with Tarragon as a first name, and 5 with it as a surname. Looking it up in the Social Security Administration's extended list, it seems there were no kids (or less than 5) born with this name in the past few years, although some boys were given names that sound similar, like Tarrion, Talon and Tyrion (and if Talon and some made up T names can be used on real babies, why not Tarragon?). I also find it fascinating that the botanical name for tarragon is Artemisia dracunculus, and Artemisia is another rare name, a variant of Artemis that was used on only 5 girls in 2011, while there were 39 girls named Artemis. Tarragon, also known as the "dragon herb" and one of the "four fine herbs" of French cooking, is used to prevent cardiovascular disease and help with diabetes. It was named tarragon and Artemisia dracunculus due to the old belief in the Doctrine of Signatures, meaning a plant's appearance dictated what it would be named and used for. Since tarragon's root look serpentine, botanists believed it could be used for snake bites. Draco and drakon, as you may know, mean "dragon," therefore dracunculus means "little dragon." Tarragon comes from drakontion, meaning "dragonwort."

The New Nature Baby Names

Hawthorn berries

I have rounded up a bunch of nature names, some old classics and some that would shock grandma. Feel free to comment with any I might have missed.

Trees:
Acacia
Sequoia
Magnolia
Birch
Pine
Cedar
Timber
Cypress
Maple
Juniper
Linden
Olive
Hickory
Franklin
Rowan
Ash
Aspen
Oak
Poplar
Spruce
Willow
Hazel
Senna
Myrtle
Mimosa
Laurel
Jacaranda
Holly
Cherry
Bay
Cassia
Quince
Banyan
Alder
Balsam
Ornella
Oren
Alona
Ilana
Linnea
Tilia
Elowen

Plants:
Clover
Fern
Bryony/Briony
Thistle
Poinsettia
Ren
Lotus

Flowers:
Jasmine
Jessamine
Rose
Lily
Tigerlily
Freesia
Lilac
Wisteria
Lavender
Celandine
Plumeria
Violet
Amaryllis
Azalea
Blossom
Flower
Petal
Bluebell
Camellia
Dahlia
Tulip
Tansy
Primrose
Marigold
Iris
Forsythia
Gardenia
Hyacinth
Chrysanthe
Amarantha
Poinsettia
Pansy
Poppy
Petunia
Briar Rose

Water:
Cascada/Cascade
Ocean, Oceana
Caspian, Caspia
Lake
River
Bayou
Cove
Shellina
Isla
Coral
Rain
Bay
Rialta
Laguna
Rio
Kai
Lucerne
Marina
Delta

Herbs & Spices:
Cayenne
Coriander
Basil & Basilia
Sage
Paprika
Pepper
Chamomile
Clove
Lavender
Mint
Saffron
Caraway
Sorrel
Tarragon
Rosemary
Ginger

Fruits:
Plum
Pomeline
Lilikoi
Lemon
Pomona
Cherry

Birds:
Finch
Nightingale
Starling
Sparrow
Avis
Linnet
Swan
Feather
Lark
Oriole
Raven
Falcon
Fox
Dove
Robin
Columba
Wren
Aquilina

Celestial (excluding planets, constellations & star names)
Nova
Star
Moon

Animals:
Wolf
Bear
Tiger
Cricket
Hawk
Peregrine
Heron
Sable
Mink
Epona, Eponine
Felina

Extra:
Cloud
Ember 
Cinder
Meadow
Midnight
North
Ravine
Forest
Silvana
Cotton
Heather
Moss
Fennel
Snow
Dawn
Fauna
Fawn
Ivy
Prairie
Frost
Stone
Kelda

Basil (m) & Basilia (f)

Today's name: Basil (male) and Basilia (female)

Pronunciation: Basil: BAY-zil or BAZ-ill, Basilia: bah-ZIL-ee-ah or bah-ZEEL-ya

Potential nicknames: Bay, Bas/Baz, Basie, Zilla

Origin: (1) Basil is Greek, from the name Basileios, meaning "royal, kingly." Basil first appeared during the Hellenistic period. The words basilica and basilisk derive from the same word. Basilia is the female form of Basil, meaning the same thing. Basilia was common in the Middle Ages. Basil was common in the eastern Mediterranean before it was brought to England by the Crusaders. (2) In Arabic, Basil means "brave."

The male name Basil has several variant forms, some more common than others: Breasal, Basek, Bazel, Basle, Basul, Basile, Basilic, Basilides, Basileios, Basilie, Basilio, Basilius, Bazeel, Bazeelius, Bazil, Bazyli, Vasil, Vazul, Vasile, Vasileos, Vasili, Vasilije, Vasilios, Vasilis, Vasilius, Vasilus, Vasily, Vassilij, Vassily, and Wassily.

The girl's name Basilia also has a handful of variant forms: Baseele, Baseelia, Baseelle, Bazeele, Bazeelia, Bazeelle, Basile, Basilie, Basille, Bazile, Bazille, and Bazilla.

Popularity: In 2010 there were only 46 baby boys named Basil and 11 baby girls named Basil, while there were no baby girls named Basilia. Basil was very popular between 1880 and 1910. In 2011 there were 7 baby girls named Basil even though nature names continued to rise in popularity. Again, there were no babies named Basilia in 2011, but there were 44 boys named Basil.

Fun fact: (1) Saint Basil from the fourth century was from Caesarea, also known as Basil the Great, shares his name with several early saints that were martyred in the east. There were also a handful of Byzantine rulers with the name Basil, as well as some Italian generals. There were also a few Saint Basilla's, female, from varied times. (2) Basil is the name of an herb, which when dried becomes a spice. (3) Early Sherlock Holmes star Basil Rathbone. (4) There is a book titled "Basil" by Wilke Collins. (5) Basil is the name of "The Great Mouse Detective," an animated movie.

A wonderful tale of Saint Basil, from http://www.20000-names.com
"One day, in 620, when Attila, count of Champagne, was out hunting, he came to Verzy, where stood the monastery of St. Basil.. A wild boar, chased by the dogs, ran for refuge to the saint, who was sitting in the sun outside his cell; and Basil covered the terrified beast with his cloak. The dogs came up, but were at a standstill, not knowing what to do. Presently the count came to the spot, and recognizing in this incident the finger of God, gave St. Basil a large part of the forest, a part of Bouzy, and the town of Sept-Saulx."—Mgr. Guérin, Vies des Saints, vol. xiii. p. 603. (E.C. Brewer)

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Coriander

Today's name: Coriander (unisex)

Pronunciation: KOR-ee-AN-der

Potential nicknames: Cor, Cori, Corie, Cory, Andie, Andy, Ander, Anders, Corian, Corin

Origin: From the Old French word coriandre, from the Latin coriandrum, from the Greek koriannon, this word has been around for a long time. According to Wikipedia, the earliest attested use was the Mycenaean Greek word ko-ri-ja-da-na, reconstructed as koriadnon, similar to the name Ariadne. (Ariadne was Mino's daughter.) That said, coriander has a long, rich history of use. Coriander is an annual herb native to southern Europe, North Africa and southwestern Asia. The leaves are known as cilantro and the seeds as coriander. Both cilantro leaves and coriander seeds are used as spices. Coriander seeds are traditionally used internationally for medicinal properties such as settling anxiety and ridding insomnia.

Popularity: There were no baby boys or girls named Coriander in 2010 or 2011 and it has not been in the top 1000 in at least 11 years, but probably not ever. However, there were also a lot of Cori/Cory/Corie's as stand-alone names.

Fun fact: (1) I find no hard evidence to suggest coriander means "romance" like some sites suggest. (2) Coriander seeds, as a spice, may be familiar to some, but still quite rare to others. If you're concerned about someone calling you out on naming your baby after a spice, names like Sage and Saffron are rising steadily in popularity. Babies have been named much weirder, and this name/spice has a long, long history, with the ultra-cute nickname of Cori. Not to mention it sounds like Alexander. I think that justifies it.

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Chamomile

Today's name: Chamomile (feminine, but could work for boys too if you shorten it to Miles, Mo or Cham) Also try the British spelling, Camomile.

Image via http://www.botanical.com/

Pronunciation: rarely SHAM-oh-meel, more often KAM-oh-meel or KAM-uh-my-ul

Potential nicknames: Cham, Chammie, Chamo, Moe, Momo, Mile, Miles, Milo, Millie

Origin: Chamomile in an English wordname, meaning "chamomile," also meaning "peace" and "spice." Wikipedia says the word chamomile derives, via French and English from a Greek word meaning "earth apple," which is weird and lovely at the same time. Chamomile is a plant that looks just like a daisy. It is widely known as a kind of tea that has a very calming effect, sometimes used as a sleep aid, sometimes used to calm certain organs like the stomach, and sometimes used for anxiety relief.

Popularity: If names like Sage, Clove and Saffron are getting more popular right now, why not consider Chamomile? There were no babies born in 2010 or 2011 in the U.S. named Chamomile, yet most are familiar with the word, and my guess is there hasn't ever been more than, say, 50 births in a year with this name.

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