Today's name: Lyra
Pronunciation: LYE-rah (ly-rah)
Potential nicknames: Lyre (pronounced "leer" or "lyr")
Origin: Greek, meaning "lyre." A lyre is a small harp, and it was a favorite instrument among the ancient Greeks. Lyra is a feminine variant of Lyris.
Popularity: Lyra is not, and has not been, in the U.S. top 1000. There were 216 baby girls named Lyra in 2010, along with 8 spelled Lyrah. In 2011 there were 13 Lyrah and 240 Lyra, just outside of being ranked.
Fun fact: (1) Lyra is the name of a small constellation. According to Greek mythology this constellation resembled the lyre that belonged to the poet Orpheus. Vega is its brightest star. (2) Lyra is the main character in the His Dark Materials novel series by Phillip Pullman, and the first book is now a movie titled "The Golden Compass." (3) Lyra was the chosen baby name by Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum.
.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Dylan
Today's name: Dylan
Variant spellings: Dillan, Dillon, Dyllan, Dyllon, Dylon, Dylonn
Pronunciation: DIL-an
Potential nicknames: Dyl, "D"
Origin: Welsh, meaning "son of the sea," although there is a possibility the names comes from the word dylanwad, meaning "influence." The spelling Dillon derives from a surname.
Popularity: In 2010 Dylan ranked at #31 for boys in the U.S. with 10,455 boys born with that spelling, and, surprisingly, #571 for girls. The spelling Dillon ranked at #293 for boys in 2010 with 1,037 boys born with that spelling. These rankings have not changed much in the past decade, but have been very slowly moving down for both genders. In 2010 the name was ranking at #2 in Wales, #9 in Northern Ireland, #12 in Ireland, #13 in Scotland, #18 in Sascatchewan, #19 in England, #24 in New Zealand, #25 in British Columbia and in Ontario, and #30 in Australia's New South Wales. In 2011 in the U.S. it ranked at #33.
Fun fact: In Welsh mythology, specifically the myths known as Mabinogion, Dylan was a revered hero, god of the sea, son of Gwyddion and Arianhrod. (2) Poet Dylan Thomas. (3) The son of Catherin Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas. (4) Singer Bob Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman, who took this surname in tribute to the poet Dylan Thomas. (5) Actor Dylan McDermott. (6) A 90210 TV series character played by Luke Perry. (7) Designer Ralph Lauren has a daughter named Dylan.
.
Variant spellings: Dillan, Dillon, Dyllan, Dyllon, Dylon, Dylonn
Pronunciation: DIL-an
Potential nicknames: Dyl, "D"
Origin: Welsh, meaning "son of the sea," although there is a possibility the names comes from the word dylanwad, meaning "influence." The spelling Dillon derives from a surname.
Popularity: In 2010 Dylan ranked at #31 for boys in the U.S. with 10,455 boys born with that spelling, and, surprisingly, #571 for girls. The spelling Dillon ranked at #293 for boys in 2010 with 1,037 boys born with that spelling. These rankings have not changed much in the past decade, but have been very slowly moving down for both genders. In 2010 the name was ranking at #2 in Wales, #9 in Northern Ireland, #12 in Ireland, #13 in Scotland, #18 in Sascatchewan, #19 in England, #24 in New Zealand, #25 in British Columbia and in Ontario, and #30 in Australia's New South Wales. In 2011 in the U.S. it ranked at #33.
Fun fact: In Welsh mythology, specifically the myths known as Mabinogion, Dylan was a revered hero, god of the sea, son of Gwyddion and Arianhrod. (2) Poet Dylan Thomas. (3) The son of Catherin Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas. (4) Singer Bob Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman, who took this surname in tribute to the poet Dylan Thomas. (5) Actor Dylan McDermott. (6) A 90210 TV series character played by Luke Perry. (7) Designer Ralph Lauren has a daughter named Dylan.
.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Isla
Today's name: Isla
Pronunciation: EYE-lah
Potential nicknames: Issie, Lala, Isle, Isles, Islie (pronounced eye-lee)
Origin: (1) Scottish and English, meaning "Scottish island," derived from Islay, the real name of a Scottish island. It is also the name of two Scottish rivers. It became a popular given name in the 1800s.(2) Old French, from the name Ila, meaning "island."
Popularity: In 1886 Isla ranked at #938 on the SSA's top 1000 list, climbing to #713 the next year, sinking a little in the following years, and then it fell off the chart after 1908. Then in 2008, possibly due to actress Isla Fisher, the name jumped back on the chart, landing at #619, and increasing ever since. In 2010 it was at #297 and in 2011 it reached its highest ranking at #268. In the UK she has already made it in the top 100, and she's popular in many countries.
Fun fact: Isla Fisher, actress, married to Sasha Baron Cohen, who named her baby girls Elula Lottie Miriam Cohen and Olive (middle name unknown).
.
Pronunciation: EYE-lah
Potential nicknames: Issie, Lala, Isle, Isles, Islie (pronounced eye-lee)
Origin: (1) Scottish and English, meaning "Scottish island," derived from Islay, the real name of a Scottish island. It is also the name of two Scottish rivers. It became a popular given name in the 1800s.(2) Old French, from the name Ila, meaning "island."
Popularity: In 1886 Isla ranked at #938 on the SSA's top 1000 list, climbing to #713 the next year, sinking a little in the following years, and then it fell off the chart after 1908. Then in 2008, possibly due to actress Isla Fisher, the name jumped back on the chart, landing at #619, and increasing ever since. In 2010 it was at #297 and in 2011 it reached its highest ranking at #268. In the UK she has already made it in the top 100, and she's popular in many countries.
.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Seamus
Today's name: Seamus
Alternate spellings that have been used: Sheamus, Seumus, Shaymus, Seamas, Shamus
Pronunciation: SHAY-muss
Potential nicknames: Shea/Shay, Shy, Sean, Shem
(who can resist a nickname like Shea?)
Origin: Irish Gaelic variant of James (which is the English variant of Jacob), meaning "supplanter," or "he who grabs at the heel." A supplanter is someone who takes someone else's place. Jacob was born grabbing at his twin brother Esau's heel, later tricking this brother into trading the place of first born son, then tricking his father into giving him the title of first born son, and he is now the famous Biblical supplanter. Despite his trickery, God favored him.
Popularity: Seamus first made it on the Social Security Administration's top 1000 list for boys in 1995, making it to #733 in 2003, and in 2010 he ranked at #878. There were 236 baby boys named Seamus in 2010 in the U.S., 7 Shaymus, 38 Shamus, 14 Sheamus, 118 Shea and 68 Shay. There were also only two baby Seamus's born in Scotland in 2010. Then in 2011 there were 33 boys named Sheamus, 34 Shamus, and Seamus ranked at #840.
Fun fact: (1) Poet Seamus Heaney. (2) Seamus Finnigan was a Harry Potter character.
I'll ask my readers: would you put Seamus into the "spunky" category, the "vintage" category, or something else?
.
Alternate spellings that have been used: Sheamus, Seumus, Shaymus, Seamas, Shamus
Pronunciation: SHAY-muss
Potential nicknames: Shea/Shay, Shy, Sean, Shem
(who can resist a nickname like Shea?)
Origin: Irish Gaelic variant of James (which is the English variant of Jacob), meaning "supplanter," or "he who grabs at the heel." A supplanter is someone who takes someone else's place. Jacob was born grabbing at his twin brother Esau's heel, later tricking this brother into trading the place of first born son, then tricking his father into giving him the title of first born son, and he is now the famous Biblical supplanter. Despite his trickery, God favored him.
Popularity: Seamus first made it on the Social Security Administration's top 1000 list for boys in 1995, making it to #733 in 2003, and in 2010 he ranked at #878. There were 236 baby boys named Seamus in 2010 in the U.S., 7 Shaymus, 38 Shamus, 14 Sheamus, 118 Shea and 68 Shay. There were also only two baby Seamus's born in Scotland in 2010. Then in 2011 there were 33 boys named Sheamus, 34 Shamus, and Seamus ranked at #840.
Fun fact: (1) Poet Seamus Heaney. (2) Seamus Finnigan was a Harry Potter character.
I'll ask my readers: would you put Seamus into the "spunky" category, the "vintage" category, or something else?
.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Desperately Seeking... Endrina
Hi, all. Usually it isn't too hard for me to find info on some of the most rare names, but I'm having a really hard time finding anything on Endrina, which is Albanian. I have a feeling that, like the name Andrina, it is a variant of Andrea, but I can't prove that (yet). If you have any info, please let me know! Thanks.
*update 2/14/12...I found out Endrina is a grape-like fruit! Never heard of it before, and I guess it can be called endrina or endrin...and I've mostly seen it in Spanish, not Albanian as I'd thought...*
*update 2/14/12...I found out Endrina is a grape-like fruit! Never heard of it before, and I guess it can be called endrina or endrin...and I've mostly seen it in Spanish, not Albanian as I'd thought...*
Notable Boy Names from the 2009 Michigan SSA List
I thought this would make for a fun post, since I have some readers in Michigan.
Here are some interesting names of baby boys born in Michigan in 2009. These names vary from weird to rare to common.
5 Delorean
5 Carmine
5 Vicente
5 Andreas
5 Anakin
6 Winston
6 Titan
6 Milan
6 Merrick
7 Sheldon
7 Thaddeus
7 Salvador
7 Lachlan
7 Arturo
9 Salvador
9 Orlando
9 Byron
10 Romeo
11 Soren
11 Roland
11 Lewis
11 Franklin
12 Cedric
14 Archer
15 Ronan
17 Arthur
18 August
19 Sergio
19 Maverick
19 Dorian
31 Rocco
32 Dean
32 Quentin
35 Rowan
39 Gregory
47 Tory
47 Peter
49 Mario
54 Jace
64 Devon
Here are some interesting names of baby boys born in Michigan in 2009. These names vary from weird to rare to common.
5 Delorean
5 Carmine
5 Vicente
5 Andreas
5 Anakin
6 Winston
6 Titan
6 Milan
6 Merrick
7 Sheldon
7 Thaddeus
7 Salvador
7 Lachlan
7 Arturo
9 Salvador
9 Orlando
9 Byron
10 Romeo
11 Soren
11 Roland
11 Lewis
11 Franklin
12 Cedric
14 Archer
15 Ronan
17 Arthur
18 August
19 Sergio
19 Maverick
19 Dorian
31 Rocco
32 Dean
32 Quentin
35 Rowan
39 Gregory
47 Tory
47 Peter
49 Mario
54 Jace
64 Devon
Friday, October 7, 2011
Orion
Today's name: Orion
Potential nicknames: Ri/Ry, Rion, Ory/Orrie
Origin: Greek, meaning unknown, but possibly related to the Greek word horion, meaning "boundary," or "limit." Some claim it means "son of fire," or "son of light," others say "dweller on the mountain." Orion was the hunter son of Poseidon, the Greek god. In some myths, Orion loved the goddess Diana but she accidentally killed him, so he was turned into a constellation. In other myths, he was accidentally killed by Artemis, and Zeus placed him in the sky as a constellation. Either way, you can now see his constellation at night. People sometimes simply refer to Orion as "The Hunter." Information is sometimes contested about Orion because there are several different versions of his story.
Popularity: Surprisingly, there were 555 baby boys named Orion in 2010 in the U.S., ranking at #466. There were also 13 boys named Orian, 7 named Orien, 51 named Oryan, and 5 named Oryon. In 2011 there were 8 boys named Orien, 17 Orian and 566 Orion, ranking at #472.
Fun fact: (1) If you are looking for the constellation Orion tonight, start by looking for "Orion's belt," three stars in a row that make a distinct line, as you can see in the picture above. Four bright stars make his body's outline. In the Northern Hemisphere he is easily seen between late fall to late winter.(2) Mark Twain had an older brother named Orion. (3) Orion is a popular named for many artists and writers, gracing the pages of novels and their titles, music soundtracks, and even an alien race in Star Trek. Even the Royal Navy has named ships for Orion.
.
Image from www.astrosurf.com
Pronunciation: or-RY-onPotential nicknames: Ri/Ry, Rion, Ory/Orrie
Origin: Greek, meaning unknown, but possibly related to the Greek word horion, meaning "boundary," or "limit." Some claim it means "son of fire," or "son of light," others say "dweller on the mountain." Orion was the hunter son of Poseidon, the Greek god. In some myths, Orion loved the goddess Diana but she accidentally killed him, so he was turned into a constellation. In other myths, he was accidentally killed by Artemis, and Zeus placed him in the sky as a constellation. Either way, you can now see his constellation at night. People sometimes simply refer to Orion as "The Hunter." Information is sometimes contested about Orion because there are several different versions of his story.
Popularity: Surprisingly, there were 555 baby boys named Orion in 2010 in the U.S., ranking at #466. There were also 13 boys named Orian, 7 named Orien, 51 named Oryan, and 5 named Oryon. In 2011 there were 8 boys named Orien, 17 Orian and 566 Orion, ranking at #472.
Fun fact: (1) If you are looking for the constellation Orion tonight, start by looking for "Orion's belt," three stars in a row that make a distinct line, as you can see in the picture above. Four bright stars make his body's outline. In the Northern Hemisphere he is easily seen between late fall to late winter.(2) Mark Twain had an older brother named Orion. (3) Orion is a popular named for many artists and writers, gracing the pages of novels and their titles, music soundtracks, and even an alien race in Star Trek. Even the Royal Navy has named ships for Orion.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)