Darcy

 

Available on Etsy

Male or female? Mr. Darcy or vintage belle? While slightly resembling cutesy vintage names like Darla and dated names ending in -ie or -y, this name will never make me think anything but "Mr. Darcy." Supposedly Mr. Darcy's surname was a hint at Norman aristocracy, a place name meaning "from Arcy," (Old French d'Arcy). The name is also Irish Gaelic meaning "dark." The original French form could mean "bear," as other names, like Arthur, and the names of a bear god and goddess, share the art- link.

Darcy is currently trendy as parents look to many familiar literary names such as Atticus, Emerson and Gatsby. Ultimately, I believe the name has been more popular for girls in America. It ranked from 1949 to 1994 for girls, and sporadically for boys between 1954 and 1970. Darci and Darcie have also ranked for girls. In 2011 the use of Darcy and variant spellings has decreased a lot since that time, and 140 girls were named Darcy while only 15 boys were given the name.

Isadora

 

The 1968 film "Isadora" about Isadora Duncan, the dancer

Isadora, which can also be spelled Isidora, is a Greek and Latin name meaning "gift of Isis" and the feminine form of the boys name Isidore, from Isidoros. Isis was the main goddess in Egyptian myth, and although Isadora would be considered a pagan name by Christians at the time, it survived their repression. Isis currently ranks in the top 1000. The second syllable of the name is what means "gift," from the Proto Indo-European root word deh-. Other names, such as Theodore, Callidora and Pandora share this root.

There were a few St. Isidore's and a Saint Isidora, but the name Isidore was often shared/unisex. Saint Isidora was a nun in an Egyptian convent, and by records was one of the most humble saints. There are dozens of male and female historical namesakes, including religious leaders, philosophers, theologians, geographers, architechts, poets, composers, writers and dancers. Isadora Duncan was the late American dancer with a tragic story worth reading about if you're considering this name.

In 2011 Isadora ranked just outside the top 1000 with 141 girls given the name, the highest amount in record, and Isidora ranked much lower with only 13 girls given the name (25 in 2007 was the most recorded). It ranked on the top 1000 for a total of five years between 1880 and 1900, but fares much better in Chile as a top 10. Isadora may be rising in popularity as an Isabella alternative. The male names Isidoro and Isidore are not popular at all. In 2011 only 7 boys were named Isidoro and 7 named Isidore.

Izzy, Isa, Dora or Dory? Take your pick.

Sheridan

 

Old Hollywood actress Ann Sheridan

Sheridan is an Irish Gaelic surname meaning "seeker; peaceful" of which a playwright and Civil War general share as a namesake. In 1996 the masculine surname made it to the top 1000 list for girls (I wonder if the potential nicknames Sherry and/or Dani made that possible?), dropped off between 1998 and 1999, then came back between 2000 and 2002. It had been in the boys top 1000 in the 1890's and 1930's/40's for just a few short years, when Dan was probably the go-to nickname. As this was a masculine surname, much like Grayson, I have a hard time labeling it as "unisex." So, even though it is primarily used for girls now (9 boys in 2011 vs 48 girls), and isn't used nearly enough to firmly determine male/female (these are the lowest rankings since the peak in 1997), I am putting this one on the boys side.

Rhondine

Another name with next to no info readily available. *sigh* Rhondine, as far as I can tell, is either the French variant of Rhonda, or more likely a created variant of Rhonda, meaning "rose" in Greek, "good lance" in Welsh. However, Rondina can be found as a first name and surname, and is probably from Rondine, meaning "the swallow," as there is an Italian opera of the name La Rondine. At least 11 people in the U.S. have Rhondine as a first name, and only 1 has Rhondina as a first name. There are some early records, one in 1888. My guess is that this name came about in several different ways - possibly a vintage trend where familiar names were elaborated upon, a misspelling of an original name, or the transfer of a surname to first name.

Halsten

Halsten is an English and Scandinavian name meaning "hollow enclosure; settlement in a nook; rock/stone." This name has been used by Swedish royalty, the earliest namesake being Halsten Stenkilsson, King of Sweden, who lived between 1050 and 1084. His first son took his name as Philip Halstensson, and the name Halsten stopped there. Not too much is known about these early monarchs. The name Halsten is not entirely the same as Halston ("hollowed stone"), which is the name of a designer. There are no records of this name being used until 2006, when 6 boys were given the name, and none after 2006. It can sometimes be seen as a surname. White Pages says 77 people have this as a surname, and 2 as a first name.

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).

Old West Nicknames for Girls

I've been thinking of ways to get gender neutral Old Western nicknames for girls that you'd usually see on boys, and two of my best ideas so far are a) Orchid nn Kid (like Billy the Kid), which would take a brave parent to use, and b) Jessamine nn Jesse (like Jesse James).

Names in the Old Western category for boys include:
Wyatt Earp
Kit Carson
Wild Bill
Doc Holiday
Ike Clanton
Buffalo Bill Cody
Jesse James
Billy the Kid

For girls, we have Calamity Jane and Belle Starr. From the boy's options just listed, ideas for Western girl's nicknames (with feminine full names) include Holiday nn Holly, Ekaterina or Katrina nn Kit, or Belicia nn Billy.