The Art of Naming

Today is National Haiku Poetry Day! It falls on April 17th every year to celebrate this fun, beloved style of poetry. You most likely wrote a few of these in your school years. I know I did and they're my favorite!  I thought it would be exceptionally fun to write some "name haikus" to celebrate! How does a name haiku work? Well, traditionally, a haiku poem consists of three lines. The first line is 5 syllables, the second is 7 and the third is 5 again. So it is a poem with a syllable count of 5-7-5. For the purpose of our little game here today, we will be making sibsets of 3.  Name three children. The first one will have a first and middle name combination that amounts to 5 syllables. The second's first and middle names will add up to 7 syllables, and the third child will have 5 syllables. Does that make sense? I'll provide a format below and an example in the photo. Have fun with this! Try to use different naming styles for a themed sibset, or make t

Althea is a feminine, Greek Mythological name. It comes from the Greek name Αλθαια ( Althaia ) and might also be related to the Greek αλθος ( althos ) which means "healing". Most baby naming sites say that this name means "with healing power" or that it refers to the Althaea genus of perennial herbs including the marshmallow plant which is noted for its healing powers. In Greek legends, Althea was the mother of Meleager. Behind the Name says "soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son." Clearly this name has some tragedy behind it but it is still interesting and lovely in sound. In the 17th century, a poet named Richard Lovelace used the name Althea as a poetic pseudonym for his belove

The name Evander has two possible backgrounds. The first comes from the Latin Evandrus which comes from the Greek Ευανδρος ( Euandros ). This means "good man".  This background is the most widely accepted on baby naming sites. The second possible origin says that Evander is the anglicized form of Iomhar which is the Scottish from of Ivor. Ivor comes from the Old Norse name Ívarr meaning "bow warrior". Ivor was carried into Great Britain by Scandinavians in the Middle Ages. According to Behind the Name , in Roman mythology, Evander was an Arcadian hero who founded the city of Pallantium where Rome would later be built. He was responsible for bringing the Greek pantheon, laws and alphabet to Italy. This Evander also appeared in Virgil's Aeneid , a Latin epic poem written between 29 and 19 BC. The most well-known modern-day association with the name Evander belongs to boxing champ Evander Holyfield. There is also a Canadian hockey player named Evander

Fletcher is originally a surname that refers to a person who fletches arrows as their occupation. It is a Middle English name meaning "arrow maker" which comes from the Old French flechier . It is a surname but it has a tough, masculine feel to it with a bit of unique quirkiness added in. Following this week's post about names inspired by poetry, there was a poet named Thomas Fletcher (1666-1713) who was also a priest of the Church of England.   John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright (1579-1625) who took over Shakespeare's role as the house playwright for the King's Men. Click here to view many more famous namesakes including several fictional characters named Fletcher. This name has been in regular use since 1880 in the US. It had a boost in popularity in 1914 that lasted through the early 1950s before it declined again. However it was in the top 1000 names from 1880-1971, and 1985-1986. The year 1998 saw another boost, catapulting the name back into t

Source There is something about the surname of poets that just happens to be, well, poetic. Not only do they have a way with words, but these poets have also left us some amazing baby name options to choose from!  Whether you studied poetry in school or just secretly love it, these names might just be what you're looking for!  There are also a few words included that are related to poetry. Below this list, I have chosen my Top 5 favorites that I'd love to see on a modern baby and listed out potential sibling names and middle names. If you'd like to share what your favorite names are (or if I've missed any that should be included) please do so in the comment section! Angelou Auden Baird Blake Bly Bogan Bronte Byron Campbell Carew Chaucer Corso Crane Cullen Dante Dickinson              Dove Dryden Dylan Eliot Emerson Fletcher Frost Giovanni Hardy Herrick Hugo Jarrell Keats Kenyon Kipling Lando