Haiku Poetry Sibset Name Game

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 the names totally different from each other! Make as many as you'd like and share them in the comment section below!!

Sibset Haiku #1:
Boy (5 syllables):
Girl (7 syllables):
Boy (5 syllables):

Sibset Haiku #2:
Girl
Boy
Girl

Sibset Haiku #3:
Girl
Girl
Girl

Sibset Haiku #4:
Boy
Boy
Boy

Sibset Haiku #5:
Boy
Boy
Girl

Sibset Haiku #6:
Girl
Girl
Boy

Enjoy! Don't forget to share your name haikus in the comments below!

Althea

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 beloved in the poem "To Althea, from Prison". In modern times, this name is most commonly associated with the great tennis player, Althea Gibson, who was the first African-American to win at Wimbleton.

As far as nicknames go, modern parents would probably opt for Thea. I also like the idea of Allie for a small child.

This name has been in regular usage since 1880 in the US. It has had two dramatic popularity boosts in the past. One around 1920 and the other in the late 1950s even though this name has never seen more than 400 births in a single year. Althea has had steady usage since the 1970s in the 40-80 births per year range. It has not seen the Top 1000 since 1972. In 2013, there were 99 baby girls named Althea for a ranking of #1964.

Revision:  As of 2016, Althea rose to #1674 for a total of 127 births for the year. The name is due for another popularity boost.

What do you think of this ancient name? Do you feel as though it could be relevant again today?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Bronwyn, Calliope, Daphne, Hyacinth, Juno, Olympia
Brothers: Atlas, Evander, Jasper, Oscar, Sebastian, Tarquin

Middle Name Ideas:
Althea Camille
Althea Iris
Althea Penelope
Althea Rose
Althea Willow

As a Middle Name:
Chloe Althea
Daisy Althea
Genevieve Althea
Madeleine Althea
Olive Althea

Share your thoughts on this name in the comments below.

First published: 2/7/14
Revised: 12/25/14
Revised: 5/13/17

Evander

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 Kane.

Beyond myths, literature and athletes, there are actual babies given this name. In the US, Evander first appeared in 1888 with 5 births but was rarely used until it gained a more regular momentum in 1911. The number of births per year remained near single-digits until the late 1980s.

Evander got as many as 75 births in 1991 for a ranking of #1297 but the numbers declined again after that until hitting a record-high of 80 births in 2012 for a ranking of #1823. It is still very far off from the Top 1000 which makes it a rare but familiar gem.

Evander would fit right in with Xander and could potentially be called Evan for short. If you're not a fan, try the similar sounding Leander instead!

What do you think of this rarely-used name? What would you pair with it? Here are some suggestions:

Sibling Name Ideas: 
Sisters: Athena, Cassia, Delphine, Minerva, Persephone, Rowena, Viviana
Brothers: Amadeus, Cyrus, Ignatius, Leopold, Malcolm, Orion, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:
Evander Alistair
Evander Calix
Evander Gregory
Evander Lewis
Evander Marius
Evander Romulus
Evander Theodore

As a Middle Name:
August Evander
Charles Evander
Henry Evander
Linus Evander
Julius Evander
Ronan Evander
Silas Evander

Fletcher

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 the Top 1000 in 2003 at #991.  In 2012, Fletcher saw 283 births which put the name at a ranking of #791.

It fits right in with other occupational surnames like Carter (#36), Hunter (#45), Tyler (#50), Parker (#80) and Cooper (#82).  Fletcher currently ranks at #220 in England/Wales.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Audrey, Charlotte, Macy, Piper, Sophia, Willow
Brothers: Bennett, Holden, Jack, Nathan, Oliver, Tobiah

Middle Name Ideas:
Fletcher Augustus
Fletcher Benjamin
Fletcher Daniel
Fletcher Miles
Fletcher Reid

As a Middle Name:
Adam Fletcher
Ethan Fletcher
Gabriel Fletcher
Owen Fletcher
Vincent Fletcher

Baby Names from Poetry

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 Landor Larkin Lorca Lowell

Lyric Macaulay Marlowe Marvell Merrill Merwin Millay Milton Mistral Morely Moore Morrison Muse Nash Neruda Oliver Owen Paz Poe Poet Quarles Riley Rumi Ruskin Shelley Spenser Sonnet Tennyson Thoreau Vaughan Verlaine Whitman Whittier Wyatt Yeats

My Top 5 Favorites:

1. Auden (Boy or Girl)

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Ada, Ella, Emory, Harper, Lennon, Maren, Rumor, Summer

Brothers: Asher, Emerson, Holden, Marek, Nolan, Reese, Sutton, Vance

Middle Name Ideas:

Auden Clark

Auden James

Auden Theodore

Auden Elizabeth

Auden Grace

Auden Scarlett

2. Dante

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Alena, Carys, Daphne, Gianna, Lilith, Ophelia, Stella, Vera

Brothers: Alec, Damian, Luca, Maxwell, Ronan, Sebastian, Vincent, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:

Dante Alexander

Dante Merrick

Dante Oliver

Dante Theodore

Dante Vincent

3. Hugo

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Audrey, Cecilia, Estella, Imogen, Jasmine, Phoebe, Sabrina, Tabitha

Brothers: Andre, Felix, Hector, Ivan, Julian, Max, Oliver, Samuel

Middle Name Ideas:

Hugo Augustus

Hugo Conrad

Hugo Eames

Hugo Roderick

Hugo Wilder

4. Nash 

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Amara, Cora, Eliza, Fiona, Jade, Mabel, Riley, Tessa

Brothers: Beau, Cole, Drake, Ethan, Gavin, Joel, Maverick, Wyatt

Middle Name Ideas:

Nash Benjamin

Nash Carter

Nash Elliott

Nash Jameson

Nash Roland

5. Sonnet (Girl)

Sibling Name Ideas;

Sisters: Autumn, Bluebell, Felicity, Hope, Karys, Lyric, Soleil, Willow

Brothers: Bridger, Christian, Flynn, Jett, Keller, Mason, Parker, Stone

Middle Name Ideas:

Sonnet Alexandra

Sonnet Caroline

Sonnet Elizabeth

Sonnet Magnolia

Sonnet Olivia

What are your favorite Poetry Names?