Cillian

Today is the start of Irish week! We'll explore Irish baby naming traditions on my World-Wide Wednesday segment and learn more about an Irish girl name on Friday. Right now, let's investigate one of my favorite Irish boy names: Cillian.

Cillian is pronounced KILL-ee-an which is made more evident with the alternate spelling Killian. Both names are said to come from the Gaelic ceall meaning "church". Other sources suggest that its meaning has something to do with war or a warrior and strife based on the Irish ceallach instead. The name Kelly also comes from the ceallach family tree. Despite sometimes being considered a softer name in Ireland, Americans tend to view Cillian as a tougher name with its meaning and that harsh first syllable.

As far as associations go, there was an Irish saint who was known as Cillian in the 7th-century. A modern namesake is that of actor Cillian Murphy today. There is also the association with the brand of beer known as George Killian's Irish Red. And on television, Captain Hook is also known as Killian Jones on Once Upon A Time.

Cillian is doing rather well in popularity on native soil, ranking at #23 in Ireland and #60 in Northern Ireland according to the most recent data on Behind the Name.  However, in the US, Cillian isn't faring as well as the more obviously pronounced Killian.

In 2013, there were 77 boys named Cillian in the US for a ranking of #1836. Killian has been in the Top 1000 since 2007. In 2013, there were 292 boys given the name for a rank of #766. Cillian has only been in use in the US since 1995; males named Killian have been around since 1982 and females since 1986.  Nicknames could include Killy, Lian or Ian.

Which spelling do you prefer, traditional or anglicized? I'm a fan of Killian, myself. I thought I'd try to come up with a few sibling and middle name ideas. Since they're pronounced the same, I'll just use the one spelling in my examples, but these should work for either spelling if you're in need of ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aisling, Ciara, Fiona, Isla, Maeve, Niamh, Saoirse
Brothers: Aiden, Brennan, Declan, Ewan, Finnegan, Lorcan, Ronan

Middle Name Ideas:
Cillian Edward
Cillian Jack
Cillian Rhys
Cillian Reilly

As a Middle Name:
Findlay Cillian
Henry Cillian
James Cillian
Milo Cillian

What would you pair with Cillian?

Baby Naming Challenge - Celestial Edition

To conclude this starry, starry couple of weeks we've had, I propose a little baby naming challenge. It is a simple initial related game that should bring about a good variety of name options and fun combinations. Take a look at the three sibling sets below and decide for yourself which names you'd choose. I added my choices at the bottom. Have fun!

Set of Twins: STAR
Boy's initials are ST
Girl's initials are AR
What are their names?

Set of Twins: MOON
Girl's initials are MO
Girl's initials are ON
What are their names?

Set of Triplets: PLANET
Boy's initials are PL
Boy's initials are AN
Girl's initials are ET
What are their names?


My choices:

Set 1: Sebastian Theodore & Aveline Ramona
Set 2: Mabel Olivia & Odette Nova
Set 3: Philip Lucas, Arthur Nathaniel & Ella Tamsin

Which names would you go with? Share your choices in the comment section or join the chatter on Facebook!

Portia

Our celestial girl name of the week is the underrated Portia. This is the name of one of the moons of Uranus which was named after a Shakespearean character.

The play "The Merchant of Venice" was written by William Shakespeare in 1596 and it involved a woman named Portia who disguised herself as a man so she could defend a man named Antonio in court. There was also another Portia in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar who was based on a historical character, the wife of Brutus. The name Portia is a variant of Porcia which comes from the Roman family name Porcius.

I was a little surprised when I realized the meaning of the name, although it makes total sense based on the root of it. It has always been a somewhat classy and sophisticated name to me. As a member of the Porcius family, Portia does indeed mean "pig" from the Latin porcus. Can you see it now? If you know any other Latin-based languages, it's probably pretty obvious to you.

Nevertheless, Portia is a lovely name despite its meaning, but it has never found solid ground to stand on in the baby naming world. Portia has been used in the US since 1882 but it didn't gain regularity until 1898. It received the most usage in the year 1989 when 259 baby girls were born. The 80s and 90s weren't bad for this name. It ranked in the #700-#900 range for 9 years.  Before that, it fared similarly from 1941-1967.

Today Portia isn't receiving all that much love. Usage has tapered off since around 1995. In 2013, there were only 55 Portias born for a ranking of #3019. However, this isn't necessarily bad news. This means that the name is in the sweet spot between familiar and unusual. People have heard of it but it isn't popular so your daughter would most likely be the only Portia around. Many parents like to find rare gems like this.

The most well-known namesake today is actress Portia de Rossi, the wife of Ellen DeGeneres. She was actually born as Amanda Lee Rogers but is now legally named Portia Lee James DeGeneres despite maintaining her stage name.  There is also a fictional character in The Hunger Games trilogy known as Portia.

Remember, the name Portia is not the same as the car Porsche even if they sound the same: POR-shuh. They are not related. That could be part of the reason that Portia isn't more popular since parents may not want their daughter to be associated with the posh brand. However, there are plenty of children with names of other cars like Bentley and Lexus so that may not be a valid assumption.

What do you think of the name Portia? Does the meaning of the name ruin it for you? Does the Shakespeare association make it more appealing or less?  Here are some sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alexis, Bianca, Cecily, Lilah, Michaela, Rosalind, Simone
Brothers: Austin, Jackson, Lorenzo, Nathaniel, Orlando, Sebastian, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:
Portia Clementine
Portia Grace
Portia Juliet
Portia Maren
Portia Violet

As a Middle Name:
Adeline Portia
Elizabeth Portia
Evelyn Portia
Julianne Portia
Rosamund Portia

That was a bit tricky! What would you pair with Portia?

Celestial Girl Names

Last week we saw a great selection of celestial names for baby boys. Now it is the girls' turn!  If you're looking for the perfect name for the little star in your life, perhaps you'll find it on this list! Included in the list are names of stars, constellations, planets, moons, satellites and more! It covers all things space-related. So if you're a fan of astronomy or astrology or you simply find yourself gazing up into the cosmos often, I think you'll love this list!

If you're unfamiliar with any of these names, I suggest doing some research before committing to it, as with any baby name.  Which of these lovely choices do you like best? What would you pair with it?

Adara                                         Adhara Adrastea Agena Alula Alya Andromeda Aquila Alhena Amalthea Ara Ariel Aries Aster Asterope Astra Atria Auriga Aurora Austrina Auva Belinda Bellatrix Betria Bianca Callirrhoe Callisto Calypso Capella Carina Cassiopeia Catalina Celeste Chara Columba Cordelia Corona Cressida Cyllene Delphin Desdemona Despina Dione Eartha Elara Electra Eris Eugenia Europa Euanthe Evanthe

Faye Galatea Gemini Gemma Halley Helene Helia Ida Io Juliet Lacerta Larissa Leda Libra Luna Lynx Lyra Maia Margaret Meissa Mensa Merope Metis Mimosa Mira Miranda Nebula Norma Nova Ophelia Pandora Perdita Phoebe Phoenix Portia Rhea Rosalind Sadira Shaula Sidra Sylvia Talitha Tania Thalassa Thebe Titania Vega Vela Venus Zaniah Zosma

Learn More About Me!

I was recently asked to do an interview on another name blog, Waltzing More Than Matilda, and it was just published today! Here's a couple of the questions that I answered, but you'll have to visit their site to view the whole interview! This is a chance to get to know a little more about me!

What inspired you to begin a name blog?

Once I discovered that I was somewhat good at forming first and middle name combinations, (or I at least really liked doing so), I began frequenting forums to help parents find the perfect name. Then I decided to focus all of that into one place and help people on my own turf. It’s been over a year since I started the blog and I’ve helped many people, which is why I started it to begin with.

What are some of your favourite names?

Some of my favourites that I won’t be using include girly names like Magnolia, Freya, Coraline, Esme, Lavinia, Aveline, and Amara. For boys, I like August/Augustus, Benedict, Caspian, Constantine, Dante, Jack,Rafferty, and Silas. I can’t help but love unexpected middle names like Essence, Wintress, Frost, or Marvel.

What are your favourite names that have never charted in the US?

Girls: Amabel.
Boys: Caius?

Be sure to read the rest of the interview here! 

Atlas

As we look at celestial names this week, there's no better name to look at than Atlas.

Atlas was the titan of astronomy and navigation in Greek mythology. After the Titans were defeated in war with the Olympians, Zeus condemned him to the western edge of Gaia, or the Earth, where he was then forced to hold the celestial spheres on his shoulders. There are many depictions of Atlas "carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders". There's plenty of history that can be learned about Atlas, but we're here to talk about the name itself. You can read more about the mythological figure here.

A golden statue of Atlas

As a name, some of the etymology is uncertain, however, the ancient Roman poet named Virgil was the one who defined Atlas. He regularly translated etymologies of Greek names and combined them with appropriate adjectives. In the case of Atlas, he was given the adjective durus which means "hard, enduring". Therefore, the name Atlas has come to mean "to endure", however Behind the Name says that it has a Greek negative prefix α combined with τλαω (tlao) "to endure" that suggests a meaning of "not enduring". It makes more sense to me that it would mean "to endure" though, since Atlas must endure the weight of the sky. Other sources say that it means "to uphold, support" or simply say that it means "a titan". Take from all of that what you will.

This name has been considered too powerful of a name in the past, but I've seen it floating around the baby naming community quite a lot recently. It seems to have become a viable option along with many other strong Greek and Roman names. It even has a little bit of star-power behind it from Hollywood. Anne Heche and James Tupper named their son Atlas Heche Tupper in 2009.

Atlas has had quite a boost of popularity in the past few years! It was first used in 1883 but it wasn't until 1913 that it gained a bit of regularity, albeit very sporadic and in small numbers per year. Once the mid 2000s came around, births per year increased. 2010 saw 100 births, and by 2013, Atlas took a big leap onto the US Top 1000 chart, debuting at #789 with 282 births. It has been one of the fastest-rising names of 2013 and I'm sure it is still on its way up this year.

What do you think of the name Atlas? If you're looking for a strong, unique name with plenty of history, this is it! When I think about what other names to pair with it for middle names and sibling names, I can't help but want to stay in the realm of Greek and/or god and goddess names. Here are some ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Athena, Aurora, Cosima, Gaia, Luna, Nova, Phoebe, Thisbe
Brothers: Achilles, Evander, Hermes, Jupiter, Leander, Orion, Perseus, Sirius

Middle Name Ideas:
Atlas Christopher
Atlas Indigo
Atlas Percival
Atlas Sebastian
Atlas Theodore

As a Middle Name:
Damon Atlas
George Atlas
Jason Atlas
Phillip Atlas
Tristan Atlas

So what would you pair with Atlas? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below or on Facebook!

Celestial Boy Names

From stars, moons and planets to comets, satellites and even the names of iconic scientists, here is a wonderful list of all things celestial. If you're into astronomy or astrology or you're simply a fan of the night sky, you're sure to find inspiration from this dazzling list of baby names.

However, I don't have the space to define each of these. If you're unfamiliar with one of the names, be sure to research it before writing it on a birth certificate. :)  Which of these names do you like best for a boy?

Acamar                             Aegir Aquila Altair Apus Ariel Atlas Beid Brooks Caliban Cassini Castor Caelum Celestin Cepheus Cetus Copernicus Corvus Crux Daniel Donati Dorado Draco Fenrir Ferdinand Finlay Fornax Francisco Galileo Hercules Herschel Holmes Hubble Indus Jupiter

Keid Kepler Leo Lupus Mars Mercury Miram Montani Naos Nash Neptune Newton Oberon Orion Pavo Perseus Phoenix Pluto Pollux Prospero Rigel Rossi Russell Saiph Sagan Saturn Sirius Stephano Suhail Taurus Triton Tucan West Wolf Zuben