It was the Normans who introduced the name Honora to England and Ireland. Honora is a variant of the name Honoria which is the feminine form of Honorius.
Honorius is a Late Latin name meaning "honor". It has been worn by a few saints and popes as well as an emperor.
In addition to the lovely Honora, there is also the Irish Onóra and the English Annora. Nora is an excellent nickname for all of these, and diminutives include the similar Norene, Noreen, Norah and Nóirín.
While some parents like the shorter and simpler name Honor to reflect its virtuous meaning, others opt for a bit more of an elaboration with Honora or Honoria. These types of abstract virtue names were popular with the Puritans after having been introduced to Britain by the Normans.
Today in modern America, Honora is very under-the-radar. It has been used quietly but consistently since records were first kept in 1880 but it has never been popular. The year 1919 received the most usage for this name in a single year but that only accounted for 28 births. In 2013, there were only 20 baby girls given the name Honora in the US for a ranking of #6282.
The name Honor was a bit more popular. There were 133 girls named Honor in 2013 and there weren't any births on record for the name Honoria. On the flipside, 64 boys were also named Honor which proves that this virtue name could work for either gender.
If you are considering using Honora, here are some ideas for sibling and middle names:
Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annaliese, Cordelia, Laurel, Leonie, Matilda, Octavia, Sabrina
Brothers: August, Henry, Lucius, Miles, Rafferty, Sebastian, William
Imagine for a moment that you've got a situation like the Duggar Family but your favorite letter is H.
It can be difficult to find one name that you like, but to find many names that all start with one letter? That would be quite the challenge!
You may not end up with 19 kids like the Duggars, but if you were to opt for using all H names, this list happens to contain the 50 best H-Names around!
With 25 girl names and 25 boy names, this list should offer more than enough options for your family of Hs.
In the comments below, be sure to share which names you like most that start with the letter H.
Congratulations are in order!! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed a daughter into the world on May 2, 2015 at 8:34 am in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London. The delivery was quick and easy for Catherine! They left the hospital roughly 10 hours after Princess Charlotte was born and took her home.
We were left waiting for an additional day to find out what name they chose. Speculation was everywhere! There were even bets being placed on the name. So many people were betting on Alice at first and suddenly the opinion changed to Charlotte which might indicate that someone somewhere knew beforehand. Either way, there was probably plenty of money lost and won.
Finally, the official announcement came from Kensington Palace:
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge."
Let's take a look at her name:
Charlotte:
The infant Charlotte, Princess Royal, in 1767 with her mother, Queen Charlotte. Source
Queen Charlotte was the wife of King George III. She was a botanist who founded the Kew Gardens. Their first daughter was also named Charlotte. She later married Frederick of Württemberg and was known as the Queen of Württemberg.
King George IV also used the name for his only child, the Princess Charlotte of Wales who had been an heir to the throne but died in childbirth in 1817 at the age of 21 which greatly distressed the nation.
Duchess Catherine also has the name on her side of the family. She had a great-great-great grandmother named Charlotte Ablett who was born in 1825. Charlotte is also the middle name of Catherine's sister, Pippa Middleton.
Reaching further, the name Charlotte is related to the name Charles which of course honors William's father, the Prince of Wales. It is also related to Catherine's mother's name, Carole.
In the US, Charlotte is rather popular. It ranked #11 in 2013. It only ranked at #21 in England/Wales but it is now expected to have a boost of popularity because of the new princess.
Elizabeth:
Elizabeth, of course, is the name of our current Queen. It was also the name of her mother who became the Queen Mother. There was also Elizabeth I who reigned way back in 1558. Elizabeth is Catherine's middle name too!
This is one of the most classic names ever for girls. It was nearly everyone's guess for one of the middle names. In the US, Elizabeth has never ranked outside of the Top 30 names. It was #10 in 2013! In England/Wales, Elizabeth ranked at #39 in 2013.
Diana:
This name was the one that everyone wanted the Duke and Duchess to use, but nobody was sure if they actually would or not. As you know, Diana was the name of Prince William's later mother Princess Diana who died tragically in 1997. She was loved all around the world.
This name is the one that holds the most sentiment out of the three. It is a beautiful choice that honors someone very important to William and the country. As a name in the US, Diana ranked at #270.
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What do you think of the names that they chose for the new Princess? Did you guess correctly? Were you hoping for something different? Share your thoughts below!
If you haven't heard, Marvel Studios's new movie Avengers: Age of Ultron will be in most theaters today, Friday May 1st! As a fan of these superhero movies, I thought we'd take a look at the names of the main characters in the film.
Let me know in the comments and polls below which name you like most and which character is your favorite! Don't forget to check out the film this weekend if you're also a fan! 1. Tony Stark (aka Iron Man)
The name Tony is short for Anthony. In this case, Tony definitely suits Iron Man better than the more formal long form. Both names come from the Roman Antonius which generally has an unknown meaning. Anthony ranked at #21 in 2014 and short form Tony did pretty well at #448 on its own. Which do you prefer?
The surname Stark gained usage as a first name in 2010 (but could partially be attributed to the Starks of Game of Thrones as well). There were 20 boys named Stark in 2014. Thankfully, nobody has named their child Iron Man that I can tell, but you never know!
2. Steve Rogers (aka Captain America)
Steve is short for Steven which comes from Stephen and Stefan. The original name is the Greek Stephanos meaning "crown". Captain America was born as Steven Rogers in 1920 but is mostly called Steve or "Cap". There were 418 boys named Steven in 1920. The name was much more popular from the 1940s to the 1990s; today its down to #144. Steve itself ranked at #858 in 2014.
Similarly, Roger is rather dated as a name. It had decent usage from the 1920s to the 1980s but these days it has slipped down to #584. Since 2005, there have been 132 boys named Captain. I wonder of any of those boys named Captain were given the middle name America. America is used fairly well for girls, ranking at #846 in 2014.
3. Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk)
Bruce comes from a Scottish surname taken from the Normans. It was a Top 100 name from 1932-1970, but now ranks at #401 for boys in 2014 in the US. Bruce has been rather popular in both Scotland and Australia in years past. What do you think of it?
Surname Banner has actually been given as a first name to a number of boys. 44 boys received the name between 1916 and 1944 but it wasn't heard from again until 1993. It gained regularity in 2005. In 2014, there were 30 boys named Banner. It doesn't appear as though anyone has been named Hulk, though. 4. Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) Natasha is a Russian diminutive of Natalya which comes from the Late Latin name Natalia meaning "Christmas Day" from the Latin natale domini. Natasha was most popular in the US in the 1980s, peaking in '82 and '87. It has declined in usage again, ranking at #544 in 2014.
Black Widow's surname is Romanoff which hasn't been used as a first name in the US, but if you chop off the "off" and consider Roman as a name, you'll see that it has rapidly gained usage for boys. Roman ranked at #113 for boys in 2014; there were even 16 female Romans.
5. Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) Clint is short for Clinton which is a surname derived from an Old English place name. It refers to a "settlement on the River Glyme" which is in Oxfordshire, England. As a given name, Clint has been in use since 1880 but has never been popular. There were 95 boys named Clint in 2014.
Barton has also been around as a name since the beginning of US records but it is even less popular. There were only 5 boys named Barton in 2014. It isn't listed as much more than an English surname, but it is said to be a diminutive of Bartholomew. 6. Thor
The mighty Thor is not just a comic book character, he was also prominent in Norse Mythology as the god of strength, thunder and war. Thor actually means "thunder" in Old Norse.
As a baby name, Thor has surprisingly been in use as early as 1904 in the US, gaining regular usage in 1912. It has never been popular but it has ranked at the bottom of the Top 1000 chart in the late 1960s. There were 114 babies named Thor in 2014. 7. Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver) Pietro is the Italian form of the name Peter. It has been used in the US since 1909 but it has remained very rare. It could be a unique and interesting way to honor a Peter with a twist. There were only 25 boys given this name in 2014.
This character's surname is Maximoff which hasn't been used as a first name in the US. If we do what we did with Black Widow's surname and chop off the "off", we're left with Maxim which means "greatest". One of the many Max- names, Maxim ranked at #716 in the US in 2014. 8. Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch)
The name Wanda is said to come from a Germanic name meaning "a Wend" that actually refers to Slavic people living in Germany. Wanda isn't a very stylish choice today but it was rather popular around 1956. In 2014, just 22 baby girls were given this name. As for the Scarlet Witch's surname, see her twin brother Pietro's description above for that information.
Scarlet is a red color and also a type of cloth. This spelling ranked at #390 in 2014 for baby girls while the spelling Scarlett is #30. Scarlet is a lovely name once the "witch" part is dropped from this character's alias.
9. Nick Fury Nick is the short form of Nicholas which is a Greek name meaning "victory of the people". As a name, Nick has been given on its own since 1880 in the US and was most-used in 1959 and 1960. In 2014, there were 156 boys named just Nick. Nicholas is not as popular as it was in the '80s and '90s but it still ranked at #57 in 2014. Fury was actually given to 5 girls in 2002 but it is not a name I'd recommend since it suggests violent anger. It does, however, make for a cool surname. So tell me, which of the above character names do you like the most?
If you had to pick one, what is the best name of the bunch?
Just for fun: Which is your favorite as a character?
There was once a time back in Ancient Rome when it was common to have several children. So many that parents sometimes numbered them via their names. If you couldn't imagine naming your children one, two, three, four, five... you're not alone.
Fortunately, there are Latin options that sound much cooler than that if you happen to find the idea of numbering your offspring to be appealing. There are also some updated modernized versions of these old Latin names that are faring better than their ancient counterparts.
Many ancient names are being used again today with a renewed sense of style such as all the -us names like Atticus, Maximus, Cyrus, Augustus, etc. But does this interest extend to these numerical names? Do they stand any chance for revival? Let's take a look at some of the possible choices per number.
One (1):
Prima
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2004
# of births in that year: 6
Most recorded usage: 14 births in 1975
Primo
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 11
Most recorded usage: 31 births in 1921
Primus
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2009
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 10 births in 1920
Uno
Gender: Male
Last year used: 1923
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 15 births in both 1918 & 1919
Una
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 39
Most recorded usage: 217 births in 1921
Primo is probably the most usable of the Prim- names with it's ancient roots and stylish -o ending, but it still lacks a bit of modern flair which prevents it from gaining any real traction with parents. These will always be rare. Uno is nonexistent as a name today. Una is the most used out of all of them and would actually be rather stylish for a girl today.
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Two (2):
Secunda
Gender: Female
Last year used: 1977
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 5 births in 1964 & 1977. Total. Ever.
Segundo
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2012
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 12 births in 2002
Secundus
Gender: Male
Last year used: Never in US
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: None
One may be the loneliest number, but hardly anyone seems to value the number two when it comes to names. Segundo for a boy has done the best out of all of these but its numbers are minuscule. These may not be inclined for any kind of popularity but they're interesting to at least acknowledge.
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Three (3):
Tertia
Gender: Female
Last year used: 1985
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 5 births in 1971 & 1985. Total. Ever.
Tertius
Gender: Male
Last year used: 1987
# of births in that year: 6
Most recorded usage: 6 births in 1987. Total. Ever.
Tres
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 8
Most recorded usage: 17 births in 1993 & 1998
These Latin Tert- names aren't faring very well in the US. Tertia has potential if pronounced ter-shuh, similar to Portia. Tertius might just be too much tert, even if pronounced ter-shuss. The French Trois hasn't been used at all but the Spanish word for three, Tres, has had some usage for a boy which is as good as it gets for these number names!
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Four (4):
Quarta
Gender: Female
Last year used: Never in US
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: None
Quartus
Gender: Male
Last year used: Never in US
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: None
The US has zero love for the number four. Nobody has ever used these names. However, it would take 5 uses in a single year in order for it to be recorded, so it is possible that there's a couple out there that we don't know about. Similarly, there's no love for Quartia, Quartina, Quartessa or Quartella. Nothing for Quatro or Quatre either. Poor number four!
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Five (5):
Quinta
Gender: Female
Last year used: 1997
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 15 births in 1977
Gender: Male
Last year used: 1995
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 8 births in 1977
Quintina
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2004
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 54 births in 1976
Quintus
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 19
Most recorded usage: 30 births in 2012
Quintin
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 248
Most recorded usage: 405 births in 1997
Quinton
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 479
Most recorded usage: 871 births in 1996
The more modernized names Quintin and Quinton are commonly used today and are the most popular number names that we've looked at so far. Quintus has real potential to gain a popularity boost along with the other -us names that are rising. The female options don't quite strike the right chord for today's tastes, though.
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Six (6):
Sexta
Gender: Female
Last year used: None
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: Never used in the US
Sextus
Gender: Male
Last year used: None
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: Never used in the US
Sexton
Gender: Male
Last year used: 1975
# of births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 6 births in both 1917 & 1920
It's no surprise that people aren't readily putting the word "sex" into their children's names. I'd be more worried if these names were popular. These can stay right where they are: in obscurity.
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Seven (7):
Septima
Gender: Female
Last year used: None
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: Never used in the US
Septimus
Gender: Male
Last year used: None
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: Never used in the US
September
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 31
Most recorded usage: 51 births in 1980
Seven:
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 42
Most recorded usage: 50 births in 2012
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
Births in that year: 75
Most recorded usage: 112 births in 2008
Septima and Septimus feel like they should have some usage and that they could actually fit in with other revived ancient names. September is more of a month name than a number name these days. The calendar shifted around and pushed the month down to the ninth spot, but September still comes from the Latin word for seven. September has had regular usage since 1955 and has the potential for more. Lastly, some parents have even decided to straight up use the number "Seven" as a name without any need to Romanize it.
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Eight (8):
Octavia
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 73
Most recorded usage: 446 births in 1987
Octavio
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 175
Most recorded usage: 437 births in 2003
Octavius
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 51
Most recorded usage: 126 births in 1991
Octavian
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 43
Most recorded usage: 58 births in 2007
October
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
# of births in that year: 44
Most recorded usage: 63 births in 2010
Octavio currently has the most usage of these Oct- names, but Octavia has been most consistently used over the years. Octavius should fit right in with other ancient -us boy names but it isn't currently hitting the spot. Octavian would be a cool alternative to other modern boy names ending with -n. October is another month name. It was originally set as the 8th month but with changes to the calender, it was bumped down to the 10th spot today. It is solely used for girls but it would also suit a boy well, especially with the nickname Toby.
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Nine (9):
Nona
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
Births in that year: 23
Most recorded usage: 359 births in 1950
Nonius
Gender: Male
Last year used: None
# of births in that year: None
Most recorded usage: Never used in the US
November
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
Births in that year: 43
Most recorded usage: 43 births in 2013
Nona has had an impressive run. It isn't ranking today, but it ranked in the 300-500s for decades up until the mid 1950s. It has potential to comeback again with either the ancient crowd or as a vintage name. Nonius hasn't been used but that isn't too surprising. November, even though it is more in the Month Name Camp, has had some decent usage. It was originally the ninth month even though it is currently the 11th. It comes from the Latin novem meaning "nine".
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Ten (10):
Decima
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
Births in that year: 5
Most recorded usage: 9 births in 1914
Decimus
Gender: Male
Last year used: 2012
Births in that year: 8
Most recorded usage: 8 births in both 2006 & 2012
December
Gender: Female
Last year used: 2013
Births in that year: 33
Most recorded usage: 46 births in 2012
These names deserve much more usage than they're getting. Both Decima and Decimus are cool and attractive and should be revived along with other ancient names for modern babies. Like the other month names, December was originally the 10th month even though it is now our 12th.
Which of these "Numerical Names" do you like best? Are there any that I missed that could be included? Vote for your favorite on the polls below!
Whether you'd ever use it or not, which female name is most attractive?
Whether you'd ever use it or not, which male name is most attractive?
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