The Art of Naming

For the third installment of World-Wide Wednesday, we'll take a look at the naming traditions in Africa. Featured African Names: Kato & Zola For most Africans, baby-naming is extremely important. They place a high value on the name choice and its meaning. Many believe that it will have a major influence on the lives of the child and the family as a whole.  There is a delicate balance between giving a child a name that is too ambitious and a simple name that may not yield high enough expectations. Of course, Africa is a very large continent and it is home to hundreds of different languages and customs. Traditionally, African parents like to give names that reflect the time and day of the birth, the environment in which the baby was born or other related circumstances like gender or birth order. Many African names also reflect the parents hopes, aspirations and dreams for the child, or they may have to do with their fears, their religious beliefs and their own philosop...

This week we will be focusing on African Names! I chose a handsome boy name that comes from Uganda. Kato  is a great example of the way African names are used. It means "second of twins" which clearly describes the circumstances at the time of the birth. Perhaps his twin brother would be named Babirye or Isingoma which both mean "first of twins."  I will be discussing African Naming traditions more thoroughly on Wednesday! Kato is a much different name than the Ancient Roman Cato which is male and means "wise." There is also a feminine Cato which is a diminutive of the Dutch Catharina and an entirely different name than the first two! This name has occasionally been used in the US since 1914. It was only used for 6 babies between 1928 and 1972. Kato gained more regular usage in 1993 but it is nowhere near the Top 1000.  Last year, there were 26 baby boys given the name which ranks it at #3926. I'd say that it is not unfamiliar but it is...

I thought I would issue you a naming challenge! Just for fun, of course. Should you choose to accept, here are my terms: You will be naming three hypothetical babies. Siblings but not triplets. Use the links for help! Here are the rules: Baby #1 - A boy:  First name: It has an X in it Middle name: A Presidential Surname Baby #2 - A girl: First name: A flower or tree name Middle name: Vintage "old lady" name Baby #3 - A girl: First name: It is 4-letters long Middle name: An Ancient name Post the names that you came up with in the comment section for all to enjoy! You may even write what their ages are and come up with a last name for them if you wish. Here are my names: 1. Phoenix Harrison 2. Magnolia Ruth 3. June Minerva Thanks for playing! And remember that there are more baby-name-games like this one in the forum section on the blog! 

The Name of the Week is the biblical girl's name Esther.  Esther is considered a Persian name that means "star" and is related to names like Estee and Hester. However, as an alternative, the origin could possibly come from the goddess name Ishtar. In the Old Testament, Queen Esther was the focus of the Book of Esther. She was the Jewish wife of the King of Persia who is known for saving the Jews from being killed.  Esther's original Hebrew name was Haddassah. In American history, President Grover Cleveland named his daughter Esther in 1893 which gave the name a popularity boost. Esther jumped from 824 births in 1892 to 1,382 births in 1893. It continued to gain popularity over the next couple decades, peaking at 6,575 births in 1918 (#38). The name declined in usage after that, but has never dipped lower than #348. Source Esther has had a slight boost in usage since 2000. In 2012, there were 1,313 baby girls given the name, ranking it at #242. This is...

I've always felt that coming up with lovely biblical names for girls was a bit of a difficult task. After all, there are so many men in the bible and sometimes the women aren't named. It turns out there are many more name options than you might think.  Here is a list of some of the more wearable choices for a modern girl. Be sure to do some research about the biblical person to make sure the name you're choosing is a good one!  :)  Which is your favorite? Abiah Abigail Abra Ada Anna Azubah Beulah Chloe Deborah Delilah Dinah Dorcas Elizabeth Esther Eunice Eve Galilee Hannah Havilah Hepzibah Jael Jemima Jerusha Joanna Judith Junia Keturah Keziah Leah Lydia Magdalen Magdalena Martha Mary Mehitabel Miriam Naomi Orpah Peninah Phoebe Priscilla Rachel Rebekah Rhoda Ruth Salome Sarah Selah Susannah Tabitha Tamar Zillah Zilpah Zipporah There are even more options than that! Here is a full list of names that come from the b...

Once again, a poll on the sidebar of the blog has come to a close. A whopping 84 votes were cast for these lovely names that start with Ev-.  Because I couldn't help myself, I ended up choosing 7 names for the poll which made the votes spread a little thin, but there was definitely a clear favorite. Here are the results: Known: Evangeline  19 votes (22%) Common:   Eve       14 votes (16%) Unusual:   Everly         14 votes (16%) Popular:   Evelyn         12 votes (14%) Popular:   Eva        9 votes (10%) Rare:   Evadne          9 votes (10%) Rare:   Eveline          7 votes (8%) 22% of you Name-Artists out there favor the name Evangeline the most!  It is toward the middle of the pack as far as popularity is concerned. Here is how each of the names ranked on the US Top 1000 chart in 2012: Ev...

The Name of the Week is the biblical boy's name Simeon. Its cuter than Simon but follows the coolness of Gideon. It is pronounced SIM-ee-ən. It comes from the Hebrew name שִׁמְעוֹן Shim'on which means "he has heard" or "God is listening."  In the Old Testament, Simeon was the second some of Jacob and one of the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel. In the New Testament, Simeon was a man who blessed Jesus as a newborn.  There was also a powerful ruler in Bulgaria who bore this name in the 10th-century. Simeon has also been a popular name for saints. In 2012, Simeon popped back onto the US Top 1000 chart at #980, with 202 male births.  It has always been at the bottom of the chart, or just outside of it. It ranked as high as #360 back in 1880 (with 23 boys born).  It ranked as low as #2034 in 1928, but has always has usage.  Despite the number of births being higher today than ever, the name is still fairly rare but since it is biblical, its not unfamil...