In 2014 I featured a series of blog posts introducing you to 2,014 names. For the most part they were names that were brand new to me as well. Some names may be more familiar but I found the meaning or origin or some other aspect of the name made it worthy of inclusion here. You may love some of the names, you may hate some, but hopefully you enjoy learning about all of them.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

3 More for the Road

BOYS


Humberson

Naphthalim

Yelverton


Saturday, January 30, 2016

3 For the 30th

Girls


Finetta

Paralee




Boys


Joseph Mary -  I had heard of doing this sort of name for a boy in Catholic countries like Spain or France, but had not actually ever encountered a man with a woman's name for a middle name (a woman's name that had not ever been a man's name first, like Ashley or Vivan)

His father's name was Joseph, his mother's name was Mary, and his older sister's name was Josephine. Paralee was his oldest sister's name and Finetta the second sister's name.

Mary was, I think, his middle name and not part of a double name like John Paul.


Friday, January 22, 2016

One New Name, Leads to Another

I was researching the name Vontess for an earlier post and coming up with dead ends everywhere. I turned to my mother who remembered the lady better than I did and I came across more unusual names to feature from Vontess' family.

GIRLS

Esmont - this was her daughter's name

Nelma - The daughter's name Nelma Esmont, though she went by Esmont (it's a Utah thing)
I came across a great website, http://lumitar.blogspot.com/2013/03/finnish-names-suomalainen-nimikirja.html, which lists Nelma as a nickname for names such as Unelma, which means 'dream' in Finnish. My hometown had a lot of Scandinavian roots, but I don't think any Finnish, however, so it is more likely related to whatever this name means in Swedish/Danish/Norwegian. Unelma seems just like the sort of name someone where I'm from would have, so I wouldn't be surprised if Vontess wasn't inspired to use Nelma as a result of such a name.

BOYS

Keogh - Her husband. But Mom cannot remember how this name is said or where it comes from!

I found in one source that it means "darkness". Another source says it comes from the Irish name Eochaidh, which derives from the word for 'horseman', 'eochadha'. Eochadha comes from 'ech' meaning 'a horse'. It can be found as part of the surname MacKeogh, which means 'son of Eochaidh'. Knowing the meaning of Eochaidh, it would mean son of the horseman. It would seem that it can be spelled Kehoe and, according to another source, though it does mean horse and a man who rides one, it describes the horseman as "a bold horseman or knight". MacKeogh comes from the surname Mac Eochy and is seen to make the Irish name easier for an English speaker to pronounce. I still have not figured out how this name is said!

a Christian knight, armed with virtues

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Neat New Names Hiding in Every Nook and Cranny!

GIRLS


Adelma - Anglo-Saxon, from the name Ealdhelm, from "eald" meaning "old" and "helm" meaning "helmet".



BOYS


Cranmer

Needham

Friday, January 15, 2016

I Spy, With My Little Eye, Some Extraordinary Names

Or at least, they were names I had not seen or noticed before. I saw these on my walk yesterday at the graveyard.

GIRLS

Christia - I'm wondering how it's pronounced. Is it just said like Christa? Or is it said like Christy? Is it 'chris tee ah' or is it 'christ yah'  or 'christ jah' or maybe even 'chris TEE ah'? Chris tee yah is my personal choice.

BOYS

Clagett - this is a surname around here but this was the first time I have seen it as a personal name.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

New Names, My Treat!

GIRLS

Tiziana -Italian, meaning "giant", according to The Everything Baby Names Book" by June Rifkin.


BOYS

Arioch - Hebrew, meaning "royal", according to June Rifkin's book.

Zabbai-  at left the name as it is written in Hebrew, its language of origin. It is derived from , which is Hebrew, written in English as 'zub'. The name means "that runs or glides". From Calmet's bible dictionary.

Friday, January 1, 2016

'Tis a New Year and With it We Should Begin Anew

2 years ago I introduced you to 2014 names over the course of a year, names which were unknown to me previously, fairly rare or unusual, or which I thought warranted introducing to you. This year I will be featuring various things related to names. Since we begin the year in January, why not begin with Jan? Which can be a nickname for longer names such as Janet, Janice, or Janelle, or, said more like 'yawn' it is a Scandinavian boy's name.

The Sea Storm by Jan Brueghel the Elder

Coastal landscape by Jan Brueghel the Younger

A pair of Dutch painters, Jan Brueghel (the Elder and the Younger)

Jan Brady... one of the first things I picture when I hear this name


Kimberly Jan Dickens,one of the actresses in the t.v. show Fear the Walking Dead