Autumnal names

Autumn is my favourite season, next to winter of course. Seasons offer multitudes of choices when it comes to names, especially autumn. With autumn comes all those beautiful vivid colours, the reds and oranges, and the beautiful names associated with leaves changing colour and floating to the ground. Autumn itself is a beautiful name and one that I personally would like to see more of. In this beautiful country of Australia, autumn runs through from March till the end of May but for many of us we don’t even start to experience perfect autumn weather usually until April, when the other half of the world welcomes Spring.

Here are some autumn inspired names to remind you of your favourite season all year long. My personal favourite is Saffron.

Akie [AH-kee-eh] Girls name of Japanese origin meaning autumn painting.

Amber [AM-ber] Girls name of English origin meaning amber. Amber is a semi precious stone of fossilised tree resin and is orange in colour. The name was popular in the 80's but quickly fell however has seen a comeback in 2007 when it featured in the top 50 in several European countries.

April [AY-pril] Girls name of Latin origin meaning open. April is associated with spring in the northern hemisphere where the 'open' refers to the flowers opening. In the southern hemisphere April falls in autumn and is associated with Easter and falling leaves.

Autumn [OR-tum] Girls name of English origin meaning autumn.

Crimson [KRIM-zun] Girls name of English origin meaning crimson, which is a shade of red.

Edom [E-dom] Boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning red and earth.

Garnett [GAR-nit] Girls and Boys name of Latin origin meaning pomegranate seed. A garnet is a semi precious red stone.

Rory [ROR-ee] Girls and Boys name of Gaelic and English origins meaning red king. For girls, Rory can be a nick name for names such as Aurelia and Aurora

Saffron [SAF-fron] Girls name of English origin with the meaning taken from the name of the spice. Saffron is an orange/yellow coloured spice used to flavour and give colour to several dishes such as paella.

Scarlett [SKAHR-let] Girls name of English origin meaning the colour scarlett. A famous bearer was Scarlett O'hara from Gone With the Wind.

This weeks selection

As follows is a selection of names from Australian birth announcements over the last week. This weeks announcements offered fairly bland and safe choices, which was predicted late last year thanks to the global financial crisis. Parents are choosing to name their children with less creative and out their names as they think about the future of their child in terms of education and employment. This is not a bad thing at all as studies have shown that names do have a very large impact on a persons educational life and their career. Parents are looking to the future to ensure their child's success in life.

Personal Favourites

Emilia Angelina. Daughter of Dino and Miranda
Cristian Joseph. Son of John and Antionetta
Nuala Erin. Daughter of Deirdre and Brad
Chloe Alice. Daughter of Nathan and Amy
Eliana Amy. Daughter of Tim and Rebecca
Cameron James. Son of Simon and Emma
Stella Macie. Daughter of Adrian and Michelle

Other interesting choices
Isobelle Georgia Mary Anne. Daughter of Simon and Jo
Emily Ann. Daughter of Mardi and Simon
Iris May. Daughter of Pooja and Matthew
Anna Kate. Daughter of Matthew and Alice
Lucas Dale. Son of Hayley and Jave

Most Repeated Name
Jack.

Hmmmm names
Breeya Louise
Dyllon George

Jumping on the trend-wagon
Addison Kathleen
Sienna Elizabeth
Ruby Taylor
Ruby Ava
Scarlett Kathleen
Brock Anthony - Just in time for the Clipsal 500 V8 car races.


Vroom, vroom!

Definitely some interesting choices this week...

In honour of St. Patrick's Day, some Irish names to whet your appetite!

Lots of people want to choose an Irish name to honour some sort of Irish heritage whether they themselves are from Ireland or are 6 generations past their Irish heritage.
The thing with Irish names you need to be careful about is the pronunciation. Most traditional names are of Gaelic or Celtic origins and vary in pronunciation. Irish names also include anglicizations of some of these traditional names.
Have a gander and pick your favourites but make sure you're sure, to be sure! (ok, so that was a bad attempt at humour!)

Girls

Aideen [ay-deen]. Meaning: Fire
Ailbe [al-bee]. English: Alby. Meaning: White
Ailish [ay-lish]. Meaning: Irish version of Alice/Alicia
Aine [awn-ya] English: Anya, Anna. Meaning: Splendor
Alannah [a-lan-a] Meaning: Darling Child
Aislinn [ash-ling]. Meaning: A dream
Briana [bri-a-na]. Meaning: Noble
Brigid [bridge-id]. English: Bridgit. Meaning: Power, Virtue
Ciaran [care-in]. English: Karen. Meaning: Little Friend
Caoimhe [Kee-va]. English: Keeva. Meaning: Gentle, Beautiful
Cassidy [Kass-i-dee] Meaning: Curly haired - Irish Surname
Catriona [Kah-tree-nah] English: Katrina. Meaning: Clear, Pure
Ciara [kee-rah] English: Kiera. Meaning: Dark
Darcy [Dar-C] Meaning: Dark haired - Irish Surname
Fiona [fee-o-na] Meaning: Fair, Gentle
Keela [kee-la] Meaning:A beauty only poetry can capture
Kyla [kie-la] Meaning: A beauty only poetry can capture
Meara [meer-a] Meaning: Sea
Muirenn [mu-rin]. English: Miren. Meaning: Sea fair
Neala/Neila [ nee-la] Meaning: Female Champion
Niamh [neev] English: Neave. Meaning: Radience, Lustre
Nola [noh-lah] Meaning: Fair
Nuala [noo-lah] Meaning: Fair
Orlaith [or-la] Meaning: Golden Princess
Regan [re-gan] Meanin: sovereign - Irish Surname
Ryanne [rye-an] Meaning: Little King
Saoirse [seer-sha] Meaning: Freedom, Liberty
Siobahn [ shi-vawn] Meaning: God is gracious
Tegan [tee-gan] Meaning: Beautiful
Yseult [ee-solt]

Boys

Aedan [Aid-in] English: Aiden. Meaning: Fire
Aengus [eng-is] Meaning: Excellent Strength
Bradan [bray-dan] English: Braden Meaning: A salmon
Ciaran [keer-in] English: Kieran. Meaning: Dark
Colman [Kohl-man] Meaning:Little dove
Conan [Koh-nan] Meaning:Swift-footed warrior
Deaglan [deck-lan] English: Declan. Meaning: Good
Dillon. English: Dylan. Meaning: Flash of lightning
Eamon [aim-an] Meaning: Rich guardian
Emmet. Meaning: Used as a mark of respect to Irish patriot Robert Emmet
Eoghan [o-in]. English: Owen. Meaning: Born in a yew tree
Finn. Meaning: Fair haired
Hugh [hue] Meaning: Fire
Liam. Meaning Form of William
Lochlan [lok-lan]. Meaning: Land of the lochs
Quinn. Meaning: Intelligent - Irish surname
Riley [rie-lee]. Meaning: Courageous
Seamus [shay-mus]. Meaning: Irish variant of James

Whilst this list is by no means comprehensive it offers a great introduction to Irish names.
There are plenty of trendy names out there claiming to be Irish but it's safer to say they aren't traditional Irish names, I'm a sucker for tradition which is why many trendy, modern Irish wanna-be name don't appear here.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Choose your own virtue

Whilst many people want their children to hold the virtues of faithfulness, charity, hope, kindness and compassion some parents go a step further and give their child a name that reflects such a virtue like the popular name Grace.

Virtue names were spread by the Puritans, who were rather religious people. Most often they named their children after saints but often gave them names to reflect a positive virtue. They were by no means the first to do this as virtue names can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome where people were given names with powerful meanings as a form of protection.

Possibly the most common and popular virtue name of current times is Grace. It’s not hard to see why people fall in love with this sweet name however there are many other virtue names out there to choose from.

Below is a list of other virtue names that I like.

Adora
Amity
Bonny
Charity
Chastity
Clemence
Destiny
Esprit - Not just the name of a great clothing store!
Ever
Faith
Felicity
Finesse
Gloria
Harmony
Honor
Hope
Liberty
Mercy
Merry
Patience
Pleasance
Providence
Remembrance
Serenity
Solace
Swift
Temperance
True
Verity - V names are said to be big over the next few years, this is by far my favourite.

Whilst there are many more virtue names out there, these are my top picks.

An Australian of sorts...

For many Australians, especially those living overseas, when it comes time to name their child they often want to give them a name that reflects Australian history or culture and remains as an ever standing link between them, their child and Australia. This has always been a common occurrence however an increase in names that reflect upon Australia was most recently sparked by the birth of the late Heath Ledger’s daughter, Matilda. Whilst German in origin, Matilda has been adopted as an Australian name through its mention in the ballad Waltzing Matilda by Banjo Paterson. Some Australian’s will strongly argue that this ballad should in fact be the Australian national anthem. Since the birth of Matilda Ledger (?) there has been a rise in the popularity of the name Matilda, which is generally seen after any sensible or even not so sensible celebrity baby name choice. Take the Affleks choice of Violet as a solid example. Even Nicole’s Sunday Rose is a tribute to prominent Australian Art Patron Sunday Reed. Although some say it pays tribute to the Whitsunday Islands where Nicole spend her 40th birthday.
If you want to pay homage to this great country of Australia, yes I am a little biased, there are plenty of other fantastic names for you to choose from. Following is a list I have compiled that contains names for both boys and girls from Australian history and culture. It is certainly not a complete and total list but more of a guide to show people there is more to Australian-esque baby names than Matilda and Jack.

Happy reading!


Adelaide : The Capital of South Australia, named after Queen Adelaide. Adelaide was Australia’s only site of free settlers, not convicts. Adelaide is increasing in popularity as a girls name as people look back to traditional names.
Acacia : Acacia Pycnantha is the scientific name of Golden Wattle, Australia's floral emblem. It is used and recognized as a girls name but is nowhere as common as Violet or Rose.
Alexander : The Alexander was one of the convict transport ships that travelled with the First Fleet delivering 195 male convicts to Sydney Cove in 1788.
Azaria : Made famous as the name of the baby who was claimed to have been stolen by a dingo at Ayers Rock. Her Mother was later convicted of her murder.
Banjo : Banjo Patterson is an Australian poet best known for his ballads and poems; Waltzing Matilda, The Man From Snowy River and Clancy of the Overflow. Australian actress Rachel Griffiths has a son named Banjo.
Charlotte : The Charlotte was one of the convict transport ships that travelled with the First Fleet delivering 128 male and female convicts to Sydney Cove in 1788. Charlotte carried the famous convict escapee Mary Bryant.
Eddie : Eddie Mabo was a Torres Straight Islander who became famous as a campaigner for Indigenous land rights. His involvement in a High Court case that overturned the premise of Terra Nullius in regards to land and title is his most famous achievement. Eddie passed away in 1992.
Edmund : Sir Edmund Barton was Australia's first Prime Minister upon federation in 1901. Edmund is no longer a popular choice for boys, most people prefer Edward. It would be nice to see more Australians using the name Edmund.
Elizabeth : Queen Elizabeth is the Queen of Australia and the name Elizabeth was also born by Elizabeth Thackery, said to be the first member of the First Fleet on shore at Botany Bay. She is also noted as the last female survivor of that fleet.
Henry : Many important Australians have held this name, including captains of the first fleet also Sir Henry Parkes. Parkes was most notable for his role in the federation of Australia gaining himself the title, ‘Father of Federation’. The town of Parkes in New South Wales is named in his honour.
Jack : From a diminutive of John meaning ‘man’, Jack can be seen as a shortening of the title Jackaroo. A Jackaroo is a young man who works on a cattle station in outback Australia, a profession romanticized by many early Australian authors.
Matilda : Is a popular choice in Australia due to its links to the unofficial national anthem 'Waltzing Matilda'. The name was shot even more into the spotlight after the birth of Matilda Ledger. Australian TV presenter David Koch also has a granddaughter named Matilda who he frequently talk about during morning show, Sunrise.
Matthew : Matthew Flinders was a well known explorer who navigated Australia. He has an Australian university named in his honour, Flinders University in South Australia. Matthew is a popular choice for boys.
Ned : Ned Kelly was a famous Australian bush ranger and head of the Kelly gang. Although technically a criminal Ned is somewhat of an Australian bush legend.
Opal : An opal is a precious stone commonly found in outback Australia. Whilst popular many years ago Opal waivered but with the resurgence of other stone names like Ruby, Opal has started to appear again.
Sydney : Sydney is Australia’s most well known capital city, despite it not being the country’s capital. Sydney was aptly named after the British Home Secretary Lord Sydney in 1788. Whilst Sydney used to be a popular male name over the last decade it has become a popular choice for girls.
Talia : Talia is a common name in Australia and comes from several origins. The one origin that does link the name to Australia is that it is reported to be an Aboriginal word meaning 'near water'. Talia is also the name of well known TV presenter Melissa Doyle’s daughter.
Victoria : Victoria pays homage to the Australian state of Victoria, whose capital is Melbourne. The state in turn is named after Queen Victoria. Whilst the name was very popular several years ago it has remained a well loved choice for Australian parents.