A few weeks back I talked about seasonal names that rise and fall based on the calendar -- specifically, the name April. Around the world, the time of birth is a traditional source of naming inspiration. Many African names such as Kofi ( from the Akan language, meaning "born on a Friday" ) commemorate the day or season. Other traditions mark holiday births with special names, such as Esther and Mordecai for the Jewish holiday of Purim.
In some Christian traditions, though, calendar-based naming is a 365-days-a-year custom. The Roman Catholic and Orthdox churches maintain saints' calendars, remembering and celebrating the lives of the holy on specific days of each year. In many communities it is an old tradition to name children for a saint whose feast day falls on their their birthdate. And therein lies today's curious tale, of seasonal names as a footnote to history.
France was one of the world's trend-setters in the orderly regulation of names. The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, a landmark set of reforms in 1539 that helped establish modern France, set down the first formal naming rules. The ordinance established hereditary surnames and required all baby names to be registered, with priestly approval required. Practically speaking, this meant that babies were to be named for saints, most often the saint dictated by the calendar.
The Villers-Cotterêts rules held until the French Revolution, when the calendar itself was turned upside down. The new Republican government appointed a team of mathematicians who devised an entirely new calendar based on a decimal system. While the Bible prescribes a day of rest after six days of work, the secular Revolutionary Calendar opted for efficient 10-day weeks. (The working public failed to appreciate the mathematical elegance of the longer weeks.)
A committee of poets then took on the job of naming all the parts of the new year. Months were simple enough, based on the features of the season. Thermidor, for instance, came in the heat of summer. But each day had to be named too, to replace the familiar roster of saints. The poets settled on 365 days of plants, farm animals, and a few gardening implements. So Ste. Agathe's Day, February 5th, became Lichen day in the Pluviôse, or rainy, month.
Yet the age-old tradition of a naming calendar had a deep hold on the populace. Some parents still felt an obligation to follow the calendar for baby names, even as the calendar turned agricultural. You can see parental struggles recorded in a smattering of birth records from the 1790s. The new-calendar names make furtive appearances, assigned like aliases: Jeanne et Artichaut ("Jeanne and Artichoke.")
If names are a candid reflection of culture, then Jeanne et Artichaut is a reflection of a cultural experiment gone awry. It didn't stick. By the early 19th Century the old calendar was restored and its naming significance codified into law. All baby names had to be found either on the calendar of saints or in classical history.
Perhaps this tale should give strength to parents contemplating calendar heresy -- say, naming a November baby April. Be grateful you have the choice, and remember that the seasons won't sink a good name, any more than a June 30 birthday saves Artichoke from being a bad one.
Comments
Very interesting post! Thank you.
I knew that they changed the calendar because of the French Revolution but I was not aware of the impact it had on the names.
The "priestly approval" reminded me of a friend whose parents wanted her to be baptized "Natalie" and the Catholic priest didn't want to do it so they had to add another name that was "Catholic enough". Strange, if you consider the meaning of "Natalie"... This was two decades ago in Austria. I don't believe it's that strict here in general.
Celebrity Baby Name!
Singer Erykah Badu and rapper Jay Electronica welcome a little girl named Mars Merkaba. She joins siblings (with different Dads) Puma Rose (girl) and Seven Sirius (boy).
Mars is the Roman God of War. A bit violent and millitant to me.
Merkaba is *very* interesting. “Merkaba, also spelled Merkabah, is the divine light vehicle allegedly used by ascended masters to connect with and reach those in tune with the higher realms. ” See this website for more info:
http://www.crystalinks.com/merkaba.html
New baby alert:
Elijah Sh@e, goes by Sh@e
Laura, great post! Where did you find the information on the French names? Also when did parents stop having to choose names from history or the saints' calendar in France? Is it a rule still on the books that is ignored or was it repealed at some point? Poor Jeanne et Artichaut her parents were trying so hard to make sure she'd fit in;).
Mars Merkaba, that's very interesting. Just based on the sound of Mars I don't mind it, but as a meaning it's either the male God of war as Tirzah points out above or something fit for someone who LOVES scifi... especially with the Merkaba it sounds like.
On a somewhat similar note, in Bali, it is common for children to be named based on what order they were born.
"There are a ton of people in Bali called Made ( Ma day ), Nyoman and Putu. There's a good reason for this. In Balinese culture if you are the first born ( male or female ) you will be called either Putu, Wayan or Nengah. Second born will be called Made or Kadek, third born Nyoman, Ika or Kamang, fourth born Ketut. If you are #5 you go back to 1."
You can find that website here: http://www.baliblog.com/travel-tips/balinese-names.html
Or more info here: http://www.klubkokos.com/guidebook/names.htm
How interesting!
The Catholic saints' day tradition still holds sway in some cultures. My husband was born on March 17. His parents seriously considered calling him Patrick. But they're not Irish - my in-laws were both born in Poland - and had lived in the US long enough to abandon the practice. We still celebrate his family's name days - the days of their patron saints - rather than their birthdays, though.
I've noticed that name days seem to vary from country to country. Why?
Is a name day always the same as the saint's feast day?
Is there a place on the internet where one can look up saints and saint days?
Everyone in our family has saints names, but this is coincidence rather than anything else. Well, and an Italian surname I guess, though that does not apply to my name.
I am just glad I am not made to name my kid Artichoke!
Somewhat related to this subject is the fact that a peculiar result of Central European (former atheistic Communist satellites) naming customs is that birthdays tend to be neglected and instead saints name day are observed and celebrated to this day, even in families claiming membership in no religion or in other religions. In Eastern Europe, I have yet to meet someone whose name could not have come off the Catholic saints calendar, and usually without priestly approval. Custom is powerful. Today, by-the-way, (Feb.4th) is Joan of Valois Day. Celebrate!
Jenny L3igh asked: "Also when did parents stop having to choose names from history or the saints' calendar in France? Is it a rule still on the books that is ignored or was it repealed at some point?"
The French naming rules have been relaxed in stages over the past century -- with some odd (and revealing) bumps in the road along the way.
In fact, international naming regulations are an odd and revealing topic in general. IMO, every country encodes a bit of its soul into its naming rules. I've been thinking of doing a series of posts on different countries, if people are interested!
re: Mars Merkaba: Jenny L3igh says it sounds a bit sci-fi; Sirius (her brother's middle name) is the name of a star right? Maybe kind of a celestial theme? I like the sound of Mars; as we've talked about before, it can be a nn for Marlene. So to me it sounds a bit informal, but pretty cool.
re: birth order names: I think there is a tradition of this in Japan, but I don't think it is used anymore. Was only used for sons though, as far as I know. Ichiro (ichi=one), Jiro, Taro. I think maybe "ji" and "ta" were different readings of 2 and 3. There are different ways to count depending on what you're counting.
Laura - a series of posts on different countries would be wonderful. Please do it!
Laura: Yes! A post on naming regulations in different countries would be very interesting! I think I read once that in Germany (I think?) it was illegal to name your child anything that made their gender ambiguous. (I assumed this was a place where there was some kind of pattern, like -o names were always male and -a names were always female or something.)
Laura, that would be great! Always so full of ideas!
Very interesting post Laura! Love the history of names and naming traditions and would also love to know about other cultures naming practices.
Here are some websites that popped up when I typed in "saints feast days":
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/saints/bydate.asp
http://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/feb.php
http://www.magnificat.ca/cal/engl/february.html
http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/calendar.asp
Forgot to comment on Artichoke-nms but could have the nn of Arti. What do you think Eo any other nn's you can think of?
I was thinking about Roman birth-order names (eg Tertius, Septimus, Octavian) and thought I'd do a web search. Google Books brought up an interesting-looking book, All Those Wonderful Names By J. N. Hook. It seems to be just lots of little anecdotes about names, with a lot of fun stuff. Anyone know it?
There's a 1993 book, probably out-of-print now, "The Perfect Name for the Perfect Baby" by Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen. Lists names of saints by alphabet, and also by month.
February 4: Feast Day of Modan, a monk who became the abbot of his Scottish monastery.
Plenty of fun saint's day info can be gotten just by Googling "saints" too...
Thank you, Laura, I would love to read anything more you have to tell us about this! I'm intrigued by the revealing bumps you allude to, as well as the rules in other countries!
Chokey? Maybe not ...
Loved this post on naming traditions and French history, Laura. Thanks!
New baby alert: Fin, with one "n." I kind of like the simplicity of this name, I see but Finn with two 'n' 's has a very steep upward curve in recent years, the graph shape that seems to portend date-stampedness. What do you all think: Trendy, cute, or both?
Thanks zoerhenne for those good sites. Gosh, "Artichoke" doesn't lend itself very well, does it? "Archie"? (If it's a boy.) "Aki"? I like that one. Sounds like it might be a real name, possibly in an Asian language. "Arrow"? Gack.
Laura -- I would love to see more posts on naming conventions in other countries, whether those are mandated by the state or church or are simply the custom.
Artichoke might not be a good name for a person, but I love the way it sounds. How about for a pet? I can see a cat named Artichoke.
"I've noticed that name days seem to vary from country to country. Why?"
There is a general calendar for saints' feast days (at least in the Catholic church) but they vary a lot depending on where you live. Patron saints' feast days, for example, may be celebrated in one country and be completely unknown somewhere else - same with name days. Though there are constant ones (like George, as far as I remember: always celebrated on 23rd of April). After the ecclesiastical council in the 1960s some dates changed, too. Saints like Barbara were deleted from the general calendar because she was considered to be legendary, not historical.
Is anyone familiar with the Clementine books by Sara Pennypacker (they're listed as "young reader" at my library and my 7-yo likes them)?
We never, afaik, learn Clementine's brother's name, but she calls him by an array of vegetable names (Spinach, Broccoli, Zucchini) since she has a fruit name.
Also, Clementine believes the bathroom is the place you can find the best names and it is here she finds inspiration for her kitten's name, Moisturizer.
On the train now with probably a less-than-one-yr-old boy named Stanley.
My dog is named Stanley. I'm a big fan of the name. Along with it's close cousin Harvey. :)
For another example: I knew a child named Diya, because she was born during the Diwali holidays--a "diya" is a lantern used during the festivities. I always remember that her birthday is around Halloween because of that!
My husband is Italian, his name is Marco and his grandmother still calls him every year on 25 April (S. Mark's day) to wish him a happy "onomastico".
And about naming regulations in different countries...
I know that in Italy you can't name your daughter Andrea unless you pair it with a feminine first or middle name (and in Italy most people only have one name, no middle name).
The Italian law says that you can't give a girl a masculine name and viceversa. Andrea in Italian is only masculine, the female form is Andreina, but it's rarely used. So if you want to name your daughter Andrea, you must add another feminine name to show that she's a girl.
So Andrea Laura or Francesca Andrea are female, Andrea alone is male.
A few months ago, these parents who refused to give an additional feminine name to their daughter Andrea, were brought to court and in the end had to change her name to Emma Andrea.
I think it's funny how in the US you can name your child whatever you want, but in Italy if you dare name your daughter Andrea (which is feminine in every other country except for Italy) you are required to add another name by law.
Also interesting is the case of the Italian boy who was registered and baptized as Venerdi' (Friday). Needless to say, a tribunal ordered Venerdi''s parents to change his name and when they refused, the court went ahead and ordered the boy to be renamed Gregorio, after the saint's day on which he was born. The parents complained that if only they were rich and famous, they would've been allowed to keep Venerdi' as their son's name: Francesco Totti, a famous Italian soccer player, and his wife (a tv show girl) named their daughter Chanel, that just goes to show that sometimes the judges applie the law and sometimes not, especially if you're a celebrity...
Laura- thanks so much- this is my kind of post! I love finding out about naming traditions in different countries. More please!
Your mention of names from classical history explains why French people have names like Hector, Theophile, Achille, Hercule, etc. I thought maybe they were just better educated than us Brits ;).
Robyn T- yes I just heard last week, when talking to a new friend, that when she had her son (who's now 14) she was living in Berlin, and decided to call him Misha J@y Lastname. She subsequently received a phone call from the authorities saying that as both names were ambiguous in terms of gender, she would have to change at least one. She was irate, to say the least! Being an ex-pat, she just firmly declined and there wasn't much they could do.
I would love to see a series of tradition posts.
Looking for am interesting Biblical name.
Sib to Isaac David and Jacob Zachariah
No Rachel or Rebecca - unless it is a lesser known form
Meaning is not of utmost importance
Boy and girl
What is your best shot?
I'd love your input on my dear friends' naming situation. They're expecting a boy, and would like to name him either Casper or Jasper (both are great-grandfathers' names.)
I didn't know much about the meaning of these names, but my glance at Namipedia tells me Casper (or Caspar/Gaspar?) was the name of one of the three wise men - though their names were not actually listed in the Bible. Jasper is a derivation of Casper, and means something like "treasure master" in Farsi?? Can anyone shed some more light on these meanings?
My initial reaction is the word (or one similar to) "casper" may mean something in German? It also brings to mind Casper the friendly ghost. Jasper has been discussed here from time to time, most memorably in an '06 post, as one of the top names Laura was getting a lot of queries about, but parents were still a bit hesitant to use. I know Jasper is also the name of one of the Cullen vampires in the "Twilight" series - does anyone know if there are any noteworthy positive or negative associations with that character?
Also FYI - they're Roman Catholics, and would like a saint's name as a middle (I won't suggest St. Artichoke - smile smile). They're in San Francisco currently, but it's foreseeable that their family may be spending a few years in the UK in the near future, so any international perspectives would also be very helpful. Many thanks!
The Catholic Saints day tradition is still very popular in Mexico. When I first visited my relatives there, they struggled with my anglo-sounding name that was hard for them to pronounce. Very shortly thereafter, I was baptized with a new name from the Catholic saint's day calendar. Now, when I am in Mexico, I'm known as Leonarda. I guess it could have been worse.
A biblical brother or sister name for Isaac and Jacob? Noah, Seth, Asher, Aaron, Benjamin... plenty of possibilities for boys. Sisters Eve, Abigail, Naomi, Ruth, Miriam, Deborah, Kezia would all work, and they span the popularity range from top-25 to ready-to-revive.
Well Jessica, if you truly want interesting, you can always go with Tirzah. Means "pleasant and delightful." In Numbers, Tirzah and her sisters became the first female landowners in written history. After the males in their family died, Moses granted an exception to the law, allowing the women to retain ownership of the land. In Song of Soloman, there is a quote "You are as beautiful as Tirzah my darling, lovely as Jerusalem." I pronounce it TEER-za. The name is fairly well known in Israel.
Junia is an interesting Biblical name as well. She is supposed to be the only female Apostle.
I'll let someone else come up with interesting boy names.
Different forms of common names:
For Rachel, Rochel (ch pronounced as in Bach)
For Rebecca, Rifka/Rivka
For Sarah, Sarai (her name before it was changed)
For Elizabeth, Elisheva
For Ethan, Eitan/Eytan
For Matthew/Mattathias
Other less-used names:
Male
Elon (m), Enoch, Gershom/Gershon, Ephraim, Hosea, Isaiah, Japheth, Jerah (I had a colleague with this name), Jethro, Joab, Josiah, Jubal/Yuval, Ard, Ezra, Uri
Female
Hagar, Jael/Yael, Jerusha, Jochebed/Yocheved, Judith, Keturah, Kezia, Zipporah, Michal, Noa, Serah/Serach, Tamar, Susannah, Adah, Zillah
>13, RobynT
It's not exactly illegal in Germany to give your child an unisex name; if you do choose a name that isn't clearly either male or female, you would be required to give the child a second, unambiguous name. You're not supposed to give a boy a female name and vice-versa (with the exception of Maria as a second or third name for boys). However, this is always depends on the specific case; because judges recognised that both Andrea and Nicola are male names in Italy, a baby boy may be named Nicola Andrea.
Btw, there isn't any written law for first names, it's all just common law.
> 30, Nicole S
Casper (or actually Kasper/Kaspar) is known as a name in Germany; however, because it may also mean buffoon, it's hardly ever used (see http://dict.leo.org/ende?lp=ende&p=wlqAU.&search=Kasper). If your friends ever plan to go to Germany, I would recommend going with Jasper which is popular with the younger generation of parents, but not overly so, I believe...
lizpenn: I wonder about the meaning of Fin. Is it like a fish fin? Like French fin (like finished or end, I think right?)? Or did they like Finn and just want it simplified? (I don't expect you to know this; just my random wonderings.)
Valerie: That's so interesting about Misha J@y! I didn't realize that fn and mn were taken into consideration. That gives a bit more flexibility at least. So, I wonder how they would deal with names like Ashley, Courtney, Robin (or the equivalent in Germany), when does a name get added or subtracted from the boy or girl list?
re: Aki: I knew a family with this surname. I *think* it is Japanese but not sure.
re: Saint's Days: So if you were going to go to these lists for inspiration, would you think of it as a way to mark religious belief? Cultural heritage? Or just another source for you to draw from with no real meaning? (I don't mean to make "no real meaning" sound bad. Just curious.)
Nicole S: I think Jasper would be slightly more common than Casper/Caspar/Kaspar. (I swear I've seen a K spelling somewhere... probably German? or hipster? lol) There is also an awful character in the movie Kids (~1995) with the nn Casper, but that may be kind of an esoteric reference. I don't think Jasper is *too* common though. I'd probably go with Jasper. Oh, Jasper also is the name of the dog at Chuck E. Cheese--but I only know that cuz I worked there in college.
Jessica: Hannah, Elijah, Nathaniel, Caleb, Samuel, Ethan, Susanna, Grace, Noah, Eli?
Felicity: That's interesting! Good to know it's not too strict! And regarding Maria as a second name, that calls to mind for me Rainer Maria Rilke, whose name always confused me!
It's not too strict if you're willing to fight German bureaucracy.. :oD
RobynT-As I'm stated many times on this site, I was not brought up in a religious vein. I think therefore for me, I would use the Saint's names as "just another source". So for instance, if I wanted a day of the week name but was not brave enough to use say Tuesday. I might go for the Saint name of my due date, or something that meant two or second day, or something close to the sound, or play with the spelling, etc.
Jessica, based on the above, I'm clearly not the person to recommend biblical names. However, Namipedia says Elisheva, Susannah, and Zachary may be among good choices.
Nicole, Re: Jasper v Casper. I would probably choose Jasper to "fit in" better as it seems fresher. But since both have family connections you can't really go wrong. J names are very popular around my area also. Names that sound similar Cassius, or Cooper.
Thanks for all the Jasper/Casper comments so far! Will continue to pass them along. My friends are leaning towards Jasper, and are in need of some "saintly" middle names (which as a non-christian, are a real challenge for me to come up with!)
Also, would anyone who has read the "Twilight" series be willing to offer their perspective on the Jasper character? Thank you!
Saints' names:
Ambrose, Anselm, Augustine, Francis, Clare, Jerome, Hild, Bede, Theresa, Martin, Hilary, Edward, Edmond, Rose, Jeanne, Giles, Cyril, Jacinta, Gilbert, Claude, Sebastian, Anthony, Gabriel, Raphael, Raymond, Clement,Bernard, Fabian, Hyacintha, Angela, Vincent. Felicity, Leander, Constantine, Helen, Monica, Hugh, Benedict, Isidore, Bernadette, Conrad, Rita, Felix, Madeleine, Sophie, Yolanda, Oliver, Veronica, Lawrence, Bridget, Gregory, Cornelius, Jude, Nicholas, Denis, Genevieve, Isaac, Leo, Gertrude, Albert, Agnes, Agatha, Dominic, Simon, Charles, William, George, Andrew, David, Robert, Margaret, Catherine, Elizabeth--
really the list is almost endless without having to go to names like Perpetua, Crescenta, Polycarp, Adalbert, Ignatius, Aloysius (my husband and father-in-law's name), Boniface, Bonaventure, Wenceslaus, Wolfgang and Athanasius.
Not to mention the obvious like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Mary, Patrick, Joseph, Peter, Paul, Timothy, Thomas and all the rest of the apostles.
Nicole S. I read as much of the Twilight series as I could stomach before giving up (about 2.5 books). From what I read, Jasper was one of the good vampires. He wasn't a huge presence in the books. In one of the series you learned that he was a Confederate soldier during the Civil War who was changed into a vampire in Mexico (I think). He wasn't a particularly well developed character.
New babies in my circle:
Hannah Isabella
Hayley
Dylan
(all first borns)
Hunter Thomas, younger brother of Hayley Sloan (different from previous Hayley)
For more information on Jasper from the Twilight series, Wikipedia has some good information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Hale#Jasper_Hale
Miriam- wow, I like a lot of those Saints' names... thanks for sharing!
Re national restrictions on names--
Of the western countries, I believe that Iceland has the most restrictive naming laws. Given names must be chosen from an approved list which is made up of Christian names in Icelandic form and the Viking Age names used by the initial settlers of Iceland. Family surnames are forbidden except in relatively rare cases--I believe that foreigners who move to Iceland can keep their family surnames, as well as Icelanders who have long established family surnames. But in general Icelanders use true patronyms that indicate that they are their father's son or daughter. The new leader of Iceland, for example, is Johanna Sigurdardottir.
OTOH Venezuela is a country where anything goes in terms of names, and the Venezuelans are even more creative than Americans when it comes to choosing names for their children.
Totally off topic, but...
Does the name ALTHEA sound homely to you? Does Thea seem like an odd name on its own and not as a nn for another name? Do you think Sabine brings to mind "Rape of the Sabine Women" too much, or do you think that reference has pretty much faded.
Playing with:
Althea Sabine
Thea Sabine (like the pronunciation TAY-a, too, but don't know if that'd be too confusing to people)
Sabine Eloise
Also, do you think Ronan/Ronen (for a boy) will be date stamped?
Would love input, since the husband refuses to play my back and forth name musing games with me...How silly of him to want to wait until we're actually expecting!
Mirnada - My name associations are probably not everyone's but thought I'd air them anyway.
Althea reminds me of one of a pair of highly (some might say over) cultured sisters in the novels of Australian/English writer Martin Boyd. Not homely at all.
Thea is very familiar as a name on its own because of Australian writer Thea Astley. As far as I can ascertain, it is her full name.
Sabine does bring to mind the rape of the Sabine women, but I bet many people would never have heard of that. I think it's an attractive name anyway.
No idea on Ronan/Ronen.
Mirnada-- Possibly the most famous "Althea" of recent history was tennis champion Althea Gibson. A pleasant association. I think her heyday was the Forties or Fifties. Anyone very familiar with tennis or with great African-American "break-through" athletes would probably think of her.
Love the name. If you're nervous about "Sabine" (and I do think the rape association would come to mind for some people-- again if you love it, you can rescue the name though), what do you think of the other form of the name, "Sabina"? I knew a Sabina when I lived in New Orleans, and everyone loved her name.
"Althea Sabina" is very pretty. "Ending-in-a" names aren't always my foremost favorites, BUT, Althea Sabina is both strong and feminine and to me sound well together...
Alas, my personal opinion is that the "Ronan" cluster of names will be date-stamped. Have you any others in mind?
baby alert-- another Grayson for a girl. nms.
I love Gray (alone) for a boy but I think Grayson sounds pretentious.
re: Jasper--its also a mineral in case your friends are geologists. We really wanted to use it but our ln ends in -er so it sounded silly.
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