Thursday, February 14, 2013

Clover



Looking for a subtler Valentines Day name than - well - Valentine? Then how about a sneaky love related name - Clover. In case this question has left you a little baffled (what does Clover have to do with Valentine's Day?), let me spell it out for you. C - L - O - V - E - R. Yes, Clover contains the words love and lover, making it a romantic but not soppy choice.

Clover is a name you might have been hearing a bit of buzz about lately. In 2012 it famously got some celebrity endorsement when Barry Watson and Natasha Gregson Wagner named their daughter Clover Clementyne. They were inspired by one of Natasha's mother's most iconic films, 'Inside Daisy Clover'. Neal McDonough has also used it for his daughter, and skater Tony Hawk used it as a middle name for his daughter Kadence Clover. 

Almost surprisingly, Clover has quite a history of use, appearing on the American charts for girls sporadically since 1897, and occasionally appearing for boys too. It has made the rare appearance in classic books too, such as Katy's younger sister in 'What Katy Did' by Susan Coolidge. However it has also appeared as an animals name in both George Orwells 'Animal Farm' (as a horse) and Richard Adams' 'Watership Down' (as a rabbit).

In fact, it does seem like it was not that long ago that the idea of Clover on a person would have seemed like a silly suggestion, feeling more like a name given to a pet than your daughter. But as quirky nature names have been rising in popularity, Clover now seems sweet, friendly and super cute. 

It's an English nature word meaning 'meadow flower', and seems a much more humble, earthy choice than exotic bloom names like Orchid, a far less popular one than Lily, and a fresher alternative to Rose or Daisy. Clover is also traditionally recognised as a symbol of luck, wealth and comfort. I like to think a girl would be delighted to be told that her name is associated with love and luck. 

Clover - definitely worth more than a second look. Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Thomas Sabo Clover Charm

5 comments:

  1. I think Clover would make a brilliant Valentine name! I love this name, it's so cute and spring-like.

    I would love a little girl named Clover Honeybee.

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  2. Clover is gorgeous, great post!

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  3. This is a great post! Our youngest daughter's name is Clover and she was born on Valentines Day 2006. We certainly did get a few "Pardon, what did you say her name is?" comments at first but not now. As far as our family is concerned it is a wonderfully uncommon but beautiful name. Our little Clover has taken on a wonderful personality to match her name.

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  4. We named our daughter Clover Grace and although it seemed a bit risky to do so we are pleased we did. Since my name is Fern I think we go together very well

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  5. I have a daughter named Clover Mildred. She is our seventh baby--so, you know, lucky #7. We didn't pick it to be clever, we liked the name, but it is still fun that the luck association is there. She's darling and her name is darling and while there is still the odd "cow name" or "bunny name" comment--most people seem to like it. Her younger sister is named Annabel and we've gotten the "animal name" comment WAAAAYYY more with her name than with Clover's.

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