Fiora

Musical Artist Fiora

Like Fiona or Flora, but want something a little different and a lot rarer? Then how about Fiora.

Fiora (pronounced fee-OR-ah) is one of those names that no one is 100% sure where it came from, but there seem to be two main theories. The first - which seems to be the correct one - is that Fiora comes from the Latin fiore, meaning 'flower'. Fiore was used as a unisex name in Medieval Italian, and related names include Fiorella (feminine form) and Fiorello (masculine form), both meaning 'little flower'.

Another often quoted theory is that Fiora is a variant of the Gaelic name Fiona, which means 'fair' or 'pale'. From what I can find though, this seems to be entirely based on a character called Fiora Flynn, from a mystery series written by A.E Maxwell (husband and wife team Ann and Evan). In this series, main character Fiora receives her name after a nurse at the hospital where she is born mistakenly writes Fiora rather than her intended name, Fiona. As the first book in the series was published in 1985, I'd go with the Medieval Italian source if you want a "legitimate" origin.

Fiora suddenly popped up on the American charts quite recently in 2003. That year it was given to just 5 girls, ranking it at #16566. In 2012 it had risen to position #6917, so this is one name on the move. Besides character Fiora Finn, there are a few examples out there that people may be taking their inspiration from:

• Tasmanian born singer & musician Fiora, best known for dance music collaborations with other prominent dance artists
• Italian charm bracelet and jewellery brand Fiora
• Italian river the Fiora
• Fiora Laurent, a.k.a. The Grand Duellist, champion in the online video game 'League of Legends'
• Playable character Fiora in video game 'Xenoblade Chronicles', whose skills are courage, daring, zeal, rashness and innocence.

The thing I like about Fiora is that the image I get in my mind when I think of a Fiora is so at odds with the meaning of the name. It's a pretty, feminine name, and when you think of flowers you tend to think soft and delicate. Yet when I think of Fiora it makes me think of fire, of someone who is confident, assertive and strong, and I love a girls name that could mean any or all of those things to anyone who hears it. I also like that you could use the spunky nickname Fia, although Fifi or just Fi would also be perfectly cute options.

A Fiora may often get confused for a Fiona or Flora, but if you don't mind that then this is one beautiful, exotic rarity. It could be a way to honour an Italian heritage, or a floral name from your family tree such as Lily or Rose. It would be a surprising name, but one that I think you'll find others will like more than you think.

Reuven

Photo by Elena Karneeva

A few months ago I featured the name Zared, which I first came across in a fantasy novel. Today's name reminds me quite a bit of Zared. By that I means at first glance it looks like a well known name - i.e. Reuben - that has been "jazzed up" a bit with the addition of a lesser used, futuristic sounding letter. But just like Zared, this is not the case with Reuven, and it is actually an old Hebrew name with Biblical connections.

Pronounced ROO-ven, it is actually a variant of Reuben (or Ruben) and like Reuben means 'behold! a son'. He appears in the Old Testament as the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, making him the grandson of Isaac. He was the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This puts him in the company of other sons of Jacob  Asher and Levi, both of which are fairly popular currently.

Unlike Asher (positioned #108 for boys in America in 2012) and Levi (number #55) though, Reuven is very rarely used, positioned at just #4321 in 2012 in America. The better known Reuben is also nowhere near as popular as Asher and Levi, hovering around the bottom end of the top 1000 at #973 in 2012. Reuven is also the only one of these four names that has never charted for girls.

Reuven is also a suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa, but I first came across Reuven in a discussion about favourite literary characters. One poster wrote that their top two picks are Atticus (from Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird') and Reuven Malter from Chaim Potok's 'The Chosen'. Having not read 'The Chosen' myself it's hard to comment on the character, except to say that being mentioned in the same breath as Atticus is fairly high praise for most literary fans.

There are two main arguments (that I've seen) against using Reuven as a name. One is that it may seem out of place on a child without any Jewish heritage, although the common feeling is that it isn't too much different from using any Biblical name. The second is one is that you would be constantly correcting people that it's like Reuben, but with a V. However, this slight spelling difference does also come with some advantages.

For many, Reuven is a great alternative to Reuben because it avoids the "rube" nickname. Admittedly, this may only be a concern in America, as I saw this point made in a forum discussion, but being Australian I was not aware of the association. If you're just as in the dark as I was, it's a term for a country bumpkin. You also avoid associations with the sandwich. Again not a huge problem in Australia anyway. And you also avoid your son being given the nickname Ruby, which is currently #106 in America for girls and the #2 girls name in Australia.

I do really like the nickname possibility of Ven, which I feel has a kind of chilled out and zen vibe. I also really like that it is a futuristic/fantasy sounding name that is actually an old, rarely heard name. It's surprising how many names used in fantasy are just that. And it could be a surprisingly good fit with many other names, whether you want a sibset of biblical names or modern sounding names.

Dale

Mike Vogel plays Dale "Barbie" Barbara
in the CBS TV adaptation of Stephen King's 'Under The Dome'

There may not be anything particularly dazzling about the name Dale, but this little name certainly packs a lot of punch. Dale (pronounced dayl) is an Old English nature word name meaning 'valley'. It first came into use as a surname, but has long been accepted as a given name for both males and females. This places it among other one syllable unisex nature names such as Brook/e, Bay, Glen, Lake, Rain, Sage, Sky and Wren. However, while some of these names (Bay, Sage, Wren) have enjoyed a burst of popularity in recent years, and others remain perennial favourites (Brooke, Rain, Sky), Dale has been losing ground quickly.

Looking back 100 years to 1912, Dale was positioned at #847 for girls and #159 for boys in America. By 1962, Dale had peaked for girls at #237 ten years earlier, and positioned at #497 was on the decline. For boys however, it was positioned at #62, in the midst of it's 48 year long run in the American top 100. But in 2012 Dale didn't even register on the charts for girls, and for the boys has it's 11th consecutive drop, positioned at just #1122.

So why the massive drop? Well, it probably doesn't help that there aren't currently any "trendy" Dales in the global spotlight.

For girls, Dale was at it's most popular when actress and singer Dale Evans was at the height of her fame. The years immediately following her marriage to high profile singing cowboy Roy Rogers were the years that this name ranked the highest for girls. Flash Gordon's love interest and "fellow adventurer" Dale Arden also helped add a feminine image to this name. She was described as beautiful, capable and independent, qualities that are often appreciated when looking for a girls name.

But for many Dale is considered to be solely a boys name. It has always felt like a bit of a cowboy name, and NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt (and subsequently his son) likely helped keep Dale a more masculine name in most peoples minds. Unfortunately Dale has also come to be seen as somewhat of a redneck or hillbilly, largely helped by a redneck character called Dale in the cartoon 'King of the Hill'. This is also the way the writers of the 2010 movie 'Tucker and Dale vs Evil' must see the name, as they gave this name to one of the two hillbilly lead characters.

And then of course there were those lovable Disney chipmunks Chip and Dale, stars of the 1989 TV series and movie 'Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers'. Dale was the goofy one. Real life Dales could expect to be asked "Where's Chip?" regularly. I can see how it would be fairly off putting. Anecdotes from people named Dale also lament the fact that their name rhymes with so many other (and not always flattering) words, such as whale, snail, pale, stale and fail, to name a few.

As I see it, Dale currently suffers from one major problem. It's seen as an outdated, almost boring name, but is not quite in the same league as other "vintage" revival names that are currently finding a new appreciation amongst new parents. Instead, I prefer to think of it as more of a retro name.

I possibly think of it this way because most of my associations with Dale are from TV shows and movies from the 80's and 90's. Yes, 'Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers' is one. But my favourite is Andie MacDowell's alluring, sophisticated Dale Biberman in 'St Elmo's Fire'. She's that charming Doctor that Emilio Estevez's character Kirby spends his time trying to impress. Then there's the role that made Kyle MacLachlan a household name in the 90's - Special Agent Dale Cooper, lead investigator into the death of Laura Palmer in 'Twin Peaks'.

In fact, there have always been plenty of great Dales on our screens. Recently we've seen character Dale Hovarth in AMC's 'The Walking Dead', who was often the voice of reason and compassion within their group of survivors. Or if you are looking for a younger example, the lead character in the TV adaptation of Stephen King's 'Under The Dome' is named Dale "Barbie" Barbara. Maybe this young hero will see people reconsidering Dale.

Dale remains a sleek, understated but potentially stately choice. For a girl, it has a similar feel to preppy choices Greer and Sloane. On a boy, it can be likened to modern classics Reed, Blake and Logan. It would be a shame to see Dale fall further into disuse.

Enid Blyton Characters

After writing about Enid and her famous namesake author Enid Blyton, I thought it might be fun to look at some of the names that she used in her stories.

Keeping in mind that Enid Blyton was writing (approximately) from 1922 to 1967, her stories are reflective of a different time and society, often containing views that are now unacceptably racist and sexist. This has led to some of her books being banned at times, and heavily edited and revised in other cases. But the names remain something of a time capsule, a glimpse into a time when the given names Dick and Fanny or nicknames Fats and Podge wouldn't automatically lead to bullying by your peers.

Here's a list of as many of them as I could dig up, although I'm sure there's plenty more. I've tried to stick to just children's names - the names of the pets alone would be enough for another post! Nicknames or the name the character most often went by are in brackets, although there are a few that are quite probably nicknames that I couldn't see a full name for. At least, not without trying to re-read every Enid Blyton book! With that in mind, here is a list of some of the gorgeous vintage gems that can be found within the pages of her well-loved stories.

The Boys

Andy Barnabas (Barney)     Benjy Bill Bob Bobby Bonaparte (Bony) Brock Claude (Podge) Colin Cyril

Dan David x2 Dick Edgar Ernest (Ern) Francis Fred Frederick (Fatty) Fric Gareth George Henry (Harry)

Jack Jeffery Jimmy Jocko John Jo Julian Ken Kenneth Kit Lawrence (Larry) Len

Leonard Michael Mickey Mike Nick Nicky Richard Robert Robin Roderick (Roddy) Roger Rory

Patrick (Pat) Paul Percy (Perce) Peter (Snubby) Peter Philip Philip (Pip) Sam Sidney (Sid) Tom Tony William

The Girls

Alicia Alison Alma Amanda Amelia Jane Amy Angela Anna Anne Anne-Marie Annette Antoinette April Arabella Barbara Belinda Bessie Betty Biddy Bonnie Bridget Carlotta Catherine Christine Clare

Clarissa Claudine Connie Daphne Darrell Deirdre Delia Diana Dimity (Dimmy) Dinah Dora Doris Edith Eileen Ellen Elsie Elizabeth (Bets) Elizabeth (Lizzie) Elizabeth Emily Erica Esme Eunice Fanny Fay

Felicity Fenella Georgina (George) Gillian Gladys Gwendoline (Gwen) Gwyneth Hannah Harriet (Harry) Henrietta (Henry) Hilary Hilda Irene Isobel Ivy Jane Janet Jean Jennifer Jill Joan Josephine (Jo) Joy June Katherine

Kathleen Katie Laura Lotta Louella Lucy Lucy-Ann Margaret (Daisy) Margery Marilyn Mary Mary-Lou Maureen Mavis Melisande Millicent Mirabel Moira Mollie Molly Nora Olive Pam Pamela Patricia (Pat)

Pauline Peggy Penelope Penny Prudence Rachel Rita Roberta (Bobby) Ruth Sadie Sally Sheila Sophie Susan Susie Suzanne Sylvia Tessa (Tessie) Vera Veronica Violet Wilhelmina (Bill) Winnie Yolande Zerelda

There are so many interesting things about the names here, but here are a few fast facts for you:

• Peter and Jack were the boys names Enid Blyton used the most
• And Pam/Pamela was the most popular girls name, closely followed by Susan and Rita 
• In case you're wondering, the girls list is much longer mainly due to the number of books Enid Blyton wrote that were based in girl's boarding schools. But it seems a lot of them preferred to go by quite boyish nicknames, such as George, Bill, Henry and Bobby.
• Enid also named a few sets of twins in her stories. A couple of notables were David and Delia (I love this combination!) and "The Harry's" - twins Henry who went by Harry and Harriet who also went by Harry.

What are your favourite Enid Blyton names? Are any of these names on your list because of an Enid Blyton character? Or have you perhaps used one already?

Enid

Gorgeous photo by Nika Shatova

For many girls (or maybe it's just me), there are two images of Enid in our minds. The first Enid is Enid Blyton, author of some of the most beloved children's books in the world. She brought us Noddy and Big Ears, led us to the world of the 'Faraway Tree', and together we went on adventures, uncovered secrets and solved mysteries.

The second will only be recognised by readers of the Francine Pascal series 'Sweet Valley High', which was preceded by 'Sweet Valley Twins', followed by 'Sweet Valley University' and also adapted into a TV show that aired from 1994 to 1998.  Enid Rollins was the best friend of the "sensible" twin Elizabeth, and was characterised in the books as a sweet but rather quiet and bookish girl. In the show she was given a slightly more dorky/zany portrayal.

Either way, for many Enid seemed like a name that was a little quaint, outdated, and suitable for quiet bookish types. I have to admit I never really gave it a second thought as a possible name when I was younger, as it seemed a little boring. But I have to admit to recently finding quite an attraction to the simplicity and strength of Enid.

Enid is said to derive from the Welsh word "enaid", meaning 'soul' or 'life'. This theory is further supported by the appearance of an Enid in Welsh mythology as the wife of Geraint in the Arthurian tale Geraint and Enid (also known as Erec and Enide). However it is also thought that it's possible it comes from the Latin word "enit", meaning 'woodlark'. Most often pronounced EE-nid, some prefer the pronunciation EN-id, finding the first option somewhat clunky.

Maybe it is this slightly awkward impression that has kept this name a rarity. In America it has constantly charted (been given to more than 5 girls) every year since 1888, yet has not been in the top 1000 for 60 years! It is also not listed as a popular name in any other country, including Wales. Yet there are a lot more famous Enids than one might expect. Besides the three examples above, some other famous Enids include:

• British playwright and author Enid Bagnold, whose work included 'National Velvet'
• Australian-American silent film actress Enid Bennett
• Main character Enid Coleslaw of the 'Ghost World' comics, played by Thora Birch in the 2001 movie adaptation
• Character Enid Nightshade in Jill Murphy's 'The Worst Witch' series
• A 1992 song by the Barenaked Ladies
• An American  town in the state of Oklahoma (named for the Arthurian Enid)

Clunky or not, I think there is a lot of affection out there for Enid. Some may find it hard to pronounce, or think it had a boring image, but it seems that plenty of people are familiar with this rarely used name. It also has a lot of versatility. I could just as easily see an Enid appearing in a period drama such as 'Downtown Abbey'; as a character in a sci-fi or future earth type scenario movie; or even as a sister to Merida in 'Brave' or Margo, Edith and Agnes in 'Despicable Me'. What do you think - is Enid ripe for a comeback?

TV Name Quote

Richard Dean Anderson as McGyver

Most people know instantly who 'MacGyver' is. The title character of this 80's TV show (played by Richard Dean Anderson) was so famous for his ability to use whatever ordinary items he had at hand - plus some duct tape and a keen practical mind - to find a solution to any problem that his name has actually become a verb. Some of the user submitted examples given in the Urban Dictionary are "one who performs great feats of ingenuity on a moments notice" (agreed); "someone who can jump-start a truck with a cactus" (hmm, I guess it's plausible he did this one episode); and my favourite "the ability to use a dorito, some duct tape, and a paper clip to create a time machine." Really paints a picture, doesn't it?

Amazing abilities aside, another running theme throughout the show was the mystery surrounding MacGyver's given name. His mates called him Mac, his dad called him Bud or Buddy, and when questioned on the show he was always rather tight lipped about it. Which is the basis for today's quotes, straight from a season five episode called 'The Lost Amadeus', guest starring Tamsin Kelsey as Lulu:



Lulu: What's your name?
MacGyver: MacGyver
Lulu: What's your first name?
MacGyver: My friends call me MacGyver
Lulu: That bad hey? That's OK, my real name is Alice

And later, when Lulu manages to get her hands on MacGyver's wallet:

Lulu: I wanna see your first name
MacGyver: I told you it's MacGyver
Lulu: Yeah, but you gotta have one, it's not like you're Sting or Prince or something!
Lulu looks in his wallet
Lulu: That's your first name? I think I'll stick with MacGyver.

Lulu and MacGyver at a 1920's party

So what is this mysterious first name that is apparently too bad to speak of? In the last season it is revealed that his full name is Angus MacGyver.

Hardly a bad name - Angus rose in popularity in 2012, most likely helped by a current love of boys names ending in "US", such as Atticus and Magnus. Maybe at the time it was too entrenched in people's minds as an old Scottish man's name, hardly fitting with the young, rugged and clever MacGyver. And why the dislike of Alice? Alice was at it's lowest in the 80's and 90's, but never fell out of the top 500 in America. Again, maybe the funky LuLu just didn't feel that Alice was spunky for her at the time. There is however something intriguing about the idea of Lulu as a nickname for Alice though. What do you think of Angus and Alice?

Ember

'The Girl On Fire'
by lorellashray at Deviant Art

Lately I've been hearing more and more of this name. I have to admit, I didn't instantly fall in love with Ember. But it's definitely growing on me.

I think part of my hesitation is that for some reason I think of Ember as a “boys name”, so I tend to suffer from a bit of cognitive dissonance when I hear people suggesting it for baby girls. But maybe that's just me, as Ember is used primarily for girls. It first appeared in the American charts in 1946, when it was given to 8 girls, but it didn't become a constant in the charts until 1966. That year it was positioned #5409, given to just 7 girls. Ember steadily climbed, getting into the top #1000 in 2009, and shooting to position #580 in 2012. On the other hand it has only appeared in the charts for boys in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Ember has two accepted meanings. In Hungarian Ember means 'man' or 'person'. But for most of us Ember is a nature/word name, meaning 'small piece of glowing coal or wood'. Ember has that great Em beginning reminiscent of other popular unisex names Emery, Emerson and Emmett. I can understand why it is more popular for girls, with the Em beginning lending itself to being a great alternative to Emma related classics. It's less popular than Emma and Emily, less frilly than Emmeline.

Most children will likely also think Ember is a girls name, particularly if they watched the Nickelodeon cartoon 'Danny Phantom', which aired from 2004 to 2007. On the show Ember McLain was a recurring character  - a "hard rocking siren-like ghost girl" who was the embodiment of teenage rebellion in the show. Although she was technically a villain, she was also a favourite with many viewers. Ember is also the name of the first baby 'My Little Pony', helping with it's "girly" image.

One downfall is Ember's similarity to Amber – you'd have to be prepared to say “it's like Amber, but starting with an E” a lot. Then again, if that's your biggest hurdle with the name, it's hardly a deal breaker!

But perhaps the one statement that makes the appeal of this name instantly obvious is one I saw from one mother of an Ember on BabyName Wizard:

“We came up with the idea while watching a campfire going out. It was so beautiful, but it had so much potential. It did not flaunt it's strength, but it demanded respect. And no one wanted to leave before it was gone.”

Now I get it. This is definitely a name to watch.

Happy Blogger-ver-sary!!

Baby Name Pondering Turns One!
photo courtesy of lynnquinlivan.com

I've been so busy at work this week that I nearly didn't notice that Baby Name Pondering is now a year old!

I was debating whether to do a post like this, but have to admit that I found it really interesting to read these on other blogs when I was starting out - so here's a few fun facts from my first year.


Number of page views to date

Just over 67,000!

A couple of months in I set myself a goal of 60,000 page views by August 2013. At the time I thought that would be very difficult, so I was pretty happy to reach that number last month.


Most popular posts

In case you've been wondering, the top five posts on the right side of the page are always based on the past week. I thought you'd see more variety that way! In terms of all time numbers, from five to one my most popular posts are:

5. Snow. This has been viewed 1493 times, possibly helped by Google hits for people looking for pictures of "beautiful snow" ☺

4. Raviva - I knew I couldn't be the only one who noticed this fantastic name from MTV's 'Underemployed' - Raviva has had 1923 hits to date. Thanks to those of you who added comments to help figure out the roots of this cool but rare name.

3. Forrest - As much as I love this name, I was still surprised that it has consistently gotten as many views as it has - 2523 so far.

2. Spotted - Denver Anton and Zelda Gypsy Jane - I knew these two names were winners when I saw them in the paper! This page has gotten 3475 views, but the best part? A comment from Zelda's mum explaining how they chose her name. Pretty special, as all too often we see a fantastic name in the birth announcements but never get to find out how the parents decided on it, or let them know how much we love it ☺

1. Ted's Trashy Names List - which you may have guessed, because it tops the weekly most popular posts almost all the time. Seems we can't help but be fascinated by which names are considered "trashy", and this list comes straight from a scene in the brash movie 'Ted'. The movie stars Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg, and if you're a fan of Seth McFarlane (writer of 'Family Guy' and 'American Dad') you'll love this movie. My favourite scene has to be Giovanni Ribisi grinding it to the 80's Tiffany classic 'I Think We're Alone Now'.
But I digress. With 6650 page views, this one is a clear favourite.


Top referring sites

By far I get the most traffic from Google, but after Google most of my referrals come from:

Appellation Mountain - Thanks Abby! Abby has sent a lot of traffic my way, not just from mentions in her great weekly Sunday Summaries (I still remember my excitement the first time she mentioned me!), but also from her Facebook page and mentions in her Nameberry Nine Posts on Mondays. Speaking of which....

Nameberry - has been my next biggest source, sometimes from Abby's posts, sometimes from my signature when I've posted on the forums. And some from my first guest post there, which appeared just this week ☺

Waltzing More Than Matilda - fellow Aussie name blogger Anna has also been a source of a lot of traffic. She been a great source of encouragement during my first year, and it was so nice of her to want to interview me recently for her blog. Thank you so much Anna!


Thank You!

It's been a real pleasure to join the naming community - we're all in all a pretty friendly bunch. I always thought that my interest in names was just one of my many weird quirks, so it's been great to find that plenty of other people have the same obsession! And thank you to my husband for encouraging me to start Baby Name Pondering, and for reading every one of my posts even though names are not exactly his favourite topic ☺

Finally, I'd like to give a BIG "thank you" to all of my readers for your support in the past year. It's been great to re-connect with my love of writing and I hope to keep writing posts that you find informative and enjoy reading for a while to come!

Nameberry Post!

So in case you can't tell, I'm pretty excited because one of my posts has been put on Nameberry!

A couple of months ago, Nameberry started featuring a second blog on their site to be written solely by guest bloggers. It's an honour to see my post on names from eighties fantasy adventure movies chosen to be featured on the blog, especially because it's one of my personal favourites. If you haven't already read it - and like me, count some of these movies among your top all time movies - please head on over, check it out and let Pam and Linda know how much you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading!

Vienna

With the current popularity of place names, it's somewhat surprising that this gem hasn't yet made a mark upon the American top 1000. Vienna (pronounced vee-EN-ah) originates from Latin, although it's meaning is often disputed. I've seen theories that it means 'chosen one', 'white', 'from wine country' or 'forest stream', but the one thing that is not disputed is that it comes from the city of Vienna in Austria.

The city of Vienna is the capital of Austria. It has an extremely rich history, and it's thought that the site was first settled by the Celts in 500BC. Vienna has a reputation as the "City of Music" due to it's rich history in theatre, opera, classical music and the arts. Not only is it the birth place of some musical notables such as Schubert and Strauss, but others such as Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven also spent time working in Vienna. Psychologist Sigmund Freud is another Famous Austrian from Vienna, giving rise to the city's other pseudonym, the "City of Dreams".

Vienna is also a classically beautiful city. It features rich architecture, including Baroque castles and gardens, the Romanesque St Rupert's church and some of the best examples of Art Nouveau in the world. Adding to the romanticism of the city are it's extravagant balls (the dancing kind, not the bouncy kind), which can go all night.

With these images in mind, I would think that Vienna would be a romantic name to give to a girl. It's dreamy, classical and elegant, yet has sound that appeals to modern parents, if the popularity of sound-alike name Sienna is anything to go by.

Sienna has been a top 1000 name since 1995, peaking at #170 in 2007 in America. It also enjoys popularity in Australia, New Zealand, England Scotland, Norway and Canada. However, while Sienna has been a success, Vienna has been largely neglected. It looked like it might become a top 1000 contender when it shot from position #1668 in 2009 to #11103 in 2010, but it then stalled and in 2012 began to drop again.

So why the difference? Maybe because it reminds people of Vienna sausages. Or possibly it has something to do with the famous bearers of the name. Actress, model and fashion designer Sienna Miller was the darling of the fashion world a few years ago when it seemed you couldn't open a magazine without seeing pictures of her latest outing. By contrast, 'The Bachelor' contestant and winner Vienna Girardi was a woman hated almost universally by viewers when her season was on the air. Coincidence? Maybe. But then again, you just need to look at the sudden spike in popularity of the name Tenley after contestant Tenley Molzhan was on the show (incidentally, the same season as Vienna) to see that the effect that 'The Bachelor' has on baby naming choices can be significant.

This was a couple of years ago now though, and since place names are going strong and V names are gaining more favour, people may once again turn to Vienna. Or maybe the French version Vienne - ranked only #9622 in 2012 in the US - will start to gain some traction. Both come with some mighty cute nicknames, such as Vie (which means 'life' in French when pronounced VEE), Nen, Nina, Nenna or Via.

Vienna is a pretty, romantic name indeed that deserves some more attention.

Vienna City Hall by Night

Movie Name Quote

Alex (Danica McKellar) kicking some Tasmanian Devil ass

Recently I've been noticing that quite often in movies you'll see comments about names - usually when someone meets someone for the first time, or talking about someone they've never met, or about what someone has chosen to name their child. So I thought that when I notice one (or remember one!) I'll pop it in a blog entry.

Today's quote comes from a dodgy Syfy channel horror movie we're watching on this cold and rainy afternoon called 'Tasmanian Devils'.

To set the scene, park ranger Alex (played by Danica McKellar, best known as Winnie on 'The Wonder Years') and adrenalin junkie Jayne (played by Kenneth Mitchell), are spending the night up a tree to hide from the creatures stalking and killing their group of thrill seekers.

Jayne: My name is Jayne, like the girl's name
Alex: My name is Alex, like the boy's name

I still say that Jayne is a cool boys name. I wonder if the writer is a fan of Joss Whedon's 'Firefly'? Or maybe it's just starting to catch on....