Jolly Holiday Names

I was recently watching 'Mary Poppins' for the first time in years, thoroughly enjoying all of the fantastic songs I loved so much as a child. My mum had a book with the music from the movie, and I remember reading it eagerly, trying to remember the words and even play some of the songs with my very limited piano skills.

As a child I maybe didn't care too much about the tongue twister part of the song 'Jolly Holiday', but re-watching the movie I was intrigued. If you can't remember it, 'Jolly Holiday' is all about how much Bert and the penguins admire Mary and spending time with her, and part way through Bert sings a quick verse where he rattles off the virtues of differently named girls. All up, twenty girls names are mentioned.

And what a combination of names he uses! I'd love to know how the names were chosen, as it's quite a mixed bag. This is probably because we're talking about:

• a song written by two American men (Robert and Richard Sherman) for a movie released in 1964;
• based on a book written by an Australian-born British woman (Pamela Lyndon "P.L." Travers) in 1934;
• that was originally set in 1930's England;
• but was changed to the setting of 1910 Edwardian England for the movie.

So the names used seem to be a mish-mash of names popular in the different eras, some more popular in Britain, some more popular in America, and some presumably thought to be somewhat "British sounding". Then again, maybe some were simply names of women known to the Sherman brothers, or ones that they thought fit the tune well. See the names as per the song for yourself below and let me know what you think :)

It's true that Mavis and Sybil have ways that are winnin'

Mavis was popular in England in the 30's, but Sybil not so much. Sybil peaked in America around 1920.

And Prudence and Gwendolyn set your hearts spinnin'

Prudence feels British enough. Gwendolyn though is the preferred spelling of Americans, whereas the English prefer Gwendoline. Gwendoline was a top 100 name in Britain in the early 1900's.

Phoebe's delightful, Maude is disarming

Phoebe feels a little surprising here, because she feels like such a current choice. But Phoebe was actually just as popular in the US in the late 1800's/early 1900's as she is now. And Maude is disarming because as with Gwendolyn/Gwendoline, spelling Maude is preferred by Americans and Maud by the British (particularly popular in Edwardian times).

Janice, Felicia, Lydia charming

In America, Janice and Felicia ranked significantly higher in 1964 than 1910. Lydia however was more popular in 1910, and a top 100 name in England/Wales in 1904.

Cynthia's dashing, Vivian's sweet

Interesting fact - Mrs Banks was Cynthia in the books, but renamed the "more British-sounding" Winifred in the movie at P.L. Travers' request. Which might be why she still made the song, especially considering she was a top 10 name in America in 1964. Vivian also seemed to be more popular in the U.S.

Stephanie's smashing, Priscilla a treat

As a name that feels synonymous with the 80's, Stephanie feels a little surprising. But she was a top 100 name in both England/Wales and America in 1964, so less surprising than she may first appear. But still not a very Edwardian feeling name. Priscilla makes more sense, despite not being super popular in England.

Veronica, Millicent, Agnes and Jane

Convivial company time and again

Millicent, Agnes and Jane fit the part well, as all were top 100 names in Edwardian England. And while Veronica wasn't in the top 100 then, she must have been rising as she was when the book was written in 1934.

Dorcas and Phyllis and Glynis are sorts

I'll agree they're three jolly good sports

Many people are confused as to whether it is Doris or Dorcas, which is understandable. Dorcas may sound much more British, but Doris was actually far more popular than Dorcas in England in the 1910's and 1930's. As a top 100 name in England & Wales at the same time, Phyllis is a good fit. But Glynis is a surprise, as she wasn't popular at the time the book or movie was set, or when the song was written in either country. Gladys would have been much more suitable. Maybe the inspiration came from Glynis Johns, the actress who played Mrs Banks in the movie.

But cream of the crop
Tip of the top

It's Mary Poppins and there we stop

Yes, for many years Mary really was the cream of the crop. She was number 1 in both England & Wales and the U.S. (and many other counties) in 1910, wasn't far off that in 1934 and was still going strong in 1964. 

Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph

A couple of different paths of thought led me to profile Ralph today. One is that I recently saw 'Wreck-It Ralph' again for the second time, and I am still just as in love with it as I was the first time I saw it. And the second is a recent post I did on the name Barney.

Not only could Barney and Ralph be brothers, it also strikes me that these two names have a lot of similarities. Both are well recognised names that have long been popular. Both have often appeared on characters that while lovable, tend not to be the hunkiest or most heroic. But just as the character Barney Stinson is helping to make Barney cool and likable again, 'Wreck-It Ralph' could also have a positive impact in the way we view the name Ralph.

Ralph has historically been quite a popular name. In the US it was a top 100 name from 1880 until 1963, but has slowly been moving down. In 2011 it was raked at #953, dangerously close to slipping out of the top 1000. The name Ralph evolved from Old Norse, Norman and Germanic roots. In each case it is a compound of two words meaning counsel and wolf, hence it has the meaning 'wolf counsel'.

It's meaning coveys a somewhat sophisticated and clever image, and several real life Ralphs also help to lend some class and substance to the name. Think fashion designer Ralph Lauren, American activist Ralph Nader, or Transcendentalism leader Ralph Waldo Emerson. British Ralphs - actor Ralph Fiennes and composer Ralph Vaughan Williams - take it up yet another level by pronouncing Ralph as Rafe, rather than Ralf, which has a sexier sound and feel.

However it is the pop culture and colloquial Ralph's that have most likely been leading to the drop in popularity for this name. Unfortunately, "to ralph" is a slang term for vomiting (something which is not as much of an issue if you use the British Rafe pronunciation) which is not a likable association. And fictional Ralphs have often portrayed an image of well meaning but not too bright. Some of the most recognised fictional Ralphs include 'Happy Days' funny but silly sidekick Ralph Malph, American slob turned heir to the throne 'King Ralph', played by John Goodman, sweet but clueless Ralph Wiggum of 'The Simpsons' and Ralph Kramden, the blustery short tempered main character in the classic TV show 'The Honeymooners'.

'Wreck-It Ralph' introduces people to a Ralph who it still sweet and well meaning, but a bit smarter and less of a comedic caricature. If you haven't seen the movie, Ralph's job is to continuously wreck a building so the hero Fix-It Felix can save the day for the people that live in the building. Ralph feels that even though he has a job that other people don't like, it's an important job and doesn't mean that he is a bad guy. So he sets out to win a medal to prove that he to can be a hero and a good guy that people should want to be friends with. Of course, things don't go quite according to plan, but along the way Ralph learns to like himself and makes his first friends. This movie is also a good lesson not to judge (and exclude) people without getting to know them first.

Maybe the movie won't help Ralph's image as much with adults, but I think it will definitely increase it's cool factor amongst children. Rather than being seen as someone possibly not very bright whose name means vomit, Ralph's could now be seen as strong and heroic. I also think this is a name that could grow well - I love the nickname Ralphie for a young child! And Ralph is a good solid name to have. There is the option to use the Rafe pronunciation, but despite the popularity of actor Ralph Fiennes I'm not sure how well this would go outside Britain. Most likely you'd either be constantly correcting people on their pronunciation if they say it written, or saying "no, that's not short for Raphael/Rafael" when introduced verbally.

However you prefer to pronounce it, I think signs are good that Ralph is due for a comeback.

Great Sibsets - Archie & Harry

Prince Harry......with a puppy! Too cute!

Today's sibset is inspired by an old workmate of mine. Anita and her husband Fraser moved here to Australia a few years ago from Scotland in the U.K. One of the reasons for the move was because they thought Australia would be a great place to raise a family (which I totally agree with, of course!), and they are now the proud parents of two beautiful boys. Big brother Archie is now 2 years old (almost 3), and Harry was born at the start of this year.

Archie and Harry are both such charming names, and complement each other extremely well. They're popular both here and in the U.K. While the names are firm favourites in the UK, and quite popular here in Australia, they are still to be embraced in America. In 2011 Archie was #24 on the England and Wales charts, while Harry took the number 1 position. In Australia Archie was #39 and Harry #40, and in America Archie was #1910 and Harry was #709 in 2011.  So if you live in the US and are a fan of British-sounding names, here are two great options you can get behind before everyone else discovers how great they are too.

Archie comes from the Teutonic name Archibald, and means 'bold, noble'. It could be a great alternative to Archer, a top #500 name in the US and number #12 in Australia. Anita tells me that Fraser suggested  Archie's name for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he was inspired by the soccer player (yes, I realise it's football to almost every other country in the world, but we have something here called Aussie Rules Football) Archie Gemmill. Archie Gemmill had a great career, but is best remembered for scoring the winning goal against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA world cup. The goal made him a national hero in Scotland, and was even mentioned in the cult film 'Trainspotting'. Which brings us to their second reason for choosing Archie - as Scots, it struck them as a great name to honour their Scottish roots.

Harry was also inspired by a famous figure - Prince Harry. Anita tells me he was a bit of a last minute pick (which is an understatement to say the least - she was still looking at baby naming books while she was in labour), but just seemed right as she is a bit of a royalist at heart and has always had a soft spot for Harry and his older brother William. Harry was traditionally a nickname for Henry, a German name meaning 'estate ruler'. Henry has been the name of many Kings of England, and is actually the birth name of Prince Harry. But somehow Harry seems to suit his cheeky but charming personality so much better. Of course there is also that incredibly famous Harry Potter, and the irrepressibly cute Harry Styles from British boy band sensation 'One Direction'. So the great thing is that with so many great Harry's to look up to people won't necessarily assume that you had the boy wizard in mind if you should choose to use Harry.

I love that both are nicknames that have become accepted as great names in their own right. They give off a warm, friendly and approachable vibe that makes them great picks that work extremely well together. And I know I'm not the only one who thinks so. I realised the other day that the celebrant who married me and my husband also has boys name Archie and Harry. It's definitely a winning combination.

Berkeley

Baby Berkeley courtesy of Jam Photography
http://jamphotography.myfotojournal.com/2010/dec/15/baby-berkeley/

So I think I caught one of my work colleagues off-guard today when he was showing me an email from one of his customers about a billing issue (fun stuff, I know) and I exclaimed "Oh! What an interesting name he has!" Probably happens to all of us at some point, right?

The exclamation-worthy name is Berkeley. My first question was, is this guy American? I thought maybe he was named after the university. Then I noticed he had quite a British sounding last name, and bingo! Yes, this Berkeley is in fact British.

Berkeley is an old English name meaning 'where birches grow' or 'from the birch tree meadow'. I feel like this is one of those Old English names that really sounds quintessentially British, and by that I guess I mean "upper-crust-British-sounding". I also love nature names that don't necessarily sound like nature names, so Berkeley has two big ticks in my book.

Of course, there is no escaping the fact that the word Berkeley is synonymous with the prestigious university in California. If you're American or living in America it would be hard to name your child Berkeley without people thinking you were being a little pretentious. And thinking you were even more pretentious if you actually went to school there. So if you did and you really, really loved your time there, this would be best as middle name material only.

Luckily I'm in Australia, and could probably get away with using Berkeley as a first name with only a few raised eyebrows. Or maybe the question "Isn't that the dog from Sesame Street?" (whose name is Barkley :-)). That said, Berkeley could be a great name for either a boy or a girl.

Thackery



Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler & Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus

I recently watched the movie 'Hocus Pocus' again and was charmed by the name of one of the characters, Thackery. Thackery Binx (another cool name!) is the young boy who was turned into a cat by the three witches in this movie when he tries to rescue his sister from their wicked clutches (cackle cackle). He then helps a trio of young children to end the witches reign of terror forever when they are resurrected unintentionally 300 years later.

Thackery originated as a surname, and while there are many people with this surname it is rarely used as a given name. Apart from Thackery Binx, there is one other famous character with this name - Thackery Earwicket, the March Hare from 'Alice in Wonderland'. So it would seem that this is one surname crossover that has been reserved for mystical, talking animals in fantasy tales. Thackery is also the name of a town in the US state of Ohio, and the alternative spelling of Thackeray is the surname of the author of the classic novel 'Vanity Fair'.

It's a little difficult to pin down the meaning of Thackery, but assuming it's the same as the meaning for Thackeray it means 'place with thatching' or possibly 'dweller by the nook where the reeds for thatching grow'.

I like the sound of Thackery, it has a very upper crust British feel to it. People who remember the name from the movie think it is cute and unique. The main drawback seems to be that many people comment that it sounds like someone with a lisp trying to say Zachary. Maybe. And I guess the common nickname for Zachary is Zack, but I'm not so sure Thack would be considered a desirable nickname!

If you're a bit put off by the idea of people thinking your child's name is Zachary and you can't pronounce it correctly, Thatcher and Thayer are two alternatives with a similar look, feeling and meaning. I think I personally would lean towards Thayer as it is a little softer, but I don't think I'd need an alternative as I much prefer Thackery. Maybe as a middle name though :-)


Thackery Binx in cat form