Orchid

Last year it was Emerald, but this year Pantone have declared Radiant Orchid to be the colour of 2014. Pantone describe this colour as being "captivating, magical and enigmatic", which I think would also be a good description for the name Orchid.

It's definitely one of the more exotic blooms, which has perhaps made it feel a little too distinctive and elaborate to use as a name. Particularly when it tends to be the more common, cheerful blooms such as Rose, Lily or Daisy that people think of for flower inspired names. Orchid saw some rare use in the U.S in the 20's, 30's and 40's. However since 1997 it has started appearing regularly on the SSA charts, just in very small numbers. This may have been influenced by American group 'Wild Orchid', which featured Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson before she became a member of 'The Black Eyed Peas'. They released their debut single in 1996 and first album in 1997.

The orchid family is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, and includes vanilla. They can be found pretty much everywhere except glaciers. The name comes from the Greek word Orchis, which has neither a flattering meaning or tale behind it. The Greek myth of Orchis tells us that he was the son of a nymph and a satyr who came upon a festival of Dionysus (also known as Bacchus) in the forest. He drank too much and tried to rape a priestess, so was torn apart as punishment. His father prayed for him to be restored but the gods instead changed him into a flower. The word Orchis literally means 'testicles' so named for the shape of their root.

If you can overlook this, take comfort in the fact that orchids are some of the most beautiful, intricate blooms to be found. Cattleya is a particularly pretty South American variety, thought to be the inspiration behind the name Cataleya made popular by Zoe Saldana in the movie 'Colombiana'. Local varieties are the national symbols of Venezuala, Colombia and Singapore; and the Chinese city of Shaoxing. In ancient Greece orchids were associated with fertility and virility, but after the rise of their popularity in Victorian England they became symbolic of luxury and rare and delicate beauty. Purple orchids, such as the ones that inspired the Pantone colour Radiant Orchid, are thought to be the true queen of flowers, symbolising royalty, admiration and respect.

Of their choice of Radiant Orchid, Pantone have said that:

"Radiant Orchid reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination"

"An invitation to innovation, Radiant Orchid encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today's society"

"Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm".

Exotic, rare, beautiful, intriguing, captivating, joyful, beguiling and charming. All could be used to describe the name Orchid. A girl with this name would be just as special as this name suggests.

Narnia

Few things are as magical as that moment when the four Pevensie children first enter Narnia together

Like many avid readers, when it comes to thinking about the names I may someday use for my future children, I think about my favourite books. About the characters that I have loved, those that have inspired me and those that have intrigued me. Or sometimes we turn to an author that has written several books we adore, because it's hard to encapsulate everything we love about their stories with just one character. But in today's naming landscape, we find that we can cast our nets much wider, and that a name doesn't necessarily have to come from a real or fictional person. Names can also come from words - real or fictional.

I know I am not alone in my love of the 'Chronicles of Narnia' books by C.S. Lewis. I remember my excitement when my mother brought me the box set, and suddenly the land of Narnia went from being just 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' to being seven (yes, SEVEN) whole books! And while some characters such as Lucy, Edmund, Susan, Caspian and even Aslan himself appear in multiple books, there is only one real constant throughout all of them. And that is the enchanting world of Narnia.

So why not Narnia as a possible name? I know I'm not the only one to think of it, as I've seen other people on Nameberry discussing using it as a girls name. Turns out that Narnia made it to the US Social Security popularity lists in 2006, when it was bestowed upon 6 girls. This coincides with the release of the first of the modern movie adaptations - 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' - in 2005. For me, the movies not only revived fond memories of the books, but also the 1988 BBC production of the books, which I watched on TV as a child. And I dare say that it did the same for many other people, reminding them of the magic and strength of these tales.

It is this feeling of magic, strength and honour that fans think of when they hear the word Narnia, and this is probably the type of feeling that parents who consider this name are aiming for. We all know children are special, and many people try to emphasise this with their choice of name for their child. And Narnia definitely holds a special place in many people's hearts.

So far Narnia has only charted as a girls name - possibly due to it's similarity to Nadia, or because "a" endings most often indicate a feminine name. But there's no reason why it couldn't work on a boy too. That is, if you think it works as a name at all. What do you think? Usable? As a first name, or is it strictly middle name material? Either way, this is one name that would ensure it's wearer is not soon forgotten.

View of the Stone Table in Narnia

Phoenix

Happy New Year!

As one year has ended and another one started, I thought it would be a good day to consider the name Phoenix. In Greek mythology, the Phoenix (pronounced FEE-niks) was a bird who would die by spontaneously combusting into flames. A new Phoenix would then rise from the ashes of the dead bird. Hence the Phoenix has long been a symbol of rebirth and immortality.It has also been associated with the colour purple and royalty, however the name means 'deep/bright red'.

The Phoenix makes many appearances in popular culture today. In the 'Harry Potter' series, Dumbledore has a Phoenix named Fawkes who comes to Harry's aid more than once. Harry actually gets to see Fawkes die and regenerate at one point. The fifth book in the series is also called 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', The Order of The Phoenix being an organisation of good witches and wizards dedicated to bringing an end to the dark days of Lord Voldemort and creating a new, enlightened time when the magical world can live without fear.

Other places you may recognise Phoenixes from are:

• Achilles' wise tutor in Homers epic 'The Iliad'
• Phoenix McFarland, author of 'The New Book of Magical Names' (Phoenix is her pagan name)
• The Phoenix family (think actors River and Joaquin) 
• An alternative rock band from France
• The city in Arizona, America
• the 1965 movie 'Flight of the Phoenix' and it's 2004 remake 
• Evil alter ego of X-Men comic book superhero Jean Grey
• video game character Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney series
• Phoenixes are also popular in movies and video games featuring mythological creatures. 

As a teenager in the 90's, I remember thinking that Phoenix was an extremely exotic, "out there", super cool name. These days it is still a special name (it also has that cool "X" factor), but far from a strange rarity. It has been in the American top 1000 for boys since 1997 and for girls since 2003. While quite a unisex name, for now at least this one is skewing towards the males - in 2011 it ranked #388 for boys in the US, and #645 for girls. It is also a top #1000 name in Canada.

One great aspect to this name is that it is somewhat of a nick-namers paradise. Suggestions I've seen thrown around are Nick, Nyx, Fifi, Fee, Pix, Pixie, Fire, Firebird, Pyre, Phoe, Ixxy, Ash, and Nikki. I've also seen the variant Fenix used in a birth announcement in the past year. Which I thought was someone looking for a more "modern" way to spell it, until I realised that this spelling is not only the Old/Middle English spelling of Phoenix, but also the last name of 'Gears of War' video game hero Marcus Fenix.

Whichever way you want to use it, Phoenix is unique without being too unique, futuristic sounding but classical. It would be a great way to symbolise the beginning of a new life, or even just a New Year.