Stellaluna and Soluna

This post was inspired by the credits of a movie I watched the other day. The name I spotted was Soluna, the artist of one of the songs used in the movie. At least I thought it was an artist, as I assumed that it must be a persons name that I just hadn't heard before.

Turns out though that I was on the wrong path. Soluna (pronounced SOL-une-ah) was a group of female Hispanic singers that were together from 1998 to 2004. I hadn't heard of them before so they mustn't have had much success in Australia, but it seems they were relatively successful in the US.

But back to their name. They invented Soluna by combining the Spanish words for sun (sol) and moon (luna). So simple yet such a romantic result. Which made me think about another Luna smoosh name that I first heard sometime over the past year - Stellaluna. Meaning 'stars and the moon'. But how can one decide between the sun and the moon or the stars and the moon?

Almost surprisingly, neither has ever charted. Luna itself has been experiencing an upsurge in recent years, yet it doesn't seem to have transferred to any other Luna names yet. It seems a little strange - a name that is heaven spelled backwards is a top 100 name, but these two pretty names with their lovely meanings and current sound haven't even gotten a foot in the door. What's with that?

Well, both have a less than flattering association with them. And when a name is rare, there's a higher chance that it will only be associated with the one other thing people have heard it for.

Apart from being a girl group, car manufacturer Toyota released a model in the 1990's called the Soluna in Asia. It was a great seller, but marketed as a family car or taxi, which aren't generally considered to be sexy. It also can sound a little like saloon, and no-one wants their child confused with a bar.

Stellaluna on the other hand is most closely associated with the childrens book of the same name. Written by Janell Cannon in 1993, 'Stellaluna' is is the story of a cute baby fruit bat who learns to recognise that her and her friends differences doesn't mean they can't still be great friends. It was featured in the 2001 movie 'I Am Sam' and released as an animation on DVD in 2004. But again, people don't generally find bats very attractive.

I think there's hope for these names yet though. Maybe the children who grow up loving the book 'Stellaluna' will one day give it to their daughters with fond memories and messages of coming together to embrace our differences. Maybe 2012 Eurovision contestant Soluna Somay will bring more attention to the name Soluna, showing that it is one that would work in many countries.

Then again, if these feel a little too frilly as one name for you, they could always be broken up and used as first and middle combinations. Sol (or even the attractive Soleil) Luna or Stella Luna are lovely too. 'Grey's Anatomy' star Ellen Pompeo agrees - she named her daughter Stella Luna in 2009.

For something just a touch exotic, just a touch soft and dreamy; with an almost heavenly meaning, why not consider Soluna or Stellaluna?

Daxos

Photo Courtesy of  Caroline Ghetes

At first glance, you wouldn't be alone in thinking that Daxos is a Greek name. This is probably because there was a character with this name in the movie '300'. Yes, Daxos was the name of one of the 300 Spartans that fought off Xerxes and his army of thousands. And the name certainly sounds right at home in this movie next to fellow Spartans Leonidas, Stelios, Dilios and Astinos. Admittedly, my knowledge of ancient Greek names is not extensive. But from the lack of history or references to this name on the Internet, I'm guessing that Daxos is an invented name.

Stylistically, it works well as a Spartan character. It's tough and cool sounding, and manages to feel ancient yet dramatic and fantasy-like. This is very much in keeping with the look and feel of the Frank Miller 1998 graphic novel that the movie '300' is based on. And it seems that Frank Miller wasn't the only one who perceived Daxos this way. George R.R, Martin also created a character named Xaro Xhoan Daxos for his 'Song of Ice and Fire' series (otherwise known to television viewers as 'Game of Thrones') and in 2013 it was announced that Daxos of Meletis is one of the new "rare legendary creatures" for the trading card game 'Magic: The Gathering'. On his card, Daxos of Meletis is a strong looking man swinging a sword, his appearance reminiscent of the portrayal of the Spartans in '300'.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Daxos appearing in birth announcements soon, as it contains a few elements that are appealing to parents at the moment. For one, boys names containing "X" are very trendy. Double "X" names (Maxx, Jaxx, Paxx) and names with the sound element of "xon" or "xton" are appearing everywhere. Think Jaxon, Braxton, Paxton, Jaxton, Maxton etc. It's possibly not long until people look for a different ending to add to their one-syllable, ends-in-"x" names. Especially if they are also into ancient civilisation type names such as Maximus, Julius, Titus and Darius, all of which were in the U.S. top 500 boys names in 2012.

Dax itself and it's related names are also getting their fair share of attention these days. In 2012 Dax was ranked #634, Daxton #620, Daxon #2399, Daxtyn #6024, Daxson #6354, Daxten #7617, Daxx #7618, Daxtin #8996, and Daxter #9864. Dax is a place name, after a region in south-western France that is famous as a spa. It's also thought it could possibly mean 'badger', coming from the German word 'dachs' which is often pronounced daks, just as Dax is. That's possibly stretching things a bit far though.

Daxos has a super cool sound that could appeal both to people who love a fantasy reference (or two) and historical feel but current look. Perhaps between 'Game of Thrones', the new MTG character/card and the upcoming release of the sequel '300: Rise of an Empire' Daxos will garner some attention this year.

Daxos of Meletis
by Karla Ortiz for 'Magic: The Gathering'

Shiseido

These days, the lines between given names and brand names are growing ever more blurry. You don't have to look far to see some of the reasons why. For one, plenty of brands names are actually based on the name of the owner or inventor, or for some other reason are derived from already established given names. Think Armani, Wendys, Estee Lauder, Barbie or Reeses, just to name a few. And now that last names as first names have become increasingly popular the scope has widened even further. Then there are brand names that are based on words, particularly from nature or places. Milo, Lynx and Apple may not be common on the playground, but they're not completely unheard of. Yet to some they are just brands of hot drinks, men's deodorant and electronic products.

Then there is a slightly different breed of brand-names-come-baby-names. Those names that are specifically invented as a brand name, and have no origins or use as a given name until after the brand was invented.

That's not to say that these are unusable as names exactly. When you think about it, it's understandable why we would feel attracted to a word we hear every day, especially a word that represents something we admire, respect or aspire to. For example, Lexus brand cars were first introduced to the US in 1989, and the name Lexus subsequently debuted on the U.S SSA charts in 1990 for both girls and boys. Lexus is a name invented by parent company Toyota, loosely meaning "luxury edition cars for the US". You may not be able to afford one of these luxury cars, but that doesn't mean you can't add some of their sophistication and style to your household. In theory.

Shiseido is a name that falls into this latter category.

Shiseido was specifically created for the Shiseido brand. According to the Shiseido website:

"the name Shiseido was taken from a passage in I Ching, the classic Chinese Book of Changes, as it suggests some of the most ancient human wisdom still relevant today.

The last four characters of the Japanese translation (Ban Batsu Shi Sei) means, "Praise the value of the great Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth new values".

These few syllables encapsulate the philosophy of Shiseido as a company, as a brand, as a citizen of the world".

It's an exotic sounding word with the currently cool "O" ending and quite a beautiful meaning. Plus it has the benefit of associations with youth, beauty and style. Yet it's a name that not many children bear - Shiseido has never appeared in the American charts, possibly because it may be a little hard to wear. Using it as a name would almost overwhelmingly make people think of the brand, so it could be considered a brave and distinctive choice for a daughter. 

Personally, I think that Shiseido falls into a similar category as the name Khaleesi. Both were invented to convey a concept, and weren't originally intended to be used as a given name. Yet both have a cool, lyrical sound; a romantic fantasy-like feel; and possibly represent something empowering to some people. They may even be quite well matched for a pair of sisters. 

Would I use them myself? No. But I can understand why some people would find them attractive and appealing enough to use.

I can't help but feel that the debate around the suitability of invented and brand names as given names is one that we will only see a lot more of in the future. Names are "invented" all the time, often just for their sound. They're not really that much different to those invented for a brand. At least Shiseido was invented to mean something, and something beautiful at that. What do you think - does Shiseido have potential as a name, or not?