Astley

If you're a fan of 80's music, you probably recognise this name as the surname of singer Rick Astley. His biggest hit was the pop smash 'Never Gonna Give You Up', which was a hit song in 1987. It again made a resurgence in 2007 when the video clip became a You Tube sensation, the subject of an Internet meme known as "Rickrolling". The concept of Rickrolling is that someone would send you a link to a You Tube video reportedly about one subject, but when you clicked on the link it would instead take you to the Rick Astley video clip.

Whether you're a fan of Rick Astley or not though, I find the idea if the name Astley intriguing. It's so similar to perennial favourite Ashley that I'm surprised it hasn't caught on yet. Maybe people have avoided it because it is so closely linked to Rick Astley, or maybe of surname names had been as popular in the 80's as they currently are it would be a different story. But for whatever reason, the only year it has charted in America was in 1993 (the year Rick retired from the music industry) when it was given to just 5 boys.

As it is rare as a first name there is little information about the meaning of Astley. As a surname, it originated as an English place name. Several towns carried this name, which derives from the English words 'est leah' meaning 'east leigh' or 'east meadow'. It came into use as a surname back in the times when people first adopted surnames and it was common practice to identify oneself in relation to where they lived.

Other sources cite an alternative meaning for Astley, saying it is Greek for starry field. This seems less likely than the Old English origin and meaning, simply because although 'asteri' is the Greek work for star, in Greek the word for meadow is 'livadi' and the word for field is 'pedio'. And most names ending in 'Ley' tend to have Old English origins. It's a sweet notion though.

I love the sound of Astley. So far it has only charted for boys, and I can understand why it would be a great name for boys. It's a good alternative for those who like Ashley but baulk at the idea that it has "gone to the girls". I also love it for a girl though - it has that preppy kind of feel that I love in a name, but still retains an almost romantic image. 'Never Gonna Give You Up' would also make a great lullaby to sing to a little Astley to let them know how much they are loved ☺

If you're worried that it is a little too connected to the 80's icon, then perhaps one of its variants such as Astlee, Astlie, Astly, Atley, Asterleigh, Asterley or even Estleia would be more to your taste. I personally love the idea of a little Astley on the playground though. And the 80's are retro cool now - Astley could be a super cool name to have.

Character Names Revealed!

A few weeks ago I wrote this post about the little known first name of television favourite 'McGyver'.

Then recently my helpful husband found this video for me on You Tube. Like all of the videos on the Mental Floss channel, it's not only interesting, but it's also pretty fun and entertaining. So if you like knowing the names behind the characters - or are just looking for some fun conversation starters - the below video is well worth a watch. Enjoy!

By George, He's Here!

By now you would have heard that Kate and William have had a boy, and with remarkable speed (for their family, at least) they have named the little prince George Alexander Louis.

It's a good, solid name, but hardly one that comes with many surprises. Each name has a history of royal use and George was the odds on favourite for punters.

I quite like George. For one, he's a family name for me, with the most recent example being my maternal grandfather's middle name. But what I really love is that there are so many great examples to look to. Besides being regal, he's also presidential, saintly, a train engine, the author of a great fantasy series and the hottest show currently on TV, a legendary musician, a Hollywood heavyweight, a futuristic family man, a lovable, curious monkey and so much more.

But of course not everyone feels the same. Which brings me to a conversation in the lunchroom at work today about Prince Georges name. One workmate complained that George is such an old name for a little baby. To which one of my male colleagues replied "Which would you prefer - an adult name on a baby or a baby name on an adult?". What do you think? And do you think George is an "old" name, or simply one that will grow well with the newest royal?

Cavalia

Todays name comes from the show (and Quebec based company) Cavalia, which is currently performing here in Australia. The full name of the show is 'Cavalia, A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse'.  the show is described as "a spectacular and moving tribute to the relationship between human and horses throughout history, a dream of freedom, cooperation and harmony. In a fairy tale setting filled with poetry and emotion, the show innovatively integrates acrobatics, dance, aerial stunts, live music and equestrian arts. Under the white Big Top, a 50-metre stage permits the horses to express themselves in all their splendour, nobility and strength".

Although I haven't seen it, the ads and posters look fantastic. And every time I see them, I think to myself "That would make a gorgeous name".

Pronounced Cah-VAH-lee-ah, apparently the word was coined by creative director Normand Latourelle (creator of Cirque du Soleil) and is based on the French word cheval meaning 'horse'. This gives the name Cavalia the same base as better known words cavalcade and cavalier. However the "lia" ending puts it in similar company to girly favourites such as Amelia, Cecilia, Cordelia, Julia, Natalia, Ophelia and Talia.

I also feel like it has a rather uplifting feel to it, maybe because it shares similar sounds with the words carnival. It has quite a pretty sound and would be a unique yet not overly contrived or manufactured choice. It hasn't charted yet so is currently extremely rare - a child with this name would never be one of several at their school.

The horse association may be off-putting for some, but horses are generally seen to be strong, intelligent, noble and elegant creatures. There are definitely less attractive animals and birds to be associated with. Considering the special relationship and connection that many people have with horses, I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually see Cavalia worn by young girls in the future.

Guess the Royal Baby Name!

This photo may be a spoof, but I love the idea
that the name is causing so much excitement for everyone!

It's hard to turn anywhere at the moment without hearing the excitement about the imminent birth of the new British Royal bub! And it's nice to see that us self-professed name nerds aren't the only ones interested in names for a change. People have been placing bets for month now on not only whether the baby will be a young Prince or Princess, but what name - or more accurately, string of Royal names - the baby will be given.

If you're not a betting person, the next best way to get involved is by entering the Nameberry Royal Baby Name competition! It's a fun way to put your skills to the test, plus you can win any product (to the value of $100) in the Nameberry store that you want. And they have some super cute things, such as the baby name bunting and personalised baby blankets. Plus, it's a good distraction from the waiting ☺

I'm off to bed now to sleep on what I think it will be, but make sure you get your guesses in before the eagerly awaited bub arrives!

Malta

Currently I'm reading the first book in 'The Liveship Traders' series by Robin Hobb, and Malta is just one of the great names in the series. She may not be one of the main characters (at least, not yet in the first book), but the understated charm of this name definitely makes it one that sticks in your head.

It's actually almost surprising that this gem doesn't get more use, although possible deterrents could be an association with Maltese dogs, malted milk drinks, or the sweets named maltesers (which, in a completely unrelated note, taste fantastic when mixed with your popcorn at the movies). Yet it's not completely unheard of as a given name in America, charting in 9 separate years, the last instance being in 1970.

Somehow the time feels right for Malta to make a reappearance. Place names are arguably more popular than ever, and Malta is one country name that feels overlooked. The Republic of Malta is a Southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea. Its position has long made it an important strategic location, and at different times has been ruled by the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish, French and British.

This continual change of hands has contributed to the confusion behind the meaning of the name Malta. Its thought that it is possibly from the Phoenician word Malath, meaning 'a haven'. But the more commonly accepted explanation is that it comes from the Greek word Meli meaning 'honey'. The Greeks actually called the island Melite, meaning 'honey-sweet', and from this the Romans called it Melita. Whether it's meaning is 'honey-sweet' or 'haven', either are a lovely meaning for this name.

Malta would be an unusual choice - and a rare one - but would still fit in with the names being used today. Perhaps this overlooked place name is one worth considering.

"Leigh" Endings For Girls

Photography by Genie Leigh Photography

In the quest of choosing a name that is seemingly “unique”, more and more people are putting their own fresh twist on a familiar name by changing its' spelling. It's a trend that is making it harder and harder to get a true feeling of a name's popularity. A name may seem to be number 50, but when you take into account the 20 different ways people have chosen to spell it it could be much higher than that. Yet on the playground, all 20 of those spellings will sound the same. Kelli at Name Freak did a great post on this a few months ago, called a Playground Analysis, which also appeared on Nameberry.

While many names have received this treatment, there is no group of names where this is more evident than girls names ending with the “Leigh” sound. I'm sure you've all come across this yourself - or even have a child with a “Leigh” name.

So what it is about “Leigh” names that makes them more tempting for people to play with? First, the spellings Lee, Leigh and Li are all actually widespread as names in their own right for both genders. Therefore people could be choosing the “Leigh” spelling that honours a loved one, or the one that they feel is more “masculine” or “feminine”. As an example, Leigh is often a popular choice for girls as many people perceive it to be more feminine. Or some may want a name with a certain amount of syllables, and “Leigh” tends to be a sound that works well with many girl names. Just think of Annaleigh, Emmalee or Amberley.

Looking at the 2012 SSA girls name data for America is quite revealing:

It seems that the spelling used in the highest number of names is the Lee spelling, followed by Ly. However the spelling you'll most often see on a young girl is Ley, followed by Ly.

And for those of you interested, only two names appeared with every possible ending – Charlie and Kayley. Kayley is a particularly interesting case, as there are multiple ways to get the “K” sound, the “AY” sound and the “Leigh” sound. There's easily over 30 different spellings for this name on the charts!

It's quite an interesting trend. Many people are against variant spellings, and while I have seen some absolute shockers, I have also seen some delightful and lovely ones which make it easier to see the appeal in “creating” a version that suits you. What do you think? Which are your favourites, and what unusual variations have you spotted in your neighbourhood?

Model Names

I quite often have a bit of a trawl through the Internet looking for photos to use here on Baby Name Pondering. Usually I end up at a lot of baby photographers blogs. And may I say there are plenty of gorgeous ones out there! But the other day for a bit of a change I was having a look at the website for Women Management, an agency that has offices in New York, Paris and Milan and has had models such as Kate Moss on their books.

Any time I get a chance to see a lot of girls of different nationalities together (such as with the Miss Universe pageant), it's always interesting to look at the vast variety of names you end up with. Names that may be quite common in their country of origin often sound exotic and mysterious when heard in another part of the world. And this was definitely the case with the names of the models currently represented by Women Management, which I have listed below (first names only). Which ones strike your fancy?

Addison

Agnete

Alek
Alex (x2)
Alexa
Alina (x2)
Aline (x2)
Alla
Alyona
Amanda (x2)
Amra
Amy (x2)
Ana
Anais
Anastasia (x2)
Andreea
Angela
Anja
Ann (x2)
Anna (x6)
Annabelle
Annaleise
Anne (x2)
Anne Marie

Anu
Anzhela
Auguste
Auste
Ava
Aygul
Aymeline
Azul
Barbara (x2)
Barbora
Beegee
Behati
Belen
Bregje
Britt
Brittany
Brooke
Bruna
Camilla
Carla
Carmen
Caroline (x2)
Charlotte (x3)
Chelsey
Chiara
Chiharu
Chloe
Chrishell
Clara
Coco
Corinna
Daiane
Dana (x2)
Daphne
Daria
Dasha
Deimante
Denija
Dewi
Diana (x2)
Dioni
Dolores
Donata
Dorte
Doutzen
Edda
Edit
Eeke
Ekaterina
Elcee
Eleanor
Elena (x3)
Eline
Elise
Eliza (x2)
Emely
Emma'Eve
Ewelina
Fabiana
Fei Fei
Felien
Feline
Feruza
Flavia

Fleurance
Frida
Friederike
Gabriela
Geiza
Georgia
Georgina (x2)
Giedre (x2)
Ginta
Guinevere
Hanna
Hannah
Hartje
Heather
Helena
Heloise
Herieth
Hermione
Hirschy
Hristina
Hyun Yi
Ida

Iekeliene
Ieva
Ilda
Ilva
Inga Marie
Inguna
Irina (x4)
Iris (x3)
Isa
Isabel
Isabeli
Isabella (x2)
Isabelle
Iselin
Izabel
Jana
Janneke
Jefimija
Jenna
Jess
Jessica
Jiang Xiao
Jing
Joanna

Johanne
Jordan
Josefien
Jourdan
Julia (x6)
Julie (x2)
Julier
Kadri
Kadriana
Karina
Karolin
Karolina (x2)
Karoline
Kasia
Katarina
Kate
Katharina (x2)
Kati
Katie
Katja
Katrin
Katya (x3)
Kel
Kely

Kika
Kirsi
Klaudia (x2)
Kristina
Kristine (x2)
Kristy
Ksenia
Laia
Lais (x2)
Lakshmi
Lara
Laura (x2)
Lauren
Lea
Leila
Lela
Lian
Liisi
Lina
Line
Lisa
Liwia
Liza (x2)
Lourdes

Luca
Lucie
Lucija
Maaike
Maartje
Maja (x4)
Malaika
Malu
Marcela Boaventura
Mari
Maria (x3)
Mariacarla
Marieke
Marina (x2)
Marique
Marpessa
Marta
Maryana
Masha (x2)
Maxine
Megan
Melissa

Melodie
Merethe
Merie
Michelle
Milagros
Milana
Milica
Milly
Mina
Mirte
Nastya (x3)
Natalia (x4)
Nataliya
Natalya
Natasa
Natasha
Naty
Nikola
Nina
Nyok
Oktawia
Olga
Olja
Paulina (x2)

Pernille
Qiwen
Rachel (x2)
Raniely
Regina
Rezi
Rianne
Ronja
Rosa
Rozanne
Sabina
Sabine
Sabrina
Sam
Sand
Sara (x2)
Sarah (x2)
Sarka
Sasha (x2)
Sheila
Simone
Snejana
Solange

Sophia
Stefanie
Stephanie
Sterling
Stina
Tacie
Talis
Taya
Teresa
Tessa
Thea
Thelma
Timea
Tine Fremo
Toni
Trine
Unni
Vala
Valentina
Valeria (x3)
Valerie (x3)
Valerija
Vanessa

Vendela
Vera
Veranika
Veroni
Veronika
Viivi
Vika (x2)
Viktoria
Viktoriya
Vita
Vlada
Yaya
Ymre
Yulia (x3)
Zamfira
Zhenya
Zo
Zuzanna