Friendly Happ-"BY" Names

There are a few names ending in BY that I quite like, so I thought I'd make a list of them. I found there's actually quite a few more names ending in BY than I realised! And I also found that they seem to fall mainly into one of two different categories.

There are those that I consider to be "Quirky Vintage". Think Bartleby, Gatsby, Maeby, Quimby, Willoughby and the likes. They tend to feel like (and often are) literary gems, and have a classic charm that is quite appealing.

The names I had in mind though tend to be more of the "Friendly and Perky" variety. Also very charming and appealing, they sound like they belong to people who are open and approachable. People you could easily become good friends with.

Maybe it's because a number of them are nicknames, and hence designed to be more familiar and friendly from the get go.

Personally though I think it's the "bee" sound itself. It brings to mind a little bumblebee, happily buzzing around flowers on a warm sunny day. You can't help but smile with that image in your mind (unless you're allergic to bees. In which case you might be filled with anxious dread instead). Some people even prefer to change the BY to a BEE or BIE spelling instead to enhance this happy friendly feeling, and add a hint of youthfulness to the name.

I don't think it's necessary though - the names below are all likable enough already.

Abby - Name your daughter Abby and chances are she'll forever be asked if it's short for Abigail. Abigail may be a very popular name in most Western countries, but Abby is a lovable name in it's own right. She's a top 500 name in the U.S and appears on many of our favourite on screen characters. My personal pick - the effervescent Abby Cadabby, the magical fairy Muppet of "Sesame Street" fame.

Alby - Archie is gaining steam in Australia, and Alfie is receiving lots of love in the U.K. Could these be leading the way for Alby? Quite possibly, as Albert is also on the rise. Alby also makes an appearance in "The Maze Runner" as the leader of the Gladers, showing that this name may sound light but has plenty of substance.

Ashby - With hints of Ashley and Aubrey, Ashby is definitely my pick for the next big "Ash" name. But probably not for another 20 years or so, making it a solid ahead-of-the trend pick. With nickname options of Ash for boys and Bea for girls, what's not to love about Ashby.

Bobby Brady

Bobby - Ahhh Bobby. Am I the only one who immediately thinks "The Brady Bunch" when I hear this? Bobby may have started as a nickname for Robert, but this name is quite the powerhouse and has been in the U.S. top 1000 for about 100 years now. He feels like a great Americana choice for a boy, but would be a refreshing (and rare!) choice for a girl.

Coby - It's a sound we're not unfamiliar with, thanks to basketballer Kobe Bryant and "How I Met Your Mother" actress Cobie Smulders (which in her case is short for Jacoba!). Yet this spelling is not very popular at all, perhaps lacking the energetic vibe of Kobe.

Colby - It may be a type of cheese, but it's not a cheesy name. Ever since season two of "Survivor" I've been a fan of Colby. I suspect I'm not the only one. On a boy it has cowboy swagger. On a girl it's cute and tomboyish (and rare!).

Darby - I had a Great Uncle Darby (Darb) so to me this name is straight from the era that we are borrowing so heavily from at the moment. In the U.S it was used fairly evenly for boys and girls until a Julia Roberts played Darby Shaw in the 1994 movie "The Pelican Brief". It's a great gender neutral pick, and currently largely undiscovered as it is no where near cracking the top 1000.

Debby - Before the popularity of Jennifer and her nicknames Jenny and Jen in the 70's, there was Deborah and her nicknames Debby/Debbie and Deb in the 50's. Deborah has never left the top 1000 in the U.S, but Debby was not the most well-liked of her nicknames and currently feels very unfashionable.

Digby - I really 'dig' this name! And another pun - I think it's very 'dig'nified ☺ This is actually true though. Digby is just the right combination of stylish and Old English sounding, yet down-to-earth and approachable. It's super rare currently but definitely deserves more love.

Gabby - As a child I had a book about a little creature named Gabby because they talked too much
and needed to learn how to listen. If you don't mind the association with being overly talkative, this cute little nickname for Gabrielle/Gabriella would be very sweet for a girl.

Kirby - Confession time - I've had a soft spot for the name Kirby ever since seeing the 1985 movie "St Elmo's Fire". That particular Kirby was male, but it was TV sensation "Dynasty" that put Kirby on the map for girls in the 80's. These both make Kirby feel like an 80's pick, but in an offbeat cool and retro way.

Korby - This name will be long tainted in Australia due to the Shapelle Corby drug smuggling associations. But I feel that the Korby spelling is a lot funkier, despite looking like it has been hijacked by the Kardashians. Almost no one is using this name right now, making Korby a great different-bot-not-too-different choice.

Libby - She may not be the trendiest or most popular nickname for the classic Elizabeth, but Libby has a that undeniable girl-next-door vibe. Whether that girl is sweet, quiet, outgoing, popular, mischievous or tomboyish doesn't matter - Libby feels like she could be any or all of these.

Rigby - Beatles tune "Eleanor Rigby" makes this one a great choice for lovers of their music. It only made it onto the radar in the U.S in the past decade and so far seems to belong to the boys, but I could see this going either way. One of the two main characters in the cartoon "Regular Show" is a raccoon named Rigby, and I have a feeling that this name will be very popular when viewers start having children.

Robby - For most of the 1900's Robert was a top 10 name in the U.S (and is still a top 100 name), and he spawned many nicknames. Robby is one of the more popular ones. I'm torn on Robby - on one hand he feels like a high school sweetheart, but on the other hand I recently saw "Dirty Dancing" again so he currently seems like a villain. Either way, when I think of Robby I picture a child or teenager rather than a mature adult, which is probably why Robert is far more popular as it gives the wearer the freedom of choice as they age.

Ruby - Ruby may feel like a vintage rarity, but she's actually very popular in many parts of the world. She's been a top 10 staple in Australia for a while now, top 20 in the UK and recently moved into the U.S top 100. Ruby has a winning combination of the "oo" sound that's trending right now, plus the friendly "bee", and she's a precious jewel to boot. What's not to love?

Shelby Eatenton Latcherie

Shelby - It may be a go-to name for turtles, tortoises and snails, but I can't help but love the preppy and perky Shelby. Shelby has a longer history of use as a boys name, but rocketed to popularity as a girls name in 1936 after Barbara Stanwick played a Shelby in the movie "The Woman in Red". Another onscreen Shelby - Julia Roberts (again!) in "Steel Magnolias" in 1989 - helped push Shelby to a top 100 girls name in the 1990's. Most people now consider it to be "a girls name".

Tibby - In 2005 Amber Tamblyn introduced many of us to the name Tibby in the movie adaptation of 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'. For her character it was a nickname for Tabitha, and she managed to make a name that possibly seemed overly cutesy feel cool and spunky.

Toby - Interestingly, the longer Tobias is currently far more popular than Toby in the U.S, but here in Australia (and the U.K and New Zealand) Toby is a top 100 name. I have a real soft spot for Toby. Toby feels like your best friend, and a fun, cheeky one at that. Call me crazy but I also think it's super cute on a girl.

Zibby - Looking for a truly unusual nickname for Elizabeth? Try Zibby. She's cute, unusual and rare. Great if you have a family full of Elizabeths and want a distinctive version with loads of personality.

Post Apocalyptic Naming

Survival is tough in AMC's 'The Walking Dead'

Recently I had a really strange dream. I know a lot of boring conversations start this way - but stick with me, because I promise it’s name related!

The world had just gone through a zombie apocalypse (proving that this dream is directly related to the type of movies I watch) and in the aftermath our group of survivors found ourselves in the position of trying to re-establish some sort of community and re-start civilisation (somehow the zombies had either been wiped out or we were in a guaranteed safe zone. Don’t ask how).

As the group of the nine or so of us were discussing how to start, someone pointed out that since the world as we knew it was gone, if we wanted to change our names, now would be the time. They pointed out that none of us knew each other before the disaster, and what we had gone through had changed all of us, so maybe we felt our new lives deserved new names.

One girl who had been named Erin wanted to be known as Aquarius, because that was her star sign. A guy named Chris wanted to be known by a kind of non-committal grunt sound. Which I protested because how would I get his attention when I needed to call out to him? But I was over-ruled, as the spirit of the activity was that you could be whatever you wanted, none of the old “rules” applied. Everyone in the group chose to change their name. Everyone but me. For some reason I was quite happy to keep my name Brooke as my post-apocalyptic moniker. Go figure.

But this dream led me to think about post-apocalyptic naming in general. Would survivors feel the need to change their names, like we did? Would the names passed on to further generations carry on current naming trends in a bid to hang onto the old order? Or would they reflect what the world had gone through, or what the new mode of living was, or our hopes for the future?

I’d imagine that these are things that any writer in the post-apocalyptic genre must consider when naming their characters. So in the spirit of fun, I thought I’d consider some of the possibilities.

“Power of Nature” Names

It might not be a man made disaster that brings abut the collapse of the world as we know it. Many people believe the world changing event will indeed be natural - be it solar flares; a meteor strike; shifting tectonic plates causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; or climate change. Nature names are already popular, but if brought to our knees by the power of nature we could see nature names taken to a new level.

	Avalanche		Hurricane		Tornado
	Blizzard		Monsoon		Tremor
	Cyclone		Quake		Tsunami
	Force		Tempest		Twister
	Gale		Tidal		Volcano

“Thank Our Lucky Stars” Names

How about if we survived a disaster of massive proportions that left people thinking what a miracle it was that they survived. We could probably expect to see more miraculous and religious themed names. We already see some evidence of this today. And if everyone is doing it, suddenly some of the names used in 'The Hunger Games' such as Marvel might not seem so extravagant and self-indulgent. They might even seem humble, in deference to a higher power.

	Amaze		Miracle		Saviour
	Awe		Phenomenon		Sensational
	Blessing		Prodigy		Trinity
	Godsend		Rapture		Wonder
	Halo		Reverence		Wow

“Tough” Names

Kate Mulgrew as Red in
'Orange is the New Black'

If we’re talking zombie apocalypse or a ‘Mad Max’ style future I think this would be a popular choice. Names that people would respect as a sign of your prowess in a world filled with violence and a struggle to survive. Names that would instantly communicate “don’t mess with me”.

	Anarchy		Frenzy		Rebel
	Bayonet		Fury		Sassy
	Bloodrayne		Gunner		Scrapper
	Bruiser		Hatchet		Tank
	Cannon		Machete		Viper

“This Is Me” Names

Not everyone has to be a fighter, although choosing a name that instantly communicates something about ourselves or projects a certain image is a common theme in post-apocalyptic stories. 'The Walking Dead’ featured The Governor. The boy in charge of the cooking in ‘The Maze Runner’ is named Frypan. And it's not just a post-apocalyptic theme - think of Red in 'Orange Is The New Black'. The only problem here is that people are always so much more than any one thing that this feels like a mask of sorts.

	Catcher		Engineer		Karaoke
	Curly		Farmer		Mother
	Doc		Foxy		Nomad
	Dreamer		Gorgeous		Plaid
	Enforcer		Greenthumb		Sheriff

“Origin” Names

Maybe survivors would want to shed their old identity, without losing sight of where they came from. Or maybe it’s nothing more than a quick way to convey information about your previous life. They went this route in the movie ‘Zombieland’, where the four main characters are known as Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock. And there’s a character in the ‘Resident Evil’ movies named K-Mart, as that’s where she was found by her fellow survivors.

I could only see this working in a world were very, very few people survived, or it could get confusing quickly. But I love that this potentially makes us reconsider which place names make for “suitable” given names. People I might meet in my area if the apocalypse happened tomorrow could be:

	Armadale		Elwood		Stonnington
	Burke		Frankston		Summerhill
	Chadstone		Malvern		Tarneit
	Coburg		Melbourne		Wattletree
	Dandenong		Richmond		Yarra

**disclaimer: these name suggestions are in the spirit of fun - I am not recommending that they are all suitable for a person**

Trends and Insights - 2014 Victorian Top 100

Photo by Karen Wiltshire

The Australian state of Victoria has already released it's top 100 results for 2014!

Since it's the state I live in, I'm particularly interested in what is happening in Victoria. So I thought I'd share some of the insights I got from this years results.

For The Girls...

We're falling in love with vintage nicknames - Particularly if they're boyish! Charlie and Billie have returned to our top 100, while Frankie debuted at #95 and Sadie and Elsie also entered the top 100. Sadie is actually the hottest new entry and fastest rising girl name overall, entering at #64! Evie and Ellie also rose, while Millie held her ground.

We think "EL" is a hot sound - Elsie entered the top 100 at position #84, Ella, Ellie and Eloise are all on the rise and Eliza and Elizabeth are also still in the top 100. Other names featuring the "EL" sound that rose in 2014 were Evelyn, Isabel, Annabelle, Isabelle and Madeleine. Hazel and Penelope both entered the top 100. And Isabella, Stella and Bella can also be found in the top 100.

We prefer Sophie over Sophia. And Sofia. - In 2013 in Australia the combined spellings of Sophia and Sofia put the name at number 8, two places ahead of Sophie. She was also the winner in the U.S. But in 2014 in Victoria? Combining Sophia and Sofia would put her at #15, still 8 places behind our 7th favourite name, Sophie.

We made different pop culture choices - All the punters have been tipping Elsa to rise dramatically thanks to Frozen. But it seems our hearts are actually with her sister, Anna. Elsa is noticeably missing from our top 100, whereas Anna was one of our fastest rising names, up 23 places! We also shunned 'Game of Thrones' character Khaleesi/Daenerys but gave the nod to the actress who plays her, with Emilia entering the top 100 at #68.

But we agree with some predictions - Violet, Penelope, Hazel, Ariana and Piper are hot picks to rise in 2015, but we've gotten an early start on that! Violet is up 35 places and Piper 18. Penelope, Hazel and Ariana were all new entries.


For The Boys...

We're heavily debating nicknames vs full names - Over a quarter of the names in the top 100 are nicknames and their full names. In some cases the nickname is tops, in other cases it's the full name. So it seems there are some sounds that we simply love, in any of its' forms. The most popular options are highlighted below:

	Full Name	Position		Nickname	Position
	Alexander	11		Alex	83
	Archer	40		Archie	34
	Charles	92		Charlie	12
	Elijah	39		Eli	70
	Harrison	22		Harry	23
	Jackson	35		Jack	2
	Jaxon	42
	Jacob	25		Jake	55
	Lucas	7		Luke	63
	Maxwell	87		Max	17
	Nathaniel	97		Nate	53
	Nathan	64
	William	3		Liam	14
	Zachary	51		Zac	95
	Isaac	21

But overall, full names are winners - We seem to predominantly like a formal name on the birth certificate. For those names where only the full name or the nickname appears in our top 100, there are three times as many full names as nicknames. For example, we love Benjamin but not Ben, Samuel but not Sam, Nicholas but not Nick. Theodore and Anthony also entered the top 100 in 2014, with no Theo or Tony to be seen. Nicknames that buck the trend? That would be Leo, Toby and surprising new entry, Lenny.

We're pretty conservative when naming boys - We love the old fashioned staples, particularly if they can be found in the Bible or on a Royal family tree. This isn't anything particularly new, but shows few signs of changing. The next hot Biblical pick looks to be Caleb, which rose 20 places in 2014. The fastest rising Royal pick of 2014 was George - thanks to William and Kate's first born. Hot on his heels though is Edward, already placed ahead of George and also rising. If William and Kate's second child - due in April - happens to be a boy and they name him Edward, we could see Edward shoot into the top 10 very soon.

Kai bucks the norm - It seems that the winning formula for a boys name in Victoria is a two syllable name (71% of the top 100) with Biblical or Royal (preferably British) roots. So why is it that one-syllable Kai was super hot in 2014? Kai is a new entry to the top 100 and the fastest rising name for boys or girls in 2014, entering at position #61! We are admittedly a little behind the other states though as Kai has been a top 100 Australian name for the past couple of years already.


For Both...

It's Charlie all the way - Charlie is the only name that appears in both the girls top 100 (at position #91) and boys top 100 (rising 9 places to #12 in 2014). Longer version Charlotte is #2 for girls, while Charles is #92 for boys.


Want to check out the full lists for yourself? Check out Anna's post at Waltzing More Than Matilda.

Tilda vs Tilly

Photo Courtesy of Pennystone Park Photography

Tilda and Tilly. Many would see these names and think they are only nicknames for Matilda, but both make for adorable names in their own right. Whether you are debating which nickname to use for your little Matilda, or simply which to give your daughter, it could be helpful to look at them side by side.

Origin, Meaning, Associations & Impressions

These are so intertwined that it's helpful to consider them together. Both Tilda and Tilly are considered to have originated as nicknames for Matilda. Matilda is an Old German name meaning 'mighty in battle', and hence this is also the accepted meaning for both Tilda and Tilly.

Tilda – Tilda is also possibly Nordic, thought to mean 'heroine'. She's said to be the slightly eccentric nickname for Matilda, sleek and stylish. I've also seen her described as warm, dignified and ladylike.

There is also a British Food manufacturer with the brand name Tilda, who are best known for their rice; and a Norwegian craft brand with this name that specialise in whimsical and romantic dolls, animals, fabrics and books.

Tilly – This name may seem cute and girlish, but she can be seen as so much more. I've seen her pop up on lists of names that are friendly, relaxed, hipster, vintage, girly, British and Jazz Age style. Both Tilly and Tillie are thought to be the bold option of the common nicknames for Matilda.

Tilly is also a place name, most prevalent in France but also found in Scotland, Belgium and the US state of New York. It is also the name of a poem by James Joyce, a novel by Frank E. Peretti, and a number of WW2 British Utility vehicles.

Famous Namesakes

Why your chosen name has made or make make the headlines.

Tilda – Worldwide, actress Tilda Swinton is the example that most readily springs to mind. She has quite an imposing yet respectable on screen persona, best known to younger audiences as the White Witch in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' movies. She was born Katherine Matilda, adopting the nickname as her stage name. Another famous Matilda come Tilda – this time fictional – includes Tilda Price of Charles Dickens' 'Nicholas Nickelby'.

There's also a young character named Tilda in the movie 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'. And in Australia, young Adelaide actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey recently became the face of the “find wonderful” advertising campaign for department store Myer. Reportedly her parents were inspired in part by Ms Swinton when they chose her name.

Tilly – To a more infamous Australian figure this time – Tilly Devine. She was a prominent Sydney gangster in the 20'1, 30's and 40's, and 2011 true crime drama TV series 'Underbelly:Razor' focused on the gangland wars she played a prominent role in during the 1930's.

Tilly however is better known as a surname – actress sisters Meg Tilly and Jennifer Tilly are examples, or maybe you prefer the example of sociologist Charles Tilly, just to name a few.

And although mothers may think of Catherine Cookson's 'Tilly Trotter', young children are more likely to think of the main character from 'Tilly and Friends', about a five year old girl who lives in a yellow house with her five best friends.

Tilly and Friends

Pronunciation & Nicknames

Often when we've only seen a name written we may Some people fall in love with a name for it's nicknames. Others aren't too fussed.

Tilda – Pronounced TILL-dah, it doesn't need a nickname, although you could always use Tilly and this way you get to use both.

Tilly – Also has a straightforward pronunciation – TIL-lee. Another popular re-spelling is Tillie. If you must use a nickname you could go with Till or Lee, but you don't really need one.

Popularity

Some want a name that is popular because it means it is familiar and well liked. Others prefer a name that is rarer, feeling it will help their child feel like an individual. Both Tilda and Tilly are much less popular than Matilda. In 2013, Matilda was #18 in Australia, #36 in the U.K, #95 in New Zealand and #645 in the U.S. In recent years it has also been a top 50 name in Finland, Sweden and Chile. But how do these two fare?

Tilda vs Tilly in the US
Chart Courtesy of
Our Baby Namer

Tilda – As many of the countries listed above don't release names past the top 100, it's hard to get a direct comparison in those countries. But it does seem to be the most popular in Sweden, where Tilde was #51 and Tilda #61 in 2012. Conversely, Tilde has never charted in the U.S, while Tilda remains a rarity. She was steadily used from the 1880's to the 1970's but then dropped into obscurity. It's only been since 2006 that small numbers of parents have rediscovered her – in 2013 only six girls were named Tilda, placing her at #16,245.

Tilly – In a time when Lily is a top 100 name in many countries, Tilly feels like she should be on the verge of big things. Yet the only place where she seems to be doing big things is the U.K. There Tilly was #86 in 2013 and Tillie was #383. You'll also find plenty of double barrelled options, such as Tilly-Mae, Tilly-May, Tilly-Rose, Tilly-Ann, Tilly-Grace, Tilly-Rae, Tilly-Louise and more. This has not yet caught on in the U.S., where Tilly was #2713 in 2013 and Tillie #3808, with not a double barrel in sight.

What do you think? Both are nicknames meaning 'mighty in battle' and both have a jazz age feeling. Tilda is much rarer has a Scandinavian-chic flair to her. But Tilly feels more friendly and approachable, and while not as rare as Tilda it's still unlikely your daughter would meet many other Tilly's at school. She's just different enough, in a good way. Which (if either) would you be more likely to choose?

Six Spooky Doll Names For Halloween

With the release of the movie 'Annabelle' this month, it seemed like a good time to look at the names of some of the spookiest real and fictional dolls. They're a surprising mix of classic names and familiar nicknames, with some very non-scary meanings! So do their spooky namesakes make these names un-usable? You decide.

Annabelle

Think of Annabelle in the same way as Amity – a very pretty, feminine name that just happens to be associated with a scary story made into a horror movie. 'Annabelle' is based on the true story of a doll possessed by an evil spirit who terrorises her owners until being locked away by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. In the movie, Annabelle is a menacing looking blonde doll, however the real Annabelle is actually a Raggedy Ann doll. Annabelle is her real name though, likely chosen because of the type of doll she is.

The origin of the name Annabelle is not clear. It's possible she is an elaboration of French name Amabel, meaning 'lovable'. Or perhaps it is a combination of Anna (meaning 'grace') and Belle (meaning 'beautiful'). Annabelle has been rocketing up the US charts – breaking into the top 1000 in 1995 and reaching #81 in 2013. Let's see if the movie does anything to stall this.

Billy

You may not be familiar with the 2007 horror 'Dead Silence' starring Ryan Kwanten and directed by the man behind 'The Conjuring', James Wan. The evil entity in this movie was the ghost of a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw. She had no children, but her love for her collection of 101 dolls (mainly ventriloquist dummies) was well known. Billy was her favourite, and in death she uses him to carry out some pretty grisly murders.

Billy is one of the original nickname-come-given names, starting as a nickname for William (meaning 'resolute protector') but becoming very popular in his own right. He may not be the height of fashion, but he is never out of style, being a constant entry in the top 1000. Variant spelling Billie is the preferred option for girls.

Chucky

Mention the term “evil doll” and this famous movie doll is bound to be the first on everyone's lips. Chucky is the iconic bad guy of the 'Child's Play' movies – a talking doll given to a boy for his birthday who just happens to be possessed by the soul of a serial killer. The character was reportedly inspired by Hasbro's My Buddy dolls, and his full name – Charles Lee Ray – derived from famous killers Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald and James Earl Ray.

Chucky is a form of Chuck, a nickname for the classic and popular Charles, and all mean 'free man'. Chucky is the least popular of the three, managing to sound immature and threatening at the same time.

Joliet

This is another real-life scary doll. Joliet has been passed down through four generations within the one family. She is said to be cursed, causing the sons born to the female owners to die when they are three days old. The family also claims to have heard giggles, screams and cries coming from the doll.

Joliet (pronounced JHOW-lee-eht) comes from the French word jolie, meaning 'pretty'. It's only been getting use in the U.S in the last 15 years, and only for very few girls. This seems almost surprising for a name so close to the classic Juliet, and with such a positive meaning. But the word takes on a very different meaning for most Americans, primarily associated with Joliet Prison in Joliet, Illinois.

Mandy

It may be hard to hear the name Mandy without thinking of the Barry Manilow song, but Mandy is also the name of a porcelain baby doll who resides in the Quesnel Museum in British Columbia. She is said to be the cause of the mysterious disapperances and reappearances of lunches and stationery and footsteps when no one is around. Mandy can't be placed with other dolls as she hurts them. She also likes to cause trouble with cameras when people try to photograph her.

Mandy has been a constant presence in the U.S girls charts, although in 2013 was at her lowest rank ever; #2234. It originated as a nickname for Amanda, meaning 'worthy of love' or 'lovable'. She has a friendly, popular girl vibe, but has gotten a reputation among many as a “trashy” name. Mandy is the first name mentioned in the 2012 movie 'Ted' when Mark Wahlbergs' character is trying to guess the “white trash name” of Ted's new girlfriend.

Robert

Another haunted doll that causes trouble with photographic equipment is perhaps America's most famous scary doll, Robert. He can be seen at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West. People must ask his permission before photographing or filming Robert (which he grants by tilting his head) or he will curse them. The curse can however be lifted by begging Robert for forgiveness.

The doll himself was a cursed gift from a disgruntled maid to a boy named Robert. He caused the family a lot of trouble, moving furniture and scaring his owner during the night. Reportedly Robert moved on his own, could be heard talking and giggling, and even changed expressions.

Robert is a well known name of German origin, meaning 'famed; bright and shining'. It was introduced to England by the Normans and has been in use ever since. Robert is also quite popular – it has never been out of the U.S top 100 since 1880. Some may say this makes for a boring and over-used name, but to others it is simply classic and handsome.

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?