Taissa

Taissa Farmiga has a lot to smile about

Today I saw the news that Taissa Farmiga will be returning for season three of 'American Horror Story'. She didn't have a role in season two, but I remember seeing her name every week in the opening credits of season one and being intrigued. Mainly because Taissa is a very pretty looking name, but also because I was wondering how it's meant to be pronounced and where it can from.

Taissa pronounces her name as Ta-EE-sa. Her background is Ukrainian American, and she is the younger sister of Vera Farmiga. I loved Vera in 'Up in the Air' with George Clooney, and she is currently starring in the TV show 'Bates Motel' as Norman Bates' mother Norma. Taissa's first acting role was as a younger version of Vera's character in the 2011 movie 'Higher Ground', which was also sister Vera's directorial debut. Taissa also has four movies due out this year, including a role in the upcoming movie 'The Bling Ring' alongside Emma Watson.

Finding information about this name is kind of like tracing a family tree. Taissa is thought to come from the Russian name Taisiya, pronounced tah-EE-see-yah. In turn, Taisiya comes from the Greek name Thais. The meaning of Thais is uncertain, with some sources saying it means 'bandage', some saying 'bond' and some saying 'beloved' (although this may actually be related to similar name Thaiz instead).

Thais was the name of a famous companion (well, technically courtesan) of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC. However she repented, converted to Christianity and was made a saint. Her saint day is October 8. Saint Thais has inspired and is the subject of a novel by Anatole France, an opera by Jules Bassenet, a play, a film and a statue. Perhaps because of the novel and opera, Thais is quite a popular name in France. It's also well known in Brazil, and in both countries is pronounced tah-EES. 

Thais is also thought to be the origin of the Character Thaisa in Shakespeare's play 'Pericles'. Thaisa (pronounced TAH-ee-sah) is Pericles wife, who appears to die on board a ship during childbirth but actually survived and entered a convent. Perhaps because they both share the same root, it seems that the names Thaisa and Taissa are quite similar, although in pronunciation they differ in their emphasis.

Taissa has quite an international background, and has rarely charted in the US. Admittedly, some people might find it a little hard to pronounce, and be tempted to say it TAY-is-sah or TYE-is-sah, especially since similar looking name Kai is often pronounced KYE or KAY. This would probably be fine, and could open up different nickname possibilities such as Tai. But the original just feels so prettily exotic it'd be a shame to change the pronunciation.

It may be a rare name to most of us currently, but I have a feeling that Taissa Farmiga's star is on the rise - which will mean more and more exposure of this name. It would probably be best to use this one now before she's a household name and everyone will just assume you used it because you love the actress, not simply because Taissa is a gorgeous and distinctive name.

Literary Persuasions

Love reading and writing? Love the idea of names inspired by this love? But it can be so hard to pick just one iconic writer, book or character that represents your tastes and what it is that you love so much about the world of fiction and prose. If you're someone trying to escape "can't see the forest for the trees" problem, how about some more general literary related names.

Author - if occupational names are in, why not Author? Possibly due to its similarity to Arthur, I could see this working best for a boy. It has in fact been used regularly in America, appearing in the US charts most years up until 1995, when it dropped off the charts not to be seen again. Maybe we feel it would be too much for a child to live up to these days because it is still a common career, whereas the more popular occupational names such as Piper, Hunter, Cooper or Archer are very rare in society today.

Fable - I adore Fable! It would be a great name for either gender. So far it has only charted for girls in America, and only in the recent years of 2008, 2010 and 2011. Each year it was given to fewer than ten babies. Fable is also the name of an action role playing video game, so has the cool advantages of a literary reference, classic feel, modern sound, and video game reference.

Journey - The Heroes Journey is generally accepted as a template for an effective storyline in a fictional tale. It also happens to be the name of a great (some may say legendary) rock band that has won a new generation of fans after their hit 'Don't Stop Believing' became the iconic song of the first season of 'Glee'. Another choice that works well for both genders, it has been gaining in popularity since 1981, and in 2011 was positioned #372 for girls and #2208 for boys.

Legend - OK, I'll admit this is a bit too over the top as a first name. But it makes a fantastic middle, up there with Danger. How cool would it be to say "My middle name is Legend"? Cheesy, yes, but cool. Legend first appeared in the US charts for boys in 1993, closely followed by the girls in 1994, and remains more popular for boys. In 2011 it was ranked #924 for boys, and #8867 for girls. I guess this is one case of a daring name that people are happier to use for boys.

Muse - The Muses of Greek mythology were the goddesses of inspiration for literature, science and the arts. These days, a Muse is a general term used for a person who inspires someone to do great artistic work. It is also the name of an English rock band, who were reportedly inspired by one of the band member's art teacher. They liked that it was short, looked good on a poster and reflected the way the band was formed. It is indeed a one syllable name, and has a unique sound amongst other one syllable names. Muse has only charted for boys, in the years 2005, 2010 and 2011, with parents preferring other versions such as Musetta or Musidora for their daughters.

Myth - Another cool one syllable name option. Unlike other fanciful sounding options here, Myth has never charted. Maybe because it could be hard for young children to pronounce. It does sound suspiciously like Miss with a lisp. Maybe not the most wearable choice here, but it would certainly be different. Mythic or Mythical may feel slightly more usable, but for now it's probably best that these remain middle name territory.

Novella - It might seem like I'm clutching at straws here, but I love the idea of Novella as a name. A novella is a short novel or a long short story (hmmm, is there something wrong with calling something long short?), but is also a Latin name meaning 'new', much like the name Nova. It actually has a long history of use for girls, and used to be a regular in the American charts from the 1880's to the early 1940's. Chances are good you may have a Novella in your family tree, and I think that with Nova on the rise Novella may not be far behind.

Page - It's generally accepted to have an occupational name origin, but taken literally as a page from a book it would be a great literary themed name. Paige is one of my all time favourites and is much more popular than this spelling. But without the "i" it feels a little more masculine, and more wearable for a boy.

Penn - Penn "Lonely Boy" Badgley shot to fame on 'Gossip Girl', and made the name Penn triple in use. Which meant it went from about 10 boys a year being named Penn to about 30 boys a year. This makes it pretty rare, but with the benefit of being recognisable, easy to spell and easy to pronounce. It also feels like one of the gentler 1 syllable boys names if you want simplicity without sharpness. And as we have all heard,  the Penn is mightier than the sword!

Penna - A feminine version of Penn, with the meaning 'feather'. I first saw this rarity on A Baby Name Per Day (now Once Upon A Time Baby Names) last year and it stuck in my head. I think it's pretty, sleek and classic-but-friendly sounding due to it's similarity to names like Jenna. Also a great (and pretty unique) nickname for names like Penelope. It has never appeared on the American charts.

Poet - admittedly not my favourite occupational name, but it does have a certain charm. So far it's preferred use is for girls, with it entering the charts in 2005 for girls but only appearing in 2007 and 2009 for boys. It's still very rare. Like Author, it's a good choice for a occupational name with a difference.

Quest - There aren't many Q names that I'm fond of, but Quest could be one of them. Quest has been in the American charts for boys since 1991. It "peaked" in 1998 when it was given to just 30 boys, and that year was the only year it has appeared in the charts for girls too. I think it could do much better though. It has a modern, almost futuristic sound and could be among the new generation of one syllable names. Quest feels closely related to Journey, and is also an oblique reference to adventure video games where characters often need to complete different quests to advance in the game.

Saga - this word name means a long involved story of heroic achievement, and comes from the Old Norse for 'seeing one'. It's been used rarely in the US, and when it has it's charted only as a girls name. This is influenced by Scandinavian countries, where Saga is a fairly popular name and also the name of a goddess in Norse mythology. A good choice if you want a literary related name with a mythological background and history of use but rare in most countries.

Sonnet - A pretty name that makes me think of love and songbirds. William Shakespeare famously wrote sonnets (a fourteen line poem with a specific rhyming pattern), as did many other famous poets. I've seen nickname Sunny suggested for this one, which is really lovely too. May cause confusion when in English class, but is a sweet name nonetheless. Historically it's only charted for girls, which I guess makes sense. If I'm thinking love and flowers other people probably do too.

Story - This is my favourite on this list, and even more so since I found I have a Story (surname) in my family tree. I also love the idea of Astoria nicknamed Story. It's been seen on boys and girls since the 70's, but it still a long, long way from the top 1000

Wright - sounds like write, but isn't. This surname is derived from Wainwright, which means 'wagon maker'. I love the look and it's preppy feel, and it actually has a long history of use for boys. Unfortunately though it also sounds like right, which could be a little hard to live with. Unless your child is headed for a career in law enforcement perhaps.


Whew! That ran a little longer than I expected, but there are some truly great gems here just begging to be used. I like the idea of these as a middle name theme for siblings perhaps, although some are too nice to be hidden as a middle name. Which ones are your favourites? Would you use them as first or middle names?
 

Inspiring Names - 'Nashville'

The Cast of 'Nashville'

I'm starting to think I have a real thing for these southern shows. The first for me was 'True Blood', sultry, sassy and the supernatural in Louisiana. Then I fell in love with 'Hart of Dixie', loaded with sweet charm and quirkiness and set in a small town called Bluebell in Alabama. And now it's 'Nashville', a portrayal of the drama and politics it takes to rise to the top and stay there in the competitive country music capital, in Tennessee.

'Nashville' didn't pull me in as immediately as the other two, but I'm addicted now none the less. And like any good scripted TV show, there is a multitude of great character names to mull over in this one. My favourites (and I'll admit up front that I may be strongly influenced by how much I also like the characters here) are:

Nash
The title and city gives us the cool cowboy name possibility of Nash. The city was founded and named for Francis Nash, but his surname has now become a hot given name. It entered the American charts for boys in 1910, but not the top 1000 until 1997, when the show 'Nash Bridges' firmly cemented Nash in our minds as a first name possibility. Fast forward to 2011, and Nash is positioned at #519. Ash and Ash names have long been hugely popular. The addition of the N gives it a fresh sound, and fits right in with other current favourites Dash and Cash. Plus short, "manly" names are looking hot for 2013.

Rayna
Rayna Jaymes (played by Connie Britton) is a superstar on the 'Nashville' country music circuit, and one of the leading ladies of the show. Whoever named this character did a good job - in Hebrew Rayna means 'song of the lord' and in Latin or Russian Rayna means 'queen', both of which fit this character. Rayna has been present in the American charts since the 1930's, but only became a regular in the top #1000 in the late 90's. It peaked at #756 in 2008, so is a familiar but not common name. Alternative spelling Raina is only slightly more popular. I feel like the Rayna spelling looks more "namey", whereas Raina looks more like rain and less regal. But then again Rayna could be mistaken for a feminine version of Ray, which might not appeal to some. Either way, I quite like the sound of Rayna, and think the name was well chosen for the show.

Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) and Rayna (Connie Britton)

Juliette
While Rayna is the veteran of the industry, Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere) is the new comer to the scene. I think she's meant to have a Taylor Swift-esque career, but with more of a nasty, jaded attitude behind the scenes (and it's great to see Hayden playing a darker character than her cheerleader days). Juliette comes from Juliet, a Latin name meaning 'youthful'. The "ette" makes it feel even younger, as it is generally used to mean 'smaller'. Since one of the main themes of the show is that Juliette's youth makes her both a inexperienced in the industry (and prone to making some unwise career decisions), her youth and quick success is also a threat to Rayna. And just like Shakespeare's Juliet, this Juliette is somewhat of a tragic but vulnerable character, who also flirts with a marriage into a family who deem her "unsuitable" due to her own family background. This makes it another successfully chosen name.

Deacon
Deacon Claybourne (played by Charles Esten) is Rayna's long term guitar player, ex-flame and ex-alcoholic. He is almost as legendary in the country music world as Rayna is. Deacon has Greek origins, and means 'dusty one, servant, messenger'. It's also a title for a church officer or cleric. Again, these things could be said to apply to 'Nashville's Deacon. He's been around a long time, backing up Rayna, and now helps other reformed alcoholics as well as occasionally providing some wise, much needed advice to others in the show. Like Nash, Deacon has that cowboy feel to it, but also feels almost Irish/Scottish, possibly due to it's similarity to names such as Declan and Duncan. Deacon has charted in America since the late 60's/early 70's,  but really started leaping up the charts since the year 2000. In 2011 is was #66, and possibly still rising. I think the cowboy/ honest church official associations makes for a wholesome sounding name with just a touch of bad boy to it.

Scarlett
Scarlett is a name that that has been shooting up the American charts in the past decade, entering the top 100 at position #80 in 2011. Scarlett O'Connor is played by young Aussie actress Clare Bowen, and her wide eyed innocence and modesty makes for a great contrast against the similar age Juliette. Scarlett is Deacon's niece, and her O'Connor surname further hints at an Irish/Scottish connection for this family. Or maybe the writers were just aiming for some similarity to famous southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara. Like O'Hara, this Scarlett is passionate about her man, before realising she is naive. It takes a different man who really believes in her to give her the strength to assert herself and realise there is more potential to her than supporting a man.

While these are my favourites, the show is full of other great names, many or which are currently gaining in popularity. As an aside, looks like "ie"/y endings are quite popular in 'Nashville'!

Boys

Gunnar, played by Brit actor
Sam Palladio

Albert
Avery
Bo
Brock
Bucky
Coleman
Cy
Dominic
Glenn
Gunnar
JT
Kent
Lamar
Liam
Marshall
Mitch
Randy
Sean
Steve
Teddy

Watty

Girls
Audrey
Carmen
Daphne
Deb
Emily
Hailey
Jeanne
Jolene
Maddie
Makena
Marilyn
Peggy
Tandy

Imogen

Imogen Poots

Imogen is a recent crush for me. I think one of the things that pushed it from being a slight interest to being a major interest was my husband. We were watching a movie one night ('Chatroom', to be exact), when my husband turned to me and asked "who is that actress?". He recognised her from 'Fright Night' and '28 Weeks Later', and when I replied that it was Imogen Poots, he surprised me by saying "Imogen. That's a nice name". Which was cool because it was one of the first names he showed a genuine interest in within the first couple of months of me starting this blog.

I like to pronounce Imogen as 'IM-oh-jen', which is it's original spelling and pronunciation. However in America it is just as often spelled Imogene and/or pronounced  'im-oh-GENE'. There is also a bit of debate as to the origins of Imogen. Most agree that it is a form of Innogen, mistakenly changed to Imogen due to a printer's error when printing William Shakespeare's play 'Cymbelline'. Or it could have been a deliberate choice by Shakespeare to change it, as possibly he thought it looked and sounded softer and prettier.  The theories as to where Innogen comes from is where opinions differ. One theory is that it is a Greek name from the Greek words 'inno' for beloved and 'gen' meaning child, giving us the meaning of 'beloved child'. Another is that Innogen is a Celtic name from the word 'inghean' meaning maiden, and 'maiden' is the most commonly quoted meaning for Imogen. I've also seen it said that in Hebrew Innogen means 'image of her mother'. Quite possibly it's all three, as names sometimes spring up in a few different places at once. All are great meanings, so why be restricted to just one?

People who haven't heard it before think Imogen is exotic and modern, even though it has been in use for a long time. Other descriptions I've seen of Imogen include strong, independent, intelligent, lovely, refined, classy, original, and that it sounds like "imagine". A lot of these impressions are based on some of the famous bearers of this name, such as Imogen Cunningham. Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer whose portraits, botanicals and industrial landscapes were widely acclaimed. Her work was sometimes considered controversial, but she is considered to be one of the greatest figures in American photography with a career spanning more than seven decades.

Imogen has been fast gaining in popularity in Australia, reaching position #20 in 2011. It's also popular in England and Scotland, but has never entered the top 1000 in America. In fact, most years fewer than five girls were given the name, but since 1995 the name has slowly been climbing. It will likely remain slow to climb, as many Americans feel it is a hard one to use as accents in some areas make the name sound a lot less attractive than it does in England or Australia. But consider the plethora of cute nickname options you could turn to. There's Immy, Im, Imo, Imio, Gen, Genny, Ginny, Midge, Mo, Imza, Imsky, Imzi, Mog, Idgie, Em, Emmy, and Emzy - plenty of easy to say options to suit whatever personality your Imogen might have.

Imogen is a gorgeous name that I'm sure we'll see a lot more of in the future. Would you consider using it where you live?

Ofelia

Up and coming young actress Ophelia Lovibond

Today's name is inspired by a recent trip to Ikea. You know how everything has a name, and most of those names seem a little strange and crazy if English is the only (or main) language you speak. Well, on this trip I bought a blanket with the name Ofelia, which seemed to suit the light and fluffy white blanket perfectly.

Ofelia (pronounced oh-FEEL-ya) is the Spanish/Italian version of Ophelia, and is mainly used in Spanish speaking countries such as Argentina, Chile, or Mexico. It is also a Portugese name, with the slightly different pronunciation of oh-FEH-lyah (thanks Zeffy!). It means 'who assists or who helps', as the original name derives from the Greek word ofeleia, which has this meaning. Ofelia is also a Saint name, used in memory of Danish Roman Catholic Martyr Saint Ofelia. St Ofelia's name day is recognised in Italy as February the 3rd.

Most people recognise the name Ophelia as the character from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', written in 1600, although it's first use was reportedly in the poem 'Arcadia', written in the 15th century by Jacopo Sannazaro. Shakespeare's Ophelia was quite a tragic figure. A young noblewoman from Denmark, Ophelia is presented as a potential wife for Hamlet. However she is treated very poorly by Hamlet, and eventually goes insane and drowns herself.

A lot of people have been put off using Ophelia/Ofelia for their daughters due to the tragic demise of Shakespeare's character, and fears of their children being taunted with lewd "I feel 'ya" comments. However these perceptions are wearing off, and examples of people who bear this name include:

• Dr Ofelia Zepeda, American poet and intellectual
• Spanish actress Ofelia Guilmain
• Mexican actress Ofelia Medina
• British actress Ophelia Lovibond
• First mixed race model in America, Ophelia DeVore
• Cousin Ophelia in 'The Addams Family'
• O (short for Ophelia), main character in 2012 movie 'Savages', played by Blake Lively
• Ofelia, main character in Guillermo Del Toro's dark 2006 movie 'Pan's Labyrinth'

I quite like Ofelia/Ophelia. It has a classic, stately feel to it, and cool nickname options Fee, Lia or O add a bit of spunk to it. As you've probably guessed, the Ophelia spelling is currently more popular in America. It's been on the rise in the past couple of years after dropping out of the top 1000 in 1959, and in 2011 was ranked #1864, given to 107 girls. Ofelia on the other hand has actually been a more consistent performer on the charts, lower than Ophelia but with fewer dramatic rises and falls in popularity. It ranked #3368 in America in 2011, given to 48 girls.

I like both variations, and personally feel that Ophelia looks more aristocratic, while Ofelia feels a little more approachable and friendly. So I'd probably lean more towards Ofelia. But maybe that's just me. What do you think?

Happily snuggled up in the Ofelia blanket
Photo courtesy of Lauren Rutherford Photography