Jessabelle

Australian Actress Sarah Snook, who plays Jessabelle in the movie 'Jessabelle'

I did have a different post in mind but then I realised that - lo and behold – it’s October already! And the tradition here at Baby Name Pondering is that only names with a Halloween-ish connection be featured during the month of December, and so I bring you Jessabelle.

'Jessabelle' is a horror/thriller movie released in 2014 about a woman (named Jessabelle, of course) who, after losing her husband and unborn child in a car accident that has also left her temporarily wheelchair bound, returns to her childhood home to be cared for by her estranged father. She feels ill at ease in the old Louisiana home though, and soon realises that she is being targeted by an evil spirit. I won’t say much more than that in case anyone hasn’t seen it and would like to, but it’s worth checking out if you are a fan of supernatural horror movies.

About the name though. Jessabelle suffers from the same problem that I feel Annaleigh (and Auraleigh for that matter) does. It’s quite a pretty name, which could easily be mistaken for a modern mash-up of two fairly popular names to create a lovely feminine-but-not-too-frilly result. But given more than five minutes consideration, a major drawback appears. For Annaleigh and Auraleigh it’s the resemblance to other words with sexual connotations when spoken aloud and fast. For Jessabelle it’s because she sounds so much like the name Jezebel when said aloud – a name that has negative sexual connotations of its’ own.

In fact, many websites say that Jessabelle is a variant of Jezebel. I’m not so sure how true that actually is though. It's very possible it's simply a modern invention which has resulted from people smooshing Jessica and Isabelle together without noticing it’s similarity to Jezebel at all. The data supports this too. Jessabelle first shows on the US charts in 2011 (given to just 5 girls that year), which comes at a time when people would have been looking for less common alternatives to the wildly popular Isabella, which was #1 in 2009 and 2010, and Isabelle, which peaked at #79 in the US in 2007. So this definitely seems like the more likely explanation.

If we were to say it is a variant of Jezebel though, then let’s consider why popular opinion is against naming your daughter anything resembling Jezebel. Jezebel is a Hebrew name, said to mean ‘not exalted’ in most sources; or ‘wicked, impure’ by others. It is the Biblical Jezebel that gives this name her bad reputation. She was a Queen of Israel who turned her husband King Ahab away from the worship of God and towards other deities. For this (and other many other things she did in the pursuit of this) she was thrown out of a window to her death. Although she was at first simply associated with false prophets, she later became synonymous with the image of ‘fallen women’. It is said that when she knew men were coming to put her to death, she dressed in her finest clothes, adorned herself in jewels and painted herself in makeup to symbolise her royal, queenly status. However this image of Jezebel in her finery is now associated with ‘painted women’ - women who seduce men into immoral acts. Even the dictionary now gives the meaning for Jezebel as “a woman who is regarded as evil and scheming” or “a wicked, shameless woman”.

However the tide may be staring to turn somewhat for Jezebel. Some see her instead as a symbol of female strength and power, particularly helped by feminist pop-culture blog Jezebel.com. Unfortunately going into the ways in which patriarchal structures are perpetuated by portraying strong, feminine women as evil and leading to the downfall of “good” men merely by virtue of their sexuality is not a discussion I can really do justice to within a blog about baby names. Let’s just say that personally, I can see merit to reclaiming the name and rewriting its' common association with more positive ones.

Which leads me to an interesting little fact – despite seeing people online providing well meaning advice to people considering the name Jessabelle to avoid it because of it’s similarity to Jezebel, the name Jezebel is actually used more than Jessabelle. Jezebel first charted in the US in 1980. It is definitely not popular by any means, but in 2015 was given to 24 girls, as opposed to Jessabelle, which was given to 19 girls, or even Jessabel, given to just 5 girls (and entering the charts for the first time in 2015). Personally I think Jessabelle is much prettier, and that small step away spelling-wise makes it an attractive alternative.

Jessabelle reads like a sweet southern belle, and just slightly princess-y, which often delights young girls. If anything the Jezebel association helps give it a little edge, something of a Southern Gothic feel (which is also a good way to describe the movie). The movie character goes by the nickname Jessie, but the more streamlined Jess or Belle/Bella are also options. My personal pick would be Jessa though. Jessa feels so girly and sunny to me, which I think is also a big part of the reason why I find Jessabelle so appealing. 


If you're brave and willing to ignore (or embrace) the similarity in sound to Jezebel, Jessabelle could be a winner. Combining the much loved elements that have made the names Jessica and Isabelle extremely popular, a young Jessabelle would fit in with her peers yet stand out as just that little bit different.

Alton

Alton Brown hosting Cutthroat Kitchen, courtesy of Food Network

A few months ago we started getting a new free-to-air TV channel from SBS called Food Network. From what I can tell, much of it's content is from the American cable channel of the same name, with a good helping of our own local cooking programs. It immediately became regular viewing in my house, and means we have only recently been introduced to some faces that have been familiar to Americans for years.

One such person is host Alton Brown, as seen on 'Cutthroat Kitchen', 'Good Eats' and 'Iron Chef America'. While I am familiar with similar sounding Elton, Alton was a new discovery. He was even missed when I did this mega list of names that Ton could be a nickname for!

Alton comes from the Old English word Aldtun, meaning 'old town'. Both Elton and Alston are thought to be related, although they actually seem to have different meanings which suggests they are separate names rather than different versions or variations of Alton. Like many "town" names, Alton would have been used as a surname to denote where a family was from before it became commonly used as a first name.

I hadn't heard Alton until recently but was very familiar with the name Elton (thanks to Elton John, Jane Austen's 'Emma' and the movie 'Clueless'). Therefore I kind of assumed that Elton must be the more popular choice, and Alton must be relatively rare. I was kind of right in one regard - Alton is a fairly rare name. Currently. Alton was actually a top 500 name in America for almost a century, dropping out of the top 1000 in 1999. I was wrong on the other count though - Alton is more popular than Elton, and in 2014 was given to almost 100 more boys than Elton was, ranking as the 1155th most popular name in the U.S. Seems Alton just needs better publicity ☺

Which seems silly to say considering there are a large number of towns named Alton in the U.S, U.K and Canada; and a number of famous faces with this name. Unfortunately one of those famous people includes Alton Coleman, who was executed in 2002 for a killing spree he committed in 1984. Possibly he is the reason why this name fell so far out of favour during this period. That shouldn't stop people from using it though.

I think Brown is the main reason I like this name. He's quite witty and intelligent with a wickedly fun sense of humour, so it's now hard for me not to associate these qualities with this name. It also feels somewhat "English" prep with a little hint of American Southern style, a combination I'm quite fond of. It may seem a bit quirky, but he's got the history to back him up. Alton could make a great off-beat  yet not strange choice for a modern boy.

Rise of The Golden Girls

'The Golden Girls' - Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia and Rose
played by Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty and Betty White

You probably remember a show from the eighties called 'The Golden Girls'. 'The Golden Girls' was about four “previously married” women living together in Miami. While they often seemed mismatched, the success of the show lied in the strong bonds of friendship these ladies shared, epitomised by the shows iconic theme song 'Thank You for Being a Friend'.

The show struck a chord with many people, and was extremely popular. The dynamic between the four ladies has often been replicated in movies and shows, and is thought to be the inspiration behind 'Sex and the City' and 'Girls'.

Although the ladies had some great names (on and off screen), while 'The Golden Girls' was airing from 1985 to 1992 people were rather unlikely to want to name their sweet babies after characters in a show about mature ladies, or the actors that played them. They would have seemed a little fusty in a world of Jennifers and Ashleys; Jessicas and Amandas.

But you know a show has started picking up some retro cool cred when you hear teen characters Summer and Anna on hit teen show 'The O.C.' bonding in a bathroom over the fact that one of them has always felt like a Blanche and the other has always identified with Rose. And since retro vintage names are now rising again, there's every reason to believe that the names of both the actors and the characters they played will soon be big on the name charts.

Sophia

Sophia was Dorothy's mother, the oldest of the group and the usually funny voice of reason that could often be relied upon to offer advice. Sophia is a Greek name meaning (quite aptly) 'wisdom'. It's a friendly feeling name that has just that bit more exotic sophistication than it's counterpart Sophie.

Pronounced soh-FEE-ah, this is undeniably the most successful name (currently) on this list. While the show aired she was hardly an unpopular name, and was ranked in the 200's in America. But in 2006 Sophia hit the top 10, and was the number one name for girls in America in 2011 and 2012. She's also a top 100 name if Canada, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and England, so she has a lot of international appeal.

Estelle

Sophia was played by actress Estelle Getty, Estelle coming from the Latin stella, meaning 'star'. Pronounced eh-STEHL it is most popular in Quebec and has a real charm to it – an almost French feel. Is also has some cute nicknames, such as Telly, Essie, Elle or of course Stella.

Stella itself has been a top 100 name in America since 2010, and E names in general have been getting a lot of attention in recent years. The signs are good that Estelle is a possibility to enter the top 100 itself in coming years. Indeed, in 2012 Estelle re-entered the American top 1000 for the first time since the 60's, as did variant Estella.

Rose

Rose was the bubbly, sweet, naïve optimist of the group. While the others often found her inexperience and outlook on life to be juvenile, they were very protective of her and valued her ability to help them see the good in the world.

Rose has had a long reputation of being a go-to middle name, but it's actually had more use as a first name than this reputation might suggest. Since America started keeping name records in 1880 the lowest it has ever ranked was #391 in 1997. A simple, elegantly beautiful name, Rose has been rising again in recent years.

Betty

While Betty White has had a long and busy career, her portrayal of Rose has earned her a soft spot in many people's hearts. And because she is still quite busy starring in 'Hot in Cleveland', she is arguably the first person people think of when they hear the name Betty. There are of course many other Betty's in pop culture, such as cartoon Betty's from 'The Flintstones', 'Betty Boop' and 'Betty & Veronica', TV's 'Ugly Betty' or pin-up legend Betty Grable to name a few. A little girl named Betty would have plenty of role models to look up to.

The name Betty started as a diminutive of Elizabeth, meaning 'God is my Oath'. She was hugely popular about a century ago – in America she was ranked 2^nd most popular name from 1928 to 1934. I find it hard to imagine her reaching such heights again though – in 2012 she was dropping, ranked at #1578. She might need just a bit longer to gain the same kind of cool factor as her counterparts.

But my favourite thing about Betty, apart from it's cute as a button sound? If you're a fan of the movie 'Clueless', Betty was slang for an attractive stylish and confident girl – or to put it another way, a hot chick.

Dorothy

Dorothy was the dry witted, realistic teacher looking for love. Dorothy has a lot in common with Betty – there are tons of Dorothy;s both fictional and real, and she was also the number 2 name in America for several years. From 1920 to 1927 to be precise – she actually lost her position to Betty.

Unlike Betty though, Dorothy has been on the rise again in recent years, climbing slowly to #922 in 2012. Dorothy is a Greek name meaning 'gift of God' and comes with a slew of possible nicknames such as Dot, Dolly, Dora, Doro, Dodie, Thea, Tia and Dory/Dori which help to give this name a fresher image for todays' parents.

Bea

Bea (born Bernice) Arthur had a very distinctive look, and like her character Dorothy was very witty.

Bea feels like it is often overlooked as a given name, and despite being a fairly consistent presence in the American charts it hasn't been in the top 1000 since 1910. Pronounced Bee, it's much more likely to be used as a nickname for Bernadette, Beatrix or Beatrice. All of these names increased in popularity in 2012 in America, taking Bea with them.

Bea itself derives from Beatrice and hence Beatrix, a Latin name meaning 'she who brings happiness'. It's a short spunky name for people who love one syllable names that you don't hear everyday.

Blanche

Blanche is another great one syllable name that has long been overlooked. It's an old French name meaning 'white', but because it was often used as a nickname for a person with blond hair it is sometimes thought to mean 'blonde'. Pronounced BLANCH, it's most popular in Quebec, where it is ranked #339.

Blanche in 'The Golden Girls' owned the house they lived in, and was the sexually adventurous, man-hungry socialite of the group. She was also somewhat of a southern lady, and together with the character Blanche from Tennessee Williams' 'A Streetcar Named Desire' has given the name a southern belle image.

In America Blanche was a top 100 name until 1920, and a top 1000 name until 1965. In 2012 it was ranked just #11350, which was actually a rise on 2011. How much this name will rise over coming years remains to be seen, but it's perfectly poised to rise with the current love for vintage beauties.

Rue

Rue McClanahan (born Eddi-Rue) plays Blanche. Despite the fact that she was pretty much a household name, her name didn't really catch on and was almost forgotten about. Then came something called 'The Hunger Games', which featured a young heroine named Rue. And we all thought “wow, that's different” forgetting that it was actually a name we were all familiar with.

There is a subtle charm to Rue. In English it is a word meaning 'regret', in French it means 'street' and it's also a herb. So it's equal parts word name, French flavour and calming nature reference.

'The Hunger Games' put Rue back on the American charts in 2010 after a 30 year absence. It was most popular in the first half on the 1900's, but never made it anywhere near the top 1000. In 2012 it was given to 32 girls, the most ever in one year. This might be the highest it gets, but hopefully not. It'd be great to see this sweet name get more use.

I'm going to call these names the “Golden” eight. All of them are great names poised to increase in popularity in 2013. Well, except for Sophia – it's hard to get much higher than #1! Which one is your favourite?

Delta

For many Americans, the name Delta probably feels a little stale, bringing to mind images of actress Delta Burke of the 80's TV series 'Designing Women'. But for Australians, Delta is fresh, synonymous with the young, talented judge of the Australian series of 'The Voice', Delta Goodrem.

Delta Goodrem first became an Australian household name appearing on 'Neighbours' as young aspiring singer Nina in her late teens. The show was a springboard for Delta to release her debut album 'Innocent Eyes', which became the highest selling Australian album ever and gave Delta the record of having five singles from her debut album to reach number 1 on the Australian charts.

Since then Delta has released three more albums and has been the only female judge on both of the Australian seasons of 'The Voice'. And while her personal life has often attracted just as much attention as her professional career, this has never been more true than while she has been on 'The Voice'. A simple change in her hairstyle was the main story in the gossip pages of the 'Herald Sun' Melbourne newspaper two days in a row last week.

But all this does bring a lot of attention to the name Delta. Delta (pronounced DEHL-tah) originates from the Greek alphabet - it is the equivalent of the letter D. It also represents the letter D in the NATO phonetic alphabet, and the symbol for Delta is also a mathematical symbol. But perhaps the closet you can get to a meaning is when it is used as a place name - a delta is a land form at the mouth of a river, which I guess makes Delta and place and a nature name.

Delta is a pretty common word. It appears on cars, companies, sororities, computer games, a radio station, an airline, special police operations in America and Norway, and multiple towns and other locations. The Delta Blues music style also got its name from the Mississippi Delta region it originated from. And yet Delta is by no means a common name. It's not in the top 100 anywhere in the world,and in America in 2012 it was given to just 16 girls, giving it a position of #7486. It was much more popular at the beginning of the 1900's, peaking at #723 in 1893. It is perhaps because of this and the iconic, southern style of the Delta Blues that can leave people feeling that Delta is a laid back, old school southern charm type of name.

Yet Delta has quite a chameleon-like feel to it. I don't think that it will ever be a super popular name. But it's somewhat of an alternative modern classic - a name that could weather the test of time and still look fresh in the future. As Delta Goodrems' popularity increases, people will definitely be giving Delta a second look.

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