Lisiantha

Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Wright Photography

Here's another pretty name from the floral world that is rare as hen's teeth. So rare she's never been given to more than 5 girls in any one year in the U.S, and is pretty much unheard of. Yet if blooms with exotic sounding names such as Wisteria, Amaryllis and Amarantha are seen as attractive possibilities, why not Lisiantha?

Lisiantha (pronounced LIZ-ee-an-thah or LISS-ee-an-thah) is a variant spelling of lisianthus. I have to admit to being a bit biased when it comes to this flower - I had lisianthus in my bridal bouquet when I got married, so it has a very sentimental place in my heart. I used two different shades of purple blooms (mixed with ivory roses), but the lisianthus also comes in pink, white and blue. It's also known by its' genus name Eustoma (meaning 'beautiful mouth'), Texas Bluebell, Prairie Gentian or Tulip Gentian.

The word Lisianthus comes from the Greek words lysis, meaning 'dissolution', and anthos, meaning 'flower'. Which seems somewhat ambiguous as a meaning, although popular thought is that this translates as symbolic of an outgoing and divisive nature. Other opinions are that the lisianthus symbolises appreciation; or deeply felt romantic attachment; or even old fashioned values and sentimentality because it often grows wild as a prairie flower.

So why has this pretty bloom been largely overlooked as a name option? It's possibly because the flower itself has not enjoyed the widespread popularity that many other flowers such as the rose has had. Word among growers and florists though is that demand for this flower has been increasing over the past decade, so looks like it may be just a matter of time before lovers of this flower start putting this flower name on birth certificates.

While technically the flower name is Lisianthus, I have a feeling that variants Lisiantha/Lysiantha and Lisianthe/Lysianthe (pronounced LIZ-ee-an-thee) will be the ones to watch. Names ending in "us" tend to be mostly masculine, whereas "a" endings are popularly feminine. They feel like a fresher update of Lisandra, while or the "the" ending makes it feel like an elaboration of names like Ianthe or Xanthe. Both could make great nickname options, with other possibilities being Anthe, Antha, Liss, Lissa, Liz, Lizzie, Ann or the less obvious Sia.

Sia is actually the nickname used by the character Lisianthus in the Japanese series 'Shuffle!' 'Shuffle!' started as a visual novel, and has been adapted into video games, manga and anime. It's a great source for floral naming inspiration, as "all of the characters' names are references to flowers in some way".

Lisiantha would be a charming, different but not weird floral option for a girl today. It feels pretty and feminine; soft and lacy; with just enough spunk to be interesting and refreshing. It's the kind of name that would receive plenty of compliments, and leave people wondering why they haven't heard this name used more often. What do you think - is Lisiantha bursting with unfulfilled potential, or has she remained overlooked and largely ignored for a reason?

My beautiful wedding bouquets with purple lisianthus
Made with love by my mum ☺

Xavianna

I came across this pretty name when I was looking at all of the X names that were given to girls in the U.S in 2013. Because - you know - that's the crazy type of thing I like to do when I have a little spare time. It may seem like a smoosh between classic favourites Xavier and Anna. Or maybe a creative way of "feminising" Xavier. But it's so attractive that I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more use or attention.

While names containing the magical letter X are hot right now, names that start with X - well......not so much. For example, for boys the trendy Jaxon ranks 37 places higher than the most popular X name, Xavier. Every year names starting with X are among the last popular. Nancy at Nancy's Baby Names has calculated that in 2013 X was the fourth least popular initial for girls and second least for boys, making it the third least popular overall. Among those, Xavier was the top ranked boys name at #83, and only 4 boys names made it into the top 1000. That figure seems small, yet towers over the girls. Only one girls name made it to the top 1000 in 2013 - Ximena, at position #162. So if it's a rare name you want, you almost automatically get that if you choose a name starting with X.

But back to Xavianna. She was ranked at #18,981 in 2013, given to just five girls. It feels like it might have a long history of use. With a pronunciation of ZAY-vee-ahn-ah (which I prefer) or maybe even EX-ay-vee-ahn-ah, to me it feels like it belongs alongside spunky, classical gems such as Cressida, Lavinia, Octavia and Zenobia. Yet she has only charted in four years, the first time being in 2000, and doesn't have quite the historical or literary pedigree that those names do.

Being such an underused name there is very little information to be found on the origin or meaning of Xavianna. If you think of it as a variation of Xavier it's meaning would then be 'bright'. If you think of it as a Xavier/Anna smoosh, you could say it means 'bright grace'. Or you could use a bit of poetic license and think it means 'gracefully bright' or 'brightly graceful'. All feel like they suit Xavianna well. It's a name that sounds delicate, but looks like it has substance and strength.

Nicknames could be Zay, Zaya, Vee, Ana or Zayvee if you like nickname options to fall back on. But with a name as unique and pretty as Xavianna, I'm not sure you'd need one. It definitely caught my attention and intrigues me, so I'm sure I can't be the only one.

Max and Vader

Between the above recent birth notice, and this one for Fenris Leander from February, I'm starting to get the impression that Star Wars fans write some of the most creative and fun birth announcements!

Max in 'Where The
Wild Things Are'

For many people Max Vader is a combination that covers many parents wish lists for a name. The first name is a familiar, well liked classic, plus it has the macho "X" ending that is so hot right now. Max fits in perfectly without trying too hard. Then you have Vader - unexpected and adventurous, with (I assume) personal meaning for the parents. It's a serious face to the world with a hidden cheeky quirkiness, and all in all it's a pretty cool combination.

I was sure I had covered Max (or more specifically, Maxwell) here at Baby Name Pondering before, because it's a name that is near and dear to my heart, but I haven't. My maternal grandfather was a Maxwell that went by Max, hence my attachment. Max is a Latin name meaning 'greatest', which also helps boost it's appeal. I still remember when Homer renamed himself Max Power in one episode of 'The Simpsons', and boy did that new name give him swagger!

Other examples of real life and fictional Max's are plentiful, with one of the most popular being the young main character in the book and movie 'Where the Wild Things Are'. This has helped to make Max a very popular name in many countries. In 2013, Max was #17 here in Australia, #24 in New Zealand, #14 in Germany, #15 in The Netherlands, #18 in Scotland, #36 in Sweden and #111 in the U.S. Other popular variations internationally include Maxim (#1 in Belarus & Moldova, #3 in Russia), Maximilian (#9 in Germany) and Maxime (#57 in Canada). Max is definitely a name that travels and wears well.

Of course, the noteworthy part of this name is Vader, a name that will forever be undeniably associated with 'Star Wars'. For those uninitiated to the world of 'Star Wars', Darth Vader is the villain at the center of the original three movies (now technically movies 3,4 & 5). The three prequels were made to introduce his back story, chronicling his fall from promising young Jedi student to master of the dark side.

Baby Darth Vader,
played by Max Page
in the 2011 Superbowl ad
for Volkswagon

There are a few theories as to where this characters name came from, and it's very likely that all are just as true as each other, as creator George Lucas often takes a very considered view to naming important characters. The prevalent one is that Darth is a play on 'dark Sith' or simply 'dark', with Vader being the Dutch word for 'father' - although the pronunciation of VEY-der used in the movies is supposedly closer to the way the Germans pronounce their word for 'father', vater. This is the favoured explanation because the big reveal of the original trilogy is that he is in fact, hero Luke's father.

Other explanations are based on the word play thought to be behind Darth. Vader may be a play on the word 'invader', which tends to have evil overlord connotations in itself. George Lucas has also said in interviews that he likes that the combination of Darth Vader sounds like both 'dark father' and 'death water'.

So why would someone want to choose the name of an evil character that The American Film Institute has listed as the third greatest movie villain in cinema history for their young child? Well, it helps a lot that Darth Vader is a fictional villain. His crimes aren't real to us, and we have three movies of back story to make him a more sympathetic character. Then consider that many of his traits are actually highly valued by our society. The tenacity to make hard decisions and stick to them, eliminating threats that stand in the way of reaching goals. And Darth Vader even gets his own super cool theme song. It's kind of like the ultimate user friendly bad boy name. 

At the same time though, it's still too associated with the one reference to be a highly desirable first name. The only time it has charted in the U.S was in 2012. Well, other than in the early 1900's, when it charted a handful of times for girls; most likely as a spelling variation of Vada or Vida. Which is why Vader works so well as a middle name.

It's a great combination, one that should this boy well. Welcome to the world Max Vader!

Barbarella

Jane Fonda as Barbarella in the movie of the same name has become an iconic image. The character is a young woman who travels among various planets having adventures - often daring, usually sexual. The movie was based on a French science fiction comic book created by Jean-Claude Forest and first published as a serialisation in a French magazine in 1962 before being given its' own comic book in 1964.

'Barbarella' became known as the first adult comic book due to its' sometimes erotic content. It is also lauded as anticipating the sexual revolution by depicting Barbarella as the embodiment of "the modern emancipated woman in the era of sexual liberation". The 1968 movie established Barbarella as the ultimate "space kitten", and actress Jane Fonda as a sex symbol.

The movie inspired 17 parents to name their daughter Barbarella in 1968, and another 8 in 1969, although it hasn't charted in the U.S since. As a name, it may seem a little outlandish, but is extremely close to Barbara, which it is reportedly based on, or possibly an international variant of. Barbara is a Latin name meaning 'foreign woman' which has never been out of the top 1000. She spent three decades in the top 10 in the 30's, 40's and 50's, peaking at number two and kept from reaching number one by the classic Mary. Ella is also thought to mean 'foreign' in Old German, as well as 'entire' or 'goddess'. These meanings seem well suited to a revolutionary heroine from a planet unknown.

Other possibilities for Barbarella's origin is that her name was inspired by the prominent B's and R's also found in French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot's name. Recently there was also character named Barbarella portrayed by Michelle Chong on Singapore TV comedy series 'The Noose', whose back-story is that she is named after a combination of two of her favourite role models - Conan the Barbarian and Cinderella. As both characters were well established before Forest created Barbarella, there is a slight possibility they also influenced him. Although it's more likely that these are connections that could just serve to make this name more appealing to parents who love fantasy, science fiction and fairy tales.

Barbarella is such an iconic character that she has become almost a caricature. For many she treads a fine line between bimbo sex kitten and empowered, feminist role model, making Barbarella in some ways quite a controversial name. There is no doubt that while this is a very feminine and fancifully pretty name, she would be extremely hard to wear.

Ten Musician Stage Names: Avicii to Katy Perry

Performers often adopt a stage name – something that is memorable and conveys a particular image, their public persona. This seems to be particularly noticeable with music artists. An actor can hide behind the characters they portray, but a music artist is much more exposed. They are their music, and their public persona can help sell their music and sell tickets to concerts and gigs. And the name they choose to go by can be an important tool to build this persona.

But how do music artists choose a stage name? Here are some examples of current music artists who have chosen their public name, and what made them gravitate towards it.

Gotye

Starting with a local artist, Gotye hails from Melbourne Australia and had a huge hit with 'Somebody That I Used to Know'. A Belgian Australian, he was born Wouter De Backer and went by the English version of his name – Walter – when at school in Australia. To his friends he's known as Wally, but chose to go by Gotye when creating his first solo tracks. Pronounced GAW-tee-ay, it's a pronunciation re-spelling of Gauthier, the French equivalent of Wouter (which is Flemish) that his mother used to call him as a pet name.

P!nk

From an international cultural inspiration to a pop culture one. Born Alecia Beth Moore, P!nk (yes, with an exclamation mark) adopted her stage name in her teens, which reportedly started as mean nickname she was given. There are several versions of how she got the nickname though, which range from her bearing a resemblance to Mr Pink, a character played by Steve Buscemi in the 1992 Tarantino movie 'Reservoir Dogs', to her turning pink when she blushed, to showing her “pink parts” to a male friend. Whatever the cause, it's just like this feisty pop star to take something intended to hurt her and turn it into something empowering.

Eminem

These days rappers with a pseudonym are definitely in the majority. Like P!nk, his stage name originated in his teens. Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, as a teenager he rapped with the name M&M, which soon morphed into Eminem. Which would have helped prevent possible confusion with the candy. He's also gone by the alter ego Slim Shady, said to be a reflection of the rage and resentment that he was feeling at the time.

Jay Z

Another well recognised rapper with a memorable stage name is Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter. When younger his friends called him Jazzy, and he later changed this to Jay-Z out of respect to his mentor, rapper and producer Jaz-O. It's also a nod to the J/Z subway services that have a stop in his home neighbourhood of Brooklyn. He dropped the hyphen in July 2013.

Miley Cyrus

Miley started life as Destiny Hope Cyrus, so named because her parents thought she would achieve great things. She was given the nickname Smiley as an infant because she smiled so much, and this was later shortened to Miley. When cast in dual roles Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart on the Disney Channel show 'Hannah Montana', the Miley character was originally meant to be Chloe Stewart, but was changed when Miley was given the job. In 2008 she officially changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus. Miley's clean cut Disney image inspired thousands of parents to use her name, and Miley leapt from position #5056 in 2005 before 'Hannah Montana' started to #128 in 2008. Miley's questionable behaviour in 2013 may have some people regretting that choice now, although the sentiment and meaning behind the name is very sweet.

Katy Perry

Katy's story is a little more straightforward. Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, she was always known as Katy, and recorded her first album under the name Katy Hudson. It was a self titled gospel rock album, released in 2001, but wasn't very successful. While working on her songwriting in 2003, Katy dropped Hudson in favour of her mother's maiden name – Perry – to avoid being confused with popular actress Kate Hudson.

Avicii

Unlike the previous people on this list, Swedish DJ Avicii (pronounced uh-vee-chee) deliberately chose his name, rather than it evolving more naturally from a nickname or family name. Real name Tim Bergling, he needed a stage name when he was starting out as a DJ and setting up a MySpace page to expand his fan base. He remembered hearing the word Avici – a Buddhist term meaning the lowest level of hell – and thought it sounded cool. The extra “i” was added as the name Avici was already taken on MySpace.

Drake

Another cool customer is rapper Drake. Drake is actually his middle name, his full name being Aubrey Drake Graham. When acting on TV teen drama 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' he went by Aubrey Graham, but records under the mononym Drake. Already ranked at #231 on the SSA lists in 2012, this is a name to watch. Drake was one of the most Googled people of 2013, and his 2014 is off to a big start as he is currently appearing in 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' and is hosting 'Saturday Night Live' on January 18^th. He's also a great example of why a funky unexpected middle can be an asset – it's like an inbuilt stage name.

Lady Gaga

It's easy to tell that this pseudonym was not Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta's middle name. It's thought that her name was purely marketing, in which case they invented a great back story to go with it. True or not, the tale is that Gaga was already on the search for a stage name to reinvent herself with when she was working with producer Rob Fusari. Upon hearing her done a particular song he exclaimed that her voice reminded him of Freddie Mercury, and in particular the Queen song 'Radio GaGa'. It became an in-joke that he would sing her the song when she entered the studio. Then one day a text message mistake changed Radio to Lady and something clicked. Gaga loved the combined imagery of refinery and properness with craziness, saying it perfectly captured her journey from a private school girl to her life in a “trash glitter environment”.

Lorde

And lastly, a girl who has been described as the anti-Lady Gaga. She's 17 year old New Zealand musician Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor, whose debut album 'Pure Heroine' has garnered her four Grammy nominations. Her stage name is exactly that – a character that she considers to be separate from her own persona. She has confessed that ever since she was young(er) she was fascinated by royals and aristocracy (hence the sing 'Royals'), and wanted a stage name that reflected that. She was particularly drawn to the look and sound of the title Lord, but felt it was too masculine so added the “e” to make it more feminine aesthetically.

Whether it be inspired by a middle name, nickname, pronunciation quirk, something the artist finds inspiring or simply a way to distinguish themselves, there is something that these stage names have in common. They are all recognisable as theirs. How would you create a stage name if you needed one?

Mythical Halloween Names at Nameberry Today!

My next Halloween post has gone up on Nameberry instead today!

It's a list of names inspired by some pretty nasty (and some not-so-nasty) mythical creatures. Phoenix and Griffin are already long established names, and with the current interest in animal like names such as Bear, Fox and Wolf, I thought it might be fun to look a little further afield for some fresh and unusual creature names. But don't just take my word for it - check out the post at Nameberry and let me know what you think.

Shadow

In 1987 the name Shadow and it's alternative spelling Shadoe made a sudden impact on the SSA charts in the U.S. Prior to then, the spelling Shadow as a girls name had charted a handful of years in the 70's, and again in 1986. Then in 1987 both spellings charted for both girls and boys. So what happened in 1986/1987 that suddenly put this name on people's radars?

The answer appears to be Shadoe Stevens. Shadoe is well known for his voice work in television and radio (including hosting the 'American Top 40' radio show from 1988-1995) and various acting roles. These days you may recognise him as the announcer on 'The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson'.

By 1986 Shadoe was already well known after he created and produced 'Fred R. Rated for Federated', a series of commercials for United States chain The Federated Group that were so popular that 'Time Magazine' devoted a two page spread to them. 1986 saw Shadoe appear as a regular and announcer on 'The New Hollywood Squares', plus he hosted created and produced an episode of the comedy sci-fi 'The Cinemax Comedy Experiment', titled 'Shadoevision'. This would have given him nationwide exposure.

His name seems to have inspired a number of parents, but Shadoe Stevens was born Terry Ingstad. On his website he explains how the name was actually forced upon him when he was employed by WKRO radio station in Boston. Up until then he had been going by the name Jefferson Kaye, but it was deemed too similar to many other radio personalities at the time. He wasn't quite comfortable with Shadow, as he felt that Orson Welles was the original Shadow, hence the slightly different spelling. It certainly is a distinctive name though, and he created a personality to go with it.

The Shadoe spelling fell out of use by parents by 1998, but Shadow has continued to see use for both genders in small numbers. The only exception was in 2012, when it didn't quite chart for girls. Shadow is a word name meaning shade, and makes for an cool and mysterious sounding Halloween name. Shadows are often seen as spooky and eerie, something that may stem from a basic human fear of the dark. Other associations people have with the term shadow or shade is that it is sometimes used to refer to a ghost or spirit of a dead person, and in Jungian psychology the shadow or shadow aspect refers to the entirety of one's unconsciousness.

I think Shadow has a really great sound, and style wise it reminds me a lot of names like Orion, Griffin and Zephyr. It also has a bit of a super hero type feel to it. However it's possibly just a touch too "out-there" for most people to feel comfortable bestowing it on a child as a first name. On the upside, I think it would make a fantastically quirky and unexpected middle name for the adventurous namer.

Zenobia

'Queen Zenobia's Last Look Upon Palmyra', painting by Herbert Gustave Schmalz

I've seen this name mentioned lately and find myself strangely drawn to it. One of the main attractions of the name Zenobia is that it is exotic sounding, without being too weird. It evokes images of perfume scented nights in the African desert. It is queenly, and quietly calm and regal because it starts with the word Zen.

Zenobia (pronounced ze-NOH-bee-ah) is most famous for being the name of a Queen of Palmyra in the 3rd century. She was said to be descended from Cleopatra, led a revolt against the Roman Empire and ruled Egypt until she was defeated and taken as a hostage to Rome by Emperor Aurelian. Pretty cool, right?

As a name, Zenobia has Greek origins and means 'the life of Zeus'. It has been used for characters in books, operas, movies and a ballet. It has also flirted with celebrity baby name fame, as Tina Fey chose it as the middle name for her first daughter Alice Zenobia, honouring her mother who is also named Zenobia. It's also one of the few examples of a longer girls name that isn't frilly sounding (such as names ending with etta, ella, bella or issa), which can be good for parents after a longer name to make a full name flow better but not necessarily after an "old fashioned girly-girl" name.

Likely to be more often used as an adventurous middle name for a plainer first name, Zenobia shouldn't be overlooked as a potentially fantastic first name with some great nickname potential. Bee, Bia, Zee, Zia or Zen could all be cute but spunky shorter versions for those willing to give it a try. It would certainly be a distinctive name for any little girl, would age well and wouldn't be instantly thought of as belonging to girls from a certain decade in fifty years time.

Spotted - Denver Anton & Zelda Gypsy Jane

While having a squiz at the birth announcements in the Melbourne Herald Sun yesterday, two names struck me as particularly inspiring - Denver Anton and Zelda Gypsy Jane! I'd like to start with a congratulations to the lucky new parents, and their adventurous naming choices.

We don't get many Denver's here is Australia. The only examples that spring to mind is the last name of country singer John Denver, or the 80's cartoon 'Denver: The Last Dinosaur' (I have the theme song running through my mind right now!). I'll add here that I have very fond memories of the show, which is possibly why it made me smile when I saw this name in use.


Denver The Last Dinosaur

I really like the sound of Denver, and the much more traditional Anton makes this combination sound a little more grown up - grounded but not boring. It brings to mind images of someone cool but smart.

Denver is actually an English/French place name meaning 'from Anvers', while Anton is a German/Scandinavian version of Anthony, which means 'priceless one'. Such a beautiful meaning.



Zelda, Twilight Princess

Zelda Gypsy Jane on the other hand just drips with spunk.

Zelda was popular in the early 1900's, but has been rarely used since the 1970's. The popular Nintendo Game 'The Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess' increased the recognisability of the name, but hasn't seemed to have given it a huge boost in popularity. Although it did inspire Robin Williams to name his daughter Zelda Rae.

With the association of Zelda with a video game princess, the romanticism conjured by the word Gypsy and Jane's lovely meaning of 'god's gracious gift', Zelda Gypsy Jane is a distinctive name that evokes positive images for most. It also has the benefit of being unusual without a "I think they made that name up" vibe. Plus it's a great use of the steadily rising two middle names trend, a practice that is giving baby name lovers a chance to create truly unique combos and the opportunity to use more of the names they love.

Caspian

Caspian is a name that I have loved ever since reading "Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis when I was young. At the time, I thought that names such as Capsian, Edmund and Eustace were made up names that you would never see on a real person. Of course, now that I'm older I know that Caspian is a place name, Edmund means 'fortunate protector'; and Eustace has greek origins. Yet what hasn't changed is that I still haven't met any of these names 'in real life'.

Naming choices have also evolved a lot since the days when I first read C.S Lewis' classics, and suddenly names that seemed fantastical and 'made-up' when I was young seem trendy and not-so-outrageous now. There is a lot of love out there for Caspian, from those who have read the books, seen the TV adaptations and loved the huge box office movie versions. This gives Caspian the advantage of being familiar to those who have read the books and loved the movies, but still
fresh and uncommon.

When people hear Caspian they think that it is a name for a good, strong, handsome, intelligent, sophistocated, unusual, exotic, masculine and well-educated person. Not a bad first impression for your child to give the world. If you like your names with good nickname potential, nicknames I've seen thrown around for this name are Cas, Caz, Cash and the slightly more creative Ian. Seems like Caspian could have it all, for those who are bold enough to venture down this path.