Sable

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Visser Fine Art

When we think of Halloween, we think of nighttime and shadows. It's black bats, black cats, black birds and black spiders. And while I wouldn't necessarily recommend calling your child Black, names with dark meanings are a great way to give a nod to Halloween without being cheesy.

Sable fits the bill perfectly. It's dark and mysterious; attractive and strong - great for a boy or a girl. Sable is just that little bit different enough to get people's attention, but not weird enough to make them screw up their faces. And if you're looking for rare, look no further.

Pronounced SAY-bel, this name started as many names did, as a word name. Of Slavic origin, it comes from a small animal that was originally found in Russia, Poland and Scandinavia. It's fur has been highly valued since the early Middle Ages due to it's rich colour and glossy appearance. It is also a unique fur as it retains it's smoothness however it is stroked. The fur is how the word came to England, where it was a favourite among royalty. Henry VII was said to be a particular fan, decreeing that sable fur was only allowed to be worn by nobles.

It's unclear whether Sable originally meant black and was the name given to the animal because of the colour of their fur, or vice versa. It continued to be used as a name for black though, particularly in French and English heraldry.

Although I could see this as a name for either gender, so far it's usage has been mainly female. In the U.S. she charted sporadically until becoming a regular in 1984. It was further boosted by it's appearance as character Sable Scott Colby on 'Dynasty' spin-off 'The Colby's'. She was played by Stephanie Beacham, and in 1986 she boosted Sable to her highest position and one and only appearance in the US top 1000 to date. Other famous Sables include American jazz artist Sable Winters (love this name!) and American model and professional wrestler Sable.

It's not a name without it's problems - I could see a Sable being mistaken for Isabel a lot. And it rhymes with a lot of words, luckily most of them fairly innocuous though, such as table and cable. And hope that they don't have a long face, or kids could get quite creative with some stable jokes. But none of these are major red flags that should prevent a Sable from being quite happy with their name.

I have to admit to being strangely attracted to the intriguing Sable. Possibly it's due to its' sleek simplicity, or maybe its' noble mystique. Most likely it's both. What do you think?

Dragon Names

It's not unusual for people (especially name lovers) to name their toys. Sometimes the toymakers give us a helping hand and name their toys for us. It's hard to deny that we feel more emotionally connected to something that has a name, so this is probably a clever way to make us more inclined to buy a particular toy, even if we choose to give our own toys a different name.

Despite being an adult, I'm still a sucker for a cute stuffed toy. One brand in particular I love is the Nici brand, after my husband bought me one of their dogs a few years ago (I named him Ralphie because he's just so cute, sweet and innocent looking). Nici have quite a few ranges, but one I'm particularly in love with at the moment is their range of dragons.

All of the Nici dragons have some pretty unusual names, which I'm fairly sure have been invented to sound particularly dragon-ish. They're fiery and macho sounding, reminiscent of the environments in which they live. I'm not sure they'd all make great human names, but they're fun to think about.

Arkaai
Arkaai is a new dragon for 2014, a giant blue sea monster who rules the churning waters. To my ears, it sounds like it is composed of the roar a monster would make (Arrrr!), blended with the word Kai. Kai has different meanings in many languages, but perhaps the most commonly recognised is the Hawaiian (and Japanese) meaning of 'ocean'. There's also the element of 'ark' or 'arka' in there, which is the big ship Noah built to withstand the great flood. So all in all, it feels pretty fitting for a sea monster. Would you use it as a name? Probably not, although drop an "a" and Arkai might be more likely, considering Kai has been on the rise for a few years now.

Arock
Orange with red wings, Arock is the volcano dragon from the land of Magmania. He also has the "Ar" sound, this time combined with Rock, probably because volcanoes are made of rock. I like it's appearance, and the name in theory, but in practice it's a little difficult to get your tongue around.

Dracon
The sinister dragon from Dragonia, he's dark grey with red wings. There's always something about that "drac" sound that feels vaguely sinister and menacing, isn't there? Think Dracula, or Draco Malfoy from 'Harry Potter'. It's not a coincidence - Drac literally means 'devil' in Romanian, and in Latin it means - funnily enough - 'dragon'. Although Dracon sounds kind of "namey", personally I'd stick with Drake if I was going down this path.

Iwan
He is the blue, ball dragon from Dragonia, and has a quite different look to the other dragons. This is an interesting one, as it seems in earlier press releases he was called Ivan, but when the Magmania dragons were released he was definitely referred to as Iwan. Ivan has never been out of the top 400 for boys in the U.S, and also has a lengthy history of rare use for girls. Iwan however has only ever charted once, in the 50's. In Germanic (where the company Nici is based) and Slavic languages Iwan is pronounced EE-van and is a variant of Ivan, which is a form of the name John. Iwan also has a history as a Welsh and Cornish name, being a variant of Euan, Ewan or Owen, but pronounced EU-wan. One famous bearer is Welsh actor Iwan Rheon, of 'Misfits' and 'Game of Thrones' fame. Not sure who he is? Here's a synopsis from someone who may be his biggest fan.

Landogar
The red fire dragon from Dragonia. I'm not sure where this name came from - it seems it may be a breed of dog, or maybe a surname in some countries. Alternatively, if we follow the logic behind most of the other names on this list, it could be a combination of the name Lando with another growling sound. Lando is a diminutive of Orlando or Rolando, names meaning 'famous throughout the land'. Which Landogar would be, as one of the three ruling dragons of Dragonia. It's a bit much for everyday use, but would feel right at home in a video game or fantasy story.

Roorkh
Roorkh is the second new dragon for 2012. Blood red with black wings, he rules the wide sky and rugged lands. Again, it might be my imagination but it seems we have another dragon-like "roor" (or roar) as the basis for this name. It also sounds quite similar to the Irish name Roark, meaning 'illustrious and mighty'. Certainly that would be a good description for such a dragon. I'm not sure about this spelling - I think it was an attempt to distinguish it from the below dragon Thorke. I'd prefer Roark or Roarke, but Roorkh is definitely distinctive and fantasy-like.

Thorke
Thorke is the Green Dragon of Magmania. Besides Iwan, this is the name on the list that I think would work the best on an actual person. It sounds like the kind of name you could expect to see on a daytime soap character. Or maybe a Viking ship. It's likely that Thorke is a variation or Old Norse name Thorkell, or Thor, which mean 'thunder'. Thorke has history as a surname, and is also a character in the Italian comic series 'Dampyr'. That Thorke is a demon of the Black Dimension, giving this name quite a dark edge.

Twindrak
I find it a little disappointing that one of the coolest looking dragons has such an obvious and boring name. Twindrak is a blue, two headed dragon from the land of Magmania. Not too hard to see how they came up with this name. I can't ever see this being used for a person, but I guess stranger things have happened.

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!

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.

Obsidian

While the prettily coloured, sparkly names of Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst and Emerald are now making regular appearances on birth certificates, if you like your gemstones a little more dark and mysterious it's worth taking a look at Obsidian.

Obsidian (pronounced ob-SID-ee-an) is a black, transparent stone that forms from volcanic lava. Obsidian has been around since the stone age. It was commonly used in the past to make blades and arrowheads, or was polished to be used as a mirror. It has been found across the world - even on Easter island as the pupils of the eyes of their Moai statues! Today you are more likely to find it used as a surgical blade (as it is sharper than steel) and used in jewellery and ornamental objects.

As a name, Obsidian is much rarer than the stone. It seems that it has largely been viewed as a "goth" name because it is seen as darkly exotic. It is also a pagan name, as it is also known as the Wizard's Stone, and is believed to have healing powers (pain relief and lifting depression) and magical uses (protection against negativity and protection when travelling).

A DC Comics superhero is perhaps the most notable Obsidian in popular culture. Todd Rice by day, Obsidian and his twin sister Jade (aka Jennie-Lyn) were founding members of superhero team Infinity Inc. He later worked for the Justice League, before succumbing to a mental illness that turned him into an evil villain. When defeated by the Justice League that he turned on, he overcame his mental illness and returns to the side of good in his retirement years.

Because Obsidian is a rare name people have very few preconceived notions as to whether it is a "boys" name or "girls" name. This is great if you are looking for a gemstone name to bestow on a boy (besides the currently popular Jasper), as most of the commonly used ones have firmly become entrenched in our minds as girls names. I have also recently seen the name Obsydia considered as a fantasy name in a forum on Nameberry, which I think could be a very beautiful variation for a girl. Plus, names starting with "O" are very in vogue at the moment, as witnessed by the popularity of names such as Olivia and Oscar.

If you like your names dark, mysterious, exotic and extremely rare, Obsidian is a definite contender. This is truly a name that your child (or character if you are a writer) could make their own.

'Supernatural' Instincts

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

Ahhh, Sam and Dean, my favourite men on television! For those not familiar with Sam and Dean Winchester, these two handsome men are the main characters of 'Supernatural', due to start it's eighth season in October this year. Sam and Dean are 'hunters' who spend their lives traveling America to save the world from the evil that lurks in the dark (in a nutshell).

As a long time fan of the show, when I think of the names Sam and Dean I can't help but associate them with strength and masculinity. Another nice little touch I love in the show is that Dean is named after his maternal grandmother, Deana, and Sam after his maternal grandfather, Samuel. It's nice to see writers putting a little thought into how these 'loner' boys are connected to that side of their family, despite their mothers tragic death when Sam was an infant.

Beyond the first names of the various characters on this show and the actors who play them, the name that has perhaps caught my fancy the most is Winchester. We already have names such as Colt (#330 in the US in 2011!), Smith (of Smith & Wesson), Gunner, Hunter and Cannon, so I think this is fast becoming a very usable name. As a first name, you have the nickname possibilities of Winn or Chester, or if you feel the gun association is too strong this could make a masculine middle. For those that like their names with a touch of olde worlde British charm, this also has a sound reminiscent of other British locations such Rochester. In fact, Winchester is an Old English word meaning 'Venta's Village'.

For those not convinced by the idea of a Winchester in the family, here are a few other suggestions inspired by the characters of 'Supernatural':

Girls:
Ava      
Becky                                
Bela                                   
Deana                                
Ellen                                  
Eleanor                       
Eve                         
Gwen                                 
Jessica                   
Jo                                        
Jody
Lilith
Lisa
Mary
Meg
Ruby
Tessa

Boys:
Adam
Alistair
Ash
Azazel
Balthazar
Bobby
Castiel (made the nn Cass cool for men)
Christian
Chuck
Crowley
Dean
Jake
John
Raphael
Roman
Rufus
Sam/Samuel
Talbot
Victor
Zachariah