Australian Christmas Names

Photo Courtesy of Mom Spotted

This time of year inspires many great lists of names inspired by Christmas and the festive season. And while the way Christmas is celebrated has many similarities across different (particularly Christian) countries, there are some very big differences between Australia and many other countries. By which I mean it is Summer here at Christmastime.  So while we also celebrate with carols, bells, light and Christmas Trees, names like Winter and Snow have no relevance to an Australian Christmas. We're not sitting by the fireplace drinking hot cocoa - we're more likely to be in the backyard cooking a barbeque.

With this in mind, I thought I'd compile a list of Christmas related names specifically for Australians. Let me know if there are any you'd add!

Barbie
As mentioned above, most Australians use their barbeque a lot in summer - I know people who would happily cook all three meals of the day on it. But we rarely call it a barbecue. We like to call it a barby or barbie. It may feel a little dated or too plastic doll for you, but Barbie would be a great homage to Australian summers.

Beach
It's not unusual for Christmas day to be hot - really hot. So if you live by the coast, many people escape to the beach for a swim on Christmas day. It feels cruisy and relaxed - a possible sibling to Bodhi.

Cherry
It's hard to imagine an Aussie Christmas table without cherries. They're in season, fresh and delicious. Not to mention that their bright red colour looks great on the table. If Cherry feels a little 80's (or let's face it, a little too stripper) for you, how about one of her international versions?  Cereza or Cerise are both gorgeous options.

Chrissie
I'm not sure about other countries, but Australians love their slang. Similar to Barbie, Chrissie is a common term for Christmas here in Australia, with common uses being "Chrissie Day", "Chrissie lunch", or the question "what are you doing for Chrissie?" She's a little more youthful than Christie, but still sweet and perky.

Beach Cricket

Cricket
Cricket may be all insect to Americans, but to Australians (and many other countries) it's the ultimate Summer sport. After Christmas lunch, families all over Australia will get together for a friendly game of cricket, whether it's in the backyard or on the beach. And of course being summer, there are plenty of the insect variety available too. It's a name that will bring to mind long summer nights and fun with the family.


Jacaranda
When Australian singer Christine Anu recently released her Christmas Album, she said:

"I can't erase my childhood (memories) of Christmas being in the summer, 

where it's pretty much a sensory overload of beautiful colour - everywhere. 

It's snowing jacarandas in my street. 

There's mangoes and watermelon, blueberries. All that colour."

Jacaranda flowers are blue to purple, and in rare cases white. it makes a for a lovely floral name - unusual yet not jarring when considered next to names such as Miranda or Jacinda.

Lobethal
If you've lived in or near Adelaide in South Australia, chances are you've made at least one Christmas pilgrimage to the town of Lobethal. Nestled in the Adelaide Hills, Lobethal (German for 'valley of praise') comes alive at Christmas time, and the line of cars starts for kilometers outside the town in the evenings leading to Christmas Day. The main attractions are the light displays, but there's also pageants, Christmas Tree competitions and a living Nativity.

Marina
We love Christmas Carols, and Carols by Candlelight is a popular event. Many councils and local areas have their own, but the two main televised events are the Sydney Carols in the Domain and the Melbourne Vision Australia Carols by Candlelight. One of my favourite performers has to be Marina Prior. A famous theatre performer in Australia, she's performed at the Carols for over 20 years and is a beautiful and classy person - a great Christmas inspiration.

Jen Hawkins and the 2014 Myer
Christmas Window Display

Myer
Myer may be a department store here in Australia, but the name is very closely linked to Christmas. From gift shopping, to Christmas Eve carols at the Myer Music Bowl, to the must see Myer Christmas window displays in Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne, the name Myer is associated with many happy Christmas memories. Particularly for Melburnians.

Ocean
Our Christmas dinners are just as likely (and possibly more so) to include fresh seafood as it does the traditional roast. The craziness at the fish markets on the days leading up to Christmas are a testament to that. Prawns and Crayfish are the main favourites, but who wants to name their children Prawn or Crayfish. So how about Ocean? It's fresh, calming and a great summer holiday name.

Summer
The inclusion of Summer is a no-brainer. She may not be as fresh as Winter, but Summer has become a modern classic. Just the word is infused with warmth, bringing to mind relaxed, fun days. As a name Summer is somewhat preppy, somewhat hippy - a great easy-to-wear crowd pleaser of a name.

Sunny
Because Summer is all about the sun. Half the country even has daylight savings so we can make the most of the summer sun in the evenings too! For example, here in Melbourne today first light was at 5.24am and last light will be at 9.14pm. The name Sunny captures the enthusiasm and cheer we feel at this time of the year - it's full of optimism and positivity.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

One Syllable Nature Word Names - Colt, Sage & Onyx

There's something undeniably attractive about one syllable names. They're a good option if you want an (almost) nickname proof first name, or want to balance out a long and complicated last name. They can also work some magic in the middle position when you want to create a particular flow between multi-syllable first and last names.

Nature word names are among the most popular single syllable names, especially in the middle. Lee and Rose are two in particular that are perennial middle name favourites. Disney Baby also pegged nature names - and word names - as trends for middle names in 2013.

Choices range from the tried and true to the quirky and rare - and there is definitely a very wide range of them to choose from. My below list is restricted just to nature words, and still comes in at an impressive 160 names long! There are sure to be other great choices that could be added, and if you widen the scope even further to include names with nature related meaning, this list doubles.

One thing is for sure though - even with just one syllable, nature names do not have to be boring!

Cereza

Vanessa Hudgens plays Cereza in 'Machete Kills'

I spotted this gem in the movie 'Machete Kills' recently. Yes, strange place for some naming inspiration. But not quite so strange when you consider the large impact that 'Columbiana' had on the name Cataleya in 2012.

Cereza is a rare one indeed. Pronounced seh-RAY-zuh it is the Spanish word for cherry. I'm not sure how popular it is as a name in Spain or Mexico, but in the U.S. it has never charted. It's kind of surprising when you consider that the name Cherry has been used for girls almost every year since 1880, and Cerise (French for cherry, pronounced seh-REESE) since 1951. Maybe there's a less than flattering association with this word in the U.S. that I'm not aware of that has prevented parents from using it, or maybe it just hasn't gotten enough exposure to turn it mainstream.

This is one of those names that has two contrasting images. For one, the Aji Cereza (cherry pepper) is a small red pepper that is native to Peru, which makes one think of things being spicy and fiery. On the other hand, when people think of cherries they tend to think of something that is small, cute and sweet. A girl with this name could be either, or both at once, which is maybe what writers were thinking when they named this character for 'Machete Kills'. In this movie the character of Cereza is played by the young and beautiful Vanessa Hudgens - so it's likely that the casting choice alone will get people noticing this name.

Besides 'Machete Kills', there is also a character called Cereza in the video game 'Bayonetta'. This Cereza is a young girl who is raised to be a witch. Also known as the forbidden child, she too is a girl of contrasts because she is the daughter of both light and dark.

Another positive point for Cereza for me is that it seems like a great not-too-obvious Christmas related name. Here in Australia Christmas is of course in Summer, and it's rare for many Australian families to have a Christmas Day without some fresh, juicy cherries on the table.

Cereza could be a sweet, exotic and very unexpected choice for your baby girl, and one we may see make it's first appearance on the SSA lists in the next couple of years.

An Apple a Day

photo courtesy of www.photosbymonika.com

Gwyneth Paltrow had no idea how much controversy she was about to cause when she named her daughter Apple back in May of 2004. "That's not a name" was the most common judgement on people's lips, and her daughters name is now held up as an example on all "Most Bizarre Celebrity Baby Names" lists. So why did Gwyneth and her husband Coldplay front man Chris Martin choose the name Apple? To paraphrase from her interview with Oprah Winfrey at the time, they felt that apples are sweet, wholesome, biblical and lovely. They proposed "Is it really so different from the other nature/ noun names out there that are commonly used, such as Rose, Lily or Ivy?" I find this logic a little hard to argue with these days, considering the many word names on the rise. Yes, an apple is a fruit, but people mustn't dislike fruit names too much, because we're now seeing Plum and Lemon regularly mentioned as possible names.

So what other options are available if you too love the imagery of the clean, fresh, sweet apple but don't want people thinking you've copied a weird celebrity baby name?

Well, today's post was actually inspired by a girl who recently started at my work who is named Gala, which brought to my mind Royal Gala Apples. This particular Gala apparently got her name after her mother saw an advertisement for an event on the side of one of the trams that Melbourne is famous for. Gala is an established name with origins in French (meaning 'enjoyment'), Russian (meaning 'calm') and Hebrew (meaning 'spring'). Salvador Dali's wife was named Gala. Like the apple that Gwyneth named her daughter for, Gala is a rather sweet, uplifting name.

If you're going to be inspired by an object, let's face it, an apple isn't the worst thing out there. If you're still not sure, other possible apple inspired names include:

Boys
Ashmead - apple variety
Beacon (English) - means 'signal light', is an apple variety
Borromeo - Saint Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of apple orchards
Braeburn - apple variety
Calville - apple variety
Connell (Irish) - from Conal, which means 'strong as a wolf', is an apple variety
Coster (Old English) - from a large medieval variety of apple that no longer exists called a costard
Creston (English) - means 'town on the crest', is an apple variety
Crispin (Latin) -  means 'curly-haired', is an apple variety
Dayton (English) - means 'place with a dike', is an apple variety
Falstaff (English) - a Shakespearean name, and an apple variety
Grove (Nature name) - means 'grove of trees', is an apple variety
Hazen (English) - variation of Hayes, meaning 'hedged area', is an apple variety
Jonwin - apple variety
Laxton - apple variety
Malus (Latin Botanical) - name given to crab apple trees
Nehou - apple variety
Orin (Hebrew) - variation of Oren, meaning 'dark-haired', is an apple variety
Pendragon (English) - means 'from the enclosed land of the dragon', is an apple variety
Pippin (German) - apple variety
Pommeroy (Old French) - means 'apple orchard', pomme is the french word for apple
Rubin (Hebrew) - variety of Rueben, meaning 'behold, a son, is an apple variety

Girls
Almata - apple variety
Ambrosia (Greek/Roman) - means 'food of the gods', is an apple variety
Ariane (Italian) - means 'most holy', is an apple variety
Avalon (Celtic) - means 'island of apples'.
Cybele (Greek) - means 'mother of all gods', is an apple variety
Fearn - apple variety
Florina (Latin) - means 'flourishing, prosperous', is an apple variety
Garland (word/place name) -
Jubilee (Hebrew) - means 'ram's horn', is an apple variety
Junami - apple variety
Lodi - apple variety
Melrose (English) - originally a boys name, meaning 'bare moor/barren heath', is an apple variety
Meridian (American) - means 'middle, centre', is an apple variety
Novaspy - apple variety
Pinova - apple variety
Pomona (Latin) - means 'apple'. Pomona was also the Roman goddess of fruit trees
Reinette (French) - means 'little queen', is an apple variety
Rubinette - apple variety
Sansa (Sanskrit) - means 'praise, invocation, charm', is an apple variety