Happy New Year! Names that bring happiness, hope and blessings

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and may the new year bring you joy and peace. As 2015 approaches, I thought it would be appropriate to post about names for a New Year's baby. 

Aurora
With a meaning of "dawn", the name of the main character in Disney's Sleeping Beauty is very appropriate for a New Year's baby. It's meaning could symbolise new beginnings, as dawn occurs at the start of the day.

Dagny
A Nordic name which has a meaning of "new day", making it very fitting for a baby born on New Year's. 

Esperanza
This is a pretty and exotic variant of Hope, originating from Spain. We often hope for better or new things when it's the New Year. 

January
This unusual month name is also used in France, where it is spelt Janvier. As January is the month that the New Year takes place in, it would be a good choice for a baby born around that time. It's most commonly used for girls, though with the nickname Jan, perhaps a little boy could pull it off too. 

Nadia
This spunky Slavic name also has a meaning of "hope". It has many European variants, including Nadine and Nantia. 

Nova
This unusual name couldn't have a more appropriate meaning than "new", and is of Latin origins.

Roxana
In Persian, this spunky name has a meaning of "dawn" or "bright". It has a famous historical namesake; Alexander the Great's wife.

Zora
A more exotic alternative to Zara, this name is of Slavic meanings, and also means "dawn".

Beatrice
This elegant name has a beautiful meaning of "she who brings happiness". As the New Year brings new happiness, this is a fitting name for a little girl born around that time. 

Felix
With a meaning of "happy", this handsome name would make a good choice for a little boy born on New Year's.

Asher
This Biblical name has a meaning of "happy", or "blessed". As the New Year is a happy time that will bring new blessings, this name is a good choice for a little boy born around that time. 

Merry Christmas! Festive Names

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to everyone! As the festive season is already here, I thought it would be appropriate to do a post about Christmas based names. 

Natalia
A name can't get any more Christmassy than Natalia, as it's original Latin meaning is "Christmas Day", or "Born at Christmas". It's most used in the Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek and Polish languages. It has many international variants, including Natalie (Nathalie) and the more exotic Natalija. 

Holly
This fun plant name is most commonly given to baby girls who are born around Christmas Time. It's a popular name in England at the moment, being #24 on the popularity charts, whilst in the United States it's currently at #380. Hollie is it's most common spelling variant, though other spelling variations include Holie and Holli. 

Christabel
Even though the name doesn't have that Christmassy a meaning ("follower of Christ"), it is the middle name of Princess Alexandra, one of the cousins of Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Alexandra received her middle name of Christabel as she was born on Christmas Day. 

Noël 
This is another very Christmassy name as the French word for "Christmas". People in France wish each other a Merry Christmas by saying "Joyeux Noël" to each other. It's variation is Noel, whilst it's feminisation is Noelle. 

Belén
This is the Spanish translation of Bethlehem, Jesus's birthplace in the Bible. It is commonly used as a middle name in Chile.

Balthazar 
Balthazar, or Balthasar, is the name of one of the Three Wise Men (alternatively known as The Three Kings or the Magi) in the Bible. It has a less festive meaning of "Baal protects the King" and has Phoenician origins.

Melchior
Is one of the names of the Three Wise Men in the Bible. It can also be used as a surname.

Gaspar
Is the name of another of the Three Wise Men in the Bible. Even though we don't "officially" know their names, these are the most commonly used or guessed names. Gaspar has Persian origins and has a wonderful meaning of "treasure". Sometimes, The Wise Man called Gaspar in the Bible's name is spelt as Caspar. 

Jesús

Although the name of Jesus himself is rare in most countries, it's very popular amongst Spanish / Hispanic communities, where it is pronounced as "heh-soos". 

Mary

In my opinion, a name can't get more classic than Mary as the name of the Virgin Mary, or Our Lady as she is known as in Catholic communities. Mary has several meanings, though the most common one is the Hebrew "bitter". Other meanings include  "beloved", "rebelliousness", "wished-for child" and "star of the sea". 

Joseph

In the New Testament, Joseph is the name of Jesus's father. It has a meaning of "he will add". The name has also been worn by a number of famous namesakes, including various Austrian Emperors. It's variants include Josef and Yosef; whilst it's feminisations  include Josephine and Josepha.

Gabriel

The name of God's messenger in the Bible, more commonly known as The Angel Gabriel, has a meaning of "able-bodied one of God", or "messenger of God". Some of it's variations include Gabriël and Gavriel, and the feminisations of Gabriel are Gabriella or Gabrielle.

Nicholas

The name of Saint Nicholas is a combination of "victory" and "people". It's variants include Nikolaus and Nikolaos. 

Claus

The name of Santa Claus is rarely used in English speaking countries, though it has it's usage in more Germanic countries, where it can also be spelt Klaus. It was the name of the former Queen Beatrix of the Netherland's husband, Prince Claus, and is now currently being used by her grandson, Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg. It is also the Germanic short form of Nicholas. 

Carol

Although it may have a rather dated feel, this name is the word used for the songs or hymns sung at Christmas Time. It has a meaning of "strong", and in English, it is most commonly used for girls, though in Europe it can also be used for boys. It mostly translates as Charles in English. The Dutch variation of the name is Karel, whilst the Polish variant is Karol. 

Namen aus Österreich: Names from Austria

I visited Austria  last week and was looking out for any interesting names. Most of the names were not really unusual as I'd heard of them before (some are quite popular where I live), though there were some unusual ones there and also some I'd never heard of before. 

Lea
I heard this on a student of secondary (high) school age. Her name is the general European variant of Leah, a Biblical name meaning "weary". It has also been suggested that it's alternative origins are from the ancient Akkadian language, meaning "mistress" or "ruler".

Gerrit
I'm not sure whether is name was spelt with one or two Rs, but this was the name of the owner of my apartment who was middle aged. His name has a strong meaning of "brave with the spear" and is the Dutch and Frisian equivalent of Gerard. 

Evie
I heard this on a toddler, who was from Northern Ireland (I think). It originates from Eve which itself has a beautiful and deep meaning of "life", as the name of the first woman on earth in the Old Testament. It is also used as a nickname for the longer Evangeline. 

Matthew
Evie's older brother, who only looked like he was about a couple of years older than her. It is of Hebrew origins where it means "Gift of Jehovah". Matthew was the name of one of Jesus's Apostles in the Bible. 

Claudia
She was part of an orchestra, though I'm not sure how old she looked as I spotted her name on a programme. Her name has a meaning of "lame" and is a feminisation of Claudius.

Russi
She was also part of the same orchestra, and like Claudia I couldn't tell her age as she was also mentioned in the programme. The meaning of her name is largely unknown, though it can also be used as a surname.

Stanislava
The lead violinist in the orchestra. Her name is the feminisation of the ancient Stanislav, which is of Slavic origins and has a wonderful meaning of "someone who achieves glory or fame". 

Annika
A little girl of primary school age at a Christmas market. Her name was originally used as a Dutch and Swedish pet form of Anna, meaning "grace", though it has since taken off as a standalone given name. In the Netherlands, it can also be spelt as Anneke (pronounced as "ah-neek", or sometimes like Annika). Annika is also suggested to be of Sanskrit origins and is a common name in Hinduism. 

The History and Origins of the Names of Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella of Monaco

Being the monarchist that I am, I thought I would do a post about the latest additions to the Princely Family of Monaco; Prince Jacques, Marquis of Baux and his sister, Princess Gabriella, Countess of  Carladès. 

Gabriella Thérèse Marie

The actual French version of Gabriella is Gabrielle. French is one of the major languages spoken in Monaco (Monégasque, Italian and Occitan are also spoken), therefore in my opinion, it would've made much more sense to use Gabrielle instead. However, Charlene's family, the Wittstocks, are English speaking as they are from South Africa, so perhaps Gabriella was used in an international way. Gabriella is of Italian origins, and means "strong man of God" or "messenger of God". 

Thérèse is a variant of Teresa and in my opinion, fits in wonderfully with Monaco and the French language. It's unclear of where Teresa is derived from, though it's been guessed from the Greek language, where it derives from "θερίζω", meaning "harvest".

Marie is a traditional name in the French speaking world (with Marie Antoinette being amongst the famous namesakes), much like it's English counterpart, Mary, or it's Latino counterpart, Maria (María). It has origins from the Hebrew, Greek and Latin languages; where it can have multiple meanings of either "wished-for child", "beloved", "love", "star of the sea", or "bitter". It is very regal and works well with the little Princess's other names. 

Jacques Honoré Rainier

Jacques is the French variant of the more English James, which itself derives from the Hebrew Jacob. In the French language, it means "supplanter", and is the name of a former French President, Jacques Chirac. It's female counterpart, Jacqueline, has been worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady of the United States (who was more commonly known as "Jackie"). It often gets mistaken for being the French variant of Jack (which is the name of Princess Grace's father Jack Kelly, who would be the great-grandfather of the twins as their grandmother's father) as they share similar sounds, though Jack is actually originally a nickname for John, but is very popular as a standalone name in Britain at the moment. Jacques has also been used in the Princely Family of Monaco before, on Prince Jacques I of Monaco, who reigned from 1731-1733. 

Honoré is originally a French family name from Medieval times, which itself has a beautiful meaning of "honoured". So far, five Princes of Monaco have worn this name. 

Rainier is the name of Prince Jacques's grandfather, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, husband of Princess Grace. It is a French form of Rainer, which itself derives from the more German Reginar, which was made up of "ragin", and "heri", which mean "advice"  and "army" respectively. 

Weekly Sightings #2

Here's the second round of the Weekly Sightings, even though it's a little late. 

Antonia
I overheard this name on a girl who was possibly in her twenties. Her name is of Roman origins and has a beautiful meaning of "priceless", praiseworthy", or "beautiful".

Leonora
I overheard this name on a girl who was possibly a similar age to Antonia. Her name in French means "from Helen", though it is actually of Italian origins, where it has a gorgeous meaning of "light".

Tione
I overheard this name on a girl who was possibly a similar age to Leonora and Antonia. Her name is very uncommon and is unisex, though is more heard of on girls. Her name means "ruthful", "interesting", "opinionated", "novice", or "emphatic". 

Carson
I overheard this name on a little boy who was about two years old. His name is an American surname, though it has an English meaning of "son who lives in the swamp".

Wilf
I also overheard this name on a little boy who was about two years old. His name is a diminutive of Wilfred, which itself is of Germanic routes. His name has a lovely meaning of "will" and "peace".

Noel
I overheard this name on a little boy who was of a similar age to Wilf and Carson. His name derives from the French word for Christmas, noël. Sometimes, his name is also used as a feminine name, though the more common female variant is Noelle. 

Names With Accents

I have always been a huge fan of names with accents and umlauts. They just look so pretty, elegant, chic and exotic. Below are some of my favourites.

Séverine – This beautiful and feminine name has been popular for a while now in France, though would seem unusual and rare for a British or American baby. However, it has a negative meaning of "stern". Last year, it had a rank of #16099 in the US popularity charts, though in 1914 it ranked at #4112. In France however, it ranked at #74 in 2000.

Athénaïs – This spunky and exotic name has had its use in history. Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montesan was the mistress of Louis XIV of France, and in modern times, there is a little Princess Athénaïs de Ligne de la Trémoïlle, who is the daughter of Italian actress Isabella Orsini and her royal husband, Prince Edouard de Ligne de la Trémoïlle. It is derived from the Greek Athena, whose meaning is largely unknown, though it is thought to mean "sharp" or "praise".  In 2010, it was #496 on the French popularity charts.

Élisabeth – This beautiful and sophisticated French variant of Elizabeth has a meaning of "God is my oath" or "my God is abundance". In America, it ranked at #609, whilst in Austria, it ranked at #53, in its native France at #408 and in the Netherlands at #118. Élisabeth also has a royal namesake, as it is the name of the Duchess of Brabant, the daughter of the new King and Queen of the Belgians.

Adélia – This pretty and delicate French variant of Adelia, who in turn is a variant of Adela, means "noble". In America, it ranked at #966 in 1928 on the popularity charts.

Ildikó – This quirky and spunky Hungarian variant of Hilda has a meaning of "battle". At present it has a royal namesake, Archduchess Ildikó of Austria, a member of the Hungarian branch of the defunct Austrian Imperial Family.

Félicité – This pretty and dainty French form of Felicitas has a charming meaning of "good luck, good fortune". It is not as popular as its English counterpart Felicity, and has never ranked in the popularity charts.

Désirée – This beautiful and dreamy name is from a French word with a beautiful meaning of "desired" or "wished". In America, it ranked at #629 in the popularity charts. It is also the name of the first Queen Consort of the Swedish House of Bernadotte, French born Désirée Clary, whose actual name was Bernadine. At present, it is the middle name of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, as Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée.