Endangered or Extinct Last Names
January 28, 2015 § 1 Comment
The linked articles list some last names which are going (or have already gone) the way of the dodo, and discuss some of the reasons for their disappearance. Did you even know last names could go extinct? (Also, don’t you think some of these last names sound perfect for gnomes or hobbits?)
9 Last Names on the Brink of Extinction:
“Any last name with under 200 “bearers” is endangered, and we’ve found some which are even extinct. Do you have a rare last name on the verge of extinction? Or is your last name extremely common?”
Endangered last names:
Ajax, Edevane, Gastrell, and Slora
Critically-endangered last names (fewer than 20 bearers):
Berrycloth, Birdwhistle, Dankworth, Fernsby, Loughty, MacQuoid, Miracle, Relish, Sallow, Tumbler, and Villan / Villin
Extinct last names:
Bread, Bythesea, Bytheseashore, MacCaa, Puscat, Pusset, Pussmaid, and Spinster
10 English Surnames About to Go Extinct:
Names which have disappeared from England and Wales (extinct last names):
Chips, Harred, Hatman, Jarsdel, Nithercott, Raynott, Rummage, Southwark, Temples, and Woodbead
Names with fewer than 50 bearers through England and Wales (critically endangered last names):
Bonneville, Carla, Febland, Fernard, Grader, Gruger, Mirren, Nighy, Pober, and Portendorfer.
Names dying out the fastest in England and Wales, compared to the 1901 census (endangered last names):
Ashworth, Brook, Butterworth, Clegg, Cohen, Crowther, Greenwood, Haigh, Ingham, Kershaw, Nuttal, Ogden, Pratt, Sutcliffe, and William
Can you think of any other uncommon or vanished last names?
(Also, if you’re looking for endangered or extinct first names, try this post!)
Some Formerly-Popular Baby Names for Girls
January 20, 2015 § Leave a comment
Here is an article about some names that were once top of the list in popularity for baby girls, but have since gone nearly extinct. What do you think? Is it time to resurrect some of these old-fashioned names? (Note: If you’re looking for good names for characters, remember that the young adults of any particular decade would be likely to have a popular baby name of ~20 years earlier. So, say, an Ethel born in the 1890s would be a “new woman” of the WWI years, or even a “flapper” of the 1920s!)
Bertha (popular in the 1880s)
Betty (popular throughout the 1930s)
Doris (popular in the 1930s)
Dorothy (popular in the 1920s)
Edna (popular from the 1880s through to the 1920s)
Ethel (popular in the 1890s through the early 1900s)
Florence (popular from the 1880s-1930s)
Gladys (popular around the 1890s-1910s)
Ida (popular in the 1880s)
Mildred (popular in the 1910s-1920s)
Minnie (popular in the late 1800s)
Tammy (popular in the 1960s)
Most Common Names for Some Common Jobs
January 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
Click here to see an infographic showing the six most disproportionately common names for for 37 professions. The data was gathered from U.S. public records, with some rather interesting (and useful, if, for example, you’re trying to choose a name that really suits a particular character) results. What do you think: Do certain names just sound right for certain jobs? Were there any results that surprised you? Are you in the right position for your name (keep in mind, some names show up for more than one occupation)?
– ACCOUNTANT: Adele, Charmaine, Kurtis, Maribel, Mindy, and Mitzi.
– BIOLOGIST: Cheryl, Janet, Nicholas, Sara, Stuart, and Suzanne.
– CAR SALESPERSON: Allen, Bob, Clay, Larry, Pete, and Travis.
– DRUMMER: Billy, Chad, Dave, Joey, Mickey, and Tommy.
– ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Alfred, Bernard, Charles, Edwin, Eugene, and Harvey.
– FARMER: Darin, Delbert, Duane, Elwood, Marlin, and Mavis.
– FIREFIGHTER: Brandon, Darren, Jason, Jeremy, Matthew, and Ryan.
– FITNESS INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer, Julie, Karen, Pamela, Rebecca, and Virginia.
– FOOTBALL COACH: Bill, Dan, Jim, Mike, Rich, and Steve.
– FOOTBALL PLAYER: Darnell, Derrick, Jermaine, Nate, Quinton, and Reggie.
– GEOLOGIST: Frederick, Henry, Hugh, Leonard, Samuel, and William.
– GOLFER: Bobby, Bud, Johnny, Simon, Tommy, and Willie.
– GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Alison, Diana, Jan, Jessica, Kurt, and Vanessa.
– GUITARIST: Buddy, Eddie, Mick, Richie, Sonny, and Trey.
– HAIRDRESSER: James, Lori, Patricia, Raymond, Robert, and Susan.
– HISTORIAN: Adrienne, Caroline, Emma, Henry, Herbert, and Theodore.
– INSURANCE SALESPERSON: Brent, Clark, Dalton, Garrett, Mac, and Patty.
– INTERIOR DESIGNER: Bonnie, Elise, Lynne, Marjorie, Martha, and Melinda.
– JOURNALIST: Alastair, Angus, Gideon, Hanna, Jonah, and Louisa.
– JUDGE: Archibald, Clement, Josiah, Lise, Louise, and Rufus.
– LAWYER: Augustus, Cecily, Marshal, Norton, Sanford, and William.
– LIBRARIAN: Abigail, Eleanor, Johanna, Julia, Margot, and Nanette.
– MECHANIC: Dave, Fred, Jerry, Patrick, Randy, and Rick.
– METEOROLOGIST: Bill, Jeff, Joe, Jim, Mike, and Scott.
– PHOTOGRAPHER: Annie, Bruno, Hugo, Noah, Tracey, and Zoe.
– POET: Anne, Celia, Dorothy, Edgar, Edmund, and Hannah.
– POLICE OFFICER: Kevin, Kim, Louis, Raymond, Timothy, and Wayne.
– RABBI: Chaim, Judah, Meir, Moshe, Shlomo, and Yosef.
– RACE CAR DRIVER: Bobby, Jimmy, Johnny, Luigi, Robbie, and Sebastian.
– RANCHER: Boyd, Clifford, Judy, Leland, Leroy, and Roy.
– SOCIAL WORKER: Constance, Jeannette, Marsha, Penelope, Stella, and Vivian.
– SOLDIER: Jacob, Jeremy, Joshua, Justin, Kyle, and Zachary.
– SONGWRITER: Benny, Billy, Mick, Richie, Sonny, and Stevie.
– STUNT-PERSON: Alex, Ben, Eddie, Erik, Terry, and Tom.
– SURGEON: Barrett, Harris, Holly, Jefferson, Sanford, and Sherwin.
– VENTURE CAPITALIST: Alexander, Doug, Guy, Joanna, Nicholas, and Shawn.
– VETERINARIAN: Gene, Larry, Peggy, Sara, Tracy, and Wayne.
Mabruk
December 19, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Probably Persian, meaning “blessed” or “prosperous”, or related to the Arabic “Mabrouk”, meaning “congratulations”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mabrouk. And I don’t know what else.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mabruk, the master magician Schmendrick usurps as a member of King Haggard’s court in the fantasy novel The Last Unicorn (1968) by Peter S. Beagle.
Most Common Baby Names, 2014
December 3, 2014 § Leave a comment
This article takes a comedic view on the likely fates of those children given the most common baby names of 2014 (as determined by a U.S. News poll, so not entirely scientific . . . )
For the boys, we’ve got Aiden, Caden, Ethan, Jacob, Jackson, Liam, Logan, Lucas, Mason, and Noah.
And for girls, we’ve got Ava, Emily, Emma, Isabella, Madelyn, Mia, Lily, Olivia, Sophia, and Zoe.
What do you think? Have you see hundreds of little Aidens and Avas and Ethans and Emilys and Masons and Mias experiencing “Baby’s First Fill-in-the-Blank” this year?
Miles
November 24, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Either from the Germanic “Milo”, possibly meaning “gracious” or “merciful”, or referencing the Latin word for “soldier”, or a variation of “Michael“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Milo, Myles.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Miles Murdston, a professional singer who hires Thea as a rehearsal accompanist in Chicago, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Miles Clark (1960-1993), Irish journalist, sailor, and writer.
– Miles Franklin (1879-1954), pen name of Australian activist and writer Stella Miles Franklin.
– Miles J. Stanford (1914-1999), American minister and writer.
Miguel
November 23, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
The Spanish or Portuguese form of “Michael“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maikel, Micha, Micah, Michael, Michail, Michel, Mick, Mickey, Micky, Miguelito, Mika, Mikael, Mike, Mikel, Mikelo, Mikey, Mikhael, Mikhail, Mijo, Mikkel, Mikki, Misha, Miska, Mitch, Mitchell, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Miguel Ramas, Spanish Johnny’s friend, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899-1974), Guatemalan journalist, novelist, playwright, and poet-diplomat.
– Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), Spanish novelist, playwright, and poet.
– Miguel Delibes (1920-2010), Spanish editor, journalist, and novelist.
– Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936), Spanish educator, essayist, novelist, philosopher, playwright, and poet.
– Miguel Hernandez (1910-1942), Spanish playwright and poet.
– Miguel Méndez (1930-2013), Mexican-American author.
– Miguel Mihura (1905-1977), Spanish playwright.
– Miguel Morayta (1907-2013), Spanish director and screenwriter.
– Miguel Piñero (1946-1988), Puerto Rican actor and playwright.
– Miguel Sánchez (1594-1674), Hispanic priest, theologian, and writer.
– Miguel Serrano (1917-2009), Chilean author, diplomat, explorer, and poet.
– Miguel Otero Silva (1908-1985), Venezuelan humorist, journalist, politician, and writer.
– Miguel Torga (1907-1995), pen name of Portuguese writer Adolfo Correia da Rocha.
Madison
November 23, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
English last name, meaning “son of Maud“. So, given that, it’s a bit strange that people started using it for girls as well as boys.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Madi, Maddie, Maddison, Maddy, Madyson, Madisyn, etc.
For boys: Madeson, Maddeson, Maddesonne, Maddison, Maddyson, Madison, Madyson, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Madison Bowers, the best voice teacher in Chicago, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Madison Cawein (1865-1914), American poet.
– Madison Jones (b. 1925), American novelist.
A Bevy of Very British Names
November 21, 2014 § Leave a comment
A series of links to articles on British names (you can find a second installment here). Some popular, some not-so-popular, but all veddy veddy British. Click through for more info on the names themselves!
10 Extremely British Baby Names for Girls:
Ada, Agatha, Amelia, Boadicea (or Boudicca), Edith, Frideswide, Gladys, Lettice, Myrtle, Nora, and Olivia
10 British Girls’ Names That Struggled to Cross the Pond:
Bronwyn, Bryony, Cerys, Hermione, Imogen, Nichola, Nigella, Poppy, Rhiannon, and Tamsin
10 Extremely British Baby Names for Boys:
Alastair, Conall, Crispin, Duncan, Ellis, Euan, Fergus, Kenzie, Lachlan, and Piers
10 British Boys’ Names That Struggled to Cross the Pond:
Alfie, Basil, Ewan, Gareth, Hugh, Menzies, Murray, Nigel, Rupert, and St. John
Most Popular Boys Names Since 1960
November 15, 2014 § Leave a comment
A Wondrous GIF Shows The Most Popular Baby Names For Boys (By U.S. State) Since 1960:
“Social Security Administration data visualized in the most lovely way possible.“
1960: David, James, John, Michael, and Robert
1961-65: David, James, John, and Michael
1966-67: David, James, and Michael (wow, the 1960s really knew how to mix things up!)
1968: James, John, and Michael
1969: James and Michael
1970: David, James, and Michael
1971: James, Jason, John, and Michael (way to go, North Dakota, trying to shake things up a bit!)
1972-74: Chris, James, Jason, and Michael
1975-76: James, Jason, and Michael
1977-79: Chris, James, Jason, and Michael (alright, Alabama, bringin’ “Chris” back!)
1980: Chris, James, Jason, and Michael (these names are on a serious roll!)
1981: Chris, James, Joshua, Matthew, and Michael
1982: Chris, Joshua, Matthew, and Michael
1983-84: Chris, Matthew, and Michael
1985-86: Chris, Joshua, Matthew, and Michael
1987: Andrew, Chris, Joshua, Matthew, and Michael (Nebraska, you little rebel!)
1988: Chris, Joshua, Justin, Matthew, and Michael
1989: Chris, Joshua, Matthew, Michael
1990: Chris, Jacob, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, and Tyler
1991: Chris, Jacob, Joshua, Michael, and Tyler
1992: Chris, Jacob, Joshua, Michael, Nicholas, and Tyler (I see what you did there, Maine!)
1993: Chris, Jacob, James, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, and Tyler
1994-95: Austin, Chris, Daniel, Jacob, James, Joshua, Michael, Tyler and William
1996: Austin, Chris, Daniel, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, Nicholas, Tyler, and William
1997: Austin, Chris, Daniel, Jacob, James, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, Nicholas, and William
1998: Austin, Daniel, Jacob, James, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, and William
1999: Daniel, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, Tyler, and William
2000: Daniel, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, and William
2001: Anthony, Daniel, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, and William (now Nevada’s trying to stand out from the crowd)
2002: Anthony, Daniel, Ethan, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, Nicholas, and William
2003: Anthony, Daniel, Ethan, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, and William
2004: Anthony, Daniel, Ethan, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Michael, Ryan, and William (and Delaware finds a way to buck the trends!)
2005: Angel, Anthony, Daniel, Ethan, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Matthew, Michael, Ryan, and William (this time Arizona introduces a fresh name)
2006: Angel, Anthony, Daniel, Ethan, Jacob, Jose, Joshua, Logan, Matthew, Michael, Noah, Ryan, and William (ooh, both Hawaii and North Dakota taking a stand!)
2007: Aiden, Angel, Anthony, Daniel, Ethan, Jacob, James, Jose, Joshua, Logan, Matthew, Michael, Noah, and William (ah, bit of fresh air from Alaska, there!)
2008: Alexander, Anthony, Carter, Daniel, Ethan, Isaiah, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jose, Michael, Ryan, and William
2009: Aiden, Alexander, Anthony, Daniel, Ethan, Jacob, Jayden, Jose, Logan, Michael, Noah, Ryan, William, and Wyatt
2010: Alexander, Elijah, Jacob, James, Jayden, Logan, Mason, Michael, Noah, Owen, Samuel, and William
2011: Alexander, Anthony, Carter, Jacob, Jayden, Liam, Mason, Michael, Noah, and William
2012: Alexander, Benjamin, Elijah, Ethan, Jacob, James, Jayden, Liam, Mason, Michael, Noah, and William
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 