She’s a clever, courageous mythological figure, and a rare, but appealing, appellation.
Our Baby Name of the Day is Ariadne.
The four-syllable ah ree AHD nee has quite a story to tell.
Her dear dad, King Minos, had defeated the city of Athens in battle. As punishment, the city of Athens was required to send seven young men and seven maidens for sacrifice to King Minos’ curious pet, a vicious half-bull lurking at the end of a maze. One of the unlucky fourteen was a spoiler – the valiant Theseus, who volunteered in order to take out the beast himself.
If not for Ariadne, Theseus would long be dust in the depths of the labyrinth. She hooked him up with a suitable sword and a ball of red thread, so he could mark his path into the maze – and back out again.
There’s no happily ever after for her, though. Most versions of the story have Theseus and Ariadne leaving town, along with the rest of the intended victims. Reasons vary, but Ariadne usually ends up put aside on the island of Naxos.
She’s showed up in literature and poetry ever since, her name used by everyone from Anton Chekov to A.A. Milne. There’s a Richard Strauss opera, too, one performed regularly enough that you could easily take it in, once your Ariadne is old enough to grapple with a plot that starts out with abandonment and ends with the heroine promised immortality. (In other words: as soon as she’s old enough to read Twilight.)
The US Top 1000 is packed with names that sound quite a bit like Ariadne; some are related, others not so much. But while all of the related names are interchangeable, there’s something crisp and interesting about the original.
The sound-alikes are so popular that, when combined, they’re easily a Top 50 choice. Consider that in 2006:
- Arianna ranked #77 in 2006 (4,212 births) and had climbed to #52 (4,794 births) by 2009;
- Ariana ranked #78 (4,184 births) and fell slightly to #82 by 2009 (3,656 births);
- Adriana ranked #106 (3,057 births) and fell to #125 in 2009 (2,543 births);
- Adrianna ranked #179 (1,930 births) and climbed to #171 in 2009 (1,892 births);
- Aryanna ranked #652 (436 births) and was up to #576 in 2009 (525 births);
- Aryana ranked #823 (324 births) and rose to #753 in 2009 (373 births).
Tally it up, and in 2006, there were 14,143 girls sharing the same name. Top Ten hits like Hannah boast about that many. (Hannah ranked #8 with 14,294 births in 2006.) And perpetual favorites like Elizabeth are actually less common. (Elizabeth came in at #11 with 12,193 births.) The 2009 numbers are similar, even if the spellings have shifted in popularity.
Simplifications and translations can be great, but this is one case where the original feels like the more intriguing option. With four-syllable girls’ names from Olivia to Gabriella populating the Top 100, there’s no reason to think that this rarity wouldn’t fit right in.
Note: This post was originally published May 9, 2008. A substantial revision was posted as part of August 2010′s rerun week.
Pretty, but she’d be doomed to a life-long pronunciation battle.
Maybe so, but I’m not sure it’s any worse than *spelling* Arianna every time you say it.
I love Ariadne a kazillion times more than Arianna or Adriana. I knew an Aerianne in high school. That girl was miserable!
Aerianne … yikes! Mythological names can be tough to wear, but at least when we don’t recognize them, it’s a gap in our knowledge – not because the name was pulled from the ether. It might not make kindergarten easier, but I suspect by freshman year, it’s less of an issue. Assuming, of course, that your mythological namesake was more or less decent and well-behaved.
This used to be in my top names. I still like it, but am not sure if I’d still use it. I also liked the Polish version of Ariadna.
I like Ariadne and would be much more inclined to use her than the overused Arianna, etc. In Agatha Christie’s Poirot mysteries there’s an Ariadne Oliver who appears in a number of stories.
Yay ! I’ve been saying it right. If people are willing to use Isla or Imogen & deal with mispronunciation, I wouldn’t worry about it
Gorgeous name with an interesting history
correct me if i’m wrong but wasn’t this ellen page’s character name in inception? the pronunciation was hard to make out but it did sound very similar to this if it wasn’t!
I do believe it was. I cracked up when I saw the connection- they had an Ariadne making mazes! I love stuff like that
Yikes – I wonder if the parents naming their children Aryana have considered what the name looks like without the final “a”? Ariadne is a cool name but I can’t imagine it on an actual kid.
You remembered right, Fran! But that doesn’t dampen Ariadne any for me. I mean, Ariande’s miles better than say, Bliss (her character name in that roller derby flick)!
I firmly like Ariadne and think I’d fawn all over the mother of one. I’d love to use it myself but Leo, Simon, Josephine & Ariadne? I don’t think so. Well, that and I doubt #4 will ever happen now.
But WOW! for somebody else!
i thought that it was ariadne but the way they said it to my ears sounded like there was a c in the place of the d. the name is still lovely but i’m with you lola, just not for me though perfect for the right family (genevieve, oliver, tobias, lenora and ariadne just doesn’t sound totally right to me!)
Nice name, but it seems too unique to be related to all the Adriannas and Ariannas. (And Aryana??? RUF kidding me?)
I fear that in Texas, the pronunciation would drift to Airy-Odd-Knee or Airy-Add-Knee.
Enjoy your beach vacation!
Yep. I’m in Texas and my pronunciation is definitely AIry-Add-Knee! (But I kind of like it that way!)
Like it! Very girly and original… My husband and I love mythical names… while we have no children yet, I am always trying to find new and beautiful mythical names to add to the list. The downside to this name would most definitely be the pronunciation of the name, not to mention she would be forever called by a nickname i am sure. With our last name always being mispronounced, I try to steer clear of first names that are very mispronouncible.
I just looked it up and Ellen Page IS Ariadne in Inception. It’s a highly appropriate name for her character seeing as her particular job is to create the mazes within which the inception takes place.
Oooh … thank you, thank you, thank you! I haven’t seen Inception somehow … totally missed that.
Okay, time for a trip in the way back machine…
Ari Meyers, the actress best know as Emma McArdle on the 80′s sitcom “Kate and Allie”, is actually named Ariadne.*
* I don’t know why I knew this… except to say I loved that show when I was a little kid.
Really! I loved Kate & Allie. I never knew that. And there’s still a fan site for Ari Meyers: http://www.arimeyersfansite.com/bio.html
That is a fabulous fact, Julie!
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I am currently completely in love with Ariadne. I love the nickname Ari.