Name of the Day: Ignatius
We’re all very excited about the new Indiana Jones flick, don’t you know? And so we covered Henry (Indy’s given name) on Friday. But today we turn to the real life baby name chosen by Cate Blanchett, Soviet operative Irinia Spalko in the film, for her third son: Ignatius.
Ignatius sounds old school, and indeed it is. The family name Egnatius dates back to the Etruscans; in turn, their civilization has at least five centuries on the founding of Rome. At some point, the spelling was adapted to reflect the Latin word ignis - fire. Look up Ignatius in the average baby naming guide and you’ll see that Ignatius means fiery. It’s an imprecise attribution, but a lovely meaning nonetheless.
Ask the average Catholic, however, and the name that springs to mind is Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits and a well-known saint. He was actually born Inigo, a variant of Ignatius, but familiar to many modern day parents as a character in The Princess Bride.
In fact, Ignatius remains in use sparingly in most of the Western world. It’s slightly more common in several countries, including Poland, Belgium and yes, Australia, than in the US, where it has not appeared in the Top 1000 since 1930. Ignacio, however, has been in the US Top 1000 every year since 1917 and today stands at #756.
As a child’s name, it is both adventurous and classic. The logical nickname, Iggy, brings to mind punk godfather Iggy Pop - who was actually born James.
Cate Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton are daring baby namers, with a taste for the literary and enduring. Igantius, born in April 2008, joined big brothers Dashiell and Roman.
If you find the short form Iggy appealing, and are comfortable with the heavy religious overtones, Ignatius makes for an inspired choice for a son.
Filed under: Names for Boys, Names of the Day, Saints, Starbaby |
Tags: Ignacio, Ignatius, Inigo
It certainly is adventurous! I did think of the the Jesuits when I heard the name, and I do really like it as a choice for a more religious person than myself. It is a hefty choice, but would still work among the Alexander, Roman, Francisco crowd, I think. Dashiell is a great sibling for Ignatius, too. I do like her naming choices. They’re so unusual and strong without being outright bizarre.
Cate B. is a great baby namer. I’d love to hear other names she considered.
While kicking around Ignatius - not only are we Catholic, my husband is a Georgetown alum - it occurred to me that the nicknames Nate and Nat would logically follow from Ignatius. It makes it even easier to wear. Though I’m still partial to Iggy.
Unfortunately, we already have an Ignatius in our tribe. He’s growing up on the other side of the Atlantic, but it still feels a bit wrong to duplicate such an unusual choice.
Love Ignatius! He’s my Family Patriarch, the one who finally crossed to America. He’s a heavy contender for another boy for us. I adore Iggy (which is what the original went by) in case he’s as boisterous as his brothers, Nate for if he’s not. I adore mulitiple nickname options; having choices is always a grand thing to have, I think!
Lola, if there were some sort of an award for fabulous family trees, I think you’d win!
I think Iggy is the kind of nickname a boy *might* choose to leave behind. I know a Dan who became Daniel; a Mike who is now Michael. Then again, I know a Michael who is still Macky - and a surgeon! And a Charles who is Charlie in his 80s; his 50-something son Charles Jr. is known as Chip, even professionally.
So you’re right - it’s all about options and figuring out if you’re a serious Nate or a creative Iggy. We just can’t always know before they’re born.