In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the king rouses his troops to victory at Agincourt with a speech that begins, “This day is called the Feast of Crispian“ and tells them that in years to come, the survivors will commemorate the day proudly while those absent from the battlefield will envy their glory.  He refers to them as “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers” - a phrase most will recognize, even if they can’t quite place the reference.

In history and theater alike, the English prevail at Agincourt in 1415.  But the name has remained in obscurity, save for when an actor in period dress trots it out to rally his men.

Could Crispin finally have his day?  Thanks to Arthur for suggesting this as a Name of the Day. 

Once upon a time, Crispin was indeed a saint.  He and his twin, Crispinian, were well-born Romans who fled persecution, preached the gospel to the Gauls and ended up beheaded for their troubles.  They’re the patron saints of shoemakers and leather-workers, but alas, after Vatican II, the Catholic church decided there was scant evidence in favor of their historical existence.  They weren’t de-halo’d, simply removed from the liturgical calendar, placing them in a sort of saintly limbo along with Saint George the dragon slayer and others whose stories are probably more fiction than fact.

But we still consider this a saint’s name without hesitation.  In the 1700s, a monk called Crispin lived in Viterbo, Italy.  He was canonized in 1982, so if you’re looking for a name that is offbeat, but doesn’t disturb your Catholic grandmother, Crispin is safe.

Crispinus was a Roman family name, derived from the Latin crispus, or curly-haired.  Despite the name’s long history, the bearers are few.  Besides the saint and the not-quite-saint, there’s the quirky actor Crispin Glover.  (Yes, he was named after the speech.)  Crispin shows up as an elf in Terry Brooks’ Shannara series.  Writer Avi used the name for the hero of his 2002 medieval adventure novel for young adults, Crispin: Cross of Lead.

Believe it or not, that’s about the extent of the name’s use.  It has never charted in the US Top 1000.  In a search over at Baby Name Map, we did find Crispin – one Crispin, born in Australia in 2007.  While it has never disappeared, the name surfaces so rarely that’s it is difficult to pin down an image or even tie the name to a particular historical era.

If anything, Crispin sounds right at home in 2008.  While he shares no etymological roots with Christopher (#6 in 2007) or Christian (#22), it’s easy to imagine parents hoping to find something similar to those two names might embrace Crispin.  And the two-syllable, ends-in-n construction is shared by other Top 50 choices Ryan (#16), Logan (#17), Jayden (#18), Nathan (#24), Aiden (#27), Dylan (#29), Brandon (#31), Gavin (#32), Jackson (#33), Mason (#37), Kevin (#39), Evan (#40), Justin (#44), Jordan (#45), Austin (#48) and Landon (#49).  The list goes on and on.  And on.

The result is that Crispin sounds unexpected while remaining vaguely familiar, and fits in perfectly with chart-topping appellations for boys without getting lost in the Aiden/Braydon/Caidhen/Cayson/Grayson mono-name-blob that encompasses so many of our sons’ monikers.

It’s a quirky choice, but one that is historic, literary and still fresh.  We find him refreshing and yes, crisp.