Name of the Day: Lorelei
We’ve written about Lorelei in another post, but she seems poised to become a Hot Name of 2010 – if not sooner! And so thanks to Dirty Hippy for suggesting we take on this fanciful German vorname for today’s Name of the Day.
Part-mermaid, part-shapeshifter, part-siren, the Rhine Maidens were legendary water-dwelling creatures responsible for luring sailors to their death on treacherous rocks. It’s a familiar legend. In Germany, the chief water sprite lent her name to a boulder in the Rhine River en route to the North Sea. The Loreley is said to derive her appellation from the murmuring sound of the water, possibly due to a small waterfall that once cascaded nearby. In the Rhine dialect, the name means “murmuring rock.” It might also relate to the Middle Dutch loeren - to lie in wait – and Middle English luren – to lurk.
In any case, Lorelei is a temptress. (While the rock is usually spelled with a “y” ending, the name is almost always with an “i.”) Some even say she’s the ghost of a lovesick maiden who pitched herself into the river in despair. Poets, composers and painters have been inspired by her tale for generations. Heinrich Heine’s poem Die Lorelei is well-known, in German and in translation. At least a dozen songs share the title, and there’s an Italian opera called Lorelei, too. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe played a femme fatale by this name.
The name remained obscure, charting briefly after Miss Monroe’s big screen turn and darting into the Top 1000 again in 1963 and 1965.
Then came The Gilmore Girls, back in 2000. The show used the variant spelling Lorelai for not one, but three characters – the mother/daughter duo and a grandmother. The daughter was known as Rory; the matriarch as Trix.
The name failed to crack the Top 1000 during the show’s early years, but it gained momentum. As of 2007, the original version – Lorelei – charted at #682. Lorelai was #863.
Some names fizzle; others catch fire. Lorelei’s got quite a buzz these days, and her climb up the rankings matches. After first charting at #963 in 2004, she’s jumped nearly 300 spaces in four years. This reminds us of the trajectories of chart-toppers like Isabella (#895 in 1990 to #319 by 1994); Madison (#628 in 1985 to #300 in 1998) and Ashley (#771 in 1964 to #485 in 1967).
You won’t find a Lorelei in Germany, though – or at least, you won’t find many. The Top Ten for Mädchen are Hanna/Hannah, Leonie/Leoni, Lena, Anna, Lea/Leah, Lara, Mia, Lilli/Lilly/Lili and Emily/Emilie. Still, the name’s German roots anchor her fairytale backstory, and while Lorelei still sounds a bit ethereal, she’s not quite flimsy.
Lorelei is bolstered by her similarity to enduring classics like Laura and Lauren, and helped by the nickname options – not only the obvious (and shopworn) Lori, but also the small-screen suggestion of Rory and the possible use of Lola.
She’s not quite our cup of tea, but we think Lorelei makes an appealing choice for parents who crave feminine monikers and prefer a three-syllable name to one that ends in a. But hurry – if she follows the path blazed by fellow mermaid Madison, you’ll be hearing a lot of this name in the coming years.
Filed under: As Seen on TV, Myths & Legends, Names for Girls, Names of the Day | 9 Comments
Tags: Lorelai, Lorelei
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Funny, seeing Lorelei all over the place, these days. I came ‘thisclose’ to being Lorelei instead of classic Laura. But Mom insisted, if I couldn’t be Alice, I had to be Laura. And then my little brother came along and couldn’t say the letter ‘r’. Ask any little kid, Laura is ra-ra. I got la-la and the lo-la as he tried to say my name. Lola’s how it ended up sticking and I’ve been Lola since I was 3. Maye because I am one, I fail to se the sex in Lola, except by assocation. To me, Lola is warm, friendly and very earth-mama-ish. Works for me.
Anyhoo, back to Lorelei!
I find Lorelei a teensy bit off putting because of that siren assocation. Luring men to their deaths by drowning isn’t something I would want associated with my daughter, particularly. But I can see the appeal of the sounds and think Lorelei’s a bit prettier than Lauren, which I’ve always called my “plastic” cousin. and it’s less air heady than Laurel, who’s my hippy dippy cousin (Naming cousin, not real cousin!). Lorelei’s biggest sticking point with me, and the main reason I wouldn’t ever consider it: I see her spelled the ‘Gilmore” way more often than the proper way. And Lorelai drives me bananas! I’m not fond of Rory on a girl, either. My Grandpa raised Great Danes and gave them all “Irish” names ‘Tara, Erin, Colleen & Rory’ were the three girls and the boy I knew growing up. Gorgeous dogs. So there’s Rory in my head. Male and dog.
But Lorelei in fuill is lovely, lyrical and I’m quite fond of Lola as a nickname
… so Lorelei gets a big :thumbsup: from me!
To me Lorelai/Lorelei is the name that very young girls who shop at Wal-Mart, who are pregnant at 15, 16, 17, use for their daughters. While it’s not Kayla/Kaylee/Kaleigh, and it’s not Hailee, and it’s not Rylee, and it’s not Jaelynne, it’s still somehow in that group in my eyes. Probably has something to do with the WB. Maybe not. I don’t know.
I agree with Lola, though. Rory is a boy. Not only that, but Rory is difficult to pronounce. Those Rs right up next to each other. Oy.
I do like German names – my very most favorite is Heidi. Can Heidi be a NotD? Pretty please?
Oh dear I’m, afraid I don’t like Lorelei much either. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone but the name looks so – how to put this – down market. I can imagine it being spelt multiple creative ways from Lorri-lee to lori-leigh, laurylee or even laurilai etc etc. Anyhow, I appreciate that the name is not creative and that this is merely my own interpretation, and that Lorelei infact has a strong history but even if I didn’t alrealy dislike it (reiterating what Lola has already said) the sexual overtones would still disconcert me.
Thanks so much, AM! I find this name so pretty to say and look at. For me, it’s got a subtle nature vibe to it and I totally don’t see the downmarket factor in it at all. My biggest reservation is the one you hit on . . . I could really see this being the next “it” name. Isabella the sequel, if you will. It’s got so much going for it and is so appealing to so many that I have a hard time believing that it’s going to be uncommon for very long.
If I would use it (and I may . . . it sounds good with my tricky last name and has gotten my husband’s seal of approval) then I would definitely not use a nickname for it. I think any of the possibilities really fall short of the name as a whole.
I want to love this so much. I have a surfeit of trashy cousins, though, all named after their mother (my aunt) Laura. I have Laura, Lauran, Laural, and Lauralai for cousins, all sisters. Laural and Lauralai are twins. Did I mention my Aunt Laura did a lot of crack, seriously? This is the same women with a Jakey, Sean, Shaunnah, and Corki. Other than my nutty family, I like the name, but it is a very strong association for me.
Well, i am not 15 and my daughter’s name is Loralei. She is 14 months old and I am 26. I did watch teh wb in highschool…but heck, that was a long time ago now. Her name is Loralei Josephine and we call her Lora-Jo.
My husband is German so we wanted German names for our kids. If we have another girl she will most likely be Adelheide or Heidelinde. I think it is a beautiful name and my little girl is just beautiful as well. Luring men to their death, my husband says, is his warning to any future boyfriends.
LOL, Rachael! I love the idea of a warning.
People have *very* strong feelings about this one – another sign that it might be destined to be a big hit. Fortunately, your little girl is ahead of the curve.
I’m quite fond of Adelheide, too, though not being even a drop German, I tend to think of her as Adelaide – probably one of my favorites over the years.
My name is Loralei……pronounced Lora-Lee. I am ALWAYS having people mispronounce my name as Lorelei. It drove me crazy as a cihld because all the kids at school would tease me saying “Lora Lies”. Silly I know, but those things can drive an elementary child crazy. So I always went by my nickname, Lori. It doesn’t bother me at all anymore, especially after Gilmore Girls because I found that show hilarious. But having Lorelei the Siren be the definition of my name was a highlight in high school and college. I was such a flirt and it was awesome being able to brag that I was luring men to their doom.
My name is also Lorelei and I was born in 1975. I am constantly being asked if I am named after the Styx song about Lorelei, but I beleve that song was released around ‘78.
I have a German last name and my parents were hippies so it just made sense when I was a child. I was also teased in school, kids constantly asked me if I lied. But really I appreciate the name. It helped to give me character as a kid and telling the story of the Lorelei has always been a joy for me.
When I had my daughter 4 1/2 years ago I had to find a German name to rival my own. After months of searching I was only so lucky to find the perfect name for the lead water sprite’s daughter….Nixie!
So I say LIVE ON LORELEI, LIVE ON!