Fetching Names: The Katnisses, Part I

Katniss Everdeen

Katniss Everdeen; Image via Wikipedia

Did you read the Fetching Names posts on The Hermiones?  (No?  Catch up with Part I and Part II.)  To be a Hermione, a name has to be many things, but the basic definition is this: vintage, but not delicate.  Clunky, but still cool.

On the original post punkprincessphd wrote this comment: ” … let us *raise* our daughters to be Hermiones, and don’t just stop at naming them such. But to go one step further, I wouldn’t mind if my daughter was a little bit Katniss, too.”

Katniss Everdeen, heroine of The Hunger Games trilogy, has much in common with Hermione Granger.  But her name is different.  It’s modern, but not invented.  Feminine, but not obviously so.  And like The Hermiones, the name has to exude strength.  But while Miss Granger is all about intellect, Miss Everdeen relies on an almost preternatural instinct.

And so here it is: The Katnisses, bold – even heroic – names for a daughter.

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Baby Name of the Day: Zona

The portrait of American author Zona Gale (187...

Zona Gale; Image via Wikipedia

She’s a blast from the past, a once common name worn by a famous writer.  Today, she’s all but unknown – and not likely to return.

Thanks to Beth one from her family tree for our Baby Name of the Day: Zona.

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Fetching Names: Borrowed from the Beatles

English: The Beatles wave to fans after arrivi...

You might not recognize Lady Gaga or Katy Perry, and you’re forgiven if you can’t tell the difference between Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand.  But very few of us don’t instantly know a Beatles song.  Plenty of the titles are pleasing appellations, and even more names are mentioned in their lyrics.

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Baby Name of the Day: Ellia

e61

e61 by Too Far North via Flickr

Take the -ia from Olivia and Sophia, borrow the El- from Ella and Elizabeth, and you’ll arrive at a terribly pretty possibility for a daughter, one that just might have ancient roots.

Thanks to Cindy for suggesting her daughter’s name, Ellia as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Pimm

Balls its the season pimms

Photo by ambernectar via Flickr

It’s a classic cocktail and a medieval appellation.  Would it be a possibility today?

Thanks to Findley for suggesting Pimm as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Artemisia

English: Artemisia I became the ruler, after t...

Artemis was a goddess, eternally young.  Today’s choice honors the huntress, but has been worn by some rather extraordinary women.

Thanks to Christina for suggesting Artemisia as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Garnet

English: a collection of oval Garnets in light...

Image via Wikipedia

We have daughters named Ruby and Pearl, Gemma and Jewel, so why not this sparkling appellation?

Thanks to Marianne and Larkin for suggesting Garnet as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Baby Name of the Day: Fiona

Princess Fiona

She’s the princess-ogre in Shrek, an Irish(ish) option with an appealing sound.

Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Fiona as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Fetching Names: Into the Wayback Machine with the Girls’ Top 25

Love Tapestry; fragment; Basel c. 1450

Image via Wikipedia

I’m fascinated by names from the Middle Ages. They’re often quite similar to those parents love today, but tend to be almost entirely overlooked.

Nameberry has the Coolator.  I’d call this the Medievalizer, except that sounds like a torture device.

Instead, this is a list of the 2010 US Top 25 for girls, with suggestions for parents looking for something just a little different – or maybe something that would be right at home in the eleventh century.

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