Thanks to Alicia and Kim for suggesting Louisa as Name of the Day.

Ladylike Louisa features in several Jane Austen novels and more than one Charles Dickens tale.  Beloved writer Louisa May Alcott gave us the enduring Little Women and company. Louisa Adams was wife of President John Quincy Adams, and thus First Lady in the 1820s.

Factor in the name’s nineteenth century heyday, and no wonder Louisa conjures up images of a pinafore-clad girl in a sepia-toned portrait.  Her Germanic origins and the meaning “famous warrior” keep her on the right side of dainty, but she’s undeniably a pretty, feminine choice.

She doesn’t appear in the historical record much before the eighteenth century, though Aloysius, Lewis and Louis are in use long before.

Current favorites like Emma, Grace and Ella were all big in the 1800s, too.  It’s easy to imagine Louisa fitting right in on a modern playground, but Louisa has yet to make a comeback.  Her last appearance in the US Top 1000 was in 1969.

The Latinate Louisa has always been an also-ran to the French Louise.  In the 1910s, Louise made it into the US Top 20.  During the Roaring Twenties, she was worn by silent screen style icon Louise Brooks.  Today, Louise is a Top Ten pick in Belgium and popular in the UK, where she’s worn by the current Queen’s youngest granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor.  She’s yet to resurface in the US, where she’s more likely to bring up references to George and Weezy on The Jeffersons, but she ranked in the Top 1000 as late as 1991.

Throw in Luisa, a variant that looks Latina but is actually quite fashionable in Germany and the title of a Verdi opera, and you can find many a worthy inspiration.  Athletes, poets, politicians, countesses and queens have all answered to some version of the name.  During the seventeenth century the highly educated and well-connected Louise de Marillac was turned down for membership by a religious order.  Years later,  she co-founded the Daughters of Charity with St. Vincent de Paul.  She, too, is considered a saint.

She makes for a versatile name, rich in possible diminutives, including:

• Lucy, currently ranked #112 in the US as an independent name;
• Lou, an option for a daughter suggested by trend-setting power couple Heidi Klum and Seal;
• Lulu, as in the 1960s singer, the cartoon and Ms. Brooks;
• Lula, which leans a little bit hick but also conjures up Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s;
• Lola, a stretch, maybe, but if you can’t imagine penning Dolores on the birth certificate, Louisa could be an alternative.

In the US, Louisa seems like the more fashionable choice, a substitute for parents disappointed to learn that their sister-in-law/neighbor/BFF has already used Sophia/Olivia/Isabella.  Like Beatrice, Louisa is the kind of enduring choice that seems perfectly mainstream, even ordinary, but is actually quite unusual.

Thanks to Corinne for suggesting Shepherd as Name of the Day.

Shepherd peeked into the US Top 1000 just once in the nineteenth century, and it takes some digging to find a real-life bearer of the name.  Those that do are almost certainly wearing a family surname promoted to the first spot.

While some occupational surnames are mysterious, their trades unknown in modern life (Tanner) or simply forgotten (Thatcher), Shepherd is transparent.  From the Old English sceap – sheep – and hierde – herd, the name means to round up the livestock, and was worn by crook-carrying nomads for generations.

Archer might just shoot arrows; Taylor is all about stitching.  But a shepherd’s flock can be spiritual as well as woolly.  The Latin term pastor literally means shepherd, and pastorem means “to lead to pasture.”

The parallel between sheep and souls isn’t new.  The second century work The Shepherd of Hermas, remains an influential piece of Christian writing today and was once considered scripture by some.  In the sixth century, Pope Gregory I penned Cura Pastoralis.

It’s a reference that surfaces again and again, so if you’re looking for a masculine choice with a healthy dose of spiritual sensibility, Shepherd is an option.

Most parents promoting Shepherd to the first spot were probably bestowing a familial surname.  Including spelling variations, notable bearers of the name include:

• Shepard Fairey, a street artist with serious high brow status.  Among other notable images, he designed the Obama HOPE poster.  Turns out Shepard was originally his middle name – his first name?  Frank;
• Shepperd Strudwick was an actor from the 1930s through the 80s, known for a handful of small roles in notable films.  He was born John Shepperd;
• In the 1950s, Shepard J. Crumpacker, Jr. served as a Congressman from Indiana;
• Shepard Menken actor graduated from the radio to other mediums, frequently working as a voice actor.  His most notable role was as the animated, valiant mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi in the 1975 film adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling tale;
• On the small screen, you can catch the FOX Report with Shepard Smith.  The FOX News anchor was born David Shepard Smith Jr.

Inspiration to promote Shepherd to a given name may very well come from a very different television show.  The short-lived, but much-lauded Joss Whedon production Firefly, later reborn for the big screen as Serenity.  It’s a blend of the Wild West meets outer space in the twenty-sixth century.  Shepherd Book was a pastor of an unspecified Christian faith.  Shepherd was his title, but his first name was never mentioned in the series.

Shep is the logical short form.  But he has a definite canine vibe, thanks to the song “Old Shep” and a number of notable dogs that have answered to the name.

Overall, Shepherd makes for a intriguing choice.  It could wear especially well as an unexpected middle name option, either to honor family or for his spiritual reference.

Thanks to Breanna for suggesting Phoebe as Name of the Day.

The Greek phoibos means bright, and the original Phoibe was a moon goddess – grandmama to Artemis in some tellings.  A handful of other mythological characters wore the name, but the moon goddess is the one who fell for the shepherd Endymion.  There’s more to their story, but let’s leave it there, except to note that one of Saturn’s sixty-plus moons is named in her honor.

Phoebe is the Latinized version of the name, and the common spelling throughout the Western world.  Besides the moon, Phoebe links to the natural world via:

• A genus of evergreen trees are called phoebe;
• A bitsy perching bird, a member of the tyrant flycatcher family, is also know as the phoebe, thanks to her birdsong, which sounds just like the name: fee bee.

If goddesses and growing things aren’t for you, perhaps her Biblical tie will appeal.  In the New Testament, Phoebe is an early Christian woman living in Corinth.  She’s sometimes referred to as a deaconess, but that assertion can set off a firestorm about the role of women in the early church.  Suffice to say that St. Paul thought she was the bee’s knees, and she appears on the Roman Catholic calendar of saints.

Literary Phoebes include a shepherdess in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, though the Bard preferred the spelling Phebe, and Holden Caulfield’s little sis in Catcher in the Rye. There’s also Phoebe Pyncheon, a pretty country cousin in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables.

Today’s parents probably recognize Phoebe from television and movies:

• 1980s screen staple Phoebe Cates appeared in the blockbuster Gremlins and the classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High and is still acting today;
• From 1994 to 2004, Lisa Kudrow played quirky character Phoebe Buffay on must-see-TV megahit Friends.  The role won her an Emmy;
• Debuting in 1998, the supernatural tale of a trio of sisters – and witches – known as Charmed included Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell.  Charmed ran through 2006 and may be part of the reason Piper – the name of another sister-witch – has caught on in recent years.

There was a character by the name on The Bold and the Beautiful and a Bratz doll called Phoebe, too.

Then there’s my favorite fictional Phoebe, Phoebe Snow.  Circa 1900, railroad travel was less than elegant.  Enter Phoebe Snow, a demure young lady unafraid to travel from Manhattan to Buffalo via the Lackawanna Railroad clad head-to-toe in white, from parasol to high-buttoned shoes.  Back in the day she was among the most recognized of corporate icons.

Phoebe’s heyday was probably pre-rankings.  In the 1880s and 90s she appeared in the 200s, but was already falling.  She spent the 1960s, 70s and 80s unranked until Cates and company brought her back into the public eye.  In 1989 she re-entered the charts at #945.  Phoebe has zigged and zagged her way up the charts, reaching #348 in 2008.

Phoebe’s a nickname-proof choice that can satisfy parents seeking a saint’s name, a nature name, a goddess name … she’s surprisingly versatile.

Thanks to Maureen for suggesting Campbell as Name of the Day.

Campbell conjures up Black Watch plaid and Old World castles.  There’s a certain romance to the name, though Campbell is far from frilly.

The Campbells trace their roots to the 1200s, and within a century or two, they were among the most powerful of the Scottish Highland clans.  The chief of Clan Campbell collected titles through the ages, eventually became the Duke of Argyll.  The current Duke’s given name is Torquhil, and his fortune is so vast that he plays elephant polo.

Some have tried to lend a poetic origin to the name, but most agree Campbell comes from the Gaelic caim beul - crooked mouth, possibly hinting at a foreign accent – and thus, foreign origins, for the original Campbell.  Regardless, he’s thoroughly Scottish today and there have been tons of famous bearers of the surname.

One of them went into the soup biz.

Joseph A. Campbell started the company in 1869, but it would be a few years before the company perfected the method of condensing soup.  Campbell’s grew into one of the biggest food companies in the world during the 20th century, and the red and white logo with the gold seal remains one of the most visible – and least changed – packages on any American supermarket shelf.

The humble can was elevated to high art in 1962. Pop art pioneer Andy Warhol – apparently a soup fan – took to painting the cans.  His first series represented the 32 varieties available and stayed faithful to the cans’ appearance.  Over the years, he painted ever more fanciful interpretations.  Even if you’re more of a Mona Lisa/Monet aficionado, it is hard to deny the impact of Warhol’s cans.  One of the original series – Small Torn Campbell Soup Can (Pepper Pot) -  sold for a staggering $11.8 million in 2006.

Maybe this is why Campbell feels a bit like another vaguely artistic surname, Jackson.

Boys have worn their mother’s maiden name in the first spot for years, enough that Campbell darts in the US Boys’ Top 1000 now and again, from the late nineteenth century right into recent years.  His last appearance was at #933 in 2005.

Alec Baldwin played an attorney named Campbell in 2009’s big screen adaptation of Jodi Picoult’s novel My Sister’s Keeper, but Campbell doesn’t seem to be catching on – at least not for boys.

Visit the US Girls’ Top 1000 and you’ll find a slightly different story.  Campbell entered the Girls’ Top 1000 in 2003, made it as high as #661 in 2006 and fell to #762 in 2008.  Cam- names for girls – from Baldwin’s co-star in My Sister’s Keeper, megastar Cameron Diaz – to the ladylike Camila and Camille – dot the popularity charts.  Her -bell ending is a bonus.

But Campbell’s use for girls is most likely linked to CNN news anchor Campbell Brown.  Born Alma Dale Campbell Brown, she’s a high profile working mom to sons Eli and Asher.

That said, Campbell doesn’t seem to be the next Addison.  If you find this name hanging on your family tree, it remains a solid, thoroughly Scottish surname choice to consider for a child.

Thanks to Sarah for suggesting Harriet as Name of the Day.

Evergreen Henry was worn by saints and kings.  Feminine forms include the four-syllable Henrietta and the slightly more tailored Harriet.

Henri came to England with the Normans, where the English pronounced the name Herry – or Harry.  Henriette – the logical French feminine form – must have led to Harriette and Harriet somewhere along that path.

Except that there weren’t any Harriets much before the 1600s, and her heyday was the eighteenth century century.  When the US first started compiling baby names stats in the early 1880s, she still ranked in the Top 100.

Notable  Harriets over the centuries have included:

• Harriet Martineau was a pioneer in the field of sociology and a noted feminist thinker of the early nineteenth century;
• The aristocratic Harriet Arbuthnot kept diaries about her life among the powerful.  Arbuthnot’s husband was a member of Parliament, but it is Arbuthnot’s writings that have endured, especially her observations about her close friend, the Duke of Wellington;
• Born Elizabeth Ann Haryett, Harriet Howard’s life story reads like a work of fiction, including her affair with Napoleon III of France;
• Hawaiian Queen Keopulani converted to Christianity on her deathbed in 1823, borrowing Harriet from a missionary’s wife.  Her daughter became known as Harrieta;
• Born Araminta, Harriet Tubman adopted her mother’s given name, and went on to become one of the most famous leaders of the Underground Railroad;
• Abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe is remembered for her world-changing 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin;
• Bachelor US President James Buchanan relied on his niece, Harriet Lane, to serve as his hostess during the 1850s;
• Harriet Brooks was something of a Canadian Marie Curie, a pioneer in the field of nuclear physics;
• Suffragette Harriet Shaw Weaver supported early publications of James Joyce’s novels;
• Writer Harriet Quimby became the first American woman to receive a pilot’s license in the US;
• Harriet Zwerling was part of the bohemian circle of Beat poets in Paris in the 1950s and has been a writer and model since;
• Real-life married couple Ozzie and Harriet Nelson starred in a successful radio program turned ABC sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.  So did their sons, and later their son’s wives.  Call it the first reality TV show.

 She’d wear well today, too.  Consider:

• Harriet currently ranks #73 in England;
• She shares the -et of Juliet, Violet and Scarlet;
• Her nickname options are great, including Hattie and Hettie, and even tomboy Harry;
• Just like Roald Dahl’s Matilda, there’s an enduring young adult novel with an appealing big screen adaptation.

The book is Louise Fitzhugh’s 1964 novel Harriet the Spy, about an eleven year old New Yorker and amateur investigative journalist – she makes the rounds of her ‘hood, noting various factoids about the neighbors and her classmates.  Naturally, her notebook falls into the wrong hands and Harriet suffers mightily.  But it all ends well, and Harriet becomes editor of the school’s newspaper.  It became a movie in 1996; the Disney Channel is about to reboot the character with a made-for-TV movie called Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars.  

Add it up, and she’s an appealing choice – smart, quirky cool, bold not dainty and definitely not mainstream.

Speaking of winners, whilst channel surfing earlier this week, I caught an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras featuring BFFs turned rivals, Jacee and Mayce.  I like Macy, but find Jaycee a touch too civic to wear.  But here’s the thing – neither of those spellings immediately suggests the correct sound.  I think I’d say JAH see and mace, like the weapon, except that I can guess what they’re meant to be.  Maycee, sure.  Jaycie, okay.  But Jacee and Mayce, IMHO, fail some essential test about phonetic transparency.

Not that that’s anything new.

And of course, I watched the two-part special episode of The Office just to hear the baby’s name.  Pam and Jim Halpert are now parents to Cecilia Marie.  Cecilia ranked #270 in 2008, and seemed to have plateau’d.  I suspect she’ll rise in 2010, because even though Nancy’s advice to Turn Off Your TV When Choosing Bad Names is sound, pop culture is powerful.

Elsewhere online:

• Momlogic posted their list of 8 illegal baby names.  Most of them are international violations of various codes – I suppose you could name your baby Metallica in the US.  Heck, someone probably already has;
• Speaking of illegal names and heavy metal, a bitsy Québécois baby gets to keep her umlaut.  New mom Kriystal – not a typo – decided that she wanted to make #19 name Zoé more unique with a gratuitous diacritical mark.  So she called her newborn babe Zöé and ran afoul of those crazy Canadian authorities who think that diacritical marks should indicate how to pronounce a name, not simply be strung on like so many Mardi Gras beads.  Kriystal won, and can look forward to years of explaining to the insurance company and school registrar precisely how to spell Zöé;
• Also in Canada, parents settled on the name Porsha, but insist it isn’t for the Shakespeare or the car.  The spelling Portia was dismissed because “it looked like a witch name.”  Here’s hoping Porsha grows up to be a lit major and discovers that Portia is actually the quick-witted woman who saves Antonio’s life when everyone else falls short – and a worthy namesake if ever one was;
• Nancy asks how similar should twin names be? I voted, then visited the Social Security Administration’s Top 100 list of twin names. Most strike me as on the edge of being too close:  Jacob and Joshua, the #1 combo, are fine.  But #5 pair Taylor and Tyler, #25 pair Christian and Christopher and #75 duo Heaven and Nevaeh all seem much too much.  I prefer sets like #33 Benjamin and Samuel or #35 Abigail and Emma - the names have similar styles, but it is clear that each child is an individual, not one half of novelty salt’n'pepper shakers;
• For Real Baby Names spots a lot of interesting names, but here’s one that baffles me: Gossip Anthony.  There must be a story there.  The girl name Loyalty Justice – also spotted this week – seems tame by comparison;
• If you prefer meaningful names with a more subtle style, Sebastiane brings us the lovely Honorine.  Also the Russian Lara;
• Road trippers might appreciate this one – For Real spotted a boy saddled with the name Soul-Ryder Prescott, to be called Ryder, which isn’t so unusual.  But his brother’s name?  Truck;
• All of a sudden, I love Aidan.  At least for this couple. Dad Daniel and mom Ailene settled on Aidan because it combines the first syllables of their names.  Clever;
• Nymbler stats are out for February 2010! No surprises in the Top Ten favorite names: Charlotte, Ava, Amelia, Grace, Ella, Audrey, Oliver, Jack, Benjamin and Henry.  But the four brand new names quite eye-popping:
  • Siri – An intriguing twist on Sigrid and Signe, but where did she come from?  I’m missing something!
  • Baylor – Are there really that many Bears alumni out there?  Or is this a riff on Taylor?
  • Emersyn – Okay, this one isn’t a shocker.  She fits with Addisyn et. al.;
  • Wednesday – As in Addams?

Here’s the starbaby news, via Celebrity Baby Blog:

• Country Music’s Little Big Town Band members Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook are new parents to a son, Elijah Daniel;
• Jenna Elfman welcomed a second son, Easton Quinn Monroe, a little brother for Story Elias;
• Joey Lawrence welcomed new daughter Liberty Grace, a sister for Charleston;
• Keyshia Cole welcomed a son named Daniel Hiram, Jr.;
• Christina Milian and The Dream welcomed their daughter, Violet Madison;
• Jamie Oliver and wife Jools are expecting baby #4. With three daughters called Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo and Petal Blossom Rainbow, well … let’s just say I am eagerly expecting their new arrival!

Drumroll please!  It’s time to enter the 5th Annual Baby Name Wizard 2009 Baby Name Pool! Guess three fastest rising and three fastest falling names and win bragging rights.  Serious bragging rights.  Entries are due April 15.

That’s all for this week – thanks for reading!

Of course, she’s also Norway’s answer to the Loch Ness monster.  And a creepy, cross-dressing polygamist wife on HBO’s Big Love.

Mexican actress Salma Hayek wears a similar, but unrelated Arabic name.

Selma hasn’t charted in the US Top 1000 since 1956, but she regularly charted in the Top 200 during the late nineteenth century.  Could she make a comeback today – yea or nay?

I’m smitten with Marpessa.  She was an Aetolian princess descended from the gods in Greek myth, but I cant explain how Marpessa Dawn, born in Pittsburgh, got the name.  Anyone care to use it for a daughter?

Thanks to Natalie for suggesting Nathaniel as Name of the Day.

Once upon a time, the favored spelling was Nathanael, as worn by a New Testament apostle, though he’s better known as Bartholomew.  There’s also an Old Testament figure named Nathan. While both choices are derived from the Hebrew element meaning gift, they seem to have developed separately.

If either was in use through the Middle Ages, they’re lost to the historical record.  But post-Protestant Reformation the Nat- names caught on, especially in the Colonies.  Notable Nathaniels include:

• Nathanael Greene served under George Washington during the American Revolution, ending as a Major General;
• Nathanial Saltonstall served as a judge during the Salem Witch Trials, and is remembered for resigning from his post.  It is generally assumed that he did so in protest.  His descendants have continued to distinguish themselves – and at least a few have also been called Nathaniel;
• Mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch is remembered primarily for his contributions to navigation in the early nineteenth century;
• Union Army General Nathaniel Banks went on to serve as Massachusetts governor and speaker of the US  House of Representatives.

But the best known Nathaniel was born Nathaniel Hathorne in Salem, Massachusetts.  As a young adult, he added a “w” to become Hawthorne, possibly because he preferred to distance himself from ancestor John Hathorne, the unrepentant judge from the Salem Witch Trials, Saltonstall’s polar opposite.

As Hawthorne, he went on to write many enduring works of American fiction, from The Scarlet Letter to The Blithedale Romance to The House of the Seven Gables.  His characters wore some great names – Hester, Zenobia, Hepzibah – and his own kids were nicely named, too – Una, Julian and Rose.

In more recent years, the legendary Nat King Cole was born Nathaniel.  The small screen gave us Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under and Nate Archibald on Gossip Girl.  Feminine version Natalie – the name Cole gave to his daughter – ranked #13 in 2008, more popular than either of the masculine versions.

My vote for most intriguing character was Nathanael West, born Nathan Weinstein.  While worked nights at a hotel, he penned Miss Lonleyhearts, a Great Depression-era novel about a male advice columnist masquerading as a female advice columnist.  It’s no light-hearted farce, but a dark tale of sorrow and despair.

Maybe it isn’t the best inspiration for a child’s name.  But it doesn’t matter.  The Nat- names have an undeniable appeal.  They wear well from childhood through adulthood and manage to sound both classic and current.  Nickname Nate also shares the fashionable long a sound of Aidan and company.

As is so often the case, his popularity is the only possible shortcoming for Nathaniel.  Not only was he a Top 100 pick in the US, ranking #77 in 2008, but he also charted in the Canadian Top 100.  Nathan was #21 in the US, and is huge in the French-speaking world, including Canada, Switzerland and France.

If you don’t mind the possibility that your son will share his name, Nathaniel remains a great choice, rich in history and offering both a distinguished formal name and friendly short forms.

Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Juliet as Name of the Day.

Americans – and most English speakers – tend to favor diminutives formed by shortening a name.  William becomes Bill and Caroline answers to Carrie.  But in many other languages, the pet form is longer than the original.  So it is with Juliet.  In the Italian, Giulia becomes Guilietta.  In the French, Julie transforms to Juliette.

Bill Shakespeare borrowed the names and plot of his enduring tragedy from poet Arthur Brooke, whose 1562 The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet is largely forgotten.  Brooke, in turn, owed his inspiration to  Italian writer Matteo Bandello, though Bandello may have simply been assembling traditional stories and Shakespeare was reading translations into English from French translations of the original, rather than Bandello’s Italian collection.

In any case, Giulietta had been streamlined to Juliet early in the story-telling, and despite the diminutive form, there’s no indication in the play that her name is anything other.  She is, of course, the daughter of the Capulets, a wealthy heiress about to be wed to a suitable suitor.  Romeo gate-crashes the Capulet’s ball, and well, you know the rest.    

Romeo’s name was long considered much too much for parents to give to a son, but there’s been a steady willingness to use Juliet for generations.  Her 2008 ranking of #451 isn’t her peak – that was #442 in 1886 – and she appeared in the Top 1000 right through the 1970s.

Add in Juliette, currently ranked at #549 and the name is more common than you might think.

Juliette is a Top Ten pick in Quebec and a Top 50 choice in Belgium.  The two spellings combined could be nearly as successful in the US.  

Just like her beloved, Juliet owes much of her popularity to the 1996 Baz Lurhman reboot of Romeo + Juliet.  She’d fallen out of use until the year of the movie’s release, when she resurfaced at #825.

It isn’t just the silver screen encouraging parents to consider the lovely Juliet.  It’s also that stylish -et ending, shared by:

• The Irish Bridget;
• Botanical Violet;
• The colorful Scarlet.

A handful of pop culture references continue to boost Juliet.  Television characters on Lost and Psych wear the name.  Recording artists from Stevie Nicks to LMNT have recorded singles called “Juliet.”  Taylor Swift’s 2008 hit single “Love Story” gives the ill-fated lovers a happy ending.

There’s also the popularity of Julian, currently a Top 100 pick for boys and the rise of many a French nom for jeune filles.

Real life Juliets can be found, too, from FOX News’ Juliet Huddy to French actress Juliette Binoche.  Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low is one of the best known Juliettes.  She was named after her grandmother, Juliette Magill Kinzie, an early nineteenth century writer.

While some literary choices feel like a lot of name, Juliet can wear Julie or Jules as easily as Julia, Julianne or any of the formal versions might.  Doubtless that’s part of her appeal.

Overall, Juliet and Juliette make for names that are just a little bit different – not quite the classic Julia, but not too unusual either.