Artis Gilmore; Image by Vedia via Flickr

He was a regular in the US Top 1000 in the first half of the twentieth century, but today he’s all but unknown.

Thanks to Sara for suggesting the antique Artis as our Baby Name of the Day.

Artis sounds an awful lot like artist, hold the t.  Or maybe Arliss, another obscurity boosted by the HBO sports-centric sitcom.  And then there’s Ardith and Ardis.  I could go on, but let’s face it – none of these are well enough known to explain Artis’ steady use from shortly after the year 1900, right through the 1960s.

The most common explanation for Artis is that he’s simply a variant of the regal Arthur.  This tracks – Arthur ranked in the US Top Twenty from the late nineteenth century, into the early twentieth, and his decline mirrors the decline in use of Artis.

The two most common arguments for Arthur’s origins link him to the Brythonic art - bear – or the Irish Gaelic art - stone.  Either is a compelling inspiration for the legendary ruler of Camelot.  But they’re difficult to verify.

Regardless, Artos and Artus appear as medieval variants of Arthur, and his name was commonly Latinized as Arturus, or sometimes Artorius.  The latter potentially links the name to an obscure Roman family – but their family name is no easier to decipher than Arthur.

Let’s say this: Arthur was in the ether throughout the area we now know as Great Britain, and it is no surprise to find variants, be they directly related or simply associated over time.

Artis is also sometimes listed as a feminine form of Arthur.  I’ll give you that she’d be less clumsy to wear than Arthuretta or Arthurine.  Only a handful of women have answered to the name, and given the popularity of Arthur, doubtless many families cast about for a plausible feminine form.

A few other options include:

• A contracted form of Artemis, but that’s not supported;
• A borrowing from the Latin, where the word for art is ars; artis is the genitive case.  A zoo in Amsterdam is known as Artis, derived from Latin phrase “Natura artis magistra” – Nature is the teacher of art.  Poetic, but feels less likely;
• Artis also appears as a surname.  This grabbed me, because my first thought on hearing Artis was Artois.  Indeed, Artis can be a surname for someone from the region, ultimately derived from the name of a local tribe.

Artis also appears to have history in Latvia.  -s endings are very common in Latvian with names like Ralfs and Daniels, and Arturs is among the most common names.

Overall, Artis feels like an intriguing option.  In the first spot, the name is probably slightly more at home on a girl, like classic ends-in-s choices Frances and Alice.  But plural boys – think Wells, Yates, and Ames – are gaining ground, too.

His full name is Arthur Saint Bleick.  No word yet on whether Saint is a family name, or if the Blair-Bleicks are following the Beckham family’s lead and choosing stylish-but-safe first names paired with way-out-there middles.

I’m wildly biased in favor of Arthur, of course – it is shared by no fewer than three of my favorite guys, including my dear, departed grandfather.  But with ends-in-r names feeling very current these days, Arthur gets extra points.

Congratulations to Selma and Jason!  What do you think of their pick?

Ellen Terry as Guinevere; Image via Wikipedia

She’s the queen of Camelot, and the source of the #1 baby name of the 1970s.

Thanks to Angel and Charlotte for suggesting Guinevere as our Baby Name of the Day.

You know someone named Jennifer.  I just know that you do – if not your sister, then a neighbor, a colleague, a friend.  After all, she occupied the top spot for more than a decade, and first entered the Top 100 back in 1956.

Guinevere is as rare as Jennifer is common.  She’s never ranked in the US Top 1000, and just 57 girls received the name in 2010.

The original name was something like Gwenhwyfar, though it is also recorded as Gwenhevare, Gwenore, Gwynnever, and Wannore.  Geoffrey of Monmouth used the vaguely Latinized Guanhumara in his versions.  The Irish equivalent is Findabair; in Cornwall, Gwenhwyfar eventually became Jennifer – and the rest is history.

More poetic sources give her meaning as white enchantress.  The gwen element appears in several Welsh feminine names and means fair; the second half is open to debate.  I’ve come across smooth, great, wave, and magical.

The most famous bearer is the beautiful wife of King Arthur, known for her affair with one of Arthur’s knights, the handsome, conflicted Lancelot, or possibly Mordred, depending on whether you’re following Broadway or the earlier texts.  Her betrayal brings down Arthur’s charmed rule.  In some accounts, she’s not much of a role model for a child; in others, she’s quite the virtuous noblewoman – aside from the adultery.

Since that’s the part of her story that endures, perhaps it is understandable that Guinevere never caught on, even as Arthur waxed and waned.  It’s not for lack of prominent uses.  The Tony-award winning Camelot from 1960 featured Julie Andrews as the ill-fated queen;  Vanessa Redgrave played the part in the 1967 movie version.  It wasn’t the first dramatic adaptation of the story, of course – the photo above shows famous nineteenth century actress Ellen Terry as Guinevere in an 1895 stage play called King Arthur.

A handful of women have worn the name, like screenwriter Guinevere Turner, but most of the other references are fictional:

• 1999 indie flick Guinevere won accolades.  The heroine, Harper Sloane, was nicknamed Guinevere by her much older lover;
• Then there’s mid-90s cartoon Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, though the main character was sometimes called Starla;
• Guinevere Jones was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-esque character, the reincarnation of the legendary queen who fought all manner of evil on a Canadian television show for two seasons beginning in 2002.

She’s decidedly obscure, and yet, she fits in with a host of names all boasting a high style quotient:

• Genevieve (#279 in 2010)
• Evangeline (#333)
• Vivienne (#428)

Nickname options include Gwen, Vera, or possibly Eve and Evie – all attractive and easy to wear.

If you’re seeking dramatic, literary, vaguely medieval, and unusual, Guinevere could have some serious appeal.  She’s elaborate but not really frilly, and she’s familiar without being at all common.  That’s an elusive combination for a child’s name.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table; Image via Wikipedia

He’s a medieval knight and a 21st century sidekick.

Thanks to Shan for suggesting Gareth as our Baby Name of the Day.

Gareth’s meaning is disputed, but everyone knows where he comes from: Le Morte d’Arthur, the fifteenth century collection of tales from the Round Table, compiled by Sir Thomas Malory.

Just like any self-respecting knight, Gareth goes on an adventure, bests a rival, and rescues a maiden or two.  He also loses his life to Lancelot, at least in most tellings, and that is usually given as the reason the Round Table finally unravels.

There is one feature of Gareth’s story that is a little bit different.  On his arrival at Camelot, he doesn’t announce his noble status – he’s actually related to King Arthur – but instead ends up working as a kitchen boy.  Much is made of the aristocratic Eluned’s mocking of humble Gareth, who never does reveal his name, and his known as Beaumains – pretty hands.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, gave Gareth and Eluned a happy ending in his mid-nineteenth century Idylls of the King.  In other versions, Gareth marries Eluned’s sister.

A few knightly names have fared well in recent years, like Gavin and Tristan.  But Gareth has remained obscure, never cracking the US Top 1000.

If you know the name, it may not be about Camelot, but about a humdrum office park in Slough.  The cast of  The Office – the British version, before Michael Scott and Dunder Mifflin were household names – included the overly rigid and rulesy Gareth Keenan.  Like his American counterpart, Dwight, you can’t imagine parents deciding to name a child in his honor.

Between the round table and the sidekick, there are a handful of others:

• In the 1930s, Welsh journalist Gareth Jones was known for breaking the story of the Ukrainian famine;
• Welsh poet Gareth Davies was known for his work in Spanish;
• Welsh actor Gareth Thomas has had a long career on stage and in small roles on television;
• In 1994′s Four Weddings and a Funeral, one of the friends answers to Gareth.  It is his funeral that they attend.

See a pattern?  Nearly every notable Gareth is Welsh.  If I’d added in athletes, there are even more.  The name had a good run in Wales; and while his meaning is disputed, most suggest that his origins are likely Welsh.  If Rhys is on the rise, why not Gareth?

In the US, similar names have fared well for boys:

• Gary reached the US Top Ten in the 1950s;
• Garrett fared well in the 1990s;
• Jarrett followed Garrett up the charts, but has fallen fast.

Gareth has one flaw – the logical nickname, Gary, feels out of place on a child these days.  But if you belong to the no-nickname camp, that might be another point in his favor.

If you’re looking for an unusual name that is still familiar, Gareth might fit the bill.

Riley is your kid’s classmate.  Bradley is Riley’s dad.

Smoosh ‘em together, and you get Radley, a surname worn by To Kill a Mockingbird’s recluse, Arthur “Boo” Radley.

Could Radley catch on as the next big thing in last names?  Tell us – Yea or Nay?

Welsh dragon; Image via Wikipedia

Emmett is big for boys.  Rhys, Reese, and Reece are on the rise for both genders.

Here’s an obscure option that combines the best of both.  Thanks to Shelby for suggesting Emrys as our Baby Name of the Day.

Emrys is a Welsh name, and there’s some debate about his pronunciation.  Most guides list him as EM riss, and most YouTube videos confirm.  But I find it hard to shake impulse to say EM rees.  Maybe that’s just an American inclination to gussy up the pronunciation of a foreign name, or maybe that’s the similarity to Rhys.

But Welsh is phonetic, and the rules are clear.  The “hy” in Rhys makes a long e sound, but Emrys sounds like Carys or Dilys.

If you can get over the possible pronunciation snarl, this is a versatile option, with ties to saints and wizards alike.

Let’s start with the saint.  Saint Ambrose lived in the 300s.  He didn’t seek out a career in the church, but eventually became bishop during a theological crisis.  He went on to become a theological heavy hitter, and a major influence of Saint Augustine.

His name caught on, and in Welsh, Ambrose became Emrys.

Ambrose and Emrys are universally listed as equivalents, sharing an origin – the Greek ambrosios, meaning immortal.  Emrys could be the Welsh version of Ambrose – like Betrys for Beatrice – or Emrys might be an older Welsh name that was linked with the saint’s appellation.  Emyr means king in Welsh, and -rys is a common enough ending.

In either case, Emrys is a serious Welsh heritage choice.  In the fifth century, Emrys Wledig was a military leader, fighting off invaders.  In the same era, Myrddin Wyllt was a semi-legendary prophet.  Geoffrey of Monmouth combined the two figures to create Myrddin Emrys to his retellings of traditional Welsh stories about King Arthur.  Monmouth Latinized Myrddin Emrys as Merlinus Ambrosius, creating the enduring figure Merlin.

There have been Welsh men named Emrys over the years.  Perhaps the best known is famed Shakespearean actor Emrys James, born in 1928.

Emrys is equally compelling as a place name.  The ruins of the castle Dinas Emrys – the fortress of Ambrosius – stand in north-west Wales.  The story goes something like this: King Vortigern chose the site for his fortress, but attempts at construction were unsuccessful – every night, the day’s work was undone.  He’s told to summon a local youth – Emrys, known to us as Merlin.  Emrys explains that a pair of dragons live in a pool under the fortress site, and it is their nightly battle that undoes Vortigern’s efforts.

Advice in hand, Vortigern frees the pair of dragons.  The red one wins – hence, the flag of Wales, pictured above.

Despite dueling dragons and legendary kings, Emrys has a gentle sound.  If you’re looking to honor Welsh roots, he’s a compelling option.  With his -s ending, he’s quite stylish, fitting in with choices like Rufus and Silas.

The only challenge is one shared by surname picks like Emerson – nearly any starts-with-Em name is vulnerable to sounding like an alternative to Emma and Emily.

But Emrys is so rare that chances are your son would never share his name with anyone, except his legendary namesakes.

Image by J.E.S. via Flickr

There’s something tremendously upbeat about this Irish surname.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day: Sullivan.

Sullivan is instantly recognizable as an Irish surname.  There’s general consensus that the name translates to something like “little dark eyed one.”

But if you have any familiarity with musical theater, chances Sullivan brings to mind The Pirates of Penzance or The Mikado or any of the tremendously popular Gilbert & Sullivan operettas from the Victorian era.  W.S. Gilbert wrote the lyrics; Arthur Sullivan, the music.  The rest is history.

The surname appeared in the US Top 1000 a few times in the nineteenth century, but Sullivan’s real climb is recent – and fueled, at least in part, by a blue, furry monster.

Pixar‘s Monsters, Inc. was the studio’s fourth feature film, released in 2001.  Mike Wazowski – a one-eyed green ball with legs – and James P. Sullivan, called Sulley, report to work every day at Monstropolis’ power plant.  They sneak into kids’ bedrooms, scare them, and bottle the screams to power the city.  Things go whopper-jawed when a child they call Boo sneaks into Monstropolis, and discovers that Sulley is a loveable goofball, not a scary beast.

Sure enough, Sullivan entered the US Boys’ Top 1000 in 2002.  He’d climbed to #651 by 2009.

It’s not just the friendly monster raising Sullivan’s profile:

• In 2007, Patrick Dempsey welcomed twin sons Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick.  He’d already shown a preference for Irish appellations when he and wife Jillian welcomed daughter Talula Fyfe in 2002;
• Sullivan fits with the tide of popular Irish names, from Ryan to Riley, but his three-syllable pattern is more akin to newcomers like Donovan;
• Fictional characters have worn the surname, like Third Watch’s John Sullivan – known as Sully – and Clark Kent‘s BFF on Smallville, Chloe Sullivan;
• The three kids on Everybody Loves Raymond were played by real life siblings: big sister Madylin, and twin brothers Sawyer and Sullivan – though on the show, they were the more ordinary Alexandra, Geoffrey, and Michael.

Nickname Sully has a few advantages.  He’s a great choice for parents who fret that their boy Bailey will be mistaken for a girl.  Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger earned his place in history when he successfully landed a disabled aircraft – a commercial flight with over 150 passengers on board – in New York’s Hudson River in 2009.  It lends the name a vaguely heroic vibe.  So does the fictional hero of Avatar, wounded Marine Jake Sully.

Sully is also a common place name in France, and there was a prominent duc de Sully.  If you’re looking at a map, there’s also Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina, the site of the former Fort Moultrie.  Edgar Allen Poe was stationed there, and it inspired his writing.  Pat Conroy also set a novel there.

It all makes for a friendly name, one that is thoroughly Irish, quite current, and wearable for a child or a grown-up.  While Sullivan is stylish, he’s not yet so common that you’d expect to hear him everywhere.  It’s an appealing combination for parents distraught to realize that Aidan has long since ceased to sound original.

Coat of arms of Hogwarts; Image via Wikipedia

Harry Potter’s classmate Neville Longbottom starts out a bumbler, becomes an object of pity, and eventually grows up to be a hero in his own right.

It’s enough to  make parents consider the underused Neville, and thanks to Liz, he’s our Baby Name of the Day.

Neville sounds quintessentially English, but his roots are French.  His ville is the equivalent of so many names’ ton – city, village, town.  And the nev comes from neu – new.  At least two places in Normandy were called new city, or Néville.  The Normans brought the name to England.

The family that made the name famous weren’t French.  Instead, they were one of the few families of native English origin to hold power after the conquest.  Uhtred and his son Dolfin surface in the early 1100s in North East England in a place called Staindrop.  (Really – but doesn’t it sound like a place name invented for a child’s story?)

The family prospered, and Dolfin’s grandson married the wealthy Anglo-Norman heiress Isabel de Néville.  Within a generation, they’d adopted Neville as their surname. As the fifteenth century began, Ralph Neville had just been created Earl of Westmoreland and married the king’s sister.  They had a good run, amassing titles and property through a series of political intrigues over the next two centuries.

I couldn’t confirm if Arthur Neville Chamberlain was descended from the famous family.  The former British Prime Minister remains controversial – he’s best known for appeasing Nazi Germany, agreeing to let them take a chunk of Czechoslovakia for their very own.  Chamberlain did eventually declare war on Germany following their attack on Poland, but he remains best known for his damaging – if popular and widely supported – delay.  He was succeeded by Winston Churchill, and the rest is history.

Neville has never entered the US Top 1000, but there were other twentieth-century Nevilles, like World War II flying ace Neville Duke.  The best known Nevilles in recent years, however, are probably the Grammy-winning Neville Brothers.  Aaron Neville has also had a successful solo career.

But if Neville catches a parent’s ear, it is probably thanks to the fictional wizard.  Just as the unlikely Luna got a boost from her time at Hogwarts, the series might change the next generation’s perception of Neville.  When he’s first introduced, Neville can do nothing right, despite his pure-blood wizarding parenthood.  Over the course of the seven novels, Neville goes from zero to hero, eventually leading the resistance at Hogwarts and playing a pivotal role in the final battle.

Despite the character’s redeeming qualities, Neville’s sound is not terribly current for boys at the moment.  Still, enduring boys’ names like Daniel and Samuel do end in -l, and the -ev sound is found in 20th century favorites like Evan and Kevin.  Maybe the generation who came of age watching Harry Potter fight the good fight will embrace Neville, but for now, he remains a rarity.

Image by Jenn and Tony Bot via Flickr

She’s been quietly rising since 2002.  What’s behind this intriguing appellation?

Thanks to Samantha for suggesting her mother’s name, Danna, as our Baby Name of the Day.

The Biblical Daniel has a long history of use.  He’s been in the US Top Ten most years since 1981, coming in at #7 in 2009.

Feminine forms of Daniel have come and gone, including:

• The French Danielle rose through the 1970s to peak at #14 in 1987 before sliding to #170 in 2009;
• The pan-European Daniela was also discovered in the 1970s, reaching a high of #108 in 2007;
• Surname/masculine moniker Dana migrated to the girls’ side in the 1960s.  Child star Dana Plato raised her visibility in the 80s, but Dana has since dropped to #530 in 2009.

If Dana had not been popular a generation earlier, surely she’d fit right in with Jada and Layla today.  Instead, the gentler, rhymes-with-Hannah Danna is catching on.

Some of it might be just parents honor dads and grandpas called Dan.  But Danna has other possible sources, and she charted in the US Top 1000 from the 1940s into the 1970s.

In 2002, she re-entered the rankings at #838, and has since climbed to #390.  Possible sources include:

• There was a tiny village in the Ottoman Empire called Danna, but it was abandoned in the 1940s;
• There’s a tiny, scarcely populated Scottish island called Danna, too;
• I’ve found a few references suggesting that Danna means something like “pearl” or otherwise references something of great value, but I can’t confirm the translation in any dictionary;
• Here’s a bizarre reference: Arthur Golden’s 1997 bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha explained that a danna is a geisha’s patron.  The term was heard at the same time the name returned to favor, but I’ll chalk that up to coincidence.

Still, none of the possible origins explain Danna’s rise.  Surely there’s a famous Danna?

• Bogotá-born actress Danna García is a major Latina star.  She’s appeared in Telemundo productions, served as a Maybelline spokesperson and been named to People en Español‘s Los 50 más Bellos list;
• From 2005 through 2009, the reboot of Battlestar Galactica included a sinister Cylon reporter, played by Lucy Lawless.  The character’s name is D’Anna Biers, but they pronounce it more like Diana;
• 90s Israeli pop singer Dana International started out her career as Danna International;
  
• Dannah Phirman is an Israeli-born comedienne, who has had a successful career in the US.

The -h spelling suggested one more possibility.  There’s a town in the West Bank called Idhna, an ancient settlement thought to correspond to the Biblical Dannah.  Just like Jordan and other Biblical place names have caught on as given names, that might help explain Danna.

Or is she just a twist – this generations D – n – a name?  Donna reigned from the 1940s through the 1960s.  Deanna peaked in the 1970s.  Diana has been in the US Top 100 more years than not, beginning in the 1940s and continuing as recently as 2004/2005.

She’s neither retro nor nouveau, but with her appealing sound and respectable history of use in the 20th century, it is easy to imagine more parents choosing Danna.

Another thing that fills me with joy: your boundless creativity, as seen in the Holiday Baby Name Game: Thanksgiving Edition.  The suggestions were fabulous – I’ve winnowed it down to a few choices for the polls.  Vote for your favorites below!

I’ve been putting more and more Real Life name spottings over at Facebook, but here are a few I couldn’t resist:

• Brothers named Cole and Kahle;
• Brothers Brandon, Bryan, and Bryce;
• Also an Emett – not a typo.

The first two sets run afoul of my How Close is too Close? tests.  And while I’ve defended alternate spellings, Emett makes me want to backspace.  I wonder if there’s a reason?

Elsewhere online:

• Nameberry raised the question of cool names we’ve spotted. The  comments were amazing – North, Cosmo, Padget for boys, and Posie, Lulabelle, and Persia for girls – and that’s just a sample;
• Speaking of cool names, For Real spotted boys called Fox and Zen, plus a Wallace Gannon, which I kind of love;
• This was pure fun: Nancy’s round up of Happy Days-inspired baby names like Fonzie and Chachi.  Really!
• Speaking of odd names, I’ve often said that being named Dweezil could not have been the strangest thing about growing up with Frank Zappa for a dad.  Evidence that parents with unusual outlooks and vocations choose names accordingly: at DaddyTypes, Kenny Scharf designed this wild crib for his daughter in the 1980s. Her name?  Zena;
• It goes the opposite way, too.  Also via DaddyTypes, CPC Designs features super-cute, super-preppy little jumpers and such, made by a trio of friends.  They have five kids between them: Charlie, Teddy, Paige, Cooper, and Madeleine.

The big Hollywood news was the birth of Benjamin Travolta.  But with Pink among the currently expecting celebs, we can only expect a bumper crop of fabulous baby names in 2011.

Hope you had a great week, and for those in the US, a fun Thanksgiving.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!