Image via Wikipedia

He’s a surname choice with playful literary associations, as well as a tie to engineering.

Thanks to Jen for suggesting Kipling as our Baby Name of the Day.

It is almost a rule that any surname will have a few uses in first spot, and it is surprising how many surnames owe their roots to a given name.  In Kipling’s case, there are a handful of men who have worn the name in the twentieth century.  It is impossible to say how many answered to Cybbel, Kipling’s Anglo-Saxon forerunner.

The exact history of Cybbel is difficult to trace, but several sources suggest that it means club or cudgel, and could have been given to someone who made clubs, someone who used clubs, or someone who just happened to have a short, stout, club-like appearance.

Cybbel influenced two place names, both in Yorkshire.  The first became Kiplin, a tiny dot of a place famous because of Kiplin Hall.  The Calvert family built Kiplin Hall in the seventeenth century; you might recognize the name George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, founder of Maryland.

The second is Kiplingcotes, home to England’s oldest horse race, the Kiplingcotes Derby.

The most famous Kipling’s father hails from Yorkshire, but Rudyard Kipling – the Nobel Prize-winning author of enduring favorites like The Jungle Book – was born in distant Bombay.

The year was 1865 and Joseph Rudyard Kipling’s parents, John Lockwood and Alice Macdonald Kipling were recent arrivals in India.  Their son’s unusual name came from Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, where the couple met and fell in love.  I’m not sure why they used the given name Joseph, but John Lockwood also apparently preferred his middle name, so perhaps there was a family custom.

Lockwood Kipling was an artist – a sculptor, arrived in Bombay to teach at a school of arts and industry.  Alice, too, had a reputation as a creative, vivacious woman.  No wonder, then, that Rudyard would be both incredibly popular and artistically successful – a tough combination.

Kipling brings to mind Mowgli dancing with Baloo in the Disney adaptation of his most famous work, or maybe the fearless Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.  But he’s also a poet, conquering more serious issues as in 1892′s Gunga Din.

If you happen to be an engineer, there’s another reference.  Back in 1922, seven past presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada took part in a conference in Montreal.  The assembled felt that their profession required something different – a ceremony to impress upon new members the importance of their craft, and to reinforce their shared responsibilities.  One of the seven past presidents wrote to Rudyard Kipling, and Kipling – who had praised the work of engineers in some of his writings – agreed to write the words of the obligation.  An American equivalent exists, too, and all members may wear an iron ring.

There’s also the luggage, known for the attached monkey charm.  The line is indeed named after Rudyard Kipling; their site affectionately refers to him as Rudy.

Rudyard, then, isn’t such a stretch as a given name.  But what about Kipling?  He seems more sophisticated than many a K-name, and his -ing ending is unusual without being strange.

Kipling conveys a certain adventurous spirit, but he remains surprisingly wearable.  Nickname Kip is friendly and upbeat.  Kipling’s parents may have to explain their choice, but chances are they’ll never regret it.

Image via Wikipedia

Expecting a little samurai?  Looking for a name that suggests artistic genius?

Thanks to Sarah for suggesting one choice that combines both qualities.  Our Baby Name of the Day is Akira.

I don’t know a word of Japanese, but based on the steady use of Akira, it appears to be a solidly established masculine moniker.  Whether he’s more of an evergreen Joseph or a once-in-style, now-not-so-much Larry, I cannot say.

He instantly brings to mind one figure, at least in the West: legendary director Akira Kurosawa.  Kurosawa was referenced in the Barenaked Ladies’ catchy, what-are-they-saying 1998 single “One Week.”

Not every Kurosawa flick had a samurai.  Born in 1910, he began his film career in his 20s.  By the 1940s, he was established as a director in his own right.  1950′s Rashomon won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, putting him – and Japanese film – on the map internationally.  He was on a roll, and didn’t slow down for decades.  In 1990, he was given an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Even if you haven’t seen a Kurosawa film, you’ve almost certainly seen his influence.  George Lucas was a rabid fan, borrowing from Kurosawa’s work in Star Wars.

To a younger generation, Akira might be less about the legendary filmmaker, and more about a major landmark in anime.  The 1988 film AKIRA, set in Neo-Tokyo in the year 2019, tells of a psychic child and a government conspiracy.  Just like the director, the film that shares his name proved to be terribly influential.

Beyond the sci fi and the swordplay, Akira’s meaning is actually quite upbeat.  Different configurations of kanji – the characters that make up the Japanese language – can spell Akira.  Depending on the kanji used, Akira means clear, bright, or possibly intelligent.

He’s simple to spell, and if you’re in the know, Akira is an undeniably cool name.  Trouble is that he’s a boys’ name, and how many third-graders have seen Rashomon?  Based on sound alone, Akira has too much in common with popular feminine choices like Kyra, Kira, and Chiara.  It is a little challenging to imagine being a fifth grade boy named Akira.

That’s changing, of course, with every Jayden and Ezra, Bailey and Jonah.

But it is equally possible that Akira will catch on in the US – for girls.  According to Nancy, 339 girls were given the name in 2009, compared to just 32 boys.

Even if you can handle the name’s gender-bending sound, there’s always the question of whether a Japanese name would wear well on a fair-skinned American kid.  I know plenty of little girls named Emma who aren’t German, but we’re not quite ready to be so cavalier about bestowing less common names.

Let’s say this: if you live in a diverse community with lots of independent film houses, Akira is the kind of hero name that would likely garner a positive response.  If you’re looking for a Japanese heritage choice, this might be a contender.  Otherwise, Akira is a gamble in the first spot, but powerful in the middle.

#27 by DJ Dwayne via Flickr

I’m a television addict under the best of circumstances.  But when I’m under the weather?  I’m incorrigible.  The TV stays on 24/7.  I’ve just recovered from the sickest I’ve been in years, and here are my hastily scribbled notes from a few days’ with the remote in one hand and Puffs-plus in the other:

• A sibset from one of those bringing-home-baby shows: Genesis, Marlena, Tina, Justin, and the family’s newest addition: Paris Angelina, because it was a “classy” name.  They seemed like a nice couple, but maybe not the most thoughtful of babynamers.
• I watched a healthy chunk of the Haylie & Hilary Duff vehicle Material Girls, where the real-life sisters play characters with a passing resemblance to real-life sisters Paris and Nicky Hilton.  Should I admit this? Anyway, their characters were named Ava and Tanzie Marchetta.
• Then there was a predictable-but-sweet Julia Stiles movie, Carolina.  Julia plays Carolina, big sis to Georgia and Maine.  All three sisters were named after the states where they were born – “postmarks” as Carolina tells it.  During the flick, Georgia has a son she names California Theodore;
• At rock bottom, I watched several episodes of Toddlers & Tiaras.  A pageant-obsessed mom to an uncooperative 18 month-old said she had considered naming her daughter America, so she’d be Miss America.  Instead, they went with Samijo.

Elsewhere online:

• I’m thoroughly enjoying Nancy’s series on Hollywood Baby Names, like her post on Kiefer;
• ForReal spotted a boy named Vale Joseph.  I’m very curious about the -ale names.  I mentioned Vail here last year, inspired by Young and the Restless actress Vail Bloom.  It didn’t get a great response for a girl.  Is it any better on a boy?
• This gallery of celebrity-inspired baby names was fun.  Bowen and Bardot, anyone?
• Ooh, look … Nameberry mentioned Nona!
• And a Swistle reader named her daughter Cleo Celine, a little sister for Meryl and Quentin;
• Nomes e mais nomes mentioned the lovely Cleodora on a list of mythological names – but it isn’t approved for use in Portugal.  Too bad!
• Here’s a story from Texas about a couple with two kids – Evonne, called Evie, and Cohen, plus baby-on-the-way Cate Elizabeth.  The names are unsurprising, but it’s that last paragraph that really bugs me: how many parents really “agree on a theme, such as modern or spiritual” then “each make a list of their favorite names, then compare …”  Um, okay.  If I’d asked my husband to define his baby naming style, I can guarantee I’d have been met with a blank stare.  Has that approach worked for anyone?
• By now I’m sure you’ve read reports about babies in frontier states having more unusual names. There’s something to their findings, I suppose, but I’m not sure they’ve got the whole picture. Statistics also show that moms living in the Northeast are, on average, several years older when they have their first child.  Experience tells me that older parents tend to choose more conservative names, and they’re far less likely to use off-the-wall spellings.  Their findings on names might be correct, but their assumption that frontier states’ individualistic cultures are the reason … not necessarily so.

It was a quiet week in Hollywood, but there was one notable new arrival: E’s Kristin Dos Santos welcomed a son, Matteo Tomaz, a little brother for Luca Alexander.  As Pam pointed out, those Mateo and Luca are also the names of Colin Firth’s two sons with Livia Giuggioli.

Tomorrow at Nameberry, I’m bringing you NASCAR-inspired baby names.  There are more than you think.

Be sure to visit next Saturday, when we’ll kick off March madness.  I’ll have a post up explaining the play-off process later this week.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

No 20 - flowery by Kirsty Hall via Flickr

Let’s start with an announcement: every Saturday in March will be March Madness at Appellation Mountain.  Nope, I’m not writing basketball-related posts.  Instead, you’re voting on your favorites from last year’s most popular posts.

It should be fun!

Elsewhere online:

• I love Lemon’s guest post at Nameberry on word names: Echo, Tansy, Temple.  Ages ago I stumbled across Cascata – the Italian word for waterfall, as in cascade – and I always think of that one when word names are discussed;
• Speaking of word names, here’s one in the same key from Nancy: Invicta, inspired by a steamroller;
• ForReal spotted a boy named Ridge. I completely understand why parents would gravitate towards such a rugged, outdoorsy pick, but it seems a little hard to wear for a real kid.  It seems more appropriate for a soap opera character;
• Is it me, or is Finn making a stealth attack?  This story from the Chicago Tribune about a 61 year old woman who served as surrogate for her daughter mentioned that the baby name’s is Finnean.  Finley, Finnegan, Finbar, Fintan … it seems like every day there’s another way to get to that oh-so-popular nickname;
• There was a lively conversation about unisex names at Nameberry earlier this week, and so I thought this was timely: from the Quinnipiac Chronicle, a girl named Kyle who loves her name.  However, she would’ve liked to buy pink pencils with her name on them.  No word on how sisters Shawn, Casey, and Riley feel about their names;
• MTV suggests names for Honor Warren’s little sister or brother.  Somehow I don’t think Jessica and Cash will be using Louboutin or Money, but hey, Sterling has some possibilities;
• The 30 Rock baby is Elizabeth called Liddy.  Here’s the quote from Alec Baldwin‘s character Jack: “We’re calling her Liddy, as in Liddy Dole, G. Gordon Liddy, and my martial arts instructor, Li-Dee.”
• From Babynamelover – Braden loses his “r” and becomes Baden.  I wonder if they were thinking of the German resort town?
• I do truly love the name Evander.

Just a few celebrity birth announcements.  I also post these on Facebook:

• No Doubt’s Tom Dumont and wife Mieke welcomed a third son, Koa Thomas.  Koa joins Ace Joseph and Rio Atticus at home.  I spotted Koah more than a year ago.  Let’s see if it catches on;
• Rod Stewart and wife Penny welcomed a son called Aiden.  All those years of naming babies, and I’m not sure Rod has mastered the art.  His older kids are Kimberly, Sean, Ruby, Renee, Liam, and Alastair.

Tomorrow at Nameberry: a list of designer names drawn from Fashion Week 2011, and no, Chanel is not on the list.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading!

W by Too Far North via Flickr

He brings to mind a widely-admired statesman, but is it too much name for a child?

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

Prior to the Norman invasion, the elements wyn – friend or joy and stan – stone combined to form a personal name: Wynstan.

It might have been lost to time, but it made it to the map.  Villages called Winston still exist in England.  The surname, also spelled Winstone, endured, and migrated back to the first spot over time.  It was sparingly used in nineteenth century America; in 1900, Winston ranked #699.

The same happened in England, at least in one aristocratic family.

Back in the early seventeenth century, John Churchill married Sarah Winston.  Their son, Winston Churchill, was born in 1620.  This Winston Churchill had a son, John, who would become the 1st Duke of Marlborough in 1702.

Fast-forward a century or so, and the same names are in heavy rotation.  John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Dukc of Marlborough, was born in 1822.  The Duke of Marlborough had eleven children.  Third son Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill passed the name on his second son: Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill.

There’s more written about Winston Churchill than I could hope to summarize here.  Let’s just say this: he led Britain through World War II, and remains widely admired today.  In 1941, Winston was the 233rd most popular name given to boys born in the US.

All of this means that there have been other memorable Winstons, like:

• John Lennon’s middle name was Winston, in honor of the Prime Minister;
• Nineteen Eighty-Four’s main character was records clerk Winston Smith.  George Orwell is said to have named Smith after – you guessed it – the Prime Minister;
• 1994′s Pulp Fiction featured Harvey Keitel in a small role as Winston Wolf, who helps contract killers Vincent and Jules clean up a hit;
• Legendary jeweler Harry Winston was the one who donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian.

You might also think of Winston-Salem, as well as Winston cigarettes and their decades-long sponsorship of NASCAR and the Winston Cup.  The North Carolina legacy started with Joseph Winston, who served with distinction in the American Revolutionary War, and went on to represent North Carolina in Congress.  After his death, Winston, North Carolina, was named in his honor; a few years later, it would join with nearby Salem to become Winston-Salem.

For American parents, it leaves Winston the tiniest bit tobacco-stained, split between a Southern gentleman and a British aristocrat.

But Winston also has an appealing characteristic: the nickname Win.  It’s too much to put on a child as a given name – what happens when he comes in second?  As a short form, it could be quite appealing.

Only, of course, if you don’t Winston too old-school for a newborn.  With the name ranked #823 in 2009, it is pretty clear that parents haven’t been embracing Win in recent years.  That either opens the door for you to use a name rich with history, confident your son won’t meet another – or sends you back to the drawing board.

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

Jupiter is spacey, but could this name be just on the right side of daring?

Thanks to Emilie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day: Jove.

Jove is far from common – Nancy tells us that just ten boys received the name in 2009. But review the list of J names given to boys, and you’ll notice Jovan.  Parents could have invented him by stringing together appealing sounds, but he’s also one of the many international variants of John.  Other names on the list favor the sound, too: Jovani, Jovel, Jovian.

Jove is an alternate name for Jupiter, king of the gods in the Roman pantheon.  He’s the chief, the mac daddy.  There’s a Latin grammar lesson required to explain the link between Jupiter and Jove, so let’s just say that descriptive terms for the god, and the planet that bears his name, revert to the earlier form: jovian.

Tales of the thunderbolt-wielding monarch fill books.  He was worshipped in the largest temple on Capitoline Hill.  Just as we swear to tell the whole truth in court proceedings by placing our hand on a Bible, ancient Romans swore “by Jove.”  And yet today, say Jupiter and most of us will think of the planet – again, the largest planet in our solar system – the one that bears his name.

Jovianus had some use in Ancient Rome.  Flavius Jovianus became emperor in the fourth century, but his reign lasted all of eight months.  He’s remembered for ending Christian persecutions, substituting the persecution of pagans instead.  An elite unit of guards charged with protecting the emperor were known as the Jovians.  And centuries later, Italian poet Giovanni Pontano wrote as Jovianus Pontanus in the 1400s.

But mostly, Jove is a rarity as a given name through the generations.  There are a few uses that might ring a bell:

• Jove Books publishes paperbacks, mostly on the sci fi to romance continuum;
• In the Philippines, Jove Francisco is a TV5 anchor – but he was born Joseph Vincent;
• Florida’s Jupiter Inlet traces its name to the Hobe tribe, who lived there at the time of the Spanish settlement.  Hobe was written in Spanish as Jobe; a mapmaker misunderstood it at Jove, and the name stuck.  A nearby town is called Juno Beach.

Little Red Riding Hood illustration from 1927; Image via Wikipedia

I’m always surprised when I realize that Valerie remains so popular.  She ranked #138 in 2009, not too far from her peak of #60 in 1959.  Nothing against the name – I know some lovely women who answer to Valerie – but it makes me think of The Monkees.  (Though the song title is “Valleri“ – not sure why.  Anyone know?)  She could be due for another boost in March, when the reboot of Red Riding Hood is released with Amanda Seyfriend donning the iconic red cape.  The wolf is a werewolf.  Not only does her character have a name – Valerie – but she’s more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than sweet girl en route to grandma’s house.

On to the name news:

• Speaking of werewolves, what’s with the stories about parents naming their kids after werewolves?  I suppose it is just another attempt to link baby name stories to Twilight.  If Alcide makes the US Top 100, I’ll believe it.  Until then … not so much;
• Nancy rounds up the total number of babies named after Aeon Flux, and ThunderCat Cheetara.  The answer?  More than you’d guess;
• Speaking of strange inspiration, ForReal spots a boy called Kindle Paul;
• You’ve probably already seen this amazing sibset at Nameberry: Tallulah Daisy, Beatrix India, Juniper Bronte, Hawthorne Wilde, and newborn Crewe Lennox but read the thread anyway for some of the best names collected in a single thread – possibly ever;
• The crowd-sourced, chosen-by-Facebook-poll Canadian baby name is Melania. Apparently the parents engaged in a smidge of gamesmanship, encouraging votes for the name.
• I mentioned Luella in a post as one of those names that it takes some courage to use, because it is different from everyone else’s picks.  As if on cue, here’s a post at Swistle: “Our first choice is Luella, nickname Lulu, but … I’m worried that there’s something about this name that makes it unpopular that I’m not seeing.”
• The Baby Name Wizard’s Name of the Year is … The Situation. Laura Wattenberg notes that this is NOT a prediction that we’ll be meeting kids called Situation Smith.  It’s about handles rather than names; “an emblem … for an age of empty celebrity.”  As one commentor wrote: “It’s enough to make me long for the days of Kaydence.”
• As for names parents will actually use, how about Greta?  It appears on A Mountain Bride’s short list, along with Hazel, Amelia, Piper, and Cora.

The maternity ward at Hollywood Hospital has been relatively quiet these days, but that hasn’t stopped the star baby name stories:

• Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey continue to generate buzz about their baby-on-the-way.  The first rumor was the baby would be a junior; then Cannon mentioned the name Cleophis in an interview;
• If it isn’t werewolves, it’s booze.  I’ve been resisting Pink’s comment about the name Jameson.  It is pretty clear that Jameson is based on family names, and the whiskey connection is, well, a bonus;
• Mike Dirnt of Green Day welcomed a daughter, Ryan Ruby Mae.  Based on the AppMtn Facebook page comments, the reaction is definitely mixed.  His other kids are son Brixton and daughter Estelle.  Green Day drummer Tré Cool has kids called Ramona and Frankito; Billie Joe Armstrong is dad to Joseph and Jakob.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading, and have a great week!

But back to naming news, because those kids?  They’re not gonna name themselves!

• Or are they?  I loved Carolyn Robertson’s article at BabyCenter on what we actually call our kids.  At the moment, Clio is usually Bootsy, and Aly is O’Malley.  It is interesting how many kids played a role in creating their own pet names, and older siblings, well … we might not let the choose the names, but they sure play their part;
• As for the news that we’re naming our kids after TV characters? Yawn. Oldest news in the world.  I do find BabyCenter’s Top 100 interesting, because it is clearly less about the names we actually choose and more about the names we might like to use.  For example: four boys’ names have never left the US Top Twenty, but Joseph, James, John, and William all fail to appear in the Baby Center Top Twenty.  I can’t believe 2010 is the year we all decide to stop using the enduring classics for our boys;
• Here’s a cool thing about life in the 21st century: you can always find something with your child’s name on it, no matter how common or obscure your choice.  weeDecor released their Fall list of baby names, including a few gems: Sophie Bleu, Constantino, and Brenna are lovely, and I’m fascinated by Sumer for a boy.  As in Ancient Sumer?  Maybe his parents are archaelogists;
• My Nameberry Smoosh post prompted a debate on which is the most common addition: -lyn or -anna?  ForReal spotted Macelyn, Courtlyn, and Magdalyn – which makes me think that, while -lyn appears more common, that’s because she’s part of so many inventive respellings;
• A UK survey suggests that moms mostly make the final decision on a child’s name. Except they also report that a mere 15% of parents report arguing.  Maybe arguing is too strong a word, but I suspect more like 75% disagree to some degree;
• Nancy has brought us many a tale of a baby named after mode of transit, but this one is nicely subtle – see how Adele got her lovely name;
• Did you see Nameberry’s list of Dutch names for girls – I am madly in love with Malou.  And look – Noa is #10!  And check out the boys – Sem is #2.  The Old Testament Shem has never caught on in the US, but Sem seems strangely appealing;
• This is totally random, but it turns out that Caldrea, the high-end eco-sensitive cleaning products – is a smoosh of company founder Monica Nassif’s daughters’ names, Calla and Aundrea;
• Chanara – mom to the lovely Rosemary – muses on names for a second child here.  It it always interesting to see how our firstborn impacts our future children’s names.  Here’s wishing an early happy first birthday to Rosy!

And on to the rich and the famous:

• How did I miss this?  The hilarious Samantha Bee is mom to daughters Piper and Ripley and son Fletcher.  Thandie Newton has a Ripley, too, believe it or not.
• Let the debate begin.  What will be The Fate of Kate?  Will the future Queen Catherine inspire more parents to name their children Kate, or not?  Read all about it on Babble, at Swistle, and Baby Name Wizard, too;
• A starbaby herself Stella McCartney is now a mom of four, with the recent birth of daughter Reiley Dilys Stella, a little sister for Miller Alasdhair James, Bailey Linda Olwyn, and Beckett Robert Lee;
• Nina Garcia welcomed baby #2, a son called Alexander David, a little brother for Lucas.

While I’ll still post celeb births here if the name is stunningly different or eagerly anticipated, I’m putting some of the more routine announcements up at the AppMtn Facebook page, along with interesting links and intriguing name sightings.

As always, thanks for reading and have a GREAT week!

Image via Wikipedia

He’s outdoorsy and literary – a tough combination to find for a boy’s name.

Thanks to Evangeline for suggesting Hawthorne as our Baby Name of the Day.

If you’re looking to the natural world for inspiration for your son’s name, the pickings are slim.  Sure, there’s River or Jasper.  But it is a fraction of the possibilities for girls.

Hawthorn is a shrub, especially effective at growing closely together to create hedges.  In Old English haga meant hedge; the thorn is obvious – they’ve got ‘em.  For centuries, they were planted as living fences.  It’s a useful plant in other ways, too – good for firewood, and the berries can be made into wine, syrup, and jam.

Because it once bloomed in late April, it was also known as mayblossom or maythorn, and once featured in May Day celebrations.  It’s also:

• An emblem of hope;
• A remedy for heartbreak;
• Said to be used by the ancient Greeks in weddings;
• Considered by some the source of Jesus’ crown of thorns, and the staff of Saint Joseph;
• Associated with fairies and holy wells;
• Said to make excellent stakes for killing vampires.

Plenty of places became known as Hawthorn, and so Hawthorn came into use as a surname for anyone hailing from those places.

But today’s name isn’t Hawthorn.  It’s Hawthorne, with an e.

Chalk it up to Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was actually born Nathaniel Hathorne in 1804 in Salem, Massachussets.

It’s commonly believed that the writer added the “w” to distance himself from his distinguished family, which included John Hathorne, the chief interrogator of the Salem Witch Trials.  If that’s true, Hawthorne never acknowledged it in writing.  Both names trace back to Hawthorn.

His writings – the dark Scarlet Letter, the haunting House of the Seven Gables – are considered masterworks of American literature.  And so Hawthorne feels like the dominant spelling.

We find it in use elsewhere in recent years:

• Jada Pinkett Smith plays nurse Christina Hawthorne on TNT’s medical drama Hawthorne;
• In the Hunger Games trilogy, heroine Katniss’ possible romance with fellow hunter Gale Hawthorne is a major part of the story.

Nancy’s list tells us that five boys received the name in 2009. That’s not zero, but it isn’t terribly common, either.  (Over 200 were named Hagan or Hagen; nearly 50 were called Haddan or Hadden.)

Perhaps parents weary of Nathaniel – a Biblical, colonial option installed in the US Top 100 since 1978 – landed on the associated surname.  Or maybe Hawthorne really is just that elusive literary, nature name that still feels solidly masculine, a surname choice without a feminine short form.  If you love Avery, Ellery, and Emerson but fear they’ve gone to Team Pink, Hawthorne is one option that might satisfy.

Anne Marie d'Orléans, duchess of Savoy, Image via Wikipedia

She’s a traditional compound name, but she’s fallen out of favor in recent years.

Thanks to Stephanie for suggesting Annemarie as Baby Name of the Day.

The challenge with Annemarie, or Maryanne, or most compound names, is that they’re not recorded in a consistent fashion.  Mary was the #1 name given to baby girls born in the US from 1880 into the 1940s, and again from 1953 to 1961.  But doubtless many of those Marys answered to Mary Anne or Mary Sue or Mary Beth or Mary Ellen.  Ann and Anne also spent decades in the Top 100.  Anna was a Top Ten choice into the 1920s.

So while we know that Annemarie peaked at #500 in 1968, and only appeared in the US Top 1000 between the 1950s and 1980s, that says nothing about girls named Anne Marie or Anne-Marie, who would’ve been counted as just Anne, at least in the US.

Many compound names with Anne in the first place tend to lean German.  Think of Annegret or Anneliese.  While the French normally put Mari- first – and Marianne is the personifcation of the French state – there’s something vaguely français about this name.  (Though Annemarie is as rare in Paris as she is in Portland.)

Maybe it is because of a few early bearers of the name:

• Born into the French royal family, Anne Marie d’Orléans was Queen of Sardinia and grand-mère to Louis XV of France;
• The Blessed Anne-Marie Javouhey was born in the late eighteenth century.  She’s remembered for helping priests hide during the French Revolution, for her humanitarian work in Africa, and ultimately for founding the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny.

More modern references include:

• Oscar-nominated French costume designer Anne-Marie Marchand;
• Anne-Marie Walters was a World War II spy, code name Colette;
• The current queen of Greece is Danish-born princess Anne-Marie;
• A minor X-Men character is called Anne-Marie Cortez;
• There’s also fictional Anne-Marie, Lady Byrne, from the BBC’s Holby City;
• Two actresses wear the name – Anne-Marie Duff was Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen, and Anne-Marie Johnson was Althea Tibbs on In the Heat of the Night.

Today, you might expect Annemarie to be your mom’s friend from church .  But compound Ann- names are having a resurgence.  The US Top 1000 for 2009 included Annabelle (#156), plus Annabel, Anabelle, Anabella, and Annabella, as well as Annalise (#648).

Other variants of Anneliese, are often heard on message boards, along with an infinite number of ways to spell Anna Lee, from Annaleigh to Annalie to Analy.  (Need I add that this is good place to opt for the double n spelling?)  Annabeth got a boost from the tween novels and film adaptation of Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

Overall, Annemarie is a smoosh composed of two flawless, evergreen names.  She’s just the tiniest bit dated today, but she’s far from unwearable.  In fact, with all of the Annabelles out there, she might be just a few years away from a comeback of her own.