Mask of Tlaloc, Nahua God of the Rain; Image via Wikipedia

There’s Luna and Stella.  Skylar and Haley, too.  How would this celestial appellation wear on a child?

Thanks to Claire for suggesting Citlali as our Baby Name of the Day.

Parents love names with attractive meanings, and why not?  At some point, our kids will be able to Google.  Just look at the comments for Caleb – here or on any baby name site – and you can watch parents pretzel themselves trying to figure out if a name that might mean “dog” is an insult.

Maybe that’s why nature names are so big these days.  They’re vaguely spiritual, but not as specifically religious as Mary.  Many of them have a modern feel, though you can find antiques like Esther, too.  And it is easy to find international variants, like model Niki Taylor’s daughter, Ciel, from the French word for sky.

Depending on your background, Citlali is either a great example of an exotic name borrowed from the natural world, or maybe just a bit over the top.  Like Stella, she means star.  But in this case, the source language is Nahuatl.  You can hear her pronunciation here: SEET lahl lee.

You might find her listed as an Aztec name.  Aztec comes from Aztlan, the mythological place the Mexica people considered their Garden of Eden.  Aztec is the word that outsiders used to describe not only the Mexicas, but also the empire they ruled.  It’s easy to be fascinated by stories of pyramid building and human sacrifice, but there’s far more substance there.

Nahuatl refers to a group of languages spoken by around 1.5 million people, mostly in Central America.  If you’ve eaten a tomato or an avocado, you’ve had a taste of Nahuatl.  It was originally written in ideographs.  By the 1500s, Mesoamericans merged Nahuatl with the Latin alphabet and developed a written form that was used for practical matters as well as literary and creative endeavors.  It makes the language relatively accessible and defines Classical Nahuatl.

Like Latin, Classical Nahuatl doesn’t exist as a living language, but Nahuatl perseveres in various dialects, somewhat altered by the influence of Spanish.  Nahua culture embraced compound words – try your hand at this puzzle and you’ll see how you can fit a whole sentence into just one word.  There’s a mountain in Mexico called Citlaltepec – hill of the star.

Citlali has been used for some time, for men and women, and sometimes spelled Citlalli.  The earliest reference I found was 1520, when Chief Citalali ruled Cocula, a city in Jalisco, Mexico.

There’s a long list of possible Nahua names to consider, and here’s a great video that will introduce pronunciations – as well as the politics.

There’s a Citlali in Laura Esquivel’s novel Law of Love, and I suspect I’m missing another influence.  From 2001 to 2006, she was popular enough to rank on the fringes of the US Top 1000.

If you or your partner trace your ancestry to Mexico, Citlali might make for a surprising heritage choice.  But like Cohen, if you choose the name merely for sound and style, you may find that it is interpreted by some as insulting.

No 19 - blue paint by Kirsty Hall via Flickr

Happy Father’s Day!

Thanks to a gap between the end of the school year and the start of summer camp, we headed for Rehoboth Beach (Delaware, on the Atlantic) this past week.  We finally met our friends’ darling daughter Helen Claire, and there were a few interesting name spottings – Allaire, Harlow, Amalia, and a bitsy girl called Birdie.  But mostly I was amazed at how consistently I heard the exact same names, over and over: Emma, Ava, Abby, Noah, Taylor, Alex, Jake, anything that ends in -aden.  Nothing wrong with choosing a popular name, but I found myself thinking about how very refreshing it is to hear something even a little different - Beckett or Abel or Tate, Ivy or Luna or Ruth.

So in the spirit of surfacing options that are just a little bit different:

• Any name from Waltzing More Than Matilda’s 1930s list would be quite stylish in 2011: Iris, Alma, Josephine;
• Nymbler’s May 2011 most popular names list included the following five new debuts: Lake, Makai, Maple, Shia, and Reef.  Water names seem especially seasonal, but the inclusion of Maple makes me think that parents are really branching out into ever-more adventurous nature and noun choices;
• The comments on this NameLady post are fascinating.  Parents expecting twin sons want to give them subtle, baseball-themed names.  Is Ty too obvious?  Are parents really naming twins Clark and Addison after the address of Wrigley Field?  My favorite suggestion: Homer and Fielding – literary and sportif, all at once;
• Take the names of the reigning Swedish monarch, Carl Gustaf, and his family, translate them into Portugeuse, and you get this list from Nomes e mais nomes: Madalena, Doroteia, Ingride, Bertil;
• My favorite nymph name has always been Io, but this list from British Baby Names includes more than you can imagine;
• Could Dax be the next big thing?  For Real just spotted him in Alaska.  He’s part-Dexter, part-Max, but very modern, too;
• The list of birth announcements at Nameberry was just so much fun.  I spotted Caspian three times!

In celebrity news, both Natalie Portman and Josh Duggar welcomed sons this past week, and both declined to reveal their newborns’ names.  In Natalie’s case, it may be because she and husband Benjamin Millepied are adhering to the Jewish custom of first sharing their child’s name at his bris, eight days after birth.  As for the Duggars?  They’re hoping to lure us in for the big name reveal during tonight’s episode of their reality show.

Speculation about both families’ choices has been nonstop:

• For young master Millepied, will it be Anakin?  Or maybe Alef?  Elisabeth guesses that it will likely be an A-name, which tracks with Jewish custom – Natalie’s dad is Avner, and while names are rarely repeated, initials often are;
• On the small screen, Josh and Anna have announced that all of the grandduggars will wear M-names.  Big sis is Mackynize, so options suggested range from Michael to Maddox.  Or Maddyx.

Other notable birth announcements from the week include:

• Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition trainer Chris Powell has welcomed a son, William Cash;
• 311′s Nick Hexum welcomed daughter Maxine, a little sister for Echo.

Last week’s Nameberry post was how to name a boy, Pinkett-Smith style; this week, it is the girls’ turn.  One of my favorite categories of names has to be unconventional ways to honor your loved ones, so this was really a thrill to write.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading – and commenting!  The conversations here and on Facebook never fail to surprise and delight.

Number 3 by Phil Parker via Flickr

First, a long overdue congratulations to Carolyn on the birth of Nolan Curtis, a little brother for Meredith.  Wishing you joy!

Second, I’m on Twitter.  Let’s be clear: I haven’t got a clue what I’m doing on Twitter.  If you’d like to follow me while I flail, please do.  I’m @appmtn.

Elsewhere online:

• Thanks to British American for directing me to a thread where I found the following sibset: Aurora Dawn and Rain Storm. Only they decided Rain didn’t suit daughter #2, so she was rechristend Gwenyvere Rain.  I like Aurora and Guinevere, and even with the daffy respelling, it is a huge improvement;
• WeeDecor’s Winter list is out. I’m intrigued by Caffrey from the boys’ list, and I’m delighted to see Liv.  Is it me, or is Emmelyn/Emmalyn/Emmeline going to be the next stealth hit;
• Trafton?  I despair.  But other names spotted by ForReal in Pennsylvania fill me with joy: Tressa Jade, Ivy Wren, Bianca Florentina.  Then there’s Henry Swarm – let’s hope that’s a maiden name passed down after much conversation, and not a sci fi reference I’m missing;
• There’s a great list of recent additions to the British line of succession up at Mer de Nomes.  Queen Cosima sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
• Nancy delves into variants of the name Unique, which isn’t terribly unusual at all but makes me think of the pink-spotted Backyardigan Uniqua.  Sui Generis, on the other hand, would be a stand-out, though you’d be confused for just plain Sue;
• Speaking of Sioux, For Real spotted a Gabriella Sioux.  Are the parents from Idaho?  Fans of Siouxie Sioux?  I wonder;
• There’s a new book out called Bring Back Beatrice! It is a sound concept, but I think the author misses a few things.  First, she describes it as “a clarion call to break away from the pack when choosing a name.”  Great advice.  Trouble is, lots of people like Beatrice.  And Cora.  And Daphne.  It’s probably a decent sourebook if you want to be ahead of the next trend, but falls short of offering truly timeless advice.

In celebrity news:

• Supermodel mama Eva Herzigova welcomed her second son, Philip, a little brother for George.  I think that’s the kind of slightly off-trend sibset that defies fashion;
• 30 Rock’sElizabeth Banks welcomed a son, Felix;
• Okay, Posh named her pooch Luna, so they’re stumped for a girl’s name.  Yawn.  I cannot believe for second that a couple who came up with Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz, won’t come up with an inventive name for a girl;
• Now that Mariah’s due date is approaching fast, I’m paying more attention to suggested names for the twins.  Somehow I think they’re likely to disappoint.

Last week’s post for Nameberry was Power Girl Baby Names; tomorrow’s post is inspired by one of the names on that list – thanks to RachelMarie for the inspiration!

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

Madonna Lily by Dmitry Baranovskiy

Susie is a Boomer staple; Susannah her stylish colonial cousin.

Today’s Baby Name of the Day takes that familiar appellation in a far more exotic direction: Azucena.  Thanks to Lea for the suggestion!

If you managed a respectable B in Spanish 101, you can probably sound out Azucena.  Depending on the dialect, even native Spanish-speakers disagree: ah soo SEH neh and ah thoo THE neh are both valid.  Since an early use was in an Italian opera, you’re forgiven if you pronounce her ah zoo CHE na, too.

An azucena is a Madonna lily, a lovely flower, one with a long history of use as a girl’s name in English.  Her meaning links her to Susan and company, though I suspect that’s a connection that’s been made relatively recently.

Azucena is a relative newcomer as a baby name.  Verdi’s Il trovatore is based on a play by Spanish Romantic Antonio García Gutiérrez.  Most of the names are changed slightly from the play to the opera – Leonor became Leonora; Manrique, Manrico.  But Azucena, the gypsy woman who is both victim and instigator of the ensuing drama, is unchanged.  Il trovatore had a successful debut in Rome back in 1853, and has been in the repertoire of opera companies ever since.

Here’s the super-simplified version: Count di Luna’s younger son is sick, and he suspects a gypsy woman.  He orders the gypsy burned.  Her daughter, Azucena, a new mother herself, swears vengeance.  In a hyper-dramatic switch that could only happen in opera, Azucena kidnaps the baby, intending to throw him on the flames of her mother’s funeral pyre.  But, in her grief-stricken state, she kills her son instead.  Azucena flees with the baby and raises him as her son, Manrico.  Years later, Manrico is in love with the aristocratic Leonora – and so is Manrico’s older brother, the current Count.  It all ends in more tragedy, and Azucena has her revenge.

Then came the 1984 Venezuelan telenovela Azucena.  A girl from the wrong side of the tracks is in love with the wealthy Rodolfo.  His parents object to the match, and the lovers reluctantly part ways, but a few dozen episodes later, the couple lives happily ever after.

As Azucena traveled from Spanish drama to the international medium of Italian opera, back to Latin America via a successful telenovela, the name entered into gradual use.  She appears in US Census records in the early twentieth century.  A few notable uses include:

• Tango’s Azucena Maizani;
• A 1939 movie from The Philippines titled Azucena, starring then-famous Arsenia Francisco;
• There’s also Argentina’s Azucena Villaflor, born in 1924.  She co-founded Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a human rights organization dedicated to finding victims of forced disappearance during the Dirty War.  Her son was one of the victims; after starting a series of demonstrations and taking newspapers ads, Villaflor shared his fate.

With names like Isabella and Alexandra wildly popular, Azucena isn’t unwearable.  But her history of use is dramatic, and might be a bit much for anyone to live up to.  Then again, there are nicknames aplenty – from the plain vanilla Sue to Zuzu or Azu.

If you’re looking for a dramatic botanical with Spanish heritage roots, Azucena is a possibility.

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.

Lucienne Bréval; Image via Wikipedia

Take the terribly current Lucy, add in some French flair and you’ll have today’s pick.

Thanks to Darja for suggesting her daughter’s middle name as our Baby Name of the Day: Lucienne.

Lucy stands on her own, a Top 100 choice from 1880 through 1924, and after some years out of fashion, is again poised at #101 in 2009.  Formal options include:

• Lucia, #309 in 2009;
• Lucille, #570;
• Luciana, #683.

And that’s not counting Louise, Louisa, Lucilla, Lucinda, or Lucretia.  With ever more Lu- names like Luna, Lula, and Luella catching on, little wonder some parents are seeking something just a little different.

Lucienne, like her brother Lucien, is French, and there are two possible pronunciations.  Purists will say loo see EN.  Americans might opt for loo SHEN.  Perhaps that’s why Lucianne has also been spotted, but that might result in something closer to Lucy Anne.

While many of the Lucy names have had their moment in the English-speaking world, Lucienne has never appeared in the US Top 1000.  If you know a Lucienne, chances are good she’s French – and a senior citizen.  Lucienne appears to be a Gallic Gertrude.

That’s why she’s an appropriate choice for the mademoiselle in World War I-era flick Flyboys, starring James Franco, from 2006.  The other characters wore equally stylish appellations: Briggs, Reed, Blaine.  The film flopped; otherwise, Lucienne might have already entered the Top 1000.

Other Luciennes who might ring a bell include:

• Chanteuse Lucienne Boyer, best known for her song, “Parlez-moi d’amour” from the 1930s, and 1950s star Lucienne Delyle;
• Opera’s Lucienne Bréval, born Bertha Schilling in Switzerland in 1869;
• Actress Lucienne Bogaert;
• Prolific artist Lucienne Bloch, and pioneering sculptor Lucienne Heuvelmans.

Add in athletes and politicians, and there is a distinguished Lucienne in nearly any field.  There’s also the intriguing twelfth-century Lucienne de Rochefort, the first wife of French King Louis VI.  Their marriage was annulled after just three short years.

Another royal association was part of the Bonaparte family, the nineteenth century Eugénie Laetitia Barbe Caroline Lucienne Marie Jeanne Bonaparte, a great-grandniece of Napoleon I.  But that’s beyond obscure.

Ficitonal Luciennes are relatively few.  One appears in the Belle Époque play A Flea in Her Ear; another was Louise Brooks’ role in 1930′s Prix de Beauté.  It was her first talking role – she even sang! – as a secretary-turned doomed beauty pageant queen.

All of it adds up to a name that could be the perfect choice for parents seeking something more formal than Lucy to put on the birth certificate, or those looking for an alternative to the Jolie-Pitt’s Vivienne.  She’s also a great choice for the middle spot, a graceful alternative to the obvious Elizabeth.  And if nickname Lucy isn’t for you, there’s cute-as-can-be Lulu, too.

The flag of Wales; Image via Wikipedia

She’s another obscure saint’s name, and an impeccable Welsh heritage choice.  If you’re looking for something less obvious than Gwendolen, here’s one to consider.

Thanks to Charlotte for suggesting Eluned as our Baby Name of the Day.

Let’s tackle the pronunciation first: is it el u NED or EL in ed?  Forvo’s pronunciation sounds more like el EE ned.  Say that in American English, and it might be interpreted as Ellie Ned.  Attractive alternative spelling Eiluned muddies the waters further, suggesting ay lu NED.  Variant Elined might help – or not.  As with many an import, this is only an option for parents willing to pronounce, correct, explain, and pronounce again.  And again.

But if you can clear that hurdle, this is an intriguing option.  Eluned was sister to Endellion, one of King Brychan’s two dozen kids, most of who carried on dad’s work of converting others to Christianity.  Eluned earned her halo for rejecting the advances of a pagan prince.  He pursued her, and it ended in her death – but where she fell, a spring arose.  (Okay, where her severed head fell, the spring arose.  You might tell your daughter the first version.)

Most sources agree that her name is derived from the Welsh word eilun, for image.  She’s been exported in an astonishing number of forms:

• In the collection of Welsh myth known as the Mabinogion, Luned is a handmaiden to the Lady of the Lake.  Luned has been interpreted as the celestial Lunette;
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King retold the stories of King Arthur for a nineteenth century audience.  In his work, the knight Gareth falls in love with the difficult Lynette.  Tennyson didn’t reinterpret her name himself – he was borrowing from Sir Thomas Mallory’s 15th century Le Morte d’Arthur.  It was Mallory who converted Luned to Lynette;
• Some suggest she’s also the source of Enid, which could easily be a contracted form of the longer name.  Enid also appears in Tennyson’s Idylls.  But Enid is probably a separate Welsh name, derived from their word for purity.

Eluned has never appeared in the US Top 1000.  While she’s rare on my native shores, two notable Welsh women have answered to the name:

• Born aboard the ship Myfanwy en route to Patagonia, writer Eluned Morgan was known for her early twentieth century accounts of life in the Welsh settlement;
• Also known for her writing, Eluned Phillips won the bardic crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales twice – the only woman to do so.  Her triumphs were relatively recent – 1967 and 1983 – but aren’t quite enough to make Eluned familiar outside of Wales.

I can’t tell if she’d fallen out of use in Wales for generations, or if she’s simply always been sparingly bestowed.

An American girl could answer to Ella or Ellie as a short form, keeping Eluned right side of wearable.  (There’s also Luna, depending on the pronunciation you prefer.)

Imports with little history of use in English can be tricky, but Eluned might strike the right balance.  Her El- links to Elizabeth and a host of other familiar choices, but her overall sound is distinctive.  File her with other obscure saints’ names like Everild – if you don’t mind explaining, she can be a lovely option.

From the Latin word for dragon, it’s a name perfectly on trend: he was in use in Ancient Greece, there’s a constellation by the name, he has the -o ending of Leo, and while a dragon is a mythical beast, he fits with other not-quite-zoological choices like Griffin and Phoenix.

Nancy tells us that there were 20 little boys called Draco in 2009.

But am I the only one who hears Draco and thinks Malfoy?  Or is this one going to follow Luna up the charts as another Harry Potter hit?

A is for the tailored floral Aven, the calendar girl Avril and the sea-worthy Anemone

B is for the literary Bryony and the breezy Brisa, plus the British Basil

C is for the spunky Clover and the refined Calla

D is for Dove and Dahlia

E is for the majestic Everest

F is for the flashy Fuschia and the reserved Fern, plus the pan-botanical Florence and Flora

G is for Gemma

H is for Heath

I is for Iris

J is for Jessamine, Juniper and Jade, plus the not-just-for-vampires Jasper

K is for Katrina – but only if a name mostly famous as a hurricane counts

L is for the modern, avian Lark, the gently antique Linnea, and the bewitching Luna

M is for Meadow, Marigold, and Magnolia

N is for Noor

O is for Opal and Oren

P is for the ladylike Pearl and the intriguing Pomeline

Q is for …

R is for Rowan and all of the Rose names

S is for a set from the sky: the Latin Stella, the French Soleil and the Welsh Seren, plus the exotic Saffron and the weighty Sterling

T is for Topaz

U is for Ursula

W is for Wren

X is for …

Y is for Yvaine (She’s not exactly a nature name, but there’s a link.)

Z is for Zinnia and Zora

Are there any on this list that you would use?  Are there any that I’ve overlooked?

Thanks to Elta for suggesting Aura as Baby Name of the Day.

Elta actually asked about Aura Lee.  It sounds like a good name for a dentist, but in fact “Aura Lee” was a Southern ballad popular during the Civil War, and it inspired plenty of parents.  (Elta’s grandmother was named Aura Lee!)

While the song is mostly forgotten, you might catch it in an old movie – it was used at least twice, in the 1930s and 1950s.  And “Aura Lee” lives on in Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” – his enduring song uses the same tune.  (You can listen to a recording of “Aura Lee” here – obviously, it is far from the original, but predates the King of Rock.)

The original Aura was a minor goddess, a personification of the cool breeze.  And today, aura has a vaguely spiritual vibe.  The word is sometimes used as a synonym for halo.  It’s also a term for a wreath of color said to surround some people.  (Or, in some cases, said to surround everyone, but only to be visible to those with a gift.)

This lends Aura an offbeat vibe, and further cementing her geek chic status, she’s a major character in the Flash Gordon universe.  Princess Aura is bad guy Ming’s daughter, but she and pops are on the outs in most storylines.

One of the actresses to play the princess in recent years?  The nicely named Italian actress Ornella Muti.

That’s already a lot to take in, but there’s more.  Aura is also:

• The personification of Finland.  The young woman often depicted as the Maiden of Finland took her name from the Aura River in Turku.  The river, in turn, comes from an old Swedish word which translates roughly to river;
• Nearly all Auras are always given gold hair.  There’s an irresistible tendency to link Aura with au – the symbol for gold, from the Latin aurum.  While some names – Aurelia, for one – do mean gold or golden, in Aura’s case this is pure folk etymology.

Aura appeared in the US Top 1000 most years from 1880 through 1901.  Her success at the tail end of the nineteenth century suggests that most Auras were, indeed, named after the song.  You might also come across an Auralee, but the smoosh version never appeared in the US Top 1000.

Today, Aura is rare.  The sci fi princess failed to revive interest in the name.  But she could appeal to parents seeking a New Age spiritual choice, kind of like Trinity but without the Christian associations.  Her sound is undeniably current, too.

If you love Lyra and Luna, but fear that they’re becoming too common, Aura might be an attractive option.