Ferris Wheel at Virginia Beach, August 2011
There are names that feel happy – Beau always sounds joyful to my ear. So do names like Lulu and Zuzu, Bay and Bree. Can you imagine Winnie having a bad day, or Hugo being a big ol’ grouch?
Or maybe you can. Maybe Arabella sounds like a happy name to you, while Beau is more of a bandit.
But there are names that do, indeed, mean cheerful or lively or upbeat, and there are a few that I think we should seriously consider for our daughters.
Allegra – Yes, she’s an allergy medication in the US, one with a seemingly bottomless advertising budget. But she’s also a given name used by the stylish, from Lord Byron to Donatella Versace. Allegra Kent was a famous ballerina, muse to legendary choreographer George Balanchine. In music, the term allegro means cheerful, bright, lively, ultimately from the Latin alacer. If you’ve been watching The Little Einsteins, you know all about allegro. With nickname options Allie and Aggie, she’s the kind of name that should wipe out any thought of fenofexadine.
Ananda – At first glance, she’s 80s staple Amanda, worn by Mean Girls on Melrose Place and John Hughes flicks alike. But look again, and she’s from the Sanskrit for bliss. Even if you’ve no subcontinent heritage to claim, her familiarity, and easy short forms Annie and Andi, should make her wearable. Masculine form Anand also has some serious cross-cultural appeal.
Blythe – She’s brief, even brisk. From the same Old English soup that led to our word bliss came the word blithe. Blithe means happy – though it can also imply carelessness. Actress Blythe Danner has won Tony and Emmy awards in her own right, but you know her best as mom to Gwyneth Paltrow. If Brooke and Blair are mainstream options for girls, why not Blythe?
Felicity - The list would be incomplete without this mix of modern television heroine and Colonial girl in calico. Nicknames like Fliss and even Flick make her a little less Puritan, though they still have a certain retro cool. She comes from a cluster of related names all derived from the Latin word for fortunate. Brother Felix is hotter than hot, but I’d call Felicity just lukewarm, and Felicia absolutely chilly. And yet, Felicia is also the least often heard of the three, and perhaps one to consider. There’s also medieval variant Felice, which is masculine in Italian.
Gioia, Gioconda – Celebrity chef Giada DeLaurentis reminded us about the many great Italian appellations that start with Gi – Gianna, Giovanna, even Giuliana. Gioia is literally the Italian word for delight, usually translated joy. Joy is another one that feels just on the verge of a comeback – earlier this month, Nameberry declared Joy and June the new hot middle names. As for Gioconda, while she’s a mouthful – too close to anaconda for some to consider – she comes from the Latin Iucunda - pleasant. Gioconda is an alternate name for Da Vinci’s masterwork, the Mona Lisa.
Noemi, Noemie – The Biblical Naomi comes from a Hebrew name meaning pleasant, but somehow her story feels heavy, and while the name is lovely, I don’t get a light and joyful vibe from her. Instead, I wonder if the Italian and French versions of the name might sound fresher – and even happier? The oe sound occurs in chart toppers like Chloe and Zoe, as well as the much-discussed Boheme and word name Poet.
You can go farther, of course. Songstress Macy Gray named her youngest Cassius but calls him Happy. Word name Merry falls somewhere between outrageous and expected. And then there’s a whole category of names with positive associations. Gretchen doesn’t mean happy, but Gretchen Rubin is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project, as well as the associated blog.
Are there other happy names that come to mind? Or maybe names that just plain feel happy and joyful to you?
