While Ace races up the charts, this Old Testament choice is largely overlooked.
Thanks to Liz for suggesting the distinguished Asa as Name of the Day.
Ace seems best reserved for a goggle-sporting flyboy, or possibly the guitarist for a glam metal band. But the name was bestowed on more than 300 baby boys born in 2008, making him the 714th most popular name in the US. That’s still pretty uncommon, but consider this – in 2006, he ranked #841. With Chase, Jace and Trace in steady use, Ace could take off.
Let’s turn our attention to the unrelated, but similar sounding Asa. While Ace is novel, Asa is ancient. You’ll find him in the Old Testament, as a King of Judah. Scholars suggest he reigned sometime around 900 BC.
Asa comes from the Hebrew for doctor. There may have been others back in the BCs, but the historical record is silent. Instead, you’ll find many an Asa in the Puritan era and beyond. He was worn by notables such as:
- Asa Pollard died at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolution. He’s remembered in many retellings of the battle;
- Asa Candler, an Atlanta business leader known for establishing the Coca-Cola soft drink empire;
- Entertainer Al Jolson – born Asa Yoelson;
- Botany pioneer Asa Gray;
- Politicians like Kentucky’s Asa Grover, Maine’s Asa Clapp, Texas’ Asa Brigham, New Hampshire’s Asa Fowler and New York’s Asa Fitch;
- Dartmouth University president Asa Dodge Smith and the founding president of the University of Washington, Asa Shinn Mercer.
I’ve left off tons of accomplished men. Into the 1880s, Asa was a perfectly reasonable name, comparable to Simon or Dalton today.
By the 1940s, he was out of favor. It took three decades for Ace to re-enter the rankings.
Today he stands at #633 – more popular than Ace, true, but less often discussed. Thanks to One Life to Live’s Asa Buchanan, he sounds affluent, patriarchal – and a bit aged.
But he’d wear well on a modern child, thanks in part to his international ties:
- The Arabic Aza;
- The Nigerian Asa means hawk – but is pronounced ASH ah;
- There’s an Asa River in Kazakhstan, and another in Japan, where asa means morning;
- The Swedish female name Åsa is related to names like Astrid – though a quick search revealed that she’s not in the current Top 100, and her pronunciation is closer to au suh.
That last piece gives some pause. With Ava all the rage, it is easy to imagine parents poaching Asa for a daughter.
But you could also take a page out of American Idol’s Ace Young’s book – born Brett Asa Young, he uses the thoroughly masculine Ace as a nickname.
If you love the brisk, all-boy Ace, but want to ensure he can still grow up to be a banker or a biologist, Asa is the name to put on the birth certificate.
A couple at my church named thier son Asa. He’s around 2, but I don’t know his exact age. He’s super cute. I wouldn’t have thought of it as a viable name until I met the little guy, but its cute on him!
I’m trying to remember which case it came from, I think it was the Sign of the Twisted Candle.
Shay120, whoa…yes! That’s where I know the name, as well. I think Asa was some kindly old man that Nancy befriended/assisted…he was a distant relative of Bess and George’s, and had a bunch of money and a ward named Carol and for some reason Bess and George disliked Nancy helping them because the money was going to Carol (not them!) and I remember thinking they were being total BITCHES about the whole thing and poor Nancy!
anyway.
Another interesting NotD…I wish I didn’t find Asa so feminine sounding as it’s another awesome Old Testament name.
I really like Asa, I remember when I first heard about it and it was the name of a character in one of the Nancy Drew books I used to read. I didn’t like it at first, then its started to grow on me as I kept reading the book. Its not a name I would use and I can definitely see how others would find this name too feminine. Ace is a cute nickname option.
LOVE the Nancy Drew reference!
Oh, I love this name. I think it’s so incredibly handsome. I considered it for my son but went with Ezra instead. I don’t think it’s usable for my family considering that, or it would still be on the list for future children.
Maybe I have a dirty mind, but I have always, always, always struggled with reading this name as “ASS-uh”. I’ve never known anyone personally with this name or even watched any television shows or movies that featured a character by the name, so my mental pronunciation has yet to be dispelled. As a result, the name’s a definite “no” for me.
Well, you know me and religious sounding names. No thanks! Also, that A ending tends to feminize names for me, even though I know it’s a boy’s name.
Abby – did you get my numerous NotD suggestions?
I’ve always liked the name Asa.
I’ve never liked Ace, and I can’t stand Ace Young either, so that’s definitely a deterrent.
As it happens, ASA is my monogram: Amy Abigail Sandel. I sign it at work when I edit documents. Something_Or_Other_ASAedit.
So should we have another son, it is a contender. But we’re not having another. Really. I swear.
Thinking of you and your one on the way!
I’m not a soap opera person, but my mom is an avid One Life to Live viewer and my first thought was Asa Buchanan. That said, the name stands on its own and isn’t overwhelmingly soapy to me. I don’t love it, but I can definitely see why it would appeal. I just hope it’s masculine enough to stay that way – some names go feminine and I’m not that perturbed, but this one with all its history seems like it just should not be used on a girl, despite your suggestion being completely plausible.