A trio of starbaby sightings combined with that fashionable V calls the question: is this name the new Ava?
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Vita as Name of the Day.
New Zealand’s Bret McKenzie, one half of the Flight of the Conchords comedy duo, named his daughter Vita back in summer 2009. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, the proud papa indicated that it was Italian for life.
A few weeks later, television star David Boreanaz welcomed a daughter called Bardot Vita. Reaction to the first name was mixed, but the middle name generated quite a bit of positive buzz.
Then Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves announced the birth of daughter Vida. Interviews indicated that Vida was Portuguese for life, a nod to Camila’s Brazilian heritage.
Ten years ago, both choices sounded impossibly fusty. Vida peaked in the 1890s, back when Ida was a fixture in the US Top 20. She never made it much higher than the 300s.
Vita was rarer still, charting only from the 1910s to the 1930s. Even in her best year – 1929 – a mere 79 girls were given the name. You were more likely to meet a Reva, Verla, Socorro or Treva.
Both spellings have been gone from the US rankings since the World War II era. But nineteenth century names are quite fashionable circa 2010. Alice, Clara, Pearl, Ruby, Evelyn and Charlotte were all stylish the last time parents considered Vida.
The name’s saintly origins have kept her in sparing use. Saint Vitus was just a boy when he was martyred for his faith during the Diocletian persecutions of the 300s. Over the years he became associated with epilepsy – and dancing. He’s the patron saint of Bohemia, as well as cities in Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands.
Vitus is derived from the Latin vita – life – but the name’s adoption was helped along by similar names related to the Germanic element Wido – wood.
The best known Vita was born Victoria Sackville-West, a prize winning poet in 1920s and 30s England.
Two fictional bearers of the name are:
- Anime Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series includes the mallet-wielding Vita, named after the Opel Vita, a bite-sized car sold in Japan;
- Writer Marge Piercy used the name for her 60s radical title character in 1980’s Vida.
Vita might also be considered part of the foreign-words-as-names trend. There’s little original about naming your daughter Skye these days, but the French Ciel is a fresh option. There’s a vaguely spiritual vibe about Vita, too – the meaning is meaningful, but far short of Nevaeh or even Destiny.
As for which spelling is the better candidate, that’s tricky. If you hope to use it as a nickname, Vita is more closely linked to Victoria, as well as the elaboration Vitalia or the Italian Vittoria. And while Vida might be rhymed with Ida, Vita is almost certainly meant to be pronounced VEE tah.
But both are attractive, and the Alves-McConaughey daughter is probably the higher profile starbaby.
While masculine options related to Vitus seem stalled – Vito is a gangster and Vidal is shampoo – Vita and Vida feel quite wearable for daughter in 2010.
I like the meaning, but I don’t know if I like the sound. Do you say it “Veeda” or “Vyda”?
I also knew a girl named Vivianne, called Viva. And Vida also makes me think of “Lida,” as in “Lida Rose”—an old-fashioned- sounding name I really like, prounounced Ly-da. Have you heard that? Is it a nickname for something?
When I see it, I just think vitamin.
They come from the same Latin roots. As a person with a nutrition degree this only adds to the appeal for me. 😉
It makes me think of Vita Boheme, Patrick Swayze’s drag queen character in To Wong Foo.
Correction – I just checked IMDB and the name was spelled “Vida.”
Completely forgot about Vida Boheme! Which reference is worse for a child – processed cheese or drag queen?!
I know of two little girls who answer to Vita. I met them both when I was nannying in New Zealand. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I believe it might be a common name over there? I really like it as a middle name only, as prefer my first names to be a bit more ornate. 🙂
It was somewhat interesting to me the siblings to the Vita’s I met. The most intriguing was Is@bella, M@deline, Ott@lie, Vit@ and Elli0t. They ranged in age from 19 to 8, and I found it very interesting that the parents chose names that are very popular in America currently for their oldest two daughters, perhaps Ott@lie and Vit@ aren’t far behind.
LOL! I knew them from my place of work a few years back and have name dropped them before. I forgot the last sib so I’m thankful for your post. One of my favourite Kiwi sibsets to date. Period.
I’m absolutely positive, Vita’s full name was Vit@lie but she was only ever called Vita.
And Vita isn’t common here in NZ at all. Never met of or heard of another.
They were well ahead of the curve with Maddie and Bella (the eldest). The other two girl names are rare as hen’s teeth. Most people here wouldn’t even recognise them as names.
I think Ottolie might be a stretch, but given the popularity of Natalie, maybe not. (And it is a great name!) A little mermaid-princess called Adalie trick-or-treated at our house last fall. I often wonder if we’ll hear more of that one.
Me, I love it as a nickname for Victoria. My neighbors named their daughter Victoria – I tried to persuade them to go with Queenie as a nn. Not sure how they felt about it, but then, the dad wanted to name the baby Jameson Walker if it was a boy. (I don’t believe she was ever on board with that as a possibility.)
But now that I hear all of these product associations … Aveno, not so bad. Velveeta? Yikes! That’s a dealbreaker.
Meh, it doesn’t really thrill me. To me its just the word for life.
Vida is a common Persian female name, I don’t remember the meaning though.
I agree with Kelleita on the toiletry product association! Its like Aveda and Aveno and Vidal Sassoon smooshed together. But it really makes me think of Velveeta. And no one wants their name to sound like a processed cheese substitute.
The only association I have is a young girl (well, she’d be a teenager now) known as Vita, full name Vitalie.
Certainly makes for a more interesting Victoria nickname than Vicky and Tori, both of which I cannot stomach.
Vitalie – that’s really interesting! And to me Vicky is Captain Steubing’s daughter on the Love Boat; Tori is all 90210 Inn Love. Which I watch obsessively, true. But still …
It’s an interesting name & I can understand the appeal.It just doesn’t appeal to me.It’s too similar to saying ‘viva la france!’ Also, the Ava comparison makes me dislike it, as I have never been able to like Ava since the first time I heard it. I want to like it & a small part of me does.It is too similar to names like Vera which I just can’t stand.Sorry if that was harsh.The meaning is nice, though
I don’t know… there’s just something about this name that sounds 1) like you’re trying to hard; and 2) like the brand of a soap or some other toiletry or cleaning product. It’s just not cutting it with me.