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Name of the Day: Zephyr

August 30, 2008 By appellationmountain 12 Comments

Our first reaction when Unknown suggested this one?

No way! It’s a car, a train, the Greek God of the wind.

But then we remembered that he’s also a saint, and all of a sudden today’s Name of the Day started to sound almost wearable: the zippy, zany Zephyr.

Zephyrus or Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind. Together with his three counterparts – Boreas in the north, Notus in the south and Eurus in the east – they were known as the Anemoi. In art, they sometimes appear as puffs or gusts, but more often as winged figures.

Zephyrus was the gentle spring breeze, responsible for ushering in fair weather. He was the husband, brother or both of Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Another famous tale involving the deity pits him against Apollo for the affections of the handsome Hyacinth – making Zephyrus’ tale famous among scholars of same-sex romance in myth and fable.

On a different note, the second century Pope Zephyrinus enjoyed an extended reign – 18 years, probably the longest since Peter first held office. Despite his long tenure, little is known of his life. Chances are that Zephyrinus was his birth name, as it has the flavor of many Late Latin monikers. Tradition says that Zephryinus was martyred, and today he is known as Pope Saint Zephyrinus.

The better known Zephyrs, however, aren’t gods or men. Instead, they traveled the rails between California and the Midwest. You can still hop a ride on the Amtrak Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco today.

Or if you’d rather drive yourself, the Lincoln Zephyr is available now. It follows the Ford Zephyr (manufactured from 1950 to 1972) and the short-lived Mercury Zephyr (1978-83). In the 1990s, Kawasaki also made a motorcycle by the name.

It’s no surprise that Zephyr has never made the Top 1000 given names in the US, but it was a little eye-opening to search old census records and find plenty of bearers of the name – including quite a few women!

It’s possible that some were born Zéphyrine, a sometimes used French feminine form. The name also persists as the masculine Zeferino in Spanish and Portuguese. Some bearers may have been seeking an Americanized version of their birth name; some probably were born on the saint’s feast day; others might have simply been given a mythological moniker.

While Zephyr seems quite difficult for a modern child to wear, we do like the nickname Zef. And with Zachary at #42, Xavier at #68 and names with a “z” sound like Isaiah and Ezekiel all the rage, it doesn’t seem completely outlandish.

Still, we can’t help think that Zephyr is probably best reserved for the middle spot – where it would be an intriguing surprise, rather than a rather dazzlingly odd way to introduce oneself. If you love the name, however, consider using Zephyrin. The added syllable somehow softens the association with transportation, and might even put this one in the category of daring, but revivable oldies.

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Comments

  1. Chrisanthy says

    May 22, 2016 at 10:14 PM

    I love Zephyr for a boy. Also like Zephyrine for a girl.
    If I had another son Zephyr would be on the list.

    Reply
  2. Cara says

    June 24, 2011 at 9:19 PM

    I completely love Zephyr for a boy.
    It is also the name of a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which is really a beautiful song.

    Reply
  3. Lou @ Mer de noms says

    May 24, 2011 at 8:27 AM

    I actually really like the name Zephyr, and since I live in the UK, the car association means nothing, and the best known train here it the Flying Scotsman, or the Rocket, even to me, the daughter of a train enthusiast.

    So the only association I have is the Greek god of Wind, although it was used in the game Spyro 2, which just adds to the pros for me. Would as use Zephyr as a first? I have no real qualms that stops me.

    Reply
  4. Christina Fonseca says

    September 2, 2008 at 7:13 AM

    I had a student (she’s probably 30yo now) named Summer Zephyr. I like it in the mn spot.

    Reply
  5. Mia says

    September 1, 2008 at 10:17 PM

    I would use Zephyrine on a girl in a heartbeat if I could get it past my husband. I might even name a girl Zephyr. I am not so keen on Zephyr for a boy though.

    Reply
  6. appellationmountain says

    September 1, 2008 at 4:59 PM

    HA! I’ll admit I have a secret affection for Zephyrine, but can’t imagine using it in the first spot – possible as a middle though, because I have an irrational love of All Names Beginning with Z.

    Reply
  7. !!!DirtyHippy!!! says

    August 31, 2008 at 5:56 PM

    I think I’d rather name my son Zeppelin.

    Reply
  8. Another says

    August 30, 2008 at 5:29 PM

    Really? To me this is along the lines of Moonbeam or Dweezil. This is the name a starbaby might end up with. I’m not down with Zephyr, sorry!

    Reply
  9. Lola says

    August 30, 2008 at 5:28 PM

    Zephyr’s rather cool. I agree he’d make a fantastic middle, rather than an extremely unusual first. I would rather use Zephyrine on a girl, in the middle (Beatrix Zephyrine, perhaps? ) than Zephyr (but that may be because I have a cousin who’s regional midwestern VP for Ford….) But I don’t think I’d blanch at seeing him on someone else’s kid as a first. He does fit into the trendy sound today. (and that’s where I pause for first use, trendy sounds date a kid before they’re 40). So there’s my reasoning for the above statements.
    Zephyr’s undeniably cool and I would honestly rather see him than yet another Jayden/Kaiden/Rayden… Mythological extracts age better than sound smushes too. Different is good! 😀

    Reply

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