Maybe you’re here because you’re naming a baby. Or dreaming of naming a baby. Lots of you are writers. But some – maybe many of you – are like me.
Hard-core name obsessed.
For me, names are like birds or stamps or rare coins. I mean – they’re also the names of real people that I love. But sometimes … I’m collecting.
And this was one of those moments.
Years ago, I read a series of mysteries, starting with The Hangman’s Daughter. At some point in the series, there’s a character named Nepomuk. Presumably, he’s named for Saint John of Nepomuk, from fourteenth century Bohemia.
Because the books are well-researched, I figured the name must be historically authentic – or at least plausible. It lodged in my brain, a curiosity I always wondered about.
And then, The Beauty of Names shared this list: The Children of Duchess Maria Antonia of Bavaria. And whoa! All but her youngest child have Nepomuk (or the feminine Nepomucena) included in their (long) names!
Oh, what a thrill! Now I know how birders feel they spot a black-throated thrush …
Spotted any rare names in the wild lately?
Elsewhere online:
Whoa! Boy names ending in S are everywhere this week. Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney and wife Hannah welcomed son Ames. And Chris Noth and wife Tara Wilson named their son Keats.
I love a good feminine nickname for a masculine name. But maybe I’m biased because my son has one.
Duana talks about embracing the clonk. Also, she suggests Agatha. My day is made!
Swistle has some great, down-to-Earth advice in this post: “A name can be a delightful, meaningful, beautiful thing, but it is at its heart a PRACTICAL thing, and so as long as you are making a good faith effort to give him a good, useful name, everything is going to be fine.” Nicely said!
Wilfred, Cosima … so many great names in the British Baby Names birth announcements this week. Also, Cosima’s sisters’ names? Swoon!
That’s all for this week! As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
I saw a “Xoie” listed somewhere the other day. (Along with a couple of “Zoe”s and a “Zoi”. It reminded me that no matter how it’s spelled, if it sounds the same, it’s pretty much the same name. Although I’m certain if I interacted with these kids, I would see their name in my head when I said, and so I would know, at least.
Haha, Nepomuk (after Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a composer I got into in high school) has been one of my main online pseudonyms for coming up on 20 years now. It’s just so satisfying to say!
That moment in the Narnia movie when the horse says his name is Philip! I laughed out loud and had to explain to my confused brother beside me that Philip means lover of horses …thrilling!!
Oh, YES!! What a great moment.