Every now and then, I like to look up interment.net and browse for names. It sounds a little creepy, but the names I find are so fascinating that I quickly forget that I'm essentially looking at the names of dead people. You can search by state, by county, and by cemetery, and one of my favorite states to look at is Texas. The names I find there are saucy, sassy, and cute. All the names I've found here were born at the latest around 1930; most are from around the turn of the century or earlier. It seems that Texans were fond of nicknames and short and sweet middles, as well as any kind of alliteration. Here are some of the lists I've compiled based on Texas trends...I starred my favorites.
Nickname trend:
Flossie
Sally Annie
Vergie
Nannie
Lillie Hattie *
Mamie
Archie
Aggie
Effie
Ophie
Mettie
Mattie
Elzie
Pearlie *
Winnie *
Texie, Texxie (I think this is funny)
Dessie
Tennie
Letty
Gracie
Gussie * (so tomboy sassy)
Rosie
Rossie
Minnie
Nonie
Verdie
Birdie
Powie (as in the video game sound? this one is perplexing)
The Belles and Maes:
Sallie Belle
Lela Belle * (So much "L sound," so little time)
Nanabel
Cora Mae
Emma Mae
Etta Mae
Lena Mae
Willa Mae
Edna Mae
Maggie Mae * (Wake up, Maggie I think I've got something to say to you... -Rod Stewart)
Burtha (Bertha) Mae
Gladys Mae
Speaking of L sounds, Texans love 'em:
Leila Isabelle
Lula Lee
Lulu
Louisiana
Levi
Lola Maude
Lillian Daisy * (This combo is adorable)
Philip Leonidas (I loved that I actually found an instance of this name)
Then there are the strange, and/or unusual choices:
Hannible (Hannibal)
Ouida
Omadell (Boy or girl? I couldn't figure it out)
Claiborne
Callaway
Pinkney, Pinckney
Garland
Glendora
Houston (Texas pride)
Ausby* (I actually like this quite a lot)
Oceana (born 1831...those parents were ahead of the trend)
Hardy
Peabody (Parents...really?)
Phillippine
Birdsall
Cleo Mignon (Filet anyone?)
Liladon (went by Donna apparently)
Zebulum (My thought was that it was an offshoot of Zebulon?)
Zaragosa (found amidst a plethora of Hispanic names)
Sylvanus
Descema (spin off of Decima?)
And finally, the modern and relevant:
Rosamond Beatrice* (Absolute favorite out of all the names I found)
Silas
Basil
Henry Homer* (Love the alliteration here, love the combo)
Harrison Riley
Nell Beatrice
Colby
Cyrus
Minna
Hermine
Adeline
Zadie
Benno
Wesley Harvey* (Yes to Harvey!)
Hattie Alabama*
Imogene
Iantha
Iona
Genevieve*
Conrad
Moses
Ottilie
Ruby*
So...what do you think? Have any personal favorites? Questions? Insight? Discuss!
the name winnie always makes me think of the witch from that one halloween movie.
ReplyDeleteI am partial to Silas, for sure. couldnt even tell you why. it sounds so sophisticated, or something.
Got anything on the name lorelai? i know its not one of the names listed, but i've alwasy thought that name was so beautiful. does it mean anything cool?
-Sarah
Hey Sarah! Oh yeah, I forgot that one of the witches in Hocus Pocus was named Winnie! Winnie makes me think of the girl in Tuck Everlasting, like a blond haired cute little girl in a pink dress. I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI like Silas, too. It reminds me of a man in a flannel shirt and designer jeans. It's sophisticated, like you said, and rugged at the same time.
Lorelei is German and means "luring rock" It comes from the legend of Lorelei, who was a siren. I agree that it's beautiful. I love the repeated l sounds, and it's very musical-sounding. There's the song "When Mermaids Cry" that mentions Lorelei, by Eagle Eye Cherry, and then, of course, Gilmore Girls, which sort of ruins the name for me. Not that I don't like the show, but I will just always associate the name with Lauren Graham's character...
What's the worst name you've ever heard?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm reading a boook set in 12th-century England where the main character's name is Rosamund.
Hey hugsnkisses,
ReplyDeleteWhat book are you reading? I first heard about Rosamond from the book "Middlemarch" by George Eliot. As far as the worst name I've ever heard, I really hesitate to condemn any name, because every name belongs to someone. However, speaking purely out of my own opinion and meaning no offense to any one, I have general dislike for misspelled names and trendy names, like Adisyn, for example.