"Why, blame it all, of course, it is Mordaunt."

November 29, 2017 3:42 PM

In British Baby Names, Eleanor Nickerson posts about name history and contemporary naming: Tudor names, Victorian Gothic names, excellent names from 1876, Victorian Romany names, alliterative Edwardian siblings. There are rare names, phrase names and families with interesting name choices: the Farmans, the Stuarts and the Stockers. Name poems show that interest in names is not new. In more recent data, Nickerson looks at regional names (girls, boys), names by letter (girls, boys) and fast-rising names. She gives name help and links to other name blogs.
posted by paduasoy (18 comments total)

Heavens to Ermintrude!

(Is relieved to see that “Ermintrude” does get a mention.)
posted by acb at 4:32 PM on November 29, 2017

No Praise-God or Unless-Jesus-Christ-Had-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned?

That's what having non-Puritain parents will do for you....
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:36 PM on November 29, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oh these are all so interesting. I'm going to proceed to annoy my pregnant sister-in-law with some interesting name suggestions.
posted by fever-trees at 4:48 PM on November 29, 2017 [4 favorites]

From the fastest rising boy's names:

JAX +394

Who is using this name? Where is their head at?
posted by GuyZero at 4:49 PM on November 29, 2017 [2 favorites]

From the list of phrase names:
Brown Leek

I am reconsidering my decision to be child-free.
posted by janepanic at 6:29 PM on November 29, 2017 [6 favorites]

Lyulph Ydwallo Odin Nestor Egbert Lyonel Toedmag Hugh Erchenwyne Saxon Esa Cromwell Orma Nevill Dysart Plantagenet ("L.Y.O.N.E.L. T.H.E. S.E.C.O.N.D")

Wow.
posted by rtha at 6:36 PM on November 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

I've just looked at two links so far. Started with the 1876 one. So many interesting and uncommon (now) names in that one I thought. Cool. Hey I'm going to check out the Tudor one next. This should be interesting. And it was because so many of the names in that list are common and contempory.
posted by Jalliah at 6:40 PM on November 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

I love that "long lost rarities" list. Some quality namesmithing there. I'll never be at a loss when naming RPG characters now!
posted by picea at 7:24 PM on November 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

One of the great regrets of a childless life is the lack of anyone to name "Taliesin" or "Xantippe."
posted by octobersurprise at 7:29 PM on November 29, 2017 [2 favorites]

Picea, I thought the same thing! I'm working on a campaign right now and naming dozens of characters and potential NPCs. This is a great resource for that. I have files with list of names from around the world and this is a great addition.
posted by Jalliah at 7:43 PM on November 29, 2017

yup, been here and used this when I wanted to find out "what would my middle-class south English schoolgirl born in the 50s probably have been named?" for a story. It's an awesome resource, otherwise known as a dangerous rabbit hole. Names are addictive.
posted by huimangm at 8:15 PM on November 29, 2017

Reading through the "Long Lost Rarities" I can't help but connect them to fantasies. Like Belisent is totally a Disney villain, while Clariandra is the heroine from the same story. Landric comes to us from Westeros, while Selevan is out of Narnia and Deorstan, Middle Earth. Amphelisia has to be from Discworld.
posted by traveler_ at 8:30 PM on November 29, 2017 [8 favorites]

Octobersurprise, cats are willing to carry this responsibility for you.

(Notes to self to refer back to this thread during the next "whaddonamethiskitteh" Askme.)
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 8:30 PM on November 29, 2017 [5 favorites]

*checks to see if ‘Blort’ is on the rare names list*
posted by roger ackroyd at 8:42 PM on November 29, 2017 [2 favorites]

(NB: Under no cirumstances Google Image Search "blort.")
posted by adamgreenfield at 10:01 PM on November 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

Dick Christmas, shy but festive hero of Metheryl Ann Sanders's new novel, "Impossible Santa Wife."
posted by stillmoving at 11:39 PM on November 29, 2017

The one name in the Long Lost Rarities list that I recognised was Wistan, which was actually the poet W. H. Auden's given name (though there possibly spelt “Wystan”).
posted by acb at 3:22 AM on November 30, 2017

Meanwhile, some of the unique names would these days be start-up names (“Imedia”), and others would end up as zany news stories about the ironies of nominative determinism (I can imagine the virally reposted articles after someone named Sativola got busted for growing cannabis).
posted by acb at 4:07 AM on November 30, 2017