The Beauty of Names

Origin : Scottish Gender : Unisex Meaning : "Garden of holly" Pronunciation : LEZ-lee Other forms : Lesley Could this name ever be reclaimed for boys? Or is it 100% girl? I personally always think of Leslie Howard, though it does have a feminine sound. It comes from a Scottish surname, which was originally a place name, and probably came from the Gaelic leas celyn which means "garden of holly". An appropriate name for a baby boy or girl born around the holidays. In folklore, the Holly King is the adversary of the Oak King, and the two battle it out all year long. At Midsummer the Oak King is at his greatest, while the Holly King is weak. The Holly King begins to regain his power, and at the Autumn Equinox the tables turn. During Midwinter the Holly King is at his strongest. Holly was thought to protect the house from evil fairies or to allow fairies and people to co-exist. Cutting down a whole holly tree was also seen as bad luck.

Samaire   Actress Samaire Armstrong has given birth to her first child, a baby boy whom she has called Calin. She is known for her roles in the "O.C.", "Stay Alive", "It's a Boy Girl Thing", and "Dirty Sexy Money". Samaire was born in Tokyo thirty two years ago to a Scottish father and Italian mother. She is also a fashion designer, and model.

Origin : Chinese Gender : Female Meaning : "Chrysanthemum" Pronunciation : JOO Other forms : N/A Chrysanthemums are beautiful flowers, native to Asia and northeastern Europe, and are of the family Asteraceae. The word "chrysanthemum" comes from the Greek chrysos, meaning "gold", and anthemon, which means "flower". They were first cultivated in China as far back as the 15th century, and are thought to have been brought to China sometime in the 8th century, when the Emperor made them his official seal. The chrysanthemum is one of the four gentlemen usually depicted in traditional Chinese ink and wash paintings. The other three are the plum, the orchid, and the bamboo. In some parts of Asia, the white or yellow species are boiled and made into a tea. They are also often boiled or steamed and used as greens, especially in Chinese cuisine. In Europe, incurve chrysanthemums are symbolic of death, and used only for funerals. In China, Japan,...

Saint Boris and Saint Gleb Origin : Bulgarian Gender : Male Meaning : "Short", or "wolf" Pronunciation : BORE-iss, bah-REES, BO-ris Other forms : Borys The name Boris comes from the Turkic Bogoris , which meant either "short", or "wolf". It has been the name of three Bulgarian Emperors. Boris is one of those names that has been used in many places including Russia, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Germany, and, as Borys, in Poland and the Ukraine. It was popularized by Saint Boris, who was a Russian Prince, and was martyred with his brother Gleb. Boris and Gleb were alive during the 11th century, and took the Christian names Roman and David. Their father was Vladimir the Great, and their mother was thought to be Bulgarian, though some think they had different mothers. When their father was killed, Boris and Gleb were murdered, as they were heirs to throne. Boris was stabbed along with his manservant in his tent. When he was found later on,...

Doris Eaton Travis Origin: Greek Gender: Female Meaning: "Dorian woman" Pronunciation: DORE-iss Other forms: Dorris Is Doris forever lost to another time? Or could she possible be revived? I personally think Doris is pretty cute, it is fusty, but why does fusty have to be a bad thing? Doris last appeared in the US' popular names in 1992 at #880; The highest it has ever ranked was in 1929 at #6. It is an ancient Greek name, written as Δωρις, which meant "Dorian woman". The Dorians were a Greek tribe that lived in the Peloponnese penisula in the 12 century B.C. Doris is also the name of an Oceanid in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and was the mother of the fifty Nereids by Nereus. One of the fifty Nereids is Thetis, the mother of Achilles. In England, Doris is an insult pretty much meaning the same thing that "pansy" means here. I don't know how well known it is as I've never heard it before, but I'm not...

Brown Eyed Girls My sister has recently turned me on to K-Pop, and, being the name nerd I am, I noticed how lovely their names are. Brown Eyed Girls : Ga-In JeA Narsha Miryo KARA : Park Gyuri Kang Jiyoung Han Seungyeon Nicole Jung Goo Hara Girls Generation : Taeyeon Seohyun Sunny Sooyoung Tiffany Jessica Hyoyeon Yuri Yoona 2NE1 : CL Bom Minzy Dara After School : Jungah Jooyeon Uee Raina Nana Lizzy E-Young Kaeun Wonder Girls : Yubin Sunye Hyelim Yeeun Sohee

Hedd Wyn Origin : Welsh Gender : Male Meaning : "Blessed peace" Pronunciation : N/A Other forms : Hedd, Wyn This name did not start out the way most do. It is used in honor of the Welsh poet Hedd Wyn, born Ellis Evans in 1887. He was not particularly bright in school, but had a gift for writing poetry, and had written his first poems by the age of eleven, which were better than more established poets of the time. Hedd left school at fourteen, and began to work as a shepherd. At nineteen he took place in Eisteddfod, a festival celebrating literature, music, and performance. There he was awarded the bard's chair, one of the most important honors. His bardic name was suggested to him by a fellow poet in 1910. He was mostly inspired by Romantic poetry, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Hedd was determined to win the bardic chair the following year. In 1916 he was forced to enlist in, going in the place of his younger brother Robert. His sunny disposition made him well li...

Karen Allen Poppy-fly suggested a post on some hip nicknames for the dated names out there, like Karen, or Linda. Here is my list of suggestions, feel free to add your own! Note: Most of these names are favorites of mine. I would find them refreshing to meet on a little girl! Karen: Kaz/Kazza, Ren Linda: Lindy, Lin Susan: Sukie, Sannie, Daisy, Susu/Suzu Barbara: Bunny, Bitsie Dolores: Lola, Lo Pamela: Mel, Honey, Mella Theresa: Tess/Tessa, Reese Marguerite/Margarita: Daisy, Rita, Margo Judith: Jude, Dita Dorothy: Dot/Dottie, Doro, Dora, Dorie Cynthia: Cyn, Cynda/Cinda, Cinder Virginia: Virgie, Ginny, Gin Melissa: Bee, Mel Maxine: Max, Maxie, Xina Shannon: Nan, Nona, Shan Valerie: Val, Vallie/Valley Kimberly: Kimba, Kimber Marlene: Marley, Lena/Lina Veronica: Vero, Vera, Ronnie