The Beauty of Names

Alyssa Sutherland as Aslaug in "Vikings" Origin: Norse Gender: Female Meaning: "Betrothed woman of God" or "God's bath: Pronunciation: AZ-lock, OWS-log, OWSH-lov Other forms:  Asløg, Áslaug, Aslög Last night was the season two premiere of the hit TV show "Vikings". I thought, in honor of the occasion, I would highlight the name of one of the most interesting, and hated, characters of the show, Aslaug. The name comes from the Norse  áss   meaning "God", and laug which possibly means "betrothed woman". Another possible meaning for laug is "bath". In the "Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok", it is said that Aslaug is the daughter of a shieldmaiden called Brynhildr, and Sigurd. When they die, Aslaug is raised by Brynhildr's foster father, Heimer. Heimer has a harp made large enough that he can carry young Aslaug in it, and he travels around as a harp player. While travelling Heimer stays in the home of a man

Team Norway Men : Morten Ask Anders Bardal Lars Berger Torgeir Bergrem Robin  Dahlstrøm Finn  Hågen  Krogh Ole Einar  Bjørndalen Vetle  Sjåstad  Christiansen Espen Hvammen Tarjei  Bø Sjur  Røthe Håvard Bøkko Tord Asle Gjerdalen Øystein Bråten Gjermund  Bråten Emil Hegle Svendsen Pål  Golberg Eirik Brandsdal Mads Hansen Sondre Olden Kjetil Jansrud Mikko Kokslien Leif Kristian Haugen Eldar  Rønning Jonas  Holøs Rune Velta Women : Tora Berger Ragnhild Mowinckel Marit  Bjørgen Hilde-Katrine Engeli Celine Brun-Lie Line Jahr Maiken Caspersen Falla Hege  Bøkko Mari Hemmer Ida  Njåtun Tiril Eckhoff Kjersti Buaas Gyda Enger Marte  Høie  Gjefsen Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen Ingvild Flugstad  Østberg Fanny Welle-Strand Horn Therese Johaug Maren Lundby Silje Norendal Helene Olafsen Synnøve  Solemdal Hedvig Wessel

"Saint Eustace" by Albrecht  Dürer Origin : Latin, Greek Gender : Male Meaning : "Fruitful" Pronunciation : YOO-stis Other forms : Eustache, Eustachus, Eustachius, Eustachio, Eustaquio, Eustacia I know I am alone on this, but I find the name Eustace to be rather charming. It comes the Latin form of the Greek Eustachys , which means "fruitful". It has a few interesting namesakes, like Eustace Clarence Scrubb cousin of the Pevensie children, who joins Edmund and Lucy in Narnia once Peter and Susan grow too old. He is arrogant and whiny, but grows in personality throughout the books. Another namesake is Saint Eustace, who in legend lived during the 2nd century, and was once a Roman general called Placidus. He goes out hunting in Tivoli, and sees a vision of a crucifix between the antlers of the stag he is hunting. He converts to Christianity, has himself and his family baptized, and changes his name to Eustace. His story there on resembles Job

Team Hungary Men : Viktor Knoch Konrad Nagy Milan Szabo Norbert Farkas Bence Beres Sandor Liu Shaolin Karoly Gombos Women : Agnes Simon Edit Miklos Szandra Lajtos Rozsa Darazs Zsofia Konya Anna Berecz Bernadett Heidum Andrea Keszler Emoke Szocs

Marie  Joséphine  of Savoy Joan of Valois Mary of England Claude of France Eleanor of Austria Catherine de' Medici Mary, Queen of Scots Elisabeth of Austria Louise of Lorraine Margaret of Valois Marie de' Medici Anne of Austria Maria Theresa of Spain Marie Leszczyńska Marie Antoinette of Austria Marie Joséphine of Savoy Joséphine  de Beauharnais Marie Louise of Austria Marie Thérèse  of France Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily Eugénie  de Montijo

Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill Princess Madeleine of Sweden, who is married to businessman Christopher O'Neill, has welcomed a baby girl whom they named Leonore Lillian Maria.

Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and Otto von Habsburg Archduchess Regina, Crown Princess of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia was born Regina Helene Elizabeth Margarete to Georg, King of Saxe-Meniningen and  Countess Klara Maria von Korff  genannt  Schmissing-Kerssenbrock . She married Archduke Otto of Austria , also known as Otto von Habsburg . He was born Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius von Habsburg. Their children were: Andrea Maria, " Andrea von Habsburg ", " Archduchess Andrea of Austria " Monika Roberta Antonia Raphaela Habsburg-Lothringen, " Monica von Habsburg ", " Archduchess Monika of Austria " Michaela Maria Madeleine Kiliana Habsburg-Lothringen, " Michaela von Habsburg " (Twin to Monika), " Archduchess Michaela of Austria " Gabriela Maria Charlotte Felicitas Elisabeth Antonia Habsburg-Lothringen, " Gabriela von Habsburg ", &

Anne of Brittany Agnes of Meraina Ingeborg of Denmark Blanche of Castile Margaret of Provence Isabella of Aragon Maria of Brabant Joan I of Navarre Margaret of Burgundy Clementia of Hungary Joan II, Countess of Burgundy Blanche of Burgundy Marie of Luxembourg Jeanne d'Évreux Joan the Lame Blanche of Navarre Joanna I of Auvergne Joanna of Bourbon Isabeau of Bavaria Margaret of Anjou Marie of Anjou Charlotte of Savoy Anne of Brittany

Eleanor of Aquitaine I find that Royalty often have some of the most beautiful and fabulous names. I spend hours looking through their names, each time finding something new or unexpected. Today, I'm featuring a list taken from the names of French consorts throughout history. There are some really unusual ones here, and others are downright weird. Ermentrude of  Orléans Richilde of Provence Adelaide of Paris Richardis Théodrate  of Troyes Frederonne Eadgifu of England Béatrice  of Vermandois Emma of France Gerberga of Saxony Emma of Italy Adelaide of Aquitaine Rozala of Italy Bertha of Burgundy Constance of Arles Matilda of Frisia Anne of Kiev Bertha of Holland Bertrade de Montfort Adélaïde  de Maurienne Eleanor of Aquitaine Constance of Castile Adèle  of Champagne Isabelle of Hainaut

Margarete Karola of Saxony Princess Margarete Karola of Saxony was born Margarete Karola Wilhelmine Viktoria Adelheid Albertine Petrusa Bertram Paula to Frederick Augustus III of Saxony  and Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany . She married Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern , who was born Friedrich Viktor Pius Alexander Leopold Karl Theodor Ferdinand. Their children were: Benedikta Maria Antonia Mathilde Anna, " Princess Maria Antonia " Maria Adelgunde Alice Luise Josephine, " Princess Maria Adelgunde " Maria Theresia Ludovika Cecilie Zita Elisabeth Hilda Agnes, " Princess Maria Theresia " Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Joseph Maria Manuel Georg Meinrad Fidelis Benedikt Michael Hubert, " Prince Friedrich Wilhelm " Franz Josef Hubertus Maria Meinrad Michael, " Prince Franz Josef " Johann Georg Carl Leopold Eitel-Friedrich Meinrad Maria Hubertus Michael, " Prince Johann Georg " Ferfried Maximilian

Hana Vítová Girls: Edita Livie Pavla Klaudie Vlasta Adéla Nicol Olivie Zuzana Matylda Kveta Silvie Ludmila Hedvika Barbora Katka Patricie Eliška Madlenka Svatava Zita Viktorie Tereza Hana Lucie Nela Apolena Boys: Milan Radko Vincenc Filip Karel Michal Jakub Eugen Alois Jan Vlastislav Marian Teodor Matyáš Silvestr Emil Ondřej Ignác Dalibor Benedikt Lukáš Aurel

Team Russia Men : Victor An Albert Demchenko Nikita Katsalapov Petr Dron Alexander Glebov Niyaz Nabeev Kirill Antukh Ivan Skobrev Fedor Klimov Semen Elistratov Denis Kornilov Evgeny Plyushchenko Mikhail Maksimochkin Vic Wild Igor Bogolyubsky Valery Kolegov Maxim Trankov Andrey Drozdov Konstantin Glavatskikh Ilia Chernousov Artyom Anisimov Vladimir Grigorev Ilmir Hazetdinov Pavel Kharitonov Yuri Larionov Timofei Slivets Stepan Zuev Women : Ekaterina Bobrova Anastasia Dotsenko Olga Belyakova Margarita Fomina Julia Ivanova Evgenia Shapovalova Nkeiruka Ezekh Regina Rakhimova Inna Dyubanok Galina Skiba Elizavetta Chesnokova Tatyana Burina Victoriya Filyushkina Angelina Golikova Elena Ilinykh Veronika Korsunova Nadezhda Paleeva Assoli Slivets Yulia Lipnitskaya Svetlana Tkachyova

Team Spain Men : Ander Mirambell Javier Raya Alex Puente Tasias Imanol Rojo Pol Carreras Adria Diaz Regino Hernandez Victor Lobo Escolar Laro Herrero Ferran Terra Women : Laura Orgue Carolina Ruiz Castillo Katia Griffiths Victoria Padial Hernandez Queralt Castellet Sara Hurtado

Leopold I with Louise and children Leopold I of Belgium was born Leopold Georg Christian Friedrich to Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf . He married Princess Charlotte of Wales , who was born Charlotte Augusta, and after her death he married Louise of  Orléans , who was born Louise Marie  Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle. Princess Charlotte suffered a miscarriage, and then gave birth to a stillborn boy, and died from complications surrounding it. She was twenty-one. His children with Louise were: Louis-Philippe   Léopold Victor Ernest, " Louis-Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium " or "Babochon" (He died at nine months and twenty-three days) Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor, " Leopold II of Belgium " Philippe  Eugène Ferdinand Marie Clément Baudouin Léopold Georges, " Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders " Marie Charlotte  Amélie Augustine Victoire Clémentine Léopoldine, " Charlotte of Belgium ", la

Catherine Deneuve Not too long ago I would have never contemplated giving the first name Catherine to a daughter. Sure, it is the name of my great-grandmother, a wonderful woman by all accounts, but it was too common, too popular, and it didn't have that "wow" factor that I had always looked for. I started to think of the reasons why I liked Catherine, besides it being a family name, and found it had many virtues. It is name that has never gone out of style, a name that has so much history, and so many wonderful women behind it. I could call her Kitty, Cat, Cathy, Kit, the list is endless. My own mother, who was very close to my great-grandmother, loves the name, and that is something which is very important. If I hadn't put aside my reservations about popularity or uniqueness, I wonder if I would have missed this name, one that I have come to really love. Taking inspiration from my new love of classic names, here is a list of some of the best. Marie/Maria/Mar

Team Japan Men : Sho Endo Noriaki Kasai Ayumu Hirano Daisuke Takahashi Ryo Aono Yuta Watase Satoshi Sakashita Joji Kato Kentaro Tsuda Hidenori Isa Keiichiro Nagashima Yuzuru Hanyu Daiki Ito Taku Hiraoka Chris Reed Akira Lenting Shane Williamson Yoshito Watabe Akito Watabe Reruhi Shimizu Women : Yurie Adachi Mao Asada Mika Hori Yumie Funayama Rana Okada Cathy Reed Moemi Kikuchi Shiho Ishizawa Yuka Fujimori Arisa Murata Tomoko Sakagami Masako Hozumi Kanae Aoki Nao Kodaira Shoko Fujimura Chiho Osawa Akiko Suzuki Moeko Fujimoto Akane Konishi Nana Fujimoto Junko Hoshino Miki Ito Biba Sakurai Fuyuko Suzuki

Team France Men : Jean Guillaume Beatrix Thibaut Fauconnet Florent Amodio Benoit Valentin Jeremy Baillard Maxime Chataignier Baptiste Gros Fabian Bourzat Lloyd James Romain Heinrich Sebastien Lacroix Johann Baisamy Benjamin Cavet Ewen Fernandez Guillermo Fayed Sylvain Dufour Jean-Baptiste Grange Arnaud Bovolenta Paul-Henri De Le Rue Xavier Bertoni Loic Costerg Alexis Boeuf Cyril Gaillard Thomas Krief Arthur Longo Renaud Jay Elly Lefort Cyprien Richard Women : Charlotte Bankes Marion Josserand Deborah Anthonioz Adeline Baud Marielle Berger Sabbatel Celia Aymonier Anais Bescond Pernelle Carron Coraline Hugue Aurore Jean Mae Berenice Meite Veronique Pierron Alizee Baron Clemence Grimal Nelly Moenne Loccoz Anemone Marmottan Anne-Sophie Barthet Ophelie David Marie Laure Brunet Anouk Faivre Picon Vanessa James Morgane Bonnefoy Aurelie Dabudyk Perrine Laffont Nastasia Noens Mirabelle Thovex

Melissa and Jean-David Actress Melissa George, known for "The Good Wife" and "30 Days of Night, has welcomed a baby boy,  Raphaël, with boyfriend Jean-David Blanc.

Team Finland Men : Juhamatti Aaltonen Lasse Kukkonen Anton Lindfors Santeri Paloniemi Markus Malin Otso Raisanen Leo Komarov Sami Jauhojaervi Ikka Herola Aleksi Patja Teemu Selanne Pekka Koskela Iivo Niskanen Janne Korpi Peetu Piiroinen Roope Tonteri Women : Merika Enne Venla Hovi Anna Kilponen Tea Villia Meeri Raisanen Eveliina Suonpaa Aino-Kaisa Saarinen Rosa Lindstedt Kerttu Niskanen Mona-Lisa Malvalehto Susanna Tapani Mari Laukkanen Annina Rajahuta Noora Raty Minttu Tuominen

Team Austria I love the Olympics, and always look forward to them. One of the best parts of them is hearing all the interesting names. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to write some posts about them! Today's team is Austria. *Please be noted that some of the teams are very large, so I will only be highlighting some of the names from the teams. Men : Matthias Mayer Dominik Landertinger Simon Eder Daniel Messotitsch Christoph Sumann Julian Eberhard Reinfried Herbst Luca Tribondeau Andreas Matt Otmar Striedinger Mario Altmann Wilhelm Denifl Hanno Douschan Romed Baumann Johannes Duerr Bernard Gruber Manuel Latsua Alessandro Haemmerle Raphael Herburger Marcel Hirscher Florian Iberer Matthias Iberer Severin Kiefer Wolfgang Kindl Klaus Kroell Marco Ladner Viktor Pfeiffer Joachim Puchner Clemens Schattschneider Angel Somov Women : Miriam Kastlunger Birgit Platzer Nina Reithmayer Philomena Bair Iris Schwabl Vanessa Bittner Janine F

John, Michael, and Wendy in "Peter Pan" 2003 In "Peter Pan", Wendy's full name is given as Wendy Moira Angela Darling. Her brothers are John Napoleon Darling, and Michael Nicholas Darling. It may just be me, but it always irks me when one sibling has more middles than the other. So what one new middle name would you give to the Darling boys? Bonus: Give their parents, Mary and George, middle names. My choices: John Napoleon Rory Darling Michael Nicholas Finnegan Darling Mary Winifred Darling George Edgar Darling

Marie-Chantal and Pavlos Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, Prince of Denmark , was born to King Constantine II and Queen Anne Marie. He married Marie-Chantal , who was born  María Clara. Their children are: Maria-Olympia, " Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark " Constantine-Alexios, " Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece and Denmark " Achileas-Andreas, " Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark " Odysseas-Kimon, " Prince Odysseus-Kimon of Greece and Denmark " Aristides-Stavros, " Prince Aristides-Stavros of Greece and Denmark "

Finnish stamp from 2007 These are the top names for Finland among Finnish speakers in 2012. Girls: 1. Ella 2. Sofia 3. Emma 4. Aada 5. Aino 6. Venla 7. Helmi 8. Emilia 9. Siiri 10. Sara Boys: 1. Onni 2. Elias 3. Eetu, Leo 4. Aleksi 5. Niilo 6. Veeti 7. Oliver 8. Joona 9. Eino 10. Leevi, Lauri