The Beauty of Names

Franz Xavier of Saxony Prince Franz Xavier of Saxony was born Franz Xavier Albert August Ludwig Benno to Augustus III of Poland and Maria Josepha of Austria . He married morganatically his sister-in-law's lady in waiting,  Maria Chiara Spinucci . Their children were: Ludwig Ruprecht Joseph Xavier, " Ludwig, Graf von der Lausitz " Clara Maria Augusta Beatrice, " Clara Maria,  Gräfin von der Lausitz " - Ludwig's twin Joseph Xavier Karl Raphael Philipp Benno, " Joseph Xavier, Graf von der Lausitz " Elisabeth Ursula Anna Cordula Xaviera, " Elisabeth Ursula,  Gräfin von der Lausitz ", later " Duchesse d'Esclignac " Maria Anna Violente Katharina Martha Xaviera, " Maria Anna,  Gräfin von der Lausitz ", later " Princess of Oriolo " Beatrix Marie  Françoise Brigitte, " Beatrix Marie,  Gräfin von der Lausitz ", later " Marchesa di Corleto " Kunigunde Anna Helena Maria Josepha...

Natalie Glebova - Canada - 2005 Part One Here Shawn Weatherly - United States - 1980 Irene Sáez - Venezuela - 1981 Karen Dianne Baldwin - Canada - 1982 Lorraine Downes - New Zealand - 1983 Yvonne Ryding - Sweden - 1984 Deborah Cathy-Deu - Puerto Rico - 1985 Bárbara Palacios - Venezuela - 1986 Cecilia Bolocco - Chile - 1987 Porntip Nakhirunkanok - Thailand - 1988 Angela Visser - The Netherlands - 1989 Mona Grudt - Norway - 1990 Lupita Jones - Mexico - 1991 Michelle McLean - Namibia - 1992 Dayanara Torres - Puerto Rico - 1993 Sushmita Sen - India - 1994 Chelsi Smith - United States - 1995 Alicia Machado - Venezuela - 1996 Brook Lee - United States - 1997 Wendy Fitzwilliam - Trinidad and Tobago - 1998 Mpule Kwelagobe - Botswana - 1999 Lara Dutta - India - 2000 Denise Quiñones - Puerto Rico - 2001 Oxana Fedorova - Russia - 2002 Justine Pasek - Panama - 2002 Amelia Vega - Dominican Republic - 2003 Jennifer Hawkins - Australia - 2004 Natalie Glebova...

Azilde - I caught the 1946 adaption of Anya Seton's "Dragonwyck" on TV the other day, which starred Gene Tierney, Vincent Price, and Glenn Langan. A maid tells Miranda, the protagonist, that Nicholas' (one of the love interests / antagonist) great-grandmother, a beautiful woman from New Orleans named Azilde, was treated abominably by her husband and prayed all the time for something terrible to befall the family. The family is cursed to hear her sing and play her harpsichord in the infamous Red Room. It's a wonderful Gothic classic which I really enjoyed! As for the name, which is pronounced "eh-ZILD", it's a bit of a mystery. There is however a town in Ontario called Azilda which is named after Azilda  Bélanger  née Brisebois, who was one of the first female pioneers of the area and was known for her healing abilities. Meraud, Tanis, and Loel - I came across an interesting group of siblings while researching royal and aristocratic names, t...

Princess Mathilde of Bavaria Princess Mathilde of Bavaria was born Mathilde Marie Theresia Henriette Christine Luitpolda to Ludwig III of Bavaria and Maria-Theresa of Austria-Este . She married Prince Ludwig Gaston of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . Their children were: Antonius Maria Ludwig Klemens Eugen Karl Heinrich August Luitpold Leopold Franz Wolfgang Peter Gaston Alexander Alfons Ignatius Aloysius Stanislaus, " Prince Antonius Maria Ludwig " Maria Immaculata Leopoldine Franziska Theresia Ildefonsa Adelgunde Klementine Hildegard Anna Josepha Elisabeth Sancta-Angelica Nicoletta, " Princess Maria Immaculata " Princess Mathilde and Prince Ludwig Gaston with Antonius

Christina and Frankie Country music artist Frankie Ballard and wife Christina have welcomed their first child together, a girl they named Pepper Lynn.

Chris and Tara Actor Chris Noth and his wif e , actress Tara Wilson, have had their second child, another boy. They named him Keats. His older brother is named Orion Christopher Noth. He posted a quote from poet John Keats on a photo he shared: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

Booker T. Washington Origin: English Gender: Male Meaning: "Book Maker" Pronunciation: BUWK-er Other Forms: N/A A surname-name with a plethora of namesakes and a rich history, Booker always shocks me with how unusual it is. Growing up, I knew a Booker who was shy, studious, and polite, and he's always cast the name in a (even more) favorable light for me. The origin of Booker is quite simple - it was an occupational surname for someone who did something with books, usually a scribe or a binder, and comes from the Middle English "Boker". It hasn't graced the US charts since 1966, in which it ranked #998, making it a rare little gem indeed. Besides Booker T. Washington there are a few other interesting namesakes - Actress Thandie Newton and her husband have a Booker, George Clooney played Booker Brooks on "Roseanne", and most recently Booker Dewitt was the name of the main character in the video game "BioShock Infinite". Book...

Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria Duchess Maria Antonia, Princess of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony was born Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa to Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Amalia of Austria . She married Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony . She was a composer, a singer, and harpsichordist known for her operas, which are still performed to this day. Their children were: A stillborn son Friedrich August Joseph Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Aloys Xaver, " Frederick Augustus I of Saxony " Karl Maximilian Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Aloys Franz Xavier Januar, " Karl of Saxony " Joseph Maria Ludwig Johann Nepomuk Aloys Gonzaga Franz Xavier Januar Anton de Padua Polycarp, " Joseph of Saxony " Anton Clemens Theodor Maria Joseph Johann Evangelista Nepomuk Franz Xaver Aloys Januar, " Anthony of Saxony " Maria Amalia Anna Josepha Antonia Justina Augustina Xaviera Aloysia Johanna Nepomucena Magdalena Walburga Katharina, ...

Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark was born Theodora to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg . She married Berthold, Margrave of Baden . Their children were: Margarita Alice Thyra Viktoria Scholastica, " Princess Margarita of Baden " Maximilian Andreas Friedrich Gustav Ernst August Bernhard, " Prince Maximilian of Baden " Ludwig Wilhelm Georg Ernst Christoph " Prince Ludwig of Baden "

The Thornton-Gosper Family Smokey - Did you see the story about the Australian family that welcomed a new baby while their home was being destroyed by the bush-fires? They named him Smokey Thomas Gosper. They had originally wanted to name him Smokey after an ancestor of the father, Danny Gosper's, who name was Thomas Roker Gosper ( and in honor of their deceased dog). Roker means "smoker" in Dutch, and the mother, Rachael Thornton, felt like it was providence. They have an older daughter as well named Mima. Blu - I'm really excited for "The New Mutants" to come out, it seems like such a fresh take on the superhero genre. One of the main characters, Dani Moonstar, is being played by actress Blu Hunt. She's only 24, and has had roles in "The Originals" and "Another Life", and is of Lakota ancestry. I've always had a soft spot for Blu/e, especially for a girl. From Lowell to Chris - I've been reading Duana Taha's b...

Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia was born Maria Kirillovna to Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna . She was called "Marie" or "Masha". She married Karl, 6th Prince of Leiningen . Their children were: Emich Kirill Ferdinand Hermann, " Prince Emich Kyrill of Leiningen " Karl Vladimir Ernst Heinrich, " Prince Karl of Leiningen " Kira Melita Feodora Marie Victoria Alexandra, " Princess Kira of Leiningen " Margarita Ileana Victoria, " Princess Margarita of Leiningen " Mechtilde Alexandra, " Princess Mechtilde of Leiningen " Friedrich Wilhelm Berthold, " Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Leiningen " Peter Victor, " Prince Peter Victor of Leiningen "

Dorothy Dandridge Origin: Greek Gender: Female Meaning: "Gift of God" Pronunciation: DOR-eh-thee, DOR-thee Other Forms: Dorothea, Dorthe, Dorete, Dora One of my favorite vintage names, Dorothy has a sweet simplicity that can't be beat. The English form of Dorothea, which is in itself a feminine form of the Greek Dorotheos. It means "Gift of God". Dorothy has been on and off the US charts since it first came about in 1880, and in 2018 ranked #586, making it another one of those delicious sweet spot names. Everyone's first thought when they hear Dorothy is of Dorothy Gale, the heroine of L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz", played by Judy Garland in the 1939 film. But there are many other namesakes, from Nobel Prize Winner Dorothy Hodgkin, who developed protein crystallography, also known as X-ray crystallography, or XRC, to a plethora of Olympic medalists. A more recent bearer is actress Bel Powley, although it's only a middle - ...

Prince Adalbert of Prussia Prince Adalbert of Prussia was born Adalbert Ferdinand Berengar Viktor to Wilhelm II, German Emperor   and Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein . He married Princess Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningin , who was called "Adi". Their children were: Viktoria Marina - stillborn Viktoria Marina, " Princess Viktoria Marina of Prussia " Wilhelm Viktor Ernst Freund Friedrich Georg Adalbert, " Prince Wilhelm Victor of Prussia " From L-R: Princess Viktoria Marina, Prince Adalbert, Prince Wilhelm Victor, and Princess Adelheid

Chloe x Halle Origin: Germanic and Norse Gender: Unisex Meaning: "Hall" or "Rock" Pronunciation: HAL-ee Other Forms: Halley, Halli Soft but strong, Halle is hovering just on the inside of the top 1000, making it the perfect choice for those who wasn't something unusual, yet recognizable. The first person who comes to mind when we hear Halle is actress Halle Berry, but she is certainly not the first bearer of this name. For women, and as a first name, that honor belongs to Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson, the first woman to become a licensed physician in Alabama. Born Halle Tanner in 1864 Pittsburgh, she was the eldest daughter of Benjamin Tucker Tanner, a minister, and Sarah Elizabeth Tanner, prominent members of the local African-American community. She married Charles Dillon, but he sadly died after the birth of the child only two years later. She then returned home, and ended up graduating from Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania with honor...

Milla with Dashiel and Ever Actress and model Milla Jovovich of "Resident Evil" fame and husband, director Paul W.S. Anderson, have had their third child, another girl. They've named her Osian Lark Elliot Jovovich-Anderson. Their two elder girls are named Ever Gabo and Dashiel "Dash" Edan.

Akiko Kojima - Japan - 1959 I had so much fun researching and writing the Miss World posts that I decided to do another - this time the winners of Miss Universe. Starting with the very first pageant in 1952, here are the winners all the way up to 1979. Armi Kuusela - Finland - 1952 Christiane Martel - France - 1953 Miriam Stevenson - America - 1954 Hillevi Rombin - Swedish - 1955 Carol Morris - America - 1956 Gladys Zender - Peru - 1957 Luz Marina Zuluaga - Colombia - 1958 Akiko Kojima - Japan - 1959 Linda Bement - America - 1960 Marlene Schmidt - Germany - 1961 (The only German woman to win) Norma Beatriz Nolan - Argentina - 1962 Iêda Maria Vargas - Brazil - 1963 Corinna Tsopei - Greece - 1964 (Kyriaki Tsopei) Apasra Hongsakula - Thailand - 1965 Margareta Arvidsson - Sweden - 1966 Sylvia Hitchcock - America - 1967 Martha Vasconcellos - Brazil - 1968 Gloria Diaz - The Philippines - 1969 Marisol Malaret - Puerto Rico - 1970 Georgina Rizk - Lebanon - 1971 ...

Beanie Feldstein Beanie - I'm in love with actress Beanie Feldstein's name. You may have seen her in "Lady Bird" and "Booksmart", and to my shock, she is Jonah Hill's sister! She was born Elizabeth Greer Feldstein, and her brother's nicknamed her Beanie when she was two. I love seeing creative nicknames, especially for more classic names - it gives them a touch of brightness, and a lot more leeway. Names from Ragnarok - I'm a sucker for teen drama shows and Netflix's new Norwegian show, "Ragnarok", which brings Norse Mythology to the modern age, is right up my alley. It also has some great names. For boys there's Magne , Laurits , Fjor , and Vidar ; for girls Isolde , Ran , Gry , Saxa , and Turid . And to my delight, a dog named Trym . Lison - This gorgeous French name has been on my radar for a while. I came across it in the top 1000 names for France - in 2018 it ranked #115 - and ever since then it's been in the b...

Saoirse Ronan Origin: Irish Gender: Female Meaning: "Freedom" Pronunciation: SIR-sha, SAIR-sha, SEER-sha Other Forms: N/A I have been a fan of Saoirse Ronan's since I very first saw her in "Atonement" as Briony Tallis, where I was blown away by her talent. Now she's definitely having her moment, and I couldn't be happier but I'm honestly a little surprised her name hasn't gotten the same reaction. She pronounces it "SIR-sha" like "inertia", her words, but the other two pronunciations seem to be as legitimate as the first, all being used and accepted in Ireland. I think that's the only thing holding this name back - pronunciation. However in 2018 it actually made the top 1000 for the US, ranking in at just #829. Not surprisingly in England and Wales it ranked #370, and ranks the same in both Ireland and Northern Ireland - #20. Saoirse has the wonderful meaning of "freedom", and it became popular in Ir...