The Beauty of Names

Origin: Latin, Greek Gender: Female Meaning: "Well Born" Pronunciation: yoo-JEEN-ee-ah, yoo-JEEN-yah Other Forms: Eugeneia,    Eugénie, Yevgeniya, Eukene, Uxía; Eugene, Eugenios, Owen, Eugen Our Holiday names come to a close with the name of a Saint whose Feast is on Christmas day. Eugenia of Rome, according to the popular rendition of her story, was the daughter of Philip, a Duke of Alexandria and Governor  of Egypt. She left her father's home, dressed as a man, and was baptized by Helenus, a Bishop of Heliopolis, and later became an Abbot, still under her disguise. Eugenia would later cure a woman of her illness, and when the woman made sexual advances towards her, which she declined. That woman, incensed and embarrassed, made a public accusation, that would bring her before the court. She declared Eugenia an adulterer, and came before the judge, her father, still as a man. When it was revealed she was not only a woman but his very daughter, she was instantly exone...

Origin: English, French and Italian Gender: Unisex Meaning: "A Braid" Pronunciation : GARR-lend Other Forms: N/A Sorry for missing yesterday's post! Christmas Eve just got away from me, so I will be posting the last name tomorrow for Boxing Day! This is a guilty pleasure of mine that I could really see working. For girls, it has the vintage glam of Judy Garland, for boys it is a coveted unisex nature name, and absolutely perfect for a Christmas baby. The word garland comes from the French guirlande , which itself came from the Italian ghirlanda , which meant "a braid". Garlands are a typical decoration for a celebration, from Christmas' tinsel and popcorn garlands, to the traditional Hawaiian lei , which is often given at graduations and weddings. In India, flower garlands are popular for any sort of festival, and are often bestowed on the effigies of their Gods, the most common flowers being jasmine. In the 16th century, both northern and eastern Europeans ...

Origin: Greek Gender: Female Meaning: "Snow" Pronunciation: KYE-oh-nee, kye-OH-nee Other Forms: Khione; Chion Today's name is that of a lesser known Greek Goddess or nymph, one who I, even Greek mythology nut that I am, didn't even know of! Chione, according to which tale you ascribe to, is either the daughter of an Athenian Princess named Orithyia and Boreas, the God of the North Wind or calls the naiad Callirrhoe and the God of the Nile River, Neilus, her parents. It is said that Zeus had Hermes turn her into a snow cloud, and that is where Chione gets its meaning. Later, Chione would become pregnant with a son of Poseidon, named Eumolpus, which she tossed into the waters in fear of the father. He was rescued by Poseidon, and came to rule as a King of Thracia. Though most likely unusable for a modern child, I can't help but be entranced by this name. Maybe it's best left to the myths, or perhaps, a cat.

Art by Simon Claude Origin: Hebrew Gender: Male Meaning: "Light for Me" Pronunciation: lee-OR Other Forms: Liora, Liorit A favorite of mine ever since Christina Aguilera used it as a middle name for her son, Lior would make an excellent choice for a baby born during Hanukkah, or as it's sometimes know, The Festival of Lights. Lior, which means "Light for Me", could easily represent the lighting of the Menorah. The Menorah is a nine-branched candelabrum, with eight candles that are lit each night of the celebration, with the ninth candle being used to light the others. To those who are kosher, the shamash (which means "helper" or "assistant"), or the ninth candle, must be placed either lower or higher than the other candles. Hanukkah itself is a celebration of the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 164 BCE. To put it very simply, the Jewish, led by the Maccabees, a group of five brothers, revolted against the Greek and the growing Hell...

"The Shortening Winter's Day is Near a Close" by Joseph Farquharson Origin: Latin Gender: Unisex Meaning: "Sun Standing Still" Pronunciation: SOL-stis Other Forms: N/A Happy Winter Solstice everyone! This name has recently become a guilty pleasure of mine, and I think it would just be fabulous, especially in the middle spot, for a baby born around the solstice! It is certainly hippy-dippy, but that's half of the charm. A solstice is an event in which the sun appears to reach either its most northerly or southerly arc, also known as the sun's path. It occurs twice a year, once on June 21st and later on December 21st. During the summer solstice we receive the most sunlight and in the winter solstice we receive the least, which in turn leads to the longest night of the year. Culturally, both solstices were of great import, as with most astronomical events, and could be considered in the mating of animals and the sowing of crops. In Sweden, the summer solsti...

"Tannenwald (Pine Forest)" by Gustav Klimt Origin: English Gender: Unisex Meaning: From the Name of the Tree; "Resin" Pronunciation: PYNE Other Forms: N/A Happy Holidays to all of my readers! I hope you are having a good one and your family is staying healthy, despite the hard times we're all going through. In celebration I've decided to post a Holiday related name everyday for the next five days! Amongst the ever popular Frasier Firs, Blue Spruces, Douglas Firs, and Balsam Firs, lurks the equally beautiful Scotch and White Pines as some of the best choices for Christmas Trees. The Christmas tree tradition has roots dating back all the way to the Medieval era, where "Trees of Paradise" were common motifs in mystery plays, usually performed on the 24th of December, Adam and Eve's common name and commemoration day in Europe. A tree would be decorated with apples and wafers to represent the Eucharist. Similarly, in Livonia (which is now Estonia an...

Rhiannon Ashlee, Delilah, and husband Doug I've recently been getting more into Youtube, and one thing I really enjoy is vlogs, especially ones of families. As someone who has always loved children and babies, I find them fascinating. And, of course, I love finding out their names! Today's On My Mind will be all about children of Youtubers. Rook - Ashley at " Embers and Ash " is all about motherhood, minimalism and intentional living. I love her style and so I wasn't surprised to learn she had chosen something really spectacular for her baby! She has a little boy named Rook which I think is a great choice for someone looking for a strong and masculine nature name. A Rook is a bird that is part of the Crow family that ranges all the way from Scandinavia and eastern Siberia to Western Europe. It is very intelligent, as all members of the Crow family are, and are known to be able to solve simple problems. It would also be a great choice for a Chess lover! Delilah - A...

Romee and Laurens Dutch model Romee Strijd has given birth to her first child, a girl, with husband Laurens van Leeuwen. They have named her Mint van Leeuwen.