Green Day
March 17, 2009
The going thing might be to focus on hot Irish names for St. Patrick’s Day, right? Hopefully by now you’ve had your Celtic fill– no Irish monikers here today. Instead let’s do GREEN names. This is for my daughter, who when surrounded by a room full of colorful toys, always opts for the brightest of greens. Whether it’s the only green egg shaker, somebody else’s green stick, or a green cardboard brick, my little Hoolie will find it and hold on tight. So this is for you my lucky charm. Just don’t name my grandchild Pthalo, please?
Happy St. Paddy’s day everyone!
Apple- They come in reds, greens, golds, and Paltrows
Basil- Are we ready in the States?
Beryl- Green semiprecious stone
Chartreuse- A little bartender trivia for ya: the only color named after a liquor, this drink is made by Benedictine monks, only three of whom know the recipe, and each exactly one third at that.
Chloris- Greek, “green.” No wonder it sounds like chlorine. At the moment associated almost exclusively with Ms. Leachman.
Clover- Three leaf or four, it’s always green! A pretty darling, fashion forward botanical choice.
Emerald- Green stone, perhaps best left as a stage name
Esmeralda- The Spanish form of Emerald, with even more dramatic flair, plus the user-friendly Esme as a nickname
Fern- A lovely cascading green plant
Grass- Maybe too much association with weed to use as a first name
Hunter- Adopted now for girls and boys alike, Hunter will always be an aggressive name for a newborn
Ireland- Just please don’t change the ending to -lyn?
Ivy- Darling choice with the hot letters “I” and “V” packing a punch in the shortest of names.
Jade- Another one I’m not particularly wishing on a grandchild, but Jade IS known in China to bring good fortune
Kelly- A bit outmoded perhaps, this is one that could stand to be taken back by the boys
Leaf, Leif- So the first is the green thing, the second just sounds like one. Leif is Old Norse for “descendant.”
Primavera- Italian for spring
Pthalo- A vivid synthetic blue-green, this could follow on the coattails of Philo and Phoenix?
Rosemary- It’s easy to forget this compound name is also a favorite in the kitchen
Sage- A wise choice
Shamrock- Perhaps over the top on the birth certificate, but with tastes getting wilder every day, why not?
Sorrel- A lovely cooking herb and sinuous name
Spring- Word names like Ever, Story, and True help Spring spring to the fore
Teal- A surname that might work nicely in the middle for either a girl or a boy
Verde- Spanish for “green”
Verna, Vernon- From the Latin vernus for “spring”
Viridian, Viridiana- From the Latin root for “green”
Yara- Brazilian goddess with green hair
Purple Mountain Majesty
February 27, 2009
As February comes to a close, I’m reminded of the things the month means to me: Valentine’s day, finding out that I was going to become a mother for the first time, and my own mother. This is Mama’s birth month, and I’ve spent many hours trying to figure out how I might honor her in some way. Her birthstone is Amethyst, her flower the violet (and sometimes Iris). All of these things come in a purple hue. So in remembrance of the color of passion, royalty, and my mom, I present purple names.
Amaranth- Both a medicine and a poison
Amethyst- One of the funniest meanings I’ve yet to come across: in Greek this translates to “not drunk”; February’s birth stone
Aster- Rita’s daughter on Dexter may inspire a few?
Berry- Makes for darling middle if you have this in your family tree
Crocus- Crocodile meets locust? Well, they come in purple anyway.
Dahlia- A name I like to champion; underused in my opinion
Daphne- means “laurel” in Greek
Freesia- Frigid or freeing? You decide.
Fuchsia- Pleasing to the ear, but a devil to spell!
Glory- For morning glories
Hibiscus- This one would really need a workable nickname. Try Ibby on for size.
Hyacinth- Anyone remember “Keeping Up Appearances”? Hyacinth’s character may not be the best namesake, but she sure made us laugh. Her sisters are the upper class Violet, the cartoonish down-and-out Daisy, and the sex-addicted Rose.
Indigo- So this leans a little bluish; it’s making inroads on both sexes
Iolanthe- Greek for “violet”
Iris- Top of the pop amongst those in the know, also has the lovely meaning “rainbow” in Greek
Jacinda, Jacinta- From the Latin for “hyacinth”
Laurel- Who brings with her Laura, Laurence, Lawrence, Lauren
Lavandula- The genus for lavender
Lavender- I heard this on a real life girl and found it charming
Lilac- One with real potential, but few seem to consider it
Lydia- Said to be a “seller of purple”, which may mean that she sold cloth and other goods to royalty and the wealthy
Magenta- My favorite Rocky Horror Picture Show gal, and Blue’s cousin from Blue’s Clues
Mauve- A cross between Maeve and Maude
Myrtille- “Blueberry” in French
Orchid- Though this is one of the loveliest of flowers, take caution that its meaning derives from orchis, or ”testicle” in Latin
Periwinkle- My favorite Crayola, Perry makes this *almost* usable (but not quite)
Pansy- Due to connotations, this may be better left in the middle or on your kitten
Plum- Plum Sykes is the best known bearer, but this has real potential
Primrose- Too prim for most, it sets just the right sweet British-inflected tone for others
Primula- The primrose genus
Prune- Evidently quite chic in Paris, this is actually the French word for the ripe plum
Rose- Roses come in nearly every shade, my favorite perhaps being lavender
Thistle- Reservations with this one as it rhymes with bristle
Uva- While Uva could be just a step away from Ava, know that it means “grape”
Verbena- The sweetest little flower
Violet, Violetta, Violette, Viola- Let’s not forget about Violet’s equally sweet and underappreciated companions
Wisteria- I once met child sisters Primrose, Wisteria, and Violet
This is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.
- William Carlos Williams
