The Name of the Rose Queen

Please excuse the non-professional-looking picture above... it's from the collection of yours truly.

I will always have a love for the Tournament of Roses Parade. My mother is from Pasadena, and we would visit the beautiful suburb of Los Angeles many times as I grew up. I remember going to the parade route a few times, and viewing the parade once from the stands and then walking to the Rose Bowl to see the game. The parade is unique in that all the floats are decorated with natural materials (flowers, seeds, wood, fruits, vegetables, plants, nuts, etc.) and nothing artificial is allowed, not even artificial coloring. Because of this, most of the floats are put together in the days before the parade, and viewing areas are set up for people to walk through and observe. The aroma surrounding the floats is heavenly.

I always wanted to take my kids to see the parade and am so grateful that wish came true last year. My daughter celebrated her sixth birthday watching the Tournament of Roses Parade in person. That's six years to the day after I watched the parade on television in the delivery room waiting for her to arrive. Her birthday happens to be on the second of January, but it is custom that if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the parade and rest of the festivities are held on January 2. So, every six years, my baby girl will be able to watch the parade on her birthday. All that to say the Tournament of Roses is pretty special to me. Oh, and did I mention that my aunt was Rose Queen? ;)

My last post of 2012 is in honor of the many women who held the title of Rose Queen. There were some years in which no queen was named, so you may notice a gap in the numbers. Keep in mind that these girls were ages 17-21 at the time of their New Year's Day float ride, so you can count backwards if you want to know the year they were born. Let's take a look at the names!

1905 Hallie Woods
1906 Elsie Armitage
1907 Joan Woodbury
1908 May Sutton
1911 Ruth Palmer
1913 Jean French
1914 Mabel Seibert
1923 May McAvoy
1925 Margaret Scoville
1926 Fay Lanphier
1928 Harriet Sterling
1930 Holly Halsted
1931 Mary Lou Waddell
1932 Myrta Olmsted
1933 Dorothy Edwards
1934 Treva Scott
1935 Muriel Cowan
1936 Barbara Nichols
1937 Nancy Bumpus
1938 Cheryl Walker
1939 Barbara Dougall
1940 Margaret Huntley
1941 Sally Stanton
1942 Dolores Brubach
1943 Mildred Miller
1944 Naomi Riordan
1945 Mary Rutte
1946 Patricia Auman
1947 Norma Christopher
1948 Virginia Goodhue
1949 Virginia Bower
1950 Marion Brown
1951 Eleanor Payne
1952 Nancy Thorne
1953 Leah Feland
1954 Barbara Schmidt
1955 Marilyn Smuin
1956 Joan Culver
1957 Ann Mossberg
1958 Gertrude Wood
1959 Pamela Prather
1960 Margarethe Bertelson
1961 Carole Washburn
1962 Martha Sissel
1963 Nancy Davis
1964 Nancy Kneeland
1965 Dawn Baker
1966 Carole Cota
1967 Barbara Hewitt
1968 Linda Strother
1969 Pamela Anicich
1970 Pamela Tedesco
1971 Kathleen Arnett
1972 Margolyn Johnson
1973 Salli Noren
1974 Miranda Barone
1975 Robin Carr
1976 Anne Martin
1977 Diane Ramaker
1978 Maria Caron
1979 Catherine Gilmour
1980 Julie Raatz
1981 Leslie Kawai
1982 Katherine Potthast
1983 Suzanne Gillaspie
1984 Ann Marie Colborn
1985 Kristina Smith
1986 Aimee Richelieu
1987 Kristin Harris
1988 Julie Myers
1989 Charmaine Shryock
1990 Yasmine Delawari
1991 Cara Rullman
1992 Tannis Turrentine
1993 Liana Yamasaki
1994 Erica Brynes
1995 Aliya Haque
1996 Keli Hutchins
1997 Jennifer Halferty
1998 Purdy Tran
1999 Christina Farrell
2000 Sophia Bush
2001 Michelle Jacobs
2002 Caroline Hsu
2003 Alexandra Wucetich
2004 Megan Chinen
2005 Ashley Moreno
2006 Camille Clarke
2007 Mary McCluggage
2008 Dusty Gibbs
2009 Courtney Lee
2010 Natalie Innocenzi
2011 Evanne Friedmann
2012 Drew Washington
2013 Vanessa Manjarrez

If the New Year brings you a brand new baby girl, maybe one of these "royal" names will inspire you!

On a personal note, I would like to thank you for reading my blog this year! I wish all of you a very blessed New Year, and may we all be blessed with some wonderful name news in 2013. :)

Where Are They Now? - 1911 #71-80

Stella McCartney via www.stellamccartney.com

Stella McCartney, who was born in 1971 was named after both of her maternal great-grandmothers. We've been looking at the Top 100 of 1911, and it looks like Stella is definitely a follower of the "100 year rule." Let's look at the other #70s...

1911 #71-80

71 Ray - #685 and falling (after rising to #57)
72 Jesse - #141 and falling (after falling to #150 and then rising to #37)
73 Melvin - #622 and falling (after rising to #47)
74 Lloyd - fell off the Top 1000 after 2002 (after rising to #51)
75 Martin - #262 and falling
76 Cecil - fell off the Top 1000 after 1997
77 Leon - #405 and rising (after rising to #73 and then falling to #525)
78 Eddie - #488 and steady (after falling to #120 and then rising to #78)
79 Jessie - #696 and falling
80 Vincent - #101 and rising (after rising to #61, falling to #113, rising to #58, and falling to #123)

71 Mae - #803 and rising (after falling out of the Top 1000 for 40 years)
72 Stella - #73 and rising (after rising to #62 and falling out of the Top 1000 for 10 years)
73 Kathryn - #237 and falling (after rising to #60, falling to #113, rising to #45, falling to #111, and rising to #48)
74 Jean - fell off the Top 1000 after 1994 (after rising to #12)
75 Blanche - fell off the Top 1000 after 1964
76 Leona - #929 and rising (after rising to #74 and then falling out of the Top 1000 for 27 years)
77 Lucy - #72 and rising (after falling to #588)
78 Carrie - fell off the Top 1000 after 2008 (after falling to #241 and then rising to #28)
79 Beulah - fell off the Top 1000 after 1959
80 Vivian - #154 and rising (after rising to #64 and then falling to #539)

Jesse did a dip and rise and then a dip again in the last 100 years, but has been consistently falling since 1995. The other boys are not as interesting, except Leon, which fell to #525 in 2005 and then started rising again and Vincent, which did a roller coaster ride but stayed fairly close to the Top 100 the entire time.

Yet again, half of the girls names are on the rise. Mae reentered the Top 1000 in 2010 at #982 after FORTY years and then jumped another nearly 179 spots in 2011. Will it keep that pace in 2012? Stella reentered the Top 1000 in 1998 after a 10 year absence and has made huge strides since then to return to almost the exact ranking it was at in 1911. Kathryn's road over the last 100 years is similar to its counterpart Katherine. Leona reentered the Top 1000 in 2009 and has held steady in the #900s so far. Lucy is another perfect "100 year rule" subject, and is especially interesting as its rankings from 1880 until now makes a perfect bell curve (it was #44 in 1880... will it make it that high again?). And it looks like Vivian is heard more and more lately, especially with a few celebrity babies carrying the name (and its Vivienne spelling).

I personally love Ray and would like to see it on the rise again. What are your favorites?

Diverted by a Name: Galadriel

Galadriel via Wikipedia

I saw The Hobbit today. There is such a treasure-trove of names in all of J.R.R. Tolkien's stories, I could write a thousand posts (and I know a ton has already been written). Not only are there a lot of names in his novels, there are quite a few wearable ones. Names that would be unique but not overly weird. Names that are strong and names that are beautiful. I personally would have loved to have used Éowyn for a daughter. The only thing a parent would have to overlook is the obvious connection to the books. Do you think any of Tolkien's names could become popular outside of the books, like Wendy did after Peter Pan? I wonder that, especially about the name that had me diverted today... Galadriel.

Galadriel means "maiden crowned with a radiant garland" in Sindarin, one of the languages spoken by the elves in Tolkien's Middle-earth. Her character is a royal elf and described as the fairest of her kind. She does not appear in the novel, but she shows up like a ray of light in the movie The Hobbit, just as she did in the The Lord of the Rings movies. The character makes the name stick out, and the sound, similar to Adrienne and Ariel, makes it wearable. The possible nickname Adriel is growing in popularity as a given name, mostly given to boys but to girls as well.

The following is a list of the occurrences Galadriel appeared in the records:

1969 - 5
1970 - 5
1971 - 8
1972 - 8
1973 - 7
1974 - 5
1975 - 9
1976 - 10
1977 - 11
1978 - 9
1979 - 9
1980 - 11
1981 - 10
1990 - 6
2000 - 10
2001 - 7
2002 - 7
2003 - 15
2004 - 11
2006 - 5

The Lord of the Rings novels were published in 1954-1955. Peter Jackson's movies were released in December of 2001, 2002, and 2003. The movies could be the reason for the increase in Galadriels born in 2003 and 2004. But there were other years of 10 or 11 girls given the name, so while the movies might have had a slight impact on exposing the name to parents, the true inspiration must have come from the original source.

Admittedly, Galadriel has a more distinctive sound than other usable Tolkien names, such as Arwen (given to 117 girls in 2003, 166 girls in 2004 and 149 girls in 2005) or Éowyn (given to 64 girls in 2004 and 2006, and 69 girls in 2005). But I think for those parents who are looking for a unique and beautiful name, with a Middle-earth twist, Galadriel is one that should be considered.

Another name to keep an eye on is Thorin. In The Hobbit, Thorin is the name of the dwarf leader and a likable one at that. It has been given to more boys than Galadriel has been given to girls over the years--27 boys were given the name in 2011, the most in a year so far--and maybe we'll see even more in the coming years due to The Hobbit in the theaters. The nickname and growing popularity of the given name Thor could also help the name soar.

Thanks to Behind the Name and Nancy's Baby Names.

Names from Rise of the Guardians

via imdb.com

The movie Rise of the Guardians has a great sentiment that can be enjoyed throughout the year, but it is especially fitting for this holiday season. Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Tooth Fairy, and Jack Frost are called to be the Guardians of Wonder, Hope, Dreams, Memories, and Joy (respectively). Their responsibility is to protect the children, but they need the children to believe in them in order to exist. I found the movie especially emotional given recent events. The innocence of a child is something so precious, even their belief in Santa Claus is worth holding onto. But I digress... here are the names!

North - In this story, Santa Claus is Nicholas St. North. The name North has an interesting history when it comes to its use. It appeared sporadically with 5 or 6 boys given the name in 1885, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1927, and 1930. Then, in 1996, it shows up with 7 uses and has consistently been on record since (skipping 2001 and 2005). In 2011, 20 boys were named North, the most in any year so far. Not sure if this had an impact, but Elijah Wood played the title character in the movie North, which was released in 1994. Since Easton and Weston are becoming more popular, why not North?

Bunny (E. Aster Bunnymund) - Bunny was first recorded as a boy's name, given to 5 boys in 1915. It was never given to more than 9 boys in a year, and that was in 1938. We would think of Bunny more as a girl's name, as it was more consistently given to girls from 1917 until 1992. It reached its height in the 1940s and 1950s, specifically in 1957 when 66 girls were given the name. Even in 2011, 6 girls were named Bunny. And while the name Easter has no record for 2011, 6 girls were given the name in 2010. Easter reached its peak in 1919, when 129 girls received the moniker. 

Sandy (Sandman) - Sadly, due to the hurricane and the school tragedy, Sandy is not highly looked upon right now. However, the character Sandman is a quiet guardian who leads by example and fights to keep dreams pure. The boy's name Sandy was ranked in the Top 1000 from 1880 until it fell off for good after 1981, never getting higher than #329 (1886). As a girl's name, Sandy was ranked from 1935 until it fell off after 2005, reaching #126 in 1960.

Tooth - Well, maybe you wouldn't name your child Tooth. But the actress who gave the character a voice is Isla Fisher, and Isla is a name currently on the rise in the U.S. and the U.K. (currently ranked #268 and #22, respectively).

Frost (Jack Frost) - I was actually surprised to find that the only time Frost is mentioned in the records is in 1916 when 6 boys were given the name. I guess I'm surprised because I have a distant cousin with the name (born since 2000 with a brother named Blaze). And when you know someone with that name, you think it's used a ton. In any case, Frost is another nature name that could go along the lines of Winter and Snow.

Pitch - The evil character, Pitch, is also considered to be the Boogeyman. I wouldn't think it would be under too much consideration when naming a child, and it hasn't been used enough to be recorded by the SSA, but I thought it was a clever name for a character in a story.

Jamie - One boy is a major factor in the movie, one who holds the fate of the guardians in his hands. His name is Jamie. Maybe it's short for James, but that we never know. What we do know is that Jamie is currently a more popular given name in the U.K. than in the U.S., where it reached its peak at #18 in 1976 for girls and #62 in 1975/76 for boys (it's currently #437 for girls and #801 for boys). Jamie is traditionally the boy spelling of the name, since it is considered a nickname for James. Jaime is traditionally the girl spelling (from the French "J'aime" meaning "I love", though pronounced differently). This spelling currently ranks higher than Jamie for boys in the U.S at #381, probably due to it also being the Spanish form of James (pronounced "hi-meh"). Jaime also ranked for girls in the States, but fell off the Top 1000 after 2004.

Two more names of interest but not as prominently heard in the movie: Sophie is the name of Jamie's sister and Pippa is the name of Jack's sister.

Thank you to Behind the Name and Nancy's Baby Names for helpful information.

Where Are They Now? - 1911 #61-70

Betty White's Star on the Walk of Fame via Wikipedia

Only four more posts to go until we can look at the entire Top 100 of 1911!  Here's a link to the previous six posts, and here are the sixties...

61 Clyde - fell off the Top 1000 after 1998
62 Clifford - fell off the Top 1000 after 2005 (after rising to #59)
63 Norman - fell off the Top 1000 after 2005 (after rising to #36)
64 Benjamin - #19 and rising (after falling to #155)
65 Lester - fell off the Top 1000 after 1999 (after rising to #57)
66 Lewis - #633 and rising (after falling to #725)
67 Lee - #667 and steady
68 Oscar - #162 and falling
69 Philip - #406 and falling (after rising to #53)
70 Milton - fell off the Top 1000 after 2008 (after rising to #64)

61 Willie - fell off the Top 1000 after 1972
62 Alma - #878 and falling
63 Ella - #12 and rising (after falling out of the Top 1000 for 5 years)
64 Anne - #593 and steady (after rising to #52)
65 Mattie - #933 and steady (after falling out of the Top 1000 for 17 years, and then rising to #710)
66 Jessie - #690 and steady
67 Vera - #512 and rising (after rising to #65 and then falling out of the Top 1000 for 25 years)
68 Lois - fell off the Top 1000 after 1983 (after rising to #17)
69 Betty - fell off the Top 1000 after 1996 (after rising to #2)
70 Lena - #360 and rising (after falling to #577)

The boy names are mostly falling. However, Benjamin is the perfect "100 year rule" candidate. Lewis is making an interesting turn... could it keep rising? Philip is another interesting name to me, but not because of the rule implications. Philip was #69 in 1911 and #406 in 2011; Phillip was #160 in 1911 and #378 in 2011. Somewhere around 1960, Phillip surpassed Philip. According to Behind the Name, Phillip is a variation of Philip and was inspired by the surname. Is that why it became more popular? More people were using it from the surname? Or was it because of 1959's release of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Phillip? Phillip was catching up to Philip before then, so I'm just not sure. In any case, both spellings are becoming less an less popular.

The girl's list has some great ones. Willie, Alma, Lois, and Betty are all grandma/great-grandma names to us but pretty in their own right (even Willie, which is a great way to honor a relative named William or could be a nickname for Wilhelmina). Anne and Mattie seem like they could be current, even though they are low in the ranks now. Anne is the French form of Anna, which is quite popular. Mattie sounds like Maddie, a nickname for the very popular Madison. Jessie is commonly a nickname for Jessica, which is decreasing in popularity and considered dated after reaching #1 in the 1980s and 1990s. The highlights of this group are Ella, which reentered the Top 1000 in 1990 after an absence of about five years and then shot up to #12 by 2011; Lena, which is slowly rising back towards the top; and the lovely Vera, which disappeared from the ranks for 25 years, reentered the Top 1000 at #895 in 2009, rose to #673 in 2010, and hit #512 in 2011. Will it continue to make those jumps in the coming years?

What do you think are the gems of this group?