This week I'm going to use some name combinations that I would've used if I had (god forbid!) become pregnant at the ripe old age of 18.
Without further ado, the name combinations for this week are:
Imogen Greysa Bliss and Dorian Griffith Beau (apparently I planned on having British children!)
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| photo courtesy of juliejordanscott |
Imogen has an interesting history, and is pronounced IH-moh-jen. This name is believed to be a Shakespearean typo of the name Innogen (The Gaelic Inghean means "maiden" or "daughter"), in the play Cymbeline. In earlier scripts of the play, and in Shakespeare's source documents, the name is clearly printed as Innogen; someone may have thought it was a combination of "imo gens" meaning "last born" in Latin. This name had a short run of common use in the US during the 1880s-1950s as "Imogene" (ih-mo-jeen), peaking in the 1920s. Imogen is commonly used in the UK, however, and is very stylish. The most notable bearer (besides the Shakespeare character) is pop singer Imogen Heap.
I'm pretty sure my obsession with Imogen in 2002 might've had something to do with not only my love for quirky names, but was a tribute to my mom in a backwards way. She and I enjoyed watching the movie Fried Green Tomatoes together (guilty pleasure!), and main character Idgie is an Imogene.
Greysa is something I'm pretty sure I pulled out of my...brain. Ahem. I was in love with the name/word Grey (this spelling only, of course!) I might've been interested in the name Grayson, due to the other surname-names that are on my lists; this very well could be my feminine, "British" twist on it. Not sure how I feel about it now, but it certainly sounds pretty!
Bliss -- the happiest word ever, right? Yes, Bliss means "supreme happiness" and is rarely used as a name for real, live children. There are many songs, albums, novels, and towns bearing the word bliss, showing a fascination with this cheery noun. Word Blithe is very similar, and is used slightly more often as a name, usually as Blythe.
Why Imogen Greysa Bliss? I've had a fascination with two middle names for quite some time. It's a regal, upper-class trend among English families, and a fun way to incorporate even more names (whee!) on one person. It usually sounds best when you have varying syllables and endings (i.e. Millie Holly Mary doesn't sound as great, does it?)
Dorian is an ancient Greek tribal name, one of the four main tribes that settled in the mountains of Doris. People may be most familiar with the eponymous character of Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The name first came into common U.S. use during the 1960s, and has hovered in-between the 400-600 most popular on the Social Security list. I'm guessing the reason this was on my list was the way it sounds -- a beautiful name for males.
Griffith, a Welsh name rarely used in the U.S., most commonly seen as a surname. Could make a nice tribute to the recently deceased Andy Griffith. Griffith seems spunky to me. I could see him as a sibling to a Phoebe or Quincy.
Beau pronounced "Bo," is the French term for "handsome." Ooh la la! Beau didn't hit the U.S. popularity charts 'til the 1970s, and was most popular in the 1980s. Beau is still holding strong, coming in at #350 in last year's most popular boys names rankings. It's a bit dapper, don't you think?
What do you think of the names I liked in 2002? Would they work today?
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