Name Combinations, 8/05/12

Hello! I didn't get my combinations together last two Fridays because I had busy days, so I'll double up today.

Here are my name combinations for this week, using names of Olympians, past and present:

Viorica Clover
Annegret Sally
&
Linus Wellington
Tycho Bence

photo courtesy of  markhillary 

Viorica is a Romanian variation of the word "bluebell." Very pretty, no? Yes. It's nearly unheard of in the United States. Viorica Viscopleanu is a Romanian athlete who competed for Romania in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, winning the gold medal and bettering the world record for the long jump.

Clover is a sweet botanical name that is slowly gaining favor as a first name in the U.S. Clover Maitland is an Australian field hockey goalie, having won several gold medals for her country. Very nice!

Annegret is a tough name to find information on! My personal suspicions were that it was a variant of the Welsh "Angharad," which turned into many variants throughout the ages, including Ingaret and Ancrett. Online sleuthing seems to point to a less glamorous source -- it's a German/Scandinavian smoosh name of Anne and Gret. There are two Annegrets who've competed and won medals for Germany in the 1976 Olympics for track and field; Kroniger and Richter. Richter also won a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics.

Sally is a cute, old-fashioned name that has not yet come back into favor in the United States. I think it's just a matter of time before parents rediscover Sally's charm. Sally is a nickname for Sarah, although I don't think too many modern day Sarahs go by Sally. There have been many Olympic competitors named Sally; this year Australian Sally Pearson competes in track and field. She won the silver medal in the 2008 Olympics, and is the gold medal winner of the 2011 World Championships.

Linus, in the U.S., seems forever tied to the Peanuts character who has attachment issues with his blanket. I think it's time to move past that association, as it's a perfectly nice name. Linus is popular in Norway, Sweden, and Germany; it's in or around the top 50 most popular in each of those countries. Linus Lichtschlag is a German Olympic rower competing this year.

Wellington -- oh, how classy! By using the name Wellington in America, you might be accused of being pretentious or a dandy. Pish posh, I say! It adds a nice anchor in the middle as a more substantial name for any short name. Wellington Arias Romero is competing in the Olympics this year as a boxer for the Domenican Republic, at the age of 21.

Tycho's most famous bearer is Tycho Brahe, a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations. Why isn't this name more popular? Why is Jayden so popular? Some things we'll never know. If you are into astronomy, this would be a really cool name to use. Tycho Muda is competing in the 2012 Olympics in rowing for the Netherlands. He has a twin brother named Vincent who is also active in rowing. Tycho and Vincent! How wonderful.

Bence is a neat, exotic alternative to the Ben- names. Funny enough, it's the Hungarian version of Vincent. I had no idea! Apparently the name has been gaining popularity in Hungary since the 1990s. Olympic athlete Bence Biczó  competes for Hungary in swimming, and has won several European competitions. He won the gold medal in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in the 200 m butterfly. Go Bence!

So there you have it, my Olympian name combinations. Anyone planning on naming their children after an Olympian? I think a female child born during this time with a middle name of Olympia would be nice. Alice Olympia? Maris Olympia?

(Thanks to wikipedia, nameberry, eponymia, and the BBC's london2012.com for help and inspiration on this post!)