Appellation Mountain

Baby Name of the Day: Sapphire

2012-05-16T09:55:54Z

The 182 carat (36.4 g) Star of Bombay, housed in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., is a good example of a blue star sapphire. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We’re calling our daughters Ruby and Pearl … why not this gemstone names?

Thanks to Chante for suggesting Sapphire as our Baby Name of the Day.

It isn’t just Sapphire’s status as a gemstone, but her potential as a color name that intrigues. There’s Beyonce’s baby girl Blue Ivy, plus mainstream favorites Scarlett, Violet, and Jade. Other baby blue possibilities include Indigo, Azure, and Azura. Color names are having a good run, and blue is a hue to watch. Of course, sapphires can also be green and yellow and pink, but most of the time we think of them as, well, sapphire blue.

Sapphire comes from the Latin sapphirus, from the Greek word for blue stone. The word has a long history of use, but it may not have always applied exclusively to the stone we know today. There’s speculation that sapphirus comes from a Sanskrit word meaning sacred to Saturn.

Women named Sapphire are quite rare. There was a minor character in Amos ‘n’ Andy, and a superhero in the DC Comics universe, born Candace Gennaro.

And yet there are some in US Census records. Those parents may have been inspired by the Bible. Sapphira appears with her husband Ananias in Acts of the Apostles. Only she’s not exactly a role model. First Ananias lies to Peter about money and falls dead. Then Sapphira repeats the lie and meets the same fate.

Willa Cather wrote a novel called Sapphira and the Slave Girl, but her Sapphira isn’t admirable, either.

But sapphires themselves symbolize lots of positive attributes – heaven in the Middle Ages, truth, sincerity, and loyalty. It is the birthstone for September and common in engagement rings – Prince Charles proposed to Lady Diana with a sapphire, the same ring Prince William passed on to Kate Middleton. The gems are big with royals, and many notable sapphires have been part of crown jewels.

By now I might have convinced you to wear sapphires, but the case for the stone as a baby name is elusive. And yet, Emerald seems wearable because of the easy short form Emme. Could Sapphire benefit from the sound-alike names in favor today?

She shares sounds with the #1 Sophia.
Stephanie is entering mom-name territory, but still lends Sapphire a hint of familiarity.
Up-and-comer Josephine nods to Sapphire, too.
Starbaby Seraphina is very close to Sapphire and Sapphira.

All of this suggests that while Sapphire is a daring name, it isn’t an outlandish one. In the middle spot, she’d be brilliant. As a given name, as long as she’s anchored with something more conventional in the middle, she’d wear reasonably well. Not sure you dare bestow a gemstone as a given name? Sapphira seems like an equally attractive option, just one step removed from the stone.

Baby Name of the Day: Vivian

2012-05-15T09:00:12Z

She’s a Hollywood legend, a Jolie-Pitt twin, and an ancient martyr.

Thanks to Pea for suggesting Vivian as our Baby Name of the Day.

Some say Vivian was stolen from the boys, but that’s not really so. Vivian comes from Vivianus, a Late Roman name. Vivianus comes from the Latin vivere - to live – and a raft of appealing words share the same roots – vivacious, vital, even vivid. The original feminine version would’ve been Viviana, but she was Viviane and then Vivienne in French. Vivian was originally more common as a masculine form in England, but Vivian and Vivien were used for both genders.

Two influences push Vivian towards the girls’ side:

From Irish myth, there’s Bébinn, a goddess of childbirth. The name is usually translated as “fair lady.” She’s commonly Anglicized as Vivian, though the two are unrelated.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson‘s take on Arthurian legend included a figure called her Viviane or Vivien. She’s a wily schemer, capturing Merlin and keeping him imprisoned.

Tennyson may have been influenced by the name Ninian, a Christian saint said to have converted the Picts in Scotland. He’s first mentioned in the writings of Bede, some centuries after he would have lived and preached, and again in Vita Sancti Niniani in the 1100s. Ninian could be derived from the Welsh Nynniaw and was sometimes recorded as Nennius.

Regardless, Vivian has been a staple for girls in the last century. She’s ranked in the US Top 1000 for girls every year since 1880, charting in the Top 100 from the 1910s through the 1930s. At #158 in 2010, she could be headed back there again.

Alternate spellings have some potential, too:

Vivien Leigh boosted the -ien spelling in the years following Gone With the Wind, but Vivien hasn’t ranked since 1941.
The ancient Viviana has ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1979, coming in at #485 and falling in 2010.
Vivienne is the challenger spelling, courtesy of Miss Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt and the craze for French appellations for our daughters. She charted a few times at the height of Vivian’s popularity, returned at #531 in 2009 and ranked #428 in 2010. Stanley Kubrick and Rosie O’Donnell also have daughters called Vivienne, and designers Vivienne Tam and Vivienne Westwood lend the name some couture credibility.

With the recent arrival of maternity concierge Rosie Pope’s third child, daughter Vivienne Madison Pope, it is safe to say that Vivienne may very well eclipse Vivian, just as Kaitlyn surged past Caitlin.

Regardless of spelling, the name shares the popular iv/ev sound also heard in Genevieve and Evangeline. Vivian is the no-frills classic, a tailored name in the key of Alice or Eleanor. Vivienne is a sister for Elodie or Josephine – more elaborately feminine, but not over-the-top.

Regardless of the spelling, we’re likely to meet more little Vivis in the next few years.

Baby Name of the Day: Livana

2012-05-14T01:58:29Z

Livana

She’s a smoosh of some popular sounds, and a name in her own right, too.

Thanks to Emily for suggesting Livana as our Baby Name of the Day.

Livana is a rarity, one that’s tough to pin down. She’s been in sparing use over the years, but never enough to crack the US Top 1000, and the name was given to fewer than five girls in 2010.

But this is the age of Olivia. She’s been in the Top Ten since 2001, and related names have caught on in recent years: Oliver for boys, plus Alivia, Olive, and Livia on the girls’ side. Other choices, like Liviana, have been heard, too. This makes the case for Livana as an invention in the same key. Besides the olive-branch roots of Olivia and the blue-envy origins of Livia, there’s also the Scandinavian Liv - derived from an Old Norse name, but popular for its resemblance to the word life. Should you meet a little Livana, there’s a decent chance her parents cobbled her together from one source or the other.

Then again, there are a handful of possible origins for Livana, and they’re appealing.

The Latin word levare means to lift. It’s also the source of our word elevation, and the meaning feels auspicious. In Ancient Rome, a mother placed her newborn on the ground, and the father picked up the babe to signal that he accepted the child as his own. At some point, the act was personified as a minor deity called Levana. It sounds affectionate, but the act was quite calculated. Let’s put it this way: healthy males were pretty much always lifted up. Girls … not so much.
But what if the v can also be a w? Lewandowski is a very common Polish surname, from a place name ultimately from the Polish word for lavendar – lewanda.
Speaking of place names, I’ve found Livana on the map in Croatia and Turkey – though the Turkish city is now called Artvin.
That also brings to mind Levon and Levan, international variants of Leon – and thus related to the mighty lion.
And then we hop over to Kveller, to find the most plausible explanation for Levana – she’s a Hebrew name meaning white or moon. That’s not Livana, of course, but I suspect the vowel is not significant in this case. Kveller also lists Livia and Levia as valid transcriptions of the same name – though one related to Levon and company, rather than Livana.

No matter what direction you go with Livana, she seems to return to a host of positive meanings, most with a nature theme. Olives, to elevate, lavender, life, lions, the moon … if you’re comfortable with not knowing the precise origins of a name, Livana boasts a smorgasbord of possibility. She’s a granddaughter for Diana or Leonard, an alternative to the wildly popular Olivia, a sure-fire way to make sure that your daughter will never answer to Ollie or Allie as a nickname.

If you’re after a name that feels modern, but still feminine, Livana has considerable potential.

Baby Name of the Day: Apple

2012-05-13T11:24:15Z

Green Apple by Energetic Spirit via Flickr

She’s among the most controversial baby names in all of Hollywood, and has been since her name was revealed, eight years ago today.

With a happy birthday to little Miss Apple Blythe Allison Martin, our Baby Name of the Day is Apple.

I’m deeply appreciative of wacky celeb baby names. They expand the boundaries of what we mere mortals can name our children. Apple is top of the heap, the one name always listed in round-ups of daffy starbaby appellations, right after Dweezil and Moon Unit.

And here’s the kicker: I’m not convinced she’s all that out there. As her mom, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, said in an Oprah interview: “there are people named Lily or Ivy or June, or you know, lots of pretty nouns.” And right she is. Nature names have always been with us, and they’ve exploded in recent years.

Could it be Apple’s status as forbidden fruit that made it so jaw-dropping? Perhaps. But there’s lots to Apple. Into the 1600s, the world apple was interchangeable with the word fruit, and plenty of other edibles are described as a kind of apple. In French, pommes de terre are potatoes – apples of the earth. A banana was once known as an apple of paradise.

Back to the question of Adam and Eve … it isn’t certain that the forbidden fruit would have been an apple.

Never mind, though, because apples featured in stories and myth long before the Garden of Eden. There’s the Apple of Discord, pitched by a jealous goddess at a newlywed pair. When Paris gifted Aphrodite with an apple, he raised the ire of Hera and Athena - and set off the events that led to the Trojan War. The Twelve Labors of Hercules included an excursion to retrieve golden apples. Snow White was poisoned with an apple, and I’m not sure what to make of the whole William Tell tale.

None of this is inspiring, but some uses are. The fair and swift Atalanta was finally won over by the slightly-less-fleet Hippomenes, mostly thanks to a trio of apples. In Norse mythology, golden apples kept the gods forever young. New York City is the Big Apple, a Roaring 20s-era nickname by touring musicians and others who called any city an apple. Steve Jobs changed our lives with Apple. There’s the apple of my eye, apples for the teacher, and an apple a day keeps the doctor a way. Apples are lovely, sweet, thoughtful, pure, healthy.

This seems to be what Gwyneth Paltrow and rocker husband Chris Martin, frontman of Coldplay, were thinking about in 2004. They’ve also said in interviews that Coldplay’s manager already had a daughter called Apple.

Some edible names are finding favor in recent years – like Olive and Clementine. There were two dozen girls called Apple 2010. Something tells me that Apple’s notoriety is the only thing holding her back from being considered by more parents, the same ones embracing Autumn and Lily and Skye.

Sunday Summary: Mother’s Day 2012 edition

2012-05-13T16:25:30Z

Swan with cygnets on her back by LC Nottassen via Flickr

Happy Mother’s Day!

First up, an announcement: if you somehow missed the post pinned to the top of this site, Sarah of For Real Baby Names has a new eBook – and it is up for grabs to one lucky reader! Hurry off to the original post to enter – I’ll wait right here.

Now, back to the baby name news. Let’s start with the whole hitchhiking-cygnet theme. Am I the last person to know this factoid about mama swans and their young? All of a sudden the photos are everywhere. And I’m wondering about Swan as a whimsical middle. It’s a nature name, nods to Swan Lake, and I’m rather fond of swans – they’re beautiful and brutal all at once. Except there’s the whole Twilight connection, thanks to Bella Swan Cullen, and that gives me pause.

Speaking of the Twilight connection, finally – the graph I’ve been waiting for! Visual demonstration that Jacob and Isabella may be wildly popular names, but they’re not linked to the wildly popular novels. Thank you, Jay Livingston. It’s a little something to savor as we prepare for headlines about the new US Top 1000 data, headlines which will mostly get it wrong.

Or not, because Nameberry may have scooped the Social Security Administration with the announcement that Sophia claimed the top spot in 2011.

Regardless of which name hit #1, there are plenty of intriguing possibilities out there:

Beyonce’s baby name is taking top honors in the PopCrush poll so far. Blue Ivy is way ahead of other outlandish starbaby appellations. My guess? Ivy will climb for girls, while Blue will become a go-to middle name for parents who already used Ray for their firstborn.
Hmmm … I do think of Laila as a very international name, but I had no idea she was Norwegian.
I really like Wallis, Upswing’s latest Failure to Launch name.
This surname sibset at Swistle is fascinating – and I agree that naming a daughter after five boys is going to be tough!
Chrysanthe - along with Jacinta, one of my favorite elaborate-yet-subtle botanicals – is profiled at Waltzing More than Matilda. Is she wearable?
Boys named Buck, Coy, Oakes, and Roy in a single ForReal post. Kind of reads like the cast of a rebooted Dukes of Hazzard, doesn’t it?
Lastly, I’m on Pinterest, with boards filled with lovely names. The button above doesn’t work just yet, but if you follow this link, you’ll be there.

That’s all for now. Can’t wait to see the promised data on the Top 1000 names tomorrow! I’ll probably confine most of my remarks to Facebook, and then I’ll have something up at Nameberry on Tuesday.

Have a great week – and thank you for reading!

A Mother’s Day Give-Away

2012-05-13T15:17:04Z

Bold Baby Names by Sarah Douglas

One of my favorite destinations in the name-o-sphere, hands down, is For Real Baby Names. It’s an elegant concept. Sarah simply gathers up armfuls of the loveliest, daffiest, no-way-they-named-their-baby-that, how-cool-they-named-their-baby-that names in the English-speaking world. She hits post and we devour every single Ellis Creed, Landry Ulrich, Boone Elijah, and Ruth Delaney.

Addictive.

Now she’s gathered them up in an eBook, and I can confidently say that it is very different from any baby name guide I’ve ever read. It’s something like the Cool Baby Names that Pam and Linda of Nameberry offered up a few years ago. And yet this is different. Sarah passes no judgement, but all of the names she lists are, well, bold. Some of them are throwbacks – like Godfrey and Lois. Others are daring, but not unknown, like Leta and Neo.

But the real joy in Bold Baby Names is the sheer number of never-before-heard names she’s included. Hannablue and Trella, Timber and Wake - if any of them ring a bell, it is likely because you’ve read them previously on her site. And no matter what this week’s Social Security data reveals, Sarah’s book will be chock full of names beyond 1,001.

Sarah is generously giving away a copy of her eBook to one Appellation Mountain reader. To enter, simply leave a comment with your favorite bold name. Need inspiration? Visit Sarah’s site for fresh ideas.

Entries close Friday evening, May 18. The winner will be chosen at random Saturday, May 19.

Fetching Names: Wishing & Hoping

2012-05-11T10:20:43Z

Dandelion by rambletamble via Flickr

I recently had a reader request a list of names that mean wished-for child. It’s a lovely, thoughtful meaning, and for so many families, a reflection of their journey.

It also isn’t a very Western meaning. Light and bright, yes. Battle-ready, sure. References to animals and nature? They’re abundant.

But the more poetic meanings can be elusive, turning the search away from Germanic, Latin, and Greek roots to Eastern-leaning ones. That might not trouble you in the least – there are plenty of reasons to sidestep conventional Western choices. The list is far richer for girls than boys – but that’s so often the case.

My only hesitation is that so many of these names have debated origins. Perhaps it isn’t really a list of names that mean wished-for child … as much as it is a list of names lots of parents truly hope carry that auspicious meaning.

Amani - She’s a frequent entry on lists about this meaning, but the Swahili dictionary seems to indicate that amani translates to peace. Could there be a separate meaning, either in another language or in a sense of the word native speakers understand? Besides wish, I’ve also seen references to amani meaning safety – which seems consistent with peace.

Asha - She does indeed mean wish or hope in Sanskrit, as well as life in Swahili – making her a doubly-appropriate choice for some parents, as well as one that fits with recognizable English given names, from Ashley to Asher to Sasha.

Ava - She’s so mainstream that few will consider the possibility that her name was chosen for meaning. And in fairness, Ava and company’s origins are a guess. She might come from the Germanic element avi – desire. This means Aveline, Avila, Evelyn, and all of those related names could possibly claim same meaning. If you’re looking for a mainstream choice, she’s the logical pick.

Desiree - Another name that means desired, this time literally. She’s a French appellation from the Latin Desideratus, the name of a sixth-century saint. Desiree feels slightly dated – she peaked in the US in the 1980s – but it is tough to beat if you’re seeking a name that clearly indicates this meaning. She’ll also share her playground with lots of little mademoiselles, like Genevieve and Vivienne, so her slightly frilly name will probably fit right in.

Hope - Exactly as it appears, Hope is a virtue name and an expression of desire, too.

Kayin - I can’t quite unravel this name, which seems to be Yoruba and has been repeated in a dozen message board threads. Native speakers contend that this is a short form of longer names – and possibly should be spelled Kanyin. I suspect the origins are a little different, though this likely appeals to parents seeking a modern name with this meaning.

Maram - Said to mean wish in Arabic, the only use I could find was a thoroughbred. It also seems that Maram might mean wish in the sense of attainment of a goal – appropriate for a prize-winning horse, but possibly less so for a child. Still, the sound is intriguing – exotic and tailored at once.

Miriam - Among many of her possible meanings, ranging from bitter to beloved to rebellious, one of Miriam’s speculated meanings is wished-for child. Thus she’s the inspiration for a long list of the names that usually occupy these lists: Mariam, Maria, Marie, Mary, Molly, and even Mia – sometimes a diminutive of Maria – can all be listed with the meaning. Is it legitimate? Maybe.

Samuel - This might be a little bit of a stretch, but one of the interpretations of Shemu’el is that he means God has heard. It’s indirect, but if you’re spiritual, it could be a great way to honor a long-awaited child. It is also the first solidly masculine name on this list, though Kayin strikes me as male, too. For girls, there’s always Samantha.

Venya - Is she a Sanskrit name that means wished for, or a short form of Venyamin, the Russian version of Benjamin?

Would you use any of these names, or are there other ways to celebrate the arrival of a long awaited child?

Baby Name of the Day: Soren

2012-05-10T09:38:05Z

Soren, Ga'Hoole from elcoleccionistadeinstantes via Flickr

He’s a Scandinavian import with a meaning that might surprise.

Thanks to Tracy for suggesting Soren as our Baby Name of the Day.

In American English, he’s just plain Soren, sounding something like soaring, without the final g. Head to Stockholm and he’s Sören, and in Copenhagen, he’s Søren. His pronunciation varies slightly based on place. You can listen to two versions here and another here. He’s also heard in Norway and Germany and elsewhere in Northern Europe, but he’s pretty rare elsewhere.

Or make that he was pretty rare in the English-speaking world. Soren has been discovered in recent years, entering the US Top 1000 in 2003, and edging up to #728 in 2010. That’s not exactly Jayden, but he does fit with the style of names we favor for sons these days.

It’s a far cry from an earlier era. I did find Sorens in the US well before the last decade or so, but it appears to have been a name quickly shed for something more American. My favorite? Soren Sorensen Adams, born in Denmark, moved to the US as a child, and went on to found a successful novelty company in New Jersey – answering to the very American name Sam.

These days, we all recognize Soren thanks to an intellectual heavy-hitter and a string of pop culture uses of the name.

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard was named after his maternal grandfather, just like his older brother, Peter, was named after their paternal grandfather. This tracks with other records that suggest Soren was used in Scandinavian languages as early as the sixteenth century.

Soren comes from the Latin Severus, Severinus, and Severinius – family names from the word for strict, stern. It’s also the root of our word severe. A handful of early saints answered to the names. There’s a bishop from Barcelona said to have been martyred under Diocletian in the 300s, and another in Naples a century later. The name continues to be used, at least within the church, for a few centuries more. Plenty of European languages have their own version of the name: Severin, Severino, Severine.

He lost a syllable on his way north, and picked up a whole other vibe.

Trekkies might hear Soren and think villain, thanks to the 1994 Star Trek: Generations. The bad guy was Dr. Tolian Soran, usually referred to by his surname only.

Then along came:

A character in the Underworld series of vampires versus werewolf films.
2004 romance The Prince and Me included a loyal servant called Soren.
Animated children’s series Charlie and Lola includes Lola’s imaginary friend, Soren.
And then came the owls.

The Guardians of Ga’Hoole series spanned fifteen books, most about a Barn Owl named Soren, who proves himself quite heroic. Kathryn Lasky penned the series. It became a feature film in 2010 as Legends of the Guardians. Lasky is a capable namer, christening her owls everything from quirky, elegant human names (Eglantine) to more predictable appellations for fictional owls (Noctus, Twilight).

Add it all up, and there’s no wonder Soren is finding favor with modern parents. He’s crept into our awareness, a stylish Scandinavian appellation that fits right in today.

Baby Name of the Day: Aluma

2012-05-08T10:37:50Z

A by toofarnorth via Flickr

She sounds current, a mix of all those stylish A- names plus Luna and Lucy.

Thanks to Michelle for suggesting Aluma as our Baby Name of the Day.

If not for Michelle’s hint, I might have dismissed Aluma as invented. She was given to fewer than five girls in the US last year – which means possibly none – and doesn’t appear in some of the more reputable baby name guides.

But Michelle suggested Aluma was Hebrew, so off I went to check Kveller’s lists. Nope, not there either. How about the lovely and knowledgeable Hannah Katsman, the blogger behind A Mother in Israel?

Score.

There, in an old thread, is a reference to Aluma. As regards the meaning, the commenter said: “no, not bundle of wheat, but a ray of light.”

Names that mean light or bright or clear are huge for girls. There’s Alba, profiled just yesterday. Aluma reminds me of alumbrar - a Spanish verb, usually translated as “to light” or illuminate. The English verb illuminate was borrowed from Latin illuminatus; a similar word also came to English via French from the Latin. I can’t confirm that Aluma has anything to do with alumbrar, but girls’ names with similar meanings are found in nearly every language.

So Aluma could be a harvest name, or possibly another glowing girl. Or the third explanation is that Aluma simply means young girl or maiden. That puts her in the same camp as Talitha and Colleen. The only problem? The Hebrew word for maiden is usually given as almah, and while Alma has quite a bit of history as a given name, it is pretty clearly linked to 1854′s Battle of Alma, when the French and English forces defeated the Russians. I must be missing something in the Hebrew – the plural is alamot and the root is elem - so perhaps there is some logical way that Almah and Aluma are connected. (Anyone have a thought on this? It has me stumped!)

Lastly, Aluma is a place name in Israel and also Oklahoma.

Regardless of her origins, Aluma is rare but not unknown. She pops up in US Census records pretty steadily. The years right around 1900 were a great moment for Lu- and Lou- names. On the girls’ side alone, there’s:

Familiar names that would be right at home in 2012, like Lucy, Lula, Lucille, Lucile, Luella, Lulu, Lucinda, Lue, Lucia, Luna, Lucie, Lucretia, Louise, Louisa, Lou, Louella and Louie.
Lura, Ludie, Luvenia, Lutie,Luvinia, and Louvenia.
Guadalupe and Lupe.

And then there are rarities like Ladusky, based on the Lou- names, but not recognizable to the modern eye. Names like Aluna and Iluma surface in the US Census records, too.

So what is Aluma? A creative invention from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, assembled from appealing sounds of the day? Or a legitimate Hebrew rarity? I suspect the answer is both. Back to A Mother in Israel for comments about current trends: “a lot of creative , innovative naming of kids,” notes one grandfather. “This has been the case for a good stretch of Jewish history where we have tended to be more flexible/creative with girls names …” writes another.

Aluma’s meaning might be a little uncertain, but her place as a given name is not. She’s a rarity that has found favor with some over the years, and her sound could be right at home in 2012 again.

Baby Name of the Day: Alba

2012-05-06T01:24:26Z

Dawn by oarranzli via Flickr

She’s a little bit retro, a tiny bit modern, and a whole lot stylish.

Thanks to Krystyna for suggesting Alba as our Baby Name of the Day.

With Anniston gaining traction as a girl’s name, you’re forgiven if you dismiss Alba thanks to Honor and Haven’s mom, Jessica. But Jessica’s surname just happens to be an appellation with a real history of use.

There are plenty of possible origins for Alba, and they tend to share a certain vibe.

First there’s the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It’s the same in Irish, with similar words in use in other Celtic tongues. Things get a bit muddled, because similar-sounding names, likely sharing the same roots, were also used to refer to other parts of Great Britain. Albion typically refers to England – apparently New Albion was a possible name for Canada back in the day. The Gaelic word is thought to derive from an early Indo-European root meaning white, as in the white cliffs of Dover. Alba and Albion also inspired Albania in Latin and Albany in Middle English.

But there’s more:

Alba is the feminine form of Albus, a Late Latin name meaning bright or white. You know him as Professor Dumbledore, but before JK Rowling wrote a word there was at least one ancient poet and another philosopher who answered to the name.
We used to think that the Alps also took their name from Albus. Now most suggest that the Alps, as well as other place names, related to an even older word that means hill.
In Italian and Spanish, Alba is a straightforward nature name – dawn.
There’s a literary twist, too. In Occitan – a Romance language spoken in southern France and the surrounding region – an alba is a medieval poem about lovers who must part at sunrise.

She’s quite popular in Spain in recent years, but that doesn’t explain why she’s generating more attention amongst American parents. There are a handful of literary explanations:

Isabel Allende’s sweeping 1982 novel House of the Spirits followed the Trueba family of Chile. Allende gave three generations of women names meaning light, bright, or white – Clara, Blanca, and the youngest, Alba.
Lord Byron had a daughter with Claire Clairmont. Clairmont named their daughter Alba, but Byron re-christened her Clara Allegra. Alba/Clara died in childhood.
Then there’s Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 bestseller turned 2009 movie, The Time Traveler’s Wife. The couple in the romance names their daughter Alba.

It’s also worth noting that Alba was in sparing use from the late nineteenth century into the 1920s. It was an age of many similar names: Elva, Alta, Thelma, Alma, Hilda, Velma – names with a certain amount of crunch and resistance, different from the mellifluous, vowel-heavy names of 2012 – Ella, Leah, Layla, Mia.

Still, 114 girls received the name in 2010. Alba is anything but gone.

If you’re eager to find a name that will work in many European settings, one with a positive meaning, and a simple but strong sound, Alba is a great option.