Patches of Names

Once upon a time, two saints were martyred in the year 220. One of them was St. Philippa. Philippa is the English feminization of classic Philip derived from the Ancient Greek "philippos", meaning "lover of horses." Despite the name's meaning, the many Philippas over the years did not study horses. Instead, the name has been worn by saints, royals, and famous women with other occupations.  The early St. Philippa was one saintly namesake, along with three Blessed Philippas. However, it took a queen, not a saint, to increase the name's English-speaking usage. In the fourteenth century, Philippa of Hainault married King Edward III and became Queen of England. Afterward, more English royals and nobility adopted the name.  Philippa may have a long history, but it wasn't initially used as full. As with many feminized names, it was only written in records. Girls with the name answered to Philip.  Philippa entered use as a full name in the eighteenth century. It

Names have a variety of endings. One ending common for girls right now is "a". Today, I list the top 100 four-letter girls' names ending in "a" or "ah": Emma (#2) Luna (#11) Ella (#16) Aria (#22) Mila (#26) Nora (#27) Nova (#32) Isla (#33) Leah (#46) Maya (#55) Anna (#84) Cora (#87) Ayla (#108) Lyla (#110) Arya (#120) Sara (#196) Zara (#213) Lila (#223) Nyla (#227) Vera (#228) Kaia (#231) Myla (#232) Lola (#260) Lena (#293) Leia (#299) Thea (#312) Nina (#327) Lana (#374) Kira (#384) Maia (#434) Mira (#484) Lyra (#489) Raya (#495) Kyla (#497) Kora (#501) Alma (#511) Anya (#537) Mara (#540) Mina (#589) Myra (#590) Alia (#592) Nola (#597) Rhea (#615) Yara (#659) Rosa (#660) Kyra (#665) Naya (#666) Lina (#669) Lara (#681) Jada (#683) Noah (#692) Ezra (#714) Nala (#739) Aila (#752) Kara (#767) Bria (#790) Iyla (#805) Hana (#807) Zora (#824) Avah (#825) Nyra (#844) Vada (#863) Veda (#871) Elia (#878) Etta (#932) Elsa (#954) Zoya (#985) Zola (#990) Vida (#992

There once was a Greek goddess named Irene. She represented peace and was known for winning battles against Sparta. Unlike most goddess names, Irene entered use as a given name immediately.  Irene was not just the goddess of peace. The name came from the Greek "eirene", which itself means "peace." The name went on to associate itself with several saints. One of them, St. Irene of Rome, healed St. Sebastian in the third century. The Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens came along in the eighth century.  After the Byzantine Empress's rule, Irene became common among Eastern Christians. However, it was not common among English-speakers until the nineteenth century. Irene ranked in the English top 100 from the 1900s to the 1950s. It subsequently ranked in the American top 100 from 1880s to the 1940s. American musician Huddie Ledbetter recorded the lullaby "Goodnight, Irene" at the end of the name's run. Irene has slowly declined until 2010. Since then, the

Many names stay popular for some time before falling out of favor. Several generations pass, and these names are stylish again. That's why several of today's most common boys' names, such as Everett and Silas, have risen to the top.  Many vintage names have either ranked in the American and/or English top 200 or ranked in the Australian and/or Canadian top 100 a century ago. Associations with famous people and/or works of art from the past also create vintage style. Regardless, vintage names must have peaked in the top 1000 before 1940.  Here are some old-fashioned boys' names, not including classics: Alfred Ambrose Amos Archibald Archie August Basil Bertram Chester Clarence Clifton Clive Clyde Cyril Duke Ebenezer Edmund Ellis Ernest Everett Forrest Gordon Griffith Gus Harvey Herman Hiram Horatio Humphrey Ira Ivor Jabez Levi Lowell Luther Lyle Mack Morris Myer Nelson Oswald Otis Otto Percival Perry Roscoe Rupert Sampson Silas Sylvester Wallace Warren Wiley Wilson Winsto