June
The first month of summer evokes sunny days, beach trips, and lots of cooling off. Its name of June is shocking, considering the namesake had nothing to do with summer.
The Roman god Juno ruled over marriage, women, and finance; she did not rule over summer. Besides, the sixth month of the year originally had a different name. The Anglo-Saxons referred to it as lide se ærra, meaning "early mildness." It was not until the later Middle Ages when the Romans renamed the month June after the god. The reason is not known, but it probably has to do with Juno's perpetual youthfulness.
June became a first name centuries after she became a month, as part of the Victorian craze for nature names (yes, these include months). However, being a month alone does not make June a "nature name;" instead, she is a calendar name in the same realm as May and Sunday.
Anyway, June first ranked in the American top 1000 through 1986, peaking in the top 100 between 1915 and 1941. She became popular slightly later in other Anglophone nations, ranking in the New Zealand top 100 between 1917 and 1952 and the England list between 1924 and 1954. June also fell from the top 100 in Australia by 1954.
Since June became popular during the Edwardian (not the Victorian) era, parents may have used her as an alternative to the declining nature names of the time. Yet, fellow calendar name May peaked among Americans in the 1880s and among New Zealanders and the English before 1900. Still, June has less to do with nature than May, a month associated with flowers.
Anyway, June's peak period gave the world multiple famous namesakes. These include American actors June Allyson and Lockhart. Even the decades after June's reign gave the world television stay-at-home parent June Cleaver of Leave it to Beaver. The name choice was more than reasonable-June would've been a "mom name" during the 1950s and 60s.
After over twenty years off the charts, June returned to the US top 1000 in 2008. She rose back into the top 200 in 2020. It's about time, with the recent popularity of classic Julia and top 100 revival of Ruby. June serves as a perfect successor; she might be back in the top 100 within the next five years.
Not only is June back in style, but she is no longer restrained to the Anglophonic world. She enjoys popularity in Belgium and the Netherlands. Plus, June is rising in France and Spain.
June is obviously a great pick for babies born during the month. Not only that, but she can also be a great way to honor a family namesake, particularly a grandparent, great-grandparent, or beyond. Plus, her roots may be pagan, but the ending change removes her from the god.
POPULARITY LEVEL: Top 200
NOTABLE REAL-LIFE NAMESAKES:
- British-American actor June Tripp (1901-1985)
- American actor June Allyson (1917-2006)
- American actor June Lockhart (1925-)
- English actor June Whitfield (1925-2018)
- American film actor June Haver (1926-2005)
- English actor June Brown (1927-2022)
- Australian sprinter June Maston (1928-2004)
- Australian actor June Salter (1932-2001)
- English folk singer June Tabor (1947-)
- English television presenter June Sarpong (1977-)
- Stay-at-home mother June Cleaver in television sitcom Leave it to Beaver (1957-1963)
- Dancer June in children's television series Little Einsteins (2005-2009)
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