BS: The MOST British given name of all is...

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 05 May 08 - 02:38 AM

"Aaron pronounced Arran"

Only pronounced Arran since it became popular with the Brickies-Arse-With-Thong-Showing, Tyler-Morgan and Chardonnay-Madonna types, Penny. Where and when I grew up it was 'Air-ron'.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 05 May 08 - 02:34 AM

"There was the jockey Lester Piggott, but apart from him, the only Lesters I've ever heard of have been North American - for example the jazz musician Lester Young, and the Canadian prime minister Lester Pearson."

What about my erstwhile sailing-and-singing pal, Lester Simpson? Derbyshire born and bred. Thought you were supposed to be a bit of a Folkie, McG? :-) :-)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,dianavan
Date: 05 May 08 - 02:02 AM

On the other side of the family, I have an aunt Mopsy. Other than Peter Rabbit's sister, does anyone have a clue to the origin?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,dianavan
Date: 05 May 08 - 01:50 AM

Yes, Hermione tops the list.

Now that we have exhausted the British list, how about Scandanavian names?

My Danish grandmother was Sina and one of my aunts was Walborg. I've never heard either name in N.A.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Don Firth
Date: 04 May 08 - 08:04 PM

Alistair and Georgina?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 May 08 - 07:36 PM

Duane, no - but spell it Dwayne and it's all over the place. At least that's probably how it's spelled.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Penny S.
Date: 04 May 08 - 05:56 PM

Having taught for forty years, I can safely say I've never come across an Elvis or a Duane. Aaron pronounced Arran, after Elvis, but not the King himself.

When I started teaching, boys had boring standard names, John, Peter and so on, and girls had pretty names, Natalie and Gemma. Boys then got a little more different, and girls became very American. One year we had four Alicias, all spelled differently. Elysha (It began with E anyway), Alisha, and I can't rememeber the other one. Life has got hard for teachers, because this children are a) insulted if it's their name, and b) think the teacher's daft if the teacher can't pronounce it.

There has been a class difference in names abservable until recently. Posh families have fancier boys names, and especially those names which the lower classes think are girls' names. Evelyn, Jocelyn, Hilary, Vivian, and a few others which escape me for the moment. Their girls tended to be more ordinary. Apart from the odd Penelope.

In the days of service for young women, there would be renaming of young women who were thought to be bearing names above their station. I have heard of it in my own family, but can't remember who - perhaps my grandmother Rhoda, and it also happened to a friend's relative. I would certainly have been renamed.

Penny (short for?)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 May 08 - 05:31 PM

I'm a bit puzzled where little Hawk got the idea that Lester is a name you'd ever be likely to find in England, or even in Scotland or Wales.

There was the jockey Lester Piggott, but apart from him, the only Lesters I've ever heard of have been North American - for example the jazz musician Lester Young, and the Canadian prime minister Lester Pearson.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 04 May 08 - 04:53 PM

I used to know a labor lawyer named Lynnville G. Miles, known as "Lynn".
This is in the US, Indiana to be exact. He would have been born in Indiana or Illinois, I think, probably not earlier than 1910 and not later than 1920.

I started to write this post thinking his name was Lynn, because that's how everyone actually addressed him, but only thought of "Lynnville" in writing that first paragraph.

Does that count?

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Gurney
Date: 04 May 08 - 04:37 PM

Thread creep.   Has anyone else ever noticed that most Trevors seem to be boffins? I've never met one less than clever. Sometimes odd, or even peculiar, but not stupid.

My parents were Cyril and Doris, but they caught religion, so I'm Christopher, my siblings are named after saints, too.

I understand Elvis and Duane are English names too, But not much used there.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 04 May 08 - 03:02 PM

Actually my daughter in named Penelope and called (by me at least ) Penelope......

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Stu
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 10:52 AM

Abernathy

Welsh I would hazard a guess, as the prefix 'Aber' means 'mouth of'. Not sure what a Nathy is though.

"Also, while the Celtic peoples of those two nations endured conquest, and a degree of discrimination, by England, their subjugation was hardly as severe nor as long-standing as that suffered by Ireland."

Not as long standing? Where did you get that from? Wales has suffered incursions and invasions by the Irish, Romans, Scots (invited by Vortigern), Normans and finally the English. The idea that the Welsh 'got away' with less severe subjugation than the Irish is ridiculous - just because it happened a long time ago and Meibion Glyndŵr stopped burning down holiday cottages years ago doesn't mean that everything's hunky dory in the most oppressed kingdom in the Isles.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 04:22 PM

And was the name of my paternal grandmother, who pronounced it Maybelle

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Blowzabella
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 02:59 PM

Slightly off-topic but I think that one of the most badly done to names in the history of the UK is Mabel.

It speaks to us of nhs spectacles and pinnies but is, in fact, a Norman name, originally pronounced Ma-belle. How different and how lovely.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 02:14 PM

I know several real-life American Hanks. No Elvises or Daisy Maes, though.

"Tex" is almost invariably a nickname, and I've known a few characters who occasinally answer to "Tex," but for whom that is not their primary identification.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Celtaddict
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 12:57 PM

I had understood the original question to be, what given names sound the most 'British' to people (presumably, non-British English speakers, such as Americans & Australians). I do understand that names that sound 'teddibly teddibly' British to us are likely to sound quite dated to you on the Eastern side of the Pond, and in fact may never even have been all that common.
On the other hand, I don't think I have ever met a Tex, Hank, Daisy Mae, or Elvis, though I do not doubt that those names shout 'American' to someone over there. (I do have a nephew named Zeke, though he is the only Zeke I have ever known.)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Anne Lister
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 12:28 PM

Are we talking past or present? Because you're highly unlikely to find any Agathas or Cicelys these days, and I suspect still fewer Percys!

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Nancy King at work
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 12:12 PM

Santa, my Dad, who was born in Canada, was named Sterling. Named for a favorite uncle.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 07:30 AM

FWIW
I typed-in Felicia and that name is 518th in popularity in the US.

Which did surprise me. The one I know used to get a bit of stick (sic) over it. So rare I have never seen it in the UK.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: ard mhacha
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 07:20 AM

Any Percys yet?.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: DMcG
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 12:19 PM

My (British) father-in-law's middle name was Welborn.   How does that rate?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Celtaddict
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 10:29 PM

Besides Cyril, Nigel, Trevor, and Cecil, I always think Malcolm sounds very British. Agatha and Cecily do too.
And in the US, naming daughters by names traditionally male or traditionally surnames has been enormously popular for a generation and more, so there are plenty of females called Hunter, Tyler, Madison; also names fairly commonly in the US go from male to female (Vivian, Frances, Leslie) but almost never go from female to male.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Michael
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 08:33 AM

Can't remember if we've had Ralph, with its two pronunciations:- Ralf and Rafe (as in Ralph Vaughan Williams).

Also the difference between the UK & US pronounciations of Colin:-
US- Colin Powell was Coalin where as in the UK the Coll rhymes with doll.

Mike

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 06:39 PM

PoppaGator, while what you say is generally true, I sometimes wonder about the self identification of those in Northern Ireland. On top of that, I also suspect the particulars of self identification of people living in the various parts of the British Isles have changed over the last 2-3 generations, which is long enough to capture such changes but still be within the living memory of any family member.

And, although the notions of self identification have been so thoroughly canvassed elsewhere, in other threads, that we don't need to get into such diversions on this thread, I also suspect that parents choose names for their offspring for a huge variety of reasons; self identification (in the "wishing to" as well as "wishing to avoid" senses) will be only one.

Using my daughters' naming process as a personal example, both their mum and myself have single-syllable family names (OK "surnames") and hers is particularly percussive; we wished to avoid given names that might have effectively augmented the percussiveness. We also wished to avoid names that easily became diminutives, those that led to unfortunate combinations of initials and those with initials that might cause confusion on letterrs addressed to them in our household; we weren't too keen on feminised male names either.

Being in Oz, ethnic or other forms of self identification received no conscious consideration at all (though, if the Japanese had won in 1942 I might be writing differently) but I can imagine that, where self identification (in terms of 'allegiance' to a particular subgroup) is taken seriously, it might receive slightly higher prominence when choosing names.

Aliases chosen in adulthood are a different matter.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 05:29 PM

Most Irish do not self-identify as "British," but I believe that the average Scot or Welshman readily accepts that designation (although, of course, they would balk at being described as "English").

Scotland and Wales, of course, share the same island with England. Perhaps that helps them feel British.

Also, while the Celtic peoples of those two nations endured conquest, and a degree of discrimination, by England, their subjugation was hardly as severe nor as long-standing as that suffered by Ireland.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 04:11 PM

Richard - so how come you left the Irish (who have revelled in classical allusions) out of your post on quintessence?

I read "MOST British" in the thread title as meaning the most concentrated essence of British, not English.

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Richard in Manchester
Date: 15 Nov 07 - 05:10 PM

My brain is still fighting a losing battle trying to grasp Herga Kitty's phrase "quintessentially British". Something that is equally typical of the English, the Welsh and the Scots? I'll take the quest to find the Holy Grail, any day....

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 15 Nov 07 - 04:36 PM

Kaleea, I've come across a couple of Oz Godfreys and more than a couple of Jocelyns but the most frequent occurrences in Oz of the ones you mention (excepting Jocelyn) are as surnames. And, again, it's Stirling rather than Sterling.

More generally, although Little Hawk asked for names that were British, from a US perspective, the examples on the thread indicate the influence of British heritage in Oz names is still extensive. When we had our first child, a daughter, her mum wanted names from out of our joint family trees; she'd been genealogically ferreting around hers between proper jobs. The two we liked most had already been picked by my brother (who, at that stage, knew nothing about the family beyond our grandparents) for his two daughters; such is life.

What we noticed about our ancestries (hers 4th generation Oz with lots of English and Irish, mine First & Second Fleet with some English, some Scottish and a bit of French) though, was how limited was the range of names for the male parts by comparison with the female parts, pace Dariel Fo. The range of women's names was at least twice and almost thrice the range of men's names.

At least, we found that interesting.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Neil D
Date: 15 Nov 07 - 11:00 AM

Good job Dave.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Mr Red
Date: 14 Nov 07 - 04:06 PM

That site confirms that there are no clones of me in the US as far as they know, first or surname.

That only leave one measley semi-detatched brick ediface in Cheltenham and me. It's a lonely old world.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,ythanside
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 07:55 PM

Mycroft Cholmondeley-Featherstonehaugh (the latter encumbrance pronounced Chumley-Fanshaw) could only be of British parentage.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 06:44 PM

Thanks, BWL, for the link to "HowManyOfMe.com."

Since I have a relatively rare last name ~ there are more of us in County Mayo, Ireland, than in the entire US ~ I tried my name (first + last) and those of my immediate family.

They apparently don't know about one of my sons, since they turned up zero persons with his name. There are three of me and two-to-five each of the other family members.

When I Google my name, the person who comes up most frequently is a dead guy of about my age who was murdered in the early seventies; now I know why some old classmates I encountered at a reunion a few years back seemed so surprised to find me alive and kicking!

The next-most-prominent bearer of my name is a high-ranking Catholic priest in the Maryknoll order. I appear once or twice, but only if you go as far as the second or third page of search results.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 06:28 PM

Endevour. aparantly, Neil D. Good name...

:D

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Santa
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 06:15 PM

Stirling as in Moss, Sterling is the currency but I wouldn't put it past someone to use it.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Kaleea
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 04:18 PM

I've only encountered the name Poindexter when I met a feller from the UK, but never in the USA. (except for that silly board game from the sixties, of course!)
Ah, Rowan, I was wondering if anyone would mention Archibald, as I've never met one from the USA.
What about Sterling, Eustace, Godfrey, Osgood, or Jocelyn?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 03:41 PM

I am so far from being British that I can't even spell "UK", but I have relatives named Nigel, Colm, and Rowan.

BTW, according to this site, there is nobody in the US named Archibald.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Neil D
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 03:00 PM

Here is a piece of deep British given name trivia.

   What was Inspector Morse's given name?

And no, it's not Inspector.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 01:59 PM

I can tell you one of the rarerest - so rare I know of only one living soul with the name. cresby.com I am willing to be proven wrong just tell me where/when/who.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: ard mhacha
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 02:41 AM

Dave a correction on Kevin`s origin, 12th century monastery, 7th century Saint.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 01:53 AM

And somtimes Lynne is the full name of the lady; at least two in the Oz folk scene.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: JennieG
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 01:28 AM

In Oz Lynn or Lyn is short for Lynette, a popular girls' name. I went to school with a few....work with one.....know others.....

Lindsay (m) or Lindsey, Lyndsey (f) can also be shortened to Lin or Lyn.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 12:33 AM

My mother's three brothers were, in birth order, Archibald, Cyril and Leslie; all in Oz but "British" by inclination.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Greg B
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 09:32 PM

Friend of mine's name is Lynn. He was a US Navy test pilot. Tough
as nails. From South Dakota.

His dad?

Leslie.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: robomatic
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 08:20 PM

Ethelred
Abernathy

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 05:16 PM

G'day again PoppaGator.

PoppaCroc? Hmmm.

Kakadu, probably still the biggest of the Northern Territory's National Parks and adjacent to Arnhem Land, is blessed with a number of rivers, full of crocodiles (mostly "salties", Crocodilus porosus) and there are a few places where there are "freshies" or Johnson River crocodiles (C. johnsonii), which are smaller and 'safer'. But the two biggest rivers there are the Alligator River and the East Alligator River, so named because the naming was done by some Pom aboard HMS Alligator in (I think) the 1830s. Given we have no alligators (they're all in the New World) it gets very confusing for tourists.

Bringing the thread drift back closer to the notion of naming, grandparents get called lots of 'familiar' and 'diminutive' names; Poppa is one I'd associate with the US more than with anywhere else, although it's not uncommon here in Oz. Perhaps this is because I associate the parental familiars "Mom" and "Pop" with the US, whereas in Oz it's usually "Mum" and "Dad"; I suspect the later is the most common usage in the UK too.

This leaves the field open to "DaddyCroc" as your Oz equivalent, pace the Oz rock band "Daddy Cool"!

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 04:45 PM

Back on the 7th, Rowan observed that he would "always associate [the name] PoppaGator with the US..."

First of all, um, thanks!

I suppose that my pseudonym is definitively American, although the thought had not occurred to me before. An African or Australian would be "PoppaCroc," right? And no European country provides habitat to that kind of big scary reptile.

My real given name is Thomas, which is not especially indiciative of any English-speaking nation to the exclusion of the others, or even (given alternate spellings, e.g., Tomas) of any corner of "Christiandom," or Western Civilization.

In my case, I'm named after a long line of Irish forebearers, but we were all (putatively) named for an English Catholic saint, Sir Thoms More.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: gnomad
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 03:23 PM

I feel it is valid, as Bobad proposes in his post of Nov8, to add together the alternative spellings of what is essentially the same name.

As Dave mentions Mohammed is ranked 22 by the DNS, but Muhammad is also there at 44. Someone do the sums please, I've gone off arithmetic.

Just as an aside; Mohammed seems to have been pretty consistent, rankings for 2002-6 being 22,22,20,23,and 22.

I suspect the explanation is as Dave suggests: that a high proportion of male moslems have one variation or the other as their first name. That would certainly fit with my experience when working in Bradford with a large customer base among the whole community [almost everyone of working age needs a bank account].

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 02:49 PM

Ahhhh - But it doesn't follow that he was Irish does it? wasn't St Pat a Welshman, Ard? ;-)

Would whoever said that Mohammed was in the top ten of boys names in the UK care to back that up? I suspect that someone has been spinning you a yarn - easily disproved! I looked it up and in 2007 said name was at number 22! I was quite surprised at that. The 2001 cencus gives the split of religions in the UK as follows -

Christianity 42.079 71.6%
No religion (Incl. Jedi) 9.10 15.5
Refused to answer 4.29 7.3
Islam 1.59 2.7
Hinduism 0.559 1.0
Sikhism 0.336 0.6
Judaism 0.267 0.5
Buddhism 0.152 0.3
Other 0.179 0.3
Total population 58.789 100.0%

All I can assume is that there are either a lot of non-Moslems use the name or an exeedingly high proportion of Moslem males use it!

Anyway - boring stuff out of the way.

Roderick now has my vote as well. Can't help but chant 'Welease Woderwick'...

:D

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: ard mhacha
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 02:43 PM

LH, Kevin 12th century Irish Saint, ancient monastery dedicated to the Saint in Co Wicklow.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 02:28 PM

When I was 10-12 years old in New Jersey, one of the most prominent high school athletes in the area was a fellow with the first name of Lynn. I thought his name was extremely weird, annd thought that perhaps his athletic prominence might have been prompted by a need to "prove his manhood" ~ not unlike Johnny Cash's "Boy Named Sue." (Of course, this was years before that song came out.)

LH: I am quite sure that Kevin is an Irish name, not British.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Alec
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 12:22 PM

Wayne? (Not common but not ultra rare either) Clement? (Never common & now almost defunct)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 12:02 PM

"Kevin" also seems rather British to me, but there are a great many Kevins in North America.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Anne Lister
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 07:33 AM

Followers of "Old Harry's Game" on BBC Radio 4 will know that in a previous series there was the revelation that God's real name was Nigel....

I'm puzzled by some of the contributions above. Lester Simpson and Lester Piggott aside, I'd assume any Lester to be American, myself. Lynn is a man's name, reasonably frequently found here in Wales. Trevor as a girl's name? Never heard it here. Have met an American female Cyril, though - I was very confused.

I've known two male Vivs here, not necessarily spelled with extra "y"s but generally Vivien rather than Vivian. Other confusing first names here in Wales include Ceri (male or female, and sometimes spelled Kerry).

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 11:34 PM

Refering back to your first post, I have a friend named "Nigel Lester", known him for over 40 years now. Commonly known as "Nige" middle name "Howard"
My vote would be for my rather commonly used monica.
JohnB

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 02:57 PM

There's nothing wrong with Nigel, it's just very British, that's all.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 02:36 PM

Metchosin:
Lynn as a man's name. Lynn Davies Gold medal winner in the long jump 1964 (Tokyo) Olympics.

And anyway, what's wrong with 'Nigel'?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:47 AM

JennieG - Remillion seems to be a dark red dye used to imitate the blood of Christ in religious artwork (statues and icons usually) and has been around for several hundred years as a given name.

It's probably linked to vermillion, the more popular red pigment.

If you Google Remillion you'll get a link to the 'behind the name' website which has a couple of people also looking for ancestors named Remillion. Maybe you're related?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Ebbie
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 05:14 PM

"Orson Cart" lol

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Bert on Kelly's machine.
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 03:09 PM

I don't know about MOST but the BEST is certainly Albert!

I used to be called Little Bert, 'cos I was taller than my Dad and he was Big Bert.

Bertie.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 03:06 PM

"Then there's the other rare middle name Death or De'ath."

I think you'll find that it's Irish, Richard.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: fumblefingers
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 02:54 PM

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 01:31 PM

My Father's full name was "Albert Charles Leslie Hitchcock", a very English sounding combination, but everyone just called him Bert. Tarquin and Quentin always strike me as very English along with Orson. I knew a man in our village in Sussex many years ago whose last name was Cart (a shortened version of Carter I expect) I told him he should name his son Orson, he was not amused.

Bob.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: rich-joy
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 01:58 AM

Despite the popular view that it's a very Aussie name, I've always found the "Sheila"s I have heard of, to be from the British Isles (as opposed to the "small s" descriptive term "sheilas", which is kinda like older terminology for "chics" downunder in Oz .....)

"Algernon" had got my vote for feeling most British - until I discovered it was a French word to do with moustaches - and came over with William the Conquerer, along with Percy!!!


Yeah, Rowan and JennieG, the Oz regional difference thing gets my vote too! Upon moving to the state of Queensland some years back, I was struck with the common-usage pronunciation "Quoinsland"!!!!


Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: JennieG
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 12:34 AM

Rowan, I think Rich-Joy's wonderful litany of names came from The Naked Vicar Show on ABC radio in the 70s - from memory it ended with:
Maybelline, Marlene, and my name's Kay!

I work with a Marline, pronounceed Marleen.

I enjoyed the ABC doco and I agree with you, there are regional differences in the Ozzie accent. I thought those SA women were wonderfully up themselves......

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Metchosin
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 12:32 AM

I know of two men named Lynn, both originally from Saskatchewan. I've never heard it used elsewhere. Is it of English origin and more common in the UK?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 12:15 AM

Yes, Rich-joy, I think (but couldn't swear to it) that it was the Mavis Bramston Show.

And John Clark did a beaut hour's doco on the origins and development of the Australian Accent on the ABC (Oz, for you USers) last Thursday night; I confess I fall into the camp that maintains there are regional differences in the Oz accent. I always associate "coool" with Victoria and SA and "Kewl" with NSW and Qld. I can't do phonetic symbols but I'm sure you'll understand, even if my attempts mystify nonAussies.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 12:06 AM

Richard didn't meet too many "Rowan"s in his stay in Oz; for the first 20 years of my life I was uncomfortable with the fact that I was the only example of Rowan I'd heard of. When I got to uni I found I shared my given and surname with someone in the medical faculty and about 30 years later come to the conclusion my mother may have met him while pregnant with me, liked the sound of it and 'pinched' his name for me. Since then I've met several, some female. Very few seem to have had a Scottish connection.

And, Mr Happy, your reference to Mountain Ash tempts me to some thread drift. Around 1900 some foresters from New Zealand did a bit of a tour of the othe Australasian colonies, starting with Tasmania. Tassie foresters took them to see the Florentine Valley, where the tallest eucalypts towered 300' + into the sky. "What are they?" asked the NZers. "Swamp gums" answered the Taswegians. "Do you have any seed?" asked the NZers. "No" answered the locals. The next stop for the tourists was Victoria, where they found out the Forests Commission had a huge collection of all sorts of seeds. "Do you have any swamp gum seed?" asked the NZers. "Take as much as you like!" answered the Victorians. Which is how NZ got about 30,000 acres of Eucalyptus ovata which rarely grows more than 30' high, is straight for no more than 2' and is difficult to burn. What they wanted was Eucalyptus regnans, called mountain ash by the Victorians. This cuationary tale was told to all aspiring biologists at Melbourne Uni as an injunction to use scientific binomials.

Some other reflections on names mentioned above;
Doris, Edith, Enid, Mamie, Mae and Thelma are (or were, before they died) aunts of mine
Wendy is the mother of my daughters
Ivor (one pronounced Eyevor and the other pronounced Eevor) is the name of two friends (both Aussies) of mine
all of which Little Hawk may (probably correctly) regard as the Britishness of Oz

PoppaGator, I'd always associate "PoppaGator" with the US and "Rhys" with the UK, although we have plenty of the latter (and none of the former) in Oz.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Greg B
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 07:56 PM

Owen? Well, then, me cousin was Welshman Daniel Owen, poet laureate
to none other than good old Queen Vic herself. First Welshman to
write a novels in native Welsh in the 'modern' era.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Owen

I have the fortune (or misfortune) of being his very image.

My understanding is that his mother ran the bawdy house in
his native Mold, Clywyd, where he is immortalized in the town
square.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: JennieG
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 07:38 PM

Forgot to say in my post the other day....my British-born grandfather's first names were Christopher Hiram. Christopher I can understand - it sounds British - but Hiram? I always think of Hiram as being a 19th century Amurk'n entrepreneur out to change the world, not someone who was born in the British Isles in the 1880s.

Then there is his sister (also mentioned in my post) Remillion. Heavens only knows where that came from.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: folk1e
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 06:41 PM

most Brittish give their kids a "christian" name!

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 06:26 PM

The best known male Hilary has to be son of the Socialist MP, formerly known as Sir Anthony Wedgewood-Benn, AKA Tony Benn MP. His son Hilary is the Enviroment Minister.

My grandmother was named Ethel Winifred - a very English sounding composite.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 05:48 PM

When I spotted the thread title, the first name to come to mind, for me anyway, was "Trevor."

The first Trevor I ever met in person (here in the states) was a coworker who had been born in South Africa. Not England by any means, but more-or-less "British" from the US standpoint. (He was certainly of British ancestry ~ not a Boer or an African.)

While I had never previously known a Trevor in person, I did recognize the name as a boy's/man's name.

At my next job, I had an employee named Trevor, but this was (and still is) a female Trevor. Very attractive, and very aristocratic, from a wealthy and prominent family. Made me wonder if upperclass Brits named their daughters as well as their sons Trevor, or if this was a strictly American affectation ~ ??

One name mentioned only briefly and obscurely in one of the preceding posts struck me as just the kind of quintessentially British names LH was asking for:

Rhys.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Banjo-Flower
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 05:46 PM

Gerald

Gerry

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: ard mhacha
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 02:08 PM

LH , Owen Celtic from Eoin same pronunciation.
I left out the most common name in the nationalist north of Ireland ,Sean.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 12:43 PM

Perfect, Desdemona! ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Desdemona
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 12:29 PM

Okay, LH, I see what you're looking for now, and I think I can provide it, because my very own cousins, Juliet and Derek, have a daughter named Georgina...now that's what I call a "British" triple threat!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 12:25 PM

Someone mentioned Clive...a very British name, I think. Then it occurred to me that Owen is also rather British-sounding. Then you have Clive Owen! Perfect.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Dazbo
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 12:18 PM

Sorry Emma, didn't notice the inverted commas.

( no longer at work :-) )

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Grab
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 12:03 PM

LH, don't upset Spaw now by missing "Bubba" and "Cletus" off your list...

Actually, one sure way of telling Americans from their names is if they're called John Johnson the third, or John Johnson Junior. The only person who gets to be called "the third" or whatever in Britain is the reigning king/queen. If a son is named after his dad (which is not uncommon in more rural areas), one or the other will either use a diminutive version (eg. "Edward" vs. "Eddie" vs. "Ted"), use their middle name as their given name, or simply be known to the world as "Ed" and "young Ed" (or maybe later on, "Ed" and "old Ed").

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 11:56 AM

GregB at 10:39: did you mean Ivor Biggun, wearer of cheap suits, Martin-mangler extraordinary, subject of a 'where are they now? feature in the current 'Mojo' magazine, and generally good sort? If so, I have the honour to stand alongside him in his latest band, the Trembling Wheelbarrows, at least until the restraining order takes effect. I have a sneaking feeling, though, that this might not be his real name.

Oh, and a new UK book on unusual names mentions my own forebears, a father and son both named Grimwood Death.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Emma B
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 11:27 AM

Precisely the reason for putting invented in inverted commas Dazbo!

The name Wendy is probably a diminutive of the Welsh name Gwendolynbut, in this instance, it is believed to be derived from the phrase "friendy wendy," used by a child named Margaret Henley, whom Barrie befriended in the 1890s.

In modern name meanings Wendy is often described as meaning friendly.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Dazbo at work
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 11:03 AM

Wendy wasn't an original name created by JM Barrie. There are quite a few Wendys in censuses taken before Peter Pan came out (and they're not the names of young girls but of fully grown women so it had been around for at least 30 years before Peter Pan. I believe it is a diminutive form of Gwendoline.

There have been very few true Anglo Saxon names that have come down the ages mainly the ones already noted, Godgifu being a favourite of mine (IIR the correct spelling) meaning gift from God.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 10:56 AM

My goodness! I've set loose a monster here. Wonderful work, ladies and gentlemen.

Now let me explain what I was after in this thread. I was not after names which ONLY are found in the British Isles. No indeed. I was not necessarily after names which are very common in the British Isles either. I was simply after names which are MORE common in the British Isles than they are in most other places, particularly North America.....names which, when heard by a North American, immediately suggest "someone from the British Isles". That's it, period.

So, "Lester", for instance may not be all that common a name in England, but I suggest that it still sounds more like an English name than it does like an American name.

You follow?

We Canadians, by the way, had a prime minister named Lester Pearson, but it's a pretty uncommon name in Canada.

Here are some typically American names:

Tex
Hank
Zeke
Billy Bob
Billy Joe
Thelma Mae
Daisy Mae
Emmy Lou
Wyatt
Jake
Elvis
Alvin
Maizy
Mavis
Blanche

(Note the popularity of the rustic approach for male names...the USA has always been besotted with all forms of frontier primitivism and cowboy mythology, plus a healthy dose of Southern romanticism for female names a la courtin' Daisy Mae neath the Magnolia blossoms, and all that...) ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 10:50 AM

SIT! - Well!

Fetch, Stay!

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Desdemona
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 10:47 AM

My dog's middle name just happens to be Winifred, which was suggested by my Anglo-Saxon scholar partner...someday we're planning to get her a sister called Edith!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Greg B
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 10:39 AM

What about Ivor Biggin?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Santa
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 10:33 AM

Alfred would do for a good English name that has lasted. Or Edwin? Oswald was around until recently but not many people called Hengist and Horsa nowadays.

It occurs to me that Frederick is another Germanic version of Alfred - does that imply two different Teutonic roots/routes?

My mother was Winifred. Sounds Anglo-Saxon, but possibly related to Guinevere, which has British roots - unless old Geoffrey didn't know the difference when he wrote out the old tales.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Desdemona
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 10:00 AM

Ah, but "English" was originally a heavily inflected, Germanic language; something like 80% of the most commonly used words in modern English are still Germanic in origin, despite the Norman invasion, centuries of loan words, etc.

~D (showing my geeky English major roots)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 09:55 AM

Surely those are Saxon names that begin with Ae like that, and they're originally from Germany.
G

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: TheSnail
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 09:45 AM

Algernon.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Desdemona
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 09:42 AM

If we're talking English, as opposed to "British," I'd have to vote for something like Aelfric, or Aethelfreda, or maybe good old Edith!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Nigel
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 09:35 AM

One would point out that Nigel is not common. Bloody Oiks!

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 09:14 AM

David Lester - quite a well known copyright lawyer

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Emma B
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 09:10 AM

Ops just beaten to the post there!

I would say Wendy has to be a purely British name as it was "invented" by J. M. Barrie for his play Peter Pan.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Emma B
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 08:54 AM

Lester Simpson?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Santa
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 08:53 AM

Lester Simpson.

But it isn't common.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 08:47 AM

Lester Piggot?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Trevor Thomas
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 08:24 AM

I am a Trevor, and no, it's not the sort of name Americans tend to use. It's Welsh in origin.

There was however, a famous American boxer called Trevor Berbick - it's not unknown.

People have mentioned Bert as an English name, but along with Ernie, (another English name) they were as American as can be on Sesame Street!

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Grab
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 08:21 AM

De'ath is a surname - if it's used as a middle name, it'll either be a hyphenated that's lost its hyphen or some similar notation to track ancestry, or maybe a nod to some friend or relative. From here there are apparently 9589 people with that surname.

LH, you're unlikely to find anyone in Britain named "Lester". At most it'll be "Leicester" (*) and that'll be as a surname.

On reflection, I think the rule of male names involving a Q being posh English is not too far off. Which leads me to my nomination:

Farquhar

Mind you, surnames are another thing altogether. My personal favourite is from round my way: Fitzherbert-Brockholes. You wouldn't get *that* anywhere else!

Graham.

(*) Pronounced "Lester", of course...

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: fat B****rd
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 08:15 AM

Doris ? You don't get many Pearls and Glorias in the UK these days.
I had an Auntie Rena, whose birth name was actually Victorina. Apparently my French forebears had a short list of Christian names and didn't include girls.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 07:54 AM

Mountain Ash?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 07:45 AM

My partner has an Aunty Doris, lovely woman too with a wicked sense of humour! Don't know any 'younger' people with the name though

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Santa
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 07:39 AM

Rowan is just another name in the flowers/nature group: I know one from Nottingham. Northern perhaps, because of the spread of the tree, but not just Scottish.

The question said British names: Arthur is certainly about as British as you get but were UK names really meant? Anything ending -bert or -ric is going to be specifically English. (Robert the Bruce just shows how Anglicised the Scotish Lowlands were.) The Anglo-Saxon female names do seem to be unfashionable now, but I gather there was a spate of "Anglo-Saxon pride" in the 19th century, so perhaps we're just at the end of that rather than a rather longer chain.

Which are the original British names - can they be identified with current Welsh/Cornish/Breton names or have they changed too much with the times?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 07:32 AM

It's had it's day.
G.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Moses
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 06:41 AM

Has anyone mentioned Doris?

Not a popular name nowadays but, as I have a couple of friends of this name who are a 'certain age', it seemes to have been well used between 1900 and 1950.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Dazbo at work
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 06:28 AM

Hermione seemed to baffle most USians when reading Harry Potter.

There certainly seem to be many given names used in the US these days that seem to me to be either made up, spelt in weird and wonderful ways or have peculiar capitalisation.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Teribus
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 06:15 AM

Always thought that Vivian was the female version of the name, the male form being Vyvyan. But most of the "typical" British names mentioned are "Norman" in origin, Colin is Scottish in derivation. Torquil is Norse Viking from Torkil.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:42 AM

For 'catters in the colonies, 'Famous 5' here:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=g_TiqoEw4sQ

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: ard mhacha
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:39 AM

What no Norman, In the north of Ireland, Myrtle, Heather,Violet,Daphne,all Protestant ladies, and I may have left the odd plant out.
In most cases we can tell the religion of the person by their name, Cecil, Samuel [wee Sammy],Howard, Stewart,Robert[full title], Campbell, lots of surnames used as first names by the Protestants,Wesley,Ivor, Trevor,William, and there`s more. The Catholic ladies,Aine, Attracta,Aileen,Bridget,Brid,Deirdre,Dervla,Dymphna,Eilis,Ethna,Finola,
Ita,Roisin, and there is lots more.
The Catholic male can be, Aloysius,Art,Barney,Benedict,Brendan,Cathal,Conor,Donal,Dermot,Eugene,
Jarlath,Kieran,Kevin,Killian,Lorcan,Malachy,Manus,Oisin,Patrick,Seamus,and many more.

The above name with a few exceptions are the recognizable brands of the north of Ireland divide.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Megan L
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:38 AM

What about Euphemia, Hortensia and Eulaly oh and has anyone mentioned Horatio?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:37 AM

From'Famous Five' - 'Uncle Quentin!'

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: rich-joy
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:33 AM

Rowan, do you recall that TV comedy skit in Oz from the 70s, where the Supermarket Supervisor, (possibly) Noeline Brown, reeled off the list of Aussie sheilas, with a request to "come to the checkout, pleeeeze!"
e.g. noelene jolene raylene kaylene shirlene lurlene marlene sharlene paulene doreen gaylene darlene .....
It was very funny in broad Strine!


Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:30 AM

There's an old lady up the road from here called Ada, now that's a name you don't hear often these days.
G

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:29 AM

Well, yes, I would have expected Rowan to be pretty well purely Scottish. I never met a Rowan in Australia in the 3 years I lived there.

But in the home counties I did know a family with three daughters and a love of the classics. Their three daughters were Theucydida. Lulubelle (not so british!) and - wait for it - Candida!

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:17 AM

My Grandpa was called Walter. Harry is also short (don't know how) for Henry. I've known an Alfred, Beatrice. My Grandma is Marjorie. I know a couple of Penelopes....one is on here although it is her middle name.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:14 AM

Hey at least we don't call kids horny, or Randy as you do.
With things the way they are in this PC obsessed country, anybody who comes over here and says, "Hi I'm Randy" is likely to be arrested for sexual harassment.
G

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: akenaton
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 02:49 AM

Bobad's message is slightly out of date, Muhammed is now in the "top ten" boys names in the UK.

Does anyone find that even slightly disturbing?..Ake

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,Phil
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 12:11 AM

I think ARFUR is terribly British

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Rowan
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 10:33 PM

Richard Bridge seems to think that my name is found only in UK. Sigh!

Actually most of the list of putative UK names (Nigel, Trevor etc; even Tarquin) seem to occur with a fair frequency here.

But it's a long time since I came across (in Oz)
Cyril
Cecil
Cedric
Evelyn (a bloke)
Vivian (ditto)
Peregrin (as distinct from Perry).

My sister's names are Roslyn & Hilary and I know various wome with Penelope, Daphne, Prue and even Prudence (as well as the other virtues like Faith, Hope, Charity and Verity) so I wouldnt count them as particularly UK. Don't see Beryl, Molly, or Polly often these days in Oz, either.

Savannah (as a woman's name rather than a vegetation type) I associate with the US, along with Duke and Earl as given names.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 10:23 PM

Art - Peter Wimsey - my favorite sleuth!!!!!!

Bil - Viv is the shortened name of Vivian which, while not common in the UK for a male - is certanly not uncommon...

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 10:04 PM

Knew a man whose Persona re enactment name was Evelyn Deth. He was kinda weird anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: GUEST,JennieG wasting time at work
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 10:01 PM

Roderick
Jasper

My British-born grandfather had a sister named Remillion...surname Eldridge, quite a mouthful methinks

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 09:52 PM

Oh yes, there are Colins in the US, but they are called Colons usually. If you want a Colin, you need to spell it Collin.

American names...Tom, Dick, Harry, Jimmy, Billy Bob, Mary Jane, Mandy Sue, Betty Lou, we seem to be enamoured of the 'ie/ee' sound.

Mary,Kathy, Shirley, (wasn't Shirley a male name first), Tommy, Dickie, Rusty, Billy...etc ad nauseum.

Not sure about the UK or rest of the world but creative spelling is the newest thing in names here.

Jade has turned into Jada, Jaeda, Jaydea, Shayda,Jayedah etc....just make up any combination of sounds and name your kid.

Me first...DeJaynee Reevon.And that is not even that unusual anymore.
'Most' of these creative spellings seem to belong to black American people, or is that a racist comment?

I've seen the name Deon spelt Deeawwn. Maybe because the parents really can't spell? Or are they just being creative?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Greg B
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 08:43 PM

What about Colin?

--- Gregory William Vincent Bullough (how do you pick up one like
            that in California?)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: TheSnail
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 08:36 PM

artbrooks

Heard of Hilary Clinton?

Oh yeah. Wasn't she married to someone? Any male Hilarys?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: The Walrus
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 08:23 PM

Emma,
Amelia,
Violet,
Rita,
Nell (as a name, not a contraction)
Herbert,
Albert

Any of those qualify?


Little Hawk,
"...And the British warships that bore Roman and Greek names!

HMS Justinian, HMS Neptune, HMS Hermes, HMS Agamemnon, HMS Achilles...the list goes on and on. This was because the British saw their empire as the natural inheritor of the ancient glories of Greece and Rome, destined like the Greeks and Romans before them to dominate the world of their time...and for awhile they did..."

An interesting theory, except that, at the time (late 18th/early 19th Century) most maritime nations named some, or all, of their fleet after classical characters, which could cause problems with captured ships pressed into service, for example the RN had, at the same time, a Nymph, a Nymphe (ex French) and a Nymphen (ex Danish)[OK, not classical names, but the first examples which came to mind].
It's worth remembering that 'the Classics' were an essential part of any European Gentleman's education.

W

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: number 6
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 07:44 PM

what's with the Brits naming their male child .... Viv ??

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: artbrooks
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 07:33 PM

Can't use that one, Snail. LH's rule is names that are pretty much limited to people born in the UK. Heard of Hilary Clinton? (ok - so she spells it with two Ls)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: TheSnail
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 07:28 PM

Hilary, male and female.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 07:23 PM

I've known lots of Berts in the US- one is a brother in law of mine. From Arkansas.

Not Trevor *neither*. A neighbor of mine has that name.

When I was traveling through Canada by train a couple of years back I met an English couple. Delightful people. Sure enough, his name is Dudley, a name that I think of as British through and through.

Tabster, I met the coworker of a relative and upon introduction, this woman told me confidently, You can call me 'Punkin'.

No, I couldn't.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 07:13 PM

Yes, that's true, Kitty. Traditional British society has had a long and passionate love affaire with the names that came out of classical Greece and Rome. Another example is the name Portia, a good Roman name, but favored by patrician families in England.

And the British warships that bore Roman and Greek names!

HMS Justinian, HMS Neptune, HMS Hermes, HMS Agamemnon, HMS Achilles...the list goes on and on. This was because the British saw their empire as the natural inheritor of the ancient glories of Greece and Rome, destined like the Greeks and Romans before them to dominate the world of their time...and for awhile they did.

The Americans took over that role from about 1944 on...with some disagreement on the part of Russia and China, of course...but that was good for the role: Every great empire needs some worthy external enemies in order to maintain its innate sense of drive and purpose...if it succeeds in defeating all of them, then its own decline and collapse is often not too far in the future, because it becomes unwieldy, inefficient, overextended, and tends to fall under its own weight.

That happened quickly with the Greek empire, much more slowly with the Roman Empire, quite slowly with the British Empire (which was unusually well administered), quite quickly with the Soviet Empire in the 1980's, and now I think it is definitely beginning to happen with the American Empire as well.

But I digress....

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 06:56 PM

Little Hawk - I think the names Daphne and Penelope both come from Greek mythology, so classic but not especially British....

Daphne (from Listen with Mother - are you sitting comfortably?) Oxenford and Penelope (to the Manor Born) Keith were pretty quintessentially British though!

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 06:44 PM

By God, we are getting some wonderfully classic British names here! Marvelous!

Not too many female ones, though. How about Daphne? Does anyone get named Daphne any longer in the UK? And how about Penelope? Aside from Penelope Rutledge, I haven't heard of many Penelopes lately.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Anne Lister
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 06:29 PM

Of course there's always Torquil. I did know a Torquil once. He was very posh and Scottish.
Or Tarquin.
Must be the "qu" part ... automatically makes you posh. Like Quentin.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 06:23 PM

Oh - and I have this real odd thing with the name Nigel - Everytime I hear that somewhere is expecting gales I always associate it with Nigel. Something to do with a couple I knew called Gail and Nigel.

'The east coast is expecting severe Gails and Nigels'.

Mind you, whenever my unix server says 'starting tracing and logging' I see 'starting Tracy and Roger' and every time I meet someone called 'Les' I think I should be speaking French.

Maybe I am mad. Maybe it is you...

:D

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: bankley
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 06:10 PM

Cedric....?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 06:07 PM

Yes, Art.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:58 PM

Not sure about the first name but around Salford the most popular second given name is 'Yer lickle bleedor' - As in 'Come 'ere, Chardonay yer lickle bleedor' or 'Brooklyn yer lickle bleedor, I'm gonna batter yer'

Now, Giok, I do take exception to "She's a bloody German,". If we were to take that attitude with everyone here there would be NO British at all! Well, no English anyway! Hmmmm, maybe that isn't such a bad thing?

Cheers

Dave

The Polish, Russian, Welsh, Englishman:-)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: number 6
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:47 PM

Ringo

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Dave Swan
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:46 PM

I've never met a man or boy in the US named Ivor.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:40 PM

Art, he said middle name. The guy you mention HAS no middle name.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: artbrooks
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:38 PM

As in Peter Death Bredon Wimsey?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:37 PM

I can't imagine anyone not Welsh being named Daffyd.

I had a friend at university one of whose middle names was Claringbold.

Then there's the other rare middle name Death or De'ath.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: RangerSteve
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:36 PM

Clive.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: pdq
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:21 PM

Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Holt in England.

There aren't that many men in the US named Leslie, and the ones who are usually have to fight.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:17 PM

Trevor! Great choice. It's very, very British.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: artbrooks
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:14 PM

My first thought was Trevor.

I knew a kid once who was born during the Tolkien craze of the late 1960s...his parents named him Bilbo, and you can imagine what he was called in school. At some point he renamed himself - John.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: David C. Carter
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:14 PM

St John-Pronounced-Synjun.
Usually a middle name.
As in-Nigel St John Farquerson.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:11 PM

Humphrey?

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:10 PM

(sigh)

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: jacqui.c
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 05:05 PM

Many years ago at a UK holiday camp my kids teamed up with a little Texan girl who announced; "Ma name is Tinkerbell Martin".

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:59 PM

...Rupert, and Adelbert...

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:25 PM

Whilst Robert is associated with Scotland other names ending in bert used to be popular in Britain, Cuthbert, Herbert, Egbert, Albert...

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:23 PM

The capital letters in the post made me think of Donny Most.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Anne Lister
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:21 PM

What if we turned the tables and asked for the most US name ....I can think of a few that would be highly unlikely to occur over here in the UK. Cecil for a girl, frex, or - my personal favourite, and I did meet the woman in question - Treelight. Admittedly she wasn't given her name by her parents (it "came" to her in a vision) but it was very difficult to use her name in natural conversation.

I don't think I've ever met a Donny and relatively few Nigels (although those Nigels I HAVE met tend to be good musicians).

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Victor in Mapperton
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:17 PM

Keith.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:14 PM

When I first saw the thread title the name Donny came to mind . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:12 PM

Evelyn for a male. But Nigel has to be first, with Basil, Percy and Bertie running close behind. Zebedee doesn't strike me as British at all. More an American/US Pilgrim or American Frontier/Western name.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: robomatic
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 04:07 PM

When I saw the thread title the name "Nigel" immediately came to mind.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:26 PM

Giok
Kelvin
Rowan
Calum
Colm

And NO Winston is almost exclusively West Indian or Ceylon

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: bobad
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:25 PM

Mohammed overtakes George in list of most popular names

By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:02am GMT 21/12/2006

Mohammed, and its most common alternative spelling Muhammad, are now more popular babies' names in England and Wales than George, reflecting the diverse ethnic mix of the population.

The Office for National Statistics said there were 2,833 baby boys called Mohammed in 2006.
        
The name is 22nd in the list of most popular boys' names, moving up a place from last year.

Spelled Muhammad, it is the 44th most popular name and enters the top 50 for the first time along with Noah, Oscar, Lucas and Rhys.

There were 2,833 babies called Mohammed born in 2006 and 1,422 called Muhammad. The total exceeds the number of Georges (3,386) or Josephs (3,755).

The list of popular babies' names for 2006 also shows that the cult of celebrity is changing the baptismal tide.

There were 38 babies called Cruz (after David Beckham's third child) this year, raising the name from 1,508th to 650th. There were 14 Peaches (after the daughter of Bob Geldof), raising that name from 4,509th to 1,561st.

Jack has been the top boys' name for 12 years but Olivia has risen three places from last year. Last year's top girl's name, Jessica, dropped to number three, There are just three new names in the top 50 girls' names list - Imogen, Sophia and Anna.

The ONS said some of the girls' names gaining the most popularity this year were Evie (21), Freya (23), Poppy (30) and Jasmine (31).

As usual, the boys' top 50 is more stable, but Harrison jumped six places to number 36. Alfie, Cameron and Henry all rose five places to numbers 16, 30 and 39 respectively.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: bobad
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:19 PM

Winston

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Wesley S
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:15 PM

Ian

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Irene M
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:12 PM

Zebedee

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Becca72
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:09 PM

Percy

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:09 PM

How about Bert or "Bertie"? It's not exclusively British, but I think it nevertheless hollers "UK" like a plate of "bangers and mash" and a mug of warm ale sitting alongside a game of darts.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:06 PM

Peregrine

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:04 PM

Now, Mario...don't make the mistake of taking my sweeping generalizations about such trivial matters at all literally or seriously, please...!!! ;-)

They are made merely in the spirit of fun, not as an attempt to prove my omniscience. Deliberate overstatement is simply a way of making a light conversation more entertaining. I suggest viewings of numerous Woody Allen interviews on Youtube to make you more aware of how and why this is done. Woody always overstates wildly when he generalizes, and it's not by accident, because his tongue is set firmly in his cheek at all times.

I still say that Nigel is a name that simply reeks of the UK and only the UK, regardless of whether there are a few people born and bred in the USA and in other countries who bear the same name. Hell, there are people born and bred in the USA with any damn stupid, ridiculous name you can imagine or invent. I bet there's some kid out there somewhere called "Darth Vader" ----------....just add the surname of your choice and call him "Darthie" for short.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: pdq
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:03 PM

Basil?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:01 PM

Herr today John tomorrow matey.
G

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:56 PM

Herr Aethelrod?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: MMario
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:55 PM

I know several Nigel's all born and bred in the US.

LH - you need to widen your horizons.

For truly UK names I think you're going to have to go with Aethelrod or somesuch.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:51 PM

Ja! Und you s'ought zat you vun ze var, didn't you? Vee haf you verschtunkener Englanders right vhere vee vant you.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:49 PM

Herr Elizabeth?

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:47 PM

She's a bloody German, Peace.
G

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:47 PM

No, no....

"Queen" is a title, and Elizabeth is a common first name in many places, not just the UK.

Subject: RE: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:46 PM

Queen Elizabeth?

Subject: BS: The MOST British given name of all is...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 02:41 PM

"Nigel"

It has to be. You won't find anyone in North America who would name a boy Nigel even if they were paid well to do so, but it's still a common name in the UK. It's classically British, in my opinion.

Another of that sort is "Lester", but I don't think it rates quite as high as Nigel.

Can anyone come up with any other given names, male or female, that come to mind which are pretty much limited to people born in the UK?