Two players from the AFL’s Brisbane Lions have recently welcomed sons.

Simon Black, and his wife Catherine, welcomed their second child on January 3, and have named their son Lucas. Lucas Black was born at 11:54 pm, and weighed 3.7 kg (8lb 2 oz). Lucas joins big brother Lachlan, aged 2 (Lachlan’s birth was announced on the blog).

Co-captain Jed Adcock, and his wife Hayley, welcomed their second child on September 10 last year, and have named their son Archie Edward. Archie Adcock weighed 2.8 kg (6lb 4oz) and was 51 cm in length. He joins big sister Lily, aged nearly 3 (Lily’s birth was mentioned on the blog).

(Photo shows Simon Black with his son Lachlan)

Television presenter Tom Williams, and his wife, fashion designer Rachel Gilbert, welcomed their first child on January 8 and have named their daughter Storm Eve Napier. Storm Williams was born at Mater Hospital in Sydney.

Tom became known in the media in 2000 after he phoned in to the Merrick and Rosso radio show, and impressed enough to be given his own segment. He then appeared regularly on travel show The Great Outdoors, and was a builder on Room for Improvement. After being declared Australia’s Worst Celebrity Driver, he appeared on a lifestyle special of The Weakest Link. He hosted The Mole, then became a sex symbol on Dancing with the Stars, which he won with a shirtless performance. Since then, he has worked on a number of radio and television shows. Currently he is a co-host on Channel Seven’s afternoon entertainment programme, The Daily Show, and is a regular contributor to lifestyle website Live4.

Rachel studied at the Whitehouse School of Design, then worked for Lisa Ho, Chick, and Morrissey before starting her own business in 2007. There are over 100 stockists of her eponymous label worldwide, with more than 20 in the Middle East. Some of her celebrity clients include Heidi Klum, Blake Lively, and Princess Beatrice. Rachel and Tom were married in 2012, and live in Sutherland Shire.

Rachel’s pregnancy was announced in July in a surprising way, when British psychic Sally Morgan predicted on the Daily Edition that Tom and his wife were expecting a baby. Tom tearfully confirmed that she was correct, and that they had been trying for a while. Sally also predicted that the baby would be a girl, and that she would be born on the 9th day of a month.

Retired AFL footballer Gavin Wanganeen, and his wife, television presenter Pippa, welcomed their first child together in September last year, and have named their daughter Kitty. Kitty Wanganeen’s birth was announced in the Adelaide Advertiser. Gavin has two children named Mia and Tex from his previous marriage to Stephanie Wanganeen.

Gavin played for Essendon from 1991-96, and for Port Adelaide from 1997-2006. Considered one of the game’s finest players, he was the first Indigenous footballer to win the prestigious Brownlow Medal, and the first to play more than 300 games. A medal for the best player under the age of 21 is named in his honour. Since retiring, Gavin has focused on his ownership of Anytime Fitness centres, coaches high school football, and has been an ambassador for the White Ribbon campaign which tackles violence against women. The Gavin Wanganeen Indigenous Scholarship at the University of South Australia offers financial support to disadvantaged Indigenous students so they can complete their degree. Gavin is from a notable footballing family, and is a first cousin to footballers Aaron and Alwyn Davey, as well as a relative of actress Natasha Wanganeen.

Pippa (nee Hanson) is a model and television presenter who was runner up in the Miss World Australia pageant of 2003. She and Gavin were married in 2012.

NRL star Anthony Minichiello, and his wife, designer Terry Biviano, welcomed their first child on December 2 last year, and have named their daughter Azura Trésor.

A former gymnast, Anthony has played his entire career in the NRL with the Sydney Roosters, making his debut in 2000. He is the team’s captain, and led them to victory in last year’s grand final. He has also been a long-term member, and captain, of the Italian national team, and has played for City, the New South Wales state team, and for Australia. In 2005, he won the Golden Boot Award for best international rugby league player. He is the older brother of Mark Minichiello, who plays for the Gold Coast Titans. His nicknames are “Mini”, and “The Count”, because of a perceived resemblance he has with the Muppet, Count von Count.

Terry is one of Australia’s most successful high-end shoe designers, and has her own label, which she launched in 2002. She starred in the reality televison programme, WAG Nation, and is a regular fixture on the A-List circuit. Terry and Anthony were married in 2012.

Azura is based on the word “azure”, and Trésor is French for “treasure”, so the baby’s name can be understood as “blue treasure”. The main colour on the Sydney Roosters’ jersey is dark blue, but I don’t know if there’s any connection. Interestingly, we were told in a recent news story that accent marks are forbidden when registering baby names in New South Wales, yet Azura Trésor does have the accent over her name. Maybe the rules have changed, or are more flexible than was reported.

Welcome to the Matilda Awards, where we discover which names featured on the blog proved most popular with the public during 2013.

Waltzing With … Category

The most popular names featured in the Waltzing With … Category were LAYLA, which scored a 94% approval rating, and SULLIVAN, which scored a 96% approval rating – not just the highest-rated name for the category, but the highest-rated for the whole year.

Layla is an Arabic name with a romantic history, both in Muslim literature and popular culture; it is comfortably established in the Top 50. Sullivan is an Irish surname used as a first name; it was #306 in Victoria for 2012, and is rising in both the US and UK.

Layla and Sullivan did well not because they were deeply loved by the public, but because so few people hated them – in fact not a single respondent said they disliked the name Sullivan.

Famous Names Category

The most popular names featured in the Famous Names Category were MIRIAM, which scored an approval rating of 91%, and HENRY, which scored an approval rating of 95%.

Miriam is an ancient Biblical name, the name of one of the strongest and most interesting Old Testament heroines; it is an underused classic which has never left the charts yet never reached the Top 100. Henry is an English name of Germanic origin, long known as a royal name (and was featured as the name of a visiting prince); it is a popular classic which is gently rising in the Top 50.

Miriam was praised for being both strong and intelligent, and pretty and feminine; people also noted its many nickname options. Almost nobody disliked the name Henry.

Name Themes and Lists Category

The most popular names which were featured in the Names Themes and Lists Category were ALICE and AUGUST. Alice won convincingly, and also managed to win the original poll, while August received almost twice as many votes as its nearest opponent.

Alice is an English name of Germanic origin which has been used by royalty and aristocracy; it is currently rising in the Top 50, and was one of the fastest-rising names of 2012. August is a German short form of Augustus which featured as a rare royal name from history; it does not chart in Australia, but is currently rising in the US and UK.

Celebrity Babies

The most popular celebrity baby girl name was TESS CLEMENTINE HUGHES, the daughter of comedian and broadcaster Dave Hughes, and journalist Holly Ife. She was picked as favourite by 20% of respondents, who loved her hip name. Tess has a big sister named Sadie, and a big brother named Rafferty – what a cool sibset.

The most popular celebrity baby boy name was SEBASTIAN TANDER, the son of champion racing drivers Leanne and Garth Tander. He was picked as favourite by 30% of respondents, who found his smooth, stylish name appealing. Sebastian has a big sister named Scarlett – a sleek modern sibset.

From the Baby Name Round-Ups, the winning baby names were FREYA ROSE GOWER and SAMUEL ELLIOT. Freya is the daughter of NRL player Craig Gower, and model Amanda Flynn, and the name Freya has recently has recently become a favoured choice for sporting celebrities. Samuel is the son of national women’s team cricketer Sarah Elliot, and cricket coach Rob Elliot.

Birth Announcements

The most popular names for multiples were MAGNOLIA MARY AND HENRY JOSEPH, who had a narrow win. Readers of Waltzing More Than Matilda are a broad-minded lot, and don’t believe Mary and Joseph are “too matchy” for twins. Or maybe they couldn’t resist voting for Henry once more.

In the girls name section, ETTA JUNE had a very comfortable win. Vintage, hip and extremely cute, Etta fits in with popular names such as Ella.

In the boys name section, JUDE WINTER absolutely trounced the opposition, gaining a massive 40% of the vote. This is a very stylish name combination, with Winter working just as well on a boy as it does on girls. Etta and Jude came from the same set of birth announcements in July – both their middle names seem inspired by the winter season, and both have a JOO sound in their names. Magnolia and Henry came from another set of July birth announcements – a victory for midwinter babies!

The most popular names in a sibset were ELSIE, NED, TILLY AND GUS, which just scraped through by a couple of votes. A very charming vintage short form sibset, these sisters and brothers were featured the day after Anzac Day.

What names did people like? Quite a variety, but royal names, vintage names, classic names, short form names, popular and rising names seem like the big winners.

It will be Australia Day in a week’s time, and rather than cover just one name, I am suggesting names with a “blue” theme, in honour of Australia, where the phrase “true blue” has taken on its own patriotic meaning.

Azura

The name Azura is an elaboration of the colour name Azure. Azure is an intense light blue, the colour of a clear sky on a hot summer’s day. In the patriotic Song of Australia, the lyrics describe how all about is azure bright, and the bird called the azure kingfisher is native to Australia. The English word azure comes from French azur, and is taken from the blue mineral lapis lazuli – lapis means “stone” in Latin, while lazuli is from lāžaward: the Persian name for the mineral, derived from Lazhward, a place where it was mined. According to Jewish tradition, Azura was one of the daughters of Adam and Eve, and the wife of her brother Seth. Azura is a popular name in science fiction and fantasy, most notably in Skyrim, where Azura is the Lady of Twilight who rules over the realm of Moonshadow. Last year, NRL star Anthony Minichiello, and designer Terry Biviano, welcomed their daughter Azura. This is pretty and exotic while still similar to names like Arya and Zara.

Bluebell

The bluebell is a type of hyacinth; a spring bulb which grows wild in the woodlands of Europe and is also a popular garden plant. Its name comes from its violet-blue colour, and mass of bell-like petals. Several other unrelated flowers around the world are named bluebell, and in Australia we have the Royal Bluebell (Wahlenbergia gloriosa). This deep violet wildflower grows abundantly in the Australian Alps, and is the floral emblem of the Australian Capital Territory. Summer flowering, it is hardy and easily grown in the garden; however, it is protected in the wild, and cannot be picked or collected. Bluebell came into use as a girls name during the 19^th century, along with other flower names, but doesn’t have a Victorian vintage vibe – it seems hip and funky. I have seen this a few times as a middle name, but would love to see it boldly upfront.

Delphine

Delphine is the French form of Delphina, which can be understood as meaning “from Delphi”. However, the name reminds me of dolphins, whose scientific family name is Delphinidae, from the Greek delphus, meaning “womb”, to indicate that although they look fish-like, as mammals, they bear live young. The Greek town of Delphi, the home of the famous Delphic Oracle in ancient times, is also said to mean “womb”, as it was meant to be the navel of the earth goddess Gaia. The grey-blue colouring of the dolphin suggested this name to me, and there are several species of dolphin which live in, or migrate to, the waters surrounding Australia. Since ancient times, people have been fascinated by dolphins, and there are many stories of wild dolphins rescuing people, helping surfers and swimmers in trouble, or even protecting humans from shark attacks. Their high intelligence and playful behaviour make them appealing companions, and there are several places in Australia where you can swim with and interact with wild dolphins. Delphine is a pretty dolphin-related name for anyone who loves these free-spirited sea creatures, and has Dell and Fifi as potential nicknames.

Indigo

Indigo is one of the seven colours of the rainbow, a dark shade of blue. It was Sir Isaac Newton who introduced indigo as one of the colours of the spectrum, because in the mid-17^th century, when he began his work with prisms, the East India Company had begun importing indigo dye to Britain, where it was used to colour clothing a deep blue. Indigo dye comes from the plant Indigofera tinctoria, native to tropical Asia, and the word indigo comes from the Greek, meaning “Indian dye”. Indigo is a rather controversial colour, because Sir Isaac Newton decided there had to be seven colours to match the seven notes of a scale and seven days of the week, and scientists question whether indigo is really a colour of the spectrum, or just the point where blue deepens. Even more confusingly, Sir Isaac Newton seems to have used the word indigo to mean the colour we call blue. Indigo has strong New Age associations, because it is seen as a particularly spiritual colour connected to psychic power. Indigo is a rather trendy girls name in Australia, a favourite choice of celebrities; rising with other Ind- names, it is #137 in Victoria.

Jasmine

I would not have considered this for a list of Blue Names, except that that while writing it, Australian actress Cate Blanchett won a Golden Globe for her role in the film Blue Jasmine. There are about twelve species of jasmine native to Australia; these climbing vines come from tropical and subtropical areas of Queensland and northern New South Wales. The flowers are delicate and white, and have a sweet, intoxicating scent; they are both fragile and strong. The word jasmine comes from the Latinised Persian yasamen, meaning “gift from God” – there really is something quite heavenly about jasmine. The name Jasmine is a modern classic which has charted here since the 1960s, and soared during the 1970s to make the Top 100 for the 1980s. It peaked in the early 2000s at #14, and is still stable in the Top 100. It is #36 nationally, #33 in New South Wales, #28 in Victoria, #41 in Queensland, #31 in South Australia, #24 in Western Australia, #59 in Tasmania, #15 in the Northern Territory and #20 in the Australian Capital Territory.

Sailor

This name occurred to me because the Royal Australian Navy winter uniform is dark blue (and the summer uniform has dark blue trim); Sailor could be used as a name to honour a family naval tradition. Sailor has been used as a first name since at least the 19^th century, and was used for both sexes, although more common for boys. It received greater recognition in the 1990s, when American model Christie Brinkley gave the name to her daughter, and since then has been overwhelmingly seen as a girls name – perhaps partly because it fits in so well with the trend for names such as Kayla, Layla and Tayla. Weatherman Grant Denyer named his daughter Sailor in 2011, his wife Cheryl a fan of the name ever since Christie Brinkley’s choice. The name Sailor probably came originally from the occupational surname, in which case it can be from the German seiler, and mean “ropemaker”, or English, where it means “dancer, acrobat”, from the Norman French sailleor, meaning “dancer, leaper”. The German origin seems to be more common, and as sailors once worked with ropes, still seems to fit as a sailing name.

Sapphira

A Greek name meaning “sapphire”, which simply means “blue stone”. However, it is likely that the ancient Greeks were referring to lapis lazuli when they used the word – it comes from the Hebrew sappir, meaning “lapis lazuli”. In the New Testament, Sapphira was an early Christian who, along with her husband, was struck dead for concealing money from the church and lying about it. It’s hard not to think that they were executed, although the Biblical account is vague on the details. It’s one of the creepier and more troubling parts of the Bible, and doesn’t really show the early church in a good light. A more pleasant connection is the intelligent and loyal blue dragon named Saphira in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series of fantasy novels. Crime novelist Tara Moss chose the name Sapphira for her baby daughter in 2011, apparently because she had blue eyes. Sapphira is an exceptionally beautiful and elegant name which can also reference the sapphire mining trade in Australia.

Sky

The atmosphere as it appears from Earth; the word comes from the Norse word for “cloud” (you can see our ancestors came from a place where skies tended to be cloudy!). On a clear day the sky appears blue because air scatters blue sunlight more than it scatters red. Because of this, we give as a truism that the sky is blue, even though it appears in a range of colours depending on the conditions, and there is a colour named sky blue because of that. Blue skies are symbolic of happiness and good times ahead, and blue skying is to think creatively – to think that the sky is the limit, to reach for the sky. Although there are blue skies all over the world, in Australia the strong sunlight and lack of cloudiness mean we see a lot of blue sky, and intensely blue skies – the patriotic song Awake! Awake, Australia! mentions our “bright blue skies”. Sky is a unisex name which has never charted in Australia, but its similarity to Skye and Skyla will make it seem feminine here.

True

An English word which can be understood as meaning “genuine, trusty, faithful”, ultimately from an ancient root meaning “steady, firm”. A common saying in Australia is to describe someone as a true blue Aussie, as featured in the John Williamson song, True Blue. The phrase true blue goes back to medieval times, when the colour blue symbolised faith and constancy. Although theories abound as why this was so, the most likely explanation is that it’s from the blue-dyed cloth produced in the town of Coventry, famous for not fading with washing, and thus remaining “true”. Later on, the phrase became associated with the Presybterian Church, and later still, the Tory Party, and their “true blue supporters”. In Australia, far from “true blue” having these conservative associations, in the 19^th century it was used to describe those working class men who remained true to their labour principles, and was thus a left-wing term. Gradually, true blue came to mean anyone loyal to Australia and its values. True can be used as a name for either sex; on a girl, it seems as if it could be short for Trudy and similar names.

Wren

Australian wrens are similar in appearance, but unrelated to the wrens of Europe and the Americas. In some species, such as the Superb Fairywren and Splendid Fairywren, the breeding male has a very distinctive and beautiful blue plumage in contrast to the grey-brown tones of the females and juniors. In other species and subspecies, both males and females are bright blue, or have blue patches. Because they are tiny, pretty, and have an attractive range of birdsongs, we love it when fairywrens visit our gardens. Seeing a group of colourful wrens flutter through the bushes is the closest thing to having fairies in the garden that most people will experience. Another charming fairywren fact is that the male will present brightly coloured flower petals when courting a female, which to human eyes looks like bringing a bouquet of flowers. Wren has been used as a first name since the 17^th century, and from the beginning was unisex, given roughly equally to both sexes, and possibly influenced by the surname, which comes directly from the bird. Today it is usually thought of a girls name, and although I can see it on a boy, the fairywren seems to render it more feminine than masculine. Elsewhere Wren might seem a humble choice as a name, while here I think it’s much brighter and cheerful.

AFL footballer Clancee Pearce, and his partner Jessica Samarelli, welcomed their first child on January 17, and have named their daughter Memphis Rose. Clancee plays for the Fremantle Dockers, and is only the fourth player of Indian descent to play in the AFL. Memphis Pearce’s birth was announced on the Fremantle Football Club’s Facebook page. I understand that the name Memphis was suggested by Clancee.

Racehorse trainer Kristen Buchanan, and her partner Andrew Marshall, welcomed their daughter Mackenzie seven months ago. Originally from Perth, Kristen has been based on the Central Coast for several years.

(Photo of Clancee, Jessica and Memphis from Perth Now)

Zara Tindall, and her husband Michael, welcomed their first child on January 17 and have named their daughter Mia Grace. Mia was born at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester, and weighed 3.5 kg (7lb 12 oz). She is the Queen’s fourth great grandchild, and is sixteenth in line to the throne. She will not have a royal title, and is to be known as Miss Mia Tindall.

Zara is the daughter of Princess Anne, and the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth. She is an accomplished equestrian who has won many medals, and was the Eventing World Champion between 2006 and 2010. She competed at the 2012 London Olympics on her horse High Kingdom, where she won silver for team eventing – the medal was presented to her by her mother. She is also a horse trainer, and has designed her own line of equestrian clothing.

Michael or “Mike” is a rugby union player who has played for both Bath and Gloucester, as well for the English national team. Last year he was selected for the Barbarians on their tour against England, when he served as captain. Zara and Mike met in Australia in 2003, during the Rugby World Cup, which England won. They were engaged in 2010, and their wedding took place on July 30 2011 at the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The name Mia wasn’t expected by the punters, who were tipping Anne, Elizabeth, Zara, Sophia, Ava, Emma or Poppy. Princess Anne’s family has always preferred informality, and Mia Grace seems very much in line with her cousins Savannah and Isla Phillips, the daughters of Zara’s brother Peter.

Happy Australia Day! Here are ten names for boys which are associated with the colour blue, in honour of the saying, a true blue Aussie.

Bay

A bay is a scoop in the shoreline, much prized for providing safe anchorage and opportunities for fishing. Having a long coastline, Australia has many bays, including the Great Australian Bight which forms the southern edge of the continent, and Botany Bay in Sydney – there is even a Blue Bay on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Although bay also describes the colour of a horse’s coat (coppery brown with black markings), and bay tree is another word for a laurel bush, I tend to think of the name Bay as being influenced more by the geographic term, at least in Australia. Bay can also be from the surname – the first English people with the surname Bay took their name from baille, an enclosed courtyard as part of a Norman castle’s fortifications. Although Bay can be used for both sexes, I have only ever seen it on boys, perhaps because it sounds as if could be short for Bailey.

Blue

Blue is a colour of the spectrum, and a primary colour. Because it is the colour of the sky, it has often been seen as representing heaven and divinity. It has been connected to the “blue collar” working class, but also with the wealthy, and “blue blooded” nobility. Blue is a popular colour for uniforms, and the navy, air force, and police traditionally wear blue. Blue can also mean “sad, melancholy”; hence blues music, which arose out of suffering. The Australian flag and Eureka flag are both blue, blue heelers are tough, loyal Australian cattle dogs, and it is an Australian irony that a red-headed man is called Blue or Bluey – some say because of the redhead’s reputation for temper, as a blue is Australian slang for a fight. Since World War II, blue has been seen as the colour for boys (with pink for girls), giving the name Blue a boyish feel – although celebrity baby Blue Carter shows it works well for girls too.

Dean

The Blue Mountains are to the west of Sydney, part of the Great Dividing Range down the eastern side of Australia. Their name comes from the blue-grey haze which can be seen when the mountains are viewed from a distance, believed to be caused by the diffusion of eucalyptus oils from the trees. One of the most prominent is the Mountain Blue Gum (Eucalptus deanei), a tall forest tree. Its scientific name comes from Henry Deane, an Australian engineer who first collected specimens in the late 19^th century. The English surname Dean or Deane comes from dene, meaning “valley” – the Mountain Blue Gum grows in sheltered valleys. Dean has been used as a boys name since the 17^th century, and seems to have been initially most popular amongst non-Anglican Protestants. Dean first ranked in Australia in the 1950s, probably because of Hollywood star James Dean; it debuted at #134. By the following decade it had reached the Top 50, and peaked in the 1970s at #34. It didn’t leave the Top 100 until the early 2000s, and since then has gently declined into the mid-100s. It has recently got some exposure via Dean Winchester from the television show Supernatural, played by Jensen Ackles; the character is named after Dean Moriarty, from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. A simple, clean modern classic, this still has a touch of Hollywood.

Drake

Drake has been used as a boys name since the late 16^th history in honour of the heroic sea captain, Sir Francis Drake – the first babies with this name were born around the time of Sir Francis’ death. His surname is from the Old English nickname Draca, meaning “dragon, serpent, sea serpent”, coming from the Latin draco. The word goes back to an ancient root meaning “to see” – perhaps suggesting that dragons had a mesmerising gaze. In European mythology, dragons are serpentine rather than lizard-like, so the word drake covers a range of creatures. The name would have been given to someone who was very bold and fierce, for dragons were generally viewed as evil. They were often shown guarding a hoard of treasure with avaricious ferocity. In the post-Christian era, they became associated with Satan, but in modern fantasy stories, dragons nearly always seem to be noble and friendly. Although dragons are cool, this name reminds me of the watery Rainbow Serpent of Indigenous cultures, depicted as a blue serpent on Sydney’s coat of arms.

Levi

Levi Strauss was the German-American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue denim jeans, which gain their colour from indigo dye. Originally sturdy workwear for labourers, jeans became iconic fashion items, and are now essential clothing for almost everyone. In the Old Testament, Levi was the son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Tribe of Levi. The Levites became the priestly caste of the Hebrews – perhaps the most famous members of the Tribe of Levi are Moses, and his siblings Aaron and Miriam. The name Levi is traditionally understood as “he will join”, because Jacob joined with Leah to produce Levi, but Biblical scholars believe it simply means “priest”, and comes from Arabic. Levi has charted in Australia since the 1970s – this was the decade that Levi jeans were first manufactured in Australia, and the brand name probably had more impact than the Biblical figure. Levi was #243 for the 1980s, and climbed steeply to make the Top 100 by the early 2000s, where it remains stable. It is #26 nationally, #31 in New South Wales, #30 in Victoria, #24 in Queensland, #40 in South Australia, #22 in Western Australia, #23 in Tasmania, #13 in the Northern Territory, and #53 in the Australian Capital Territory.

Marlin

Blue marlin are one of the world’s largest fish, blue-black with a silvery white underside, and an elongated upper jaw. They can reach more than 500 kg in weight, and have few predators, apart from humans. Because of their size, power, and elusiveness, they are considered to be one of the most highly prized targets for sports fishing. Found in many oceans of the world, blue marlin have been captured as far south as Tasmania. However, the greatest numbers have been caught off the Gold Coast in Queensland, and the largest ones in Bateman’s Bay, on the south coast of New South Wales. Blue marlin are considered be a threatened species, due to overfishing, and most anglers in Australia use the tag and release method. If you would like to use Marlin as a boy’s name, it doesn’t seem too different from Marlon in sound. The word marlin is short for marlinspike fish, as a marlinspike is a pointed tool used by sailors to separate strands of rope; it comes from the Dutch for “fasten, secure”. Like to use this as a girl’s name? What about Makaira, the Latin name for marlin?

Ocean

Australia is entirely surrounded by ocean, and more than 80% of our population live near the sea. 71% of the planet is covered by ocean, which holds most of Earth’s water. Integral to life on the planet, it is believed that life first arose in its waters. It is not known where all the water on our planet came from, but it must have played a major role in cooling it and making it possible for anything to live here. It still continues to moderate our climate and weather patterns, so we can keep living here. From space, Earth appears to be a marbled blue colour, earning it the moniker The Blue Planet. The word ocean comes from Oceanus, which the ancient Greeks and Romans believed was an enormous river encircling the world. In Greek mythology, this world-ocean was personified as a Titan, depicted as a large, muscular man with a long beard and horns, having a serpent for his lower body. He is the father of the ocean nymphs, and all the rivers, fountains and lakes of the world. Despite these masculine origins, the name Ocean is given to both boys and girls.

River

Although it has around a hundred of them, Australia cannot be said to be a land of great rivers – river beds are often dry, and even our largest rivers tend to be on the thin side. Of course, this means that every single one of them is especially precious. It seems slightly cheating to include them on a list of Blue Names, as every river I have seen here was brown or green in colour. However, rivers are marked in blue on maps, and if you saw one from a distance with a quantity of blue sky reflected in it, from the right angle it would probably look blue-ish. The word river is Anglo-Norman, from the Latin for “riverbank, shore”; it is ultimately from an ancient root meaning “scratch, tear, cut”. River has been used as a first name since the 17^th century, and from the beginning seems to have been used with the geographic term in mind, since people named River Banks and River Jordan turn up quite early in the records. The name is unisex, but historically much more common for boys – in Australia, it seems to be more than twice as common for boys as for girls.

Steel

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. Steel production began on an experimental basis in Australia in the 19^th century, but didn’t really get going until World War I, when BHP opened the first steelworks in Newcastle. Its boom years were after World War II, but since the 1980s our steel production has decreased significantly due to global competition. During its heyday, steelworks provided mass employment and were a source of great pride for workers; it was from the steelworkers that the modern working class emerged. Blue steel is steel that has been given a dark finish, in order to increase toughness. Although we often connect blue steel with guns and other weapons, it is used in many useful capacities, such as on the steel-capped toes of work boots. It gives its name to a colour – steel blue, a shade of blue-grey. Last year I saw several boys named Steel or Steele in birth notices, after the release of the Superman movie, Man of Steel.

Suede

Suede is a soft napped leather, popular for making accessories such as shoes and handbags. It was originally used for women’s gloves, and the word comes from the French gants de Suède, meaning “gloves from Sweden”, since this is where the gloves were imported from. Suede features in the Carl Perkins song, Blue Suede Shoes, considered one of the first rockabilly records, and the first million-selling country song to hit the R&B charts. Perkins wrote the song based on a suggestion from Johnny Cash, and a real life encounter with a man who didn’t want anyone stepping on his blue suede shoes. It was soon afterwards recorded by Elvis Presley, who made it a hit all over again, and the song has gone on to become a rock and roll classic. I have met a little boy named Suede, and once I got used to it, found it rather cool and rockabilly. Suede was named in honour of the song, as his parents are Elvis fans. They probably attended the recent Elvis Presley Festival in Parkes.

KIIS FM radio star Tim “Rosso” Ross, and his wife Michelle, welcomed their second child on Australia Day and have named their son Bobby Arrow. Bobby Ross has a big brother named Bugsy, aged 2. Bugsy’s birth was announced on the blog.

You may remember a reader wrote in to the blog to find a baby name that would go well as a brother to their son Bugsy, and also decided on a vintage short form to match it. Arrow may be the logical next step from Archer and Fletcher, and seems like a name with a lot of potential.

(Photo shows Tim, Michelle and Bugsy)

AFL star Chris Judd, the captain of the Carlton Blues and his wife Rebecca, a model, blogger and television presenter, welcomed their second child on February 1. They have named their daughter Billie Kate, and she was born at 12.15 pm, weighing 3.3 kg (7lb 4oz), and 49.5 cm long. Billie Judd has a big brother named Oscar, aged 2; Oscar’s birth was announced on the blog.

Former Olympic swimmer Elka Whalan, and her husband, Olympic water polo player Thomas, welcomed their third child on January 30 and have named their son Presley. Presley Whalan joins big sister Nevada and big brother Edison.

Elka (nee Graham) competed at both the 2000 Olympics, where she won silver, and the 2004 Olympics. She won silver and bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and represented Australia at many other international swimming events. Elka retired in 2006, and now regularly appears on Channel Seven’s Morning Show, and Sunrise. She is an ambassador for Pregnant Pause, which encourages women to opt for an alcohol-free pregnancy.

Thomas has competed at every Olympics since 2000, including the 2012 London Olympics. He and Elka met at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and married in 2008.

(Photo shows Thomas and Elka with their two older children)

Pop singer and media personality Peter Andre, and his fiancée Emily MacDonagh, welcomed their first child together on January 7 and have named their daughter Amelia. Peter also has a son named Junior and a daughter named Princess from his marriage to glamour model Katie Price.

Peter is from a family of Greek-Cypriot descent; the family surname was originally Andrea. Born in England, he came to Australia as a young child with his family, and grew up on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Peter wrote his first song at the age of 13, and at 16 won a contest on the “New Faces” segment of Hey Hey It’s Saturday, which gained him a record contract. His self-titled début album was released in 1993, which included the song he had written as a young teenager, Dream a Little. He later moved back to the UK, appearing on reality television programmes such as I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. He and former wife Katie Price starred in several fly-on-the-wall reality series about their lives, and he currently hosts 60 Minute Makeover. His most recent album, Angels and Demons, was released in 2012.

Emily is a medical student. She met Peter in 2010 after her father performed emergency surgery on him to remove kidney stones, and the couple recently became engaged. Peter has said he would like to move back to Australia when his family is older.

Amelia was apparently Peter’s favourite choice for his youngest daughter’s name, but he says he left the final decision up to Emily. He has said that they wanted a classic, royal or Biblical name for their daughter – they originally picked the name Rose, but it didn’t seem right, and one name they considered was Cleopatra!

Radio host Jade Papesch, and her partner Lyntton Tonta, welcomed their second child on September 29 last year, and have named their daughter Lulu. Lulu Tonta joins big sister Alani, aged 11.

Jade is part of the Hot Breakfast crew on Wave FM in the Illawarra region, and Lyntton is a decorated former member of the Australian Defence Force.

When Lulu was 8 weeks old, she was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, and the family have received a lot of support from their community. Wave FM are going to donate all the money they make from their fund-raising Breakfast on the Beach tomorrow to the Disability Trust, which supports families of children with disabilities.

Lu- names seem to be right on trend at the moment, and Lulu must be one of the cutest of this group of names.

(Photo from the Illawarra Mercury shows Jade, Alani and Lulu)

AFL player Paul Chapman, and his partner Lauren Smyth, welcomed their first child on January 29 and have named their son Myles. Paul starts his first season with Essendon this year, having played with Geelong since 2000.

Jockey Adrian Patterson, and his wife Donna, welcomed their second child on February 4 and have named their daughter Tayla Amelia. Tayla Patterson weighed 3.49 kg (7lb 7oz) at birth. Adrian is currently recovering from surgery on a shattered collarbone, and hopes to be back on the track by the end of next month.

Basketball star Abby Bishop [pictured] became a foster-mother to her niece Zala Kate in August last year, taking her home from hospital when she was two days old. Zala is the daughter of Abby’s sister Chloe, and Abby will have custody of Zala for at least a year. Zala has the same middle name and surname as Abby, and Abby and Chloe are in regular contact to share details about Zala’s life and progress. Zala, or Zdog as she is known, has become a “team mascot” to the Canberra Capitals, which Abby plays for; she also plays for the national women’s team, the Australian Opals.

Actress Melissa George, and her boyfriend Jean-David Blanc, welcomed their first child on February 11, and have named their son Raphaël. Raphaël Blanc was born at the American Hospital in Paris.

Melissa began modelling in her early teens, and in 1992 was named Western Australia’s Teenage Model of the Year. At the age of 16, she was cast as Angel Parrish on Home and Away, and won two Logies for the role. She had a regular role on the fantasy drama series Roar, opposite Heath Ledger, before moving to Hollywood. Melissa had a number of minor film roles before scoring her first starring role in a feature film in the 2005 version of The Amityville Horror. She has starred in several other films and appeared in television series such as Friends, Charmed, Alias, Monk, Lie to Me and Grey’s Anatomy. In 2012 she appeared in the critically-acclaimed Australian drama series, The Slap. Recently she has had a recurring role in The Good Wife, and stars in Sam Hunter, the follow-up to British spy series The Hunter. Melissa is the inventor of Style Snaps, which alter the hems of pants without sewing, and says that she has earned more money as an inventor than as an actress. Melissa became a naturalised American citizen in 2008.

Jean-David is a French entrepreneur, founder of AlloCiné, which provides information on French cinema and television. He and Melissa began dating in 2012, after meeting at a BAFTA after-party,and live together in France.

Raphaël is a highly popular boy’s name in France, and also very much on trend in Australia.

The blog’s birthday sneaked up on me this year, and I only realised it turned three on February 13 today. Then I realised it was February 13 today! Then I realised it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and I’m not prepared for that either! Another year seems to have just flown by, and I think it has been one of happy blogging for me.

An interesting new development is that names which are featured on the blog now have a poll attached to them, and so do celebrity baby names, and some other articles too. You can also nominate and vote on your favourite names from the birth announcements. As a result, we were able to find out which were people’s favourite names, and in some cases this will affect which names are covered in the future.

One of the most exciting things was the release of my first e-book, International Names for Australian Parents. Writing it was a very steep learning curve, and I’m now working on a longer book that’s slightly more daring.

What Was Popular on the Blog Last Year?

The most popular article I wrote was Upper Class Baby Names – there have been thousands of searches for this topic since it was published. I felt a bit uncomfortable about writing it, as it is a rather politically incorrect topic, but parents must feel a lot of status anxiety in regard to baby names.

The most popular celebrity baby article was for motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, and his American wife Kanae Miyahara, who welcomed a son named Kiyoshi James. The article was cited on the Italian language version of Wikipedia, which brought in more views. The most popular photo that people clicked on was one of Nick holding Kiyoshi, and the most popular news article clicked on was to a news story about Kiyoshi’s birth. Nick has legions of fans around the world, and many of them wanted to see his wife and baby, and wish him well.

The most popular document clicked on was the complete name data from Victora for 2012. A fantastic resource, and many thanks to Brooke from Baby Name Pondering for making it available.

The most popular searches for individual names were for Bambam and Asher. Interestingly, Asher was overwhelmingly searched for as a girl’s name rather than a boy’s.

I got my highest amount of views ever on December 2 last year, when thousands of people wanted to read all about James and Erica Packer. This was because James and Erica separated, and James was rumoured to be dating model Miranda Kerr, also recently separated from her spouse.

The month I got my highest number of views was May. Popular articles from this month included Asher and Hamish, and Finding Baby Names to Match Your Surname.

The busiest day for commenting was October 25, which was when birth announcement Endellion and Florabella was published, with 12 comments.

The most common time people leave comments on my blog is 6 pm – perhaps because I often post around then.

Nameberry was the most popular blog on my Blog Roll. Baby Name Pondering was the most popular Australian blog on my Blog Roll, and was #3 overall, only 3 views behind Appellation Mountain. Nice work Brooke!

I have nearly 900 000 views at present. I have just over 1000 posts, in 24 categories and with 904 tags. I’m not really sure how many names I’ve featured, as I’m currently re-organising them, but I estimate it’s over 800. I’ve tried to make it even between the genders, but apart from all the unisex names confusing matters, I think girls might be ahead at this stage.

Many Thanks

Thank to Pam and Linda at Nameberry for giving me the opportunity to write for Berryjuice on Nameberry. Most of my referrals this year have come from Nameberry – and that means a thank you to Abby as well, because some of them were from her Nameberry Nine series.

Thank you to Kate for inviting me to write an article for Matilda magazine. Called Beyond Liv and Zeke, it looked at some of the less common one syllable names for boys and girls.

Thank to Sophia, who was my busiest commenter. Sophia’s comments are thoughtful and humorous, and it’s a pleasure to hear from someone who is so candid without being unkind.

And of course thank you to YOU – all of you! Thank you to every reader, commenter, poll voter, subscriber, name consultation requester, Twitter follower, Facebook liker, blog roller, book buyer, and everyone who has made a contribution to Waltzing More Than Matilda in some way. It just wouldn’t happen without you, and you’ve helped make Waltzing More Than Matilda’s year.

Ferrice and her husband are expecting a baby girl, and she always wanted to use the name Ivy for her daughter, which is the middle name of a dear departed family member. However, she now worries that the name might have become too popular. The level of popularity doesn’t worry her so much as the idea that the name might be too “trendy”; however, there is a great deal of sentiment attached to the name Ivy.

Ferrice and her husband have a son named Bernie (a family name), and their surname begins with W and ends with R eg Webster.

Other Names Considered

• Tess (another family name)
• Layla (not sure it suits surname, as it ends with a similar sound)
• Imogen (good friends just used it, so it’s ruled out)
• Bronte (not sure it sounds right with brother Bernie)
• May (a family name)
• Alice (husband not convinced)
• Poppy

However, they aren’t in love with any of these names, except Tess, and Ferrice’s husband isn’t quite on board with it at this stage.

Ferrice would love to know what blog readers think of the name Ivy, and whether it’s too popular. She’d also be open to hearing name suggestions from anyone who thinks there’s another name they might like better.

* * * * * * * * * *

As a name blogger, my heart sinks whenever I hear someone say they are worried that a name they love is now “too popular” to consider. I can’t help wondering if I am contributing to the problem by providing information on name popularity, and I hate the thought that I might be unwittingly putting parents off using perfectly nice names.

Ivy is a popular name, and fits in with the trend for simple, pretty names with a V, such as Ava and Evie, and for non-floral plant names, such as Olive and Willow. It’s also a Downton Abbey name, which has helped give it widespread attention, and a celebrity baby name, after it was chosen as the middle name of pop star baby Blue Carter. No wonder the name has become popular!

However, it may be popular and on trend, but to me it isn’t a “trendy” name. Ivy isn’t a classic, but it is a traditional name with quite a bit of history, and was very popular in the 19^th century (more popular than it is now). It has been climbing since the 1980s, so it hasn’t come out of nowhere, and its biggest burst of popularity was in 2009, before the television show and Blue Ivy.

You may be somewhat reassured to know that Ivy isn’t shooting up crazily in popularity – it was one of the fastest-rising girls names of 2012, but from the 2013 data that has come in so far, it seems to be still rising, but at a more modest pace. In 2012 it was #22, and it went up 18 places to reach that position.

For what it’s worth, I think Ivy is a lovely name – simple, charming, retro, fresh and green sounding, and somehow more piquant and distinctive (even seductive) than many other popular “old fashioned” plant names like Lily and Daisy. I completely understand why so many parents have chosen it.

I tend to feel that when it comes to honouring someone, sentiment far outweighs any other factor. This is the name of someone you love, and must miss every day. I can’t help thinking that you might regret giving up this name for a reason such as popularity – especially knowing that your reasons for loving the name Ivy have nothing to do with how popular it is.

However, popularity genuinely does bother some people, and if you really feel that the name is too popular for you, then using it in the middle position seems like the obvious solution. The trouble is, you don’t have too many candidates for a first name at this point. Most of the names you’ve considered are similar to Ivy in regard to popularity, and you admit that you don’t really love them.

Tess seems like the most likely proposition. This is a cute name which has never become popular, and is very fashionable – and it is a family name. Bernie and Tess sound pretty adorable together too. How do you feel about Tess Ivy? You did say your husband is not really convinced about Tess though, which puts a bit of a question mark over it.

If you’d like to try out some other names that have a similar level of popularity to Tess, and sound okay with Ivy in the middle, and with your surname, you might consider:

• Caroline Ivy
• Juliette Ivy
• Mabel Ivy
• Miriam Ivy
• Millicent Ivy “Millie”
• Gwendolyn Ivy “Gwen”

I hope I’ve been able to provide you with at least some help, and perhaps when you talk it over with your husband, your choice will feel clearer. Please feel free to write in for further assistance if other names become possibilities for you.

Readers, what do you think? Is Ivy too popular and trendy to use?

(Photo of ivy hair comb from etsy)

Last week we looked at the name of actor Orpheus Pledger, who was in the Channel Nine telemovie, Schapelle. As it turned out, ratings for it were only average, with almost twice as many people tuning in to watch Channel Seven’s mini-series, INXS: Never Tears Us Apart. In fact, since the screening, an INXS album has reached #1 in the charts for the first time since 1990.

Watching the mini-series reminded me of Michael Hutchence’s daughter Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, who was given one of the “crazy celebrity baby names” of the 1990s. It’s interesting how much less “crazy” crazy celebrity baby names seem as the years go by: once Cruz, Maddox, River, Rocco, Banjo, Jett, Sunday and Coco were considered outrageous, but now they’re mainstream. I have to admit that the Heavenly Hiraani part still seems offbeat 17 years later, but Tiger Lily is pretty rocking – a spunky nature name combining flora and fauna.

The Tiger Lily (Lilium lancifolium) is native to China, Korea and Japan, and its common name came about because its flowers are large and bright orange with black markings – although they don’t literally have tigerish stripes, but spots. Introduced to England in the early 19^th century, it became naturalised in some parts of the United States (just to confuse things, Americans refer to some native lilies as “Tiger Lilies”).

Easy to grow, the Tiger Lily is edible, and the roots used in Chinese cooking. There is a legend that a Korean hermit took an arrow from the foot of a wounded tiger, and after its death, the tiger transformed into the Tiger Lily, so that he could remain with his human friend. When the hermit died, the flower spread widely, searching for the hermit. The Tiger Lily is said to symbolise wealth, perhaps because its spots reminded people of coins. A funny superstition related to these spots is that if you smell a Tiger Lily, you will end up with freckles!

There is a graceful tiger-lily in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, a passionate and rather bossy bloom which tries to keep all the flowers in line (with the ferocity of a tiger). When Alice wishes to herself that the flowers could talk, the tiger-lily is the first to respond, with “We can talk, when there’s anybody worth talking to”.

The first human character in fiction named Tiger Lily I can think of is the “redskin princess” of the Piccaninny tribe in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Beautiful and brave, Tiger Lily’s life was saved by Peter Pan, so that her tribe became his allies. As a result, the flirtatious yet aloof Tiger Lily harbours (futile) romantic feelings for Peter, and refuses to marry. Barrie gives her cringe-inducing dialogue, such as “Me Tiger Lily. Peter Pan save me, me his velly nice friend”, and her tribe call Peter The Great White Father – Barrie’s preference for the book’s title, which his publishers’ fortunately didn’t think was a good idea.

In the 1953 Disney film of Peter Pan, this dialogue is embarrassing enough that Tiger Lily doesn’t speak at all, and her role was eliminated in later films, lest the stereotypes of Native Americans should give offence. Because of this, she has never become a Disney princess (in fact, calling her a “princess” would be a whole other cultural controversy).

Another exotic Tiger Lily from children’s fiction is a little girl of Chinese heritage in the Rupert Bear comic strips and television show. A rather mysterious figure of royal blood, her father is a Conjurer, and she has quite a bit of magical knowledge herself, which helps Rupert in several adventures. Not nearly as controversial as Barrie’s Tiger Lily, her role was nonetheless phased out in the 1990s, presumably for similar reasons.

In Australia, Tigerlily is a swimwear fashion label started by designer Jodhi Meares, which gives the name an expensively casual, beachy feel. If you look at the models used by Tigerlily, and at its Facebook page, the ideal “Tigerlily girl” is not some blonde beach bunny with a banging bod, but sophisticated and well-travelled, yet relaxed and confident enough to be in search of the perfect bikini.

Tigerlily is a rare name, but there is something rather magnificent about it. We usually think of lilies as pale and demure, yet here are these flamboyant tiger-cat lilies – big, bright, and bold, growing wild and untamed, or bringing a garden to life with glorious colour. Tigerlily sounds gorgeous and fierce, exotic and feminine, freckled and free-spirited, full of passion and vivacity. It could be seen as whimsical and hippie, but because of the expensive fashion label, also seems quite posh.

Worried that Tigerlily is too big a name for a little girl? Miss Hutchence Geldof goes by Tiger, but you could also use Ty, Tige, Tig, Tiggy, Tilly, Iggy, Lily, Lil, and TL.

Actress Teresa Palmer and her husband Mark Webber welcomed their first child together on February 17, and have named their son Bodhi Rain. They chose Bodhi because it is a Buddhist term meaning “enlightened one”, and they think that Rain means “abundant blessings from above”. Bodhi will have the surname Palmer because Mark’s son Isaac, from a previous relationship with actress Frankie Shaw, doesn’t have his father’s surname either.

Teresa started out as an extra in movies shot in her home town of Adelaide before being cast in independent student film 2.37. She had a minor role in Wolf Creek, and starred in several other Australian movies.2.37 premièred at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, gaining Teresa international attention, and a signing with an American agency. After moving to Los Angeles, she got her first Hollywood role in The Grudge 2, has had main roles in Disney films Bedtime Stories and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and starred in Warm Bodies and Love and Honor. She starred in the short film Bear, which was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and played opposite Joel Edgerton in the Australian film Wish You Were Here, which premièred at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Teresa continues to have a high profile in Australia, where she has appeared in several advertising campaigns, and she co-founded the Your Zen Life website.

Mark Webber is an American actor and director who has appeared in several independent films, and is best known for films such as Snow Day and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. He acted and directed in The End of Love, which premièred at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. He began dating Teresa after she contacted him on Twitter, and they were married in Mexico on December 21 last year. The couple live in Los Angeles.