Newest Berry Babies: Alberta Lilou and Olympia Malou
By Linda Rosenkrantz
Even more than usual this month, there were lots of intriguing backstories, with such varied tributes to inspirational relatives, saints and kings, nature, music, poetry, Canada, Victor Hugo, James Joyce, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, an opera star, ice skating, bird watching, and an out-of-the-ordinary engagement gift.
Here’s the extensive complete list:
GIRLS
Alberta Lilou (Birdie), twin of Mavis Leontine
“Their names are heavily inspired on mine and their daddy’s mutual love for Jazz, Blues and Swing. Alberta came to us especially from hearing so much of Eric Clapton’s “Alberta”…We’re shortening her name to Birdie, which in our accent is identical to the intuitive Bertie, we really love the musical connection to the song “Lullaby of Birdland.”
“My name is Cybele and my husband’s is Damian, both are Greek so we wanted to give our daughter a Greek name…I instantly fell in love with Althea because it means “healer.” Margalo is also a Greek name which means “pearl”…we chose it because when he proposed, he gave me a pearl necklace instead of a ring.”
Autumn Ke’alohilani, sister of Alexander Ikaika Jose, Violet Leilani and Scarlett Mahealani
“The mn means the bright sky or the shining one of heaven in Hawaiian. So the combined meaning of fn and mn is the bright autumn sky. I like this because she was born in mid September between summer and autumn.”
Carina Dian, sister of Rosemary (Romy) Marnie
“Both girls have a first name that plays off a living family member, and a middle that directly honours someone in my family,,, Carina is a play on the name Catherine which is my middle name. Dian is my sister’s middle name.”
Cassiopeia Daisy (Opal), twin of Clementine Orla, and sister of Rudyard (Rudy), Amaryllis (Ama), Penelope (Nell), Benjamin (Benji) and Zigmund (Ziggy)
“We love Cassiopeia and Clementine and think they are names that perfectly represent this big, quirky and irreverent family of ours.”
Clementine Orla (Cleo), twin of Cassiopeia Daisy, sister of Rudyard, Amaryllis, Penelope, Benjamin and Zigmund
“We were reluctant at first at using the same initial for the twin girls but at the end of the day we were convinced that initials weren’t as important as loving the entire thing.”
Eugenia Sparrow, sister of Arthur Cicero, Beatrice Leia, Coraline Sybil and Dimitri Holmes
“These forums were extremely helpful in finding and settling on her name which had to begin with the letter E to keep our kids’ alphabet pattern. Sparrow was chosen because my husband and the men in his family all come from a tradition and hobby of bird watching, so it was a nod to them all. Our kids all have meaningful middle names, especially inspired by favorite fictional characters and names we have encountered in our travels.”
Gloria Maple (Glo), sister of Joseph (Zep), Matilda (Tilly) and Dorothy Magenta (Dora).
Gwenevere Hannah, sister of Archer Rudolf Von and Hardy Callaghan
“We chose all E’s for spelling Gwenevere for ease of use versus the other possible spellings.”
“Harper is also perfect because it has a musical connection to it, and her father plays the bass and I’m very passionate about music.”
Isadora (Rosie) Maple Gray, sister of Antonia (Annie) Eloise Gray and Lachlan Henry Gray
“Isadora is Latin/Greek for “Gift from Isis,” the Egyptian goddess of the moon, sky, magic, motherhood and fertility. And Rosie as a nn because it’s unexpected (but the right letters and sounds are there) and a nod to my daughter’s name for the baby during my pregnancy, Rainbow Pink. Maple is to honor my Canadian heritage. Gray is my maiden name, which all the children share as a middle.”
Ivy Pauline, sister of Juniper Magdalene
Juniper Leigh, sister of Asher Joseph, Acacia Lily, Micah Paul, Eliora Grace, Matthias William and Olivet Autumn
“Juniper fits our preference for biblical names that have a botanical connection. (The prophet Elijah rested and was fed by an angel beneath the shade of a Juniper tree in the desert). Leigh is my middle name. After a scary birth experience…my husband ditched the list of about a dozen middle name choices we had written down and decided to honor me instead. (And yes, I cried.)”
Lorelei Kimberley (Rosie), sister of Elizabeth Meredith (Ellie)
Mathilda Beatrice Ellie, sister of Amelia Lily Soleil
Mavis Leontine (Mae), twin of Alberta Lilou
“Mavis has a great-south feeling to us and brings us an imagery of walking down a rue in nighttime New Orleans in the 1930’s, following a band of musicians and just having a lot of fun. Leontine is also inspired by Leontyne Price who is just an amazing musician and we LOVE her Bess from the opera “Porgy and Bess”. Her voice is hauntingly beautiful and has been a sure companions during this difficult pregnancy.”
”We love that the name is both feminine and strong, and hints at gods and goddesses, strength, and also (for those of us from the Pacific Northwest) the great outdoors. Malou is a sweet complement to her rather long and serious first name.”
Trixie Alexandra, sister of Felix Edmund, Otis Joshua and Milo Benjamin
“We couldn’t find a name that felt right from our list and we decided to name her after my grandmother Beatrice who passed away a few weeks before the birth. We chose the middle Alexandra for my husband’s grandfather Alexander, all of our children’s middle names honour our grandfathers.”
“Nature-y? Yes. Lots of L’s in succession? Yes. But it’s pretty and it suits her.”
BOYS
Alexander (Axel) Leopold, brother of William Balthazar, Catherine Ophelia and Veronica Seraphine.
“While Axel’s not traditionally an Alexander nickname, I’m a huge figure skating fan and love Axel jumps, so I thought Axel could be a cool twist on the usual Alex. Leopold was inspired by the main character of James Joyce’s Ulysses, the book that inspired my husband to become an English teacher.”
Caspian Kaveh, brother of Emiliana Pari
“Caspian was a name I discovered on Nameberry years ago…We chose Caspian as it is the ancient name of DH’s hometown. One of our most memorable travels together was to the Caspian Sea when it was stormy. The sheer power of the sea was awe-inspiring. Kaveh is a hero from the Shahnameh, Iran’s national epic poem…We hope that like Kaveh in the story, he will always stand up for what’s right, no matter how difficult or inconvenient it may be.”
Douglas Samuel Bernard, brother of Daphne Alice Rose
“Eventually, despite not being on our list, our baby was named Douglas after his great grandfather. His middles were predestined as we asked each grandfather to choose one.”
Ernest McCarthy David, brother of Connor Mark and Emmett Gordon Edwin
Ernest is named after my great grandpa. My Dad jokingly called our son Emmett, Ernie, and we fell in love with the name…Ernest isn’t everyone’s cup of tea so I have an older brother that plans on calling him Mac! I actually really like Mac so I’ll take it!”
George Irenaeus, brother of Eve Marie, Simon Peter and Nicholas John
“George after the warrior and great martyr—we hope our son will be as brave, valiant, and generous, and also that he will be a man of peace.”
Hugo Valentine, brother of Eloise Scarlett
“Hugo inspired by Victor Hugo who gifted me Les Miserables and Valentine for the day I first met his father, and as a subtle tie to big sister Eloise Scarlett’s ‘red’ middle name.”
James Archimedes, twin of Thomas Cesar and brother of Audrey Leilani
“Our twins’ first names were inspired by several historical figures which ranged from those biblical (the apostles James and Thomas and Saint Thomas, royal (King James) and musical (Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Tom Petty).”
Rafael Peter, brother of Sophia and Elspeth
Rowan Wyn, brother of Freya Ivy
“Wyn popped into my mind as a variation of my nana’s name Winifred. His name also has the same meaning as my middle name (white), is a Welsh name that honors his grandfather’s birth country and has the same letter count as his sister.”
Thomas Cesar, twin of James Archimedes and brother of Audrey Leilani
“ Their middle names are in honor of their late great grandfathers Archimedes Antonio and Cesar Napoleon—beloved men who inspire us with their strength, accomplishments and many virtues.”
Now tell us your favorite name, first and middle combo and sibset!