The Rarest Names in Scotland 🏔️
And musings on middle names
First, happy Easter, if you’re celebrating! You’ll find lots of seasonal inspiration in our Ultimate Guide to Easter Names 🐣
Middle Name Musings
My favourite long read this week is this deep dive into middle names on The Atlantic — because it’s true, middle names can give a fascinating, intimate peek into a person’s family history, and their parents’ tastes and aspirations.
Although… I’m in the subgroup of people who bare their soul and go by their middle name. When I was four, I decided to ditch the first name my parents had lovingly given me, Yvonne, and told everyone to call me by my middle name, Clare.
Ok, “ditch” is too strong a word. I think of it as folding Yvonne up like an old baby gown and tucking it carefully into a drawer. I’ll keep it all my life, sometimes remember it or even take it out and look at it, but I won’t wear it again. (Except for convenience in official situations… ok, the analogy isn’t perfect.)
I don’t remember my parents’ reaction — probably the resigned “yes, dear” that comes from years of having small children. But they must have done a great job advocating for me, because by Christmas they were signing their cards from “…and Yvonne Clare” to get people used to the change, and when I started school, I was 100% Clare.
In hindsight, it was an early symptom of incurable name nerdery. I wonder if four or five is a critical age: Nameberry co-founder Linda Rosenkrantz Finch was around the same age when she had the formative experience of discovering she had a first name she knew nothing about, and being invited to choose a new one.
And now that my son is four years old, I GET IT. Not that he wants to change his name. But we’re seeing a huge blossoming in his awareness of his place in time, space, and society. We talk a lot about what makes him, and our family and house and local area, similar and different from others.
Mix that with knowing how to assert his opinions, and having very little self-consciousness to hold him back, and I can totally see how children this age can suddenly, permanently, change their name. If he told me he wanted to, I wouldn’t be too surprised. And would probably say, “Yes, dear.”
Just as well we gave him some great middle names, just in case.
Scotland’s New Top Baby Names
While England and Wales’s baby name charts for 2022 are still MIA, Scotland has just released its data for 2023, right on time 🎉
The big headlines are new top names across the board (by which I mean, for boys and girls). Luca has had an astronomical ride, ranking at #25 in 2021, #5 in 2022, and now #1. Scotland’s population is so small that Luca was given to just 8 more baby boys than Noah!
Meanwhile, Isla is a steady favourite. She has been in Scotland’s Top 5 girl names since 2013, was #1 in 2020, and now takes the top spot again. By chance, Isla also won over Olivia by just 8 baby girls.
Our list of the most popular names in Scotland will be updated soon, but meanwhile let’s celebrate the opposite end of the baby name charts. Scotland kindly publishes every first name registered, so here’s a small selection of interesting names given to just one baby in 2023.
Girls
Adrienne, Albie, Alexa, Alloy, Aphra, Babel, Bonnie-Marilyn, Britannia, Bronagh, Cairo, Camellia, Cleome, Costly, Denali, Doileag (“log” in Gaelic), Dorcas, Elladeigh, Emery, Everest, Fenella, Feriel, Gianna-Dream, Guinevere, Halo-Vienna, Hettie, Hypatia, Ibbie, Jesusina, Joan, Kalliopi, Kiaora, Kinvara, Lark, Leomi, Light, Love, Maple, Max, Merida, Muriel, Myrianthe, Niko, October, Ornelia, Ottoline, Pandora, Peony, Pippi, Queenianna, Rebel, Reverie, Roe, Sahara, Saorla, Senga, September, Seraphina, Sibyl, Stirling, Symphony, Teddi, Thomasin, Tiggy, Tzipora, Uma, Vinnie, Wilma, Winslow, Wynter-J, Xara, Yolandra, Zelie, Zuzu.
Boys
Achilles, Albin, Amari, Ambrose, Aonghus, Athol, Bencharles, Beorn, Bliss, Cam, Cathal, Clive, Coast, Coreigh, Darko, Dee-Jay, Demigod, Dougal, Edison, Excellent, Fearne, Fenrir, Fionnlagh, Fountain, Frost, Goodnews, Gus, Hansel, Henning, Hermes, Howl, Ionut, Jethro, Kinnon, Kleo, Kyan, Lochy, Lumi, Lynx, Marian, Mighty, Murdoch, Nelvin, Newton, Oberon, Ocean-Blu, Ox, Pippin, Quade, Quinlann, Rafael-Gabriel, Rhuaraidh, Riordan, Santino, Seven, Shiloh, Star, Thorbjorn, Tierney, Vladislav, Wilbur, Wolf, Zarlo, Zinedine.
More Fun Stuff
Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden are the absolute royalty of baby name announcements that no one saw coming. First Raddix Chloe Wildflower, and now Cardinal, a name that nails the trend for wild, quirky words from nature. I’d love to know what Cardinal’s middle name(s) will be.
Welcome to our newest Babyberries! I considered making a clever connection back to middle names, but their first names are too wonderful to pass over… I mean, Alberta, Clio, Zebedee, and Zebulon? *swoon*
Are you living in an Asher bubble? Share your out-of-control names over on Instagram.
Great newsletter, Clare, and I loved hearing the full story of your middle name name!
I love this so much!