Category Archives: Latest Names

Isla

Origin and Meaning

The name “Isla” is rich in Scottish history and has remained popular to this day. The word “Isla” is derived from the word “Islay”. The meaning of “Isla” comes from the name of an island located off the west coast of Scotland, just to the southwest of Jura.

Popularity

From the Scottish Government figures in 2012 Isla was the 6th most popular baby girl’s name in Scotland.

 

Famous People with the Name Isla

The Hollywood Actress Isla Fisher
The Hollywood Actress Isla Fisher

Two of the most famous people named “Isla” are Isla Fisher and Isla St Clair.  Isla Fisher is an Australian actress that has made many hit comedies including Wedding Crashers, Hot Rod and the show Arrested Development. While she was born in Muscat, Oman and raised in Australia Fishers’ parents are Scottish and she lived in Bathgate, Scotland for a time while she was young.

Another well known person named “Isla” is Isla St Clair. She is a Scottish singer, actress and celebrity. She was born in Grangemounth, Scotland and has been recording music since 1965. Her first recording is Dowie Houms of Yarrow, recorded in 1965 at the Scottish School of Studies in Pollock Hall, Edinburgh.

The name “Isla” is rich in both ancient and recent Scottish history and would be a great name for any girl.

Useful Resources

  • Our comprehensive list of Scottish Girls names.
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Kirstie

The Name Kirstie

The name Kirstie is a well known and popular name for females. It is especially popular in Scotland, Scandinavia, and the USA.

Meaning and Origin

The name Kirstie is also used as a nickname or pet name in Scotland for the name Christine. Christine is known to mean Christ bearer. Even more so, the name Kirstie is of a Latin origin, and is used as a variation of the names Kristy, Kristy, and Christian. The Meaning of Kirstie is known as the follower of Christ, making Kirstie a very popular spiritual name. Kirstie is commonly given to baby girl’s who have a very religious background.

Popularity of the Name

Kirstie became a very popular name for girls during 2012, becoming the 580th most popular baby name of that particular year in Scotland. Even more so, there are many famous television stars who have are named Kirstie, some examples include Kirstie Alley and Kirstie Allsopp, both which are well known all across the world for their television appearances.

Kirstie’s Personality

It has been said that those who are named Kirstie have a spiritual being and are more tuned to think about other people before they think of themselves.

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Alison

Popularity of Alison

The Christian name Alison was a popular Scottish name until the nineteenth century, entering the twentieth century and on into the twenty-first the name is still in use, but has not featured in top baby names lists for many years according to data from the Scottish Government.

Meaning and Origin

The Alison name is generally known to be of German origin from the much longer name Adalheidis, which later became Adelaide. The name itself is thought to have originated from the name Alis or Alice, which the name Alison meaning, which translates into English as a person of noble and kind personality. Tracing the Alison name origin is often difficult, but it was amongst the most popular names in Scotland after being introduced to the British country during the twelfth century.

Variations on the Name

There are a number of variations of the name Alison, which include Allison, Allyson and Alley, which remain in popular use around the world. In South American countries the name is in use for both sexes and remains a popular boys name in the twenty-first century.

Famous People

Amongst the famous personalities with the name Alison are more than twenty time Grammy winner, country singer Alison Krauss, Coronation Street actress Alison King and popular singers Alison Moyet and Alison Goldfrapp.

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Davina

Over the year the name Davina has been associated with members of the upper class. This name is a reflection of all things that are of high class. Females named Davina are said to have an inner desire to help others and to serve as an inspiration to the people around them.

Meaning and Origin of Davina

The meaning of Davina is loved one or beloved. In Hebrew the meaning of Davina also stands for cherished. This name is the female version of the male name David.

Popularity

When having a baby girl it is important to choose a name that fits her. The name Davina is unique but it was not found in the 100 most popular baby girl’s name in Scotland in 2012.

Famous People Called Davina

There are some famous people with this name. Davina McCall is an English television personality who has hosted games show including Five Minutes o a Fortune and The Million Pound Drop Live. Also the English noble named Lady Davina Lewis has made this name known throughout the world. This name is both Scottish and Hebrew in origin. Davina’s origin came from the Bible.

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Brenda

Origins and Popularity of Brenda

While the name Brenda does not fall on the most recent list of popular girls names within Scotland and Wales, however still it is a very commonly given name.

Meaning and Origin

The meaning of Brenda is not certain. It is believed the name is derived from the Scottish male name Brendan, which has also fallen out of popularity. It was more popular in Scotland and Ireland, perhaps because of the Irish Saint Brendan, the Saint of Voyages. Not a popular name in England until the 20th century, there are many notable famous women with the name Brenda.

Famous People Called Brenda

In the world of stage and film, there were many Brenda’s in England, Australia and the States. There was a famous Irish actress named Brenda Fricker and an American actress named Brenda Marshall. A very popular American singer was named Brenda Lee. Brenda De Banzie was an English actress. There is also a popular Australian actress named Brenda Gibbs. In the world of fiction Brenda has also been a popular name mostly in America, although with exceptions. For example, Brenda was the daughter so named by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The Pirate. Brenda is a name not currently trendy but nonetheless quite common.

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Bridget

Meaning and Origin of Bridget

While not as popular as it once was, the name Bridget remains a strong one. In fact, coming from the Gaelic name Brighid, the meaning of Bridget is “power, strength, vigor, virtue.”

Popularity

Throughout the 20th century, it has been regularly used in the the United States, but it has never broken into the top 100 most popular names for girls. It is still widely used in Ireland, but not as widely as it once was. At one time, the name was so popular in Ireland that Irish girls were known as Biddy in many English-speaking countries.

It remains more widely used in Ireland, England and Scotland than other parts of the world, but the name Bridget is not currently one of the 100 most popular names here.

Famous People Call Bridget

There have been numerous famous Bridgets, starting with St. Brigid of Kildare, who lived in the 5th and 6th centuries. The pupil of St. Patrick is said to be buried in his grave with him. From there, the name spread to England and Scotland where a number of churches were founded under the St. Bride form of her name.

Other famous Bridgets include Bridget Fonda, Bridget Jones and Bridget Bardot.

Useful Resources

  • Our comprehensive list of Scottish girls names.
  • Expecting a baby then see  these Hot offers on Baby products.

Fiona

Something that is very interesting about the name Fiona is the fact that it is an easier word to say (phonetically) than other names. The A-sound for children to say is much easier than many other names that end in a glottal sound.

Meaning and Origin

The meaning of Fiona is possibly derived from “Fionn”, which means white or fair.  This name was originally given to girl’s with a pale complexion.

Popularity

Fiona is not currently in the 100 most popular baby girl’s name in Scotland (Scottish government statistics 2012).More recently, the name Fiona was also starting to have somewhat of a trendy ring to it when Fiona Apple impressed the world with her singing ability.

Famous People Called Fiona

Two famous celebrities called Fiona include the news reader and journalist Fiona Bruce and the television presenter Fiona Phillips.

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Gracie

Gracie

Pronounced Gray-See, 94th most popular baby girl’s name in Scotland during 2012.

The Meaning of Gracie

The name Gracie is a diminuative form of the name Grace, which is also a noun with several definitions. Grace can be a sense of poise and elegance, or having generally pleasing and charming qualities. Grace can also be used in a religious sense, either as a prayer, divine aid in resisting sin, or as an open favor or blessing from God. the qualities of the word are possibly the reason behind its use among 16th and 17th century Puritans.

Famous Gracies

Gracie Allen- a very talented performer and comedienne, star of stage, radio, film and television. she was married to comedian George Burns, serving as his partner and contemporary for over 40 years and earning a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her television work.

Gracie Fields- An actress and singer whose popularity was at its height in the 1930’s, and was awarded the title of Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contributions to the United Kingdom. some of her best known songs include ‘Sally’, ‘Sing as We Go’ and ‘The Isle of Capri’.

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Madie

Madie, a baby girl’s name

Meaning and Origin

The name Maidie is pronounced “MAY-DEE”. The name Maidie’s origin is Scotland/England. The Scottish name Maidie is most likely a shortened version of the English word “maiden”. Therefore, Maidie’s meaning is a young unmarried girl or woman.

Other possibilities for origin and meaning include:

  • The name Maidie could be a shortened version of Margaret (of Greek origin meaning “pearl”).
  • The name Maidie could be a version of Mary (of Hebrew origin; meaning a “wished-for child”).
  • The name Maidie could be of Persian decent (meaning “child of light”).

Popularity

The name Maidie is most commonly used in the United Kingdom. However, even there it is a very uncommon name. Maidie is not in the 100 most popular baby girl’s names in Sctoland in 2012 (Scottish Government Figures).

A famous woman by this name was Maidie Ruth Norman. She was an American television and film actress with a career that spanned the late 1940’s through the 1980’s. Maidie Ruth Norman had quite an expansive career. She appeared in 73 different television series’ and had a role in 25 different big screen movies.

 

Nora

Light, Honorable or Northern, Lovely Nora Endures

Meaning and Origin of Nora

It’s generally presumed Nora started life as an abbreviated form of one of several longer names, Honora, Lenore and Noreen being strong candidates. Theories regarding Nora’s origins mostly gravitate in one of two directions. Honorable, valor and woman of honor are all meanings that would tend to ascribe Nora’s descent as heralding from Honora and Noreen, which also contain such meanings.
In the second school, Nora means light. Nora could as easily have descended from the name Lenore, or one of its variants, such as Leonora and Eleanor, all of which mean light.
A third school contends Nora is the Scottish feminine for Norman, which is rooted in the Germanic “nordman,” meaning man from the North.

Popularity

Like many feminine names derived from longer names, Nora has endured despite spikes and dips in popularity. Today, Nora has a stronger foothold than ever. In 2012, Nora was the 29th most popular baby girl’s name in Scotland (Scottish Government Figures). 2012 saw nearly 3000 US-born baby girls named Nora, giving the name a 107 rating. In other counties, Nora entered the top fifty in Austria, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands, breaking the top ten in Hungary and Norway.

People Called Nora

Two famous people with the name Nora include Nora Roberts and Nora Ephron. Nora Roberts has wrote over 200 romance novels and has gained the title of an American best selling author. Nora Ephron is a skilled American writer and attributes her skills to play writes, novels, screen writes and more.

Name Profile

Girls with the name Nora are said to be very idealistic and intuitive with very creative imaginations. They work to aspire others as well as connect with their inner spiritual side in order to aspire others.

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