Beatrice

Beatrice is the French or Italian form of Beatrix. According to Ask Oxford, Beatrix probably came from a combination of the Latin Viator and Beatus. Since the former meant "voyager" and the latter meant "blessed," Beatrice can be taken to mean "blessed voyager." Beatrice was a character in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," but is probably more well known as the name of the lady with whom Dante was obsessed. Beatrice was a popular name in England during the Middle Ages, and like many other names that appeared in classic literature, was strongly popular again in the 19th century, when it was very occasionally even given to boys. This popularity continued into the 20th century; in the United States Beatrice appeared consistently in the top 100 names for girls until the 1930's. After that, the name began to be considered old fashioned and declined steadily in popularity. Beatrice has not appeared in the top 1000 in the U.S. since 2001. More recently, well-known bearers of the name Beatrice include Princess Beatrice of York, and Beatrice McCartney, the daughter of Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. Nicknames for Beatrice include Bea and Trixie.

Joyce

According to the authoritative sources, Joyce became a name this way: First there was the Breton name Iodoc, which meant "lord." The Latinized form of that name was Jodocus. From Jodocus came the Norman name Josce and the Middle English Josse. These were all male names, apparently, as well. None of the forms survived the Middle Ages as given names, but they did survive as surnames, including Joyce. Joyce began to gain some popularity for girls in the U.S. in the late 19th century, and became truly popular in the early decades of the 20th century. It remained in the top 100 names for girls in the U.S. from 1924 until 1966. Joyce also appeared as a name for boys during the first half of the 20th century, possibly often as a transferred use of the surname. Joyce is currently still a top 1000 name in the U.S., and may eventually regain at least some of its former popularity, once it is no longer perceived as being outdated. The original meaning of the name that Joyce is derived from is mostly irrelevant to the name as it is used these days, but it is worth noting that part of the popularity of the name is due to the fact that it contains the word "joy," also used as a name in its own right. For this reason, I think it's fair to consider "joy" as an implied meaning of the name Joyce when it's used as a given name.

Isaac

Although the meaning of the name Isaac is not certain, it is most often said to mean "he laughs." In the Old Testament Isaac was the son of Abraham, the husband of Rebecca, and the father of Esau and Jacob. Isaac was popular among the Jews of the Middle Ages and beyond, and the Puritans of the 17th century. Today the name is used by both Jews and Christians, and is currently enjoying a popularity spike throughout the English-speaking world. Isaac has been a top 100 name for boys in the U.S. since 1995. Famous Isaacs include Sir Isaac Newton, and Isaac Asimov.

Drake

Drake is a surname that is also used as a given name. The surname itself comes from two possible sources; an old given name, and an old nickname. The given name was Draca, (meaning "snake" or "dragon,") which was used into the Middle Ages, and spawned some instances of the surname Drake. Drake was also a nickname which meant "duck," and of course Drake is still used as a word for a male duck today. Drake has been gaining popularity with new parents in the U.S. since the early 1990's, and is currently a top 300 name for new baby boys.

Christian

Christian means "follower of Christ," from the Latin Christianus. Christian was used in the Middle Ages as a masculine name and as a feminine name. In modern times, Christian is usually a masculine name, but is still given to some baby girls as well. The most famous bearers of the name Christian have come from Denmark, including 10 kings of that country and Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote fairy tales such as "The Princess and the Pea," "The Ugly Duckling," and my personal favorite, "The Brave Tin Soldier."

Audrey

Audrey is a much more interesting name than you might think. First, if you've spent any time reading name dictionaries, you've probably run across the Old English name Etheldreda, which means "noble strength." Audrey is, according to Ask Oxford derived from Etheldreda, so the meaning is the same. The Old English version is Ædhelþrydh, and Etheldreda is the Latin version of that. Anyone who has read a biography of actress Audrey Hepburn will almost certainly agree that this is one case where the meaning of a name matched the person perfectly--Audrey Hepburn was truly a Great Lady, and one whose life required a lot of that noble strength. Saint Audrey (known as Etheldreda in her own time, apparently,) lived in the sixth century. She was apparently something of a religious fanatic from the word "go," because she took a vow of perpetual chastity, but was married twice anyway. Her first husband knew about her chastity vow (men do love a challenge.) Later in life Audrey developed a large and unsightly tumor on her neck. She considered this a just punishment for the fact that she'd worn so many necklaces in her younger days. In the Middle Ages she was a popular saint, and Saint Audrey's Fair was held on her feast day (October 17th.) The fair naturally sold many necklaces and neckerchiefs, and they became famous for their cheapness and low quality. From this we now have the word tawdry, a shortening of "Saint Audrey." Because of this, by the end of the Middle Ages the name became much less popular. Shakespeare's use of the name in As You Like It, plus its status as a saint's name, guaranteed that Audrey would not become an obsolete name, and eventually it came back into use--most people no longer even aware that Audrey and tawdry were anything more than a convenient rhyme. The name Audrey has remained in constant but not overwhelming use in the U.S. for at least the last 100 years. In the early 1900's it was occasionally given to boys, but is now nearly exclusively a girl's name. Audrey is also apparently a popular name in France. Most people probably think of Audrey Hepburn first when they hear the name Audrey, but some might also think of Audrey Hardy a character from the television soap opera General Hospital.

Matthew

Matthew comes ultimately from the Hebrew name Mattathia,which means "gift of God." The apostle Matthew was author of the first gospel of the New Testament. According to Ask Oxford's name dictionary, the name Jonathan comes from the same root, only reversed, so Matthew and Jonathan might be perfect names for a pair of twin boys. The name was used in the Middle Ages, and several surnames, including the obvious "Matthews" are derived from it. Matthew is currently going through a popularity spike; it has been a top 10 name since the 1970's. For this reason it might be a little too popular to be a good choice right now--then again, if you don't mind that your child might be in school with several other Matthews, there's no reason not to use the name anyway. Pair it with a somewhat less common middle name, and you're good to go. Matt is the common nickname for Matthew, but since it's also a short from of Matthias, and also has been given as a name in its own right at times, I'll deal with Matt as a seperate name at some point.

Morris

Morris is a variant spelling of Maurice. It makes for a fun and quick bit of name tracking through history. First, we have Maurice. Maurice, like so many names, was brought to the English by the Normans around the time of the Norman Conquest. Once in England, we have some people who spell it the way it sounds to them, and we get Morris from Maurice. During the Middle Ages, Morris was used fairly frequently as a given name, but after the 17th century was used rarely if at all. It was used often enough in the Middle Ages to spawn surnames though--Morris, Morrison, etc. Later, Morris came back into limited use because of its status as a surname--for instance, a common practice has been to use the mother's maiden name as the middle name for the son. The name did not become fashionable or popular again though, so today, we tend to think of Maurice as a French name, and Morris as a cat. Incidentally, 9Lives is the only canned cat food our cat will eat, and the only variety he will eat is the veal, which isn't always easy to find. Our cat looks a lot like Morris, but his name is Cat.

Emma

Emma is derived from the Germanic ermen meaning "all-embracing," "whole," "entire,"...you get the picture. Originally, we are told, it wasn't a name on its own at all, it was used as the first element for Old French names such as Ermengarde. How they made the leap from Ermen to Emma is just one of those little mysteries. The name was introduced to England by the Normans, but before the Norman Conquest: Emma of Normandy was twice the Queen of England, first marrying Ethelred the Unready, and after his death, marrying Canute, who was also king of Norway and Denmark. She was then mother of two kings of England, one of whom was Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror was her grandnephew. Possibly because of her, Emma was quite popular in the Middle Ages. One fascinating Emma was Lady Emma Hamilton, who was actually originally named Emily, but "became" an Emma. Her story is definitely worth reading. In addition to its historic and royal connections, Emma is a name with literary and popular entertainment connections as well: The book Emma by Jane Austen is a classic, which was made into a wonderful movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow in 1996. It would seem that a baby girl named Emma would have some pretty large--though ladylike--shoes to fill. One can only hope there are enough shoes to go around, since Emma has continued to be popular through the ages, and is currently enjoying a peak of popularity in many countries including the U.S, Scotland, Sweden, Ireland, Canada, and others. This is one of those names that seems old-fashioned in the good way, and always benefits from trend towards traditional names. Because of Emma's extreme popularity at the moment, I'd actually recommend against giving it to a baby girl right now--it certainly would not be unique. Emma is always a wonderful name for a fictional character, and it's also always a great name for a cat, particularly a tabby with the classic "M" on her forehead.

Lionel

The name Lionel comes from Latin leonellus, meaning "little lion." Lionel was used as a given name in the Middle Ages and is one possible source of surnames such as Lyall, or Lyell. It has remained in use ever since the Middle Ages; never being used more than infrequently but never falling completely out of use either. Its use has declined even more in the past few decades though, and of late, Lionel has fallen out of the top 1000 names in the U.S. Famous Lionels include actor Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954) and singer Lionel Richie. Many may also remember Lionel as George and Louise Jefferson's son on the tv series The Jeffersons. Why has Lionel fallen so completely out of fashion of late? There may be bad associations with the name that I'm not aware of, but since I'm not aware of any, I'd have to guess that it's some combination of the following reasons: Lionel sounds a bit old-fashioned at the moment, it doesn't have much versatility when it comes to nicknames, and so many "new" names have crowded into the name arena in the past decades as parents (in the U.S. at least) have become more daring, that there simply isn't room for it. Because of the meaning, Lionel makes a great name for a male cat, but if you choose to give the name to your new baby, I'd recommend choosing a strong versatile second name to accompany it, just to give your child some options in the event he hates the name.

Faye, Fay

The name was once nearly always spelled Fay, but now is nearly always spelled Faye. Pronunciation is the same, either way. There are several origins for Fay as a given name. Some sources say that it probably derives from Faith. An oath in Middle English was "by my fay," meaning "by my faith." Other sources say it comes from Old French, and means "fairy" or "elf." This is the "fae" version. Yet another source for the name Fay is Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend. Any and all of these sources can be correct or incorrect in any given case, and most likely they are all tied together and influenced by one another anyway. The use of Fay as a name began in the late 19th century. The name began to be used more partly due to the fame of actress Fay Wray, and later, Faye Dunaway. Fay dropped out of the top 1000 after the 1960's, while Faye has not been in the top 1000 since the 1970's.

Daniel

Daniel is of Hebrew origin and means "God is my judge." The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament tells the story of the prophet Daniel. The story of Daniel in the lion's den was a favorite in the Middle Ages, and children in the Middle Ages were named for Daniel, which lead to the the use of "Daniel" and "Daniels" as surnames. Use of the name continued past the Middle Ages. Although not always at the very top in popularity, the name is always used enough to be considered familiar, if not common. Currently it is a top 10 name in the U.S., and has been so for some time. One good reason for the name's continued popularity is its versatility; a child named Daniel can choose whether to be Daniel, Dan, or Danny. Both of the nicknames have been used as given names in their own right. Famous Daniels have included author Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe,) and Daniel Boone.

William

William is one of the most popular names of all time, in English speaking countries. The name is Old French, and is derived from the Germanic Wilhelm. The meaning translates to "will" or "desire" (from "wil") plus "helmet" or "protection," (from "helm".) From this combination one could come up with "I'd like a strong helmet, please," as a meaning for the name, but the intended meaning is probably more meant to indicate someone whose will, or desire, was so strong that it was a form of protection itself. William the Conqueror himself brought this name to England, and was the most common name given to boys in England up until the Middle Ages. It remained extremely popular throughout the Middle Ages. In the 20th century it became only slightly less popular, no longer automatically appearing as the first or second most popular name for boys, but has never once dropped out of the top 20 names in the U.S. It still retains huge popularity all over the world, and there is no reason for that to change in the foreseeable future. William is a wonderful name for a baby boy in part because of its versatility. Someone named William may choose whether to be William, Will, Willie or Willy, Bill, or Billy. Famous Williams throughout history are too numerous to count, but include William Shakespeare, William Faulkner, William Shatner, William J. Clinton--known to most of us as Bill Clinton, William Penn, and Prince William of England.

Benjamin

Benjamin is of Hebrew origin. In the Old Testament Benjamin was Jacob's youngest son. There is no definite meaning for the name Benjamin, but rather several possible meanings. It may mean "son of the right hand." Or, it may mean "son of the south," referring to the fact that Benjamin was the only one of Jacob's sons born in Canaan rather than Mesopotamia, which is farther north. Another possible meaning is "son of my old age," referring to Benjamin having been Jacob's last son. Benjamin's original name was Benoni, given to him by his mother Rachel, who died shortly after, but Jacob renamed him the more pleasant Benjamin. Because of this, the name Benjamin in the Middle Ages was sometimes given to boys whose mothers had died in childbirth. The most famous Benjamin in more modern times was Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president of the United States. Today the name is still quite popular, not just in the United States, but around the world. Benjamin is a true classic name, and is always a good choice for a baby boy. The cute Benjy for a little boy, and Ben once he's old enough to protest being called Benjy, are nicknames that add to the appeal of this name, though it must be noted that the most famous recent use of the "Benjy" was for a very smart and resourceful dog in the movie of the same name, and its sequels.