NAME OF THE DAY: Eartha

Today is Earth Day and what better name to to discuss than the truly one of a kind name: Eartha! 

The name Eartha means 'Earth.' It became popular so to speak, when the late entertainer extraordinaire Eartha Kitt came onto the scene in the 1950s. Yes, Eartha is Kitt's real name! I always thought it was her stage name. Eartha Kitt was born in the 1920s where unique first names were definitely not a thing: Mary was the most popular female name in the 1920s. How her mother came up with Eartha is a story I'd really like to know.     

My Name Stats says, South Carolina, where Eartha Kitt was born, is the place where the the most Earthas live. Over 600 baby girls have the dynamic name Eartha in South Carolina. In total on Earth (well, in the United States), there are close to 3k women who bear the beloved name Eartha, most likely named after Kitt.  

I absolutely love everything about (how it looks & sounds to say) the name Eartha, it's truly out of this world!

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛EARTHAS:

📛Eartha M. M. White 💚(philanthropist) 

♂️Masculine Version of 📛EARTHA:

📛EARTH 

💭I love both the feminine and masculine versions. They're both so rare and cool to have as first names. Although I'm not certain any males have been named Earth before. 🤔

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Eartha:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/E/EA/EARTHA/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Eartha: 👍 OR 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓/10 

NAME OF THE DAY: Francis

RIP to Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, who died today.   

I was unaware until upon researching the meaning of  the name "Francis" - that Francis was not the late Pope's birth name. His birth name was: Jorge Mario Bergoglio. "The Argentinian cardinal chose his papal name in honour of St Francis of Assisi, was also praised for his progressive attitude and humility. Pope Francis said St Francis inspired him as 'the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation'."

Behind the Name says, the name Francis is from the: "Latin name Franciscus meaning "Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used (Proto-Germanic *frankô). This name was borne by the 13th-century Saint Francis of Assisi."

Very interestingly, Francis is derived from a name that means 'Frenchman' yet in the country of France, the name Francis is somehow not popular for baby boys. It is not on Nameberry's Most Popular Names In France most recent list. 

Francis is a unisex name, although 91% of the time, Francis is used as a boy's name. I've never met a Francis so far but I have met a Frances.

Frances vs Francis: What's The Difference? from a Grammar standpoint.

To read up on more how Popes pick their name click here

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛FRANCISES:

📛Francis Scott Key 🎼 & ⚖ (poet & lawyer)

📛F. (Francis) Scott Fitzgerald ✍🏻 (writer)

📛Francis Ford Coppola 🎥 (film director)   

♀️Female Version of 📛FRANCIS:

📛FRANCES

💭The feminine version sounds the same as the masculine version. I'm neutral about it as it's an unassuming name. I've met two Franceses in my life: one was a school classmate, the other was the wife of a pastor at my family's old church growing up, both nice people. 👌 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Francis:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/F/FR/FRANCIS/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Francis: 👍 OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10 

NAME OF THE DAY: Easter

Really! Just when I think I've heard all the names in the world...      

I found out last year someone was actually named Easter! I thought it was a misspelling of the name "Esther" but nope. The name belonged to a young girl Easter Leafa (tragically no longer living - RIP). 

Surprisingly, Names.org says: "From 1880 to 2023, the Social Security Administration has recorded 5,579 babies born with the first name Easter in the United States." And in 1925, the name was at an all time high. Not surprisingly, more people have Easter as a last name than first. In 2010, over 13k people listed the last name on the U.S. Census Bureau.     

Having a holiday name is very unique and Easter is one I never thought I'd hear as a first name. Easter sounds pretty to say and is a name you'd definitely do a double-take upon seeing it (like I did initially).    

To read up on more about the origin & history of the word: Easter click here     

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛EASTER:

https://www.names.org/n/easter/about     

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Easter: 👍 OR 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗/10  

NAME OF THE DAY: JESUS

Happy Easter! What better name to talk about today? The name: Jesus of course!      

Jesus is synonymous with the meaning of 'savior' for those of Christian faith. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua meaning, 'the Lord saves.' In Hebrew, Jesus' name is Yeshua meaning 'the Lord is salvation.' 

I don't remember if I met anyone named Jesus. I think I would have with that name. I do remember my elementary school principal's last name was De Jesus. 

I am not a big fan of naming babies the name Jesus. It's such a special name and to know over 250k baby boys are named Jesus in the United States alone is shocking. It makes me go hmmm... at the intentions behind naming a son that, how pure were they? Plus, there are too many expectations to uphold bearing such a truly great name. 

The unvirtuous name Lucifer on the flip side of things, is banned (not worldwide however). I think the name Jesus should have went that route as well. 

📑What to know about US name bans: Can you name your baby Jesus Christ? 

📌An intriguing read: Why (almost) nobody is called Jesus - except in Spanish speaking countries

📌An informative video: How We Got The Spelling and Pronunciation of Jesus In English 

📌For more Biblical knowledge on the name Jesus click here  

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛JESUSES:

📛Jesus Christ ✝️🎵⭐ (main character in musical Jesus Christ Superstar) 

📛Jesus Luz 👨‍🦱 (model who once dated singer Madonna)

📛Jesus E. Martinez 🗣(voice actor)

♀️Female Version of 📛JESUS:

📛JESUSA 

💭I've just become aware a feminine version of Jesus' name exists. I don't dislike it but I prefer the masculine version. 🤷🏾‍♀️

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛JESUS:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/J/JE/JESUS/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛JESUS: 👍 OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10

NAME OF THE DAY: Abraham

Today is the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865, so I decided to talk about the name: Abraham.

Abraham is a Hebrew name that means 'father of many' according to Behind The Name. It has Biblical origins: "Abraham was originally named Abram but God changed his name. (Genesis 17:5)"

The name Abraham is definitely an old-fashioned name and surprisingly is still being used today. From the time the most famous "Abe" (Lincoln) died, up until 2022, Popular Baby Names says there have been over 115k baby boys given the strong, heroic name.

Very interestingly, Abraham can be used as a first or last name, however it being a first name is 58% higher. 

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛ABRAHAMS:

📛Abraham Setrakian 👴🏻 (T.V. show character on The Strain)

♀️Female Version of 📛ABRAHAM:

📛ABRAHAMA

💭I never heard a feminine version of Abraham until researching the name in depth. It's so rare only one girl was named it so far. 🤯

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛ABRAHAM:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/A/AB/ABRAHAM/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Abraham: 👍 OR 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙/10  

What Did The "S" Stand For In President Harry S. Truman's Name?

The "S" in President Harry Truman's name stood for nothing but simply being an "S." Surprising, because we're all accustomed to seeing a middle initial in someone's full name stand for an actual name, but not in Truman's case. 

According to history.com: "Truman’s parents gave him the middle initial S to honor his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young, although the S didn’t stand for a specific name." 

That's so interesting and cool really, especially since Truman was born in 1884. It will be intriguing to see if in the future, having a single letter as a middle name, perhaps becomes a name trend. 

For more info on Truman's "S" middle name check out:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zSsG6pYdOY8

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛S: 👍 OR 💙💙💙💙/5

NAME OF THE DAY: Donald

Since President Trump's name has been all over the news the weekend I started this blog, I decided to make my first name post on his: Donald.

The name Donald derives from the Scottish Gaelic name Domhnall and means 'ruler of the world' according to the name website Name of the Year. That of course is a very fitting name for the President of the United States (interestingly, JD Vance, the Vice President's middle name is Donald also).

Donald was surprisingly never a popular first name for a boy to be named even when Trump became president the first term in 2016 - 2020. Name Census cites just under 3k newborn boys were given the name Donald.

I personally am not a fan of the name Donald. It's a boring name. It's not even a boring but classic name (like 'John'). Sorry. I briefly met a Donald but he went as Don (I found out later he didn't go by Donald & I always wondered, how did he get the name Donald?) He did not "look like a Donald" (but did "look like a Don").

Before Donald Trump put the name Donald into the spotlight with his presidency, whenever I thought of the name Donald, I thought of like most people, the cartoon duck, Donald Duck. However, Donald Trump is certainly now the most famous Donald of all time.

⭐FAMOUS & 📝NOTEWORTHY 📛DONALDS:

📛Donald Trump Jr. 👨‍👦 (son of Donald Trump Sr.)

📛Donald Sutherland 🧓🏻 (actor)

📛Donald Glover 👨🏾 (actor / musician)

📛Donald Duck 🦆(cartoon) 

♀️Female Version of 📛DONALD:

📛DONALDA 

💭I like the feminine version more than the masculine version. Do-nal-da has a certain ring to it.👌 

📌STATS ON THE NAME 📛Donald:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/D/DO/DONALD/index.html

☔📛IRN RATING OF 📛Donald: 👎 OR 💙💙/10