What's in a Baby (Boy) Name? Part 3- The Odd Edition

I have come to the conclusion of my "Baby Name" series. I know, I know. You, my loyal followers, are devastated. I'll come up with something...

There is a conflict here. My go-to website for this project (http://www.babynames.com/) is letting me down on this one. So,  I will reference another website which I used when I posted the "odd" girl's names back in June (http://www.thinkbabynames.com/).

Harper- English- harp player/ harpist (Hey, this one they agree on. I could have figured this one out!)

Arlen- It is either German- from Erland^, or Gaelic- pledge, oath*. (Being more Irish than German, I would chose the Gaelic.)

Orlando- Italian- famous land^ or Spanish- variant of Roland (German)- renowned land*

Percy- French- pierce valley^ or Latin/French- penetrate the hedge* (I know! Apparently "penetrate the hedge" means you are an effective hunter in Old French. Being that Percy is derived from Perseus, the Greek hero who beheaded Medusa, it might be better to just say it means "effective hunter".)



The constellation Orion



Orion- Greek- dweller on the mountain^ (Another Greek mythology reference. Orion was the son of Poseidon & a mighty hunter*. I love looking up at the evening sky in the fall & seeing his constellation.)

Ensign- Latin- badge*

Waldon- English- wooded valley*- variant of Walden

Volney- German- spirit of the folk*

Wickham- English- village paddock* (Another literary reference. So, we had one mother reading Jane Austen & one reading Virginia Woolf? Not really Orlando wasn't published until 1928. But, I think Austen chose a great name for the ne'er-do-well villain in Pride and Prejudice.)

Lastly, we have a traditionally female name...

Jewell- English- precious stone^

I kind of like Volney.

^ http://www.babynames.com/

* http://www.thinkbabynames.com/

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 is Election Day

Some of you may be familiar with a children's rhyme titled "The Lady With the Alligator Purse". What you may not realize is that the lady was Susan B. Anthony.

Here are the original lyrics to the rhyme/song...

Miss Lulu had a baby, she called him tiny Tim.
She put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water! He ate up all the soap!
He tried to swallow the bathtub, but it wouldn't go down his throat!!

Call for the doctor!
Call for the nurse!
Call for the lady with the alligator purse!

"Mumps!" said the doctor. 
"Measles!" said the nurse.
"VOTE!" said the lady with the alligator purse!

 75 years before Virginia Woolf called for a "Room of One's Own," Susan B. Anthony wrote "that there is no true freedom for woman without the possession of all her property rights." No freedom without a "purse of her own." 

For those of you who don't know, I carry various metal lunchboxes. They are my purses. My freedom.

My favorite "purse of my own"

I know it's local elections this year, but in many ways the local politicians are more important than the national ones. Make Susan, Mary, Elizabeth, Amelia, Sojourner, Mary Eliza, Lucretia, Lucy, Carrie, Alice, & Mathilda proud.

VOTE!

http://susanbanthonyhouse.org/index.php

http://mith.umd.edu/WomensStudies/ReadingRoom/History/Vote/75-suffragists.html