Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! My Favourite Aussie Names
Saturday, July 14, 2007 at 10:33PM So what makes an Aussie name? The top 10 names for boys and girls in Australia are almost exactly the same as the top 10 names in the UK, Scotland and the US. Hardly iconic Australian names!
What about ex-pat Aussie parents who are wanting to give their child a name that harks back to the wide brown land of home? What about parents who don't care to name their child a name that is too Yank or too Pommy? Perhaps there needs to be a list of really 'Dusty' names that are truly representative of Australia.
I think this list is going to take time to compile but how about the following?
BOYS: Anzac, Banjo, Clarrie, Drover, Daly, Tully, Murphy, Murray, Weary, Lawson, Paterson, Tucker, Diver, Tamworth, Kelly, Hall, Rafferty, McGrath, Brock, Bradman, Morgan, Blue, Roo, Macquarie, Snowy, Fitzroy, Flinders, Hunter, Darwin, Cook, Sirius, Blundell, Kirkpatrick, Clancy, Wills, Burke, Eyre, Oxley, Sturt, Blaxland, Mitchell, Hume, Leichhardt, Eureka, Dampier, Gallipoli, Whitlam, Barton, Keating, Van Diemen, Kingsford, Monash, Dunlop, Neville, Isaacs, Gough, Curtin, Boyd, Streeton, Carey, Flynn, Baz, Tingwell, Griffin, Burley, Border, Blamey, Menzies, Holt, Deakin, Scullin, Gorton, Thorpe, Cosgrove, Tibbie, Cotter, Kingsford, Smithy, Nugget, Breaker, Buck, Normie, Saunders.
GIRLS: Matilda, Sheila, Muriel, Tilley, Tully, Devine, Meg, Nell, Yarra, Alice, Victoria, Adelaide, Margaret, Penhryn, Sydney, Mulga, Mackellar, Elizabeth, Ansett, Qantas, Parkes, Chisholm, Lindsay, Whiteley, Gilmore, Greer, Germaine, Ruth, Melba, Sutherland, Freeman, Dawn, Marjorie, Kylie, Evonne, Leigh.
Tara
Ok, so I think you might all be thinking I have gone crazy. I need to caveat some of these names with an "ok they are a bit out there" because some of them are surely pushing boundaries... namely:
Qantas - Alright this is a bit weird... not sure how many people love airlines that much...?
Ansett - 'as above'
Anzac - Possibly sacrilegious to even suggest this, but there is so much Aussie spirit and the cool 'z' and the trency 'ac' ending. It has to be considered!
Drover - Ok, not the most elegant of jobs... but there is the 'lone man on a mission' type cowboy feel to it which is quite appealing.
Roo - Yes, the short form of Kangaroo or Wallaroo... perhaps it is a bit too weird? But it is also the nickname of a Crows player so that might make it more appealing to some?
Cook - As a first name?? Alright, yes I agree it is a bit weird... maybe if you really want to honour the alleged discoverer of Australia you could stick with James.
Banjo - A musical instrument? From a bush band??? Why don't you just suggest Tambourine or Tin Whistle while you are at it Tara? Well because of A.B. "Banjo" Paterson of course! If Cate Blanchett Rachel Griffiths can do it why can't we all? (Actually now that I think of it ... Tambourine Mountain could actually make that name a contender! LOL).
Feel free to suggest your own Aussie names, even the wacky ones. I would love to hear them! Tara
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Reader Comments (12)
I like Tilba for a girl (though I used to know a dog named Tilba). I also think Clarrie deserves to be on the boys' list - very CJ Dennis!
Awesome list! But Rachel Griffiths is the aussie actress with a son called Banjo, Cate Blanchett's are Roman and Dashiell I think.
Rachel Griffiths went on to have a girl named Adelaide - I remember she posted in the Baby Name Wizard blog looking for advice on a cool girl's name.
I totally and absolutely love Clancy for a girl but John has vetoed. hmff.
Skye, I stand corrected :) I can't believe I mixed up Rachel Griffths and Cate Blanchett!!!! Maybe because they are both wonderfully cool Australian actresses making it big in the US. I will correct the blog immediately.
Plus Clarrie is going on the list!
I love the name Adelaide, my hubby has vetoed it because it is his home town and he thinks that is naff. But I love it and will have to keep working on him.
Hey Tara, great topic & one I will earmark for future use!
(You forgot two very important names tho - Bogan and Schappelle!) :p
god, I can't believe I missed Schapelle - I must be losing my touch!!
Beth,
I am currently doing my name of the month review of Schappelle :). Just you wait!!! :)
Bogan, Booner, Bevan, Westie... hmmmm?? Is there something there? Argh, I hope not!
Tara
Don't forget John Butler's little girl Banjo which I think is just so gorgeous and approriate :D
WE actually know a fmaily who named their daughter CAZNA , (anzac backwards) . She was born on anzac day and her parents not of australian orgin but new settlers here thought it was a fitting tribute !
Nugget! Hah, there's some great names there Tara, and some crazy ones.
I hope you get to use Adelaide, it's a beautiful name - I love it too. I was born there, and I could bare to use it so why not your hubby!
Finally...a list of lovely Aussie names!! I am Australian and my husband is Irish and we are currently living in Ireland. Although we are not pregnant yet I am slowly discussing names with him as I think it will take longer than 9 months to bring him around to certain names!! I love the name Matilda and for me it is Austalian without being obvious and has lovely connotations, although am dissapointed to find it is alot more popular than I thought! I am also currently exploring the new world of Irish names, gorgeous but spellings and pronounciations are hard for me! In an ideal world I would love one Irish and one Aussie name for each child in the future, so I feel research now is more than valid! Thanks for such an interesting and lovely blog!
I once worked with a lady called Zanette: Zan representing Anzac, ette the common girls name ending.
Lynne Granger's (Irene, Home & Away) daughter is named Clancy (she must be about 18ish now.)