The most delectable birth announcements were in the London Telegraph. One in particular gave the first and middles for little Ignatius and all his brothers:
Ignatius Mungo, brother to the gorgeous Atticus Monty, the beautiful Octavius Kit, and the precious Ptolemy Ned. Deo Gratias.
Perhaps a little over the top, but I eat this sort of thing up with a spoon! The birth of a little Unity does surprise me, as this name is so directly associated with Nazi sympathizer Unity Mitford of the famed Mitford sisters.
Love the Gaelic, Gallic, and Greek influences. The three and four name combos are glorious. Are they pretentious? Maybe not, if you have nothing to pretend.
Ladies
Aisla Isabel Knowles
Alice Davinia Fox
Arabella Plum
Bronte Caroline Casati
Cecily Mary
Christabel Mary Alice
Clemency Rose
Clementine Florence Marguerite
Clover Lulu Crista
Constantina Abigail Hope
Daphne Olga Amelie
Donald Fergus Ralph
Eliza Miranda Rosemary
Esme Lark
Florence Ivy Fay
Freya Hermonie
Grais Bridget
Hazel Beatrice Clara Adelaide
Hebe Emily
Henrietta Daphne Mabel
Henrietta Evelyn Melveena
Hermine Halcyon Margaret Isabel
Ione Patricia Catherine
Isabella Allegra Jessica and Jemima Alice India
Loveday Celestine Primrose Kennedy
Luella Helen Willa
Marie-Sixtine Alice Verity
Matilda Daisy Margery
Matilda Rafferty Rose
Olivia Alexandra Caroline Limbrick
Orla Eleanor Veronica
Ottilie Ruby, a sister for twins, Lettice and Edith
Poppy Grace MacLeod
Poppy Mary Alexandria
Rosalyn Mairead
Ruby Sybil
Sylvie June
Tamla Ann
Thisbe Georgina Grace and Willow Martha Phoenix
Unity May Parker
Lads
Alasdair Lorne Leonardo
Albert Bede Geronimo
Algernon Frederick Hanson
Arthur Alexander Wolfe
Arthur Frederick George
Baxter Thomas James
Finnan Christopher O’Brien
Francis James Archibald
Frederick Arthur Le Blanc
Freddy Tristram
Gabriel Fyfe
George Digby Peter
George Theo Henry
George William Vincent
Gus Samuel
Hamish James Paul
Hector Charles
Hugo Maynard Alexander
Hugo Richard Viareggio
Ignatius Mungo
John Innes Archie
Magnus Ronald John
Maximilian Pierre George
Oscar Stewart Jon
Reginald James Parry
Rex Patrick Wood
Rory Sinclair Willasey
Rory William John
Rufus James Kipp
Sebastian Christopher William
Thomas Gwilym Collins
Thomas Maximillian Neame
Wilfred Rocky Otto
Winston Peter
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Love these, especially:
Cecily Mary
Arabella Plum
Marie-Sixtine Alice Verity
Matilda Daisy Margery
Thisbe Georgina Grace
and almost all of the boys, one of whom has obviously been (mis)placed in the girls’ list.
Oh! Unity’s full name was
Unity Valkyrie Mitford
She was rumored to have given birth to Adolf Hitler’s love child.
I absolutely swoon everytime I see Arabella Plum. I absolutely love it.
Also great:
Esme Lark
Clemency Rose
Hazel Beatrice Clara Adelaide (although Hazel Beatrice and Clara Adelaide would make an amazing sister set also)
And Hugo! Sebastian! Finnan! I love Telegraph birth announcements.
I love the Telegraph names too…but many would not fit well on an American child. Ignatius, Atticus and Octavius? As for “The three and four name combos are glorious. Are they pretentious? Maybe not, if you have nothing to pretend.” I’d guess in some cases these names truly are pretentious. And who — and when — is that dowdy matron pushing a pram?
Perhaps merely a memory of the England that was?
I read this post rather quickly and missed the fourth brother Ptolemy. Those names sounded so familiar that I just checked the Telegraph and found the announcement for Ptolemy 2 years ago. I wondered at that time if perhaps the boys had the nicknames Ticky (Att1cus), Tavy (Oct@vius) and Tolly (Pt0lemy).
And now here is Ign@tius: Iggy? Natty?
So who names their sons such classical names? Academics? “Hipsters?” Google links provided a few clues: Dad is an enterprise architect and competitive long distance runner and football enthusiast; Mum seem to be a serious swimmer and her many listed FB interests/”Likes” give an impression of her. Both of their facebook profile pictures show a photo of that parent with the three oldest boys on a rooftop in London — nice looking little guys. But no hint of why M@rk and Rebecc@ “Bec” choose these lengthy, grandiose names for their sons (except that Mum went to a Catholic convent secondary school and wasn’t Ignatius a pope?) or what they call their sons at home. Maybe by their middle names? Monty, Kit, Ned and Mungo do seem more workable when calling them for dinner!
I heart Florence Ivy Fay!
I love Plum in the middle spot! Could an American pull that off?
Gasp! I saw that announcement and planned on posting it in the comments here. Creepy. I hope they have more kids.
I love love love Christabel Mary Alice.
I love them all!
Interesting to see three middle names, hopefully this will make two mn’s appear less taboo!
Oh thank goodness, I have been craving a Telegraph round-up for a while now!! I am not salivating as much as I used to at these names, sadly. Perhaps I am used to them now, or perhaps this is just not as stunning a selection as previous ones that included names like Matilda Florence Ophelia, Violet Ottoline, Theodora Elise, Ottilie Alice and Arabella Imogen May. I totally adore those.
Wilfred Rocky Otto is such an incongruous mash of names!
how do you pronounce Ottilie?? Is it /Oh-till-ee/? if so i love it! any background info on it?
It’s a female form of Otto (meaning riches). I say it Ot-il-ee. I’m bad at writing out pronounciation, so I’m not sure if that makes sense.
Arabella Plum
Cecily
Clemency Rose
Clementine Florence Marguerite
Clover
Constantina
Daphne Olga Amelie
Eliza Miranda Rosemary
Esme Lark
Florence Ivy Fay
Freya Hermonie
Hazel Beatrice Clara Adelaide
Hebe Emily
Henrietta Daphne Mabel
Henrietta Evelyn
Luella Helen Willa
Matilda Rafferty Rose
Orla Eleanor Veronica
Ottilie Ruby, a sister for twins, Lettice and Edith
Poppy Mary Alexandria
Ruby Sybil
Arthur Alexander Wolfe
Arthur Frederick George
Baxter Thomas James
Freddy
George Digby
George Theo Henry
Hugo Maynard Alexander
Magnus
Maximilian Pierre George
Oscar
Sebastian
Ignatius Mungo, Atticus Monty, Octavius Kit and Ptolemy Ned: Oh wow, LOVE THEM. I hope they continue to have kids and get a few girls in there too!
As I commented above, I have a hunch that parents Mark, a regular sort of guy who enjoys sport, and “Bec” don’t actually call their *four* sons by their lengthy, classical names, but by nicknames or the boys’ much shorter middle names (which are stylistically quite different from their first names).
My favorites (though I don’t dislike any of them):
Cecily Mary
Clementine Florence Marguerite
Daphne Olga Amelie
Eliza Miranda Rosemary
Esme Lark
Florence Ivy Fay
Hazel Beatrice Clara Adelaide
Henrietta Daphne Mabel
Jemima Alice India
Matilda Daisy Margery
Ottilie Ruby
Sylvie June
Thisbe Georgina Grace
Alasdair Lorne Leonardo
Arthur Alexander Wolfe
Arthur Frederick George
Frederick Arthur Le Blanc
George Theo Henry
Winston Peter
I have to ask, though – is Donald Fergus Ralph a boy or girl (you have it listed under “Ladies”…)?
Donald is certainly a boy as per the birth announcement – I’d say this is just a copy/paste mistake.
My faves:
Eliza Miranda Rosemary
Orla Eleanor Veronica
Poppy Mary Alexandria
Rosalyn Mairead
Thisbe and Willow for twins
Sebastian Christopher William
Esme Lark and Arabella Plum OMG LOVE these names!
These are definitely noteworthy:
Alice Davinia Fox
Arabella Plum
Bronte Caroline
Christabel Mary Alice
Clemency Rose
Clover Lulu Crista
Constantina Abigail Hope
Daphne Olga Amelie
Esme Lark
Hazel Beatrice Clara Adelaide
Isabella Allegra Jessica and Jemima Alice India
Loveday Celestine Primrose-great pairing
Marie-Sixtine Alice Verity
Ottilie Ruby-don’t like Lettice or Edith though
Poppy Mary Alexandria
Ruby Sybil
Sylvie June
Tamla Ann
Thisbe Georgina Grace and Willow Martha Phoenix-awesome! Thisbe is darling
Albert Bede Geronimo-love this combination! I am excited to see a Bede
Algernon Frederick
Arthur Alexander Wolfe
Gabriel Fyfe
George Theo Henry
Hamish James Paul
Hector Charles
Hugo Maynard Alexander
Ignatius Mungo
Maximilian Pierre George
Oscar Stewart Jon
Rex Patrick Wood
Rufus James Kipp
I love them all. Love them. The names don’t seem pretentious to me. ‘Pretentious’ names in my mind are more ridiculous, things like Princess and Lady in the fn spot.
I am from the European “continent” and have lived in England for 10 years (I have also placed a birth announcement in the Telegraph myself); here is my take:
The first names are good, meaning legitimate and unusual, for the most part. I’m not to keen on some of the combos, but the middle name(s) seldom get used anyway.
Loveday is best when it’s a family name and tucked into the middle name spot whereas Celestine is gorgeous; I hope she goes by that.
The sibset listed in the beginning *is* pretentious… they would even stand out (in a bad way) in Eton, or at Cambridge University. If you don’t have anything to prove, you don’t choose names that demonstrate how “exceedingly” much you have read and that you speak Latin and Greek — or can read them in translation, more likely. I am sure the kids are very sweet, but if I received an email signed Ignatius or Ptolemy my first thought would be “pretentious parents” not “well-educated parents”.
Ottily Ruby is lovely but her sister… Lettice. Really?
I know. I adore Ottilie and Edith to pieces, but Lettice never ceases to remind me of lettuce!
Gosh, the Telegraph is fun to waste time browsing. I really, really adore most of these names individually: Alice, Arabella, Clementine, Florence, Ivy, Freya, Hazel, Jemima, Matilda, Ottilie & Edith / Alasdair, James, Finnian, Henry, Hamish, Charles, Hugo, Oscar & Sebastian all show up quite regularly in my name lists
Let’s see if I can narrow the combos down to a Top 3 (..or 5)
Clementine Florence Marguerite
Jemima Alice India
Ottilie Ruby
Francis James Archibald
Maximilian Pierre George
Thomas Maximilian Neame
The only thing I have a problem with on the list is Rafferty on a girl? [Matilda Rafferty Rose]
Does anyone know what the dots and dashes in the Telegraph announcements indicate? Some examples:
a son, Harry Walter Sidney,.— a brother for George and Beatrix.
a daughter, Ella Persephone, a sister.—for Charlie and Evie.
to Juliane and Angus,.— a son, Jasper.
to Flavia and Jamie, a daughter,.—Matilda Isabella.
to Katie and Nick,.— twin daughters, Daisy Charlotte and Lucy Elizabeth, sisters for Georgie and Molly.