Meaning and Origin of the Name Theresa

Theresa is a feminine given name derived from the Greek theros, meaning “summer.” As a name, Theresa has been used since the Middle Ages, gaining popularity in medieval England in honor of Saint Theresa of Ávila, a prominent 16th-century Spanish nun and reformer of the Carmelite Order.

Theresa saw a boost in usage in the 18th and 19th centuries when foreign and classical names were fashionable among England’s aristocracy and upper classes. Theresa had an exotic flair compared to Anglo-Saxon staples like Mary and Elizabeth.

Popularity

While a consistent favorite, Theresa has never cracked the top 100 most popular names for girls in England and Wales. Its popularity ranked #232 in 2019 with 194 baby girls given the name.

Theresa lends itself to cute nicknames like Tess, Tessa, Terri, Tracey, Resa, and Reese. The name exudes warmth and strength, befitting girls with passionate, caring hearts.

Famous People with the Name

Famous bearers of the name Theresa include Mother Theresa, an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun recognized for her charitable work. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 to care for the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in India.

Another prominent Theresa was the British Prime Minister, Theresa May. She was Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019 as a member of the Conservative Party.

Theresa has also been featured in classic literature like The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. It’s the name of characters in films and TV shows like The Parent Trap and True Blood.

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Meaning and Origin of the Name Virginia

The name Virginia is a Romance and Germanic feminine given name borrowed from the archaic Roman clan name Virginius or Verginius. The meaning of Virginia is universally assumed to originate from the Latin Virgo meaning “virgin” or “maiden”.

Legend recalls Virginia was a girl of Roman decent who was murdered by her father for purpose of protecting her from being seduced by Appius Claudius Crassus, a corrupt government official.

Popularity

The popularity of Virginia somewhat dwindled over time, being the 34th greatest accepted name based on the 1990 census among American women and girls and 545th most favoured name assigned to infant girls birthed in 2007 in the United States.

Famous People Called Virginia

A few well known people with the name include one of most important modernist 20th century novelist, Adeline Virginia Woolf, British conservative party politician and member of Parliament in the House of Commons, Virginia Bottomley, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nominee for comedy-drama “Sideways” (2004) and producer Virginia Madsen.

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Meaning and Origin of the Name Carmel

The name Carmel is originally a Hebrew girl’s name. The meaning of Carmel is “garden, orchard”. The accent is on the second syllable. In the Bible, Carmel refers to a vineyard.

Popularity

The popularity of Carmel is ranked 2,348 of the most used names, which is quite popular. There are 162,000 people in the world with this name. As of today, it is used for both boys and girls.

Famous People Called Carmel

• Carmel McCourt is a British Musician. Her birthday is November 24, 1958, and her birthplace is Wrawby, North Lincolnshire in England. One of her most popular songs is “Walk a Thin Line”. Her net worth is about $1.5 million.
• Carmel Myers was an American Actress who lived from 1899-1980. She was famous in silent movies, and among the most popular women of her time. Her father was a Rabbi from Australia, and her mother was from Austria. They immigrated to the U.S.
• Carmel Sepuloni is a politician in New Zealand, and is a part of the Labour Party. She was born 1977 in Waltara, New Zealand. She won the seat on what is called “Waitakere” in 2011.

Carmel (Mount Carmel) is also the biblical settlement in Judea on the Mediterranean sea. This settlement was mentioned in the Book of Samuel.

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Meaning and Origin of the Name Liza

Liza is an English name whose meaning is God’s promise or Oath of abundance. It is often used as the short name of Elizabeth of Hebrew origin.

Liza is also used in the Islamic religion as a feminine name, meaning dedicated to Allah.

Another meaning of Liza is a beautiful lily. It is, therefore, a beautiful name for a baby girl.

Liza is very closely related to the name Lisa.

Popularity

The name was common in the late 1800s, but the popularity of Liza decreased in the early 1990s. At around 1960, the name Liza began to get famous, and that has been the trend till the 2000s.

Although Liza was not in the 2019 top 100 most popular girl names in England, there was a big difference in 2020 where more people named their baby girls Liza.

Famous people called Liza

• Liza Manili – A French song and actress born in 1986
• Liza Weil – Liza Rebecca Weil is an American actress born in 1977.
• Liza Koshy – was born in 1996. She is a media personality as an actress, YouTuber, comedian, and television host.

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Meaning and Origin of the Name Kendra

The origin of the name Kendra is somewhat unknown. However, it is thought to have had Anglo-Saxo or Celtic origins and even linked to the male name Kendrick.

The meaning of Kendra is knowledge or greatest champion although the meaning is somewhat disputed by some.

Popularity

Up until a decade or two ago, the popularity of the name Kendra was at its peak.
Although the popularity of Kendra has waned somewhat, it is still a fair unique girl’s name.

For example, Kendra has never been on the top 100 of the UK’s list of girl’s names and there are only three girls named Kendra that are fairly famous.

Famous People with the Name

The first is Kendra Harrison, a track star from the former University of Kentucky athlete who set a world’s record in the women’s hundred-meter hurdles with a blazing time of 12.20 seconds.

The second is Kendra Horn, who an attorney and politician who served two years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from the State of Oklahoma between 2019 and 2021.

Finally, the most famous (or infamous depending on your view) Kendra was Kendra Wilkinson, one of the Hugh Hefners stable of three girlfriends in the mid 200s, including Kendra, Holly Madison, and Bridgitte Marquet.

Kendra, before her later days of marriage and motherhood, was on the popular E television reality show, “The Girls Next Door.”

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Meaning and Origin of the Name Blanche

The name Blanche evokes images of grace, sophistication, and enduring beauty. With roots in the Old French word “blanc,” meaning “white,” Blanche has long been associated with purity, innocence, and nobility. Its prevalence in literature and history further cements its status as a name of timeless elegance.

The name Blanche was used first in France and later moved over to England, Australia, and several other countries. In French the meaning of Blanche is white.

Blanche’s history dates back to the Middle Ages, where it was a popular choice among French royalty and nobility. The name gained wider recognition in the 18th century, thanks in part to the French playwright Molière’s comedic play “L’École des femmes” (The School for Wives), in which the protagonist’s name is Blanche.

Popularity

The popularity of Blanche as a baby’s name was only 756 in England in 2019 but the name was quite popular until 1934 when it began to decline. So far this year, 20 babies have been named Blanche.

Famous People and Things Called Blanche

There are at least two Blanche Harbours, one in Australia and the other in the Solomon Islands. There is also a river Blanche and a Moderna Blanche wine grape in France.

In history, Blanche of Castile, the wife of Louis VIII of France, was renowned for her piety and devotion to the church. Her legacy further enhanced the name Blanche’s reputation for purity and virtue.

As for famous people with the name, several fictitious characters were named Blanche; Blanche Dubois in Streetcar Named Desire, and the late Blanche Hunt of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

Blanche Bingley was a famous tennis player who won at Wimbledon six times and was runner-up seven times. She was the youngest person to win this in 1863.

Blanche Dugdale was an author and a Zionist proponent.

Blanche Devereaux was a singer-songwriter.

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Meaning and Origin of the Name Pandora

The meaning of Pandora in short means all gifts. It is derived from a greek base.

The name Pandora has a base in greek mythology. Pandora was a mortal and the greek god Zeus gave her a box. Within the box, he claimed that all his troubles and woes were hidden. He told Pandora not to open the box. Unfortunately, she did not heed his warning and opened the box. Thus came the saying, Pandora’s Box.

Popularity

Pandora is a relatively unpopular name. However, in recent generations, the popularity of Pandora as a baby name has increased significantly. However, in 2018, it was not in the top 100 baby girls’ names in England.

Famous People with the name Pandora

Pandora Clifford is a British actress. You may know her from when she played in Fearless. But also in the less popular movies of Wallander and Poirot.

There are other people also named Pandora. Consider Pandora Vanderpump. She is the daughter of Lisa Vanderpump well known for her restaurants in Los Angeles as well as her role on the Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules.

Pandora’s popularity is gaining speed, but if you are pregnant with a little one, consider it as a cute option.

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Origin of the Name

• 

The name Ashley originated as an English surname which was initially derived from place names which meant “ash tree clearing” from merging Old English elements æsc and lēah. Initially, the name was commonly used on boys in the United States until 1960s, but currently it’s most often given to girls.

Meaning of Ashley

The name is said to mean: lives in the ash tree grove.

Famous People with the name

The following is a list of some few popularly known people with the name Ashley.

• Ashley Jensen – a Scottish actress and a narrator who was nominated for Emmy for her character on a television series.
• Ashley Graham – an American model who has appeared on the cover of several fashion magazines including; Vogue, Bazaar and Elle among others.
• Ashley Tisdale – an American film producer, singer, and actress. She featured on several advertisements during her childhood.

Popularity of Ashley

Although the name Ashley was not in the 100 most popular baby girls’ name in England in 2017, the Popularity of Ashley has had consistent growth since 1941 to date. By 1985, the name had gained popularity and was the second most popular name in England. However, it’s worth noting that the name was only given to boys between 1917 to 1938.

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