Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2024 12:30:11 GMT
We knocked up a voter called Basil in the Marine ward by-election in Worthing a couple of years ago, who said he was voting Labour for the first time. He was 94 years old. I'm not sure how many people get given that name each year, probably not many since the 30s. Your voter may have passed on by now unfortunately. |
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Jul 19, 2024 12:37:35 GMT
The Germanic world seems to love giving women names with three syllables or more, but abhors actually calling them anything longer than two syllables. Especially south of the Main. Hence an army of Vreni, Vroni, Heidi, Marlies, Liesl, Steffi, Franzi... North of the Main, every woman seems to end up being called Tina. Cindy aus Marzahn erasure! Herself an Ilke! Not many baby Ilkes and Elkes these days either. |
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Post by batman on Jul 19, 2024 13:02:19 GMT
We knocked up a voter called Basil in the Marine ward by-election in Worthing a couple of years ago, who said he was voting Labour for the first time. He was 94 years old. I'm not sure how many people get given that name each year, probably not many since the 30s. Your voter may have passed on by now unfortunately. I've not heard of anyone in this country born since 1955 or so being called Basil. The name was quite popular in the UK Jewish community & it's not totally unknown to find it amongst S Indian Christians too. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2024 13:16:54 GMT
I'm not sure how many people get given that name each year, probably not many since the 30s. Your voter may have passed on by now unfortunately. I've not heard of anyone in this country born since 1955 or so being called Basil. The name was quite popular in the UK Jewish community & it's not totally unknown to find it amongst S Indian Christians too. Ah yes, I've heard of Basil Wigoder. Look up TEP.L in the London Stock Exchange - he set it up. I've spoken to his granddaughter who confirmed the connection. |
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john07
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Post by john07 on Jul 19, 2024 14:14:58 GMT
I'm not sure how many people get given that name each year, probably not many since the 30s. Your voter may have passed on by now unfortunately. I've not heard of anyone in this country born since 1955 or so being called Basil. The name was quite popular in the UK Jewish community & it's not totally unknown to find it amongst S Indian Christians too. Basil Brush? |
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Post by batman on Jul 19, 2024 14:49:48 GMT
he was fairly retro even in his time.
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john07
Labour & Co-operative
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Post by john07 on Jul 19, 2024 15:17:01 GMT
he was fairly retro even in his time. The only Basil I have ever come across was a Greek student whose name was actually Vasilios (presumably from Basileios). He had three passports: one Greek, one Sudanese (his father was working there as a Civil Engineer there when Basil was born), and one Cypriot. He couldn't use his Greek passport to enter Greece as he would have been immediately detained for dodging his National Service. |
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Foggy
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Post by Foggy on Jul 19, 2024 15:47:51 GMT
And I associate the name Emma with girls my own age, not a woman who would be sixty this year (although in the Germanic world, Emma and Katie are names for old women). Emma had a surge in popularity due to Diana Rigg's character in The Avengers - the oldest of those babies will be approaching 60 now. Though it was far from unknown as a name even before then - eg the former MP Emma Dent Coad (who is now pushing 70) It was certainly widespread on the continent long before The Avengers, e.g. Emma zu Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen Regent of the Netherlands 1890-98. I know an Emma who was born in the second half of the 1990s too, but I'm not sure if it's finally fallen out of favour in the 21st century. |
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Post by finsobruce on Jul 19, 2024 15:53:18 GMT
I've not heard of anyone in this country born since 1955 or so being called Basil. The name was quite popular in the UK Jewish community & it's not totally unknown to find it amongst S Indian Christians too. Basil Brush? boom boom. |
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Post by carlton43 on Jul 19, 2024 15:55:34 GMT
I'm not sure how many people get given that name each year, probably not many since the 30s. Your voter may have passed on by now unfortunately. I've not heard of anyone in this country born since 1955 or so being called Basil. The name was quite popular in the UK Jewish community & it's not totally unknown to find it amongst S Indian Christians too. And Orthodox Christians. I know a middle aged English cleric in the English Orthodox church named Basil and Carol's daughter's dog rejoices in being a Basil. |
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Jul 19, 2024 16:46:37 GMT
Emma had a surge in popularity due to Diana Rigg's character in The Avengers - the oldest of those babies will be approaching 60 now. Though it was far from unknown as a name even before then - eg the former MP Emma Dent Coad (who is now pushing 70) It was certainly widespread on the continent long before The Avengers, e.g. Emma zu Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen Regent of the Netherlands 1890-98. I know an Emma who was born in the second half of the 1990s too, but I'm not sure if it's finally fallen out of favour in the 21st century. Emma was a common name amongst the "respectable working class" in Germany, and was so associated with small shopkeepers that Tante-Emma-Laden (Auntie Emma Shop) denotes a small family shop of the type that has died off. You'd be hard-pressed to find as many Emmas in Germany as in Britain now. Then again, there aren't many German Rachels, Sarahs or Rebeccas, thinking of Eighties names. Well-known enough to be the topic of a popular song. |
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Foggy
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Post by Foggy on Jul 19, 2024 16:59:47 GMT
It was certainly widespread on the continent long before The Avengers, e.g. Emma zu Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen Regent of the Netherlands 1890-98. I know an Emma who was born in the second half of the 1990s too, but I'm not sure if it's finally fallen out of favour in the 21st century. Well-known enough to be the topic of a popular song. Ah, good old Udo. I was in Franconia when he passed away and his death was the top story on BR-Nord Nachrichten that evening. Austria had won the Eurovision for only the second time a few months earlier, and had he lived he'd probably have been expected to perform during the interval when they hosted again. In the end ÖRF just played a tribute video to him instead... ... which, er, I'm sure mattered greatly to the voters of Islington South and didn't leave them confused at all.  |
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Jul 19, 2024 17:02:41 GMT
Yes, on reflection, the popularity of girls' names in post-war Austria is probably a bizarre, niche topic.
To steer it back on topic- Udo Jürgens never got to see Emily Thornberry serve as attorney-general.
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Post by batman on Jul 19, 2024 20:41:51 GMT
I've not heard of anyone in this country born since 1955 or so being called Basil. The name was quite popular in the UK Jewish community & it's not totally unknown to find it amongst S Indian Christians too. And Orthodox Christians. I know a middle aged English cleric in the English Orthodox church named Basil and Carol's daughter's dog rejoices in being a Basil. many years ago, years before I wed, I briefly had a girlfriend who lived in a flat in the same building as her father, in Hove. Both he & the dog were called Basil (the girlfriend was, and no doubt still is, Jewish), so she referred to her dog as Basil Dog & her dad as Basil Human. |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Jul 20, 2024 6:34:14 GMT
It was certainly widespread on the continent long before The Avengers, e.g. Emma zu Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen Regent of the Netherlands 1890-98. I know an Emma who was born in the second half of the 1990s too, but I'm not sure if it's finally fallen out of favour in the 21st century. Emma was a common name amongst the "respectable working class" in Germany, and was so associated with small shopkeepers that Tante-Emma-Laden (Auntie Emma Shop) denotes a small family shop of the type that has died off. You'd be hard-pressed to find as many Emmas in Germany as in Britain now. Then again, there aren't many German Rachels, Sarahs or Rebeccas, thinking of Eighties names. There's a reason there aren't many German Rebeccas..  |
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Post by iainbhx on Jul 20, 2024 6:57:27 GMT
It was certainly widespread on the continent long before The Avengers, e.g. Emma zu Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen Regent of the Netherlands 1890-98. I know an Emma who was born in the second half of the 1990s too, but I'm not sure if it's finally fallen out of favour in the 21st century. Emma was a common name amongst the "respectable working class" in Germany, and was so associated with small shopkeepers that Tante-Emma-Laden (Auntie Emma Shop) denotes a small family shop of the type that has died off. You'd be hard-pressed to find as many Emmas in Germany as in Britain now. Then again, there aren't many German Rachels, Sarahs or Rebeccas, thinking of Eighties names. There is, of course, a reason for the last point, although I'll note that for a brief period every Jewish woman in German was named Sarah. Emma is quite popular again in Germany, I think it was in the top 5 girls names in 2013. Eva has made a bit of a comeback in recent years, having previously fallen out of vogue in about 1945, Adolf hasn't, can't think why. |
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Jul 20, 2024 7:08:20 GMT
Emma was a common name amongst the "respectable working class" in Germany, and was so associated with small shopkeepers that Tante-Emma-Laden (Auntie Emma Shop) denotes a small family shop of the type that has died off. You'd be hard-pressed to find as many Emmas in Germany as in Britain now. Then again, there aren't many German Rachels, Sarahs or Rebeccas, thinking of Eighties names. There's a reason there aren't many German Rebeccas.. A good point. The name is definitely in use, but has never made a full comeback. |
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Jul 20, 2024 7:10:32 GMT
Emma was a common name amongst the "respectable working class" in Germany, and was so associated with small shopkeepers that Tante-Emma-Laden (Auntie Emma Shop) denotes a small family shop of the type that has died off. You'd be hard-pressed to find as many Emmas in Germany as in Britain now. Then again, there aren't many German Rachels, Sarahs or Rebeccas, thinking of Eighties names. There is, of course, a reason for the last point, although I'll note that for a brief period every Jewish woman in German was named Sarah. Emma is quite popular again in Germany, I think it was in the top 5 girls names in 2013. Eva has made a bit of a comeback in recent years, having previously fallen out of vogue in about 1945, Adolf hasn't, can't think why. There are some Sarahs out there again, Sarah Connor and Sarah Wagenknecht (for Sahra is an affectation) spring to mind. But yes, the Forties probably did not do much for its popularity. Interesting to know Emma is back. Double first names don't seem to have made a comeback though. |
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aargauer
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Post by aargauer on Jul 20, 2024 7:23:20 GMT
Emma was a common name amongst the "respectable working class" in Germany, and was so associated with small shopkeepers that Tante-Emma-Laden (Auntie Emma Shop) denotes a small family shop of the type that has died off. You'd be hard-pressed to find as many Emmas in Germany as in Britain now. Then again, there aren't many German Rachels, Sarahs or Rebeccas, thinking of Eighties names. There's a reason there aren't many German Rebeccas.. Why Rebecca specifically? (Both my daughter and the other British girl in her class are called Rebecca- did we screw up?) |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Jul 20, 2024 7:35:14 GMT
There's a reason there aren't many German Rebeccas.. Why Rebecca specifically? (Both my daughter and the other British girl in her class are called Rebecca- did we screw up?) |
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