C. writes:
I am not currently pregnant but we are hoping to be by the end of this year. I have a great fondness of names and have a little list built up, and it’s something we like to talk about frequently. One day, my husband half-jokingly, half-seriously suggested the name Australia should we have a girl. At first I laughed it off, but now I can’t seem to get it out of my head! I think it sounds cute with our last name, and on top of that I have actually been to Australia so it is meaningful as well. We are pretty set on the middle name being Noelle or Rose should we have a girl, and our last name is Blacet (rhymes with glass-et). Would it be so crazy to name our child after the world’s biggest continent? After all, there are Austin’s, London’s, and Montana’s. We have even talked about calling her “Lia” (Leah) for short.
What do you think?
Let’s have a poll!
It’s cute, a bit quirky but that hasn’t stopped any of the rest of us. I prefer Australia Noelle for a handful of reasons, one of which is that–as great a name as Rose is–it’s become almost the default middle these days.
Now, Rose Australia on the other hand is pretty fantastic.
I’m pretty skilled at being able to disassociate names from their popular references and just consider the sound and flow. For instance, I think Camry is a pretty cute name, even though it is a very well known car model. I find I can very easily get on board with this name, particularly with the nickname Aussie. I can imagine a little girl called Aussie without thinking automatically of the continent and its citizens. I even prefer it to Lia. I say go for it!
I don’t mind the name, but one thing did jump out at me – Australia isn’t the largest continent! Asia is, which would make a lovely name.
Australia is actually the smallest continent, isn’t it?
I think it’s quirky and has tons of personality. I like it! I’d warn you that it might be tough to find siblings’ names that work — other place names or even word names might be too matchy-matchy, but you couldn’t necessarily go for something popular, either. But Australia Blacet is wonderful.
I wonder if you might also consider Azalea? It seems a bit more name-y to me and still gives you the Lea/Lia nickname.
Azalea is a brilliant name.
I could see an Australia having sisters like Magnolia, Matilda, Theodora, Zinnia, Astoria, Ivy. Word (especially flower) names, old-fashioned names, probably still longer ones or double firsts. Nymbler keeps suggesting very Greek names like Philomena, which I find charming but not quite a fit.
And for boy names personally I’d go with older-fashioned names, Basil or Theodore or Dimitri.
Australia Noelle and Zinnia Claire, for instance.
Australia Rose and Matilda Joy
Australia Noelle and Patience
Australia Rose and Blythe Violet
Australia Noelle and Coral Adelaide
June/Juniper
Meredith
Philippa
Cecily
Valentine
Ooooh. You just sold me on Australia and Theodora. Precious!
Well, I wouldn’t do Australia and Matilda (Waltzing Matilda) or Australia and Coral (Great Barrier Reef) but the others could work.
I much prefer Azalea though. Acacia would be good too.
Ha, good catch!
One that’s been playing in my head is Gloria. Not sure why.
Australia and Gloria.
I personally much prefer Azalea.
Admittedly my view is biased because my husband is Australian, but I cannot see “Australia” as a first name. Aussie as a nickname sounds like Ozzy, which rings quite masculine to me.
Hmm, when I saw the post title I was not a fan, but I can see how it grows on you. It’s pretty, especially with the nickname. I think if you used it people would get used to it quickly.
(I love the suggestion of Azelea, too.)
For me to appreciate it, it would have to have some greater meaning to you or your husband than just that you’ve vacationed there. I feel the same way about the Montanas, Dakotas, Londons, and Brooklyns of the world.
I agree- I think it works better if there’s a back story like “well, your dad and I met when both of our plane’s were delayed in an airport in Australia and we started talking…”
I totally agree–I felt I couldn’t vote for the poll without knowing if you had a personal connection to the place. It’s pretty BA though, I’ll give you that!
I agree. I’d also avoid Australia Rose as it sounds too much like a thing to me.
If it’s the sound you like, I agree Azalea is a great substitute. You could even keep the Lea nickname.
I’m not a fan- I like it on a fictional character or a celebrity but not on a real person. I think she would be teased in school and grow weary of constantly explaining her name to people. I can’t disassociate it from the country and when I hear the nick name Aussie I always think of the shampoo brand.
But what about Adalaide? It’s a city in Australia, is a long name, starts with an “a”… if you wanted something less popular you could go with Adaline.
I can see it working. In the same was that the name “America” works, although it’s not really my taste. Australia Blacet does sound nice. What bothers me about it is that she doesn’t have a heritage tie to Australia. I feel it’s along the same lines as an Australian person naming their child Canada. It just seems a little off. Also….I HATE to be this person but…I really want to point out that Australia is in no way the world’s biggest continent! Call it Hermione Granger syndrome, but I couldn’t let that slide :/ Australia is a big country, but it’s not even the world’s biggest country either. Sorry if that came across as jerk-ish.
Australia is sometimes called the largest island, but it is actually the smallest continent…
That said, I think it is a quirky name that is not my taste, but If you like it go for it!
australia is not the world’s largest continent. but i think it sounds darling. probably wouldn’t do it myself, but i wouldn’t scoff either. :)
We are missing an option, I LOVE IT for someone else’s baby. ;)
I lived and worked in Australia for a summer, and possibly as a result I can’t really imagine it as a kid’s name. I would probably even be a little put off by it; for example, while I was in Australia I met a kid named Texas. The parents had never been to the US so it just felt weird to me. I feel the same way about kids being named India, but it’s not as judgmental a reaction as when I hear of kids being named Cheyenne or something like that. It just doesn’t work for me. It almost feels like appropriation.
I second Azalea as a good substitute. Or Adelaide, Brighton, Iris, Augusta, or Victoria, all cities/states in Australia. For some reason they don’t have quite the reaction that Australia brings.
Fine, but… is your connection with Australia really that strong? As people said earlier, I feel it’s a pretty heavy name to bear without a very strong reason — my opinion of the name changes a lot if you say something like “We go Australia every year”, “We got married there”, or “My grandmother is Australian”, as opposed to “We just liked the word, we vacationed there but don’t know anything about the country’s historical/cultural/political/racial complexities”. The latter feels a little culturally invasive, almost as if you were a stereotypical “dumb American”.
I like it. And Austra would be a great nickname.
Personally, I wouldn’t want Australia as a name, as I think it falls into the “strangers will ask about it every time you are introduced” camp, which would (for me) get irritating quickly. For this reason I would also hesitate to use it for a child. What about Aurelia? Same sound and rhythm, but it has a history of being used as a name.
Aurelia was my first thought as well – I think it’s so pretty and it sounds great with your last name: Aurelia Rose Blacet.
When I first glanced at the title of this post, I thought it was going to be a post about Australian names. Then I realised the name in question was “Australia”! After the initial “That’s so weird!” reaction, I thought about it and I actually think it’s a very pretty name.
I do agree with the other commenters that whether or not it is useable is more about whether the name has significance for you. If the name has no meaning to you other than you like the sound of it, I would definitely suggest finding a name with a similar sound. I like the suggestions of Azalea and Adelaide. Or perhaps Natalia. (I am an Australian, and the name Natalia reminds me of the town I grew up in, called Nathalia.)
Using the nickname Leah is a cute idea. The nickname Aussie sounds very masculine to me. I know an Austin who goes by Aussie almost exclusively. Also, I cant help thinking of the Australian sporting chant “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi”, which is not at all feminine.
Well, I think it’s a great name! Most couples struggle to find a name that is an “AH HA!” sort of name, and the fact that it’s so unique is a boon. I agree that the middle name of Rose is overused right now, but if her first name is going to be so original, perhaps you LIKE the idea of a very standard middle one.
Whatever you decide, best wishes to you the three of you! Please let us know when your little one is here! :)
I agree with the other comments that say it might be a hard name to wear for your daughter – it would provoke a lot of questions about ‘the story behind the name’. It does help that you have visited there – but it sounds like just you did, rather than you and your husband together? I think it would make more sense if you had Australian family ties or had honeymooned in Australia etc. Like imagine being an adult and introducing yourself as Australia and then having to say “Yeah, my Mom went there once. No, I’m not Australian. No, she’s not Australian. I’ve never been there -maybe one day!” I don’t often ask people about their names, but if you’re named after a country, it’s almost like asking to be asked about.
I think I’d prefer it as a middle name or I really like the suggestion of Azalea or Adelaide instead.
As I am Australian, and live in Australia, I just can’t see it being a name at all. Having said that, I LOVE the suggestion of Azalea, and I thought I would give you some Australian place names that might work better as names:
Girls:
Victoria
Adelaide
Sydney
Mildura (“Millie”?)
Alice
Katherine
Kimberley
Boys:
Griffith
Darwin
Logan
Murray
Rockhampton (wondering if this could *possibly* work with the nn Rocky?)
Best of luck!
I wonder if you’d be interested in Australian names? I don’t know a lot, but did know of a girl named Desley and she explained that it was common in Australia. Kind of pretty.
I’m Australian and I have NEVER heard of the name Desley! Strange.
I’m Australian too, and I’ve never heard of the name Desley.
I’m Australian and, although I like the sound of Australia as a name, I think it’s quite a “heavy” name for a child, especially a girl. Does that make sense? If anything it comes across as a male name as I immediately thought of the nn Aussie.
Maybe, like others have suggested, you could look at Australian place names for inspiration. Maybe from the places you visited while on holiday?
The first name that comes to mind is Airlie, after Airlie Beach in Queensland, which is such a pretty name. Airlie Rose is adorable!
Aurelia is a good suggestion for similarity. What about Astra, Aster or Astrid? There is also the name Acacia (Ar-kay-sha), after the Australian native wattle tree, or the name Nerida, an Australian Aboriginal name.
For boys, I have always liked the explorer names, like Tasman nn Taz and Flinders nn Flin.
All the best!
I second the emotion that this name works with a personal backstory reason for using it. Did something special happen on the vacation?
What I find interesting is that it’s actually made it onto the SSA lists not infrequently, and throughout history:
yob1900.txt:Australia,F,6
yob1901.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1909.txt:Australia,F,6
yob1910.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1910.txt:Australia,M,6
yob1911.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1912.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1913.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1914.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1915.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1916.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1917.txt:Australia,F,12
yob1919.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1920.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1921.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1923.txt:Australia,F,8
yob1923.txt:Australia,M,5
yob1924.txt:Australia,F,10
yob1925.txt:Australia,F,8
yob1927.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1928.txt:Australia,F,12
yob1929.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1932.txt:Australia,F,6
yob1937.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1938.txt:Australia,F,6
yob1942.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1965.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1973.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1975.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1986.txt:Australia,F,8
yob1987.txt:Australia,F,8
yob1988.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1989.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1990.txt:Australia,F,8
yob1991.txt:Australia,F,6
yob1992.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1993.txt:Australia,F,10
yob1994.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1995.txt:Australia,F,5
yob1996.txt:Australia,F,7
yob1997.txt:Australia,F,9
yob1999.txt:Australia,F,5
yob2001.txt:Australia,F,10
yob2002.txt:Australia,F,5
yob2005.txt:Australia,F,6
yob2008.txt:Australia,F,5
These aren’t particularly huge numbers, but it is a remarkably consistent history of use!
And legend: yob stands for year of birth, m/f for male/female, and then the number is the number of Australias recorded for that sex in that year, provided that it was more than 4 (otherwise it doesn’t get reported).
Ok… at first I wasn’t sure about it and then about 10 seconds later with saying it aloud a couple of times… LOVE IT!
I agree, if there are London’s and Austin’s and I actually know a few Ireland’s, then there could totally be an Australia. And Aussie as a nickname is absolutely precious as a little girl but also a unique and quarky nn as an adult as well. I would definitely go for it! Considering your last name, I would choose Noelle as a middle name.
Keep us posted when you have a little one!
I agree with other commenters that while it’s a pretty sounding name, I think it might be hard to wear. Using Swistle’s “Would I want this name myself” test, the answer is no. One main reason is that I enjoy traveling, and would find it awkward to be visiting/living/working in a place with my same name. I can imagine the questions from strangers would get tiring after a while, too.
The Aurelia and Azalea suggestions are fun, and I’ll add another: Estrella, or Estella.
I’m Australian and honestly I couldn’t imagine naming a child Australia. Particularly with little to no ties to the country. I can see how it sounds pretty (which I’d never realised before, so thank you for that!) but it would be a difficult name to bear. As an Australian I would never image calling my child America or Britain. I think some of the above suggestions such as Aurelia are good ones :)
And by the by for Caro – Desley is not a common name at all in Australia! Not unheard of, but it’s a name that’s been out of fashion for a long, long time and I would associate with people my grandparents age.
Just wanted to weigh in on the comments as I am the one who sent in this post! :)
1. Sorry about calling Australia the biggest continent – this was a 3 am/I had just discovered this site/I was exhausted e-mail. I wanted to say something about it being one of the biggest countries and did not proofread my e-mail, so my apologies for anyone who I offended!
2. Regarding the middle names, we are set on Noelle because it has been one of our personal favorites for years. We are set on Rose because it is my middle name and a family name, so although it has become popular, it does hold meaning.
3. Regarding the meaning of Australia – I studied abroad there for a semester and also studied there for three weeks in 2006. Although we have yet to travel there together, my Hubs and I are planning an anniversary trip there next year. So I feel like it’s safe to say it has a special place in my heart.
I am glad to hear that I am not a completely crazy person in thinking it could potentially be our future daughter’s name. After reading your comments, I really do think I am convinced to, if not use it, at least keep it on the lists until we’re pregnant! Thank you all for the comments and input!
I have an acquaintance with a daughter named Sweden. I love it, and it will always be on my ‘Love but Grudgingly Can’t Use’ name list for my own kids!
I hate it but then im Australian !
My initial reaction was that it sounds pretty but is too out there to use as a name, and I love the suggestions of Aurelia, Acacia or Azalea as alternatives. But actually, the more I say it, I’m getting used to it and especially love it is a cool formal version for a girl who goes by Leah or Lia. Cute! I wouldn’t name my own daughter this but I do like it and I think people would come around to it very quickly, as many commenters here are.
I actually know someone named Austrailia. She goes by Austie or Oz. She’s a beautiful girl and it fits her perfectly. I found it quirky and charming.