New Orleans and Louisiana Baby Names
New Orleans, like other cities and towns in South Louisiana, is characterized by unique culture. The Louisiana culture is a conglomeration of many cultures including German, French, Native American, Spanish, and Africans. Nevertheless, the French culture is the most dominant in this area because of the deep French roots. Essentially, Louisiana culture, customs, and traditions are heterogeneous. For instance, voodoo, a practice with its roots in the African culture, is popularly practiced in New Orleans and other towns in Louisiana. The diverse cultural heritage of Louisiana is reflected in every area of the people's live including the nature of the names they give to their children. In this article, I am going to highlight baby names that reflect aspects of the spirit of Louisiana. My focus will be on southern Louisiana, especially New Orleans. For those who love southern Louisiana or New Orleans, this article is for you.
Acadia is a beautiful name for a baby girl. The name is associated with the Creole and Cajun country in New Orleans. The place is inhabited by delightful people who origin is in Acadia, Canada. Calliope is thought to belong to a Greek muse. It is also a name for a popular French instrument. It is a cute name for a baby girl. Nevertheless, its pronunciation may present a little problem for people who are not from New Orleans. Closely related to Calliope is Clio, a Greek muse from the Greek mythology. Clio is a suitable name for a baby boy. Dauphine is a feudal title in French culture. It is also the name for a street that runs through New Orleans and parallel to Mississippi River. Dauphine is a girl's name. Fleur is the French name for a flower. Baby girls are flowers because they are beautiful, sweet, and tender. If you feel this way about your newborn princess then Fleur is the name you are looking for.
Iris is a beautiful plant in Louisiana that is used to decorate walls. Native Iris is part of the beauty symbols for southern Louisiana. The flowers of the Louisiana Iris are sweet smelling and delightful to behold. During spring, the New Orleans air is suffocated by the smell of Jasmine. Jasmine is unique and it makes a cute name for a baby girl. Joie is a French word that expresses the joy of life. Joie de vivre means happy living. It is characterized by sharing a good meal, joyous conversations, and amicable communal living as practiced in New Orleans. Joie is a unisex name. Louise is feminine version of Louis. Louisa is the Spanish diminutive of Louise. The name has its roots from the French culture. Laurel is a common tree, with beautiful flowers, that adorns the streets of Louisiana. It is also a good name for your little princess. Ruby is a popular feminine given name from the rare gemstone ruby. The popularity of this name arose from the historical figure of Ruby Ridges. Ruby was the young girl whose heroic sacrifice helped to eradicate racial segregation in New Orleans' public school system.
Magnolia is a tree that is indigenous to Louisiana. It adorns and gives the state a unique landscape. Magnolia is a feminine name and its short form is Maggie. Mahalia is mostly attributed to Mahalia Jackson, the queen of gospel from New Orleans. Her outstanding talent made her a global hero and her name became popular in Louisiana. Marie is a popular female name in New Orleans. The name is from the French culture and is popularity is associated with the queen of voodoo, Marie Laveau. Nola is a baby name from the Irish culture. Nola is feminine for Nolan and it means noble. It is also the name for a famous restraint at the heart of New Orleans which specializes on traditional cuisines. Prytania is feminine name in New Orleans which traces its roots to the Greek culture. Prytania is the name for the street that runs through the political centre of the city. When you use this name for your baby girl, you reinforce your connections with the city and its culture.
Brennan is an Irish name that means brave. This is one of the names you give to your baby boys to inspire desirable virtues in them. Carrollton is a major street in New Orleans. The street is so distinguished that anybody who visits the city would notice it. Hence, using this name will help your baby be instantly associated with the city. The name Charles is very common in Louisiana. It is probably associated with King Charles of France. Similar to Carrollton, St. Claude Avenue is another distinguished street in New Orleans. Claude is a masculine baby name. Outside Baton Rouge, there is a parish called Livingston. The parish was named after Robert Livingston was instrumental in the purchase of the state of Louisiana. Therefore, this name bares no cultural but rather historical significance for the Louisiana people. Parish is a name that emanates directly from Louisiana's custom. While other states in the US have counties, Louisiana has parishes which are the equivalents.
Rex is originally from the Latin culture. It was the name for one of the most accomplished kings. Payton is a masculine given name from the Old English culture. The English immigrants are credited for the introduction of this name to the Louisiana culture. Similarly, Drew is a Scottish name that found its way to the culture of the Louisiana people. Drew is a Scottish derivative of the Greek name Andrew. Ward is an occupational name from the Old English culture. It was used to refer to the security guards. The government of Louisiana uses the ward system whereby the state is divided into 17 wards. The use of this system in elections has contributed to Ward being a household name. Alma is a Latin name which means nurturing soul. There is no clear indication of the cultural, historical, or political ties between this name and Louisiana. Nevertheless, it is common name in the south.
