Zeroing down on a name for your baby is getting harder and harder. There are just so many out there these days. They say that too many choices make a tyrant of us all and we certainly live in times with many choices. But to ease your confusion and dilemma maybe you should zero down on British baby names. They are timeless and have a romantic, medieval feel to them while also still sounding hip for the times. So, if you are going the British baby name route here are some names from the land of Shakespeare that you will instantly fall in love with.
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00:00When you think of a grand, iconic British name, what moniker comes to mind? Victoria,
00:05of course. Elizabeth, perhaps? Agatha? Nigel? Edwin? Percival? Quintessentially English names
00:12will never go out of style. Here are some you'll fall in love with. Anne of Green Gables said it
00:17best.
00:18"'Well, no, it's not exactly my name. But, oh, I would love to be called Cordelia."
00:22"'I don't understand what you mean.'"
00:24"'Cordelia is a perfectly elegant name.'"
00:27As the virtuous, noble daughter of Shakespeare's King Lear, Cordelia is a British moniker for the
00:32ages. It means heart or daughter of the sea, and it has a quaint old-fashioned ring to it as well,
00:37as it was quite popular in the late 1800s. Cordelia has a long lineage of possible origins.
00:42Some say it's derived from the Welsh, while there's also the German variant Cordula,
00:47or it might be derived from the 4th century Saint Cordula.
00:50Whatever its genesis, Cordelia will always belong primarily to Shakespeare and to the British,
00:55and with its lovely array of possible nicknames, from Delia to Cord,
00:58it lends itself to modern versatility as well.
01:01With a smooth, elegant sound to it, the Scottish name Laird shares an origin with the English
01:06Lord. Indeed, Laird has roots in the aristocracy, with a meaning similar to barren. Its popularity
01:11in 2018 isn't a far cry from its popularity in the 1920s, believe it or not. And not that long
01:17ago, Sharon Stone even chose it for one of her sons. Despite its spelling, the name is generally
01:22pronounced Laird, as opposed to layered. But, of course, pronunciations can be fluid, and they
01:27often vary according to region and dialect anyway. The bottom line is that Laird is a great choice,
01:32so if you're going to opt for it, there's no reason not to flesh it out with your own unique spin.
01:37Cressida is another name that's probably best known from Shakespeare,
01:40specifically Troilus and Cressida, the Bard's epic tragicomic love story.
01:45Because of its ubiquitous association with English literature,
01:48Cressida is almost universally regarded as a quintessentially British name,
01:52even though it's actually Greek in origin. By itself, Cressida means gold.
01:56Since it's never been particularly popular in the U.S., you'll probably not have to worry
02:00about a gold rush of parents choosing the name and making it too common anytime soon.
02:04In celebrity Cressida circles, there's English model and actress Cressida Bonas,
02:08also known as Prince Harry's ex. There's also How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell,
02:13and even a Cressida asteroid. So if you're looking for a golden name for a golden child,
02:18Cressida might just be a solid nugget for your little girl.
02:21From English poet Christopher Marlowe to British-American novelist Raymond Chandler's
02:25iconic detective Philip Marlowe, the name Marlowe has culture and sophistication
02:29written all over it. Marlowe has traditionally been used as a surname,
02:33but it could be a first name, and it's also trending as a girl's name.
02:37Actor Jason Schwartzman and his wife Brady Cunningham have a little Marlowe of their own,
02:41as do Sienna Miller and her fiancé Tom Sturridge. The meaning behind the name is
02:45actually drained lake or possibly driftwood. Still, Marlowe has a special kind of film noir
02:50style intrigue that could lead to your baby becoming a detective or a poet, or perhaps both.
02:55Even without Pippa Middleton to make the British association complete, the English name Pippa is
02:59darling, catching, and endearing. Said to be descended from Philippa, its meaning is lover
03:04of horses. It's hard to think of Pippa as anything other than a perfect name for an adorable,
03:09free-spirited little girl. Pippa experienced quite a spike in popularity starting around 2004,
03:14and a buoyant name for an ebullient personality, Pippa almost looks like it's jumping off the page.
03:19So, if you have an active little girl kicking and tumbling away inside you,
03:23she might just be trying to tell you what she wants her name to be.
03:26A derivative of Alexander, the name Alistair means defender of mankind. It's a Scottish
03:31moniker whose popularity has been on the rise in the United States since about the late 80s.
03:36The name is both unique and distinguished. Among famous Alistairs, there's the great
03:40Scottish actor Alistair Sym, who's perhaps best remembered for his superb performance
03:44as Ebenezer Scrooge in 1951's A Christmas Carol. There's also Alistair Cook of Masterpiece Theatre,
03:49the Scottish poet Alistair Reid, and magician, occultist, and poet Alistair Crowley,
03:54the subject of a classic Ozzy Osbourne song. Some say Crowley may have been more avant-garde
03:59than ominous, despite his reputation as the wickedest man in the world. In any case,
04:03Alistair is a great choice for your baby, and one with a decidedly intellectual ring to it.