Favourite Names of the Week: Royal Wedding Edition

See what I did in the title? Clever.
Is the Royal Wedding still considered a fresh topic? Because I'm dying to cover the lovely names that were on the people of the wedding party. Let's begin!

So I'll use this picture as a guide, and we'll gush over their awesome names. These young junior bridesmaids and toy soldiers (that's what they are, right?) have names suited for royalty, naturally.

Young girl in the back (poor thing, that's the worst picture ever):
Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary
How fancy! She is the granddaughter of Queen Mum Elizabeth (see how British I seemed there?), the daughter of the Earl Edward of Essex.
And she has a younger brother named James Alexander Philip Theo. Awesome, I know.

The little girl in the front, on the far left:
Grace
Sorry, fellow name fanatics, I unfortunately couldn't find her full name. But apparently she is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh van Cutsem (yes, them), and godchild of Prince William. That's all I got. So here's a picture of how miserable she was at the wedding.

Poor girl, she just wants the noise and torture to end. No child under 5 should be in a wedding, or else they could end up like Little Grace - or worse.

Now onto the little girl sitting in front of Prince William. She's my favorite, for a few reasons.
Eliza
Damn! Again, I couldn't get any information of her middle names (this makes me mad). She's pretty much the cutest little girl ever, and here she is with a pink worm toy.

Haha Grace looks miserable, again.

Last little girl in the picture, on the far right.
Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne
Such a beautiful name! Although I have no clue how to pronounce her last middle name. She also has a brother named Charles Patrick Inigo (do you think he was pissed he didn't get to be in the wedding? Probably not...). So this little cutie is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth's late sister, Princess Margaret.
Tangent: I love that Queen Elizabeth has corgis (they're my favorite dogs ever), and in the "King's Speech" (excellent movie, go see it) they show a young Elizabeth and Margaret with two corgis. Adorable.

Onto the Toy Soldiers.
The little blond one:
Thomas "Tom"
The other one:
William "Billy"
That's all the dirt I have on them. Unfortunately they haven't been in too many scandals.

Now onto the Maid of Honor and Best Man. Drumroll...

Philippa Charlotte "Pippa"
Okay, I'll just say what everyone else is thinking...her name is fabulous. Just wonderful. While I'm not the biggest fan of Philippa, Pippa has quickly become one of my favorite names (yes, because of the lovely Middleton sister). And, to make it even better, Philippa (and Pippa) means "lover of horses." Come on. That is brilliant. I love Pippa Middleton, and her beautiful name. Let's look at this lovely lady.
Whoa! I just learned racy pictures of Ms. Middleton has surfaced, but I have more integrity than that to post them (well, not really, but I don't see it as a huge problem. She's not the princess).

So elegant! The next one is my favorite.

Quite beautiful.

Next up is the "wild child," Prince William's younger, more attractive brother (sorry, Sir).
Henry Charles Albert David "Harry"
His name is so quintessentially British, I love it. Let's break it down. Henry is a very popular name in Britain, as is Harry, and a very royal choice, indeed. Charles is most likely after his father, Prince Charles. Albert is probably after his great-grandfather, and mother of Queen Elizabeth, King George VI (whose full name was Albert Frederick Arthur George, he was called "Bertie"). David, I'm not really sure, but it may have come from Princess Diana's side. Either way, this name is chockful of royal history.
Let's take a gander at this handsome Prince Harry.

Yeah. Soak it in. That wonderful, adult-sized toy soldier outfit works well for him.

Whoa. So cute. Prince Harry, if Paul McDonald and I don't work out, you're my backup.

So that's all, folks! Royalty and royal names are great. There may or may not be another royal post coming soon.

Names of the Week

I've decided to even further indulge myself in my love of names and write about a different boy's and girl's name every week! I'll have fun with this.
This week, I'll do a theme (I may continue going with a different theme each week, but we'll see), and it's... *drumroll*
Shakespeare!
Yipee! So, let's get started.

Ophelia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: "help"
History: Ophelia was the name of the lovely (and suicidal) and mad lady in Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Her father was killed by Hamlet, the man she loves, and she goes mad. When her brother Laertes (also an excellent name) finds out, drama ensues. Ophelia eventually goes so mad that she drowns, but really commits suicide, in a lake.
This tragic tale of Ophelia may seem like a good reason to turn away from the name, but I'd have to disagree. I think that, although it's sad, this literary connection is a great one. Shakespeare always used such great names in tragic plays, and so many are underused.
Why you should use it: As mentioned before, the great literary connections are a major plus. Also, this name has such a pretty sound to it, feminine yet not fragile (if that makes sense). Ophelia could make an interesting alternative to Sophie, due to similar sounds, which is gaining in popularity. Plus, Lia and Ophie would be very cute nicknames.
Why you might not want to use it: I've heard of many people associating Ophelia to pedophelia, and other bad things that end in -ophelia. This could be a major turn off. Another reason, same as the plus side, the literary connection. Some just don't like that association.

Lysander
Origin: Greek
Meaning: "liberator"
History: One of the main characters in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Lysander is love with a woman who he shouldn't be with (isn't that always the case?). Lysander is in love with Hermia, unfortunately, Hermia's father disapproves of this relationship and wants her to marry someone else. Yet, true love prevails, and Lysander and Hermia escape to the forest to be together. Wow, that's true love. Only in literature...
Why you should use it: Obviously, the Shakespeare thing is huge. Plus, this older name has a new, fresh feel to it. The letter Y is all the rage (seriously, just take a gander at any misspelled name) and in this name it is used correctly. The sound of Lysander is so masculine, yet soft at the same time. It's a winner all around.
Why you may not want to use it: This lovely name may still feel old and stuck in the attic to some. Other than that, there are no negatives I can see.

So there's that! Ophelia and Lysander. Stay tuned, next week another name post shall come.