I think that baby names that come from sources you love — your family, your values, your interests — are some of the best names going. So I thought I’d write some posts that focus on drawing usable, meaningful baby names out of interests, hobbies, pastimes and other activities that many of us have in common.
I know scores of chocolate lovers, so let’s start with chocolate. Below are names I found while researching the evolution of chocolate from the bitter Mesoamerican beverage it once was to the sweet, addictive confection it now is.
Hernando
Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés was one of the first Europeans to try (and like) chocolate, circa 1519.
Hans
Ulster-Scot physician Hans Sloane (technically) invented chocolate milk while visiting Jamaica in the 1680s.
John and James
Irish immigrant John Hannon and American physician James Baker opened America’s first successful chocolate mill in Massachusetts in 1765.
Casparus and Coenraad
Dutch father-and-son chocolate makers Casparus van Houten and Coenraad van Houten developed several chocolate manufacturing techniques, including the Dutch process, in the early 1800s.
Joseph and Francis
English chocolate maker Joseph S. Fry began was the first to use a steam engine to grind cocoa beans in 1795. His son Francis Fry was head of J. S. Fry & Sons when the company introduced the first chocolate bar in 1847.
Domingo
An anonymous worker at the Ghirardelli factory in San Francisco discovered the Broma process around 1865. (Italian-born Domingo Ghirardelli was originally known as Domenico.)
Daniel and Henri
Swiss chocolate maker Daniel Peter produced the first milk chocolate bar in 1875, after years of experimentation. He did so by using the powdered milk invented by German baby formula maker Henri Nestlé (originally named Heinrich).
Rodolphe
Swiss chocolate maker Rodolphe Lindt invented the conching machine in 1879.
Milton
American confectioner Milton S. Hershey built the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing plant in 1905 in what is today known as Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Jules
Swiss chocolate maker Jules Séchaud invented a machine for manufacturing filled chocolates in 1913.
And now, two questions for you:
- What other chocolate-inspired names can you come up with?
- What other interests and activities should we namestorm about next?
Sources: A Brief History of Chocolate, Chocolate, the exhibition, The History of Chocolate, Wikipedia
Coco for a girl! LOL
Well, Freia is the top Norwegian chocolate brand, and they happen to have the BEST milk chocolate in the world!!! (I’m not joking, I’ve tasted chocolate from all over the world, and Swiss and Belgian milk chocolate can’t compete with Freia’s!!)
You could never use this spelling in Norway, but it’s lovely elsewhere! It happens to be my favourite spelling of Freya actually :)
There’s also a type of chocolate from Freia called Walter’s Almonds, so in Norway Walter would be a way of naming your child after chocolate ^^ Walter’s Almonds is really good as well! It has bits of roasted, salty, caramelised almonds in it which tastes fabulous, believe it or not! The mix was made by Walter, Freia’s Swiss employee who has been working there for 40 years now and was the first ever chocolate to be named after an employee, mostly because his idea of mixing salty with sweet was so out-there :)
Also, I suppose Willy Wonka might serve as an inspiration as well as Charlie!
Siblings Charlie and Willy would be awesome for a chocolate lover!
Well there’s Godiva, Valrhona and Cadbury.
But seriously:
Pietro (Ferrero, founder of Ferrero, the maker of Nutella),
Camille (Bloch, high-end Swiss chocolate),
Étienne (Guittard, founder of the San Fransisco couverture chocolate),
Alfred and Clara (founders of Ritter Sport),
Stella (Swiss brand – Chocolat Stella)
Vianne, character in the book/movie “Chocolat”
Dxuladi [shoo-la-dee], the Zapotec word for “chocolate,” was by Mexican-American singer Lila Downs as a middle name for her son. (I mentioned this in my Tsitsiki post today.)
And…I’m posting about chocolate yet again: Nadiya.