Rare baby name: Castara

The book "Castara" (1634) by William Habington
“Castara“

While searching for “star” names recently, I discovered the curious name Castara, which was given to dozens of baby girls in the U.S. during the 1800s.

Some examples…

“Castara” reminded me of both Castor, the name from Greek mythology (and also the name of a star, coincidentally), and Castoria, the name of the old-timey patent medicine.

But I think the most likely explanation for this one is literature.

A volume of poetry called Castara was published anonymously in London in 1634. Later editions of the collection included extra poems and revealed the name of the author: William Habington, who’d invented the name “Castara” as a pseudonym for his wife, Lucy Herbert.

Habington’s poems had titles like…

  • “To Castara, Softly singing to her selfe.”
  • “To Castara, Inquiring why I loved her.”
  • “To Cupid, Upon a dimple in Castara’s cheeke.”
  • “To Castara, Upon a trembling kisse at departure.”
  • “To Castara, Weeping.”
  • “To Castara, Upon an embrace.”

Many of the poems praised Castara’s innocence and purity, so I believe Habington created the pseudonym from the Latin word castus, which means “morally pure,” “chaste.” (Castus is the word from which chaste derives, in fact.)

One researcher noted that, after Habington’s poems were published, the name Castara “rapidly [became] a generic name for a woman one might be in love with” in literature. For instance, in British writer Anna Maria Porter’s novel A Sailor’s Friendship (1805), the hero (who was probably modeled after Admiral Horatio Nelson) had a love interest named Castara.

Habington’s poems could be found in anthologies published in the U.S. during the 19th century. Several are featured in Richard Henry Stoddard’s The Loves and Heroines of the Poets (1861), for example. I also spotted mentions of Castara in various American periodicals (e.g., “…eloquent lines of Habington to his Castara…” in a California newspaper in 1857).

Despite this, the name Castara never caught on like some of the other names coined by writers — names such as Lorna, Pamela, Vanessa, and Wendy.

What are your thoughts on the name Castara?

Sources:

Image: Clipping from Castara

Babies named for the book “Starfawn”

The book "Starfawn" (1976) by Byron Preiss and Stephen Fabian
“Starfawn“

While gathering “star” names for yesterday’s post, I came across the curious combination Starfawn.

The name Starfawn was given to several females born in the U.S. in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Typically it was a middle name.

I wonder if the parents of these Starfawns were inspired by the 1976 science fiction book Starfawn, written by Byron Preiss and illustrated by Stephen Fabian.

According to the back cover, the book — an early example of a graphic novel — was a “full-color odyssey into time and space with the crew of the Starship Destiny and the fantastic woman known as Starfawn.” (The character’s name was actually Shalla, and that’s what she was called throughout the book, but the narrator mentioned that he sometimes referred to her as “a star-fawn.”)

Would you ever consider using the name Starfawn?

Sources: Starfawn – ISFDB, Superfawn! – Superhero Novels, FamilySearch.org

Image: Adapted from the cover of Fiction Illustrated #2: Starfawn (published by Pyramid Books)

Where did the baby name Ajee come from in 1994?

Detail of an advertisement for Ajee perfume (1994)
Ajee perfume

The name Ajee first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1994. It popped up as a girl name and as a boy name that year, notably.

Girls named AjeeBoys named Ajee
199622.
1995436
1994185*†29*†
1993..
1992..
*Debut, †Peak usage

Ajee was the highest-debuting girl name of 1994. In fact, it currently ranks 13th (between Greidys and Yaire) on the list of top girl-name debuts of all time.

Where did the name come from?

A perfume called Ajee (pronounced ah-zhay) that was introduced by Revlon in early 1994. It was classified as an “oriental” fragrance.

Advertisements for Ajee ran in various popular magazines (including Glamour, Mademoiselle, and Ebony) and featured the following text:

From the heart of Africa comes a fragrance to capture the heart of every woman.

Experience the essence of Africa. Feel the power of woman.

The perfume’s name made a strong impression on expectant parents, but apparently the scent itself didn’t make the same impression on consumers, as Ajee was discontinued just a few years later.

What are your thoughts on the name Ajee?

P.S. Other dual-gender baby name debuts from the ’90s include Draven, Dasani, and Mystikal.

Sources:

Image: Clipping from Ebony magazine (Apr. 1994)

Why did Cale debut as a girl name in 2006?

The character Cale Crane from the movie "Deamer" (2005)
Cale Crane from “Dreamer“

In the middle of the first decade of the 2000s, the name Cale — which was being given to hundreds of baby boys per year — debuted impressively in the girls’ data:

  • 2008: 14 baby girls named Cale
  • 2007: 17 baby girls named Cale
  • 2006: 34 baby girls named Cale [debut]
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: unlisted

(The similar name Kale also saw higher usage for girls around that time.)

What was behind this sudden interest in Cale as a girl name?

A little girl named Cale in the family-friendly film Dreamer, which was released in October of 2005.

The movie’s main characters were Kentucky horse trainer Ben Crane (played by Kurt Russell) and his school-age daughter Cale (played by Dakota Fanning).

When Ben refused to euthanize an injured racehorse named Soñador (“Sonya”), he was given the horse — then promptly fired. While Ben tried to fix his family’s precarious financial situation, Cale developed a strong bond with the animal. Sonya went on to make a full recovery, but would she ever race again?

The film was loosely based on the recovery story of racehorse Mariah’s Storm. (I don’t know the story behind the horse’s name, but “Mariah’s Storm” is reminding me of the 1940s book Storm, which featured a cyclone whose name was spelled like Maria, but pronounced like Mariah.)

What are your thoughts on the baby name Cale? Do you prefer it as a boy name, or as a girl name?

Sources: Dreamer (2005 film) – Wikipedia, SSA

Image: Screenshot of Dreamer