Thinking about the traditions and customs of Australia, do not forget that it became a state only a hundred years ago. Before the discovery of the island at the end of the 18th century, the population was made up of aboriginal tribes, whose cultural traditions were almost completely lost.
Then, after European colonization in England, criminals and outcasts were sent here, who rather quickly assimilated and mixed with the remnants of the local population.
Given the not very long official history and the heterogeneous composition of the population, it is difficult to distinguish which Australian female names are popular here, and why little girls are called that way.
Who lives in Australia
After the entry of Australia into the British Empire, the number of Aborigines began to decline sharply. For several centuries, less than half of the approximately 300,000 first inhabitants of the island remained. In their place came immigrants from England and Ireland, who to this day make up the majority of the population. Therefore, it is not surprising that ancient Australian female nameswere forgotten.
In addition to natural population growth, the number of Australian residents is replenished by emigrants from all over the world. Scientists have calculated that more than 25% of current citizens were born in other countries. New Zealanders and Greeks, Italians, Germans, Yugoslavs, Chinese and Vietnamese arrived here. And they all brought their beliefs, traditions and names. This is another reason why female names in Australia are quite varied and unusual.
Memory of the ancient natives
Despite centuries of oppression, a small part of the Aborigines of Australia survived, retaining the remnants of traditions and beliefs. Historically, the names of local residents were descriptive of the area, ritual activities, or even animals. Sometimes locals would use a song line or an indication of the place of birth or the event during which the child appeared as a name for a child.
For example, the name Arora (cockatoo), Burilda (black swan) or Coonardoo (dark well) has an ancient origin.
After the arrival of Europeans, most of the ancient names turned into surnames and in this form have survived to this day. However, some of them, of course, already sounding a little different, are among the Australian female names:
- Guyra (places teeming with fish).
- Kimba (forest fire).
- Olono (hill or hill)
- Tirranna (red water).
Christian names
Despite the fact that inIn Australia, at the legislative level, it is forbidden to single out the main religion; most of the country's inhabitants profess different types of Christianity. The share of supporters of Buddhism and Islam accounts for approximately 5% of citizens, and a little more than 18% of the country's inhabitants consider themselves atheists.
Therefore, it is not surprising that most of the female names of Australians refer us to the pages of the Bible and descriptions of the life of the saints. Most of them are of Latin as well as Germanic origin.
Among the first settlers of Australia there were many Irish, whose peculiar culture also left traces in the list of male and female popular names.
In Catholic families, it is customary to choose the name of the baby according to the calendar, where every day is patronized by their saints. However, nowadays parents can first choose a name for their baby, and only then decide which saint will become the patron saint of the child.
Among the popular Australian female names, there are many sonorous and beautiful ones, so it's not difficult to get confused:
- Isabella
- Charlotte (derived from an ancient Germanic word meaning "free man", "man", "king").
- Olivia (the name is of Latin origin and means "olive tree").
- Sophie (Greek for "wisdom").
- Emily (the name has two meanings: Latin "diligent, strong" and from the Roman generic name "rival").
Popular Names
Surprisingly, there are no official statistics on the frequency of name usage in Australia. In addition, the country consists of six states and two separate territories. There are quite significant distances between them, and each region has its own list of favorite names for girls.
In Australia, according to the latest analysis a few years ago, the following names were popular:
- Mia (rebellious, stubborn).
- Ruby (capable of sacrifice).
- Ava (mobile).
- Sienna (God's grace).
- Ryshia (love and peace).
On the territory of Australia, the remnants of ancient beliefs, the traditional way of Irish families and a wave of emigrants of different nationalities are bizarrely mixed up. And on this basis, Australian female names appeared, sonorous and surprisingly attractive.
