When thinking about the traditions and customs of Australia, one should not forget that the state itself it became only a hundred and a few years ago. Prior to the discovery of the island at the end of the 18th century, the population was composed of Aboriginal tribes, whose cultural traditions almost did not survive.
Then, after European colonization in England, criminals and marginals were sent here, who quickly assimilated and mixed with the remnants of the local population.
Given the not-so-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 Australia became part of the British Empire, the number of Aboriginal people began to decline sharply. In a few centuries, about 300, 000 of the first inhabitants of the island are less than half. 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 the ancient Australian female names were forgotten.
In addition to natural population growth, the number of people in Australia is replenished by emigrants from around the world. Scientists estimate 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 women's names in Australia are quite diverse and unusual.
Memory of ancient aborigines
Despite centuries of oppression, a small portion of the Aboriginal people of Australia survived, preserving the remains of traditions and beliefs. Historically, the names of local residents were descriptive of the area, ritual acts, or even animals. Sometimes, locals might use a song string or an indication of the place of birth or the event during which the child appeared as a name for the child.
For example, the ancient origin is named Arora (cockatoo), Burilda (black swan) or Coonardoo (dark well).
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 slightly different, are listed among Australian female names:
- Guyra (fish-abundant places).
- Kimba (fire in the forest).
- Olono (hill or hill)
- Tirranna (red water).
Christian names
Despite the fact that in Australia it is forbidden at the legislative level to distinguish the main religion, the majority of the inhabitants of the country profess different types of Christianity. Proponents of Buddhism and Islam account for approximately 5% of citizens, and just over 18% of the country's population 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 lives of saints. Most of them are of Latin as well as German 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 holy calendar, where each day their saints patronize. However, these days, 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 are many sonorous and beautiful, so it’s not difficult to get confused:
- Isabella (a form of the biblical name Jezebel. Means "worshiping God").
- Charlotte (comes from the ancient Germanic word meaning "free man", "man", "king").
- Olivia (the name is of Latin origin and means "olive tree").
- Sophie (translated from Greek means "wisdom").
- Emily (the name has two meanings: the Latin is “diligent, strong” and from the Roman generic name “rival”).
