What's in a name?

Saint Sebastian painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1614.    Style: Baroque

I've always loved the name Sebastian. It's a strong name.  The baby name books that we flicked through when deciding defined it as Greek in origin: "Majestic. Venerated. Lovely".  Sebastian is also a  third century saint's name.  Born in c. 256 he was an early Christian saint and martyr.  Commonly depicted in art and literature tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, it is said that he was killed during the Roman emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christian's.  According to legend Saint Sebastian was rescued and healed by Irene of Rome after being shot by arrows.  But shortly afterwards he criticised Diocletian in person and as a result was clubbed to death in c. 288.  He is venerated in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.  Saint Sebastian is a popular saint amongst soldiers and atheletes, commonly known as the "Patron Saint of Sports".

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1945 UK first edition hardback cover of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

Sebastian is a name I liked growing up too.  Memories stem from watching the Granada production of "Brideshead Revisited" in the 1980's with Anthony Andrews as the charming but doomed and self destructive character battling alcholism, Lord Sebastian Flyte, with his teddy bear Aloyius.  Based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh we had every episode recorded on VHS video cassettes as my mother loved and still loves that production.

The 1980's series.

A more recent version condensed into a film saw Ben Whishaw who was notably in "The Hour", as the  character of Sebastian.  He did the role justice, and I did enjoy the film but the screenplay had been tweaked so it differed from the book and 1980's series.  Sebastian and Charles' friendship caused uproar amongst purists with a kiss instigated by Sebastian. Whereas the 1980's version was much more subtle, as was the book, with a hint of ambiguity surrounding their close friendship.

Shakespeare also used the name Sebastian in his play "Twelfth Night".  Not a play I am familiar with, I have never studied, read or seen the play but Sebastian is the missing brother to his twin sister Viola.

Other famous Sebastian's are of course Sebastian Vettel, and Sebastian Coe. Vettel is the current reigning formula one champion.  Vettel had totally escaped us when we chose the name, maybe there is a trend now for naming babies after racing drivers, but it is something we didn't intentionally think of!  At the playgroup we go to every wednesday morning there is a little boy the same age called Jenson.
Sebastian Coe  I remember clearly watching on the television with my dad.  As an athlete he competed with his rivals Steve Ovett and Steve Cram for victorious gold medals in the 1980's.  These days The Right Honourable Lord Coe is a  Conservative politician.

The band Belle and Sebastian prompted me to comment to Mark that if we had a girl maybe we should call her Belle …  However our neighbours to the left of us have a little boy a couple of months younger than Sebas called Seth and a dog called Bella so maybe not.  I had visions of calling "Belle" in from the garden from playing and next door's dog come running in also...

After seeing my aunt who lived in Spain when Sebas was only a few months old, she told us that the Spanish shorten Sebastian to Sebas highlighting the "a".  We really liked Sebas as a shortened version rather than the obvious Seb.  However we and everyone else still abbreviate to Seb too,  but people have picked up on Sebas and maybe in the future he will like to be called that too.

For middle names, Mark Peter were chosen after Sebastian's father and grandfathers.  My father's full name was Johannes Miguel Angelus, but contrary to that he was simply known as Petie to everyone! This came from when he was little he was called Jopito after Jopy his father, meaning "little Jopy".   from "Jo Pito" came Petie.  Mark's father's name is Peter, so Peter it was.  We later chose Johannes as a middle name for a boy if the next baby was to be a boy but it was not to be utilised obviously!

For a girl, Tallulah, was always the main contender.  We wanted a name again that was unusual, and we liked the rythymn of the syllables  Tal lu lah, which also goes well with Se bast i an. American Indian in origin, the definition is "Lively, leaping or running water". Spelt without the h on the end, Tallula, has a gaelic meaning that being "princess".  We personally like the American Indian definition.  I have never known any Tallulah's but always have liked the name.   A young thirteen year old Jodie Foster in the children's film Bugsy Malone made in 1976 always sticks in my head singing "My name is Tallulah". We chose Paz Rosita as middle names, both family names.  Paz is my middle name, Spanish for peace, the z is pronounced 'th' 'path'.  When my parents registered my birth they did not know the spelling of Paz and so on my birth certificate it is spelt Path!  Rosita is after my father's mother, Rosa.  Rosita is a deriative of her name, with the 'ita' on the end it means little rose.

 Tallulah Bankhead is probably the most famous namesake.  Outrageous,  outspoken, and uninhibited, she was a pretty racy character, known as much for her vices - cocaine, alcohol, hysterical tirades, and scandulous affairs with both men and women,  as she was for her winning performances on stage.  Born on 31st January 1902, her mother tragically died of Septicemia (blood poisoning) when she was 3 weeks old.  Tallulah was brought up by her paternal grandmother whom she was named after, Tallulah James Brockman Bankhead,  together with her elder sister Evelyn Eugenia.

Born into the powerful Bankhead-and-Brockman political family, active in the Democratic party in Alabama and the South.  Her father was the speaker  of the United States House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940.In 1917, a fifteen year old Bankhead boldly left her established Alabama political family and fled to New York City to fulfill her relentless need for attention and become a star.   Five years later she crossed the Atlantic, immediately finding her place as a fixture in British society and the most popular actress in London's West End.  By the time she returned to America in the 1930's, she was infamous for  throwing marathon parties, bedding her favourite costars and neglecting to keep her escapades secret from the press.  At times, her notoriety distracted her audience from her formidable talent and achievements on stage and dampened the critical response to her work.  As Bankhead herself put it, "they like me to 'Tallulah' you know - dance and sing and romp and fluff my hair and play reckless parts." In the 1950's she became an increasingly heavy smoker, smoking 150 cigarettes a day. She once tried to seduce Marlon Brando who was twenty years her junior, but he turned her down on account of her bad breath.  Still her reputation as a wild, witty over-the-top leading lady persisted until the end of her life at the age of sixty-six.

So both my children have names the same as flamboyant, fast living characters, one a fictional, charming yet self destructive drunkard.  The other an outrageous actress, I just hope the outrageous, promiscuous and self destructive traits  are not inherited from the names!

A biography & Autobiography by Joel Lobenthal of Tallulah Bankhead.

Tallulah in the early 1920's.

This footage features amongst others the actor also recognisable for  playing the lion in "The wizard of Oz" singing "I'll take Tallulah" from the 1942 film "Ship Ahoy".

"I'll Take Tallulah" from "Ship Ahoy" 1942.