Deft or Daft? - Coriander

So this is the first post of a series that will pop up now and then were I throw out some "out there" ideas for names that I either see somewhere, or pop into my head.

First up is Coriander!

Depending on your background, Coriander might strike you first as just a strange word, or if you know your cooking, a spice. It is the seed of the Cilantro plant and is used in a lot of wonderful dishes. With other spices and herb names making an appearance in the naming world (think Sage, Cayenne, and Ginger), why not this beauty?

I see it as a boys name. It shares a rhythm/style with Alexander, and if broken down can actually be seen as a compound name of Corey and Ander. Corey is an Old Norse surname currently ranked 351. Anders is a Scandinavian version of Andrew, meaning Lion, and is ranked 900th.

I don't think Coriander would stick out as odd due to these familiar components, but it would be a unique name. What do you think? Deft or Daft?

How to Get Your Nickname: Ace

Ace is a great nickname for a boy! Of course a lot of boys get called this without it having any root int heir name, just like nicknames like Bud or Guy. Ace has very positive connotations. It is the "#1" of the card deck. In WWI, the best fighter pilots earned the label "Ace". Wouldn't it be cool if this could be a nickname based on a given name? Well, it can! There actually are a variety of options that can get you to Ace with varying levels of directness. I have tried to order them from the most obvious connection to Ace to the more tenuous stretches. 


Aeson - This is of from Greek Mythology, and is the father of Jason (the origins of that popular name), which the name rhymes with. This is by far the most obvious way to get Ace because it uses the typical "first syllable" is the nickname formula.
Casey - Of Irish and Gaelic origin, likely means "alert and watchful".
Dacey - Of Irish and Gaelic origin, meaning "from the south"
Jason - A Greek name meaning "healer"
Acelin - Pronounced a-ce-lin, this is French in origin and means noble. For the American ear this may come too close to including the word "ass", though said correctly it avoids it.
Asaph - Similar to Acelin in the potential pronunciation problem as Acelin (it is ah-SAHF), it is Hebrew for "god has gathered"
Aslan - This Turkish name was made famous by Chronicles of Narnia, and means lion.
Ignace/Ignatius - This is most likely of Latin origin meaning ardent burning.
Eustace - Greek origin, pronounced Yu-stiss, meaning "good grapes"
Horace - pronounced Hor-ess, an old Latin family clan name, related to Horatio
Seamus - An Irish name, pronounced Shay-mus, is a form of James
Phineas - pronounced Fin-ee-us, likely from a Hebrew name meaning "oracle".
Mathias - pronounced ma-tee-us. A German variant of Matthew meaning gift of god.
Silas - pronounced Sigh-las, a Latin Name meaning "forest"
Wallace - an Old french name meaning Welshman, also a Scottish surname. (Think Braveheart!!)