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Help[Opinions] Luna... on a boy?
I was reading a book that mentioned "Luna Leopold, a fluvial hydrologist and son of the famous Aldo Leopold..." I really thought it was a typo so I looked it up and yes, Aldo Leopold had a son named Luna.
Does anyone know where Luna-on-a-boy came from? He was born in 1915. Aldo Leopold's first language was German but I don't know if that has any precedent in German either. Maybe they wanted to call him Moon because his mom was Star (Estella)? But surely there are less girly versions of Moon??
(I also found out his youngest daughter is still alive and now I'm wondering if she ever gets asked this question...)
Does anyone know where Luna-on-a-boy came from? He was born in 1915. Aldo Leopold's first language was German but I don't know if that has any precedent in German either. Maybe they wanted to call him Moon because his mom was Star (Estella)? But surely there are less girly versions of Moon??
(I also found out his youngest daughter is still alive and now I'm wondering if she ever gets asked this question...)
This message was edited 5/14/2023, 1:53 PM
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I think “moon” is a masculine word in German so maybe that explains it? Luna just feels so quintessentially feminine.
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It looks like Luna was out of the top 1000 in 1915, although it had charted before, so maybe Aldo had never met anyone named Luna and liked the moon a lot? Luna is associated with a goddess though, and it really doesn't sound like a man's name.
It looks like he named two sons Aldo, although they both appear to have gone by their middle names. His daughter was named Nina, which means girl. Luna may be the name that he put the most thought into. :/
It looks like he named two sons Aldo, although they both appear to have gone by their middle names. His daughter was named Nina, which means girl. Luna may be the name that he put the most thought into. :/
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Don't like it
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I find it more odd that Aldo Leopold had two living sons named Aldo(as opposed to naming a second son after a first deceased son).
Luna is the Latin word for moon. Perhaps he just wanted to name his son moon. Who knows.
I know there was a Roman goddess called Luna but this is no more odd to me than people naming their sons Memphis which was the name of a Greek nymph. Or Pax which is also the name of a Roman goddess.
Luna is the Latin word for moon. Perhaps he just wanted to name his son moon. Who knows.
I know there was a Roman goddess called Luna but this is no more odd to me than people naming their sons Memphis which was the name of a Greek nymph. Or Pax which is also the name of a Roman goddess.
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I don't imagine Luna was used much as even a girls' name back then. It doesn't fly, not just because of precedent but also because Luna and all things moon are strongly associated with women/goddesses/menstruation, etc.
Luna is a common Spanish surname.
Also there is a place in Germany called Merseburg-Leuna.
Luna is a common Spanish surname.
Also there is a place in Germany called Merseburg-Leuna.
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Yeah, but that Leuna would sound like Loina in German so I don't think anyone would connect the two. Given a choice, and it would have to be at gun point, I'd rather name a boy Leuna than Luna: you're absolutely right about the feminine connotations of the moon, and there's always the chance of being called Loony, whatever one's gender. It's a non-starter to me.
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plus ...
It seems to be very popular as a dog or cat name. Seems to me a lot of crossover between pet and baby names is going on, and I don't much care for it. (Then again, one of our cats is named Herbert. Then again, again, nobody's named Herbert these days or for quite a few days before my time.)
It seems to be very popular as a dog or cat name. Seems to me a lot of crossover between pet and baby names is going on, and I don't much care for it. (Then again, one of our cats is named Herbert. Then again, again, nobody's named Herbert these days or for quite a few days before my time.)
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I haven't noticed that where I live, but it does take a while for US trends to reach the southern hemisphere. Most of my pets have had human names: only four dogs haven't: Bingo and Bonzo, and Whuskers and Wuffles. A spaniel was Sheena, but that was because our other dogs (B and B, W and W) had been Scotties and Westies and her fur was so glossy compared to theirs. Our current cat was named Pixie at the rescue centre, so we stayed with it.
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Interesting. I have never heard it on a boy. But I did think Luna was a modern name so at that point there may have been no precedent. Would have thought Lunar was more masculine sounding.
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I'm sure it would have been well known as a female name even if it wasn't very popular at the time.
In the US it looks like it charted for 3 decades before Luna Leopold was born and it had just gone out of fashion.
In the US it looks like it charted for 3 decades before Luna Leopold was born and it had just gone out of fashion.
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