Category5Kaiju wrote:AnnularCane wrote:I actually can't help wondering if the names used on the auxiliary list are a chance for the WMO to show off their creativity. With a few exceptions, a lot of them might be less likely to be used as future replacement names for the main lists. But that's just a thought.
It seems like they did decide to include some African American names like "Braylen," "Deshawn," and "Tayshaun" at least on the Atlantic side, although there are a handful of names like "Gemma" or "Sophie" that are on the aux list but are also very common names. And then there's "Pax" and "Ronin," and tbh I am not exactly sure where those names originate...either way, I do like the way the aux lists have rare human names. I think it's kind of cool
Gemma and Sophie are very common in the UK, but they are not very common in the USA yet, though Gemma is finally increasing a bit here. (Sophie is very common as a pet form in the USA, but Americans prefer to put Sophia on the birth certificate as the official name.)
Pax is the name of the Roman goddess of peace and is occasionally used in Spanish speaking countries as an alternative spelling for the feminine name Paz, which has the same meaning. Ronin is a Japanese word meaning "drifter" or "wanderer", used for a type of samurai warrior, which has been used as a name for several different characters in Marvel comics. It has been on the top 1000 list of names for American baby boys since 2007; some parents may see it as an alternative spelling for the Irish name Ronan. Note that the gender designation switches on the list here -- Paz should be male since it follows Orlanda, but instead is generally female, with the names past O on the list being the opposite gender from those on lists that have a female name in the A position in the main lists.