“Astrid” and “Amelia”

have you ever tried to search your name in wikipedia? Especially if you’re curious enough and have too many free time…like I did…haha…

[All facts and names are from wikipedia]

Anyway, my mom gave me a name “Astrid” after an Indonesian professor in politic studies, Prof. Dr. Astrid Susanto. She wanted me to be a professor…hmm if I can fulfill that… due to my just-slightly-above-average brain. I hope that she didn’t want me to be in politic…

I always thought that ‘Astrid’ was originally a Belgian queen’s name. But it’s much more than that

Astrid, Estrid, Æstriðr or Ástríðr is a given name of North Germanic origin. It comes from Old Norse Ásfríðr (Divine Beauty), from áss (god) + fríðr (beautiful).

I like that! Astrid = Divine beauty

Many members of the European royal families use the name Astrid. They are:

• Queen Astrid (Astrid Eiriksdottir) [Norway], daughter of Eirik Bjodaskalle and mother of Olav Tryggvason (Olaf I of Norway) who ruled Norway from 995-1000 and was known for converting Norwegian Vikings to Christianity.
• Estrid (or Astrid) of the Obotrites [Sweden] (ca. 979 – 1035), was a Swedish queen consort, married to Olof Skötkonung, the King of Sweden, ca. 1000, and mother of king Anund Jacob of Sweden.
• Estrid Margarete Svendsdatter [Denmark] was a princess and sister of Cnut.
  
• Astrid, Queen of the Belgians (born Princess Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra of Sweden) (November 17, 1905 – August 29, 1935) was the Queen consort of Léopold III of the Belgians. Her conduct, and her tragic early death, made her the most popular Queen in the history of Belgium. The town of Astrida (now Butare) in Belgium’s Ruanda-Urundi colony was named after Queen Astrid.
  
• Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner [Norway] (Astrid Maud Ingeborg, born 12 February 1932) is the second daughter of King Olav V of Norway (1903–1991) and his wife, Princess Märtha of Sweden (1901–1954). A 580 000 km² area in Antarctica is named Princess Astrid Coast in her honour.
• Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Duchess of Modena, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Maria), styled Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid, (born June 5, 1962) is a daughter and second child of King Albert II and his wife Queen Paola of Belgium. Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, the head of the Ducal House of Este, on 22 September 1984 at Brussels. Her husband was created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree of November 10, 1995.

And of course there are other famous Astrids in the world, such as:

• Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren, née Ericsson, November 14, 1907 – January 28, 2002) was a Swedishchildren’s book author and screenwriter, whose many titles were translated into 85 languages and published in more than 100 countries. She has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide. Today, she is most remembered for writing the Pippi Longstocking books, as well as Karlsson-on-the-Roof book series.
• An asteroid is named 1128 Astrid. It is a main belt asteroid orbiting the Sun. Approximately 35 kilometers in diameter, it makes a revolution around the Sun once every 5 years. It was discovered by Eugène Joseph Delporte at Uccle, Belgium on March 10, 1929. It was named for H.M. Astrid, Queen of the Belgians. Its provisional designation was 1929 EB.
• Astrid Carolina Herrera Irrazábal (born Caracas, Venezuela, 23 June 1963) is a Venezuelan telenovela Icon and sex-symbol. She won the 1984 Miss World contest, representing Venezuela. She became the third woman from Venezuela to win the title. The pageant was held in London, United Kingdom.

My middle name, “Amelia”, however is much more popular. My parents gave me that name after my birth month, May. In bahasa, it is spelled Mei. So “Amelia” has “Mei” inside it. “Mei” also a Chinese word for ‘pretty’

Amelia is a female given name. It is derived from the Germanic word amal meaning “work”, and means “industrious” and “fertile”.

Some famous Amelias:

• Saint Amalberga of Maubeuge (also Amalburga, Amalia, or Amelia of Lobbes or Binche) was a Lotharingian saint who lived in the 7th century.
• Amelia Mary Earhart (pronounced /ˈɛərhɑrt/ “AIR-hart”; 24 July 1897 – missing 2 July 1937, declared dead 5 January 1939) was a noted American aviation pioneer, author and women’s rightsadvocate. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, which she was awarded as the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island . Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.
• Marco Amelia, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born April 2, 1982 in Frascati, Rome) is a World Cup-winning football goalkeeper, who currently plays for Italian Serie A club A.S. Livorno Calcio and the Italian national team.
• Amelia Vega (born November 7, 1984 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago, Dominican Republic) became the first Dominican woman to be named Miss Universe, in 2003. At the age of 18, she was the youngest winner since 1994.

“Amelia” is not only used for one’s first name…it’s also a name for a city, a village, a birth defect, an island, etc

• Amelia is a city and commune in the province of Terni (southeast Umbria, in central Italy), near the Tiber river, and the capital of the province of Terni.The city is approximately 93 kilometers from Perugia, 8 km north of Narni and approx 15.2 km from Orte. It is about 100 km from Rome.
• Amelia City is an unincorporated community in Nassau County, Florida, United States. It is located in the southern half of Amelia Island, on A1A near the Amelia River.
• Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida.
• Amelia Cove is a Canadian hamlet in the St. Barbe District of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Amelia is a village in Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The name Amelia was adopted in honor of Amelia Bowdoin, a well known and popular tollgate operator on the Ohio Turnpike.
• Amelia (from Greek α = “none” plus μέλος (plural μέλεα) = “limb”) is the birth defect of lacking one or more limbs. It can also result in a shrunken or deformed limb. For example, a child might be born without an elbow or forearm.
• The Amelia was a brig of 90 tons and was under the command of Samuel Shaw. The ship departed Sydney, Australia sometime between 8 and 17 January 1816 on its way to Java and Canton, China. It was never heard of again.

Quite interesting, right? So how about YOUR name?

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