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Friday, May 5, 2017

The Names of Nurses {National Nurses Day}

National Nurses Day is tomorrow and this whole week is a week to celebrate nurses. I am a part of this club and I am so proud to say I am. A few days ago I finished my last semester of nursing school and at the end of the month I will graduate. It hard to believe. In honor of this week I am talking about 5 inspirational nurses in history.


Florence- Prosperous, Flourishing; English, Latin
Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing and is probably one of the most known nurses of all times. During the Crimean War, she became known as " The Lady with he Lamp" because she made rounds to wounded soldiers at night. One of the contributions of Florence Nightingale to nursing was to sanitation and preventing the spread of disease.

Because of my future career in nursing I have always wanted to use Florence as a first or middle name. I could go on and on about the name but I will keep it short for you. It is a place name for the romantic Italy (and the place Florence Nightingale was born). It has a nice vintage feel to it but it is coming back into style. There is a nice list of possible nicknames including, Flora, Flo, Flossie, Florrie, and Ren/Wren.



Clara- Clear, Bright, Famous; Latin
Clara Barton was the founder of the American Red Cross. During the American Civil War she worked as a hospital nurse. It was most noted that she was doing work during a time when women rarely worked outside of the home.

The name Clara is calm, vintage name that has a sweet sound to it. I adore the name as an alternative or an honor name for a Claire. In 2015 in the United States the name was ranked int he top 100 at #98. A fun fact about Clara Barton's name is she was actually born Clarissa.



Dorothea- Gift of God; Greek
Dorothea Dix was a support and activist for mental health in the 1840s. Because of her fight for the mentally ill the first generation of American mental asylums were built. During the Civil War she served as a Superintendent of Army Nurses. There is a long list of honors giving to Dorothea including, the Bangor Mental Health Institute being renamed Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center.

Dorothea is such an underused, under appreciated vintage name. I think makes a great spin on Dorothy. If you have been around for a while them you know I love nicknames so its no surprise my favorite part of the name is the nicknames. You can use Dottie, Dora, Dory, Thea, Dot, and Dodie.



Mary (Sea of Bitterness; English) Eliza (Diminutive of Elizabeth (My God is an Oath; Greek))
Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first black professional nurse in America. In 1879 she graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and Children Training School for Nurses and was one of only 3 people in her class to complete the 16 month program. In 1979 she was inducted into he American Nurses Association Hall of Fame. To help the African American nurses during her time she co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses.

Mary is such a classical name. It has ties to so many different people and events. Along with the name Elizabeth I would say Mary is one of the most known biblical names. I meant here are 6 Mary's in the bible! Double barrel names that start with Mary, such as Mary Kate or Mary Frances, are some of my favorite names out there. I really like Mary Eliza together because of the uniqueness of Eliza. Eliza is a nice alternative or honor name for Elizabeth.



Ruby- Red; Latin 
Ruby Bradley was one of the most decorated women in United States military history. She had 34 decorations, medals, and other awards. When she was captured by the Japanese after the attack on Pearl Harbor she was held as prisoner. Along with several other nurses, Ruby was known as the "Angels in Fatigues" because she gave medical help to prisoners and helped feed starving children. In her time as prisoner she assisted in 230 operations and helped delivery over 13 children. One of the sad parts about her story is she is not talked about enough! I had no idea who she was until I did the research.

Ruby as a name is a color name as well as a gem stone name. A lot of English speaking countries have the name in their top name lists like England and Ireland. If you are looking for a name that travels well than Ruby is the name for you.


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2 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Ren! Fascinating to learn about these women.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Clare! I am sorry about the late response!

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