Nature Namemas: Anise

Welcome to the first day of my third annual Namemas! My personal countdown to Christmas with names for 12 straight days. I asked my followers on instagram (if you aren't following me there you need to!) what theme I should use and Christmas nature names was the winner. My other themes were pretty cool too. Maybe I'll save them for next year.

First up is the girl's name Anise! One of my favorites for this year.

Plant Name

Anise is the name of the licorice plant and is considered a spice. The plant comes in the shape of a star. It's used to flavor food and alcoholic drinks. When used in the herbal medical world it is given to prevent gas. 

Baby Name

Anise is an extremely rare name. In 2017, the name was given to just 6 babies and in 2016 it was given to 13 babies. The name has been around for years and years but never popular. If you take a look at the 1893 SSA names you will see 5 baby girls with the name. Personally the name is a great alternative to Ann- names since there are so many out there. The most favorite Anise is Anise Koltz a Luxembourgian poet and children's author. 

Christmas Association 

Anise is used in baking throughout Christmas time. I personally grew up using anise in pizzelles but the spice is also used in Italian, German, and Polish cookies. The spice is also a great Christmas name for its star shape.