Baby Name of the Day: Beatrix

When you think of the name Beatrix, you probably first think of Beatrix Potter, the Victorian author of the much-loved Peter Rabbit stories. Not only did she write those charming stories, but she also drew the illustrations. In fact, as a fourteen-year-old, she was awarded an Art Student's Certificate for model drawing and freehand. She employed her art skills to drawing scientific nature drawings and presented a scientific paper to the Linnean Society. A recent Hollywood film starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor focuses on Beatrix Potter's relationship with Norman Warne.

But Miss Potter isn't the only well-known Beatrix out there. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (pictured above) has been in the news lately because she has announced that she will be abdicating the throne in favor of her son Prince Willem-Alexander. She's approaching her 75th birthday, and I imagine she would like to slow down and take up a hobby or two. After all, she's been the queen for 33 years.

One of the wonderful things about this baby name is that it has such charming potential nicknames: Bea and Trixie. It's old-fashioned and lovely, but it has a kick with that "x" at the end.