Today's weather in Kent has lost it's appeal! Rain has been coming down all morning, and looks set to stay in for the day. Whereas last week we looked at the name Spring when used as a forename, today we considered the name Rain and Rainbow.
Very few children were called "Rain" when looking in the General Registration birth indexes, although Rainbow appeared with more frequency. As with the name Spring, it appeared to be used as both a boy and girls name. This unusual choice of forename may have been inspired by a particularly spectacular rainbow appearing at the time of their birth, perhaps after a storm.
Equally however, further research suggests that the surname Rainbow appears with more frequency, with nearly 4000 birth entries for the period 1837-1930. Family commemoration may also have influenced the giving of Rainbow as a first name, as much as unusual weather. Either way, surely this forename would have been shortened to "Rain" by friends and family?!
