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Help[Facts] origin of Amanda
Hi all,
the BtN says Amanda was created in the 17th century. However, I found on a website (see the link below) it was already used in the 13th century.
Since the site lists the attested names taken from medieval documents, I have little doubt about its accuracy or reliability. So which date is the true one?
TIA
Narinoc
the link:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/reaney.cgi?Amanda
the BtN says Amanda was created in the 17th century. However, I found on a website (see the link below) it was already used in the 13th century.
Since the site lists the attested names taken from medieval documents, I have little doubt about its accuracy or reliability. So which date is the true one?
TIA
Narinoc
the link:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/reaney.cgi?Amanda
1
Replies
Need to remember...
That names like Admiranda and Amanda were very rare indeed. Also that they would only really have been known to the people who used them, unlike common names like Elizabeth. They were not part of a general stock of names (sort of like the difference between, say, 'Emma' and 'Calico' today - one is common and part of the popular name stock, the other is rare and would surprise people).
The Amanda in the record is probably a girl bearing either the male French name Amand (women often bore male names such as Philip and Eustace), or a female form of Amand (probably Amande - Amanda is most likely the Latinisation of the name).
That names like Admiranda and Amanda were very rare indeed. Also that they would only really have been known to the people who used them, unlike common names like Elizabeth. They were not part of a general stock of names (sort of like the difference between, say, 'Emma' and 'Calico' today - one is common and part of the popular name stock, the other is rare and would surprise people).
The Amanda in the record is probably a girl bearing either the male French name Amand (women often bore male names such as Philip and Eustace), or a female form of Amand (probably Amande - Amanda is most likely the Latinisation of the name).
1
That could well be - from Shakespeare's point of view, though, Miranda was just another gerundive of obligation! Just as Perdita was just another past participle, and Marina was just an adjective. And educated parents would have been able to do what he did, in the Middle Ages or whenever, if they liked. The difference is that, if a girl was to be named Amand, then the one making the change to Amanda would have been the priest; and he would have been writing down a feminine form, not a gerundive with its own meaning.
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The recorder of the name (likely to be attached to a religious house, but unlikely to be a 'priest' in quite our modern sense) wouldn't be changing the name (the child would still be called Amand), just the recorded form. Which he would record in the Latin feminine because the record would be in Latin and the child would be feminine, no other reason.
And educated parents would be fairly thin on the ground, verging on non-existent, in 1200ish. Educated monks would be more likely. I think the male name is most likely here.
And educated parents would be fairly thin on the ground, verging on non-existent, in 1200ish. Educated monks would be more likely. I think the male name is most likely here.
1
Writers, poets etc. are often described as "inventing" names when in fact they have gone back to obscure sources and revived one, or just happened to create the same name in the same way. As is always the way, I can't think of examples just now, but I'm sure that when doing a project on etymology a year ago, I found earlier examples of many names Shakespeare supposedly created. BtN is one of the best websites, and in fact better than most books as well, but every source has its little inaccuracies and in this case I'd go with the medieval page.
1
Probably the medieval site
Oxygen.com's Babynamer (a reasonably accurate site which is the exception to the rule of "avoid name sites with the word 'baby' in the title") also mentions the 13th-century citation (although they say the citation occurs in 1212, rather than 1221--this could be a transposition error) in their entry of Amanda: http://snipurl.com/8l3k.
I love that medieval names site, btw. It has Admiranda, which I theorise could be another way Shakespeare could've gotten Miranda.
Miranda
Oxygen.com's Babynamer (a reasonably accurate site which is the exception to the rule of "avoid name sites with the word 'baby' in the title") also mentions the 13th-century citation (although they say the citation occurs in 1212, rather than 1221--this could be a transposition error) in their entry of Amanda: http://snipurl.com/8l3k.
I love that medieval names site, btw. It has Admiranda, which I theorise could be another way Shakespeare could've gotten Miranda.
Miranda
1
I really don't know... but the site looks great!
1