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Help[Facts] Meaning of Marlon?
On this site it says the name Marlon is a pet name for Marc. However I've looked it up on everyother name site i can find and they all claim it means either little hawk or little falcon in french. Does anyone know it's real meaning?
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Replies
My dictionary (Leslie Dunkling 1983) says:
"Modern use is due entirely to Marlon Brando..
[his] family is said to be of French origin..
Marlon is not a French first name, and the closest one can get to it in a French context is the family name Marlin, indicating an ancestor whose name was Merlin."
Presumably the French Merlin surname would have been derived like Andy said, since the English male first name Merlin has an unrelated etymology from approximated Welsh.. however my book suggests the feminine English first name Merlin is for the bird.. whoa off topic.
- chazda
"Modern use is due entirely to Marlon Brando..
[his] family is said to be of French origin..
Marlon is not a French first name, and the closest one can get to it in a French context is the family name Marlin, indicating an ancestor whose name was Merlin."
Presumably the French Merlin surname would have been derived like Andy said, since the English male first name Merlin has an unrelated etymology from approximated Welsh.. however my book suggests the feminine English first name Merlin is for the bird.. whoa off topic.
- chazda
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umm...I'll give you the addresses
http://www.aboutbabynames.com/french_baby_names.php
http://baby-names.adoption.com/search/Marlon.html
http://www.babynamesworld.com/profile.php?seostats=1&name=Marlon
http://www.allboybabynames.com/boynames-m.html
http://www.pregnancy-info.net/m.html
http://www.babychatter.com/mboy.html
http://www.20000-names.com/male_m_names.htm
http://www.babynameworld.com/french.asp
http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-names-m.htm
http://www.babynameworld.com/m.asp
http://www.allboybabynames.com/names-m/boybabynames-marlon.html
http://www.bubbaboo.com/meaning-of-baby-names.asp?n=Marlon
Take your pick :) but the general ideas seem to be little hawk, wild falcon, or just falcon. MOst also say it's 'old french' which might explan why it's not in your dictionary. But having said all that, there's another site that seems to agree with this one (http://www.resourcesforlife.com/library/names/masculine.htm) So I really have no idea!
http://www.aboutbabynames.com/french_baby_names.php
http://baby-names.adoption.com/search/Marlon.html
http://www.babynamesworld.com/profile.php?seostats=1&name=Marlon
http://www.allboybabynames.com/boynames-m.html
http://www.pregnancy-info.net/m.html
http://www.babychatter.com/mboy.html
http://www.20000-names.com/male_m_names.htm
http://www.babynameworld.com/french.asp
http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-names-m.htm
http://www.babynameworld.com/m.asp
http://www.allboybabynames.com/names-m/boybabynames-marlon.html
http://www.bubbaboo.com/meaning-of-baby-names.asp?n=Marlon
Take your pick :) but the general ideas seem to be little hawk, wild falcon, or just falcon. MOst also say it's 'old french' which might explan why it's not in your dictionary. But having said all that, there's another site that seems to agree with this one (http://www.resourcesforlife.com/library/names/masculine.htm) So I really have no idea!
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I'm not 100% sure since it's Old French, but I'm French and I've never heard of a word like "marlon" or "marle", -on being a diminutive...
Oh wait, there's the word "merle", but it doesn't mean hawk or falcon, but blackbird... And it's French, not Old French...
Oh wait, there's the word "merle", but it doesn't mean hawk or falcon, but blackbird... And it's French, not Old French...
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I remember there was a guy on this board claiming tjat the FRrench word "merle" could also mean "falcon". This is what he wrote:
"Lumping up the multiple sources, a 'merlin' is defined as:
A small falcon of northern European & American regions. It has predominantly dark plumage and a black-striped tail.
The scientific names are 'falco columbarius' (pigeon hawk), 'falco lithofalco' (stone hawk?) and 'falco salon/aesalon' (salt/copper/hall/room halk? [purely guesswork]).
The lumped derivations are as follows:
Middle English 'merlin' > Old English 'merlion' > Anglo-Norman 'merilun' > French '[é]merillon' > Old French 'esmerillon' > Old French 'esmeril' > Old High German 'smirl' / German 'schmerl' > Latin 'merula' meaning 'blackbird.' "
But he was referring MERLIN, not to MARLON.
Andy ;—)
"Lumping up the multiple sources, a 'merlin' is defined as:
A small falcon of northern European & American regions. It has predominantly dark plumage and a black-striped tail.
The scientific names are 'falco columbarius' (pigeon hawk), 'falco lithofalco' (stone hawk?) and 'falco salon/aesalon' (salt/copper/hall/room halk? [purely guesswork]).
The lumped derivations are as follows:
Middle English 'merlin' > Old English 'merlion' > Anglo-Norman 'merilun' > French '[é]merillon' > Old French 'esmerillon' > Old French 'esmeril' > Old High German 'smirl' / German 'schmerl' > Latin 'merula' meaning 'blackbird.' "
But he was referring MERLIN, not to MARLON.
Andy ;—)
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Maybe "merle" could mean both "blackbird" and "falcon" (although it would be strange since these birds are really different) in Old French. I dunno.
The only word used in French nowadays is "merle" meaning "blackbird" though. Not "merlin" (who is used by old people to say "wizard") or marlon.
The only word used in French nowadays is "merle" meaning "blackbird" though. Not "merlin" (who is used by old people to say "wizard") or marlon.
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The farthest you could go with translating "falcon" with something else than "faucon" would be "aigle", "condor", "vautour", "rapace", "busard" or "buse". Anything else would be off-topic...
This bird topic is getting fun. :)
This bird topic is getting fun. :)
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