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HelpGladys, the genuine Irish name...
... without any meaning known to mankind.
A couple of weeks ago, I got this name book at a flea market/jumble sale kind of thing.
The information given for some of the names are... urmm, well... let's be polite and call them "interesting". Like in the example of Gladys, the famous Irish name. You know...
Others are perfectly fine. And some I'm just not sure about. Especially when it comes to some of the English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh names listed.
Usually, when foreign names/variants are listed, they are well-known and/or popular in their home countries. And some of the foreign names sure are.
And then there are names I'm just not sure about.
So, since they are from English-speaking countries, I thought I might ask here:
Have you ever seen, encountered, heard of the following names? Do you know someone of these names?
And, of course, what do you think of them?
Oh, all of those names are listed as girls' names, by the way:
Isleen
Alwyne
Anstice - I've seen this one on lists with mediaeval names, but never as a modern name. Have you?
Aindrea (allegedly Irish)
Arabel
Asley
Austin
Oralie, Oriel
Baubie (allegedly Scottish)
Birdie
Sisile (allegedly Irish)
Canice (allegdly Irish)
Caron
Clary (allegedly American English)
Clarence (this is supposed to be an English variant of Clarice)
Cornela, Cornell
Dianthia
Doanna
Dorice
Ellice (allegedly a feminine form of Elias)
Eimile (Irish)
Aimil (Scottish)
Giorsal (Scottish)
Gritelda (Scottish)
Ead
Jyssica
Kirby
Kyle
Kyna
Maible (allegedly Irish)
Maudlin, Maudin
Mada (Irish)
Monca (Irish)
Ofilia
Oralie
Philippe
Queena
Shawn (allegedly a feminine form of Sean)
Sosanna (Irish)
Siusan (Scottish)
Telca, Telka
Tullia (allegedly Irish)
Velvina
Wyomia
I'm pretty sure a few of them exist and I just don't know them. So maybe you can help me out?
(Oh, and if you have any questions, I'll be glad to tell you what the book tells me ;-) )
A couple of weeks ago, I got this name book at a flea market/jumble sale kind of thing.
The information given for some of the names are... urmm, well... let's be polite and call them "interesting". Like in the example of Gladys, the famous Irish name. You know...
Others are perfectly fine. And some I'm just not sure about. Especially when it comes to some of the English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh names listed.
Usually, when foreign names/variants are listed, they are well-known and/or popular in their home countries. And some of the foreign names sure are.
And then there are names I'm just not sure about.
So, since they are from English-speaking countries, I thought I might ask here:
Have you ever seen, encountered, heard of the following names? Do you know someone of these names?
And, of course, what do you think of them?
Oh, all of those names are listed as girls' names, by the way:
Isleen
Alwyne
Anstice - I've seen this one on lists with mediaeval names, but never as a modern name. Have you?
Aindrea (allegedly Irish)
Arabel
Asley
Austin
Oralie, Oriel
Baubie (allegedly Scottish)
Birdie
Sisile (allegedly Irish)
Canice (allegdly Irish)
Caron
Clary (allegedly American English)
Clarence (this is supposed to be an English variant of Clarice)
Cornela, Cornell
Dianthia
Doanna
Dorice
Ellice (allegedly a feminine form of Elias)
Eimile (Irish)
Aimil (Scottish)
Giorsal (Scottish)
Gritelda (Scottish)
Ead
Jyssica
Kirby
Kyle
Kyna
Maible (allegedly Irish)
Maudlin, Maudin
Mada (Irish)
Monca (Irish)
Ofilia
Oralie
Philippe
Queena
Shawn (allegedly a feminine form of Sean)
Sosanna (Irish)
Siusan (Scottish)
Telca, Telka
Tullia (allegedly Irish)
Velvina
Wyomia
I'm pretty sure a few of them exist and I just don't know them. So maybe you can help me out?
(Oh, and if you have any questions, I'll be glad to tell you what the book tells me ;-) )
This message was edited 8/25/2011, 3:10 PM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I don't recall actually meeting any females with these names, but I've encountered or have at least seen these on the boards, in the database, or somewhere:
Isleen
Arabel - It was spelled Arabelle, though. I don't know if I've actually encountered Arabel.
Austin - I've encountered girls named Austyn as well.
Oralie
Birdie
Kirby
Kyle
Kyna - I know I've seen Kina, too.
Shawn
Tullia
I don't entirely recall if I have encountered Dianthia, but I know I've seen Diantha.
Isleen
Arabel - It was spelled Arabelle, though. I don't know if I've actually encountered Arabel.
Austin - I've encountered girls named Austyn as well.
Oralie
Birdie
Kirby
Kyle
Kyna - I know I've seen Kina, too.
Shawn
Tullia
I don't entirely recall if I have encountered Dianthia, but I know I've seen Diantha.
This message was edited 8/28/2011, 8:44 AM
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Thanks everyone!
Thank you! :-)
Thank you! :-)
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I'm sure someone's touched on Birdie. Probably Maudlin too. It's an English word. (I actually didn't know it before... It's the name of a street I pass sometimes and then I looked it up and found out.)
Kirby is used on girls, I went to elementary school with one. Same with Kyle, only the female one I know is middle aged.
Aindrea could be feminine for Andrew (or Irish for Andrea, whichever). Aindreas is Gaelic for Andrew.
Kirby is used on girls, I went to elementary school with one. Same with Kyle, only the female one I know is middle aged.
Aindrea could be feminine for Andrew (or Irish for Andrea, whichever). Aindreas is Gaelic for Andrew.
This message was edited 8/26/2011, 4:38 AM
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Oh man, I have to say... this book has me really confused :/
Ah, now that you mention it - I have a question about maudlin, the word ;-)
I remember I picked it up on this board, during a discussion about Magdalen.
But now that you say you didn't know it, either - is "maudlin" a word commonly used? Or is it a word one would rather find in poetic contexts or something like that?
Ah, now that you mention it - I have a question about maudlin, the word ;-)
I remember I picked it up on this board, during a discussion about Magdalen.
But now that you say you didn't know it, either - is "maudlin" a word commonly used? Or is it a word one would rather find in poetic contexts or something like that?
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I'm from the UK and i've come across
Arabel - only very recently on an under 2
Austin - on a one yr old though his mother isn't british
Oralie, Oriel - I haven't but I do really like Oralie - one for the list :)
Canice (allegdly Irish) - in a 20yr old
Caron - not this spelling but plenty of Karen's
Ellice (allegedly a feminine form of Elias) - I know an Ellese and an Ellis which seem similar
Kyle - many many Kyle's all 20+
Shawn (allegedly a feminine form of Sean) - 1 he's 25 and i know a few Shawna's
Arabel - only very recently on an under 2
Austin - on a one yr old though his mother isn't british
Oralie, Oriel - I haven't but I do really like Oralie - one for the list :)
Canice (allegdly Irish) - in a 20yr old
Caron - not this spelling but plenty of Karen's
Ellice (allegedly a feminine form of Elias) - I know an Ellese and an Ellis which seem similar
Kyle - many many Kyle's all 20+
Shawn (allegedly a feminine form of Sean) - 1 he's 25 and i know a few Shawna's
This message was edited 8/26/2011, 2:28 AM
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Arabel is to Arabella as Isabel is to Isabella, so that one's OK.
Baubie sounds disconcertingly like bawbee, one of the smallest coins (formerly) in circulation - but given some freedom of spelling, it could well be Babbie = pet form of Barbara.
My Yorkshire SIL had a grandmother named Doris but known by the Dorice pronunciation, for what that's worth. (The priest got it wrong at her funeral, and SIL still hasn't forgiven him.)
Maudlin is a medieval form of Magdalen, which is why Magdalen College, Oxford, is pronounced Maudlin. But since maudlin (lower-case m) is now a dictionary word, I can't see it being used for a cheerful human
Tullia, Irish? Tell that to Cicero!
Velvina could be a fem version of Velva, but I doubt it.
The compilers seem to believe that the Irish can't spell. Sisile = Cecile, surely? And Maible = Mabel?
Now for the "and more": yesterday I found what purported to be baby name meanings on a South African website. Guess what, folks: Mary is Greek and means "pearl", and one of its VARIATIONS is Margaret. I know I'm shouting, but really! There are others, of course, but that one's the pinnacle of perfection. I fired off a stiff e-mail but haven't heard anything yet, unsurprisingly.
Baubie sounds disconcertingly like bawbee, one of the smallest coins (formerly) in circulation - but given some freedom of spelling, it could well be Babbie = pet form of Barbara.
My Yorkshire SIL had a grandmother named Doris but known by the Dorice pronunciation, for what that's worth. (The priest got it wrong at her funeral, and SIL still hasn't forgiven him.)
Maudlin is a medieval form of Magdalen, which is why Magdalen College, Oxford, is pronounced Maudlin. But since maudlin (lower-case m) is now a dictionary word, I can't see it being used for a cheerful human
Tullia, Irish? Tell that to Cicero!
Velvina could be a fem version of Velva, but I doubt it.
The compilers seem to believe that the Irish can't spell. Sisile = Cecile, surely? And Maible = Mabel?
Now for the "and more": yesterday I found what purported to be baby name meanings on a South African website. Guess what, folks: Mary is Greek and means "pearl", and one of its VARIATIONS is Margaret. I know I'm shouting, but really! There are others, of course, but that one's the pinnacle of perfection. I fired off a stiff e-mail but haven't heard anything yet, unsurprisingly.
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Margaret, a variant of Mary? LOL! And wow!
I always considered both Mary and Margaret two absolute classic names. As classic as they come, name-wise. And getting not only the meaning wrong but actually confuse two classics... that's just... WOW.
Yup, Sisile is supposed to be an Irish Cecile, and Maible is an Irish Mabel. Or so my marvellous book claims ;-)
Oh, and Baubie is not only a pet form, but the regular Scottish form of Barbara. Of course. While Velvina is an American variant of... wait for it... Velvet!
The "worst" thing, though... I've seen a BA for a little Maible... :/
I always considered both Mary and Margaret two absolute classic names. As classic as they come, name-wise. And getting not only the meaning wrong but actually confuse two classics... that's just... WOW.
Yup, Sisile is supposed to be an Irish Cecile, and Maible is an Irish Mabel. Or so my marvellous book claims ;-)
Oh, and Baubie is not only a pet form, but the regular Scottish form of Barbara. Of course. While Velvina is an American variant of... wait for it... Velvet!
The "worst" thing, though... I've seen a BA for a little Maible... :/
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I went to school with a girl named Kirby. It is also the name of my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. Blech. I don't know anyone with the rest of the names (well, not on females anyway).
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Austin- I've seen this in modern use as a girls' name. Usually spelled Austen like Jane, though.
Oriel - Oriel is apparently a medieval English girls' name
Birdie- this was moderately popular in the 1800s in the USA
Canice - an anglicization of Coinneach- though Coinneach was used for both genders, Canice is usually just used for guys (albeit kind of rarely).
Caron - I've seen this as a form of karen
Eimile -yup. The Irish form of Emily (not very common ever though)
Giorsal- a bona fide Scottish Gaelic name. Commonly anglicized Grace. Not sure what it means.
Kirby - there was a girl named this in a Lois Duncan book I read once
Kyle - there was an actress in the 1980s named Kyle Something
Maudlin,- a medieval form of Madeline; the word "maudlin" actually comes from this as statues of mary Magdalen were often weeping
Monca (Irish) - this is a legendary Irish goddess name, though usually spelled Moncha.
Ofilia - I saw this once on a Spanish-speaking girl.
Oralie
Shawn - there's a female singer Shawn Colvin
Siusan- Hmm. Siùsaidh and Siùsag exist as Scottish diminutive forms of Susan, I don't see an actual form of Susan though. Weird.
Telca, Telka - I've seen Tecla and Tekla-- maybe typos?
Tullia used to anglicize Tuilelaith, though not common
Velvina - sounds like cheese!
Wyomia - seriously?
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Wow, thank you!
I have to say I'm fascinated that Tullia really was used as an "Irish" name. Well, anglicization.
(The book, however, claims that this "Irish" name means "the peaceful one" ;-)
But there are quite a few meanings that are just off.)
Velvina is supposed to be an American variant of Velvet ;-)
And Wyomia is listed as a variant of Winona.
I'd like to believe that Telca and Telka are just typos - but they are listed under the general Thekla entry, with the Tecla, Tekla, Telka and Telca given as English variants :/
I have to say I'm fascinated that Tullia really was used as an "Irish" name. Well, anglicization.
(The book, however, claims that this "Irish" name means "the peaceful one" ;-)
But there are quite a few meanings that are just off.)
Velvina is supposed to be an American variant of Velvet ;-)
And Wyomia is listed as a variant of Winona.
I'd like to believe that Telca and Telka are just typos - but they are listed under the general Thekla entry, with the Tecla, Tekla, Telka and Telca given as English variants :/
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My grandmother worked with a female Clarence. I never met her, so I never got the chance to ask her how her parents came up with her name. My grandmother--a woman who was absolutely not a name nerd--wouldn't ask for me. I was so curious!
I've never met a female Shawn irl, but there is singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin. I think it's her real name, not just a stage name. I don't see it as a female name, though. It's just a phonetic spelling of Sean used on a girl. I've met more than one Shawna.
I know two female Austins, one spelled Austyn and the other spelled Austen, after Jane.
I've never met a female Shawn irl, but there is singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin. I think it's her real name, not just a stage name. I don't see it as a female name, though. It's just a phonetic spelling of Sean used on a girl. I've met more than one Shawna.
I know two female Austins, one spelled Austyn and the other spelled Austen, after Jane.
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Too bad about Clarence. Now I'm curious, too!
And I suppose we'll never know, hm? :/
Ah, Austin after Jane Austen! Ok, I can sort of understand that.
To be honest, with the Austin spelling I didn't even think of Jane Austen...
I don't see Shawn as a feminine form, either. I think a phonetic spelling of a "foreign" name just doesn't count as "feminisation" for me. Shawna? Yes, of course. But Shawn? Nah, not really. I still find it weird that my book claims it's a female name...
And I suppose we'll never know, hm? :/
Ah, Austin after Jane Austen! Ok, I can sort of understand that.
To be honest, with the Austin spelling I didn't even think of Jane Austen...
I don't see Shawn as a feminine form, either. I think a phonetic spelling of a "foreign" name just doesn't count as "feminisation" for me. Shawna? Yes, of course. But Shawn? Nah, not really. I still find it weird that my book claims it's a female name...
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Austin - a fairly popular/well-known name around my area. I'm not keen on it really
Birdie - I know one. It's a sweet nickname
Clarence - I know of a few. I want to like it but it but it's seem "old-manish" to me
Kirby - I know of a few. It's a round pink video game character and that's what I think of.
Kyle - I've known quite a few. I've grown to like it quite a bit.
Philippe - I love the name but have never known anyone by it. Really the only reference I have for the name is from Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Shawn - I've known quite a few, none girls though.
*missed the part of them all being female. I've heard of female Austin/Austens, Kirbys, Kyles, and Shawns before but have never met any in real life.
Birdie - I know one. It's a sweet nickname
Clarence - I know of a few. I want to like it but it but it's seem "old-manish" to me
Kirby - I know of a few. It's a round pink video game character and that's what I think of.
Kyle - I've known quite a few. I've grown to like it quite a bit.
Philippe - I love the name but have never known anyone by it. Really the only reference I have for the name is from Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Shawn - I've known quite a few, none girls though.
*missed the part of them all being female. I've heard of female Austin/Austens, Kirbys, Kyles, and Shawns before but have never met any in real life.
This message was edited 8/25/2011, 5:04 PM
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LOL @ Irish Gladys.
Anstice is still in use in the UK - very rare but still around, 7 since 1984
Arabel is also in use here, also rarely. Short form of Arabella. I like it.
I went to college with an Oriel.
There's a celeb (or was?) called Caron Keating who was female. I've also come across it in Wales on men.
Clary is a French locational surname which is also sometimes used as a first name.
Can't personally vouch for any of the others, but I'm pretty sure Tullia isn't Irish!
Anstice is still in use in the UK - very rare but still around, 7 since 1984
Arabel is also in use here, also rarely. Short form of Arabella. I like it.
I went to college with an Oriel.
There's a celeb (or was?) called Caron Keating who was female. I've also come across it in Wales on men.
Clary is a French locational surname which is also sometimes used as a first name.
Can't personally vouch for any of the others, but I'm pretty sure Tullia isn't Irish!
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The main character in the Mortal Instruments series is named Clary, but it's a nickname for Clarissa, so I don't know if that really counts.
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