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http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/NATION/793341537/
Sorry, it's a massively long URL! But worth the effort, I think.
My query of the day is, how and when did the extra L invade the respectable and indeed Latin name of Hilary? Is it an American speciality, er, specialty? I've never encountered it in South Africa, or in the UK, and I can't think of any analogous names that might have influenced the spelling.
All the best
Sorry, it's a massively long URL! But worth the effort, I think.
My query of the day is, how and when did the extra L invade the respectable and indeed Latin name of Hilary? Is it an American speciality, er, specialty? I've never encountered it in South Africa, or in the UK, and I can't think of any analogous names that might have influenced the spelling.
All the best
1
Replies
Oh, Americans love to change the spellings of names to try and make them sound unique. Actually, "Unneeke" has been gaining in popularity, I hear. :)
I'm a Hillary fan, so I don't think that much of the subject of the article. But it's interesting, it sort of DOES add something to my argument on politics versus names. (I think it has an effect and a pretty big one at that.)
I'm a Hillary fan, so I don't think that much of the subject of the article. But it's interesting, it sort of DOES add something to my argument on politics versus names. (I think it has an effect and a pretty big one at that.)
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If you look at Laura Wattenberg's Baby Name Wizard blog this week, she's actually done a feature on exactly this, with cool graphs and everything! Basically, she says that Hillary and Hilary were pretty much head-to-head in the 80s. When Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail in '92, the name Hillary got a short-lived boost and the single 'l' spelling plummeted. Throughout the Clinton years, both spellings of the name decreased but the 'll' spelling remained much more common. Her theory is that Hillary Clinton "took ownership" of the name as the only famous Hil(l)ary of the time. The 'll' spelling was the one constantly seen in the media and became seen as the 'normal' one. This is all in the US, of course.
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The extra "l" got into Hillary back in medieval times. This is shown by the fact that the spelling with two l's seems to be the most common form for the surname. Reaney & Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames has an example of a spelling with two l's back in 1275.
Since Americans are very familiar with surnames becoming given names, it was natural for many parents to think that Hillary was a more appropriate spelling than Hilary for the given name.
You have a parallel situation with Alison. The most common spelling for this girl's name in the USA has been Allison since 1963. And again, Allison is also the more common spelling of the surname.
Since Americans are very familiar with surnames becoming given names, it was natural for many parents to think that Hillary was a more appropriate spelling than Hilary for the given name.
You have a parallel situation with Alison. The most common spelling for this girl's name in the USA has been Allison since 1963. And again, Allison is also the more common spelling of the surname.
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I was wondering, would you know anything about the extra "l" in Lillian? I've been doing some family tree research and come across lots of Lilians with one "l" (in England). It's not currently popular over here but in the past Lilian seems to have been more popular than Lillian wheras in the US Lillian is currently popular (and has been in the past). Off the top of my head I can't think of a surname Lillian though.
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Good thinking! I'm sure you're right; though to me and I suppose still a majority of non-Americans the extra L just looks redundant. (I'd been wondering if it was an attempt to make Hilary - and, as you point out, Alison - look extra-feminine. Hilary Benn, a minister in the British government, is a man, after all.)
A week ago I'd have agreed with you about Americans specialising in surnames becoming given names, but I've been digging round a bit on genealogy boards and found my great-uncle's mother-in-law! This lady, formidable if her daughter, my great-aunt, was anything to go by, is entered as: "wife Sandford Pick Watson b 1844 Leeds". I've double-checked! And these were ordinary working people; definitely not out of the pages of Debrett or the Peerage. It's such fun having one's mind stretched.
A week ago I'd have agreed with you about Americans specialising in surnames becoming given names, but I've been digging round a bit on genealogy boards and found my great-uncle's mother-in-law! This lady, formidable if her daughter, my great-aunt, was anything to go by, is entered as: "wife Sandford Pick Watson b 1844 Leeds". I've double-checked! And these were ordinary working people; definitely not out of the pages of Debrett or the Peerage. It's such fun having one's mind stretched.
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