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I was browsing through a baby name book today and under the name Molly it read that historically, "moll" has been a term for a prostitute or the girlfriend of a gangster. This book said the use of the term "moll" caused the name Molly to be avoided by parents in certain time periods. Does anyone know if this is accurate? If so, do you know during what time periods the name Molly would have been avoided for that reason? Is the novel "Moll Flanders" connected with this term in any way?
Thanks!
Melissa
Thanks!
Melissa
1
Replies
It was true. 'Moll' was used in the 1920's and 1930's as a slang term for a gangster's girlfriend and less widely, for flappers and such 'types'.
In the 1700-1800's Molly and Moll were used literarily as common names of housemaids and domestics. There was a famous London beauty named Molly Mog (1699-1766) and John Gay wrote 'Fair Maid of the Inn' about her. Then in Tom Jones (1749), Henry Fielding wrote of the maid Molly. Daniel DeFoe's Moll Flanders in 1722 also helped it's lower-class image and Mollie Malone in 'Cockles and Mussels' gave it's Irish associations a boost (it's not, it's English).
It's nothing major to worry about now. In the 1800's Abigail was also more lady's maid than Lady ;o) And Mary itself was more widespread in the working and impoverished classes than the elite of the time. It all rolls on and all three are firmly yuppie today.
Devon
In the 1700-1800's Molly and Moll were used literarily as common names of housemaids and domestics. There was a famous London beauty named Molly Mog (1699-1766) and John Gay wrote 'Fair Maid of the Inn' about her. Then in Tom Jones (1749), Henry Fielding wrote of the maid Molly. Daniel DeFoe's Moll Flanders in 1722 also helped it's lower-class image and Mollie Malone in 'Cockles and Mussels' gave it's Irish associations a boost (it's not, it's English).
It's nothing major to worry about now. In the 1800's Abigail was also more lady's maid than Lady ;o) And Mary itself was more widespread in the working and impoverished classes than the elite of the time. It all rolls on and all three are firmly yuppie today.
Devon
1
Moll Flanders got her name because a moll was a street-fightin' whore. Not the other way round! And a moll was a moll simply because Mary was by far the most popular name for a girl, so any woman you met was likely to be a Mary herself or have a sister, a cousin or an aunt who was one; this made it the perfect choice for a runaway or anyone wanting to disappear in the city crowds. Just as there are plenty of Irish guys whose names are neither Pat nor Mick, but Pat and Mick are what they are likely to be called; and finding an Irishman if all you know about him is that he was known as Pat or Mick would be megatricky.
My unBritish impression is that as nicknames for Mary go, Polly might just be, and/or have been, somewhat higher on the social scale than Molly. The Anthony Powell novel called 'At Lady Molly's' always gives me a slight jolt. But maybe we get it wrong in the (former) colonies, dahling.
My unBritish impression is that as nicknames for Mary go, Polly might just be, and/or have been, somewhat higher on the social scale than Molly. The Anthony Powell novel called 'At Lady Molly's' always gives me a slight jolt. But maybe we get it wrong in the (former) colonies, dahling.
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