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Archivesorigin of Gloria as a Marian devotion name
I don't normally link to my column on this site but I wanted to give some more evidence about the origin of Gloria than I could in my post under "comments" in the listing for the name.
Here is my column on the name:
http://www.omaha.com/living/evans-gloria-is-a-name-that-s-ready-to-relive/article_067cbbf4-f1e6-58d6-9222-4c47b2010e0f.html
It is a bit surprising to me that name books in English speaking countries have so far not realized that Gloria originated in Iberia as one of the names developed from titles of the Virgin Mary, like Dolores, Mercedes, Pilar, etc.
Perhaps this is because the word "Gloria" is the same in Latin as it is in Spanish and Portuguese, so it was just assumed the name was created in Britain or America directly from the Latin word. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that Gloria seems to have been more common in Portugal than Spain (though it was certainly used in Spain, as my column's reference to the Perez Galdos novel explains.)
British name dictionaries seem to think the name was invented by George Bernard Shaw for the character in his 1898 play "You Never Can Tell." However, in that play the character Gloria was taken to the Portuguese island of Madeira as a baby by her mother, who was fleeing a bad marriage in England. She has just returned to England at age 18 along with her mother and younger twin siblings. In the second act her father, Mr. Crampton (who she has no memory of and whose name she didn't even know) unexpectedly shows up. The following exchange takes place between them:
CRAMPTON (in sudden dread). No: don't think. I want you to feel: that's the only thing that can help us. Listen! Do you—but first—I forgot. What's your name? I mean you pet name. They can't very well call you Sophronia.
GLORIA (with astonished disgust). Sophronia! My name is Gloria. I am always called by it.
CRAMPTON (his temper rising again). Your name is Sophronia, girl: you were called after your aunt Sophronia, my sister: she gave you your first Bible with your name written in it.
GLORIA. Then my mother gave me a new name.
CRAMPTON (angrily). She had no right to do it. I will not allow this.
GLORIA. You had no right to give me your sister's name. I don't know her.
Though it's never explicitly stated in the play, I think it's probable that in Shaw's mind Gloria's mother chose Gloria as her new name because they had just moved to Madeira, and she thought a Portuguese name would help her daughter fit in with the natives of her new home.
In my column it's already mentioned that Gloria became regularly used in the United States because of the novel "Gloria" by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. In that novel Gloria is the daughter of a Portuguese ambassador to the United States who has married a wealthy Maryland heiress. Shortly after Gloria meets David Lindsay, who will eventually become her husband, she explains to him that her full birth name is actually "Maria da Gloria" -- the Marian title name as used in Portugal.
So both the novel which introduced the name Gloria to the United States and the play which introduced it to Britain say that their characters named Gloria have connections with Portugal. I think it is almost certain the name was originally Iberian and was introduced to English speaking countries from Portugal and Spain, and was not independently created by Southworth or Shaw.
Here is my column on the name:
http://www.omaha.com/living/evans-gloria-is-a-name-that-s-ready-to-relive/article_067cbbf4-f1e6-58d6-9222-4c47b2010e0f.html
It is a bit surprising to me that name books in English speaking countries have so far not realized that Gloria originated in Iberia as one of the names developed from titles of the Virgin Mary, like Dolores, Mercedes, Pilar, etc.
Perhaps this is because the word "Gloria" is the same in Latin as it is in Spanish and Portuguese, so it was just assumed the name was created in Britain or America directly from the Latin word. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that Gloria seems to have been more common in Portugal than Spain (though it was certainly used in Spain, as my column's reference to the Perez Galdos novel explains.)
British name dictionaries seem to think the name was invented by George Bernard Shaw for the character in his 1898 play "You Never Can Tell." However, in that play the character Gloria was taken to the Portuguese island of Madeira as a baby by her mother, who was fleeing a bad marriage in England. She has just returned to England at age 18 along with her mother and younger twin siblings. In the second act her father, Mr. Crampton (who she has no memory of and whose name she didn't even know) unexpectedly shows up. The following exchange takes place between them:
CRAMPTON (in sudden dread). No: don't think. I want you to feel: that's the only thing that can help us. Listen! Do you—but first—I forgot. What's your name? I mean you pet name. They can't very well call you Sophronia.
GLORIA (with astonished disgust). Sophronia! My name is Gloria. I am always called by it.
CRAMPTON (his temper rising again). Your name is Sophronia, girl: you were called after your aunt Sophronia, my sister: she gave you your first Bible with your name written in it.
GLORIA. Then my mother gave me a new name.
CRAMPTON (angrily). She had no right to do it. I will not allow this.
GLORIA. You had no right to give me your sister's name. I don't know her.
Though it's never explicitly stated in the play, I think it's probable that in Shaw's mind Gloria's mother chose Gloria as her new name because they had just moved to Madeira, and she thought a Portuguese name would help her daughter fit in with the natives of her new home.
In my column it's already mentioned that Gloria became regularly used in the United States because of the novel "Gloria" by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. In that novel Gloria is the daughter of a Portuguese ambassador to the United States who has married a wealthy Maryland heiress. Shortly after Gloria meets David Lindsay, who will eventually become her husband, she explains to him that her full birth name is actually "Maria da Gloria" -- the Marian title name as used in Portugal.
So both the novel which introduced the name Gloria to the United States and the play which introduced it to Britain say that their characters named Gloria have connections with Portugal. I think it is almost certain the name was originally Iberian and was introduced to English speaking countries from Portugal and Spain, and was not independently created by Southworth or Shaw.
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Replies
Don’t miss the diffusion of the name in the italian peninsula and the diffusion of the name in Italy, please.
Gloria:
It is based on the Latin term gloria, which means "glory", "fame".
The name has spread for various reasons; first of all, in Christian contexts, it is primarily a reference to divine glory (as mentioned in various liturgical hymns, such as the Gloria in excelsis Deo and the Gloria al Padre), but also to the Madonna della Gloria (one of the appellations of the Virgin Mary); then there is the augural meaning, with which it has been in use since the Middle Ages. More recent are the secular-patriotic motivations, with reference to the Cairoli brothers who, in 1867, fought in the clash of Villa Glori.
The name was used in the novel by E.D.E.N Southworth of 1891 “Gloria”, followed by the work of George Bernard Shaw of 1898. A further push to its spread was given, at the beginning of the 20th century, by the notoriety of actress Gloria Swanson.
In italy it is used almost exclusively in the form “Gloria”, even if exist some rare variants. It is mostly found in the North, especially in Tuscany.
It is also used in other countries, such as Croatia.
It is important to remember the diffusion of latin language during the Roman Empire in different countries of actual Europe and how the influence of christianity led to the diffusion of similar names or variants of the same name in different countries.
Gloria:
It is based on the Latin term gloria, which means "glory", "fame".
The name has spread for various reasons; first of all, in Christian contexts, it is primarily a reference to divine glory (as mentioned in various liturgical hymns, such as the Gloria in excelsis Deo and the Gloria al Padre), but also to the Madonna della Gloria (one of the appellations of the Virgin Mary); then there is the augural meaning, with which it has been in use since the Middle Ages. More recent are the secular-patriotic motivations, with reference to the Cairoli brothers who, in 1867, fought in the clash of Villa Glori.
The name was used in the novel by E.D.E.N Southworth of 1891 “Gloria”, followed by the work of George Bernard Shaw of 1898. A further push to its spread was given, at the beginning of the 20th century, by the notoriety of actress Gloria Swanson.
In italy it is used almost exclusively in the form “Gloria”, even if exist some rare variants. It is mostly found in the North, especially in Tuscany.
It is also used in other countries, such as Croatia.
It is important to remember the diffusion of latin language during the Roman Empire in different countries of actual Europe and how the influence of christianity led to the diffusion of similar names or variants of the same name in different countries.
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Very interesting! I've never encountered a Portuguese Gloria here in South Africa, where we have quite a large Portuguese population - the former colonies of Mozambique and Angola are our neighbours. Is it still in use there?
And, on a different tack: what about Queen Elizabeth I's nickname: Gloriana? Surely there's no Catholic connection there! It must just have been a compliment; and I'd be surprised if Gloria has never been used in a similar way.
Thanks for the interesting info, especially the Shaw reference.
And, on a different tack: what about Queen Elizabeth I's nickname: Gloriana? Surely there's no Catholic connection there! It must just have been a compliment; and I'd be surprised if Gloria has never been used in a similar way.
Thanks for the interesting info, especially the Shaw reference.
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Glória / Maria da Glória is still in use in Portugal, but it's an extremely oldfashioned name. I would be surprised to meet a Glória who is under 60 years-old. With a few exceptions, "Marian names" aren't really used anymore, even in very Catholic families, because they are seen as "old lady" names... and most people aren't very religious to begin with.
This message was edited 3/30/2018, 9:41 AM
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Gloria is definitely a Catholic Marian name, and I would argue that it originated specifically in Portugal and Brazil — at least, the cult of Our Lady of Glory was particularly strong there.
You can even point out that the name seems to have become common after the birth of the Infanta Maria da Glória of Portugal (Rio de Janeiro, 1819) who was specifically named after Our Lady of Glory. Maria da Glória eventually succeeded to the Portuguese throne as Queen Maria II. She surely helped to popularise the name both at home and abroad — she spent part of her youth in Austria and Britain.
Certainly Geneall.net (normally a very comprehensive source) does not seem to list many people named "Gloria" or "Maria da Gloria", across nationalities, before 1819. (Though, to be fair, Marian names did not seem to be widely used before the 19th century.)
You can even point out that the name seems to have become common after the birth of the Infanta Maria da Glória of Portugal (Rio de Janeiro, 1819) who was specifically named after Our Lady of Glory. Maria da Glória eventually succeeded to the Portuguese throne as Queen Maria II. She surely helped to popularise the name both at home and abroad — she spent part of her youth in Austria and Britain.
Certainly Geneall.net (normally a very comprehensive source) does not seem to list many people named "Gloria" or "Maria da Gloria", across nationalities, before 1819. (Though, to be fair, Marian names did not seem to be widely used before the 19th century.)
This message was edited 3/28/2018, 5:53 AM
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Thanks for your response! I mentioned Maria II in my column and thought perhaps the name was especially common in Portugal because of her. Because of Benito Pérez Galdós's 1877 novel, though, I wanted to admit the possibility that the name Gloria could have sometimes made it to English speaking countries from Spain as well.
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Thanks for posting Dr. Evans. I'll look into this information as it pertains to the name's entry on this site.
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