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ArchivesMy column on Heather
https://omaha.com/lifestyles/cleveland-evans-once-a-rare-name-heathers-popularity-peaked-in-the-70s-and-80s/article_8ae4e332-3aab-11ed-babd-d3a2b5444632.html
The research for this one took longer than usual -- the index to the US census on Ancestry.com listed lots of women supposedly named Heather, but looking at the PDFs of the actual census records revealed almost all of them were misreadings of Hesther or Hattie.
The research for this one took longer than usual -- the index to the US census on Ancestry.com listed lots of women supposedly named Heather, but looking at the PDFs of the actual census records revealed almost all of them were misreadings of Hesther or Hattie.
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Replies
Very interesting column!
It also confirms my theory that most common English flower and/or nature names were initially coined because they sounded similar to previously existing given names. Heather sounds natural in English due of its phonetic similarity to Hester/Hesther/Hettie.
(There are other categories: Lily, Rose, Violet, and Olive were inspired by older (nick) names: Lilian/Elizabeth, Rohese/Rosamund/Rosalind, Violante/Viola/Yolande, Olyff/Oliver/Olivia.)
May/Mary
Daisy/Maisy (Margaret)
Pansy/Tansy (Constance)
Poppy/Polly (also short for Penelope)
Ivy/Iris/Ivan/Ivor/Iva/Eva
Hazel/Mabel
Ginger/Gin/Ginny
Holly/Molly
Jade/Jane
Scarlett/Charlotte
Amber/Ambrose
less common...
Juniper/June/Jane/Jennifer
Dahlia/Delia/Dolly
Magnolia/Maggie/Margaret
Marigold/Mary
Amaryllis/Amara/Amy/Amphelise
Cataleya/Catherine
Myrtle/Martha?/Mabel?
Ruby/Rosy
This might explain why other names like Hyacinth, Tulip, Lilac, and Bluebell never quite became as popular (though Bluebell could have become popular as part of the Isabel/Annabel/Amabel/Dulcibel/Christabel group) - their sounds were less familiar to English speakers :)
It also confirms my theory that most common English flower and/or nature names were initially coined because they sounded similar to previously existing given names. Heather sounds natural in English due of its phonetic similarity to Hester/Hesther/Hettie.
(There are other categories: Lily, Rose, Violet, and Olive were inspired by older (nick) names: Lilian/Elizabeth, Rohese/Rosamund/Rosalind, Violante/Viola/Yolande, Olyff/Oliver/Olivia.)
May/Mary
Daisy/Maisy (Margaret)
Pansy/Tansy (Constance)
Poppy/Polly (also short for Penelope)
Ivy/Iris/Ivan/Ivor/Iva/Eva
Hazel/Mabel
Ginger/Gin/Ginny
Holly/Molly
Jade/Jane
Scarlett/Charlotte
Amber/Ambrose
less common...
Juniper/June/Jane/Jennifer
Dahlia/Delia/Dolly
Magnolia/Maggie/Margaret
Marigold/Mary
Amaryllis/Amara/Amy/Amphelise
Cataleya/Catherine
Myrtle/Martha?/Mabel?
Ruby/Rosy
This might explain why other names like Hyacinth, Tulip, Lilac, and Bluebell never quite became as popular (though Bluebell could have become popular as part of the Isabel/Annabel/Amabel/Dulcibel/Christabel group) - their sounds were less familiar to English speakers :)
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The Norse word for heather is heiðr and it is used to form feminine names: Alfheiðr, Arnheiðr, Ásheiðr, Baugheiðr, and so on.
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Very interesting! I do wish Heather was likely to make a comeback sooner.
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