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ArchivesMy column on Sandra
Here is the link to today's column:
https://omaha.com/lifestyles/cleveland-evans-dee-or-day-dont-judge-sandra-by-her-name/article_9c02f172-c97b-11ed-86d6-cfa503a0318c.html
The idea that Sandra was only introduced to the English-speaking world by the novel "Sandra Belloni" (originally published in 1864 as "Emilia in England", title changed to "Sandra Belloni" for the 1887 edition) goes back a long time, but may just be speculation not backed up by data. In my research in the US census records for this column, it was clear that Sandra was occasionally used as a pet form of Cassandra before that novel was published. It also was a short form of Aleksandra in several other countries, most noteably Finland, where it was regularly used in the late 19th century. It is really difficult from census records to be sure when the first baby named officially just Sandra was born, but while "Sandra Belloni" may have been an influence, it was not the only possible source.
Also, as I point out in the article, despite the novel's later title, the main character it's named after is actually called Emilia by everyone in the novel except her father, with the word "Sandra" actually being rare within the book itself. The first time the name Sandra is mentioned, it's pointed out that her mother actually dislikes it when her father calls their daughter by that name. And it's not as if she ends up adpting it for herself later on -- there are 63 instances of "Emilia" in the story after the last mention of "Sandra."
https://omaha.com/lifestyles/cleveland-evans-dee-or-day-dont-judge-sandra-by-her-name/article_9c02f172-c97b-11ed-86d6-cfa503a0318c.html
The idea that Sandra was only introduced to the English-speaking world by the novel "Sandra Belloni" (originally published in 1864 as "Emilia in England", title changed to "Sandra Belloni" for the 1887 edition) goes back a long time, but may just be speculation not backed up by data. In my research in the US census records for this column, it was clear that Sandra was occasionally used as a pet form of Cassandra before that novel was published. It also was a short form of Aleksandra in several other countries, most noteably Finland, where it was regularly used in the late 19th century. It is really difficult from census records to be sure when the first baby named officially just Sandra was born, but while "Sandra Belloni" may have been an influence, it was not the only possible source.
Also, as I point out in the article, despite the novel's later title, the main character it's named after is actually called Emilia by everyone in the novel except her father, with the word "Sandra" actually being rare within the book itself. The first time the name Sandra is mentioned, it's pointed out that her mother actually dislikes it when her father calls their daughter by that name. And it's not as if she ends up adpting it for herself later on -- there are 63 instances of "Emilia" in the story after the last mention of "Sandra."
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