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ArchivesRe: Anaïs
in reply to a message by Amandine
It was Mike (our chief editor) based on the page's history. Doing some research myself, it is indeed from Anahita, but via Ancient Greek Ἀναῗτις (Anaitis). For a full breakdown of Anahita's descendants with references, you can see here: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/𐎠𐎴𐏃𐎡𐎫#Old_Persian . Also keep in mind that Old Greek and Persian existed over a thousand years before Old French.
As for Nina, while I personally think the coincidence is not particularly relevant, its orthographic and phonetic similarity may be of interest to some.
As for Nina, while I personally think the coincidence is not particularly relevant, its orthographic and phonetic similarity may be of interest to some.
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Replies
Without more evidence, I myself am rather skeptical of the "Anahita" derivation.
By far the most famous person named Anais is the writer Anais Nin. Though she was born in France and raised there, her parents were immigrants to France from Cuba, and according to the Wikipedia page about her she had one of those incredibly long string of names upper-class Spanish speakers sometimes give their children: Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira. You will see that every one of her other five names is in the Spanish form, so my personal guess had always been that the name could be a telescoping of "Ana Isabel".
However, I see in Googling this morning that the actual earliest easily found example of Anaïs is the French actress Anaïs Pauline Nathalie Aubert, who usually went by the stage name Mademoiselle Anaïs. She was born in 1802 and died in 1871.
So far I unfortunately have not been able to find even the names of the parents of Mademoiselle Anaïs, so can't find any indication of whether or not she was actually born or baptized under that name. There was another French actress named Anaïs Fargueil (1819-1896), but it is possible that she was named after Mademoiselle Anaïs since that actress actually first became famous around age 14 in 1816. There was a French composer who went by the name Anaïs Marcelli (1809-1878), but she was born as Anne Laure Joséphine Hure and could have been inspired to adopt her pen name from Mademoiselle Anaïs.
By far the most famous person named Anais is the writer Anais Nin. Though she was born in France and raised there, her parents were immigrants to France from Cuba, and according to the Wikipedia page about her she had one of those incredibly long string of names upper-class Spanish speakers sometimes give their children: Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira. You will see that every one of her other five names is in the Spanish form, so my personal guess had always been that the name could be a telescoping of "Ana Isabel".
However, I see in Googling this morning that the actual earliest easily found example of Anaïs is the French actress Anaïs Pauline Nathalie Aubert, who usually went by the stage name Mademoiselle Anaïs. She was born in 1802 and died in 1871.
So far I unfortunately have not been able to find even the names of the parents of Mademoiselle Anaïs, so can't find any indication of whether or not she was actually born or baptized under that name. There was another French actress named Anaïs Fargueil (1819-1896), but it is possible that she was named after Mademoiselle Anaïs since that actress actually first became famous around age 14 in 1816. There was a French composer who went by the name Anaïs Marcelli (1809-1878), but she was born as Anne Laure Joséphine Hure and could have been inspired to adopt her pen name from Mademoiselle Anaïs.
This message was edited 4/4/2024, 9:11 AM
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There is a character named Anaïs in the French opera Anacréon chez Polycrate, by Jean-Henri Guy, from 1798. Could this explain the emergence of the name in France in the beginning of the 19th century?
https://www.google.be/books/edition/Anacréon_chez_Polycrate/2ihHSObIKcUC?hl=pt-PT
https://books.google.be/books?id=2RISDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=polycrates+anais&source=bl&ots=Pmcq-zIlch&sig=ACfU3U3HM5JrEYsis_n5V0MfYAB6zb3nOw&hl=pt-PT&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwippe3rx6qFAxVr_rsIHYpiBMk4FBDoAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=polycrates%20anais&f=false
The play is set in Ancient Greece, so perhaps the name is meant to be Greek, similar to Athenaïs? The character Anaïs is the daughter of Polycrates
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycrates
Opera was a common source of given names during this period. So my theory is that Anaïs originated as a literary name. The usage as a pet form of Anne might be explained by the need to be baptised with a Catholic name, or simply due to the phonetic similarities.
https://www.behindthename.com/submit/names/usage/theatre
https://www.google.be/books/edition/Anacréon_chez_Polycrate/2ihHSObIKcUC?hl=pt-PT
https://books.google.be/books?id=2RISDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=polycrates+anais&source=bl&ots=Pmcq-zIlch&sig=ACfU3U3HM5JrEYsis_n5V0MfYAB6zb3nOw&hl=pt-PT&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwippe3rx6qFAxVr_rsIHYpiBMk4FBDoAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=polycrates%20anais&f=false
The play is set in Ancient Greece, so perhaps the name is meant to be Greek, similar to Athenaïs? The character Anaïs is the daughter of Polycrates
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycrates
Opera was a common source of given names during this period. So my theory is that Anaïs originated as a literary name. The usage as a pet form of Anne might be explained by the need to be baptised with a Catholic name, or simply due to the phonetic similarities.
https://www.behindthename.com/submit/names/usage/theatre
This message was edited 4/5/2024, 12:41 AM
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The earliest born woman named Anais from France I could find predates the opera by several decades. She was born in 1205. See my post below.
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Indeed, but it’s perhaps more likely that the opera popularised the name in the 19th century, than an obscure medieval name being revived.
In any case, it’s possible that we are dealing with two names of different origin that are spelled the same? A (pseudo?) Greek name and a Germanic (?) name in the line of Adelaïs or Alaïs.
Oddly enough I cannot find any French sources about this Anaïs de Brienne, and she is completely absent in the French Wikipedia where all the children in the house of Brienne are mentioned, with sources. In other French sources this woman who was seduced by Frederick II is called “Marguerite”.
http://w.genealogy.euweb.cz/brienne/brienne1.html
This lack of sources is unexpected if such a obscure medieval figure would be the inspiration for the use of this name in France. Perhaps some lost book telling the story became popular around 1800?
In any case, it’s possible that we are dealing with two names of different origin that are spelled the same? A (pseudo?) Greek name and a Germanic (?) name in the line of Adelaïs or Alaïs.
Oddly enough I cannot find any French sources about this Anaïs de Brienne, and she is completely absent in the French Wikipedia where all the children in the house of Brienne are mentioned, with sources. In other French sources this woman who was seduced by Frederick II is called “Marguerite”.
http://w.genealogy.euweb.cz/brienne/brienne1.html
This lack of sources is unexpected if such a obscure medieval figure would be the inspiration for the use of this name in France. Perhaps some lost book telling the story became popular around 1800?
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Yes, maybe they're two different names. French wikipedia lists it as a form of Anne: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana%C3%AFs I do believe it is possible, that there are two etymologies.
This is what French wikipedia says about the usage: On relève sa présence en France depuis 1610, mais c'est au début du XIXème qu'on commence réellement à le rencontrer. Il connaît un regain de popularité depuis les années 1980 (notamment après la sortie du parfum Anaïs Anaïs de Cacharel). Le pic de popularité date de 1993.
So the name has been recorded in France since 1610, but the more widespread use started at the beginning of the 19th century. The 1610 usage predates the opera and then we have Anais de Brienne as well.
It is so interesting to think about its origins. It's such an intrigueing name to me and I love Anahita as well.
This is what French wikipedia says about the usage: On relève sa présence en France depuis 1610, mais c'est au début du XIXème qu'on commence réellement à le rencontrer. Il connaît un regain de popularité depuis les années 1980 (notamment après la sortie du parfum Anaïs Anaïs de Cacharel). Le pic de popularité date de 1993.
So the name has been recorded in France since 1610, but the more widespread use started at the beginning of the 19th century. The 1610 usage predates the opera and then we have Anais de Brienne as well.
It is so interesting to think about its origins. It's such an intrigueing name to me and I love Anahita as well.
This message was edited 4/5/2024, 8:43 AM
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Here's the usage since 1610: https://www.geneanet.org/prenom/Anais
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I wish we could locate the women in Geneat named so in 1610, to figure out the geographical location.
I still maintain my theory that the Opera popularised the name in the 19th century. In Geneall (admittedly a smaller database but usually an accurate one) the first Anaïses date precisely from 1798.
https://geneall.net/pt/pesquisa/?s=Anaïs&t=p&total=222&start=8
I still maintain my theory that the Opera popularised the name in the 19th century. In Geneall (admittedly a smaller database but usually an accurate one) the first Anaïses date precisely from 1798.
https://geneall.net/pt/pesquisa/?s=Anaïs&t=p&total=222&start=8
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I'm sure that the opera popularized it. I completely agree with you. But I'm also sure, that it was in use long before the opera, just not as common.
This message was edited 4/5/2024, 11:15 AM
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I also doubt the Anahita connection, to be honest.
The oldest person with the name I could find: Anais von Brienne (Anais de Brienne), born 1205: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anais_von_Brienne
She was the daughter of Gauthier de Brienne. Brienne is located in France. The wiki article is not available in English, but it is easy to translate it with an online tool.
There's also a bit of information about her here: https://akingswhore.tumblr.com/post/173976279016/anais-of-brienne-c-1205-1236-mistress-of
She had a daughter named Blanchefleur, another interesting name.
The oldest person with the name I could find: Anais von Brienne (Anais de Brienne), born 1205: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anais_von_Brienne
She was the daughter of Gauthier de Brienne. Brienne is located in France. The wiki article is not available in English, but it is easy to translate it with an online tool.
There's also a bit of information about her here: https://akingswhore.tumblr.com/post/173976279016/anais-of-brienne-c-1205-1236-mistress-of
She had a daughter named Blanchefleur, another interesting name.
This message was edited 4/4/2024, 8:54 PM
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Thanks so much for finding the reference to Anais of Brienne! She does get a mention as a mistress of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the English language Wikipedia article on him but doesn't get her own article as she does in the German language Wikipedia.
It's interesting, though, that Brienne is located in northern France, a bit to the east and south of Paris, just northeast of the city of Troyes, which sort of contradicts the idea that Anais was originally a Provencal form of Anne from southern France. And Anais's mother Elvira of Hautville was from a family whose surname comes from a town in Normandy today called Héauville, which would be even further from Provence. They were the Norman family that ruled Sicily in the Middle Ages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauteville_family
It's interesting, though, that Brienne is located in northern France, a bit to the east and south of Paris, just northeast of the city of Troyes, which sort of contradicts the idea that Anais was originally a Provencal form of Anne from southern France. And Anais's mother Elvira of Hautville was from a family whose surname comes from a town in Normandy today called Héauville, which would be even further from Provence. They were the Norman family that ruled Sicily in the Middle Ages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauteville_family
This message was edited 4/5/2024, 9:15 AM
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Ah, very interesting, thank you! Is it possible that they traveled to Provence during their holidays or to visit relatives/friends and picked it up there? My guess is that they were quite affluent and I think going on a holiday to another region wouldn't have been unusual. Then again I don't know very much about the time period.
I also find this, which shows usage since 1610: https://www.geneanet.org/prenom/Anais
I also find this, which shows usage since 1610: https://www.geneanet.org/prenom/Anais
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I have no doubt that members of royal families did more travelling than the common people during the 13th century, but I doubt if anyone was just doing it for "holiday" purposes! They were doing it for purposes of conquest or diplomatic marriages.
The articles you link to says Anais probably was raised in Jerusalem at the court of her uncle who was King of Jerusalem (as a result of the Crusades), and that when she became Frederick's mistress she was living at the court in Brindisi in Apulia, which is in southern Italy. She was about 20 when she became the emperor's mistress in 1225. However, the English language Wikipedia article on her father Walter III of Brienne says that he died in 1205 and had a posthumous son who succeeded him as Walter IV in 1205. So Anais actually must have been born a bit before 1205 if she really was Walter of Brienne's daughter. The articles only say she was "probably" the daughter of Walter and Elvira -- perhaps she herself was really child of a mistress, or was actually some other sort of cousin to John of Brienne and his daughter Isabella. If she was the daughter of Walter III and Elvira, she was probably herself born near Taranto in southern Italy -- Walter had gone there with an army to try to conquer Sicily after he married Elvira, and was made Prince of Taranto in 1201. This gets things a bit more complicated in terms of the name again because it means Anais was probably born in a part of Italy that had a great deal of influence from Greece, even though her father was from northern France.
The articles you link to says Anais probably was raised in Jerusalem at the court of her uncle who was King of Jerusalem (as a result of the Crusades), and that when she became Frederick's mistress she was living at the court in Brindisi in Apulia, which is in southern Italy. She was about 20 when she became the emperor's mistress in 1225. However, the English language Wikipedia article on her father Walter III of Brienne says that he died in 1205 and had a posthumous son who succeeded him as Walter IV in 1205. So Anais actually must have been born a bit before 1205 if she really was Walter of Brienne's daughter. The articles only say she was "probably" the daughter of Walter and Elvira -- perhaps she herself was really child of a mistress, or was actually some other sort of cousin to John of Brienne and his daughter Isabella. If she was the daughter of Walter III and Elvira, she was probably herself born near Taranto in southern Italy -- Walter had gone there with an army to try to conquer Sicily after he married Elvira, and was made Prince of Taranto in 1201. This gets things a bit more complicated in terms of the name again because it means Anais was probably born in a part of Italy that had a great deal of influence from Greece, even though her father was from northern France.
This message was edited 4/14/2024, 1:33 PM
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Very interesting! Thank you :)
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I did find some Italian sources about Anaïs de Brienne, who was called “the flower of Syria”: Anaïs di Brienne, il 'fiore di Siria'. It does seem however that her paternity is uncertain, as she was simply described as “a cousin of Yolande de Brienne”.
https://www.afsu.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/F.-Eugeni_Bollettino-AFSU-Vol.II-2_17-30.pdf
As for her name, if she was indeed a member of the house of Brienne, then perhaps her name was one of the many variants of Adelaide / Adelais / Alix / Aelis used in that family. Or perhaps even a form of Agnes, since that was the name of her (supposed) grandmother. But many medieval names have origins that were lost in time (Eleanor is a good example), so it might well have been any name of Germanic/Latin/Greek origin.
http://racineshistoire.free.fr/LGN/PDF/Brienne.pdf
https://www.afsu.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/F.-Eugeni_Bollettino-AFSU-Vol.II-2_17-30.pdf
As for her name, if she was indeed a member of the house of Brienne, then perhaps her name was one of the many variants of Adelaide / Adelais / Alix / Aelis used in that family. Or perhaps even a form of Agnes, since that was the name of her (supposed) grandmother. But many medieval names have origins that were lost in time (Eleanor is a good example), so it might well have been any name of Germanic/Latin/Greek origin.
http://racineshistoire.free.fr/LGN/PDF/Brienne.pdf
This message was edited 4/5/2024, 11:03 AM
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I am skeptical of Anaïs being derived from Anahita as well, since names of deities were not commonly used in medieval times.
Instead, I agree with SugarPlumFairy's theory - it may be derived from Agnes. I came across a record of Old French names brought to England by the Normans, and these spellings look quite similar to Anaïs (source: http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/showfinal.cgi/3009.txt).
* Annais 1218
* Annas 1194
* Anneis 1154x89
* Annes 1170x76
Also, compare how Agnes was recorded in medieval England (source: https://dmnes.org/name/Agnes).
1418 Anneys
1419–20 Anneys
1424–25 Anneys
1431 Anneys
1432–33 Anneys
1434 Aneys, Anys
1436 Anneys
1438 Anneys
Additionally, it was also recorded as Anes in Paris in 1292 (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/1292paris.pdf).
Anaïs de Brienne was likely named after her supposed grandmother, Agnes. Perhaps the name was later popularized in Occitania as it was conflated with Anna, just like Magali is regarded as a form of both Magdalene and Marguerite. Alongside this, the spelling may have been influenced by other Occitan names like Adalaís, Aélis, Alays, Alazaïs...
I also think the opera helped boost Anaïs' popularity, but as a pseudo-Greek name before the "original" etymology was reclaimed.
I really hope this helps! :)
Instead, I agree with SugarPlumFairy's theory - it may be derived from Agnes. I came across a record of Old French names brought to England by the Normans, and these spellings look quite similar to Anaïs (source: http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/showfinal.cgi/3009.txt).
* Annais 1218
* Annas 1194
* Anneis 1154x89
* Annes 1170x76
Also, compare how Agnes was recorded in medieval England (source: https://dmnes.org/name/Agnes).
1418 Anneys
1419–20 Anneys
1424–25 Anneys
1431 Anneys
1432–33 Anneys
1434 Aneys, Anys
1436 Anneys
1438 Anneys
Additionally, it was also recorded as Anes in Paris in 1292 (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/1292paris.pdf).
Anaïs de Brienne was likely named after her supposed grandmother, Agnes. Perhaps the name was later popularized in Occitania as it was conflated with Anna, just like Magali is regarded as a form of both Magdalene and Marguerite. Alongside this, the spelling may have been influenced by other Occitan names like Adalaís, Aélis, Alays, Alazaïs...
I also think the opera helped boost Anaïs' popularity, but as a pseudo-Greek name before the "original" etymology was reclaimed.
I really hope this helps! :)
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How interesting! Thank you for sharing.
I think we need to keep in mind that Agnes and Anaïs are pronounced ahnn-yes and ah-nah-ees is French (approximately, I can't explain it better). So they are more similar than you would think by first looking at them. I can easily see how they might be related.
I think we need to keep in mind that Agnes and Anaïs are pronounced ahnn-yes and ah-nah-ees is French (approximately, I can't explain it better). So they are more similar than you would think by first looking at them. I can easily see how they might be related.
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Very interesting - thank you. I'm glad nobody ever asked me about it: I'd have guessed 'a form of Agnes'!
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Thank you!
All French sources I could find claim it comes from Anne:
Origine et sens :
Ce dérivé d’Anne fleurit en France dans les années 1980 alors que le parfum du même nom connaît un succès fulgurant. Anaïs atteint très vite son zénith, s'imposant au 4e rang du classement en 1993, avant de décliner. Ce prénom rendu célèbre par Anaïs Nin, écrivaine américaine d’origine cubaine (1903-1977), est peu répandu dans les pays anglophones.
français, basque, occitan (Anaís)
I clicked on your link, but it doesn't mention Anaïs, only Anaitis. It coming into use through Anaitis makes more sense to me, but maybe that should be added?
(meilleursprenoms)
All French sources I could find claim it comes from Anne:
Origine et sens :
Ce dérivé d’Anne fleurit en France dans les années 1980 alors que le parfum du même nom connaît un succès fulgurant. Anaïs atteint très vite son zénith, s'imposant au 4e rang du classement en 1993, avant de décliner. Ce prénom rendu célèbre par Anaïs Nin, écrivaine américaine d’origine cubaine (1903-1977), est peu répandu dans les pays anglophones.
français, basque, occitan (Anaís)
I clicked on your link, but it doesn't mention Anaïs, only Anaitis. It coming into use through Anaitis makes more sense to me, but maybe that should be added?
(meilleursprenoms)
This message was edited 4/3/2024, 6:24 AM
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Sorry, I didn't notice that. But the Wiktionary page for Anaïs does state that Anaitis is the etymology. I also edit Wiktionary, so I will fix that when I get to my computer.
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