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ArchivesRe: My column on Daphne
in reply to a message by clevelandkentevans
It's true that in Georgian / Regency England (well, Great Britain) most people were still beholden to the "classics" in terms of personal names: John, Mary, Henry, Catherine... This was especially true of those in the upper echelons of society. Names from mythology, or Shakespeare, started trending with the emerging bourgeoisie in the middle of the nineteenth century (around your recorded first appearance of Daphne in Great Britain), and this is theorized to have derived from art they patronized: books, paintings, plays, operas, etc. Parents heard or read character names, became fond, and decided to actually use them as a way to be unique (essentially, nineteenth century "fandom" names).
This was seen by the upper classes as rather gauche. I remember reading Jane Austen's Emma and how it was implied (through Emma's eyes) the moment the sisters Augusta and Selina were introduced that they were nouveau riche and not up to Emma's standards. Such an impression began with their very names - and that was early in the nineteenth century!
So yes, Daphne Bridgerton is anachronistic in regards to her name. But those of us who enjoy these romances forgive authors like Quinn for writing Daphnes, Evangelines, Lavinias, etc. before their time - because the alternative is every other lady being named Mary (with some Catherine/Katherines, Eleanors, and Biblical classics scattered throughout).
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www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/117507
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/109399
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/132018
This was seen by the upper classes as rather gauche. I remember reading Jane Austen's Emma and how it was implied (through Emma's eyes) the moment the sisters Augusta and Selina were introduced that they were nouveau riche and not up to Emma's standards. Such an impression began with their very names - and that was early in the nineteenth century!
So yes, Daphne Bridgerton is anachronistic in regards to her name. But those of us who enjoy these romances forgive authors like Quinn for writing Daphnes, Evangelines, Lavinias, etc. before their time - because the alternative is every other lady being named Mary (with some Catherine/Katherines, Eleanors, and Biblical classics scattered throughout).
***
Please rate my personal name lists:
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/117507
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/109399
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/132018
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Replies
It's a bit before "Emma", but this reminds me of this rather famous passage from the first chapter of Oliver Goldsmith's "The Vicar of Wakefield", published in 1766:
"Our eldest son was named George, after his uncle, who left us ten thousand pounds. Our second child, a girl, I intended to call after her aunt Grissel; but my wife, who during her pregnancy had been reading romances, insisted upon her being called Olivia. In less than another year we had another daughter, and now I was determined that Grissel should be her name; but a rich relation taking a fancy to stand godmother, the girl was, by her directions, called Sophia; so that we had two romantic names in the family; but I solemnly protest I had no hand in it."
It's interesting that Augusta is one of the names in the passage from "Emma" because, unlike Selina, it would have mostly have been introduced to England by the Hanoverian royal family, not just by novelists.
"Our eldest son was named George, after his uncle, who left us ten thousand pounds. Our second child, a girl, I intended to call after her aunt Grissel; but my wife, who during her pregnancy had been reading romances, insisted upon her being called Olivia. In less than another year we had another daughter, and now I was determined that Grissel should be her name; but a rich relation taking a fancy to stand godmother, the girl was, by her directions, called Sophia; so that we had two romantic names in the family; but I solemnly protest I had no hand in it."
It's interesting that Augusta is one of the names in the passage from "Emma" because, unlike Selina, it would have mostly have been introduced to England by the Hanoverian royal family, not just by novelists.
This message was edited 4/26/2024, 7:45 AM
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