Message: "Re: Coppelia" - Behind the Name

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[Facts] Re: Coppelia

by menke

9/25/2004, 5:54 AM

All I could find till now is that there is a ballet called Coppelia and the story of the ballet is about a dr. Coppelius who creates a doll and calls it Coppelia. When you search for Coppelius you'll find some sites but nothing about the origin or meaning. I have to say though that the ballet (the music) was written by E.T.A. Hoffmann and this composer used to have a job as inventor of surnames for Jewish people, like Guldbaum and Apfelbaum (says a biography about him). It might thus be that he created the name Coppelius too, but how he created it is unclear to me.

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- Andria (guest) +4

9/25/2004, 9:18 AM

Thanks Menke. I know the ballet and I love it.
As Coppelius and Coppelia sound rather Latin, I thought of a Latin origin, but I found nothing satisfying.

I'm still searching ^^

Andria.

- Fabius (guest) +3

9/26/2004, 7:02 AM

Read somewhere that Coppelius may be a latinization of the surname Coppel or Coppelman. Given the previous info about Hoffmann's job may be a Jewish name?

- Miss Claire +2

9/26/2004, 9:06 AM

Yessssss I just thought about it! Jewish people have often used Latin or latinized names (*Julius* Oppenheimer, Elioenai also called Elius, Moshe also called Mausaeus...). If you suppress the Latin ending of Coppelius you get Coppel. And Koppel is the Yiddish form / pet form of Yaakov (Yakov).

- menke +1

9/26/2004, 11:03 AM

Koppel thus not only Jewish...(m)

Because i first thought it was not related, but i found the firstname Coppe at the Meertens Instituut site as a pet form of Jakob. Guess this is another confirmation of the theory now i know what you just told.

- Andria (guest)

9/28/2004, 9:07 AM

Thanks a lot everybody ! You cannot imagine how much you helped me ^^

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