Date
Meaning & History
Simply from the English word, apparently used as an English translation of Hebrew Aphrah (see Aphra) from the biblical passage: 'Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust' (Micah 1:10). According to the antiquarian William Camden, the given names Dust and Ashes were in use in the days of Queen Elizabeth I and King James VI and I. It was likely given in reference to the body returning to the earth, as in the phrase ashes to ashes, dust to dust.