2617: Æthelred the Unready Feb 13, 2022
The epithet of Æthelred the Unready, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England, is a mistranslation. First of all, it is from the Old English 'unræd' which means 'poorly advised', from 'ræd' (council), that no longer has any cognates in English but is related to the German 'Rat' (council). Moreover, it is a pun, because Æthelred means 'noble council'. He happened to face lots of treason in his life, but it nevertheless ill-remembered for making lots of concessions to Viking pirates, despite having made lots of provisions in fact.
2614: pepe Feb 10, 2022
Usually, we would expect nicknames or pet names to at least vaguely resemble the original version. There are a few exceptions, like 'Dick' from Richard, but at least this did come from the name. In the case of the Spanish nickname Pepe born from José, this may not be so. Perhaps the most popular theory is that this comes from the abbreviation 'P.P.' from 'pater putativus' (putative father) referencing the father of Jesus, but more likely it is just from a doubling of the final syllable of the earlier Josep. It is sometimes found as Cheché and Chepe throughout Latin America. Likewise, the Italian version Peppe is from Giuseppe, and from Portuguese it is Zezé, with many other related forms.
2613: Pagan Origins of Martin, Mark, and Mario Feb 9, 2022
There have been saints and popes named Martin, but it actually has its roots in pagan religion. The name Martinus in Roman culture was fairly popular, and derives from the Roman god of war Mars. Moreover, this is also the origin for the name Marcus, and its derivative like Mark. At the same time as the Roman Martinus, there was also Marius of the same source, which remains as it was in some cultures but also became the Spanish Mario, but not the feminine Maria which is ultimately Semitic.
2601: Patric(k) Jan 28, 2022
Patric(k) is a tradition Celtic & English name, associated especially in Ireland. It is not Celtic in fact but from 'Patricius' from Latin. This is was popularized by the saint, Saint Patrick though leading to its popularity in the British Isles, as opposed to elsewhere. This also led to the word 'patrician', which is true to the original meaning, denoting a noble family.
2564: Ursula Dec 20, 2021
The name 'Ursula' is from the Latin 'ursa' (meaning 'bear'), with the feminine diminutive suffix '-ula', but that is not the main reason why people would chose to give that name perhaps. The popularity came from a 4th century saint, Saint Ursula. Many fantastic stories exist about her, though the exact historical record on her is not solid. Still, in addition to making famous an old Latin name—especially in non-Romance speaking areas especially in Slavic Eastern Europe—she also inspired the name for the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, among other places.
2533: brian Nov 19, 2021
The name 'Brian' is of somewhat disputed origin but generally thought to come from a Celtic root 'bre' meaning 'hill'. The word took on the sense of 'nobility' or just 'exalted' from the sense of physical height. Another connection is to Celtic mythology supposedly, but the mythical figure of Brian actually had his name changed from Uar. 'Brian' started out exclusively as a title, but eventually became one of the most popular names in the anglosphere, especially in Britain and Ireland in the 20th century.
2523: Mysterious Origins of Diego Nov 9, 2021
The Spanish name Santiago is from an earlier Sant Yago, but in English this is the name of Saint James. The discrepancy in the name goes even further, since in Hebrew the name is יעקב (Yaaqov). That said, it is not certain by any means that what was once thought to be the successor to 'Yago', namely 'Diego' is in fact descended from יעקב (Yaaqov) even though this would definitely not be the most radical shift over the years. Instead, the current theory is that this is from 'Didacus', itself from the Greek Διάδοχος (Diadochos) meaning 'heir; successor', though the shift in vowels from that to 'Diego' is not explained. What is certain is that 'Díaz' and its variations are just the patronymic form of 'Diego'.
2522: mesmerism Nov 8, 2021
The word 'mesmerize' now just generally refers to something that's dazzling and captivating, but 'mesmerism' was once a description of a medical procedure and (erroneous) scientific theory. Franz Anton Mesmer believed in something called 'animal magnetism'—an invisible force with physical effects—using magnets along with psychological tricks to supposedly cure people of ailments. This did actually work, but rather than being from magnetism, it was hypnosis. The salvageable procedures influenced many fields including modern talk-therapy, but the colloquial term 'mesmerize' is named from someone who may not have really known what he was doing.
2517: mentor Nov 3, 2021
Although the word 'mentor' is from Ancient Greek, it only started to be used as a word in the 18th century. Instead, this word comes from the name of a character Μέντωρ (Mentor) in Homer's Odyssey, namely the adviser of Telemachus. That said, the root of this word is connected to the idea itself, and related to the English 'mind', Latin 'monitor', and Sanskrit मन्तृ (mantṛ). So, while it is technically from a name, the name was given presumably due to who the character was.
2269: Elves in Given Names Mar 3, 2021
Although elves these days are not so culturally important these days as these used to be in ancient Germanic cultures, there still are remnants, especially in names. Alfred, Alvin Aubrey, Eldridge, and Oliver to name a few all come from the word 'ælf' (elf) with some other compound. In those names before, they are respectively Ælfræd (Elf-counsel), Ælfwine (Elf-friend) Alb(e)rada (elf-counsel), Ælfric (Elf-ruler) and Alfihar, (elf-army). Notably this makes Oliver unrelated to the French Olivier (olive-tree), though the French name did influence the spelling. Elves in Germanic mythology were small and malicious, hence why so many of those names have somewhat tough or even militaristic connotations. Share your friends named after elves.
More on elf-influence in English tomorrow.
2195: Positive Names with Negative Etymologies Dec 18, 2020
There are a lot of names out there which sound as if the meanings would be undesirable as a personal name, like 'Delores' (Sorrows). In this case it comes as a moniker for the Virgin Mary, and likewise so do other names like Mercedes (Mercy), Soledad (Loneliness), or Luz (Light), though of course not all of these are so negative. Somewhat ironically then the nicknames 'Lola' and particularly 'Lolita' come from Delores, but these were once seen to have a more erotic connotations, with popular references found in the 19th and 20th century.
On that note, should anyone find a reason 'Delilah' is so popular considering especially that story is fairly commonly known, or any other stigmatized names, please write in to the Suggestions/Questions page: