Ethel


Ethel is an Old English word meaning "noble".

Description

It is frequently attested as the first element in Anglo-Saxon names, both masculine and feminine, e.g. Æthelhard, Æthelred, Æthelwulf; Æthelburg, Æthelflæd, Æthelthryth. It corresponds to the Adel- and Edel- in continental names, such as Adolf, Albert, Adelheid, Edeltraut and Edelgard.

Feminine name

Some of the feminine Anglo-Saxon names in Æthel- survived into the modern period. Ethel was in origin used as a familiar form of such names, but it began to be used as a feminine given name in its own right beginning in the mid-19th century, gaining popularity due to characters so named in novels by W. M. Thackeray and Charlotte Mary Yonge ; the actress Ethel Barrymore - born 1879 - was named after The Newcomes character.
Notes & Queries published correspondence about the name Ethel in 1872 because it was in fashion.
The feminine name's popularity peaked in the 1890s. In the United States, it was the 7th most commonly given name for baby girls in the year 1894. Its use gradually declined during the 20th century, falling below rank 100 by 1940, and below rank 1000 in 1976. Ethel was also occasionally used as a masculine given name during the period of ca. the 1880s to 1910s, but never with any frequency

People named Ethel