dimity or English feminine equivalent of Irish Diarmaid, meaning without envy.
A child's bonnet made of white dimity fabric.A silk dimity handkerchief from the mid-1800s.
Dimity is a rare English feminine given name likely derived from the name for the fabric, which comes from the Greekprefixdi, meaning two, and the Greek word mitos, meaning thread.[1]
The Greek term was later used in Latin and was transformed into the Italian word dimiti, which became the English word dimity.[2]
It might also have been used in Ireland as an English feminine version of the Irish name Diarmaid, a name which is possibly derived in part from the Irishdí, which means without; and either from the Irish airmit, which means injunction, or airmait, which means envy.[3]
The rare name attracted some comment in American media when Americans Chris Hardwick and Lydia Hearst used it for their daughter in 2022. Hearst explained that they chose the name because she believes the word describes fabric that is dainty but also tough because it is a double weave, which reminded them of their marriage.[8] No more than four American girls in any given year since 1880, including in 2022, have ever been named Dimity in the United States. The United States Social Security Administration only includes names with five or more uses per year, per sex, in its name statistics.[9] However, the name was in use in the Southern United States at least by the mid to late 1800s[10] and has been in steady, occasional use for American women and girls since that time.
The name appears to have been most popular in Australia between the late 1940s and early 1960s.[11]
People
Dimity Dornan, Australian speech pathologist, author, social entrepreneur, bionics advocate, researcher, and businesswoman
Dimity Douglas (born 1970), Australian swimmer and 1984 Summer Olympian
Dimity Drill, a character in the 2017 television series The Worst Witch
Dimity Duck, the titular character in the children's picture book Dimity Duck by American writer Jane Yolen
Dimity Dumpty, the titular character of the children's picture book Dimity Dumpty: The Story of Humpty's Little Sister by Australian writer Bob Graham
Dimity Henstock, a character in the Thrush Green novel series by English author Miss Read
Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, a character in the Parasol Protectorates series of novels by American author Gail Carriger
Dimity Rush, a character in the 2007 New Zealand comedy-drama television series Rude Awakenings
Dimity Slattery, a character in the short story Miss Slattery and her Demon Lover that appears in The Burnt Ones, a collection of short stories published in 1964 by Australian writer Patrick White
Notes
↑ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. pp.76–77, 345. ISBN0-19-861060-2.
↑ Sandel, Abby (24 October 2013). "Dimity: Baby Name of the Day". www.appellationmountain.net. Appellation Mountain (blog). Retrieved 28 May 2023.
↑ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. pp.76–77, 345. ISBN0-19-861060-2.
↑ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. pp.76–77. ISBN0-19-861060-2.
↑ "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
↑ Sandel, Abby (24 October 2013). "Dimity: Baby Name of the Day". www.appellationmountain.net. Appellation Mountain (blog). Retrieved 28 May 2023.
↑ "Requested Name: Dimity". Waltzing More than Matilda.com. Waltzing More than Matilda (blog). 20 February 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
Name list
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