Gender | Masculine |
---|---|
Name day | 12 September [1] |
Origin | |
Word/name | Celtic |
Meaning | Unknown |
Other names | |
Related names | Eilfyw, Eilfw, Ailbe, Ailbhe, Alby, Albeus, Alibeus, Elwen, Elvan |
Elvis is a male given name that first appears as that of a Saint Elvis, a figure said to be active in medieval Wales. While the name features in early Medieval Welsh literature and is of Celtic origin, it is uncertain if the name was originally Irish (Gaelic) or Welsh (Brythonic).
The name has also become predominantly associated in contemporary culture since the mid-twentieth century with the American singer Elvis Presley.
The saint's name is given as Eilfyw in Welsh, Ailbe in Irish and Elvis in later English translations. Writing in the late 11th century Buchedd Dewi ("Life of David"), Rhigyfarch states that a Saint Elvis baptised Saint David at Porthclais. [2] [3] Welsh traditions suggest that Elvis spent much of his life in this area as he is said to have fostered the young St David [4] while serving as bishop of Menevia (present-day St David's). There remains a number of places associated with the saint that bear the name "Elvis" in the St Davids area, these include a burial chamber, a shrine, the Parish of St Elvis, St Elvis farm [5] and St Elvis's Well. [4]
If the Saint's name is of a Welsh origin, the Irish version Ailbe may be a gaelicisation of an Ancient British name ancestral to modern Welsh Eilfyw or Eilfw. [6] Alternatively the name may be related or identical to the Brythonic names Elwen , Eluan and Elvan, the names of a number of several attested saints venerated in early medieval Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Or even from the surname Elwes. [7] If the name is of a Welsh origin, it may derive from the Old Welsh elfydd ("world" or "land"), ultimately from the common Celtic root albi(i̭)o- ("world") [8]
A folk etymology is suggested for a Gaelic origin of the name in the 14th century Vita Albei, deriving it from ail ("a rock") and beo ("living"). [9] A sporadic association of the saint's name with rocks has been observed, as in the Lia Ailbe ("stone of Ailbe") on the Magh Ailbe (plain of Ailbe), in Sliabh Ailbe "Mount Ailbe" in Duanaire Finn. [10] and maybe in Inbher Ailbhine mentioned in Tirechan's Vita Patricii. [11] Other possibilities involve derivation from the root albh- "white", which is found in the names of a number of Celtic deities (including a possible Albius recorded in a single inscription from Aignay-le Duc), [12]
In medieval French sources, the unrelated homograph Elvis occurs as a feminine name, a variant of Helvis, Aluysa, Alaisa, from a Germanic name such as Alwis. [13]
The name may also be derived from the Scandinavian Old Norse word Alviss which in Norse mythology means “all-wise”.[ citation needed ]
The name most commonly refers to American singer and actor Elvis Presley (1935–1977). Earlier bearers of the name include American government official and college administrator Elvis Jacob Stahr Jr. (1916–1998, born the same year as Elvis Presley's father, Vernon Elvis Presley). [14] In most cases, however, it refers to people who have the name as a tribute to Elvis Presley.[ citation needed ] People in this latter group includes those who took the name themselves (with UK-born singer and songwriter Elvis Costello being an example), and those who were named Elvis by their parents.
St Davids or St David's is a cathedral city in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies on the River Alun and is part of the community of St Davids and the Cathedral Close. It is the resting place of Saint David, Wales's patron saint, and named after him.
The Culdees were members of ascetic Christian monastic and eremitical communities of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England in the Middle Ages. Appearing first in Ireland and then in Scotland, subsequently attached to cathedral or collegiate churches; they lived in monastic fashion though not taking monastic vows.
Neath is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historically in Glamorgan, the town is located on the River Neath, seven miles east-northeast of Swansea.
David Edwards may refer to:
Juliana is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, which ensured the name's continued popularity in the medieval period.
David, Dave, or Dai Evans may refer to:
Presley is a surname and given name.
Kenneth is a given name of Gaelic origin. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: Cainnech and Cináed. The modern Gaelic form of Cainnech is Coinneach; the name was derived from a byname meaning "handsome", "comely". A short form of Kenneth is Ken.
Mustafa is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world.
Paul Aurelian was a 6th-century Welshman who became first bishop of the See of Léon and one of the seven founder saints of Brittany. He allegedly died in 575, rumoured to have lived to the age of 140, after having been assisted in his labors by three successive coadjutors. This suggests that several Pauls have been conflated. Gilbert Hunter Doble thought that he might have been Saint Paulinus of Wales.
Ivor is an English masculine given name derived either directly from the Norse Ívarr, or from Welsh, Irish, or Scottish, all of which likely derive it also from the original Norse form. The Norse name is derived from the Old Norse elements ýr and herr : hence, 'archer, bow warrior'. It is possible the old Norse name Ívarr comes from the Celtic root and may be related to the Celtic root of -iv which is found in St. Ives for example, itself possibly referring to yew. This could indicate an earlier shared language origin; potentially through Indo-European, previous contact or another source.
John Hughes may refer to:
Arthur is a masculine given name of Latin origin, derived from the Roman clan Artorius. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur.
Saint Ailbe, usually known in English as St Elvis (British/Welsh), Eilfyw or Eilfw, was regarded as the chief 'pre-Patrician' saint of Ireland. He was a bishop and later saint.
Morris is a surname of various origins though mostly of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh origin. In 2014, the surname ranked 39 out of 104,537 in England, and 55 out of 400,980 in the USA.
Howell is a surname and given name originating from Wales. As a surname, it is not particularly common among those of Welsh ancestry, as it is an anglicized form of the Welsh name Hywel. It originates in a dynasty of kings in Wales and Brittany in the 9th and 10th centuries, most notably king Hywel Dda and three Welsh royal houses of that time onwards. The royal House of Tudor was also descended from them. Today, nearly 200,000 people bear this surname.
Gladys is a female name from the Welsh name Gwladus or Gwladys, which is of uncertain meaning. It was the name of Gwladys, a Welsh royal queen who lived in the late 5th century and early 6th century and became a Christian saint. The name was also used for other Welsh nobles, but declined in use in Wales after 1500.
Hassan or Hasan is an Arabic, Irish, Scottish, or Jewish surname.
Bowen is a Celtic surname representing two separate Celtic ethnicities, the Welsh ab Owain meaning "son of Owen" and the Irish Ó Buadhacháin meaning "descendant of Bohan". The Bowen lineage can be traced back to Llwyngwair in the 11th century, near Nevern in Pembrokeshire. The Bowen surname was adopted in 1424. There are seven Bowen crests and the Bowen/Owen family group share a tartan. The Bowen/Bowens surnames are more commonly found in southern Wales, while the Owen/Owens surnames are more commonly found in northern Wales.
St Elvis is a parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, about 4 miles (6 km) east of St David's. At 200 acres (81 ha) it is one of the smallest parishes in Wales but its rector was previously the superior of the vicar of the church at Solva. The parish of Whitchurch and St Elvis together form the community of Solva.