Esmeralda (given name)

Last updated
Esmeralda
William Adolphe Bouguereau - La Petite Esmeralda.jpg
La Petite Esméralda by William Adolphe Bouguereau
GenderFeminine
Origin
Word/name Portuguese, Spanish
Meaning emerald
Region of originSpain, Portugal
Other names
Nickname(s) Lala, Esme, Esmee
Related names Emerald, Esméralda

Esmeralda is a feminine given name of Portuguese and Spanish origin meaning emerald . The name was used for a Roma character in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame , an 1831 novel by Victor Hugo that has been dramatized on film and screen and also brought the name to the attention of people in the English-speaking world. [1] [2] Esméralda is a French version of the name.

Contents

Popularity

The name has consistently ranked among the top 100 names for girls in Mexico over the last century and is also well-used for girls in Spain. [3] [4] The name has ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States, a country with a sizable population of Spanish speakers, since 1951 and among the top 500 names since 1973. The name was at its most popular for American girls in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when it was ranked among the top 200 names for girls. [5] Its popularity coincided with the release of the 1996 Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame .

People with the given name

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Hunchback of Notre-Dame</i> 1831 novel by Victor Hugo

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The title refers to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which features prominently throughout the novel. It focuses on the unfortunate story of Quasimodo, the Roma street dancer Esmeralda and Quasimodo's guardian the Archdeacon Claude Frollo in 15th-century Paris. All its elements—the Renaissance setting, impossible love affairs and marginalized characters—make the work a model of the literary themes of Romanticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia</span> Name list

Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: Κυνθία, Kynthía, "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 17th century. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, Cinny, or occasionally to Thea, Tia, or Thia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quasimodo</span> Character in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Quasimodo is a fictional character and the titular character of the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback alongside several facial deformities and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster, but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1923 American drama film starring Lon Chaney, directed by Wallace Worsley, and produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg. The supporting cast includes Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, and Brandon Hurst. Distributed by Universal Pictures, the film was the studio's "Super Jewel" of 1923 and was their most successful silent film, grossing $3.5 million. The film premiered on September 2, 1923 at the Astor Theatre in New York, New York, then went into release on September 6.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1956 film) 1956 film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1956 French-Italian CinemaScope film version of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, directed by Jean Delannoy and produced by Raymond Hakim and Robert Hakim. It stars American actor Anthony Quinn and Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida. The film is the first version of the novel to be made in color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurora (given name)</span> Name list

Aurora is a feminine given name, originating from the name of the ancient Roman goddess of dawn Aurora. Her tears were said to turn into the morning dew. Each morning she traveled in her chariot across the sky from east to west, proclaiming renewal with the rising of the sun. The Romans also associated the Northern Lights, or the Aurora borealis, with the goddess. Aurora is also traditionally the name of the princess in the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty and the many works of art it has inspired. The tale of a cursed princess who slept for one hundred years and was awakenened by the kiss of a prince might be considered a modern retelling of the ancient story of Aurora the dawn goddess, whose myths also include stories of a long sleep and an awakening at dawn.

René is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus.

Esmeralda (<i>The Hunchback of Notre-Dame</i>) Fictional character from Victor Hugos The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Esmeralda, born Agnès, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. She is a French Roma girl. She constantly attracts men with her seductive dances, and is rarely seen without her clever goat Djali. She is around 16 years old and has a kind and generous heart.

Lolita is a female given name of Spanish origin. It is the diminutive form of Lola, a hypocorism of Dolores, which means "sorrows" or "pains" in Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amalia (given name)</span> Name list

Amalia is a female given name, derived from the Germanic root amal, with meanings "vigorous, active, work", specifically the woman's name Amalberga. Its popularity is attributed to the Belgian Saint Amalberga of Maubeuge. The origins of the name Amalia have often been associated with those of Emilia and Emily, both of which in fact originate from the Latin nomen Aemilia, or with Amalthea, which originated from the Greek name "tender goddess". In Greece, the name is celebrated on 10 July in honour of Saint Amalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India (given name)</span> Name list

India is a feminine given name derived from the name of the country India, which itself takes its name from the Indus River. The name was used for India Wilkes, a character in the novel and film Gone with the Wind. Its use for girls in England began during the British rule in India during the 19th century. It has been used for daughters of aristocratic families in England that had ties to Colonial India, such as India Hicks. It has had an exotic image in the Anglosphere and also is similar in sound to other fashionable names such as Olivia and Sophia. In more recent years, some critics have viewed use of the name for non-Indian girls as problematic because they say it evokes the British Raj and colonialism. Although India is a feminine given name in the world, it is not a popular given name in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Jesus</span> Surname list

De Jesús, De Jesus or capitalized as de Jesús, de Jesus is a Spanish and Portuguese surname and a common family name in the Hispanic and Portuguese-speaking world. In the year 2000, there were 26,336 people of Hispanic/Latino origin in the United States with the surname De Jesus, making 172nd in order of frequency for all Hispanic/Latino surnames, and 1,002nd most common surname in the U.S. A decade later in 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau surveyed 44,038 people with the last name Dejesus, making it the 783rd most common surname in the U.S. DeJesus is found throughout Latin America, but most prevalent in Brazil with nearly 2,000,000 bearers with second place going to Mexico. In the Philippines, De Jesus is the 33rd most common surname, held by about 1.1% of the population.

Luna is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning moon. In Roman mythology, Luna was the divine personification of the Moon.

"Someday" is a song from Disney's 1996 animated feature film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and originally recorded by American singer and actress Heidi Mollenhauer in her film role as the singing voice of Esmeralda. It was one of three recordings, along with "In a Place of Miracles" and "As Long as There's a Moon", that were discarded during the storyboarding process to be replaced by "God Help the Outcasts." The codirectors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise both desired a quieter song for Esmeralda's scene inside the Notre Dame cathedral.

"God Help the Outcasts" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). A pop ballad, the song is performed by American singer Heidi Mollenhauer as the singing voice of Esmeralda on American actress Demi Moore's behalf, who provides the character's speaking voice. A prayer, "God Help the Outcasts" is a somber hymn in which a beset Esmeralda asks God to shield outcasts and Roma like herself against racism and discrimination at the hands of Paris and Judge Claude Frollo. The song also establishes Esmeralda as a selfless, empathetic character with whom Quasimodo falls in love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reina (given name)</span> Name list

Reina, which is also spelled Raina, Rayna, or Reyna in English, is a feminine given name with multiple, unrelated origins from a number of different languages and cultures. All of these unrelated names are pronounced and written similarly in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isis (given name)</span> Name list

Isis is a female first name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ophelia (given name)</span> Name list

Ophelia is a feminine given name, probably derived from Ancient Greek ὠφέλεια.

Tia is a usually feminine given name with diverse, unrelated origins from multiple cultures. It might have originated as a short form of names containing the word element tia or thea. The word tía is coincidentally the Portuguese and Spanish word for aunt. Some parents might have used the name in reference to the alcoholic beverage Tia Maria. Tiana might be an extended version of the name. Tia is the goddess of peaceful death in Haida mythology. Tia was also the name of an ancient Egyptian princess who lived during the 19th Dynasty. The meaning of her name possibly referred to royal status. In some cultures, including the Ancient Egyptian and Maori. Tia has also been used as a male name.

Genesis is a modern English and Spanish name taken from the word meaning "creation" or "beginning", or given in reference to the Book of Genesis.

References

  1. Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 93. ISBN   0-19-861060-2.
  2. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Esmeralda".
  3. "Popularity for the name Esmeralda – Behind the Name".
  4. "Popularity for the name Esmeralda – Behind the Name".
  5. "Popular Baby Names". Archived from the original on 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-03-26.