Lavender (given name)

Last updated
Lavender
Single lavender flower02.jpg
The name Lavender is most often used in reference to the flowering plant.
GenderPrimarily feminine
Language(s) English
Origin
Meaning lavender

Lavender is a given name often given in reference to the flowering plant or to the light purple color. [1] [2] It is derived from the Old French word lavendre from the Latin lavendula. [3] In some instances, it might also be a transferred use of the surname, which originated as an occupational name for a person who worked in a laundry or was a camp follower. [4]

Contents

Usage

The name has been in rare, but steady, use in the Anglosphere along with other botanical names since the 1800s. It is currently more often used for girls but was historically also in use for boys. [3] [5] The name was given to 188 newborn girls in the United States in 2022. [6] It may refer to:

People

Fictional characters

Notes

  1. Lansky, Bruce (2019). 100,000+ Baby Names: The most helpful, complete, & up-to-date name book. Da Capo Lifelong Books. p. 199. ISBN   978-0306845246.
  2. Campbell, Mike. "Lavender". Behindthename.com. Behind the Name. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 164. ISBN   0-19-861060-2.
  4. "Lavender and Lavendere". quod.lib.umich.edu. University of Michigan Middle English Compendium. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. "Lavender". nameberry.com. Nameberry. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  6. "Beyond the Top 1,000". ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.

Related Research Articles

<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.

Bloody Bones is a bogeyman figure in English and North American folklore whose first written appearance is approximately 1548. As with all bogeymen the figure has been used to frighten children into proper deportment. The character is sometimes called Rawhead, Tommy Rawhead, or Rawhead-and-Bloody-Bones.

<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 awakened 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.

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

Holly is an English-language surname and given name.

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

Ottilie is a feminine given name. It is a French derivative of the medieval German masculine name Otto and, like other related Germanic names beginning with the prefixes Ad-, Aut-, Od-, Ot-, Oth-, or Ud-, has the meaning "prosperous in battle", "riches", "prosperous" or "wealth". The English place name Otley and surname Ottley are related names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel (given name)</span> Female given name

Hazel is a primarily female given name meaning "hazel", from the name of the tree or the color. It is derived from the Old English hæsel. It became a popular name in English-speaking countries during the 19th century, along with other names of plants or trees used for girls.

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

Pearl is a unisex given name derived from the English word pearl, a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue of a living, shelled mollusk. Pearls are commonly used in jewelry-making. The name has a history of usage among Jews. Pearl is used as an Anglicization of the Yiddish name Perle. Pearl is also a common Jewish surname. Usage of the name for girls may also have been inspired by the name Margaret, which means "pearl". Pearl came into wider popular use in the Anglosphere along with other gemstone names used for girls during the late Victorian Era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opal (given name)</span> Female given name

Opal is a primarily feminine given name derived from the name of the gemstone opal. The gemstone is the birthstone for October. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit upala, which means 'jewel'. It came into use along with other gemstone names during the late Victorian era. The iridescent, many-colored gem was called the “queen of gems” in Ancient Rome. The name has recently increased in usage, a trend that has been attributed to a renewed interest in “cottagecore names” with a vintage sensibility that are rooted in the natural world. Author Laura Wattenberg calls the sound of the name unique.

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

Crystal is a common English language female given name. Variant forms of the name include Kristal, Krystal, Cristal, Kristel, Krystle and Kristol.

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

Dulcie is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin dulcis, meaning sweet. It has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1800s. It was a recreation in a new form of Duce, Douce, or Dowse, an older English name in use since the Middle Ages that was derived from the same Latin source word. Dulcia was a form of the name in use in the Later Roman Empire. Dulcis and Dulceta were both in use in records recorded in Latin in medieval France, where the name came from the Old French words dolz or dous and Middle French words doux and douce, all also from the Latin dulcis. The names Dolcis and Dulcis are found in Latin records in medieval Italy; Dulcia and Dulciae in Latin records in medieval Portugal. Dowsabel or Dousabel, or Dulcibel or Dulcibella in modern English, was derived from the Latin dulcis in combination with bellus, or beautiful, and also had the connotation of sweetheart.

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

Goldie is a nickname or given name used in reference to an informal English diminutive word for gold or an English version of the Yiddish name Golda or Golde, also meaning gold. It was often used as a pet name for a girl with blonde hair. It is also used as a nickname for formal names such as Marigold. It has a “vintage vibe” for some parents who have considered it. Other commentators note that the name has risen in use for girls along with other names of a similar style that all exude cuteness and promote enjoyment, perhaps in reaction to serious times. The English expression good as gold is often used to describe people who act virtuously and, in the case of children, are well-behaved.

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

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

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

Marigold is an English name taken from the common name used for flowers from different genera such as Calendula or Tagetes, among others.

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

Cataleya is a feminine given name, a variant spelling of Cattleya, a genus of orchid named in honor of English botanist William Cattley. The surname Cattley is said to be a transferred use of Catley, a one-time English place name in both Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire. The place name was ultimately derived from the Old English words catte, meaning cat and leah, meaning meadow or clearing, giving the meaning “from the meadow or clearing where wildcats dwell.” Another name for the Cattleya orchid is cat orchid. Others have made a connection between the name and cats because of the name’s starting syllable.

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

Clover is a modern given name derived from the common name for the plant, which was ultimately derived from the Old English word clāfre. The name has associations with Ireland and with good fortune due to traditional tales about the Irish shamrock or four-leaf clover. The name has recently increased in usage, a trend that has been attributed to a renewed interest in “cottagecore names” with a vintage sensibility that are rooted in the natural world. The name has ranked among the 1000 most used names for newborn girls in the United States since 2021. It also has ranked among the 1,000 most popular names for newborn girls in Canada since 2021. The name also ranked among the top 1,000 names for newborn girls in England and Wales in 2021, the year it ranked in 918th place on the popularity chart there.

Collins is a given name, a transferred use of an English surname ultimately derived from multiple sources. It could be derived from Coll or Colin, an English diminutive of the Greek name Nicholas, or from the Irish word cuilein, meaning darling, from the Welsh collen, referring to a grove of hazel trees, or of the French Colline, meaning hill.

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

Lyra is a feminine given name of Greek and Latin origin meaning lyre. It is usually given in reference to the constellation and the Greek myth that inspired its naming. The name has associations with music and harmony and the night sky. The name has recently increased in usage due to a character in His Dark Materials, a book trilogy by Philip Pullman, and the television show and film adapted from the books.

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

Atticus is a masculine name of Greek origin meaning “from Attica.” The name is often used in reference to Atticus Finch, a heroic lawyer who represents an African American man accused of rape by a white woman in a racist Southern United States town in Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Usage of the name continued to increase even after the publication of the 2015 sequel Go Set a Watchman, a novel which presents a more conflicted version of Atticus Finch who also holds racist beliefs. The name has been steadily increasing in usage in the United States. It has been among the top 1,000 names for boys in the United States since 2004 and among the top 300 since 2020.

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

Primrose is an English feminine given name given in reference to the flower. The common name for the flower comes from the Latin phrase prima rosa, or first rose. It is also an English or Scottish surname. As a given name, it was occasionally used as a transferred use of the surname for both boys and girls. It came into vogue in the Victorian era and first part of the 20th century, especially in the United Kingdom, along with other plant and flower names for girls. More attention has been given to the name in the Anglosphere due to a character in The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins and the movies based on the books.

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

Dimity is a rare English feminine given name likely derived from the name for the fabric, which comes from the Greek prefix di, meaning two, and the Greek word mitos, meaning thread.