Once a known name to English parents, Idony has since
fallen into obscurity — ready for revival among the Izzys and Elodies.
Origin: |
Idony is the Anglicised form of the Norse name Iðunn. In Norse mythology Iðunn was the goddess of spring who was charged with the role of guarding the apples of eternal youth that made the Norse gods immortal. There appears to be little consensus on the etymology of the name — attributed meanings in different sources range from "renewer" to "work lover" — but, if we dig a little deeper, we find that the differences lie in the translating of Old Norse concepts into modern English, rather than a fundamental difference of opinion. The first element of the name, ið, is hard to find in dictionaries of Old Norse, but some sources suggest either "work, labour" (cognate with the Old Germanic id), "again", or "constant movement". One word that is perhaps more helpful, and more frequently attested, is the related iðja meaning "to do, perform, to work at,"** which gives us an overall sense of something being consistently worked on or performed. The second element is derived from the Norse unna "to love, grant, allow, bestow." Perhaps then, Iðunn was essentially "the bestower" or "she who renews," which would be highly appropriate for the Norse Spring Goddess. Historically, the name has also suffered from another confusion of meaning. In official documents Idony was Latinised as Idonia or Idonea. The latter spelling was most likely adopted due to an assumption that the name was related to the Latin idoneus meaning "suitable" as this was the form most commonly used. |
Usage: |
The name of the goddess was used occasionally as a given name for Viking women, and is twice attested in the medieval Icelandic document Landnámabók. It was most likely brought to Britain by settlers, and used in areas of Viking rule. The Normans, who were of Viking descent themselves, brought the name over from Normandy, and by the 13th century we can find several examples of the name in use, including the daughters of noblemen Robert de Veteripont and Robert de Clifford. The English poll taxes of 1377, 1379 and 1381 show 24 occurrences of the name across ten counties; the same number as Anne.* Alternate spellings included Idone, Edonea, Ydany, and Edony, and it is thought that the surnames Edney, Idney, Iddon and Iddins are all derivatives. The name all but died out by the 16th century: there is one Ideny in 1644, and an Edney in 1754. The Victorians occasionally used the name in the forms Idonia, Idonea and Idona. The 1901 UK census lists 25 women with these variations, which had risen to 35 in the 1911 census. From 1916-2005 only 4 girls were given the name Idony in England and Wales, all of them born between 1996 — 2003. |
Famous Bearers: |
Literature: * Idonia is a character in the opera La catena d'Adone (1626) by Domenico Mazzocchi |
Variants: |
Iðunn, Iðunnr, Idunn (Scandinavian), Idonea, Idonia (Latinised) |
Pronunciation: |
ID-ə-nee (UK) [key] |
Possible |
Didi, Dido, Dio, Dona, Donnie, Edie, Indy, Nona, Nony |
Sibling Names: |
Zara Tova Petra Eseld Amalia Eris |
Name Lists: |
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