Name of the Week

Once at hot favourite in France, but practically unheard of in Britain.
If you want a name that is romantic, literary and exotic,
Mireille is worth considering.

 

Origin:

Mireille is a French form of the Provençal name Mirèio, most likely derived from mirar "to see, to admire," and therefore ultimately shares a similar linguistic route to Miranda. Over the years, the name has often been confused with Marie. In his memoirs, for example, David Starr Jordan (1851-1931) says:  "On my further way to Le Touquet I found in the compartment a copy of Théodore Boutroux' charming poem, "Mireille." This tells of a Breton sailor who meets at Toulon a dainty and lively "brown cricket" of the south named Marie, "Mireille" in Provençal. But remembering his gray-eyed, placid Marie of the north, he will not be false to her" "Allais-je tromper, moi, Breton, Deux fillettes du même nom?" ["Shall I deceive, I, a Breton, Two girls of the same name?"] You can also find an abundance of French language 'baby name' sites that list the name as a variant of Marie and Miriam.

Usage:

The name first appears "on the radar" in 1859 with the publication of Frédéric Mistral's Provençal poem Mirèio, a story of a young farmer's daughter named Mireille who falls in love with a basket-maker named Vincent. Her father opposes the match to disasterous consequences. Mireille was the spelling used in French translations of the text, even as early as 1859 itself. The poem itself has often been cited as the origin of the name (with the implication that it was invented by Minstral), but, given that the "French" form of the name was used for the text even before it was fully published, its seems likely the name already had some presedence.  Some refer to Mirèio as the "Minstralian" spelling, claiming that the original Occitan form, Mirèlha, was intended, but Minstral was asked to simplify the spelling to Mirèio by his publisher Joseph Roumanille. Others, however, assert that Mirèio merely reflects the Provençal dialect spelling. Some sources claim that Mireille was the name of Minstral's goddaughter who lived in Nimes; others (which is infact the exact same paragraph copied all over the internet ad nauseam) claim that Mirèlha was 'inherited' from the troubadours. I can, however, find no supporting evidence for either of these claims though both are plausible. The publication of Minstral's poem certainly put the name onto an international stage, as did Charles Gounod's 1864 opera Mireille which was based on the poem itself. The earliest registration of the name on the Birth Index of England and Wales was in 1874 and a few more examples followed in the 19th century. Several were attached to French surnames, indicating that much of its use was thanks to French immigration.  Overall, the name has had very rare usage in Britain. Its highest point in recent years was in 1996, 2000 and 2005 when it had a birth count of 3.  Obviously, the name has had more usage in France. According to Journal de Femmes, Mireille was extremely popular in France from the 1940s to 1960s, possibly boosted by the fame of Mireille Hartuch. It has since, however, fallen out of favour and is now rarely used, having not ranked in the Top 500 since at least 2000.  The Catalan form of the name, Mireia, is currently popular in Spain (especially Catalonia), ranking in the Top 100 since at least 2002.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Mireille Havet (1898—1932), French poet, diarist, novelist, and lyricist. * Mireille Hartuch (1906—1996), French singer, composer, and actress. Contemporary: * Mireille Darc (born 1938), French model and actress * Mireille Mathieu (b. 1946), popular French singer. * Mireille Delunsch (b. 1962) is an opera soprano. * Mireille Enos (b. 1975), American actress. Literature and Media: * Mireille (1864), an opera by Charles Gounod. Other: * Mireille Peach, a popular French variety of peach. * 594 Mireille, a main-belt asteroid.

Variants:

Mirèio (Provencial) Mireya (Spanish) Mireia (Catalan)

Pronunciation:

mi-RAY  [key]  The Occitan pronunciation of Mirèlha can be heard here.

Possible  Diminutives:

May, Mimi, Mira, Ray

Sibling Names:

Coralie     Loredana     Araceli     Jessamy     Elora     Seraphine     Dante     Stellan     Theodric      Emery     Corbin     Blair

Name Lists:

French Names   Operatic Appellations   Fruity Nicknames

 

If you like Mireille you may also like:   Melisande, Austeja, Leonor, Melusine, Clemence, Marilene, Aurea, Maelys, Milena, Romilly

 

Thanks to Winter for requesting Mireille as this week's NotW.