Name of the Week

Sitting between tragic lover Juliet and Arthurian
queen Guinevere is the equally legendary Isolde,
the beautiful Celtic princess who symbolises undying love.

 

Origin:

Much like Arthur, Isolde is one of the most baffling and widely debated names from Celtic mythology. While scholars have puzzled over the name for centuries, its origin has been attributed to many different languages such as Irish, Welsh, French and German. The legend of Tristan and Iseult (Isolde) is one of the most popular Arthurian legends. It was made famous through various (and differing) 12th century medieval French romances, but was based on earlier Welsh legends of Drystan son of Tallwch, who was linked with Eseld and Mark of Cornwall, in a romance very similar to the famous Irish saga, the Elopement of Diarmaid and Grainne.  The Cornish form of the name is Eseld/Eselt, while its Old Welsh cognate is Esyllt. The Old French form was Iseult (the name by which the legendary heroine is commonly referred by) but also Yseult, Iseut, Isalt and Isaut. Isolde was the Germanic form, while Isolda was the Latinisation.  One popular theory is that Isolde derives from the Old Germanic elements is "ice" and vald "rule." The main reason that this theory has flourished for centuries is that it fits so well with popular Germanic name elements. Many other Germanic names end in -vald including Harold, Berthold, Arnold, Reginald, and Gerald, so Isold, or Isolda, works nicely. Other scholars favour Ishild (is "ice" + hild "battle, war") and demonstrate how Ishild could have transmuted to Is(h)elt > Is(h)alt, Is(h)aut > Is(h)olt.* The major problem with this theory is that the saga of Tristan and Iseult is Celtic in origin, not Germanic, and was most likely spread through Europe by Cornish and Breton travellers. It is difficult to see how a Germanic name ended up as a principle character in Celtic legend. Furthermore, the earliest example we have of the name in use is in Wales. Esyllt verch Cynan (fl.800) is recorded as the daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy, king of Gwynedd who is thought to have become Queen of Man. All this certainly indicates a Celtic origin for the name.  It seems  more likely to me that Isolde is a Germanic equivalent of Esyllt/Eseld, in much the same way that many Gaelic names were given 'English' equivalents based on sound, having nothing to do with etymology (Aine > Anne, Grainne > Grace, Sorcha > Sarah). It is quite possible that Isolde was already in use when the tale travelled across Europe, and that Esyllt was replaced with a familiar Germanic name. Alternatively, it could be that Esyllt/Eseld was molded into Isolde to fit Germanic naming patterns.  In which case, where might Esyllt come from? K.M.Sheard proposes that the name could be from the Welsh is "under" (*f–ssu in Proto-Celtic) and allt "hill" (*alto in Proto-Celtic), though she prefers the idea that the 'e' in Esyllt represents *weso "excellent".* Another tantalising theory for Esyllt lies with the Middle Welsh word syllu meaning "stare, gaze" (sello in Cornish and sellout in Breton). Some scholars have even reconstructed it  in a older Brythonic form *Adsiltia with an approximate meaning of "one who is gazed upon." Another intriguing link to the syllu theory is the Tristan Stone, a 6th century inscribed pillar in Cornwall. The existing lines have been interpreted as DRVSTANVS HIC IACIT CVNOWORI FILIVS "Drustan lies here, son on Cunomorus." Another line, long worn away, was recorded in the 16th century as saying CVM DOMINA OUSILLA "with the lady Ousilla". Many have linked Drustan to the Tristan of legend, and Ousilla (which is very reminiscent of syllu) as an older latinised form of Essylt.

Usage:

Thanks to the popularity of the saga of Tristan and Iseult, the name became quite common in the Middle Ages. Several spellings are in record including Isolde, Iseuda, Isott, Isowde, Iseuda, Ysolt, Ysoude and Ysout. The most common recorded form was the Latinised Isolda, though it seems the vernacular form was Isot or Isaut.  One Isolde (written as Iseldis) can be found in the Domesday Book as the 'lord' of Petersham in Dorset in 1086. The name flourished in the 12th century; Redmonds even ranks it as the 27th most popular name in England from 1377-81, which he classifies in the "quite popular" range.* He also points out that during this period there are a multitude of records in which names were abbreviated. The form Is' appears in several records but is is difficult to determine whether Isolde or Isabel was meant.  Further evidence of the name's popularity can be found in the many surnames that derived from it, including Issard, Issott, Izzett, Izzard, Izant, Izod, Issitt, Isard and Issolt.  Isolde continued to be used through the 16th century, though not quite as universally as previously. Baptism records for the name between 1500-1700 are mostly confined to Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, and a few other counties in southern England. At this time the name was usually recorded as Isett, Izet, Isitt, Isatt, Izatt, Izott, Isott and Isota.  These variants continued to be the most common form of the name in Britain into the 19th century. The 1841 census lists 145 women with the name (Isott, Izott, Iset, Isette, Izat etc), the majority living in Somerset and Devonshire. There were 105 in 1851, 66 in 1861, 116 in 1871, 110 in 1881, 81 in 1891 and 119 in 1901. The French spelling Iseult and Latin Isolda became used occasionally in the latter half of the century. The German Isolde, no doubt influence by the popularity of Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde, which was first performed in Britain in 1882, was used at the end of the 19th century. In the 20th century, Isolde and Isolda became the more common forms of the name, while Isott, Izet etc fell out of use.  Isolde, Esyllt, Eseld, Iseult and all other variants of the name are now rare in use. Since 1996, Isolde has ranked 12 times in seventeen years in England and Wales with between 3 and 9 births — it peaked at #2589 in 2010. In 2012 Isolde ranked #2969 with 8 births. Similarly, Esyllt has ranked 6 times over the same period with between 3 and 6 births (it was #5876 with 3 births in 2012) and Iseult has only ranked once, in 2010, with 3 births.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Esyllt verch Cynan (fl.800), daughter of the king of Gwynedd and mother of the next king Merfyn Frych.  * Isolde Kurtz (1853–1944), German poet.  * Isolde Menges (1893–1976), British violinist.  Literature and Other Media: * Tristan und Isolde (1857–59), an opera by Richard Wagner. * In the 2006 film Tristan & Isolde, Isolde was portrayed by British actress Sophia Myles.

Variants:

Iseult, Yseult, (Medieval) Esyllt (Welsh), Eseld (Cornish), Isotta (Italian), Izolda (Polish)

Pronunciation:

i-ZOL-də, i-ZOLD [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Izzy, Olly, Dolly, Solly, Zolly

Sibling Names:

Maeve     Eleri     Amabel     Bronwen     Xanthe     Rosalind  Gawain     Thurstan    Fintan     Ivo    Alden     Leif

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites   Demi-Gods and Mortals of Mythology   Names from Tennyson

 

If you like Isolde you may also like:   Idony, Olwen, Viola, Igraine, Zelda, Sabina, Orla, Ismene, Livia, Ginevra

 

Thanks to Victoria for requesting Isolde.