If Ariel is either too Disney princess
or masculine Shakespearean
sprite for your taste, why not try underused, vintage Oriel?
Origin: |
Oriel was first used as a variant of the Germanic Aurildis aus "fire" and hild "battle," which became Orieldis, and in the hands of the Normans Orielda, Oriolda, Oriholt, Oriold and Oriel. In latter centuries, Oriel became confused with, and used as a variant of, Auriol, related, via Aurelia, to aureole (from the Latin aureolus "golden"). From the same route derives Oriole, the name of a songbird with golden plumage, which was adopted as a given name in the 20th century. Oriel is also found in Oriel College, Oxford, which taks its name from Old French oriol "hall, vestibule, porch." |
Usage: |
The earliest examples found of Oriel in Britain date back to the early 13th century. For example, there are several mentions of Oriolda (or Oriolt / Orieta) de Ainderby, wife of William le Bret, in the Yorkshire Curia Regis Rolls from 1205-08. She appears to have been named for her grandmother. Around the same time, we also find record in the same area of Oriolda, wife of Thomas Crawe. The name was certainly used enough to create the surname Oriel, which dates back as early as the 1276 London Letter Books featuring a Roger Oriel. By the 17th century, Oriel was rare and mostly confused with Auriol. Its more frequent use as a masculine name may be thanks to adoption of the surname Oriel, or confusion with the biblical Uriel. In some cases, it may have been due to Oriel College — the Oriel Noetics were moderate freethinkers and reformers within the Church of England in the 19th century, associated with Oriel College. At the beginning of the 20th century, Oriel was still predominantly masculine in use, but gradually shifted back to feminine use by the end of the century. Below is a breakdown of number of instances of Oriel, Auriel and variant spellings on UK census records: 1841: 3 (100%) From that point, Oriel gradually increased in usage — now mostly used for girls. It peaked in the 1930s, and declined again thereafter, as we can see from birth registrations for the name in England and Wales: 1910-9: 41 Since 1996, Oriel has only ranked six times in England and Wales: 2003 (4 births), 2005 (3 births), 2006 (5 births), 2007 (3 births), 2010 (4 births) and 2012 (5 births), #4171). |
Famous Bearers: |
Namesakes: * Oriel Gray (1920–2003), award winning Australian dramatist and playwright. Literature and Other Media: * Oriel, the fiesty yet tragic heroine of the 1905 opera, La Ronde des Saisons, by Joseph Hansen and Charles Lomon. Other: * Oriel College, a college of Oxford University. |
Variants: |
Auriel, Auriol, Oriole |
Pronunciation: |
OR-ee-əl [key] |
Possible diminutives: |
Leo, Lori, Ola, Ora, Ori, Orry, Elle, Rio |
Sibling Names: |
Arwen Petra Viola Junia Clover Vita |
Name Lists: |
N/A |
If you like Oriel you may also like: |
Thanks to Emma for requesting this post.