Name of the Week

Vivid Violet is the Victorian Darling
turned Comeback Queen. Expect to see more of her
in the next decade.

 

Origin:

Violet is the name given to a group of small purple-blue flowers. The name of the flower has been used since at least the early 14th century, itself derived from the Old French violete, diminutive of viole "violet," from Latin viola "the violet." By the late 14th century, the term violet also came to describe the colour.  The violet has been revered since ancient times. The flower is alluded to several times in Greek mythology: some goddesses are referred to as "violet-haired" or "violet-garlanded," and there was even a water nymph (Oceanid) named Ianthe, which literally translates as "the violet flower." To the Romans it symbolised innocence and was used to decorate tombs -- particularly those of the young -- as a symbol of mourning and affection for the deceased.  Because the violet plant hides its flower within its leaves, the plant has long been associated with modesty and humility. In the Middle Ages, Christians directly linked it to the Virgin Mary, giving it the name "Our Lady's Modesty." According to one legend, violets were originally white, but turned purple to echo Mary's mourning when she saw her son die on the cross. Given this strong association, it is little wonder that several Renaissance Madonna and Child paintings depict violets.* In Victorian floriography, violets also symbolised modesty, however, blue violets specifically meant 'faithfulness' while white violets stood for 'Let's take a chance on happiness.'

Usage:

As a given name, Violette and Violetta was used on the Continent in the Middle Ages. There are a few instances which occur in England, such as Violet de la Bere wife of Sir John Chandos (d.1370) vice-chamberlain of England and constable of Aquitaine.  The Latinised Viola was also in some use -- it was borne by Viola of Teschen, Queen of Bohemia and Poland (1291-1317) -- as was the Spanish variant Violante.  Violet continued as a given name well into the 17th century. It was uncommon in England, but was well used in Scotland from the 15th century -- especially in Perth -- most likely thanks to their strong cultural and political ties with France.  Violet moved beyond Scotland's borders into general use in other English speaking countries in the late 19th century.  Of the 809 Violets recorded on the 1841 census, 69% were living in Scotland compared with 30% living in England. The number increased across all countries to 1356 in 1861, with Scotland only just leading with 55%.  The Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) By 1881 Violet had surged in popularity in both England and Scotland, with the number of Violets registered increasing tenfold to 8120. Given England's larger population, it took the larger share of 84% as can be seen by the distribution map on the right. However, when we look at births per 100,000 -- balancing out the population differential -- we can see that Violet's popularity was evenly spread across Scotland and England.  In terms of ranking, Violet ranked #156 in England and Wales in 1860, #99 in 1870, #68 in 1880, #43 in 1890 and #19 in 1900. It was also #36 in Scotland in 1900. Violet stayed strong in the top 100 in the first half of the 20th century, before it fell dramatically out. In England and Wales it ranked #17 in 1904, #20 in 1914, #29 in 1929 and then fell sharply to #62 in 1934 after which it fell out of the top 100.  Afterwards, Violet continued to decline, becoming extremely uncommon as it hit "grandma name" status. This is reflected in the number of birth registrations in England and Wales: 1930: 2221 births 1950: 253 births 1970: 28 births The name's mid-century unfashionable status is reflected (and perhaps added to) in Roald Dahl's choice of the name for his character Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964).  Violet stayed in the top 100 of Scotland for longer, ranking just #100 in 1950, after which it fell out.  click to enlarge By 1996, Violet didn't even rank in the top 1000. It rose ever so gradually to #656 (41 births) in 2002 but it wasn't until 2005 that it saw a dramatic rise, going from #607 (50 births) to #273 (161 births). It has been rising rapidly ever since, finally hitting the top 100 again in 2012.  The jump in 2005 was most likely helped along by two high-profile films of 2004 featuring characters named Violet: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Incredibles.   Violet ranked #78 in England and Wales in 2013, #141 (35 births) in Scotland in 2014 and #191 (10 births) in Northern Ireland.  Internationally it ranks #67 in America, #30 in Canada, #51 in Australia and #47 in New Zealand.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Violet Florence Martin (1862–1915), Irish writer. * Violet Hunt (1862–1942), British writer. * Violet Jacob (1863–1946), British writer. * Violet Vanbrugh (1867–1942), British actress. * Violet Gordon-Woodhouse (1872–1948), British musician. * Violet Markham (1872–1959), British writer and social reformer. * Violet Loraine (1886–1956), British actress and singer. * Violet Bonham Carter (1887–1969), British politician and diarist, daughter of Prime Minister Herbert H. Asquith.  * Violet Hopson (1887–1973), British actress. Contemporary: * Violet Affleck (b.2005), daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.  Literature and other Media: * Violet Gray, a Peanuts character. * Violet Beauregarde, a character in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1969). * Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, a character on Downton Abbey played by Dame Maggie Smith. * Violet Baudelaire, a character in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (1999). * Violet Parr, a character in The Incredibles (2004).

Variants:

Violette (French), Violetta (Italian), Violeta (Spanish), Fioled (Welsh), Wioleta, Wioletta (Polish)

Pronunciation:

VĪ-ō-let  [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Vi, Vivi, Lettie, Lottie

Sibling Names:

Elsie     Florence     Alice     Beatrice      Eliza     Annabelle  Theo     Stanley    Jude     Alexander     Edward     Oliver

Name Lists:

Dulcet Dainties   Victorian Darlings   Names from Enid Blyton   Names from Tennyson   Butterflies

 

If you like Violet you may also like:   Iris, Elodie, Clara, Ivy, Peony, Emilia, Margot, Bella, Evelyn, Edith

 

Thanks to Kaela for requesting this post.