Name of the Week: Hazel

Origin:

Hazel is the common name (scientific: Corylus avellana) for a deciduous broadleaf tree native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are commonly known for their edible nuts (hazelnuts) and historical use for building fences/housing in wattle and daub thanks to its flexible nature. It is so bendy in spring that it can be tied in a knot without breaking. The name for the hazel comes from the Old English word hæsl, hæsel, itself from Proto-Germanic *hasalaz (also the source of the Norse hasl and Germanic hasel) all of which derive from the ancient Proto-European root *koselo-.  Since ancient times, the hazel has been regarded as having magical qualities in Britain. To the Celts, the hazel was considered the 'Tree of Knowledge' with hazelnuts being described as 'nuts of wisdom'* and are mentioned in the Irish legend of Finn MacCool as the source of his wisdom.  Later, particularly in floriography (the language of flowers), the hazel came to represent reconciliation.  Hazel is also regarded as a golden-brown colour – taken from the colour of hazelnuts – and is often used to refer to eyes. "Hazel eyes" are regarded as being a mix of greens, golds and brown shades and are quite rare. The first instance of "hazel" being used as a colour in print comes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1592) when when Mercutio says to Benvolio: "Thou wilt quarrell with a man for cracking Nuts, hauing no reason, but because thou hast hasell eyes." Hazel has been used as a surname since the middle ages, also spelled Hazell, Hasel(l), Haisell, Heazel(l) and Hessel(s). This surname originally signified a person who lived by hazel trees and dates from at least the 12th century.

Usage:

Though Hazel looks like a typical Victorian nature name, it is very difficult to establish exactly when Hazel was first used as such. In the late 18th century and early 19th century, Hazel was used for both boys and girls and most likely represents use of the surname as a given name – especially given that the spelling Hazell is often found. Other similar surnames such as Hazelwood, Hazelrigg, Hazelhurst, Hazelton and Hazeldene were also adopted as given names.  Further muddying the waters is the occasional use in the 18th and 19th centuries of the Biblical name Hazelelponi which appears in the Old Testament for the sister of Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash of the tribe of Judah and is of intriguing etymology. There is anecdotal evidence of some of these girls names Hazelelponi going by the nickname Hazel.  If I were to try to pinpoint the specific switch from Hazel used as a general surname-name to conscious adoption of a nature name, I would place it in the 1880s. It was particularly in the late 1880s that floral names began to take off as a fashion (as we can see from newspaper articles and the rise of deliberately named floral sibling sets). It is also during the 1880s that Hazel became more regularly used and became more commonly used for girls (though boys did still receive the name at this point). Either way, for whatever reason Hazel was used as a given name, it was rare in the first half of the 19th century and still uncommon by the turn of the 20th century as births in England and Wales show: 1840s: 4 births 1850s: 8 births 1860s: 7 births 1870s: 24 births 1880s: 106 births 1890s: 424 births 1900s: 895 births Though these numbers look significant towards the end of the century, it is worth noting that in the 1890s this represent an average of 40 births per year, which puts it well below the top 200. It still ranked only #222 in 1900 when 80 girls were given the name that year. This means that, though Hazel became an 'established' name by the end of the 19th century, it was never a popular one in Britain.  In other English-speaking countries, however, Hazel did enjoy popular success in the late 19th century and early 20th century.  Hazel broke into the US top 100 first in 1886 at #81 and rose quickly to #22 by 1895. It enjoyed top 50 status continually until 1926 and didn’t leave the Top 100 until 1936. After such a long period of popularity, next came the inevitable decline as Hazel gradually fell in use over the course of the mid-20th century, finally leaving the top 1000 after 1975.  Though we don't have data as early as in the US, the picture for Australia and Canada is very similar. Hazel ranked in the top 50 of New South Wales in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s, and was still in the top 100 in the 1930s, falling out by the 1940s.  In British Columbia, Hazel was in the top 100 from at least 1915 up until 1942.  Hazel finally reached the top 100 in England and Wales in 1924 at #69, rising to #44 in 1934, #47 in 1944 and finally #73 in 1954, after which it fell out of the top 100. It is interesting to note that just as Hazel was falling out of the top 100 in America, Australia and Canada, it was reaching a peak over here.  Hazel took off even later in Scotland. From ranking #65 in 1950 it remained in the Scottish top 100 up until the 1990s, though it never managed to break into the top 50 and steadily declined from 1994-2014.  It is tempting to look to Ethel, Mabel, Myrtle and Olive (also in the US top 100 in 1886) as style indicators for why Hazel took off in late 19th century America, but, with the exception of Myrtle, all these names were also in the England and Wales top 100 during the same period. The fact is, I'm at a loss to explain why Hazel wasn't as popular in Britain as elsewhere in the English-speaking world until much later. Popularity of names can be unpredictable and sometimes it they defy current name trends. This, however, does explain why Hazel has been a rising Edwardian-style revival recently in America, Australia and Canada, while over here it still has a retro feel. The last time Hazel was in the top 100 in E&W it sat between Jill, Joyce, Annette and Beverley. From 1996, Hazel has consistently ranked below the top 200 in England and Wales, reaching its lowest point of #469 (66 births) in 2002.  In the last few years, however, it has seen a not-insignificant rise, from #318 (147 births) in 2013 to #252 in 2014 and #219 (238 births) in 2015 showing signs of possible revival.  Similarly, in Scotland, Hazel reached its lowest point of #294 (14 births) in 2014 but has since started curving back up, ranking #252 in 2015 and #142 (34 births) in 2016.  Thanks to its late Victorian-Edwardian status, Hazel currently ranks in the top 100 in rest of English speaking world: #28 in New Zealand, #36 in Canada, #52 in America and #64 in Australia.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, CBE (1886-1974), American tennis player. * Hazel Miner (1904-1920), American heroine who died saving her siblings during a spring blizzard in North Dakota. * Hazel Scott (1920-1981), jazz and classical pianist and singer. Contemporary: * Hazel R. O'Leary (b. 1937), former United States Secretary of Energy. * Hazel Byford, Baroness Byford (b. 1941), Conservative member of House of Lords. * Hazel O'Connor (b. 1955) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. * Hazel Blears (b. 1956), British politician and Labour MP for Salford. * Hazel Irvine (b. 1965), British television presenter. * Hazel Crowney (b. 1982), British-born Bollywood film actress. Literature and Other Media: * Hazel Bellamy, character in Upstairs, Downstairs (1971-75). * Hazel Lancaster, main character in book/movie The Fault in Our Stars. * Hazel Levesque, demigod daughter of Pluto in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series. * Hazel Williams, character on Gossip Girl (2007-12). * Hazel, a song by Bob Dylan.

Variants:

Hazell, Hazelle

Pronunciation:

HAY-zəl [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Hay, Haze, Hayzie, Zel, Zelie

Sibling Names:

Violet     April     Beatrix     Iris     Olive     Sadie  Jasper     Eli     Hugo     Douglas     Chester     Miles

Name Lists:

Vintage Names   Guys and Dolls   Arboreal Names

  

If you like Hazel you may also like:   Ruby, Maeve, Sylvia, Mabel, Vivian, Mavis, Stella, Audrey, Nancy, Rosa

Thanks to Charlotte for requesting this name.