Name of the Week: Zelda

 

Origin:

Zelda started out as a short form of Griselda, an Old Germanic name most likely made up of the elements grisja "grey" and hild "battle."  The name was popularised by Boccaccio in The Decameron (1353) in which he told the story of Patient Griselda. According to the tale, the Marquis of Saluzzo chooses peasant-girl Griselda for his wife, but is compelled to constantly test her fidelity and loyalty. He tells her first that their two children must die, sending them away and telling Griselda that they are dead. Secondly, he publicly renounces her, claiming he has papal dispensation for divorce and sends her away. He calls her back later to decorate his chambers, supposedly for his new wife. Griselda patiently and amiably endures these indignities. At last the marquis relents, proclaiming his love for Griselda, and revealing that his "new wife" that she was introduced to was their daughter. Griselda is returned to her home and children, winning everyone’s admiration. This tale was retold by Petrarch (d. 1375) and also by Chaucer in The Clerk's Tale (late 1300s).  Zelda is also used in the Jewish community as a feminine form of the Yiddish name Zelig, meaning "happy, blessed."

Usage:

Thanks to its literary use, Griselda was moderately used in the Middle Ages and became more common by the 16th century, especially in Scotland. However, it is unlikely that any of these women would have been known as Zelda, given that the vernacular form in Britain was Grisel (Grissel, Grissell, Grizel, Grizzell, Grizzle, Grysell etc).  Smith Bannister's rankings of top 50 names from forty English parishes in each decade from 1538 to 1700 had Grisel appear once at #46 in 1690-1700.  The form Griselda itself came into proper use in the late 18th century, and is thought to have been boosted by Maria Edgeworth's novel Griselda (1804). It is during the 19th century that Zelda came into use in its own right, featuring in romance novels such as Jane Howard's Zelda: A Tale of the Massachusetts Colony (1866) and Robert Edward Francillon's Zelda's Fortune (1874). Certainly, Zelda Fitzgerald nee Sayre (1900-1948), American socialite, novelist, painter and wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, was supposedly named for characters in these novels.* A serialised novel, A Discarded Inheritance, featuring a young woman named Zelda Boyce, appeared in several local British newspapers from 1888 onwards (the latest I can find is 1898), and it is interesting to note that Zelda's use began to rise from the 1890s, peaking in the 1920s when Zelda Fitzgerald was a well-known social figure.  Records for Zelda as a first name in the England and Wales Birth Index:   Zelda Griselda 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 0 births 0 births 2 births 9 births 8 births 16 births 58 births 81 births  110 births 96 births 90 births 79 births 78 births 100 births 2 birth 7 births 6 births 12 births 20 births 18 births 30 births 33 births 20 births 21 births 57 births 36 births 17 births 8 births By the 1990s, Zelda was only used a handful of times each year. Indeed, from 1996 to 2013, Zelda never had more than 8 births in any given year. Since 2014, however, Zelda has started to see an upturn in use, going from #2314 (11 births) to #1240 (27 births) in 2015.  In 2017, Zelda ranked #1296 with 26 births in England and Wales. It was unranked in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Zelda Sears (1873–1935), American entertainer. * Zelda Popkin (1898–1983), American mystery novelist. * Zelda Fitzgerald nee Sayre (1900-1948), American socialite, novelist, painter and wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald. * Zelda Wynn Valdes (1905–2001), African-American fashion designer and costumer. * Zelda Schneersohn Mishkovsky (1914–1984), Israeli poet, notable writer of Hebrew religious poetry. * Zelda Kaplan (1917–2012), American socialite. * Zelda Fichandler (1924–2016), American director and educator. * Zelda Rubinstein (1933–2010), American actress. Contemporary: * Zelda Harris (born 1985), American actress. * Zelda Williams (born 1989), American actress and daughter of Robin Williams. Literature and Other Media: * Zelda Spellman, Sabrina's aunt in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. * Princess Zelda, the titular character in The Legend of Zelda video game series. * Zelda Spooner, character in the 1964 comedy film Kiss Me, Stupid. * Zelda Gilroy, character in the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Variants:

Zelde (Yiddish)

Pronunciation:

ZEL-də [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Zel, Zelly, Zee

Sibling Names:

Lilith     Rita     Leonora     Sybil     Minerva     Rowena  Sylvester     Digby     Albin     Royce     Orlando     Edwin

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky Names

 

If you like Zelda you may also like:   Myrtle, Lavinia, Greta, Rosetta, Octavia, Isadora, Gwendolyn, Opal, Rosalind, Zilla

Thanks to Katie for requesting this name.