Name of the Week: Jasmine

Origin:

Jasmine is the name of a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family known for their delicate and fragrant flowers. The English name derives from the Middle French jessemin which ultimately originates from the Middle Persian yāsaman.  According to Victorian floriography, Jasmine represents "amiability, good-naturedness."

Usage:

Jasmine was first used as a given name in Britain in the 16th century. By this point, the plant was being grown in England*, and so was likely associated with the flower, but the name's use likely arose as a late variant of the medieval name Ismenia. Despite there being various early records of the name, the name's origin remains obscure. That it is not found in continental Europe indicates that it is more likely to be Celtic in origin (see this post on Ismay for theories).  The Middle English form of Jasmine, Jessamine, was favoured as the poetic form of the name/plant, alongside Jessamy/Jessamie. The Jessamy Bride is the name given by Oliver Goldsmith to the younger Miss Horneck in the 1770s, with whom he is supposed to have been in love. Jessamy came into use as a given name at the end of the 18th century, while Jessamine was used at the end of the 19th.   The Arabic form, Yasmin, was first recorded in England and Wales in 1926 and 1927, most likely influenced by James Elroy Flecker's 1922 play Hassan in which the love-interest was named Yasmin.  Birth records for Jasmine and Yasmin in the England and Wales Birth Index:   Jasmine Yasmin 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 0 births 0 births 2 births 4 births 14 births 10 births 21 births 27 births 64 births 232 births 248 births 330 births 327 births 642 births _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4 births 2 births 3 births 495 births 1324 births 1148 births Jasmine saw a significant rise in use in the 1930s in Britain. Some of this may have been influenced by Jasmine Bligh (1913–1991) one of the first three BBC Television Service presenters who provided continuity announcements. However, a look at names which were in the top 100 in England and Wales in 1934 show plenty of -een/-ine names in use (Doreen, Maureen, Kathleen, Eileen, Irene, Pauline, Catherine, Josephine, Christine, Gwendoline, Marlene, Jacqueline) as well as plenty of botanical names (Rosemary, Hazel, Olive, Violet, Rose, Ivy, Heather). Added to this, J was the second most popular letter for girls' names in the top 100 after M, so the stage was set for wider use of Jasmine at this time.  Yasmin saw a huge leap in use in the early 1950s. Some of this, especially later on into the 1960s, was due to rising immigration in Britain. However, the wide number of "English" surnames and maiden names attached to the early 1950s records in England and Wales suggests that one strong influence was the birth of Princess Yasmin Aga Khan in 1949.  She was the daughter of Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth and Prince Aly Khan. Her parents' very public separation and divorce saw Yasmin's name in British newspapers frequently in the early 50s, and even later, young Yasmin was regularly mentioned and pictured in the tabloid press.   Jasmine first entered the top 100 in America in 1986 at #95 and rose quickly to #28 by 1990. Some of this may have been influenced by actress Jasmine Guy (born 1962) who starred in the popular American sitcom A Different World from 1987 to 1993. Jasmine remained in the top 30 in America until 2007, finally falling out of the top 100 in 2013.  Both Jasmine and Yasmin first appear in the top 100 in England and Wales in 1994. Jasmine ranked at #51 and Yasmin at #89.  Disney used Jasmine for the heroine of Aladdin in 1992. Frustratingly, we only have data for one year in every decade before 1996 so it unclear how much of an impact this had on the name's use.  Jasmine has ranked in the top 100 in England and Wales ever since 1994. It peaked at #30 in 2001 with 1782 births.  In 2018, Jasmine ranked #75 with 703 births. According to the ONS, it was most common among mothers aged 35 and over (#63) and least common for mothers under 25 (#112).  Yasmin ranked in the top 100 of England and Wales from 1994 until 2004, peaking at #82 with 661 births in 1996. In 2018, it ranked #321 with 148 births.  In Scotland, Jasmine first entered the top 100 at #97 in 1999 but fell out again by 2002. It returned again in 2006 but was out again by 2010. Its highest rank was #65 with 79 births in 2009.  In 2018, Jasmine ranked at #162 with 28 births in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Jasmine Bligh (1913–1991), BBC Television Service presenter. Contemporary: * Jasmine Guy (b. 1962), American actress and singer. * Jasmine Harman (b. 1975), British television presenter. * Jasmine Guinness (b. 1976), Irish fashion model. * Jasmine Sandlas (b. 1985), Indian singer. * Jasmine Cephas Jones (b. 1989), American actress. * Jasmine Sagginario (b. 1994), American singer-songwriter. * Jasmine van den Bogaerde (b. 1996), British singer, better known as Birdy. * Jasmine Armfield (b. 1998), British actress. Literature and Other Media: * Princess Jasmine, a character Disney's Aladdin (1992). * Jasmine Thomas, a character from the soap opera Emmerdale (2005-2009). * Jasmine Delaney, a character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away (2017-). * Agent Jasmine Fuji, a character in Pretty Little Liars. * Jasmine, a character in the 1999 film Life in a Day.

Variants:

Yasmin, Yasmine, Yasmina (Arabic), Yasamin (Persian), Jasmin (German, Finnish), Jasmina (Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian), Yasemin (Turkish), Gelsomina (Italian)

Pronunciation:

JAZ-min [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Jas, Jess, Jammy, Mina, Minnie

Sibling Names:

Amber     Scarlett     Abigail     Violet     Francesca     Georgia  Nathan     Matthew     Dylan     Adam      Aaron     Austin

Name Lists:

N/A

 

If you like Jasmine you may also like:   Thalia, Alexis, Jade, Jemima, Robyn, Caitlin, Giselle, Chloe, Autumn, Miranda

Thanks to Lydia Rose for requesting this name.