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ArchivesRe: origin of the name ailsa
in reply to a message by ailsa
The Scottish version is either the Old Norse one or the Hebrew one; there is no third etymology.
The island name Ailsa probably came first. However, I can't find any information on when the island's name was first given as a personal name.
The name Ailsa is not, in itself, Hebrew. It has sometimes been used, in England and Scotland, as a nickname for Elizabeth, which is the English version of the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "my god is an oath" (sometimes translated as "consecrated to god"). It is possible that Ailsa as a nickname for Elizabeth (a local variation of Elsa/Eliza etc) was influenced by the existing island/personal name of Norse origin.
Make sense? :-)
♦ Chrisell ♦
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
The island name Ailsa probably came first. However, I can't find any information on when the island's name was first given as a personal name.
The name Ailsa is not, in itself, Hebrew. It has sometimes been used, in England and Scotland, as a nickname for Elizabeth, which is the English version of the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "my god is an oath" (sometimes translated as "consecrated to god"). It is possible that Ailsa as a nickname for Elizabeth (a local variation of Elsa/Eliza etc) was influenced by the existing island/personal name of Norse origin.
Make sense? :-)
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
This message was edited 7/7/2005, 6:48 AM
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