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ArchivesRe: Erpalice
in reply to a message by quackers
Looking at the name, I got the feeling that a letter was omitted at the beginning of the name - namely, a 'h'. Italians tend to not to pronounce the 'h', so names like Hermes and Hector become Ermes and Ettore in Italian.
As such, I googled for Herpalice and got a few hits, indicating that the name - however rare - was already in use in the 19th century.
If the original form is indeed Herpalice and Erpalice its Italian form, then perhaps the name may be of Greek origin. The first element of the name may then be etymologically related to the name of the disease herpes (which is ultimately derived from Greek herpein "to creep"). I don't know what the second element could have been derived from, but it probably would have been spelled as like in original Greek (as lice would be a latinization). Compare names like Berenice and Eurydice for that.
That is all I can offer, I am afraid. Good luck with your quest of searching for the name's meaning and origin. :)
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
As such, I googled for Herpalice and got a few hits, indicating that the name - however rare - was already in use in the 19th century.
If the original form is indeed Herpalice and Erpalice its Italian form, then perhaps the name may be of Greek origin. The first element of the name may then be etymologically related to the name of the disease herpes (which is ultimately derived from Greek herpein "to creep"). I don't know what the second element could have been derived from, but it probably would have been spelled as like in original Greek (as lice would be a latinization). Compare names like Berenice and Eurydice for that.
That is all I can offer, I am afraid. Good luck with your quest of searching for the name's meaning and origin. :)
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
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Actually, I found your information pretty helpful. Thank you very much!
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