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ArchivesRe: Yvette
in reply to a message by Felicia
"archer" looks like an overstretch of meaning to me. The name finally goes back to the Germanic name Ivo that is cognate to Modern English yew (kind of tree). It is true that yew wood was the preferred wood for making bows in medieval Europe, but this does not turn the meaning of Ivo into "archer", not is it source for an old French term meaning archer.
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She did say "Baby Names for Girls", so I'm guessing another site with no research just rumours they heard somewhere. Archer is a stretch, but these tree names were common euphemisms for the weapons made from them and the people who used them. it's poetic imagery that carries over into onomastics. but Old French for archer, no. Yvette is a double diminutive, Yvette a diminutive of Yvon, a diminutive of Yves.
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