New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesNelda & Zerelda
I have two names that I need information on:
On this site, Nelda is said to be a short form of names ending in "-nelda" or a combination of "nell" and "da", however, I've heard from some baby name sites that Nelda means "from the alder tree" in Old English. Is this true?
I've also come across the name Zerelda. Zerelda was the name of both Jesse James' (a 19th century outlaw) mother and his wife. Does anyone have any clue what it means and where it comes from?
On this site, Nelda is said to be a short form of names ending in "-nelda" or a combination of "nell" and "da", however, I've heard from some baby name sites that Nelda means "from the alder tree" in Old English. Is this true?
I've also come across the name Zerelda. Zerelda was the name of both Jesse James' (a 19th century outlaw) mother and his wife. Does anyone have any clue what it means and where it comes from?
1
Replies
That interpretation of Nelda is someone confusing that name's origin with the origin of the British surname Neldrett, which did originally mean "at the alder grove", according to Reaney & Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames. But I think it unlikely that Nelda is a feminization of Neldrett, and the other interpretations are more likely for the female given name.
As for Zerelda -- the origin of this one is tough to find. It does not occur solely in the James family, but about the earliest birth of a Zerelda I can find is around 1812. Almost all of the early examples were born in Kentucky, where Mrs. James was from, though a few are in Indiana or eastern Tennessee. It may very well be that Zerelda, like Samantha, is simply a name created by some anonymous American in the early 19th century that caught on with a lot of his or her neighbors.
As for Zerelda -- the origin of this one is tough to find. It does not occur solely in the James family, but about the earliest birth of a Zerelda I can find is around 1812. Almost all of the early examples were born in Kentucky, where Mrs. James was from, though a few are in Indiana or eastern Tennessee. It may very well be that Zerelda, like Samantha, is simply a name created by some anonymous American in the early 19th century that caught on with a lot of his or her neighbors.
1