Submitted Name Revision History

loadingDate    Editor    Change Summary
2/19/2022, 6:05 AM Frollein Gladys
5/19/2014, 1:44 PM Ora
7/17/2012, 7:51 PM SeaHorse15
4/22/2012, 10:55 PM Lucille
12/2/2007, 2:08 PM avesjohn
12/2/2007, 2:08 PM avesjohn
4/6/2007, 11:55 PM avesjohn

Name Oriel
Gender Feminine & Masculine
Usage English
Other Forms FormsAuriel, Oriole
Edit Status Statusnot set

Meaning & History

Probably a form of Auriel or Oriole, the spelling influenced in Britain, perhaps, by Oriel College, Oxford. The college takes its name from Latin oriolum "gallery, porch", but there was a medieval personal name, Orieldis or Aurildis, which came from Old German and meant "fire-strife". It was that name in the Middle Ages which led to the surname Oriel. Auriel and Oriel were revived at roughly the same time, at the beginning of the 20th century, and were clearly heard by parents as the same name. The Au- spelling was the first to appear in official records, but one cannot be sure which name was a variant of the other. Oriole is an occasional variant. (Source: Dunkling & Gosling, 1983)
Added 4/6/2007 by avesjohn