How popular is the baby name Isolde in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Isolde.

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Popularity of the baby name Isolde


Posts that mention the name Isolde

Female names in the Domesday Book

Page of the Domesday Book

We looked at names from King Henry III’s fine rolls (13th century) a couple of weeks ago, so now let’s go back a bit further and look at names from the Domesday Book (11th century).

What is the Domesday Book?

It’s a land survey, compiled in 1086, that covered much of England and parts of Wales.

The Domesday Book provides extensive records of landholders, their tenants, the amount of land they owned, how many people occupied the land (villagers, smallholders, free men, slaves, etc.), the amounts of woodland, meadow, animals, fish and ploughs on the land (if there were any) and other resources, any buildings present (churches, castles, mills, salthouses, etc.), and the whole purpose of the survey – the value of the land and its assets, before the Norman Conquest, after it, and at the time of Domesday.

The book is held at The National Archives in London, but its contents are available online at Open Domesday.

Most of the names in the Domesday Book are male, as most landowners were men. So, to be different (and to make things easier!) I thought I’d focus on the women.

The female names below appeared in the Open Domesday database just once, except where noted. (Multiple mentions don’t necessarily speak to name popularity, as this is not a representative sample of 11th-century people. Also, some individuals are simply mentioned in the book more than once.)

A

  • Adelaide
  • Adelina (2)
  • Adeliza
  • Aeldiet
  • Aeleva (3)
  • Aelfeva (9)
  • Aelfgyth (4)
  • Aelfrun
  • Aelfthryth
  • Aelgeat
  • Aelgyth
  • Aelrun
  • Aethelfled
  • Aethelgyth
  • Agnes (2)
  • Ailhilla
  • Aldeva
  • Aldgyth (13)
  • Aldhild
  • Aldwif
  • Aleifr
  • Aleva
  • Alfhild (3)
  • Alfled (3)
  • Alswith
  • Althryth
  • Alware
  • Alweis
  • Alwynn (2)
  • Asa
  • Asmoth
  • Azelina

B

  • Beatrix
  • Bothild
  • Bricteva (8)
  • Brictfled
  • Brictgyth

C

  • Christina
  • Cwenhild
  • Cwenleofu
  • Cwenthryth

D

  • Deorwynn
  • Dove

E

  • Edeva (8)
  • Edhild
  • Edith (5)
  • Edlufu
  • Egelfride
  • Emma (7)
  • Estrild
  • Eva

G

  • Goda (6)
  • Gode (2)
  • Godelind
  • Godesa
  • Godgyth (4)
  • Goldhild
  • Godhyse
  • Godiva (7)
  • Godrun
  • Goldeva
  • Goldrun
  • Gudhridh
  • Gunild (2)
  • Gunwor
  • Guthrun
  • Gytha (4)

H

  • Heloise (2)
  • Hawise

I

  • Ida
  • Ingifrith
  • Ingrith
  • Isolde

J

  • Judith

L

  • Lefleda
  • Leodfled
  • Leofcwen
  • Leofeva (9)
  • Leoffled (4)
  • Leofgyth
  • Leofhild
  • Leofrun
  • Leofsidu
  • Leofswith
  • Leofwaru
  • Leohteva

M

  • Matilda (3)
  • Mawa
  • Menleva
  • Mereswith
  • Merwynn
  • Mild
  • Modeva
  • Molleva
  • Muriel

O

  • Odfrida
  • Odil
  • Odolina
  • Oia
  • Olova
  • Oseva

Q

  • Queneva

R

  • Regnild
  • Rohais (2)

S

  • Saegyth
  • Saehild
  • Saelufu
  • Saewaru
  • Saieva
  • Sigrith
  • Skialdfrith
  • Stanfled
  • Sunneva

T

  • Tela
  • Thorild
  • Thorlogh
  • Tova
  • Tovild
  • Turorne
  • Tutfled

W

  • Wigfled
  • Wulfeva (9)
  • Wulffled (2)
  • Wulfgyth
  • Wulfrun
  • Wulfwaru (2)
  • Wulfwynn (2)

See anything you like?

Also, did you notice the names of Scandinavian origin (e.g., Guthrun, Ingrith, Sigrith)? “These names are most numerous in the eastern half of the country, particularly Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. This is precisely where, as we know from other evidence, there was a substantial settlement of Scandinavian immigrants.”

Update, Feb. 2013: Here are the Male Names in the Domesday Book.

Sources:

Image: Domesday Book for Warwickshire (public domain)

[Latest update: July 2023]

Where did the baby name Ezzard come from in 1949?

Boxer Ezzard Charles (1921-1975)
Ezzard Charles

A few days ago, while doing some research, I came across a really intriguing name: Ezzard. It belonged to professional boxer Ezzard Charles, who became Heavyweight Champion in 1949 and retained the title until 1951.

The name Ezzard was among the 1,000 most popular U.S. baby names right around the time — and only around the time — Ezzard Charles was champ:

  • 1953: 37 baby boys named Ezzard
  • 1952: 54 baby boys named Ezzard [ranked 975th]
  • 1951: 85 baby boys named Ezzard [ranked 760th]
  • 1950: 63 baby boys named Ezzard [ranked 866th]
  • 1949: 21 baby boys named Ezzard [debut]
  • 1948: unlisted
  • 1947: unlisted

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Ezzard in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Ezzard

Where did his name come from? My best guess here is that Ezzard Charles, who was born in Georgia, was named in honor of William Ezzard (1799-1887), who served 4 terms as the mayor of Atlanta in the 1800s.

As several commenters have noted, Charles was actually named after Dr. W. P. Ezzard — the Lawrenceville, Georgia, doctor who delivered him in 1921. In fact, here’s a 1949 photo of the boxer and the doctor together:

Boxer Ezzard Charles and Dr. W. P. Ezzard (1949)
Ezzard Charles and Dr. W. P. Ezzard

The surname Ezzard is a variant of the English surname Izzard, which can be traced back (via the Middle English/Old French female personal names Iseld, Iseut, Isaut, Isolde, and Isoud) to the Old Cornish personal name Eselt, meaning “looked up to, admired.” The usage of Eselt in post-Conquest England can be attributed to the legend of Tristan and Isolde, “Cornish versions of which gained huge popularity in medieval Europe through romantic retellings by German, French, and Anglo-Norman writers.”

Have you ever met a person with the first name Ezzard?

P.S. Ezzard Charles was raised in Cincinnati, which now hosts an annual “Ezz Fest” in his honor.

Sources:

Image: © 1949 Atlanta Constitution

[Latest update: 9/2022]