Date of Award

3-19-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Department of History

First Advisor

Richard Soderlund

Abstract

This thesis examines a major shift in naming patterns that occurred in Victorian Britain, roughly between 1840 and 1900, though with roots dating back to the mid-18th century. Until approximately 1840, most new names in England that achieved wide popularity had their origins in royal and/or religious influence. The upper middle classes changed this pattern during the Victorian era by introducing a number of new names that came from popular print culture. These names are determined based on a study collecting 10,000 men's and 10,000 women's names from marriage announcements in the London Times. Many of these new names were inspired by the medieval revival, and that movement is treated in detail. A smaller Celtic revival in names and a few other minor trends are also examined. By century's end, names were changing over a shorter period than ever before, and Britain had made a significant movement from a conservative to a circulating naming pool.

Comments

Imported from ProQuest Hasfjord_ilstu_0092N_10732.pdf

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2016.Hasfjord.A

Page Count

183

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