Zélie (given name)

Zélie
Marie-Azélie "Zélie" Guérin (1833–1877) was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint in 2015.
GenderFeminine
Origin
Word/nameFrench, Germanic, or Latin.
Meaningazalea or noble or solemn or heaven or zeal.
Other names
Related namesAda, Adela, Adele, Adelaide, Adeline, Alice, Alison, Azalea, Azaylee, Azélie, Celia, Célie, Solange, Solenne, Zaylee, Zelia, Zelie, Zéline, Zellie
La Belle Zélie, an 1806 portrait by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.

Zélie is a French short form of the name Azélie. Anglicized spellings and pronunciations of the name also in use include Zelie and Zellie. In some instances the name Zaylee and its spelling variants are intended as phonetic versions of Zélie.[1]

Etymology

Derived from the Occitan Azalaïs, the name Azélie evolved from Adelais, which had itself been shortened from the same ancient Germanic source Adalheidis, meaning noble, as the other modern English forms Ada, Adela, Adele, Adelaide, Adeline, Alice, Alicia, and Alison and other variants.[2]

The name Zélie also has other origins.

A connection to the French names Solange and Solenne, meaning solemn, via the short form Zéline, has also been suggested.[3]

It has also been considered a French form of the flower name Azalea. The French word for the flower is azalée.[4]

It has also been considered a form of the name Célie, a French version of the name Celia, likely derived from the Latin caelum meaning heaven.[5]

The name is also considered a variant of Zelia, which is a Basque variant of Celia or a feminine version of the Greek name Zelos, meaning intense zeal.[6]

Popularity

The name has gained in usage due to the canonization of Roman Catholic saints Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin in 2015.[7]

Notable people

  • Zélie de Lussan – American opera singer (1861-1949), American opera singer of French descent
  • Zelie Emerson – American suffragette active in England (1883-1969), American suffragette active in England
  • Marie-Azélie “Zélie” Guérin (1833-1877), French woman and a recently canonized Roman Catholic saint
  • Zélie Lardé – Salvadoran painter (1901-1974), Salvadoran painter

References

  1. ^ Towne, Kate (18 May 2016). "There's Something About Zelie/Zaylee". Catholicmom.com. Catholic Mom Holy Cross Family Ministries. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Zélie". behind the name.com. Campbell, Mike. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  3. ^ Batteiger, Jelka. "Zéline". CharliesNames.
  4. ^ Sandel, Abby (15 April 2015). "Zelie: Baby Name of the Day". appellationmountain.net. Appellation Mountain (blog). Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 50, 303, 312. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  6. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Zelia". Behind the Name.
  7. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Zélie". Behind the Name.