Present surnames.—Eng. Him (?), Yem (?). Germ. Imm, Ihm. French, Eme, Emy.
With the ending in en, p. [27].
Names of men.—O.G. Imino, Emino, eighth century. A.S. Immine, a Mercian general, seventh century. Emino, Liber Vitæ.
Names of women.—O.G. Immina, Emmina, eighth century. Early Eng. Ymana, Ymaine, Liber Vitæ.
Present surnames.—Eng. Emeney. Fr. Emmon.
Ending in lin, p. [31].
Names of women.—O.G. Emelina, eleventh century. Emalina, twelfth century, Liber Vitæ.
Present Christian name.—Eng. Emmeline.
ETHEL, ADELA, ADELINE, ADELAIDE.
Ethel and Adela are different forms of the same word, adal, athal, ethel, signifying noble. But while Adela is a correctly formed feminine, Ethel can hardly be said to be so. Both as a man's name and as a woman's it had usually a vowel-ending, and though this was not invariably the case, yet a name appearing without it would be rather assumed to be a man's name. Adeline is a diminutive like Eveline and Caroline; it represents the old name Adalina, eighth century, and Adalina, about the twelfth century, in the Liber Vitæ, and comes probably through the French, the ending in e preserving the feminine by lengthening the syllable. Adelaide is from adal, as above, and H.G. haid, corresponding with Saxon hood, as in manhood. Hence the name seems to contain the abstract sense of nobility. The name must have come to us through the Normans; indeed, a woman's name could hardly be so formed among the Anglo-Saxons, for, curiously enough, this ending was a feminine one among the High Germans, and a masculine one among the Saxons. Hence perhaps it is that we have as surnames such names as Manhood and Mahood, the latter perhaps signifying boyhood, A.S. mæg, boy.