Grandmothers' Names
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Grandmothers' Names
| Sat, 08-20-2005 - 3:14pm |
My husband and I are going to honor our daughter with a combo of both of our Grandmothers' names. However, my husband's Grandmother's name is Ferdelle. We will be using this as our daughter's middle name. We have tried to find the meaning of the name Ferdelle, but have not had a lot of luck. If anyone can help..it would be much appreciated. Our daughter's name will be Helena Ferdelle. I love it, it's old fashioned and also celebrates the lives of two of the most wonderful women in our lives!!

Congratulations on finding a name you love and that has significant meaning in your family. These are, to me, the most important factors in choosing a name. Your daughter will grow to appreciate her link to her heritage.
I have quite a few resources at my disposal and couldn't come up with much on Ferdelle.
I'm inclined to think it was an invention of a previous generation. This was especially popular in the South US where I am. Example- Adelle had a spurt of popularity and led to variations of Odelle, Madelle, Maudell, etc. Parents were also known for trying to use one name and spelling it some other way, in essence creating a whole new name. For instance, a great-great aunt of mine should have been Mabel, but parents "accidentally" spelled it Maybelle, which is how she came to be known as may-bell. There's also the possibility that she was named for more than one relative ex.- Fergus & Adelle? Or, quite simply the -dell ending was quite popular during that time and they "made up" a beginning to go with it.
At any rate, the prefix fer- can mean "strong, potent, manly." -dell- can be "of the sea or of nobility" depending on the origin. So, "of strong nobility" would be a reasonably adaptable meaning.
What matters most is that she had two role models in her family history to aspire to! Lovely choice. Best wishes, Ginger