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Names Shakespeare Didn't Invent: Imogen, Olivia, and Viola Revisited

Uckelman, Sara L.

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Abstract

Just as Shakespeare’s plays left their indelible stamp on the English language, so too did his names influence the naming pool in England at the beginning of the 17th century and beyond, and certain popular modern names are often described as inventions of Shakespeare. In this article, we revisit three names which are often listed as coinages of Shakespeare’s and show that this received wisdom, though oft-repeated, is in fact incorrect. The three names are Imogen, the heroine of Cymbeline; and Olivia and Viola, the heroines of Twelfth Night. All three of these names pre-date Shakespeare’s use. Further, we show in two of the three cases that it is plausible that Shakespeare was familiar with this earlier usage. We conclude by briefly discussing why these names are commonly mistakenly attributed to Shakespeare’s imagination, and the weaker, but not mistaken, claims which may underlie these attributions.

Citation

Uckelman, S. L. (2019). Names Shakespeare Didn't Invent: Imogen, Olivia, and Viola Revisited. Names: A Journal of Onomastics, 67(3), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.1080/00277738.2018.1490518

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 6, 2016
Online Publication Date Oct 29, 2018
Publication Date Nov 30, 2019
Deposit Date Sep 8, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Names: A Journal of Onomastics
Print ISSN 0027-7738
Electronic ISSN 1756-2279
Publisher University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 67
Issue 3
Pages 153-159
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/00277738.2018.1490518

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