Why is this classic name so misunderstood?
Quick question: which of these names is not like the others?
Molly, Elsie, Sadie, Lucy
At first glance, the four make a natural style group. They’re all cozy, old-fashioned girls’ names that have returned to popularity in the 21st Century. But Molly, Sadie and Millie are traditional nicknames. Lucy is not.
Lucy is the English form of Lucia, much as Mary is the English form of Maria. Lucia dates back to ancient Rome; it’s the female version of Lucius.
If you had assumed Lucy to be a nickname for something longer, I can’t blame you. The name’s simplicity and diminutive-style ending certainly fit that model. What’s more, our culture has been edging Lucy toward the nickname column for generations. On tv, I Love Lucy referred to Lucille, not Lucy, Ball. In the comics, Lucy van Pelt shared the Peanuts stage with nicknames like Charlie, Sally, and Patty. In the Regency romance world of Bridgerton, Lucy is short for Lady Lucinda Abernathy.
The name Lucinda in particular has been doing its best to rewrite Lucy history. Modern historical fiction is peppered with 19th-century Lucinda-called-Lucys. This popularity is reminiscent of the preposterous number of romance heroes named Sebastian, and it’s nearly as implausible. The 1841 England Census lists only 34 women of all ages named Lucinda, compared to thousands named Lucy. And it’s not just romance fiction perpetuating the myth. Consider the acclaimed literary novel Oscar and Lucinda, in which Lucinda was a young Australian heiress in 1838. You’d be hard pressed to find real Lucindas in that time and place.
I’d argue that we have the names backwards. Rather than thinking of Lucy as short for Lucinda or Lucille, we should think of those names as “long” for Lucy. That’s the real origin story. Lucille is the French form of Lucilla, a Latin diminutive of Lucia. Lucinda was Miguel de Cervantes’ fanciful, romantic elaboration on Lucia in Don Quixote.
But style is a powerful force. It’s hard to shake the feeling that Lucinda sounds formal, Lucy informal. Perhaps a few more examples of dignified 19th-century women named Lucy would help. From the real world, I’ll offer activist Lucy Stone, author Lucy Maud Montgomery and First Lady Lucy Hayes. As for fiction—writers, care to take up the challenge?
5 Comments
Many languages have the “formal = long” idea for names — for example, in 19th century Hungary, most of the people recording people’s names in an official capacity considered Julia to be just a short form of Julianna — but English is especially prone to it, probably because the language doesn’t really have a productive diminutive suffix. *Adding* to a name for endearment or nicknaming is a foreign concept to many English speakers; they firmly believe that nicknames can only be short forms, like Bob or Pat, or maybe possibly a slight elaboration on a short form, like Bobbie or Patty. The idea that Annácska is very much a diminutive of Anna — or that Lucinda originates as a diminutive of Lucia — blows English speakers’ brains.
As a British Lucy in my sixties, the name was relatively uncommon when I was at school, getting more frequent later. When I came to live in France it was unusual, always spelled ‘Lucie’, and I quickly learned to specify ‘with a y’ when asked for my name. Now there seem to be many children and some younger women called Lucie, and apparently sometimes even Lucy, to be a bit different and trendy! However, many older people automatically call me ‘Lucille’, it seems to be the older and better known version here.
Fascinating site, I could spend far too long here!
I named a Lucy. It is a great fit too. I was conflicted thinking I needed to name her Lucille, but we went with “just” Lucy in explaining the choice to others (all English speaking/heritage). I even did some research and didn’t come across anything as succinct and illustrative as you lay out here. Thank you!
It’s an American thing, thinking of Lucy as a nickname. I used to hang out on American baby name forums and was constantly amazed at the number of people wanting to use it as a nickname for an elaborated version. Here in the UK, Lucy is a normal and common full name, and I’ve never heard of it used as a nickname. I would say the average Lucy would be aged between 20 and 40, with plenty on either side.
Love to see a reference to Oscar and Lucinda! Great book. Lucinda does feel appropriately Australian to me – I have noticed it (and the matching Jacinda, almost exclusively Antipodean) more commonly in Australian media than in the UK. But probably not in the 1800s!
Just to add, I think the reverse is true of forms like Lucille. Lucille has a definite American feel to me. I have never met a British Lucille.