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

Uckelman, Sara L.

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: Apr 29, 2020
• 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
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1397928