|
Meredith is a Welsh given name, and a surname common in parts of Wales. It is of Welsh origin and, as a personal name, was until recently usually given to boys. Meredith has many derivatives which have become personal names and surnames as well. ==Etymology and history== In Old Welsh (c. 800–1150) the name was usually rendered as ''Morgetuid'' or ''Margetiud''.〔 The exact meaning of the first element, ''Mere'', is unclear although some Welsh scholars have translated it as "great" or "splendid".〔 The final element of ''iudd'' has the meaning of ''lord'', and is found in other Welsh names such as ''Gruffydd'' and ''Bleidd()udd''.〔 However, in Middle Welsh (c. 1150s–1300s) the name was most commonly spelt as ''Maredud'' and ''Maredudd''; "in Welsh, the accent is on the penult, and this leads at times to the elision of the vowel of the first syllable," producing an early variant ''Mredydd'', according to T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan.〔 Anglo-Norman scribes often used ''e'' for the first syllable and substituting the double ''d'' with a ''th'', producing ''Mereduth''.〔 The forms ''Meredith'' and ''Meredyth'' are seen as early as the 14th century.〔 In Medieval manuscripts, the name is frequently "disguised" in records produced by scribes unfamiliar with Welsh naming conventions, and has been confused with the Welsh name ''Moreiddig'' (which has produced ''Moredik'', ''Moriddik'' and ''Morithik'').〔 By the early Middle Ages, the name took the form of ''Mereduc'', in part due to "its suitability for taking Latin case-endings".〔 The name has been rendered into Latin as ''Mereducco'', ''Mereduci'', ''Mereduth'', ''Mereduco'', ''Mereduc'' and ''Mereducus'', ''Mereducius''.〔 In the accent of Dyfed (Pembrokeshire) the final voiced interdental fricative (represented in writing by ''dd'') was lost to produce the name ''Meredy''.〔 Though there is no etymological connection, ''Meredith'' has also been equated or associated with ''Merrick'', ''Meyrick,'' and ''Moryce'', "presumably on the basis of the 'Mer', although it is possible that ''Maurice'' was adopted as an approximation," according to Morgan and Morgan.〔 Various names rooted with ''Meredith''/''Maredudd'' include ''Maredith'', ''Maradyth'', ''Merddith'', ''Merydethe'', ''Mredith'', ''Maready'', and ''Redith'', among others. In the northern coastal region of Spain, mainly Asturias, ''Meredith'' surname has evolved to "Merediz". It is also found in Argentina and Mexico. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Meredith (given name)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|