Ethel
[ˈiːθəl]Meaning
short form of Old English names beginning with the element ele, "noble"
Background Story
Ethel is a short form of names of Old English origin beginning with Ethel-, from the element æþele, meaning "noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived, and was popularized by the novels The Newcomes (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and The Daisy Chain (1856) by C. M. Yonge. It is cognate to the Germanic Adela and Adele, and is used in Belarusian, Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian and Lithuanian.
Variations
Ethelyn, Ethelinda
Related Names
Adila
Feminine form of Adil, an Arabic name
Alisa
Russian, ukrainian, bosnian, finnish and georgian form of alice
Aly
Ausha
Dayna
Feminine variant of Dana 2; in Latvian, broadly 'a collection of the best and most beautiful'
Edith
From Old English elements meaning "wealth, fortune" and "battle"
Elinor
Variant of Eleanor, a female given name
Eliza
Short form of Elizabeth, a name of Hebrew origin
Ellee
Inari Sami word formed from the verb eelliđ with the suffix -ee.