Quick – when’s the last time you met a Eupehmia? How ’bout an Oighrig?
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting the related Effie as Name of the Day.
Effie is quintessentially Greek and typically Scottish.
Oighrig is Scots Gaelic, and by all accounts, she’s an old, old name. Anglicizations range from Henrietta to Erica to Effie. Let’s just say that she’s not terribly portable. As Effie caught on, Oighrig became equated with Euphemia, even though their origins are distinct.
Euphemia’s roots are Greek – eu means good and phem refers to speech – well-spoken. During the Middle Ages, she was fairly common.
Chalk up her popularity to the sufferings of Saint Euphemia, a mere girl when the governor of Chalcedon cracked down on Christianity back in the 200s. Despite – or because of – her noble birth and young age, Euphemia’s tortures were particularly gruesome.
Her relics suffered mightily, too. They were tossed into the sea, recovered and hidden and stolen by Crusaders. They eventually came to rest in St. Euphemia’s Basilica in Rovinj, Croatia.
Royal Euphemias included:
- The twelfth century Eufemia of Kiev, Queen Consort of Hungary;
- Thirteenth century Polish princess Eufemia Odonicówna;
- A century later, Euphemia de Ross married King Robert II and became queen of Scotland;
- Queen Euphemia of Norway had a granddaughter called Euphemia of Sweden.
Euphemia appeared in the US Top 1000 just a few times, the last in 1903.
But diminutive Effie ranked in the US Top 100 right through 1902, and remained ranked until 1959. Fictional Effies include:
- Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar as Effie White in the 2006 movie version of Dreamgirls;
- Two Brtish soaps have characters wearing the name – Emmerdale and Coronation Street;
- Effie Harper was a minor character on Mama’s Family;
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series includes Effie, little sister to Lena.
Real life Effies include:
- Effie Gray married the critic John Ruskin, but left him for painter John Everett Millais, causing a scandal in Victorian England. Dramatic adaptations followed, including a Spring 2009 BBC drama called Desperate Romantics;
- Legend has it that aspiring actress Effie Canning made up “Rock-A-Bye Baby” while babysitting. Her acting career fizzled, but the lullaby lingers;
- African-American poet Effie Waller Smith wrote in the early twentieth century;
- Explorer Captain Robert Bartlett sailed the Effie M. Morrissey to the Arctic. Launched in 1894, she was named for the daughter of the schooner’s first skipper.
For Australian parents, Effie might conjure up one more character – comedienne Mary Coustas’ alter-ego, Effie Stephanidis. I can’t say just how well-known the character might be, but the name isn’t especially popular in Greece or Australia today.
Today Effie is in style limbo. She could make a comeback as one of the many mini names favored by the Brits, like Evie and Lexi. And if you need to satisfy both Scottish and Greek roots, she’s the rare choice that works.
The elegant Euphemia might wear well in 2009, but Mia or even Emme seem like more current nicknames.
Still, there are plenty of parents with great-grandmothers Effie, so it is far too soon to call her gone for good.
Hmmm, this name really does not appeal to me at all.It’s way to similar to the word ‘Iffy’.
It would feel like I am calling my child Iffy the whole time, which would just feel odd.While I like it’s meanings,the name does not appeal to me at all.It doesn’t seem like it would age well at all. It’s in the same category as Edith,Edna,Ada, Mabel,Gertrude,Bertha etc for me
However, if others like it, go for it.
My grandmother had a friend named Effie, so it does sound old-lady-ish to me.
I thought of another way to get to Effie: it could be a nickname for any name starting with F. Maybe Frances, Frederica, Fiona, Florence, Faith, Farrah or Felicia? After all, Effie does sound like “effing.”
I think it fits in with other old fashioned names like Nora, Ada, Sophie, Olivia, etc.
I rather like Effie, in a cute on someone else’s child sort of way. I enjoy looking through our local cemetery listings online and they are just chock full of Effie’s. My most favorite find, though, was actually a Roseffie. I am guessing it is a smush, but I find it rather appealing as it offers at least three options: Roseffie, Rose, Effie.
I like Effie as a nickname, but agree it does fit in well with the other Brit-style short/cute nicknamey names. It has a ’20s sort of feel to it in my mind. Fun. Euphemia is lovely with Effie as a nickname.
I love love love Effie. If I have a daughter, Her name will be Eulalie Frances (The name I had picked for Kelson if he were a girl… I still love it) and she will be known as Effie.
I really like it as a nickname for a girl whose initials are EF!
When I said “Hey, the name of the day is Effie”! aloud, the girl started singing “That’s Me, Effie’s ME”!
So I’m rather partial to it.
Eh & Ih don’t sound much alike to me but I’m aware some may not. So Effie & Iffy isn’t a problem for me. I think it’s a perfectly lovely nickname. I’d never use Effie as a full name, it’s a bit fluffy for that, in my opinion. And no one’s ever misheard Effie for anything at the local *shudder* Wal-Mart!
But Effie for Josephine, Euphemia, or any “F” name, now that’s completely gorgeous!
The girl who said it sounds like “iffy” is from South Africa. I think the accent there would defintely make the two sound very similar.
I think it sounds vaguely dirty although I have no real issue with it as a stand alone name.
There’s an “Effy” in the British teen drama Skins, although she’s really Elizabeth.
Trivia aside, I don’t like this name at all. I’m with Bewildertrix in thinking it sounds vaguely dirty. Likewise the similarities to “iffy” and “huffy” turn me off.
I love the character Effie on Skins. Ah, British imports. =D
My 2 year old daughter is called Effie – short for Euphemia which is actually her middle name.
Her first name is Forbhlaith, which could be a suggestion for name of the day.
MY NAME IS EUPHEMIA, but I get called Effie
and I’m 17, my mother is called Effie, my grandmother Euphemia, and my great grandmother Euphemia.
just thought i would since my mothers name was euphemia so was her mother and as far as i know at least two more grandmothers before that her maiden name was kelly she was from Glasgow, Scotland.I have always loved the name.
I have a 3-great-grandma named Effie. Middle name was Della.
That’s a great name!
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Thanks for the background on the name! I was searching for family history of a Scottish ancestor who I knew as Henrietta, and found a census record that I thought might be her family, but that showed the name Effie. I was about to rule it out and go back to searching, when you put the two together for me–nice!
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I only know the name Effie from the 1894-1895 German novel by Theodore Fontane, “Effie Briest.” It’s a drama about adultery (like Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina) and told from Effie’s point of view. This character’s character aside, I think Effie is a very likable name.
Also, I’ve only heard Effie come from Ephigenia (the daughter of an Ethiopian king), not Euphemia as the article above states. When I was in junior high (before the Internet was used by common folk….), I had a pen-pal from Greece, and her name was Ephigenia. So, I can’t help but associate Effie with Greece and Germany! That’s a double plus in my opinion.
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