Jasmine, Ariel and Aurora have all been popular picks for girls. And Belle is quite the sensation. So why is this fairytale princess name off limits?
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Cinderella as Name of the Day.
Besides the success of other Disney names, there are more reasons to think that Cinderella might’ve leapt from the big screen to the nursery years ago. Consider:
- Her -ella ending makes her a potential substitute for white hot choices like Isabella and Gabriella;
- Cindy names have also been favorites over the years – Cynthia was a Top Ten choice in the 1950s and 60s; there’s the antique Lucinda, too.
The Victorians ransacked history and literature, legend and myth, as well as the natural world for inspiration. And indeed, some parents did settle on Cinderella. While the name has never appeared in the US Top 1000, there are Cinderellas found in US Census records – more than a few.
The Cinderella story appears in folk tales throughout history and all over the globe. The earliest telling is a first century BC tale recorded by Greek historian Strabo. (His Cinderella was known as Rhodopis, a Greek slave in Egypt who eventually marries the Pharaoh.) The Italian writer Giambattista Basile called her Cenerentola in the 1600s; a few decades later, French author Charles Perrault called her Cendrillon. Both the Italian and French appellations refer to the words cinder, ashes or hearth. When Robert Sambler translated Perrault’s tale into English in 1729, he came up with Cinderella.
She’s inspired adaptations ever since. From opera to ballet to pop music (Britney Spears and the Cheetah Girls have recorded songs titled Cinderella) to the children’s jump rope song (Cinderella, dressed in yellow …) to the glam metal band from the 80s, there’s a musical twist to this story. And well before Cinderella was part of the Disney princess mafia, she was on the big screen in France as early as 1899. Silent film star Florence la Badie starred in Hollywood’s first adaptation in 1911. South American adaptations sometimes call her Floribella; the book and movie Ella Enchanted are loosely based on the story, too. Hilary Duff starred in 2004’s A Cinderella Story, but answered to Samantha.
So she’s beloved, but little used. Could a nineteenth charity offer up the reason?
In the late 1800s, the Cinderella Movement encouraged the British middle class to meet the needs of poor children. Called “Cinderella Clubs,” they provided basics like food, as well as special holiday celebrations and trips. One club still remains active today. I can’t confirm how widespread the movement became at its height, but it seems widespread enough to be one possible explanation. No matter how intrepid a babynamer, you probably wouldn’t borrow the name of a children’s charity for your daughter.
Whether the Cinderella Clubs put the kabosh on the name or not, the bottom line is this – while every other one of the Disney princesses feels like fair game, Cinderella seems over the top. There are many other feminissa appellations to consider for your darling daughter.
As much as I love Cinderella, I wouldn’t use it outright for a daughter. Most sources, such as Disney, say her real name was Ella, and that ‘Cinderella’ was the cruel nickname her stepsisters gave her.
In a rare Italian version of the story, the Cinderella character is called Zezolla, which I think is a fabulous name. However, Zezolla committed some questionable (rather un-Cinderella-like) acts in this particular story, which creates a somewhat negative connotation. Still, the name and the story associated with it are most likely unheard of by the majority of people.
Considering my Italian heritage, I see Zezolla as a lovely alternative to Cinderella. Or Ella, because I like it’s lovely simplicity.
While Cinderella seems a bit heavy and too fairytale for many people, Zezolla seems to be a good cross between am extremely modern choice like Zendaya, and a classic like Isabella. Yet, it also may be too uncommon for some.
Other Disney Princess names I love would be Aurora and Merida. The latter of which is high on my list of names for future daughters of mine. I am thoroughly in love with it!:)
I have a few Cinderellas in my family tree between 1700s-1800s all born in Britain. Highly unusual and rather interesting!
Don’t forget the Hair Metal band from the 80’s. That’s my first thought, not that I was a fan, but because a metalhead from my high school named her daughter Cinderella.
Completely derogatory to me but then some sources cite some forms of her name literally translating into “cinder slut”. I suppose ‘slut’ in a lowly, grimy house servant sense. Still, not pleasant regardless.
You prompted me to read up on this a little and one Grimm version even has the ugly stepsisters cutting off parts of their feet to make the glass slipper fit. Charming stuff! I had no idea seeing I’ve obviously only read the nice sanitised versions.
I love how her name has mutated so much across the world. I like the Scottish Rashin-Coatie http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=9G0xq8D9egMC&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=Rashin+Coatie&source=bl&ots=IeU9g-Mlxn&sig=aJ4YiFqeXi_khwItdG8iAz9PJDY&hl=en&ei=EqFzSrO-KoTWtgPB7NjpCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#v=onepage&q=Rashin%20Coatie&f=false
You know, I have met a few Cinderellas and all of them have been Cajun women in their late 50s. One told me she was named for her grandmother, she was a professor at LSU, so the name didn’t stop her. But that said, the name must have been popular among Cajuns for whatever reason. I do just associate with the princess and have never even considered the name outside the box. Though I think you could get away with a Cendrillon. I really like Rhodopis too.
In the story, isn’t her real name Ella, but the step-sisters give her the name Cinderella after her father dies? I think the fact that Cinderella is sort of a derogatory name might have a lot to do with people not wanting to give it to their daughters.
Can I suggest Mulan as a Name of the Day? 🙂
I personally love Cinderella, but would never use it. I do like the idea of using Cynthia, and then using Cinderella as a sort of around-the-house nickname. I think it would be a cute nickname that a little girl would enjoy.
Well, when my brother was 3 years old, my mom was pregnant with me, and he suggested Cinderella as a name if she had a girl. I’m glad they went with something else. When I was in HS, I went to South Beach with a friend and met a drag queen called Cinderella. I was way naive and didn’t realize it was a he-she until several years later! I also truly thought “she” had been named Cinderella at birth! So much for my New Yorker street smarts, huh? 😉
Obviously this name is a no-go. I suggested it, though , because I was curious about its history in the US/world throughout the years. Thanks, Abby!
Well, Cinderella is not for me. My barrier might be more because most of the other princess names were names first and then applied to a Disney princess (although, admittedly, few of them strike my fancy). Cinderella, however, was created to fit the princess. Plus, Cinderella has one strong association – the girl from the fairy tale. Ariel, Belle and Jasmine, for example, have other associations beyond a storybook character. I can’t quite imagine an actual child named Cinderella without instantly thinking of the fairy tale. It strikes me as a difficult name for a little girl to pull off and not get lost behind the name.
I’m sorry, but even though it does sound pretty, Cinderella is just too fairtale-ish for me. Perhaps its the “Cinder” aspect? One of my best friends growing up had a cousin called Cinderella and I always thought the kid’s mother was both nuts and gutsy for giving her child a name with such well-known connotations.
In the 1998 film “Ever After” they called their heroine Danielle, although one of the stepsisters does refer to her as Cinderella a couple of times.
Sorry, all I could do was snort as soon as I read the title.
Cinderella is way over the top and just so one note – who wouldn’t immediately think of a Disney princess or the fairy tale? While I have other associations with Ariel, Jasmine and Belle, Cinderella is all her own. It’d be like using Snow White to me.
Fairly ridiculous.