Etymology & Historical Origin - Magnolia Magnolia is the name of a species of flowering trees indigenous to North America. A French botanist by the name of Charles Plumier described the tree in 1703 after coming across it on the Caribbean island of Martinique. Plumier gave the lovely flowering tree the name “Magnolia” after another French botanist Pierre Magnol who happened to be instrumental in the development of the botanical classification systems we know today. As for the meaning of Magnol, we could not find any definitive etymology on this rather rare surname. It most likely comes from the Latin “magna” meaning “great”. The magnolia tree is typically associated with “splendid beauty” and dignity. The tree stands tall and the flower blossoms are simply gorgeous and vibrant. The magnolia tree is the state tree of Mississippi, and it’s the state flower for both Mississippi and Louisiana (within the United States magnolia trees are native to the southeast). As a given name, Magnolia came into vogue during the latter part of the 19th century when naming girls after flowers became fashionable. Popularity of the Name Magnolia In the United States, Magnolia was most popular during the turn-of-the-century in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Back then, flower names for girls were quite trendy. Although Magnolia was not as popular as her sisters Rose, Violet, Lily or Daisy; she still managed to carve out a moderate place on the charts over 100 years ago. Just as with other flower names, Magnolia began to experience a decline in usage as the 20th century got under way. By 1940, Magnolia fell off the American girl’s naming charts altogether, and has yet to return. While the other flower names (Rose, Violet, Lily and Daisy) have experienced a recent revival, Magnolia hasn’t made the cut. We figuring parents have just forgotten about this lovely moniker. Lily and Daisy are super happy and cute names. Rose and Violet are both charming and dignified in that “old lady” sort of way. But the four-syllable Magnolia is nothing short of a “splendid beauty”. Maggie is also a potential pet form of this more fanciful flower name.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:04:42 +0000
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