This name was made famous in literature in two works:Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, and Justine or the Misfortunes of Virtue, byMarquis de Sade . These two heroines are very different:the first represents unhappy passion, the second, perversity in the face of the ingenuous Justine. Juliet is a variant of Julie, of Latin origin, which means "of the Iulius family". Party July 30.
Origin and etymology of the first name Juliette
Like Julie, Juliette comes from the Latin surname Julia, which means "of the Iulius family". Julia was the name of several princesses of the ancient world. Julie daughter of Augustus was in the 1st century the wife of Agrippa and then of Tiberius, and the grandmother of Caligula. She was exiled. Julia Domna was the wife of Septimius Severus in the 2nd century.
A Saint Juliet, celebrated on June 16, was martyred under Diocletian, at the beginning of the 4th century; she is the patroness of the city of Nevers. Another saint was at the same time condemned to the stake, in Caesarea of Cappadocia (today Kayseri, in Turkey); she is honored on July 30.
Use and popularity of the first name Juliette
Juliet does not appear to have been employed before the Renaissance, as was Julie, and was not a given name common before the end of the 19th century.; it was then in vogue until around 1920. A little neglected afterwards, it was revived from 1980; it has again become a very popular first name.
The most famous Juliet is undoubtedly that of Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Since 1594, this piece has undergone multiple novelistic, cinematographic and choreographic adaptations, sometimes with variations on one of the two first names. Contemporary celebrities include singers Juliette Gréco and Juliette Noureddine, as well as actress Juliette Binoche.
To go further
- 2000 first names and their history, by Omer Englebert. Albin Michel, 2015.
- The Book of my first name - Juliet. First, 2017.