Saturday, 19 December 2015

loanwords - Is ありす a traditional girl's name?


Is ありす, or a name pronounced the same as "ありす", a traditional feminine given name? (If I have to define traditional, then pre-dating the end of the Sakoku policy)


I've heard about parents naming their girls ありす because they like the foreign name "Alice", but does the name actually pre-date the event of Japanese knowing the word "Alice"?



Answer



There seems to be prior occurrence of ありす as part of a traditional Japanese surname, amongst other names. ありす can be the common Japanese female given name 有栖 (Arisu), which most likely comes is derived from Japanese Imperial branch family surname surname 有栖川 (Arisugawa).



As a somewhat ironic side note, the English name Alice, a name derived from Old French and Germanic, means "noble/nobility."


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