Ethel’s Notebook: Personalized Journal for Ethel
A simple, pretty journal made for one person: Ethel. Her name is set in script above pink watercolor apple blossom on the cover.
- 160 lined pages
- 6" x 9" paperback
- Watercolor apple blossom cover with "Ethel's Notebook" on the front
- Printed and shipped by Amazon
What does the name Ethel mean?
Ethel comes from the Old English element æðele, “noble”. Behind the Name explains that it began as a short form of names starting with that element and was coined as a given name in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. Wikipedia lists old names in Æthel- such as Æthelflæd and Æthelthryth, the source of Audrey. Two novels made Ethel fashionable: William Makepeace Thackeray’s The Newcomes (1855) and Charlotte Mary Yonge’s The Daisy Chain (1856), whose heroine’s full name is Etheldred.
Ethel nicknames and other forms
Behind the Name lists Ethyl as a variant spelling and Ethelyn as a diminutive. Through the shared root æðele, Ethel is a cousin of continental names such as Adele, Adeline and Ada, which Behind the Name lists as its forms in other languages. Wikipedia notes that Etheldred, the full name of Yonge’s heroine, also survived into the modern period.
Some famous Ethels
Ethel Merman, born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, has been called “the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage” and starred in Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy. Ethel Barrymore, known as “The First Lady of the American Theatre”, won an Academy Award for None but the Lonely Heart (1944). And Ethel Waters, who recorded “Stormy Weather” and “Dinah”, was the first African American to star on her own television show.
Ethel through the decades
Ethel was a late-Victorian hit. US Social Security data has it 15th in the 1880s and at its best rank, 8th, in the 1890s; Wikipedia says it was 7th in 1894 alone. Its biggest decade by count was the 1910s, when more than 63,000 American girls were named Ethel. It fell to 131st in the 1940s and then left the top 200, and Wikipedia says it dropped below rank 1,000 in 1976.
Did you know?
Ethel Barrymore owes her name to a novel. Wikipedia says the actress, born in 1879, was named after the Ethel of Thackeray’s The Newcomes. The name was so fashionable by then that the journal Notes & Queries published correspondence about it in 1872.
Gift ideas for an Ethel
- For a Broadway fan. Showtunes and theater notes, in honor of Ethel Merman.
- For a Halloween birthday. Ethel Waters was born on October 31, so it suits a spooky-season Ethel.
- For a bookworm. Ethel was made fashionable by two Victorian novels.
- For a jazz lover. Song lists and lyrics, for a name shared with Ethel Waters.
Who is it for and how she can use it
Whether Ethel is eight or eighty, a 6" x 9" notebook is a comfortable size: big enough to write in properly, slim enough to carry. The 160 lined pages don’t come with a set layout, so she decides what it’s for. Journal, planner, class notes, recipes, travel log or doodle book all work. And with her name on the cover, nobody will mistake it for theirs.
Why personalized works
Personalized gifts show you thought about the person, not just the occasion. A notebook with Ethel on the cover is affordable, useful every day and still feels special. It’s also a safe choice when you’re not sure of someone’s style, because everyone needs somewhere to write things down.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Ethel’s Notebook? It’s 6" x 9" (about 15.2 x 22.9 cm), with 160 lined pages in a paperback cover.
Where do I buy it? On Amazon. It’s printed on demand and shipped by Amazon, so delivery and returns go through your usual Amazon account.
Do you have other names? Plenty. If you’re shopping for more than one person, see all name notebooks and our personalized name notebooks page.
Check out Ethel's Notebook on Amazon
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