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[Opinions] Re: Matilda, Maude or Maud?
in reply to a message by Felie
I believe that Maude only made an appearance in the 1800s; the extra 'e' added either to make the name look more feminine (Maud has occasionally been used for males), or to make it appear more French and thus more upper class to the English speaking world of the time.When you read that Matilda was also sometimes written as Mahaulte (sp? can't now find where I read this) you can see how Matilda became Maud.Maude is probably the only name I prefer with the unnecessary extra 'e' tacked on just for looks. I love it! So bored of Matilda and the twee and inevitable Tilly, and I don't like the 'Mat' sound at the beginning either. But it is very popular, so I think that's just me...http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/167578

This message was edited 3/23/2017, 8:09 AM

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I wonder if Mahaulte is related to Mahaut, the medieval French nn for Mathilde. They loved putting an "o" sound on the end to make a nn, which is where Margot and Isabeau (from Isabelle) come from. The Mahaulte spelling doesn't actually end in an "o" sound. But it's just begging for me to write it as Mahault, which would end in an "o" sound. This is why names are endlessly fun, for me at least. The human element down through the ages, altering names just a touch, according to language variation or pure whim, can never be discounted. I always assumed Maud came from the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation of the first syllable of Matilda, which in Norman times was probably closer to "mahd-" than modern "muh-". But that's just a guess. :0)
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Hi !!!If you check "Matilda" these are the first words of description:"From the Germanic name Mahthildis meaning "strength in battle", from the elements maht "might, strength" and hild "battle". Muad was used for males??
Oh no..It looks like so feminine...
But also nowadays?
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I have honestly never heard of a male being called Maud - but I've read it used to be. I'd say definitely not in recent times =)
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