Adele

Adele is the English form of the French Adèle (whereby the accent mark is dropped). Adele is a name of Germanic origin from the element “adal” meaning “noble”. The name Adelaide comes from the same root and gave the English such names as Alice, Alison, Alicia, etc. Adèle became a favorite female name in France in honor of an 8th century Frankish princess, the daughter of King Dagobert II of Austrasia (the eastern Frankish Empire at the time). Dagobert II ascended the throne around the age of six, but was quickly deposed and exiled after some typical medieval power-jockeying. During his exile in Ireland Dagobert II married an Anglo-Saxon princess with whom he produced five children (Adela being one of them). After becoming widows, Adela and her sister Irmina found a holy calling and each founded a convent in present-day western Germany. The French brought Adela/Adèle to England by way of the French-Norman Conquest of 1066. In fact, William of Normandy (aka William the Conqueror) who, after his successful conquest, became King William I of England named one of his many daughters Adela. Adela, Countess of Blois, was the mother of King Stephen of England. The name Adela/Adele took hold in England during the 11th century but would eventually peter out in popularity by the later Middle Ages. Revival interest in Adele occurred in the 19th century thanks in part to a popular operetta composed by Johann Strauss called "Die Fledermaus" (1874) which featured a soprano character named Adele. Furthermore, the highly-esteemed 19th century French novelist Victor Hugo named his daughter Adèle (which was also his wife’s name). And lest we forget that Jane Eyre’s charming little French pupil at Thornfield Hall was named Adèle in Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel “Jane Eyre” (1847). Whether you choose to render Adèle with or without the accent mark over the first “e”, either way Adele is a supremely elegant name and very, very French.