Claudette

Claudette is the French female form of Claudius which finds its roots in a prominent ancient Roman family name from the Latin nickname “claudus” meaning “lame, crippled”. The Claudius family name dates back to the 6th century B.C. and was originally borne by a Sabine (an extinct Italic tribe predating the founding of Rome). There is no evidence that any of the earliest Claudii were “lame” – as a result, the etymology is sometimes debated. In any case, this patrician family must have not been too “lame” because they were historically remembered for their haughtiness, arrogance and distain for the lower classes. For those familiar with Roman history, you’ll recognize the name Claudius as having been borne by several Emperors of the 1st century. The most notable of these was Claudius who reigned as Emperor of Rome from 41 to 54 A.D. Interestingly, he was hidden from public life by his family who dismissed him as incompetent due to his disabilities which included slight deafness, a stutter and a limp (apparently this particular Claudius was “lame, crippled”). He was declared Emperor at the age of 49 after the assassination of his nephew Caligula; turns out that old Claudius was not as “lame” as his family thought. He was generally considered an efficient ruler who engaged in many public works, expanded the borders of the Empire and took a keen interest in law. In the end, his fourth and final wife, the ruthlessly ambitious Agrippina, poisoned him to ensure the succession of her own son Nero. The main reason why names like Claudia and Claudette survived into the Middle Ages has more to do with the name’s Christian connections. For instance, there’s a Claudia (French: Claudette, Claudine) who appears in the Bible’s New Testament (Paul’s letters to Timothy briefly mention her). Tradition holds that Claudia took her name from the Roman Emperor Claudius as a way to honor him after he released her father, a prisoner from the then-Roman province of Britannia (England) in the 1st century A.D. She stayed in Rome, converted to Christianity and purportedly became the mother of Linus the second Pope. She is now recognized as Saint Claudia and her feast day is August 7th. According to other Christian traditions, Claudia also happened to be the name of Pontius Pilate’s wife and, while he sat in judgment and ordered the crucifixion, she unsuccessfully attempted to convince her husband to save Jesus (although the Bible provides no supporting reference to this story). The French versions of the Latin Claudia are Claudette and Claudine; although, neither name is very popular in France today.