Ethel Ethel — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

Ethel is from the Old English æðele (noble) — a short form of *Æthelthryth*, *Etheldreda*, and other Anglo-Saxon names beginning with this element. **A top-10 US baby name from 1894 to 1907, peaking at #6 in 1900**. **Ethel Merman (1908-1984)** — born Ethel Zimmermann — **American singer-actress; the "First Lady of the Broadway Musical" originated the lead roles in *Anything Goes*, *Annie Get Your Gun*, *Call Me Madam*, *Gypsy***. **Ethel Waters (1896-1977)** — American singer; first Black woman nominated for a Best Actress Oscar (*Pinky*, 1949). **Ethel Kennedy (1928-2024)** — widow of Robert F. Kennedy; mother of 11; founder of the RFK Center for Human Rights. **Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959)** — "First Lady of the American Theatre."

Subject of Robert Massie's *Bobby and Ethel* (1995).