Why were ladies' maids called "abigails" in past centuries?
Does anyone know how it came about? Out of everything a lady’s maid could be called, why “abigail”?
Ex: “I have no fear for my reputation since my abigail will accompany us.”
And in later years, do you suppose it simply became a more acceptable name for mothers to give their daughters? Or did ladies gradually forget what “abigail” once meant?
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11 Answers
I’m so glad you’ve asked this! My sister is called Abigail, and I had grown up knowing the information that it was a lady’s maid (clothes drier suspended from the ceiling, right?) but if I ever mentioned it I was told by others that they had never heard it called so.
Sorry my “answer” is not actually an answer! Thank goodness for Social!
@harple I know, I love Social. I don’t mind it when people get off topic or give a “non-answer”. I think I pretty much post everything in Social, specifically for that reason.
And yes, I’ve often wondered about that name. I’ve heard of servants referred to as “abigails” many times, and it’s made me think- how did they come to be called that in the first place, and how did “abigail” transition from being a servant to a popular girl’s name?
@harple No, LOL! An abigail was the lady’s personal maid/servant.
Jeruba would probably know this…
The term came into use after a lady’s maid named Abigail was a character in a 17th century play by English playwrights Beaumont and Fletcher.
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I stand corrected, kudos @janbb ! Shoulda gone to the library first!
Well, I am a librarian and also a student of Victorian literature. (And @jilllthetooth, you threw down the gauntlet.)
She was the wife of Nabal and later the handmaid and wife of King David. (1 Sam. 25:3) The name started be used in Elizabethan times to mean a handmaid.
Good job, @janbb. I’d have had to make a guess, and my guess would have been on the right track but not as accurate or precise as your answer; looks like you nailed it.
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