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Malvina

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Malvina
GenderFemale
Origin
Language(s)Scottish Gaelic
DerivationMala-mhìn
Meaning"smooth brow"

Malvina is a feminine given name derived from the Scottish Gaelic Mala-mhìn, meaning "smooth brow".[1] It was popularized by the 18th century Scottish poet James Macpherson. Other names popularised by Macpherson became popular in Scandinavia on account of Napoleon, an admirer of Macpherson's Ossianic poetry, who was the godfather of several children of Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, an officer of his who ruled Norway and Sweden in the early 19th century.

The Argentinian name for the Falkland Islands, Las Malvinas, is not etymologically related to Malvina, but is instead derived from the name of St Malo, a seaport in Brittany.[2]

People

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Fictional characters

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References

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  1. ^ Cameron, Dugald; Gillies, John; Matheson, William; McDonell, George (1786). Sean Dain, Agus Orain Ghaidhealach. Perth. p. 29.
  2. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A dictionary of first names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 180, 406, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  3. ^ Vladimir Nabokov (2008), Verses and Versions: Three Centuries of Russian Poetry, Harcourt, Inc. Pages 52-57.