Azalea is an
English name taken from the
flower name, which is derived from the
Greek word ''azaleos'', meaning ''
dry
Dry or dryness most often refers to:
* Lack of rainfall, which may refer to
** Arid regions
** Drought
* Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages
* Dry humor, deadpan
* Dryness (medica ...
.''
Popularity
The name was in occasional use by the early 1900s along with other plant and flower names that were then in vogue for girls, but was never common. The fame of the rapper
Iggy Azalea drew attention to the name in the 2010s and it has been increasing in use for girls in recent years. The recent canonization of
Roman Catholic saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
s
Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin might also have inspired namesakes as ''Azélie'' and its short form ''
Zélie'' are both sometimes considered
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
forms of the name. The name was among the one thousand most popular names for newborn girls in the
United States for the first time in 2012. It has ranked among the top five hundred names for American girls since 2020.
Variants of the name also in use in the United States include: ''Azaela'', ''Azaelia'', ''Azala'', ''Azalaya'', ''Azalayah'', ''Azaleah'', ''Azaleia'', ''Azalee'', ''Azaleya'', ''Azalia'', ''Azaliah'', ''Azalie'', ''Azaliya'', ''Azaliyah'', ''Azalya'', ''Azayla'', ''Azaylah'', ''Azaylea'', ''Azaylee'', ''Azaylia'', ''Azayliah'', ''Azealia'', ''Azelea'', ''Azelia'', ''Azelie'', ''Azella'', ''Azelya'', ''Azyla'', and ''Azylah''.
Notable people
*
Azealia Banks (born 1991), American rapper
*
Helen Azalea “Poppy” Baring (1901-1980), British-American socialite
*
Iggy Azalea, stage name of Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 1990), Australian rapper
*
Azalea Quiñones (born 1951), Venezuelan painter and poet
*
Azalea Sinclair
Azalea Marguerite Sinclair (née Clark; born 15 August 1930) is a former New Zealand netball player. She played as goal shoot in the New Zealand team in their second Test match, in 1948 against Australia.
Early life
Sinclair was born Azalea Ma ...
(born 1930), former New Zealand netball player
*
Azalea Thorpe
Azalea Thorpe (10 April 1911 – 29 December 1988) was a Scottish-born American weaver and textile designer. Known for her innovative experimentation with both natural and synthetic materials, Thorpe was a featured instructor and lecturer throug ...
(1911-1988), Scottish-born American weaver and textile designer
Notes
English feminine given names
Feminine given names
Given names derived from plants or flowers
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