Pamela
/pəˈmiːlə/noun
A feminine given name, originally created as a literary name by Philip Sidney.
Did you know?Philip Sidney appears to have coined Pamela for his unfinished work Arcadia, while the later interpretation “all sweetness” likely came from connecting it with Greek words for “all” and “honey.”
Etymological Timeline
1580s
English
Pamela
“A newly coined feminine name used by Philip Sidney in The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia.”
1590
English
Pamela
“The name appears in Sidney’s Arcadia, attached to a fictional princess.”
17th Century
English
Pamela
“The literary name begins to circulate beyond Sidney’s work.”
1740
English
Pamela
“Samuel Richardson uses Pamela for the heroine of Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, greatly popularizing it.”
18th–19th Century
English
Pamela
“The name becomes established as a personal name in English-speaking societies.”
Modern English
English
Pamela
“A conventional feminine given name, often shortened to Pam.”