ETA: Sorry, the etymology of it is Greek, but it was more common in England in the later half of the 19th and early half of the 20th centuries. It's still fairly uncommon, but it is a perfectly valid, if old-fashioned, female name. It means "delight" or "joy". The actress who played the eldest von Trapp daughter in the film of The Sound of Music was named Charmian - is, in fact - she was born in the 1940s.
You'd probably come across Charmaine more often, that was popular more recently, the names are very similar, but I've always preferred Charmian.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-10-01 02:09 pm (UTC)Englishgirl's name!ETA: Sorry, the etymology of it is Greek, but it was more common in England in the later half of the 19th and early half of the 20th centuries. It's still fairly uncommon, but it is a perfectly valid, if old-fashioned, female name. It means "delight" or "joy". The actress who played the eldest von Trapp daughter in the film of The Sound of Music was named Charmian - is, in fact - she was born in the 1940s.
You'd probably come across Charmaine more often, that was popular more recently, the names are very similar, but I've always preferred Charmian.