Thisbe by John William Waterhouse
- Origin: Greek, Semitic
- Meaning: unknown
- Gender: feminine
- (THIZ-bee)
The name is of uncertain origin and meaning but possibly has a Semitic origin. Thisbe is the name of the lover of Pyramus in Ancient Classical literature, their story is recounted in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Basically, they are 2 start-crossed Babylonian lovers who end up dying in a similar vein as Romeo & Juliet.
It is also the name of a city mentioned in the Bible, the birth place of the prophet Elijah and it is sometimes transliterated as Tishbe.
Thisbe is also the name of a nymph in Greek mythology who gave her the name to the town in Boeotia of the same name, it’s contemporary Greek form being Thisvi.
As for its usage, I found a record for a Thisby Gilbank born in 1604 in Suffolk, England, but became extremely widespread in England and the American colonies by the 18th-century. It may have been used in reference to both the Greek character and the place in the Bible.
Other forms include:
- Tisbe (Catalan, Galician, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
- Thisbe (Dutch, English, German, Scandinavian)
- Thisbé (French)
- Thiszbé (Hungarian)
- Tisbèa (Occitanian)
- Tysbe (Polish)
- Fisba Фисба (Russian)
- Tisba Тісба (Slovenian, Ukrainian)
Sources