The womans name Himalaya

[oldfashionedgirl]

I have just come back from the funeral of a lovely lady who lived 94 years on this earth.
She was born in Cornwall and she had been given the middle name of Himalaya which was her mothers name. The family said it was an old Cornish name but other than that didn't know its origin.
Has anybody know of this name ?

Thanks

[osprey]

well, there's only one instance of it on the OPC database, so doesn't look to be used much in Cornwall. Several  instances of it on FreeBmd, with a fair spread of places in England & Wales, but only a couple in Cornwall. Seems to be used for males & females, but doesn't seem to be used before the 1850s. The height of Everest was first published in 1856, the Great Trignometric Survey of India had been measuring Himalyan peaks since 1847, so that could be the source of the name.

 

[oldfashionedgirl]

Thanks osprey that's interesting. Those dates would be logical for the era.
Cheers

[jorose]

Possibly one of her ancestors was in the British Army in India?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landour

Also here's at least one entry where it's used as a middle name after a ship (note christening place!)
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTHN-N86

[Racinggreen1500]

Hi there
Did your relative by any chance live in the Penzance area? If so I may well be able to solve the riddle of the Himalaya name. Please get in touch and I can tell you the details!!