Created by the novelist R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel 'Lorna Doone' (1869). He may have based it on the Scottish place name Lorne or on the title 'Marquis of Lorne' (see Lorne). Lorna originates in Scottish language and was probably derived from the masculine given name Lorne, itself related to a region in the west of Scotland. It was popularized by R. D. Blackmore in his novel Lorna Doone. As a feminine given name it is still more popular in the United Kingdom than the United States. It functions as a surname as well.
