Fanny Blankers-Koen

We've written about Fannies before, but, up to this point, they have all been Jewish Fannies. It's not like there are no interesting goyishe Fannies, but, to be honest, every time we see a "Fanny", we instantly think "Jewish woman". But that's not always the case!

So, goyishe Fannies! Believe it or not, they are much more prevalent than we suppose them to be. While the Jewish one usually comes as a derivation of Feiga, goys shorten Frances, Francoise, or even Estefanía... Or used to shorten, natch.

In the case of Fanny Blankers-Koen, it comes from Francina. And no, she was not Jewish, even if you take her married name away to transform her back to the original, Fanny Koen, which does seem incredibly Jewy on the surface. Fanny is one of the most successful Olympians of all time, winning four golds in sprinting and hurdles at the 1948 games. She was nicknamed "the Flying Housewife", because she had the audacity to win medals while taking care of two children.

Truly a remarkable Fanny!