Wicked fans are only just finding out what 'Elphaba' actually means and it's left them stunned

Wicked fans are utterly obsessed with the big screen adaptation, and they are now discovering brand-new things about the beloved musical.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo portray the popular Glinda and outcast Elphaba, respectively, in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. The musical is inspired by the 1995 book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the tale of the Wicked film looks at the origin story of the two powerful witches. Despite being from different backgrounds, the two forge an unlikely friendship that will steer the course of their lives.

Fans are now digging for even more details about the origins of this beloved story, and some have only just found out the meaning behind the name Elphaba.

The name rolls off the tongue and sounds magical, which may be due to its ties to Oz mythology. Maguire revealed that the name Elphaba comes from the initials of L. Frank Baum, the original author of The Wizard of Oz.

Maguire explained in an interview how he played around with Baum’s initials to create the name which links back to the creator of the source material.

“I invented the name by playing with the initials of the author, Lyman Frank Baum. I tried Lafaba, I tried Lafeyba. And then I tried Elphaba. As soon as I got Elphaba, I thought, oh, that’s it,” he told WGBH.

The film version of Wicked was released last week to rave reviews. It currently has a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and a spectacular 97 percent audience rating.

The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz, and Everything Everywhere All At Once's Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University's headmistress Madame Morrible.

Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey stars as Fiyero, a roguish and carefree prince, Tony nominee Ethan Slater is Boq, an altruistic Munchkin student, and Marissa Bode makes her feature-film debut as Nessarose, Elphaba's younger sister.

Wicked debuted with $114m in the U.S. and $164.2m globally.This makes it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2.

Wicked: Part Two will delve into the rivalry between Glinda the Good and Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, and will arrive in cinemas one year from the release of Part One.

The follow-up is currently scheduled to premiere on November 28, 2025.