Since in class today we were talking about the importance of names, I thought it would be cool if I defined everyone's name for them and showed its history. Just to see how interesting each of our names really are.
Isabel- Isabel's name is originally Hebrew, Latin, or Spanish and is derived from the Spanish version of the name Elisabeth. Isabel was imported from Spain to the rest of the world during the middle ages and eventually morphed into Isabelle and Isabella in France and England. Many people of royalty had this name (She really is a princess). The name's root Elisheba means "God is my Oath" which shows up in Exodus as the wife of Aaron.
Bonnie- Obviously Bonnie's name is Scottish. It is a name that means pretty but is derived from the French word bonne meaning good. The name was given to Bonnie Prince Charles in 18th century Scotland because he was known for his handsome looks.
Iris- Her name is Greek. In mythology Iris is the personification of the rainbow and the messenger between the gods as well as the link between gods and mortals. Also the Iris is a flower that symbolized faith, hope, and wisdom in ancient times. The French monarchy was associated with irises. The name simply means rainbow.
Joseph- Joey's name is English and Hebrew. It is an anglicized form of the Hebrew name Yosef which translated to "God shall add another son". Joseph was also the 11th son of Israel in the book of Genesis. He was Israel's most favored son that he made a robe of colors for.
Alexander- Alex's name is Greek and Latin and is a form of the name Alexandros which is interpreted as alexein meaning to defend plus andros meaning warrior. Common historical use of the name is Alexander the Great. Sadly we only have Alexander the Decent.
Tiffany- Her name is English and Greek and was developed in the middle ages as an English form of the Greek name Theophania meaning epiphany. In the Catholic faith the Feast of Epiphany is celebrated on Jan 6th to commemorate the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus.
Ross- This is the second name that is Scottish. It is believed to come form the Gaelic word ros meaning headland. It is the surname of a Norman Frenchmen who came to settle in southern Scotland after the Conquest of 1066. It also may find its roots in the Anglo-Saxon name Rozzo meaning renowned.
Srihari- Well the first part of Sri's name is Indian(shocker). It means diffusing light, radiance or beauty in Sanskrit. The second part of his name means brown(Hari already enjoys this color) and the name is also sometimes the name of Vishnu.
Finally I thought I would do the names of our two teachers. Using their first names, respectfully of course.
Megan- This is a Welsh name which was a pet form form of Meg which is the pet form of the Scottish Margaret. Margaret comes from the Hebrew word for pearl.
Mary- An English name that comes from the Latin Maria by way of the French form of Marie. These names all came from the Hebrew Miriam which is believed to have been an Egyptian name derived from the element mry meaning beloved. One of the most common meanings for the name means drop of the sea from the Latin stilla maris.
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4 comments:
Since Breuna didn't define her own name, I thought that I would. I had to look up a more common spelling of Breuna to find the meaning, so I looked up Brianna. The Irish, American, and Celtic meaning of Brianna is strong. The British meaning of Brianna is she ascends.
It's funny that my name means ascends when I tend to fall often. I would just like to point that out.
Yes I'm named after a God. Sri also means the great. Names are really important because they represent culture. Like in la amistad when the change the names of the Africans to Hispanic names. In things fall apart, the African names all meant something. This one sound defines our identity as human beings.
This was so interesting to read, Breuna! This definitely shows how much meaning and value there is behind a name and how much it can help to define someone as a person. In class, Iris brought up a point that not all of Okonkwo's wives were actually name, and that names are something that humans specifically possess and sets us apart. The idea of Okonkwo's wives not having names is of course an example of human degradation. This idea came up in 8th grade English when we read Night by Wiesel. The Nazis stripped the Jews of their names and instead tattooed numbers on them to keep track of them. I'm not making a direct comparison of course between what Okonkwo's wives experienced and what the Jews did during the Holocaust, but the idea of value of someone's name and how it gives someone a sense of his or her own humanity is incorporated into both works.
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