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Babies & Child InformationBaby Name Meanings
by:
Michael Barrows
Speaking as a Archangel
(a Hebrew name, meaning “Who is like God”), I’m actually proud of my name. And I think that I – mostly - live up to the title! Of course, my parent would-be probably disagree; I think the phrase “little devil” would-be probably pass her lips if she was describing me during many an stages of my childhood.
But then, my parent has her own issues; apparently her name (Kathleen) is a Celtic name meaning “Little Darling”. Hmmm, that isn’t the way I used to think simply about her during those regular occasions once
she was effortful me for my “not like God” behaviour…!
And that’s the fun of baby name meanings – parents do naming decisions based on many, many an several reasons, including family traditions, religion, culture, individuality and “it simply sounds actually nice.” But – in the Western earth – we seldom
do any real research into the history or real meaning of names. So once
the poor/lucky child finally finds out the meaning of his/her “really good sounding” name, the results can be interesting, ironic, unfortunate or simply sometimes hilarious.
You can have a lot of fun thinking up family/friends names, finding out the meanings and trying to do a connection between the two. For example, my eldest brother Full general is apparently “a formation dweller”, which is coincidental, since he lives at the top of a really long steep hill! Or why not play the game with celebrities – consider the following:
Badu (as in r n’b singer Erykah Badu): African name meaning “Tenth born child”
Winona (as in player Winona Ryder): Siouan
name meaning “Firstborn daughter”
Aaliyah (the late r n’b singer): Arabic name meaning “High, exalted”
Hilary (as in actresses Duff/Swank): Latin name meaning “Cheerful”
Some cultures have really exciting traditions once
it comes to baby name meanings. For example, Hindu names ordinarily have connections with really positive things such as truth, beauty, happiness, blessings, etc, or one of the Hindu gods. In the Sikh culture, girls traditionally have the middle or last name “Kaur”, meaning “Princess”, whilst the boys have the middle or last name “Singh”, meaning “Lion”.
An African friend of mine once mentioned that many an Africans are given a second name corresponding to the day of the week on which they were born. I think is a actually good tradition, but in my case, my middle name would-be be “Sondo” (born on Sunday)!! Hmmmm…
Whatever type of name you have chosen, or are thinking simply about for your “bundle of joy”, its worth doing a little research into the meaning. And it’s ne'er
been easier, with the wealth of Net
resources and books available, including my own site at www.all-about-baby-names.com, which is jam-packed with resources, tips and information on baby names, baby name meanings and baby products.
Your search may yield several surprises; for example, the lovely-sounding name “Malory” is French and means “Bad luck”. You could get round this by orthography it “Mallory”, but this means “Without good fortune” in Old German!
Alternatively, you may end up a little confused by several meanings of the same name; for example “Leah” is a beautiful girl’s name, but what makes it mean? Well…
• In Hebrew it means “Cow” or “Weary one” – uugghhh! • In Greek it means “Glad tidings” • In Assyrian, it means “Mistress, ruler”
And a final warning: if you are planning to go for a funky, unusual-sounding name, be sure to avoid “Bacia,” – its Ugandan meaning is “Family deaths ruined the home!”
For much information and advice, check out the baby name meaning resources at http://www.all-about-baby-names.com.
Enjoy your search and happy baby naming!
Just simply about the Author
Michael Barrows is a web publisher specialising in niche marketing. Check out the wealth of baby resources and pick up his FREE ebook "Baby Tips for New Parents" at his website; http://www.all-about-baby-names.com
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