Category Archives: Polish Names

Hugh, Hugo

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Meaning: “heart; mind; spirit
(HYOO); (HYOO-go)

The name is derived from the Germanic element, hug, meaning “heart; mind; spirit” or even “memory.” The original meaning of the name seems to refer to abstract consciousness.

It appears in Norse mythology in the form of Hugin(n), (thought), the name of one of Odin’s messenger ravens who would fly around Midgård and bring Odin messages. The other raven’s name was Muninn (memory).

It was a very popular name among the Franks and was introduced into England after the Norman invasion. It was borne by an early British saint, Hugh of Lincoln. The name’s popularity spread across the British Isles, often being Gaelicized in Ireland as Aodh and in Scotland as Ùisdean.

It was borne by a 10th-century French monarch, Hugh Capet, founder of the Capetian dynasty.

Hugh is currently the 963rd most popular male name in the United States, while it’s Latin cognate of Hugo ranks significantly higher at # 441. Hugo is currently a very trendy name across Europe. Its rankings in other countries are as follows:

#4 (Spain, 2010)
#6 (Sweden, 2010)
#8 (France, 2008)
# 12 (Catalonia, Spain, 2009)
#13 (Belgium, 2008)
#50 (the Netherlands, 2o1o)
#86 (Australia, NSW, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Hugo (Catalan/Czech/Dutch/English/Estonian/Finnish/French/German/Hungarian/Icelandic/Latvian/Polish/Portuguese/Romanian/Scandinavian/Slovak/Slovene/Spanish)
Hugh (English)
Hugues (French)
Hauke (Frisian)
Huguo (German)
Ughetto (Italian)
Ughino (Italian)
Ugo (Italian)
Ugolino (Italian)
Ugone (Italian)
Uguccione (Italian)
Hugas (Lithuanian)
Hudde/Hud (Middle English)
Huginn (Old Norse/Icelandic)
Hugon (Polish)
Ugu (Sardinian)
Shug (Scottish)
Hugolín (Slovak)
Huw (Welsh)

Common English diminutives are: Hewie and Hughie.

Feminine forms include, Huguette (French), Uga (Italian), Ughetta (Italian), Ugolina (Italian).

The designated name-days are: Febuary 3 (Estonia), April 1 (Estonia/Hungary/Poland/Slovakia), April 29 (Germany/Poland), November 3 (Sweden), November 17 (Latvia/Poland).

The rest of its bearers are too numerous to list.

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/hugo
  2. Ernst Förstemann, Altdeutsches namenbuch (1900), page 923

Clarence

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: English
Meaning: “shining.”
(CLAIRE-ence)

The name is derived from the Latin title clarensis which was used among British royalty. It is believed the name first caught on as a given name in the 19th-century.

In 1900, it was the 17th most popular make name in the United States. Though it never reached the top 10, it consistently remained in the U.S. top 100 until around 1951. As of 2010, it was the 983rd most popular male name in the United States.

The name has also occasionally been used in France and in the Spanish-speaking world. In Poland it has been Polonized as Klarencjusz. The designated name-day being April 26.

It was born by early ACLU pioneer, Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) and is currently born by U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas (b.1948).

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/clarence
  2.  H. Fros, F. Sowa, Księga imion i świętych, t. 3, Kraków 1998.

Reina

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Spanish or Yiddish  רֵײנָא
Meaning: “queen” or “pure”
(RAY-nah)

The name can either be from the Spanish word for queen or comes from the Yiddish word, rein, meaning “clean; pure.”

In the Spanish-speaking world, the name has been around since Medieval times and was often used as a Regina equivalent.

Among European Jews, the name was used as a Yiddish form of Katherine, sometimes transliterated as Rayna (English), Reina/Raina (German) or Rejna (Polish).

Rayna is coincidentally a Bulgarian female form of Rayno, believed to be derived from Radko, which itself is derived from the Slavic element, rad (care).

It can also likewise be the Latvian word for the Rhine river, and is the name of two different places, one in Estonia and the other in Spain. It is the name of a type of grape used to make red wine.

Another form is the Medieval French, Reine.

Currently, Reina is the 977th most popular female name in the United States (2010), while Rayna ranked in at 899 (2010).

The designated name-day in Estonia is September 7.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/rayna-2
  2. http://www.behindthename.com/name/reina-2
  3. http://www.behindthename.com/name/reina-1

Thaddeus

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Aramaic
Meaning: uncertain
Eng (THAD-dee us; TAD-dee-us)

The name is a Greek transliteration of the Aramaic male name, Thaddai, which is argued to either be derived from an Aramaic word meaning heart or to be an Aramaic version of the Greek male name, Theodore.

In the New Testament, the name is borne by one of the 12 Apostles, known as Jude Thaddeus, especially among Catholics. He is popularly known as St. Jude, St. Thaddeus or St. Jude Thaddeus and is venerated as the patron saint of lost causes.

In American history, the name was borne by the Polish borne revolutionary hero, Taddeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817).

In 2010, Thaddeus was the 983rd most popular male name in the United States. In Slovenia, Tadej was the 58th most popular male name of 2010.

The name Tadeusz, has always been a popular male name in Poland, it is the name of the title character of one of Poland’s beloved literary classics, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz.

Other forms of the name include:

Aday (Aramaic)
T’adeos Թադէոս (Armenian)
Tadevuš (Belarusian) (tah-DEH-voosh)
Tadija (Croatian) (TAH-dee-yah)
Tadeáš (Czech/Slovak) (tah-deh-AHSH)
Thaddée/Taddée (French) (tah-DAY)
Thaddäus (German) (tad-DAY-oos)
Thaddaeus/Thaddaios  Θαδδαιος (Greek: Biblical)
Tádé (Hungarian) (TAH-day)
Taddeo (Italian) (tah-DAY-o)
Tadas (Lithuanian) (TAH-dahs)
Tadeušas (Lithuanian) (TAH-deh-oo-SHAHS)
Tadeusz (Polish) (tah-DAY-oosh)
Tadeu (Portuguese)
Faddei/Faddey Фаддей (Russian) (FAD-day)
Tadej (Slovene) (tah-DAY)
Tadeo (Spanish) (tah-DEY-o)

Common English diminutives are Tad, Thad and Teddy. In Polish it is Tadek.

The designated name-days are: June 25 (Slovakia), October 28 (Poland) and October 30 (Czech Republic),

Feminine forms include the Italian, Taddea and the Polish, albeit rare, Tadea.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/thaddeus

Pamela

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You must be wondering why I would blog about a name that was invented in the 17th-century, well, I figure, over the centuries, Pamela has made such an impact on English literature that she deserves a post on Legitimate Baby Names.

The name, as mentioned above, was invented by Sir Philip Sidney for his Greek inspired work Arcadia.  It is believed that he created the name out of the Greek elements, pan (all) and meli (honey). It was also originally intended to be pronounced (puh-MEE-lah)!

A century later, another British author, Samuel Richardson, used the name for his heroine in his epistology Pamela also known as Virtue Rewarded (1740).  The novel recounts the forbidden love between a British nobleman and his servant, Pamela.

It was used as the nickname for Lady Edward FitzGerald (1773-1831), the wife of Lord Edward, and a bold supporter of Irish independence. Her real name was Stephanie Caroline Anne, and it is unknown as to why she was referred to as Pamela for most of her life, but it is the first time Pamela makes an appearance as a given name in the real world.

Pamela did not break out in popularity until the 1920s, even then, she ranks at a very low 848. By 1953, she made it in the top ten, coming in as the tenth most popular female name in the United States. Currently, Pamela only ranks in as the 983rd most popular female name (2010).

In recent years, due to several famous bearers, the name has recently made an appearance in other countries.  She has been used in Germany, Poland, France, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Sweden and in Spanish-speaking countries. There is even a French equivalent, Pamèle.  Though the name is inspired by Greek, it has yet to make an introduction into Greece.

Its common diminutive is of course Pam and the most famous bearer is Pamela Anderson.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/pamela/comments

Daniel, Danielle

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Biblical Hebrew
Meaning: “God is my Judge.”

If you are like me, you probably think Daniel is dull and overused. Then there is the other camp who might think this is a wonderful classic. It has the youthful nickname options of Dan and Danny and its used in just about every European country with such variants as the Italian Daniele and the Czech and Polish diminutive forms of Danek. Another plus is that, while the name has religious connotations, its doesn’t adhere to a specific denomination. It is fair game for both Jewish and Christian parents alike, Catholic and Protestant. It is even used among Muslims.

The name Daniel is found in the Old Testament, (it has its own book), composed of the Hebrew elements dan meaning “judge” and the 1st person possessive singular suffix of i plus El which was a reference to God.

As for the Biblical Daniel himself, according to the Bible, he was a Jewish boy who was captured by the Babylonians and employed as a sort of dream-reader, (sounds like a pretty cool job). Daniel was so good at his job that he eventually became famous, even among his Persian and Babylonian captives. Due to his prestige and influence, Daniel was also able to persuade his captors to release the Jews back to their homeland. There is far more to the Biblical Daniel’s story than I will write here, but he is probably most noted for his steadfast loyalty to his faith and people as well as his miraculous survival after being thrown in a den of lions.

In the United States, Daniel has been steadfast in its popularity. He currently comes in at # 5. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, he comes in at # 7. In Scotland at # 3. In Ireland # 4. While in Spain he comes in at a whopping # 2.

This forms is also used in the Czech Republic, Finland, French-speaking countries, German-speaking countries, Poland, Portuguese-speaking countries, Romania,  Scandinavia, Slovakia and Spanish-speaking countries

Other forms include :

  • Dana (Afrikaans)
  • Danieli (Albanian)
  • Danyal دانيال (Arabic)
  • Taniel (Armenian)
  • Danel (Basque)
  • Danilo (Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian)
  • Deniel (Breton)
  • Danail Данаил (Bulgarian)
  • Danelu (Corsican/Sardinian/Sicilian)
  • Daan (Dutch/Limburgish)
  • Daniël (Dutch)
  • Daaniel/Taaniel (Estonian)
  • Tanel/Tani (Estonian)
  • Taano/Tanno (Estonian)
  • Taneli/Tatu (Finnish)
  • Dāniyyêl דָּנִיֵּאל (Hebrew: Modern)
  • Dániel (Hungarian)
  • Daniló (Hungarian)
  • Dános (Hungarian)
  • Daniele (Italian: dahn-YAY-lay)
  • Daniello (Italian: an archaic version which died out in the 17th-century)
  • Danilo/Danilio (Italian: obscure)
  • Danielius (Lithuanian)
  • Daniilu Данїилъ (Old Church Slavonic)
  • Dani داني (Persian)
  • Daniyal دانيال (Persian)
  • Danil/Dănuṭ (Romanian: duh-NOOTS)
  • Daniil Даниил (Russian)
  • Daniele/Danijel (Slovene)
  • Dani/Däne/Dänu/Danü (Swiss-German: Bern dialect)
  • Danyal/Danyel(Turkish)
  • Deiniol (Welsh)

Czech diminutives are: Dan, Daník, Daneček, Danoušek, Danny, Dandýsek, Dady, Danda, Dáda, Danda, Dannys, Danušík and Dandýsek, Italian diminutive forms are: Nilo, Danio, Danino and Nilio.

Danya Даня is a common Russian and Ukrainian diminutive form.

Let us not forget its feminine versions of Daniella, Daniela and Danielle. As of 2010, its Spanish and Slavic diminutive form of Dania reached the top 1000, coming in as the 999th most popular female name in the United States.

The French Danielle, does not have the same staying power as its masculine counterpart. Though always more common as a middle name, Danielle is one of the quintessential names of the 1980s. In 1987, she came close to reaching the top 10 by hitting # 14. In the last popularity census, Danielle still comes in rather high at # 144.  Its Latinate counterpart of Daniela comes in a tad bit higher at # 121, while the Italian Daniella is all the way down at # 303.

Other forms are:

  • Danijela (Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian/Slovene)
  • Danaila (Bulgarian)
  • Daniela (Czech/German/Polish/Portuguese/Romanian/Scandinavian/Slovene/Spanish)
  • Danielle (English)
  • Danièle (French)
  • Danelia (Italian: obscure)
  • Daniella (Italian)
  • Danila/Danilla (Italian: obscure)

Italian feminine diminutives are : Dana, Dania and Nila.

Designated name-days are: July 21 (Germany/Hungary/Slovakia), December 10 (Poland/Lithuanian), December 11 (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden), December 17 (Greec/Czech Republic)

Snow Day! Snow Names

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Was your baby a snow baby? Born on a snow day? Or perhaps you are just curious to see if here are any names with the meaning of “snow; ice or blizzard.”

As part of the holidays and in honour of the snow rich winter season, I have compiled a list of “snowy” “icy” baby names. Enjoy!

Male

Alluaq “hole in the ice for fishing” (Greelandic)
Andri “snow shoe” (Old Norse)
Anil “wind” (Sanskrit)
Aputsiaq “snowflake” (Greenlandic)
Edur“snow” (Basque)
Fannar “snow drift” (Icelandic)
Frediano “cold” (Italian)
Frosti “frost” (Icelandic)
Govad “the wind” (Persian)
Hjarnar “hard; frozen snow” (Old Norse)
Ilgar “first snow” (Azeri)
Isbert “bright ice” (Frisian)
Isbrand “ice sword” (Frisian)
Izo “ice” (Frisian)
Izozts “ice” (Basque)
Jouko “snow; ice” (Finnish)
Persoq “snow flurry” (Greenlandic)
Pyry “blizzard” (Finnish)
Sarmis “snowfrost” (Latvian)
Sheleg “snow” (Hebrew)

Female

Biruta “snow” (Lithuanian)
Bora “snow” (Albanian)
Dëborake “snow” (Albanian)
Drífa “snowdrift” (Icelandic)
Edurne “snow” (Basque)
Eira “snow” (Welsh)
Eirlys “snowflake” (Welsh)
Elurreta “snowing” (Basque)
Ensilumi “snowfall” (Finnish)
Era “wind” (Albanian)
Esen “the wind” (Turkish)
Fanndís “snow goddess” (Icelandic)
Flykra “snow flake” (Faroese)
Fulga “snowflake” (Romanian)
Fönn “lots of snow” (Icelandic)
Gheata “ice” (Romanian)
Gwyneira “white snow” (Welsh)
Haizea “wind” (Basque)
Halla “frost” (Finnish)
Helbe/Helve “flake” (Estonian)
Himani “snow” (Sanskrit)
Hófehérke “snow white” (Hungarian)
Hukupapa “frost” (Maori)
Ishild “ice battle” (German)
Ilgara “first snow” (Azeri)
Jökla “icicle; glacier” (Icelandic)
Kassoq “bluish piece of ice” (Greenlandic)
Koyuki “little snow” (Japanese)
Kukiko “child of the snow” (Japanese)
Lumi “snow” (Finnish)
Miyuki “silent snow” (Japanese)
Mjöll “fluffy snow” (Icelandic)
Neus “snow” (Catalan)
Neves “snows” (Portuguese)
Nieves “snows” (Spanish)
Nilak “fresh water ice” (Greenlandic)
Pärsla “flake” (Latvian)
Patil “snowflake” (Armenian)
Pire “snow” (Mapuche)
Qinoq “ice sludge'” (Greenlandic)
Tuyét “snow” (Vietnamese)
Sarma/Sarmite “snowfrost” (Latvian)
Shilga “snow” (Hebrew)
Snezhana “snow” (Bulgarian/Croatian/Russian)
Snezhala “snow” (Bulgarian)
Sniedze (Latvian)
Snöfrid “snow peace; snow beauty” (Old Norse)
Snædís “snow goddess” (Icelandic)
Snieguolė “little snow” (Lithuanian)
Śnieżka “little snow” (Polish)
Taidi “snow white” (Estonian)
Tuuli “wind” (Finnish)
Yukiko “snow child” (Japanese)

Jarogniew

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Polish
Meaning: fierce anger.”
(yah-RAWG-nyef)

The name is composed of the Old Slavonic elements, jary, “fierce, strong” and gniew “anger.”

Another form is Jerogniew.

A notable bearer was Jarogniew Drwęski (1873-1921) a famous Polish statesman and social activist.

The designated name-day in Poland is December 6.

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/php/find.php?name=jarogniew
  2. http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarogniew_(imi%C4%99)