Valentine

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Sebastiane

Origin: Latin
Meaning: “strong; vigorous; healthy.”
(Eng masc: val-en-TINE; Fre fem: vah-lown-TEEN)

The name is derived from the Roman family name, Valentinus, which is derived from the Latin, valens, meaning: “strong, vigourous; healthy.”

In the modern world, the name is mostly associated with the holiday, it was borne by several early Christian martyrs, one of whom whose feast day happened to coincide with the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia.

The anglicized form of Valentine is masculine, while in French, Valentine is feminine. This is a natural evolution, as Valentine is actually the feminine form of the French masculine,Valentin.

Valentine does not rank in the U.S. top 1000, but Valentine and Valentin are fairly common names in French-speaking countries.

Currently, Valentin is the 36th most popular male name in Austria, (2010). His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 12 (Hungary, Bálint, 2010)
# 40 (France, Valentin, 2009)
# 106 (the Netherlands, Valentijn, 2010)
# 792 (United States, Valentin, 2010)

Other forms of the masculine include:

Valentini (Albanian)
Balendin (Basque)
Vàledin Валедин (Bulgarian)
Valentin Валентин (Bulgarian/Croatian/Czech/Estonian/French/German/Scandinavian/Slovene/Romanian/Russian)
Valentí (Catalan)
Valentyn (Czech)
Valentijn (Dutch: same pronunciation as in English)
Valentine (English)
Valjo/Valju (Estonian: has a different etymology but has been traditionally used as a cognate for Valentinus)
Balantin (Extramadurian)
Bálint (Hungarian)
Valente (Italian)
Valentiniano (Italian)
Valentino (Italian)
Valento (Italian)
Valenzano (Italian)
Valenzo (Italian)
Valentinus (Latin)
Valentins (Latvian)
Valentinas (Lithuanian)
Walentyn (Polish)
Walenty (Polish)
Valentim (Portuguese)
Ualan (Scottish)
Valintinu (Sicilian)
Valentín (Slovak/Spanish)
Folant (Welsh)

Valentina is currently the 19th most popular female name in Austria, (2010), her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 28 (Italy, 2009)
# 47 (Croatia, 2010)
# 61 (Slovenia, 2010)
# 71 (France, Valentine, 2009)
# 81 (Catelonia, 2009)
# 91 (Belgium, Valentine, 2009)
# 92 (Spain, 2010)
# 97 (Germany, 2011)
# 152 (United States, 2010)
# 444 (the Netherlands 2010)

Other forms include:

Valentina Валентина (Catalan/Croatian/German/Hungarian/Italian/Romanian/Russian/Slovene/Spanish)
Valentine (French)
Valentína (Icelandic/Slovak)
Valenta (Italian)
Valenzia (Italian)
Walentyna (Polish)
Valentyna Валентина (Ukrainian)

The designated name-day is of course, February 14.

Sources

Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vatican, 1969), p. 117
http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?nmd=n&terms=Valentine
http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/valentine?view=uk
http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-valentine-of-rome/
http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=101926
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15254a.htm

Morena

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Maltese/Romansch/Spanish
Meaning: “brown; brunette.”
(moh-RAY-nah)

The name comes from a Latin element meaning “dark skinned; olive skinned; brownish” and in modern Spanish it is the word for brunette.

In Italian, morena is used to describe a particular form of sediment, composed of rock debris, carried in a glacier in its flow down stream. This is referred to in English as moraine. Its usage in Switzerland and Northern Italy may be in reference to the above, used as a sort of nature name.

The name is very popular among Romansch-speakers in Switzerland and is currently the 18th most popular female name in Argentina, (2009).

It is borne by Maltese pop singer, Morena (b.1984).

Alternately, the name could be from an Old Slavic source and is used as another name for the goddess Morana, (or Marzanna), in Slavic mythology. It is believe her name is linked with the Old Slavic word for frost.

A masculine form is Moreno, used in Italian, Portuguese, Maltese, Romansch and Spanish.

Holiday Season Names

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Sebastiane

Originally this post was entitled Christmas names, but I decided to change the topic to Holiday season names in general. Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Devali, Hanukkah, Yuletide, Kwanzaa or even Yalda, below are a list of names that have a seasonal feel. Enjoy!

Have a Happy Holiday and a Merry Christmas!

Female

Adoración (from the Spanish meaning, “adoration”, the name is usually given in reference to the Adoration of the Magi on January 6th. Adora is another variation)
Atiya (an Arabic name, it is a feminine form of Ata, meaning, “gift.”)
Amjalina (from the Belarusian word for “mistletoe”, it is also the name of a village in Brest. ahm-yah-LEE-nah)
Aoi (from the Japanese 葵 ” meaning “holly.”)
Božica (from the Serbian and Croatian word for Christmas and often used on girls born during the Christmas season. boh-ZHEET-sah)
Chipo (the name is from the Shona word for “gift”, perhaps a good option for a little girl born during Kwanzaa).
Cinnamon
Epiphany (January 6th marks the epiphany and traditionally the official end of the Christmas season)
Eudora (this option is never listed on the Christmas themed list I see on the baby name blogs. From the Greek, meaning “good gift”, this would make a beautiful and unique choice for a little girl born during the Holiday season).
Eve (For a Christmas Eve baby)
Ginger
Godiva (Godiva Chocolates are occassionally given as a gift during the Holiday season, plus it is from the Anglo-Saxon meaning, “god’s gift.”)
Hadiyya (another easily pronounceable Arabic choice meaning “gift.”)
Hestia (from the Greek meaning “hearth; fireside.”)
Inbal (from the Hebrew meaning “tongue of a bell.” Also would make a great Hanukkah names)
Ling (from the Chinese meaning “bell chime”)
Metrodora (from the Greek meaning, “mother’s gift”)
Mjata (from the Belarusian nature name meaning “mint.” MYAH-tah)
Nadzieja (from the Polish and Belarusian word meaning “hope.” nod-JAY-yah)
Nina (although often viewed as a form of Anne, this is also a Quecha name meaning, “fire.”)
Rei (from the Japanese meaning “bell.”)
Saffron (traditionally used in Scandinavia, especially in Sweden, as a holiday spice, especially to flavor the famous lussekatte (St. Lucy buns)
Sterre (from the Dutch word for star and currently a very trendy female name in the Netherlands. STER-reh)
Suzu (another Japanese name meaning “bell.”)
Tisa (from the name of the Slovene river which also coincides with the word for the yew tree. TEE-sah)
Tuyet (from the Vietnamese meaning “snow.”)
Wigilia (pronounced vee-GEEL-yah, this is the Polish word for Christmas Eve although rare, it is occassionally used as a given name)
Yalda (name of the Persian holiday which celebrates the Winter Solstice, it is also a very common female name in Iran).
Zavjeja (from the Belarusian nature name meaning “blizzard” zah-VYAY-yah)
Zhuravina (from the Belarusian nature name meaning “cranberry.” zhoo-rah-VEE-nah)

Male

Aputsiag (from the Greenlandic meaning, “snowflake.”)
Ata (from the Arabic, meaning, “gift.”)
Bor (from the South Slavic word for “pine tree.”)
Bożydar (from the Polish literally meaning “god’s gift.”)
Csaba (bonus: it is a Hungarian name that can meaning either shepherd or gift. It is pronounced CHAH-baw and it is currently a very trendy name for Hungarian baby boys).
Celyn (from the Welsh meaning “holly” KEL-in)
Darko (a South Slavic name literally meaning “little gift.”)
Doron (from the Hebrew meaning “gift” this name would also make a great Hanukkah choice.)
Edur (from the Basque meaning, “snow.”)
Hurik (from the Armenian meaning, “small fire.”)
Iker (from the Basque meaning “adoration”, used in reference to the Adoration of the Magi which occurs on January 6th).
Ivor (from the Old Norse meaning, “yew tree.”)
Joash (from the Biblical Hebrew meaning, “fire of Yahweh”).
Kirabo (from the Lagunda meaning, “gift”, the name is also reminiscent of the animal name, Caribou. This may make an interesting choice for a Kwanzaa baby).
Mattan (from the Old Hebrew name meaning simply, “gift,” a cool and more unusual alternative to Matthew).
Milad (from the Arabic meaning, “Christmas”, the name is sometimes used among Coptic and Arabic Christians as a male given name).
Neo (another cool African name meaning “gift” in Tswana, bonus, it also means “new” in Greek, it would also make a great name for a New Years baby.)
Oren (from the modern Hebrew meaning, “pine tree.“)
Plamen (from the Bulgarian meaning, “flame; fire.“)
Pyry (from the Finnish meaning “snowstorm; blizzard.”)
Shai (from the Hebrew meaning, “gift”, pronounced as SHY)
Yule

Snow Day! Snow Names

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Sebastiane

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)