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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Lithuanian/Latvian
Meaning: “song.”
(DY-nuh) homonym: Dinah
The name comes directly from the Lithuanian and Latvian words for song. The daina is a traditional form of music and poetry found in both Latvian and Lithuanian culture. A lot of dainas have to do with pre-Christian themes, such as heros and gods from ancient Baltic mythology. The name became a popular Latvian and Lithuanian given name around the 19th century. It is currently borne by Latvian-born mathematician Daina Taimina who is known for crocheting objects to illustrate hyperbolic space (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_Taimina). The name’s pronunciation is identical to that of the English pronunciation of the Biblical Hebrew name Dinah. Its designated name day is Aug 7.
Lithuanian masculine forms are Dainas, Dainis (DYE-nis), Dainys (DYE-nees), Dainius, Dainotas and Dainutis.
Designated name-days for the masculine forms in Lithuania are November 11.
Other feminine forms include: Dainė, Daineta, Dainida and Dainutė.