SearchA Rose By Any Other Name
Released by Shinto (David Bates)
In movies and fiction we often see that names of people from less technologically advanced societies made from common nouns or combinations of nouns and adjectives. Young-Deer, Small-Turtle, Mountain - that kind of thing. We in the modern world have gotten away from descriptive naming to some extent. Miller is just a last name passed down through the generations. We seldom think of it as descriptive. Matt, David, Steven - the meaning of all these names are things we have to look up in a book, because of themselves they no longer carry meaning in our language.
Presumably the practice of literally translating the descriptive names of people from other cultures comes from the difficulty we have in pronouncing the sounds of a foreign tongue. The Navajo name Adoette is hard to pronounce. Its meaning, Large-Tree, is easily rendered in our language.
But what is interesting is that names from earlier periods of Western history when names were descriptive are not translated into their literal meanings. We know these names and in our modern English have a familiar way of pronouncing them. Nowhere in our past do we find names like “Large-Tree”. We always had real names, not names like those endearing primatives Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
How would our history look though, if all non-English names were uniformly translated into their descriptive meanings - as the societies who created the names intended? Would Cicero still be the archetypal orator and man of letters if we knew him only as “Chickpea?” Would Marcus Aurelius or Alexander be even more impressive as “Golden-War” and “Defender of Men?”
These linguistic twists create an idea of ourselves and our history as a civilization apart from others, but it isn’t so.
I hereby dub thee, “Writes With Flourish”.
Interesting points - I’d never really thought about it in that manner. My name, by the way, means “Peace”, and is of german origin. My surname basically refers to a road that goes to someplace named “Hemming”.
Comment by Jeff Hemenway on May 26th, 2006 at 10:55 am |I think my full name translates to “Victory of the people, Peace, Dark one”. It’s either a contradictory mouthful or a rather interesting revolutionary fable.
Comment by tynic on May 26th, 2006 at 11:05 am |Most highly adored, or most praised. Middle name “Lucky” and last “Complete one”.
Comment by Sami al Adeeb on May 26th, 2006 at 11:14 am |Your parents were optimistic.
Comment by tynic on May 26th, 2006 at 11:16 am |If you want to toss in my middle name, “John”, then I guess my full name means something along the lines of “Peace, the Lord is gracious - say, where’s Hemming?”
Comment by Jeff Hemenway on May 26th, 2006 at 11:19 am |So, two Lutherans met in a forest …
Comment by tynic on May 26th, 2006 at 11:21 am |My first name is a refrence to a saint that carried god’s physical manafestion on earth across a river. Bit of a nom de plume, or something, cause I’m pretty sure it breaks down to “that guy that carried Jesus across a river” literally too. More or less.
Last name apparently means “intellectual son” though until I checked I thought it was something to do with bears. Not sure why I thought that.
Comment by Anonymous on May 26th, 2006 at 11:24 am |Consider yourself covered in spaghetti, tynic, cause you’re rude.
Comment by Sami al Adeeb on May 26th, 2006 at 11:29 am |Kinky!
Comment by tynic on May 26th, 2006 at 11:34 am |David, Hebrew, meaning “Beloved One.”
Bates, Anglo-Saxon, meaning “Contention.”
Anyone else want to know what their name means?
Comment by Hacksaw on May 26th, 2006 at 11:56 am |Conor means King in Gaelic. Not quite sure what Slattery means.
Speaking of names, you wouldn’t believe how many people I’ve met who thought Jesus’ name was Jesus (H.) Christ.
Comment by Poldy on May 26th, 2006 at 11:57 am |hacksaw, last name Barrett, middle name allen.
Comment by red on May 26th, 2006 at 12:00 pm |Allen, variant of Alan, Celtic, meaning “Handsome One.”
Barrett, Teutonic, meaning “Bear-like.”
Apparently you’re a very handsome, bearish man, red.
Comment by Hacksaw on May 26th, 2006 at 12:07 pm |jeeps is never going to leave me alone.
Thanks, wikipeida is wrong about my name. Thought it was bearlike.
Comment by red on May 26th, 2006 at 12:11 pm |Jeepguy isn’t the only one who has a preference for large, hairy men. :winky:
Comment by Hacksaw on May 26th, 2006 at 12:13 pm |But, most of you are American. You’re names don’t mean shit ;)
Andrew - “manly”
Collins - some sites say “young warrior”, others “young dog”
Comment by Andrew Collins on May 26th, 2006 at 12:17 pm |“Young warrior” is the most common translation I’ve come across.
Comment by Hacksaw on May 26th, 2006 at 12:20 pm |Actually, I believe Bates means “boatman”, a reference to the middle english baat.
Making my full name mean “Beloved Christbearing Boatman.”
Comment by Shinto on May 26th, 2006 at 1:01 pm |god, another one.
at least it is your middle name. You don’t have to deal with 5 people at you job with your name.
Comment by red on May 26th, 2006 at 1:45 pm |First name means “Twin.”
Last name means somewhere along the way, one of my paternal ancestors was from “Warwick, England.”
Comment by Anonymous on May 26th, 2006 at 2:15 pm |Matthew-gift of the Lord
Comment by oxymoron man on May 26th, 2006 at 2:22 pm |Ryan-king
Lockhart-Possibly “deer from the forest.”
Gift of the lord king deer from the forest.
Sort of ironic considering that I’m an athiest.
My first name is Richard. It can be interpreted to mean strong ruler, brave leader, firm rule or any of many similar variations.
My seldom-used middle name is Hebrew for “God is with us”. Most people don’t even know I have a middle name. I don’t think it appears on anything besides my birth certificate.
Khoury, which means “priest” in Arabic, is a common name in the Arab world. It essentially proclaims to one and all that I am a Christian, from a long line of Christians, one of which was a member of the clergy.
So I am a strong, brave, Christian ruler, with God. Sounds about right.
Comment by Richy on May 26th, 2006 at 3:12 pm |female version of “of Laurentum”, a city in Ancient Italy according to some, “crowned with laurel” according to others (thats the one i’m familiar with anyway). middle name “consecrated to god”, last name “descendant of Brian”, whoever he was.
this is fun :p
Comment by The Cat on May 26th, 2006 at 6:14 pm |:( I hate sounding like a stalker, but apparently there are a whole group of first names that either or both of those things would apply to. The latin root for both apprently based in the latin word for bay tree.
laurel are apparently bay trees.
Laurentum = Super Happy Laurel Town.
Comment by Anonymous on May 26th, 2006 at 6:26 pm |Carty and her stalker sitting in a tree…
Comment by Sami al Adeeb on May 26th, 2006 at 6:45 pm |you don’t sound stalkerish for responding to a public comment. however it would be nice if you actually posted under a name…
I hate anon posting, elks. its a major troll and spam gateway, apart from being annoying. can we disable it?
Comment by The Cat on May 26th, 2006 at 6:57 pm |duh… It’s me.
Think it was turned on for nooms thing.
Comment by red on May 26th, 2006 at 7:09 pm |I though those had to be moderated. That was not an awful idea.
Comment by red on May 26th, 2006 at 7:10 pm |God shall Increase, Supplanter, of the Nazarene. My ancestors were evidently some of the very first Christian converts in Rome and were probably fed to lions.
Comment by Salvation122 on May 26th, 2006 at 7:14 pm |The Cat: “last name ‘descendant of Brian’, whoever he was”
Hehe, all I can think of is somekind of joint production between Dan Brown and Monty Python.
Comment by Andrew Collins on May 26th, 2006 at 9:23 pm |I’m Manly-Spearman-Who-Crushes-Grain! I may have taken a few liberties, though. My first name is Andrew, which means Manly, so I always find it odd that people call women Andrea. The woman who is Manly?
Comment by Corlis on May 27th, 2006 at 4:55 pm |Mine in order are, Divine, Near a lake or pond, and Resurection. Make what you will of that. My daughter being, Pure/Virginal, Oath of God and Valley with steep sides. Husband is Strong one, Handsome, valley with steep sides.
I love doing things like this, it is neat!
Comment by Diane on May 30th, 2006 at 8:58 pm |river steam boat…
As always a good post :) ….
Comment by river steam boat on July 6th, 2006 at 11:23 am |