[Opinions] Info about Aiyana - It's NOT "Native American"...
in reply to a message by poetic_freedom
"AIYANA: Baby name books claim this name means "eternal blossom" or "forever flowering" in Cherokee. This is false. It does not have any meaning in Cherokee that we know of, and as far as we know it's not a traditional Native American name at all (we've never heard of anyone with this name born before about 1970.) It is possible that this name is actually a spelling variant of Ayanna, which is an African-American and Jamaican name that's been used for at least 50 years. Internet sites claim that it is an Ethiopian word for a certain kind of flower; we're not familiar with African languages ourselves, but there are dozens of different languages spoken in Ethiopia, so it's certainly possible that this is the true source of this name. There's also a Hindi name "Ayana"; Hindi names are frequently mistaken for Native American names by baby book authors because they are identified as "Indian." "
source: http://www.native-languages.org/wrongnames.htm
Given that a Native American is the one who works on these languages and they consult various tribes, his word is to be taken over "baby-names.com". Especially since baby name sites are notorious for exaggerating and just plain making up origins and meanings for names.
Aside from that, however, I do think Aiyana sounds pretty. I'd probably consider using it for a character in a story but not for a real peson.
"Chan eil tuil air nach tig traoghadh"
"Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know"
- 'Home', Michael Buble
source: http://www.native-languages.org/wrongnames.htm
Given that a Native American is the one who works on these languages and they consult various tribes, his word is to be taken over "baby-names.com". Especially since baby name sites are notorious for exaggerating and just plain making up origins and meanings for names.
Aside from that, however, I do think Aiyana sounds pretty. I'd probably consider using it for a character in a story but not for a real peson.
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know"
- 'Home', Michael Buble
Replies
Yes. This name is definitely not "Native American." Ayana is indeed a name used in Ethiopia, but whether or not it means "beautiful flower" in any language used in Ethiopia has not been confirmed one way or the other.
And a very minor correction: I believe the person who runs the Native American languages site (at least the person who has corresponded with me through e-mail about it) is named Laura Redish, and so is probably a "her", not a "him". :)
And a very minor correction: I believe the person who runs the Native American languages site (at least the person who has corresponded with me through e-mail about it) is named Laura Redish, and so is probably a "her", not a "him". :)