This is probably not from the "
Star Trek" character.
It's most likely a fairly new creation which blends sounds from other names used in Latin
America. People in Latin
America invent new names from fashionable sounds just like people in English-speaking countries do.
I would expect Yareth is a blend of
Yara and
Janeth. As this site points out,
Yara is a form of
Iara, which is a name from the Tupi Native American language (found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay) which has spread throughout Latin
America.
Janeth is just a Latin American respelling of
Janet. As "h" is always silent in Spanish, Latin Americans see "t" and "th" as always being spellings of the same sound, and it has become fairly common for parents in Latin
America who like to respell names to add an "h" after "t" in names in a way which would never happen in English-speaking countries. So you not only see
Janeth as an alternative spelling of
Janet in Latin
America, but spellings like Thimothy for
Timothy, Bethzy for
Betsy, Iveth for
Ivette or
Yvette, etc.
Also, in Latin American, especially in Caribbean cultures, "Y" is often substituted for "J" in names derived from other languages. It is common to see Hispanic-American girls who have names like
Yenifer and
Yesica, with the "Y" meant to be a way to spell the English "J" sound in Spanish.
I don't know how your friend pronounces her name when she is speaking English, but back in Mexico I think it would often be close to the English word "jar" with "-et" added, so it would sound like
Janet with an "r" substituted for the "n".
This message was edited 7/20/2022, 11:37 AM