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HelpRe: Jewish Names [edited]
in reply to a message by LMS
If you have Hebrew-speaking people in your background, then they were also Jewish. You don't have to *be* Jewish to have a Jewish background. My grandfather was raised as a Jew, and I'm proud of my Jewish heritage, but that doesn't mean I'm Jewish myself. Either way, saying "I have a Hebrew background" is fundamentally incorrect - you can't have a language as a background unless the language is also the name of the culture, which Hebrew is not.
Regarding Liam, what it boils down to is that it just isn't a Hebrew name at all, male or female. It's a shortening of William, and that's all.
Adding: The 'I have a people' meaning is what's known as a "reverse etymology" - it's a possible etymology thought up at a later date, for some reason. While the Hebrew etymology works in theory, it's still definitely not the correct etymology for the name Liam.
:-)
♦ Chrisell ♦
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
Regarding Liam, what it boils down to is that it just isn't a Hebrew name at all, male or female. It's a shortening of William, and that's all.
Adding: The 'I have a people' meaning is what's known as a "reverse etymology" - it's a possible etymology thought up at a later date, for some reason. While the Hebrew etymology works in theory, it's still definitely not the correct etymology for the name Liam.
:-)
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
This message was edited 9/6/2006, 11:10 PM
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