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Okay onomatologists, I need your help. As you may have noticed, each name in the database now has usage information attached to it describing where it is (or was) used. But there are still about 600 names that haven't been assigned a category.
Some of these names are fairly dubious, and I'm contemplating deleting more than a few of them. However most of them are valid - I either don't know where they are used or I haven't yet decided how to classify them.
The list of unclassified names is here: http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/unkn.html
I'm sure some of you know where these names are used. You can either email me or post here. This will be an ongoing project.
PS: Guesses are not very helpful. It's not really good enough to say "well, that name LOOKS like a Muslim name". Please be relatively sure before you venture your input. Not to sound rude or ungrateful or anything... :)
Some of these names are fairly dubious, and I'm contemplating deleting more than a few of them. However most of them are valid - I either don't know where they are used or I haven't yet decided how to classify them.
The list of unclassified names is here: http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/unkn.html
I'm sure some of you know where these names are used. You can either email me or post here. This will be an ongoing project.
PS: Guesses are not very helpful. It's not really good enough to say "well, that name LOOKS like a Muslim name". Please be relatively sure before you venture your input. Not to sound rude or ungrateful or anything... :)
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Replies
Its all Greek to me
Mike, I suggest that you also include the designation “Byzantine Greek” to fill in the gap of Hellenic names spanning from late antiquity up to the Ottoman Empire.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
AMARANTA f Ancient Greek (Anglicized) form of Ancient Greek AMARANTE
AMINTA f and AMYNTA f => Ancient Greek (Anglicized) Variant of Ancient Greek AMYNTIA (f) and Ancient Greek AMYNTEA (f)
ARGYROS => Byzantine Greek. Name of Byzantine military.
ARIANA – contemporary Greek concoction.
ARISTA f Greek Mythology, Deity related to Artemis
ATHANAS m Ancient Greek Historian 4th Century BCE
ATTICUS m Ancient Greek (Latinized) form of ATTIKOS
CLETUS m Ancient Greek (Latinized) form of KLETOS (m). Related names include KLETIAS (m) KLETE (f) and KLETA (f)
CYPRIAN m - Byzantine Greek
DELPHIA f – Ancient Greek
DELPHINIA f - Greek Mythology
DEMI f Greek
ELPIDA f Greek form of Ancient Greek ELPIS (hope)
ERASMUS m – Greek Byzantine
EUMELIA f Ancient Greek => related to “good apple” (eu melon) not "good honey" Related names include EUMELOS (m) and EUMELIS (f)
EUTROPIA f – Ancient Greek
HALCYON m - Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
HIPPOLYTA f - Ancient Greek (Anglicized) form of HIPPOLYTE.
HYPATIA f Byzantine Greek
IOLA f Greek
Mike, I suggest that you also include the designation “Byzantine Greek” to fill in the gap of Hellenic names spanning from late antiquity up to the Ottoman Empire.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
AMARANTA f Ancient Greek (Anglicized) form of Ancient Greek AMARANTE
AMINTA f and AMYNTA f => Ancient Greek (Anglicized) Variant of Ancient Greek AMYNTIA (f) and Ancient Greek AMYNTEA (f)
ARGYROS => Byzantine Greek. Name of Byzantine military.
ARIANA – contemporary Greek concoction.
ARISTA f Greek Mythology, Deity related to Artemis
ATHANAS m Ancient Greek Historian 4th Century BCE
ATTICUS m Ancient Greek (Latinized) form of ATTIKOS
CLETUS m Ancient Greek (Latinized) form of KLETOS (m). Related names include KLETIAS (m) KLETE (f) and KLETA (f)
CYPRIAN m - Byzantine Greek
DELPHIA f – Ancient Greek
DELPHINIA f - Greek Mythology
DEMI f Greek
ELPIDA f Greek form of Ancient Greek ELPIS (hope)
ERASMUS m – Greek Byzantine
EUMELIA f Ancient Greek => related to “good apple” (eu melon) not "good honey" Related names include EUMELOS (m) and EUMELIS (f)
EUTROPIA f – Ancient Greek
HALCYON m - Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
HIPPOLYTA f - Ancient Greek (Anglicized) form of HIPPOLYTE.
HYPATIA f Byzantine Greek
IOLA f Greek
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Thanks Pavlos!
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A not quite relevant question
Does anybody know how Carlo Collodi came up with the name Pinocchio? As far as I remember, Gepetto names the puppet Pinocchio because he once knew a family of Pinocchios and they were all very lucky. Does anybody know if Pinocchio is a real Italian name or if it comes from a certain Italian word? I know picchio is the Italian for woodpecker.
Just random thoughts triggered by Cinderella and the other Literature characters... :o)
Does anybody know how Carlo Collodi came up with the name Pinocchio? As far as I remember, Gepetto names the puppet Pinocchio because he once knew a family of Pinocchios and they were all very lucky. Does anybody know if Pinocchio is a real Italian name or if it comes from a certain Italian word? I know picchio is the Italian for woodpecker.
Just random thoughts triggered by Cinderella and the other Literature characters... :o)
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Drina is the name of the river on the Balkans that represents sort of ethnical border between Serbs and Croats. I know only one person with that name and she is of serbian origin.
Dunja-this name is common in Serbia, I also know some slovenian Dunjas, but I am not sure that this is original slovene name.
Dunja-this name is common in Serbia, I also know some slovenian Dunjas, but I am not sure that this is original slovene name.
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Thanks Natasa!
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Honestly, I've never heard of Danika, but Danica is definitely Serbian. Also Iva and Mila (Mila can be a name by itself, meaning "favoured" from the Slavic "mil" - favour) are popular in Bulgaria and Serbia. Lala (Lalka) is used in Bulgaria, although it's kinda old-fashioned. So is Neva, but the common assumption in Bulgaria is that it comes from the name of the Russian river Neva. Lorelei, I believe, definitely belongs to the mythology section. And one question - why is Hamlet not in the Lit-section?
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Hmmm...I see lots of names in this list (including my own) that are Celtic variants (spelling or derived from surnames or placenames). Also a number of miscellaneous Celtic names, like Cornish. Most of these don't have the historical legs to be classified as "ancient Celtic".
How about a category of "Celtic-derived" or "Celtic variants"?
- Da.
How about a category of "Celtic-derived" or "Celtic variants"?
- Da.
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I'm considering adding a Cornish category. Do you know if the Cornish names are still used more frequently in Cornwall and SW England?
For the most part the Celtic variants will probably be assigned to the English category, being spelling variants devised by English parents. That is unless I find these variants are indeed used in Wales, Ireland or Scotland.
For the most part the Celtic variants will probably be assigned to the English category, being spelling variants devised by English parents. That is unless I find these variants are indeed used in Wales, Ireland or Scotland.
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ENGLISH?!!! SASSENACH?!!! My Highland-born ggranny will rise from her grave in Arbroath (NOT an English town, thankee) and come after ye! Maybe she couldn't spell Gaelic names so well, but... Follow Merriment's suggestion for a "British" ca
"English"...dear God... : (
"English"...dear God... : (
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Well, if I put "Daividh" into the Scottish category would that appease you (and your ggranny)?
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Yes, please...
sorry - had a really bad day involving an unseen puddle of oil out by the assembly line and I'm bruised and more cranky than usual.
sorry - had a really bad day involving an unseen puddle of oil out by the assembly line and I'm bruised and more cranky than usual.
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No problem. My message shouldn't have implied I was thinking of putting Daividh in the English category. When I referred to Celtic variants I had other names in mind, variants which may have in fact developed outside of the Celtic area.
As long as I have your attention I might as well list some specific names you may be able to help with. Many of the definitions are suspicious as well. Some of these are definitely Scottish or Irish surnames, but I don't know if they're Scottish/Irish given names.
ADAIR
ADEN
AIDEN
ARLEN
BALFOUR
BLAINE
BRANNON
BRIN
BRON
BRYNNE
CAILIN
CAIONEACH
CALLAHAN
CARRAN
DAVENA
DAVINIA
DERRY
DRUMMOND
EDANA ?
ENNIS
FARRELL
FINDLAY
GILL
KAILA
KAOLIN
KEARA
KEITHIA
KELAN
KIARA
KIARAN
KIARRA
KIERON
KIERRA
LAIRD
LAMONT
LANTY
LEITH
LYALL
MACK
MAEVA
MALONE
MAVREENA ?
MURPHY
This list is getting long. I'll stop here for now.
As long as I have your attention I might as well list some specific names you may be able to help with. Many of the definitions are suspicious as well. Some of these are definitely Scottish or Irish surnames, but I don't know if they're Scottish/Irish given names.
ADAIR
ADEN
AIDEN
ARLEN
BALFOUR
BLAINE
BRANNON
BRIN
BRON
BRYNNE
CAILIN
CAIONEACH
CALLAHAN
CARRAN
DAVENA
DAVINIA
DERRY
DRUMMOND
EDANA ?
ENNIS
FARRELL
FINDLAY
GILL
KAILA
KAOLIN
KEARA
KEITHIA
KELAN
KIARA
KIARAN
KIARRA
KIERON
KIERRA
LAIRD
LAMONT
LANTY
LEITH
LYALL
MACK
MAEVA
MALONE
MAVREENA ?
MURPHY
This list is getting long. I'll stop here for now.
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Cornish names
Cornish names are not really common in any part of the UK, but some are definitely more used than others; Morwenna for instance. You could categorise them as British, which would make better sense (and not get your summer house burnt down by nationalists :)
Cornish names are not really common in any part of the UK, but some are definitely more used than others; Morwenna for instance. You could categorise them as British, which would make better sense (and not get your summer house burnt down by nationalists :)
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They were, but the generation in which they were used is the pre-World War II generation, so they are dying out. These days Welsh first names are used when people want to express their 'Welshness'. But surname forms of some names survive better - Meredith has appeared as a girls' name to run alongside the original male Maredudd, and Griffith for boys is fairly rare, but no rarer than Gruffudd. And Rees/Reece may or may not be as common as Rhys, but Rhys is in use all over the UK now, so 'easier' spellings are common too.
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Category suggestion
Mike, perhaps you might to consider adding the usage category: "American". There are a number of names, such as "Atticus", which are in common usage here in the U.S. and possibly Canada, but which may not necessarily be commonly used in other English-speaking countries.
You may even want to consider a usage category for "African-American" names.
-- Nanaea
Mike, perhaps you might to consider adding the usage category: "American". There are a number of names, such as "Atticus", which are in common usage here in the U.S. and possibly Canada, but which may not necessarily be commonly used in other English-speaking countries.
You may even want to consider a usage category for "African-American" names.
-- Nanaea
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That's something I've been considering, and it may come about. But for now I jsut want to get all of the names categorized.
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clarification
I guess I should explain this in a little more detail. The usage describes the cultures/languages in which the name is currently primarily used. If the name is no longer used, then it can be slotted into one of the "ancient" categories. If the name is only really used in literature (eg the Tolkien names) then it goes into the "literature" category. Likewise for the "mythology" and "biblical" names. If the name is only used to refer to a historic person, doesn't fit into one of the ancient categories, and isn't commonly used as a given name then it goes into the "history" category (eg Napolean, Attila). The "theology" category is reserved for a few select names that don't fit elsewhere.
Every other category should be self-explanatory. However, one note on the Welsh/Scottish/Irish categories -- Since a great deal of English names are also used in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland I am only classifying names as such when they are distinctively Welsh, Sco, or Irish.
Here's a list of the categories:
African
New World Mythology
Armenian
Basque
Biblical
Biblical (Variant)
Breton
Bulgarian
Catalan
Ancient Celtic
Ancient Celtic (Latinized)
Celtic Mythology
Celtic Mythology (Latinized)
Chinese
Judeo-Christian-Muslim Legend
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian Mythology
Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
English
English (Modern)
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)
Medieval English
Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Esperanto
Far Eastern Mythology
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
German
Ancient Germanic
Ancient Germanic (Latinized)
Germanic Mythology
Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
Greek Mythology
Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Hawaiian
History
Hungarian
Icelandic
Indian/Hindu
Hindu Mythology
Iranian
Irish
Irish Mythology
Italian
Japanese
Jewish
Khmer
Korean
Latvian
Lithuanian
Literature
Manx
Maori
Muslim
Mythology
Near Eastern Mythology
Near Eastern Mythology (Hellenized)
Norwegian
Pacific/Polynesian
Polish
Portuguese
Provençal
Romanian
Ancient Roman
Late Roman
Roman Mythology
Russian
Scandinavian
Ancient Scandinavian
Old Norse Mythology
Scottish
Serbian
Slovak
Slovene
Spanish
Swedish
Theology
Turkish
Ukrainian
?
Vietnamese
Welsh
Welsh Mythology
I guess I should explain this in a little more detail. The usage describes the cultures/languages in which the name is currently primarily used. If the name is no longer used, then it can be slotted into one of the "ancient" categories. If the name is only really used in literature (eg the Tolkien names) then it goes into the "literature" category. Likewise for the "mythology" and "biblical" names. If the name is only used to refer to a historic person, doesn't fit into one of the ancient categories, and isn't commonly used as a given name then it goes into the "history" category (eg Napolean, Attila). The "theology" category is reserved for a few select names that don't fit elsewhere.
Every other category should be self-explanatory. However, one note on the Welsh/Scottish/Irish categories -- Since a great deal of English names are also used in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland I am only classifying names as such when they are distinctively Welsh, Sco, or Irish.
Here's a list of the categories:
African
New World Mythology
Armenian
Basque
Biblical
Biblical (Variant)
Breton
Bulgarian
Catalan
Ancient Celtic
Ancient Celtic (Latinized)
Celtic Mythology
Celtic Mythology (Latinized)
Chinese
Judeo-Christian-Muslim Legend
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian Mythology
Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
English
English (Modern)
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)
Medieval English
Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Esperanto
Far Eastern Mythology
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
German
Ancient Germanic
Ancient Germanic (Latinized)
Germanic Mythology
Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
Greek Mythology
Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Hawaiian
History
Hungarian
Icelandic
Indian/Hindu
Hindu Mythology
Iranian
Irish
Irish Mythology
Italian
Japanese
Jewish
Khmer
Korean
Latvian
Lithuanian
Literature
Manx
Maori
Muslim
Mythology
Near Eastern Mythology
Near Eastern Mythology (Hellenized)
Norwegian
Pacific/Polynesian
Polish
Portuguese
Provençal
Romanian
Ancient Roman
Late Roman
Roman Mythology
Russian
Scandinavian
Ancient Scandinavian
Old Norse Mythology
Scottish
Serbian
Slovak
Slovene
Spanish
Swedish
Theology
Turkish
Ukrainian
?
Vietnamese
Welsh
Welsh Mythology
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My small contribution
COBY -
common in Israel, but only as a pet name for "ya'akov" (JACOB)! not as a name on it's own. If this is where you got it, you can probably delete it.
SHAI :-) , YOCHANAN & YUVAL -
are 3 common names in Israel. SHAI won't fit exactly into any catagory (either delete or put under Jewish). For the last two - why not "Biblical"?
YEHOCHANAN, MATTITHYAHU -
a. Biblical
b. Historical
c. Jewish
d. all of the above.
COBY -
common in Israel, but only as a pet name for "ya'akov" (JACOB)! not as a name on it's own. If this is where you got it, you can probably delete it.
SHAI :-) , YOCHANAN & YUVAL -
are 3 common names in Israel. SHAI won't fit exactly into any catagory (either delete or put under Jewish). For the last two - why not "Biblical"?
YEHOCHANAN, MATTITHYAHU -
a. Biblical
b. Historical
c. Jewish
d. all of the above.
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A little more:
CHANAH -
Biblical + Jewish
I don't exactly understand why you clasiffy the VARIANTS or ENGLISH FORMS of original Biblical names as "Biblical", but the original names themselves you leave as unclasiffied.
(as you did for CHAANAH, YEHOCHANAN, MATTITYAHOO, YUVAL and more.)
Anyway, most of this names in the original Hebrew form are used as Jewish names.
as for CHESED - I know you only asked for definite answers, but I'll tell you what I think anyway: I think it can only be Jewish, but very rare as a first name. (and I only say "rare" and not "unexisting" because for almost every Hebrew word with a positive meaning you can find SOMEONE who wears it as a name.) In other words, unless you know otherwise or got it from another source, I THINK you can safely delete it.
CHANAH -
Biblical + Jewish
I don't exactly understand why you clasiffy the VARIANTS or ENGLISH FORMS of original Biblical names as "Biblical", but the original names themselves you leave as unclasiffied.
(as you did for CHAANAH, YEHOCHANAN, MATTITYAHOO, YUVAL and more.)
Anyway, most of this names in the original Hebrew form are used as Jewish names.
as for CHESED - I know you only asked for definite answers, but I'll tell you what I think anyway: I think it can only be Jewish, but very rare as a first name. (and I only say "rare" and not "unexisting" because for almost every Hebrew word with a positive meaning you can find SOMEONE who wears it as a name.) In other words, unless you know otherwise or got it from another source, I THINK you can safely delete it.
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My plan was to only classify a name as "Biblical" if it occurred in the Revised English Bible (specifically mine, the Oxford Study Bible). A name could be classified as a "Biblical (Variant)" if it occurred in another English Bible such as the KJV. I realize this is a little Anglo-centric but hey, the whole website is written in English and it's the only language I know. In addition to making my life a little easier this plan also reduces duplicates in the Biblical Names file -- I don't want spellings of John from every language with a published Bible to appear there.
However, the original Hebrew forms should probably be included, maybe as "Biblical (Original)". It would provide me a convient way to classify them.
However, the original Hebrew forms should probably be included, maybe as "Biblical (Original)". It would provide me a convient way to classify them.
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A catagory that might be helpful is American Literature.
LOL It sounds like a catagory on Jeapardy, doesn't it?
LOL It sounds like a catagory on Jeapardy, doesn't it?
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