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ArchivesMy name, help please
No one responded to my last inquery so I thought I would try again. I am looking for the origin of my name, which is "Shelva." I'm a girl, so that takes care of gender. I have no idea where it might have come from though. If anyone can help me, please post a message or e-mail me. Thank you.
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My name is Shelva, also. I was told my name has Hebrew orgin,meaning peace.
When my mother was a little girl, she heard a little girl singing on the radio. My mother lived in Oklahoma. The little girl's name was Shelva Jean. My mom said she decided that when she grew up and had a little baby girl, she'd name the baby Shelva Jean. And... here I am. I am now 60 years old. I've met only one other woman with my name. She happens to live only a couple of miles from me. I asked her where she got her name. She said when her father was a little boy, he heard a little girl by the name of Shelva Jean sing on the radio!! Her dad was from Kansas and she was only 2 years younger than me.
When my mother was a little girl, she heard a little girl singing on the radio. My mother lived in Oklahoma. The little girl's name was Shelva Jean. My mom said she decided that when she grew up and had a little baby girl, she'd name the baby Shelva Jean. And... here I am. I am now 60 years old. I've met only one other woman with my name. She happens to live only a couple of miles from me. I asked her where she got her name. She said when her father was a little boy, he heard a little girl by the name of Shelva Jean sing on the radio!! Her dad was from Kansas and she was only 2 years younger than me.
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The safest bet would be to ask your parents...
...they must have had something in mind when they named you. Unless they used a random name generator.
...they must have had something in mind when they named you. Unless they used a random name generator.
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How come they never seem to think of that?
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Might at first thought seem the obvious course of action ask your parents but not everyone is lucky enough to have contact with the person who named them Parents may be dead or contact lost through divorce
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And this is just one reason why we say RTFM...
...which, when we're feeling polite, means: "Read the Friendly Message".
Because it's important for anyone making a name inquiry to provide as much initial information as possible, if they expect anyone here to invest any time and effort in a serious response to their inquiry. I that see Shelva has now provided more information below. (Thank you, Shelva.)
I've been on this board since the year 2000, and I have seen countless people sail in here with "What does my name mean?" type questions, with not even so much as giving us a clue as to whether they are male or female. And some of these people have even had the honesty to later admit that they could have asked their parents about their names, but didn't bother to. (Most of the people doing this appear to be not much older than 12 or 13, from the sound of their postings)
For cripe's sake, people, we're not mind-readers here. If your momma named you "Shushkabubba", she must've had a reason. Either she heard the name somewhere (ask her *where*), or you were named after an ancestor (tell us where that ancestor came from) or your momma just made it up. If you CAN'T ask your momma, then ask SOMEONE in your family, social unit, whatever.
And if your momma just made up your name because she wanted you to have a "unique" and "kree-8-tive" name (and we do get a depressing number of these), then the best anyone here can suggest is that you ask your momma what she was thinking of (if she was thinking at all) when she named you "Shushkabubba" or "LaTawananeisha", and then simply attach that kree-8-tive meaning to it.
-- Nanaea
...which, when we're feeling polite, means: "Read the Friendly Message".
Because it's important for anyone making a name inquiry to provide as much initial information as possible, if they expect anyone here to invest any time and effort in a serious response to their inquiry. I that see Shelva has now provided more information below. (Thank you, Shelva.)
I've been on this board since the year 2000, and I have seen countless people sail in here with "What does my name mean?" type questions, with not even so much as giving us a clue as to whether they are male or female. And some of these people have even had the honesty to later admit that they could have asked their parents about their names, but didn't bother to. (Most of the people doing this appear to be not much older than 12 or 13, from the sound of their postings)
For cripe's sake, people, we're not mind-readers here. If your momma named you "Shushkabubba", she must've had a reason. Either she heard the name somewhere (ask her *where*), or you were named after an ancestor (tell us where that ancestor came from) or your momma just made it up. If you CAN'T ask your momma, then ask SOMEONE in your family, social unit, whatever.
And if your momma just made up your name because she wanted you to have a "unique" and "kree-8-tive" name (and we do get a depressing number of these), then the best anyone here can suggest is that you ask your momma what she was thinking of (if she was thinking at all) when she named you "Shushkabubba" or "LaTawananeisha", and then simply attach that kree-8-tive meaning to it.
-- Nanaea
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Yikes, I think I had Shushkabubba for dinner last night....
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I tried asking my mother last night where my name came from, and she could give me no concrete answer. Sorry about that. Other than what I've already said about my name, this is about all the information I can give about it. I know nothing else. How frustrating!
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A suggestion...
Shelva, I see that you're posting from Kansas. Was your grandmother born in Kansas -- or elsewhere in the U.S.? What you might try doing, is digging up the old census records from when your grandmother was a child. Often, one can discover a number of clues to the origins of unusual American names in these census records. There may have been a relative living in the household, or closeby, with the same or a similar-sounding name.
You may have already asked all your *living* relatives, but the dead have tales to tell, too. ;)
-- Nanaea
Shelva, I see that you're posting from Kansas. Was your grandmother born in Kansas -- or elsewhere in the U.S.? What you might try doing, is digging up the old census records from when your grandmother was a child. Often, one can discover a number of clues to the origins of unusual American names in these census records. There may have been a relative living in the household, or closeby, with the same or a similar-sounding name.
You may have already asked all your *living* relatives, but the dead have tales to tell, too. ;)
-- Nanaea
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Okay, yes I live in Kansas, but I am not from here. (Only here for school.) Actually, I have no idea where my grandmother was born. My mother was born in Ohio, and besides my other siblings and close relatives, I don't know where any of them were born. (And believe me, I've asked.) My family is a military one, so finding a lot of information about my family is kinda hard, being that we all live in different states and countries. Where would I go to find census records, by the way? Any recommendations?
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Your public library would be the best place to start. But census records will be of no use to you if you can't pinpoint where your ancestor was living in any particular census year.
You at least know where your mother was born, so that's a start. The U.S. Federal Census is taken every ten years, in years ending in the number "0". pick the year closest to your mother's youngest age (provided you're certain she was still living in Ohio in that year), and you'll have your starting point.
-- Nanaea
You at least know where your mother was born, so that's a start. The U.S. Federal Census is taken every ten years, in years ending in the number "0". pick the year closest to your mother's youngest age (provided you're certain she was still living in Ohio in that year), and you'll have your starting point.
-- Nanaea
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Ah, thank you
Okay then. I'll try that. Thanks. I'll probably post again if I cannot find anything though...
Okay then. I'll try that. Thanks. I'll probably post again if I cannot find anything though...
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Actually, my name is my grandmother's. I have done background checking on my family tree, and no one else in my family has the name "Shelva". My mother named me after my grandmother though. However, I did find out some of my heritage, if it's of any use. I am a decendant of German, Irish, British, and Cherokee. If this strikes a cord with anyone, please let me know. E-mail me or write another message. Thanks!
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