Re: Meanings and Origins of these names
by Lassia (guest)
6/16/2003, 4:43 AM
Hi; here are some
Canady: possibly a variant spelling of Kennedy?
Cezanne: after the French painter Paul Cézanne
Fayme: I don't know but I associate Fayme to the French word "faim" (hunger) :-)
Jinx: "one that brings bad luck" :-( The main character in a mystery novel by Minette Walters
Karsen: an alternate spelling for Carson
Malaysia: as in the country in South-East Asia
Memphis: as in the city
Nova: meaning "new" in Latin. A term in astronomy, "a star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness and then within a few months or years grows dim again". Also the notorious Fiat model ("no va" means "no go, not working" in Spanish).
Onyx: the precious stone
Paisley: the paisley pattern, colorful curved abstract figures.
Rembrandt: as in the painter
Renaissance: the period in Europe (between the 14th and 17th centuries), marked by a revival of interest in Classical arts & literature and by the beginnings of modern science. From Latin: "to be born again"; thus basically the same meaning as Renée, Renata &c.
Satchel: " a small bag"
Satin: the glossy fabric
Sawyer: inspired by Tom Sawyer and thus originally a surname
Scotia: probably inspired either by the Canadian province of Nova Scotia ("New Scotland") or the Latin name of Scotland.
Secret: well... the meaning of this is by no means a secret to anyone
Seville: a city in Spain
Sicily: an island in the Mediterranean
Sigourney: made famous by Sigourney Weaver the actress.
Sioux: the Native American tribe, pronounced Sue
Somalia: the country in Eastern Africa
Tierra: meaning "country, ground" in Spanish.
Topaz: the precious stone, a yellow sapphire
Venice: the drowning city in Italy; other variants include Venzia and Venetia