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ArchivesRe: When was Raewyn created?
in reply to a message by Cleveland Kent Evans
There's certainly no major cultural figure that is the origin of the name. I've been vaguely aware of the name before, but if I thought anything of it I would have assumed that it was a creative attempt borrowed from the US. I had no idea it was specific to this part of the world!
The New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages search engine allows you to search recorded events from 1788 until 1907 (Births), 1977 (Deaths) and 1957 (Marriages). There are no Raewyns recorded in any of these. I'm stumped :-)
The New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages search engine allows you to search recorded events from 1788 until 1907 (Births), 1977 (Deaths) and 1957 (Marriages). There are no Raewyns recorded in any of these. I'm stumped :-)
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Thanks for looking ...(more)
Checking some of the references in Google again it's obvious Raewyn is primarily a New Zealand name. Many of the Australian references turn out not to have been born in Australia. For example, the Australian children's author Raewyn Caisley was born in New Zealand, and the fertility specialist Dr. Raewyn Tierney lives in Sydney but received her undergraduate degree from Auckland University. The prominent Australian sociologist Dr. Raewyn Connell is a transgender person who was born Robert William Connell, and so chose Raewyn on her own as an adult. So I guess the American references to Raewyn as an "Australian" name are the result of people not paying enough attention to the difference between Australia and New Zealand. :)
Checking some of the references in Google again it's obvious Raewyn is primarily a New Zealand name. Many of the Australian references turn out not to have been born in Australia. For example, the Australian children's author Raewyn Caisley was born in New Zealand, and the fertility specialist Dr. Raewyn Tierney lives in Sydney but received her undergraduate degree from Auckland University. The prominent Australian sociologist Dr. Raewyn Connell is a transgender person who was born Robert William Connell, and so chose Raewyn on her own as an adult. So I guess the American references to Raewyn as an "Australian" name are the result of people not paying enough attention to the difference between Australia and New Zealand. :)
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Hehe
Yeah, there seem to be quite a few people out there who don't recognise that New Zealand is distinct from Australia. There's also several baby names books and websites guilty of lumping any name they can't find an origin for under the heading 'Australian'. A kind of 'there's no origin written down so it must come from Terra Incognita, aka Australia' mentality lol. Bizarre!
Yeah, there seem to be quite a few people out there who don't recognise that New Zealand is distinct from Australia. There's also several baby names books and websites guilty of lumping any name they can't find an origin for under the heading 'Australian'. A kind of 'there's no origin written down so it must come from Terra Incognita, aka Australia' mentality lol. Bizarre!
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It's a relatively common name in New Zealand - and I think may have been originally of Welsh origin? Google shows at least one woman who came to New Zealand in the early 1900's with this name.
(edited correction - sorry - got it wrong - Raewyn' mother was Maori. Will keep hunting :)
(edited correction - sorry - got it wrong - Raewyn' mother was Maori. Will keep hunting :)
This message was edited 2/14/2008, 8:51 PM
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