Message: "Can anyone help confirm whether Clare = Photine"

Can anyone help confirm whether Clare = Photine

by julie (guest)

12/26/2003, 6:07 PM

Can you tell me whether Clare is really the western equivalent of Photine? Did Westerners ever venerate the Samaritan woman with "Clare" or is it only the meaning that is comparable?

We want to name our child for St. Photine, but the name sounds dreadfully foreign to our Scotch Irish family. We were hoping to find some source to confirm the suggestion that Clare/Clara is the same name in English.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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- Pavlos (guest)

12/29/2003, 3:17 AM

Indeed they are similar in meaning. Another related one would be Phoebe :)

- Satu (guest) +1

12/27/2003, 1:50 AM

Hi Julie,

Photine is not the same as Clare but they have got (almost) the same meaning (Photine/Fotine is a Greek name meaning "light" and Clare is the English form of the Latin name Clara which means "bright, clear").

Regards, Satu

- Roxane

12/28/2003, 5:46 PM

Fontini is a popular name used, I think to pay homeage
to Saint Photine. I have known a few of Lebanese & Greek
descent.

Re: Clare, St Clara was a close friend of Francis of
Assisi.

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