Message: "Swiss Names" - Behind the Name

Swiss Names

by Shaymin (guest)

8/22/2009, 7:17 PM

My SO is Swiss so I have a lot of contact with Swiss people. I went browsing through the Swiss Newspapers the other day and they had a lot of birth announcements. In the German Swiss front, I saw a lot of interesting and unusual names I would like to get more info on. I saw the female name Jara several times, used as both a first and middle name. It was sometimes spelled Yara. I also saw the female name Ladina. I read somewhere it was Romantch, if so, then I'm guessing its just a form of Latina, but if anyone has any more info, I'd appreciate to hear it. I saw several baby girls named Romea (I'm guessing that this might also be a Romantch name, and I saw several baby boys named Corsin and Nevio, both of which I'd like to get more info on. The most unusual and intriguing name of all, however, was the female name Isaltina. It was in a Geneva birth announcement (the French speaking area of Switzerland). I am just wondering if anyone has any idea what the etymology of Isaltina is.

Thanks

#Swiss

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- Murasaki (lady murasaki)

8/23/2009, 2:27 AM

Bear in mind that Geneva, as well as some other parts of Switzerland have very mixed populations with lots of immigrants. So the unusual names might be non-Swiss originally. Most people in French Switzerland use French names, and German Swiss use German names. I can't pinpoint to any "typical" French Swiss names (and I've spent quite a lot of tme in the area. A google search of Isaltina would more bring to believe it's a Hispanic or Portuguese name (no idea of the etymology, though). The Romantch speakers have their own names but they're a minority

Ladino is another word used to designate Romantch.

- JHK +1

8/23/2009, 2:14 AM

Yara and Jara are both used in Germany but they have different origins.

Jara: pronunciation is YAH-rah. Originally spelled Jára. Czech diminutive of names starting with 'Jar' like Jarmila for example.

Yara: pronunciation is also YAH-rah. Origin is either Persian (then meaning "courage" or "force") or spanish/hispanic (then taken from a Native American tribe with the meaning "woman" or "mistress").

I got the Information from: 'Duden - Das große Vornamenlexikon', a German namebook.

This message was edited 8/23/2009, 9:56 AM

- Shaymin (guest)

8/23/2009, 9:18 AM

Thanks. I forgot to mention that Isaltina's parents were from Italy. (It gives the parent's origins in the Swiss Birth announcements for whatever reason). I am starting wonder if Isaltina is just another form of Isolde.

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