Feminine Variant of Zane?
Just wondering if Zane's feminine variant (if it has one) is Zaina? It seems fairly logical, since Zain is an alternate spelling of Zane, and adding an "a" makes many names feminine. I really like the meaning of Zane "God is gracious", and was hoping that would translate to Zaina. Thanks in advance.
Replies
Is Zane a female name in Latvia?
I'm curious.
I'm curious.
Yes. Here are several examples of Latvian women named Zane:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_J%C4%81kobsone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Tamane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Egl%C4%ABte
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_J%C4%81kobsone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Tamane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Egl%C4%ABte
As used as a male name in the USA, Zane is derived from the English surname, as explained by "overtheclouds"'s post.
The association with John is because there is a rare pet form of Giovanni (Italian form of John) used in northern Italy which is spelled Zane. But that would be pronounced in two syllables as something like "Zah-neh", I believe, and so is not really the origin of the first name which rhymes with "sane" and "main".
The association with John is because there is a rare pet form of Giovanni (Italian form of John) used in northern Italy which is spelled Zane. But that would be pronounced in two syllables as something like "Zah-neh", I believe, and so is not really the origin of the first name which rhymes with "sane" and "main".
Zain isn't really an alternative spelling of Zane; it's an Arabic name of a different origin. The meaning of Zane is uncertain by the way; some treat it as a derivative of John (hence the 'God is gracious' meaning), though according to the scholar K.M. Sheard (in Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names), Zane is a West Country* surname, derived from the Old English name Sæwine (sæ 'sea' + wine 'friend').
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Country
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Country
Well, many people seem to see Zane as a variant of John, like the comments to the name on this site or the Wikipedia entry for the name show:
http://www.behindthename.com/name/zane/comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane
At least in a technical sense this would make the many variants of Johanna all feminine variants of Zane...
http://www.behindthename.com/name/zane/comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane
At least in a technical sense this would make the many variants of Johanna all feminine variants of Zane...
I would think Zania. But Zaina is probably correct.