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My name is Arenda. I'm 24, apparently I am named after my great grandmother. Ive been told my name is a 'family name', but nobody in my family (let alone anyone I've ever met) seems to know what it means, where its from, etc. Has anyone else ever heard of this name? Or can tell me anything about it? I would really love to know
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My great grandmother that i was named after was from llanelli, wales. when i was a child, i was playing around in a shopping mall and my mom was yelling out my name to find me, 'Arenda, arenda!" and woman stopped her and asked if arenda was the name she was calling. the woman told my mother that the name Arenda was a family name passed down through her family, and was a traditional Basque name. that is the only thing i have ever heard about it.
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The question for the experts, then, becomes:
Which of the two given sources, Germany or Basque (if either), had greater influence in Wales at that time?
Which of the two given sources, Germany or Basque (if either), had greater influence in Wales at that time?
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As Rene already said, it is a femine form of the name Arend that itself is a typical Low German, Dutch, or Frisian contraction of Arnold (or, fully spelled out, Arnwald).
Creating femine forms from originally masculine names became trendy in Germany in the 18th and 19th century. Besides Arenda, also Arendine was popular then.
Creating femine forms from originally masculine names became trendy in Germany in the 18th and 19th century. Besides Arenda, also Arendine was popular then.
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Was that the first time that they conscripted Latinate endings into the culture?
(I realize -ine is a French suffix, but it comes from the Latin -ina < -inus.)
(I realize -ine is a French suffix, but it comes from the Latin -ina < -inus.)
This message was edited 12/7/2014, 4:27 PM
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No, it wasn't the first time, it only became popular than.
The use of -a as a moving device to create feminine Germanic names goes back to the beginning of written history, it is attested specially for West Franconian in the 8th century (see Förstemann 1900 for examples).
The use of -a as a moving device to create feminine Germanic names goes back to the beginning of written history, it is attested specially for West Franconian in the 8th century (see Förstemann 1900 for examples).
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What nationality was her parents?
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I did not find any good source of info to back it up, but this looks like a 20th century coinage to me, e.g. from blending two names into a new one. The first name used might have the Germanic name element "arn" meaning "eagle". You can see that in names like Arnold.
Babynames.com gives the info that this name is used in the Netherlands, and this seems to be true, according to the following statistical info from a Dutch given name website:
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Arenda
Under the link "verklaring" ("explanation") this websites also links Arenda to the group of Germanic names using the "arn" = "eagle" name element.
Babynames.com gives the info that this name is used in the Netherlands, and this seems to be true, according to the following statistical info from a Dutch given name website:
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Arenda
Under the link "verklaring" ("explanation") this websites also links Arenda to the group of Germanic names using the "arn" = "eagle" name element.
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