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ArchivesRe: Origin and Meaning
in reply to a message by Doug
Hello, I'm Dutch, born and raised. :)
Is Guinehl the exact spelling of your mother's name (as it appears on her official documents), or a phonetical rendering of her name? If the former applies, could you try to provide us with a more phonetical spelling?
I must say, it doesn't look like a Dutch name at all. More yet: it looks like a creative name (possibly even invented) that would not have been allowed, especially around the time of your mother's birth (which I assume must be before the 1980s at the very least). The Netherlands has naming laws and the further back in time you go, the more likely the civil registry clerk is to reject an unusual name as "embarrassing and therefore potentially harmful to the child". In other words: Guinehl might possibly be allowed in this day and age, but not back in e.g. the 1960s.
Was your mother even born in the Netherlands, if you don't mind me asking? The names database of the Meertens Institute (which contains all names that were given to people born in the Netherlands between 1880 and 2014) doesn't have the name: http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/english.
With that said, the name reminds me a little bit of a French name, as Germanic names starting with Wi- usually become Gui- in French. Examples of this are Guibert (from Wibert), Guinand (from Winand) and Guillaume (from Willahelm). If your mother was not born here and her parents kind of invented her name by taking two names and combining them, then the first part of her name probably comes from a French name of Germanic origin.
EDIT: I just did some googling and found Guinnelle, which appears to be an obscure (possibly extinct) French surname. If your mother pronounces the -ehl in her name just like the -ell in the English word "bell", then it is possible that her parents either used that surname or combined a French given name starting with Gui- with Nelle or a name that ends in -nelle.
"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986)
Is Guinehl the exact spelling of your mother's name (as it appears on her official documents), or a phonetical rendering of her name? If the former applies, could you try to provide us with a more phonetical spelling?
I must say, it doesn't look like a Dutch name at all. More yet: it looks like a creative name (possibly even invented) that would not have been allowed, especially around the time of your mother's birth (which I assume must be before the 1980s at the very least). The Netherlands has naming laws and the further back in time you go, the more likely the civil registry clerk is to reject an unusual name as "embarrassing and therefore potentially harmful to the child". In other words: Guinehl might possibly be allowed in this day and age, but not back in e.g. the 1960s.
Was your mother even born in the Netherlands, if you don't mind me asking? The names database of the Meertens Institute (which contains all names that were given to people born in the Netherlands between 1880 and 2014) doesn't have the name: http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/english.
With that said, the name reminds me a little bit of a French name, as Germanic names starting with Wi- usually become Gui- in French. Examples of this are Guibert (from Wibert), Guinand (from Winand) and Guillaume (from Willahelm). If your mother was not born here and her parents kind of invented her name by taking two names and combining them, then the first part of her name probably comes from a French name of Germanic origin.
EDIT: I just did some googling and found Guinnelle, which appears to be an obscure (possibly extinct) French surname. If your mother pronounces the -ehl in her name just like the -ell in the English word "bell", then it is possible that her parents either used that surname or combined a French given name starting with Gui- with Nelle or a name that ends in -nelle.
This message was edited 2/2/2019, 4:34 AM
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