New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesName meaning unknown
Hi there! I have been searching for the meaning of this (male) first name for a while. It is spelled "Neanus," but is pronounced like "new-ness." It has been the first name of three African-American males in my family tree, across three generations. I'm curious if anyone knows the origin of this name, or if it perhaps was spelled differently in the past and was incorrectly written down at some point along the way. If anyone has ANY leads or answers or recommendations, I'm all ears. I'm seriously about to hire someone to research this for me! Ha. Thank you all.
1
Replies
I sounds like an Iberian surname, spelled variously Nunis, Nunes, Nunez or Núñez, there is also a surname Newnes from a hamlet in Shropshire, but the Iberian is long established in the US, with migrants from the Canaries and Portugal settling in Georgia and Louisiana in the 18th century.
Nunes is a patronymic based on the given name Nuno, whose meaning is obscured by too many possibilities. While strictly a family name, it often comes in the middle, preceding another surname, and may have been misinterpreted as a given name.
Nunes is a patronymic based on the given name Nuno, whose meaning is obscured by too many possibilities. While strictly a family name, it often comes in the middle, preceding another surname, and may have been misinterpreted as a given name.
This message was edited 1/11/2021, 7:43 AM
1
You probably have already found this, but I just googled the name and found a similar one spelled Neanias, meaning "young man." There was also apparently a bird, now extinct, called Neanis. If your ancestors were anything like mine, they just spelled and pronounced things however they pleased.
This message was edited 12/1/2020, 10:16 AM
1
Hey there! Thank you for commenting on my post. Ha, that very well could be. That my ancestors took some liberties with the spelling and pronunciation of the name, haha. Thank you for this, I really appreciate it!
1
Well, first, you could answer a few questions to help narrow things down a bit.
1). Were your family’s roots always in America, or do your ancestors have origins somewhere else as well (besides Africa)? Maybe they traveled as slaves from Spain or France or the Netherlands?
2). Did it come from a surname/maiden name?
3). Are you sure that "Neanus" is the only spelling of the name you could find in your family tree?
You don’t have to answer all of those if you don’t know enough, but some extra info would be really useful.
1). Were your family’s roots always in America, or do your ancestors have origins somewhere else as well (besides Africa)? Maybe they traveled as slaves from Spain or France or the Netherlands?
2). Did it come from a surname/maiden name?
3). Are you sure that "Neanus" is the only spelling of the name you could find in your family tree?
You don’t have to answer all of those if you don’t know enough, but some extra info would be really useful.
1
Hey, thanks for your post! Here's what I have:
1) Based on DNA Ancestry, dad's side of the family ethnicity estimate concentrates in Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples). Mom's side is concentrated in Europe (Scotland, England & NW Europe, Ireland).
2) Not that I know of. I don't believe it would have been a maiden name, as it was passed down as a male first name. As a surname, possibly, but I only know of two others (my dad and grandfather).
3) Yes, as far as I know, that is the only spelling. Again, I am trying to research further but I've hit a roadblock as far as being able to speak with and learn from my direct family.
Great feedback. I look forward to your reply! Thank you.
1) Based on DNA Ancestry, dad's side of the family ethnicity estimate concentrates in Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples). Mom's side is concentrated in Europe (Scotland, England & NW Europe, Ireland).
2) Not that I know of. I don't believe it would have been a maiden name, as it was passed down as a male first name. As a surname, possibly, but I only know of two others (my dad and grandfather).
3) Yes, as far as I know, that is the only spelling. Again, I am trying to research further but I've hit a roadblock as far as being able to speak with and learn from my direct family.
Great feedback. I look forward to your reply! Thank you.
1
Thanks for the info!
I’ve searched, but the only thing that Neanus comes close to is Neanius, which is another name of a Greek martyr named Holy Great Martyr Prokopios.
Neanius apparently means "young man" in Ancient Greek (νεᾱνίᾱς).
It would be a bit strange for an African-American man living in a Protestant country to be named after an Orthodox martyr, but that’s the only thing I could find. Early America and England were quite fascinated with Ancient Greece and Rome, though, and often gave their children names that were based off of Ancient Greek or Latin words. Names like Amice, Arabella, Idonea, Mirabelle, Ora, and Sidony are examples of such names.
Maybe Neanus was coined from "νεᾱνίᾱς"?
Sorry that I couldn’t find any solid evidence of the name, but hopefully I was of some help.
If you want, you can read more about the martyr Prokopios/Neanius here: http://www.sprint.net.au/~corners/Jul03/StProkopios.htm
I’ve searched, but the only thing that Neanus comes close to is Neanius, which is another name of a Greek martyr named Holy Great Martyr Prokopios.
Neanius apparently means "young man" in Ancient Greek (νεᾱνίᾱς).
It would be a bit strange for an African-American man living in a Protestant country to be named after an Orthodox martyr, but that’s the only thing I could find. Early America and England were quite fascinated with Ancient Greece and Rome, though, and often gave their children names that were based off of Ancient Greek or Latin words. Names like Amice, Arabella, Idonea, Mirabelle, Ora, and Sidony are examples of such names.
Maybe Neanus was coined from "νεᾱνίᾱς"?
Sorry that I couldn’t find any solid evidence of the name, but hopefully I was of some help.
If you want, you can read more about the martyr Prokopios/Neanius here: http://www.sprint.net.au/~corners/Jul03/StProkopios.htm
1
Hi, Thank you so much for the time you took in researching the name origin. I appreciate you, "Somebody random!"
Be well,
Be well,
1