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ArchivesRe: Indian Name
in reply to a message by Doris
It may well be that Cherokee people like the name Onalee, and it may be that there are on average many more women of Cherokee descent with this name than "normal" US women, but that does not yet tell us something about the origin and hence the meaning of the name.
When I look at names with a Cherokee origin, e.g. here:
http://www.users.mis.net/~chesnut/pages/cherokee.htm
and I see names like Gatun’wal’li or Cuhtahlatah, it does not seem very probable to me that Onalee is of Cherokee origin, with a meaning that becomes clear with knowledge of the present or past language of this Indian nation.
I would rather support what another poster said on this board when the name Onalee already came up once last February:
http://www.behindthename.com/bb/arcview.php?id=138782&board=gen
with Onalee as a "creative" spelling of Annalee, where one has to look at the two names Anna and Lee to finally get at meanings.
Rene www.AboutNames.ch
When I look at names with a Cherokee origin, e.g. here:
http://www.users.mis.net/~chesnut/pages/cherokee.htm
and I see names like Gatun’wal’li or Cuhtahlatah, it does not seem very probable to me that Onalee is of Cherokee origin, with a meaning that becomes clear with knowledge of the present or past language of this Indian nation.
I would rather support what another poster said on this board when the name Onalee already came up once last February:
http://www.behindthename.com/bb/arcview.php?id=138782&board=gen
with Onalee as a "creative" spelling of Annalee, where one has to look at the two names Anna and Lee to finally get at meanings.
Rene www.AboutNames.ch
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Replies
I was told this was a family name past down from my great great grandmother to my grandmother and now me. My grandma told me it was her Sues grandmother’s name. Her father told her it meant “Peace from the meadow.” This was the story that was passed to me.
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It's a variant of Onnolee: https://www.behindthename.com/name/onnolee/submitted
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The purely fictional nature of this story can be seen by the fact that the Munsee are still around.
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I agree. I assume it was made up by said poet and then took on a life of its own. Hence why the submitted name is in the categories "Folklore" and "Literature". Interestingly, though, there were quite a few bearers in the 19th century and the name spawned quite a few variants, so the legend and/or the poem must have been rather well-known back in the day (at least regionally).
In any case, this legend might explain why the name seems to be considered a Native American name by baby name books and websites.
In any case, this legend might explain why the name seems to be considered a Native American name by baby name books and websites.
This message was edited 3/4/2022, 6:36 AM
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