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ArchivesRe: Name meaning unknown
in reply to a message by Neanus
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.
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Replies
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,
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