Message: "Meaning of my name"

Meaning of my name

by Tenaya (guest)

1/22/2006, 1:07 PM

I saw a post asking about the meaning of my name, Tenaya. Tenaya is a cherokee indian name meaning "golden demon" which is the name the cherokee used to refer to the bobcat. I've had this name for the past 29 years with no complaints! Aside from the occasional mispronunciations! Hope this helps.

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- lovkraft +1

1/24/2006, 4:44 AM

It looks similar to a Brazilian Indian name "Taína" (pronounced "tay-nah") which means "sunray". Funny coincidence, huh? The name is quite popular in Brazil, espcially after a movie about an Indian girl with the name was made.

- lovkraft

1/24/2006, 4:52 AM

My mistake, the name is written Tainá - pronounced something like "thai-nah".

- Cleveland Kent Evans (clevelandkentevans)

1/22/2006, 3:02 PM

Have you checked this with someone who knows the Cherokee language? There are many, many "urban legends" about the so-called meaning of names in Native American languages that turn out to be false when they are checked out with those who really know the language. Tenaya seems to me to be much more likely taken from the name of the lake in Yosemite National Park in California. This lake was in turn named after Chief Tenaya of the Ahwahneechees. The Cherokees would have been no place near Yosemite, so a Cherokee derivation seems very unlikely to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Tenaya

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