• balsoft@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 day ago

    Yep. Some common names:

    Steve ← Steven ← Stephanus ← στέφανος = crown (or wealth)

    Linda ← -linde = tender, soft

    James ← Iacomus ← Iacobus ← Ἰάκωβος ← Ἰακώβ ← יַעֲקֹב = heel, footprint / follow, watch, observe

    Karen ← Catherine ← Αἰκατερίνη ← Ἑκάτη = one who works from far away (referring to a goddess)

    • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 day ago

      And “Tiffany” may sound like a very 20th-century American name, but it actually dates back to the early 13th century and is based on a Greek word that’s even older. The “Tiffany Problem” is a really interesting phenomenon in the anthropological/perceptual space based on that.

      Tiffany ← Tifinie ← Θεοφάνεια = “God’s arrival/appearance”

      It’s also more closely related to the name “Natalie” than you might think, at least etymologically.

      Natalie ←Natalia ←natale domini = “birth of the Lord” (Latin)