In 2014 I featured a series of blog posts introducing you to 2,014 names. For the most part they were names that were brand new to me as well. Some names may be more familiar but I found the meaning or origin or some other aspect of the name made it worthy of inclusion here. You may love some of the names, you may hate some, but hopefully you enjoy learning about all of them.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Sunday's Names for 2,014 7 on the 7th day, perfect!

Girls


Dulcinea - the perfect name to describe the ideal woman who does not exist. In Don Quixote there is a country girl that Don Quixote builds up in his mind as his true love. He refers to her as Dulcinea del Toboso. Of course, no one will answer to that name, the girl's actual name is something else. In addition, he uses such flowery language to describe her that no one would mistake the actual girl for the one he describes. Dulce means sweet in Spanish and is sometimes used as a given name. Dulcinea is about the prettiest way of saying sweet in Spanish I can think of. IF the Dulcinea that Don Quixote did exist she would be exquisite in every way - in her virtues as well as beauty and wealth and power.


Earlette - feminine variant of the Old English 'earl', a rank or title of nobility for a chieftain who ruled over a territory for a king.

Falba -I have not been able to nail down an origin or meaning for this name. I have found it as a surname and as a first name, sometimes with Falby either as another spelling or perhaps as a nickname. As a given name it is used for women. As a surname I have found it with Polish and Irish roots, but it may be that Falba exists as a name in more than one language and has more than one meaning or etymology.

Galadriel - a name invented by the writer J.R.R. Tolkien for a female elf character in the Lord of the Rings trilogy of books. It is considered a Sindarin name to mean "maiden crowned with gleaming hair".







Boys


Hermenegildo- Spanish form of the Gothic name Ermen Gild meaning "immense tribute". In Spanish this is pronounced 'air men eh hill doe'. The English form is Hermengild or Ermengild. Hermenegildo was the son of Leovigild, king of Visigothic Spain. His father was an Arian Christian and Hermenegildo converted to Roman Catholicism, and was later made a saint. His mother was Theodosia and his brother was Reccared and he married Ingunthis, daughter of King Sigebert I of Austrasia. Ingunthis was Catholic. Hermenegildo's step-mother was Goiswintha. In the end his father had him beheaded for refusing to convert back to Arian Christianity. Saint Hermengildo (San Hermenegildo) is the patron saint of the Spanish Armed forces and the Real y Militar Orden de San Hermenegildo (Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermengild) is a military honor for bravery and a legion.

Here is Saint Hermengild's family tree in Spanish. His mother is here listed as Rinquilde. His son is Atanagildo and his mother in law is Brunequilda. Brunequilda is the daughter of his step-mother Godsuinta, who was instrumental in his prolonged imprisonment that finally led to his death. Folks, careful who you choose for in-laws.

Issachar - Hebrew. It may derive from "ish sakar" meaning "man of hire". The other possibility is that it comes from "yesh sakar" meaning "there is a reward". One of the Tribes of Israel tracing their ancestry to Issachar, son of Jacob.

Jan - a variant of the name John, pronounced "yahn", in several European languages. It can also be used as an Arabic name or title meaning "beloved one" or "dear", tracing its origin to Persian and meaning "life".

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