Etymology

Etymology is the study of the origin of names. Do you ever wonder about your name and what it means? Do you sometimes wonder if you live up to your name's origins? I've always learned that "John" is Hebrew for "God is gracious." Depending on who you are and where you're from, you may often wonder about the origin of your name. Or maybe you're a parent (or parent-to-be) and want to name your child some certain name. Maybe you have multiple first names (for example: Anna Marie). Regardless, it is always interesting to learn the origin of your name. Some people don't like their own names, if you can believe it!

There are a number of resources featuring the origins of names as well as
If I ever become a father, I always wanted my son to carry on my name if I had a son. So I'd name him John Jr. Another boy name I'd consider if I had a son would be Antonio. If I have a daughter, I've always liked names like Felicia, Amanda, Annabelle, Gabrielle (or even Gabriella), and names like that. You may have a certain name, but go by a shortened one (like being named Matthew or Elizabeth, but go (respectively, of course) by Matt or Beth). I looked around online yesterday at certain names.

Let me provide an example in wanting to look up the origin of names. Being the imaginative fellow, I was trying to come up with some new fictional characters to maybe feature in blog posts. One of the fictional characters I was trying to come up with is named Charmaine. So I did a search and learned the etymology of Charmaine. A big part of this name is "charm." Another thing to remember about names is that there's not really a proper way to spell a name correctly. Many people have multiple variants of a name. Take a name like "Jessica" for example. Jessica can be spelled or modified in different ways- Jessie, Jessi, Jess, Jessy, Jessyca, etc. Various names have different variations to them. Still, learning the origins of names can be fascinating as well as in how and where they originate from.


If you want to learn more about etymology and what certain names mean, here are some links I've included to help you out. Learn about certain names or help make picks towards naming your future children, or even perhaps legally changing your name. Just a few suggestions- no Chad Ochocinco or Metta World Peace, okay? Here you go:

• Behind the Name - one of the first sites I think of in etymology.
• Think Baby Names - need help naming your baby? Start here!
• Names - Meaning of Names - learn about the origin of names, including surnames.
• 20000-NAMES - quick look at many names from many different cultures.
• BabyNamesPedia - quick origin of names. Includes some unusual names as well.

More links may be included depending on traffic and interest in this blog post.





Have fun learning the origins of names! :) Thank you for reading!

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