What Does Your First Name Mean?

[Jobz]

I recently stumbled upon this website [http://www.behindthename.com/] that will give you the origins and history of your first name.

According to the site the name I go by (And have gone by my entire life) 'Jay' means victory and is derived from Sanskrit.

I also looked up the name on my birth certificate, 'Gerald' (Which is technically my real name but I haven't been called that since I was four). It is of German origin and means "Rule of the spear". I thought that was pretty bad ass.

So, what do your first names mean?

 

[Maet]

From the Greek name Ανδρεας (Andreas), which was derived from ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος (andros) "of a man"). In the New Testament the apostle Andrew, the first disciple to join Jesus, was the brother of Simon Peter. According to tradition, he later preached in the Black Sea region, with some legends saying he was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Andrew, being a Greek name, was probably only a nickname or a translation of his real Hebrew name, which is not known.

I knew most of this already since I'm taking a course in Ancient Greek. I also have a book mark with the more pressing facts about my name on it.

 

[Souplex]

Gabriel is a biblical reference.

 

[The Iron Ninja]

Jobz? Gerald is an awesome name by the way.

Anyway here's mine.

From Nigellus, a medieval Latinized form of NEIL. It was commonly associated with Latin niger, meaning "black"

I would think that the same Latin word would have been the basis for a certain word with racist connotations. So lucky me.

 

[Corven]

Spoiler: Alexander

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovak, Greek Mythology (Latinized)

Pronounced: al-əg-ZAN-dər (English), ah-lek-SAHN-der (German), ah-luk-SAHN-dur (Dutch) [key]
Latinized form of the Greek name Αλεξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek αλεξω (alexo) "to defend, help" and ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρο&#962. In Greek mythology this was another name of the hero Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.

The name has been used by kings of Scotland, Poland and Yugoslavia, emperors of Russia, and eight popes. Other notable bearers include English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744), American statesman Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), Scottish-Canadian explorer Sir Alexander MacKenzie (1764-1820), Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), and Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor of the telephone.

but that one is pretty average so I'll add my middle name as well. (which I guess is average too, but it as a slightly cooler description)

Spoiler: Michael

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, German, Czech, Biblical

Pronounced: MIE-kəl (English), MI-khah-el (German) [key]
From the Hebrew name מִיכָאֵל (Mikha'el) meaning "who is like God?". This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. Saint Michael was one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies, and thus is considered the patron saint of soldiers.

The popularity of the saint led to the name being used by nine Byzantine emperors, including Michael VIII Palaeologus who restored the empire in the 13th century. It has been common in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, and in England since the 12th century. It has been borne (in various spellings) by rulers of Russia (spelled Михаи&#1083, Romania (Mihai), Poland (Micha&#322, and Portugal (Miguel). Other more modern bearers of this name include the British chemist/physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and basketball player Michael Jordan (1963-).

 

[ElephantGuts]

Jeremy (originally Jeremiah) has something to do with some Hebrew religious meaning. I actually just had to write a thing about this earlier this year for English. I forgot exactly what it said though.

 

[santaandy]

Andrew is Hebrew for manly. Because I'm awesome. True story. (Could you tell Barney Stinson is my new hero?)

 

[jim_doki]

JAMES
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Biblical

Pronounced: JAYMZ (English) [key]

English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus which was derived from Ιακωβος (Iakobos), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name יַעֲקֹב (Ya'aqov) (see JACOB). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of Jesus.
Since the 13th century this form of the name has been used in England, though it became more common in Scotland, where it was borne by several kings. In the 16th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. Famous bearers include the explorer Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the inventor of the steam engine James Watt (1736-1819), and the novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

Samuel: From the Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) which could mean either "name of God" or "God has heard". Samuel was the last of the ruling judges in the Old Testament. He anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and later anointed David.

Coolio.

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

William

Spoiler

Pronounced: WIL-ee-əm, WIL-yəm [key]
From the Germanic name Wilhelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". Saint William of Gellone was an 8th-century cousin of Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England. It was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia.

 

[Death916]

TRENT
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TRENT [key]
From a surname which originally denoted someone who lived by the Trent River in England. Trent is also a city in Italy, though the etymology is unrelated.

ya i'm boring

 

[Dapper Ninja]

My name means "noble" in Gaellic. A generic meaning for a rather un-generic name. I found out a while ago that if translated into the Japanese pronunciation, it basically means "trigger of zero/nothing day", which I think is pretty cool, so that kind of makes up for the dull original meaning.

Edit: My name's Grady, by the way.

 

[Blind0bserver]

Well, my first name is Max, so that means I'm a road warrior from beyond the Thunderdome?

MAX

Gender: Masculine

Usage: German, English, Scandinavian, Dutch

Pronounced: MAHKS (German), MAKS (English) [key]
Short form of MAXIMILIAN (or sometimes of MAXWELL in English).

MAXIMILIAN

Gender: Masculine

Usage: German, English

Pronounced: mahk-see-MEE-lee-ahn (German), mak-si-MIL-ee-ən (English), mak-si-MIL-yən (English) [key]
From the Roman name Maximilianus, which was derived from MAXIMUS. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr. In the 15th century the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III gave this name to his son and eventual heir. In this case it was a blend of the names of the Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus, who Frederick admired. It was subsequently borne by a second Holy Roman Emperor, two kings of Bavaria, and a short-lived Habsburg emperor of Mexico.

MAXWELL

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: MAKS-wel [key]
From a Scottish surname meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name MAGNUS, combined with Old English wella "stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

 

[Moira Mab]

Weak. I needed to click through three other names to be told that my name's a derivative of Margaret which means "pearl". However, St Margaret sounds pretty cool, slaying dragons and whatnot

 

[TMAN10112]

"The name became regularly used in the Christian world due to the fame of Saint Anthony the Great, a 3rd-century Egyptian hermit who founded Christian monasticism. Its popularity was reinforced in the Middle Ages by the 13th-century Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of Portugal. In English it has been commonly (but incorrectly) associated with Greek áíèïò (anthos) "flower", which resulted in the addition of the h in the 17th century."


My name is legaly Tony though, NOT Anthony

 

[Ago Iterum]

James is a name derived from Jacob. It's first 3 famous recorded uses were St. James the greater, James the lesser, and James the Just (Jesus' brother). Yeah he had a brother, it's in the bible.

 

[Syntax Error]

Friend of God, which is quite funny onsidering how I distance myself from religion.

 

[Baby Tea]

Timothy - "Honouring God"

Sweet.

 

[reaper_2k9]

From the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.

Mine sucks

 

[swift tongued]

I'm not on the list, but I know that Maxim is some kind of saint from the Russian Orthodax Church. All Russian Orthodox names are.