Behind the name

Just to see if there is any truth in a name - I had a look at the meaning of my own name ...and some of my family and friends. Here are the results (in alphabetical order):

Chantel: From a French surname which was derived from a place name meaning "stony place". It has become associated with French chant "song".

Charissa: Elaborated form of Charis/ Derived from Greek charis meaning "grace, kindness".

Desiree: Means "desired, wished" in French.

Dominique: French Dominic. From the Late Latin name Dominicus meaning "of the Lord". This name was traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. Several saints have borne this name, including the 13th-century founder of the Dominican order of friars.

Jeremy: English form of Jeremiah. From the Hebrew name Yirmiyahu which meant "has uplifted". This was the name of one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, author of the Book of Jeremiah and (supposedly) the Book of Lamentations. He lived to see the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC.

JoÃo: Portuguese form of Johannes. itself derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning "YAHWES is gracious". This name owes its consistent popularity to two New Testament characters, both highly revered as saints. The first was John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ and a victim of beheading by Herod Antipas. The second was the apostle John, also supposedly the author of the fourth Gospel and Revelation. The name has been borne by 21 popes and eight Byzantine emperors, as well as kings of England, France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Portugal and Hungary. It was also borne by the poet John Milton and the philosopher John Locke.

Karla: German and Scandinavian feminine form of Charles. Teutonic name meaning "Strong-woman"

Mannual: Porgegues Emmanual. Means "God is with us" in Hebrew. This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament.

Pieter: Ducth Peter. Derived from the Greek Petros meaning "stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the New Testament of the name Cephas (meaning "stone" in Aramaic) which was given to the apostle Simon by Jesus (compare Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus's ministry and is considered by some to be the first pope. This name was borne by Peter the Great, the czar of Russia who defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War in the 18th century. A famous fictional bearer is Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up in J. M. Barrie's play.

Ryan: From an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Riain meaning "descendent of Rian". The given name Rian probably means "little king" (from Irish rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix).

Sanell: From a French surname which meant "pipe". Its use may have been influenced by the Chanel brand name (a line of women's clothing).

Sylvain: French form of Silvanus. Roman name derived from Latin silva "wood, forest". Silvanus was the Roman god of forests.

Theresa: From the Spanish and Portuguese name Teresa. The meaning is uncertain, but it could be derived from Greek theros "summer", from Greek therizo "to harvest", or from the name of the Greek island of Thera (the main island of Santorini). A famous bearer was Maria Theresa, an Austrian Habsburg queen of the 18th century. She inherited the domains of her father, Charles VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, which began the War of the Austrian Succession.

Interesting ... Click on the title link for more searches of your own names