The name Malina
We are expecting our baby daughter to arrive about mid September. Because of my Scottish roots I am thinking about naming my daughter Malina. However, I need definite proof that Malina is a Scottish name. I have read on websites that it is the short form of Malcolmina (a feminine form of Malcolm). Can anyone provide me with any definite proof regarding the origin of Malina?
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It seems to be a name with many origins sorry I can not find anything about its scotish connectionsI found this but can not testify to how authentic the information is
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/malina_sun.htmlA childs smile is worth more to me than Gold

This message was edited 8/26/2005, 3:36 PM

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I dont quite think its only a scottish name..its also used in Serbia and in Serbian it means Raspberry.
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Thank you - I didn't know that it was also a name in Serbian. I live in Poland and it also is a name, and it also means raspberry. Do you know for a fact that Malina has a Scottish origin? - I still haven't established whether or not this is true.Many thanks again,
Paul
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Thank you so much for that! :) You have just made me even more fond of the name. I am truly grateful - it is so nice that people are doing their best to be helpful. The more information I find, the more I think Malina is a very interesting name with hidden depths. I have discovered Hawaiian, Hindi, Hewbrew, Yiddish, Polish, possibly Scottish and now Inuit origins (or at least an Inuit link).I now have a possibly interesting question. I wonder which name has the most number of independent origins?
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Have you searched a recent Scottish name list? Most European countries keep an up-dated list of most popular names, so it shouldn't be too much trouble to find one, on line. Simply google it.I found this. I'm not responsible for the content of it being trustworthy, however...
http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.c/qx/malin-coat-arms.htmAll any of us can do is try and help. Using a rather demanding tone won't do you any good.Edited to add the link
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Common sense happens to be the least common of all senses

This message was edited 8/26/2005, 10:49 AM

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Thank you so much for the advice. I really do appreciate all the very kind help - so sorry for the tone, but I do not mean it. I get the feeling I am running around in circles and not getting to the stage where I or somebody gets the information in black and white. I am amazed that there are so many helpful, kind people out there. So, a big thank you!
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I know maol=follower, in Scottish (ie Malcolm=servant of Colm)That said, I would assume Malina, if coming from maol=servant, servant, follower, to be a servant of St. Ian (John.)
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I have been thinking a bit more about your thoughts - very interesting :) I think Malina is a pet form of Malcolmina, which is a female form of Malcolm. Therefore, I would be looking for the female servant of Colm (ie Saint Columba). Thank you for you help once again. :)
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Thank you for this information. However, I really would like more information about the link between Malina and Malcolm, and hence follower/disciple of Saint Columba.
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Malina / Malinka is a pet form of Malka and Amalia in Yiddish.
~~ Claire ~~
My ! are Alia, Eidel, Enola, Israel, Dudel, Yuri, Lina, Lorelei, Leilani, Owen, Julian, Glorinda, Mirinda
My ? are Hillel, Meshullam, Johnny, Ginny, Cordelia, Fiammetta, Yocheved
My ~ are Tehila, Tilda, Hailey, Gillian, Huldah
My / are Aglaia and July
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Thank you so much for your interest and all your help. Your information has made Malina an even more attractive name to me. The more I find about the name the more it interests me. I really do like its international diversity - something that is badly needed in a world where more than a few people are intent on blowing each other up. Here's what I know about the name:1. In Hawaiian it means calm, soothing, peaceful.2. In Hindi it means dark.3. In hewbrew it means from the tower.4. In Polish it means raspberry (but it is a proper girls name).5. In Scottish I have read on the net that it is a female version of Malcolm (meaning a disciple of Saint Columba. It is associated with a dove (peace)). But I need proof of this. I particularly like the dove association here.
Again, many thanks for all your help.
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You're welcome! By the way, how did you got "from the tower" in Hebrew with Malina? I checked my Hebrew names book and the closest I found were:
Malbina, "clear, clearing"
Mali "what for me?"
Alina "supreme"You could also check Malin & Melina.
~~ Claire ~~
My ! are Alia, Eidel, Enola, Israel, Dudel, Yuri, Lina, Lorelei, Leilani, Owen, Julian, Glorinda, Mirinda
My ? are Hillel, Meshullam, Johnny, Ginny, Cordelia, Fiammetta, Yocheved
My ~ are Tehila, Tilda, Hailey, Gillian, Huldah
My / are Aglaia and July

This message was edited 8/26/2005, 2:06 PM

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Malina is listed on many websites as coming from Hebrew (from tower, or elevated). I think it derives from Magdalen.
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I see! Malina comes from Magdalen, which comes from Latin Magdalena meaning "from Magdala", and Magdala is a place in Israel coming from "migdal", "tower". But Malina itself has no meaning in Hebrew :) There is a female name meaning "tower", though: Migdala.
~~ Claire ~~
My ! are Alia, Eidel, Enola, Israel, Dudel, Yuri, Lina, Lorelei, Leilani, Owen, Julian, Glorinda, Mirinda
My ? are Hillel, Meshullam, Johnny, Ginny, Cordelia, Fiammetta, Yocheved
My ~ are Tehila, Tilda, Hailey, Gillian, Huldah
My / are Aglaia and July
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Malina means raspberry in Croatian.
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It also means raspberry in Polish. In fact, this is one of the reasons why I am thinking of choosing this name - my daughter will be half Polish (Malina is also a girls name in Polish).
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FYI...The Pole on the board claims Malina is not used as a name in Poland:
http://behindthename.com/bb/arcview.php?id=285067&board=gen~ IvaylaI am an angel, honest! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight...
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I live in Poland. My wife is Polish. The other day my wife made me sit through a Polish sitcom in which the main Polish female character was called Malina!!!!!!!!!! Malina even has a nameday in Poland!!!!!!
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OK, please lay off the cafeine. It's not doing you much good. I was just letting you know about the opinion of other Polish people. ~ IvaylaI am an angel, honest! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight...
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First, I just want to say that I am very very grateful for all your help!!! I am amazed there are so many kind, helpful people out there who are willing to help. Much appreciated. It's just that I was more than a little surprised by the comments of other Polish people. By the way, I don't drink coffee - just good Polish beer :)
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How about Truskawka then? Hmm...
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Well, as you know it means strawberry. But it is not a name in Polish. It would be very strange for anyone in Poland to have this name, but raspberry is OK because it is accepted as a proper name. I suppose we could take an analogy in English. Daisy is a female name, but Buttercup is not. Names are becoming more fascinating to me :) Especially the elusive Scottish origin of Malina. It is listed as being Scottish on the Behind The Name website, but can I trust it 100% without getting information regarding the source of this information?
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The answer to the last question should be no ... BtN is definitely very very good, but nothing is infallible. Unfortunately, I cannot help you with the Scottish origins of this name.So, let me rescue this post of mine from meaningless off-topicness by provididing a pointless bit of on-topic information: your Hindi informant was indeed correct. In Sanskrit, related to a root meaning to fade away or become feeble, malinA means dirty, soiled, tarnished, etc. either literally or figuratively. It also meant `dirty coloured' i.e. gray etc., whence the name possibly arose.I personally know a malinA from Bengal, born probably in early-to-mid 20th century. The name is definitely not very common today.
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Thank you so much for your help :) I agree that it is best to try to verify sources somehow (afterall, a person's name is important). Very interesting information on Sanskrit usage of Malina - I am very grateful. This makes me even more fascinated by the name. It really is related to many diverse cultures.
Many thanks,
Paul
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Not trying to be uselessly argumentative, but why do you "need definite proof" of the name's Scottishness? If you like the name and believ it will suit a daughter well throughout her life, you should feel free to use it. If you just want to use it so you can brag to everyone you meet "It's Scottish!" then I suppose you need proof but that's generally not the purpose of a name.
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Bragging could not be further from my mind. Lets go a little further into the reasoning behind my interest in the name Malina. My daughter will be half Polish and Malina is a female Polish name. She will also be quarter Scottish, and therefore I thought the name Malina would represent this mix. She will also be quarter English, and I know Malina is used in the English speaking world (probably mostly because of its Hewbrew origin). Apart from all this, I quite like the name. So, back to my original question: Does Malina have a Scottish origin?
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Very tasty name for sure... Mmmm... Malinka, sweet, wild and plesant. Good choice! Na zdrowie / Agny
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Thank you very much for your thoughts on this - I really appreciate it :) I think names are important and I am interested in the associations you have with this name. I think you must be Polish to have such associtions? To be honest, I cannot "feel" the name in Polish, so I cannot say if seems strange, silly, nice, pleasant etc. So, from your associations I trust it is OK. I have had a few reservations about this name as I thought it might be strange for a girl to be called "raspberry".
Na zdrowie
Paul
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