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ArchivesRe: Rare name, would like to know meaning
in reply to a message by Puzzled
It's still not clear to me from how you wrote that how you are pronouncing it. Is it le-RAY or le-REE-uh?
There is a French surname Lerey which is a Norman French variation of LeRoy, which means "the king." I did find one reference to a James LeRhea who was an immigrant to Quebec, Canada, from the island of Jersey, which is just off the coast of France though it belongs to the United Kingdom. I would guess that as a surname LeRhea is an alternate spelling of Lerey that developed in North America.
However, as a given name it seems to me to be just as likely to be a modern invention putting Le- in front of the name Rhea. Such creations have occurred since the middle of the 19th century.
There is a French surname Lerey which is a Norman French variation of LeRoy, which means "the king." I did find one reference to a James LeRhea who was an immigrant to Quebec, Canada, from the island of Jersey, which is just off the coast of France though it belongs to the United Kingdom. I would guess that as a surname LeRhea is an alternate spelling of Lerey that developed in North America.
However, as a given name it seems to me to be just as likely to be a modern invention putting Le- in front of the name Rhea. Such creations have occurred since the middle of the 19th century.
This message was edited 10/22/2006, 8:03 PM
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