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[Facts] Re: Hemma
in reply to a message by lac
I did submit the name Hemma. Every book or reliable name site that I did check told me that it is short for female versions of Wilhelm - look: http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienH/Hemma_von_Gurk.htmSaint Hemma became popular in some parts of East Europe where the "h" was dropped.
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You are right, the Duden seems to be the lone standout not mentioning Wilhelma, although also there Hemma von Gurk is the famous name bearer that is listed.I think both could be true: A name so short as Hemma could well have several different derivations at the same time.
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Yes, I agree that Hemma could have several different derivations. It makes sense that it may have been used as a short form for names beginning with "Heim". A very reliable site about names used in Scandinavia and Germany is nordicnames.de They list several explanations:http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Hemma
http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Hemmo
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