I know this name is decidedly from Hebrew origin, but just a comment on an earlier post I read: my mom's name is Naomi and she always was told it was of Native American origin as well. She still insists unconditionally that is why my grandma chose it for her. She was born in Denver, but my grandmother and her people spent many, many years in Northern California before moving to Colorado and having my mother, so they would have had a lot of exposure to the missionaries out there. They also spent time in Texas where there were missions, and, my grandma was born in Parsons, Kansas. My grandpa was from Lawrence (Haskell Academy). I think maybe it became popular in some of the Missions when the Catholics were influencing the Native Americans and therefore they started using it extensively. In that respect, it may have actually ended up being of Native American heritage, albeit of a more modern era than the original Biblical usage and probably not connected to any one tribe more than another. On that note, I wonder if many N.A. folks named their babies Ruth or Sarai? Probably. :)
I think maybe it became popular in some of the Missions when the Catholics were influencing the Native Americans and therefore they started using it extensively. In that respect, it may have actually ended up being of Native American heritage, albeit of a more modern era than the original Biblical usage and probably not connected to any one tribe more than another. On that note, I wonder if many N.A. folks named their babies Ruth or Sarai? Probably. :)