Comments (Meaning / History Only)
Also, the Creek word "talula" was never a name. In Itsate Creek it is the word for "a small town with one mound", and its cognate in Muskogee Creek is "talufa". It seems like the "leaping waters" meaning was entirely made up for tourism and Tallulah has no water related meaning in the various Native American languages around Tallulah Falls.
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This name is so interesting to me and so mysterious. I have done a bit of digging on google and I have some knowledge of the Irish language.
I can't really speak to the meaning in Choctaw, Cherokee, or Creek but Wikipedia says a few different things. From the little I've read it seems likely enough to me that the "falling waters" meaning was made up for tourists to the Tallulah Gorge/Tallulah Falls in Georgia, USA.
But -- it's also purportedly a name derived from Irish. I have read a lot of skepticism on the part of Irish internet users and it seemed deserved to me at first. It sounds a lot like a myth to make this name seem more approachable to white America (old hollywood and parents in the 21st century alike). On the other hand, it does sound a lot like it could be from the same -flaith/laith root as Órla/Órfhlaith and Gormla/Gormlaith/Gormfhlaith (meaning princess, or lady).
A string of google searches led me to some niche and deprecated webpages but, lo and behold: Oxford Reference Oxford Dictionary of First Names confirms that "Tuilelaith" is legit. Two Saints and Abbesses of Kildare in the early middle ages.
And get this: Tuile means a torrent or flood :O Yes, as in flowing or gushing water, in Modern and Old Irish.
So whether this name is a strange linguistic coincidence or a bundle of myths, it's terribly fascinating. Was the name of the river/falls originally from an Indigenous language? Or did it get its name from Irish or Ulster-Scots settlers? I even found a reference claiming the falls were named for a person - a Native American princess. I'm no professional or expert researcher by any means but it seems so shrouded in mystery. Cool name.
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I can't really speak to the meaning in Choctaw, Cherokee, or Creek but Wikipedia says a few different things. From the little I've read it seems likely enough to me that the "falling waters" meaning was made up for tourists to the Tallulah Gorge/Tallulah Falls in Georgia, USA.
But -- it's also purportedly a name derived from Irish. I have read a lot of skepticism on the part of Irish internet users and it seemed deserved to me at first. It sounds a lot like a myth to make this name seem more approachable to white America (old hollywood and parents in the 21st century alike). On the other hand, it does sound a lot like it could be from the same -flaith/laith root as Órla/Órfhlaith and Gormla/Gormlaith/Gormfhlaith (meaning princess, or lady).
A string of google searches led me to some niche and deprecated webpages but, lo and behold: Oxford Reference Oxford Dictionary of First Names confirms that "Tuilelaith" is legit. Two Saints and Abbesses of Kildare in the early middle ages.
And get this: Tuile means a torrent or flood :O Yes, as in flowing or gushing water, in Modern and Old Irish.
So whether this name is a strange linguistic coincidence or a bundle of myths, it's terribly fascinating. Was the name of the river/falls originally from an Indigenous language? Or did it get its name from Irish or Ulster-Scots settlers? I even found a reference claiming the falls were named for a person - a Native American princess. I'm no professional or expert researcher by any means but it seems so shrouded in mystery. Cool name.
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I named my beautiful daughter Tallulah Rose. We call her Lulu for short. I think it's a name - Tallulah - that she will grow into - it has attitude and strength. It suits her perfectly and she never has another classmate with the same name!
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Supposedly, it also means "laughing water." Tallulah is a nice name and easy to say but to me it sounds like someone young and very ditsy. I think it sounds cool on an adult although I've never met a Tallulah. It's a very unique name and just like Dakota, this name is all-American.
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This name may originate from Gaelic, meaning "fruitful woman." However, the spelling is TALLULA.
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