Behind the Name
the etymology and history of first names
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Previous Names of the Day

RUQAYYAH   f   Arabic Jan 11th
Derived either from Arabic رقى (ruqia) meaning "rise, ascent" or from رقية (ruqyah) meaning "spell, charm, incantation". This was the name of one of the daughters of the Prophet Muhammad. She became a wife of Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims.

CHARLES   m   English, French Jan 10th
From the Germanic name Karl, which was derived from a Germanic word which meant "man". However, an alternative theory states that it is derived from the common Germanic element hari meaning "army, warrior".

GRÁINNE   f   Irish, Irish Mythology Jan 9th
Possibly derived from Gaelic grán meaning "grain". This was the name of an ancient Irish grain goddess. The name also belonged to the fiancée of Fionn mac Cumhail and the lover of Diarmaid in later Irish legend, and it is often associated with gráidh "love".

VERENA   f   German, Late Roman Jan 8th
Possibly related to Latin verus "true". This might also be a Coptic form of the Ptolemaic name BERENICE. Saint Verena was a 3rd-century Egyptian-born nurse who went with the Theban Legion to Switzerland. After the legion was massacred she settled near Zurich.

AGAPITO   m   Spanish, Italian Jan 7th
From the Late Latin name Agapitus or Agapetus which was derived from the Greek name Αγαπητος (Agapetos) meaning "beloved". The name Agapetus name was borne by two popes.

TIFFANY   f   English Jan 6th
Medieval form of THEOPHANIA. This name was traditionally given to girls born on the Epiphany (January 6), the festival commemorating the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. The name died out after the Middle Ages, but it was revived by the movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (1961), the title of which refers to the Tiffany's jewelry store in New York.

LEAH   f   English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew Jan 5th
From the Hebrew name לֵאָה (Le'ah) which was probably derived from the Hebrew word לְאָה (le'ah) meaning "weary". Alternatively it might derive from a Chaldean name meaning "mistress" or "ruler" in Akkadian. In the Old Testament, Leah is the first wife of Jacob and the mother of seven of his children.

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