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I am trying to find the correct meaning of the name Dorian. I know the orgin can be considered English and was used in the book Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I also know how the Dorians were an Ancient Greek tribe.
However, I also read under the comments on the name some other meanings, such as:
Greek meaning Golden
Greek meaning From the sea
Greek meaning A gift
Does anyone know the correct meaning for this name?
Thank you
___________________________________________________________
Proud wife to Jacob
Proud mother of my pets:
Dusty Rose
Cricket
Angel
Snowball
Butterbee
However, I also read under the comments on the name some other meanings, such as:
Greek meaning Golden
Greek meaning From the sea
Greek meaning A gift
Does anyone know the correct meaning for this name?
Thank you
___________________________________________________________
Proud wife to Jacob
Proud mother of my pets:
Dusty Rose
Cricket
Angel
Snowball
Butterbee
1
Replies
According to the Nederlandse Voornamenbank the name is probably English. This is what it says (translated):
Dorian
Gender: male
English name that probably started to be used since Oscar Wilde used it ('The Portrait of Dorian Gray', 1891). He presumably derived the name from the English word 'Dorian', whitch meant 'Dorian, inhabitant of Dorië'.
I don't know how to translate 'Dorië'. Doria perhaps?
http://www.meertens.nl/voornamen/VNB/index.php?act=zoeken&id=4262
Dorian
Gender: male
English name that probably started to be used since Oscar Wilde used it ('The Portrait of Dorian Gray', 1891). He presumably derived the name from the English word 'Dorian', whitch meant 'Dorian, inhabitant of Dorië'.
I don't know how to translate 'Dorië'. Doria perhaps?
http://www.meertens.nl/voornamen/VNB/index.php?act=zoeken&id=4262
This message was edited 6/30/2007, 8:26 AM
1
Really Pavlos or someone else who knows Greek well should comment on this.
But it certainly doesn't seem likely the Dorian has a meaning of "golden" from Greek, because the normal Greek word for "gold" seems to have been chrysos (see the name Chryses in this site's dictionary.)
The "a gift" interpretation comes from assimilating Dorian to the Greek word that meant "gift" which forms part of the base for names like Dorothy and Theodore. But I would imagine that if there was any good evidence that the name of the ancient Dorian tribe was actually connected with that word, this would commonly be explained by the more accurate books on name origins today.
It is probably that the tribal name of the Dorians is simply so ancient that no one knows its original meaning beyond "tribe from the region of Doris." Really ancient place names often are simply going to remain forever unknown in their origin.
But it certainly doesn't seem likely the Dorian has a meaning of "golden" from Greek, because the normal Greek word for "gold" seems to have been chrysos (see the name Chryses in this site's dictionary.)
The "a gift" interpretation comes from assimilating Dorian to the Greek word that meant "gift" which forms part of the base for names like Dorothy and Theodore. But I would imagine that if there was any good evidence that the name of the ancient Dorian tribe was actually connected with that word, this would commonly be explained by the more accurate books on name origins today.
It is probably that the tribal name of the Dorians is simply so ancient that no one knows its original meaning beyond "tribe from the region of Doris." Really ancient place names often are simply going to remain forever unknown in their origin.
1