Names that mean “name”

Jheronimus signature

I love coming across personal names with definitions that refer to names. Some examples:

  • Behnam means “good name” in Persian.
  • Hieronymus, meaning “sacred name,” is based on the Greek words hieros, “sacred,” and onoma, “name.”
    • Jerome is the English form of Hieronymus.
      • Jerónimo is the Spanish form of Jerome.
    • Jheronimus was the form of Hieronymus used by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516).
  • Kainoa, meaning “the namesake,” is based on the Hawaiian words ka, “the” (singular), and inoa, “name.”
    • Kainoakupuna means “the namesake of one’s ancestor.”
  • Nainoa, meaning “the namesakes,” is based on the Hawaiian words na, “the” (plural), and inoa, “name.”
  • Nergüi means “no name” in Mongolian.
  • Shem means “name” in Hebrew. (The eldest of Noah’s three sons was called Shem.)
    • Sem is a variant form of Shem. (It’s popular in The Netherlands right now.)

Do you know of any others?

Image: Adapted from Jheronimus Bosch 006 central panel 03 detail 01 (public domain)

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