18
Currents
October 2018
By: Dr. Joanie McConnell
Girls’ Names
First names are special because our parents,
often after long hours of research and discussion,
specially choose them for us. Since first names play
an important role in our lives, let’s look at the mean-
ing of some popular female names.
The first category includes a long list of Biblical
names. Joan and the multiple
variants such as Joanne,
Johanna, Jean and Jane come
from a Hebrew word meaning
God is gracious. Sarah, also from
Hebrew, refers to a woman of
high rank. In the Old Testament,
Ruth lived up to the reputation of
her name, and became the faith-
ful companion of her mother-in-
law Naomi (pleasant in Hebrew).
Hanna is a Hebrew name
meaning grace. Anna, Anne, and
Annie are variations of the origi-
nal.
The English equivalent
Grace can instead be traced back
to the Latin noun “grātia.”
Girls named Angela (Italian for
angel) will have to work hard to
fulfill the requirements of being an
angel. The original Christina was
undoubtedly a Christian, while the
first Francesca was either a
French woman or a free one.
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