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Most baby name websites out there have watered-down or spruced-up meanings, often ending up with meanings
much different than the originally intended. For example, Emily is said to mean "ambitious, hardworking" when
in fact it's true meaning is "rival." Caleb means "dog," not "faithful." Charlotte comes from the name Charles,
meaning "man." Charlotte therefore also means man. Just because it is a female name does not mean you
feminize the meaning and change it to "feminine, petite." That is totally opposite the true meaning.
Common Meaning Misconceptions
|
Name |
Popular Meaning |
Actual Meaning |
| Caleb |
Faithful |
Dog |
| Aaron |
Enlightened, To Sing |
Exalted, High Mountain |
| Ervin |
Friend of the Sea |
Wild Boar |
| Emily |
Ambitious, Hardworking |
Rival |
| Charlotte |
Feminine, Petite |
Manly |
| Frances |
Free |
Of France |
Origins are also often misinterpreted. People can be under the impression that because a name derives
from a certain origin, the derivitive is also of that origin. For example, Helen is often said to be
Greek. Helen is actually an Old English name which comes from the Greek Helena. Helena is Greek,
Helen is its Old English derivitive.
Common Origin Misconceptions
|
Name |
Popular Origin |
Actual Origin |
| Zachary |
Hebrew |
Old English |
| Daniel |
Hebrew |
Old English |
| Frank |
Latin |
Old English |
| Marie |
Celtic |
French |
| Tamara |
Hebrew |
Russian, Sanskrit |
| Ophelia |
Old English |
Greek |
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