A couple weeks ago I attended the Celtic Festival at JCC in Jamestown and all the different Scottish clans had tables displaying flags and tartans and even t-shirts. The Clan Cameron includes the Taylors so the woman said my family could wear any of the Cameron tartans except the chiefs. Hmmm, and I don't even know if there is any Scottish blood in my family. She said there is even a lowland clan of Andersons. It got me to thinking about names, and I spent a rainy afternoon exploring the meaning of some of the family names on the Internet.
Taylor is easy, it is tailor or tailleur or 'cutter, a person who makes clothing. Anderson is son of Andrew or Andre or Anders. I imagine the Fishers choosing that last name when they had to pick one because they were fisherman, and the Squires maybe because they wanted to shout their status???
Where I really starting having fun was when I started looking up the meaning of our first names.
Mom and Dad as Marjorie and Bruce are 'Child of Light' and 'Of the Woods', respectfully. That sounded so nice I continued on and did us kids.
My name means alien or outsider, or barbarian. Gee thanks Mom and Dad. Cathy means pure, Mary Beth is bitter sea, Marsha means warlike and Marlys means bitter. Other than Cathy and Bruce we're a gruesome, or at least miserable, bunch.
I was unhappy with the depressing meanings of our names so I went on to my kids: Angela of course is 'Heavenly Messenger' or 'of the Angels', Michelle is Hebrew for 'Who is like God'. I didn't know that. Interesting my choice of kids names, huh?
Since I was on such a happy role I decided to finish up with my grandkids. Zoey is Greek for 'Life' and Eddie's name means 'rich or happy guardian'.
Makes me wonder why the names that were so popular when I was a kid are so unhappy.
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