this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2025
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It keeps blowing my mind when I learn that other languages haven't obfuscated the meanings of names behind two thousand years of linguistic divergence.
Your name almost certainly means something basic too, you just don't remember what it is.
Yep. Some common names:
Steve ← Steven ← Stephanus ← στέφανος = crown (or wealth)
Linda ← -linde = tender, soft
James ← Iacomus ← Iacobus ← Ἰάκωβος ← Ἰακώβ ← יַעֲקֹב = heel, footprint / follow, watch, observe
Karen ← Catherine ← Αἰκατερίνη ← Ἑκάτη = one who works from far away (referring to a goddess)
And "Tiffany" may sound like a very 20th-century American name, but it actually dates back to the early 13th century and is based on a Greek word that's even older. The "Tiffany Problem" is a really interesting phenomenon in the anthropological/perceptual space based on that.
Tiffany ← Tifinie ← Θεοφάνεια = "God's arrival/appearance"
It's also more closely related to the name "Natalie" than you might think, at least etymologically.
Natalie ←Natalia ←natale domini = "birth of the Lord" (Latin)
I knew about Tiffany because of that CGP Grey video, but Natalie is interesting too!
Nice. Yup, I learned about the Tiffany Problem from Grey as well, but picked up the tidbit about Natalie from being married to one.
Karen- one who complains to management
I mean, there's people called Hunter...
even in english, it's a somewhat mixed bag. names like Grace, Hope, Faith are still accessible to modern people.