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Name Meanings

What's in a name? Plenty, if you have a name book to look in (or two, or three). Looking up names is something of a hobby of mine, so I tried to look up some of the names of the characters and people involved with SC. So, here's what I found!

The Characters

Catalina

Catalina is a Spanish form of the name Katherine. It is derived from the Greek word "katharos", which means "crystal". How appropriate! The basic meaning of the name is "pure", although the attributes of beauty, grace and intellectual devotion were once given to the name.

Suzee

Suzee is an unusual diminutive (nickname) for the name Susannah. One book lists Susannah as being comprised of the word "shush", which means "white lily", and "hannah", which means "grace". Put together, they mean "graceful white lily". Another book lists Susannah as being a variation of Susan, which means "lily" in Hebrew, and also means "valiant, swift and impetuous" in Japanese. Also, "Susanwo" is a Shinto god.

Rosie

Rosie is a diminutive of the name Rose. The name, of course, usually refers to the classic red flower. It also is Latin for "dew" as well. One book, on the other hand, gives Rose as a variation on Rosamond, which used to be a reference to a minor German god called Hros. Hros was shaped like a three-legged horse, so the name Hrosmond, or Rosamond, would mean "horse-protection".

Theresa

The name Theresa is Greek for "corn carrying", Latin for "reaper", and Irish for "strength". Pity Miss Davenport never personified that last one too much, except for when she punched out her double that one time. The name Davenport as a word, on the other hand, refers to a large couch or sofa. Hmmm.

Thelma

Aside from being an acronym, the name Thelma is Greek for "nursing child" or "will".

Harlan

The name Harlan is German for "flax", Old English for "rabbit archer" and Teutonic for "from the battle lands". Now we know why he's so eager to pick a fight at times!

Seth

Seth is Hebrew for "appointed". I also think I recall reading somewhere that the name also meant "subsitute", which would be only appropriate since Goddard could be considered a subsitute teacher.

The next is from an article a Caser named Ruth wrote in Issue #4 of an old SC newsletter called "ZaBaGaBe!!":

Radu

From the Slavic for "energetic" or "active", the feminine being Radinka.

This is one of the most popular names in Romania. Many famous men have carried the name in Romanian history, but one of the more interesting was Dracula's brother. Vlad Dracul was a prince of Romania at the time when the country was fighting for its independence from both the Austrio-Hungarian and the Turkish Empires. To win breathing space, he agreed to allow two of his sons to be taken hostage in the Sultan's court of Constantinople - the sons were Vlad, soon to be known best as "Dracula" and Radu, who would be surnamed "The Handsome". While in the court, Vlad would develop a passionate hatred of the Turks, but Radu embraced Islam and became the Sultan's favorite. On the death of Vlad Dracul, Prince Vlad assumed the throne, taking as his name "Dracula"(the son of Dracul). When Vlad Dracula proved to be an enemy of the Turks, Radu was given troops by the Sultan and sent to overthrow his brother. The two would battle for the rest of their lives, ultimately, Radu and the Turks would win - but in Romanian history, it is Dracula who is remembered as the hero and Radu as the traitor.

The Real People

Jewel

The name Jewel is French for, guess what? Yep, "jewel". Also, apparently the French were a bit more poetic in their early days, because one book listed the name as meaning in Old French, "a priceless gem".

Rebecca

The name Rebecca comes from the Hebrew word "ribka", which means "a cord with a noose", or "snare". The traditional meaning of the name is "servant of God", but a more accurate one is "binding".

Paige

An alternate spelling of the name Page. Page is Greek for "child", English for "a knight's servant", and French for "royal servant" or "young attendant". Of course, Paige got the last laugh when Rosie was the queen in Catalina's dream sequence.

Cary

Cary is Latin for "loved", English for "castle", and Welsh for "stony island". Also, "Kerry" is an Irish place name. Interestingly enough, I found this name listed in the boys' names section. Must be the short hair.

Walter

Welsh for "the hare", and German for "the people's ruler" or "the rule of the people". Apparently the Germans were a bit more war-like in their early days, because one book lists the name as being Old German for "powerful warrior".

Paul

Latin for "little". No comment here.

Kristian

An alternate spelling of the name Christian, which is Greek for "annointed". One book, on the other hand, lists the name as being Greek for "of the (golden) light", the light in question being Jesus Christ. Hmmm.

Peter

The name Peter is Greek for "rock". I'm sure Peter has been living up to his name in terms of not letting the show die! Peter was also the name of one of Jesus's twelve disciples in the Bible.

Bill

Bill, of course, is a diminutive of the name William, which is Teutonic for "resolute protector" and Gaelic for "fox". (Hey, I thought that was Mulder's name! <grin>).

The next is also from Ruth's article mentioned above:

Rahi

Two possible meanings, one a variant on the Arabic for "a breeze", the other a short form of the Muslim "Rahman", meaning "the compassionate or merciful".

Well, there you have it! Sometimes the name matches the person, and sometimes they don't. But I think they're fun to look up all the same. Keep in mind all the stuff here comes from the books I looked at. You may well find different things in different books. Well, have fun!

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