Names used to mean more than they do.
My name, Timothy, means “honoring God.”
I like it!
Linda means “pretty one”, though there is a Germanic meaning of either “snake” or “lime tree”. I’ll stick to pretty one.
The website I was researching with says Lindsey is English/Scottish and means “from the isle of the lime tree”
Kimberly has the meaning of “ruler”.
Jeff is derived from one of three Old German names, meaning: district, traveler, or peaceful pledge.
Haylee is old English “from the hay meadow” and Braeden is Irish “broad hillside”.
Now whether or not all of these are true from the website, I really can’t say.
I know in the old western movies there was always an Indian with a great name like Running Buffalo, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and, my favorite from Dances With Wolves, Stands With A Fist!
Other names carry special meanings with them, like Benedict Arnold or Judas.
Biblical names especially carry meaning.
Joshua and Jesus both mean Savior.
Moses means “drawn from water” and Adam means “man of the earth” or “red” as in reference to the red dirt of Eden.
In the book of Ruth, Naomi has a hard life, losing her two sons and husband. When she returns back to the land of Israel, everyone is happy to see her.
“Naomi’s home! Naomi’s home!” they shouted.
“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.” Ruth 1:20
Naomi means “delightful or pleasant” but she changed it to Mara, “bitter”, to reflect how she felt about life.
If I were to choose a name for myself today, I can think of no other better to choose than the one I have, honoring God.
What would your name be today?