Previous Names of the Day
May 6th
Emily f English
English feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emil). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as
Emily in English, even though
Amelia is an unrelated name.
May 5th
Tenskwatawa m Shawnee
Means
"open door" in Shawnee. This name was borne by the Shawnee prophet Tenskwatawa (1775-1836). With his brother
Tecumseh he urged resistance against American expansion.
May 4th
Meritxell f Catalan
From the name of a village in Andorra where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. The name of the village may derive from Latin
meridies meaning "midday".
May 3rd
Cambyses m Old Persian (Latinized), History
Latin form of
Καμβύσης (Kambyses), the Greek form of the Old Persian name
𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹 (Kabujiya), which is of uncertain meaning, possibly related to the geographical name
Kamboja, a historical region in Central Asia.
May 2nd
Isaac m English, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From the Hebrew name
יִצְחָק (Yitzchaq) meaning
"he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from
צָחַק (tzachaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that
Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife
Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see
Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see
Genesis 18:12).