What’s In a Name?
December 11 is the Name Day for Deborah in Greece
My name is spelled Débora in French, Portuguese and Spanish, Debora (with no accent) in Italian and Czech, and Δεββώρα or Δεβόρα in Greek.
In English it has many permutations – Debora, Deborah, Debra, Debby, Debbie, Deb – and because mine is spelled Debborah, I also go by Debb. While I’ve never met anyone else that spells it with two bees, it is nice to know the Greek version (above bold) also shows this variation.
The meaning of the name according to The Bump, “Finally, a bee that you'll be happy to be around if you're allergic. Deborah is a girl's name of Hebrew origins that means "bee," 🐝 and is the name of a prophetess in the Old Testament.” According to the same website, in the US, the girl’s name ‘Deborah’ was at the height of popularity around the time I was born.
My family was not religious, so the name was not chosen for any biblical reason. Initially my father had discussed the idea of naming me the female alternate for David – Davina, but my mother convinced him to go with Deborah. Apparently, the double ‘b’ was a typo on my birth certificate and seemed unique, so my parents kept it.
I can tell you that having the name ‘Debborah Anne Donnelly’ with all the double consonants meant that it was always a pleasant surprise when someone spelled it correctly!
Nicknames
I matured early and as a pre-teen my earliest nickname was ‘De Bra the Wonderbra’, not very original but probably the best that the pre-teen boys I grew up with could muster.
In the Navy one of my jobs was as a Shipborne Air Controller and so I was given the nickname ‘Talks With Birds’ (meaning the helicopters).
After I left the military and started back at university, I was given the nickname ‘Navy’. ⚓This moniker has managed to survive several decades, and many of my college friends still call me this.
My husband’s family call me ‘Basbousa’ (بسبوسه) which means ‘little kiss’ and is a delicious Egyptian dessert. I really love this name!
It’s highly likely there may have been a few others that I’m unaware of, but of those it is probably best I don’t know. 😝
Family Name
Irish Coat of Arms for DONNELLY
Argent/White or Silver crest - denotes peace or sincerity; Waves representing water; Fish is the symbol of Christ; Hand represents faith, sincerity and justice; and the Lion is an emblem of Deathless Courage
Donnelly is a proud Irish name.
“The origins of the name Donnelly can be traced back to ancient Ireland. Derived from the Irish Gaelic name Donnghaile, it carries the meaning of a brown-haired chieftain. This name is deeply rooted in the historical context of the island and holds significance within the Irish culture.” ~ Ancestry.com
Does this make me a ‘brown-haired bee chieftain’? 😉
It can be interesting to looks into one’s name(s) and heritage. Did you discover anything interesting about your name?
