Did you ever wonder what the name Barbara's meaning and origin is?
English, German, and Polish: from Latin, meaning “foreign woman” (a feminine form of barbarus foreign, from Greek, referring originally to the unintelligible chatter of foreigners, which sounded to the Greek ear like no more than bar-bar).
St Barbara has always been one of the most popular saints in the calendar, although there is some doubt whether she ever existed. According to legend, she was imprisoned in a tower and later murdered by her father, who was then struck down by a bolt of lightning; accordingly, she is the patron of architects, stonemasons, and fortifications, and of firework makers, artillerymen, and gunpowder magazines.
The name is now occasionally modishly spelled Barbra, notably in the case of the actress and singer Barbra Streisand (b. 1942). Cognates: Irish Gaelic: Bairbre. Scottish Gaelic: Barabal. Swedish: Barbro. Czech: Barbora. Russian: Varvara. Hungarian: Borbála.
Short forms: English: Barb (mainly U.S. informal). French: Barbe.
I wonder if my grandfather knew all this when he gave me the name.
3 comments:
He probably just liked the sound of it..or figured you'd come out babbling some language he didn't understand..lol..interesting post!
Hmmm, given the patron saint status, maybe that's why we never blew ourselves up or set something major on fire, lord knows we had plenty of opportunities.
Also, Barbe in French means "beard"! So it might make for some confusing times. :D
- Ryan
Post a Comment