First of all, because my sister and I were never close, I wanted my children to grow up with a sense of family connection and I wanted that reflected in an alliteration, so we all start with the same letter, T. Then I started collecting names, more with each child and because I loved compiling this list of - for German/English culture - more unusual names with origins and meanings. I even kept collecting after my last child was born, so I have a list of over 10K names now. Of course, the names had to have a positive meaning and my children also have more than one given name each. So here it goes in chronological order, starting with myself as the root of all:
Tirza Elisabeth Michele – Tirza is Hebrew. I’m not Jewish but my parents liked the name which my aunt found in the Bible. I later learned it means delight(ful), strong, beautiful, brave.
Elisabeth means consecrated to God and is passed on in my family in the matriarchal line from one oldest daughter to the next. So my older daughter has it as a third given name, too.
Michele is the misspelt version of the French Michelle, after Archangel Michael, the Warrior with the Sword, his name meaning, He who is like God. This last name I received from my biological mother and my adopted mum and dad left it but added to it with the others.
Tajun Keanu Max – Tajun is Urdu, the Indian Muslim language and Pakistan’s national language. Taj means crown (Taj Mahal, the great crown) in many languages, originally from Arabic but also used in Hindi, for example. Linguistics is such an interesting subject, really. Anyway, Tajun means the one to be crowned, in other words, crown prince. I thought it fitting as he is my first born.
Keanu is Hawaiian, I saw Keanu Reeves in Speed in the movies back in the 90s and bought the biography. That way I found out that the actor is a very cool, amazing human being and that the name Keanu is Hawaiian and means gentle breeze. Tajun has always been gentle and loving as a child, so that suits him perfectly.
Max is the abbreviation of the Latin Maximilianus and also Maximus, meaning the Greatest. Also, one of my cousins is named Max and my granny and her sister had an uncle or great uncle whose name was Max, so I thought it would be a nice family tradition to have for the male lineage as there wasn’t one yet.
Tarjani Sharizan Elisabeth – Tarjani is Sanskrit (the ancient language in which the old Hindu and Buddhist scriptures were written) and one of the names of the Hindu Goddess Parvati. It means Index Finger. In Hindu mythology, the Goddess Parvati has great magical powers in her right index finger. She can bless and curse you with it, depending on her will (which obviously has some deeper layers of hidden meaning to it as well). So the name also means pointing down the right path or into the right direction. It has a connotation of leadership with wisdom to it. And Tarjani is definitely an alpha girl, a leader. Suits her very well.
Sharizan is Persian/Arabic and means princess, Goddess, goddess-like. For some reason she doesn’t like this name but I love it and I think it suits her very well, too. She is a Leo and her fiery temper reminds me of the Goddess Sekhmet very much. My ascendant is Leo, so she has much of that from me.
Elisabeth, I have already explained above.
Tarini Akasha Nandini Nénée – The first 3 are all Sanskrit (which is actually related to Latin and the linguistic connections are really incredibly interesting). Tarini is a name of the Hindu Goddess Durga who was created by three gods who couldn’t overcome a demon king so she would because she could as she as female. Talk about girl power. She rode into battle on the back of a tiger and is usually depicted with ten arms, each hand holding a different weapon. And yes, she made mince of the demon king.
When Tarini was small, she used to say, when she grows up, she wants to be Durga with her very own tiger to ride on. She thought being a Goddess was a job description. She is such a delightful mix of sweet-tempered grace and powerful, lively determination. Tarini means little star, saviour, great Mother. She shines the way of enlightenment and light and thus, saves you from self-inflicted harm.
Akasha is the spiritual heaven in which all records of lives past, present and future are kept. When we go into the Akashic records, it usually brings great insight and healing as we can explore the deepest spiritual layers of our psyche and also explore past lives.
Nandini means bliss and is the state of being in Hindu mythology that is the original state of being from whence we came and where we will eventually go back to. When we are filled with deep bliss for a moment or a short time, we get a glimpse of an idea what Nandini, Divine Bliss, really is.
Nénée is a Fulani name. The Fulani are an African tribe living mostly in modern-day Mauretania and spilling into Senegal. The name means Great Mother, She Who Begot a Nation, Mother of Plenty. It doesn’t mean, she is a breeding machine but that her children and descendants will not die out and go into obscurity but that she founds an entire tribe or a great nation of great, important people, i.e. kings, warriors, seers, queens, wise women, etc.
As you can see, we’re a pretty colourful bunch, especially when you consider that my children are half African by genetics, although I brought them up entirely on my own. You see, I am a storyteller and there is always a story to what I do and decide upon. I am a very conscious and conscientious mother and I don’t take this responsibility lightly. I’d never have given my children names I didn’t know the meaning of, for example, and I hope this little excursion into the nerdy brain of Tirza was an enjoyable one for you.
Which names did you give your children and for what reason? I'd love to know! Join me in my group for Conscious Creators Creations from the Heartspace and let me know!
You might also like to read this short, yet magical book on travel, parenting, magic and timetravel, A Magical Family Holiday: A Trip into the Eifel Mountains.
Or get this book for your children: How Picasso Makes You a Genius.
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