ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2993 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2993 ************************************ 20 Jan 2005 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if the Hebrew feminine name , meaning 'fountain', was ever used before 1600. Here is a brief letter with the information we have found. The earliest examples of that we found are from the early 19th century [1]. We do not know the origin of this name. It might have arisen as a variant of , which was moderately popular in the 19th century [3]. It might be a reference to the biblical Witch of Endor. This was obviously the intent of the creators of the TV series "Bewitched", who chose as the name of Samantha's mother. The name is listed in many baby-name collections, with the putative meaning "fountain"; this meaning is apparently based on the biblical , a village whose name in Hebrew means "dwelling at the fountain" [2]. Because we have not found this name at all before modern times, we recommend that you do not use it as your SCA name. If you'd like to chose an alternative, we recommend that you browse the articles listed here: Medieval Names Archive http://www.s-gabriel.org/names If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to write us again. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 20 Jan 2005 -- [1] , born 1839 in Georgia. http://www.wateroakfarms.com/genealogy/PZ1_1.html , born 1874. http://members.aol.com/pooh4u386/MEMO2 born after 1868. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~tfisher/fphperrybioo.htm , born in the mid-1800s. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~nhatcher/hatresch.htm [2] Strong's Hebrew Dictionary: 5801 (`izzabown) to 5900 (`Iyruw) (SpeedBible Software, Johnhurt.com, 2001-2002) http://www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/FRMSTRHEB58.htm [3] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983). s.n. Eudora