NAMES AND WHATNOT

I've always enjoyed etymology, the study of the origins of words. So today let's do some etymology and see what all yer names mean.

Edward-Means "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements ead, "rich, blessed" and weard, "guard". Saint Edward the Confessor was the king of England shortly before the Norman Conquest. Because of his popularity this name remained in use after the conquest (most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones), and was the name of eight subsequent kings of England. Edward is also one of the few Old English names to be used throughout Europe.

George-From the Greek name Georgios which was derived from the Greek word georgos meaning "farmer, earthworker", itself derived from the elements ge "earth" and ergon "work". Saint George was a legendary dragon slayer who was supposedly martyred in Palestine. He is the patron saint of England, Portugal and Catalonia. This name has been borne by six kings of England, two kings of Greece, and the first president of the United States.

Robert-Means "bright fame", derived from the Germanic elements hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to Britain. It belonged to three kings of Scotland, including Robert the Bruce who restored the independence of Scotland from England in the 14th century.

David-Possibly derived from Hebrew dod meaning "beloved". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of Goliath, a giant Philistine. Jesus was supposedly descended from him. Other famous bearers of this name include the 5th-century patron saint of Wales, and two kings of Scotland.

Michael-From the Hebrew name Miyka'el which meant "who is like God?". This was the name of one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies, and thus is considered the patron saint of soldiers. This was also the name of nine Byzantine emperors and a czar of Russia.

Tony-(from Anthony)-From the Roman family name Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. It is sometimes claimed to mean "flower" from Greek anthos. Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) was the Roman general who ruled the Roman empire jointly with Augustus for a short time. Their relationship turned sour however, and he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide. Shakespeare's tragedy 'Antony and Cleopatra' is based on them.

we should also include....

Jackson-from the surname, which means "son of jack." duh.

Patrick-From the Roman name Patricius, which meant "nobleman" in Latin. A 5th-century saint, the patron saint of Ireland, adopted this name (his birth name was Sucat). During his youth he was captured by Irish raiders and enslaved, but after six years of servitude he escaped to his home in Britain. Eventually he became a bishop and went back to Ireland as a missionary, where he succeeded in Christianizing the entire country.

Christopher-Means "bearing Christ", derived from Late Greek Christos combined with pherein "to bear, to carry". Christopher was the legendary saint who carried the young Jesus across a river. He is the patron saint of travellers.

KIDD-no information available. Possibly an altered form of "kid," meaning a young person or goat.

There, now we all know who we are. Tomorrow, perhaps, we move on to entomology.