I have found contradicting means for [name]Julia[/name]. According to nameberry, [name]Julia[/name] means youthful. According to behindthename (a site often cited by Berries), says that [name]Julia[/name] comes from [name]Julius[/name]. [name]Julius[/name] is said to means downy-beared or come from [name]Jupiter[/name] (whose exact meaning is unknown).
Questions:
What do you think is the correct meaning? Where did nameberry find the meaning “youthful” for [name]Julia[/name]? Perhaps because of youthful [name]Juliet[/name].
Are there any other names with contradicting meanings between nameberry and any other sites?
Is behindthename a reputable site? [name]Do[/name] you use it?
[name]Do[/name] you value/mind the meaning of a name?
Personally, I value the meaning of a name and don’t want my childs name to mean blind or lame ([name]Cecilia[/name] & [name]Claudia[/name]).
Not trying to offend. Thanks in advance for any responses. I’m just wondering how certain are we of the meanings.
I’ve heard in several places that the [name]Julius[/name] family means “down-bearded youth”, which is probably where Nameberry got [name]Julia[/name] from. “Down-bearded youth” probably seems more correct, because it encompasses both the “downy-bearded” and the “youthful” aspects of it.
Yes. I can’t think of them off the top of my head, but I’ve noticed it before.
Yes, it is. It’s one of the more reputable name sites, if not the most reputable site for actual information on names. I use babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com more for name information, but I do occasionally use BTN. I find that both are generally pretty reliable (but not always. Everyone has faults!).
The meaning isn’t everything for me, but a nice meaning can really elevate the name. For example, as a [name]Christian[/name], [name]Isabelle[/name]'s meaning (My God is a vow) is very meaningful to me, it sums up my entire relationship with my God, and it’s something I’d love to pass down to my daughter. [name]Rachel[/name] is also on my top 5, but the meaning “ewe” I am much less enthusiastic about. I do like the Biblical character of [name]Rachel[/name], though, and I have other reasons for loving it so much. I think it just depends.
The meaning is actually why I love [name]Cecilia[/name], though. Being blind doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You can be blind to color differences, blind to hatred, blind to prejudice, etc., if you understand me? Besides, again, this is because I’m a [name]Christian[/name], but [name]Jesus[/name] loved the blind people. From what I understand about the Bible, anyway, [name]Jesus[/name] saw blind people in a revolutionary way–that they weren’t that way because they were sinners, but it was just how life was, and He saw them where they were and He loved them and He called them to greater things, outside of society’s expectation of them. [name]Jesus[/name] saw the potential in blind people. It’s not all negative, imo. I have always had a heart for blind and deaf people, though, so maybe it’s just my heart for them that makes [name]Cecilia[/name] more endearing to me.
I agree that being blind isn’t a bad thing and that [name]Jesus[/name] loved all. I thought of being blind to the truth (or ignorant to the truth) instead of literally blind. I only meant that when my child gets older I wouldn’t want names with a poor meaning as in class they learn about their names. Having my daughter come home to learn that her name means “downy bearded youth” would be a dissapointment to her. I should have used that example instead. It’s simply another element where I could see teasing develop. I’d rather not mislead the Berrys. It’s dissapointing to think your childs name has one meaning (which meanings can influence the decision) to only find out that it has a different meaning, one that may not be as applicable to gender or as kind. I think if more people were concerned with namemeanings, there wouldn’t be so many Madisons or Alisons running around, as they would realize that the suffix son means son of.
Adding to [name]Ashley[/name]'s wonderful sentiments about the meaning of [name]Cecilia[/name]…
A couple of years ago, I wanted to do something special for my lovely aunts and uncles. I ordered decorative wall plaques with poems about the meanings of their names. (I am a name nerd, after all.) [name]One[/name] of my aunt’s is named [name]Cecilia[/name]. When I found out the meaning of [name]Cecilia[/name] is ‘blind,’ I was initially disappointed and thought I should just cancel the whole gift idea. However, the person who wrote the poems told me that the broader meaning of [name]Cecilia[/name] is ‘to trust’ and ‘to have faith’ – where you put your trust and believe in something without actually seeing it. With that broader definition, I ended up feeling like the meaning for [name]Cecilia[/name] turned out to be the best of all. I now [name]LOVE[/name] the meaning of the name… very ironic and unexpected.
Back to the original topic… I love the name [name]Julia[/name], and would have strongly considered it for a daughter if I had had several more daughters. I forgot that it means ‘downy-bearded youth.’ For the meaning of a name, I would always consult multiple sources because sometimes there are multiple legitimate meanings or different interpretations. I have to say that I would hesitate to give my daughter a name that means “downy-bearded youth” unless I found another (more appealing) meaning for a daughter that seemed at least as legitimate. Meaning is not super critical, but I would want it to be something positive or, at least, neutral.
I do like the Biblical character of [name]Rachel[/name], though, and I have other reasons for loving it so much. I think it just depends.