Neva or... let's talk about the meaning

Girl Names
1

Well, I’m not expecting but since I was a kid I’ve always liked [name]Neva[/name], it’s always has been fresh and unusual. I’ve met two Nevas and they both were very cute and kind and I have this image for my girl (if I have one of course.)

I know a lot of names as well as their meanings and for all these years I was sure, [name]Neva[/name]'s meaning is white snow/snowy/covered with snow. But I did a bit of research and turns out [name]Neva[/name] has lots and lots and lots of other meanings.

In a very old name book I’ve read in a library few years ago, [name]Neva[/name]'s meaning was new from old english but I didn’t pay much attention to that as old name books are not the best ones when it comes to explaining the meaning.

I have some Bulgarian ancestry, and I was talking to a very distant relative of my father and it turns out in Bulgaria [name]Neva[/name] is used as a nn for Nevena which is a flower name,translates as [name]Marigold[/name].

I have studied turkish and talking to one of my teacher’s friend (who was related to Turkey but wasn’t turkish though) I found out that [name]Neva[/name] is somehow related to Turkey too, he said he’ll check its meaning.

Then doing some research I found out [name]Neva[/name] has its roots in [name]Persia[/name]/Iran and has several meanings such as melody, sound, harmony, prosperity, happiness.

Then it’s the river in [name]Russia[/name], even though it has a different accent it spells the same way.

It’s also a nn from [name]Geneva[/name] and [name]Genevieve[/name] which also have different meanings.

I love [name]Neva[/name] and probably always will but is a name good enough for a child if it doesn’t have one stabilized meaning? I was always picking up MN’s which would have been related to the FN, for example I was thinking of [name]Neva[/name] [name]Winter[/name] [name]Marie[/name] and now I’m not even sure if [name]Neva[/name] is the one perfect name. [name]How[/name] do you think, would a FN like Nevena or [name]Geneva[/name] or even the new [name]Nevaeh[/name] work better than short [name]Neva[/name]?

2

You seem really concerned with finding a definitive meaning for the name, which I think it shows that it’s important to you to chose a “legitimate” name, with some history and usage.

In English, [name]Neva[/name] is traditionally a short form of [name]Geneva[/name], although you could also see it as a form of the Irish [name]Niamh[/name]. Nevena seems legit as well (though I imagine this would sound like [name]NEV[/name]-a, rather than NEE-va). The “snowy” meaning seems kind of forced to me - sure, “neve” is also the Portuguese word for snow, but it really isn’t used as a given name in that language. I can’t say anything about the Persian meaning.

Personally, [name]Neva[/name] works on its own, the same way [name]Nora[/name] and [name]Nola[/name] do. However, if you want a more established first name, [name]Geneva[/name], Nevena or [name]Niamh[/name]/[name]Neve[/name] would be the best option.

3

I think that a name is all the more special when it has a rich history and deep (or many different) meanings. The most prominent meaning for the name would of course be the one that is dearest to your heart, or closest to your own ethnicity or heritage -which in this case sounds like it means the name would be [name]Marigold[/name].

My MN is [name]Carole[/name] and my father always told me it meant “song of joy” (as in [name]Christmas[/name] Carols) and while I have found the odd name site that corroborates his definition, most naming sites state that [name]Carole[/name] and [name]Carol[/name] both mean “free man” or even “warrior”. Personally, “song” suits me much better. :slight_smile: The other definitions are interesting, but your child will grow up knowing the meaning that you tell her about. If she chooses to define herself by one of the other meanings later, a name with a history like this actually gives her that option, but for most of her life, she will use the meaning you tell her.

4

I see your point and I agree that it’s great if a name has a rich history but as @sugarplumfairy has mentioned I want to choose a “legitimate” name which would fit a child who’ll probably live in different countries, whose name would be unique and would have a history. That’s why I’m really concerned about [name]Neva[/name]'s meanings and about its origins.

I’m not sure what would make a perfect name for a baby a girl and then a woman. I’m not sure if [name]Neva[/name] having all these meanings would fit and I’m don’t know if choosing one concrete meaning or one of those related-to-[name]Neva[/name] names is right.

5

I think since it’s a short, simple sound combination with sounds that appear in most languages (not like Kiiki or [name]Gwen[/name]) that it’s bound to have meanings in different languages.

I agree with the others that based on your extensive research it definitely has a rich history.

I will warn you that in my neck of the woods (southern [name]California[/name]) [name]Neva[/name] sounds like a sort of bastardization of the word never and I would definitely make some judgements in my head before realizing what the child’s background was. [name]Just[/name] being honest.