i was just talking about names this morning at breakfast.
English has a group of words called names. and very small subset of word used as names.
We use Leo or Leon, which is a romance language word --Lion.
but we tend to think names like 'Rainbow' or 'Storm' as new age fad names. Ursula is the name is the same as ursula, the word meaning she bear. Leon is lion.
English uses Ursula, but i have never met anyone named She Bear, or Running Deer, or Crazy Horse, with out thinking either, they are calling on a native american heritage, or the are pretending to. (and there names like Running Deer tend to be mocked by English speakers.) Impala is a name of a car, not your son or daughter.
Helen, has variously been said to mean Lighthouse, source of light, (but not the sun or moon) light, and shining.. the HEL part is clearly realated to Helios, but the en part is some sort of diminutive that makes it clear, we are not talking about the sun, but some lesser light.
i have met other helens, but i have never met a woman called Lighthouse, Shining, Lampbulb{=source of light}.
Why do you think that is? what is it about Anglo saxon culture, that we have a subset of words, called names.
(and yes, Glen, Rose, Brook, Violet, Beryll, Opal, Pearl, Ruby, Daisy, Forrest, and a short list of others do exist as both words/names. and there is the occational Bull Durham, a nick name that is an animal.. but who went to school with big Ox? Cheetah? Tiger? (yeah, someone went to school with Tiger Woods) I know an Agnes-- but not anyone named Lamb (not as first name, but it is a "family" name)
it seems pretty much limited to English/Anglo saxon culture.
