Confused about the meaning behind names

[TTC First]

It's important for us to have a strong meaning behind the name we choose. I was wondering if anyone knew why the same name appears on different sites with total different meanings.

I found the name Carter on a site and it said it means "wished for child", I looked on another site and it says it means "cart driver or cart maker".

I can't imagine naming my child thinking it means one thing then finding out it means something stupid.

 

[Kazy]

Hi there. I feel the same way. The meanings change depending on the origin that they assume it comes from. So you can choose the origin that you picked it from. We are naming our daughter Eloise. In French it means "famous in war." Which I love. But there are other possible origins that mean "wide". Which we obviously don't like. So when I tell her how she got her name and why it was important to is i will just be sure to tell her it's the French meaning. Same is true for our other 3 kids.

 

[Captain]

I think some of them just make it up as they go along, and/or don't do their research.

When I was looking at Welsh names (I speak Welsh fluently) on these sites some of the translations weren't even correct, let alone the meanings! Some even just had random Welsh words as names, like table or chair, words that would never ever be used for a name!

 

[NicaQ]

It seems like a lot of people that are more into the meanings of names than I am find behindthename.com to correct most of the time.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

With names such as carter id say they are more likely trade names like hunter etc x

 

[felix555]

I think a lot gets lost in translation.

My little boy's name apparently means both light / dark or pale / dark haired depending on what site you look at.

It's also Old English or American in origin depending where you read.

Agree with a pp a name like Carter would almost certainly be a trade name like Hunter etc meaning a cart maker/owner.

I don't think the name meaning means so much personally because your baby will give it's own meaning and characteristics to the name.

 

[TTC First]

Thanks ladies, I will try to look at the origin of the name and work from there. I will check out behindthename.com.