GENDER:
Noah is more popular as a male name, however, in the Bible, Noah is also a name of a woman. In the male version, Noah (pronounced Noach; ch like Bach) is seen in the Bible, chapter of Genesis. Here, he is the main character depicted in the Great Flood, and the man who built the ark.1. He is the father of mankind and the survivor of the Great Flood. He drifted in the Ark for 40 days. The world’s nations are said to have descended from his three sons.
In the Female version, Noah (pronounced No’ah) in the Bible, Chapter of Numbers 26:33 is one of the daughters of Zelophead.1 The female version of the name comes from “nua” the verb in Hebrew meaning shake, rattle, stagger, wander, and sway. It means “shaky girl” or “lady wanderer”1
PRONUNCIATION:
Today, Noah is used primarily as a Male name. No Female Noah has been recorded in recent years. Today’s Noah is pronounced No’ah; much the same as the Biblical pronunciation of the Female form of the name. In Biblical times, Noah, as a male was pronounced Noach or Noak.
POPULARITY:
According to the SSA list, (US Social Security Administration), Noah ranked #15 in the list of most popular baby names reported in 2006. Noah increased in popularity as a name from 1993 to 2005.There was a great upsurge in the popularity of the Name Noah from 1960-1990. According to the SSA list, (US Social Security Administration), Noah ranked #15 in the list of most popular baby names reported in 2006.2
Some Fun Facts about Noah:
There are many song titles with the name Noah, including: “Noah” by Harry Belafonte; “Noah Freestyle” by Lil’Flip; “Noah Sugar Pan” by the Congos; “Noah’s Dove” by 10,000 Maniacs; “Noah’s Journey” by The Notebook Soundtrack; “The Noah Plan” by Peter Schilling.
Noah and Ally are Characters played by Ryan Gosling and Rachael Adams in the movie, “The Notebook”, a story about two young lovers.
What we don’t often think about is where Noah built the Ark. He built the ark in what is today, Iraq.
NAMESAKES:
Noah’s Place is a 24-hour animal medical center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Noah is also used in the name of Restaurants. “Noah’s Table” an Armenian Restaurant and “Noah’s Restaurant” an American Restaurant are examples.
FAMOUS PERSONS:
Some famous people with the name include:
1. Noah Wyle born on June 4, 1971. He was born in Hollywood, CA and is currently an actor in Hollywood.
2. Noah Baumbach, born September 3, 1969 in Brooklyn, NY and is currently an actor and a film director.
3. Noah Webster born October 16, 1758 and died April 28, 1843. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut to a Noah Sr (1722-1813)3, who was a sewer and farmer He was an American Lexicographer who was the predecessor of the Merriam-Webster dictionary today. He was also textbook author, spelling reformer, political writer, word enthusiast, and editor. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education". In the US his name has become synonymous with dictionary.
4. Noah Berry Jr, born August 10, 1913 in NY, NY and died 11/1/1994 in Tehachapi, CA from cerebral thrombosis. He was also an actor.
VARIANTS:
Some Variants of the name Noah are:
1. Noach (the original Noah in the Bible)
2. Noak
3. Noe (Spanish form)
4. Noey
5. Norrie
ETYMOLOGY:
Noah is derived from Hebrew. The Hebrew name Noach, means rest, comfort, comforter, peace, long-lived, and wanderer.
In Sanskrit, the word for ship is “nau”, a variant of Noah, the first shipbuilder. “ma” in Sanskrit is the word for water. Manu (pronounced Ma-Nu) in Sanskrit is the name of the flood hero in Indian/Kashmiri mythology. “manu” in Sanskrit means man or mankind; this maybe because Manu/Noah was the father of all post-flood mankind. The English “man” is related to the Sanskrit, “manu”. 5
Manu, the Indian flood hero is said to have built an ark about 15,000 years ago in which 7 learned men, as well as plants and animal species were saved. The Ark was said to rest on the Himalayan peak. The people of Manu’s descendants (called Manushyas or Manavas, meaning Humankind in Sanskrit) believe that the remains of the Ark can be found on the Himalayan Peak. The oldest surviving work of fiction is a Hindu work of fiction, 4000 years old, called “Epic of Gilgamesh” which talks about a great flood and the building of an Ark.
Many cultures have similar trends of the Sanskrit “manu”.
Africa: King of the Congo was called “mani congo” and the Empire was called “manikongo empire”. The Congo basins included Angola, Zaire, Cabina, and Congo Republic.5
Americas: Sioux language, “minne” means water. Minneapolis is the city of water. Minnesota means sky blue water. In South America, Managua is the capital of Nicaragua. It comes from Nahuatl managuac meaning surrounded by ponds.5
Australia: “mai” is the name given to the aborigines.
Egypt: “menes” was the founder of the 1st Dynasty of Egypt. Egyptian mythology, Nu is the god of the waters who sent a flood to destroy mankind. “nu” is a watery mass of heaven and means sky. Nu and Nut were deities of the firmament and rain.5
Europe: “ma” took the form of “da” to mean water/river. This led to “don” (England/Russia); “danube” (Balkans); “danaoi”, 1st Greeks living in coastal regions; “water people”; “danu” meaning river or flowing. The Latvian River Dvina was formerly called Duna also a form of Danu. There is obvious similarity between Danu and Manu.5
Crete: “minus” is said to be the ruler of the Sea, and the son on Zeus; he was the founder of the 1st King of Crete.
Germanic: “mannus” was the founder of the West Germanic people and mentioned by the Roman Historian, Tacitus in his book, “Germania”. Gothic, the oldest Germanic language used “manna” or “gaman” to mean “fellow man”.5
Hawaii: “mano” name given to the Hawaiian indigenous people.5
Hebrew: “mayim” meaning water or waters.5
Japan: “maru” is the term included in all names of Japanese Ships. Japanese maru also means a round enclosure or a circle of refuge. Noah’s ark was the 1st great enclosure of refuge. In Japanese and Chinese Mythology, Hakudo Maru was a God who came down from heaven to teach people how to make ships; maybe related to Noah the 1st shipbuilder.
Lithuania: “mannus” was a Lithuanian Noah.5
Spanish/French: prefix “ma” is the original form of “mar” or “mer”, meaning sea. Both “mar” and “mer” come from the Latin “mare”.5
Sumeria: “anu” was a Sumerian God of the firmament. A rainbow is the great bow of Anu. Bow was a reference to Noah (Genesis 9:13, “I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a covenant between Me and the Earth”.)5
Sweden: “manniska” is related to the Sanskrit “manosa” meaning human being.5
As we can see, in almost every language and every country, there is a story of Noah and the Great Flood. The similarity in the words seems to be more than just purely coincidental.
Many Books and Movies have been written about Noah and his Ark. There are many versions of the story as well, depending on which country the story was written in.
What remains interesting is the consistent thread which binds all the stories which have been written about Noah. In most cultures, and most languages and countries, a very similar story exists about Noah and his Ark.
No comments:
Post a Comment