What’s in a name?
Margaret, Pearl, and other names you didn’t know were related
Published on July 2, 2025
Credit: Waldemar
Names are fascinating because they are much more than mere identification. They carry meanings that sometimes originate from faraway places, centuries past. Names can change so much that, centuries down the line, a John, a Sean, an Ivan, and a Jean can gather without realizing they are all named after different versions of Ioannes.
In this article, let’s explore 10 different cases of names that may look different but are connected by their shared origins and meanings.
James and Jacob
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If you walk down the street, the chances of coming across someone named James or Jacob are quite high. But did you know that James and Jacob are actually the same name? Jacob is the English version of the Hebrew Yaakov, meaning "supplanter"—the name of a prominent Israelite patriarch. It entered English through Greek (Iakobos) and Latin (Iacobus).
However, Latin also had a popular version of the name, Iacomus, adopted by many Romance languages: Giacomo in Italy, Tiago in Portuguese, Jaime, Iago, and Santiago in Spanish, and James in Old French. The name James eventually made its way into English alongside thousands of other French words after the Norman Conquest.
Fun fact: although they originate from the same root, Jacob is used for the Patriarch while James (and its equivalents) are traditionally used for the Christian apostle.
Nelly and Nora
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Although they started as nicknames, Nelly and Nora are now widely accepted as proper names. But where do they come from? Nora is the shortened version of Eleanor, originally from the medieval French Aliénor. The name was introduced into English when Aliénor of Aquitaine, mother of Richard the Lionheart, married King Henry II.
The shortened Nelly also became a name of its own. Unlike Nora, however, Nelly has been used as a nickname for several different names, including Eleanor, Helen, Elena, Danielle, Penelope, Natalie, Elizabeth, and even Nelson.
August, Sebastian, and Austin
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Augustus, meaning "great" or "majestic," was originally a Roman title given to emperors that eventually became a name and was incorporated into English as both Augustus and August. The Greek-speaking regions of the Roman Empire, however, had their own version of the title, Sebastos, which later evolved into names such as Sebastian, Bastian, and Bas.
And what about Austin? Augustine, another variant of Augustus, evolved into the popular form Agustín in Spanish. In Old French, Agustin was shortened to Aostin and eventually became Austin, which also found its way into English.
Beau and Bonnie
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The names Beau and Bonnie may sound similar, but not for the reason you might think. While both mean "beautiful," "handsome," or "pretty," and both come from Latin via French, they actually derive from different roots.
Beau, typically a male name, comes from Old French bel, which in turn comes from Latin bellus, meaning "beautiful." Bonnie, a traditional Scottish female name, is derived from the French word bon/bonne (meaning "good"), which originates from the Latin bonus.
Is being good the same as being pretty? French isn’t the only language to suggest so. In Spanish, _bonito/bonita_—used to mean "pretty"—also comes from a diminutive form of bueno (good).
Sophie and Sonia
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It’s not difficult to imagine a connection between Sophie and Sonia. They both come from the same Greek word, sophia, meaning "wisdom," and they even sound similar. But how did they evolve to their current versions?
Sophie is (to no one’s surprise) the French version of the name Sophia. Sophie was adopted into English much earlier than Sophia, and became especially popular in the 18th century. On the other hand, Sonia (sometimes spelled Sonja or Sonya) is of Russian origin, a diminutive form of the name Sofiya.
Margaret, Pearl, and Daisy
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Following a trend on this list, the name Margaret is of French origin. The French version, Marguerite, came via Latin from margarites, a Greek word meaning "pearl." So, Margaret and Pearl? Essentially the same name.
But does Daisy also mean "pearl"? No. Daisy is of English origin, but it became a nickname for Margaret because marguerite is also the French word for the daisy flower. Over time, Daisy came to be used as a proper name in its own right.
Alexander and Edmund
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Traditionally used as an epithet of the Greek goddess Hera, the name Alexander comes from the Greek elements alexein ("to defend") and andros ("of man"), meaning "protector of men."
Edmund has no Greek roots, but it is linked to Alexander by meaning. Of Old English origin, Edmund is formed from ēad ("prosperity" or "wealth") and mund ("protector"). With such strong meanings, it’s no surprise that both names have been borne by many kings and leaders throughout history.
Susan and Liliana
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Let’s start with the answer: Susan means "lily." But how?
The origins of the name Susan can be traced back to Ancient Egypt and Persia. In Egyptian, shoshen was the word for the lotus flower, a symbol often associated with purity and rebirth. In later linguistic transitions, it came to be used for the lily as well. From Persian shushana (also meaning lily), the name passed into Hebrew as Shoshannah, then into Greek as Sousanna, Latin as Susanna, and eventually English as Susan.
The name Liliana comes from the Latin word lilium, meaning "lily." From that root came Lilian and its many variations.
Deborah and Melissa
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Deborah is a name of Hebrew origin, most famously the name of a biblical prophetess. Its root word, d’vora, means "bee" and has been interpreted as symbolic of the diligence and the protectiveness displayed both by the insect and by the biblical figure.
Melissa also means "bee," but its roots are Greek. The Greek word for "honey" is meli, and melissa was the word for "bee"—literally, "honey-maker."
Sienna, Rory, Adam, Rufus, and Flynn
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There is no way all these names are the same, right? Well, while they aren’t equivalents and don’t come from the same root, they all relate to the color "red."
Rory and Flynn are both of Gaelic origin: Rory comes from ruadh (meaning "red") and means "red king," while Flynn (from the Irish Floinn) was originally a surname meaning "descendant of Flann" ("ruddy" or "of red complexion").
Before becoming a person’s name, sienna was a burnt red-orange color, named after the clay from the Italian city of Siena. The Latin rufus (from ruber, meaning "red") was an adjective used to describe someone who was "red-haired" or "ruddy."
And what about Adam? Doesn’t it mean "man" or "mankind"? Yes, it does, but it comes from the Hebrew adamah, meaning "earth" or "ground," because Adam was said to be made from the dust of the ground. Adamah was used specifically for red soil or red clay, and the name Adam has historically been interpreted as meaning "red" or "of red earth."
