Tell me more ×
Mi Yodeya is a question and answer site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition and anyone interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

I recently met a young lady with the name of Sivan. She did not know the meaning of it, other than it is a name of a month. I was wondering if there is a meaning to this name and what it is?

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote -1 down vote

According to this baby naming website, the name comes from a Biblical word meaning "bush or thorn"

share|improve this answer
5  
I don't want to sound too negative, but sites like those are notoriously (in my mind) blatant fabricators or perpetuators of misinformation and misetymology. Which is not to say "bush or thorn" is wrong, just that the corroboration doesn't help the case for me. – WAF Nov 28 '11 at 22:20
What Hebrew word would that be? – msh210♦ Nov 28 '11 at 22:27
1  
It really doesn't matter if it's the historically true meaning. That website is popular for people to pick baby names. It's a possible meaning that the parents might have in mind. – avi Nov 29 '11 at 6:26
2  
Checked for the word Sivan in Tanach, Talmud Bavli and Zohar. It appears only as a month. – rony Nov 29 '11 at 17:29
2  
@msh210, maybe they're assuming (probably erroneously) it's related to סְּבַךְ, as in Gen. 22:13. – Isaac Moses Feb 23 '12 at 8:42
show 2 more comments
up vote 6 down vote

According to Wikipedia, it derives from the Babylonian word for "set time," or from the Assyrian word meaning [apparently] "heat of the sun." But the name in use nowadays is certainly just taken from the month, much like "June" in English.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.