View Message

This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

[Facts] Re: New name--(Gaelen (f) ) can anyone help me?
in reply to a message by Josh
Galen, however spelt, is a GUY'S name. Don't believe I've ever heard it used for a girl.The name with the above spelling is on this web site listing. I believe it means "calm" in its original form. Bearers include the Roman physician and Galen Cisco, the Mets pitcher from back when.
vote up1vote down

Replies

"Galen, however spelt, is a GUY'S name"
I beg to disagree with you on this one, Hid Diva. Galen is derived from the feminine-gender word "galene", meaning "tranquility" in Greek. All Galenes in my neck of the woods are girlies. Same goes for my slavic neighbours, where the name appears in several variations including Galina and Galya. The silly Romans decided to masculate the name into Galenius, and the rest is history.
vote up1vote down
Ah, but Galene (or Galena) is as distinctive from Galen/Gaelen as Denise is from Dennis or Edwina from Edwin. Of course one can come up with feminized versions of male names, but they are best distinguished by BOTH spelling and pronunciation. "Gaelen" doesn't make the cut in that regard.
vote up1vote down
CorrectionOops! A male version of the name *did* exist in classical Greece, Galenos (accented in the last syllable). Although I am lot aware of Galenos being presently used as a first name, I have seen it used as a surname.
vote up1vote down