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[Facts] Hesper
Does anyone have information about the girl's name Hesper?I believe it's french, but I'm not sure.
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This is the first stanza of a hymn to the goddess Cynthia (or Diana - the moon) by Shakespeare's contemporary, Ben Jonson:Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,
Now the sun is laid to sleep,
Seated in thy silver chair,
State in wonted manner keep:
Hesperus entreats thy light,
Goddess excellently bright.With the -us ending it was of course masculine ... and I've never seen it used for anyone, male or female ... but I do enjoy the idea of it as a synonym for Eve!
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There is a user submitted Hesperos on this site. http://www.behindthename.com/submit/view.php?name=hesperos It is derived from the Greek hespera meaning "evening" or "west".
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Wow! I was just about to ask the exact same question!The only information I found about this name come from a source that didn't seem very trustworthy to me... Anyway, this site said that Hesper is derived from a Greek word meaning "evening" or "of the evening" or "vespertine".Could anyone confirm this or offer some more (and more trustworthy) information?
Thanks in advance.
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My name book says:Greek, meaning: evening or evening star
The Greeks referred to Italy as Hesperia, since the sun set and the evening star rose there. It's also a name of a town in California.
Other forms: Hespera, Hesperia
Male forms: Hesperos, Hesperios, Hespero, Hesperus

This message was edited 2/28/2010, 3:40 PM

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Ah! That sounds very convincing.Thanks! :-)
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Thanks for all your help! :)
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