ORIGINS OF NAMES


ACHSAH

One of our family names is "Achsah," a name which comes from the Bible. Achsah was the daughter of Caleb, one of the twelve men who were appointed to spy out the land of Canaan before the Hebrew children entered it. This account may be found in the thirteenth chapter of Numbers.

Caleb, son of Jephunneh of the tribe of Judah, and Oshea (whom God named "Joshua") the son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim, were the only two who returned with good reports. The other ten, not trusting God to lead them, saw only obstacles.

1st Chronicles 2:48-49 contains Caleb's family tree: "Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bare Sheber, and Tirhanah. She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb [was] Achsah."


ICENA

My maternal grandmother's name was Ada Icena. Since Icena is an unusual name, I did an Internet search to find where it might have come from.

Google search results for the name "Icena" numbered about 265. I got halfway through the 130 displayed. These are just a few of the categories and selections:

PLACE NAMES:
Icena is the area of England now known as Norfolk and Suffolk:
www.debpeabody.com/peabody.htm
More about Queen Boadicea, "The Celtic Woman" (Spanish):
www.ciudadfutura.com/celtas/celtas/mujer.htm
Romano-British Placenames:
www.setea.freeserve.co.uk/RB_placenames.html
Celtic Tribes' River Names (possible link to Spain/Peru):
members.aol.com/IrishWord/names.htm
Paper Products (the name probably originating in Great Britain):
Coated Embossed So. African fine paper:
www.sappi.com/home.asp?pid=325

OTHERS WITH THE NAME:
Genealogy Surnames Beginning With IC:
www.kindredkonnections.com/surnames_IC1.html
In a recent obituary:
www.globegazette.com/news/2000/062000/week3/20/ob1.shtml
Putnam Co. WV marriages:
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~twigs/WICK/putnam_county.htm

FOUND IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
Peruvian:
www.eibar.org/materixala/peru/peru56.html
A flute from the Andes:
www.johnsmusic.com/latin.html
A Zulu name for a famine food:
www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/faminefoods/ff_families/LILIACEAE.html

FOUND IN BOTANY:
Name of an insect:
www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/warp/lepidoptera-index-i.html
A Singapore butterfly:
www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/2382/checklist.htm
Ticks of Tasmania:
members.ozemail.com.au/~norbertf/tasmania.htm

FOUND IN BOATING:
www.wcbc.f2s.com/icena.htm

FOUND IN TRIVIA:
pokeaurora.virtualave.net/guardian2.html

My conclusion? I think grandma was named for the area in England, especially since our genealogical lines go back to Great Britain.


Backgrounds Courtesy of "Backgrounds By Marie"
Roses Courtesy of "Vintage Flower Art"


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