need help

[blissurrenderd.livejournal.com]

I recently heard the name Yesenia/ Yessenia and COMPLETELY fell in love with it. It was one of those names that just hits you. The only other name that's ever done that to me was Svetlana 6 1/2 years ago, and I have a 21 month old with the name.

But, back to the point. I'm having a hard time finding the origin and meaning of the name. Some sites say it's Arabic meaning flower and others say it's Spanish, related to (and sometimes even pronounced) Jessenia.

I'm not really looking for opinions of the name, just information about it. I'm pretty sure this will be my girl name. I was going to have Alia as a middle name, but with Yesenia it gives an "ah-ah-ah" stuttering feeling, so that will probably be changed.

Also, is googling the best way to find name meanings, or is there a really great site that's easier? Thanks!

Comments

[ewaeva.livejournal.com]

There are tons of sites that give you fake meanings so googling is not always reliable.
I find that the most reliable site is behindthename.com - the guy who runs it does solid research and uses real sources instead of copying from other name sites which may have wrong information.

This is what the site says:
YESENIA
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Possibly a Spanish form of JESSENIA

JESSENIA
Gender: Feminine
Meaning unknown. Possibly from the name of the species of palm tree; possibly means "flower" in Arabic.

A Spanish/Arabic connection would make sense, since Spain was Muslim for a long time during the middle ages and a lot of Arabic words have influenced Spanish. Maybe you can ask an Arabic speaker to confirm if this name is related to any Arabic word for "flower." It is a lovely name.

[blissurrenderd.livejournal.com]

Great, thanks a lot!