Re: Nestora Rocha b1873 Texas/Mexico
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In reply to:
Re: Nestora Rocha b1873 Texas/Mexico
Gregory Hernandez 1/19/07
This is a riddle, Gregg.I have been trying many years to locate the origin or etymology of which language it came from, but thought that it was no use.Lost in time.
We know that this name is from Portuguese language, which originated in northern Spain and it is also found in southern France.When these immigrants came to the Americas, they settled in many places.
The Portuguese dictionary says that this name (ROCHA) means: "rock."
So, since I know that most of Portuguese language has origins in Latin, I tried to locate it in a Latin dictionary.Nada!Rock in Latin is "petra."Saxum and scopulus were also used for rocky.
I found that this name was also known in English speaking countries as well, since we have the words "rock" and stone. the Oxford says that this word is of unknown origin, however.
German language uses "fels" or "stein" so it was not borrowed from them.I know Iberia had Visigoth invaders.
Since my father's family knew that they were Jews many centuries ago, I thought perhaps it came from Arabic or Hebrew.
Well, this word is found in Hebrew, but it means "head," not rock.I thought I had reached a dead end.
So I was talking with someone from the Hebrew language course, one of the instructors who knows the bible, and she explained to me that this name is from a biblical phrase, "EVEN ROSHA" which means "Keystone."That is the stone that keeps the arch in its place from falling, and it has a wedge shape.If you remove the Even Rosha, the entire arch falls down.So it means a very important stone.The word "head" also means important in English as well as other languages.
In Portuguese, and also in French, this name is pronounced like "ROSHA" since the "ch" sound is soft.
I think that early Hebrew immigrants to Iberia used this name for a family name since it was common to use names form nature.Silva is another example of a popular family name for Jews.It means "trees" or forest.
That is my candidate for this name.
The exact location in the bible where this phrase is found twice is:
Zekharyah (Zacarias) Chapter 4. Verses 7 and 8.
This chapter has one of the most beautiful of quotes from the Bible, "Not by might, and not by power, but by My Spirit- said the Lord of Hosts."
But I don't understand the meaning of the dream which the prophet is talking about here.
It is translated in my English version as "beautiful stone" and "stone of distinction" and says that Zerubbavel has founded the House, whatever that means.
The Hebrew dictionary says that this phrase (EVEN HA-ROSHA) means "keystone."And in Brazil, they have a tradition to pronounce our family name with a "h" at the beginning.Thus : Harosha.That is what made me to suspect this origin, since my brother came back from Brazil two years ago after visiting there and told me how they pronounce our name there.
All the best to you.
More Replies:
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Re: Nestora Rocha b1873 Texas/Mexico
Gregory Hernandez 1/20/07
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Re: Nestora Rocha b1873 Texas/Mexico
Jonathan Rocha 1/20/07
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Re: Nestora Rocha b1873 Texas/Mexico