Hillary Rodham Clinton
This is the first of an occasional series on the current crop of US presidential candidates. I’m going to analyze these names the same way I would analyze anyone’s: a combination of name history and sound/meaning analysis to give an overview of the person’s life trajectory.
Hillary ultimately comes from Proto Indo European sel, meaning “happy” (which may be related to sol, “whole”; see savior). Sel became hilaros in Greek, and was borrowed into Latin as hilaris; the nominal form was hilaritas, “happiness”, which is the root of English hilarity and hilarious. Hilarius was a Latin masculine name derived from hilaris, and a feminine form, Hillaria, appeared in English in Chaucer’s time. By the 1500’s, the names had become Hilary and Hillary respectively. The sound of the name suggests a rising, slightly tense energy that comes from home and hearth and expands to fill space; also indicated is great energy and stamina in the face of hardship.
Rodham is an ancient family of Northumberland, perhaps named after an ancient town there, now unknown. “Ham” is an old worn-down suffix meaning “home”, but I don’t know what “rod” may refer to. Rodham was Hillary’s maiden name. Its sound quality suggests a very strong Source energy that drives toward a decision or doorway; on the other side of the doorway is hearth, home, and manifestation.
Finally, Clinton is a name that may be from Irish or English. If Irish, the name is a reduced from of McClinton, an Anglicized version of Mac Giolla Fhionntáin, meaning “the son of the servant of Fhionntáin”, a saint. If English, it may come ultimately from the town of Glympton in Oxfordshire (a town on the Glym river), or from Glinton in Cambridgeshire (a name meaning “enclosed town”). In any case, the sense is of a light energy enclosed, within boundaries, which is released and travels on a rising path that narrows toward a goal.
Since Clinton is Hillary’s married name, I am not sure what role those energies play in her life. But the names Hillary and Rodham both have strong associations with both great energy and power and home and hearth, which may be fitting for both her presidential ambitions and her strong stances on health care and family issues.
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August 26th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Jeff,
What a brilliant series concept!
Just as I often go nosing in the astrological charts of public figures, I love having a glimpse into this additional layer of meaning as only you can provide it.
I’ll be looking forward to the others.
August 26th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
It’s my understanding Hillary didn’t change her name when she and Bill married. However, she did so just before he ran for president. I guess Arkansas* could handle a First Lady with a name different from her husband’s, but the nation could not. Who knew Arkansas was so progressive?
When she was First Lady (of the nation) she insisted on being “Hilliary Rodham Clinton”, however, I don’t remember her always being called that. Now that she’s running for president, she’s dropped the “Rodham” from her name and is just going by “Clinton”.
Kinda annoys me that she’s not sticking to her guns on her name. I mean, why become wishy-washy when the White House is the prize? Wouldn’t you want to stick to your guns? And do I truly want someone who can’t decide what she wants to be called as President?
/rant
*Arkansas would be a good word. I always wondered why it’s said “Are-CIN-saw” instead of “Are-CAN-sas”
August 27th, 2007 at 4:29 am
Thanks, Slade! It’s always interesting to apply these techniques to public figures and try to fit their lives into the patterns, isn’t it? It’s really just about the only way we can get solid information on their inner lives.
August 27th, 2007 at 4:37 am
Nio, a fascinating point! I wonder if Hillary decided to stick with Rodham in Arakansas out of principle, but got a lot of hassle out of it? Then it might make sense that she’d go back on that when the Clinton’s went national…
I think it’s neat that her bumper stickers just say “Hillary”. Everyone knows her well enough (and her name is rare enough) that that’s all she has to say. But it does seem as though she sort of keeps “re-branding” herself, doesn’t it?
Arkansas is a great one! It’s pronounced AR-kin-saw because it’s a French spelling of an indigenous word. Stay tuned for more!…
September 13th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
[…] of examinations of the current crop of US presidential candidates; the previous entry looked at Hillary Clinton. I’m analyzing these names the same way I would analyze anyone’s: a combination of name […]