Minetta

Minetta is the name of Minetta Creek, an underground stream in New York City that was covered over between 1808 and 1828. The name apparently comes from the Lenape Unami language Manette or Manetta which may be related to Manitou, a general term among Alongquian Native Americans referring to a spiritual power or life force…

Nita

Nita as an English name originated as a shortened form of names ending in nita such as Anita (a diminutive of Ana/Anna meaning “favor, grace” which ultimately derives from a Proto-Semitic root word), Juanita (diminutive of Juana, the Spanish equivalent of Joanna, the feminine form of John “Yahweh is gracious”); or Bonita, a Spanish/Portuguese word…

Gad

In the Old Testament Gad is the name of the first son of Jacob and Zilpah (his wife Leah’s handmaid) and his seventh son overall, and is the founder of one of the Israelite tribes named after him. The name comes from Hebrew gad (גָּד) meaning “luck” which seems to derive from an unknown origin. Gad could also be used as a nickname…