What does this name mean
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What does this name mean
| Sun, 10-30-2005 - 10:20pm |
Hi all I have been wondering for quite some time now on the meaning of a name. I first heard this name last year on the show Canadian Idol..the name is Kalan and the person who has this name from the show is a boy. But I cannot find the meaning of the name Kalan anywhere.....can anyone help.....
Heather

Hi Heather - This is the closiest I could find:
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I found out that Kalan is one of the most common misspelling of the name Kelan so I went to http://www.behindthename.com/
Before I get to possible meanings, one point: The way you've phrased your question, you seem to be assuming that the name must have a meaning, if only you could find it. These days, names are frequently created simply because they sound nice, and don't really have any historical meaning at all. It's hardly a new phenomenon; 18th and 19th-century genealogical records are full of made-up and fanciful names and spellings. When one of these names catches on, it's very likely that an amateur linguist somewhere will eventually notice that it sounds like a certain word from a certain language and decide that this must be the name's *meaning*. More often than not, the connection is entirely spurious; in addition some people just make meanings up or alter them to create more positive connotations. Many websites and baby name books perpetuate these myths... behindthename.com is one of the most accurate sources, though not perfect. Realistically, just about any combination of up to four or five syllables probably means something in at least one of the world's many languages, but there needs to be some kind of continuity between the original word and the bestowing of it upon a child as a name in order for the meaning to transfer.
That said, there are real names that could potentially be connected to the modern Kalan. A previous poster mentioned the Irish Gaelic Caolán, meaning 'slender' or more exactly 'little slender one' because án is a diminutive. However, the standard pronunciation is more like kee-lan or kwee-lan, so kay-lan is a bit of a stretch. The anglicised forms Kealan, Keelan, etc. are also more frequently used for the related name Caoilainn, itself a variant of Cáelfind or Caoilfhinn, which is pronounced kyle-finn and means 'slender and fair'. The last three are all feminine names, the rarer Caolán is masculine. Another option is the Scottish Gaelic Cailean; sources disagree on the meaning and pronunciation of this one. It may be from a Gaelic word meaning 'youth', or a Gaelic version of the Late Latin Columba, meaning 'dove', and was also used as the Gaelic equivalent of Colin, an English diminutive of Nicholas meaning 'victory of the people.' Adding to the confusion, the translation worked both ways, so Cailean translated Colin into Gaelic and vice versa; most likely they started out as separate names that were later linked by a similar sound. Depending on who one asks, Cailean might be pronouced kay-len, the way it looks to an English speaker, but is more often said like Colin or Cullen. Actually, the Irish Gaelic forms, Coileán and Cuileán, are pronounced kuh-lin, have the same back and forth relationship with Colin, and mean 'whelp, pup or cub' in Gaelic, hence by extention have the same meaning of 'youth.' In addition, it must be noted that for many modern girls named Kaylyn, etc., the name is probably meant as a variation of the extremely popular Kaitlin (which is also Irish Gaelic, a form of Katherine, though the Gaelic pronunciation is more like kawt-leen and was earlier anglicized as Kathleen).
Does this clear anything up? If you're thinking of using the name Kalan, I'd recommend careful consideration. I have definitely seen a minor surge in the use of the name in Canadian birth announcements since Kalan Porter's Idol win, for both boys and girls and in a variety of spellings, in particular on the prairies. It's really too soon to tell, though, whether ten years from now Porter will be a big star or a candidate for a *where are they now?* news bite. In other words, the name might potentially sound pretty dated, especially for boys. This is less of a risk for a girl, because Kaylyn and other variations were relatively popular before anyone had heard of Porter, and fit in with the current spate of girl names ending in -lyn. It's still trendy, but not as directly associated with a particular person and time as it will be for boys... though girl Kaylyns probably get tired of explaining that they are not, in fact, Kaitlyns. If you like the name for a boy, I'd go with the Gaelic spelling Cailean, giving it a legitimate history and meaning and distancing it from the reality-tv connotations. It's becoming more and more common to keep original Gaelic spellings and Cailean is fairly simple, I don't think learning to pronounce it would be any more difficult than Maeve, Sinead or Siobhan, or, for than matter, learning not to say Kalan like Allen with a K at the front. If you like the name for a girl, I'd probably go with one of the more obviously feminine spellings like Kaylin or Kaelyn, though personally I prefer Cáelfind, Kathleen, or Kaitlin.
I hope in all of this info you find something useful,
Josie
Edited 10/31/2005 5:36 pm ET by josiedove
Edited 10/31/2005 5:38 pm ET by josiedove