Jemima is a female given name, the oldest daughter of Job in the Bible who, along with her sisters Keziah and Keren-Happuch, received an inheritance from their father which was a very unusual circumstance in those days. As for the name itself, it has an uncertain etymology behind it. Most sites attribute its meaning as “dove” even though the Hebrew word for dove is yona יוֹנָה; it seems possible that it may be derived from Arabic yamama يمامة which means “dove”, since Job and his family may have lived in an area in Arabia. Another possible meaning behind the name is Hebrew yōm יוֹם meaning “day”, likely in reference to her beauty, or because Job had faced the worst adversity set against him and came out in the end prosperous.
Origin: Hebrew, Arabic
Variants:
- Jemimah (English, Biblical)
- Yemima (Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew)
- Yemimah (Hebrew)
