My friend, Bob Smith, has a useful listing of Book of Mormon names and brief discussion of proposed etymologies and instances where they have been found in texts and inscriptions:
Based on the decipherment of ancient Egyptian and
cuneiform writings, along with modern archeological discoveries, it is possible
to offer many sound etymologies for Book of Mormon names and common nouns:
BofM Names……………..Source
ABLOM (Jaredite) Sumerian & Ugaritic place-name
Abiluma
AGOSH (Jaredite) Aramean place-name Bit Agush (Bit Agusi)
AHA (Nephite) Hebrew אחא ʼḥʼ, ʹAḥaʹ on arrowheads,
ostraca, seals, and bulla
ALMA (Nephite) Hebrew אלמא ʼAlma’ on Jerusalem ossuary; אלמא,
אלמה on Bar Kokhba Letter 44
AMARON (Nephite) Aramaic ˤm(r)n, Punic ˤmrn (KAI
#229:2-3)
AMMAH (Nephite) Aramaic & Punic personal name עמא ˁmʼ
(KAI #78:9)
AMMARON (Nephite) Aramaic ˤm(r)n, Punic ˤmrn (KAI
#229:2-3)
AMMONIHAH (Nephite) Hebrew ˁmwnyhw, ˁmnyhw ˁAmmôn-Yâhû on
seals
AMNOR (Nephite) Hebrew *ˁAm-nur “My Divine Kinsman is
light,” as in Canaanite name Raḥim-Nur “Beloved of Nur”
AMORON (Nephite) Aramaic ˤm(r)n, Punic ˤmrn (KAI
#229:2-3)
ANTIONUM (Nephite) Egyptian nty wn im “He who exists
there (in paradise/ heaven)”
ANTUM (Nephite) Sumero-Akkadian Antum “Earth,” female
consort of Anu “Sky”
CHEMISH (Nephite) Hebrew-Canaanite כמיש Kemîš variant
reading in Jeremiah 48:7
COM (Jaredite) Sumerian kum, gum “Crusher”
COMRON (Jaredite) Akkadian & Mari personal name Kumru
CORIANTUM (Jaredite) Sumerian names combined: kur.e2 +
antum “Mountain Temple of Antum [bit Anti]”
CORIANTUMR (Jaredite) Sumerian names combined: kur.e2 +
an.dimmer “Great-Temple-of-the-Heavenly-God”
COROM (Jaredite) Sumerian royal name KURUM
CUMENI (Nephite) Egyptian kmni “blind”; see PACUMENI
below
CUMORAH (Nephite) Akkadian Qumāru, Kumāru “Shoulder”
(part of constellation Cygnus the Swan) = Sumerian gu₂-mur₇-ŋu₁₀, gu₂-mur₇
CURELOM (Jaredite) Sumerian words combined: kur +
e3-li-um “mountain-sheep”
DESERET (Jaredite) Egyptian dšrt “honey-bee” logo, but
read as Hebrew dbrt (Joshua 19:12)
EMER (Jaredite/Nephite) Sumero-Akkadian place-name Emār
in Syria
GADDIANTON (Nephite) Hebrew gĕdûdîm “robbers” (Hosea 6:9,
7:1), Phoenician bˁl gddm “gang of robbers”
GAZELEM (Nephite) Arabic غزال ġazal “gazelle”-stone =
Sumerian Mašda-stone
GIDANAH (Nephite) Egyptian Dy-dw-n (later Dd-d-n-nЗ) =
great Phoenician city-state Ṣidon = Hebrew צידן
GIDGIDDONAH (Nephite) Neo-Assyrian personal name
Gid-gi-da-a-n[i], Gid-gid-da-nu
GIDGIDDONI (Nephite) Neo-Assyrian personal name
Gid-gi-da-a-n[i], Gid-gid-da-nu
GIMGIMNO (Nephite) Egyptian place-name Gmgm.w (gmgm
“smash, tear up, break”), Egyptian no means “city”
HELAMAN (Nephite) Akkadian name ḫal-la-ma-na (Ugaritic ḥlm,
Ġullamanu)
HESHLON (Jaredite) Akkadian ḫašlu, ḫašālu “to grind,
crush, shatter”
HIMNI (Nephite) Hebrew name חמן Ḥmn found on seals; in
gentilic (nisbe) form
-IHAH (Nephite) Hebrew Trigrammaton YHH (= YAHU) on
ostraca and in Elephantine Documents 1:2, and 13:14
IRREANTUM (Nephite) Egyptian name ’IrЗnt, ’Irnt for
Orontes River, with the water-determinative at the close
JACOM (Jaredite) Hebrew יקום yāqûm “He shall rise, stand
up; be established” (Job 25:3)
JASHON (Nephite) Hebrew *yāšûn “Old, Sleepy,” from root ישן
yšn “to sleep; be old”
JENEUM (Nephite) Hebrew *yĕnĕʼūm “He shall reveal, shall
prophesy, utter oracles”
JERSHON (Nephite) Hebrew *Yēršôn “Place of Inheritance,”
from root ירש yāraš, “to inherit”
JOSH (Nephite) Hebrew יאש Yʼš (Yoʼš) on inscriptons,
short for יאשיהו Yʼšyhw “The Lord gives, rewards”
KIB (Jaredite) Sumerian kib = Akkadian kibbu, kippu
“object; wood or gold ornament”
KIM (Jaredite) Sumerian kim, kim3 “a stone,”as in name
Kimaš, ki-maški
KIMNOR (Jaredite) Sumero-Akkadian *kim-nur “Stone of
Nur,” as in Canaanite name Raḥim-Nur “Beloved of Nur”
KISHCUMEN (Jaredite) Hebrew “Hidden-Bow,” from root כמן
kmn “hide,” and קיש qîš “Bow, Archer”
KUMEN (Nephite) Hebrew “Hidden,” from root כמן kmn “hide”
KUMENOHNI (Nephite) Hebrew “Hidden-strength,” כמן kmn
“hide,” combined with Hebrew און ʼôn “strength”
LAMAN (Nephite) Arabic personal name Lâmân “Scoundrel”
LAMONI (Nephite) Gentilic/ nisbe form meaning “Lamanite”
LIAHONA (Nephite) Hebrew *layāḥōnê “Encamping for Yah,”
from חנה ḥānâ, “to pitch (tent), encamp, dwell”
LIB (Jaredite) Sumerian lib "rich, well-off; high
quality; happy"
LIMHAH (Nephite) Amorite & Hebrew *Lim-ḥa “Lim (God)
lives; Lim has preserved alive; Lim makes life”; cf, Hebrew חיה ḥāyâ “live;
make alive”
LIMHI (Nephite) Amorite & Hebrew *Lim-ḥay “Lim (God)
lives; Lim has Preserved alive; Lim makes life”; cf, Hebrew חיה ḥāyâ “live;
make alive”
LIMNAH (Nephite} Hebrew limnôt “count” (as in nimna
“assigned,” Timna “Allotted-Portion,” etc.); Akkadian limnu “may he count”
LURAM (Nephite) West Semitic name LRM, luram “He is truly
exalted” on seal and graffiti in Hamath, Syria
MAHAH (Jaredite) Sumerian ma-ḫa “great, highest, supreme”
MANTI (Nephite) Neo-Assyrian Manti = Egyptian name Mntw
“Month (god)”
MATHONI (Nephite) Hebrew מתני *mtny “My Gift” (cf. KJV
names Mattan, Mattenai, Mattanah, Mattaniah)
MATHONIHAH (Nephite) Hebrew מתניהו Mattanyahu “Gift of
Yahu” in Lachish Letters and seal from Jerusalem; YHH for YAHU only at
Elephantine
MIDDONI (Lamanite) Hebrew *Middoni “My Tribute,” from
Ugaritic & Hebrew מדד mdd “tribute,” as in מדת middat “tribute,” and מדין
Middin “Tribute”
MINON (Nephite) Hebrew *Minon “Bountiful,” from מנן mnn
“to be bounteous,” as in Ammonite place-name מנית Minnith “Gift”
MOCUM (Nephite) Yiddish מקום mokum “town, safe-haven”
from Hebrew מקום maqom “(holy) place”
MORIANCUMER (Jaredite) Sumero-Akkadian *Mur.e2.an.kumru
“Reed-mat of heavenly-priest,” with reed-mat as hierosgamos wedding-bed,
Akkadian kumru (Hebrew כמר kōmer “priest”)
MORIANTON (Jaredite) Sumerian *Mur.e2.an.tan2 “Reed-mat
of Temple-of-Heaven-is-bright, -pure”
MORIANTUM (Nephite) Sumerian *Mur.e2.Antum “Reed-mat of
temple of Antum”
MORMON (Nephite) Egyptian Mr-mn “Enduring-Love,” short
for Mr-mn-nfr “Beloved of Memphis”
MORON (Jaredite) Sumero-Akkadian *Muru ““Land of rain,
Mist”
MORONI (Nephite) Hebrew gentilic or nisbe form meaning
“Moronite; somebody from the land of Moron”
MORONIHAH (Nephite) Hebrew *Moron-YHH “Land of rain /
mist of YHWH”
MOSIAH (Nephite) Hebrew Mośiaˁ “Savior, Redeemer” in
Manassite-Gileadite dialect (Judges 12:6)
MULEK (Mulekite) Hebrew *Mulek “Little-king,” the
diminutive of מלכיהו MalkiYahu son of King Zedekiah; Arad inscriptions; Punic
molk and Canaanite mulk
MULOKI (Nephite) Hebrew *Muloki “Mulekite, Kingly”
gentilic form, מלכי Mlky as in Jerusalem bulla
NAHOM (Nephite) Hebrew *Nāḥôm “Comfort, Consolation;
Mourning; Moan,” as the burial place of Lehi’s friend Ishmael; ancient Arabic
place-name Nhm / Nihm in that very location
NEAS (Nephite) Sumerian nominalizer niŋ-, ne- prefixed to
aš “bread; a type of flour”; or Akkadian nominal prefix na-, ne- added to Old
Akkadian áš, ás, áz “resin, seed, cereal, emmer-wheat; dry-measure of 3 BAN”
NEPHI (Nephite) Egyptian name Nfy “Captain,” from
Egyptian nfy “sailor; captain, skipper”
NEPHIHAH (Nephite) Egyptian *Nfy-YHH “(My) Captain is
YHWH,” with variant NEPHIAH also in BofM printer’s manuscript
NEUM (Nephite) Short for Hebrew נאם-יהוה nēʼūm-YHWH
“declaration of Yahweh” (Jeremiah 2:3)
OGATH (Jaredite) Akkadian uggatu “rage, fury” = Sumerian
ug “to kill; be furious, angry”; cf. divine name Ug, dug₂
OMNER (Nephite) Hebrew *ˁAm-nur “My Divine Kinsman is
light,” same as AMNUR /AMNOR, as with Canaanite name Raḥim-Nur “Beloved of Nur”
OMNI (Nephite) Hebrew *’ōmnî “My-Faith,” as short for
*’ōmnîyyahû, "faithfulness of the Lord"
ONIHAH (Nephite) Hebrew *ʼônyâ, ʼnyhh “Strength of Yah,”
with Elephantine YHH
ONTI (Nephite) Egyptian gentilic *inti from participle
int “bringing; buying,” from root inw (ini), “produce; tribute; gifts; dues (to
be paid)”
PAANCHI (Nephite) Egyptian name PЗ-ˁnḫy “The Living One
(God)” = Hebrew פענח – Paˁěnēaḥ (Genesis 41:45)
PACHUS (Nephite) Egyptian name PЗ-KЗš “He-of-Kush,
The-Kushite; The-Black” = Coptic Pekōš, Greek Pakusis
PACUMENI (Nephite) Egyptian name PЗ-Kmni “The Blind-One”
PAGAG (Jaredite) Sumerian *pa-gag “Father-arrowhead,”
from Sumerian pa4 “kin” (= Akkadian abu “father”)
PAHORAN (Nephite) Egyptian name P(З)-Ḫr(y) “The Syrian
(Hurrian)” = Amarna cuneiform Paḫura; Aramaic Paḥura; or Egyptian P(З)-(n-)ḥr
“He who belongs to Horus” = Coptic Pahor; cf. Canaanite (Ugaritic) Ḥoran,
“Horus/Baal”
RABBANAH (Lamanite) Hebrew *rabbana “O Great One!”
Vocative ending on רבב rbb “be numerous, increase, become powerful”; cf.
Aramaic רבנא Rabbana; Neo-Babylonian rabbānû (Sumerian lú.gal)
RAMEUMPTOM (Zoramite) Hebrew *rāmê-ˁomedām
"Their-high-standing-places; Their-holy-stand," from רמי rāmê- and עמדם
ˁomdām, ˁumdām
RIPLAKISH (Jaredite) Hebrew “Abundant-Archer,” with רבלה
Riblâ “Fertile, Abundant” + קיש Qîš “Bow, Archer” (Akkadian Qaštu “Bow,
Archer”)
RIPLIANCUM (Jaredite) Sumerian *Rib-li-an-kam “Massive
and Abundant Foliage,” from rib, lib₂ "(to be) surpassing, outstanding;
(to be) strong, massive" + li “abundant” + an “foliage” + kam “it is of”
(genitive + copula)
SARIAH (Nephite) Hebrew שריהו śryhw “Yahu-is-prince,” on
stamp seals, and Elephantine ostracon and papyri
SEANTUM (Nephite) Egyptian *sЗ- + Ugaritic Antum
“Son-of-Antum, Heavenly-Son”; “Great Antu” a star in Ursa Major
SEEZORAM (Nephite) Hebrew זה ze- + צורם ṣûrām
“He-of-Zoram; Zoramite”
SENINE (Nephite) Egyptian sniw basic silver unit of
value, from snw, snny “price”
SENUM (Nephite) Egyptian sniw basic silver unit of value,
from snw, snny “price”
SEON/SEAN (Nephite) Hebrew סאן sn at Elephantine, from סאה
sěâ “measure” (Genesis 18:6)
SHARED (Jaredite) Sumerian *Šar-ed “Total-rage; Demolish
the world”
SHAZER (Nephite) Hismaic and Safaitic name Šaṣar “Young
Gazelle” (Arabic شصر šaṣara “a kind of gazelle”)
SHELEM (Jaredite) Ugaritic šlmm “gifts sent as pledges of
peace,” term for an offering on a high-place (bama) or temple mount, and by
synecdoche the mount itself. Same as Hebrew שלם šelem, שלמים šělāmîm, and Punic
šlm kll, “holocaust, offering” (CIS I:165)
SHEMLON (Lamanite) Hebrew variant on שמרון Shimron
“Watching” (שמרון Šōmrôn “Samaria”), with -r- to -l- interchange
SHILLUM (Nephite) Hebrew שלום šillûm “repayment,
recompense; bribe” = Akkadian šullumu “to repay”
SHILOM (Lamanite) Hebrew שלם šillūm, שלום šillûm
“recompense, reward,” as in שלם Šelem “Retribution, Reward; Thanksgiving;
Offering”
SHIM (Jaredite/Nephite) Akkadian šimtu “destiny, fate;
testament, last will,” as in ṭuppi šīmāti “tablet of destinies, the book of
fate,” placed in the hill
SHIZ (Jaredite) Akkadian šīsu "noise, cry, clamor,
uproar; battle cry; lamentation"
SHULE (Jaredite) Sumerian šul “youth, young man; be
manly; warrior, invader”
SHUM (Nephite) Egyptian dm, dm “name; mention (by name)”
= Jibbali šum “name”; wordplay on Egyptian dˁm, dˁmw “fine-gold, electrum”
SHURR (Jaredite) Akkadian šu-ú-ur, šuru “wall,” in names
such as mÉ-DINGIR. šu-ú-ur “Bethel is my wall” (Akkadian Bitilšuru) = Hebrew שור
šûr “Fortification, Wall, Terrace, Hillside”
TEANCUM (Nephite) Sumerian *Te-an-kam “He is the Eagle of
Heaven” (genitive + copula), with Sumerian constellation Te, multe₈mušen
“Eagle, Aquila”
TEOMNER (Nephite) Sumerian *Te-uma-ŋir “Aquila victorious
over Scorpio,” with Ŋir, dŋir₂, mulŊir₂-tab “Scorpio”
TUBALOTH (Lamanite) Hebrew abstract plural *tûbalôt
“copper-working; craftsmanship,” from תובל Tûbal
UGATH (Jaredite) Akkadian uggatu Arage, fury@ = Sumerian
ug “to kill; be furious, angry”; cf. divine name Ug, dug₂
ZARAHEMLA (Mulekite) Hebrew *zeraˁ-ḥemlâ “Seed of
Compassion,” as with זרע המלוכה zeraˁ hammělûkâ “royal descendant” (Jeremiah
41:1)
ZEEZROM (Nephite) Egyptian ZЗ-/SЗ-EZROM, “Son of Ezrom,
Son of Silver”
ZENEPHI (Nephite) Egyptian ZЗ-Nfy “Son of Nephi”
ZENIFF (Nephite) Hebrew צניף ṣānîp “headband, tiara,”
like מצנפת miṣnepet “tiara, turban-like headband,” from same root
ZERAHEMNAH (Lamanite) Hebrew *zeraˁ-ḥmnh “Offspring of Ḥemna”
with name חמן Ḥmn, on two Hebrew seals
ZERAM (Nephite) Hebrew *זה-רם “The-one-who-is-high,
This-one-is-exalted”
ZORAM (Nephite) Hebrew צורם ṣûrām “Their-Rock”
(Deuteronomy 32:30-31)
He also plugs the online Book of Mormon Onomasticon
website. For those who, like me, prefer print over digital media, see also
the book based on their research:
Dictionary
of Proper Names and Foreign Words in the Book of Mormon,
ed. Stephen D. Ricks et al.
Also, the work of my friend
Matthew Bowen on Book of Mormon onomasticon and paronomasia is top-notch
material, too.
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