The meaning of Clara's name

AsbestosInfernoAsbestosInferno Posts: 303
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I decided to Google the meanings of the names "Clara", "Oswin" and "Oswald" and see what came up, and see if they had any relevance to her character at all. This is what came up:

Clara means bright; highly intelligent, illustrous, wisdom, God-fearing, extraordinary beauty

Oswin as a boy's name is of Old English origin, and it's meaning is "God's friend".

Oswald
as a boy's name is pronounced OZ-wald. It is of Old German origin, and it's meaning is "God's power".

As you can see, each name has a meaning related to God:

Clara: Fear
Oswin: Friend
Oswald: Power

Make of that what you will..

Comments

  • Paradise_LostParadise_Lost Posts: 6,454
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    I think Clara was chosen to honour Elisabeth Sladen. Not sure if it has any significance beyond that.
  • CoalHillJanitorCoalHillJanitor Posts: 15,634
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    I suppose someone has already mentioned this, but ...

    Doc Allows Was Rani
  • sebbie3000sebbie3000 Posts: 5,188
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    It's interesting that quite a few others have also found the same thing. It's been discussed on here quite a few times since the names were revealed.

    I personally think it's nothing, but it could turn out to be a clue...
  • Shawn_LunnShawn_Lunn Posts: 9,353
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    I think Clara was chosen to honour Elisabeth Sladen. Not sure if it has any significance beyond that.

    I do wonder if that's true. If so, a nice tribute.
  • LMLM Posts: 63,336
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    Did any other previous companions name have a clear meaning to their story?
  • excelentsexcelents Posts: 1,384
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    According to the gravestone Clara Oswin Oswald (3 part name) was born on November 23rd 1866.

    November 23rd 1963 was the day Dr. Who first aired in the UK the day after the Kennedy assasination, and the name of his so called assasin ? ah yes Oswald ! lol.

    However, in the Asylum of The Daleks just to check things over the black guy was called Harvey.

    So thats Harvey Oswald, just need a character called Lee or or asian / chinese character called Li, lol.
  • TEDRTEDR Posts: 3,413
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    Did any other previous companions name have a clear meaning to their story?

    Kamelion and K9's names did.

    In answer to your follow-up question: yes, several of my previous replies have tediously grasped at straws.
  • haphashhaphash Posts: 21,448
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    Is it an anagram?
  • sarahcssarahcs Posts: 8,734
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    I was thinking of Long Distance Clara from Pigeon Street. Seeing as she will be travelling long distances and that.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 32
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    One full anagram of 'Clara Oswin Oswald' = 'was colonials ward'
    Alternatively if you take 3 letters from each part of the name you can make Rassillon.

    (However, there are several thousand other possible anagrams as well eg: A Sardonic Swallow, A Cardinals Sol Wow, A Radicals Low Snow, Disowns A Local War etc etc)
  • Paradise_LostParadise_Lost Posts: 6,454
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    Somehow I doubt Moffat is going to use an anagram. He's well aware that the fandom would be all over it. :p
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 32
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    Somehow I doubt Moffat is going to use an anagram. He's well aware that the fandom would be all over it. :p

    That was sort of my point - you can make over 9,000 anagrams out of the phrase (even more if you only take elements of the phrase) and a large percentage of those create a phrase cryptic enough to easily be manipulated into some form of 'clue' or 'message' or suchlike. I also doubt very much whether such a device as an anagram would truly be used in such a way anyway.
  • Dave-HDave-H Posts: 9,926
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    Just noticed the name of the editor on The Snowmen.
    Obviously a relation.
    Or not.
    :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,151
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    Unfortunately there are too many possible explanations for the name Oswin to be in anyway conclusive. When JLC auditioned Clara was also called Jasmine to confuse things even more.

    Anagrams aren't Moffat's style. He and Gatiss enjoy cryptics as good as the Times crossword.

    My top 3 Oswin derivations are ...

    1) Saint Oswin, a northern 7thC king who succeeded King Oswald. Saint Oswin died after disbanding his army for the greater good, as did our Oswin. His life was forgotten until his grave was revealed by an apparition to a monk named Edmund in 1065.

    2) A contraction of O'(f) Swindon, Billie Piper's birthplace. a phase Nina - Nine's female. First boyfriend Rory = red king = Chris Evans.

    3) Perhaps derived cryptically from Osirin.
  • sebbie3000sebbie3000 Posts: 5,188
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    HandsomeBB wrote: »
    Unfortunately there are too many possible explanations for the name Oswin to be in anyway conclusive. When JLC auditioned Clara was also called Jasmine to confuse things even more.

    Anagrams aren't Moffat's style. He and Gatiss enjoy cryptics as good as the Times crossword.

    My top 3 Oswin derivations are ...

    1) Saint Oswin, a northern 7thC king who succeeded King Oswald. Saint Oswin died after disbanding his army for the greater good, as did our Oswin. His life was forgotten until his grave was revealed by an apparition to a monk named Edmund in 1065.

    2) A contraction of O'(f) Swindon, Billie Piper's birthplace. a phase Nina - Nine's female. First boyfriend Rory = red king = Chris Evans.

    3) Perhaps derived cryptically from Osirin.

    Numbers 1 and 3 make some kind of sense, but 2 - I can't make head nor tails of it. Where do you get the Nina from, and what's that about Rory?
  • rhynoGBrhynoGB Posts: 4,278
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    sarahcs wrote: »
    I was thinking of Long Distance Clara from Pigeon Street. Seeing as she will be travelling long distances and that.

    pigeon street was awesome..

    clara could mean anything,i'm sure it'll be mighty confusing
  • sandydunesandydune Posts: 10,986
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    Could it be something to do with Anglo-Saxon names?:confused:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1
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    I'm guessing Clara Oswin Oswald is the same as Charlotte Abigail Lux, the Girl in the Library from Season 4.

    Charlotte means "Free Man (person)", Abigail means "Joy", and Lux means "Bright." VERY close in meaning with Clara's names.

    In fact, their hairstyles, their vocabulary enunciations, even their catch phrases are the same. "Run, you clever boy" (spoken by Clara) and "Aren't I a clever girl" (Charlotte), said in the same singsong cadence, indicate the same entity.

    And Clara seems to be falling an an abyss in series 7 finale very similar to the one the 10th Doctor did in the Library core.
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