01-21-2009, 10:42 PM
Along with "Jonah" being YWNN (Yoonan), "Greece" is YWN (Yawan, with a single N).
It's also worth mentioning that it's not necessarily a last name. Naming conventions from that region work differently from English naming conventions. Usually, a) a baby is born, b) they're given a first name, c) then they have a series of last names consisting of the first names of the paternal line. So, if your name is "Bob," your father's name is "Joe," your grandfather's name is "Bill," and your great-grandfather's name is "Paul," then your name would be "Bob (bar) Joe (bar) Bill (bar) Paul etc.," however far you can trace the first names back.
The Orthodox Jew Wrote:I'm certainly no linguist, but had never heard of "Younan" being connect to Yona as a last name.
It's also worth mentioning that it's not necessarily a last name. Naming conventions from that region work differently from English naming conventions. Usually, a) a baby is born, b) they're given a first name, c) then they have a series of last names consisting of the first names of the paternal line. So, if your name is "Bob," your father's name is "Joe," your grandfather's name is "Bill," and your great-grandfather's name is "Paul," then your name would be "Bob (bar) Joe (bar) Bill (bar) Paul etc.," however far you can trace the first names back.