Does the word 名前 have English roots?


I know it's a stretch, and I'm pretty sure it's not, but is 名前 related to
name? I always thought it was weird that they were so similar in
pronunciation.




It's just a coincidence and an example of a [false
cognate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_cognate).

The etymology is covered [here](http://gogen-allguide.com/na/namae.html) in
Japanese.

Basically, the term "名" has been around for a pretty long time with the same
meaning as 名前. It's thought that the 前 part is an honorific that was added
some time later. Early uses of the full word 名前 can be seen in use in
relatively modern times. The English term for it seems to be "modern" in the
historical sense, but in Japanese 近世 seems to refer roughly to the Azuchi-
momoyama period through Edo, roughly 1500s to mid 1800s. Not quite sure
exactly when the first recorded use was. It was widely used from the Meiji
period onward.




It's just a coincidence and an example of a [false
cognate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_cognate).

The etymology is covered [here](http://gogen-allguide.com/na/namae.html) in
Japanese.

Basically, the term "名" has been around for a pretty long time with the same
meaning as 名前. It's thought that the 前 part is an honorific that was added
some time later. Early uses of the full word 名前 can be seen in use in
relatively modern times. The English term for it seems to be "modern" in the
historical sense, but in Japanese 近世 seems to refer roughly to the Azuchi-
momoyama period through Edo, roughly 1500s to mid 1800s. Not quite sure
exactly when the first recorded use was. It was widely used from the Meiji
period onward.

