User:Mauri-names

Etymology

‘Ferag’ or ‘De Ferag’ is an old Mauritian name, stemming back to occupation of the French colonists in the 16th Century. The Portuguese sailors first visited Mauritius in 1505, and established a visiting base leaving the island uninhabited. Three ships of the eight Dutch Second Fleet that were sent to the Spice Islands were blown off course during a cyclone and landed on the island in 1598, naming it in honour of Prince Maurice of Nassau, the Stadtholder of the Netherlands. In 1638, the Dutch established the first permanent settlement. Because of tough climatic conditions including cyclones and the deterioration of the settlement, the Dutch abandoned the island some decades later. The French who controlled the neighbouring Bourbon island (now Réunion) moved in to seize Mauritius in 1715 and later named it Ile de France (Isle of France). Some of the French colonists joined with native Mauritian’s forming all sorts of families, one of them Ferag. The name became very common, and after the Battle of Grand Port where the French secured their hold on Mauritius, belonging to the Ferag family warranted ‘De Ferag’.

Ferag is one of many names that stem back to the 1500’s; others include Adeline (French Origin), Kamaria (kah-mah-REE-ah), which means ‘like the moon’ and Danuwa (dah-NOO-wah) which means ‘close friend’. Ferag is thought to mean bold and powerful.

Use the link below for more Mauritian names.