I have Tryphena Woodims born in Taunton Somerset 1657 and in the next generation Tryphena Gray. Prior to Tryphena Woodims I have on the same maternal line Tryphena Daniel but spelt more like Thafena or Thafarah (terrible handwriting but I suspect it was the same name).
Romantically, I would like to think that my Tryphenas eventually descended down to Tryphena Sparks who was Hardy's great love, his cousin, and the base for his character Bathsheba in Far From The Madding Crowd as he was living fairly nearby but that is probably pure fancy! Was the origin of the name in my family Thafarah or something akin to that - or was it originally Tryphena. I suspect the latter as it probably sounded strange to the ear but that would be the case either way! If anyone else has this name in the family or something similar I would love to hear from you.
Other unusual names in my family are Rhadigundra (name of a Saint) and Goliah.
I find such names fascinating. Where did they originate from and why? This does mean the name was used quite early and probably in the 1500s.
The mystery deepens.
