From Hebrew 'yemimah' meaning dove; in the Bible, the eldest of Job's three beautiful daughters.
Jemima is a name of ancient Hebrew origin, transliterated from Yemimah (יְמִימָה), most often interpreted as meaning "dove" — a bird representing peace, purity, and gentle strength across Near Eastern cultures. In the Hebrew Bible, Jemima is the eldest of three daughters born to Job after his extraordinary suffering ends; she and her sisters Keziah and Keren-happuch are described as the most beautiful women in the land, with Job granting them inheritance rights alongside their brothers — an unusual and progressive detail for the ancient text. The name thus carries a subtle undertone of resilience and renewal.
In Britain, Jemima flourished as a given name from the 17th century onward and became thoroughly embedded in English literary culture. Beatrix Potter's 1908 tale Jemima Puddle-Duck gave the name a charming pastoral quality, and it remained a beloved choice among British families through the 20th century. In the United States, the name carries a more complex cultural legacy: the Aunt Jemima brand, introduced in 1889, appropriated the name in a racially caricatured context that complicated American perceptions for generations.
That brand image was officially retired in 2021. The name itself, though, predates all of this by millennia and is experiencing thoughtful revival in literary and historically minded families, particularly in the UK, where it retains its original warmth and biblical gravity.