His eyes are as dark as the depths of space. His smile sheds rainbows. And, his coldness melts when he falls in love. He is John Quinn.

His name.
John Quinn. Such a normal name, a Boston name...

Okay, I bet you know that I discovered some interesting information when researching the name John Quinn, right? Read on to find out what correlations I discovered about the character and his name.

Origins and meanings:

The name John is of Hebrew origin and means ‘the grace or mercy of the lord’. The name Quinn was a very common Irish and Scottish surname during ancient times and has two notable meanings; in Celtic, Quinn means ‘wise’ while in Gaelic, Quinn means ‘intelligent’.

Correlations between the character and the name:

When researching Charlestown, the place where Quinn grew up, I learned that in the year 1637 a man named John Harvard served the first church of Charlestown. John Harvard seems to be a prominent figure in Charlestown history. (A university was named after him.) I believe L. J. Smith named our Quinn after John Harvard. Let me summarise the character’s similarities to John Harvard; both are named John, both grew up in Charlestown during the sixteen-hundreds, and Quinn’s father was a minister at the local church while John Harvard also served the church.

The meaning of John is very fitting for our Quinn. Quinn’s father kills Quinn’s first love – Dove Redfern – because he is a devout Puritan who believes it is his duty to cast out sin and evil. When Quinn’s father tries to kill his own son in the name of duty, Quinn believes he will never be accepted by humans again, and therefore, he decides to hate them and do wrong by them, just as his father did wrong by him. But when Quinn meets Rashel Jordan, he witnesses her offer of compassion towards him. It is this compassion that makes Quinn doubt what he has come to believe for centuries. In a religious sense, Rashel was the grace given to Quinn by God, allowing him to see that his actions can be forgiven. God was indeed, merciful.

Let me briefly also explain why the surname Quinn is appropriate for our Quinn. Both the name and the character are ancient! Being centuries old has also given Quinn certain wisdom too.

An analysis of the name John:

Kabalarian Philosophy is a web-site that offers free given name analyses. I entered the name John and the following excerpt is what I got back:

‘The name of John has made you serious-minded, responsible, and stable. You love the security of a home and family, you are fond of children, and, as a parent you would be fair and understanding. Although you have good business judgment, you are not aggressive in your dealings because you do not like to create issues. You would be successful in any position dealing with the public as you have a diplomatic and tactful manner and possess a charming, easy-going nature which puts people at ease. People are drawn to you because they feel that you are patient, kind, understanding, and responsive.’

The bold parts are the most accurate characteristics of our Quinn. Family meant a great deal to Quinn. Quinn was also known for his charm, and he did not always have to be aggressive in his business dealings. (Remember Rashel’s reaction to the suggestion made by Quinn to *tell* the vampires attending the blood feast to just leave?)

* The following sites were consulted when doing research for this page: Andy The Name Bender.com, Behind The Name.com, Baby Name Meanings, Charlestown Business.com, and Kabalarian Philosophy.

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