Where does the Yiddish name Chasha come from?

Question:

I would like to know where I can find the meaning of my Yiddish name. I was named after my grandmother whose name was Chasha.

Answer:

Apparently this name was derived from the (male) name Chasa which is mentioned in the Talmud. In Aramaic, the word chasia means "mercy" or "merciful."1

Others opine that Chasha is a derivative of the Hebrew name Chaya (which means "life"), while others insist that it started as a Yiddish nickname for the Hebrew name Chana ("grace").

Best wishes,

Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson