It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Jemima is  dove . Biblical: eldest of the three daughters of Job (see also Keren and Kezia), renowned as the most beautiful women of their time. The name has been recorded from the early 1700s in England.
(Tom Colburn / Houston Chronicle). (R-L) actor Patrick Swayze, his mother Patsy Swayze and his wife Lisa Haapaniemi (aka Niemi) dance at Patsy Swayze's dance studio in Houston in 1978. (Tom Colburn / Houston Chronicle).
In this June 1978 photo, Patsy Swayze, center, dances with her son Patrickâ¦ (Tom Colburn, Houston Chronicle). The note Patsy Swayze tucked in her son Don's suitcase was simple but meaningful. It was 1980, and Don had moved to California to pursue an acting career.