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).
On the death of Patrick Swayze, she stated, When I think of him, I think of being in his arms when we were kids, dancing, practicing the lift in the freezing lake, having a blast doing this tiny little movie we thought no one would ever see. He was a real cowboy with a tender heart.