Uziel, Uzziel

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Sebastiane

Uzziel

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “God is my strength; God is my power.”
Gender: masculine
(uh-ZYE-el; OOZ-ee-el)

The name is composed of the Hebrew עֹז (‘oz) meaning “strength, power” and אֵל (‘el) meaning “God.”

It is borne by a few minor characters in the Bible, including the grandson of Levi and the father of Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri, the uncle of Aaron, Moses & Miriam.

In the apocryphal Enoch 3, Uziel is the name of a fallen archangel, more often referred to as Uzza. The same archangel is referenced as such in some versions of the kabbalistic text, Sefer Raziel HaMalakh, Johannes Trithemius’ Steganographia; and in John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

In Talmudic Jewish tradition, it was the name of the father of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, one of the 80 tannaim who studied under Hillel the Elder.

Among Medieval Jews, the name was rare among Ashkenazi Jews but very common among Sephardis & Middle Eastern Jews.

In the English-speaking world, the name is seldom used but has recently become common in Spanish-speaking countries.

A recent notable bearer was Uziel “Uzi” Gal (born Gotthard Glas) (1923-2002), a German-born Israeli gun designer best known for his invention of the “uzi.”

Other forms include:

Uciel (Albanian)
Usiheel (Bavarian German)
Oziil Озиил (Bulgarian)
Oziel Οζιηλ (Biblical Greek)
Ozihel (Biblical Latin)
Uziel (Croatian, Czech, French, Italian, Modern Hebrew, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish)
Uzziël (Dutch)
Usiel (Finnish, French, German)
Huziel, Ouzziel (French)
Huzziél (Hungarian)
Uzielis (Lithuanian)
Utiere (Maori)
Ussiel (Norwegian, Swedish)
Uziil Узиил (Russian)
Ziel (Yiddish)

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uziel_(angel)
https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/uzziel/
https://www.behindthename.com/name/uzziel
Beider, Alexander. Handbook of Ashkenazic Given Names and Their Variants. Bergenfield, Avotaynu Inc, 2009.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_ben_Uzziel
http://www.familysearch.org
https://biblehub.com/topical/u/uzziel.htm

Marcus, Mark

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Sebastiane

Il_Pordenone_-_San_Marco_-_Budapest

From one of the most common Roman praenomen, its origin and meaning is uncertain. A popular etymology is that it relates to Mars, others suggest it may be from the Etruscan Marce, which may come from mar (to harvest). It is said the name was originally bestowed on those who were born in March.

Marcellus and the name of the month of March likely shares the same etymological root.

It was borne by several notable Romans, including Mark Antony, Marcus Aurelius & Cicero.

It was the name of one of the Evangelists who authored the eponymous Gospel, known as St. Mark in the Christian world, he is revered as the founder of Christianity in Africa and is traditionally believed to have founded the Church in Alexandria. Coptic Christians hold him in high regard. His bones were smuggled out of Egypt in a barrel of pork fat by Venetian merchants from Alexandria when Egypt fell under Islamic rule and were transported back to Venice where they were eventually installed and dedicated in the Basilica of San Marco.

The name was borne by a 2nd-century pope as well.

Marcus, Mark and Marc have been quite popular in several countries. Marcus was in the U.S. Top 100 between 1970-2000, Sweden’s between 1998-2008, New Zealand’s between 2008-2014, England & Wales between 1996-2003, and in Denmark’s between 1994-2006. Currently, his rankings in other countries are as follows:

#54 (Canada, BC, 2018)
#87 (Australia, 2018)
#100 (Norway, 2018)
#209 (United States, 2018)
#213 (France, 2018)
#236 (England & Wales, 2018)
#406 (Netherlands, 2018)

Its latinate form of Marco, which started off as a mainly Italian form, became widespread across the continent. His rankings in the following countries are as follows:

#11 (Galicia, Spain, 2018)
#16 (Spain, 2018_
#23 (Italy, 2018)
#65 (Catalonia, Spain, 2018)
#81 (Portugal, 2018)
#358 (United States, 2018)
#436 (England & Wales, 2018)
#446 (France, 2018)

It’s English form of Mark appears in the legend of Tristan & Isolde as the name of the King of Cornwall, supposedly the name was not common in the English-speaking world until the 19th-century, but became a hit by the Mid-1900s. Mark appeared in the U.S. Top 100 between 1944-2002, which is quite a long stretch. Mark peaked the highest in popularity between 1955-1970, peaking at #6, six years in a row between 1959-1964. Marks’s rankings in other countries are as follows:

#5 (Slovenia, 2018)
#6 (Moscow, Russia, 2018)
#21 (Hungary, 2018)
#83 (Ireland, 2018)
#210 (U.S., 2018)
#253 (England & Wales, 2018)
#298 (the Netherlands, 2018)

Marc is the French, Catalan & Welsh form and has been popularly used in the English-speaking world, it is currently the most popular male name in Catalonia, 2018 and between 1968-1976 it was in the U.S. Top 100. Marc’s rankings in the popularity charts are as follows

#26 (Spain, 2018)
#313 (France, 2018)
#825 (US, 2018)

Other forms of the name include:

Mark Марк (Albanian, Belarusian, Breton, Dutch, English, Maltese, Russian, Ukrainian)
Marḳos ማርቆስ (Amharic)
Marqus مَرْقُس‎ (Arabic, mainly used among Arab-Christians)
Marghos (Armenian)
Marko (Basque)
Marko Марко (Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Finnish, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene, Ukrainian)
Markos Μαρκος Ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ (Coptic, Greek)
Margh (Cornish)
Marcu (Corsican, Romanian)
Mokus (Croatian, Serbian)
Marek (Czech, Polish, Slovak)
Marco (Catalan, Dutch, Galician, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Marc (Catalan, French, Occitanian, Welsh)
Marcus (Dutch, English, German, French, Scandinavian)
Markus (Dutch, Estonian, Faroese, Finnish, Frisian, German, Scandinavian)
Marghus (Estonian)
Markko, Markku (Finnish)
Marke (Finnish)
Marcas (Gaelic)
Marx (German, archaic)
Maleko (Hawaiian)
Márk (Hungarian)
Markús (Icelandic)
Marchino (Italian)
Marcolino (Italian)
Marcuccio (Italian)
Mareks (Latvian)
Marks (Latvian)
Markuss (Latvian)
Markas, Morkus (Lithuanian)
March (Lombard)
Markys (Manx)
Marquét (Poitvin, diminutive form)
Marcos (Portuguese, Spanish)
Kusi (Swiss-German diminutive form)
Marqōs ܡܪܩܘܣ‎ (Syriac)
Mår (Walloon)

It’s feminine forms include Marca but and sometimes Marcia was used as a feminine form, though it is more the feminine equivalent of Marcius.

Other feminine forms include:

Markusine (German, obscure)
Marchina (Italian)
Marcolina (Italian)
Marcuccia (Italian)

Sources

Rufus, Rufina

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Sebastiane

King William II

The name comes directly from the Latin word meaning “red-headed.” It was a common Roman cognomen and was borne by a man who is referenced in Romans 16:13 and another who is referenced in Mark 15:21. According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, the aforementioned are one and the same person and is venerated as one of the Seventy Disciples mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. He is also popularly believed to be the son of Simon of Cyrene.

The name is borne by several other saints.

It was the nickname of King William II of England, known as William Rufus III on account of his red-hair.

The name appeared in the U.S. Top 100 2 times, in 1880 & 1882, peaking at #88 in 1880. It remained in the Top 1000 1988.

In England & Wales, the name was the 264th Most Popular Male Name in 2018.

Rufus is used in Dutch, Czech, English, Finnish, German, Latvian, Polish & the Scandinavian languages.

Other forms include:

Rufit (Albanian)
R’owp’osy Ռուփոսյ (Armenian)
Rufess (Bavarian)
Ruf Руф (Bulgarian, Catalan, French, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian)
Roufaous (Coptic)
Rufinus (Dutch, German, Latin, Scandinavian)
Ruffe (Finnish)
Ruuhva, Ruuhvus (Finnish)
Ryffe, Ryyfys (Finnish)
Rufin (French, German, Polish)
Rhouphon Ροῦφον (Greek)
Rúfusz (Hungarian)
Ruffo (Italian)
Rufillo, Ruffillo (Italian)
Rufino (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Rufo (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Rufinus (Latin)
Rufas (Lithuanian)
Rupuha (Maori)
Rúfus (Slovak)

150px-Santa_Rufina Its feminine form of Rufina was borne by a couple of early saints, one of whom was from Seville, she was a pottery maker who refused to sell her wares for a pagan festival.

Feminine forms include

Roufina (Coptic)
Rufe (French)
Rufine (French)
Rufina Руфина (Dutch, English, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Scandinavian, Spanish)
Rufa (Italian)
Rufilla (Italian)

Sources

Rudy, Rudolph, Rolf

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Sebastiane

200px-Rudolf_IV

Origin: German
Meaning: “famous wolf.”
Gender: Masculine

The name is derived from the Germanic Hrodulf, which is composed of the elements hrod (fame) and wulf (wolf). The name was borne by several European rulers.

In England, it has been in use since Anglo-Saxon times, its Anglo-Saxon form of Hroðulf was usurped by the Norman Rudolph and Rodolph in the 11th-century.

In the English-speaking world, the name has come to be associated with the Christmas folk hero, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, based on a children’s book written by Robert L. May in 1939.

Rudolf appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1887-1932, and peaked at # 715 in 1916. He appeared 3 times in the French Top 1000 in 1914, 1931 and again in 1933, peaking at #454 in 1934. He was in the German Top 20 between 1893 and 1936, peaking at #11 in 1899 and in 1916.

In France, it’s native form of Rodolphe appeared in the Top 1000 between 1900 and 2001 and peaked at #79 in 1970.

Its contracted form of Rolf has been in occasional use in England since the 11th-century. It was a favorite in German-speaking countries in the 1920s-50s, peaking at #11 in 1947. In Norway, it peaked at #14 in 1945. Rolf has also appeared in the American and French charts, though not very high. Rolf peaked at #210 in France in 1943 and #772 in 1960 in the U.S.

It his diminutive form of Rudy, often used as an independent given-name, is the one which has gained some traction in recent years. Rudy appeared in the French Top 100 between 1979-1984, and peaked at #76 in 1980. Rudy’s current rankings in the popularity charts are as follows:

#271 (England & Wales, 2018)
#822 (U.S.A., 2018)

Rudolf is used in Albanian, Armenian, Czech-Slovak, Dutch, Hungarian, Icelandic, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene, the Scandinavian languages and Russian.

Other forms include:

Hroðulf, Hrothulf (Anglo-Saxon)
Roel, Roelof, Ruud (Dutch)
Rodolf (Catalan)
Rolph (English)
Rudo, Ruudo, Ruudolf (Estonian)
Róðolvur (Faroese)
Ruuto, Ruutolffi, Ruutolhvi, Ruutolppi (Finnish)
Rodolphe (French)
Roele, Roelef, Roelf, Rolef, Rolof, Roloff, Roluf, Roolof (Frisian)
Rudolp რუდოლფ (Georgian)
Roff (German)
Rudi (German, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian)
Rudo (German)
Rul (German)
Rûtulfe, Ruutuulfi (Greenlandic)
Rhodólphos Ροδόλφος (Greek)
Rúdólf (Icelandic)
Rodolfino (Italian)
Rodolfo (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Ridolfo (Italian)
Rudolphus (Latin)
Rūdolfs, Rūdis (Latvian)
Rudolfas, Rudas (Lithuanian)
Doffen (Norwegian)
Roffe (Norwegian, Swedish)
Hróðólfr, Hrólfr (Old Norse)
Rudulf (Polish, archaic)
Duff, Dusch, Riedi, Ruosch (Romansch)
Ruedi (Swiss-German, diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent form)

Feminine forms include:

Rudolfia (Danish, Norwegian)
Rodolphine (French)
Rudolfine (German, Scandinavian)
Rodolfa, Rodolfina (Italian, Spanish)
Rodolfetta (Italian)
Rudolfa (Polish, Scandinavian)
Rudolfina (Hungarian, Polish, Scandinavian)

Sources

Adhan, Azaan

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Sebastiane

429px-Jean-Léon_Gérôme_010

The name is derived from the Arabic root ʾadhina أَذِنَ meaning “to listen, to hear, be informed about,” or ʾudhun (أُذُن), meaning “ear.” The Adhan, sometimes romanized as Azaan, is the name of the Islamic call to prayer, which is rung 5 time a day.

Currently, Azaan is the 406th Most Popular Male Name in England & Wales, (2018). Other transliterated forms include: Adaan, Adan, Adhaan, Athan, Edan & Edhaan.

Other forms include:

Ezani (Albanian)
Ezan Езан (Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Kurdish, Turkish)
Azan Азан (Azeri, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Malay, Tatar)
Azán Аза́н (Chechen)
Adan (Javanese)
Aadaan (Somali)
Azon Азон (Tajik)
Ezane (Zazaki)

Sources

Hashim

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Sebastiane

The name is most likely derived from the Arabic root H26-SH-M meaning “breaker or pulverizer.” This was a sobriquet for Hāshim ibn ‘Abd Manāf (circ. 5th-century C.E.) who was the great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad and found of the Banu Hashim tribe. Borne ‘Amr al-‘Ulā, ot is said he took this name because he used to break up his bread to share in a broth among pilgrims to Mecca and he is also said to have saved the poeple of Mecca from a famine by breaking up his bread into tiny crumbs.

Another transliteration is Hasheem

Currently, Hashim is the 436th Most Popular Male Name in England & Wales (2018).

Other forms include:

HIashim ХӀашим (Chechen)
Haysim (Indonesian)
Hashem هاشم (Persian)
Haşim (Turkish)

Sources

Haidar

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Lion
Pronunciation: (HIE-dar; HAY-der)

From the Arabic حيدر‎; (lion), this was a nickname for the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammed, Ali.

Currently, Haider is the 475th Most Popular Male Name in England & Wales (2018).

Variant transcriptions include: Hayder & Hyder.

Other forms include:

Hajdar (Albanian/Bosnian)
Heydər (Azeri)
Heydarحیدر (Persian)
Haydar (Turkish)

Sources

Dua

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Sebastiane

The name comes directly from the Arabic word دعاء for “prayer; supplication.”

It is currently the 387th Most Popular Female Name in England & Wales (2018).

A notable bearer is British singer of Albanian descent, Dua Lipa (b. 1995).

Another transcription is Doa.

Sources

Nora, Nour

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Sebastiane

1024px-Dawn._Buryatia,_Russia

This multicultural name has recently experienced a revival. In European countries, the name stems from any name ending in the -nora element, such as Honora & Eleanora. In Arabic, Nora is a variant transliteration of Nurah, which is a strictly feminine version of the unisex Arabic name, Nur (light). Nur is used as one of the 99 attributes of Allah, al-Nur (the light).

The name was used by Henrik Ibsen for his main character in his play, A Doll’s House (1878).

Outside of East Asia, there isn’t a counry where Nora is unhead of or is not in use. Nora has been in out of the U.S. Top 100 since 1880! She currently ranks in as the 30th Most Popular Female Name in the United States. Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

#2 (Norway, 2018)
#10 (Netherlands, 2018)
#11 (Hungary, 2018)
#14 (Switzerland, 2018)
#15 (Denmark, 2018)
#20 (Belgium, 2018)
#23 (Austria, 2018)
#26 (Catalonia, Spain, 2018)
#28 (Sweden, 2018)
#38 (Canada, BC, 2018)
#47 (Spain, 2018)
#64 (Norah, Netherlands, 2018)
#79 (Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2018)
#84 (Norah, Canada, BC, 2018)
#85 (Italy, 2018)
#119 (France, 2018)
#140 (Norah, United States, 2018)
#184 (Norah, France, 2018)
#197 (England & Wales, 2018)
#283 (Norah, England & Wales, 2018)

Its Dutch version of Noor also ranks high in several popularity charts. This name is also used by Muslim families as a variation of Nur. Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

#10 (Netherlands, 2018)
#25 (Belgium, 2018)
#279 (England & Wales, 2018)
#311 (France, 2018)

Noortje is another Dutch version which currently ranks in as the 203rd Most Popular Female Name in the Netherlands.

Other forms of its European version include:

Nora Нора Νόρα (Bulgarian, Greek)
Noera (Dutch)
Noor (Dutch)
Noortje (Dutch)
Norah (Dutch, English, French)
Nonie (English)
Noreen (English, Irish)
Noora (Estonian, Finnish)
Nóra Но́ра (Faroese, Hungarian, Irish, Russian)
Nuura (Finnish, Scandinavian)
Nóirín (Gaelic)
Norina (Italian, Provençal, Romansch)
Norá (Sami)
Norea (Scandinavian)
Norena (Scandinavian)
Noria (Scandinavian)
Norita (Spanish, Scandinavian)

The Arabic Nur is traditionally a unisex name which is popularly used in many Islamic countries. Its Maghrebi form of Nour currently ranks in the following popularity charts for girls:

#40 (Belgium, 2018)
#48 (Catalonia, Spain, 2018)
#48 (France, 2018)
#76 (Spain, 2018)
#137 (Italy, 2018)
#197 (Netherlands, 2018)

Nur is currently the 87th Most Popular Female Name in Bosnia & Herzegovina (2018).

Other forms of the Arabic version include:

Noora, Nura (Arabic, strictly feminine)
Noura (Maghrebi Arabic, strictly feminine)
Núria (Catalan)
Nor (Malay, unisex)
Nuru (Swahili, strictly feminine)

Sources

Aya, Ayah, Aija, Aja

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Sebastiane

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Pronounced I-yah, this name has several different origins and meanings.

Aya is a popular Japanese female name, depending on the kanji used, it has several different meanings, the most popular being 彩 (aya) meaning “colour,” or 綾 (aya) meaning “design.” In the Japanese case, it is also occasionally used on males. Other meanings and kanji characters used to represent the name include:

綾, “twill”
理, “truth, logic”
亜矢, “Asia, arrow”
亜弥, “Asia, all the more”
亜夜, “Asia, night”
順, “order, sequence, turn”
文, “writings”
紗, “gauze”
技, “technique”
愛, “love”
恵, “blessed”
朱, “vermillion”
藻, “algae”
娃夜, “beautiful night”

It was borne by an Ancient Egyptian queen of the Thirteenth Dynasty (between 1803 and 1649 BCE). Its meaning and etymology in this case is unknown.

Aya is also an Akan name, denoting a girl born on a Thursday. Its masculine form being Yao.

In Hebrew, Aya is an acronym for ארץ ישראל היפה (the beautiful land of Israel) and allegedly from איה, איא meaning “bird” or “to fly swiftly.” It is borne by a minor male character in the Bible but seems to exclusively be used on females in modern Israel. There is a famous Israeli pop-singer who bears this name, Aya Korem.

Ayah آية is Arabic meaning “sign; clue” and refers to Quranic verses. It is also sometimes transliterated as Aya or Aja among Bosnians, Albanian and Central Asians. Another variation is Ayat, sometimes spelled Ayaat.

In Akkadian, the name means dawn and was borne by an ancient Sumerian goddess, the consort of Shamesh. The name is still used among Assyrian Christians who trace their heritage back to the Akkadian peoples.

In Tamil, spelled ஆயா, it means “old woman,” “grandmother,” or ” caretaker” and in the Nepalese language of Raute it means “sister-in-law.”

In Scandinavia, Aija, Aja & Aya are offshoots of Maria, they started off as diminutive forms but are now used as independent names. Aya is currently the 22nd Most Popular Female Name in Denmark (2018). However, I am unable to determine if in this case, it is used by Muslim families in reference to the Arabic form or if it is used by non-Muslim families in reference to its Scandinavian form. Aija can also be a Finnish form of Eija, which is from an exclamation eijaa!

In Latvia, Aija is most likely derived from aijāt (to rock, to lull) and was popularized as a given-name at the turn of the 20th-Century when it was used by Latvian author Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš for the title character in his eponymous novel, Aija (1911).

Aja is a Bosnian, Albanian & Central Asian form of the Arabic, Ayah.

In Mongolian, it is derived from ая (aya), meaning “melody.”

In Europe, Aya appears on several popularity charts, most likely used in reference to its Arabic origins by Muslim immigrants, its rankings in other countries are as follows:

#46 (France, 2018)
#48 (Belgium, 2018)
#65 (Catalonia, Spain, 2018)
#95 (Spain, 2018)
#122 (Netherlands, 2018)
#184 (Italy, 2018)
#309 (Ayah, England & Wales, 2018)
#317 (England & Wales 2018)
#749 (United States, 2018)

Sources

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Albanian Names

Uziel, Uzziel

Marcus, Mark

Rufus, Rufina

Rudy, Rudolph, Rolf

Adhan, Azaan

Hashim

Haidar

Dua

Nora, Nour

Aya, Ayah, Aija, Aja