Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic فادي
Meaning: “saviour.”
(FUH-DEE)
The name comes directly from the Arabic word for saviour and is a very popular name among Middle Eastern Christians. Al-Fadi (the saviour) is an appellation used for Jesus.
Currently, Fadi is the 470th most popular male name in Quebec, Canada (2010).
The feminine form is Fadia فادية.
Sources
The name is a contraction of Margaret but seems to have been used as an independent given name since the Middle Ages.
It was borne by Rita of Armenia (1278-1333) a Byzantine Empress. The name was further popularized in Europe due to the cult of St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457) a Medieval Italian saint.
The name is used across Europe, including Armenia. Currently, Rita is the 461st most popular female name in Quebec, Canada (2010).
In more recent history it was borne by actress Rita Hayworthe (1918-1987).
Other forms of the name include:
A common Sicilian diminutive is Rituzza.
Source
The name is a compound of Marie and Ange, it is used in reference to an epithet of the Virgin Mary St. Mary of the Angels.
It is currently the 454th most popular female name in Quebec, Canada (2010).
Source
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “who is like Yahweh?”
The name is found in the Old Testament as the title of a book and the name of one of the minor prophets who predicted the destruction of Jerusalem.
Currently, Micah is the 108th most popular male name in the United States, (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew מַלְאָכִי
Meaning: “my messenger.”
The name is found in the Old Testament as the name of a prophet and the author of the Book of Malachi. He is known for his prophecies, in Christian tradition it is believed that his prophecies foretell the coming of Christ.
Its Irish form of Malachy has always been a common name in Ireland. It was borne by an early Irish saint who is also considered a prophet and a mystic. Though, it is sometimes suggested that Malachy is an anglicized form of Máel Sechlainn.
Currently, Malachi is the 163rd most popular male name in the United States, (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
The name is found in the Old Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Qu’ran and in ancient Egyptian mythology, though the later may have a completely different etymology.
In both the Bible and the Qu’ran it is borne by the son of Adam and Eve, who was borne after the murder of Abel and the banishment of Cain. In this case, it may be derived from the Hebrew (syt) meaning “plant; seed” or it may be from another Hebrew source meaning “appointed.”
In the Book of Mormon, it is borne by the son of Lehi a Jaredite.
In Egyptian mythology it is the name of the god of chaos, the desert, foreigners and of the planet Mars. In this case, the etymology is uncertain.
Currently, Seth is the 165th most popular male name in the United States (2010) and the 217th most popular in the Netherlands, (2010).
Other forms of its Biblical counterpart include:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “virgin”
(ver-JIN-yah)
Virginia is a feminine form of the Roman family name Virginius which is believed to be derived from the Latin virgo meaning “virgin; maiden.”
According to Roman legend, the name was borne by a girl who was killed by her father in order to save her from a corrupt Roman official.
The Commonwealth of Virginia was named by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584 in part for Queen Elizabeth I of England (known as the Virgin Queen) and also in part an anglicized form of a Native American chief’s name, Wingina.
The name was borne by Virginia Dare (1587), lauded to be the first ethnically English child to be born in the New World. The name seems to have been very popular in the United States among early settlers, either as a nod to an American birth or in honour of the first English child born in the United States.
Among Catholic immigrants, the name caught on due to its associations with the Virgin Mary.
Currently, Virginia is the 608th most popular female name in the United States, but in 1921, it ranked in as the 6th most popular female name.
Other forms of the name include:
A common English short form is Ginny.
Source
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew יְחֶזְקֵאל
Meaning: “God strengthens.”
The name is found in the Old Testament as the name of the author of the Book of Ezekiel, a major prophet in Christian, Jewish and Islamic tradition. In the English-speaking world, the name did not become popular until after the Protestant Reformation.
It is currently the 213th most popular male name in the United States, (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew עֶזְרָא
Meaning: “God helps.”
(EZ-rah)
The name may be derived from the ancient Hebrew Azaryahu meaning “God helps.” It is borne in the Old Testament by the author of the Book of Ezra. He is said to have reintroduced the Torah after the return from the Babylonian Exile. The name has always been popular among Jews and Orthodox Christians but did not catch on in the Western Christian world until after the Protestant Reformation.
Ezra is also mentioned in the Qu’ran and is traditonally believed to be a prophet among Muslim scholars. It is believed his tomb is located at Al-‘Uzair in Iraq and is a popular pilgrimage destination for the local Marsh Arabs.
Currently, Ezra is the 243rd most popular male name in the United States, (2010) and the 323rd most popular in the Netherlands (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew יָרֶד
Meaning: “descent.”
Eng (JARE-ed)
The name is found in the Old Testament as the name of the great-great grandson of Adam , the son of Mahalalel and the father of Enoch. His history is mentioned in the apocryphal Book of Jubilees and the Book of Enoch. According to the Book of Enoch, Jared was named by Mahalalel because he was born during the time when the angels of the Lord descended to earth.
He is revered as a saint in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and in the Coptic Christian Church.
In the Book of Mormon it is borne by two characters, one is Jared the primary ancestor of the Jaredites who came to the Americas. It is also the name of a Jaredite king who dethroned his father Omer.
It is currently the 242nd most popular male name in the United States, (2010).
Other forms of the name include: