Category Archives: Christian Names

Mercedes

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Spanish/Portuguese
Meaning: “mercies”
mer-THE-dhes (Spanish), mer-SE-dhes (Latin American Spanish); mer-SAY-deez (English)

The name is derived from the Spanish word, mercedes, (mercies), and was originally used in honour of the Virgin Mary, María de las Mercedes, (Mary, Full of Grace or Our Lady of Mercies).

The name was popularized outside of the Spanish speaking world via the car make, Mercedes-Benz, which was named in honour of the Austrian creator’s daughter, Mercedes Jellinek (1889-1928). Mercedes was not her true given name, it was given to her as a nickname since childhood and her real name was Adriana Manuela Ramona.

Currently, Mercedes is the 666th most popular female name in the United States, (2010). Its magyarized form of Mercédesz is the 98th most popular female name in Hungary, (2009).

Other forms of the name include:

Eskarne (Basque)
Mercè (Catalan)
Mèrsed (Creole)
Mercédès (French)
Mercede (Italian)
Merceda (Polish: obscure)
Mercédesz (Hungarian)

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/mercedes
  2. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=m&allowed_in_frame=0

Felicity

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The name comes directly from the English word for happiness and the Latin word felicitas of the same meaning. It was borne by an early Christian saint and martyr and later became a common name among American puritans.

In Ancient Rome, Felicitas was the personification of luck and fortune.

Currently, Felicity ranked in as the 764th most popular female name in the United States, (2010). It was the name of late 1990s television series and is also the name of one of the original American Girls in the American Girl series of books which recounts the day and a life of a 18th-century American girl living in colonial Williamsburg.

Other forms of the name include:

Felicitat (Catalan)

Félicité (French)

Felicitas/Felizitas (German)
Felicitás (Hungarian)
Felicitász (Hungarian)
Felìcita (Italian)
Felicitas (Latin)
Felicyta (Polish)
Felicidade (Portuguese)
Felicidad (Spanish)

A common 18th-century diminutive was Flick.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/felicity

Luz

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Portuguese/Spanish
Meaning: “light”
Sp (LOOTH); (LOOZ); Por (LOOSH)

The name comes directly from the Spanish word for light, as a given name it started to be used in honour of the Virgin Mary as one of her epithets is Neustra Señora de la Luz (Our Lady of Light).

Its Italian and French equivalent is Luce It (LOO-chey); Fre (LUYS)

It is currently the 744th most popular female name in the United States, 2010.

Its designated name-day is June 1.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/luz
  2. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luz_(nombre)

Landry

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Meaning: “land ruler.”
Eng (LAN-dree); Fre (LAWn-DREE)

Considered the second oldest surname in France, it is a name steeped in history and religion. It is currently one of the most popular male names among Cajun-Americans.

The earliest record of the name Landry is in the 5th-century, where it is recorded as the name of the Bishop of  Sées, later canonized as a saint. In the 5th-century it was borne by another male saint, St. Landry the Bishop of Paris, he is particularly noted for founding the first hospital in Paris, the Hôtel-Dieu. Another Medieval saint who bears the name is St. Landry of Metz.

The name was such a common given name in Medieval France that it later carried over as a patronymic.

St. Landry Parish in Louisiana was named by French settlers in honour of St. Landry of Paris. The name has since fallen out of fashion in France but has remained a classic among the Acadians of Louisiana. In fact, it is currently the 891st most popular male name in the United States, 2010.

The name is derived from the Frankish name, Landericus, which is composed of the Germanic elements, land (land) and ric (power; rule; might).

The name is currently borne by American football player, Landry Jones (b.1989).

It is the name of a town in France, which was also named in honour of St. Landry of Paris.

Other forms of the name include:

Landerik (Czech)
Landerico (Italian/Spanish)
Landeryk (Polish)

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/top/lists/us/2010

Samson

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “sun”

Of all the Sam names, Samson seems to be the least appreciated, ranking only as the 867th most popular male name in the United States (“Popular Baby Names.” Social Security Administration. 2011. Social Security Online. 1 Sept. 2011. http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/)

The name is found in the Old Testament as the name of one of the Israelite judges. He was given supernatural strength by God. However, when he admitted to Delilah that the secret to his power was in his hair, she had it shaven off while he was sleeping.

It is derived from the Hebrew שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon) meaning “sun.”

The name was first introduced in England after the Norman conquest due to the veneration of a Welsh bishop who founded monasteries in Brittany and Normandy.

In Basque folklore it is found as the name of a mighty giant who is attributed to creating the Pyrenees by throwing stones.

Other forms of the name include:

Shamshoun شمشون‎ (Arabic)
Sanson (Basque)
Samzun (Breton)
Samsó (Catalan)
Samson Самсо́н (Czech/English/French/Norwegian/Polish/Russian/Ukrainian/Welsh)
Simson (Dutch/Finnish/German/Swedish)
Sampson Σαμψών (Greek)
Shimshon  שמשון (Hebrew)
Sámson (Hungarian)
Sansone (Italian)
Samsonas (Lithuanian)
Sansão (Portuguese)
Sansón (Spanish)

The designated name-days are: July 10 (Poland) and July 28 (Poland and France).

Common English short forms are Sam and Sammie. In Polish, the diminutive is Samsonik.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/samson

Moriah, Marwa

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Moriah is found twice in the Old Testament as the name of the mountain on which Isaac was to be sacrificed by Abraham and the hill on which Solomon built the temple. Its meaning is debated among Biblical scholars, however, many agree that it may mean “land of the Amorites.”

Its usage as an English given name only seems to go as far back as the 1980s, when it first appeared in the U.S. top 1000 most popular female names. It seems to have first caught among Evangelical Christian parents.

However, it has always been used as a female given name in the Arab world, in the form of Marwa(h)  مروة.

In Arabic Mount Moriah is known as Marwah, and in Islamic tradition Abraham (Ibrahim) had deserted Hagar and Ismael between Al-Safa and Al-Marwa, two hills near Mecca.

In Arabic Marwa can have several different meanings, it can either be the name of a fragrant plant and is used as a word to describe the quartz. Two other forms of the name include the Turkish Merve and the Bosnian Merva.

Interestingly enough, Moriah has never been used among Jews.

Currently, Moriah ranked in as the 788th most popular female name in the United States (2010), while Marwa‘s rankings are as follows:

# 77 (Catalonia, Spain 2009)
#169 (France, 2008)
#211 (the Netherlands, 2010)

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/marwa
  2. http://www.behindthename.com/name/moriah

 

 

Patience

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: English

She is the quintessential Puritan name, however, evidence suggest the name has been in usage far longer than early Colonial America.

It was popularized as a given name by early Christians, the Greeks referred to Constantine’s mother, St. Helen as Ypomoni (Patience). It was Latinized as Patientia and is found as the name of an early Christian martyr.

Its popularity was only enhanced later by the Puritans.

It is currently the 800th most popular female name in the United States, (2010).

Other forms of the name include:

Patientia (Latin)
Patience (French/English)
Ypomoni (Greek)
Pazienza (Italian)

Paciencia (Spanish)

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/patience

Jedidiah

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew יְדִידְיָה
Meaning: “beloved of Yahweh.”
Eng (JED-did-DYE-ah)

The name is found in the Old Testament as a name given by God to Nathan, the son of King David and Bathsheba.

The name was very prevalent among early Americans, especially the Puritans. Jed is often the nickname of choice.

Currently, it is the 879th most popular male name in the United States (2010).

Other forms of the name include:

Jedediah (English)
Jedidja (German)
Yedidyah יְדִידְיָה  (Hebrew)

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/jedidiah

Damaris

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek Δαμαρις
Meaning: uncertain
Eng (duh-MARE-iss); DAM-ə-ris

Damaris is found in Acts of the Apostles 17:34 (New Testament) as the name of a woman who converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. Not much else is really known about her.

According to Christian legend, she was the wife of the Bishop of Athens. She is honoured in the Greek Orthodox church as the St. Damaris of Athens and even has a street named after her in Athens.

As for her name, its derivation is argued. It is most popularly believed to be derived from the Greek, damalis, meaning “calf” or “heifer.” Other theories such as it being a Hellenized version of the Celtic name, Damara or a variation of the Greek female name, Damarete.

As of 2009, Damaris was the 91st most popular female name in Chile and the 936th most popular in the United States (2010).

Today, the name is mostly used in Greece, Spanish-speaking countries and occassionally in German and English-speaking countries.

The designated name-day is October 3 (Greece) and October 16.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/damaris

 

Thaddeus

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Aramaic
Meaning: uncertain
Eng (THAD-dee us; TAD-dee-us)

The name is a Greek transliteration of the Aramaic male name, Thaddai, which is argued to either be derived from an Aramaic word meaning heart or to be an Aramaic version of the Greek male name, Theodore.

In the New Testament, the name is borne by one of the 12 Apostles, known as Jude Thaddeus, especially among Catholics. He is popularly known as St. Jude, St. Thaddeus or St. Jude Thaddeus and is venerated as the patron saint of lost causes.

In American history, the name was borne by the Polish borne revolutionary hero, Taddeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817).

In 2010, Thaddeus was the 983rd most popular male name in the United States. In Slovenia, Tadej was the 58th most popular male name of 2010.

The name Tadeusz, has always been a popular male name in Poland, it is the name of the title character of one of Poland’s beloved literary classics, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz.

Other forms of the name include:

Aday (Aramaic)
T’adeos Թադէոս (Armenian)
Tadevuš (Belarusian) (tah-DEH-voosh)
Tadija (Croatian) (TAH-dee-yah)
Tadeáš (Czech/Slovak) (tah-deh-AHSH)
Thaddée/Taddée (French) (tah-DAY)
Thaddäus (German) (tad-DAY-oos)
Thaddaeus/Thaddaios  Θαδδαιος (Greek: Biblical)
Tádé (Hungarian) (TAH-day)
Taddeo (Italian) (tah-DAY-o)
Tadas (Lithuanian) (TAH-dahs)
Tadeušas (Lithuanian) (TAH-deh-oo-SHAHS)
Tadeusz (Polish) (tah-DAY-oosh)
Tadeu (Portuguese)
Faddei/Faddey Фаддей (Russian) (FAD-day)
Tadej (Slovene) (tah-DAY)
Tadeo (Spanish) (tah-DEY-o)

Common English diminutives are Tad, Thad and Teddy. In Polish it is Tadek.

The designated name-days are: June 25 (Slovakia), October 28 (Poland) and October 30 (Czech Republic),

Feminine forms include the Italian, Taddea and the Polish, albeit rare, Tadea.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/thaddeus