Nabil

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic نبيل
Meaning: “noble”
(NAH-BEEL)

The name comes from the Arabic meaning, “noble”, and is popular among Christians, Muslims and even Baha’i.

It was borne by a an early Christian saint and martyr, a king of Mauretania, who was martyred under his brother Gildon, who took the side of the Pagan Romans.

It was also borne by Nabíl-i-Akbar (1829-1892), one of the 19 Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh and the Great Nabíl (1831–1892), a renowned Bahai historian.

As of 2009, Nabil was the 399th most popular male name in France.

A Berber form is Navil and a feminine form is Nabila.

Jawad

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic جواد
Meaning: “steed; generous.”
(jah-WAHD)

The name is from the Arabic meaning, “steed” or “generous.”

As of 2009, Jawad was the 429th most popular male name in France.

Said

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic سعيد
Meaning: “happy.”
(sah-EED)

The name comes directly from the Arabic meaning, “happy.”

As of 2009, Said was the 459th most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

Said سعيد Саид (Albanian/Arabic/Azeri/Bosnian/Bulgarian/Chechen/Circassian/Dagestani/Egyptian/Indonesian/Iranian/Javanese/Kazakh/Kyrgyz/Lebanese/Ossetian/Pashtun/Syrian/Tatar/Turkmen/Uzbek)
Saïd (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
Sead (Bosnian)
Sejad (Bosnian)
Sait (Kurdish/Turkish)

The feminine form is Saida.

Idris

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic إدريس‎ or Welsh
Welsh Meaning: “ardent lord.”
Arabic Meaning: uncertain

Idris is of two different origins and is used in two separate cultures. In Welsh, it is composed of the elements, udd (lord; prince) and ris (ardent, enthusiastic.” In Welsh mythology it was borne by a giant who used the mountain peak of Cadair Idris (Seat of Idris) as an observatory. Legends claims that if you spend one night on the mountain peak you wake up either as a madmen or as a great poet. The name was also borne by a 7th-century Welsh prince, Idris ap Gwyddno.

In the Qu’ran, the name is borne by a prophet, traditionally ascribed to being the same as the Biblical prophet Enoch. Many modern Islamic scholars now believe that Idris was a separate person from Enoch. In this case, the name is believed to be of pre-Islamic and possibly of non-Arabic roots of undeterminate etymology, some, however have connected the name with the Arabic root d-r-s, meaning, “study.”

As of 2009, Idris was the 479th most popular male name in France. In France it is used both among the Bretons and among recent Muslim immigrants.

Other forms of the Arabic include:

Idris إدريس‎) Идрис (Albanian/Arabic/Baloch/Bosnian/Bulgarian/Circassian/Dagestani/Ethiopian/Indonesian/Javanese/Malaysian)
İdris (Azeri/Turkish)
Idriss (Chadian)
Driss (Berber/Maghrebi Arabic)
Ydyrys Ыдырыс (Chechen/Kazakh/Kyrgyz/Tajik/Tatar/Turkmen/Uzbek)
Idrîs (Kurdish)
Idriis (Somali)
Idrissa (West African)

George

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek Γεωργιος
Meaning: “farmer.”
Eng (JORJ)

The name is an English and Romanian form of the Greek, Georgios Γεωργιος, which is derived from the Greek γεωργος (georgos) meaning, “farmer; earth worker.”

The name was borne by a 4th-century Christian saint and martyr, a Roman soldier of Greek ancestry who refused to sacrifice to pagan gods as demanded by the Roman Emperor at the time. He was popularized in the Western Christian Church after the Crusades, when soldiers brought the story back to Western Europe. The saints’ story was embellished and his story appears in the Golden Legend.

The most famous legend was that during the saint’s life, he managed to rescue a maiden who was about to be sacrificed to a dragon by slaying it with his lance. This legend has been the subject of art for centuries.

Though revered as the patron saint of England, the name itself did not catch on in until the 18th-century, following the accession of George I of England. The name has been borne by several kings throughout Europe. It was also borne by the first president of the United States, George Washington.

In Medieval times, English troops would chant “by George“, as a invocation to the saint to protect them in battle.

Between 1880 and 1937, George remained in the U.S. top 10. As of 2010, he only ranked in as the 164th most popular male name. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 1 (Georgi, Bulgaria, 2007)
# 1 (Georgios, Greece, 2010)
# 2 (Giorgi, Georgia, 2011)
# 5 (Yegor, Belarus, 2011)
# 9 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 12 (Yegor, Russia, 2011)
# 16 (Jorge, Spain, 2010)
# 19 (Jiří, Czech Republic, 2010)
# 20 (Romania, 2009)
# 22 (Jordi, Catalonia, 2010)
# 27 (Jure, Slovenia, 2010)
# 42 (Jorge, Chile, 2010)
# 53 (Juraj, Croatia, 2010)
# 69 (Jure, Croatia, 2010)
# 73 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 75 (Jurij, Slovenia, 2010)
# 76 (Jørgen, Norway, 2010)
# 78 (Jorge, Mexico, 2010)
# 80 (Joris, Netherlands, 2010)
# 82 (Jordi, Spain, 2010)
# 84 (Jurica, Croatia, 2010)
# 100 (Scotland, 2010)
# 168 (Jorge, United States, 2010)
# 233 (Joris, France, 2009)
# 420 (Jordi, Netherlands, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Gjergj (Albanian)
Jorgo (Albanian)
Giorgis ጊዮርጊስ (Amharic)
Jurj(us) جرج جرجس (Arabic)
George جورج (Arabic/English/Romanian)
Khodor خضر (Arabic)
Chorche (Aragonese)
Gev(or) Գեվ Գեվոր (Armenian)
Gevorg Գեվորգ (Armenian)
Kevork Գեւորգ (Armenian)
Xurde (Asturian)
Gorka (Basque)
Jury Юры (Belarusian)
Yegor Егор (Belarusian/Russian)
Jord (Breton)
Jorj (Breton)
Georgi Георги (Bulgarian)
Jordi (Catalan)
Juraj (Croatian/Slovak/Slovene)
Jurica (Croatian)
Jure (Croatian/Slovene)
Jiří (Czech)
Jørgen (Danish/Norwegian)
Joris (Dutch/Frisian)
Sjors (Dutch)
Georg (Faroese/Estonian/German/Icelandic/Romansch/Scandinavian)
Jurjen (Frisian)
Jüri (Estonian/Volapuk)
Jørundur (Faroese)
Jokora (Finnish)
Jori (Finnish)
Jyr(k)i (Finnish)
Yrjänä (Finnish)
Yrjö (Finnish)
Georges (French)
Xurxo (Galician)
Giorgi გიორგი (Georgian/Monegasque)
Jörgen (German/Swedish)
Jörg (German/Swedish)
Jürgen (German)
Jürg (German)
Georgios Γεώργιος (Greek)
Joorut (Greenlandic)
Juulut (Greenlandic)
Keoki (Hawaiian)
György (Hungarian)
Seoirse (Irish-Gaelic)
Giorgio (Italian/Venetian)
Georgius (Latin)
Jur(g)is (Latvian)
Jurgis (Lithuanian)
Gjoko Ѓок (Macedonian)
Gjorgje Ѓорѓе (Macedonian)
Gjorgji Ѓорѓи (Macedonian)
Gheevargees ഗീവര്‍ഗീസ് ( (Malayalam)
Gheevarugees ഗീവറുഗീസ് ( (Malayalam)
Varghees വര്‍ഗീസ്‌ (Malayalam)
Verghese വെര്‍ഗീസ് (Malayalam)
Varughese വറുഗീസ് (Malayalam)
Ġorġ (Maltese)
Jore (Norman)
Jørn (Norwegian)
Ørjan (Norwegian)
Jordi (Occitanian/Provençal)
Jerzy (Polish)
Jorge (Portuguese/Spanish)
Gheorghe (Romanian)
Georgy Георгий (Russian/Ukrainian)
Yuri Юрий (Russian)
Deòrsa (Scottish)
Seòrsa (Scottish)
Đorđe Ђорђе (Serbian)
Đorđo Ђорђо (Serbian)
Đurađ Ђурађ(Serbian)
Jurij (Slovene)
Göran (Swedish)
Örjan (Swedish)
Gewarges ܓܝܘܪܓܣ(Syriac)
Gorges ܓܪܓܣ (Syriac)
Yorgo (Turkish)
Heorhiy Георгій (Ukrainian)
Yur Юр (Ukrainian)
Sior (Welsh)

In ancient Greece, Georgos may have also been used as an epithet for Zeus.

As for its feminine forms, I shall save that for a separate post 🙂

Joseph, Josephine

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew יוֹסֵף
Meaning: “He shall add; God shall add.”
Eng (JOH-sef)

The name is derived from the Biblical Hebrew male name, יוֹסֵף (Yosef).

In the Old Testament, the name is borne by the first son of Rachel and the eleventh son of Jacob. After being sold off as a slave by his brothers, Joseph ended up in Egypt, later becoming an important advisor to the pharoah.

In the New Testament, it is borne by the husband of the Virgin Mary. Known as St. Joseph among Catholics, he is a particularly revered saint among Italian Catholics, considered the patron saint of stepfathers and carpenters.

Another important character with this name in the New Testament, is Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Christ and also the man who provided a burial spot for Jesus after his death.

The name has always been very prevalent throughout Europe and the Middle East.

In the United States, its popularity can be due to several factors: it was common among both various Christian and Jewish immigrants. The name is even very common among Muslim families.

Currently, Joseph is the 20th most popular male name in the United States, (2010). In fact, Joseph has never ranked outside of the Top 20. Common English nicknames are Joe and Joey. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 1 (Yusif, Azerbaijan, 2012)
# 1 (Yusuf, Turkey, 2010)
# 2 (Yusuf, Tajikistan, 2009)
# 2 (Youssef, Tunisia)
# 3 (Yousef, Arab-World, 2011)
# 4 (José, Equitorial Guinea, 2011)
# 5 (Joosep, Estonia, 2011)
# 5 (Isle of Man, 2009)
# 5 (Yousouf, Israel, among Muslim and Christian boys, 2010)
# 5 (José, Philippines, 2011)
# 5 (Jose, Puerto Rico, 2010)
# 7 (Youssef, Morocco)
# 8 (Josip, Croatia, 2010)
# 8 (Yosef, Israel, among Druze boys, 2004)
# 9 (Yosef, Israel, among Jewish boys, 2010)
# 14 (Giuseppe, Italy, 2010)
# 15 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 16 (Joseph/Giuseppe, Malta, 2010)
# 29 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 36 (New Zealand, 2010)
# 37 (Ireland, 2010)
# 41 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 41 (József, Hungary, 2010)
# 43 (José, Spain, 2010)
# 44 (Scotland, 2010)
# 51 (José, United States, 2010)
# 62 (Josef, Sweden, 2010)
# 68 (Josip, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2010)
# 68 (Josep, Catalonia, 2010)
# 71 (José, Catalonia, 2010)
# 74 (Canada, BC, 2010)
# 149 (France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Josef (Afrikaans)
Isuf (Albanian)
Jozef/Jozif (Albanian: Zef is a diminutive form)
Sepp (Alsatian)
Hovsep Հովսեփ (Armenian)
Yūsuf/Youssef/Yussef يوسف, (Arabic)
Yusif/Yusuf/Usub (Azeri)
Joseba/Josepe (Basque)
Joseph ДЖО́ЗЕФ (Belarusian/English/German/French)
Josip (Bosnian/Croatian: Joso, Jozo and Joško are diminutive forms)
Jusuf (Bosnian)
Yosif Йосиф (Bulgarian)
Josep (Catalan, Pep is a common diminutive form)
Ghjaseppu (Corsican)
Jozèf (Creole/Haitian)
Josef (Czech)
Joep (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name)
Joop (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name)
Joost (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name)
Jozef (Dutch)
Joseph (English/French/German)
Joséphin (French: obscure)
Joosep (Estonian)
Jósef (Faroese)
Jooseppi (Finnish)
Juuso (Finnish)
Bepùt/Bepi/Bepo (Fruilian)
Xosé (Galician)
Ioseb იოსებ (Georgian)
Ioses/Joses Ιωσης (Greek: Biblical)
Iōséph Ἰωσήφ/Iosepos, Iosipos Ιώσηπος (Greek: Modern)
Yosef יוסף (Hebrew)
Isuppu (Hindi)
József (Hungarian: Jóska is the diminutive form)
Yusuf/Yusup/Ucup (Indonesian)
Giuseppe (Italian: diminutive forms are Beppe, Peppe and Peppino)
Giuseppino (Italian)
Pino (Italian: diminutive form now used as an independent given name)
Seosamh (Irish-Gaelic)
Ujöp (Ladino)
Iosephus/Josephus (Latin)
Jāzeps (Latvian)
Gioxeppe (Ligurian)
Joep (Limburgish)
Juozapas (Lithuanian)
Juozas (Lithuanian)
Giüsèpp (Lombard: Pèpp and Bèpp are diminutive forms)
Ousep/Ousef/Yosef (Malayalam)
Ouseppachen/Kochaappu (Malayalam)
Ġużeppi (Maltese: Ġużi, Ġuż, Peppi, Pepp, Żeppi and Żepp are diminutives)
Hohepa (Maori)
Jupp (Moselfrench)
Josef (Norwegian)
Josèp (Occitanian)
Iosifu Іѡсифъ (Old Church Slavonic)
Yūsuf/Youssef/Yussef يوسف, (Persian)
Joosef (Plattdeutsch)
Józef (Polish)
Gèseppe (Puglian)
Jüppes/Jüppke (Ripoarisch)
Iosif (Romanian)
Gisep (Romansch)
Iosif/Osip Иосиф (Russian)
Jisepu (Sardinian)
Josif Јосиф (Serbian)
Seòsaidh (Scots-Gaelic)
Giuseppi (Sicilian)
U’Seppi (Sicilian)
Zefel/ Zeflik (Silesian)
Jozef (Slovakian)
Jožef/Jože (Slovene)
Sefer (Swabian)
José (Spanish/Portuguese: Pepe and Pepito are the diminutive forms)
Yusup/Usup/Ucup (Sudanese)
Yoseppu (Tamil)
Yusuf (Turkish)
Yosyp (Ukrainian)
Josep (Valencian)
Juxepe (Venetian: diminutives are Bepi and Bepin)
Joseff (Welsh)
Yissl/Jayzl/Yussel (Yiddish)

Bavarian diminutive forms are Pepi, Perperl, Sepp, Seppi, Seppl and Söpp.

Other German diminutives include: Seb, Seffi and Beppal is a Swiss-German diminutive form.

A Rheinish diminutive is Jupp.

Czech diminutives are: Pepík, Pepek, Pepan and Pepin.

Dutch short forms are Jef, Zef and Jos.

A common Hebrew short form is Yosi.

Italian diminutives and its dialectical forms include: Scepp (Calabrian); Pepp’, Pè, Peppiniéllo, Peppì, Peppinié (Campanese); Gioxe, Bepi, Bepin (Ligurian); Gepe and Pinin (Piedmontese); Seppud, Bapèpp, Peppo, Peppin, G’sip, Giusè, Pinucc, Peppon, ‘Mbà Peppe and P’pen (Puglian); Peppe and Pippo (Sicilian); Bepi and Beppe (Tuscan) and Bepìn and Bepo (Venetian).

Standard Italian diminutives are: Bepi, Beppe, Beppino, Geppetto, Geppino, Peppe, Peppenuzzo, Peppi, Peppino, Peppinello, Peppiniello, Peppinetto, Peppo, Peppuccio, Pino Pinello, Pinuccio, Peppone, Pippo Puccio and Seppe.

Portuguese diminutives include: Zé, Zézinho, Zéca and Zécinha.

Slovakian diminutives are: Jožko, Jojo and Dodo.

Slovene short forms are: Pepe, Pepi and Pepc.

A common Spanish compound name is José Maria

Its more common feminine form of Josephine became prevalent throughout Europe at the end of the 18th-century and at the beginning of the 19th-century, due to the popularity of Josephine Bonaparte, (1763-1814), the wife of Napoleon.

Originally, Joséphine was a French diminutive form of Josèphe. Joséphine became the standard form around the same time Josephine Bonaparte became famous and has remained the more common French feminine form of Joseph, since.

Currently, in the United States, she is the 186th most popular female name, (2010). In the Netherlands, she was the 153rd most popular female name, (2010).

Other feminine forms include:

Jozefina (Albanian)
Josepa (Catalan: diminutive is Pepa)
Josipa (Croatian)
Josefa (Czech/Portuguese/Spanish)
Josefina (Czech)
Jozefien (Dutch)
Joetta (English)
Josephina/Josephine (English)
Josefiina (Finnish)
Josée (French)
Josèphe (French)
Joséphine (French)
Josette (French)
Josefine (German/Danish)
Josepha (German)
Iosiphina Ιωσηφίνα (Greek: Modern)
Jozefa (Hungarian/Slovene)
Jósefína (Icelandic)
Seosaimhín (Irish-Gaelic)
Giosetta (Italian)
Giuseppa/Giuseppina (Italian)
Iosephina (Latin)
Ġużeppa (Maltese: Ġuża is the diminutive form)
Józefa (Polish)
Józefina (Polish)
Jožefina/Jožefa/Joža (Slovene)
Jožica (Slovene: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name)
Josefa/Josefina (Spanish)
Josefin/Josefine (Swedish)
Yosipa/Osipa/Yuzefa (Ukrainian)

Croatian diminutive form is Pepica.

Czech diminutives are: Pepa, Pepca, Pepicka, Pepina, Pepka, Jóža, Jožka and Jóžin.

Common English short forms for Josephine include: Fifi, Jo, Jody, Jojo, Josie and Posey.

Common French diminutive forms are Fifi and Fifette.

German diminutives are Pepa.

Italian diminutives are: Giusy, Pina, Pinuccia, Pinella and Pippa.

Slovene diminutive form is Pepca

Marie-Josée is a common French compound form.

Designated name-days are March 19 and May 1.

Edward

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Anglo-Saxon
Meaning: “wealthy guardian.”
Eng (ED-werd; ED-word)

The name is composed of the Anglo-Saxon elements, ead (rich; waelthy) and weard (guard). Due to the popularity of St. Edward the Confessor, the name was one of the few Anglo-Saxon names to have survived the Norman Conquest and to have spread to non-Anglo-Saxon countries.

The name has remained common in the British Royal Family.

As of 2010, Edward was the 43rd most popular male name in England/Wales. His rankings in other countries, in his various forms, are as follows:

# 3 (Eetu, Finland, 2011)
# 20 (Duarte, Portugal, 2010)
# 21 (Eduard, Romania, 2009)
# 28 (Edoardo, Italy, 2010)
# 61 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 72 (New Zealand, 2010)
# 79 (Eduardo, Spain, 2010)
# 94 (Eduard, Catalonia, 2010)
# 97 (Edvard, Norway, 2010)
# 136 (United States, 2010)
# 153 (Eduardo, United States, 2010)
# 169 (Scotland, 2010)
# 226 (Édouard, France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Eduard Էդվարդ Эдуард ედუარდ Эдуард Едуард (Afrikaans/Albanian/Armenian/Belarusian/Bosnian/Catalan/Croatian/Czech/Dutch/Estonian/Georgian/German/Romanian/Romansch/Russian/Slovak/Ukrainian)
Ēadƿeard (Anglo-Saxon)
Idward إدوارد (Arabic: used primarily among Christians)
Edorta (Basque)
Edvard Эдвард Эдвард Едвард (Belarusian/Czech/Faroese/Finnish/Russian/Scandinavian/Serbian/Slovene)
Edouarzh (Breton)
Eduardu (Corsican/Sardinian)
Edward (English/German/Polish)
Eetu (Finnish)
Eetvartti (Finnish)
Etuate (Fijian)
Édouard (French)
Edo (Frisian)
Edzard (Frisian)
Eide (Frisian/Plattdeutsch)
Eido (Frisian)
Eduardos Εδουάρδος (Greek)
Ekewaka (Hawaiian)
Eduárd (Hungarian)
Edvárd (Hungarian)
Eðvarð(ur) (Icelandic)
Játvarður (Icelandic)
Éadbhard (Irish)
Éamonn (Irish)
Edoardo (Italian)
Eduardo (Italian/Spanish/Portuguese)
Odoardo (Italian: Tuscan)
Eduards (Latvian)
Edvards (Latvian)
Eduardas (Lithuanian)
Edvardas (Lithuanian)
Eruera (Maori)
Dwardu (Maltese)
Duarte (Portuguese)
Eideard (Scottish)
Eudard (Scottish)

Common diminutives include:

Edi (Albanian/Bosnian/Croatian/Slovene/Spanish)
Ed (Dutch/English/German/Scandinavian)
Eddie (English/German/Scandinavian)
Ned (English)
Ted (English)
Teddy (English)
Edek (Polish)
Dadu (Portuguese)
Du (Portuguese)
Edu (Portuguese)
Lalo (Spanish)

In recent years, especially in the United States, the name has possibly risen in popularity due to the Twilight Series, in which one of the protagonists is named Edward.

There are a few feminine forms, namely the Spanish and Italian, Eduarda, which I shall save for another post.

Zechariah, Zachary

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew זְכַרְיָה
Meaning: “God remembers.”
Eng (zek-e-RIE-ah); (ZACK-e-REE)

Zachary is an English form of the Hebrew Zechariah, a theophoric name that means “God remembers; Yahweh remembers.”

The name is borne by several characters in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament, it was borne by a prophet who authored the Book of Zechariah and in the New Testament, it was borne by the father of John the Baptist.

In the Qu’ran, the father of John the Baptist is viewed as a prophet and also as the protector of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The name also appears as Zacharias, a Greek rendition, in some versions of the New Testament.

In the English speaking world, the name has been in usage since Medieval times. In Eastern Europe, especially in Orthodox dominated countries, it has always been a common name.

Currently, Zachary is the 61st most popular male name in the United States, (2010). In 1994, he ranked as high as # 12.

In other countries, his popularity is as follows:

# 51 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 51 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 55 (Canada, BC, 2010)
# 331 (Zacharie, France, 2009)
# 446 (France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Sagarias (Afrikaans)
Zakariyya زكرياء (Arabic/Assyrian/Circassian/Coptic/Ethiopian/Lebanese/Syrian)
Zacharij/Zachari Захари (Bulgarian)
Zacaries (Catalan)
Zekarija Закария (Chechen/Kazakh)
Zakaria ზაქარია (Coptic/Ethiopian/Georgian/Kurdish)
Zaharije Зaxapиje (Croatian/Serbian)
Zachariáš (Czech/Slovak)
Zachary (Czech/English/French/Polish)
Zacharias (German/Scandinavian)
Sakarias (Faroese/Norwegian/Swedish)
Sakari (Finnish: Sakke is a diminutive form)
Saku (Finnish)
Zacharie (French)
Sagaire/Sagairi (Gaelic)
Zacharias Zαχαριας (Greek)
Zakariás (Hungarian)
Zakeus (Hungarian)
Zekarja (Hungarian)
Zaccaria (Italian)
Zaccheo (Italian)
Cherian (Malayalam)
Sakaria (Malayalam)
Scaria (Malayalam)
Zaxaria Захарїа (Old Church Slavonic)
Zachariasz (Polish)
Zacarias (Portuguese)
Zaharia (Romanian)
Zaccaria(s) (Romansch)
Zachar Захар (Russian)
Sachairi (Scottish-Gaelic)
Zacarías (Spanish)
Zakarya (Swahili)
Zekeriya (Turkish)

The name is also borne by several saints as well as by one Roman Catholic pope and a Coptic pope.

Zaharina Захарина is a Bulgarian feminine form and Zara is its pet form.

Other notable bearers include an 8th-century Nubian king, a 9th-century Khazar king, and American president, Zachary Taylor (1784-1850)

Sources

Rebecca

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: debated
Meaning: debated
Eng (re-BEK-ka)

Rebecca is the English form of the Biblical Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivqah), which possibly means “snare” or “noose” possibly referring to captivation or beauty, but may also be of an unknown Aramaic source.

The name is borne in the Bible by the Aramean wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. She is considered a Jewish matriarch.

In the English speaking world, the name was seldom used until the Protestant Reformation, where it became an exceedingly popular name. Pocahantas even took this as her Christian name upon her baptism.

Currently, Rebekka is the 3rd most popular female name in Faroe Islands, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 20 (Rebecca, Italy, 2010)
# 24 (Rebeka, Hungary, 2010)
# 37 (Rebecca, Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 38 (Rebecca, Scotland, 2010)
# 48 (Rebecca, Ireland, 2010)
# 75 (Rebeka, Slovenia, 2010)
# 75 (Rebecca, Sweden, 2010)
# 82 (Rebecca, England/Wales, 2010)
# 137 (Rebecca, United States, 2010)
# 290 (Rebecca, Netherlands, 2010)
# 304 (Rebecca, France, 2009)
# 404 (Rebekah, United States, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Rafqa ﻪﻔﻴﻓﺍﺭ (Arabic/Syriac)
Rebeka Ребека (Bosnian/Bulgarian/Czech/Hungarian/Lithuanian/Polish/Slovak/Slovene)
Rebeca (Catalan/Ladino/Portuguese/Romanian/Spanish)
Rebekka (Dutch/Ethiopian/Finnish/German/Scandinavian)
Rebecca (English/Italian/Scandinavian)
Becca (English)
Reba (English)
Rebekah (English)
Rébecca (French)
Rebèque (French)
Rebekah (Greek: Biblical)
Revekka Ρεβέκκα (Greek: Modern)
Rifqa (Hebrew: Biblical)
Riva/Rivka רִבְקָה, רבקה אמנו (Hebrew: Modern)
Réba (Hungarian)
Ribka (Indonesian)
Ryfka (Polish-Yiddish)
Rebecke (Plattdeutsch)
Revekka Реве́кка (Russian)
Reveka (Serbian)
Rebecka (Swedish)
Rifka/Riwka (Yiddish)

The name was the subject of the 1938 British novel of the same name, written by Daphne du Maurier. It is also borne by a 19th-century Lebanese Christian saint. The designated name-day is March 23 (France).

Common English diminutive forms include: Becca, Beck, Becky, Bex, Reba and Rebi.

Sources

Leah

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: debated
Eng (LEE-uh); Heb (LAY-ah)

The name is found in the Old Testament as the name of the sister of Rachel and the first wife of Jacob.

In Jewish tradition, Leah is considered a matriarch and among Christians, she is believed to be the direct ancestor of Jesus.

Its exact meaning and origins are debated. Many scholars believe that it is from the Hebrew לְאָה (le’ah), meaning, “weary.” Other sources have suggested that it is from an Akkadian source meaning, “lady; mistress.”

In the English speaking world and on the continent, it was not common outside the Jewish community until after the Protestant Reformation.

Currently, Leah ranks in as the 24th most popular female name, (2010) and this is the highest the name has ranked in U.S. naming history. She is quite popular in other countries, her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 1 (Lea, Faroe Islands, 2010)
# 1 (Léa, Monaco, 2009)
# 1 (Lea, Romansch-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 2 (Léa, French-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 2 (Lea, Liechtenstein, 2010)
# 3 (Léa, France, 2009)
# 3 (Lea, Luxembourg, 2009)
# 5 (Lea, Austria, 2010)
# 5 (Lea, German-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 5 (Léa, Belgium, 2010)
# 5 (Lea/Leah, Germany, 2011)
# 9 (Lea, Malta, 2010)
# 14 (Leah, Norway, 2010)
# 15 (Leah, Ireland, 2010)
# 17 (Lea, Croatia, 2009)
# 20 (Leah, Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 25 (Leah, Scotland, 2010)
# 39 (Lea, Slovenia, 2010)
# 46 (Lea, Denmark, 2010)
# 49 (Lea, Sweden, 2010)
# 50 (Leah, England/Wales, 2010)
# 55 (Leia, Sweden, 2010)
# 56 (Leah, Canada, BC, 2010)
# 59 (Lia, Slovenia, 2010)
# 63 (Leah, New Zealand, 2010)
# 89 (Lea, Norway, 2010)
# 95 (Lia, Hungary, 2010)
# 96 (Leah, Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 299 (Lia, France, 2009)
# 320 (Leia, France, 2009)
# 356 (Lia, Netherlands, 2010)
# 386 (Leah, Netherlands, 2010)
# 418 (Lea, Netherlands, 2010)
# 566 (Lea, United States, 2010)
# 830 (Leia, United States, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Lia (Catalan/Czech/Hungarian/Italian/Portuguese/Biblical Latin/Slovene)
Lea (Czech/Dutch/Estonian/Finnish/German/Hungarian/Icelandic/Norwegian/Polish/Romansch/Scandinavian/Slovak/Slovene/Spanish/Turkish)
Leah (English/Ethiopian/German/Scandinavian)
Leea (Finnish)
Leija (Finnish)
Leja (Finnish)
Lessu (Finnish)
Léa (French)
Leaette/Liette (French: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name, especially among French Huguenots).
Lía (Galician/Spanish)
Leia Λεια (Greek: Biblical)
Léá (Irish-Gaelic)
Lija/Liya Лия (Russian)
Lejá (Sami)

Common Czech diminutives include:

Leana
Leí
Leonka
Leoša
Leuška
Leúšik
Lienka
Liuška

The designated name-days are: January 5 (Estonia/Finland), March 22 (France), April 29 (Slovak), June 26 (Sweden).

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Syrian Names

Nabil

Jawad

Said

Idris

George

Joseph, Josephine

Edward

Zechariah, Zachary

Rebecca

Leah