Tag Archives: Biblical Names

Abigail

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Biblical/Hebrew
Meaning: “her father’s joy” or “fountain of joy.”
(AB-ih-GALE)

In the Old Testament, the name is borne by the wife of King David and the mother of Amasa. The name sometimes appears in the Bible as Abagal and in, modern Hebrew, the name is rendered as Avigáyil (אֲבִיגַיִל)

Abigail did not become popular in the English speaking world til after the Reformation. It was a very popular choice among Puritans and early Americans. It was borne by the second First Lady of the United States, Abigail Adams (1744-1818), wife of President John Adams. It was also borne by their daughter who was known as Nabby Adams Smith (1765-1813).

In the 16th century, Abigail became a generic term for a servant woman or maid, thanks, in part, to Beaumont and Fletcher’s The Scornful Maid (1616). The name was ironically borne by the lady in waiting to Queen Anne, who was born quite a few years after the name was used to describe a servant woman (b. 1670).

In modern American culture, the name has become extremely popular for newborns. It started rising up the charts in the late 90s making it all the way up to # 4 by 2005. In 2008, it dropped back down to # 8.

Popular English nicknames include Abby, Nabby, & Gail.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Abigaïl (Dutch)
  • Abigaël/Abigaïl (French)
  • Abigaia Αβιγαια (Greek: Biblical)
  • Apikalia (Hawaiian)
  • Abigél (Hungarian)
  • Abigaille (Italian: very rare, pronounced, ah-bee-GUILE-ley)
  • Abigaili (Kiswahili)
  • Abigaíl (Spanish)

Juno, June, Junia

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: uncertain
Eng (JOO-no); Lat (YOO-no); (JOON); Eng (joo-NEE-uh; JOON-yah); Lat (yoo-NEE-ah).

The name Juno is an ancient one; possibly going all the way back to the period of the Etruscans.

The origin and etymology is strongly contended and not quite certain. Some sources believe that it may be derived from the Etruscan name Uni which possibly means “alone; one; unit.” Others argue that it is derived from the Indo-European element Yeu, referring to youth and vitality.

In Ancient Rome, Juno was the supreme goddess. She was considered the protectress and counselor of the State. She was revered as a queen and known under the title of Juno Regina (Juno, the Queen).

Under the title of Juno Moneta, she was revered as the patroness of all things financial and econonimical.

The month of June gets its name from her, and as the patroness of women, marriage and fertility, the idea that June is the best time to marry comes from ancient Roman tradition, when young women chose to marry on the month in hopes that Juno would be more favorable in dispensing luck upon their marriage.

Juno was actually a goddess of many faces and incarnations. She was also revered as a counterpart to the Greek goddess Athene Pallas, as well as a counterpart to Hera. She was seen as the patroness of children and childbirth under the title of Lucina.

In Popular Culture, the name has recently sparked a small revival and interest thanks in part, to the 2007 independent film Juno (Ellen Page), in which it is mentioned in the movie that the character was named for the goddess, though the name has still yet to have even made it to the top 1000 names in the United States.

There is also the form of Junia, which was more often used on real people in ancient Rome rather than Juno itself. The name was ususually used in honour of the goddess and it appears in the New Testement as the name of a Roman matron.

There is also the masculine version of Junius or Iunius. Junilla was an ancient Latin diminutive form which might appeal to some modern parents.

The month name of June itself first became popular in the 19th-century. Another name to consider is the more unusual Cornish form of Metheven (METH-eh-VEN).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Junona (Croatian/Czech/Lithuanian/Polish/Serbian/Slovene)
  • Junon (French)
  • Júnía (Icelandic)
  • Giunia (Italian)
  • Giunone (Italian: joo-NOH-nay)
  • Ġunone (Maltese: joo-NOH-nay)
  • Iuno (Latin/Romanian: YOO-no)
  • Giununi (Sicilian)
  • Juni (Norwegian/Swedish)

Rhode/Rhoda

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Gender: Female
Origin: Greek
Meaning “rose.”
(RO-dee); (ROH-dah)

The name of a sea nymph and also possibly an ancient primordial sea goddess, according to Greek mythology, Rhode was one of the oldest of the Oceanid nymphs and was said to be the daughter of Poseidon/Oceanus and Tethys. She is sometimes claimed to be the daughter of Halia and Poseidon, Amphitrite and Poseidon or the daughter of Aphrodite.

It is even suggested by some scholars that Rhode, Halia and Amphitrite might have been one and the same sea goddess who was later replaced by the Olympic pantheon and relegated to a sea nymph.

Rhode’s cult was especially popular on the Isle of Rhodes where it was believed she was the wife of the sun-god, Helios and one and the same with the goddess Athena. She was the mother of the Curetes of Crete. It is also suggested that the Island of Rhodes gets its names from her.

There is also the more modern Biblical form of Rhoda, (RO-dah).

In the New Testament it was the name of a maid who lived in the house of Mary, mother of John Mark. In the English speaking world, Rhoda came into usage in the 17th century, she has not ranked in the U.S. Top 1000 since 1975 when she came in at # 777. The highest she ever ranked in U.S. naming history was # 159 in 1881. In the 1970s Rhoda was the name of a character in the popular sitcom of the same name.

Vashti

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Gender: Female
Origin: Debated
Meaning: Debated
ושתי (Hebrew)
وَ شتی آ (Persian)
(VAHSH-tee)

The name is found in the Book of Esther as the name of the first wife of King Ahasuerus. When her husband ordered her to dance naked in front of his guests, Vashti refused, and as a result, her husband divorced her; Ahasuerus later married Esther.

The Biblical queen also happened to be the granddaughter of King Nebuchadnezzer, the Persian king who destroyed Solomon’s temple and drove the Jews into exile. She was the daughter of Belshazzar, another Biblical villain, who was known for using the sacred chalices of the Jewish temple for his lavish banquets, for which he was struck down by the hand of God through the invasion of the Medes. Vashti was said to be the only survivor of her father’s royal entourage.

According to the Talmud, Vashti had abducted young Jewish women and forced them into slavery. She would often demand that they undress before her and forced them to work on Shabbat. In Jewish lore, she is seen as a villainess. Among modern feminists, however, she is seen as a woman who refused to be degraded by a patriarchal society.

Though most agree that the name is most likely derived from a Farsi word meaning “beauty” or “goodness,” other scholars believe that the name may be from the Old Persian superlative vahista meaning “best, excellent”, added with the feminine termination -ī, it becomes vaisti changing the meaning to “excellent woman!,” or “best of women!”.

According to Hitchcock Bible Names, the name is Hebrew and could possibly mean “that drinks,” or “thread.”

Still others have argued that it is derived from the ancient Elamite name, Mashti, a name of uncertain origin or meaning but one that was attributed to an ancient Sumerian goddess.

Modern historians have tried to identify the Biblical Vashti with that of the historical Persian Queen, Stateira and have even suggested that the name can be traced back to Stateira, arguing that Vashti is actually just a diminutive form of Vashtateira.

The name is currently born by English singer and songwriter, Vashti Bunyon. It is still relatively common in Iran and the name was quite popular in early America, among the Puritans.

Other forms include: (Note: these forms exists, though they are not necessarily in usage):

  • Vasthi (Dutch)
  • Waschti/Wasti (German)