Ephraim

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Sebastiane

Origin: Biblical Hebrew אֶפְרַיִם
Meaning: “fruitful; double fruited; increasing.”
Gender: masculine

The name is borne in the Bible by the son of Joseph and Asenath, who is considered a patriarch, as he is a founder of one of the 12 trubes of Israel. According Genesis 41:52, he is named thus by Joseph because “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

The name was also borne by a few early Christian saints, including St. Ephraim of Syria (4th-century, CE).

Ephraim appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1914, it disappeared for 99 years and reappeared in the charts in 2013. For its first centennial cycle, it peaked at #403 in 1880. As of 2023, it was the 992nd most popular male name.

Its Spanish counterparts of Efraín and Efrén have also appeared in the U.S. Top 1000, Efraín appeared between 1950 and 2014, peaking at #469 in 1981 whilst Efrén appeared between 1966-2007, peaking at #768 in 1990.

Forms/Usages

Efrayim ኤፍራይም (Amharic, Modern Hebrew)
Yeprem, Jeprem, Eprem Եփրեմ (Armenian)
Afrem ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
Afri ܐܦܪܝ (Assyrian)
Afron ܥܦܪܘܢ (Assyrian)
Aprem, Aprim ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
Efrim ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
Ephraim ეფრაიმ (Georgian); Εφραιμ (Greek); ⲉⲫⲣⲁⲓⲙ (Coptic); ܐܦܪܝܡ(Syriac) (Assyrian, Dutch, English, Estonian, German, Greek, Portuguese)
Akhrym, Ahrym Акхрым (Belarusian)
Yafrym Яфрым (Belarusian)
Efraïm (Catalan, Dutch)
Efrajim (Czech)
Efraim (Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Nordic, Polish, Romanian)
Eprami (Finnish)
Éphraïm (French)
Îvfa (Greenlandic)
Eframi (Icelandic)
Efraím (Icelandic)
Efraimo (Italian)
Efrem (Italian, Polish)
Effrem (Italian)
Efro (Italian)
Ephraem (Late Latin)
Ephraimus (Late Latin)
Ofrem (Russian, Archaic)
Yefraim, Jefraim Эфраим (Russian)
Yefrem Ефрем (Russian)
Jevrem Јеврем (Serbian)
Efraín (Spanish)
Efrén (Spanish)
Ohrim, Okhrim Охрім (Ukrainian)
Evron ֶבְֿרוֹן (Yiddish)

Sources

Mishael, Misael

Posted on May 10, 2024 by Sebastiane

Simeone Solomone, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego

Origin: Biblical Hebrew מישאל
Meaning: debated
Gender: Masculine
Transcriptions: ሚሳኤል (Amharic), Ⲙⲓⲥⲁⲏⲗ (Coptic), Μισαήλ (Greek)
ENG: mih-SHILE, mih-SHALE; Heb: (MEE-SHAH-yel); Sp: (mee-SAH-yel)

The name comes from the Hebrew meaning, “who is like God?; who is equal to God?,” “who is asked for?” and according to Hitchcock Bible names, “lent.” The name is borne by three male characters in the Bible, one mentioned in (Exodus 6:22) as one of the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Moses and Aaron and most notably, it is the Hebrew name of Meshach (Dan. 1:11, 19) one of the three youths who refused to worship idols and were thrown in a furnace but miraculously survived.

Misael currently ranks in as the 192nd most popular male name in Mexico (2021) and the 790th most popular male name in the United States (2022).

In the Coptic Church, it is borne by St. Misael the Anchorite (7th-century CE).

Its feminine version of Mishaela is a pop song by Israeli pop singer, Achinoam Nini and has experienced sporadic usage in Israel and the English-speaking world. It is also the name of a character in Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict.

Other forms/Usage

Male

Misael (Amharic, Coptic, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish)
Misiel ܡܝܣܝܝܠ (Assyrian – Neo Aramaic)
Misayyl ميصائيل (Egyptian-Arabic, used by Copts)
Misaël (French)
Mischaël (German)
Misaele (Italian)
Miszael (Polish)
Misail Мисаи́л, Mizael Мизаел (Ukrainian, Russian)

An Italian short form is Misa.

Sources

Theodosia, Theodosius

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Sebastiane

Origin: Greek
Meaning: “giving to God.”

Both come from the Greek, θεός (theos) meaning “god” and δόσις (dosis) meaning “giving.” Both the male and female form were borne by several Christian saints and Medieval rulers. In the English-speaking world, a notable bearer was Theodosia Alston Burr (1783-1813), the daughter of Aaron Burr and an American socialite who mysteriously disappeared in a ship-wreck. Her fate has been a source of speculation for two centuries, but she most likely died in the wreck. She is also the subject of the Broadway opera song from Hamilton, My Theodosia.

It’s female version has experienced usage in the English-speaking world since the 15th-century. It has spun off several diminutive off-shoots, which later became independent names, such as Docie/Dosey, Doshie, Dosha, Docia and Theda.

Theodosia appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female Names between 1880-1895, it peaked at number #547 in 1880. It’s offshoot of Doshie appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1905 and peaked at #640 in 1884 whereas Doshia peaked at #582 in 1881 and Docia at #317 in 1880.

Theda (THEE-dah) was the name of silent film actress, Theda Bara (born Theodosia Burr Goodman, 1885-1955). Theda appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1948 and peaked at #350 in 1916. Theda Bara may have helped sustain the usage of the name in the United States, but it seems to have been common enough long before she graced the silver screen.

In the 1988 movie For Keeps, starring Molly Ringwald, a teen couple are faced with an unexpected pregnancy, in which they name their daughter Theodosia, short form Thea, it is a last minute decision decided by the father who gets the name from his deceased grandmother of the same name.

It is the name of the main character of the R. L. LaFevers 2007 children’s novel, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, which spun off a tv series.

Its pronunciation in the English-speaking world fluctuates depending on the region and personal preference, from THEE-oh-DOH-see-uh, to THEE-oh-DOH-shuh and THEE-oh-DOH-zhuh, the sky’s the limits.

Its masculine form has always been prevalent in eastern Christian countries but did not pick up the same momentum in the English-speaking world as its feminine counterpart did.

Female forms

Tayodosiya ታዮዶሲዮስ (Amharic)
Thudusya ثيودوسيا (Arabic, used by Arab Christians)
T’eodosia Թեոդոսիա (Armenian)
Teodosija ТеодосиЯ (Bulgarian, Latvian, Lithuanian)
Teodosia თეოდოსია (Catalan, Corsican, Georgian, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Sardinian, Sicilian, Spanish)
Theodosia Θεοδοσια ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲟⲥⲓⲁ.(Coptic, English, German, Greek, Latin, Nordic, Romansch)
Teodozija Теодосија (Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene)
Docia, Dosha, Doshia (English)
Docie, Docey (English)
Dosia (English, Polish)
Theda (English)
Théodosie (French)
Teodózia (Hungarian)
Teodosja (Maltese)
Teodozja (Polish)
Teodósia (Portuguese)
Feodosija Феодосия (Russian, Ukrainian)
Teudosia (Sicilian)

Male Forms

Teodosi (Albanian, Catalan)
Tayodosiyos ታዮዶሲዮስ (Amharic)
Thudusyus ثيودوسيوس (Arabic, used by Arab Christians)
T’eodosios Թեոդոսիոս (Armenian)
Teodosij Теодосий (Bulgarian)
Theodosios Θεοδόσιος ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲟⲥⲓⲟⲥ (Coptic, Greek)
Teodosiu (Corsican, Romanian, Sardinian)
Teodozije Теодосије (Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene)
Theodosius (English, German, Latin, Nordic)
Théodose (French)
Theodósziosz (Hungarian)
Teodosio (Italian, Spanish)
Teodosijs (Latvian)
Teodosijus (Lithuanian)
Teodosju (Maltese)
Teodozy, Teodozjusz (Polish)
Teodósio (Portuguese)
Theodosi (Romansch)
Teodosie (Romanian)
Feodosij Феодосий (Russian, Ukrainian)
Teudosiu (Sicilian)
Teodóz (Slovak)

Sources

Osiris

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Sebastiane

Origin: Ancient Egyptian
Meaning: unknown
Gender: masculine
Ὄσιρις (Greek) ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲓ (Coptic – Bohiric)

From the name of the Ancient Egyptian God of the dead, the afterlife and resurrection, its exact etymology is unknown and debated amongst Egyptologists. The most popular theories is that it either derives from the wsr (the mighty one) or jrt (eye). It is often vocalized as Asar, Ausar, Ausir, Wesir, modern Coptic forms are Usir and Usire. Among Copts, it is sometimes Arabized as Uzair, which has a similar sound, but different etymology. However, it has been suggested by linguists that the two names are actually related.

In the United States, it recently entered the U.S. Top 1000 Male Names, it is currently the 976th most popular male names.

Other forms include:

Osir ⲟⲥⲓⲣ (Coptic)
Osiride, Osiri (Italian)

Sources

Nectar, Nectaire, Nectarius, Nectaria

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Sebastiane

Origin: Greek
Meaning: “nectar.”

Nectar is the English form of the Greek Nektarios Νεκτάριος, which is derived from νέκταρ (nektar), meaning “nectar, the drink of the gods. Nectar is not a name that has ever been in common use in the English-speaking world, but since it is the name of several Eastern and Western Christian saints, the proper English male translation of the name would be Nectar; or it would have appeared thus in the calendar.

It was borne by St. Nectaire of Auvergne, a 4th-century Christian missionary to the Gauls in what is now the Massif Central region of France. According to Gregory of Tours, he was sent by Pope Fabian, along with his brothers, where he transformed a temple that was dedicated to Apollo on Mont Cornadore into a cathedral that still stands, and was subsequently beheaded by the local Gaulic chieftain. The commune of Saint-Nectaire in the Puy-de-Dôme department of France gets its name from him, as does the cheese of the same name; or the latter technically comes from the Marshal of Senneterre, which is a linguistic corruption of Saint-Nectaire.

Male forms include:

Nektarij, Nektary Нектарий (Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian)
Nectari (Catalan)
Nektarious (Coptic)
Nectarije (Croatian-Serbian)
Nectar (English)
Nectaire (French)
Nektari ნეკტარი (Georgian)
Nektarios Νεκτάριος (Greek)
Nettario (Italian)
Nectareus, Nectarius (Late Latin)
Nektārijs (Latvian)
Nektariusz (Polish)
Nectário (Portuguese)
Nectarie (Romanian)
Nectario (Spanish)

Feminine forms include

Nektaria, Nektarija Νεκταρία Nექთარიჯა Нектария (Coptic, Bulgarian, Georgian, Greek, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian)
Nectarie (French)
Nettaria (Italian)
Nectaria (Latin, Romanian, Spanish)
Nectária (Portuguese)

A modern male Greek diminutive form is Nektary and the Russian diminutive form for both the male and female form is Nechka.

Sources

Spyridon, Spyridoula

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Sebastiane

Spyridon is a Byzantine Greek male name which comes directly from the Greek word σπυρίδιον (spyridion), meaning “basket.” Other sources suggest it is a hellenised form of the Latin Spiritus (spirit). It was popularized by a 4th-century Greek saint who played a key role in the Council of Nicaea. He is revered as the patron saint of Corfu and of potters.

His feast day is December 12.

Spiro & Spyros are its short forms, while Spyridoula is the femininine form.

Spiro was borne by the 39th vice president of the United States, Spiro Agnew (1918-1996).

It was borne by Spyridon Louis, the first modern Olympic Gold medalist in the 1896 Summer Olympics.

Forms and usage include:

Spiridoni, Spiridhoni (Albanian)
Asbiridun اسبيريدون (Arabic)
Spiridon Спиридон (Assyrian, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Lebanese-Arabic, Romanian, Serbian)
Espiridió, Espiridó (Catalan)
Spyridon Σπυρίδων (Coptic, French, Greek)
Špiro (Croatian)
Spi’ridon სპირიდონ (Georgian)
Spiridione, Spiridone (Italian)
Spirydon (Polish)
Espiridão (Portuguese)
Spiridón (Russian)
Espiridón, Espiridión (Spanish)
Spyrydon Спиридон (Ukrainian)

Italian feminine forms include: Spiridiona & Spiridona.

Sources

Menas, Minas, Mina

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sebastiane

Arabic مينا;
Armenian Մինաս
Coptic ⲙⲏⲛⲁ
Ge’ez ሜናስ
Greek Μηνᾶς

Menas is a popular male name among Eastern Christians, it is of uncertain meaning, it may derive from the Greek μήνη (mene) meaning, “moon,” or the ancient Egyptian Menes, which is the name of a 3rd-century BCE Egyptian pharaoh, in which case, the name derives from the ancient Egyptian, mnj (he who endures). It may also be related to the ancient Egyptian divinity name, Min, which is of uncertain meaning. However, according to Coptic tradition, the name means “amen.”

It is the name of a popular 2nd-century Coptic saint and martyr, known as Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲙⲏⲛⲁ (Abba Mina). According to legend, St. Menas’ parents were devout Christians who were having a hard time having children. His mother prayed to the Virgin Mary for a child, and she heard a response saying “amen,” this is where the name Menas supposedly derives from. It is speculated by some that the Western St. Christopher and the Eastern St. Menas are one and the same person. It is also borne by an Ethiopian saint of the 6th-century (CE) and a 16th-century CE Ethiopian emperor.

It was the name of 1st-century CE Roman admiral who features in Shakespeares, Antony & Cleopatra.

Other forms of the name include:

Minasə ሚናስ (Amharic)
Mina مينا; Мина ⲙⲏⲛⲁ Ми́на Міна (Arabic, Bulgarian, Coptic, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian)
Minas Մինաս Μηνάς (Armenian, Greek)
Menna (Catalan)
Ménas (French)
Menas (German, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish)
Ménász, Mennasz, Mínász (Hungarian)
Mena (Italian)

Sources

Barnabas, Barnaby, Barney

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Sebastiane

180px-San_Barnaba

The name is borne by St. Barnabas, a companion of St. Paul who was instrumental in converting gentiles to the new Christian faith. St. Barnabas was believed to be a Cypriot Jew whose true name was Joseph but he is referred to as Barnabas in Acts 4:36, which describes the name to mean “son of consolation,” possibly being linked with the Aramaic בר נחמה, bar neḥmā of the same meaning. Many linguists contradict this meaning and claim that the latter part of the name might actually be derived from the Hebrew nabī נביא meaning “prophet.”

St. Barnabas is considered an early apostle and the founder of the Christian Church in Cyprus who was eventually stoned to death by an angry mob in Syria. He is considered the patron saint of Cyprus and his feast day is June 11th.

As a given-name, Barnaby has been the preferred form in England since medieval times. Its usage spread to the rest of the English-speaking world through colonialism. It spawned the diminutive off-shoot of Barney, which has been used as an independent given-name in its own right.

To millennials, Barney is often associated with the beloved purple dinosaur of their childhood. However, he appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1976. Never a huge hit, the highest he ever ranked in the U.S. Charts was #201 in 1887. He hasn’t been seen in the charts since 1976, but in England & Wales he currently ranks in as the #492nd Most Popular Males Name (2018).

Barnaby is currently the 251st Most Popular Male Name in England & Wales (2018). Whereas Barnabás is currently the 32nd Most Popular Male Name in Hungary (2018).

Other forms include:

Barnabana برنابا (Arabic, Persian)
Barnabas Բառնաբաս ബർണബാസ് (Armenian, Coptic, Dutch, English, Finnish, Frisian, German, Greek, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Scandinavian, Syriac, Welsh)
Bernaba (Basque)
Varnáva Варна́ва (Bulgarian)
Bernabé (Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish)
Barnaba ბარნაბა (Croatian, Georgian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian)
Barnabáš (Czech/Slovak)
Barnaby (English, Plattdeutsch)
Barnabé (French)
Balló (Hungarian)
Barna (Hungarian)
Barnabás (Hungarian)
Barnabà (Lombard)
Varnava Варнава (Macedonian, Serbian, Russian, Ukrainian)

An obscure Spanish feminine form is Bernabea.

Sources

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

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Coptic Christian Names

Ephraim

Mishael, Misael

Theodosia, Theodosius

Osiris

Nectar, Nectaire, Nectarius, Nectaria

Spyridon, Spyridoula

Menas, Minas, Mina

Barnabas, Barnaby, Barney

Marcus, Mark

Rufus, Rufina