Christian Christian Names: Baby Names inspired by the Bible and the Saints

m as in man

n as in no

ng as in long, finger

o as in top

oh as in go

oo as in too

oor as in poor

ow as in cow

oy as in boy

p as in pad

r as in red

s as in sit

sh as in ship

t as in too

th as in thin

th as in then

u as in cup

uh as in driver, China

uu as in bull

v as in vase

w as in win

y as in cry, yes

yoo as in you

yr as in tyre

z as in zoo

zh as in vision

Stress is shown in capital letters: sister: SIS-tuh

Introduction (#ulink_f439db88-e09d-5733-86e8-40190b56e7c5)

Christian Christian names are back in fashion. In 2008, over half the top 100 most popular boys’ and girls’ names in the UK had a religious background. Names like Noah, Isaac and Jacob have been steadily returning to popularity over a number of years.

Religious names also stand the test of time. Research compiled for this book shows that in the last 100 years, in both the UK and the US, names with a religious background were 50 per cent more likely than other names to have remained in the top 100 charts.

Even in an increasingly secular culture, the popularity of religious names isn’t surprising. Parents of all beliefs are looking for names with a genuine meaning and story behind them, and they are finding that names with a Christian background fit the bill perfectly.

Christian christian names come from two main sources: the Bible and the saints through church history. This compilation gives the background to these names. It lists some well-known names from the Bible: David, Noah, Ruth and Sarah alongside the less familiar Chloe and Susannah. The names of saints such as Anthony, Bernadette, George and Martin and many others are also included, as are Christian virtues such as Joy and Faith.

Names appear in alphabetical order under their most common spelling, with their gender (m or f) in brackets. The following line explains the typical pronunciation (for a guide see page (#u86faf3b9-a9d4-5066-94ad-33d261cd392b)) and the derivation of the name (if known). The main body of the text details the stories of the most famous person or people to have borne that name, and is followed by any common variants or opposite gender form of the name.

This book contains over 2,000 names with a Christian background, but we hope it isn’t just used as a reference – but rather as a source of ideas and inspiration. For some parents, choosing baby names can be remarkably easy; for others (especially teachers, for whom every name is a reminder of a wayward child) it can be a huge challenge. Whatever your situation, we hope that Christian Christian Names will help you on your way.

Christian Christian Names (#ulink_1bb89d8a-95f5-53be-83f3-8ef3426560b8)

Aaron (m)

[AIR-uhn, A-ruhn] from Hebrew or Egyptian, possibly meaning ‘bright’ or ‘mountaineer’.

Aaron, Moses’ elder brother and Israel’s first high priest, whose main role was to assist Moses. He served as spokesman for Moses, because Moses was ‘slow of speech’. Aaron held up Moses’ hands in battle (Exodus 17:12). He was involved in several controversies, especially in making and worshipping the golden calf (Exodus 32), and in publicly criticising Moses (Numbers 12). Later, God confirmed his leading role through the rod that budded (‘Aaron’s rod’) (Numbers 17).

Abel (m)

[AY-bull] from Hebrew, meaning ‘breath’.

Abel, Adam and Eve’s second son, who worked as a shepherd. He offered a sacrifice that was acceptable to God, through faith (Genesis 4:1–16; Hebrews 11:4), but was murdered by his brother Cain. When God asked where Abel was, Cain replied, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ God judged Cain by making him ‘a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth’.

Variant: Abe.

Abigail (f)

[AB-i-gayl] from Hebrew, meaning ‘father’s joy’.

A woman of beauty, wisdom and faith who saved her first husband Nabal, a rich shepherd, but one who was surly and mean. When David sent his men to Nabal, seeking supplies of food, Nabal insulted them. When David’s men returned to David, he prepared to destroy him. Abigail lost no time in humbly coming to David with a kind offer of food. Her gracious wise diplomacy persuaded David not to attack. She married David after Nabal died (1 Samuel 25).

The name and occupation came into more general use from the ‘waiting gentlewoman’ in the play The Scornful Lady by Sir Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, first performed in 1610. Swift, Fielding and other novelists of the period used the name further and it became popularised by the notoriety of Abigail Hill, lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, 1704–14, who used her friendship with the queen to try to secure personal favours.

Variants: Abbey, Abbie, Abby, Gail, Gale.

Abner (m)

[AB-nuh] from Hebrew, meaning ‘father is light’.

Saul’s cousin and commander-in-chief in Saul’s army. After Saul died, Abner temporarily upheld the authority of the king’s family. He was murdered by David’s commander Joab who was suspicious when Abner tried to join David (2 Samuel 3:22–38). After Abner’s death, David mourned him, saying, ‘A prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day.’