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ArchivesPopular Names 'During Christ'
Since it seemed to interest several people... :)
First there is a difference in names of 'traditional' Jews (the people and the High Priests), and 'Romanized' Jews (Herod's family...).
TRADITIONAL NAMES
Traditionally, for Jews (even today), a name can't be chosen just because you like it. The meaning, connotations and symbols are very important. Moreover there's a link (like reincarnation) between the person you are named for and yourself. That's why Jews are named for family members or people like Moses, Abraham... Aramaic nns are common, like AKIVA for YAAKOV.
These names were probably very common:
SARAH
LEA
RAHEL
RIVKA
MIRIAM
HANNAH
YEHUDIT
MOSHE
AVRAHAM
AHARON
YAAKOV
SHIMON
YEHUDAH
YOSEF
* An exception here: Cohanic, Levitic or rabbinical families may chose names praising G-d instead of the above classics. Aristocratic families (Davidic lineage) may have several names, or very rare ones.
Examples:
ATARAH ("crown")
LILIA ("what is mine is G-d's")
ATERET (from "Ateret ha Cohanim", the crown of the Cohens)
MESHULLEMET ("perfect")
MALKA
BATYAH
ADARA
DEVIRA ("holy, saint")
KADISHA ("sacred")
CHASIDA ("righteous")
ELIOENAI ("my eyes are towars G-d")
MESHULLAM ("perfect")
AVIMELECH ("my father is king")
ELIMELECH ("my G-d is king [of the world])
SAREL ("G-d's prince")
LEVI
GEDALIA ("G-d is great")
ROMANIZED JEWS:
Any Greek or Roman name, sometimes coupled with a Hebrew name. In that case, that name may be random (Berenice Haggit), or a translation (Lucius Uri).
MIRIAM ALEXANDRA
BERENICE HAGGIT
DORIS
ALEXANDRA
STELLA ESTHER
CLAUDIA ASTER
TAMAR TAMIA
KORENIA KEREN
HERODES
ALEXANDER
LUCIUS PUBLIUS
Now, you maybe be interested in the Hebrew names of the people of the New Testament.
Jesus: YEHOSHUA
Paul: SHAUL
James: YAAKOV
John: YOCHANAN
Judas Iscariot: YEHUDAH ISH KRIOT (Yehuda from Kriot)
Lazarus: ELEAZAR
Mary Magdalene: MIRIAM MI MAGDALA (Miriam from Magdala)
High Priest Annas (or something): HANAN HA DAVIDI (Hanan the descendent of King David)
High Priest Caiphas (or something): YEHOSEF BAR QAFA (Yehosef son of Qafa. Yehosef would be the posh form of Yosef).
Hanan's daughter AYALA HA DAVIDI was the wife of Yehosef. Their son was YOSEF HA DAVIDI.
Claire
First there is a difference in names of 'traditional' Jews (the people and the High Priests), and 'Romanized' Jews (Herod's family...).
TRADITIONAL NAMES
Traditionally, for Jews (even today), a name can't be chosen just because you like it. The meaning, connotations and symbols are very important. Moreover there's a link (like reincarnation) between the person you are named for and yourself. That's why Jews are named for family members or people like Moses, Abraham... Aramaic nns are common, like AKIVA for YAAKOV.
These names were probably very common:
SARAH
LEA
RAHEL
RIVKA
MIRIAM
HANNAH
YEHUDIT
MOSHE
AVRAHAM
AHARON
YAAKOV
SHIMON
YEHUDAH
YOSEF
* An exception here: Cohanic, Levitic or rabbinical families may chose names praising G-d instead of the above classics. Aristocratic families (Davidic lineage) may have several names, or very rare ones.
Examples:
ATARAH ("crown")
LILIA ("what is mine is G-d's")
ATERET (from "Ateret ha Cohanim", the crown of the Cohens)
MESHULLEMET ("perfect")
MALKA
BATYAH
ADARA
DEVIRA ("holy, saint")
KADISHA ("sacred")
CHASIDA ("righteous")
ELIOENAI ("my eyes are towars G-d")
MESHULLAM ("perfect")
AVIMELECH ("my father is king")
ELIMELECH ("my G-d is king [of the world])
SAREL ("G-d's prince")
LEVI
GEDALIA ("G-d is great")
ROMANIZED JEWS:
Any Greek or Roman name, sometimes coupled with a Hebrew name. In that case, that name may be random (Berenice Haggit), or a translation (Lucius Uri).
MIRIAM ALEXANDRA
BERENICE HAGGIT
DORIS
ALEXANDRA
STELLA ESTHER
CLAUDIA ASTER
TAMAR TAMIA
KORENIA KEREN
HERODES
ALEXANDER
LUCIUS PUBLIUS
Now, you maybe be interested in the Hebrew names of the people of the New Testament.
Jesus: YEHOSHUA
Paul: SHAUL
James: YAAKOV
John: YOCHANAN
Judas Iscariot: YEHUDAH ISH KRIOT (Yehuda from Kriot)
Lazarus: ELEAZAR
Mary Magdalene: MIRIAM MI MAGDALA (Miriam from Magdala)
High Priest Annas (or something): HANAN HA DAVIDI (Hanan the descendent of King David)
High Priest Caiphas (or something): YEHOSEF BAR QAFA (Yehosef son of Qafa. Yehosef would be the posh form of Yosef).
Hanan's daughter AYALA HA DAVIDI was the wife of Yehosef. Their son was YOSEF HA DAVIDI.
Claire
This message was edited 1/28/2005, 4:04 PM
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Replies
This is awesome. Thank you!!!!!! One thing that is so cool is how important names were back then as illustrated by the Bible. The name meanings of the Old Testament authors illustrated what their book would often be about. For example, Isaiah means "Yahweh is Salvation" and his book dealt with salvation. Ezekiel means "God strengthens", and Ezekial was constantly crying out God's message to the Jews and was constantly getting persecuted for it. Zechariah means "God has remembered" and his book dealt with rebuilding the center of Jewish worship, Jewish Temple after it was destroyed. There are also several very funny names. One name that Isaiah was told to name his new born son was "Maher-shalal-hash-baz". I would hate to be that kid. Maybe, I should but that name up with the interactive polls and see what response I get with it.
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