View Message

Eustolia
I'm interested in learning about the meaning and origin of my mother's name, Eustolia.
The previous submission of the name on this site listed it as Greek and related to the name Eustachys meaning "good harvest", while currently the usage is listed as Spanish (Mexican). The connection to Eustachys is questionable, but I do think it might be a Greek name that came into use in Spanish-speaking countries...What can you tell me about it?
vote up1vote down

Replies

The connection to Greek seems likely to me, since the element ευ (or eu) means "good", and is a common element in Greek names. Such as in the names Eunice, Eugene, Eulalia, Euclid, Eustachys etc. Searching through the Greek language I discovered the word στολή (stolí) which means "uniform, suit, costume, array". So, if Eustolia is derived from "eu" and "stolí", it would take on the meaning "uniform of goodness", which by extension would mean something along the lines of "clothed in goodness".Aside from just being a good meaning, there are several verses in the Bible that speak of being "clothed in righteousness" (see Isaiah 61:10, Psalm 132:9, Job 29:14,). This phrase may have been used among Greek Christians in the early church, and as a result developed into and popularized the given name Eustolia.

This message was edited 5/30/2019, 3:06 PM

vote up1vote down
Wow, thank you for such a thorough analysis :)
I'm glad to hear it's meaning is so pleasant and profound, and I can see how such a name could've come into use in Mexico, where my mother is from, as they are a very devout people. I also came across a Saint Eustolia from Rome who may have popularized the name further.
vote up1vote down
Hi Higuma! You're welcome! :) It was fun. Have a fantastic day. If you ever have any more questions feel free to post here and I'll see if I can answer them for you.

This message was edited 6/2/2019, 3:27 AM

vote up1vote down
ευ (or eu) can also mean "well," so (adding to the previous post), it can mean "well-dressed."

This message was edited 6/1/2019, 5:02 PM

vote up1vote down